The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 60

“Did you run right over here after learning that I touched the Yaksha’s son? Heh, you’re still the Yaksha’s slave despite becoming so strong. How funny.”

“Funny? Theodore, you aren’t qualified to judge my strength.”

“Kuhaha! You don’t know who you are up against! If I regained the strength of my prime, I could take down both you and the Yaksha with ease... ”

“Ah, but what a shame. You can’t regain it.”

“Tsk, enough with the mockery. Kill me neatly if that’s what you’re here to do.”

Theodore had fought against the army of the gods in the distant past; one or two National Treasures had no way of killing him when he was still in his prime. But in the current situation, it was impossible for Theodore to regain his former power.

Pearl Island... He had long become the ghost of this small island where Lion’s Castle existed. There was no way out for his bound soul. He was cursed to die without a chance to regain his strength, only to revive and do it over again. It was an endless, terrible cycle.

The Yaksha could allow him to escape that fate, but.... Theodore felt regret for a moment.

Then Seol Su-Ah asked an unexpected question, “Why did you compete with Jae-Hyeok instead of killing him?”

Theodore made a sound like a sigh of exasperation. “Were you hiding and watching? First you Stalked the Yaksha, and now the Yaksha’s son... You haven’t changed at all. Few people are as perverted as you, even across the entire universe—”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m just his protector.”

“Protector? He doesn’t seem like such a bigshot to need a protector?” Theodore tilted his head. He hadn’t seen anything systematically taught in Jae-Hyeok’s swordsmanship.

Jae-Hyeok had a style where he swung his sword according to the situation rather than creating a situation to suit one style. In other words, Jae-Hyeok’s swordsmanship was based purely on genius judgment and knowledge, but he seemed to have learned through self-study because his sword forms were highly varied and not limited to any one school of thought.

“That kid hasn’t been at Lion’s Castle for long. Also, being his protector doesn’t mean being his teacher.”

Theodore laughed. “I’m glad you understand that. And the reason I kept him alive is simple. I expect him to become stronger and fulfill the promise on behalf of that demon, who became so obsessed with the sword that he forgot me.”

“......”

Seol Su-Ah’s beautiful smile, which was as beautiful as a flower, stiffened for the first time. Although she didn’t know precisely what the promise between Theodore and the Yaksha, she knew why the Yaksha hadn’t returned to Theodore: It wasn’t that he’d forgotten his promise. It was that he was unable to move.

Recalling the Yaksha’s situation, she felt heavy. Still, she could bear it these days. That kid Kang Jae-Hyeok had brought her some comfort.

“...I’m also looking forward to it.” Seol Su-Ah unleashed a blast of pure white mana, and Theodore’s body instantly froze. “Until then, I’ll ensure your safety.”

***

“Is Jae-Hyeok okay?”

“Yes. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem to be life-threatening. I heard the senior instructor sacrificed his life to save Jae-Hyeok.”

“He gave his life for a student... I was an idiot for dismissing the instructors as has-beens.”

“I can’t believe he got kidnapped by a monster after he left early. He’s really unlucky.”

“There is a reason why the security forces thoroughly sealed off the danger zones.”

After circulating for a day, word about what had happened became slightly distorted. According to the rumors, the Named monster who’d driven Class A to the brink of destruction had found Jae-Hyeok passing by and kidnapped him. The senior instructor killed by Jae-Hyeok had instead become a hero who’d died trying to protect Jae-Hyeok.

Jae-Hyeok arrived, looked around the noisy classroom, and said, “Your complexions sure are bright?”

True to his words, the students in Class B all had bright faces. It was thanks to Jae-Hyeok leaving early the previous day, allowing them to gain at least two levels in peace.

In any case, all the students in Class B were full of vitality except for Park Hae-Rin, who had dark circles under her eyes.

“Hmph, my face always looks good.” Cheon Hye-Ji snorted.

The corners of her mouth twitched as she swept back her blonde hair. She was happy to see that Jae-Hyeok was safe.

The other students felt the same. They hadn’t expected to see Jae-Hyeok already back in class the day after a monster had murdered an instructor and captured him.

They were glad he looked fine, and things weren’t as they’d worried.

Bang!

Suddenly, Hae-Rin slammed her forehead into her desk and fell asleep. She hadn’t slept all night, and the tension had only left her after seeing Jae-Hyeok’s face.

Around ten minutes later, Kim Jin-Myeong entered the classroom.

“Quiet, quiet, everyone.”

He hesitated with a complicated expression when he saw Jae-Hyeok sitting in the classroom, and only spoke after seeing Hae-Rin slowly raising her head in a zombie-like manner.

“As you know, there was a big accident yesterday... ”

Kim Jin-Myeong arranged some time to mourn the deceased senior instructor, and all the students bowed their heads in silence. The highly sensitive Du Bae-Su even shed tears.

Only Jae-Hyeok was upset for other reasons. Hmph. My father was robbed of his honor, and yet this trash gets to keep his?

The short silence passed and class began.

The lesson was about the mana control technique.

Unlike Lee So-Yeong, Kim Jin-Myeong’s lesson wasn’t particularly remarkable, but he generously shared the practical know-how he’d accumulated while working as an active player.

The students felt Kim Jin-Myeong’s genuine hope that they would become more proficient with their mana, so they listened sincerely and without distraction.

