Swish, swish.
"It's clean!"
A pure-faced maid, whose single braided brown hair and luxurious maid outfit suited her well, showed a refreshing smile as she looked at the neatened house.
As if her mood itself was refreshed, perhaps because she had cleaned so diligently that everything squeaked.
Though she was prone to tripping and making all sorts of mistakes, she was a maid who would be offended if told she was second in diligence—and that maid was none other than Layla Winter.
...The problem being that she had a talent for overturning others' insides by not understanding what people were saying.
However, insults and curses had no effect on Layla.
Having a brain full of flowers meant she didn't even realize she was being insulted, and rather had a tendency to interpret anything positively.
In some sense, she might have stronger mental fortitude than most mercenaries or knights.
"My Lady Maid."
"Irene is here!"
"I, I told you just Irene is fine."
"Hehe, I'm more comfortable this way. Wait just a bit, we'll have lunch soon!"
"Ah, yes."
Though it was a rare day off, Irene Windler had visited the knight's cabin early in the morning.
However, by now, the girl visiting the cabin was almost an everyday occurrence.
During the process of learning royal etiquette including curtsy from Layla, they had become meal companions, and Irene Windler had naturally become accustomed to this at some point.
'Ah, so comfortable...'
[Irene. Don't you have no conscience? Eating for free every morning and evening without paying. I didn't raise you like that.]
'Wh-who raised who! And I'm not eating for free, I bring gifts sometimes. That makes it fine, right?'
[All those gifts were sent by the Duke.]
'......'
[You shouldn't repackage someone else's gifts as your own.]
'...What an evil ghost.'
Hitting with just facts—utterly wicked.
However, regardless of Irene Windler's conscience, neither Layla nor the owner of the cabin were the type to nitpick her conscience.
Moreover, considering that the gifts she occasionally brought were all high-end items that even the royal family would handle, serving a few meals and receiving them was rather to their benefit.
Well, neither of them were the type to seek such gains.
"Come to think of it, the instructor is..."
Paang!
"There he is."
As soon as she tried to find the invisible him, she immediately felt his presence.
The sound of splitting air coming from one side of the backyard.
Click.
Irene went out the back door and saw the knight training hard, as always.
Paang!!
"...He's practicing something new again today."
[That's not psychokinesis, right?]
"Amazing. Could that be the Baibu Shenquan?"
[I always think the technique names are quite unique.]
"I mean, umm, it seems similar to Chinese characters...?"
Though she was a girl who came from being possessed, being a high school senior on the single path of college entrance exams who hadn't even read martial arts novels, let alone common comics or movies, she could only admire his technique.
Without knowing that a kindred spirit was right in front of her.
* * *
Wooden logs were stood up like dominoes.
There was a 20cm gap between each log, and there were about thirty logs in total, and Lee Han...
"Number 7."
Paang!
"Number 11."
Pang!
"Number 9."
Swish!
"...Done."
Lee Han laughed with joy.
From 7 AM to 12 PM, he continued trying and finally succeeded 'once.'
But for Lee Han, this one time was all that mattered.
Geshan Daniu (隔山打牛).
A technique that strikes the opponent without the constraints of distance and space, and the principle of the Baibu Shenquan that Lee Han had shown the previous day could be considered to originate from this.
But he went further, striving to apply this principle of Geshan Daniu with a sword.
And today.
He finally succeeded in containing not fist power (拳力) but sword power (劍力) in the technique of Geshan Daniu.
As evidence, a sword mark appeared on the log in the ninth position.
The other logs had at most just felt that they were struck, but the ninth one felt as if it had been slashed with a blade.
The feeling that the sword's killing intent had been transmitted.
And merely recalling this sensation was bound to become the greatest strength for Lee Han above all else.
'The fact that I succeeded is what matters.'
Generally, when Lee Han learned techniques, it was always this kind of sensation.
He keeps trying until it works.
Without a set deadline, countless times even in a single day.
