Ch.30EP.10 – The Knight Work Hard at Their Side Jobs Too (1)

Rustle.

In the particularly chilly dawn air.

As the sun slowly rises and gradually brightens the sky, it illuminates the once-dark mountain.

A magnificent sight to behold, like a treasure to be seen by those who rise early in the morning.

Unfortunately, there aren’t many diligent enough to see such treasures of scenery.

Especially.

[Arin! Wake up, if you don’t get ready now, you’ll be late!]

“5, 5 more minutes…”

[You always say that and then sleep 50 minutes more. Just wake up already.]

This was especially true for students who were perpetually sleep-deprived.

“Mmm…!”

She didn’t seem particularly moved by the ghost girl’s nagging.

She just whined, reluctant to wake up from her sleep.

Seeing this, the ghost girl furrowed her delicate brow and decided to use her secret weapon.

[Arin, at this rate, you might have to ‘repeat a year’?]

Bolt upright!

“Re-repeat a year!?”

As if she had never been sleepy, she shot up in bed, horrified.

She was normally pale in the mornings due to low blood pressure, but at the mention of repeating a year, her face turned bright red.

The phrase must have meant a great deal to her to cause such excitement.

[Hehe, silly Arin.]

“Y-you…!”

Finally free from drowsiness, she pointed accusingly at the ghost girl as she became aware of reality.

There are things you should do, and things you shouldn’t!

To mention repeating a year to a student preparing for exams!?

‘What a cruel girl!’

[I can hear you, Arin. Besides, what’s so scary about repeating a year? I don’t understand.]

“…What would you know, you jinxing wench.”

Snap.

How could a ghost understand the fear of a student?

She, Irene Windler, snapped her fingers with a sigh.

Woong, a wave of blue energy spread out, and suddenly something amazing happened.

The curtains blocking the sunlight retreated, the windows opened, and the stale air and dust that had accumulated overnight rushed outside all at once.

Her room was now filled with fresh air and morning sunlight, and she stretched her body as she breathed in the clean oxygen.

“Whew, magic really is convenient.”

[Others would say you’re using magic unnecessarily.]

“Only conservative old fogies would say that, and just thinking about it makes me angry again!”

[Hmm, I agree with that!]

If one were to listen to what the mages and magic professors at the Academy had to say, it would be suffocating.

The way they describe magical talent as something chosen, and how magic is supposedly some higher wisdom that ignorant humans could never understand, or whatever.

Anyway, listening to them makes her stomach churn.

‘It’s no wonder mages are despised in this world. They all seem like lunatics.’

Except for me.

[Arin. It’s nice that you’re lost in self-admiration, but shouldn’t you be getting ready now?]

“…Sigh, I don’t want to go.”

After attending school for 12 years, the thought of waking up early for classes for another 3 years was already making her depressed.

Irene couldn’t help but sigh.

Just then.

[Oh! It’s the instructor!]

“He’s diligent. …Hmph!”

[…What a feast for the eyes.]

She could see the instructor running.

He was drenched in sweat, probably having been running for quite some time before she woke up.

The sweat droplets glistened in the sunlight like dew, and she thought it was impressive how diligently he ran.

‘How can someone run like that every day?’

A sight she’d seen every morning since moving in.

In a way, it was admirable.

But her admiration was short-lived, as her eyes were drawn more to his shirtless body than his diligent lifestyle.

She was scrutinizing him so thoroughly that anyone watching would find it suspicious.

“…Do you think he knows we’re watching?”

[He probably doesn’t. Anyway, Arin, take a picture quickly!]

“S-secretly taking photos is a crime…”

[It’s not a crime if you don’t get caught.]

“…R-really?”

It was a convincing argument, and Irene, pretending to be reluctant, took out ‘that’ item.

A rare magical item created by a water mage, said to be worth as much as a building.

It had the grand name of [Image Copying Camera], but to Irene it was just a camera, a suspicious gift from a creepy duke.

But now.

“Ah, got it.”

Having successfully taken the secret photo, she was grateful for the duke’s gift for the first time.

Maybe that old man isn’t so bad after all?

“When did she get a camera? That’s news to me.”

She might have thought her actions and voice wouldn’t be detected, but unfortunately, his ears and hearing were ironically exceptional.

