30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?!-Chapter 275: A Knight Fears People More Than Ghosts 2 (5)

“......”

"Wow, truly impressive. I thought we had some kind of bond after all this time, but I guess you had no problem betraying me so cruelly. Setting up such a vicious trap for poor, fragile me... How heartless."

“......”

Crunch.

—It was an abomination.

A sickening sense of revulsion surged through Simon’s body.

It was a purely biological rejection.

Any normal human—any living being—would feel a fundamental sense of disgust just looking at this thing.

And for Simon, the more that revulsion grew, the more self-loathing boiled up inside him.

‘I swear to God, I want to die for being such a complete moron...’

How...

‘How the hell did I let myself get fooled by this ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ monster for a whole year?!’

It was humiliating beyond belief.

***

Ten days ago.

That was when he first started feeling like something was off.

—Sir Ihan. Why aren’t you taking the twins with you?

—Huh?

—If you’re planning to infiltrate Mordred, wouldn’t it be better to have them with you? Why go alone? It seems strange.

—Ah, them? Forget it. It’s easier to move freely by myself. I’d just be distracted if I had to watch over them. Just look after them for me. I’ll compensate you.

—Ah... yes...

—What’s with that hesitant tone? Did I say something weird?

—N-No, not exactly.

It was just a short, casual conversation.

But Simon, being Simon—

The leader of the Southern Guilds, one of the sharpest minds in the kingdom—

Had instinctively begun analyzing Ihan’s words, behavior, and intent.

‘Why? Why wouldn’t he take the twins?’

‘Wait... before that... did Sir Ihan even need the Guild in the first place?’

His thoughts started spiraling.

‘Sir Ihan is someone who has single-handedly tracked and wiped out hundreds of rogue mages. He’s destroyed entire large-scale slave trading organizations on his own. His tracking and combat abilities are beyond anyone else’s league.’

All the intelligence the Guild had gathered on Ihan—

‘So why would someone like that come to us for help? Why would he even need the Guild’s assistance? Just to make things more convenient? ...Is that really true?’

Doubt crept in.

‘He doesn’t trust the nobles in the capital—sure, that’s fair. He said there were spies among them, and that makes sense.’

‘But... that might not be the real reason.’

‘And besides, why would the Guild be any safer than the capital? That doesn’t make sense either.’

His thoughts expanded, branching out like cracks in glass.

‘Then why is he still cooperating with the Guild? Why did he intentionally leave some of his people behind...?’

The organizations Ihan had dismantled.

The intelligence the Guild had rapidly uncovered.

And now, the journey to Mordred.

‘...Wait a second.’

—Did we just get led to Wales?

"!!?"

Simon had nearly screamed in realization.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The impact of the thought had slammed into him like a hammer, making the back of his head tingle.

And then—

—Sir Ihan... were you protecting the Guild?

—Huh?

—There’s something inside the Guild... isn’t there?

—......

—There is, isn’t there?! A v-vamp—

Smack!

—!!

—This is why smart people are such a pain in the ass...

—......

—Seriously, how much did you figure out in those ten seconds of silence? You’re a scary bastard...

—......

—Look, I get that you’re a genius or whatever, but lower your voice and calm down.

—...Yes. I’m calm now.

—Already?

—This is nothing.

—...Damn, you’re a piece of work. No wonder someone wanted to use you.

—......

Simon felt dizzy again.

The confirmation was like a gunshot, hammering the truth into his skull.

—When did you first suspect? I was pretty careful, or so I thought.

—It wasn’t anything extraordinary.

Simon had laid out his reasoning, analyzing Ihan’s behavior and decision-making.

—With Sir Ihan’s skills, he doesn’t need the Guild’s help. But the fact that he still approached us felt unnatural.

—And that alone made you suspicious?

—That alone? No, it revealed quite a lot.

To be precise, Simon had been able to deduce it because he had already investigated Ihan in the past.

Why would someone like Ihan go out of his way to pay the Guild a commission, despite having nothing to gain?

Most people would have suspected that he had ulterior motives—that he was plotting something against the Guild.

But if Ihan wanted to, he could crush the Guild without needing some elaborate scheme.

In other words, Ihan had no reason to plot against them.

Which meant that his cooperation with the Guild wasn’t about using them—it was about protecting them.

And right now, the only person targeting the Guild was—

—The monster you’re hunting.

—Watch your mouth. There are ears everywhere.

—Don’t worry. Even if someone hears us, I’ll be the only one who dies.

—...You have a bad habit of throwing yourself into danger.

—I lived on the streets. It’s how I survived.

—Tsk. Words have a way of becoming reality.

—Hah, sorry about that.

After a brief scolding that wasn’t entirely unpleasant, Simon wiped the sweat off his brow and turned back to him.

