Ch.190EP.44 – The Knight Hate Romance Fantasy Events (2)

“It’s about time for an incident to break out.”

A month had passed since the Sultan and the Spellcaster problems were resolved.

During that time, Ihan had tried his best to avoid getting involved in troublesome issues. He had dumped all the fanatic problems and other issues onto his royal sister.

Because of this…

“You wretched boy, are you planning to exploit your sister?”

“I’m just dividing tasks based on our strengths. Wouldn’t it look bad if someone like me, a mere knight, went around meddling in such matters? I need to maintain proper social etiquette too.”

“…That’s the most shameless excuse I’ve heard all year.”

“But it’s based entirely on facts?”

“…You insolent fellow.”

He had to endure all her complaints, but it wasn’t really his concern. He’d done what she asked, so why was she demanding so much more?

‘Anyway, these people in power have no conscience, none at all…’

Thus, Ihan had delegated all responsibilities and devoted the past month solely to adjusting the disconnect between his body and senses. He hadn’t turned his attention to anything else. In other words, he had enjoyed a peaceful daily life.

…But Ihan knew.

That this peace was like the calm before a storm.

‘The clouds of war haven’t dispersed yet.’

The atmosphere of the battlefield that ordinary people couldn’t sense. That heavy mood still lingered around Ihan, and he was certain that an incident could break out at any moment.

Like a small spark left unattended could cause a major fire, even a minor trouble could escalate into something serious.

Tsk!

‘…Sometimes I wish these feelings would just remain feelings.’

Ihan clicked his tongue. While he was occasionally proud of his sixth sense, when it accurately predicted ominous events, he couldn’t help but frown.

Thwack.

“Sigh, I was so annoyed I finished it in an instant.”

Ihan put down the needle and handkerchief. His “training” for the day had ended while he was lost in thought.

And seeing this, the young ladies…

“I-Instructor, that’s a-amazing…! To create such an accurate embroidery of fish so quickly…!”

“And the quality and elegance are truly…!”

They showered his “masterpiece” with admiration and praise.

It was indeed a magnificent embroidery with dynamic fish densely stitched, and if noble ladies had seen it, they would have gladly paid 30 gold coins for such craftsmanship.

The very fact that he had depicted over a hundred dynamic fish on that small handkerchief was nothing short of extraordinary skill.

“He surpassed us in just two weeks…”

“…My goodness.”

“Th-this is talent…!”

Even though these noble young ladies had been learning embroidery since they were three years old, they felt a deep sense of defeat seeing his masterful work completed in less than two weeks.

If it had just been the handkerchief with fish, they might have accepted it, but seeing his embroidery that meticulously depicted dragon scales, phoenix feathers, and meadows made them feel the wall of talent.

“Unlike you, I have tough fingers, so don’t praise me too much. I’ll get spoiled.”

Ihan had skin so tough that needles and thread couldn’t hurt him no matter how much they scraped or pricked his flesh. Additionally, embroidery had been an essential skill to learn in every organization he had been part of, both in his previous life and current one. When your clothes were torn and there was no one to fix them, you were forced to become good at it.

It was a sad history, but thanks to that, learning embroidery wasn’t particularly difficult for him. With his good sense and dexterity, it wasn’t hard to surpass the young ladies’ skills.

He just had to persevere and grind away at it.

‘This was the perfect “training method” for me.’

Judging that delicate and concentration-demanding training would be better than lifting dumbbells or iron bars to learn control of his strength, Ihan had already accomplished feats such as making teddy bears and knitting a hundred sweaters and scarves.

It was fun to train while doing something productive, and the more delicately he worked, the better the “masterpiece” turned out, making it a very satisfying training method for Ihan.

“Thanks to you, I think I’ve learned how to control my strength well. I don’t know if this is adequate thanks, but you can share the embroidery, sweaters, and dolls I’ve made. …If you want them, that is.”

Ihan shrugged, wondering if they would actually want things made by a man.

However…

“Lady Rose! Stop sneaking around! How dare you take five pieces!”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“Oh! Is that how you want to play it? Fine, let’s settle this with fencing.”

“…Oh? You dare challenge me to fencing? I hate to say this, but excluding Lady Levi, I consider myself second among the female cadets.”

“We’ll see who’s better when we try. Or are you scared?”

“…Get your fleuret right now!”

The young ladies grabbed their fencing swords and began a fierce competition for the masterpieces created by the knight, while Ihan blinked in confusion.

…He was a “budding master” who didn’t realize he had created masterpieces.

* * *

“You have unexpected talent, Instructor.”

“…I still wonder if this is worth fighting over. Well, I do like seeing them practice so passionately.”

As expected of nobles. Having learned fencing as part of their education from a young age, they had solid fundamentals and had incorporated his teachings well, displaying considerable skill that impressed him.

The match was so intense that he worried they might get cuts or bruises, but…

“With holy magic, there shouldn’t be a problem.”

Wooooong.

Grand Holy Magic – <Barrier of Sacrifice>.

