Ch.196EP.45 – The Knight Get Autumn Blues (2)

“Originally, the Marquis allowed me to use the Tristan surname, but somehow it didn’t feel right. Even though I became his adopted daughter, I don’t share any blood with the Tristan family, right? No matter how I looked at it, using their surname while they already provide me with lodging and take care of my needs seemed too shameless. So I received a different surname. Normally, one would need to be knighted to obtain it, but the Marquis specially arranged it for me. Ah, there was a condition though. If I fail to be knighted, the surname will be revoked and I’ll have to use the Tristan surname. …It’s such a favorable condition for me that it feels a bit strange, doesn’t it? Hehe.”

Levi was chirping like a sparrow at dawn, and she seemed excited, talking more than usual.

Well, it was the first time in her life that she had received her own unique surname to prove her identity.

For a girl who had always been forcibly manipulated by others, receiving a surname could only be a joyous occasion.

That’s why Ihan silently listened to her words and nodded.

It was certainly something to be happy about.

However.

“B-but, there must be many other surnames, so why specifically Jeanne d’Arc?”

“…It’s a bit unusual, isn’t it? Does it not suit me?”

“No! That’s not it at all! It’s a wonderful name!”

Seeing the girl’s pitiful reaction as she showed signs of embarrassment, Ihan quickly shook his head.

As if there was nothing strange about it at all.

Ihan did his best to deny any concerns and praised the girl’s new surname.

“Th-that’s a relief. I thought it might be strange…”

The sincere praise seemed to have its effect as Levi smiled brightly again with a relieved expression.

And then.

“It just came to me! I accidentally burned myself a little while trying to blow out a candle, and at that moment, it flashed in my mind. As if I had received a ‘divine revelation’…”

“……”

She recounted the birth story of her name, reminiscing about the moment that came to her like destiny, her face still showing lingering impressions.

As if it was truly miraculous.

“Hehe, is this what they call inspiration that flashes from the subconscious? Such strange things happen, don’t they?”

“Y-yeah…”

“Anyway, please call me Levi Jeanne d’Arc from now on. …Though you, Master, can just call me Levi or Jeanne if you prefer.”

“If I address a student so casually, I’ll get an earful.”

“Is that so?”

“…I can see right through you pretending. Don’t try lying elsewhere. It’s all too obvious.”

“…Hehe.”

Levi laughed awkwardly, and Ihan also laughed along with his playful and affectionate disciple, finding her endearing, but while his exterior was smiling, inside he felt like he was burning up.

‘This is incredibly ominous…’

He was especially alarmed by the part where she mentioned the flash of inspiration when she almost burned her hand with a candle.

Why fire of all things?

-The thought naturally came to him.

‘Hey, is this a coincidence?’

‘I-it must be a coincidence, right? …Probably.’

‘Why do you sound so uncertain!?’

‘…I can’t be sure of anything either. Wow, could this be the reversibility of fate?’

‘Hey, watch your words!’

‘Oops!’

Though he didn’t believe in superstitions, this was a world where fairies and mysteries coexisted.

One wrong word could potentially become a seed for something much larger.

‘Though she hasn’t learned holy magic yet, she has the talent to be called a saint the moment she learns it…’

Hmm…

‘Is she a sniper for the temple?’

She was undoubtedly someone who could ruin the temple’s plans if caught, and a life that would become arduous the moment she became entangled with the temple, despite walking through a field of flowers.

‘…Our little bear cub, really…’

The master could only hope that the name was merely a coincidence.

* * *

CRASH!

Less than 5 minutes after Ihan contacted him, he arrived, and as soon as he appeared, the restaurant door was spectacularly shattered.

The black-haired young lord had come in such a hurry that he forgot to control his strength and kicked the door open, causing the restaurant owner to gasp in shock.

“W-what is this outrage! How could you do this to the door of our Maple Tree Restaurant with 200 years of tradition…!”

“I apologize. I will compensate.”

“Do you think compensation is what matters right now! This is…!”

THUD!

“……”

A pouch of gold coins dropped onto the table.

It was loud. How heavy must it be to make such a sound on the table?

“Ahem!!”

But the restaurant owner had his pride, and although he was surprised, he still had no intention of forgiving.

Especially the attitude of trying to resolve it with money was vexing.

No matter what, this deserved a scolding…

THUD!

THUUUD!

“From today, you are the owner of this restaurant! Do as you please!”

“I have no desire to be the owner. I just want some quiet around here.”

“I’ll drive out everything from ants to mice, of course!!”

If someone refuses your gold coins, consider whether the weight of those coins might be insufficient…

As if to teach such a lesson, gold coin pouches that looked twice as heavy as the first one fell onto the table, nearly splitting it, and the restaurant owner pledged his loyalty to the black-haired young lord, Roen.

It all happened in an instant.

For those watching, it was bewildering.

“Are you swimming in money? What the…”

“I am. Quite abundantly. Perhaps only Galahad or the temple could compete with me in terms of wealth.”

“…So you really are swimming in it.”

“I could even make it rain diamonds if you’d like.”

“Ah, no thanks, I’ll pass…”

For the first time, Ihan felt the dignity of a returnee from the boy.

Until now, nothing had surprised him, but when he sensed the smell of limitless gold, he could feel that dignity.

‘Indeed, a returnee.’

An invincible investor who thoroughly understood information about real estate that would appreciate in value, future successful merchant groups, gold mines, and other precious resources.

Perhaps in this barbaric medieval world, just as in his previous life, that immense investment ability was the true cheat key?

