Ch.146EP.37 – The Knight Grew to Hate the Ball (1)

He spoke to the cadets with a dejected expression.

“If this instructor ever leaves the academy, just know that I’m in hiding.”

“Hiding?”

“Are you sick?”

“Instructor-?”

“Just remember that.”

“???”

“……”

It had been two days since the commotion at Galahad, and he was starting to feel a bit anxious.

Was it said that humans are creatures of regret?

A cycle where one recalls past mistakes and suffers in the present.

For the past two days, Ihan had been having nightmares about being chased by Galahad’s soldiers and the Duke pointing a sword at him to kill him.

‘Where should I flee to…?’

Lately, even exile had become an option.

The desert and grassland kingdom ruled by the Sultan was hot, but supposedly nice to live in….

‘No, I don’t really like hot places.’

Then should he go to a rural village with valleys and the sea to live in seclusion?

‘That’s not great either.’

Rural living didn’t seem right for him.

If possible, he’d prefer to live in a city with proper infrastructure.

Though he looked like someone who could survive anywhere, he was still a city person at heart.

“Sigh.”

“Instructor, I don’t know what’s wrong, but cheer up. Kunta is comforting you.”

“You’re surprisingly sensitive despite your appearance, aren’t you?”

“…I don’t want to hear that from you of all people, instructor.”

“What’s wrong with me?”

“Doesn’t the instructor look more like a barbarian than an actual barbarian?”

“Is that an insult or a compliment?”

“???”

“…Why don’t you understand what you just said?”

He wondered if he should include reading time in his lessons because of this guy.

Even though swordsmen were known for being muscle-brained, they still needed a certain level of knowledge.

Somehow, thanks to the big guy, Ihan forgot his worries about the Duke’s family and started contemplating the direction of his future lessons.

His habit of diligently performing his duties seemed to help in times like these.

Just then.

“Come to think of it, the ball season will be here soon.”

“Ah, I had forgotten.”

“Oh, what should I do, I haven’t found a partner yet….”

The chicks practicing the judo techniques he had recently taught became noisy.

It started when the topic of the ball came up.

“Ball?”

“Yes, the ball season officially begins from the second semester. Especially the Academy Ball, which everyone attending the academy participates in, will be held soon.”

“I see, there’s such a thing.”

“Those who attend the Royal Academy must all appear in social circles, whether they like it or not. Not appearing in social circles means being excluded from high society, so it’s an essential event.”

“Hmm.”

“Hehe, Instructor, you were just thinking that balls and social circles are useless, weren’t you?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it….”

…These chicks are sharper than I thought.

Is this what they call a woman’s intuition?

‘Is my expression that easy to read?’

Somehow, everyone I meet seems to be able to read my face.

“Umm, I’m sorry first of all. But I didn’t think it was useless. It’s just not a very familiar event for me. I didn’t mean to disrespect you all.”

“Hohoho, I know. I know that wasn’t your intention, Instructor.”

The chick’s faint laughter was heard, and the other chicks also showed signs of agreement.

“That’s what I like about you, Instructor. You apologize even though we’re young and of lower status.”

“That’s right, some other nobles and knights are so prideful that they don’t apologize and even get angry first.”

“That would be fortunate! Some even use violence. Just the other day, I saw Lord Frand…”

“My goodness! That happened?! As they say, he acts just like he looks—pretty on the outside but rotten inside.”

“What a shame. If that person had been in front of me, it would have been a chance to test the techniques I learned from the instructor.”

“Exactly!”

“…Can I leave now?”

It seems one shouldn’t interrupt girls’ conversations.

At some point, he felt his presence had been forgotten, and Ihan wanted to escape.

“Hehe, to simply summarize, it means Master is a kind person.”

“…I asked about the ball, but how did we end up with that conclusion?”

The blue bear cub’s gentleness was heard as he approached, and Ihan learned a lesson.

‘Try not to interrupt when girls are talking.’

This would be a lesson that Ihan would use throughout his life.

“……”

…The red-haired woman, Judia Pierre, stared at the female cadets and the knight blending well together.

She still had an expressionless face that made it impossible to read her thoughts, but if there had been a kind and wise old priest, he might have been able to read her expression to some extent.

That expression was none other than.

“…O Light, how am I supposed to live-.”

‘Envy.’

