30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?!-Chapter 211: The Knights’ Night Out (5)

Did you ever mess with a beehive when you were a kid?

If so, then you’d know.

You’d know just how savage and terrifying those normally docile bees can become when enraged.

You’d know exactly how frightening something calm can be when it finally loses its temper.

Ding, ding—!

The bells of the temple rang out in rapid succession, signaling an alarm.

The warning sound echoed through the great sanctuary as priests and nuns swiftly mobilized in an orderly manner.

“A heretic! Find the heretic!”

“Inquisitors and the Holy Knights, move out immediately! Get in touch with the monks too!”

“...The monks? They won’t move.”

“Tell them it’s a temple emergency!”

A powerful, resonating force shook the sanctuary.

No one failed to hear it, and the priests—who normally never raised their voices or showed anger—clenched their teeth.

The atmosphere had already been tense lately, and now the Great Sanctuary had been infiltrated?

This wasn’t something they could let slide. Even the monks—who never interfered in temple affairs—had to be summoned for this.

Countless figures gathered, their torches blazing as they exuded the aggression of Spartan warriors.

In this moment...

“They’re scarier than demons.”

“When priests get angry, it’s terrifying.”

“If we get caught, we’ll be burned alive.”

Even seasoned champions, who feared nothing, found themselves shrinking back in apprehension.

It was a moonlit night.

***

“...So why the hell did you rush in like maniacs and make this mess?”

Ihan scolded the two fools inside a cramped emergency passageway they had barely managed to find.

He wasn’t the type to blame others, but after all the effort he had put into sneaking into the sanctuary, things had escalated into this disaster.

And yet—

“Hmph. What do you want me to do about your suspicious-looking face?”

“I sensed an intense aura, so I figured I should subdue it first. Calm down, it was just a friendly greeting between men!”

The fact that neither of them showed even the slightest hint of remorse only made his blood boil more.

‘Ah, I really want to draw my sword.’

Now he understood why violence remained so prevalent, even in advanced civilizations.

It was because the world was full of people like this—people who made you want to throw a punch.

‘Should I just knock them out and surrender to the priests?’

Maybe they’d consider his case with leniency.

Ihan seriously considered it, but before he could act on his thoughts, the two buffoons spoke again as if reading his mind.

“Cool your head. Getting into a brawl here would only put you at a disadvantage, ruffian.”

“I do not shy away from battle, but I shall restrain myself for now, hoho!”

“...Acting all rational now is what pisses me off the most, you bastards.”

Before meeting these half-demon fools, the intruders the priests had been chasing must have been them.

To think they had already been caught yet were pretending to be composed...

Especially—

“For someone who acts all high and mighty, you sure got caught quickly.”

“...I’m already seething because of that person, so drop it.”

“Seething? You’re too young to be that stressed out. Be careful, stress can turn into illness.”

“......”

For a moment, Ihan felt like he could read the spear-wielder’s mind.

‘That guy looks like he wants to kill someone.’

He knew that feeling.

Judging by the situation, the spear-wielder had probably been exposed thanks to that hulking idiot. He was likely itching to skewer the guy right now.

‘I get it. I’ve been there.’

From their first meeting to that incident in the tunnels.

Having already dealt with Maximus, Ihan could pretty much guess what the spear-wielder had been through.

For the first time, he felt a sense of camaraderie.

“...How did you even end up stuck with him?”

“......Fucking hell.”

Ihan patted his shoulder in sympathy.

The spear-wielder scowled deeply and grabbed the back of his neck.

He was experiencing firsthand what it meant to develop an ulcer.

***

"......."

A brief silence fell between them.

It wasn’t like they had come to a mutual agreement to stay quiet. There was simply nothing to say.

What could they even say in this situation?

Should he just bluntly ask, "Why are you guys here?"

...Not a chance.

The fact that all three of them were crouched here in hiding was proof enough—they weren’t in this sanctuary for any noble reason.

Rather than stirring up unnecessary tension with meaningless words, the best course of action was to stay silent, wait for things outside to settle down, and slip away when the time was right.

But then—

“...You’ve gotten stronger.”

“?”

“If it weren’t for this situation, I’d want to fight you seriously.”

“...I’ll pass. Especially against you.”

“Hah! Have you forgotten the fiery battle we had that day? We both enjoyed it, didn’t we?”

“...You crazy bastard.”

Shameless as ever.

Ihan felt a migraine coming on the moment Maximus brought up their battle in the tunnels.

Just thinking about that day naturally made him feel like this.

I was an idiot...

Yes, back then, he must have been out of his damn mind to engage in that fight. Looking back, that duel had been nothing short of the dumbest thing he had ever done.

Right in the middle of enemy territory, of all places—what the hell had they been thinking?

Even a gnoll wouldn’t have pulled that kind of reckless stunt, and yet he had been even stupider than a gnoll. (By Pendragon's standards, that was an extreme insult.)

A moment in history best left forgotten.

And yet—

“Battle?”

“......”

Of all people, the last person he wanted to know about his embarrassing past had taken an interest.

This bastard was quick-witted, sharp, and, on top of that—

“Heh. So you two had an interesting time in the tunnels, huh?”

—he knew too damn much.

It seemed he had already pieced together enough information from their conversation, judging by the smirk playing on his lips.

