Ch.238EP.54 – The Knight Hate Messy Affairs (1)

Swoosh!

The wind blew.

A cool and pleasant forest breeze.

Though it was a bit cold due to the chilly season, the scent of the wind wasn’t bad.

Perhaps because it had rained at dawn, there was a smell of rain mixed in, which was also a scent he enjoyed.

“Hmm?”

Midway, a sweet fragrance mingled with the wind and brushed past his nose.

It was a deep aroma.

It was different from the sweetness of sugar, and he slowly moved his feet toward the source of the fragrance.

Whoosh, whoosh!

He ran freely through the forest filled with nature’s traps like slopes, rocks, vines, and mud puddles, as if he were a four-legged beast.

Looking at his muscular body, one might expect his movements to be slow, but in reality, he moved more swiftly and lightly than animals.

When he arrived at his destination,

Buzz! Buzzzz!

Bees were flying around.

One might wonder if it’s surprising that bees are still flying in this weather, but in Pendragon, it’s a common occurrence.

Perhaps due to the influence of <Mystery>, the southern region was teeming with mysterious creatures like spiritual beasts, spiritual insects, and spiritual trees.

Those bees working diligently despite the autumn season were probably a type of spiritual insect.

Buzzzz?!!

There was a hint of bewilderment in the bees’ movements.

Indeed, they were spiritual insects. Perhaps due to their slight intelligence, they showed un-bee-like disciplined marching.

‘I feel a bit sorry.’

On one hand, he felt somewhat apologetic.

Normally, when deep in such a dangerous forest, one wouldn’t expect to encounter humans, but how could the bees have predicted that someone would come this far for a ‘light stroll’?

The bees, having had their habitat discovered, would likely move to find another habitat once they got past the crisis of his presence.

Even though autumn is long in Pendragon, it wouldn’t be wise for the bees to relocate at this point.

He said,

“Moving wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Buzz!?

He attempted a conversation.

“I don’t know if you’ll understand, but I advise you to stay here. You might not believe me, but I don’t want anything from you, and I have no intention of taking your honey. Nor am I loose-lipped enough to reveal your existence.”

Buzzzz….

“It’s up to you whether to believe me or not. …What am I even doing?”

Trying to talk with bees—even if they were spiritual insects—others would think he was crazy.

“…Take care.”

Perhaps feeling a bit of self-loathing, he quickly turned to leave.

…But.

Buzz!

“Huh?”

Buzz-!

“Are, are you giving this to me?”

Buzz.

“…Living two lifetimes, and now I’m even accepting bribes from bees.”

The man, or rather Ihan, scratched his cheek and accepted a piece of honeycomb from the bees with a wry laugh.

He thought he’d experienced all sorts of strange things in his life, but apparently not.

“…It’s mokchung.”

One of the famous wild honeys, along with seokchung, among wild honeys.

Moreover, this mokchung honey was none other than from [spiritual insect-honeybees] with spiritual energy.

Mokchung was already quite valuable, but the honey from spiritual honeybees would have an exceptionally rare value.

It was literally like finding gold on the street.

However, from Ihan’s perspective.

“…No, take it back. I feel like I’m extorting you.”

Buzzzz?

“It’s not that I don’t like it, but I really am fine.”

Buzzzz….

“No, don’t be disappointed…. …Damn, what am I really doing with bees?”

Why was he engaging in this back-and-forth with bees in a place like this?

In the midst of this confusing situation that he couldn’t comprehend, Ihan eventually had to accept the mokchung.

And he said,

“As a token of gratitude, I’ll bring a gift when I pass by this way again.”

Buzz?

“I could give you a potion or teach you a technique.”

Buzzzz??

“Well, enjoy it.”

Ihan quickly descended the mountain, and the bees fixed their gaze on him for a long time as he went down.

Buzz!

* * *

Slurp!

“What is this? Why is it so delicious…?”

He had tasted mokchung a few times before, but this was a different level of flavor.

Not only did the floral scent fill his mouth, but he suddenly felt a surge of vitality, as if the honey had properties similar to a potion.

Indeed, spiritual insects don’t just produce ordinary honey.

As he was eating the honey, marveling at its taste and efficacy,

Rustle.

“…Enjoying something delicious all by yourself, are you?”

A white-haired woman, who had approached without him noticing, chided him.

“Why are you here?”

“Why did you come out from there?”

“It’s a shortcut?”

“…Quite the madman. Do you know how many monsters and poisonous creatures are in that forest?”

“If monsters appear, I’ll just catch them, and thanks to the fairy, I’m immune to all poisons, so I’ll probably be fine.”

“Im-immune to what?”

“Never mind, just have some honey.”

“No, listen to me…, oh! What is this!?”

Felinshia de Ophen, the Sword Master who had been invited to the royal palace and various houses and had tasted countless delicacies, clapped like a seal in admiration of mere honey.

Ihan shrugged and told her not to ask about the source of the honey.

He had a duty to protect the bees from this monster.

She might destroy the ecosystem looking for honey.

After expressing her delight at the taste, Felinshia soon collected herself and cleared her throat.

As if embarrassed by her behavior.

“Ahem, b-but why did you come through such a forest path? You could have just come quietly by the road.”

