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

The moment Irene’s magic rained down, the tide of battle shifted entirely in their favor. The goblins, now not just being defeated but outright slaughtered, began to flee.
Of course…
“Chase them down! Make sure they’re dead!!”
“If we let them live, they’ll come back to haunt us…!”
“Charge!!”

There was no way they could escape from veteran mercenaries, masters of pursuit.
The goblin horde was already as good as annihilated, and Roen’s sword slowly came to a stop.
“Whew, this is exhausting.”
“It would be. You’ve cut down over a thousand of them alone.”
“If I want to keep the cadets from getting hurt, I have to put in the effort.”
“…You do realize you’re a cadet too, right?”
“I’m not exactly in the same position as them, am I?”
“……”

Jack wanted to crack a joke, but he couldn’t even form the words in his mind.
It was no wonder.
Drip. Drip.

Only his sword was stained with blood—not a single drop had splattered onto his clothes or body.
The sight alone was overwhelming.
‘Master’s swordplay is becoming more and more refined…’

An overwhelming mastery of the blade, so honed and precise that it was hard to believe he was the same age as the other cadets.
Watching him, it was as if he was merely retracing a path he had already walked before—his swordplay growing ever more polished and lethal.
“Master, you could’ve taken out all eight thousand of them by yourself, couldn’t you?”
“What makes you think that?”
“Just from what I’ve seen, I can’t shake the feeling that you were holding back.”
“……”
“So I was right…”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“A silent affirmation is still an affirmation.”
“…You’ve gotten a lot more talkative since we came to the capital.”

Roen neither confirmed nor denied it, but Jack was convinced—his master could have wiped out the goblin horde single-handedly.
And yet, he had chosen to keep the mercenaries and cadets at the forefront.
All because…

‘He wants them to grow stronger.’
Specifically, the cadets.
Roen Dmitri de Lionel possessed a Mystic ability similar to foresight.
Perhaps that was why he always acted with the future in mind—exposing corruption among nobles, tracking down criminals who had been in hiding for decades.

He truly was an incredible man.
But…
‘Sometimes, he takes things too far.’

There were moments when he lost control, when his usual rationality vanished, and he would lash out in uncontrollable fury.
As if, due to his ability, he had already experienced future tragedies firsthand and was raging against them in advance.
Fortunately, aside from such rare cases, Roen was calm and composed, always prioritizing the growth of others over his own personal glory.

Like right now.
‘He sees their growth as an investment in the future.’
A generation trained in Muscle Arts rather than Aura Techniques.

Roen poured his resources into «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» nurturing warriors from the lower classes, hoping they would be the ones to usher in a new era.
“Even the mercenaries were just part of a bigger plan to aid their growth. If word got out, there’d be quite an uproar.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Jack.”
Once again, Roen neither confirmed nor denied it.

But the faint smile on his lips told Jack all he needed to know.
‘I admire my master’s cold logic… but I like this side of him even more.’
Because in this moment, Roen reminded him of their Instructor.

‘He tries to act indifferent…’
But among the cadets, no one had been influenced more deeply than him.
Roen had no time to guess what strange thoughts were running through his lieutenant’s mind.

Or rather, in any other situation, he would have immediately seen through them—but not here.
Because…
“Lord Roen.”

They weren’t alone.
“…Jeanne.”
“?”
“Oh, my apologies—Lady Levi.”
“N-No, it’s fine. Among nobles, addressing someone by their surname isn’t strange. If you prefer, you can call me that.”
“I appreciate it.”
Levi Jeanne d’Arc.

The only woman in their group whom Roen found difficult to deal with.
His expression grew slightly awkward as he faced her.
“Ahem, so what is it? Do you have a report?”
“Something like that… but I also have a question.”
“What is it?”
“……”

Levi hesitated as she looked at Roen, who seemed willing to answer anything she asked.
She had felt it before.
‘Why does he seem to admire me while also finding me difficult to deal with?’

Was she reading too much into it?
She felt a strange disconnect but chose not to dwell on it.
What mattered was getting her question answered.

