Ch.60EP.17 – Is Irene Windler a Villainess? (3)

“Th-this wasn’t part of my plan….”

The girl was bewildered, and the ghost angrily lashed out.

[That’s why you should have touched him when you had the chance! You’re always too slow, that’s the problem! You premature ejaculator!]

“…That’s not really how you use that term, is it?”

[Then when do you use it?]

“H-how would I know!”

[Why are you getting upset? You could just say you don’t know. Seriously, your personality is just….]

“!!?”

Irene Windler almost grabbed the back of her neck in frustration.

Who started the argument first, yet could be so shameless?

She wanted nothing more than to engage in a proper verbal battle.

“Sir Knight, look over there. Miss Levi is giving a speech!”

“The bear cub is quite eloquent, isn’t she?”

“Does that mean she won?”

“I’m not sure if there’s really winning or losing in a debate, but judging by both logic and audience reaction, the bear cub is definitely getting positive feedback, so I’d say she probably won.”

“Hehe!”

For now, the presence of this interloper took priority.

The maid with her silly grin.

If anyone else smiled like that, they might look mentally deficient, but as a human vitamin boasting 100% positivity and purity, she naturally made others smile with her inherent goodness.

Leira Winter.

The pretty maid with particularly becoming braided hair was stuck right next to Ihan, appreciating the debate, and Ihan was responding appropriately.

…Meanwhile, Irene Windler was sadly eating the pretzel Ihan had given her, all alone.

‘I can’t blame the maid either, sheesh! Why does this pretzel have to be so delicious!’

And so most of the pretzels Ihan had bought from Bear #7 ended up in Irene Windler’s stomach,

and it was inevitable that the next day, the girl would scream when she saw her swollen face.

* * *

Originally, Irene had dreamed of a date disguised as a chance encounter, but things don’t always go according to plan.

It was undoubtedly Irene’s mistake to forget about the existence of the maid who always stayed by his side.

“Aren’t you taking a break, Miss Maid?”

“I’m Sir Knight’s personal maid, so it’s only natural for me to always be with him, isn’t it?”

“Ah, but you weren’t here earlier….”

“Hehe, I had to do housework. Oh, Sir Knight! Today I cleaned without breaking any furniture! Isn’t that great?”

“Not breaking things should be normal, but I don’t understand why you’re so happy about it.”

“But I did break a hammer. It fell on my head, and I accidentally broke it because I couldn’t dodge it. I’m sorry….”

“…Should we go see our priest first?”

“Why?”

“……”

The iron-headed maid—who not only didn’t injure her head when a hammer fell on it but actually broke the hammer instead—ended up accompanying them through this process, and Irene was inwardly crying miserably.

However.

“Doesn’t Miss Irene need to study?”

“I do have exams to take, but I’ve studied enough beforehand, so.”

“Wow! As expected of the top student! Amazing!”

“It’s, it’s nothing….”

“Miss Irene seems like an incredible person. You’re pretty, smart, good at cooking, and always trying to learn when there’s something you don’t know…! You’re truly amazing, Miss.”

“…Miss Maid, is there anything you want?”

“Not really?”

Leira Winter was a woman impossible to dislike.

As mentioned earlier, she was like a pure human vitamin.

If she had a tail, one could imagine it wagging non-stop like a Golden Retriever.

Every word she spoke was 1,000% genuine sincerity rather than flattery, and anyone receiving her compliments would naturally lower their guard unless they had a severely twisted personality.

Though she might lack intelligence, this was her natural talent that proved why she had earned the princess’s trust.

It took only 10 minutes for this Golden Retriever to disarm Irene Windler.

[Arin is so simple….]

‘Could you dislike someone like her?’

[……]

The ghost who always had a retort was speechless for the first time.

Leira Winter.

She was a formidable opponent even for a ghost.

* * *

“Th-thank you, Instructor, for coming in person.”

Levi Jeanne d’Arc bowed her head shyly.

Ihan gruffly replied that there was no need to thank him for such a thing, yet still handed her a flower.

The red rose contrasted nicely with the girl’s hair.

