Chapter 60

‘T-This wasn’t part of my plan...’

The girl was flustered, and the ghost let out an angry outburst.

[That's why you should have acted when you had the chance! You're always too slow! You... you premature...!]

‘...That word doesn't mean what you think it does.’

[Then when is it the right word to use?]

‘H-How would I know!’

[Why are you getting so mad? You could just say you don't know. Seriously, your temper…]

‘!!?’

Irene Wendler almost grabbed the back of her neck in frustration. How could the ghost be so shameless after starting the argument in the first place? As much as she wanted to engage in a verbal battle with it, there were more pressing matters at hand.

"Look, Sir Knight! Lady Levi is giving a speech over there!"

"Bear-girl speaks well."

"Does that mean she’s winning?"

"I don’t know if you can 'win' a debate, but logically, and based on the audience’s reactions, she seems to be doing well. She’s probably winning."

"Hehe!"

For now, the existence of this meddler took priority.

The maid beside him was smiling brightly. If it were anyone else, they might have looked like a simpleton, but with her, it was impossible not to feel a sense of warmth and kindness, as if her very presence was infectious. She was like a walking dose of pure positivity, a human vitamin.

Layra Winter.

This pretty maid with braided hair stood beside Ihan, watching the debate with him, and he responded to her with a mild, nonchalant attitude.

…Meanwhile, Irene Wendler sat off to the side, quietly munching on the pretzels Ihan had bought her.

‘Ugh, I can’t even be mad at the maid! And why do these pretzels taste so good?!’

Most of the pretzels Ihan had bought from Bear No. 7 had ended up in Irene Wendler’s stomach, and the next day, she would inevitably scream when she saw her puffed-up face in the mirror.

Irene’s original plan had been to enjoy a date disguised as a “coincidental meeting,” but the world never works according to plan. Forgetting the constant presence of the maid by Ihan’s side had been her fatal mistake.

"Don’t you ever rest, Miss Maid?"

"I'm Sir Knight's personal maid, so of course, I’m always by his side."

"But you weren’t around earlier…."

"Hehe, I was doing housework. Oh, Sir Knight! Today, I cleaned without breaking any furniture! Isn’t that great?"

"Not breaking things is what you should be doing in the first place. I don’t see what’s so exciting about that."

"But the hammer broke. It fell on my head, and I couldn’t dodge it in time, so I accidentally broke it. I’m sorry…."

"…Let’s go see a priest, shall we?"

"Why?"

"……."

After a hammer had fallen on her head, she hadn’t gotten hurt—on the contrary, she’d broken the hammer with her head of iron, or maybe it was stone. Either way, she continued following them around, much to Irene’s internal despair.

However…

"Don’t you have any studying to do, Miss Irene?"

"I do have an exam to take, but I studied regularly, so I’m fine."

"Wow! You’re amazing, as expected of the top student! So impressive!"

"W-What?"

"Lady Irene, you’re really amazing. You’re beautiful, smart, great at cooking, and whenever you don’t know something, you try to learn it right away… You’re truly incredible."

"…Miss Maid, do you want something?"

"Nope!"

Layra Winter was impossible to hate. As mentioned earlier, she was like a pure human vitamin. She had the cheerful and innocent energy of a golden retriever, and if she had a tail, it would likely be wagging nonstop.

Her compliments were genuine, not flattery, and anyone without a twisted personality would naturally lower their guard around her.

It was clear why even a princess would trust someone like Layra Winter.

It took only ten minutes for the golden retriever-like maid to completely disarm Irene Wendler.

[Arin’s so simple….]

‘Could you hate someone like her?’

[…]

For the first time, the ghost, who always had a retort, was left speechless.

Layra Winter was even a formidable opponent for the ghost.

"Th-Thank you, Instructor, for coming in person like this."

Levi Fault spoke shyly, bowing her head. Ihan, acting gruffly as usual, handed her a flower, brushing off her gratitude.

"There’s no need to thank me. I just had free time. But your speech was impressive."

"N-Not really. I just spoke about what I know. It’s not a big deal."

"That’s what makes it impressive."

"Yeah, Levi! You were great!"

"Lady Levi, you were amazing! I don’t know what the topic was, but you were brilliant!"

"…Haha."

Levi Fault had received high marks in the debate. Though her speech skills were strong, her ability to produce results based on her hard work was what stood out most. Some people, no matter how much they study, can’t demonstrate their full potential, while others can perform exactly as expected. Levi Fault was the latter—an excellent student with great promise.

She always got the job done.

"If you’re free, let’s grab a meal together."

"Well, can we wait until after the next debate? There’s someone I really want to see…."

"Hoh, is it a guy?"

"N-No! Nothing like that!"

Levi Fault, uncharacteristically, raised her voice in panic. Her flustered reaction only served to deepen the knight’s suspicion.

‘Is it springtime for Bear-girl as well?’

It seemed like even Levi Fault was experiencing her spring romance.

As someone uninterested in his own love life but fascinated by the affairs of others, Ihan was watching with intrigue when the next group of debaters entered the stage.

"…Women?"

A look of disappointment crossed Ihan’s face.

"I-I told you! It’s not what you think…."

Levi Fault, embarrassed, muttered quietly in a mixture of complaint and awkwardness.

"The person I wanted to see is Lady Karin."

"Hmm, that one over there?"

"You’re spot on. Have you met her before?"

"No, just noticed her aura standing out."

Indeed, Ihan had easily identified the one Levi was interested in. It wasn’t surprising, given how striking the woman was. It would be odd if she didn’t stand out.

‘That’s quite the flashy look.’

