Ch.96EP.25 – There Are No Secrets That Can Be Hidden (1)

…lost.

It was nothing short of a complete defeat with no room for excuses.

“That guy was seriously strong.”

“…Haha.”

Derrick let out a hollow laugh as he looked at him lying on the bed.

Someone who had been perfectly fine just yesterday was now lying in bed, his body in tatters.

How shocked he had been when he removed the hastily wrapped bandages.

He couldn’t even count how many stitches were needed for the shredded flesh.

…For the record, he had done the stitching himself. The ‘Suture’ skill had been a great help.

“Thanks for treating me.”

“…Shouldn’t I be thanking you, Instructor? You endured without anesthesia. Even Guan Yu wouldn’t do that.”

“Well, unless my bones were being scraped like that gentleman, I wasn’t that bad, was I?”

“No, overall, you were actually worse, Instructor.”

Hah!

Derrick had wanted to use anesthesia, but the man seemed resistant to it due to his [Poison Resistance] trait.

Most anesthetics in this world contained toxic components, so Derrick had no choice but to stitch up the raw flesh without anesthesia, making his hands tremble.

Fortunately…

‘How did he not make a single sound of pain? Wow.’

During the nearly seven-hour surgery, he had simply endured.

‘Amazing, no, truly strong…’

Derrick was struck anew by how incredibly strong this man was.

Not just in terms of physical power.

‘He’s strong—physically strong, but mentally even more so.’

It wasn’t just because he didn’t scream while having his raw flesh stitched.

It was the fact that he could make such a bold decision for his disciple… a girl who was essentially a stranger to him. That impressed Derrick immensely.

Could he have done the same?

‘He didn’t just attack because he disliked what would happen in the future. He created a [possibility] where Levi wouldn’t get hurt. Is this another way to find an answer?’

…No.

This probably wasn’t the correct answer.

Fighting a marquis family to secure a girl’s happiness made no sense to begin with.

Even the craziest game developers wouldn’t put such an absurd Easter egg in the game.

‘I’d rather fight the Demon King again than fight Tristan. That’s truly insane.’

The individual levels of the Red Blood Eagles ranged from 5 to above 6.

The vice-captain was equal to him at Lv.7.

When a hundred such people gathered, their collective level equaled or exceeded Lv.8.

And the Marquis himself was…

‘Level 8.5.’

Not quite Lv.9, but a monster who had reached the stage just before it.

In reality, no one except those at Lv.9 could defeat such a powerful figure.

The fact that he had returned alive after facing such an opponent was already a tremendous achievement.

‘Fighting and winning against the knights, surviving against a monster comparable to Lv.9… This confirms it.’

-A Lv.8 hero class.

Derrick was convinced that he had truly entered the ranks of the powerful in this world.

‘…What an amazing person.’

Reaching that level at his age was proof of how arduous a life he had lived.

Knowing that this wasn’t a level one could reach simply by being strong or lucky, Derrick felt moved.

Imagining how hard he must have worked made his heart swell.

Derrick, who desperately wanted to check his stats if only he could use the skill, was feeling somewhat uplifted when…

“M-Master…”

A girl, looking much more haggard than the day before, opened the door and entered.

Levi Polte.

The girl looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

“Ah…”

Derrick froze.

Of course, the girl hadn’t known.

Despite being the cause of the problem, she had been powerlessly waiting.

Yet despite that powerlessness, her master had stood up against the marquis family on her behalf.

She must have felt an indescribable storm of emotions.

Sure enough.

Drip.

The girl burst into tears.

Joy and worry, sadness and guilt, self-loathing and more.

Countless emotions crossed her face as Levi struggled to speak, and the instructor cast a gentle gaze toward her.

“Little bear…”

“M-Master, I…”

“-Save the crying for later and help the maid bring some food. I’m hungry after lying down all day.”

“……”

“After all my effort, I believe providing a meal shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“……”

“Quickly.”

“…Yes.”

…It seemed his emotional sensitivity was too dry for a melodrama.

* * *

“…Not a single rumor has spread?”

“Yes, not even a whisper of gossip.”

“…Is that even possible?”

“I wonder.”

After devouring beef stew for more than ten people, bread, and three oven-roasted chickens prepared by Leira and Levi, Ihan blinked as he listened to the information Sosim had brought.

He was surprised that news of his attack on the marquis’s mansion hadn’t spread throughout the royal capital.

‘How could no one know after all that commotion?’

It’s embarrassing to admit, but he had truly acted without thinking.

