Chapter 10: Princess Isis Is NOT the Heroine (3)
by Afuhfuihgs
Whoosh-! Whoosh-!
Fierce wind-splitting swings were fired in succession.
After Lee Han fixed a 50 kg iron ring at the end of a horizontal bar and swung it as if it was a sword, a heavy, yet fierce sound could be heard, echoing around the area.
Maybe, if a wild boar were to hit by it, it would die in an instant.
This was one of his training methods. While it looked great at a first glance, it actually had a huge drawback.
Crack-! Crack-!
It was a method that would burden every part of one’s body; Wrists, elbows, shoulders, waist, name it.
Most swords only weigh at around 1-1.5 kg and there were some heavy swords that weigh more than 5 kg, but other than that, people usually avoided using swords that were too heavy.
The reason for that was simple. If they weren’t careful while wielding such heavy swords, they could completely wreck their bodies. In fact, just by swinging it, they could become disabled. No matter how slowly they swung it, there was a 90% chance that it would happen if they weren’t careful enough.
That was why this training method—dubbed Adamant Training Method by Lee Han—could be considered as extreme.
“Haaa!”
When he first practiced this training method, he actually almost disabled himself. The weight surprised him and he realized how crazy it was to swing this thing around like a sword. But, Lee Han didn’t let that stop him. Instead, he started to train with lighter weight and gradually increased it whenever his body managed to adapt to the weight.
Now, he had reached the point where he could handle the 60 kg combined weight of the horizontal bar and iron ring.
It was truly a victory for the one who preserved…
…Or not.
Crack-!
“Ah, it’s breaking again…”
Sometimes, his elbows or wrists would break like what just happened.
Full-Body Destruction Training Method. That was another name he coined for this ignorant training method.
After consuming a large amount of nutrients and going through a rest period, his body would recover to some extent. While his bones and muscles recover quite quickly, if it were his tendon or joint that was injured, it would take more than two hours to heal even with his troll’s recovery ability.
By the way, the only person who had seen him doing this training was Jake.
Are you trying to kill yourself? What kind of crazy training is this…?
That was what he said with a fearful expression when Lee Han saw him doing it.
Is it really too much?
Well, it probably is.
Even when he himself thought about it, this training method did feel a bit off. After all, even for someone like him, who relied on the troll’s recovery ability he had, it was still a training method that could easily turn him into a disabled person. Yet, despite the high-risk, he still did it anyway. Because the growth of his muscles and bones’ strength was very noticeable.
For example, in order to deal with Yord—the guy who he sparred with yesterday—who freely used flashy and quick sword skills, he needed to either avoid the attacks or parry them with his swords. But, he didn’t have that kind of talent, so he could only blindly watch the attacks and block them.
What happened back then was that he tanked all the attacks head-on, but not only did he not take any damage, his hands didn’t even shake at all.
And the reason for that was…
Because this training works.
In other words, no matter how heavy the attacks he received were, his muscles and bones would still be strong and elastic enough to deflect all the force from those attacks. One could even say that his body was bulletproof.
Actually, during the most recent sparring he had with Baltar, he could withstand twenty hits, whereas he couldn’t even withstand ten before.
It could be said as a groundbreaking achievem–
“Achievement my ass… I was still getting pummeled by him.”
Lee Han let out a frown as he relaxed his body, which had recovered to some extent at this point. When he thought about the gap between him and Baltar, he couldn’t help but get angry.
What did he say back then again?
[Haha, you’ve become a more durable sandbag now. Commendable. So, are you doing this so I could feel the taste of your hand?]
If that wasn’t counted as a mockery, then what would?
That monster-like old man…!
“Maybe I should increase the weight again…”
‘Or increase the time of the training itself…’ His contemplation only went deeper.
Lee Han still couldn’t picture himself beating the old man, but at the very least he could bet on the possibility of him landing a good hit on the old man.
It was because of his endurance.
If his already strong endurance became even stronger and he was able to keep on going without losing strength even after being hit, he might be able to land a single blow on the—
“Ouch!”
Bang-!
“…”
“H-Hiii! I-I’m sorry! I-I didn’t want to be a bother to you, b-but I fell down…”
“…Is your knee— no, your face okay, Miss Maid?”
“I-It’s fine, Sir… H-Hehe, fortunately, my body is quite strong! I was hit by an iron bar once before and I was completely fine!”
“…A-Ah, I see…”
…Where should I even start…?
The part where she was hit by an iron bar or the part where she actually survived that…?
Lee Han made a sour expression as he looked at the guest who he had unintentionally accepted.
The day before. The crown princess asked Lee Han for a favor.
Contrary to his expectation, it really was just a request instead of an order.
However, he…
“I refuse. All this time, I tried so hard not to get involved with nobles like you. There’s no way I’d get involved just because you asked me to, Big Sis!”
“…Aren’t you being too harsh? There are many who’d even give their lives to fulfill any ‘request’ from this lady.”
“Then ask them. I won’t give up my life just like that.”
A heartless answer, almost arrogant even. But, that showed how firm and determined he was on his decision. This cold demeanor was unusual for him.
“Being used once is enough. I’m not your hunting dog by any means anyway.”
This was his warning. A warning so that she wouldn’t look down on him. He dared to declare such a thing even though the other party was the heir to the throne and even though he was risking fighting a bunch of powerful people out there.
After all, there was one big reason why he wanted to become strong in the first place. So that he wouldn’t need to yield anymore, unlike back when in his previous life.
