chapter 36
036 Tues – Logan
The basement is deep, gloomy and stinky.
All sorts of filth stuck together and the lamp vomited a yellowish color.
Under the yellow lamp, a scream that did not know whether it was a human or a monster resounded.
“Kiaaaaah!”
They were people with hard horns like small blisters sprouting all over their body, like chickenpox.
At that time, changes began to occur in one of the subjects’ bodies.
Small blister-like horns began to grow, and the leash that was holding them was cut off.
“Aaaaaah!”
Then the researchers who were walking around came running with the charts.
The researchers smiled madly.
“okay! a little more! Just a little more!!!”
Horns grew everywhere.
Horns sprouted like the cordyceps that dominated the body of the worm.
The researchers, full of madness, played hard with their pens to the man’s screams, like composers who came to mind.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
The man with horns all over his body ran towards those researchers.
Researchers were delighted that the man had identified the enemy and harbored murderous intent.
Because it meant that there was still even a speck of reason left.
However, the man tripped and fell due to the horns growing all over his body.
Eventually, the horns that began to grow all over his body became entangled and bound the man’s movements.
Tadaak! right! right!
The man started convulsing, shaking his teeth in terrible pain.
and···
puck!
The horns grew inward instead of outward, smashing the man’s head.
The eyes of the researchers caught up in madness filled with disappointment.
“The B-48 also blew up and died in the same way.”
“It’s good that the horns grow a lot, but they grow inward.”
“Still, the mutation process itself is not bad. It was focused on the arms and legs.”
Despite the horrendous death of the person, the researchers didn’t mind and continued discussions for the next study.
He lacked the empathy that human beings should have.
“Feed the chimeras and put the other subjects on the bed.”
“Chief. All the subjects have run out.”
“What? why?”
The researcher said scratching his head with a bloody pen.
“It is difficult to airlift a test subject. Recently, the Golden Knights have come out to search this area.”
“… the Golden Knights? Could it be that the location of the laboratory was discovered?”
“no. It doesn’t look like that. The chimeras are mainly searching the abducted area and there is no evidence of any intrusion into the sewers.”
Another researcher spoke up.
“I asked the officials who paid the bribe, but they said they didn’t even take out the letter ‘ha’ from the sewer. I think it’s just because the chimeras have kidnapped people indiscriminately.”
The lab chief threw down the pen, apparently annoyed.
“Damn it, so I told you to take the subjects slowly?!”
“A few days ago, the head of the department told me to kidnap him as soon as possible…
The chief put a syringe in the neck of the researcher who was vomiting his horse.
“Oh, no! No… uh!”
The head of the department covered the man’s mouth with a telekinesis magic and laid him on the bed where the man who had just died was lying.
The researchers magically sewn the shattered leash, tightly tying up a fellow colleague just a moment ago.
“Then there is nothing you can do. You guys have no choice but to become test subjects.”
Researchers gulped their saliva.
“If you don’t want to be like this guy, do whatever you can to rescue the subjects. It’s okay if there aren’t enough subjects when ‘The Horned Knight’ is almost finished. Do you understand?”
“Yes. All right!”
The head of the department sighed as he looked at the researchers running in a hurry.
“shit···. Before Schwitz-sama comes, I need to show you the ‘Horned Knight’…”
Schwyz was a supporter and top alchemist who helped build a gigantic chimera laboratory under the ecliptic.
If he didn’t show his achievements, he might become an unknown monster like the former lab director.
The manager nervously bit the tip of the fountain pen.
* * *
Princess Rain Rover’s prediction was correct.
Count Friharden came to Tigris’ house without warning.
“greatness! The house isn’t that bad.”
It was Sunday when Charlotte said that he would stay at Tigris’ house, and the Count had arrived on Friday, so as soon as he heard the news, he immediately got on the train from the counties.
Count Logan de Friharden.
current 6 star knight
Ranked 5th in the Empire’s most influential articles by Glory Knight, a magazine specializing in the best articles in the Empire
A knight who possesses ‘Summer of Friharden’, one of the three greatest treasures of the Empire, and a terrifying man who later gets the nickname ‘Devil of the Battlefield’ in an all-out war between Rota and Arphem…
He was looking at Tigris’ house with the expression of a craftsman who had visited his daughter’s newlywed house.
“My daughter needs a soft bed…”
“We have prepared a queen-size bed from Orklang, the best bed company in the Empire.”
“greatness···! Orklang is not good. I drink only clean water…”
“I only buy Edvian bottled water and drink it.”
“greatness···! Anyway, the terrace isn’t bad. I can’t do rough training, but I won’t have any problems wielding a sword.”
“The floor is designed with shock-damping magic, so it won’t be a problem even if a shock of 10 tons is applied.”
“greatness···!”
Count Logan stepped on the grass above the terrace and nodded.
“…not bad, except the interior is a bit dull.”
To be honest, it was perfect, but if I had to pick a tee, that was the only one.
Tigris and Logan drank tea from Karen on the terrace.
Logan drank some tea without saying a word as if he had something to think about for a moment before opening his mouth.
