The potato resale operation was successfully concluded.
According to Oliver, potatoes were quickly sold out.
Despite the crazy price being twice as much, there were people lining up to buy.
‘Some nobles even tried to buy them at a laughable price, didn’t they?’
Thinking about the sight of nobles unable to contain themselves to buy small and unimpressive potatoes, a chuckle escaped.
‘It turned out well to believe in the extravagant nature of nobles…’
Small and unattractive potatoes. Even if they were sold at half the original price, they wouldn’t sell, but they were able to be sold at twice the crazy price.
It was purely because of believing in the luxury of nobles.
‘Nobles want to show off through luxury. Things like food and clothes that commoners can’t even dream of.’
Putting beef into a giraffe’s mouth and eating it, there was only one reason to eat something that didn’t seem like it would even eat if given.
‘I am much better off than you all.’
They were crazy about that, and Ian aimed for it.
Environmentally friendly organic potatoes raised personally by Count Volkanov.
Of course, it’s unclear whether they were personally raised or not and whether it was organic or plantation agriculture. Anyway, the important thing is that it has distinctiveness from regular potatoes.
That alone was enough reason for nobles to buy these potatoes.
Ian looked out the window with a pleasant smile. The mountains he hated so much looked too beautiful today.
‘Now our family can breathe a little.’
Before long, the potatoes would grow again.
Oliver also said that after experiencing the miracle of potatoes, he would plow the fields and focus only on potatoes, so we could harvest more potatoes.
‘Now we should start a business. Make potato chips, fry them, and if we have spare time, make salads too. If I put a picture of my father holding potatoes and smiling wide on the package, it will sell well. Maybe raise the price about tenfold.’
A product made from potatoes personally grown by Count Volkanov, the Hero of the Empire and a Mana Master?
I can’t stand this. Nobles will be upset because they can’t buy it.
If all goes well, it might be possible to change the pride of the Volkanov family from meat to potatoes.
He had some idea of how to solve the family’s affairs.
Now all that was left was to become stronger.
‘Commence simulated combat.’
[Initiating simulated combat program.]
For a moment, his vision blurred. The mountain that had been visible outside the carriage disappeared, replaced by endless white floors.
Alex Volkanov holding a sword appeared in Ian’s eyes.
A man who had cut his throat more than 100 times already. When he was admitted to the hospital room. From then on, Ian challenged him whenever he could.
‘And this is the fifth challenge.’
Ian looked at the system window beside him.
[Combat with Alex Volkanov]
[5th Challenge Reward: ???]
[10th Challenge Reward: ???]
.
.
.
It was said that there was a lot to gain even through defeat in combat with the strong.
Simulated combat was just like that.
Even though it was all about facing opponents far beyond one’s level and getting beaten to death.
Even if you lost, there was a system where you could receive rewards proportional to the number of challenges.
And Ian was on the verge of the 5th challenge reward.
There was no reason to hesitate.
[Do you want to challenge?]
‘I will challenge.’
Black mana surged through Ian’s body, and the Ether manifested Neltalion’s hands.
Alex Volkanov, as usual, raised his sword and shouted.
‘Fight fair and square!’
After that, Alex rushed in with a shield around his body.
***
Inside the rapidly moving carriage.
Even amidst the jolts, Eri stared intently at Ian, who was sleeping deeply.
‘What kind of life have you lived?’
The Ian she had seen so far was definitely different from the perception of the world.
He wasn’t cowardly or foolish, nor was he blinded by fame.
On the contrary, he was closer to the opposite.
‘If he were truly a bad person…’
He would have lived without caring even if the family fell apart. He probably didn’t even find a way to save a collapsing family in the first place.
Eri didn’t forget the miracle of potatoes created by Ian.
To her, when she thought about it, Ian was a pitiable person.
Even the way Ian was treated by the Volkanov family was not like that.
Ian’s room was small enough to be called a storage room.
There was only a bed and a desk in the room. There was no wardrobe to hang clothes, and it seemed like there was no cleaning either. Dust was thick.
Thump!
“Ugh.”
And even the jolting carriage.
It was hard to believe that it belonged to the heir of a high-ranking noble leading the Empire.
Despite receiving such irrational treatment, Ian didn’t say a word. Instead, he sacrificed sleep and worked for them.
‘Have you been living like this since you were young?’
For a moment, Eri imagined what would have happened if Ian’s life had changed with hers.
But ultimately, she gave up.
The sadness and loneliness that were unbearable… she didn’t have the strength to endure it.
Wiping away the tears falling from her cheeks with her sleeve, Eri checked on the sleeping Ian and gently hugged him.
The coachman couldn’t see inside, so it didn’t matter.
Although she knew she shouldn’t be doing this… Eri wanted to be honest with her feelings this time.
***
A day had passed since returning from Trishura, the ancestral home of the Volkanovs, to Ashlan.
Even though they couldn’t properly enjoy the weekend due to potato farming, Monday had arrived.
Ian had to head straight to Ark without a moment’s rest.
Kyan called. It wasn’t because of his sweaty morning training with Igor.
There was another reason.
Swish. Swish.
“Hoo…”
With a broom in his right hand and a dustpan in his left, he swept the classroom floor.
It was the Close Combat Understanding class that took place on Friday.