“Big Sis— No, Your Highness the Crown Princess. If you think of me as a dog to be used rather than a younger brother, then you’re wrong. I don’t even care about my position as a knight, no actually, I want to quit right now. The reason why I’m even following you is because I’m afraid of your authority and connection, but if you cross that ‘line’, I swear I won’t care about those anymore. I swear I will crush them all. Remember that.”
“…”
His words were genuine. He was truly determined to fight with his life on the line for this.
Sensing that, Isis’ beautiful eyebrows twitched nervously.
“Wicked bastard. Those were words you shouldn’t say to your sister.”
“Then act like a real sister first.”
“…Do you feel good for winning an argument against a woman?”
“Sorry, I believe in gender equality.”
“…You rude bastard.”
In the end, it was Isis who backed down from this. She had an extraordinary talent since birth, and she had been living as a ruler for 40 years, but the number of people who dared to act so shamelessly in front of her could be counted in one hand.
…But…
“Yes, yes… A man should at least have that much spirit.”
“…?”
For some reason, she seemed to be impressed by him.
“Since ancient times, a true knight is someone who wouldn’t bow down in front of authority. They would even fight against the ruler as long as it’s right. That’s how a younger brother of this lady should act! Haha!”
“…Was that some kind of test?”
“Of course.”
“…”
“Don’t give this lady that look. Testing others is part of the duties of a monarch. Even if it is her brother, relatives, or blood families who’s being tested.”
“…What a hard life you have.”
“Such is the fate of a monarch.”
Isis was truly testing Lee Han. If he had accepted her request, or rather, her order, Isis would have been disappointed in him. She’d think of him as a lowly person who cowered in front of authority.
But, of course, even if she were to brand him as a lowly person, she wouldn’t just abandon him. Just like what he said earlier, she’d have treated him like a hunting dog and used him appropriately instead and thrown him into the mud later after he became of no use to her.
This vicious cra— uh, beautiful woman…
“Stop giving this lady that look already. This lady’s ear is itching.”
“I’m just admiring your beauty, though.”
“Is that so? Are you sure you aren’t treating this lady as a crazy woman instead of a beautiful woman in your mind?”
“Of course not.”
“How shameless.”
Even though he was clearly insulting a member of the royal family, Isis still didn’t rebuke him. After all, someone who wanted to live as a monarch should be able to ignore criticism and contempt of others as easily as breathing.
But still…
Thump-!
“A knight should never insult a lady, you brat.”
“You have a good wrist snap, Big Sister.”
She knew that her younger brother could withstand this degree of violence. Her current expression was stern, but somehow, it was the softest one she had shown today.
“This lady will say it again. This is not an order, but a [request] and this lady wants you to listen to all she has to say.”
“…Understood, I will, for now.”
And so she declared again. However, knowing that this wasn’t an order, Lee Han decided to obediently comply with her words. Making her bend her pride was the same as making an Italian admit that pineapple pizza was the best pizza, so he figured that it would be better for him to comply to some extent.
“This lady said she has two requests for you, but both requests overlap with each other in a way.”
Rustle-!
“…Isn’t this newspaper supposed to come out tomorrow? Why is it here?”
“This is the power of authority.”
“Casually abusing your power like that, seriously…”
Rustle-!
Lee Han opened the newspaper she had handed him. His act of opening it and reading it without asking any questions was something that Isis liked. The one thing she hated more than a thick-headed person was a tactless one.
In that regard, Lee Han definitely wasn’t both.
Not long after, Lee Han stopped at a certain page of the newspaper. It was originally news that should have been featured on the front page, but for some reason, it was printed on the tenth page instead.
He then pointed his finger at that page, the page that clearly showcased the royal family’s authority.
“…Is the request you just mentioned related to this young lady and this arrogant young master?”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because they are the only people in a position that is difficult for you to touch.”
“Correct. But, to be more precise, this lady could easily cut off their necks if she wanted to, but it would be a little annoying if she were to do that.”
“Wow… Amaaazing…”
Whack-!
Almost immediately, a fan whacked his head, but he didn’t even flinch because of it. After all, he was still fine even when an Aura User hit him. There was no way a fan would hurt him.
Instead of letting that bother him, he recited the names of the people mentioned in the newspaper.
“Irene Windler, Roen Dmitri de Lionel.”
Irene Windler, a beautiful 19-year-old mage who was a lower-class citizen. But recently, she had entered the Academy’s Magic Department and became a top student there. Rumor had it that Duke Galahad had proposed to adopt her.
Meanwhile, this Roen or whatever guy was the youngest son of the Lionel Family, which was also known as the Ruler of the North. However, since he was an illegitimate child, possibility of him succeeding the seat of the head of the family was extremely low. Rumor said that he recently entered the Academy’s Swordsmanship Department and became the top student there.
Duke Galahad and Archduke Lionel were extensions to the Pendragons, but they had an extremely hostile relationship with the royal family. Despite this, their adopted daughter and illegitimate child had entered the capital, the heart of the Pendragon, and even entered the Academy.
It was big news that could shake the capital.
But, judging from the fact that the news didn’t make it to the front page of the newspaper, it meant that the royal family was suppressing the news from spreading.
Well, of course they would do that…
“If possible, this lady wishes to kill them.”
“…As far as I know, Galahad and Lionel have royal blood too, right…?”
“Mhm. You can say that they’re this lady’s cousin and maternal cousin.”
“And you want me to kill those people…?”
“Would you do it if this lady asked you to?”
“…Of course not.”
“Too bad.”
…This crazy woman—!
Whack-!
When Lee Han slandered her in his mind again, the vicious slap of the fan hit his forehead.
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