Episode 140. Interlude – Descendant of the Iron Fist (3)

“Uh… well, you see.”

Cold sweat dripped down my spine.

In front of Gilbert, who was asking with eyes full of anticipation, “How’s your academic performance?” I had to reveal that I was at the bottom of 472 students.

‘Damn it.’

Honestly, until I got suspended three times in a row and ended up at the bottom of my class again, I only felt mildly annoyed.

But now, having to reveal my grades in front of others, the humiliation was unbearable.

Especially when the “others” included the father of a close junior who was under the illusion that “My son has met a great benefactor and his fortune has turned around!”

“…What’s wrong?”

Gilbert tilted his head at the prolonged silence.

Unable to withstand the pressure, my mouth started moving on its own.

“I’m… first place.”

I swallowed the words “from the bottom” and answered.

“Hahaha! If you’re first place, you should be proud! Why are you hesitating? Ah, were you feeling pressured?”

Gilbert gave a thumbs up, as if he had just chugged a cold beer on a hot summer day.

“Outstanding grades, a kind personality that leads juniors, and humility to boot! Our Berald has truly met a great benefactor, a great benefactor!”

Gilbert burst into hearty laughter, grabbing my hand and shaking it.

“…Dale.”

The real top of the class, watching my situation, looked restless.

“By the way, Yuren, Camila, and Iris are all in the same year, right?”

“Ah… yes.”

“That’s right.”

“So that means you defeated the descendant of the Sun’s Sword, the future sword of the Holy Kingdom, and the Saint of the Holy Kingdom to take the top spot in your year?”

Gilbert’s eyes widened as he kept exclaiming in amazement.

“Wow… Suddenly, Dale, who took first place among such formidable candidates, seems even more impressive.”

“Well… that’s.”

Yuren seemed like he wanted to say something, but he clenched his eyes shut and turned his head away.

“I… I think so too.”

“Haha! If the descendant of the Sun’s Sword acknowledges it, that says it all!”

Gilbert stood up, smiling as if nothing could be better.

“You all haven’t had lunch yet, right? On such a happy day, there’s nothing better than meat! To celebrate my recovery, I’ll grill some for you! Just wait a bit! Berald! You come and help too!”

“Ah, no, what do you mean grilling meat right after waking up?!”

“When your father calls, don’t argue and just come!”

Gilbert dragged Berald outside, leaving me, Yuren, Iris, and Camila in the room.

“…Why did you do that, Dale.”

“Of course, Dale’s skills are worthy of first place, but… still, this is a bit…”

“Utterly disappointing.”

At the cold evaluations from the party members who knew the truth, my shoulders slumped.

Holding onto a sliver of hope, I looked at the party members and asked.

“…Is it too late to go and say I was first from the bottom?”

“…….”

“…….”

No answer came.

* * *

After a meal so abundant with meat grilled by Gilbert himself that it was almost overflowing.

“Hmm. So, you still don’t have a girlfriend?”

“That’s right.”

“Tsk, pathetic! At your age, your father had female candidates lining up to meet him!”

“Don’t lie! I heard from Mom that you begged and pleaded to marry her!”

“Gasp…!”

Gilbert seemed to be making up for five years of lost time, chatting warmly with Berald.

As the conversation continued, Berald smiled faintly, looking at the leftover dishes.

“I don’t know how many years it’s been since I had a meal and talked with my father like this.”

“…….”

“Well, I understand. From my father’s perspective, I’ve always been a disappointing son.”

As Berald smiled self-deprecatingly.

“No.”

Gilbert shook his head quietly.

“Rather, it was I who hesitated to tell you the truth who was the disappointing father.”

“…The truth?”

Berald tilted his head at Gilbert’s sudden words.

“Sigh.”

Gilbert let out a deep sigh and looked at me and Iris, who were sipping post-meal coffee nearby.

“You said you used the ‘Legacy of the Iron Fist’ as a sacrifice to heal my wounds this time, right?”

“Ah, yes. That’s correct.”

“That’s right.”

Gilbert gave a bitter smile as he saw me and Iris nodding.

“Actually, that wasn’t the Legacy of the Iron Fist.”

“…What?”

It wasn’t the Legacy of the Iron Fist?

What does that mean?

“To explain this, I need to tell you about the truth of our ‘Ryu’ family first.”

“…Is it okay for us to hear this?”

“Hoho. Aren’t you my son’s benefactors? I can’t hide the truth from benefactors.”

Gilbert chugged his half-finished beer and continued.

“Have you heard about the founder of the Ryu family?”

“Ah… yes. I know that Ryu Jin-hyuk, the younger brother of Iron Fist Ryu Jin-seong and one of the greatest mages of his time, was the founder.”

“Hmm. That’s right.”

Gilbert nodded.

“That’s half true and half false.”

“…Half false?”

“Have you heard that Ryu Jin-seong and Ryu Jin-hyuk were enemies?”

“Yes.”

It was a story so famous in the Republic that few didn’t know it.

“That’s not true.”

“If it’s not true, then…”

“The Iron Fist and his brother were actually very close.”

“…Then why did the rumor that they didn’t get along spread?”

“It was spread intentionally. By Ryu Jin-hyuk himself.”

“……?”

The younger brother spread rumors that he and his brother were enemies?

As I looked at Gilbert with questioning eyes, he continued in a low voice.

