30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 255

After Ihan's blunt rejection, the verbal sparring continued.

“Not necessary.”

“D-Don’t say that...”

“No, I’m telling you it’s fine.”

“Ah, whyyyy!?”

“Why would I use a blowfish?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s exactly what someone like you is.”

“!!?”

It was like a contest between spear and shield, but from a third-party's perspective, it was utterly absurd.

Receiving a blank promise from an aura user—it felt like a deception, something so clearly detested that it almost seemed manipulative.

However, the person involved never intended to deceive and was speaking only from the heart.

...The aura user who’d returned to the world was like a child holding a bomb, with absolute conviction.

Pure evil, no different from an overwhelming danger.

“If I get involved with you, it’s because I don’t want the trouble, so I’ll pass, alright?”

“You’re such a cruel child.”

“Cruel? I think you’re the cruel one.”

“......”

“Why are you choking up again? Always trying to make me the bad guy!”

Ihan clicked his tongue at the sight of her choking up once again.

If they were any other nobles or knights, they might have been swayed by a lady’s tears. But Ihan, unless she was his woman (or close friend), saw no reason to be swayed by tears.

He was trying to maintain his firm coldness, but...

“Right, Elza said the same thing, calling me cruel... It's because I'm worthless, utterly worthless, that all of this happened...”

“?”

Suddenly, a mix of tears and complaints poured out, and Ihan tilted his head in confusion.

Why was she suddenly mentioning a traitor’s name?

“I-I’m sorry, Instructor. It’s just that, after this incident, my grandmother’s emotional instability flared up again...”

“Emotional instability? Is that another side effect of her youth-regression?”

“...Y-Yes.”

“...Worse than a blowfish, this.”

Ihan took a step back.

It was exactly the kind of person he didn't want to get any closer to...

***

“-I never imagined that Elza would harbor such feelings. But to me, that child was nothing more than a friend and comrade.”

I don’t really care.

“From the first time she owed me her life, she became strangely devoted, always guarding my back. Even when we left the battlefield and became adventurers, she supported me. When I returned to the family, she helped me greatly. Did you know? In this family, many of her disciples still exist. She was also good at being a maid, but her sword skills were even better. If you judged her by skill and talent, she was on par with Gardin.”

Really...

“Oh, speaking of Gardin, he wasn’t so corrupt when he was younger. Even though he hated me, we competed in good faith, and at times, he even supported me. If I hadn’t gained fame across the continent, I’m sure Gardin would have been the heir of Offen. ...Looking back, I think I made a mistake by inheriting Offen. I didn’t want Gardin’s position or have any great ambitions. I just wanted to live peacefully and train my sword, but... hmm... now that I think about it, I have many regrets.”

What’s the point of telling me this?

“Also, among the two traitors this time, they were cute when they were young. So cute, in fact—”

...When will this end?

“Is this normal?”

“When emotional instability starts, it’ll be like this for a while. As long as the source of stress isn’t removed, she’ll stay like this.”

“Is it serious? Should we run away now?”

“You don’t need to worry. She talks a lot more, but she won’t cause any harm. Actually, while my rejuvenated grandmother is playful and a bit clueless, she doesn’t harm anyone. She just gets really annoying with all the long-winded talk.”

“...You little wolf, do you dislike your grandmother?”

“I respect her, but on a personal level...”

“......”

...It seems like family isn’t something you can just blindly approve of.

“You’re going through a lot.”

“Not really.”

“You have a troublesome grandmother, a father who causes trouble with food, and a cousin who starts rebellions—don’t you?”

“...When you put it that way, I guess it is a bit troublesome.”

“I, Ihan, am here too, you know...”

Iliad, who had been called a troublemaking father, awkwardly reacted, but no one paid attention, continuing their conversation in silence.

“So, what are you going to do now? Take a leave of absence? Or drop out?”

“Me?”

“Are you going to keep attending the academy? You’ve got family matters to settle, and you’re pretty busy, aren’t you?”

“True, but I don’t plan on taking a leave or dropping out. My family’s affairs will be sorted out soon enough, since my father and grandmother are behind me. Offen’s strength doesn’t come from one genius; it comes from the countless disciples who contribute.”

“Oh?”

“It may sound arrogant, but with Offen’s influence, we could call on over ten thousand people for help. After all, more than 150,000 swordsmen have risen through the Offen swordsmanship school.”

“...You guys are no joke.”

“Well, most of them are scattered, so it doesn’t affect our military strength.”

Ihan nodded as though it was best not to worry about the nobility, or the Pendragon family’s prestigious house.

‘No weaklings among these aristocrats.’

It felt like every major family, except for the royal family, had terrifying reserves of strength.

Maybe the rumors about Pendragon’s true military power coming from the major families weren’t far off.

‘Though, I’m sure the royal family has its own secrets.’

You can’t judge everything based on appearances.

“Also...”

“Hmm?”

Ihan’s thoughts were interrupted by the determined gaze directed at him.

The little wolf, Arno, was staring at him with bright eyes.

“I want to learn more from you. Your way, no one else’s.”

“......”

“For that reason, I’ll call you ‘Master’ from now on. I would call you ‘Sifu,’ but I think Lady Levi would get jealous if I did.”

“I’m not really the type of person who should be called ‘Master.’”

“To me, you are the most ideal and greatest knight.”

“......”

“My goal is you, Master.”

“...Well then.”

He certainly knew how to flatter.

Must be a noble thing.

But...

“Instructor, you’re smiling.”

“...Punishment. Stand up straight.”

As he had been told, Ihan unknowingly smiled, and Arno, as if emboldened by his own words, felt encouraged.

To have someone take you as their goal...

‘It feels kind of good.’

Becoming someone’s master enriches the heart in ways you never expect.

***

Ihan, feeling a sense of pride as he thought about his disciple declaring his desire to become a formal disciple, briefly entertained a thought: Should I make him bow for respect too?

“That’s wonderful. My son is getting a teacher, and that teacher is someone I would even want to take as my own master,” he said, a touch of sincerity in his voice.

“You sure know how to flatter,” Ihan replied.

“I’m not flattering you. This is my true feeling,” came the earnest response.

“...You two are so alike.”

He certainly knew how to make people feel embarrassed.

Ihan felt his face heat up at the genuine compliment, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled.

“By the way, you speak as if you’ve never had a teacher.”

“That’s correct. I never really had a teacher. I learned the basic martial techniques, but everything else was mostly self-taught,” he explained.

“Ah, this is what they mean when they talk about geniuses...”

“Haha, I won’t deny that, but if I were to offer an excuse, I’d say that even just looking at swordsmanship books, I learned most of the basics. The few who tried to teach me ended up giving up in less than two days.”