‘...It's over.’
Relief—somehow, he didn't feel any.
Neither the joy of surviving nor the thrill of victory was present.
It just felt like a difficult task he had been forced to do was finally finished.
It was a rather desolate sentiment for having defeated a legendary monster, but what could he do.
After all.
“I lost...”
If he had won by his own hand, he might have felt a sense of accomplishment, but in the end, he had to borrow someone else's hand.
Even though he had given his utmost—no, his all—he had lost.
Thoroughly, to the point where he didn't even have an excuse.
Thus, what lingered in his mouth was not a sense of refreshment, but the bitterness left after chewing a whole handful of medicinal herbs.
...However.
“Hah, as long as the kids are alive, it's fine.”
He didn't feel any sense of helplessness or self-hatred.
His disciples, the children, had survived.
That single fact was perhaps the only thing he could take pride in.
-For Pendragon! For Lionel...!
-Waaaaaaah!
The cheers of victory echoing from afar.
They must have succeeded in annihilating all the knolls inside the colosseum.
Astoundingly, even mixed within the cheers of the massive crowd, his disciples' voices could be clearly distinguished, confirming that everyone was safe.
“You rascals.”
He, Lee Han, could finally form a satisfied smile.
“Hehe, it seems being a teacher suits your disposition after all. Or maybe I just didn't know, and you're actually quite an affectionate fellow.”
“...I'm enjoying the aftertaste in my own way, so just leave me be.”
“That insolent mouth of yours is still the same... If only you knew how to respect your elders, it'd be perfect.”
“I respect adults who are worthy of respect. You're just a geezer, that's all.”
“...Should I have just let you die?”
Baltar Grace clicked his tongue, wondering how such a guy could exist.
It was remarkable how he was still running his mouth despite being as limp as boiled spinach.
He was definitely the type whose mouth would float on the water even if his body drowned in a river.
“And whose fault is it for being late? It would've been great if you came when I called.”
But Lee Han wasn't just grumbling for no reason either.
- Help me out a bit, geezer.
When he realized an unusual monster had appeared, the first person he asked for help was none other than that man.
But that man-.
“One cannot act on uncertain information.”
“And so you come after the accident happens? I'd love to see if you'd still make that excuse if everyone had died, ha!”
“...Ahem.”
At this point, Baltar also averted his gaze, seemingly at a loss for words.
Not trusting Lee Han was undeniably his own judgment.
“B-But I rushed over as soon as I sensed something was off, didn't I? So let's just move past it now.”
The distance between the Academy and the Royal Castle was roughly 30km.
He had covered that distance in one breath, so of course, he had also put in his fair share of effort.
However, to put it the other way around.
“If I and those guys hadn't held out, we'd all be dead.”
“Ahem, I have nothing to say to that.”
It was only because they—no, because Lee Han had held out, that his effort had meaning.
Admitting that everyone in the Royal Capital definitely owed Lee Han a debt for this incident, Baltar accepted it.
Because he had prepared alone when everyone else refused to act, preventing a 'great massacre'.
“I don't know about those mutts, but if that thing had run amok in the Royal Capital, it would have been a disaster.”
Squ...irm... Squ...irm...!
Baltar looked at the Ghost King, who was completely disassembled like a puzzle.
Even though it was clearly dead, it was trying to regenerate.
A terrifying sight that perfectly suited its moniker, 'Immortal'.
“...If that thing had consumed any food, even I would have had a hard time.”
“It's a good thing it was stupid.”
Lee Han didn't deny his own contribution either.
If that monster hadn't been obsessed with him and had consumed other food, the situation would have ended right there.
The moment it consumed its prey, it would have regained some of its prime strength.
Even an Aura user would probably not have an easy time-.
“Still, it's a bit regrettable. It would have been fun to fight it in its prime, hehe.”
“...You crazy old fool.”
It crossed Lee Han's mind that even if the Ghost King hadn't been at 30%, but at its full 100% condition, if it fought Baltar, Baltar's win rate would probably be higher.
As far as he knew, the knight named Baltar Grace was truly.
‘If that troll is the Demon King, then that geezer is the God of War (鬪神).’
A giant of the era whose defeat was unimaginable.
He even doubted whether completing the Plum Blossom Sword displayed today would allow for a proper hit.
Anyway.
“It's exhausting, so exhausting.”
The mountain he wished to climb didn't even show its ridgeline yet.
* * *
Afterwards, reinforcements including the Royal Soldiers arrived late, and the situation was quickly sorted out.
Me?
I just stayed still.
“Rest. I'll handle the rest.”