“The tunnel collapse... That was your doing, wasn’t it?”

“...It wasn’t exactly my fault. It was bound to happen anyway.”

“But you two definitely landed the final blow.”

“......”

“What a spectacle. Who the hell picks a fight in enemy territory?”

“...Ahem.”

There was no way to argue against that.

But then—

“Haha! What is there to be ashamed of? That day, we fought with everything we had! We risked our lives! It was a glorious battle that even the White Dragon and the Lion King would have praised! The heroes of Avalon must have enjoyed watching our valor! Hahaha!”

Maximus laughed heartily, overflowing with confidence and pride.

Should he call that bold? Or was this just a warrior’s mindset?

Talking to this guy actually makes me feel like I’m the sane one.

Just as that thought crossed his mind—

“Come to think of it, you, Fanged Wolf, also had quite the battle with my dear friend in the Empire, didn’t you? I heard you fought against those despicable mages from the Magic Tower. Splendid!”

“!!?”

“Friend? Me and you...?”

A reaction completely off the mark.

While Ihan cringed at the word friend, Raq, on the other hand, stiffened—realizing that his activities had been exposed.

His battle with the Magic Tower was supposed to be a well-kept secret, known only to a select few.

And yet, the fact that this information had leaked...

“...The North’s intelligence network isn’t bad.”

“There are things worth knowing.”

It was enough of a reason to raise his guard. Raq’s expression hardened, but Maximus only shrugged, as if this wasn’t his intention at all.

“No need to be so wary. I’m merely impressed. And besides, all I know is that you took down the Magic Tower—I don’t know the details. Even my nephew kept his mouth shut about it.”

“...Fine. I’ll believe you for now.”

“Good grief, so suspicious.”

If that black mutt had kept quiet, then it probably wasn’t a lie.

After all, the bad blood between the black mutt and the Grand Duke was pretty well-known.

Realizing this, Raq tensed even more, while Maximus—

“Don’t glare at me like that. I’m not bringing this up to flaunt Northern intelligence. I simply want to earn your trust.”

“Trust? Now, of all times?”

“When it was just the two of us, we had no way of knowing when the other might stab us in the back, so I was just as cautious as you. But now, my friend is here. And neither of us can guarantee victory over him, can we?”

“......”

Both knights instinctively turned to look at Ihan.

Ihan scratched his cheek.

Why did it feel like...

Why does this feel like I’ve suddenly been made the leader of a group project?

Ihan wanted to run away.

***

...They say bad feelings always turn out to be right.

“How about we work together? Our goals seem similar.”

“Do you even know what I’m after?”

“Hm. You’re planning to steal a holy relic, aren’t you?”

“......”

“Knowing you, a holy relic—or an indulgence—would feel like a shackle. It’s proof of being bound to the temple. That’s why you’re after it, right? Or am I wrong?”

“...You’re sharper than you look.”

“Why, thank you.”

“That wasn’t a compliment. I was being sarcastic, you bastard.”

Of course, a knight commander at Maximus’s level wasn’t just a brute—he had a functioning brain, too.

...The problem is, this guy usually chooses not to use it.

With a body as absurdly powerful as his, thinking was often unnecessary. But when he did use his head, he was terrifyingly quick-witted.

That was Maximus.

“...I’ll admit, you figured out my goal. But neither you nor that guy are after the relic, are you?”

Collaboration was nice in theory, but Ihan was certain that each of them had different objectives.

If their goals didn’t align, was there any point in working together?

To this, Maximus simply smirked.

“They might actually align.”

“?”

“Take a look at this.”

“??”

A silk pouch...?

Ihan furrowed his brows as Maximus pulled out a pouch out of nowhere. And the moment he flipped it open—

Plop.

A crumpled piece of parchment fell out, its message clearly visible.

[If you follow the knight who hates mages the most and has slain the most of them, you may achieve your goal.]

...What the hell?

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

It was like the message was pointing to a very specific person.

“What’s this?”

“A piece of advice from a descendant of a witch. Before entering the sanctuary, I was told to take these notes out one by one. The first when I entered, the second when I was about to be caught, and the third when I met you two. And this is what it said.”

“......”

“At first, I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but now that I see you... It all makes sense. Truly, the wisdom of witches is miraculous! Hahaha!”

“...What the actual fuck?”

What was this, some kind of Three Kingdoms Zhuge Liang’s silk bag strategy?

Bullshit. That kind of thing doesn’t exist in the real world.

Ihan turned to Raq, silently asking for confirmation.

Tell me this guy’s crazy, right?

But—

“Th-This is incredible! I was curious about what the North was hiding, but they had a strategist trained in witchcraft? The North truly is a dangerous place...”

“......”

...Never mind. This guy wasn’t normal either.

Watching Raq nod along, actually convinced by Maximus’s nonsense, Ihan had a sudden realization.

He wished they would all just fuck off.

***

“Is it true? He’s really coming here?”

“That’s what he said.”

“...Strange. I thought he was dead.”

“He must have fooled even us.”

“Hmph. I can’t wait to see him.”

Sring.

“So I can tear him apart with my own hands.”

“You’ll get your chance.”

They sneered wickedly.

Soon, their prey would walk right into the tiger’s den.

No—

“I wonder how Number 8, that adorable little thing, has grown.”

They eagerly awaited their old comrade’s return.