The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 65

Oh Ja-Ha was an elite, gifted and educated since young. It was no wonder, then, that he was skeptical about school life. Lion’s Castle could teach him nothing he didn’t know already, so every minute and second he spent in class felt like a terrible waste.

Especially annoying to Oh Ja-Ha were the other Class A students. Most of them knew nothing about the world, believing in the power of their Initial Skills and thinking that their talent was the best.

Still, Oh Ja-Ha never resented his young master for bringing him here.

Shinra Kyeong had entered Lion’s Castle to uncover and clear a quest that had remained hidden for hundreds of years—supporting such a grand ambition was a duty and blessing for his subordinates. So although Oh Ja-Ha grumbled every day, he worked hard to help Shinra Kyeong.

Nevertheless, the moment-by-moment frustrations of his situation weighed on him, unknowingly building his temper. And after Loren’s arrival as an exchange student, Oh Ja-Ha’s temper verged on exploding.

An aristocrat from another country was admitted to Lion’s Castle, the treasure of South Korea, but showed no respect for Shinra Kyeong.

“Loren, do you know? I didn’t like you from the first time I saw you.”

Two hours ago, Oh Ja-Ha had returned to the dormitory after searching all night with Shinra Kyeong, only to witness an interesting sight. A few male students had been hiding behind bushes or fountains, glaring at the entrance of the dormitory building. They were all part of Class A—the same students who had almost been killed by the Death Knight.

It was easy to guess that the hatred in their eyes was directed at Loren, the bastard who’d run away alone when Class A had faced danger.

Oh Ja-Ha didn’t want to miss an interesting scene, so he gave up on his short break and followed the students to see what would happen.

The five boys sarcastically argued with Loren in the cafeteria. Loren didn’t bother to put up with it and turned them into a bloodied mess.

The situation had turned out well, giving Oh Ja-Ha the justification to start a fight.

He said, “What an eyesore you are. Not only did you run away when your classmates were in danger, but you ruthlessly beat them after they confronted you about it. For someone who isn’t even human, the only remedy is naturally a beating, right?”

“Remedy? Call it what it is. You’re snapping at others.” Loren snorted and armed himself with his bone armor.

The five students who had challenged Loren were the same ones who had collapsed with weak legs in front of the Death Knight. The reason why they resented Loren and had started a dispute with him was to hide their own shame.

Oh Ja-Ha had to be aware of this, so using them as justification meant Oh Ja-Ha simply wanted an excuse to fight.

Loren wasn’t tolerant enough to put up with Oh Ja-Ha’s petty tricks. He declared, “Come on. I’ll pull out all your teeth, dog. That way, you won’t bare them at humans anymore.”

“You stand in South Korea’s domain, and all you do is spout arrogant words.” Oh Ja-Ha frowned and gripped the hilt of his sword. He was well and truly provoked.

“......”

“......”

The students gulped nervously.

A clash between Shinra Kyeong’s closest confidant and Austria’s National Treasure candidate... Regardless of the outcome, it would have a tremendous impact, and considering the popularity of a necromancer, it could become a hot topic in the forums as well.

“At most, it’s a duel at the freshmen level. I’m looking forward to it.”

“The outcome is obvious. The opponent is a National Treasure candidate. Loren is going to win.”

“As you said, he’s just a candidate. He isn’t a National Treasure yet. I don’t think Oh Ja-Ha will lose.”

A boy born to S-class players and raised with the support of the Shinra family.

If National Treasure candidates were chosen simply through strength, it wouldn’t be strange if Oh Ja-Ha was nominated.

Who would win? In the midst of the students’ high expectations...

Click, click, click.

The sound of Jae-Hyeok scooping food onto his plate became louder and faster.

“......”

More students turned their attention to him.

Ja-Ha and Loren kept glancing at him during their battle of nerves, and other students started to get annoyed as well.

“Hey! Kang Jae-Hyeok!” Cheon Hye-Ji couldn’t stand it any longer and shouted, but Jae-Hyeok didn’t hear. He was quick to hear insults but seemed strangely oblivious when her words weren’t curses.

No, it’s impossible.

Jae-Hyeok had excellent stats compared to his level. In particular, his Insight stat was so great that he immediately saw through Ha Kyeong-Su’s stealth.

There was no way he couldn’t hear her voice.

Growing angrier by the moment, Cheon Hye-Ji raised her voice, “Hey! What are you doing?” All the students’ attention turned to her, and she blushed. Jae-Hyeok finally looked over.

“I have to eat. What else am I doing? You should, too. Don’t concern yourself with useless things. Do you want to train on an empty stomach?”

