Ch.197EP.45 – The Knight Get Autumn Blues (3)

The two boys had been sharing information as if they’d found common ground from the moment the keyword “angel” came up.

Of course, sharing didn’t mean revealing that they were regressors or possessors.

Even though they might have had similar experiences, they were both too cautious by nature to become friends in an instant.

“What was the angel you saw like?”

“Hmm, honestly, I couldn’t see the face clearly. But the moment I saw it, I was certain, ‘Ah, that’s an angel!’ …instinctively?”

“Similar to my experience.”

“Oh, and one more thing—I also had the thought that it was ‘beautiful yet sorrowful.'”

“That too is similar.”

“Hmm…”

“…”

The two boys suddenly became less talkative.

It wasn’t that the conversation had ended; they seemed to be recalling their encounters with the angel.

However, neither boy looked pleased…

“But the more I try to remember, the more it feels like being trapped in fog—unsettling and impossible to see ahead.”

“Like ink splattered in a corner of my brain.”

“Ah! That’s exactly it!”

The more they tried to recall, the more they felt like they were falling into a labyrinth, so they could only sigh.

Despite clearly having met an angel, they couldn’t recall the angel, and some “crucial memory” remained elusive.

Meanwhile, Ihan Turtle, watching his disciples from a third-person perspective, had a rough idea of why they were so frustrated.

‘I guess these guys have hazy memories of when they regressed or possessed their bodies.’

The sensation of having an intense dream but not being able to recall it upon waking.

‘Is that angel on the level of the Spring Fairy, or even beyond?’

Well, it was an angel after all.

Called a messenger of God, a sacred being comparable to dragons or seasonal fairies.

If such an angel exerted its presence, it’s no wonder their memories would be hazy.

[Higher being.]

Those who encounter fairies or dragons often go mad.

So it’s inevitable that memories would be blurred.

‘Did the chick meet an angel too?’

Ihan couldn’t help but smile as he imagined if his neighbor might have also met an angel like them.

After all.

‘I found my memories after getting backstabbed, but others met angels… Am I the only one who’s too old-fashioned?’

The thought that only his genre was old-fashioned made him chuckle.

Still.

‘I do prefer the classics, though.’

Honestly, Ihan found it a bit cringeworthy to see grown boys going on about “angels,” and he was glad he wasn’t part of that conversation.

* * *

Afterward, the two boys talked for quite a long time.

However, there was no more talk about angels.

“Because we can’t figure anything out.”

“It’s not something we can know just because we want to.”

…There was no point in dwelling on a problem with no answer.

So most of their conversation topics were about the “future.”

“In the future I ‘saw,’ the temple never went this crazy.”

“It’s not in the ‘information I know’ either.”

They seemed to be sharing opinions openly, but they still kept certain things hidden.

That was natural.

No matter how similar their experiences and events were, could they really reveal everything openly?

Even sharing minimal information like this was a big decision given the personalities of the two boys.

One was too suspicious, and the other was too worried, so they were cautious…

Therefore.

“If you tell me the information I want, I’ll pay a price.”

“Th-then me too. I’ll pay an appropriate price.”

They agreed to benefit through fair [transactions].

If they kept suspecting each other and hiding their information, they would only end up going nowhere.

It was the maximum concession they could make.

But then.

“What about you, Instructor?”

“…Huh?”

“Would you like to make a deal?”

“Me?”

Ihan blinked at the dark-skinned boy’s sudden proposal.

He hadn’t expected such an offer.

“…Your surprise makes me even more surprised. Don’t you want to know? It’s information about the future. If you just knew, it would be a great advantage for you.”

“…”

He was right.

Information about the future wasn’t just about upcoming events.

It meant he could also gain access to the boundless wealth those two possessed.

He could live in a mansion like a palace, or have every meal filled with truffles and beef dishes.

It was an undeniably tempting offer, and this was a deal that anyone who wasn’t a fool should accept, but.

“Um… I don’t really need it?”

“…??”

“You don’t have to tell me. And I’m just a poor salary man without money to trade with you anyway.”

“…The payment could be something else.”

“I said no, really! The rich always want more…! Tsk, you might as well try to extract a flea’s liver, you conscienceless noble!”

“I-I had no intention of fleecing you, Instructor. There seems to be a misunderstanding.”

He looked wronged after being scolded.

He hadn’t meant to demand an unreasonable price, yet he was being scolded for nothing.

He was about to speak more to clear up the misunderstanding, but…

Swish.

“It’s fine, really.”

Ihan firmly held out his palm to cut off the flow.

“…”

…For a moment, the dark-skinned boy fell silent.

“Hm?”

He had a sudden eye-quake looking at Ihan’s palm, and while Ihan wondered why he was acting so strange, he didn’t pay much attention and just shrugged.

“Ahem, that guy also made a similar offer to me before, but I refused that too. I didn’t need it.”

“…”

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying your information isn’t valuable. On the contrary, it’s astronomically valuable, which is why I don’t want to hear it. If a simple guy like me tries to move while calculating the future in a complicated way, I’ll just end up with a headache.”

“…”

“So you guys do well. I can only fight. But unlike me, you can do anything, right? You’re smart and capable of accomplishing anything. So whether it’s the chick or the cub, you keep an eye on them. If you ever need my strength, call me. That’s the only thing I can do.”

“…”

“I’ll get up first. I need to prepare for class soon. Don’t be late, you two. Especially you! You noble brat, attend class!”

Ihan ended up nagging.

He wanted to part ways quietly, but somehow he ended up scolding.

