Chapter 30. The treatment was different.

My stomach felt chilly, as if I had been forced to swallow cold water.

‘He cut off the Arachne Queen's head as if he were cutting off a fish's head? What in the world is this monster?’

What caught my eye was the splendid armor.

An armor engraved with a red dragon, the symbol of the Emperor.

It was the symbol of the Imperial Central Knight Order.

If it was a group of the Empire's strongest knights, it wouldn't be strange for them to slice up an Arachne Queen or whatever else.

‘Did the lord commission the knight order to send a knight to deal with the Arachne Queen?’

However, realistically, it didn't make sense.

Grainy, who had headed to the city, had just returned.

The news wouldn't have even reached the lord, let alone the knight order.

Furthermore, each and every member of the Imperial Central Knight Order held a status higher than that of a high-ranking noble.

Even if the lord begged and pleaded, they wouldn't move so easily.

‘Then did a member of the Imperial Central Knight Order just happen to wander into this vicinity? Is he some kind of wandering scholar?’

They say that when you're out of luck, you'll break your nose even when falling backward. Of all places, for a knight from a knight order associated with the Emperor to come to the place I was hiding.

‘What should I do?’

“Ahahahaha!”

He looked at my face intently and then burst out laughing.

My confusion grew at his reaction, as if he had heard an amusing joke.

‘Why?’

As I rolled my eyes, unable to understand what was so funny, the man spoke to me in a whisper.

“Why do you have a face like you're seeing a stranger?”

Cold sweat trickled down my back at his tone, as if he knew ‘me’.

“Luke Ivers. Shouldn't you greet your senior disciple when you meet him?”

* * *

Grainy, who had regained consciousness, felt relieved at the familiar ceiling.

It was undoubtedly her own room.

She was alive.

She thought she was going to die after being hit in the head by a spider's leg.

“Ugh-”

It seemed she wasn't completely fine.

A heavy headache throbbed in her head.

This pain was also proof that the fact she had lost consciousness was not a dream.

‘How am I alive?’

Pol was tied up in a web, and she had lost consciousness.

Grainy's memory was cut off at the point where two of the three fighting had become incapacitated.

Did Ben, who was left alone, defeat the superior Arachne?

If he had that kind of skill, why was he struggling when the three of them were fighting together?

The more she thought, the more confusion was added to her mind.

In the end, the only person who would know the situation properly was Ben.

“Ben……. Are you there……?”

Surely, they wouldn't have left a patient alone.

He was bound to be nearby.

Grainy tried to get up, but her strength gave out and she fell back down.

“Don't push yourself. If you move carelessly when your head has suffered a great shock, you could be left with aftereffects.”

“Who……?”

She turned her head with difficulty at the unfamiliar voice.

A sparkle caught her eye in the blurry world.

She couldn't see the face of the person sitting in the chair properly.

“A knight of the Imperial Central Knight Order, Simon Liatro. You can call me Simon.”

She felt at ease at the word ‘knight’.

He must have come in response to her request for support.

‘If a knight from the Imperial Central Knight Order has come, then there's nothing to worry about-’

Grainy, who was about to close her eyes again, suddenly opened them wide at a fleeting sense of unease.

What knight order did he just say?

This was not the time to worry about a headache.

She shot up and looked at the owner of the voice.

A vivid red dragon engraved on a silvery-white, glittering armor.

The unmistakable symbol of the Imperial Central Knight Order.

Grainy fell out of bed and prostrated herself on the floor.

“How could such a noble person be in such a humble place……!”

“Be careful. You'll get hurt like that.”

Simon spoke warmly.

The inexplicable kindness made Grainy even more anxious.

“Ben, please help her back into bed.”

“Yes.”

Ben, who she hadn't even noticed was there because her attention was on Simon, helped Grainy up.

“It's alright. How can I just lie down when a noble guest has arrived.”

Grainy said with a bowed head and a trembling voice.

“I did request for aid, but I didn't expect someone from the Imperial Central Knight Order to come……”

“Ah. That's a misunderstanding.”

Simon smiled and shook his head.

“I was just here on other business and happened to get involved. I was lucky.”

“By chance……. I see. If Lord Liatro hadn't come, we would have all died. Thank you…… truly, thank you.”

Even without hearing an explanation, a clear picture was drawn in her mind.

It was clear that Simon had dealt with the superior individual that had threatened the ranch and almost killed Grainy, Pol, and Ben.

Convinced that Simon was her savior, a light of gratitude shone in Grainy's eyes.

“I wish to repay you, but all I have is this humble ranch. At the very least, a meal……”

Grainy, who was being supported by Ben, staggered.

“It's alright. The patient should rest.”

“No. Isn't it the duty of the host to entertain a guest?”

In the end, Grainy even pushed away Ben's hand and stood up straight.

Pol watched Grainy's steps anxiously but couldn't stop her.

“I will go and bring the finest of the cows I've raised myself. I don't know if it will suit your taste, but please at least have a taste in consideration of my sincerity.”

Grainy, who bowed her head to Simon and then left the room.

“You go and help too.”

At a jerk of Ben's chin, Pol also scurried after Grainy.

Only Ben and Simon remained in the room, looking at each other.

