30 Years after Reincarnation, it turns out to be a Romance Fantasy Novel

Chapter 188

The cadets wouldn’t believe it, but Ihan and Raq were holding back as much as possible during their sparring session.
After all, fighting in an underground space required caution, didn’t it?
Thus, Ihan and Raq refrained from using energy techniques or even their advanced martial skills today.

Even so, they produced such incredible results using only their physical abilities and techniques.

...It seems the Fairy’s Blessing really is extraordinary.

Even relying solely on raw physical abilities, they could reach the level of a vice-captain of a knight’s order (Lv.5).

"I’d like to fight with weapons too, but if we did that, I think the kids would pass out. Let’s leave it at this."
"…Next time, I’ll be the one to call you."
"Wow, does that mean you finally admit this was helpful? Even breaking through that stubborn pride of yours?"
"…Shut up!"

It was clear the sparring had been satisfying not just for Ihan but for Raq as well.

Raq, like Ihan, had likely needed to adjust his body and senses, and by today’s session, he seemed to have done so significantly.

‘I’d say I’ve adjusted about 60%, but that guy probably hit 80%.’

When it came to sheer instinct, Ihan couldn’t compare to him. In their next sparring match, Raq might have the upper hand.

Of course.

‘The more dire the situation, the more welcome it is.’

The stronger the opponent, the faster Ihan’s adjustments would progress. For him, that was a welcome challenge.

Ihan began to devise a plan for their next match, planning to bring a sword to Galahad’s training grounds.

"Are you studying energy techniques?"
"Hmm?"
"It’s an energy technique incorporating Galahad’s vision and my own interpretations. I doubt you’d do so, but don’t pass it on to others."
"…What are you even talking about?"

Hearing Raq’s advice, Ihan chuckled dryly.

Who was advising who here?

"Don’t be a hypocrite. You’d better not go spreading my techniques around either. Or at least get my permission before you do. And remember, from the moment you learn them, you’re part of the Hundred and Eight Arhats. Don’t forget it."
"…Galahad’s knights don’t allow dual affiliations…"

For the first time, Raq groaned in complaint.

*****

The final battle in the Empire.

To fight a monster that had lived for over four centuries, Ihan and Raq shared their respective visions.

Raq offered his energy technique.
Ihan offered his martial scripture.

Given the desperate circumstances, they exchanged everything, and for that moment, Ihan and Raq felt a semblance of omnipotence.

Ihan had joked about being a "body art major," but the techniques he wielded were no laughing matter. They were extraordinary enough to overwhelm the monster, allowing them to corner it.

...But looking back now, it was undeniable that what they did was sheer madness.

Each of their techniques was dangerous and required years of gradual learning. To master them in an instant was reckless beyond belief.

If, by chance, they hadn’t received the Fairy’s Blessing, both Ihan and Raq might have suffered irreversible consequences.

Ihan might have endured aftereffects like internal explosions.
Raq might have ended up a misshapen vegetable.

What they did was foolish—utterly and completely foolish.

The Fairy’s Blessing that healed their bodies was truly a great gift.

And because of it…

‘Seeds were left behind.’

The omnipotence they felt back then was no longer there.
At most, they retained faint remnants and memories of that day’s energy techniques.

If the power from that day was like a blazing furnace, now it was but the spark of a matchstick.

Raq was likely in the same situation.

...But even the smallest spark could grow, depending on one’s ability.

Ihan was confident.

Having experienced it once, and knowing how to nurture it, he believed that by honing himself step by step, he could one day unleash the same power again.

Well…

"I’ll just take what I need. Half of what you taught me is probably going to waste."
"Blasphemous! Do you even know what Galahad’s vision represents?"
"Yeah, yeah. It’s impressive because you learned it from scratch. It’s not the same for me. Besides, I’m not even done mastering what I’m working on now. I don’t have time to divert my attention elsewhere. So, in the end, whether it’s energy techniques or energy power, they’re just training wheels to support my path. Nothing more, nothing less. ...You’re no different."
"……."