“I came because I had nothing better to do, so there’s nothing to thank me for. Besides, your eloquence was quite impressive.”

“Oh, it was nothing. I just said what I knew. Nothing special.”

“That’s what makes it impressive.”

“That’s right, Levi! You were wonderful!”

“Miss Levi, you were amazing. Even though I didn’t understand what the topic was about!”

“…Haha.”

Levi Jeanne d’Arc finished the debate with a high score.

While her eloquence was certainly part of it, the girl was someone who achieved results proportional to her studies.

Some people can’t perform to their full potential even with studying, but others achieve results exactly matching their efforts.

In that sense, Levi Jeanne d’Arc was an excellent hard worker and a promising talent.

After all, she always completed whatever task she was assigned.

“If you’re free, let’s have a meal together.”

“C-could we stay and watch the next debate first? There’s someone I really want to see….”

“Oh? A man?”

“N-no! Nothing like that!”

Levi Jeanne d’Arc raised her voice in rare embarrassment.

However, her flustered reaction only raised more suspicion, and the knight narrowed his eyes.

‘Is the bear cub experiencing youth?’

Is spring coming for the girl too?

Just as this tactless adult who had no interest in his own love life but found others’ romantic affairs fascinating was feeling pleased, the next debaters appeared in the hall.

“…Women?”

Disappointment spread across Ihan’s face.

“Th-that’s why I said it wasn’t like that….”

Levi Jeanne d’Arc grumbled with unnecessary awkwardness.

“The person I wanted to see is her. Lady Karin.”

“Hmm, you mean that one?”

“You pinpointed her exactly? Do you already know her?”

“No, she just has a different aura from everyone else.”

He accurately identified the person Levi Jeanne d’Arc was interested in.

It made sense, as there was one woman who particularly stood out.

It would have been stranger if he hadn’t noticed her.

‘That’s quite a dramatic color.’

A student with striking purple hair and eyes.

She gave off the impression of being beautiful at first glance, and the longer one looked, the more her fresh charm became apparent.

But more powerful than her beauty was Karin’s presence.

A unique aura reminiscent of a modern top celebrity.

“That’s Lady Karin Alencia de Guinevere. She’s the daughter of the current Prime Minister.”

“Quite a distinguished status.”

“She’s not just distinguished by status. She’s incredibly intelligent—so much so that she debates with renowned scholars. That’s how brilliant her mind is.”

“…You seem to know a lot about her?”

“Among women my age, there’s no one who doesn’t admire her. Oh, of course, Lady Irene is also someone to be admired!”

“…Her?”

“Yes, she’s the top student in the magic department, isn’t she? And she’s also the daughter of the Galahad family.”

“……”

…A sickly chick is someone to admire?

Ihan was dumbfounded at the thought that a magician could be worthy of respect.

Magicians were a breed that shouldn’t be treated well, so why didn’t they understand that?

‘Young people’s sensibilities are hard to understand these days….’

As Ihan wore a sour expression, the debate soon began, and a solemn atmosphere descended.

And shortly after.

“…Is this a solo concert for Purple?”

Ihan showed a different kind of sour expression.

“P-Purple?”

Ignoring Levi Jeanne d’Arc’s objection, Ihan observed in real-time how the atmosphere around them was focused solely on Purple—that is, Karin.

– [I’m Karin Alencia de Guinevere. Today, our debate topic is <How Should We Achieve True Integration Between Briton and Pendragon?>. I represent the ‘opposition’ and will now argue ‘Why Briton and Pendragon Should Not Unite.’]

…It was a provocative topic.

With remnants of the Briton Kingdom still causing disturbances, and Briton citizens potentially rising up in rebellion at any moment.

For the past three years, heated debates about what to do with the recently conquered Briton had been fiercely discussed even among the upper class, and it was a troublesome issue that had the entire kingdom in an uproar.

Yet this sensitive issue was being addressed here and now, and moreover, the current Prime Minister’s daughter was representing the ‘opposition.’

Really…

“She’s got guts, don’t you think?”

