Ch.244EP.54 – The Knight Hate Messy Affairs (7)

“…No, how did you even tame a bee that can slaughter hundreds of hornets by itself?”

Ihan responded to his disciple’s sincere curiosity with a casual shrug.

“I didn’t do anything. I just had a chat during our first meeting, gave them some potion as a gift the second time, and after that, they suddenly started approaching me and even built a home in the forest near my house.”

“I can’t believe you got your hands on the champion of the bee world with just that…”

“What do you mean ‘got my hands on’? I told you, we’re just friends.”

“…Not your servants?”

“…”

Buzz.

Ihan’s newly befriended intelligent honey bee friends brought a glass of water to where he was sitting.

They were so strong that two of them easily carried the water glass, which weighed dozens of times more than their bodies.

Seeing this, it was clear why they had such grand titles.

“Ahem, friends, I said.”

Ihan handed a fruit bundle to the bees—no, his friends—as a token of gratitude.

Buzz!

My, they were enthusiastically pleased.

“F-fruit?”

“They eat pretty much anything. They’re carnivorous too, but they prefer sweet fruits the most. Pineapple or mango and such. They have quite refined tastes.”

“…Doesn’t that seem strange to you?”

“They’re magical creatures, so I just accepted it.”

“…”

“Anyway, why did you come here without notice?”

Ihan stopped showing interest in his new friends and jerked his chin curtly, as if telling Derrick to state his purpose for coming.

His tone was noticeably cold, making Derrick flinch.

“I-Instructor, a-are you angry?”

“Angry? Why would I be angry about someone illegally skipping classes and hanging out with his girlfriend?”

“So you are angry…”

“I’m not. I just think you’re an ungrateful bastard.”

“…That means you’re angry.”

Derrick hung his head low.

They say one knows their own sins best.

Derrick, who had quite a few—no, many—things to feel guilty about, was sweating profusely.

…Still, he tried to make some excuses.

“I-I’ve been busy in my own way. Based on the valuable information you gave me, I analyzed situations, resolved villains from side chapters, cooperated with Young Master Roen to defeat another villain, and also…”

“And also dating?”

“…”

“Not denying it now? Next time you’ll come as a father, you punk.”

“W-we’ve barely even held hands…”

“So you really were dating while I was suffering?”

“!?”

The world truly is filthy.

Everyone except me is dating and nurturing beautiful love?

How sad, oh…

‘Ah, this is why I hate Christmas.’

While he tried to view Christmas favorably since it was a time when the nation’s birth rate surged, days involving the 14th—when Kakao sold particularly well—were days Ihan despised the most.

As he stared at Derrick with such a salty gaze, Derrick hastily tried to change the subject, blurting out excuses.

“A-anyway, I didn’t skip lectures for nothing, p-please believe me, Instructor…”

“Bull crap. Do you think I don’t know you? You only come looking for me when you need help or have questions, right? Otherwise, you don’t even visit.”

“…”

“See? I knew it.”

“…I’m just trash…”

Derrick immediately buried his face in the ground.

Any further excuses would only highlight his own ingratitude.

‘…This guy, he’s been through some hardship.’

Despite his words, Ihan saw through the calluses on Derrick’s hands and the scars and wounds all over his body, recognizing that he had been working hard in his own way.

‘Hmm, did he say he took down the Dark One and a merchant guild?’

From what he’d heard, Derrick had joined forces with the Dark One to wage a fierce battle against a merchant guild.

Apparently, that merchant guild was a financial source for some cult.

‘Taking down a major corporation, he should have included me.’

In this world, those called merchant guilds were basically major corporations, or even mega-corps, with formidable power.

Not only did they have influence based on financial power, but they also maintained mercenary groups and combat organizations befitting their status.

Yet two students had brought down such an organization—it was certainly admirable. Ihan knew this better than anyone, but he decided not to praise them unless they mentioned who they had fought against.

‘These kids, showing consideration in strange ways.’

It was probably consideration shown because they knew how busy he had been recently.

Ihan criticized his disciples’ consideration while harboring a satisfied smile.

Somehow, it felt like the boys had grown a little.

‘…Am I getting old?’

Ihan felt a strange tightness in his nose.

However, such sentiments didn’t last long.

Because…

“Instructor, you said you met the head of the Ophen family recently, right?”

“Huh?”

“I know this question is a bit strange, but is he… alive and well?”

“…”

“W-was he not, like, a z-zombie or something?”

“…Head down.”

“Pardon?”

“Put your head down, you brat.”

“…”

“Now.”

“Y-yes, now…!”

It was Derrick’s outrageous remark, treating a perfectly alive person as a zombie, and Ihan clicked his tongue.