No matter how remarkable energy techniques were, Ihan’s ultimate goal was clear.

He aimed to complete his martial scripture, his <Martial Arts>.

That was—

"My dream."

"Hmph, arrogant bastard."

Though Raq felt insulted by Ihan’s dismissive attitude toward Galahad’s vision, his expression betrayed a hint of admiration and curiosity.

He wondered just how far the creator of a new martial art could go.

A silence fell over the cadets.

Even blinking felt precarious, and swallowing nervously was difficult.

At this moment, they thought:

‘So this is the power of top-tier knights.’
‘I knew Instructor was strong, but… this strong?’
‘The fame of the Knight of the Lake wasn’t exaggerated… But why was he so obscure despite being this powerful?’

They were overwhelmed.

Even standing there unharmed after witnessing such overwhelming force seemed remarkable in itself.

...At the same time, a sense of despair crept in.

They realized just how cruel and insurmountable the world they sought to reach truly was.

For six months, they had taken pride in their growth, only to now see that they were merely frogs in a well. Their pride was shattered.

But Ihan’s purpose in showing them the sparring session wasn’t to break their pride.

"If people like us were your enemies, how would you deal with it?"

"??"

Was he mocking them?

That was their first thought upon hearing Ihan’s question as he wiped away the bloodstains.

But.

"Answer me, Levi."

"Uh, well…"

He was serious, and Levi looked troubled.

However, after a brief moment, she answered decisively.

"This is just an example, but if someone as strong as you were my enemy, my first move would be… to run away."
"Is that so?"
"Yes."

Her response was firm.

It wasn’t an answer you’d expect from someone from Pendragon, the kingdom of knights who revered honor and combat. But Levi was grounded in ‘reality,’ not honor.

"With my current skills, I couldn’t defeat you even if I had hundreds of chances to retry. Whether through strategy or trickery, overwhelming power renders all plans meaningless."

Levi remembered the attack of the fiend and was one of the few who had witnessed the Demon King directly.

Unless one was at a level capable of contending with such monsters, challenging them was sheer folly.

However.

"If I had 500 skilled soldiers and 10 advanced knights, I think I could hold you off for a short while. Maybe… ten minutes at best."

"…Oh?"

Her answer wasn’t arrogant; it was purely calculated and realistic. Ihan laughed, amused.

"You think you could hold me off for ten minutes with that force?"
"Yes, and if we were prepared to sacrifice our lives, we could probably extend it by another five minutes."
"……."

Her confidence shone in her eyes.

Ihan found himself curious about the simulation she must have run in her head.

If the future hadn’t changed, she would have become the [Mercenary Queen], and her boldness was already evident.

Even after witnessing the knights’ power, she could make such a claim. That alone was courageous.

Though she spoke of running away, her composure exuded the ‘dignity of a knight.’

"And if you found yourself in a situation where running was impossible, and there were no troops to rely on?"
"In that case…"

The cadets expected her to joke about dying in such a scenario. But instead, she replied,

"I’d struggle."

"……."

Her resolve was palpable.

Her blue eyes shone with a serene light.

"Your teachings have always emphasized this, haven’t they? That no matter how difficult the situation, it’s important to struggle with everything you have."

"To live, to ensure I have no regrets in life, to live today as if it were my last."

"So I’d fight. Because that’s—"

"—What you taught me."

A heavy silence followed her statement.

The cadets understood that her words weren’t empty; they were her genuine conviction.

They remembered her bravery during the terrorist attack.

Not a single cadet doubted her words.

Many, especially the young boys aspiring to be knights, felt ashamed.

Seeing her unwavering determination, their pride, which had been on the verge of shattering, now felt pitiful.

After observing Levi’s response and the reactions of his cadets, Ihan nodded.

