30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?!-Chapter 253: The Obvious Story He Wants to Hear (1)

There are days like that,

Where the sky is exceptionally clear, the breeze is cool, and the sunlight is warm, creating an unbelievably cozy atmosphere.

For some, it's the perfect day for exercise, and for others, a day to enjoy a book on a bench or have a picnic in the park.

It's refreshingly pleasant, but—

Thud... thud...

For someone, it might be the kind of weather that doesn’t care about their feelings at all.

Knights and soldiers surrounded a woman, pointing swords and spears at her.

The woman had already bled profusely, with no part of her unscathed.

If anyone were to witness this, they would scold the men for dishonoring their honor and oppressing a woman, but those who remembered the screams of comrades who died at this woman's hands would have instead beaten down those who criticized them.

The source of this c𝓸ntent is frёeweɓηovel.coɱ.

This woman was no weakling.

"Speaking with the enemy like this is dishonorable, and I owe my fallen comrades an apology, but I must ask: How is it that one who once held the rank of your lieutenant general betrayed us?"

"...Asking for the reason now is foolish. If you’re going to kill me, do it without hesitation. My sword will aim for your necks without mercy."

"......"

Swish!

Despite trembling, the knights, with a sigh, gathered their resolve and faced the woman.

"Don’t hesitate."

It seemed like he was speaking to a fellow knight, but his words were a reminder to himself as he unsheathed his sword. The other knights followed suit, without hesitation.

Once a loyal retainer of Offen, she now stood before them as the one who had betrayed the family and threatened its head.

"...A damn resilient life."

Her name was Elza.

***

Thud.

"?"

Suddenly, a notebook appeared on the table, and Ihan, who had been eating ten paninis like they were dessert, tilted his head.

"What’s this?"

"It’s Elza’s diary. The family servants found it," said Iliad.

"I’m not really one for reading other people's diaries."

"Neither am I. But I had no choice. I had to know why she betrayed the family."

"Is that so?"

Ihan shrugged but didn’t seem particularly interested, returning to his panini.

Each one had different fillings, and the freshness of the ingredients made them incredibly delicious.

Also,

‘The best food is always made by someone else.’

The fact that it was free made it all the more comforting.

"...Haha."

Ihan’s lack of curiosity left Iliad flabbergasted.

After all, it was Ihan who had resolved the current situation, and yet he showed no interest in it.

Was it visible on his face?

"I’m not disinterested in other people’s matters. It’s just that I already know what happened."

"You already know?"

"There are five main reasons why traitors betray: money, love, revenge, jealousy."

"...One of those doesn’t apply here."

"The last one is simple. ‘Just because.’ Humans are like that, right? If they think they can get away with it or that they can make a power move, they just do it. They act on instinct."

"Instinct..."

"Yeah, it’s ‘survival of the fittest.’ If someone looks weak, you go after them. It’s the logic of beasts, but humans are no different. It’s pretty simple."

"......."

"So, I don’t really care about the reason. Betrayal? The ones who betray were always going to do it. And, while I listed five reasons, those are just the grand ideals behind it. The real reason is that people get angry when they’ve been betrayed. But in the end, it’s a failed betrayal. When that happens, you just mock the traitors until your anger is gone. Don’t overthink it. Overthinking only makes your heart sick."

"...I see. So, this is how you think?"

"Don’t take it too seriously. After all, it’s just some nonsense from a kid who hasn’t even lived as long as you."

"Haha! I wonder if anyone would dare call you a kid, Ihan."

"Surprisingly, a lot of people do."

"Ha ha ha!"

Cough...!

Iliad laughed heartily, but soon stifled his laughter with a cough.

"You should calm down. Your body’s still not fully recovered."

"...It seems I can’t even laugh properly."

That assessment of his condition seemed to be a rather generous one.

Iliad’s body was in a terrible state.

It was as if his body had lost all strength, and he missed the days when he couldn’t use his legs more than anything.

He was in a state similar to someone who had been in a vegetative state for over three years, only recently waking up.

His hands shook so violently it could be called a severe tremor, and his pale complexion made him look like a sickly person.

His muscles seemed to have disappeared entirely, leaving only bones, and his vision was incredibly blurred.

It wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed right # Nоvеlight # now.

Still...

"...If I think of it as the price for surviving, then I guess it’s worth it."

"......."

"Thank you again, Ihan."

...For saving this foolish life.

Iliad’s heartfelt gratitude was clear, and Ihan scratched his cheek, somewhat embarrassed.

"...I just beat you up."

