Episode 620

“I thought you were surprised he didn’t faint.”

“……”

Giselle looked at him as if he were ridiculous, but Valpatan was quite serious in his own way.

Usually, few people had managed to hold on to their sanity after a one-on-one conversation with Ziklin.

Most either fainted, dozed off, or had trouble breathing…

After that, even if Ziklin simply approached from a distance, most would panic and run away.

Yet, that Wardanaz junior was surprisingly carrying on a conversation with Ziklin.

“Don’t tell me…”

“?”

“…He’s… ‘having a conversation’ with her?”

It was annoying to hear a normal conversation talked about like a legendary sword technique, but Giselle understood why Valpatan was acting like that.

Giselle’s older sister was not especially skilled with words. To put it more bluntly, she had a talent for suffocating a conversation.

So normally, if anyone was seated in front of her, a deathly silence would hang over them…

“She looks a little excited, though.”

“What? That’s her being excited?”

Valpatan was even more surprised.

It was surprising enough she was being talkative, but to say she looked excited?

No matter how he looked at it, her expressionless face didn’t seem that way. Besides, since she was wearing armor, anyone would think she was interrogating a magician taken as a prisoner.

“She’s someone who can get excited!?”

“Is it so wrong for my sister to be excited?”

“N-no… It’s fine for her to be excited. It’s good if she’s excited…”

When Giselle glared sharply at him, Valpatan backed down.

• * *

‘I can do this.’

Lee Han clapped as he listened to Ziklin’s story about “The Steel Knights’ flanking tactic and analysis during the Droplet Fortress Assault 17 years ago.”

“My gosh! I can’t believe that happened!”

“Mm.”

Ziklin nodded and fell silent.

Someone else might have been flustered, but Lee Han had already grasped his opponent.

“But how did the Steel Knights flank the hill?”

“They did it very quickly.”

“…I figured as much! I understand they were fast. What did they ride? And, on which slope of the hill did they…”

Ziklin was a suffocating conversation partner, but Lee Han had faced suffocating people before—and Ziklin wasn’t the first, nor would she be the last.

And honestly, compared to some, Ziklin was relatively easy to deal with.

At least she didn’t have malice. And she didn’t lash out mid-conversation.

‘She’s just not good at talking.’

She knew nothing about everyday stories, and even for her topics of interest—battle or war—she threw out only the core, with no embellishments, so naturally the conversation stalled.

Lee Han recalled the crazy professors he’d been up against and patiently stoked up the conversation.

“They borrowed Fireclaw Panthers from a nearby ranch.”

“Goodness. Didn’t the knights who rode the Fireclaw Panthers complain?”

“Some of the knights were burned.”

“Oh my. What happened to those injured knights?”

Snore, snore—

Eandurde, who was sitting next to Lee Han, had long since fallen asleep. Ziklin didn’t particularly care.

“May we come in for a moment?”

Giselle and Valpatan, having recovered from their shock outside, knocked on the door.

Ziklin looked pleased to see her sister. Her face showed no expression, but she opened the door herself and invited them in.

“Giselle. I was talking with your close friend.”

“…Yes… close… friend, right…”

As she entered, Giselle shot Lee Han a look as if to say, “What the hell are you doing?”

Lee Han answered with a look, “I had no choice, it was because of the skull principal.”

—It’s not like I can just say we’re not close.

The most frustrating thing is when you say something that can’t be refuted. Giselle closed her eyes to calm herself.

“Valpatan. I sent you to make up for the lack of training earlier, so why are you back?”

“Huh? Oh, that is, uh, to guide them here…”

Ziklin fixed her emotionless gaze on Valpatan.

Valpatan felt like he was suffocating under her stare.

“…I’ll go back to training now!”

“Valpatan. If you neglect training one more time, I will punish you.”

“Yes!! I will keep that in mind!!”

Valpatan responded even more nervously than before.

While her senior was the center of attention, Lee Han whispered to Giselle.

“What kind of punishment does she do here? Is there like a punishment room?”

“My sister’s punishment is separate from the family’s jail. Climbing up that cliff with your bare hands is the lightest punishment.”

“……”

Lee Han was appalled.

He’d thought Professors Allarlong or Ingeldel were the strictest and most training-obsessed among swordsmen, but there was a maniac who surpassed them in front of him.

‘She really is a bit of a lunatic.’

“…Don’t think my sister is weird. She’s not a bad person.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Who would ever think anything odd of Dame Ziklin of the Moradi family, who personally slew a Twinhead Ogre?”

‘Just how much has this guy heard in so little time?’

Normally, even if Ziklin was made to sit in a room, she’d barely say a few words in an hour, but in this short moment, he’d heard about her childhood subjugation stories.

Someone could almost mistake Lee Han for a member of the Moradi family, not Wardanaz.

“More importantly, Moradi.”

As Lee Han’s expression grew serious, so did Giselle’s.

She knew that whenever this guy spoke in that manner, it was about something important.

“What?”

‘What is it? Is it about the principal? Einrogard? A change next year? Or the Moradi family? Or, if it’s about the north, the great mountain range?’

“That, about Lady Ziklin. You said she’s your unni, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Not nuna, but unni, right?”

“She’s my unni. What are you talking about?”

“Mm… I see.”

Lee Han nodded as if he understood.

At first, Giselle didn’t get it, then, belatedly realizing, she was appalled.

Did this bastard…?!

“Hey, you didn’t…?”

“Lady Ziklin, I’m curious about the tactics you used when you subjugated the Twinhead Ogre!”

