Most knights come from noble families.
Some of them gain knighthood and move out to live independently.
However, it’s only natural to prefer receiving support from one’s family.
Especially for the noble younglings, they’ve lived under someone’s care from birth until adulthood.
In serious cases, there are even utterly ridiculous brats who can’t wash themselves or change their clothes.
Well, this tendency tends to fade as they adjust to academy life with dormitories or get used to being a knight.
But even if they improve gradually, can someone who’s lived like a spoiled child their whole life change overnight?
There are still many knights who travel with attendants by their side.
It looks quite comical to see a nurse or a butler always on standby, rushing over at the slightest discomfort…
I can’t even imagine how ridiculous that must be.
Especially for Lee Han, it was even harder to understand, and honestly, he sometimes clicked his tongue in embarrassment.
But…
“Wow, Lee Han brought a maid! That’s a first!”
“From her outfit, she looks like a royal maid. Did someone bestow her upon him?”
“What a stunning lady! How about sharing a cup of tea…?”
“…Lee Han is right behind you.”
“Gah!”
…That embarrassing situation suddenly became his reality.
He hadn’t intended for any of this.
“…Damn it.”
Lee Han cursed quietly to himself.
“So, who is that beautiful lady?”
“Beautiful? Don’t you think she looks a bit dazed?”
“…She does look a bit sleepy.”
Jake teased, playfully slapping Lee Han’s back as he faced the first lady his friend had brought along.
Seeing Lee Han, who stubbornly remained single without even getting a girlfriend or a wife, seemed quite pitiful.
Actually, it seemed he either had a problem or perhaps preferred men instead—
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but that feels a bit off.”
“Hmph, what did I say? Don’t create unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“…Or maybe not?”
…What a creepy guy.
If being perceptive were a skill, Jake could definitely be an aura user.
Casting a glance, he saw a woman sprawled out on the grass at the edge of the knight training ground, looking utterly exhausted.
She might fall asleep at any moment.
“…She does look very tired.”
“Haah.”
“Are you actually close? You wouldn’t have hired her, would you?”
“…Just know there are various circumstances. It wasn’t my intention. And I’ll be sending her back soon.”
“Hmm. Could it be a royal assignment?”
“……”
“Let me just keep quiet.”
Jake nodded, finally grasping the situation.
The same could be said for the others.
They might have had some inkling when a royal maid was involved.
It occasionally happens.
When the royal family designates a knight for a mission.
It’s an incredibly glorious matter and one that must be kept confidential at all costs.
Though feeling envy or jealousy of a knight designated by royalty is natural, nobody dares to question the royal family’s decisions.
All nobles are respectful and loyal to the Pandragon royal family, regardless of social standing.
“Do well. I’ll be cheering you on.”
“What do you think the request is about?”
“Not the request, the lady! She may look a little dazed, but isn’t she gorgeous? Hahaha!”
“……”
“Hmm? Why do I feel a chill all of a sudden…?”
Lee Han pondered whether to smack this guy right off.
It’s not like he was making fun of anybody.
“I also want a girlfriend, you jerk!”
It’s a heart-wrenching secret that I can never share with anyone.
Lee Han cried internally like a humanoid dog, all while keeping his composure on the outside.
* * *
Leira Winter.
That was the name of the maid.
Even if the situation felt like eating mustard while weeping, the wicked lady who created this scenario was infuriating, but he couldn’t blame the dazed maid. He had better remember at least her name.
“Hey, maid, stop lounging around here and just rest at home. Or better yet, go to the palace.”
“No way, Knight! I still have to do my job to the best of my ability. I’m getting paid, haha!”
“…….”
She might be a bit slow, but she’s a good girl.
At just twenty-two, she is an earnest and hard-working young woman if you take off the rose-colored glasses.
…Although it’s a problem that things seem to break one by one every time she works.
“Did that witch send her here to ruin all my stuff?”
It was at that moment he felt a weird mixture of suspicion and certainty.
“What a cute girl. You’re not worthy of her.”
“…Please make some noise when you come around. Sometimes, you look more like an assassin than an old man.”
“I did have an assassin friend back in the day. I even killed him myself.”
“…….”
“Haha.”
What a crazy old man.
Despite casually uttering chilling remarks, his words hardly sounded like mere exaggerations. That was his weakness. But some folks would definitely praise that flaw.
“What brings you here today? Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting?”
“Why would an old man like me go there? The young ones can handle it.”
“Still doing it your way, huh?”
Although his hair was white like an old man’s, it shimmered with a moist sheen, and his skin was so elastic that it was hard to believe he was in his seventies.
His stature may seem small and unimpressive, but his deep eyes and the strange aura surrounding him made him anything but ordinary.
