30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?!-Chapter 268: How a Knight Deals with Beasts (4)

...Knights were a pain in the ass to deal with.

They obsessed over honor in every little thing, and their stubbornness was stronger than iron chains.

But at the same time, paradoxically, a knight without stubbornness wasn’t a knight at all.

They possessed unyielding willpower and relentless tenacity, willing to throw themselves into the fires of hell if it meant upholding their lord’s honor and orders.

That’s why, even if knights were troublesome to deal with, they could never be ignored.

Even if their combat prowess was weak, their unyielding will and loyalty made them difficult to break.

No matter how much overwhelming force was used against them, they wouldn’t submit.

Instead, they would see pain and suffering as mere trials—challenges to prove their knighthood.

That was why Ihan, despite not particularly liking arrogant knights, never despised or underestimated them.

A true knight was a being worthy of respect.

And because of that—

‘This bastard isn’t a knight.’

It was only natural that a fraud like this didn’t deserve any respect.

“I—I was just following orders from above! I was told to ignore the young miss, to leave her alone... A-A knight must obey the commands of his superiors, don’t you think...?”

Perhaps it was because he had seen the chill in Ihan’s gaze—

The man’s words grew weaker, his voice trailing off.

Cold sweat dripped down his face.

Because he knew.

He could see it in Ihan’s scornful stare—

He wasn’t a real knight.

‘This bastard probably became a knight through connections or got knighted by some idiot noble.’

There were plenty of those types.

They called themselves knights—yet had less honor than mercenaries and cared more about profit than merchants.

They were ‘mercenary knights,’ or simply, ‘wandering knights.’

And Ihan was certain this man belonged to that category.

Because—

What kind of knight followed the vague orders of ‘superiors’ rather than his own lord?

What kind of knight ignored his lord’s own bloodline?

What kind of knight caved under a little bit of force and spilled information so easily?

Even the White Cats, whom he despised, might have lacked decency—but they weren’t dumb enough to betray their own masters so easily.

And Ihan hadn’t even tortured this guy.

He had simply restrained him.

Yet the man was already whining like a beaten dog.

‘...So why the hell am I so pissed off?’

He had no attachment to the concept of knighthood.

Yet, perhaps because he was still in this line of work, seeing a disgraceful fraud pretending to be one of them made his blood boil.

He had an overwhelming urge to tenderize this bastard like a hamburger patty.

But he held himself back.

Because, in times like these—

‘A scumbag like this is actually useful.’

The moment he applied even the slightest pressure, the man spilled information like a broken faucet.

For someone like Ihan, who valued every scrap of intel, meeting a pathetic excuse for a knight was practically a blessing.

Of course—

‘That doesn’t mean I’ll go easy on him.’

The so-called knight—no, the third-rate thug named Richard—failed to notice the ominous glint in Ihan’s eyes as he spoke again.

“...The young miss was born without the ‘Mystic Power’ of the Mordred bloodline.”

“I was only hired as a knight three years ago, so I don’t know the details. But apparently, she’s been like that since birth.”

“So you really are just a wandering mercenary.”

“T-That’s not the important part right now...! Ahem!”

“If you keep rolling your eyes like that, I might accidentally pluck them out.”

“......”

The man had bristled at being called a wandering knight, but at Ihan’s half-lidded glare, he immediately shrunk back and continued.

“A-Anyway, since she doesn’t have the ‘Mystic Power’ of Mordred, she’s considered a defective heir.”

“...I heard rumors that the late lady of the house had an affair.”

“......”

“I-I mean, that’s just a rumor I overheard! T-The Duke himself denied any infidelity, and the young miss’s hair color clearly proves she’s of Mordred blood! It was just baseless gossip among the servants...!”

“......”

“Uh...?”

Ihan remained silent.

Richard, noticing the sudden change in atmosphere, looked at him in confusion.

Then, Ihan furrowed his brow and muttered—

“I never asked about the kid’s birth, dumbass.”

“......”

“What’s with that indignant look?”

“Tch....”

“Oh, but there’s one thing I do want to ask.”

“...What?”

“How did a worthless bastard like you end up working for Mordred?”

“......”

“There’s no way a grand noble family would hire someone like you.”

