30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 232

It might not have been the most fitting expression for a medieval fantasy world, but the only way to describe the feeling was—

‘...It’s like being ensnared by a bewitching spirit’

Crack. Crackle.

With each creaking shift of bone, the body that had been Arno’s changed in height and facial structure.

Her frame took on the skeletal structure of a woman, and curves began to form across her body.

To call it a real-time gender transformation wouldn’t have been an exaggeration.

Watching the grotesquely fluid shift, Ihan couldn’t help but think—if fox spirits like the nine-tailed gumiho truly existed, this is what their transformations would look like.

Her once-short, silver hair...

Shraaak.

...flowed down to her waist in an instant.

“Huu.”

The transformation complete, a breathtakingly beautiful woman—who could easily pass for someone in her twenties, or even her late teens—let out a sigh.

She casually tied her now-flowing silver hair into a loose bundle with a handkerchief, her crimson eyes gleaming with a peculiar, almost mystical light.

Gulp.

It was unclear who swallowed audibly, but no one could be blamed.

Anyone would feel a suffocating tension in the presence of such an overwhelming, otherworldly existence.

And then, in a voice that shattered the heavy atmosphere—

“Elza, bring me a cup of tea as well.”

“......”

A... surprisingly mundane request.

Elza, the head maid, let out a long sigh, pressing her fingers to her temples.

Truly...!

“I respect you deeply, but every time you pull these stunts, I feel like my lifespan shortens, Your Excellency. What kind of prank is this?”

“Sorry, Elza. But wasn’t my acting convincing?”

“......”

“Don’t be mad.”

“...Haaah!”

Ignoring the tension in the room, the woman plopped down comfortably—right between a frozen-stiff Levi and an equally rigid Kunta.

“Relax, kids. You’re looking at me like I’m about to do something terrible.”

“...Kunta wants to run.”

“Don’t.”

She reached over and gently patted Kunta’s head.

And each time she did, the massive warrior flinched like a prey animal trapped in a predator’s grasp.

At least...

“Th-Then... what about Lord Arno?”

Unlike Kunta, Levi managed to maintain her composure as she calmly asked about the real Arno’s whereabouts.

Perhaps the woman found Levi’s steadfastness endearing, because she beamed at her.

“My grandson should be fast asleep in the underground training hall by now. He’ll wake up soon enough.”

“......”

“Don’t look at me like that. I merely sparred with him to test how much he’d improved. It wasn’t intentional.”

“I-I see...”

“...You don’t believe me? How cold.”

Unlike with Kunta, her tone toward Levi carried an unmistakable fondness.

And then—

“Mother, what in the world are you doing?!”

Iliad de Offen, his expression dark and icy, fixed his gaze on her.

“What have you done to Arno?”

“I told you—I merely sparred with him. My grandson was excited when I offered to be his opponent, so I... may have put in a little effort. And, well, I accidentally knocked him out. Since I wasn’t sure what to do, I simply ‘disguised’ myself as him for a bit.”

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth, Iliad. If you need proof, ask him when he wakes up.”

“......”

“...But I do admit I took the joke too far. No need to glare at me so harshly—you're going to make this poor mother feel hurt.”

“Huuuh!!”

For the first time, the ever-composed Iliad failed to contain his anger.

And seeing this, she did at least acknowledge her mistake.

She didn’t bow her head or formally apologize, but then again...

Who in the entire kingdom would dare demand an apology from the Sword Saint?

So this was already more than enough.

Which was why...

“...Sir Turtle, I apologize on my mother’s behalf. I never imagined she would pull something like this.”

“There’s no need to apologize. I’m not particularly bothered.”

More than anything—

...He already knew that Aura Masters were all lunatics anyway.

Ihan swallowed those last words.

Saying that in front of her would likely earn him a beating.

And sure enough—

“So, child. How did you figure out that I was ‘disguised’ as Arno?”

“You mean ‘transformed,’ don’t you?”

“Iliad, save the nagging for later.”

Still completely unbothered, she kept her easygoing attitude.

Scratching his cheek, Ihan decided to humor her.

“...It wasn’t anything special.”

He figured it wouldn’t hurt to play along with the whims of an unpredictable Aura Master.

“At first, I thought you really were Arno. But as we spoke, something started to feel... off.”

“What was it?”

“The muscles.”

“...?”

“Friends and lovers may betray you, but muscles never lie. And yours were different from Arno’s in several ways.”

He crossed his arms.

“I personally oversaw the conditioning of Arno’s body through interval training. His arms, legs, shoulders, and back—I built all of it. He’s my work. If I couldn’t recognize the difference, I’d have no right to call myself an instructor.”

“......”

“Of course, even after realizing it, I chose to play along. You didn’t seem to have any ill intent, and I didn’t smell any blood. So I figured it was just a prank.”

He sighed.

“...But at some point, you started exerting your presence on me. From every direction, waves of intent kept crashing down, and I couldn’t even tell where they were coming from... It was enough to make me break into a cold sweat.”

Drip.

Ihan casually pulled back his collar, revealing his soaking wet shirt.

A testament to how much he had sweated while withstanding the crushing force.

“It was terrifying.”

And he wasn’t joking.

It had been sharp, like the killing intent of a Heaven-Slaying Star-ranked spearman—akin to being stung by a wasp hundreds of times per second.

Even elite mercenaries and knights would crumble under such pressure.

And, to put it into perspective—

“I lasted about thirty minutes before I felt like I was dying. So I figured I should ask you to stop.”