Chapter 154
Reidrun is diligent.
So diligent that except for sleeping time, his schedule is completely filled with work and training.
Even his only rest time, sleep, is extremely short at just three hours.
‘Having to lie down every day to spend time. It’s a terrible thing.’
Originally, Reidrun tried not to sleep at all.
Because sleep time felt too wasteful.
However, even a monstrous body needs minimal sleep to maintain its condition.
In the end, after numerous attempts, the optimal solution was the current three hours of sleep.
“Hmm.”
Before dawn, in the early morning.
Today too, the diligent Reidrun got up from his bed.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he left his bedroom like a machine and headed straight to the training ground.
It was for his planned personal training at dawn.
“Huu…”
Quite some time had passed since starting training.
Sweat was flowing from his body, and dawn was breaking in the distance.
After checking the time, Reidrun removed sweat and waste with magic and headed straight to his office.
Although the sun had risen, it was still a time when most demons would be asleep.
Reidrun always gets to work first, organizing the day’s tasks while having breakfast.
Clunk-!
Reidrun arrived at his office and opened the door.
Normally he would have sat down and started working right away, but today he couldn’t.
“Hey.”
Someone was sitting in his seat.
The hand raised in greeting was covered in wounds.
It was clear at a glance that they had been in an intense battle.
Blood had soaked not only the chair but even the floor.
Injuries so severe it was amazing they hadn’t collapsed yet.
However, Reidrun was more tense than ever.
‘I didn’t notice at all.’
Even in such an injured state, their demonic energy control was nearly perfect.
Even Reidrun, who was quite sensitive, hadn’t felt anything until he opened the office door.
“Hey.”
The uninvited guest spoke.
Eyes filled with killing intent were staring directly at Reidrun.
“Come early, will you? I almost fell asleep waiting.”
“I came quite early.”
“You bastard. Look at you talking back just because you became a Division Commander.”
The uninvited guest clicked their tongue disapprovingly.
Reidrun carefully closed the office door and sat on the sofa.
No matter how unexpected the situation, he couldn’t postpone what needed to be done.
He checked his work log from the sofa and spoke.
“What brings you here, Corps Commander Park Hyun-a?”
“Let me crash here for a bit.”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Just give me a room.”
“I wasn’t aware we were close enough for such personal favors.”
Even while talking, Reidrun’s gaze remained fixed on his work log.
Park Hyun-a smirked and pulled out a cigarette from her pocket with trembling hands.
Most were soaked in blood, but she put one that was in relatively good condition in her mouth.
Creating a flame at her fingertip to light it, she exhaled a long stream of smoke.
“You’re like a woodpecker. Being extra stiff today.”
“… Is that a joke?”
“When your superior makes a joke, you should laugh.”
“…”
Reidrun didn’t answer.
Park Hyun-a clicked her tongue and continued.
“Anyway, I’m crashing here. If anyone comes looking, say I’m not here. You understand?”
Reidrun put down his work log on the table.
As if getting a headache, he pressed his temples firmly.
“I think you should explain the situation first.”
“…”
“What exactly happened?”
“…”
“Corps Commander?”
Park Hyun-a didn’t answer.
Reidrun turned his head in annoyance.
“Corps Commander Park Hyun…”
Reidrun stopped mid-sentence.
Park Hyun-a had already lost consciousness.
She had her eyes closed while leaning back in the chair.
Reidrun put out the cigarette in her hand and sighed.
As he’d thought before, Park Hyun-a and he really don’t get along.
“This has become troublesome.”
***
Choi Hyun-seok spent the night almost completely awake.
‘There will definitely be an attack at night.’
He was almost certain.
The enemy will come.
To respond quickly, he needs to be prepared.
However, that night was too peaceful.
All Choi Hyun-seok heard throughout the night were insect sounds.
The next day, he learned that the Royal Knights had left for an important mission.
“They say they’re searching areas with high magical density to prevent necromancy.”
“Ah… So that’s what it was?”
When talking with the king the previous day, Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson had warned about necromancy in advance.
The demons were preparing for large-scale necromancy, so they needed to respond preemptively.