Ihan was freshly impressed.

However, the boy seemed unmoved, as if showing off such (trivial?) money wasn’t even worth bragging about.

…To be precise, his face was expressionless, but his pupils were shaking frantically.

He looked visibly tense and urgent.

“Is it true that Jeanne, …no, Lady Levi’s new surname has become Jeanne d’Arc?”

“It’s true. You don’t need to ask us; you can ask her directly. She left not long ago, so you should be able to catch up with her quickly.”

“…No. There’s no reason for the instructor to lie, so it must be true.”

Though he said this, Roen looked like he wanted to chase after Levi right away.

Well, even he would be shocked.

It would feel like an old comrade who had died had returned to life.

At the same time.

‘He must also be suspicious.’

Wondering if Levi, like himself, had come back from the future…

Various emotions crossed his expression.

Doubt, joy, sadness, anger, despair, denial.

…Countless emotions flashed by quickly, and Ihan could tell.

Ultimately.

‘…He’s given up.’

As expected of a clever fellow, it seems he reached a conclusion easily.

‘If my bear cub knew the future, she should have contacted the black-haired kid immediately, but there wasn’t even a hint of that. So he must have concluded it’s a coincidence.’

But he wouldn’t consider this entirely coincidental either.

“Instructor, perhaps…”

“…Why do you stop mid-sentence?”

“It’s… content that’s difficult to speak of easily, so I can’t blurt it out carelessly.”

“……”

Roen still wasn’t opening up easily, and Ihan waited patiently.

Slurp.

The instructor was leisurely waiting for the end of his contemplation, eating waffles and coffee that the restaurant owner, delighted by the unexpected gold pouches, had brought as service.

He looked quite at ease.

Wasn’t he impatient?

“…You’re not rushing me.”

“Rushing won’t get an answer. If you want to talk, you talk. If it’s awkward or unpleasant, just skip it. Looking at you, you seem to have a tendency to make life difficult for yourself.”

“…Ha.”

Roen laughed for a moment.

Because he was certain that in the entire kingdom, this man was probably the only one who would evaluate him like that.

In many ways, he was someone who could make even his arduous deliberations seem light.

Perhaps that’s why.

“Phew!”

With a refreshed breath, Roen decided to reveal one of his most important secrets that he had been hiding until now.

There was only one reason for revealing this secret.

For a smooth conversation without entanglements, like oil flowing.

“If I say I have the ‘ability to see the future,’ would you believe me?”

Of course, he wouldn’t reveal everything.

He would mix 70% truth with 30% falsehood.

Besides, it wasn’t exactly a lie, and Roen prepared to respond while predicting how he would react.

He wouldn’t believe it quickly, but as they talked gradually…

“Just now?”

“?”

“Is this the timing where I’m supposed to react somehow?”

“??”

…Somehow, the response was completely different from what he had predicted.

If Roen wasn’t mistaken, he looked simply dumbfounded.

And as the next statement followed, Roen couldn’t help but understand why he reacted that way.

“You’ve been blatantly showing that you know the future, and now you’re asking if I believe you? What am I supposed to say? Should I act surprised?”

“…Have I been that obvious?”

“I thought you were deliberately teaching me.”

“Ahem.”

“Looking at it, you’re the most clumsy. If you had any intention of hiding it, I might understand, but you’re always spreading rumors everywhere…”

“I-I’ve never spread rumors…”

“Oh really?”

“……”

…At the scornful snort, Roen finally closed his mouth.

Sometimes they say if you stay quiet, you might at least get a middle ground, and Roen realized that not making excuses was the answer as he smiled bitterly.

…But even though it was a bitter smile, there was a refreshing feeling in the corner of his mouth, as if he had released a frustration that had been unresolved.

* * *

‘This is unexpected?’

Though he spoke as if scolding, he was inwardly surprised at his disciple revealing his secret.

After all, it was the first time this wounded stray cat-like fellow had shown trust.

…It even felt somewhat touching, like a stray cat allowing a human touch for the first time.

‘Would he get angry if I say it directly?’

Ihan, satisfied with the fact that they had become somewhat closer, decided not to poke at his nose hairs unnecessarily.

Because he was a prideful fellow.

So.

“Aren’t you curious about anything?”

“?”

“You must be curious too. Like why I called you right after hearing about bear cub’s new name, …things like that?”

“……”

The conversation continued, and Roen’s expression hardened.

And his gaze.

“…I had some suspicions before, but now it’s certain. You too are a being similar to me.”

“Haha…”

The fellow’s gaze immediately fixed on Taechang.

As expected, he has good intuition.

Immediately identifying the source of information.

At that moment.

“…Let me ask one thing. Have you also met an [Angel]?”

“…Could it be that you too, Young Lord…?”

“So it is true!”

“Wow…”

…Some unexpected information popped up, and Ihan blinked.

The two were rapidly growing closer like old classmates, and Ihan was surprised as he looked at Taechang.

And for good reason.

‘Wasn’t it supposed to be a truck?’

He thought it would be at least a Dodge or a Retona.

‘Hmm, isn’t it a truck these days?’

Ihan cast a lonely gaze, thinking that trends must have changed a lot since his reincarnation.

…In his era, the basics were either a truck or overwork.

‘Things have gotten easier these days.’

Even angels have appeared…

Well, at this rate.

‘Next they’ll be reincarnating while writing comments, haha!’

Ihan laughed to himself, thinking that would be too absurd no matter what.