* * *

Ihan told one of his collaborators about what had happened to him, and as soon as the collaborator heard the story.

“Y-you were summoned by the Duke?!”

He was shocked and almost on the verge of fainting.

“Is that really so surprising?”

Though he could be bold at times, he was timid by nature, so Taechang tended to show such surprised reactions even for trivial matters.

However, the one who was surprised retorted.

“No, how can you not be surprised by this?! More importantly, Instructor, did you know Blake Duke? That <Blade of Blake>-?”

“…What kind of setting is that now?”

“Blake Duke of the Magic Sword. One of the people with power comparable to an Aura user. His own strength is formidable, but when he wields the magic sword, his power is truly cataclysmic… capable of erasing an entire nation.”

“Perhaps… is that person also an important character?”

“He’s kind of like an event boss. However, like Grand Duke Lionel, he’s not a boss character meant to be defeated.”

“…Then why was he created?”

“Sometimes the planning team goes crazy and adds ridiculous easter eggs. Honestly, he barely has any role in the original work, but the planning team must have thought it was a good idea and added him.”

“That person has no role…?”

The Duke that Ihan had seen was not indifferent to the world.

Rather, he was an exceptionally wise and excellent man.

So he was puzzled by the claim that the character had no role, and in response to his reaction, Taechang agreed and explained why the Duke was a character who did nothing.

“Because he’s an observer character. As you know, if there’s someone who controls the entire situation the moment they move, the story doesn’t progress well. Well, the problem is that he’s too much of an observer, so he doesn’t have much presence.”

“So does he ever have a moment to shine?”

“He does.”

“When?”

“When Irene Windler falls from grace.”

“…Ah.”

Ihan nodded as he recalled a particular piece of information.

“Wasn’t Irene Windler originally one of the three villainess characters?”

In response to Ihan’s question, he nodded and shared additional settings.

“The reason Irene Windler became a villainess character is primarily because she’s like the final boss within the academy. In the original work, she becomes the adopted daughter of Duke Galahad. And the behavior of someone who enters a powerful family typically falls into two categories. Do you know what they are?”

“Either they’re grateful for their fortune and work hard, or they’re ungrateful and become twisted.”

“You know well.”

“How many comics have I read? …But from your tone, I’m guessing the chick is.”

“Yes, in the original work, she becomes extremely twisted.”

And to an incredible degree.

Tyranny is just the beginning; despite having lived as a commoner orphan herself, she despises the lower classes and eventually uses Galahad’s power to reign as the queen of social circles.

Furthermore, after entering the Royal Academy, she focuses only on establishing her power base, neglecting her innate talent for magic and letting it rot.

After that….

“In her second year, she stands in opposition to the ‘female protagonist’ who will appear, and takes on the role of making the female protagonist stand out. Later, she commits such deplorable acts of tyranny that it’s painful to even talk about, threatening the female protagonist, and eventually gets expelled from the academy and abandoned by the Duke. That’s the original storyline.”

“…She deserves to be abandoned.”

Just hearing about it makes him irritated.

She couldn’t be anything but a common villainess character, and the Duke had every reason to abandon her.

‘That man doesn’t give affection just because someone resembles his wife.’

Perhaps in that “original work,” the Duke discovered Irene Windler, who resembled his wife, and adopted her, but when the villainess’s tyranny crossed the line, the Duke cut her off without hesitation.

Yet, the reason he kept her until she became a second-year student at the academy was probably…

‘He kept her around because he was suspicious.’

As he just heard, the original Irene Windler was also likely suspected of being something created by the temple, which is why she was kept around.

But when it was confirmed that she was just useless and excessively tyrannical, she lost her value.

Sure enough.

“According to the original work, there’s mention of ‘a nameless grave where a blonde woman is buried.’ That grave is probably…”

“…Tsk.”

Although he knew that the villainess from the original work and the current chick were different individuals, Ihan somehow felt bitter.

Even if she was a spellcaster, she was still a member—no, a cadet—that he taught.

“Not pleasant to hear.”

“D-did I say something wrong?”

“No, it’s not that. It just weighs on my mind a bit. Thanks for telling me.”

“Haha… Then that’s good.”

“…Hmm, but timid one.”

“Yes?”

“…What’s that on your neck?”

“Huh? Ah, this…!”