“High priests or holy knights would be best, but even the royal family can’t directly move the religious order.”
“So that’s why the Royal Knights are moving?”
“Yes. There aren’t many skilled enough to notice subtle differences in magical density in the air.”
At Abelson’s explanation, Choi Hyun-seok awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“I guess I created unnecessary worry by saying something unnecessary. I’m sorry.”
“No. I think it’s necessary to always maintain vigilance. We never know when and where the enemy might appear.”
Abelson sincerely thought this way.
There was no reason to be upset that Choi Hyun-seok had suspected her father.
He had only done what he needed to do, and it was reasonable suspicion.
“Maybe that’s why I can trust Choi Hyun-seok more.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
Abelson nodded and stood up.
“Well then, I’ll be going.”
“Yes. I’ll be waiting.”
It had only been 2 days since arriving at the palace.
Choi Hyun-seok and Abelson were planning to resume training immediately.
However, being in the palace, they couldn’t act as freely as before.
Abelson first moved to get permission from King Valter Mariette.
“Oh, Abelson. What brings you here so early in the morning?”
The king welcomed his daughter with a bright smile.
He showed no signs of displeasure despite her sudden visit without notice.
“I want to train. I came to get permission.”
“Training? What do you mean…?”
The king made a confused expression at the sudden request.
Abelson explained briefly.
She had been training with Choi Hyun-seok before and wanted to continue it in the palace.
“You, you’re saying you use a mace?”
“Yes.”
The king couldn’t believe that his precious daughter was engaging in close combat.
And with a blunt weapon like a mace, of all things.
He tried to refuse, but Abelson’s resolve was too firm.
“Do you really have to…?”
“I must.”
“Sigh, alright. Then let’s do this.”
The king gave up and offered a compromise.
“Receive training from the Royal Knights.”
“No.”
Abelson refused without even a second of hesitation.
“Why, why not?”
“Choi Hyun-seok is excellent, so it’s better to receive training from him.”
“Yes, I understand that the hero who came with you is excellent. But our Royal Knights are no less capable.”
“Still no.”
“Abelson!”
Finally, the king’s voice rose in frustration.
Abelson spoke with her still expressionless face.
“No. I must learn from Choi Hyun-seok.”
“This is a matter of pride. For a princess of a nation to receive teachings from a mere hero, and in the palace no less. What would the other knights think?”
“I can’t delay my growth just to match others’ feelings.”
“Haah…”
The king sighed and rubbed his face.
‘How did it come to this…’
While Abelson was originally somewhat cold, she was never this extreme.
Sometimes she would act spoiled.
Some days she would chat while blooming with smiles.
But after being designated as the next Holy Maiden, she noticeably spoke less.
Now meeting after 5 years, she had become a completely different person.
A cold voice and expression that seemed like not a drop of blood would come out if pricked.
She could be believed to be a trained assassin rather than a princess.
‘It’s not too late yet. I should return her to how she was.’
The king steeled his resolve.
He would melt his daughter’s heart which had hardened while walking a rough path.
For that, sometimes he needed to embrace warmly and sometimes push coldly.
‘First, I need to separate her from that man called a hero.’
He had no particular ill feelings toward the hero from another world.
Even though he was grateful for the fact that he protected Abelson.
However, he was a man who needed to disappear to return his daughter to her original self.
The king, having made his decision, opened his mouth.
“Then let’s do this. The winner of the duel will become your teacher.”
“Who will be dueling?”
“Obviously, our Royal Knights will duel with that hero.”
“…”
“If he can defeat three Royal Knights that I designate, I will acknowledge that hero as your teacher. How about it?”
“I’ll talk to him about it.”
“I hope you understand that I’ve already compromised a lot.”
“Yes…”
Abelson bit her lip tightly.
As he said, the king had made many compromises.
Being more unreasonable here would be unwise.
‘I’ll have to ask him…’
***
The duel between Choi Hyun-seok and the Royal Knights proceeded swiftly.
The location was the training ground inside the palace.
The opponents were three Royal Knights, and Choi Hyun-seok had to defeat them one by one.
