Chapter 231: Turns Out, A Lady’s Heart Is Like A Reed (1)

“W-who did he go to see?”

A boy with gray hair asked with a puzzled expression.

Listening to his words, Galand’s face turned strange. However, since he had a kind side despite his fierce appearance, he just repeated his answer from before instead of responding bluntly.

“I heard he went to see Arno’s father.”

“…”

“What’s wrong? Do you have a headache?”

“Oh, no, I just think about something… Thank you for your answer, Sir Galand.”

The boy, Derrick, stuttered a little, but quickly collected himself and acted normal, as if he wasn’t even flustered a few moments ago.

“Hmm?”

However, probably because Galand sensed a slight anxiety in the boy’s appearance, the former mercenary turned cadet opened his mouth again.

“Let’s not call each other like that. Let’s just speak informally.”

“T-that…”

“Ah, are you perhaps discriminating against me because I’m a former mercenary? I’m wounded…”

“No, no, no. That’s absolutely not the case!”

“Ahahahaha! I’m just kidding, kidding.”

Thud-!

Thud-!

“M-my back hurts.”

“You are just overreacting. You are strong!”

“Hmm…”

Derrick swallowed, but he still felt grateful to Garland. He knew that he was deliberately patting him on the back because he looked anxious.

As expected of the future mercenary captain, he’s a considerate person.…

A man with a leadership score of 93 (out of 100). He always hoped to become a knight, but when he became disillusioned with the nobles during his studies at the Academy, he returned to the mercenary world to create his own mercenary group.

Furthermore…

He was also the one who scouted Kunta and Arno and appointed them as vice-captains.

Even though his combat power was lower than Kunta and Arno, his leadership stat alone was enough to make him an incredible person.

The current king had a leadership stat of 44 points, so compared to that…

Ah, this isn’t important…

Realizing that he naturally analysed Galand [Status Window] as if he was possessed, it’s no wonder that the instructor called him ‘Game Addict.’

This world was clearly ‘reality’ and not a game anymore.

I know it in my head, but my heart still doesn’t fully recognize it.

Derrick smiled bitterly as he realized his own problem and chronic illness. He had promised to fix it, but it’s easier to say.

However, if he had to make an excuse right now…

The instructor will probably be very surprised if he hears what I have to say…

After all, a ‘person’ who should have died long ago was still alive.

The last head of the Offen family, Iliad de Offen.

According to the game’s story, Iliad de Offen was the name of a character who should have died.

Although Lee Han never intended it to happen, he often met the heads of noble families for some reason. The parents whom he often saw after becoming an instructor was one thing, but there were also many cases where he met them in the palace before he became an instructor.

If there was one thing these heads of noble families whom he unintentionally met often had in common, it was,

…They’re rude.

Yeah, they were arrogant. No, arrogant was a bit of a roundabout way of saying it. After all, those heads of the families always walked around as if they were the one who owned the world.

Well, it’s not like Lee Han couldn’t understand. They were people who firmly believed that they were born with noble blue blood while also got the hat to lead other people who had the same blood as them, so it would be stranger if they were not arrogant.

In fact,

Though, in my experience(?) their blood is not blue blood but red blood…

Well, it was not an experience which could be told in front of others, so he always refrained from saying that. What he was trying to say was that arrogance and rudeness were the passive ability for whoever born in noble families, so no one should expect humanity from them.

In that sense,

“Thanks to Sir Totle, Arno seems to have become more manly recently. He was always talented, but his personality was a little bit bad. But thanks to Sir Totle, those rough edges disappeared, so you are really our family’s benefactor.”

“F-father…?!”

“I didn’t say anything wrong, so don’t make that face. Swordsmanship can be learned with practice, but there’s no answer for a bad personality. I’ve seen so many troublemakers causing astronomical damage to their families because of their bad personality. I really can’t thank you enough, Sir Totle. You made our eldest son into a human.

“…I’ve never had a bad personality.”

“Tsk tsk, you don’t know how rude you were before you went to the academy, you rascal.”

“…”

It was really unfamiliar to meet such a humble and unpretentious noble.

He’s a different breed of noble.

A noble family called Offen had power that rivaled that of a great noble family. But even though he was the leader of such a great family, Iliad was quite polite, easygoing, and humble.

In other words, he’s different from many nobles Lee Han had met before.

“Sir Totle, if it’s okay with you, could I talk with you for a moment? I heard it was just a ‘nominal’ home visit, but I still want to hear how my son is doing at the academy.”

“…I don’t mind.”

“Haha, thank you.”

He didn’t even beat around the bush and directly expressed his thanks.

It’s been a long time since I’ve had a conversation with a noble without getting a headache.

It’s so comforting not to have to interpret noble political language. While it was something that other nobles would considered odd, Lee Han simply felt good about it.

Moreover…

In other words, he’s a respectable person…

Lee Han gave him a meaningful look.

Should I say that he’s someone who somehow feels special?

It’s not the kind of evaluation a knight would give to a noble family head, but Lee Han couldn’t help but do it.