“......”

“...No answer?”

“...I-I was hired... for the gardens.”

“?”

“I-I wasn’t knighted under Mordred... I was hired as a gardener. B-But I am a knight! I was officially knighted, so technically—”

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

SMACK!!

“Gaaahh!!”

“...So, you—a pathetic failure—dare to call that kid a failure?”

Ihan could no longer hold back his rage.

Information? Who cared about that right now?

Right now—

‘This bastard needs a proper beating.’

For the sake of his own sanity.

***

‘So that’s how it is. With the tigers gone, the foxes run wild.’

Ihan wiped the dirty blood off his hands and flicked his fingers clean.

Somewhere nearby, a human worm squirmed on the ground, but Ihan felt more guilty about stepping on the grass than he did about beating a beast lower than an animal.

Far more important than that was organizing the information he had beaten out of him over the past forty minutes.

‘So, starting five years ago, the Mordred family and most of their elite knights have been in some place called the Underground Sealed Chamber for unknown reasons.’

They had left behind only the youngest daughter, Louise, effectively turning the Mordred household into a vacant battlefield with no clear ruler.

Of course, the Duke of Mordred wasn’t an idiot—he had granted temporary authority to the head butler to manage the family in his absence.

But the problem was...

‘The head butler suddenly died of a heart attack not long after assuming power.’

His death had been far too sudden.

And with no successor to take over, the side branches of the Mordred family—along with their vassal houses—began tearing each other apart, fighting for control of the household like rabid dogs infected with madness.

It was a completely foolish struggle.

Because once the family head returned, all of it would have been meaningless.

But then again—

‘After five years of their lord’s absence, it’s no surprise things turned out this way.’

The real issue, however, was the sole direct heir—Louise.

No matter how much the side branches schemed, the royal family would only recognize Louise as the rightful successor.

And since it would have been too suspicious for them to deal with her directly—

‘They just decided to abandon her.’

A young girl left completely alone with no protection?

She was bound to die sooner or later.

In the eyes of the side branches, her dying in some unfortunate accident was the most convenient outcome.

“...Hah. How are there so many people worse than beasts?”

The sheer amount of filth in this world was sickening.

It was beyond low—

They were waiting for a child to conveniently die on her own.

Even the demons in hell would applaud their level of depravity.

‘Ghosts are better than humans, after all.’

At least ghosts weren’t this repulsive.

Ihan let out a deep sigh, the bitter taste of reality settling in—

But then—

“...Wait a second. That means—there’s no one here I need to worry about.”

His eyes widened as a critical realization hit him.

There were no tigers in this house.

No Mystic-wielding heirs.

No elite knights.

The secrecy surrounding the situation had kept this information well-hidden, but now that Ihan had infiltrated the heart of it all, he knew the full truth.

And what that meant was—

“...I’ve been wasting my time, haven’t I?”

A dull headache formed as he realized how much effort he had pointlessly spent.

He had been navigating a maze, when the path forward had always been straight ahead.

How utterly stupid.

‘What the hell have I been doing all this time?’

The hours spent hiding his identity, sneaking around, and wasting time suddenly felt unbearably frustrating.

But—

“...Now that I know I’ve been an idiot, I should fix it immediately.”

There was no point in regretting things for too long.

The smart thing to do was to end the stupidity now ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ and act accordingly.

With renewed determination, Ihan firmly stepped forward.

“P-Please... a potion...”

A pathetic whimper came from behind him.

But Ihan didn’t even hear it.

***

Louise had the best day of her life today.

“Hehe, I made a friend.”

Her first-ever friend!

Not only had he saved her, but he had carried her on his back too.

Apart from her grandfather, who was away for the time being, she had never experienced such kindness before.

That only made her treasure this friend even more.

“N-Next time he comes, I’ll give him this too-!”

Clink.

Grinning from ear to ear, Louise looked at the money she had saved up.

She hoped that by giving it to him, he would stay her friend for even longer.

Just then—

“Young Miss, I’m coming in.”

Click!

“!!?”

Louise flinched as the door suddenly swung open.

A woman stepped inside—the head maid.

Instinctively, Louise hid her money behind her back.