Even though the marquis’s mansion was in a secluded forest, how could no one have seen anything?

“It’s possible if someone thoroughly controlled the information. But it would have to be an extremely powerful person with considerable ability… Instructor, do you perhaps know any dukes?”

“…Hmm.”

He knew a duke, but that duke probably wouldn’t have intervened.

‘That sister really knows how to let me run wild.’

Thorough control of information.

To make this possible would require the help of numerous administrators, including mages, and as far as he knew, only the silver-haired princess could accomplish such a feat.

Ihan clicked his tongue.

So this is the kind of ability one needs to become king, he thought.

“…Aren’t you disappointed? With the right approach, you could have gained fame for defeating Tristan.”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

“I-I just thought knights might like that kind of honor.”

“Just…”

Sosim truly seemed to regret that the news hadn’t spread.

He muttered to himself, “Ah, I could have gained achievement points and fame for a new trait,” and though he whispered it to himself, Ihan heard everything.

He couldn’t help but smile.

Worrying so much about something that wasn’t even his to gain.

To him, Ihan said:

“I don’t need that kind of false fame. I lost in the end.”

“……”

“You seem to think I won because I returned alive, but I essentially lost. I survived solely due to the mercy of the marquis and his knights. So don’t think otherwise.”

“Hmm…”

Ihan didn’t consider himself victorious.

He had defeated the knights, a hundred of them, only because they lacked information about him.

The marquis could have killed him at any time but chose to let him go.

Therefore, he didn’t feel like he had won.

If anything, he felt like he had taken a beating.

“B-But you did win, in a way.”

“Well, if you only focus on the result, perhaps. But I also value the process. That’s why I don’t feel much satisfaction.”

“…Instructor, you’re more principled than I thought.”

“At my age, that happens, hehe.”

“…I’m not so sure about that.”

Sosim gave him a meaningful look, and just as Ihan was about to scold him for his impertinence…

“…W-Why did you do it?”

“……”

“W-Why did you go so far? What am I to you…?”

“Are you asking that again? Let’s move on.”

“H-How can I? How can you say that! After getting so injured-!”

A cry that sounded almost like sobbing.

Levi was clearly upset that he had been so badly injured because of her.

Her pupils were already shedding tears, and Ihan silently looked at the crying Levi.

“Sosim.”

“…Yes. Call me if you need anything.”

Not lacking in tact, the boy immediately went outside when called.

Just the two of them remained in the room.

“……”

“Sob, hic…”

A silence filled with distress.

In that silence, Ihan simply wanted to wait quietly for the girl to calm down, but…

“Is it wrong for me to protect a disciple who’s walking toward unhappiness against her own will?”

“…!?”

With a feeling that he should ask now, Ihan opened his mouth.

The sobbing girl froze and looked up at Ihan with wide eyes.

Ihan met her gaze and continued.

“The cadet Levi Polte I know is a smart and strong girl. You endured the harsh training in Vulcan, and you didn’t run away from the spells cast by the mages. Not only that, you commanded troops in front of Nol’s army and contributed to the victory as a first-class contributor. Your bravery is known to all 80 members of the Swordsmanship Department, and I know it too.”

“W-Why are you suddenly saying this…?”

“But!”

“…Hic.”

The girl’s words were cut off by his thunderous interjection.

As if he wouldn’t allow any questions at this moment.

“…Why does such a smart and brave girl keep acting like a fool? Why does she keep choosing foolish options? I couldn’t understand this at all.”

“……”

“Is it because you’re a filial daughter? For your family? That could be it. You’re a ‘good child.’ You might accept your fate without running away because of your filial piety. I could understand that… but no matter how I think about it, I can’t understand your parents.”

“-!!”

…At this moment, the girl was shocked.

She finally realized.

That he, Ihan, had noticed ‘something.’

“The Polte family, according to you, is already a ruined family. But you said they failed because they tried to honorably rebuild themselves as a knight family. Then, does it make sense to discard you, who was born with the talent of a knight, even though you’re a woman? …That seemed too strange to me.”

“Ah, aah…”

“If you became a knight, your family’s wish would be fulfilled, and the Polte name would be revived. So why don’t your parents do that? Are they ignoramuses who don’t understand how the world works? Or do they dismiss you because you’re a woman? Hmm, if it were me, I would never discard a child who works as ‘blindly’ hard as you do. I just can’t understand it.”

“M-Master…”

“…What is it? What makes you follow so blindly?”

Ihan recalled.

As if connecting all the hints given so far.