That was the name of the holy magic cast by the interns, and with it in place, the children wouldn’t get hurt even if they trained or fought.

Ihan watched the match with relief, and during it…

“So, why did you speak to me first? Do you have some troublesome matter?”

“The way you say that makes it sound like I only speak to you when I have issues, Instructor.”

“That’s right, isn’t it?”

“……”

“You’re quite lacking in conscience too.”

“…Ahem.”

The black-haired young master, who appeared cold and aloof, but surprisingly enjoyed teasing others, subtly avoided his gaze.

Well, if he had a conscience, he would realize that initiating conversation was indeed lacking in conscience.

Roen, that disciple with the passive ability to pretend not to know people normally.

“So, why did our young master speak to me?”

“…Just call me normally. This is making me uncomfortable.”

“How picky.”

“……”

“Alright, I’ll stop teasing.”

“…Jack.”

Swish.

How long had he been hiding? Or perhaps he had been there from the beginning, but no one noticed due to his weak presence. A cadet revealed himself.

However…

“I was wondering why you were standing there, but you weren’t trying to surprise me, were you?”

“Huh?”

“Sigh! I told you to practice swordsmanship instead of stealth.”

Unfortunately, his skill wasn’t yet good enough to deceive Ihan’s senses. Instead, Ihan scolded him, saying he was investing in the wrong areas instead of swordsmanship.

Jack, receiving the barrage of scolding, defended himself with an aggrieved expression.

“I-I am training hard. But my stealth skills improve on their own even if I leave them alone…”

“…That’s definitely an annoying statement, but somehow it makes you seem pitiful?”

“Please don’t sympathize with me…”

Jack, whose assassin talents grew just by breathing, looked dejected but, true to his inherent diligence, took out several photos from his pocket and handed them to Ihan.

“?”

“Please look at these first.”

“…Hmm.”

At their request, Ihan briefly scanned the photos, and for a moment…

“……”

A chilling aura flashed in his eyes before quickly disappearing.

…Flinch!

Though it was just a momentary chill, the two subordinates flinched. Just feeling his enhanced aura was enough to make their blood run cold.

Unaware of this, Ihan focused on examining the photos.

Though the resolution was quite poor, it wasn’t so bad that he couldn’t recognize the people or places in the photos, and Ihan calmly…

“Blackie, stalking is still a crime, you idiot.”

“……”

…He could only look with pity at the photos, presumably of Judia Pierre, and then at the guy.

-Judia Pierre.

A biological woman who usually dressed as a man, a person with two personalities, and also known as the temple’s hunting dog or hyena, an Inquisitor.

She was also the one who had threatened Ihan the day before and been severely scolded.

…But digging deeper, her background wasn’t limited to being an Inquisitor.

Mysterious Race – <Succubus>.

She belonged to a race that could enter others’ dreams and replenished their energy by consuming the vital energy of humans, regardless of gender. Also, though not a certain future, using such abilities, she would eventually marry Blackie and become one of the “Three Great Villainesses of the Kingdom,” dealing a significant blow to him.

…Her career was impressively colorful, but as of yet, no one considered her a dangerous element.

That’s because no one knew of her evil deeds.

The only ones who knew were just two people besides himself: one with a status window, and the other who had even married the villainess…

“Do you still have lingering feelings?”

“…It’s not like that.”

…Only the regressor Blackie.

Ihan looked glumly at the photos capturing Judia Pierre’s activities.

They showed her meeting or talking with someone, but no matter how he looked at it, this could only be seen as stalking.

‘…Anyone who doesn’t know the circumstances would report this immediately.’

He understood and overlooked it because he knew the relationship between Blackie and Judia Pierre, but to others, this was typical stalker behavior.

So if this were discovered, Blackie’s social standing would drop in many ways.

Ihan sighed and flipped through the photos.

“Why show me something so unsightly? If someone else had seen this, they would have misunderstood dozens of times over.”

“I’m showing you because I trust you, Instructor. And you know, don’t you? That I deeply despise and am wary of her…”

“I know well… I know so well that I’m more worried.”

He was concerned that Blackie might drag her deep underground for torture tomorrow.

Because that kind of intense hatred was dormant inside him.

‘…This is why you need to break up properly too.’

Just like how destroying important documents out of revenge when leaving a hated workplace can lead to a hellish life. There’s an art to breaking up, and if the breakup is messy, only your own life becomes miserable.

…Well, if you’re prepared for your life to get messy, you can break up messily.

In that sense…

‘He seems to want to settle the score once and for all.’

“Instructor, please hand her over to me even now. She’s not someone who can be reformed.”

Blackie, no, Roen, was determined to end Judia Pierre’s life somehow, and Ihan scratched the back of his head.

‘I predicted that an incident would occur, but is it starting to unfold now?’

The people in the photos he showed…

…They all appeared to be “people from the temple,” and Ihan sensed that his peaceful daily life was coming to an end.

‘This is why I hate medieval religion.’

Instead of doing the religious activities they’re supposed to, they engage in all sorts of strange behaviors.

…Would hitting the back of his head make him come to his senses?