“No, but... ” Cheon Hye-Ji flinched.

The students’ reaction to Jae-Hyeok’s dismissal of the big match between Oh Ja-Ha and Loren was unusual.

“That’s right. It’s weird to have people going on a rampage in the cafeteria.”

Park Hae-Rin popped out from among the worried Class B students. She grabbed a plate and strode toward Jae-Hyeok. Slowly, the other Class B students started following her.

Oh Ja-Ha was staring at Jae-Hyeok as if wanting to eat him. “Does Class B have no empathy?” Oh Ja-Ha grumbled. “Don’t you see that my classmates are covered in blood? I’m getting revenge for my classmates, but you are saying it is useless?”

Others spoke up then.

“Yeah, if you’re going to eat, eat quietly. Do you have to disparage Ja-ha’s behavior?”

“Beyond being rude, isn’t he a psychopath?”

Public opinion toward Jae-Hyeok deteriorated sharply. The surrounding students' dislike of Loren had turned into support for Oh Ja-Ha, causing many of them to reflexively defend Oh Ja-Ha after he’d criticized Jae-Hyeok and Class B.

In the first place, Oh Ja-Ha was an attractive boy. He had attractive looks, a cheerful personality, rare skills, and a high status—now that the opportunity had come, many people wanted to develop a friendship with him.

Of course, Jae-Hyeok cared nothing for his status.

“You’re complaining to me about empathy? You’re the one trying to do a sword dance in the cafeteria, where everyone else is eating.”

“Uh?”

Oh Ja-Ha was stunned to hear Jae-Hyeok criticize him. He blinked as if he couldn’t believe his ears.

The other students were even more appalled.

They were both from ducal families, but Kang Jae-Hyeok wasn’t Loren. Kang Jae-Hyeok was nothing more than the blood of a fallen family. He didn’t deserve to criticize Oh Ja-Ha, the vassal of the Shinra family.

“D-don’t you know who I am?” Oh Ja-Ha wondered. The mole under Oh Ja-Ha’s left eye twitched in reaction.

He completely withdrew his bright expression and frowned.

“How can you not know me? Don’t you have the Internet at home?”

He was one of the greatest geniuses of the Shinra family. Moreover, he was a bright and radiant beauty. Ja-Ha had no doubt that he was the most famous teenage boy in South Korea after Shinra Kyeong, so he was shocked by Kang Jae-Hyeok’s attitude.

Is he ignorant of the world?

Jae-Hyeok looked at Oh Ja-Ha, who was genuinely flustered, before glancing at Loren. “Why are you standing here arguing like this? When are you going to clean this up?”

“The same reason I am keeping you alive. It is troublesome to beat up a vassal of the Shinra family.”

Jae-Hyeok scoffed. “Amazing. With a personality like yours, no wonder there’s a fight everywhere you go.”

“I believe the saying, ‘a pot calling the kettle black,’ is appropriate here.”

Jae-Hyeok started fights everywhere he went, and he was their generation’s ancestor when it came to turning the cafeteria into a battleground—not only had he thrown food and brawled with Do-Jin, but later he had also swung his sword at Shinra Kyeong in the cafeteria.

He had no right to speak.

Loren clicked his tongue at Jae-Hyeok’s bottomless shamelessness.

“Are the two of you on good terms?” Oh Ja-Ha came to his senses and smiled treacherously. “Kang Jae-Hyeok, I was wondering why you kept disturbing the atmosphere. So it turns out you’re trying to help Loren. Do you want to stop the fight that much?”

“When did I do that? Hey, Loren. Hurry up and fight.”

Loren refused. “I won’t move according to your will.”

“Haha, see. The cooperation between you both is so natural. Did you join forces with the Baus family? No, the Baus family wouldn’t partner with the fallen Kang family. Perhaps it’s more appropriate to say that you submitted to them?”

The students were shocked. They shook their heads or pointed at Jae-Hyeok as if they believed Ja-Ha’s words.

“Hey, aren’t your words too much?” Lee Jin-Seong couldn’t stand it any longer and interjected. “What did Kang Jae-Hyeok do? In the time you’ve used to slander him, you could’ve fought with Loren by now, right? Oh, are you scared? You’re scared to fight Loren, so instead you’re clinging to Kang Jae-Hyeok, trying to buy time?”

Ja-Ha looked at him. “Who are you? Kang Jae-Hyeok’s subordinate? How stupid are you to become a subordinate of that fallen family?”