Anyway.

‘Even when I want to praise him, he makes it impossible, this guy?’

This is why they say the mouth is the root of all evil.

* * *

“—He was originally supposed to be dead?”

“Y-yes…”

Derrick, who had been doing push-ups for about 15 minutes, rubbed his head with a tearful expression.

However, Ihan pretended not to see this and tilted his head.

“…He seemed fine to me?”

Ihan recalled Iliad, whom he had met half a day ago.

The man who was more than fine—so absorbed in preparing his new work that his clothes were covered in paint.

But originally, that gentleman was…

“‘Six months ago,’ he was supposed to die… Hmm, are you sure you’re not mistaken?”

“N-no, I don’t think so? This is something I remember clearly—according to what I know, the head of the Ophen family should have passed away six months ago.”

“…Cause of death?”

“A-are you believing me?”

“You’re not the type to talk nonsense.”

“Th-thank you.”

“Skip the thanks and continue.”

“Ah, so…”

Derrick’s additional testimony was as follows:

“Of course, I didn’t see him die personally, but there was a ‘line’ from Arno.”

“A game line?”

“Y-yes, the line definitely went…”

It would have been from a scene where Arno, a second-year student with sorrowful eyes, happened to meet the female protagonist and engage in conversation.

– My father? He passed away shortly after I entered the academy. His chronic illness worsened…

“…Like this, after his passing, Arno becomes the next family head, but he passes the position to the Sword Duke and joins the mercenary group founded by Garand to gain worldly experience. Later, he becomes the number two in the mercenary group along with Kunta, and they make a name for themselves as mercenaries across the continent—that’s the core of ‘Heroes of the Side Story.'”

“…There’s even a side story?”

“Well, our game company put a lot of effort into this game. The content is really extensive.”

“…”

“Instructor?”

“…I still don’t understand.”

“Huh? Oh, you mean how such a game could be made in Korea? Well, the investors were quite remarkable…”

“No, not that… That gentleman seemed very healthy? He has a chronic illness?”

“??”

“I don’t think so…”

Ihan wasn’t making this assessment without basis.

Although he wasn’t a doctor, using his senses well made it not difficult to recognize someone’s health condition.

It was easy to distinguish between a healthy person and a patient, so to speak.

In that sense…

“Far from having a chronic illness, he was in perfect health, enough to live a long life.”

Ihan was certain.

While his legs might be a bit uncomfortable, that man had no chronic illness.

Therefore…

“Either your memory is wrong, or something has gotten twisted.”

“Twisted?”

“Honestly, have we stirred things up too much?”

“…To be precise, it’s not ‘we’ but you personally…”

“Shhh! Watch your mouth.”

“…”

As the impertinent Derrick suggested, Ihan had likely already changed many “things that should have happened originally.”

Even a small butterfly’s wing flap can change many things, but in Ihan’s case, he had become the typhoon itself, rampaging around.

‘Did I break too many things?’

Ihan quietly spread his fingers.

He was counting the incidents he had caused since becoming a knight three years ago.

“I handed those guys over to my sister, killed all the spellcasters, and the slave traders… how many did I eliminate?”

“…”

“Ahem, well, minor details.”

“…What exactly have you been doing?”

“Just living diligently.”

“…If you live any more diligently, a meteor might fall.”

“I saw one two years ago?”

“…”

“That was a bit hard to stop.”

“…Wait, what…?”

While Derrick showed intense curiosity about Ihan’s past activities, Ihan was contemplating the Ophen family matter.

Anyway, according to Derrick, something had changed because of Ihan, the giant butterfly, and as a result, Iliad, who should have died, was still alive?

It should be a happy thing, and Ihan should feel proud, but.

‘…It feels off.’

Ihan was certain again—Iliad had no chronic illness.

Yet the wolf cub (in the game) said he died from a chronic illness.

This was inconsistent, and Ihan was about to ask an additional question just in case.

“By the way, is that woman…”

However,

Crash!

“…?”

…He had to stop mid-sentence as he noticed a huge figure suddenly rolling around in his front yard.

“…Big guy?”

“In-Instructor, Ku-Kunta… hurts.”

“…”

Kunta, covered in wounds all over his body, gasped for breath while complaining of pain, and Ihan looked at Derrick without even having time to worry about him.

“…Is this disaster-bringing guy responsible?”

“…How is this MY fault!?”

“Well.”

“…”

Ihan made a reasonable inference that somehow, if this guy hadn’t been running his mouth today, such a situation might not have occurred.

“Ku-Kunta, hurts…?”

Kunta expressed his sadness at not being cared for despite his pain, making a tearful face.

This is why foreigners feel so lonely living in a foreign land.