30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?!-Chapter 223: The Knight Reflects on Defeat (2)
The day after the Great Incident, discussions and debates filled the halls of the Academy.
“The temple has fallen. And not just one, but all across the South... simultaneously. It still feels like a dream.”
“Exactly. But at least they caught the terrorists. I can’t believe they were just commoners.”
“It’s terrifying. How could they commit such an atrocity?”
“...Well, I don’t think it’s that simple. Weren’t they victims too? It almost feels like justified vengeance—”
“Hah! And you actually believe those ridiculous rumors?!”
“Why shouldn’t I? The temple’s corruption wasn’t exactly a secret.”
“You—!?”
The news of the Grand Temple’s destruction, along with the coordinated attacks on various regional temples, had spread with unnatural speed.
Almost as if it had been planned.
Even the newspapers had immediate reports, already prepared with details of the attacks—the motives, the background, and the events that led up to them.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
Alongside them, the temple’s darkest secrets were laid bare.
Some cried, “Propaganda! A conspiracy!” while others scoffed, “So it was true all along? Hah! I knew it!”
And it wasn’t just commoners who had suffered under the temple’s oppression.
Many nobles and knights, especially those from impoverished families, had their own bitter history with the clergy.
The wealthy and well-connected quickly verified the reports. Some nobles had the time and resources to dig into the truth, while the information guilds had their own ways of confirming what was real and what wasn’t.
And so—
“A duel, you say?! How dare you insult the Light’s glory!”
“You, you blind fool! The evidence is overwhelming! The temple is not the Light—it is merely a representative of it! And after this, they have lost the right to be God’s emissaries!”
“You bastard—!!”
In the South, where over 80% of the population were followers of the Light, the divide was sharp.
Some refused to believe the temple could ever be at fault. To them, faith was absolute, and no act of corruption could outweigh the temple’s role as a beacon of the Light.
Others saw the temple as nothing more than a self-serving organization, separate from the true teachings of the Light.
Fights broke out everywhere—not just among students, but between instructors, professors, and even Academy officials.
No—to be precise—
“Damn nobles! They only act like this because they weren’t the ones suffering!”
“Whose side are you on?!”
“What, am I wrong?!”
“You—!!”
This was not just an Academy issue.
It was chaos across the entire kingdom.
An Uncharacteristically Silent Place
Yet, despite all the uproar, there was one place in the Academy that remained eerily silent.
“......”
[Silence.]
The Fencing Department.
“Uh... s-someone say something.”
“W-what are we supposed to say?”
“The instructor... he looks pissed. I feel like he’ll kill us if we even breathe wrong.”
“...Kunta, you might be the wisest person I’ve ever met.”
“Kunta has always been wise.”
“......”
It wasn’t that no one wanted to talk.
Even among the fencing students, there were plenty who had opinions about the situation.
But their respected instructor sat in a strange posture, completely silent, and no one dared to speak.
They could all tell—
He was in a truly foul mood.
And when a man of his caliber was in a bad mood, today might very well be the day their limbs were torn off.
And so, out of sheer survival instinct, they all focused on training in total silence.
While the entire kingdom was embroiled in conflict, these young swordsmen enjoyed a forced period of peace, dictated by sheer terror.
Maybe true peace really did come from overwhelming strength and fear.
And the man teaching them this valuable lesson?
“......”
Their instructor sat cross-legged, eyes closed in meditation.
Until—
Sigh.
A girl stepped forward.
Among the 80 students, she looked the smallest, weakest—
And yet, she was the only one with the courage to approach him.
“Um... Master?”
Levi Jeanne d’Arc took a hesitant step toward her instructor.
“......What is it?”
He responded a beat later than usual.
His voice was low, as if he were deep in thought.
For most, his natural aura of pressure would have made them back away, but Levi was no ordinary girl.
“...I just thought... you might be troubled by something.”
“......”
“So... I just wanted to talk to you. Because... holding everything in by yourself is really painful, isn’t it?”
“......”
“I-I know someone like me isn’t much help, but... I want to share your burdens, Master.”
“......”
For a moment, the instructor remained still, his eyes closed.
And then—
“—Ha.”
A twisted, lopsided smile curled on his lips.
“D-don’t laugh! I-I know it sounds silly, but...”
Levi’s face turned red.
She felt embarrassed, afraid that she had overstepped.
But—
“...You’re right. Troubles should be shared.”
“......Huh?”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I know what I need to do now.”
“M-Master?”
She blinked up at him as he finally turned to face her.
“I’ll be stepping out for a bit. Today’s training will be self-directed.”
“Huh?!”
“Also, leave the paperwork and Academy tasks to Assistant Instructor No.1.”
“U-understood, sir!”
Levi brightened at his words, answering cheerfully.
It had been a while since she had seen him smile.
And when he smiled—he was the most reliable person in the world.
He disappeared swiftly, and Levi watched his back with a warm expression.
“Instructor, you have a meeting to attend—huh?! Where did he go?!”