“At that time, the Republic was completely divided between the ‘Iron Fist’ Ryu Jin-seong and the ‘Divine Spear’ Baek Seung-hyuk factions.”

Two of the Five Great Heroes who sealed the Devil God and saved the world 500 years ago.

For people who had suddenly found themselves in a strange otherworld, they were like gods.

Thus, many followed them.

And thus, conflicts never ceased.

“Especially the Divine Spear Baek Seung-hyuk faction was extremely radical. The opinion that the Iron Fist should be killed and the Divine Spear made the president of the nation was rampant.”

“That happened.”

Of course.

The story Gilbert was telling wasn’t covered in the Republic’s education system or the Reynaldo Hero School’s curriculum.

“Amid the escalating atmosphere, the Iron Fist was the first to step back. The Iron Fist is said to have entered a deep canyon and lived in seclusion for the rest of his life.”

That was the Iron Canyon we had just visited.

“But there’s also an untold story here.”

Gilbert, his throat dry, filled his beer glass and chugged it.

“It’s said that the Iron Fist died without leaving any children, but that’s not true. He had a child with his wife, who died during the war.”

“…So there was a descendant of the Iron Fist?”

Gilbert nodded.

“Before entering seclusion, the Iron Fist asked his brother to hide the child.”

“To protect the child from the Divine Spear faction.”

“Exactly. And Ryu Jin-hyuk, following his brother’s request, pretended the child was his own and spread rumors that they were enemies.”

“…….”

So, all of this was a scheme by Iron Fist Ryu Jin-seong and his brother to protect the child.

“Wait, that means…”

A sudden possibility crossed my mind.

I looked at Gilbert and Berald.

I remembered the movie about the ‘Iron Fist’ that I had watched with Iris before.

The towering, massive figure of Iron Fist Ryu Jin-seong.

And both Gilbert and Berald had an extraordinary martial aura that couldn’t be considered ordinary.

“You’re probably thinking the right thing.”

Gilbert chuckled and chugged his beer.

“Huh…”

A hollow laugh escaped my lips at the truth I hadn’t even known in my past life.

“Huh? What’s the right thing?”

Berald looked around, not understanding.

I sighed and spoke.

“So, you’re the descendant of the Iron Fist.”

“…What?”

Berald’s eyes widened in a dumbfounded expression.

“W-wait! What are you talking about?! M-me, the descendant of the Iron Fist?”

“Quiet, you fool. Do you want to spread the news all over the neighborhood?”

Gilbert frowned and glared at Berald.

“Our family is known as a branch of the ‘Ryu’ family, but in truth, we are the descendants of Iron Fist Ryu Jin-seong.”

“Huh…”

Berald looked utterly shocked.

Gilbert clicked his tongue and continued.

“I was planning to tell you after you graduated from school… but if it weren’t for the benefactors, the truth might have ended with me.”

“…….”

In my past life, the truth had indeed never reached Berald.

“Then, the gauntlet in that ruin…”

“It was a fake legacy made to draw attention from those seeking the Iron Fist’s legacy. In reality, it was a weapon Ryu Jin-hyuk made for his brother during the war against the Devil God.”

“Ah, so that’s why lightning was shooting out of the gauntlet.”

I let out a short exclamation, remembering the fierce blue lightning shooting out of the gauntlet.

“But since it was a weapon the Iron Fist used, isn’t it still his legacy?”

“No. The Iron Fist didn’t use that weapon.”

Gilbert shook his head quietly.

“I heard he refused his brother’s gift, saying such a weapon didn’t suit him.”

“…….”

Even after seeing the artifact that shot out fierce lightning despite having lost much of its original power due to Laktasia’s ‘Blessing of Exploitation,’ he refused it for such a reason.

Truly, it was an Iron Fist-like action.

“Anyway, the real ‘Legacy of the Iron Fist’ is something I’ve kept separately.”

“…What is that legacy?”

“Wait here for a moment.”

Gilbert went inside and came back with a small box.

Inside the box was a dirty, stained bandage.

“This is the true legacy left by Iron Fist Ryu Jin-seong.”

“…This dirty bandage?”

“Hehe, yes. The Iron Fist wrapped this bandage around his fist and fought hundreds, thousands of demons.”

Gilbert handed the stained bandage to Berald.

“Take it.”

“…This?”

“Yes. Even though it looks like this, it’s the legacy our ancestor left. You keep it.”

“…….”

Berald took the bandage and quietly thought for a moment before wrapping it around his hand.

“Wow, wrapping this bandage makes me feel like I’m getting stronger!”

“Hehe. Even though it looks like this, it’s a bandage that’s maintained the same appearance for 500 years, so there must be some magical power in it.”

Gilbert smiled proudly as he watched Berald wrap the bandage around his fist.

“Ah…!”

Berald swung his bandaged fist in the air a few times before clapping as if he had realized something important.

“Now that I think about it, my low achievement in magic was because of this!”

Being the descendant of the Iron Fist, not the descendant of Ryu Jin-hyuk, one of the greatest mages of his time, explained why he had no talent for magic.

“Huh?”

Gilbert tilted his head at Berald’s words.

“No, your low achievement in magic isn’t because you’re the descendant of the Iron Fist.”

“Huh? Then what’s the reason?”

“It’s just because you’re stupid.”

“…….”

Gilbert shrugged, creating blue lightning in his hand.

“I use magic just fine, you know.”