30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 262

The moment Irene’s magic rained down, the tide of battle shifted entirely in their favor. The goblins, now not just being defeated but outright slaughtered, began to flee.

Of course...

“Chase them down! Make sure they’re dead!!”

“If we let them live, they’ll come back to haunt us...!”

“Charge!!”

There was no way they could escape from veteran mercenaries, masters of pursuit.

The goblin horde was already as good as annihilated, and Roen’s sword slowly came to a stop.

“Whew, this is exhausting.”

“It would be. You’ve cut down over a thousand of them alone.”

“If I want to keep the cadets from getting hurt, I have to put in the effort.”

“...You do realize you’re a cadet too, right?”

“I’m not exactly in the same position as them, am I?”

“......”

Jack wanted to crack a joke, but he couldn’t even form the words in his mind.

It was no wonder.

Drip. Drip.

Only his sword was stained with blood—not a single drop had splattered onto his clothes or body.

The sight alone was overwhelming.

‘Master’s swordplay is becoming more and more refined...’

An overwhelming mastery of the blade, so honed and precise that it was hard to believe he was the same age as the other cadets.

Watching him, it was as if he was merely retracing a path he had already walked before—his swordplay growing ever more polished and lethal.

“Master, you could’ve taken out all eight thousand of them by yourself, couldn’t you?”

“What makes you think that?”

“Just from what I’ve seen, I can’t shake the feeling that you were holding back.”

“......”

“So I was right...”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“A silent affirmation is still an affirmation.”

“...You’ve gotten a lot more talkative since we came to the capital.”

Roen neither confirmed nor denied it, but Jack was convinced—his master could have wiped out the goblin horde single-handedly.

And yet, he had chosen to keep the mercenaries and cadets at the forefront.

All because...

‘He wants them to grow stronger.’

Specifically, the cadets.

Roen Dmitri de Lionel possessed a Mystic ability similar to foresight.

Perhaps that was why he always acted with the future in mind—exposing corruption among nobles, tracking down criminals who had been in hiding for decades.

He truly was an incredible man.

But...

‘Sometimes, he takes things too far.’

There were moments when he lost control, when his usual rationality vanished, and he would lash out in uncontrollable fury.

As if, due to his ability, he had already experienced future tragedies firsthand and was raging against them in advance.

Fortunately, aside from such rare cases, Roen was calm and composed, always prioritizing the growth of others over his own personal glory.

Like right now.

‘He sees their growth as an investment in the future.’

A generation trained in Muscle Arts rather than Aura Techniques.

Roen poured his resources into nurturing warriors from the lower classes, hoping they would be the ones to usher in a new era.

“Even the mercenaries were just part of a bigger plan to aid their growth. If word got out, there’d be quite an uproar.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Jack.”

Once again, Roen neither confirmed nor denied it.

But the faint smile on his lips told Jack all he needed to know.

‘I admire my master’s cold logic... but I like this side of him even more.’

Because in this moment, Roen reminded him of their Instructor.

‘He tries to act indifferent...’

But among the cadets, no one had been influenced more deeply than him.

Roen had no time to guess what strange thoughts were running through his lieutenant’s mind.

Or rather, in any other situation, he would have immediately seen through them—but not here.

Because...

“Lord Roen.”

They weren’t alone.

“...Jeanne.”

“?”

“Oh, my apologies—Lady Levi.”

“N-No, it’s fine. Among nobles, addressing someone by their surname isn’t strange. If you prefer, you can call me that.”

“I appreciate it.”

Levi Jeanne d’Arc.

The only woman in their group whom Roen found difficult to deal with.

His expression grew slightly awkward as he faced her.

“Ahem, so what is it? Do you have a report?”

“Something like that... but I also have a question.”

“What is it?”

“......”

Levi hesitated as she looked at Roen, who seemed willing to answer anything she asked.

She had felt it before.

‘Why does he seem to admire me while also finding me difficult to deal with?’

Was she reading too much into it?

She felt a strange disconnect but chose not to dwell on it.

What mattered was getting her question answered.

“This is just a personal curiosity, but... what exactly is your goal, Lord Roen?”

“My goal?”

“Yes. With everything happening at the Grand Temple, you should be incredibly busy. And yet, you chose to personally set out on this journey.”

“......”

“I understand you had a promise with the dwarves, but... it feels like you didn’t have to come yourself. You’re already stretched so thin as it is.”

“Hm.”

“Ah, I-I’m not trying to nitpick or interrogate you! It’s just that, even if my role as commander is an honor I don’t deserve, I still think I should at least understand my employer’s objectives. If I know what you’re aiming for, I might be able to help.”

“...There’s nothing I can hide from you, is there?”

“Pardon?”

“I was just talking to myself.”

“??”

Roen swallowed a bitter smile.

‘She’s already seeing through me like this?’

He hadn’t said a word, yet she had read him just from his actions alone. Roen found himself genuinely impressed.