30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 11

"...If it were up to me, I would kill them. While they don’t pose a threat to me, they are seedlings that could one day threaten Arthur’s power.”

“Is it really that serious? They’re just an adopted daughter and a bastard son, after all.”

Ehan didn’t understand why she was so fixated on them. Sure, being at the top of the academy was impressive, but their bloodline wasn’t even close to that of the little prince. Compared to Arthur’s pedigree, they were no more than commoners wielding cheap spoons.

“Yes, for now.”

"...For now?”

“What I am about to tell you is highly classified. Only three people aside from myself are aware of it, so don’t go running your mouth.”

“Then I don’t want to hear it.”

“I’m afraid that’s not an option. Just listen.”

...A tyrant through and through.

“First, Irene Windler. My uncle adopted her because she bears a striking resemblance to his late wife.”

“Pff, how typical of nobles. Adopting a replacement for his dead wife?”

“Don’t mock him. Grief is something both commoners and nobles experience alike. He must have been deeply mourning her loss.”

It was understandable that he would take in someone who looked like his wife. But...

“According to the royal family’s analysis, Irene Windler is likely his biological daughter.”

"...What?"

“There’s a good chance Irene Windler is my uncle’s only child. My aunt died from a fall, but she was heavily pregnant at the time. She might have given birth before passing.”

“She fell to her death and still survived long enough to give birth?”

“My aunt was a pure-blooded elf. A noblewoman with mysteries as profound as those of royalty. It’s not impossible that she survived just long enough.”

“...”

"Surprising, isn’t it? I was just as shocked when I found out.”

"...Hmm.”

Ehan was sure that his surprise and Isis’s were of a completely different nature.

‘Why does this sound so familiar...?’

A secret birth, extraordinary lineage, rising from humble origins to become a top student in the academy, then adopted because of her resemblance to a duchess who might have been her real mother.

Wasn’t this straight out of a...?

‘Romance fantasy heroine backstory?’

Ehan had read enough romance novels during his late-night guard shifts as a sergeant to recognize the pattern. A character in a romance game or novel, someone who turns their life around after being reincarnated.

‘No, no. I’m overthinking this.’

He tried to shake off the ridiculous thought. It was just a tragic story, and any normal adult should respond with sympathy, not absurd theories.

“But Irene Windler is an odd one. She has a habit of saying, ‘I have somewhere else to return to,’ as if it were a mantra. She also insisted that if my uncle adopts another daughter within two years, the adoption contract with her should be canceled immediately. It’s a strange stipulation...”

"She’s the real deal."

“Hm? What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing.”

"?"

Ehan was now convinced.

That woman... without a doubt.

‘So, I’m not the only one, huh?’

He had never assumed he was unique in this bizarre situation. Still, he hadn’t expected to encounter someone else under such familiar circumstances.

And to think it was in such an obvious genre.

‘So, is this world actually a romance fantasy?’

But why was everything still so bleak and hopeless?

As Ehan pondered the absurdity of it all, Isis continued her explanation.

“But for now, it’s all speculation. There’s no concrete evidence that she is my uncle’s daughter. If, in the future, her true parentage is confirmed, then Irene Windler will be a latent threat. However, the Lionel bastard is a different story.”

“What’s up with him?”

Was he going to turn out to be one of those northern grand dukes so common in romance fantasies?

“There are rumors that the boy, Roen, might possess the ability to see the future.”

“...What?”

“Seven years ago, Roen suddenly began to stand out. At 13, he defeated one of the Lionel family’s knight trainees and took him as his squire. He has also been incredibly successful in business ventures that everyone thought would fail. On top of that, he introduced a new, advanced sword technique, proving himself a prodigy.”

“...Huh.”

“Thanks to all this, Roen has become a strong candidate for the heir to the Lionel family, despite being a bastard. His talents and accomplishments have earned him a chance, and the Lionel family has acknowledged it. But—”

Ehan stopped paying attention. He already understood where this was going.

This was yet another painfully obvious trope.

‘So, what is he? A regression story?’

One of the more popular genres, where the protagonist goes back in time after the world has been destroyed and saves it. If this was a novel, it would probably be called something like, The Man Who Returned from the Ruined World to Save It.

‘Is this for real?’

As Ehan’s mind swirled with conflicting thoughts, Isis’s explanation was coming to an end.

“—Based on everything we’ve seen, there’s no way Roen’s successes could be explained unless he knew the future. We suspect he might have awakened the legendary power of foresight, something only spoken of in ancient tales. If someone like that becomes the Grand Duke, the royal family will be in grave danger.”

“...I doubt it.”

“Hm? Do you have another theory?”

“No, not really. He just doesn’t strike me as that kind of guy.”

“Oh? Is this your ‘instinct’ at work again? I’ll take note of that.”