Of course, even doing this, the success rate was still less than 10%, but the techniques gained from those successes had made him who he was today.
Therefore, Lee Han rejoiced purely.
The joy of being able to execute a technique that had only been possible in imagination.
'The next goal is Yunlong Daba Shi.'
If he could change direction about eight times in the air, he figured he wouldn't be caught by Valter.
At that time.
Thud.
"Practicing another bizarre technique again, I see."
"You're here?"
Whether he had sensed the presence from before, Lee Han wasn't flustered by the sudden appearance of a third party.
That was because it was a face he always saw.
And he was.
"Have you had lunch? I baked some pies, but."
"Oh."
It was Jake Farman.
Lee Han's only Knight Order comrade and acquaintance, so to speak.
* * *
Crunch!
An apple pie exuding a nutty and sweet aroma crunched in his mouth.
A crispy texture with perfectly balanced flavor.
Excellent.
Moreover, the crisp texture of the apple filling was surprisingly good.
The filling wasn't just like jam; it had a surprisingly fresh taste, and the subtle fragrance of cinnamon and ginger was the icing on the cake.
This was a work of art, an excellence that naturally drew high praise.
Even though Lee Han had already finished the meal Layla prepared and eaten five meat pies and seven apple pies, he continued eating the pies and praising them highly, as if he was still hungry.
"Just quit your main job and open a pie shop. Your talent is wasted."
"Is that something you say to a knight?"
"Then show me you lack skill. Why is a noble so good at cooking?"
"Because I'm a fallen noble."
"If being fallen made you good at cooking, every fallen noble would be a chef."
"...I wanted to feed my siblings delicious food, so my skills improved."
"......Your storytelling is insane."
Lee Han shook his head in disbelief.
Meat pie and apple pie.
Two ideal pies were incredibly made by the knight right before his eyes.
Being of fallen noble origin, he had grown up without servants, and had to cook for himself, did he say?
Because of that, Jake Farman's cooking skills were excellent.
It was a taste hard to find even at decent restaurants, and evaluated by Lee Han who inadvertently had an excellent palate, it was no different from the best pie.
For reference, he had also tried meat pies and apple pies made by royal chefs.
In other words, this guy makes pies better than royal chefs.
Should we call it an unfortunate aptitude(?) buried under the talent of a knight?
What a shame.
"You're not a knight; if you had opened a restaurant, you would have been hugely successful already. You might have even built a restaurant on par with the Grand Merchant Guild."
"Stop spouting nonsense. Business isn't easy. And how could a mere restaurant grow to the scale of the Grand Merchant Guild? That's absurd."
"Well, it might be possible."
If the concept of [franchise] were introduced, it would definitely succeed, but would that still be an unfamiliar culture in this world?
Lee Han considered explaining it for the success of his somewhat human friend, but swallowed his words and ate the apple pie, knowing that guy was on a knight-only life path.
He finished 12 pies in an instant.
"So, what's the reason you came all the way here, even baking pies?"
"...You're asking that now?"
"Because I filled my stomach."
"You're shameless."
"I'd like quiche next time."
"I won't even bother..."
Jake clicked his tongue, saying his friend was a shameless guy.
Still, he couldn't hide his satisfied expression, pleased that he was eating up his cooking so enthusiastically.
Unknown even to himself, the satisfaction from cooking was more fulfilling than knightly work.
"Ahem, first, the reason I came here is because of two matters. One is the illegal mages you captured."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb. Two bodies have already been discovered. And the traces found there were undoubtedly yours. The Commander was certain."
"......"
Lee Han's brows furrowed.
'He made the story like this?'
The regressor guy, determined not to reveal himself on stage until the end, must have deliberately placed the five already-dead bugs in a location visible to the Knight Order to attribute the credit to Lee Han.
As if telling him to take the reward.
However, that wasn't the credit he desired.
Originally, he had no intention of seeking fame.
And knowing this.