Abelson bowed her head to Choi Hyun-seok, who got involved in troublesome matters because of her.
“I’m sorry. Because of me…”
“It’s fine. I welcome this kind of duel.”
This wasn’t just empty words.
In fact, Choi Hyun-seok saw this situation very positively.
‘It’s a good opportunity to gauge the knights’ combat abilities.’
The Royal Knights were a group of the strongest knights in the kingdom.
To live in the human world from now on, he needed to properly understand how much power they had.
What kind of swordsmanship they used.
Three Royal Knights were lined up in front of Choi Hyun-seok.
He scanned the knights with his combat power meter.
‘Average combat power is roughly at the Regiment Commander level.’
Even among Royal Knights, their combat power varied.
One was 70,000. One was 90,000. The remaining one was 110,000.
It seemed to be roughly between the Demon King Army’s Battalion Commander and Regiment Commander level.
“Is everyone here?”
Just then, the king’s voice was heard.
When he appeared at the training ground with his attendants, people bowed their heads.
“We greet His Majesty the King.”
“We greet Your Majesty.”
“Now, now, today isn’t such a formal occasion. This is a friendly duel between our proud Royal Knights and hero Choi Hyun-seok, so enjoy it comfortably.”
King Valter Mariette spoke with a warm smile.
Choi Hyun-seok also nodded with a returning smile.
‘Enjoy comfortably my ass.’
From the start, the knights’ aura was unusual.
Their eyes looked like they wanted to tear Choi Hyun-seok apart right away.
Though they were somewhat subdued in front of the king, they didn’t hide their competitive spirit.
“For this duel, Cardinal Balda will specially serve as judge. Lord Balda.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At the king’s words, a man stepped forward.
He was wearing particularly elaborate armor compared to the other Royal Knights.
Choi Hyun-seok narrowed his eyes looking at him.
‘Almost no magical power can be felt.’
Usually, even when controlling magical power, some leak out slightly.
But from the man called Balda, almost no magical power could be felt.
It was such a tiny amount that it would have been impossible to notice if he hadn’t directly stepped forward.
Choi Hyun-seok discreetly put on his combat power meter.
[Combat Power: Unable to Measure]
Unable to measure.
In other words, it means his combat power exceeds 200,000.
Then the king continued speaking.
“Lord Balda is our kingdom’s proud hero and the commander of the Royal Knights. I believe he is more than qualified to judge this duel. Does anyone object?”
“No.”
Only then could Choi Hyun-seok understand the situation.
‘I thought it was strange that all the Royal Knights would leave the palace even if the necromancy situation was urgent… It was because of that man.’
A hero with combat power exceeding 200,000.
With someone of that level, he could understand why other Royal Knights left the palace.
It was a kind of confidence.
‘Well, I don’t have to fight that hero, so it doesn’t matter.’
Choi Hyun-seok decided to think of it easily.
This isn’t enemy territory.
Now he just needs to show some skill and train Abelson.
Perhaps he could feel more at ease because of that hero called Balda.
“I trust you’ll ensure safe proceedings.”
“Of course.”
“Then who will go first?”
“Gabel. Step forward.”
“Yes.”
The knight called Gabel stepped forward.
He gripped his sword and bowed his head in courtesy.
His movements were so disciplined that they drew involuntary admiration.
“I look forward to our match.”
Choi Hyun-seok lightly bowed his head in greeting.
If he had a sword he would have mimicked the gesture, but he had nothing so it couldn’t be helped.
Dissatisfaction rose in the knights’ eyes, but no one dared to openly show their displeasure in front of the king.
“Begin!”
Hero Balda raised his hand declaring the start.
Knight Gabel rushed forward as if he had been waiting.
“Haaaaah!”
Gabel charged forward with a battle cry.
Kwajik-!
He was thrown back faster than he had charged.
Kwaaang!
With a thunderous sound, the center of Gabel’s fallen armor was caved in.
“Ugh, urk…!”
Knight Gabel coughed up blood while lying down.
A chilling atmosphere descended on the training ground.
