Duke’s Son: Re

Chapter 70

The recent atmosphere in 1st-year Class A was quite chaotic.

There were few students who trusted each other, and accusations and harsh words were easily exchanged.

The relationship among the students began to falter around the time of the Leech King raid.

There were students who fought till the end led by Chae Dahui, those who deserted and fled, and Silla Kyung and Lauren, who remained passive despite being aware of everything.

The students who fought to the end either suspected or resented Silla Kyung and Lauren, while those who ran away felt ashamed or loathed the student who awakened the Leech King from sleep.

“Are you okay, Sungjun?”

The boy who woke the Leech King from his slumber.

Lee Sungjun had not only been marked by the military force but was also isolated in class.

This was because his mistake forced many children into life-threatening situations or cowardly choices.

Especially those from the latter group.

The children who fled, leaving Chae Dahui’s group, were tormented by guilt and directed their extreme hatred towards Sungjun.

“… I’m okay.”

Lee Sungjun, who turned away from the hand Dahui extended, stood up on his own.

There were blue bruises on the skin visible through his collar.

It seemed clear that he was being subjected to not only verbal abuse but also violence.

“Those players!”

Sungjun blocked Dahui, who was about to chase after the group surrounding him.

“Please! Just stop it, Chae Dahui!”

“…?”

“They are already the kids who bear guilt because of you. They feel ashamed of themselves because of you, and that’s why they blame and bully me! The more you make them feel ashamed, the more I suffer, don’t you get that?”

“Wow, what a mess.”

Yujin narrowed her eyes as she grabbed Sungjun by the collar.

“Are you subtly blaming Dahui now? Why? Do you think if Dahui had run away meekly like those bastards, they wouldn’t have felt guilty, and thus, you wouldn’t be bullied?”

“Yeah! Am I wrong?”

“Oh, you are wrong, indeed. If even Dahui had run away, the homeroom teacher could have died. Wouldn’t that have driven not only those bastards but also me completely insane?”

“Uh…?”

“My hammer would have flattened your head like pork cutlet meat.”

“…….”

A 15-year-old girl said that?

Both Lee Sungjun and Dahui looked at Yujin with shocked expressions.

Her words hadn’t yet ended.

“Seeing you try to shift the blame onto Dahui, I can see why people dislike you. Maybe you should genuinely consider whether the reason you’re being bullied is solely because of the Leech King.”

“Don’t joke around! No one has the right to bully me, no matter what kind of person I am! Only thugs like you would come up with such a ridiculous idea! It’s entirely your fault!”

“Y-yeah. That was too harsh.”

Dahui nodded in agreement with Sungjun’s stance.

The sight prompted Yujin to let out a soft laugh as she unintentionally thought of Kang Jaehyuk.

Kang family.

A household known for its betrayal, despised by most citizens in Korea.

Naturally, Jaehyuk initially had the worst reputation.

But now?

Class B was united around Kang Jaehyuk.

It was an outcome orchestrated by Jaehyuk himself.

Perhaps that’s why she felt even more disappointment towards Lee Sungjun.

‘What do I care about what happens to him?’

With that sentiment, Yujin released her grip on Sungjun’s collar and shrugged her shoulders.

“Yeah, you need to figure your matters out on your own. Let’s go, Dahui.”

“O-okay.”

“Damn it!”

Left alone in the empty classroom, Lee Sungjun couldn’t suppress his anger and spat out curses.

Violence?

He could easily respond with the same violence.

He had enough skill for that.

But if he recklessly wielded his power, he would become even more isolated in the class.

The reason he enrolled in Lion’s Castle was partly to cultivate connections for after graduation.

He needed a more peaceful method to restore his honor.

“Are you aware?”

While contemplating, an eerie voice, chilling enough to make his spine tingle, seeped into his ear.

“Ha Kyungsoo…?”

The son of Spear Master Ha Jeonghak.

He was once part of the middle-upper caste in Class A, where many noble children attended.

Yes, in the past tense.

After undergoing some incident, the boy, who had seemed to blend quietly into the background, approached him. Why?

“What?”

Sungjun warily asked Ha Kyungsoo for an explanation.

“About Chae Dahui and Yujin being close friends with Kang Jaehyuk.”

“…….”

Was there ever an instance at the 1st semester of the 1st year where a Class A student lost to a Class B student?

There hadn’t been any until recently.

That said, Ha Kyungsoo, who lost to Kang Jaehyuk in the first duel evaluation, left a record of being the first in the history of Lion’s Castle.

An utterly unacceptable and deeply humiliating result.

Ha Kyungsoo analyzed two reasons for this unbelievable result.

First, the National Treasure, White Night.

Seol Soo-ah bestowed the Fairy’s Tears on Kang Jaehyuk after he thwarted the Leech King.

Although the pretext was that he had protected many of the nation’s pillars, the reward was excessive.

Fairy’s Tears were an incredibly high-grade elixir.

Even S-rank players and National Treasures had difficulty obtaining such a precious treasure.

