30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 26

The Squire Tradition is notorious.

Why is it so infamous?

It's simple: because the absurdity of it is staggering.

It started as a title given to the apprentices taken in by freelance knights. But nowadays, who would want to become an apprentice to a freelance knight?

They are nothing more than criminals, masquerading as knights.

Yet, naïve boys from rural villages often fall for the sweet words of these so-called freelance knights, eagerly accepting the offer to become their apprentices.

Thus begins a life of slavery under the guise of being a squire.

Cleaning, laundry, cooking—those are a given.

They must also earn money for their knight’s entertainment and sometimes take out loans in their name to maintain the knight’s dignity.

So, many squires end up as debtors.

Most try to escape before that happens, but not everyone succeeds.

After all, a freelance knight is still a knight, and these thugs have no qualms about killing people.

That’s why the freelance knight system was abolished.

No one was worse than them.

Yet, strangely enough, the squire system wasn’t abolished.

The nobles claim it’s the freelance knights who were the problem, not the knights from prestigious families.

...What a load of crap.

I’ve seen those prestigious knights, and their squires are treated worse than servants...

Yes, I’ve seen countless scenes of them being treated as slaves.

So, whenever a clueless young lamb came asking to become a squire, I gladly offered a lesson:

“It’s not what you think it is.”

But...

“What does it mean when someone who knows all that still wants to become a squire?”

Option one, they’re crazy.

Option two, they’re a masochist who enjoys pain and suffering.

Option three, both.

...Hmm, tough call.

It’s a difficult question.

So...

“Where should I hit you?”

“Excuse me?”

“Where should I hit you to fix you? Think carefully and tell me. Since I broke you, I’ll gladly fix you.”

“...”

Crack, pop.

Ihan loosened his fist, preparing to hit the guy whether it was the back or front of his head.

If hitting him with a podium yesterday was the problem, then today he’d hit him differently.

He threw the podium in a curveball last time; maybe today he’d go with a slider?

Though this guy was a pain, he was still in the swordsmanship department.

Even if I’m just a nominal instructor, it’s my duty to knock some sense into the cadets, right?

‘If not, oh well.’

As Ihan scanned the area for a suitable rock, the guy who was still kneeling suddenly spoke.

“T-that’s not it, sir. I-I think there’s a misunderstanding. I’m not crazy!”

“You’re not crazy, yet you act like this? ...That makes it worse, doesn’t it?”

“Well, that’s...”

Even he seemed to realize his excuse was pathetic, so Demian fell silent.

Then he added,

“I-I think I misspoke.”

In his panic, he hadn’t explained the situation and just said he wanted to become a squire, so it wasn’t surprising he was treated this way.

Accepting his mistake, Demian offered further explanation.

“My father—I mean, the head of the family—ordered me to assist Sir Ihan.”

“...?”

...Why?

Ihan tilted his head in confusion.

...He had heard many things.

Rumors that the Count had changed overnight, that the knights who used to raise their voices at him were now walking on eggshells, and that the Count’s eldest son was living in a frozen atmosphere.

There were even rumors that the elders had taken it upon themselves to straighten out the family’s discipline.

The youngest son, who tarnished the family’s reputation, had been removed from the family registry.

And there were whispers that, to return to the family, he needed to be forgiven by a certain knight.

A lot of things had been said, but in the end...

“If you want forgiveness, either cut off your disrespectful tongue or bring me the head of the knight who dared to challenge me. Do that, and I’ll forgive you.”

“...”

“You can choose either one.”

“...”

“If you don’t like it, then get lost. Just looking at you disgusts me.”

Ihan spat those words with cold contempt, as if he’d expected this all along.

...At that moment.

“I-I’ll cut it off.”

“...What?”

“I-I’ll cut off my tongue. If that’s enough to make me your squire, I’ll do it.”

“...”

“I’ll take your silence as agreement.”

Swick.

Suddenly, Demian pulled out a pair of scissors he had been carrying.

They were quite sharp, and he immediately aimed them at...!

Thud!

“Gahk!”

“If you cut it off without thinking, you could bleed to death. What, are you trying to make me a murderer?”

“Gahk! Ugh!”

Though Demian had been kicked in the face, he struggled to his feet.

But Ihan, without a hint of apology, continued speaking.

“Tch, didn’t your family teach you even this much?”

“...Who would teach me that?”

Demian answered in a muffled voice.

His mouth was filling with blood because part of his tongue had been cut.

Seeing this, Ihan tossed him a low-grade healing potion he carried for emergencies.

“Can I... can I drink this?”

Demian, caught off guard, looked at the bottle, and Ihan nodded.

“...Thank you.”