* * *

‘He only fed us monster meat.’

I swallowed my complaint inwardly.

It wasn't strange to treat a noble guest and savior well, but the difference in treatment was so stark that I couldn't help but feel disappointed.

“Now we can finally have a talk.”

“It's hard to have one conversation.”

I had a mountain of questions for Simon, but he had kept his mouth shut.

The reason was that it would be troublesome if Grainy were to overhear the story.

Because Grainy could have wandered around looking for Ben when she woke up.

Rather than that, I had no choice but to follow Simon's opinion of checking on Grainy's condition and starting the conversation when it was certain that the story would not leak out.

“You said the Sword Saint sent you, right?”

After realizing that Simon recognized me, I wracked my brain for a way to escape, but Simon revealed that he had come on the Sword Saint's orders.

Since only the Sword Saint and Pol knew that I was a transmigrator, the fact that he knew I was a transmigrator alone proved his connection to the Sword Saint.

‘If this guy had been determined, it would have been a piece of cake to forcibly apprehend me.’

In any case, it had become clear that he was not an enemy- but I still couldn't let my guard down.

“Yes. I came using my precious vacation. I would have been a little angry if there were no results. Did you know? The Imperial Central Knight Order is famous for having little vacation time?”

Simon replied with a beaming smile.

‘Is he looking for me to say I'm sorry for making him use his precious time? What a nasty personality.’

I couldn't bring myself to say my thoughts out loud.

He didn't seem like a bad person, but he was the kind of person I didn't want to get close to.

He might not stab you in the back with a smiling face, but he seemed like the type to enjoy watching you get stabbed.

The worst part was that such a person was immensely strong.

I couldn't just lash out because I was angry.

A weak person had no choice but to endure.

“At first, I thought my master had gone senile. For another person's soul to have entered Luke's body.”

It was a blunt expression.

Seeing as he obediently followed the Sword Saint's orders, it didn't seem like he lacked respect, but apart from that, he didn't seem to be very formal.

“But after seeing you, I have no choice but to admit it. You are not Luke. Mr. Yoosoon-dae.”

“……It's Yoo Seung-Jae.”

Don't go and make other people's names delicious.

“I apologize. I must have misheard because my master's pronunciation is bad.”

He's blaming this on the Sword Saint?

He's a tough one.

I had no way of knowing whether the Sword Saint had really misspoken or if this guy had misheard and was talking nonsense.

Considering the Sword Saint's age, it wouldn't be strange for his pronunciation to slur, which made it even more ambiguous.

“So, Mr. Yoosoon-jae.”

“I said it's Yoo Seung-Jae.”

“Mr. Joosoon-dae?”

This bastard, I think he's doing this on purpose.

No matter how unfamiliar the pronunciation is, shouldn't it get more similar as you try?

He seemed to be in urgent need of physical therapy for his head, but I didn't have the ability for that.

It was frustrating and frustrating again.

“I'm currently active under the name ‘Ben,’ so I would appreciate it if you would call me Ben.”

“Fufufu. If it were the real Luke, he would have drawn his sword and charged at me by now. You have good patience.”

Simon, looking at me intently with a smile.

“……”

Was he really teasing me on purpose?

I really want to hit him.

Just one punch, can't I just hit him once?

That bastard Luke Ivers should have killed this guy, instead he went and poked the Emperor, making other people's lives tiring.

“I don't know about usual, but patience is essential when you're on the run. You'd be better off maintaining your current attitude if you want to survive.”

“……Thank you for the advice.”

Was he really testing me for the sake of giving advice, or was he just thinking of teasing me?

His smiling face still made it impossible to read his intentions.

“Anyway, let's get to the main point now. Why did you come looking for me? The Sword Saint wouldn't have sent such a noble person just to give me advice on my life as a fugitive, would he?”

“Ahahaha!”

Simon burst into laughter at my words.

It was different from the sly smile he had on until now.

I could intuitively tell from his face, which even felt refreshing, that this was Simon's real laugh.

‘Was there anything funny in what I just said?’

I couldn't understand what was going on in Simon's head at all.

While I kept my mouth shut, only Simon's laughter echoed.

“You're amusing. I like you.”

Tears even welled up in the corners of Simon's eyes as he finally stopped laughing.

“In my master's eyes, I'm just a mere disciple. He sent me because I'm the easiest one to order around.”

“……”

Through Simon's words, I could indirectly tell how great a status the Sword Saint held.

If the easiest one to order around was a knight of the Imperial Central Knight Order, then the other ‘not so easy to order around’ people were…….

“My master gave me only one task. To teach you the basics of swordsmanship.”

“Pardon?”

“He said that way, my master will have less to do later. Don't you think it's too much, just pawning off troublesome things to his disciple?”

“What do you mean by that? What is the Sword Saint planning to do……?”

Then Simon tilted his head slightly and asked.

“……My master said he was going to take you as his disciple? Did you not know?”

I shook my head in bewilderment at Simon's question.

It seemed that a story was proceeding in a place I didn't know about.

“Then does that mean that what you've been doing until now wasn't planned?”

“Pardon……? A plan? What plan?”

Simon and I faced each other with question marks floating above our heads.

It was clear that there had been a huge misunderstanding between us.

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