"Oh, it's already this late," Ihan muttered.
Just as comparing knights to Major League players suggested, when there was no "ga" (battle), knights had a lot of free ti.
Unless there was a war, rebellion, or the need to support allied nations, they didn't really have work to do.
Their main responsibility was simply to train and hone their skills in preparation for ergencies—that was their duty.
Thus, even showing up for work was more of a performance, a demonstration of loyalty to the king rather than a necessity.
In other words...
"I'm off for the day."
"Already?"
"I’ve got things to do."
"Ah, heading to the construction site?"
"Yeah. Unlike the nobles who have plenty of money and ti, us commoners need to work two jobs to get by."
"Haha..."
The only real difference between the knights and the Major League was perhaps that the knights’ pay was slightly higher than that of regular soldiers.
If those with strength wanted to make real money, they could have beco rcenaries, but knights chose to pursue "honor" and "authority" instead.
The salary was just enough to maintain their dignity, but for a commoner, it was barely enough.
However...
"You don’t really need to go to the construction site for money, though."
"That’s a misunderstanding."
Ihan turned and walked off, waving his hand lazily as a form of farewell.
"...A guy who can make money whenever he wants," Jake muttered under his breath, shrugging.
At that mont...
"Senior Lihan, where are you headed?"
"Hmm?"
The new recruit, Yord, who had just been defeated by Ihan, approached him, greeting him politely.
"Sir Parman, apologies for speaking to you first."
"Hmm."
Ihan was so used to talking casually, especially after spending so much ti with commoners, that he found formal greetings awkward.
Especially in the Third Division, where many knights ca from minor families.
"...Just speak comfortably. All this formality feels strange."
"But..."
"It’s fine. And instead of calling 'Sir,' you can just call a senior, like you do with Ihan. That sounds better to ."
"Ah, understood, Senior Jake."
"Whew, much better."
"......"
"Haha, you must have spent too much ti around Ihan."
Jake Parman chuckled and Yord gave an awkward smile, playing along.
But even as they talked, Yord couldn’t help glancing in the direction where Ihan had disappeared, his hand twitching as if eager to pursue him.
Seeing this, Jake’s eyes glinted with interest.
"Your competitive spirit hasn’t died down at all."
"...I may not be able to surpass him now, but I’ll make sure I do in the future. Not that I’m asking for another match right away—I’ve already been thoroughly beaten. I just wanted to have a conversation with him."
"...That’s a rare case."
It was uncommon for a noble-born knight to take a liking to Ihan.
Had today’s duel been that impressive?
'Not bad.'
Jake personally found it unfortunate that his friend had so many enemies, so seeing a junior knight taking an interest in Ihan was a welco sight.
Jake had no reason to withhold his kindness from soone who wanted to get closer to his friend.
"Ihan went to his side job. He calls it his second job."
"Side job? Does he not have a sponsor?"
Yord tilted his head, clearly puzzled by what he had just heard.
Even though Ihan was a commoner, he was still a knight.
Not just any knight, but one from the White Lion Knights, the kingdom’s strongest and directly under the royal family.
For soone like that, wealthy rchants would be lining up to offer sponsorship deals.
Even Yord, despite his modest background, had secured a sponsorship from a rchant.
While it was mostly just a ceremonial arrangent—allowing the rchant to use his na—it was still sothing important for them.
It seed strange that a knight of Ihan's status would have to take on a side job for money.
"...That is odd, indeed."
Jake nodded, understanding Yord's confusion, but he quickly explained.
"That guy refuses to take on sponsors. Even though plenty of rchants have offered."
"Is that even possible?"
"With him, it is. He said sothing like, 'If I take a sponsorship deal, it’ll feel awkward when I retire.'"
"...What?"
"Haha, don’t try to understand it. It’s normal not to."
In a prestigious order like the White Lion Knights, it wasn’t unheard of for knights to retire dishonorably, but retiring voluntarily was rare.
Yet here was Ihan, refusing all offers because he planned to retire soday without any strings attached.
'Whether he’s diligent or just plain strange, who knows.'
