30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 245

... Ihan had many questions.

What could have possibly happened in the five hours he had been away from the estate?

And why—

“...are you in such a ragged state, Kunta?”

“C-Coach, be gentle with the healing. Kunta hurts a lot.”

“Stop whining.”

After roughly bandaging him up and thoroughly soaking the wrappings with a potion, Kunta’s expression relaxed noticeably.

It wasn’t the kind of injury that could heal with just this level of treatment, but as expected of a Barbarian—

With their naturally superior physical constitution, his recovery was swift.

“Feeling better now?”

“Kunta is fine. But I need to return to Arno and Kuma right away. They’re in danger.”

“...Tell me exactly what happened first.”

“The kids are in danger right now. They’ve been captured. And those guys said... If I didn’t bring you, they’d do something terrible to them!”

“Those guys?”

“They were strange. Their pupils were weird, and their skin looked unnatural. But most of all—they were unbelievably strong!”

“......”

Ihan had a bad feeling he knew exactly who Kunta was describing.

‘Demi-Fiends?’

The traits Kunta pointed out matched those of the Demi-Fiends.

Those who consumed special elixirs made from monster flesh to obtain the power of the "Fiend."

Ihan’s expression hardened instantly, yet something about this felt off.

Something was... strange.

“The Swordmaster?”

“I don’t know. At least, when they were threatening Kunta, she wasn’t anywhere in sight.”

“...What is that woman doing?”

Even with the presence of a great warrior like the Swordmaster, the fact that the Demi-Fiends were freely running rampant, capturing Arno and using Kunta as a pawn to deliver their threat—it didn’t add up.

Even if she lacked humanity, her strength wasn’t something that could simply be ignored.

“......”

Suddenly—

“Iliad. What happened to him?”

“Hm? Arno’s father? No idea. I... didn’t see him...?”

“......”

Smack!

Ihan reflexively slapped his forehead.

A dreadful possibility flashed through his mind.

‘Did they target her only weakness?’

If—if those bastards had taken the Swordmaster’s blood kin hostage...

Then...

“...Haah, those insane lunatics. Are they trying to drag everyone down with them?”

Ihan clenched his fists.

Demi-Fiends? No, the cult behind them—those bastards were completely insane.

They had been quiet for some time, and now they were pulling this kind of insane move...

“Lower than beasts...”

Ihan was furious.

That the Offen estate had been attacked? He didn’t care.

He had only been there for two weeks—what did it matter to him if they were attacked or not?

But the ones who had been captured were different.

Levi, who had been training at the Offen estate.

Arno, who had been assisting her.

Kunta, who had been with them.

Those three were his disciples. His people.

And the fact that someone had dared to lay hands on his disciples—

Ihan’s brow furrowed so deeply that the veins bulged from his forehead, his irritation and fury reaching a boiling point.

“C-Coach...”

“...Coach is scarier...”

The sheer pressure radiating from him crushed the air around them, weighing down on the ground itself.

“...Who are the bastards that did this? The ones who hurt you?”

“......”

“Those fuckers are dead.”

“Coach...”

Ihan stared at the bloodied and injured Kunta.

Moved, Kunta’s voice trembled—

“T-This injury... It’s from taking a shortcut and rolling off a cliff. N-Not from an enemy attack.”

“......”

“B-But still... Thanks, Coach. For getting mad on Kunta’s behalf. If you want... I can show you the cliff?”

“......”

“Coach?”

“...Get down.”

“??”

“Get down, head on the ground, you bastard.”

“...Kunta is a patient?”

“So?”

“......How should I do it?”

Barbarians might be slow on the uptake, but they were quick to catch on.

...Especially when forced.

***

Meanwhile, the Offen estate was silent.

If Kunta’s words were accurate, the situation should have been on the verge of a battle. And yet, the eerie stillness was enough to set one’s nerves on edge.

Like the quiet before a storm.

A suffocating silence, thick with the prelude to bloodshed.

And within that silence—

“Sir Ali. Sir Mohan. I never expected you two to fall so far.”

Arno glared at the men surrounding them, his fierce eyes gleaming like those of a wolf.

“Haha, you still call us ‘Sir’?”

“Such composure even in this situation. Haha, impressive. At your age, I was nothing but a reckless fool. To control your emotions so well—you truly have the makings of a great swordsman. A blessing to the Offen family.”

Grit!

Hearing them dare to utter praise for the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Offen family made Arno grit his teeth unconsciously.

Ali and Mohan.

Normally, they weren’t stationed at the estate.

They were the captain and vice-captain of the Offen hunting corps, responsible for keeping monsters at bay in the dangerous forests beyond the estate’s walls.

Their skills were equivalent to that of the family’s elite knights. They were descendants of retainers who had served the household for generations.

Loyal men. Respected swordsmen.

And yet, this...

“What on earth possessed you to turn to such vile power? Why align yourselves with heretics...?”

Ali and Mohan looked grotesque.

Their eyes had turned white as if afflicted by albinism. Their skin had erupted with rough, unnatural protrusions.

They looked less like humans and more like monsters.

It was unmistakable.

They had undergone [Demonization].

Arno knew that once Demonization was complete, there was no turning back.

And so, alongside his fury, there was... pity.

That these men—who had dedicated their lives to the sword—had now crossed an irreversible threshold into corruption.

“...Do you pity us? Even in this situation?”

“You’re still soft, Young Master. Well, I suppose the Head of the Household was never particularly strict.”

“......”

“Young Master?”

Arno remained silent.

He had no intention of continuing this conversation.

Instead, he turned—

“...My apologies, Lady Levi. For displaying such disgrace from my family before a guest.”

“No need to apologize. I came to the Offen estate to train. This is merely an extension of that. More importantly, how are you holding up? It must be painful to see your family’s swordsmen betray you...”

“You worry about others even in this situation?”

“It’s not like we’re in any real danger. We’re just detained, aren’t we? I went through worse when I was with the Folt family, you know? Haha.”

“...I apologize.”

Realizing he had touched upon a painful past, Arno quickly apologized.

But rather than being upset, Levi chuckled softly.

As if it was all in the past.

“It’s fine. I’ll never have to see them again anyway. But the real question is—who orchestrated this? Judging by the circumstances, it seems like that heretical organization everyone’s been whispering about is involved... but I doubt they’re the only ones.”