—Sir Ihan.

—What?

*—If my reasoning is correct, that monster has infiltrated our Guild in disguise. But even now, I can’t recall a single person who seemed suspicious. Not one. And that’s coming from me.

Simon knew his own abilities.

And Ihan, of all people, would definitely acknowledge them as well.

Yet despite having such keen intuition, Simon hadn’t found anyone even remotely suspicious.

A lesser man might have doubted Ihan’s warning at that point.

But Simon? Instead of dismissing it, he considered a different possibility.

—According to legend, that creature—no, the vampire race—possesses countless abilities. Among them is mind control, isn’t it?

—You...

—Then there’s a chance my mind was manipulated at some point.

—......

—Do you know any high-ranking mages or shamans? Someone who could remove mental interference?

—......

—Why are you looking at me like that?

—Just thinking... There really are a lot of talented people in this world.

—??

From there, things progressed quickly.

A shaman was brought in, confirming that Simon had been under mental manipulation.

Once the spell was broken, Simon realized something even worse than the fact that a vampire had infiltrated the Guild.

The realization that made him want to vomit—

“I nearly threw up. A whole year, and I never even questioned that my ‘secretary’ was a fabricated existence.”

The simple fact that—

He had never hired a secretary to begin with.

“I’m the type of guy who’d rather hire mercenaries as bodyguards than keep a secretary around. Why? Because the Guild is no place for a woman to work long-term.”

Simon wasn’t sexist.

But the reality was—Guild work was ugly.

Too many disgraceful incidents happened in their line of business—things that no woman should ever have to endure.

That’s why, ever since becoming Guildmaster, he had never taken in any female subordinates.

And even when he had hired women, it had only been under special circumstances, for short-term jobs.

Yet somehow—he had hired a woman as his personal secretary?

That wasn’t just a lapse in judgment. It was a complete rewriting of his values and personality.

“Which is why... I find that vampire absolutely disgusting. It didn’t just tamper with my memory—it altered my very identity.”

—"Oh my, but I actually liked Guild work. I found it quite entertaining."

—"Of course you did. We probably seemed like insects to you, barely worth your attention. That’s why it wasn’t hard for you."

—"That’s so mean. I thought we had something special. Aren’t you being a little cold?"

—"Go to hell, monster. You brainwash people and expect them to like you? If you had a shred of sanity, you’d march yourself to the temple and get examined. You’d probably be diagnosed as psychotic."

—"......"

—"People aren’t your goddamn playthings!"

Simon was afraid, yes.

But his rage overshadowed his fear entirely.

He was so furious it burned right through his instincts.

"You spent an entire year with a beautiful woman like me... and you’re not even a little grateful?"

"!!?"

Right.

Expecting a monster to understand human emotions was pointless.

And sure enough, the vampire—Hensel—smirked.

—"More importantly, Simon. You’ve figured out the location of Mordred’s Bidong, haven’t you? Would you mind sharing it with me? I have business there."

—"Do I look stupid enough to tell you that?"

—"Oh, you will. After all, I let you live even after you tried to roast me alive. And you know why? Because there’s still something I need from you."

—"......"

—"Oh, and by the way? You really shouldn’t put too much faith in those little mutts. They’re just puppies, after all. And that knight of yours? He’s stuck at the castle. By the time he gets here, I could have killed you ten times over."

Hensel smiled sweetly, but her entire presence exuded a thick, ominous aura.

She was making it very clear—

If he valued his life at all, if he wanted to die as a human rather than as some horrific experiment, then he had better cooperate.

Simon...

Flick.

—"......?"

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

"Eat this."

Simon flipped her off.

Hensel blinked.

—"...You’re bolder than I thought."

What was he thinking?

Did he seriously not fear death?

Hensel let out a breathless chuckle, shaking her head.

Oh well. It seemed she would just have to beat the information out of him—

Click.

—"?"

Something clicked beneath her foot.

—"You stepped on it?"

—"Yup. She stepped on it."

—"Oh, she definitely stepped on it."

—"...RUN!"

—"YEP!"

—"Hop on, old man!"

In an instant, Simon and the twins turned on their heels, sprinting away as fast as they could.

Hensel, confused for a brief moment, started to take a step forward—

FWOOOSH!

—"...Again?"

Another massive explosion erupted.

BOOOOOOM!!!

—"That man... I told him to go easy on the explosives."

From a distance, Ihan watched the towering flames rise into the sky.

It was... quite a spectacle.

—"Did he seriously plant a hundred mines?"

He had only taught Simon the basics of landmine tactics...

—"Should I consider this rapid progress... or did I just create the most dangerous bomber in history?"

...He was beginning to feel just a little concerned.