"Still, knowing your style, we decided to bury the fact that you took them out. You don't particularly want to reveal yourself. ...You shouldn't become a target of illegal mages for no reason either."
"You know me well."
It's good to have a competent coworker.
Because they proactively solve things so that troublesome matters don't arise.
"Still, the reward will definitely come out. If you want, a medal will come out too."
"Skip the medal and ask for money instead."
"......"
"What, why?"
"No, I just thought you're really the same even as time passes."
"People don't change easily."
"That is, true."
Jake nodded, agreeing that Jake was definitely like that.
He sipped the tea Layla had brought.
"You'll certainly remain the same, you're going to donate that money again, right?"
"...What are you talking about?"
Lee Han reacted a beat late and shrugged his shoulders.
As if he didn't understand what was being said.
But Jake knew.
That the money wouldn't go into Lee Han's pocket.
'The money from catching mages and slave traders goes to the victims, really.'
The few personnel who knew the identity of the secret missions Lee Han carried out.
And one of those few personnel was Jake.
The contents of Lee Han wiping out large-scale slave traders and illegal mages using the Knight Order's intelligence network.
It was also because he had learned this while hanging out with him and occasionally providing information.
He even knew where the assets he seized were used.
'A guy who can't be honest,'
He distributed all the assets taken from slave traders and illegal mages for free to those who had been kidnapped or dragged in as test subjects.
On the grounds that he didn't really want that money.
'Even though that's why he can't build credit either.'
Originally, assets seized from illegal mages and slave traders should all be confiscated by the state according to law.
But Lee Han violated this.
He distributed all the assets to the victims and bereaved families.
'Could I do that?'
The money extorted from them would truly be beyond imagination.
Or if he had reported this to the Knight Order, he would have already achieved tremendous rapid promotion.
But he takes neither money nor credit.
On the grounds that it's uncomfortable, that he doesn't need credit, and so on.
Instead, he distributes it as if to at least help the victims.
And from what Jake could see, it wasn't really because the guy found it uncomfortable that he refused assets or credit.
He simply acted according to his conscience, living as if being able to eat and survive was enough.
As evidence, the guy lives in a modest cabin.
Without any complaints.
Truly.
'A person who has no interest in chivalry...'
Is practicing chivalry (騎士道) in 'truth,' really.
Jake chuckled, thinking it was an ironic thing.
"The Commander won't let you go until the end."
"Don't say terrible things."
"Well..."
Even if it were him, he wouldn't want to let go of such a exemplary knight either.
* * *
For a while, a warm, lukewarm atmosphere lingered, but what use is warmth between two men.
They quickly returned to their usual state and continued the conversation.
"The next thing to tell you is this. Grand Duke Lionel has entered the royal capital."
"I heard that, but he's still in the royal capital?"
After the War Game, there had been no sign of him, so I thought he had returned to the north, but is he still staying?
"He probably has remaining business. Well, he'll return before long. The Grand Duke isn't someone who leaves the north for long."
"But why are you telling me this?"
"Because your disciple is a likely successor of the Grand Duke's house. He might approach you."
"Damn it."
He wanted to politely decline the interest of high-ranking individuals.
But the world doesn't go as one wishes.
"If he approaches, it'll be within this month. There's no better time for the Grand Duke to move than this period."
"...A good time?"
What could that mean?
Lee Han blinked with an expression that said he couldn't understand what he was talking about, and Jake was dumbfounded in return.
An expression that seemed to say 'Shouldn't you know this?'
"...The semester evaluation."
"......Ah."
"I should just stop talking..."
Jake rebuked the instructor in name only, and Lee Han scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.
He had definitely forgotten.
Since he was dumping all the instructor work on the assistant.
'Semester evaluation, is it already that time?'
The famous evaluation at the Royal Academy.
Why is it famous, you ask?
'...I wonder how many will remain this time.'
Because it was the period where 60% of first-year cadets get expelled.