“Why are you so startled? It’s nothing new.”

“......”

Louise frowned.

She knew very well just how mean this woman was.

“W-Why are you here...?”

“Oh my, I’m the only person you can talk to, and yet you treat me like this? How rude.”

“G-Get out! T-This is my room!”

“...You really have no manners, huh? Is it because you weren’t properly raised?”

“!!?”

“Yes, yes, no need to get mad. I just need you to sign this, and I’ll leave.”

“...What is that?”

“Just a little something. Hurry up and stamp it. A blood seal would be best.”

“Blood... seal?”

“Yes. A signature in your blood.”

“B-Blood!?”

“Yes, it’s a really simple thing, isn’t it?”

The head maid smiled sweetly.

As if asking for blood was the most natural thing in the world.

Louise’s face drained of color, and she quickly hid her hands behind her back.

But—

“I’m telling you, it’s nothing serious. It won’t even hurt.”

“N-No! I-I don’t want to!”

“Come on, don’t be difficult—”

Clink.

“Oh? What’s this?”

“Ah...!”

Louise gasped.

She hadn’t hidden it well enough.

The maid had found her money pouch.

“Wow, our little lady is quite rich, huh? How much is this?”

“D-Don’t take it!!”

The maid snatched the pouch from her hands, and Louise desperately reached out.

But a child had no chance of overpowering an adult.

The head maid ignored Louise’s trembling, teary-eyed protests with ease.

“I’d heard rumors you were making money, but this is quite a bit. I thought you were just scraping together enough for snacks, but it looks like you actually have a talent for earning money. Thanks, I’ll put it to good use.”

“It’s NOT yours!!”

“Oh, but it is mine, young miss.”

“!!”

“You should remember this well. People without power lose everything.”

She smiled, pleased with herself, as if she had just given Louise a valuable lesson.

Louise, however, couldn’t stop crying.

The head maid, on the other hand, was enjoying this far too much.

The thrill of tormenting the great Duke of Mordred’s daughter.

The twisted pleasure of lording over a child of nobility.

It made her feel as though she was above even the aristocracy.

But then—

-Tap.

“?”

“Listen carefully, you filthy bitch.”

A hand landed on her shoulder.

And before she could even process what was happening—

“I’m not an animal like you, so I’ll explain this kindly.

You’re about to experience a lot of pain.

Let’s start with a light four hours, shall we?”

The maid froze.

Her mind failed to comprehend the words.

She didn’t even get the chance to push his hand away.

Because—

CRACK!

She was suddenly hunched over like a hunchback.

“AAAAHHH!! AAAARRRGH—!!”

CRUNCH! CRACK!

Her screams filled the room.

But Ihan didn’t care.

She was being too loud, so he shoved a rag into her mouth—one usually used for wiping floors.

Then, he picked up Louise’s money pouch.

He had no intention of wasting any more time on pests like her.

“...Santa?”

“This is too important to lose, young miss. Here.”

“......”

“What’s wrong, young miss?”

“S-Santa...!!”

Louise didn’t even look at the pouch.

She simply threw herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Because just seeing his face made her feel safe.

And so, she cried and cried.

“Oh dear, don’t cry, young miss. If you cry, Santa Claus won’t come.”

“Hngh! B-But Santa isn’t an old man!”

“...I meant another Santa. Ah, I shouldn’t have picked a fake name so carelessly.”

“?”

“Anyway, young miss, I think I can give you a gift. But I’ll need your permission first. Would you grant it to me?”

“Yes! I’ll allow it!”

“...That fast?”

“Yes! Because you’re my friend!”

“...Hmm. You should be more careful when giving permission.”

“It’s fine! Oh, I’ll even vouch for you!”

“......”

“What?”

“...Just one question, young miss. Has anyone ever asked you to vouch for them before?”

“Yes!”

“......”

“......?”

“...I’m going to need a lot of axes.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Anyway, thank you for giving me permission, young miss.”

“Hehe!”

Louise beamed.

Completely unaware that the permission she had just given would shake Mordred—and all of Wales—to its core.

But even if she had known—

“Santa, thank you....”

“...We’re friends, aren’t we?”

“Heehee!!”

She would have gladly allowed it anyway.