“He left. Said he had something to do.”
“S-SOMETHING TO DO?! HE HAS A MEETING!!”
“Oh, he also said to leave all the extra work to Instructor Damien.”
“......”
“Well then, I should get back to training...”
“..........”
She walked off to grab her wooden sword.
Because she needed to train harder.
“I have to become stronger.”
Someday—
She wanted to stand behind her Master, to support him as he had supported her.
She was still weak.
But her determination was unshakable—like an unyielding tree, growing ever taller.
“AAAGH!! THAT GODDAMN MAN!! JUST ONE PUNCH—PLEASE, LET ME HIT HIM JUST ONCE—!!”
As the Assistant Instructor wailed in despair, Levi swung her sword once more.
To become stronger.
***
Ihan moved forward.
Huff!
With his hesitation gone, there was no one who could stop him.
Even those who wanted to block his path hesitated under the sheer force of his presence.
His strides grew faster and faster, until he was practically sprinting down the streets.
The world around him blurred, background scenery shifting in a blink—
Until—
Thud.
“Sir Turtle?”
“Long time no see.”
“What brings you here today...?”
“Not important. I’m going in.”
“Wha—?”
“Good work.”
“Uh...?”
By all rights, the Royal Palace Guard Captain should have stopped him.
After the chaos that had broken out yesterday, Ihan was supposed to be banned from the palace for a while.
But neither the Captain nor the guards did anything to stop him.
They could only watch, dumbfounded, as he strode inside.
Huff!
Exhaling sharply, Ihan passed through the palace gates and arrived at his true workplace.
The Third Order of the Silver Knights.
As always, the area was filled with knights, standing at attention, training, or discussing official duties.
And the moment Ihan appeared—
“Wh-why the hell is he here?!”
“???”
“Hiiik!”
No, they hadn’t seen a plague demon.
But from their reactions, they might as well have.
Especially those who had been on the receiving end of his fists before.
Strangely, even the new recruits, who had barely interacted with him, quickly averted their eyes.
Normally, there would be some muttering, a few knights glaring at him, maybe even a snide remark or two.
But today, there was only silence.
Even Jake and Yord, the few knights he was actually on good terms with, were nowhere to be seen.
Then—
“—Hoh, did your homing instinct suddenly activate? What brings you to me without even being summoned?”
A middle-aged man appeared behind him, moving with a light, effortless gait.
At first glance, he looked frail, the kind of man who could barely swing a staff.
But among the knights—
No, among the entire continent—
There was not a single fool who would dare to underestimate this man.
Because he was—
“I never said I came here to see you, old man. Bit full of yourself, aren’t you?”
“Full of myself? You’re the one walking around leaking killing intent like a damn wildfire. At least control it. Can’t you see how scared everyone is?”
“......”
“Hah. Still ignoring me, as always. You ungrateful brat.”
Baltar Grace.
The greatest knight in the continent.
A one-man army.
A living legend, revered and feared as one of the most powerful Aura Masters alive.
And Ihan—
“...Fine. I’ll be honest. You were right—I did come here because I have some questions.”
“And yet you come radiating bloodlust?”
“I need answers. But more than that, I need to vent.”
“Oh? And what exactly do you expect me to do about that?”
“Sorry, but I need this. If I don’t, I think I’m going to lose my mind.”
“Lose your mind? Hah. Now that’s serious.”
Baltar gave him a warm smile.
The kind of smile that almost made you think he was about to hand you pocket money—
Instead—
“Well. There’s only one way to deal with a mad dog.”
Thwack.
A flick to the forehead.
A gentle, almost playful flick.
It looked harmless—just a light tap.
But—
BOOM—!!
It was anything but.
CRASH!
“R-run!!”
“H-he’s crazy!!”
Ihan was sent flying.
Not just flying—he spun like a windmill, flipping over dozens of times per second—
Until—
KA-BOOM!
His body slammed into the fortress wall, embedding itself deep inside.
A flick.
A single flick.
A move so insane that it shouldn’t even be physically possible.
And yet, Baltar only chuckled.
“Hah. You actually let yourself get hit? You must have really needed that.”
“......The hell?”
No one knew who had spoken.
All the knights stood there, gaping like idiots.
Then—
CRACK!
The wall crumbled.
A loud rupture echoed through the air as stone and rubble collapsed around him.
Instinctively, the knights took a step back.
Step.
Step.
Through the dust and debris, something emerged.
A beast.
A creature whose fierce, predatory gaze sent shivers down their spines.
A mad beast, uncontrollable and untamed.
And that beast—
“—I’m serious today.”
CRACKLE.
His entire body radiated with a monstrous, ghostly Aura, like flames rising from hell itself.
Baltar sighed.
“And when, exactly, were you ever not serious?”
He gestured casually.
As if to say, “Come at me whenever you’re ready.”
And the beast—
The mad beast that had been searching for an outlet—
Grinned.
Like it had finally found the right place.
BOOM—!!
With enough force to shatter mountains, the beast charged at the legend.