A cadet with vibrant violet hair and eyes. She gave off a strong sense of beauty, but beyond that, Karin had a presence that couldn’t be ignored.

She exuded the unmistakable aura of a modern-day top star.

"That’s Karin Alencia de Guinevere, the daughter of the current chancellor."

"Quite the status."

"She’s more than just her status. She’s incredibly sharp, capable of debating with scholars of remarkable intellect. Her mind is truly exceptional."

"Seems like you know her well."

"Among the women my age, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t admire her. Oh, of course, Lady Irene is also highly admired!"

"…Her?"

"Yes, she’s the top student in the Department of Magic and a daughter of the Galahad family."

"……."

Was the sickly chick really a target of admiration?

Ihan couldn’t fathom why anyone would look up to a mage. He didn’t understand why people didn’t see through mages and their untrustworthy nature.

‘Seriously, I don’t get today’s youth….’

Ihan's puzzled expression didn’t last long, as the debate began, and a solemn atmosphere took over.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Soon after—

"…Is this a solo concert for Violet-head?"

Ihan muttered, his tone filled with mild disappointment.

"V-Violet-head…."

Ignoring Levi’s attempt to correct him, Ihan observed how the entire room’s focus was solely on Karin.

[Karin Alencia de Guinevere greets you all. The topic of today’s debate is none other than What should be done to achieve true reconciliation between Britten and Pendragon? I will be representing the opposition and arguing why Britten and Pendragon should not merge.]

It was a provocative topic.

Even now, remnants of the Britten Kingdom continued to cause disturbances, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Britten’s citizens rose up in rebellion at any moment.

The hotly debated issue of what to do with Britten had been a major topic among the upper echelons for the past three years, and it was a headache-inducing question that had shaken the kingdom.

And here, the chancellor’s daughter was taking the side of the opposition.

Truly…

"She’s got guts, don’t you think?"

"……."

"Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me. I’m talking to you."

"…Are you speaking to me?"

"Yeah, you."

"……."

"Don’t act dumb. I can see you’re worried about her, even if you’re trying to hide it."

"……."

"And what’s with that guilty look when I catch you staring at her? You suspicious little…"

Ihan shifted his gaze toward the boy sitting beside him, watching quietly. He looked fragile.

But Ihan’s eyes gleamed as he let out a small, amused scoff.

This kid…

‘Did he just mutter “Status” to himself?’

Ihan hadn’t missed the faint whisper, and in that instant, he knew.

‘So it’s him.’

…The one with the status window.

Derrick was sweating bullets.

A naturally timid person, Derrick struggled in situations where he had to face acquaintances, let alone strangers. So, this unexpected encounter was terrifying. However, today, he was sweating more than usual.

The reason?

It wasn’t just the social anxiety.

‘T-This… Is this really a person’s status?’

The stats he’d seen using his [Status Skill] were beyond shocking.

━━━

Name

: [Ihan Turtle]

Race: [??]

Traits: [Diamond Body (Lv.7), Strong Regeneration (Lv.5), Beast’s Instinct (Lv.6), Veteran’s Intuition (Lv.6), Poison Resistance (Lv.4), Pioneer of Arts (Lv.7), Spell Slayer (Lv.5)]

Diamond Body: A trait granted only to monks who survived life-threatening challenges. Enhances physical abilities, and the more one views women as mere stones, the more their endurance is converted into durability.

Strong Regeneration: A trait granted to those who have successfully tempered their bodies. Increases the regeneration of skin, bones, muscles, nerves, and organs. The more physical pain endured, the tougher the body becomes.

Beast’s Instinct: A trait only given to those with the blood of beasts. Grants animal-like instincts.

Veteran’s Intuition: Granted after surviving over ten wars without sustaining major injuries. Helps in sensing danger and distinguishing truth from lies.

Poison Resistance: Granted after surviving a deadly poison. Provides resistance to most poisons.

Pioneer of Arts: Granted to those who spread and create new martial arts. Helps in developing unique martial arts techniques.

Spell Slayer: A hidden trait granted after completing a quest involving the killing of at least thirty mages. Grants resistance to magic and instills fear in mages.

━━━

His jaw dropped in disbelief.

Seven traits?!

Considering that most humans have at most three traits, this was an absurd number.

Traits are determined by a person’s "life experiences," "effort," "trials," and "suffering," which is why most people don’t have many.

But seven?!

Was he tortured from birth?

‘It’s not just the number of traits… their levels are so high…!’

The average level for an elite knight’s traits is around 3 to 4. In gaming terms, that’s the equivalent of a character who has completed a fourth job change.

But this person had traits at Level 7.

That meant he was essentially a character who had completed a seventh job change.

A trait at Level 5 could make someone the leader of a knight’s order. Level 6 indicated a champion, someone who could represent a region.

And Level 7…!

‘Hero class.’

That’s a hidden class rarely seen even in this “game.”

Yet, Derrick, who remembered all the hero classes, had never heard of a hero named Ihan.

And then there was…?

‘Why is his race marked with question marks? And what’s “Diamond Body”? This isn’t a martial arts story… And Spell Slayer? Isn’t that a hidden trait you only get after killing more than thirty mages?! How many mages did he kill to raise that to Level 5?!’

How many mages did this man have to slaughter to level that up—?

Derrick swallowed nervously as he read the unique trait "Pioneer of Arts," which grants special talents to those with inadequate natural ability.

He still didn’t understand why there was a hero class he’d never seen, or why this person had traits that even the [Developer] had never come across.

‘This is terrifying.’

This man had clearly massacred over a hundred mages in his time.

Instinctively, Derrick lowered his gaze.