"And that’s what I’m thankful for."

"......"

"Oh, that was probably a bit misleading, haha."

"......"

Ihan wondered, Why are you so happy about it?

Had he hit him too hard?

Ihan regretted not being gentler with him.

He felt as if he’d ruined a perfectly fine person...

***

The Offen Rebellion that took place from dawn until the rise of the morning sun was suppressed in a relatively short period of time, just 9 hours.

It was all thanks to the actions of a single knight, yet this fact didn’t make much of an impact in the kingdom.

The rebellion was short-lived, and with the presence of an aura user, it was naturally expected to be resolved quickly.

However, the aura user...

"Was completely useless..."

!!

"Did I say something wrong?"

"You're a cruel one, aren't you?"

The irony was that he had been of no help at all.

Even if this truth were revealed, he would never step forward. He didn’t want to attract attention for such an event.

Yet, despite outward calm, the higher-ups had a great interest in this incident.

"Gardin’s a traitor?! The one who was once ranked as the kingdom’s White Sword... he?!"

"A knight caused mana corruption on purpose?! What nonsense is this?!"

"Again, a group of heretics! What grudge do these people have against the kingdom to keep repeating such madness?!"

Thus, once again, it was a group of heretics...

The Crimson Cross faction was said to have plotted to devour Offen, and the incident involving Iliad’s forced mana corruption caused unease and fear in noble society.

Especially among the knights who had learned martial arts as a necessity.

"So it was the tea."

"Definitely some kind of drug in there. But what kind of drug?"

"...This is ominous."

The cup of tea that the traitor Elza had given to Iliad contained a substance that even the kingdom’s alchemists had never seen before.

Some of the ingredients were identified, but others were entirely unheard of. The alchemists affirmed that this concoction was the one that triggered mana corruption in the knight’s heart.

Since it was a rare substance, it was assumed that the quantity was limited, but that didn’t calm the nobles’ growing anxiety.

Instead, the focus was on the fact that enemies had access to such a dangerous means to turn them into mana creatures.

"Well, nobles are just cowards, their perspective is too narrow."

"I think it’s more accurate to say they have limited vision, Kunta."

"Yeah, that’s it."

"I get what you’re trying to say, but isn’t it safe to say only Master could pull off such a feat?"

"...I suppose that’s true."

But not all the nobles were pessimistic, for there was hope based on a rare case where a mana creature had been restored to human form.

Still, as Levi put it,

"It’s only possible because it’s you, Master. How could anyone else destroy and protect the heart at the same time? And even after destruction, restoring it immediately is a huge task. Without an aura user, it would be impossible to restore it."

While destroying the heart might be possible, restoring it was generally an impossible feat.

A true aura user with life force like Taihe might be able to restore a heart and bring someone close to death back to life, but for an ordinary human, such feats were impossible.

Thus, a substitute for the aura user was necessary, and that solution was...

"Something like a 90% pure potion, or an equivalent elixir. One that boosts regeneration and healing power."

Obtaining 90% pure troll blood, which was practically impossible to find on the market, would be a difficult task even for the greatest of nobles.

"Hmm, looks like we’ll have to invest some money."

With this development, potion and elixir prices were expected to rise substantially in the near future.

"When did you become a full-time investor?"

"When there’s a clear way to make money. You have to make your money during times like this."

"Even with all your money, you’re still obsessed with it."

"The more money, the better, right?"

"...I can’t argue with that."

Ihan shook his head slightly, impressed by the mindset of someone making money.

However, Ihan was more interested in something else, even if there was a big way to make money.

"So, do you think you can treat him?"

"......."

"Is that so?"

"You haven’t said anything, but I can tell from your expression. Don’t make that face. It’s not your fault."

"......Sorry for not being helpful."

Even though it wasn’t his fault, the way he blamed himself made Ihan think that this kid must have had a tough life.

‘Life isn’t easy.’

Ihan shook his head as he thought of the greatest physician he knew, who had given Iliad a ‘no recovery’ diagnosis.

He genuinely wanted to help...

"Well, if you had something like the pure blood of the royal family, maybe it could be treated..."

"......Why are you looking at me if you need that?"

"Just thought it might be similar to you or the royal family, Master..."

"......."

"Or maybe... you’d consider donating 2000mL of blood?"

"......."

"Master? Why the axe all of a sudden?"

"I think Taechang needs a little correction from a club."

"!!?"

Ihan, with a mischievous grin, raised the club to correct his overly enthusiastic disciple.

A love tap, laden with a sense of a master’s kindness.