“……”

“Don’t pretend you don’t hear me. I’m talking to you.”

“…A-are you speaking to me?”

“Yes, you.”

“……”

“Don’t play dumb. I know you’re pretending not to be associated with Purple, but your worry is showing clearly.”

“……”

“And what’s with that suspicious expression, like you’ve been caught? You suspicious fellow.”

“……”

Ihan looked at the boy sitting quietly next to him, staring intently.

He seemed somewhat frail.

However, Ihan’s eyes gleamed as he smirked.

This guy…

‘He sat next to me and whispered “[Status]” just now, didn’t he?’

Ihan’s ears hadn’t missed even the slightest whisper, and he instantly realized.

‘So it’s this bastard.’

…The status window.

* * *

Derrick was sweating profusely.

Being extremely shy, he found even meeting acquaintances difficult.

So facing a complete stranger in the current situation was terrifying enough, but he was sweating noticeably more than usual.

The reason?

It was nothing else.

‘Is this… really a human’s specs?’

The opponent’s status, confirmed by his <Status Skill>, was astonishingly terrifying.

━

Name: [Ihan Turtle]

Race: [??]

Traits: [Vajra Monk(Lv.7), Strong Regeneration(Lv.5), Beast’s Instinct(Lv.6), Veteran’s Intuition(Lv.6), Poison Resistance(Lv.4), Master’s Potential(Lv.7), Spell Slayer(Lv.5)]

Vajra Monk: A trait only obtainable by monks who have survived ordeals that shatter the body and risk life. Increases physical abilities; the more one views women as stones, the more lust converts to endurance.

Strong Regeneration: A trait only obtainable by those who have successfully refined their bodies. Increases regeneration of skin, bones, muscles, nerves, organs, and the entire body; the more one repeats physical training accompanied by pain, the tougher the body becomes.

Beast’s Instinct: A trait only obtainable by those with the blood of beasts. Grants animal-like instincts.

Veteran’s Intuition: A trait given to those who have survived war with all limbs intact ten or more times. Helps detect danger and discern truth from falsehood.

Poison Resistance: A trait given to those who survive consuming poison. Provides resistance to most poisons.

Master’s Potential: A trait given to those who spread and create new martial arts. Greatly helps in creating original martial arts. Compensates for lack of technical talent.

Spell Slayer: A trait given to those who complete the quest to become the natural enemy of magicians. Increases magic resistance and instills psychological fear in magicians.

━

Jaw-dropping.

His mouth gaped open again looking at it.

Seven traits!?

Considering that normal humans have at most 3 traits, this number is absurd.

Traits are determined by a person’s ‘years,’ ‘effort,’ ‘trials,’ and ‘pain,’ which is why most people have few of them.

But seven traits?

Was he tortured from birth or something?

‘N-not just the number of traits, but why are all the trait levels so high…?’

It’s enough to make one faint considering that the average [Trait Level] for elite knights is at most 3 to 4.

In gaming terms, a Lv.4 trait would be equivalent to a character who completed their 4th job advancement.

Yet this person has traits at ‘Lv.7’.

This effectively means this person is a warrior character who has completed 7th job advancement.

Lv.5 is sufficient to become a knight commander of a territory.

Lv.6 is champion class, representing an entire territory.

And Lv.7 is…!

‘Hero class.’

A hidden class rare even in this ‘game’!

But Derrick, who remembered all hero classes, had never heard of a hero character named Ihan.

And before that…!?

‘Why is the race name a question mark? And what’s Vajra Monk? This isn’t wuxia…. And Spell Slayer? …I know that’s a hidden trait that requires killing at least 30 magicians to obtain, but he’s raised it to Lv.5…?!’

How many magicians would one have to kill to level up like that-?

Derrick swallowed hard as he belatedly noticed the unique trait ‘Master’s Potential,’ which grants special talent to those lacking in ability.

While he still didn’t understand why there was a trait and hero class unknown even to him, the [Developer]…

‘This is fucking scary.’

It was clear that this man had easily slaughtered a hundred magicians.

……Derrick instinctively lowered his eyes.