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

After Ihan's blunt rejection, the verbal sparring continued.

“Not necessary.”
“D-Don’t say that…”
“No, I’m telling you it’s fine.”
“Ah, whyyyy!?”
“Why would I use a blowfish?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s exactly what someone like you is.”
“!!?”

It was like a contest between spear and shield, but from a third-party's perspective, it was utterly absurd.

Receiving a blank promise from an aura user—it felt like a deception, something so clearly detested that it almost seemed manipulative.

However, the person involved never intended to deceive and was speaking only from the heart.

...The aura user who’d returned to the world was like a child holding a bomb, with absolute conviction.

Pure evil, no different from an overwhelming danger.

“If I get involved with you, it’s because I don’t want the trouble, so I’ll pass, alright?”
“You’re such a cruel child.”
“Cruel? I think you’re the cruel one.”
“……”
“Why are you choking up again? Always trying to make me the bad guy!”

Ihan clicked his tongue at the sight of her choking up once again.

If they were any other nobles or knights, they might have been swayed by a lady’s tears. But Ihan, unless she was his woman (or close friend), saw no reason to be swayed by tears.

He was trying to maintain his firm coldness, but…

“Right, Elza said the same thing, calling me cruel… It's because I'm worthless, utterly worthless, that all of this happened...”

“?”

Suddenly, a mix of tears and complaints poured out, and Ihan tilted his head in confusion.

Why was she suddenly mentioning a traitor’s name?

“I-I’m sorry, Instructor. It’s just that, after this incident, my grandmother’s emotional instability flared up again…”
“Emotional instability? Is that another side effect of her youth-regression?”
“…Y-Yes.”
“…Worse than a blowfish, this.”

Ihan took a step back.

It was exactly the kind of person he didn't want to get any closer to…

***

“-I never imagined that Elza would harbor such feelings. But to me, that child was nothing more than a friend and comrade.”

I don’t really care.

“From the first time she owed me her life, she became strangely devoted, always guarding my back. Even when we left the battlefield and became adventurers, she supported me. When I returned to the family, she helped me greatly. Did you know? In this family, many of her disciples still exist. She was also good at being a maid, but her sword skills were even better. If you judged her by skill and talent, she was on par with Gardin.”

Really…

“Oh, speaking of Gardin, he wasn’t so corrupt when he was younger. Even though he hated me, we competed in good faith, and at times, he even supported me. If I hadn’t gained fame across the continent, I’m sure Gardin would have been the heir of Offen. …Looking back, I think I made a mistake by inheriting Offen. I didn’t want Gardin’s position or have any great ambitions. I just wanted to live peacefully and train my sword, but… hmm… now that I think about it, I have many regrets.”

What’s the point of telling me this?

“Also, among the two traitors this time, they were cute when they were young. So cute, in fact—”

…When will this end?

“Is this normal?”
“When emotional instability starts, it’ll be like this for a while. As long as the source of stress isn’t removed, she’ll stay like this.”
“Is it serious? Should we run away now?”
“You don’t need to worry. She talks a lot more, but she won’t cause any harm. Actually, while my rejuvenated grandmother is playful and a bit clueless, she doesn’t harm anyone. She just gets really annoying with all the long-winded talk.”
“…You little wolf, do you dislike your grandmother?”
“I respect her, but on a personal level…”
“……”