“That would be a waste of time. Going through the forest saves me three hours, so it’s better.”

“What an absurd fellow…”

Felinshia had often said such things during the ten days she had spent with Ihan.

…That he was an absurd fellow.

He was just going about his daily activities, yet why did he have to hear such evaluations?

“You could just stay in our territory, why do you keep coming and going?”

“I’m not unemployed. I’m a proper working man. I’m even receiving professor offers these days.”

“…Hah.”

“I come for tutoring in my spare time after work. I don’t have time to focus only on this.”

“……”

…Referring to the teachings of none other than Felinshia as ‘tutoring’ left even her speechless.

While she wasn’t the type to enjoy being put on a pedestal, she was used to receiving admiring and respectful gazes, so Ihan’s nonchalant attitude was unfamiliar to her in many ways.

“…If the kingdom’s knights heard you say that, they would have beaten you.”

“Wouldn’t they be the ones getting beaten by me?”

“…Insolent fellow, do you want to win against an old woman with words?”

The rejuvenated Sword Master, who looked anything but old, continued to grumble.

…But even so.

“Still, I must admit you’re diligent for keeping your promises well.”

Felinshia nodded, acknowledging that if nothing else, his honesty was commendable.

“Your body has become a bit slimmer.”

“…Damn it.”

“Oh my.”

Ihan immediately frowned, saying it made him want to curse.

Being told his body had become slimmer was not a compliment to him at all.

Why?

“I think I’ve lost about 2kg of muscle.”

It wasn’t fat that had decreased, but muscle….

Ihan was dejected.

“You mean ’20g’. You’re exaggerating.”

“Even 20g is more heartbreaking to me than watching gold slip away.”

“You’re being dramatic.”

“…You don’t understand this feeling.”

“Is, is it that sad?”

“……”

Ihan looked at Felinshia with incredulous eyes for asking such an inhuman question, but soon realized it wasn’t surprising.

‘That monster is just like that.’

Sword Master Felinshia, in Ihan’s view, was someone who,

‘Doesn’t understand people’s hearts.’

More precisely, she didn’t understand the hearts of fitness enthusiasts, but to Ihan, it was all the same.

* * *

– Don’t do any training that puts strain on your body for a while.

Ihan had been given a training ban by Felinshia.

Moreover, not putting strain on the body essentially meant….

– You mean I can’t do strength training?

– Yes, that’s right?

– But muscles decrease if I skip even a day?

– Hmm? Is that a problem?

– …We’re not going to understand each other.

It was like a bolt from the blue for him.

If he were someone who didn’t exercise regularly, it might have been different, but he was a person who had once invested 18 out of 24 hours a day in exercise.

In other words, telling him to skip exercise was equivalent to telling him not to eat, and it was naturally something he should resist, but,

– Try training with your mind, not your body. It will be beneficial for you.

– …What nonsense…

– Oh! Mind your language!

– ……You’re like a puppy.

– That’s, more cute than pretty, isn’t it?

– This is driving me crazy….

Felinshia was spouting some pseudo-theory, and Ihan felt his blood pressure rising.

If his opponent hadn’t been the great swordsman known as the ‘Sword Master’, Ihan would have spewed curses.

– What’s this mind training nonsense at this point…

Ihan understood that imaginary training, or image training, had its merits.

But if asked whether it was better than actually moving the body-.

Well?

At least Ihan was of the opinion that training by physically moving the body was more helpful.

Above all, the strength training he had maintained for three years had become an integral part of his life, so it was hard to accept being told to stop physical training and do imaginary training instead.

– Oh my, you talk too much. This is also a method to train your willpower. So trust me and give it a try.

– …Could you explain it theoretically?

– …….

– Hey.

– Ahem, I, I have some memory issues since rejuvenating. I know it’s theoretically beneficial, but it’s a bit difficult to explain in detail…

– …….

– A-anyway, trust me and give it a try. If it doesn’t work, I swear on my name, I’ll compensate you as much as you want.

– …Just know that for every 0.1g of muscle I lose, my resentment accumulates.

– …….

Ihan eventually decided to follow that pseudo-theory.

Why was his resistance so minimal?

Well, that’s because.

– …She’s the Sword Master. She wouldn’t scam me.

– I can hear you, you brat!

– That’s why I’m saying it.

– …Let’s do some ritual cleansing today.

– I won’t decline.

This time, it wasn’t tree branches but nine flying wooden swords that pointed at him.

– She’s ridiculously strong…

The loser has no words. Using this as justification, Ihan, who had been beaten up, tearfully decided to obediently follow Felinshia’s words.

He truly banned all training.

He gave up all exercise equipment, including heavy squats and bench presses, and the most he did was walk around or spar with students.

But even this.

– Skip the training and play to your heart’s content! Just train with your mind instead.

…was again forbidden by Felinshia, and Ihan had no choice but to stop even sparring.

Instead, he had to skip training with the students by sending them to various damaged temple facilities for public service, or rather, training.

And now, about nine days later…

“What’s this? How is this possible?”

Surprisingly, he had lost 20g of muscle, but,

“Why have my bones become harder?”

Instead, he had to feel bewildered that his ‘bone structure’ had become more solid.

Clang!

“…Now I won’t need a hammer when hammering nails.”

Because he could do it with his fist.