“Hey. You bastard. Hey!”

“Giselle. Mind your manners.”

Ziklin scolded her little sister in a stern voice.

No matter how close they were, such rudeness couldn’t be overlooked—not even for her own sake.

“But unni, this bas—…!”

Ziklin looked at Giselle with a strict gaze. Giselle was so frustrated she was about ready to grab the back of her neck.

“Since when did you treat guests like that?”

“We’re just close so that happened. I’m sorry!”

Lee Han quickly interjected.

He couldn’t just sit back since he’d also made a mistaken assumption.

“In Einrogard, it’s normal for people to talk with such little formality. Haha. Right?”

“…Right. Haha. Hahaha.”

“Hahaha. Hahahaha.”

Lee Han and Giselle looked at each other and laughed dryly.

Seeing this, Ziklin relaxed her stern demeanor and showed a faint smile like dew before sunrise.

She was just pleased her little sister had made a trustworthy friend at magic school.

“Giselle. Friendship is a fine thing.”

“Yes…”

And with that, the conversation stopped again. Lee Han immediately blew life into the dying conversation.

“Lady Ziklin, I’d love to hear your thoughts on friendship.”

“Wardanaz seems to enjoy talking too much.”

“Haha.”

At Ziklin joking, Giselle stompted hard on Lee Han’s foot. Lee Han, not understanding, whispered,

“What was that for?”

“Don’t just go around joking with my sister.”

“……”

He almost would’ve preferred she stomp him for a year’s worth of misunderstanding instead.

• * *

When the sleeping junior woke up (Giselle was very interested to learn Eandurde was her junior), and when the informal, casual gathering was nearing its end, Lee Han let out a sigh of relief.

All that was left was to return to his lodgings.

‘Alsicle should eat at least ten sardines in front of me for this.’

Given how much he’d suffered alone, Lee Han’s resentment was understandable.

He decided, regardless of Alsicle’s stomach, he would make him endure a sardine performance after returning.

Then Ziklin spoke.

“Wardanaz. I would like to invite you to hunt with me tomorrow.”

“…Wh—wait!”

Before Lee Han could reply, Giselle cried out in shock.

Never mind the uneasiness of having an outsider join her sister on an outing—Ziklin’s hunts were anything but easygoing.

If you thought of a noble’s hunt as one where gamekeepers and beaters chase game up close while the noble hunter sits comfortably, forget it.

Ziklin’s hunts were more like a training ground to push a knight to their extremes and help them grow.

It was fine for Moradi family knights, who could collapse from exhaustion if needed, but Wardanaz was an outsider.

If something went wrong or if he complained…

“I-it might be dangerous…”

“Explain exactly what point you’re making, Giselle.”

“For starters, he’s a magician. That might be a physical problem.”

“I heard Wardanaz was the top student in swordsmanship.”

Giselle turned to look at Lee Han.

Her look said: Did you really say that again in that short time?

Lee Han explained with a look: That senior, Valpatan, told her.

‘Useless bastard!’

Giselle regretted not pushing her cousin off the cliff.

“Moradi. Hang in there. I just want to rest tomorrow, too.”

“Damn you…”

Giselle ground her teeth at Lee Han’s whisper from behind.

“He’s good at swordsmanship, but you should consider his own wishes, too. W-Wardanaz is a born magician who prefers research in his room rather than facing trials.”

Giselle desperately tried to come up with reasons—she really didn’t want Lee Han to be brought along.

Ziklin nodded silently in understanding.

Then she replied.

“Giselle. Earlier, Wardanaz showed interest first.”

“…Are you kidding me?!”

Giselle couldn’t help but shout at Lee Han behind her.

Just what on earth had this guy said during their conversation earlier?!

• * *

“Tch. I should’ve brought Alsicle along…”

Lee Han muttered, riding atop his horse, regretting his choices from the day before.

He’d really wanted to drag Alsicle into it, but as expected, a wizard from the Pengerine family was not an easy mark.

-Really, good work. Did you finish everything with that knight?

-Haha. I enjoyed it, Alsicle.

-Sorry I bailed first. I wish there was something I could do for you.

-Then I have a request, Alsicle. Tomorrow…

-Don’t tell me you’re going hunting with knights? I’m never joining the knights’ hunt. Just throw me off the cliff instead.

-……

Alsicle, having lived longer as an imperial noble than Lee Han, knew very well how much of a pain hunting could be.

Even aristocratic hunting was relatively easy; knightly hunting was much harsher.

For the sake of their own training, they dragged suffering onto even those invited from elsewhere.

On rough, pathless terrain, with no gamekeepers or beaters, no attendants or porters carrying gear…

If everyone was equally inconvenienced, so be it. But the person most inconvenienced in such situations was always the magician.

Knights would give you subtle looks, wishing you’d use magic.

If you’re going to do that, just bring all the servants and porters!

-They want to save face, drag along a magician, and make them suffer—I won’t go! I can’t!

-…Understood. In return, please eat all the sardines here.

-…You’re not mad, right?

Lee Han, who just came to have a good time and ended up having to work like at Einrogard, packed his things with a sigh.

Giselle, watching this nearby, spoke.

“That’s why you should’ve spoken a bit less with my sister. Do you know how excited you got her? She barely stopped talking about where to hunt next.”

At her words, Lee Han tried to imagine Ziklin getting excited.

It was as hard to picture as Professor Voladi bursting into joyous laughter.

“Hey, and about your crazy question yesterday…”

“Lady Ziklin. I’ll enchant your saddle with magic for you!”