Perhaps Seol Soo-ah had a personal relationship with Kang Jaehyuk.

She must have further helped him, as he was a boy who had already eaten the Kang family’s elixirs like rice.

That explained why Kang Jaehyuk’s stats were high for his level.

And the second reason was…

“Chae Dahui and Yujin. Those loose women, charmed by a man’s face, must have passed all my information to Kang Jaehyuk.”

Ha Kyungsoo wore glasses without lenses to conceal his sharp looks.

But right now, he had no room to care about appearances.

Without glasses, his full-faced, glaring eyes displayed madness.

“I shall pass information about Kang Jaehyuk to you, as well. His sword techniques used during the Leech King raid and the entrance re-evaluation, and the spear techniques against me—I’ve internalized those thousands of times in my mind to create a counter. Even if your talent, Lee Sungjun, is inferior to mine, as a martial artist, you should be able to use them well.”

“Are either of you any different….”

My talent is inferior?

With one of the most recognized talents in South Korea, I enrolled in Lion’s Castle and was exceptional enough to be placed in Class A, yet my talent?

Lee Sungjun, snickering, fixed his gaze on Ha Kyungsoo.

“Though I can easily defeat someone like Kang Jaehyuk, better safe than sorry. So I’ll accept your offer.”

If he won decisively against someone who defeated Ha Kyungsoo, wouldn’t that restore some of his honor?

Instinctively motivated, Lee Sungjun was fueled with determination.

***

“Why is Class B so close-knit?”

It was dinner time.

Dahui, who accidentally met Class B students at the cafeteria and shared a table with them, asked.

Chun Hyeji, already annoyed by Dahui, clicked her tongue.

“Did you throw your discernment in the sewer trying to become the runner-up by recklessly practicing swordsmanship? How does it even look like we’re close to each other? Can’t you see the burning determination in their eyes?”

“May Jaehyuk trip while walking and break his nose….”

It wasn’t just determination; it bordered on hostility.

Mumbling under their breath, most Class B students were barely managing to move their spoons with trembling hands while cursing Jaehyuk.

“It’s virtually impossible for students to be genuinely close. We’re competitors, right? The higher the grades, the more elixirs and skills one can get, and the higher rank a player will achieve. Who would be foolish enough to make friends?”

With a snort, Chun Hyeji swept her lavishly grown blonde hair back, showcasing her beauty to outshine Chae Dahui, who had layered short hair for practicality.

Of course, Dahui didn’t notice her intention. Entirely focused on becoming stronger, Dahui was indifferent to appearance.

“But anyone would say you look like close friends.”

Dahui gestured subtly at Jaehyuk’s tray with her eyes.

The boiled egg Hyeji had peeled earlier was quietly placed at the edge of his tray.

“W-what are you talking about? I gave it to him so he would choke and cough!”

In reality, it was her way of expressing gratitude.

She had received Jaehyuk’s help throughout the training in the snowfields, so it was only right to share some protein with a kid with a hearty appetite.

However, because it was almost instinctual behavior, she felt immensely embarrassed upon realization.

“Indeed. Giving a boiled egg to someone eating isn’t exactly friendly.”

Do Baesoo nodded.

For him, boiled eggs were tasteless protein blobs that filled the stomach.

He thought that receiving such things during a meal, when even picking out delicious foods wasn’t enough, wouldn’t bring joy.

Hyeji’s complexion turned a deeper shade of red.

“No way, no way. Do you truly think so?”

“…….”

She is quite an unpredictable character.

Looking at Hyeji in disbelief, Yujin warned Jaehyuk.

“By the way, be cautious about your opponent in the upcoming duel evaluation. Martial artists might lack wide-range attacks but they’re exceptionally strong in one-on-one duels. Especially Lee Sungjun, who has mastered wrestling, so once he closes in or gets a grip on your clothes, he’ll throw you to the ground. Ah, even if your weapon is grabbed, it’s over. I saw him snatch and crush the falchion an orc warrior swung with his palms together.”

Yujin, usually exuding a vague leisure, showed a rare solemn expression.

“Above all, that guy, he’s quite mentally unstable these days. He might go overboard.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

Jaehyuk, who had neatly finished the tower of food, smiled as he popped the boiled egg into his mouth.

It was plain, savory, and faintly fishy.

It reminded him of the porridge that Steward Hwang brewed, where the true taste of the ingredients could be felt entirely.

Bad memories flashed, making him furrow his brows as he fiddled with his phone that had been silent for days.

‘I hope Steward Hwang finds a good artisan.’

The master whom his father revered as one would an elder.

He was highly likely to know about Iyarugt.

His help was essential to procure clues about the soul that Iyarugt lost.

‘It’s a spirit dwelling in a family heirloom. Most likely an ancestral or protective spirit. Keeping it by my side would be immensely helpful.’

Though Theodor referred to Iyarugt as a Demon Sword, it was merely the claim of a wicked death knight.

No family heirloom passed down since the age of the shaman could possibly be a Demon Sword.