If this world were a martial arts fantasy rather than a medieval one, ‘Sword Saint’ would suit him perfectly.
Baltar Grace.
He started as a gladiator and caught the eye of the king, eventually becoming a knight. With remarkable achievements in war, he earned the title of an aura user in the elite ranks of knights.
“When you meet Baltar on the battlefield, run away” – legends of his achievements are so numerous that he’s even got a hero poem dedicated to him.
He was a heavyweight knight whom even royalty couldn’t treat lightly, a weirdo who refused the position of the military commander and took charge of the Third Knight Order instead.
…In Lee Han’s eyes, he was a mountain he would have to climb someday.
“Why really did you come? A guy like you, who rarely visits the knight order.”
“Ha, I was just curious after hearing you brought a girl.”
“You must be bored as hell.”
“Do you expect me to be working at my age?”
“……I’m at a loss for words.”
No matter how much of an aura user he is, it’s true that he’s already of retirement age.
He only looks young because the aura keeps his body at the peak of health. It’s a real wonder.
“Honestly, I envy you. You brought in another wife, right?”
“She’s not a wife; she’s a girlfriend. I’m not trying to become a husband, mind you.”
“If you had a bunch of kids, wouldn’t it be time to settle down? That’s kind of reckless.”
“When the body is young, the heart is young too. I’m still in my youth, haha.”
“……The country’s in good shape.”
Strangely enough, this old man, who reminded Lee Han of oversized windbreakers, was indeed a very vigorous character beyond his appearance.
It was evident that he had official wives but proudly claimed to have more than enough ‘girlfriends,’ presumably with a few kids in the mix.
“Did you hear? A great-grandson was just born!”
Yet he still refuses to acknowledge that he’s a married man.
Is he thinking that if he didn’t have a wedding ceremony, it doesn’t count?
Strangely enough, despite having a somewhat chaotic family environment that could easily breed discord, he treasures the women who bore him children and plays the role of a devoted father with great diligence.
…In my opinion, this old man seems more like a real protagonist than any of those time-rewound male leads or fantasy heroines.
“I’m envious.”
Some people have gone thirty years in life without ever holding a woman’s hand properly.
What? How many years does that amount to, counting past lives?
…Please be quiet.
“You’re looking a bit troubled today.”
“…I’ve had some things to deal with. An opportunity to find something I thought I had given up on has come, but the process is likely to be messy.”
“Haha, that’s not like you. Just be straightforward as you usually are; that fits you.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Heh.”
As he burst into laughter, the members who noticed his presence froze up.
Once he decided to conceal his aura, it became hard to detect him.
“Greetings, Commander!”
The heartfelt salutes followed one after another.
There might be people here who are seeing Baltar for the first time, and many who have only heard his name.
With a legendary presence like his, just seeing him is a rare event.
And everyone who set eyes on him displayed a shared sentiment: admiration.
They were in awe of a man who was already a legend even before they were born, with their eyes sparkling, particularly Yorde Decker, the new knight who had fought with Lee Han, whose eyes burned brighter than ever.
He was, after all, at the pinnacle of the kingdom’s knights, so such reactions were expected from proper knights.
“Let everyone get back to work. I’m just stopping by for a moment.”
But even with such intense gazes upon him, he didn’t offer any attention.
Though he wore a smiling face, an aura of distance made it hard for others to approach.
Though many wished to ask him for guidance, few had the courage to close the gap, and Lee Han thought to himself,
“Save your skills, or they might serve as fertilizer. It’s not like you’re going to teach anything extraordinary.”
“Do shut your mouth; I also detest annoying things.”
Baltar was particularly famous for not taking on any disciples, despite being an aura user.
Even though some of his children had become knights, not one of them had received a lesson from him, reflecting his eccentricity.
Then, suddenly, a voice whispered in Lee Han’s ear.
“Come to the backyard later; I have an appointment for you.”
It was a voice that only he could hear.
It wasn’t using the aura but rather applied a tactical technique.
However, even someone skilled in tactical techniques would find it hard to replicate that level of skill.
It was that advanced of a technique.
And the person who experienced such a degree of complexity could only react with awe.
“It’s great to see a rare phenomenon, but let’s stick to verbal communication, alright? Having a man’s voice whispering in my ear isn’t exactly pleasant.”
“…You unrefined fool. You should read the atmosphere better.”
“That gives me the creeps.”
“…How about we start by chatting with our swords first?”
“Haha, that sounds good! Follow me up to the roof, old man!”
“Where’s the roof here?”
*Swish.*
Baltar accepted his cocky challenge, and Lee Han couldn’t help but feel ecstatic.
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