Blind effort.

It was like the source that symbolized Levi Polte.

A noble lady who strives to learn swordsmanship, armed with an indescribable determination.

It was as if she was struggling to have her worth recognized, and Ihan pondered what could have driven the girl to such desperation.

“What is driving you so hard, and why do you follow your parents’ words—no, their ‘orders’—like a fool without any resistance?”

“……”

“…If you wish, I won’t bring up the rest. I’ll just bury these suspicions deep in my heart. Think of it as an old man’s nagging and just shake it off, or if you want to vent, you can slap me once.”

“……”

“Yes, if you want-“

“…You’re right.”

“……”

“You’re right. Your guess. It’s all correct…”

“……”

The girl silently shed tears.

With a smile that was almost pitiful.

“Master, as always… you’re more perceptive than you look.”

It seemed difficult for her to speak, and the girl couldn’t stop her tears. Ihan shrugged.

“It has nothing to do with how I look. I just thought about what parents should naturally do.”

“…I see. A natural duty.”

“You don’t have to say anything now. I didn’t ask to interrogate you.”

“…After you’ve already figured it all out.”

“It’s not an interrogation, it’s a consultation. I should know some of my disciple’s circumstances.”

“…What’s that supposed to mean.”

Despite her tears, the girl smiled brightly.

She was grateful to him for lightly uncovering the ‘truth’ she had hidden, or rather had been too desperate to reveal, yet still treating her as usual…

“Hehe, finally caught.”

And she felt relieved.

She thought she would have to hide it for her entire life.

She believed she couldn’t escape criticism if it was discovered.

But now that it was out, she couldn’t feel more relieved.

So the girl, or rather the mature woman who could now proudly be called an adult, with a mature smile, began her story.

“…That’s right, as you thought, Master…”

─I don’t have parents.

…She slowly began to speak.

* * *

Whoosh!

A ruined illegal gambling den.

The guard dogs protecting the gambling den had long since fallen, and all the gambling addicts were unconscious outside, stacked neatly with broken arms or legs.

Yet there was one person in the gambling den who remained conscious.

Or rather, should we say he was deliberately kept from losing consciousness?

Crack!

“Ugh, w-why are you doing this!”

“……”

“W-What grudge do you have against me!”

“……”

“Please answer…”

“-Don’t open your mouth. It stinks.”

“!!!?”

The blue-haired man was grabbed by the collar and lifted up.

Though he was only grabbed by the collar, an enormous pressure enveloped the man, making it difficult for him to breathe properly.

However, the black-haired young man who had grabbed his collar showed no sympathy and continued to pressure the man.

As if he couldn’t find any reason to show even a bit of consideration.

“Reynold Polte, from now on, you must answer my questions correctly. If you can’t speak, nod your head. If you can’t nod, blink your eyes. But if you delay your answer even slightly or lie, I will eliminate you… no, your entire family from this world!!”

“!!?!!”

Reynold Polte.

The current head of the Polte family trembled with fear and shook his head frantically.

It was truly a pathetic sight.

Some might feel compassion for such a sight, but to the black-haired young man…

─To Roen, he appeared as a detestable creature more terrible than Nol.

Crack!

It was the first time the usually calm man had shown such anger.

Barely suppressing the desire to end this terrible person’s life right then and there, Roen said:

“Reynold Polte, 43 years old this year, with a commoner wife and two daughters. Am I correct?”

“!!”

“Yes, that’s right?”

“!!!”

Reynold Polte shook his head frantically.

Yes.

It was true that he had a wife and daughters-

“-That’s not what I heard. You don’t have ‘two’ daughters, but ‘one’? Why are you lying?”

“?!!”

“It’s not two but one, isn’t it? And even if you do have two daughters, how could you give such cruel orders, even placing a ‘Mark of Obedience’ on one of them…!!”

“…Kugh…keuugh…”

The Mark of Death.

An ancient dark art similar to curse poison, which cannot be undone by ordinary means—the ‘Mark of Absolute Obedience’ that in modern times would only be used on livestock or magical beasts.

Using it on humans was prohibited by national law and should never happen.

But Roen wasn’t discussing the severity of the law now.

What he wanted to address was…

“You trash! How dare you toy with someone’s life-!”

The sorrow for a comrade whose life had been manipulated and who had lived a sad life because of this garbage.

Roen was furious for that reason alone, and in response to his emotions:

[Grrrr!]

The ‘Black Lion’ roared.

Ready to tear apart the criminal who had angered its master…!