Since that man showed rare consideration, it should be fine to trust and leave it to him.
However.
“There might be people trying to pull some crap with that thing, so hurry up and destroy it.”
“I know, stop nagging.”
Baltar, who knew best what Lee Han meant by 'destroy', obediently decided to burn the Ghost King's corpse.
Nobles, mages, or various other guys would definitely try to scheme to gain ownership of that corpse.
This wasn't a prediction but a conviction, and he could already see clearly what kind of schemes they would pull with that ominous thing.
‘I can't stand the sight of them pulling crap with something I worked so hard to catch.’
If Lee Han were to see that sight, he would go berserk and snap the necks of everyone who coveted the corpse.
Knowing this, Baltar obediently listened.
There might be people complaining later, but.
...Who could possibly say anything to him?
As long as the War God didn't return alive, there was no one who could give Baltar orders.
Whoosh!
Aura burned the Ghost King's corpse like fire.
Aura, the mystery of knights that only superhumans could obtain.
It was the goal all knights aspired to reach, and the mystique of its power was an unknown that even magic couldn't comprehend.
And the moment that unknown power touched it, the Ghost King's corpse burned.
Normally, burning a monster releases death qi, and burning something of the Ghost King's caliber would understandably produce enough smoke to cover the entire Royal Capital, but Aura 'erased' all the turbid qi.
Also known as the most pure and powerful force of Purification (淨化).
Before Aura, turbid qi, curses, and resentment had no way of enduring.
‘If only we had Aura, there wouldn't be any environmental problems either.’
He thought that if there were Aura users in modern times, they would probably make a fortune.
Because if they put their mind to it, they could clean up all those things without having any negative impact on the ecosystem.
‘...I guess I must be tired.’
Random thoughts popping up out of nowhere.
Lee Han smiled bitterly, mocking himself that his condition clearly wasn't normal.
And.
“...You can handle the rest, geezer.”
“Where are you going?”
“I want to rest.”
“You insolent brat, you're planning to dump all the work on this old man?”
“You should at least do that. Or should the guy who did all the hard work also worry about the cleanup?”
Why should he be the one to explain everything to the latecomers who only showed up now?
“Hehe, you brat. You sure know how to say pretty things.”
Though the words were sarcastic, his tone was refreshing.
As if he had no intention of stopping him from leaving.
And then,
“You'll be busy from now on. You made your presence too known with this incident.”
“......”
“Until now, you've somehow managed to hide all your achievements, but it'll be difficult this time. You'll likely be summoned to the Royal Castle within a few days.”
“......”
“Don't make it so obvious that you hate it. It could be a glory someone desires their whole life.”
“Ugh! I don't care about any of that right now, I'm just leaving.”
Lee Han waved his hand.
As if telling him not to say any more since his head already hurt.
Knowing his disposition, Baltar merely chuckled and said no more.
Instead.
“Brat. Take this at least.”
“What is it?”
“Take it to a reliable alchemist or mage. You'll probably get something decent out of it.”
“...Hmm.”
He gave him a gift.
The only byproduct from the Ghost King's corpse, which should have been completely burned by Aura.
An object that looked like a jewel but had a bizarrely gruesome appearance.
That was.
“Don't tell me this is...?”
“A heart. That thing survived without burning.”
It was a monster's heart.
Not just any other monster's, but the Ghost King's heart.
Considering that even a troll's heart was traded for the price of a castle, the value of the Ghost King's heart was impossible to measure.
A Priceless Treasure (無價之寶).
A treasure whose value cannot be measured.
Lee Han looked at Baltar with an indescribable gaze.
Wondering why he was giving him such a treasure instead of retrieving it himself.
“You have to give the rewards to the one who worked hard. There are no gifts for the bugs who did nothing. Just take it. It's a matter between you and me anyway.”
“...I'll consider it my payoff.”
“You brat, try speaking a bit more nicely.”
“Should I act cute instead?”
“Well, not that.”
“Make up your mind.”
Lee Han strongly gripped the Ghost King's heart that was now in his hand.
He didn't bother with the luxurious worry of whether he was worthy of receiving it.
‘I'll put this to good use.’
Squeeze.
Because feeling helpless once was more than enough.
Even in a situation where he felt so tired he could collapse at any moment, his eyes shone brightly.
Confirming that a stepping stone for the next step had been secured.
“...Truly heartless.”
Seeing the guy disappear without even a proper greeting, complaints naturally came out first.
He had no sense of affection whatsoever.
Still.
“Seeing as he takes care of the kids, he's really changed a lot, heh.”