‘Is this what it means to have a teacher’s heart?’

…He wasn’t sure. Whatever it was, it was probably just his own twisted personality.

‘Is it because I’m getting old?’

Ah, he didn’t want to become an old fogey.

Ihan missed his youth.

…Though his life hadn’t really had much of a youth to speak of.

*

*

*

“…He even paid for our coffee before leaving. For someone who calls himself poor, really…”

“…”

Derrick Pendragon looked at the silver coin on the table.

Even though Roen Dmitri de Lionel had already given the restaurant owner plenty of gold coins, the instructor had still paid for their food as if that was a separate matter.

He’s such a diligent person.

“Hmm.”

Derrick had to put some effort into controlling his twitching lips.

He felt like he might burst into laughter.

‘So this is what it feels like to be acknowledged.’

Replaying his words in his mind brought a ticklish yet overwhelming joy.

“…He trusts us.”

Looking closely at what he had said, it could be interpreted that he didn’t ask anything because he trusted them.

His tone carried a deep belief that ‘you can move more intelligently than if I knew and acted myself.’

Though gruff, his words were based on trust, which made Derrick’s face flush.

It was his first time being so acknowledged by someone, especially a man he respected.

So while it was embarrassing, it was also fulfilling.

To know that he could be recognized like this.

Then.

“-His hands, were a mess.”

“Pardon?”

“His hands, were a complete mess…”

“?”

Roen was saying something seemingly out of the blue, and Derrick tilted his head.

He didn’t understand what that meant.

“…Did you see the Instructor’s palm?”

“His palm? Oh, y-yes, I did see it.”

“How was it?”

“W-well…”

Despite the sudden question, Derrick was only slightly flustered, and thanks to his [Instant Memory] skill, he quickly recalled what the instructor’s palm looked like.

“…He had a ton of calluses, right? Lots of wounds and scars too. Not just his palm, but his entire fist was covered in scars, whew! Come to think of it, he’s really amazing, isn’t he? How harsh must his past years have been…”

The more he recalled in detail, the more admiration flowed out.

Moreover, the wounds and scars weren’t just on his palms but seemed to be all over his body.

They were evidence of the efforts he had made throughout his life, and anyone would naturally feel respect.

But.

“But why ask about the scars? It’s impressive, but not particularly surprising…?”

“…”

“Lord Roen?”

“…You seem smart, but you have your clumsy moments.”

“Excuse me?”

Why the sudden criticism…?

“-Have you forgotten that the Instructor received a fairy’s blessing?”

“…!”

Thud! Derrick suddenly felt a pain in the back of his head.

As if a tray had hit him hard.

“Ah…”

The fairy’s blessing.

In the instructor’s words, a complete physical transformation.

And as this expression suggests, the bodies of the instructor and Heungrang were reconstructed anew, erasing past scars.

But today, the instructor clearly had…

‘Why were there so many calluses and scars?’

…No, how could that be possible?

It was a question that made his mind go blank, and the answer came from Roen’s lips.

“All those scars and calluses appeared after receiving the fairy’s blessing. Meaning they formed within just one month.”

It was unbelievable.

Roen couldn’t even begin to imagine.

The instructor was already at a level where it would be hard to find a match in the kingdom in terms of pure martial prowess.

Yet such a person hadn’t been resting, and in Derrick’s case, he even mistook the instructor’s scars as traces accumulated over 30 years.

In other words.

‘He lived a month as if it were 30 years?’

Ha!

He couldn’t help but laugh hollowly.

For such scars to form, it meant he had been training to the point of life and death continuously.

Moreover, it also meant that he kept getting injured faster than his abnormal recovery rate could heal, which is why scars remained.

…Intense?

Even that word seemed ridiculous.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he was living every minute and second with all his might.

‘No wonder he doesn’t need to know the future…’

Instead of worrying about tomorrow or a year from now, he’s living the ‘present’ with all his strength.

For someone who lives a month as if it were 30 years, future misfortunes or crises don’t hold much meaning.

…Because he lives each day without regrets.

“…I almost made a big mistake. I almost put shackles on the Instructor.”

“The Instructor does perform best when he’s free.”

“I agree.”

Roen nodded deeply in acknowledgment.

The offer he had made was utterly useless.

…There was a bit of self-reproach, but the conversation quickly returned to the main topic.

“From what you’ve seen, Lord Roen, how do you think the temple will cause trouble?”

“There are too many methods to choose from. …Do you have any predictions on how they might cause trouble?”

“…”

“You do.”

“Well, there’s some uncertainty…”

“I’m all ears.”

“…Haha.”

He had already adopted the posture of an excellent listener, and while Derrick looked troubled, soon…

“Sigh, it’s almost ‘that time,’ isn’t it? I think they’ll aim for that period.”

“That time?”

“Yes, one of the biggest events in the Academy’s fall.”

“…Are you referring to that?”

“Yes.”

-The entrance exam.

One of Pendragon’s greatest events to select new cadets.

“If I were them, I’d definitely target the [entrance exam].”

It was also a time when the Academy was open to outsiders.

“As you say, it’s an appropriate time. It would be easy for temple spies to blend in.”

“…”

“You seem worried. Well, if spies infiltrate, other cadets would be in danger too. But don’t worry. I’ll do my best to prevent such things.”

“…I’ll trust you.”

Derrick answered as if reassured, but in reality, his concern was elsewhere.

Namely.

‘…She’s finally coming.’

The <main character> who would drive the story forward in earnest, as if everything until now had been just a prologue.

‘The main heroine.’

The so-called ‘female protagonist.’