After all,

He hasn’t put down his sword.

Even though he couldn’t use his legs anymore, Lee Han still could see stone-like calluses on his palms. So, how can he not respect him?

This man…

He’s a romantic.

“Sir Totle, I have heard that you don’t use Combat Technique but established your own technique. You deserve to be called a genius for creating a school at that age.”

“Rather than establishing it, I just started with an idea that anyone could think of. Your praise is too much, Sir.”

“Haha, you are humble I see. However, if you’re too humble, you’ll likely hear people say you’re annoying. It’s fine to show off sometimes.”

“…No, I’m really not a genius.”

“Ha! Modesty to that extent can be poisonous.”

“…”

The two men surprisingly had a good conversation. Even though they had different ages, social statuses, and life paths, they were able to communicate well through the topic of swords.

Well, Lee Han was the one receiving the questions and compliments, but Lee Han could only respond by answering each and every one of them while smiling awkwardly.

“Your son is a talented kid who can become a knight right away. The only problem is that he still lacks practical experience. He seems to have hunted monsters a few times, but he’s still a bit at loss when dealing with people.”

“Hmm, are you telling me that I raise him too well?”

“On the contrary, I think you raised him correctly. Honestly, what’s there to be proud of about teaching kids about things like killing?”

“Haha, when you say it like that, my heart feels much better.”

“Anyway, what your son needs now is practical experience rather than training. If he’s aiming to become a knight, he should consider graduating early even though I will definitely feel the loss.”

“I think it’s better for him to stay in the Academy for now. Rather than becoming an adult too quickly, wouldn’t it be more meaningful in the future if he enjoyed his youth a little?”

“That’s true. He’s still young.”

“Haha, it would also be good if he brought someone with him when he graduated. Wouldn’t it be better to get married after dating?”

“Don’t worry about that. That guy is still popular with the female students even though he built an iron wall. If he puts his mind to it, he’ll have grandchildren in no time.”

“Oh!”

“…Instructor? Father?”

Adults were this kind of special being. They didn’t really care even if the person in question was right in front of them.

Arno, who was stuck in a position he never dreamed of, was dumbfounded as he heard the conversation between his father and his instructor. On the other hand, Kunta and Levy each patted Arno on the back.

“Arno, no, Young Master, don’t worry too much. All adults are like that. Kunta was almost forced to become a father when he was 12 because of the tradition of his race. Fortunately, he ran away from home for a year and didn’t become a father.”

“…Is that what you called consolation?”

“More than that, you are truly popular, Young Master Arno. Among the Young Lady of the swordsmanship department, there are probably a few who will ask their parents to arrange a marriage with you next year.”

“T-the Young Ladies?”

It was a situation reminiscent of a scene from a sitcom, but it was still a very warm scene. The children chattered happily, the two men had a friendly conversation and the maid, Elza, brought warm herbal tea. How warm was that scene.

It was truly a scene like a fairy tale. And Lee Han liked this kind of sitcom-like, fairy tale-like peace. He wondered how nice it would be if he could always live like this.

That’s why…

“When I look at it, I think going to the Red Eagle is the way to broaden his horizons…”

“My lord…”

“?”

“I’m sorry for suddenly cutting you off. But, I’m starting to feel a sense of crisis.”

“Huh?”

“… Judging from your reaction, I guess you really didn’t know. I guess you’re not the one who set it up.”

“??”

…Lee Han decided to resolve the unfair situation where he was the only one who couldn’t enjoy this peace.

He wanted to shake off the ‘Spirit’ that had been creeping up on him since ‘a little while ago’.

Iliad looked perplexed by Lee Han’s sudden words, and the others were also at loss. They simply couldn’t understand what he was talking about out of the blue.

However, rather than explaining, Lee Han just smiled bitterly at them and approached Arno again.

Then,

“…I wish you would stop being so aggressive with your spirit, Elder. My neck and back are starting to feel sore.”

“I-Instructor?”

“Or should I call you ‘Lady’ instead of ‘Elder’?”

“…”

“Oh, come to think of it, you should be quite old, so the title of ‘Lady’ is a bit…”

[-What’s wrong with my age?]

Wiing-!

At that moment, the items in the reception room suddenly cracked. It was just a simple voice, but it felt like a  high-frequency attack. In the case of Lee Han, who received this high-frequency attack with his whole body,

Cough-!

He ended up getting hurt.

“I-I apologize, Ma’am.”

Lee Han then immediately apologized. After all, he didn’t want to be seen in a bad light by provoking her unnecessarily.

Probably because she liked the fact that Lee Han quickly apologized to her,

[Hehe.]

Arno, no, the ‘lady’ disguised as Arno, nodded her head and showed a look of satisfaction.

[You should have done that earlier. Remember, my dear. It’s an unwritten rule to never talk about a woman’s age.]

“I will definitely remember your advice, Ma’am.”

Lady Felicia.

Felicia de Offen, the Sword Duchess.

She was one of the three Aura users that Pendragon boasted of, along with Baltar and Albert.