Even after all these years, Jake still couldn’t fully understand Ihan.
Ihan lifted an axe.
Crash!
With a clean swing that cut through the air, he brought it down precisely on the log, and a crack appeared instantly.
Even logs that required several heavy wedges and a hamr to split were nothing for Ihan with just a single swing of his logging axe.
"Wow, as expected of Lihan!"
"Nice and clean!"
"With skills like that, why didn’t you just beco a lumberjack instead of a soldier?"
At the logging site, Ihan went by the na "Lihan," and he had listed his occupation as a soldier rather than a knight.
He knew that calling himself a knight would just complicate things, so he decided to be discreet.
Even though he was using a fake na, Ihan worked hard and was considered an ace among the lumberjacks.
"I’m not quitting my main job. Now stop chatting and get back to work. You guys talk too much."
"Hey, man. This is hard work—if we don’t talk, it’s even harder."
"Co on, you’re still young. You wouldn’t get it."
"At least have a drink with us!"
"...No thanks."
It was the sa on any job site—people often worked while fueled by alcohol.
Though Ihan couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if an accident occurred, he didn’t try to control them.
If they got hurt, it was their own fault, not his responsibility.
Ihan just quietly did his work, often being called boring because he refused to drink or socialize much.
But...
‘What’s boring about this?’
If there was one thing Ihan wanted to deny, it was the claim that chopping wood was boring. In fact, he found a certain charm in it.
‘My muscles are really getting worked here.’
Maybe it was only natural.
After all, why did he take up logging as a side job in the first place?
It wasn’t just about earning money; it was because it was an excellent workout.
In that sense, logging was a fantastic job.
Crack!
Each ti he split a log, he felt the tension spread from his back to every muscle in his body.
Not just his latissimus dorsi and spinal erectors, but even his smaller muscles, arms, fingers—none were left idle.
As his muscles tensed and absorbed the shock, he realized that the experience was both thrilling and fascinating. Ti flew by without him noticing.
‘This is a skill in its own right.’
Swinging an axe wasn’t just about brute force. It required high-level technique.
Just like how hamring a nail seems easy until you actually try it, swinging an axe wasn’t simple. It required precision, form, technique, and experience.
Sotis, he thought about how he could apply the sa principles to his swordsmanship.
‘I guess this is what they an by "wisdom in everyday life."’
Through the process of splitting logs, Ihan was not only getting good training but also felt like he was becoming a master at sothing, much like the experts he had once seen on TV in his previous life.
It gave him an inexplicable sense of accomplishnt.
‘I'm so different from who I was in my past life.’
In his previous life, he had never been so passionate about anything, nor had he found joy in physical labor.
‘It’s amazing how much the environnt can change a person.’
In his past life, Ihan had lost his parents early and was raised by his grandfather.
As a child without parents, he was often ostracized by his peers, leading him to beco a shy and timid boy.
When his grandfather passed away during his high school years, Ihan had imdiately turned to the military as a ans to survive.
He chose the path of a non-commissioned officer, not out of any particular desire, but because it seed like the only viable option for soone with no money or skills.
At least, it was sothing he could do if he had persistence and effort.
Of course, after seeing all kinds of dirty things in the military, he regretted it within a year, but what could he do?
He had to make a living.
During a leave of absence, he got involved in an incident that cost him his life.
Though even if he hadn’t, he figured he probably would have died from overwork or stress eventually.
Looking at it that way, his current life, though rough at first, was fulfilling now.
Even though he was still part of the knight order, he was content, living without worrying about what others thought of him.
Maybe it was because he had lived his past life constantly worrying about how others perceived him that he had beco a bit twisted.
‘Still, I was a soldier in my past life and a soldier now. What a strange life.’
As Ihan reflected on the differences between his past and present life, a chuckle almost escaped his lips.
Sniff, sniff.
"Hmm?"
Among the sweaty odor of the worksite, Ihan caught a whiff of expensive perfu.
Unfortunately, Ihan recognized the owner of that scent.
"...She’s back again."
It seed that Ihan’s "troubleso friend," soone he was as reluctant to et as the captain, had co to find him once again.
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