At that time, Ian had used mana to cover Haley, who had fainted, and as a result, he received disciplinary action to clean the damaged classroom.
He had come out early in the morning to clean because of that.
Since they couldn’t clean the classrooms used by the students after school hours.
Fortunately or unfortunately, cleaning wasn’t the end for him.
Swish. Swish!
“…”
“I cleaned up everything behind you, Instructor. Now I just need to clean up the front.”
“Ah… uh. Yeah… Thanks, Ian. Take a break for a moment.”
Haley Miler. She, too, had come out with Ian to clean the classroom.
She was told that, of course, she had no reason to do it…but for some inexplicable reason she volunteered to clean.
Looking at Haley, who was cleaning with an awkward expression, Ian glanced from a distance.
“I-Ian… How have you been lately?”
“…What do you mean?”
Looking at Haley, who suddenly spoke up, Ian tilted his head.
***
Haley Miler.
She was Ian’s former master and currently the Platoon Vice Commander of the first-year 1st Platoon in Ark. She wanted to tear her hair out recalling her own words just now.
”How have you been lately?’… That’s not what I wanted to say…’
She obviously wanted to say thank you. She thanked the student for saving her from embarrassment.
But saying those words was not so easy.
In the end, in order to express her gratitude, she volunteered for cleaning that she didn’t have to do.
Throughout the cleaning, she looked at Ian’s back. When would be a good time to say it? Should she say it now? She was contemplating such thoughts…
She couldn’t speak to Ian until the cleaning was almost finished.
And when Ian said he had finished his assigned area… then she finally tried to say the words she had kept in her heart.
“…What do you mean?”
Of course, it turned into a sudden inquiry about his well-being rather than the words she had been thinking about.
Looking at her former disciple’s indifferent gaze… for some reason… looking at it made her heart feel like it was being scratched randomly.
‘In the past… he would smile at me… but now he can’t do that…’
In her memories, Ian always had a faint smile, even when his expression seemed wrinkled as if something bad had happened…
As long as he was practicing swordsmanship with her, he smiled happier than ever…
But… that smile had long since disappeared.
Since she abandoned him. Ian’s expression had hardened again.
‘I thought I’d never see him again…’
Putting a curse on Ian. She said to herself. There would be no more seeing him.
Ian, who lost his sword. She thought he couldn’t prove his skills.
However… Ian somehow brought in a new martial arts and proved it himself.
And… he even tried to help his former master who abandoned him…
That made Haley’s heart ache. Why did he do that? What was his intention?
But in the end, Haley couldn’t bring herself to say the words she had kept in her heart until the end.
“You did well on the transfer exam… You have excellent skills.”
“It’s just the result of hard training.”
“Where did you learn that… Did you get a new master?”
“Do you mean, master?”
Did he learn from a master… He had indeed learned boxing from an Academy master.
Ian said to Haley as if it was nothing special.
“Yes. I had a mentor who taught me.”
“It seems like you had an excellent mentor. It’s not easy to improve your skills so quickly…”
“Learning wasn’t something that happened in a short period. It was someone who occasionally gave me guidance since I was young.”
Since he couldn’t admit to learning boxing for four years, he vaguely mentioned receiving guidance during his childhood.
Haley seemed to be taken aback for a moment before speaking again.
“Still, if your skills aren’t exceptional, wouldn’t it be difficult to get good mentoring?”
“I apologize if it seems like I’m letting you down… But the person wasn’t exceptionally skilled either.”
“What do you mean…”
At Haley’s words, Ian recalled the mentor who taught him boxing in his previous life.
His mentor, who operated a humble boxing gym… He wasn’t extraordinary.
His teaching level wasn’t high, and he wasn’t someone who swept awards at various competitions.
Why did he learn boxing from such a person?
Because it was a hobby. He just wanted to try boxing once, and the gym was close to home and cheap.
Naturally, he didn’t have high expectations, but… there was one good thing.
‘He was more passionate than anyone else.’
He was always true to himself.
Even the one-hour lessons he gave were never wasted. While giving vague instructions, he continued to watch his posture without leaving him.
And even when his family’s circumstances became difficult and he couldn’t afford to learn boxing anymore… he opened the gym for him.
‘You won’t pay me, just come in for an hour a day and learn. I’ll teach you.’
‘That’s embarrassing… I don’t want to do that.’
‘It’s only an embarrassment if I’m inconvenienced. I don’t mind, so come and learn. Once you start, you shouldn’t give up and go all the way, shouldn’t you?’
With these words, he handed him 100,000 won in a bag, telling me to buy food. He couldn’t forget it.
With his help, he was able to continue learning, and even in his current situation in Heroic Academy, he was able to survive.
Thinking of my mentor from my past life, Ian looked at Haley.
“His skills weren’t that great. The teaching was so complicated that I had a hard time learning it. Yet he kept grumbling and saying what he didn’t like.”
“…”
“But he was more sincere to me than anyone else. If I got even slightly injured, he would forget everything else and come running to check on my condition. One time, even though my circumstances were not good, he gave me money and told me to buy something to eat.”
“Ah…”
“In short… he was the person who took responsibility for me until the end.”
Ian, turning away from Haley’s distorted face, prepared to leave.
“I-Ian…”
Haley, regaining her composure, reached out to grab Ian’s hand, but…
“Ah…”
He had already left the classroom.
