30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 228

“The sighs are getting longer.”

“......”

“Haah...”

“......”

“Haaaah...!”

“Uh, um... Lady Irene, is something wrong?”

“...Just call me Irene, Levi. And no, nothing’s wrong.”

“O-Oh, I see.”

“But...! Haah! No, never mind....”

“......”

...No matter how you looked at it, she was practically begging for attention.

It wasn’t just that she was sighing loudly for no reason—she kept throwing burdensome glances as if pleading for someone to ask what was wrong.

It was only natural for beads of cold sweat to form on Levi’s forehead.

“Poor Levi... she’s finally been caught in that snare....”

“Why is she doing this in the swordsmanship training grounds of all places?”

“She probably just wants someone to talk to.”

“But why here? If she went to the magic department, she’d find plenty of people eager to talk to her.”

“The magic department is full of fanatics who practically worship Lady Irene. Apparently, that makes them too overwhelming for her.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Hm? Wait, how do you even know that?”

“...Because I got caught once and had to listen to her for five hours straight.”

“...So you’ve suffered too.”

When she first entered the academy, Irene Windler had been the object of admiration for the students in the swordsmanship department.

Being the daughter of a duke was impressive enough, but Irene Windler herself had an almost otherworldly charm that matched her noble lineage.

A fairy-like beauty with a bright, refreshing voice.

The talent of a grand mage and the skills to back it up.

And an intellect that had earned her the position of second place in academic rankings upon admission.

There wasn’t a single man who wouldn’t have fallen for a girl who possessed both beauty and intelligence in such perfection.

If not for her status as a noble, she would have likely received thousands of confessions.

...But there was one place where all admiration for her had completely cooled.

‘She’s beautiful, intelligent, and remarkable, but her personality is just...’

‘I had to keep up with her in conversation for ten whole hours last time... I never want to go through that again.’

‘Whoever ends up with her better have really sturdy eardrums.’

...It was the swordsmanship department.

At first, they had admired her just like everyone else. But after actually spending time around her, well...

‘She’s not a bad person, really. She’s not.’

It wasn’t that Irene had a bad or unpleasant personality.

She just had an extreme need for affection, talked without giving anyone a break, and—like any good mage—had a tendency for eccentric behavior.

...Which was precisely why so many had ended up retreating from her.

Some even collapsed from exhaustion and nosebleeds after spending too much time engaging in conversation with her.

‘Some things are best appreciated from afar.’

A girl whose charm only grew the less you interacted with her.

That was Irene Windler.

And as if to prove that point—

“So, listen, Levi, you have to hear this! It was four nights ago—I saw the maid and the instructor standing way too close together! I followed them around, and they were holding hands, eating together, taking strolls...! That’s a date! A date! And it just made me so mad, and jealous, and envious—I wanted to be in that position so badly...!!”

“A-Ah, I see. But Lady Leira and Master have always been close, so it’s not really—”

“No...!! Anyone else can say that, but you of all people shouldn’t! Aren’t you jealous?!”

“Huh? I just want Master to be happy, so I think it’s all fine.”

“...Gasp!”

“And besides, I wouldn’t mind being... s-second... N-No! Forget I said anything....”

“Aaaaah! Why are all the good, kindhearted women surrounding me?! I’m the only bad one! Just me...!”

[You are so embarrassing, Irene.]

“Shut up!”

“Uh...?”

“I wasn’t talking to you, Levi! I was yelling at this damned ghost.”

“......”

“I swear I’m not lying! Stop looking at me like that!!”

...And so, Levi, having been caught by Irene, had no choice but to patiently listen to the girl’s endless grievances and react accordingly.

“Bear-girl is too good. Kunta wants a wife like that.”

“Didn’t you get confessed to recently?”

“I said we should have kids right away, and she slapped me. Then the next day, she spread rumors that I was trash. It made me sad.”

“...That’s not really something to be sad about. That’s your fault.”

“The instructor saw it happen and called it karma, hehe.”

“Oh, Garland. Are you done sparring?”

“Yeah, I wrapped it up. Damn, the instructor’s gotten really strong. No, actually, it’s not just that—his bloodlust and danger level are insane now. Fighting him while he’s holding a hammer is a nightmare.”

“...Yeah, I fought him too. He’s definitely tricky.”

There were three students in the swordsmanship department commonly referred to as the “Three Pillars.”

The best swordsman in the department was undoubtedly Roen, but if you excluded him, the three most talented and skilled individuals were these three.

Arno de Offen, heir to the Sword Saint.

Kunta, a barbarian of a mysterious lineage.

And Garland, the apprentice of the Mercenary King.

...And today, those three had decided to spar against a certain someone.

A spar that forced them to feel real danger.

Even now, there was a red mark vividly imprinted on Garland’s cheek.

A clear sign that he had been struck.

And the one who left that mark was—

“...Ghhkk...”

—Damian Follet, currently passed out cold.

He had taken a clean hit to the chin during his match with Garland and was knocked unconscious.

Normally, Garland wouldn’t have knocked out an opponent—he would have simply subdued them.

But against Damian, even subduing him had become difficult.

No, at this point, he had to go all out just to fight him properly.

“He’s gotten stronger. Well, I guess it makes sense—he charges at the instructor every day.”

“It’s not just that. His aura is no joke.”

“Mm. Kunta sometimes gets scared of the instructor. Yesterday, when I fought him, he looked like a ghoul.”

“Yeah, his condition isn’t great.” freёwebnovel.com

Apparently, he had been working overtime yesterday too.

Which raised the question—when was he not working overtime?

Recently, he had even started suffering from insomnia.

And with how he looked now, Damian could honestly be mistaken for an undead.

“Hehehe... I... I can sleep now....”

...Apparently, being knocked out counted as “sleep” to him.

He had a blissful expression on his face, as if getting knocked out was the best thing that had happened to him.

“...That’s what he says in his sleep?”

“The instructor... is pitiful.”