Lee Jin-Seong replied, “I’m not a subordinate; I’m a classmate. Hmph. As expected of the person who takes care of Shinra Kyeong twenty-four hours a day, you think others are as shameless as you.”

“The young master will be the head of the Shinra family. It’s a great honor to serve the one who will become the best in South Korea, yet you are using that as a provocation?”

“Spoken like a true slave. I heard that your family has served the Shinra family for generations. I guess your submission is genetic at this point?”

Lee Jin-Seong had been among the first to endure Jae-Hyeok’s bullying because of his dirty mouth. Unless the opponent was Jae-Hyeok, he wasn’t the type to lose in a verbal argument.

Ja-Ha was furious. “S-slave? There are thousands of people serving the great Shinra family. Are you accusing them all of being slaves? You... you! Can you afford to go against me?”

Lee Jin-Seong said, “Wow. You mention other people right away when at a disadvantage. Do you want me to say clearly that I see your family as slaves so you can hide behind them? Sigh. What a son you are. I feel sorry for your family.”

“Eek! Should I punish you first?”

“......”

What the hell?

What was wrong with the atmosphere?

The students cooled down when Oh Ja-Ha and Loren’s big fight turned into a verbal argument with an unknown student.

“Indeed, messing with Austria’s National Treasure candidate isn’t an easy thing to do. It could turn into a diplomatic issue.”

“Yeah, Loren might’ve been the first to commit violence, but diplomatic issues create a mess. As this guy said, Oh Ja-Ha must be scared.”

“It’s understandable. It would be a mess if the Shinra and Baus families feud. The Shinra family is the best in South Korea, but it isn’t that great from a global perspective.”

“......”

The tense atmosphere dissipated sharply now that the surrounding students had come to their senses. Some students even openly dismissed the Shinra family’s ability.

How had things turned out like this? Oh Ja-Ha’s eyes, which were sad at the situation, soon turned cold. He was furious at himself for allowing the Shinra family to be tarnished. He needed to make up for it.

“I’ll... I’ll make you all pay for this crime.”

Ja-Ha’s two swords shot out like a flash of light.

The sword in his left hand stabbed while the sword in his right hand moved in a crescent slash, making it seem like two swordsmen were swinging their swords at the same time.

Lee Jin-Seong’s thoughts froze before that fast and subtle sword technique. At his level, it was impossible for him to respond to Oh Ja-Ha’s attacks.

You’re next.

Oh Ja-Ha was determined to properly humiliate the trio who insulted him and the Shinra family.

The plan was to slash Lee Jin-Seong and Kang Jae-Hyeok’s belts to expose their underwear before immediately ambushing Loren to win.

However, his sword couldn’t reach Lee Jin-Seong’s belt.

“Ten demerit points!”

Oh Ja-Ha’s sword froze in the air. The surrounding students thought the shout of the teacher rushing over had stopped him. However, Ja-Ha’s trembling gaze was fixed on Jae-Hyeok.

“You have good senses,” Jae-Hyeok said with a laugh as he removed his hand from the hilt of his sword.

The plate, which Jae-Hyeok had thrown into the air to free his hands, landed in his palm.

Jae-Hyeok continued, “By the way, what are you going to do?”

“...What?”

Jae-Hyeok’s low voice forcibly awakened Oh Ja-Ha’s confused mind.

“A vassal of the Shinra family insulted the Kang family publicly. Are you willing to sacrifice your life to pay the price? Do you think that will be enough?”

“What nonsense—” Ja-Ha's words were cut short by the teacher grabbing him by the wrist and shouting at him. It was Teacher Park Geo-Seo. He was also the one who had given Jae-Hyeok and Do-Jin demerit points for fighting in the cafeteria the other day.

This guy’s pattern is always the same. Jae-Hyeok had known when Teacher Park Geo-Seo would arrive. They ran into each other at the same time every morning.

Tap tap. Jae-Hyeok patted the still-pale Lee Jin-Seong on the back and told him, “Thank you. Let’s go eat.”

“Uh? Uh... ” Lee Jin-Seong felt relieved and relaxed the moment he felt Jae-Hyeok’s touch, and he didn’t know what to make of that strange feeling.

The corners of Jae-Hyeok’s mouth twitched as he headed for the table. Good. Thanks to Oh Ja-Ha, he had justification to demand an apology and compensation from the Shinra family.

An immature vassal insulted the Kang family in front of so many people. A ducal family can’t afford to let this go.

Wouldn’t he get an astronomical amount of compensation if he leveraged this well?

Jae-Hyeok’s mood soared—and then soared even further when he saw Loren frowning as Park Geo-Seo also slapped him with demerit points.

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