"As expected of a model student. That was an excellent answer."
"Hehe."
"Still, it’s a B+."
"Huh?"
"You’re slightly short of an A."
"Aw…"

Levi’s eyes shimmered with the pitiful light of a puppy caught in the rain, and Ihan simply laughed.

*****

What Ihan wanted to hear from the cadets was their determination and attitude toward battle.

In truth, the situation was so extreme that no one could predict how many more monsters like Tyur or the Demon King might appear in the future.
Of course, the best-case scenario would be avoiding such monsters altogether, but one must always prepare for the worst.
And so, today, Ihan demonstrated something.

He showed just how powerful he was.
Not out of pride, but to make a point—there could be threats even worse than him in the future.

Though it was a little concerning to see the cadets’ spirits dampened, it was necessary. A bit of preventative "inoculation" was surely worth it.

"...And for me as well."

It wasn’t just the cadets who had been inoculated.

Ihan, too, had received a heavy dose of reality in the Empire.

‘I definitely overdid it—no, it was reckless.’

While he didn’t regret fighting the Magic Tower, he could admit that the process had been reckless.
Driven by emotion, he’d fought blindly and had almost died because of it.

If even a single aspect of his plan had gone wrong, he would have died.

…Meaninglessly.

‘I need to reflect.’

He couldn’t simply lecture the cadets; he needed to criticize himself as well.

The way he had almost died was truly pathetic.

"Hehe, Sir Knight, you’re doing wonderfully. Don’t be so hard on yourself!"

"……."

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"…Maid, please stop reading my mind."

"I can’t do anything like that."

"……."

"Hehe."

With an innocent smile, Leyra Winter hovered near him, offering words of comfort, and Ihan scratched his cheek awkwardly.

As always, it felt like there was nothing he could hide from this maid.

"-By the way, Sir Knight, I heard you received a blessing from a fairy?"

"……."

"Is that true?"

"Uh, well…"

For a moment, Ihan froze, a cold sweat dripping down his back.

Why?
Why was he so nervous?
Even with her usual cheerful smile in front of him, he felt strangely cornered.

‘W-why am I like this?’

It felt like the tension of being caught red-handed while stealing.

…In any case.

‘I feel like I’m screwed…’

Ihan was left wondering what to say.

But then.

‘No, I should just be upfront!’

Yes, surely there was nothing wrong with receiving a fairy’s blessing, was there?
And it wasn’t as if she knew exactly how he’d been blessed…

"Lady Irene said while crying that you’d received the fairy’s kiss…"

"……."

…There was a loose-lipped chick in the flock.

"Hmmm…"
"……."

Ihan stood frozen like a stone statue, unable to say anything.

Speechless.
Though he and Irene had nothing between them, Ihan still felt a vague sense of guilt standing before Leyra.

‘Ah, is it even sadder that there really is nothing between us?’

It was a moment tinged with melancholy, but…

"Fufu, why are you acting like that, Sir Knight? I’m not mad."
"?"
"Sorry for teasing you, Sir Knight. I just wanted to confirm something. But I think I’ve got my answer!"
"??"
"Knights often fall for fairies. But you, Sir Knight… you’re not one of them, are you?"
"…What?"

Ihan could only respond like an idiot, and yet Leyra seemed strangely satisfied.

She walked past him with a smile, leaving him baffled by her shifting emotions.

Then, lightly:

"-And you know, your first kiss wasn’t with a fairy."

"Huh?"

Her whispered words tickled his ears, and Ihan’s eyes widened.

What could she mean by that?

He wanted to ask, but he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.

"!!"

…Especially when he noticed her cheeks glowing faintly red.

"………."

Seeing that, Ihan stood in a daze for a while before, suddenly—

Boom!

…He dove straight into the nearby river.

An unbearable heat had overtaken him.

Even now, with summer’s sweltering warmth pressing down on him, his heart pounded madly.

Yes, it was because of the summer heat.

…It was summer.