“I heard a bit about Charlotte, but I never imagined that Charlotte would become your apprentice.”
Logan recalled Schubert’s day.
Charlotte’s face was covered with ripped grass and dirt, and Tigris’ shoes were stamped on her back.
-Dad···. I’m sure that bastard will win… If I win, I will take revenge in the same way…
At that moment, Logan sincerely wanted to tear Tigris apart.
Tigris was the son of his close friend Beowulf, and if it had not been for a fair duel that did not go against Schubert’s tradition, he would have beheaded Tigris right away.
That day feels like yesterday…
One day, Tigris bowed his head and apologized to Charlotte in front of the crowd, and when he opened his eyes, Charlotte became Tigris’ disciple.
Besides, he said that he would stay at Tigris’s house in the future.
After receiving the telegram, Logan could not avoid coming to the zodiac.
“I am not a person who thinks that people change easily. Moreover, I thought that it would not be easy for a genius swordsman like you to let go of arrogance.”
There was nothing wrong with Logan’s words.
Tigris did not abandon his arrogance until the final war.
It was only after everyone had died that I could let go of arrogance.
“But I must be wrong. I don’t know what you’ve been through, but it’s definitely changed.”
There was humility in Tigris’ momentum, expression, and posture.
It is not an exaggeration to say that it has changed 180 degrees from the time of Schubert.
“I was really sorry about Schubert.”
Logan took a sip of his tea without a word and opened his mouth.
“When I came here, I was actually thinking of asking if you were qualified to teach Charlotte. Aside from your skills, how would you like to become a teacher after hurting Charlotte so much?”
But when I thought about it, it wasn’t Logan’s business.
It was Charlotte who suffered the most that day, and it was Charlotte who had to forgive in the end.
After the parties had already apologized and forgave, Logan was intervening and was not qualified to decide whether or not they could forgive.
“So I have one question. How seriously do you take Charlotte? As a father, I see you have the right to judge whether or not you are being taught by the right teacher.”
“It is a wise word.”
Logan opened his mouth with serious eyes.
“So, what level do you think our daughter is?”
“There is no one my age can win except for me, and it looks like a three-star knight can win with the exception of veterans.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Charlotte is very responsive. I know how to respond flexibly according to the type of swordsmanship of the other person and the situation I am in.”
“In addition?”
“I know how to win. Not just knowing how to deal with it, but also designing the process of how to subdue an opponent using your swordsmanship.”
“What else?”
“Your feet are fast. Instead of swinging the sword from the front, it quickly moves to a blind spot or hard-to-block area and then stabs it.”
“…is there anything else?”
“If you list them one by one, there are a total of 24 advantages. There may be other advantages that I haven’t discovered yet. I have only been teaching Charlotte properly for about five days.”
Logan sensed that Tigris was sincere with Charlotte.
The fact that Logan is detailing the strengths that even Logan has not yet discovered is that he has watched Charlotte with that much interest.
“Then what should Charlotte supplement?”
“First of all, it’s an experience. He fights a lot with people and seems to know how to deal with people to some extent, but he doesn’t seem to know anything about monsters.”
“Well···. exactly. Because Charlotte hasn’t hunted monsters properly yet…”
“And the psychological warfare is still weak. When dealing with a knight who is faster and stronger than you, the only way to win is psychological warfare. But it still seems to be under-refined.”
Tigris recited Charlotte’s shortcomings one after another and explained in detail how to make up for it and how to write an educational curriculum.
Logan inwardly admired Tigris’ explanation.
Logan really loves Charlotte.
Because of that, there was a strong tendency to look at Charlotte in a very good way.
This is enough.
This is not bad.
With that compromise, Logan taught Charlotte, but Tigris had none of that.
What you are good at is what you are good at, and what you are not good at is what you are not good at.
Looking at Charlotte with an objective eye, I only think about how to approach to improve Charlotte’s swordsmanship.
“…and I don’t know how to use the index finger of my left hand. Sooner or later, I will teach you how to put the force on the index finger of your left hand and how to remove it.”
There were times when there were criticisms that this was too much, but as a parent, I felt grateful to Tigris because he seemed to care for Charlotte that much.
“…Charlotte is going to educate students to compensate for their shortcomings rather than maximizing their strengths. And it looks like we’ll be able to add another ring soon, so we’ll have some good news for you.”
“···Well. Right.”
“Then do you think I am qualified as Charlotte’s teacher?”
Logan thought for a moment.
I already had the answer in my mind, but my mouth didn’t come out.
I was well aware that the reason was Logan’s prejudice, but it was difficult to change it easily because prejudice is a realm of emotion, not reason.
But it had to be changed.
Just as Tigris saw Charlotte objectively, Logan needed to dig out his emotions and judge rationally for Charlotte’s growth.
“It must be difficult to find a teacher like you.”
So there was something I wanted to ask Tigris.
As a rational person who can look at Charlotte objectively, I wanted to ask a question that I have always been curious about as a father.
“Is it okay if I ask you one thing?”
“Yes. Please tell me.”
“Do you think our daughter is attractive as a woman?”
Tigris’s ears questioned whether he had heard the wrong thing for a moment at such a nonsensical story.