Was he bitten by an insect? There was something that looked like a red blister on his neck, and the guy gave a bitter smile.

“It’s nothing much. The day before yesterday, a female cadet from the same department gave me something like an invitation, and when Karin Alencia saw it, she got angry. Then she suddenly bit my neck. It’s really…”

“……”

“I thought I was going to die from the pain. Why was she so angry?”

“…That’s a territory mark, man.”

“What? What kind of mark?”

“…Just go die, you bastard.”

“???”

“…Damn it.”

Ihan wanted to beat this guy up.

* * *

In Ihan’s front yard, there was a doghouse—a boarding room.

It was a handmade creation by the homeowner himself, built without any shoddy construction, likely able to withstand even a storm.

And as befitting such a precious house, the resident, Assistant #1, had bowed his head with tears welling up.

– Life really is like shit!

Perhaps he felt that living in such a nice house was too much for him.

Anyway, such precious boarding facilities had recently increased by nine more.

Because there were new interns hoping to board.

This meant there were more snoring sounds, but fortunately, they weren’t at a level that disturbed the homeowner’s ears.

So even though it was the front yard, it seemed like a somewhat independent individual space from the homeowner.

But then.

Swoosh.

One person rose and slipped out of the space.

Slowly rising and walking unsteadily, openly spreading their presence, yet the other residents were too busy sleeping soundly to notice.

No matter how tired they might be, the interns shouldn’t be unable to sense another person’s presence, but there was a reason they couldn’t sense it…

Saaaa….

It, or rather she, made no footsteps and floated through the air like a ghost, so it wasn’t strange that they couldn’t sense her presence.

If someone had seen this scene, they would have doubted their eyes and screamed, but unfortunately, there was no one awake here.

Eventually.

Paat!

Her body passed through the wall, not the door.

Could she really be a ghost?

“──Haah.”

Exuding an eerie sinisterness that sent chills down one’s spine, she passed through the wall and her eyes immediately found Ihan sleeping on the hammock.

He was in deep sleep, and she gradually placed her hand on his body.

Was she trying to threaten him, or was she trying to kill him?

Swoosh!

In an instant, the eerie energy emanating from her body was directed towards Ihan.

An energy like mist.

That energy was thick and sticky, and just looking at it contained some kind of energy that could bewitch people.

And so.

“……”

“Are your eyes open?”

“……”

“If they are, look at me. Because I am your master.”

“……”

She, Judia Pierre, was imbued with an expression and voice completely different from her usual self.

Chwak!

Other things had changed as well.

The atmosphere, and her short hair now boasted long hair that reached down to her waist, and there were changes all over her body.

To put it nicely, she looked healthy, and to put it bluntly, her somewhat unfeminine body had become more feminine and voluptuous.

And to such a her.

“…Succubus.”

Succubus, or also called a mysterious race, was the name that came to mind, and Judia Pierre shook her head with a seductive expression.

“No, I am a dream demon. Not such a low-level creature. So accept me. I will give you happiness.”

“……”

“Come on. If you become my servant, I can give you as much happiness as…”

“Are you done talking?”

“…Why isn’t it working?”

“Hey, I’m asking you.”

“Ah, no, it sh-should work? Why… Perhaps there’s a problem with your masculinity…?”

“…You disrespectful woman!”

Baaaang!!

“Aaaack!!”

There was a sound like Judia Pierre’s skull cracking.

It didn’t actually crack, but there was such a dull sound, and she writhed in pain.

It was an incredible shock, and even with a dream demon’s body, the pain was unbearable.

But whether she was in pain or not.

“You woman! It’s not like you’re driving a nail into someone’s heart! As if it wasn’t bad enough that the status window bastard was rubbing salt in my wounds…!!!”

Ihan was ‘extremely angry.’

There was a girl who dared to touch his sore spot, she was disrespectful, and she had even trespassed illegally.

This was now self-defense.

“Don’t even think about surviving today!”

“…What?”

Ihan picked up a huge axe that was standing in a corner of the room.

And then.

“Can’t people be beaten with an axe too?”

“N-no?”

“Then I’ll show you. You’ll understand after being beaten all night long.”

“!!!”

That night, Ihan kept his word.

He showed various ways to beat someone with an axe without killing them, and he really did beat her until dawn.

A full 7 hours.

That was how long Judia Pierre was beaten.