30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 230

The feeling of unease came the moment he examined the cross-section of the bronze statue.

...There are no signs of melting?

Bronze, after all, was a metal.

To shape it, one would first need to melt it at extremely high temperatures.

Yet, there were no visible traces of that process here.

Instead, what he saw was—

...It was carved?

It looked as though it had been sculpted with a chisel.

No... it wasn’t done with a chisel.

Then what was used?

...A thin blade?

The cross-section of the bronze statue bore faint, telltale marks.

And Ihan recognized those marks.

They were unmistakably the kind of scars left by a rapier or another similarly thin, piercing sword.

How could he be so sure?

Because I’ve seen people get sliced like that before.

During his time as a mercenary, he had encountered victims who had their flesh cut in just such a manner.

He had also personally been on the receiving end of such an attack.

(Though, in the end, the bastard who did it had died by his hand.)

Regardless, Ihan’s experience and knowledge made it easy for him to deduce that the statue had been sculpted entirely with a rapier.

And the moment he was certain—

This is monstrous.

It was only natural for him to be filled with awe.

I suppose if I applied enough grip strength, I could condense metal and forcibly shape it, or maybe I could use sword energy to carve it out.

That much was conceivable.

But that would only be a brute-force solution.

It would never produce something as natural and flawless as this.

This wasn’t done with sword energy. It was just... cut.

As if slicing through tofu.

Or molding clay.

This wasn’t just an absurd display of skill.

This was the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

“......”

Clink.

Ihan placed his hand on his sword.

He was testing something.

Would his blade be able to block a strike from a swordsman who could perform such a feat?

...Impossible.

No, it was out of the question.

If someone of that caliber were to attack him, blocking wasn’t an option.

He would have to dodge.

...But.

Hmm. I might be able to take a hit without dying...

—Ihan suddenly found himself wanting to experience that swordplay firsthand.

*

*

*

After passing through the town, they finally arrived at the Offen estate.

Unlike most noble residences—usually isolated within vast forests, surrounded by sprawling gardens—

the Offen estate was located within the city.

And despite being the home of one of the most powerful noble families, it was shockingly modest in scale.

Rather than an extravagant mansion, it resembled a massive dojo—a training ground, first and foremost.

Just from its structure alone, it was evident that the House of Offen stood apart from other noble families.

And yet—

“You have arrived! Kunta welcomes guests!”

“...?”

“If you need anything, just say the word! Kunta will bring it to you and guide you!”

“...K-Kunta? What are you doing here?”

“I am practicing social skills! Kunta is earning allowance at Arno’s house!”

“???”

A barbarian acting as a servant in a noble estate.

At this point, it wasn’t just unusual—

It was downright bizarre.

“...Didn’t you already receive a generous stipend as a foreign exchange student?”

Ihan, wary that this might be a case of noble exploitation, placed a firm hand on Arno’s shoulder.

“Confess now and atone for your sins, little wolf. I don’t want to have to arrest my own disciple.”

“Haa, is that my new nickname now? ...I can see the misunderstanding, but I assure you, it’s a real misunderstanding. Kunta personally asked me for a job.”

“...Why?”

“He said he spent all his allowance.”

“...Huh?”

“He used all of it to buy books and food to send back to his homeland. He wanted to help support his people.”

“...Oh.”

Ihan let out a small sound of admiration and looked at Kunta.

The innocent-looking black panther of a man.

So he sent them books, huh?

This guy may act like a fool, but when no one’s watching, he’s the type to read self-improvement books.

As expected of the representative foreign exchange student from the barbarians.

It seemed like he had sent back what would be most beneficial to his people.

“...That’s admirable, but you should at least keep some money for yourself.”

“Kunta is already reflecting on that! But Arno—no, the Young Master pays Kunta very well! So it is fine!”

“...Little wolf.”

“I never told him to call me that. He’s just copying what the other servants say. So please, stop looking at me like that....”

For a moment, Ihan seriously considered handing down a disciplinary lesson—

but seeing how distressed Arno looked, he figured the kid was telling the truth.

“Master, don’t you think you’re teasing him too much?”

“It’s just funny seeing his reactions.”

Levi, the only one who recognized that Ihan was deliberately messing with Arno, whispered playfully.

Ihan, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying himself.

Then—

“Young Master, you have returned.”

A maid appeared from behind Kunta, approaching them.

Arno greeted her with familiarity.

“It’s been a while, Elsa. I’m glad to see you in good health.”