30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 201

“This is the first time I’m seeing your face in person.”

“...Y-yeah, I guess so.”

“No need to be nervous. Just for Shy Boy’s sake, I have no intention of harming you.”

“Uh, by Shy Boy, do you mean Derrick?”

“You catch on quick.”

“Hehe, well, it’s a perfect nickname. I should start calling him that too.”

“......”

“What’s with that look?”

“Oh, nothing. Just thought Shy Boy finally met his match. You two have the same talent for making people nauseous.”

“!!”

“You can do whatever you want in front of me, but tone it down in public. It’s honestly annoying.”

“Y-yes, sir...”

She reacted like an innocent schoolgirl.

She had no problem standing tall before a crowd of thirty thousand, but the moment the topic of romance came up, she finally acted her age.

‘I thought he was the one getting bossed around, but now that I see her like this... maybe it’s mutual.’

Watching her blush, Ihan had a sudden thought—maybe she liked Taechang even more than he liked her.

Good thing Taechang wasn’t here right now.

If he were...

...he might’ve gotten a flick on the forehead.

They say jealousy blinds men and makes them pathetic, but Ihan had no problem being honest about it.

That was the healthiest way to deal with it.

And then—

“So, I finally get it now. Why Lady Irene, Lady Levi, and the three from the swordsmanship department all joined the student council out of nowhere. This was your doing, wasn’t it, Instructor?”

Her eyes, reminiscent of mystical amethysts, gleamed as she nodded to herself, as if she had just pieced together the puzzle from the past few days.

Her assessment was complete.

Muttering to herself, she began laying it all out.

“Lady Irene doesn’t enjoy the spotlight. Neither does Lady Levi or those three. And yet, all of them suddenly decided to knock on the student council’s door? That seemed odd, but if you were behind it, everything makes sense now... Hmm. So, does that mean something big is going to happen during this exam?”

A guess.

“Like the monster attack during the midterm evaluation...? Oh! I see! It’s not a terror attack—it’s something shady happening at the academy! You assigned those three powerhouses to the student council as an extra layer of security!”

An analysis.

“Which means the target could be... Lady Irene? Lady Levi? Or maybe even me? Feels a bit arrogant to say it myself, but there aren’t many people in the academy who’d be considered more valuable than us. Ugh, but there’s too little information to be certain.”

A judgment.

“So, what can I do to help?”

“......”

...She had just dumped all of that on him in a matter of seconds, leaving Ihan no room to explain anything.

All he could do was sit there and listen.

And after hearing everything, he was left utterly speechless.

“...You figured all that out on your own? What are you, Holmes?”

“...Who’s that?”

“A legendary detective who could solve cold cases without leaving his seat.”

“Oh my, I’d love to meet someone like that! But, more importantly, let’s talk about the plan. How are we handling this?”

“...No other questions?”

“Why waste time questioning when we should be solving the issue? Efficiency is key, Instructor. Efficiency.”

“......”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Oh, just realizing there are way too many geniuses in this place.”

“?”

...Taechang’s doomed.

Ihan was sure of it.

***

To gain admission to the academy, applicants had to pass a total of five tests.

The first was the written exam.

The second was the special aptitude assessment.

The third was the practical exam.

The fourth was the first interview.

And the fifth and final test was the second interview.

Most unqualified applicants were eliminated during the written exam, but the special aptitude assessment—designed to evaluate individual abilities, including mystical talents—offered a second chance. If an applicant demonstrated exceptional value, the academy might overlook their poor written exam scores, giving them an opportunity to make up for it in the practical and interview stages.

Of course, throughout the academy’s long history, fewer than fifty students had ever been admitted through the special aptitude route. In reality, failing the written exam almost always meant failure overall.

And now, thirty minutes after the written exam had concluded—

“This... this has to be a mistake! There’s no way I failed!”

“Do you know how much money my father paid? How dare they fail me?!”

“Those goddamn bastards...!”

Nearly half the applicants had been eliminated.

Those who failed the written exam erupted in rage, causing disturbances left and right. The exam proctors and security guards, long accustomed to such outbursts, swiftly moved in to subdue them. Their expressions conveyed utter boredom—this was a scene they had grown sick of witnessing year after year.

“Kunta’s head hurts. Was this test even meant to be passed?”

“The questions were at a level that anyone who studied properly could answer. We even tailored them according to the applicants’ chosen departments. If they still couldn’t pass, that just means they didn’t prepare properly. Of course, they failed.”

“Kunta, you’re lucky you got in through the special aptitude route.”

“Kunta is happy to be a barbarian!”

Kunta, a mystical race warrior who had devoted everything to combat prowess, was exempt from such exams. His face radiated pure contentment.

But despite his carefree attitude, he had actually scored perfect marks in both the practical and interview assessments.

It wasn’t widely known, but Kunta had entered the academy ranked third overall, just behind the valedictorian and salutatorian—Roen and Irene.

...Not that he himself cared about his ranking.

“The swordsmanship department’s practical exam—is it going to be a sparring match like last year?”

“Unlikely. They change the format every year.”

“Hmph. What kind of test did the Instructor prepare this time?”

“Kunta thinks Instructor did nothing. Assistant Instructor probably prepared everything overnight.”

“......”

That made sense.

Their instructor was diligent in many ways, but paperwork wasn’t one of them.

Especially when it came to Assistant Instructor Damian Follet—he dumped every clerical task on him without hesitation. In fact, tormenting Damian with excessive paperwork seemed to be a personal hobby of his.

“Poor Assistant Instructor.”

“What’s worse is that he still has two more years of this.”

“If I ever have to start over from the bottom, I’d rather join a mercenary corps than become an assistant instructor.”

The trio shared a moment of silent sympathy for Damian Follet, imagining him as an undead, drained of all energy.

That is, until—

“Quit messing around and get back to work, Mr. Arno, Mr. Kunta, Mr. Garland.”

Had it not been for the firm yet gentle voice of a young woman.

“Bear’s here?”

“Yes. I just finished overseeing most of the first test. It was tougher than I expected.”