“What do you mean by that…”
“I want to borrow your objective eyes. Do you think our daughter is attractive as a woman?”
Tigris doubted that he was trying to test himself, but when he looked into Logan’s eyes, he was sincere.
For Logan, it was important for her daughter to develop her swordsmanship skills, but it was also important for her to be able to meet her beloved husband.
“…that’s not my field, I don’t know.”
“Then tell me what you think. Does your heart pound when you see Charlotte?”
Tigris didn’t expect to be asked such a difficult question.
Tigris had no interest in dating or love yet.
It was because he was only thinking about how to kill Rota and Arfem and save the world from Uno.
“That is···.”
“Come on, answer me. How do you treat Charlotte…”
Startle!
Logan’s shoulders twitched.
His neck stiffened at the sharp gaze that flew into the back of his head.
“Dad.”
Logan looked back.
Charlotte was there.
Charlotte’s face turned red like a tomato as if she was really angry.
“Why is Daddy here?”
“Charlotte… Charlotte.”
Logan’s face turned white.
Tigris had never seen Logan look so frightened in all his pre-return.
Charlotte’s anger erupted like a rapid-fire cannon.
“I didn’t want to say anything because I was afraid I would be like this. When I entered school, he came into the dormitory! You’re really going to come here…!”
“Quiet the excitement, Charlotte. When you get angry, you’re scarier than your mother…!”
“Did I say that I hate interrupting conversations the most?!”
The majestic Logan had just disappeared, and there was a poor father who was being held captive by his daughter.
“Why the hell did you come here without contact?!”
“I’ll tell you never to say no…”
“You know I hate stuff like this!”
“Charlotte, it’s still in front of other people, but it’s a little bit of face…”
“Is it worth saving for a sudden attack on your daughter’s house?”
Charlotte glanced at Tigris and said.
“What did my dad say…?”
Tigris looked at Logan.
Logan gave Tigris a desperate look.
“It didn’t matter by my standards.”
“… something special happened. I really can’t live.”
Charlotte grabbed Logan’s wrist.
“Okay, talk to me.”
“Charlotte… Charlotte.”
“Come on!”
Charlotte dragged Logan into her room.
I couldn’t hear what was going on because there was silence magic in each room, but I had a rough guess.
Irene looked at Charlotte’s room without saying a word.
A deep sadness was felt in those eyes.
What Irene was thinking was roughly predicted.
“Irene. Let’s do some training.”
“···Yes.”
There was nothing like training to shake off sorrow.
Irene sat cross-legged on a cushion on the lawn.
He would normally wield a greatsword, but Tigris forbade holding a greatsword for the time being.
The reason was simple.
It was because Irene’s physical condition was much worse than expected.
The ligaments stretched and the joints creaked from swinging the giant sword, and the right arm was about half a finger longer than the left arm.
The overall body was out of balance at all.
This was very fatal for the prosecutor.
So Tigris instructed Irene to prioritize recovering her body for the time being.
Irene was also aware to some extent that her physical condition was bad, so she listened to Tigris.
Irene used the ‘cell growth technique’ taught by Tigris.
It was a task to gently insert the Auror into the damaged muscle to increase its natural healing power, and at the same time to transform the muscle itself into an Auror-friendly way.
Tigris sat behind Irene’s back and raised her hand.
Irene had a talent for using Aurors, but she was not yet delicate.
Since the core of cell growth technique is microscopic Aura control that inserts Aurors into each cell, Tigris had to help Irene until she was completely accustomed to cell growth technique.
Tigris grabbed Irene’s Auror and guided her gently.
He began to heal the shoulder joint and ligaments, which are important areas for the examination.
‘···Also.’
It was always a question of how Irene was able to complete two rings in two years.
It was because, no matter how genius, it was close to impossible to complete two rings in two years.
‘It must have taken the elixir.’
Every corner of Irene’s body could be seen where the elixir had penetrated.
If the elixir Tigris ate was to make the mana circuit pure, the elixir consumed by Irene was the kind that greatly increased the amount of Aurora.
But the backlash prevented the growth of the body.
Due to the rapid increase in Aurors, the growth plate was overloaded and completely closed.
That meant that Irene was not supposed to use a great sword even more.
The more you use the greatsword, the more your body will break down, and your expectations for growth will be much lower.
‘I must find the dragon blood sword.’
It is known that the dragon blood sword, a sacred item of the Welf family, broke and disappeared.
That is both right and wrong.
Relics cannot disappear as long as there are stars.
Since holy objects are born from the memory of the constellation, even if they disappear, they are bound to reappear in the world.
Tigris knew when and where the dragon sword would reappear.
The day the Welf family relic, the Dragon Blood Sword, came into the hands of Irene.
Irene will give up that great sword.
Until then, all Tigris could do was grow Irene’s body, make an auror ring, and get used to the bastard sword.
Tigris lifted his hands from Irene’s back.
Irene went into a trance.
‘It’s amazing how fast you learn.’
Irene perfectly mastered the cell growth technique in just 5 days.
To keep this beautiful talent unbroken.
It was what Tigris had to do.