In contrast, the class didn’t help Jae-Hyeok much. He had long mastered using the Kang family’s mana control technique; it would be hard for him to learn anything useful from even Seol Su-Ah or Lee So-Yeong unless they taught him a new mana control technique.

Before he knew it, Jae-Hyeok had taken on the role of a teaching assistant.

“Why are you shaking your hips when you were told to move your dantian? Don’t you know where the dantian is? Do I even need to tell you this?”

"Kueeeok...”

He found students who couldn’t keep up in class and poked them in the stomach with his scabbard. The classroom was filled with moans and screams, and the students broke out sweating.

Lee Jin-Seong and Cheon Hye-Ji, who were circulating their mana with their eyes closed, lost concentration the moment they imagined Jae-Hyeok’s demon-like expression and almost suffered a backlash.

Jae-Hyeok immediately appeared next to them.

“Why aren’t your skills improving? You know, you remind me of my stubborn dog at home called Bok-Shil. He’s a bit stupid and looks a bit like Kang Du-Na. Hmm. I wonder who’s dumber... ”

“Just draw your sword, you crazy bastard!”

“T-Teacher! Stop this idiot!”

Why did Jae-Hyeok come back unscathed?

The students had warmly welcomed Jae-Hyeok’s return only a few minutes before, but now they had new grudges already.

***

“The snowfield adaptation training has been suspended indefinitely.”

After the morning class, Kim Jin-Myeong presented the students with a new training location. It was the jungle.

The floor of the jungle was mostly swamp, and it overflowed with poisonous plants and insects, but the biggest danger was the monsters stalking in the bushes and trees. The terrain was definitely more difficult than the swamp and the desert. Even so, Kim Jin-Myeong knew adapting to the jungle was still easier than the snowfield.

However, the students had been starting to adjust to the snowfield. They didn’t want to give up and lose their progress because of a sudden change in schedule.

“I heard the Named monster has left the snowfield. Can’t we finish adapting there first?”

The students thought the snowfield was easy. After all, the only monster they’d encountered yesterday was a snowflower.

As the name suggested, they were plant monsters that appeared as snow-covered flowers. Unable to move, they hadn’t been able to join the monster migration. The students had easily handled the isolated monsters, gaining plenty of experience and raising their levels.

No wonder they wanted to return to the snowfield.

However, the current snowfield was completely different from yesterday. Thanks to the Troll Lord’s death, the phenomenon of the monster migration had disappeared. The moment students set foot in the snowfield, monsters prowling through the blizzard would attack them.

Kim Jin-Myeong was about to explain this when Jae-Hyeok raised his hand to speak. “I also wish to finish the snowfield training first. I’ve never seen my fellow students so confident, so I’m curious to see how well they will do. Besides, won’t it be easy to adjust to the jungle if we complete the snowfield training first?”

“Hmm... ”

Kim Jin-Myeong knew Jae-Hyeok’s personality. He was an aristocrat who truly shouldered the duty of protecting the people. There was no way he would push the other students into lethal danger. Since he wants to go, he must be confident in the others...

Kim Jin-Myeong was indebted to Jae-Hyeok. He knew Class B’s progress was too slow for Jae-Hyeok, so the faster they grew, the better it was for Jae-Hyeok. Won’t it be okay if the instructors and I thoroughly go around the outskirts and protect them? How hard had the students struggled to adapt to the snowfield? Kim Jin-Myeong also felt sorry to postpone the snowfield training.

But most importantly, he trusted Jae-Hyeok to be able to look after them.

He contemplated it for a moment before finally nodding. “It wouldn’t hurt to show you the true horrors of the snowfield. Everyone, go change into your winter uniforms.”

“Wahhhh!”

The Class B students gave a shout of joy.

The biggest reason they wanted to train in the snowfield was to try and get some revenge on Jae-Hyeok. They’d trained in the snowfield for a whole day compared to him, who had left early. They would definitely be able to show him a thing or two.

Today will finally be different.

Oh, Kang Jae-Hyeok, shouldn’t you taste the ice too?

***

One hour later.

“H-Hik! I was wrong! Spare me just once... Uwaaaaack!”

The students’ wails filled the snowfield.

At times, Jae-Hyeok forced the others to be sleds for him to ride; at others, he disappeared into the blizzard before returning with a pack of yetis in tow. He threw the yetis bodily into the scattering, screaming students.

It was a hellish experience.

The instructors were speechless at the sight of Jae-Hyeok running on the ice like it was a meadow and bullying the other children.

“Why isn’t he slipping?

“How can he walk through the blizzard? It’s hard to even see an inch ahead.”

“Is he from Antarctica?”

That evening, the students of Class B entered the cafeteria after training with dead expressions. Their eyes were unfocused and their shoulders were slumped—they looked like they had just escaped from an apocalypse. On the other hand, Jae-Hyeok was smiling as he came in after them. He was the only one who had taken a bath. His appearance was neat.

A tall girl followed Jae-Hyeok and naturally attracted the attention of the students. She was a cool beauty with light blue hair.

It was Jang Yeon-Ju, the granddaughter of the Bow Saint.

“I rounded up a list of the requests that you wanted.”

She picked up a plate and whispered, “I have something to say to you. Can you come to the clubroom after your meal?”

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