Taking care of a fallen girl and one boy—it was an unthinkable sight for the guy who used to want to live in solitude in the past.
Baltar was newly satisfied.
But he wasn't just satisfied because his personality had simply become rounder.
“Your back has broadened since I last saw you.”
That power of his had also changed beyond recognition, hadn't it?
It was certain.
He had grown significantly compared to when he was in the knight order.
Even before, excluding the captain-level knights among the White Lions, there was no one who could face him, but now he was out of their league.
Now, other than himself, there was no one among the White Lions who could beat that guy.
Probably, coming to the Royal Capital Knight Order now, the only ones capable of facing him would be the members of Pendragon's legendary knight order, where only the strong handpicked by the War God gathered,
The
Baltar Grace, the (Former) Captain of the White Dragon Knight Order, felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
“If he were just a bit more diligent, it might be worth entrusting him with...”
It was a meaningful remark that didn't clarify what he would entrust him with, but Baltar decided not to tie him down.
Left free, he was growing as he pleased.
Even when he sparred with him every day, it wasn't to this extent.
So he left him alone.
Because that guy would find his path in freedom.
“I look forward to the next time.”
The day they meet next. How far will he have grown?
Anticipating the youth's growth, the old man smiled.
...However.
“But why isn't he taking this old man with him?”
Lee Han took everyone else but strangely left the old mage behind, and seeing this, Baltar clicked his tongue.
That brat, seriously.
“He doesn't know respect for the elderly.”
Mistaking the exhausted, unconscious mage Oddwal Bernard (28 years old) for a man older than himself, Baltar clicked his tongue in disapproval.
Saying his humanity was still a failure.
* * *
Lee Han's back quickly felt lighter.
In Taechang's case.
-Thank you for bringing him back safely.
The purple-haired girl seen at the debate the previous day had rushed over and taken him.
She tended to the boy with affectionate hands, and suddenly I felt a bit sick to my stomach.
Even though he denied it so much, they definitely had an unusual relationship, right?
It was the same for Irene Windler afterwards.
-I will take care of her.
Someone who appeared to be a female knight of the Ducal household appeared, and Lee Han entrusted Irene to her.
It could have been suspicious, but....
‘Is that his sister?’
Her face showed traces of that obnoxious guy Lak he met the day before.
He figured she was probably his younger sister, and thought it fine to leave Irene to her.
Above all, just looking at her blood-soaked body, she must have single-handedly sliced through dozens of knolls.
That alone was reason enough to trust her.
-...Thank you for trusting me. And thank you for taking care of the young lady.
-Whatever, tell your brother. Next time, I'll tear his face to shreds.
-That is a welcome statement.
...Her personality seemed quite decent, too.
Like that, somehow ending up empty-handed, he wandered with a light body looking for a place to rest, and at some point.
“...Ah.”
He realized that the place he stood was the front yard of his own house.
He could have just laid down anywhere, but he had unknowingly returned home?
It's not like he was a migratory bird.
A moment where even he thought he was being foolish.
“You're back, Sir Knight.”
“......”
“Hehe, you worked hard.”
“Since when...”
“Hmm, I just kept waiting?”
“......”
There was a woman who warmly welcomed him.
How long had she been waiting?
He was momentarily dazed by the sight of Leira Winter, who seemed to have been waiting for him to arrive.
Sway.
“Miss Maid?”
“Yees.”
The moment he called her, Leira came right up to him.
Wondering why she was getting so close to his face.
‘Ah, I'm the one falling over.’
Realizing that she hadn't approached him, but that he was collapsing, Lee Han tried to stand up again.
But Leira.
Caught him.
“You can just rest easy. Just lean on me comfortably.”
“......”
“Sleep. Sleep is a cure-all, you know!”
“...That's quite an educated statement for a maid.”
“Hm?”
“Haha...”
Lee Han ended up in her embrace, unable to pull away.
So comfortable. The fragrant scent of soap without a hint of stimulating perfume, and the scent of warm sunlight.
And.
‘Ah, it's so comfortable.’
Affectionate hands like a mother's.
Falling into an irresistible coziness, he quickly succumbed to sleepiness.
So defenselessly.
“It's okay, it's okay.”
But as if protecting his defenseless self, Leira gently lent him her lap as a pillow and stroked his head.
As if telling him he didn't need to worry about anything.
Rustle.
Under the sky where dark clouds had passed and the evening sunset was setting, a cool wind gently swept the yard.
“You worked hard.”
The maid simply held him warmly, worried that the knight might catch a cold.
Endlessly.