Of course, due to the distance, Ihan didn’t hear everything she said, only recognizing that she was taking a photo, and he didn’t particularly mind her actions.

However.

“I should ask her to show me how it turned out.”

He was curious about how he looked in the photo and planned to ask her to let him see it sometime.

…A voyeur destined for future humiliation.

* * *

Ihan remained the same.

Despite what Jack had told him about angels and the delinquent prince, Ihan’s routine didn’t change.

He didn’t go out of his way to search for anything, nor did he seek advice.

Why?

‘He’ll show up eventually, I guess.’

To put it simply, the delinquent prince’s existence was on the same level as a rare animal to Ihan.

Like what people call albinos, rare animals.

White deer or white squirrels and such, interesting to see but not a problem if you don’t see them?

‘It’s fine if I see him, and fine if I don’t, whatever.’

Not seeing him wouldn’t kill him.

It wasn’t frustrating either.

So Ihan was just waiting for him to appear naturally.

‘Since there are companions, won’t he show up naturally?’

Well, with two “rare animals” already gathered, surely he’d sense the presence of his companions.

Ihan believed in plausibility.

So his job now wasn’t to find the invisible last rare animal.

“We’ll now begin Double Unders. Everyone take a rope prepared by the instructor.”

-…

He had to fulfill his duties as an instructor, didn’t he?

“Also, those who have learned martial arts should take a rope with a red mark, and those who haven’t learned martial arts but have some sword training should take a rope with a green mark. And those who haven’t learned either martial arts or swordsmanship should take a rope with a yellow mark.”

-…

“Begin!”

-B-begin…

The cadets took their appropriate ropes with puzzled expressions.

Double under, it sounds fancy but simply put.

“Now, let’s start ‘jump rope.’ Red will do 10,000, green 5,000, and yellow 2,000 jumps each!”

-???

“Hehe, you lot sure don’t listen well.”

Ihan smiled slightly as he pulled out an iron club.

Swinging the iron club lightly through the air with a menacing whoosh, he said:

“From now on, anyone who disobeys the instructor’s orders will have a ‘conversation’ with the instructor after class. It will probably be a very nutritious conversation, so look forward to it.”

“…How many did you say, sir?”

They had no desire whatsoever to have a ‘conversation’ with that iron club, so they followed his orders.

The sound of jump ropes swinging echoed across the training ground.

* * *

…Surprisingly, no one had given up on Ihan’s class.

It was unusual.

While it made sense for the commoner students to stay, it was unexpected that the noble kids remained.

Whether they had ulterior motives or some shallow scheme, the class proceeded regardless.

Whatever their reasons, it wasn’t his concern.

And the first content of his decided curriculum was none other than.

“Looks fun, jump rope. I used to do it a lot when I was little, hehe.”

“It’s probably not as easy as it looks.”

“Really?”

“…Well, it might be easy for you, Miss Maid?”

The incredibly strong assistant who had carried all those jump ropes.

The useless teaching assistant had injured his back while carrying the jump ropes and was taken to the recovery room, but she remained perfectly fine, more impressive than those brats who boasted about coming from knight families.

“Useless fellow.”

“Pardon?”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Miss Maid. Besides, if you’re bored, you’re welcome to rest.”

“No, I want to help if I can! I’m your maid, even if temporarily, hehe.”

“…That’s very kind of you.”

It suddenly occurred to him that while she might lack in brainpower, she was a good and kind girl.

After always dealing with devious nobles and royals, facing such a pure soul made him feel like his tainted heart was being cleansed.

‘…Wait, if there’s something to be cleansed, does that mean I’m the same as those devious ones?’

For a moment, such a thought crossed his mind, but Ihan deliberately denied it.

He didn’t want to be associated with that kind of crowd.

As he continued this untimely self-reflection.

Thud…

Unfortunately, it seems signals were starting to come in.

“Ah, Miss Maid, I just thought of something you could help with.”

“Yes?”

“Please go splash some water on those collapsed ones over there.”

“Oh!”

“…No grit at all.”

Ihan clicked his tongue as he looked at the cadets who had fainted after being hit with just a ’10kg’ rope.

Kids these days.

‘Why are they so physically weak?’

They’re too frail, that’s the problem.