“This is just a personal curiosity, but… what exactly is your goal, Lord Roen?”
“My goal?”
“Yes. With everything happening at the Grand Temple, you should be incredibly busy. And yet, you chose to personally set out on this journey.”
“……”
“I understand you had a promise with the dwarves, but… it feels like you didn’t have to come yourself. You’re already stretched so thin as it is.”
“Hm.”
“Ah, I-I’m not trying to nitpick or interrogate you! It’s just that, even if my role as commander is an honor I don’t deserve, I still think I should at least understand my employer’s objectives. If I know what you’re aiming for, I might be able to help.”
“…There’s nothing I can hide from you, is there?”
“Pardon?”
“I was just talking to myself.”
“??”
Roen swallowed a bitter smile.
‘She’s already seeing through me like this?’

He hadn’t said a word, yet she had read him just from his actions alone. Roen found himself genuinely impressed.
‘Well, of course… Jeanne’s insight into people was always her specialty.’
It wasn’t fully developed yet, but as that sharp intuition matured, it would one day allow her to see through not just lies but even an opponent’s entire strategy.

The very ability that had once struck fear into countless strategists and tacticians—the power of the Mercenary Queen.
Standing before a mere fragment of that ability, Roen found himself torn between admiration and unease, clearing his throat awkwardly.
“Ahem. You’re right. My goal isn’t just to return the dwarves to their homeland. My true objective lies within the Dwarven homeland itself.”
“…I didn’t actually expect you to answer me.”
“There’s nothing to hide. However, I’d prefer if you kept it to yourself. If word gets out, persuading certain people might become a headache.”
“I promise to keep it.”
“…No, actually, it’s fine if you reveal it. But knowing you, you’d probably keep it secret even in a crisis, wouldn’t you?”
“W-What am I supposed to do with that?”
“Never mind. My real reason for heading to the Dwarven homeland is quite simple. If I had to put a name to it… I suppose you could call it a ‘treasure hunt.’”
“…A treasure hunt?”
“Yes. You’ve probably heard of it before.”

Rustle.
“……”
Levi blinked.

The object Roen handed her was an ancient map, so brittle it looked like it could crumble into sand at any moment.
It was covered in inscriptions written in an archaic language no longer in use.
And Levi—

“…This is written in Old Britannian.”
“You can read it? Impressive.”
“I took an elective course on it.”
“There are plenty who study it but can’t actually read it… Then, you must understand what this map says.”
“Yes, but… Is this real?”
Levi tilted her head in doubt.
If what she was reading was true, this was a discovery of historic proportions.

“The Holy Grail.”
A sacred relic said to have been bestowed by the White Dragon of Pendragon.
A legendary artifact lost after the death of the King of Knights.

“To be precise, this map points to a fragment of the Holy Grail. According to it, one piece of the Grail is located in the Dwarven homeland.”
“…And you plan to find it?”
“If possible.”
“……”
His demeanor wasn’t that of a treasure hunter chasing dreams of fortune.
It felt… urgent.

As if he had a reason he absolutely had to find it.
Levi swallowed dryly and shook her head.
She had been too quick to assume things about him.

And yet…
‘Could the Holy Grail actually exist?’
She couldn’t help but feel some doubt.

After all, it was just a legend.
“You seem skeptical.”
“Well… a little.”
“I understand. If someone told me to believe in a legend, I wouldn’t either.”
“……”
“But the Holy Grail is real. And its fragments are scattered, like pieces of a puzzle. Even among the shards, their shapes and appearances vary greatly.”
“…You speak as if you’ve seen them firsthand.”
“I’ve seen three of them myself.”
“!?”
There was no doubt in his words.

And there was no reason for him to lie to her.
“Even so, it’s impossible to complete the Grail. There are five pieces in total, and the last fragment’s whereabouts are unknown.”
“Then isn’t finding the rest meaningless?”
“We still need to. There will come a time when we must use the Grail’s power.”
“…I hope you find the final piece too.”
She was sincere.

There was an unplaceable desperation in his expression.
A desperation she couldn’t even begin to define.
Seeing that sincerity, Roen nodded in gratitude.

“If fate allows, we’ll find it. According to the records, the last piece is supposed to be a ring… but who knows where it is.”
“…A ring?”
“Yes, a ring. They say it emits a strange glow.”
“……Oh.”
“What is it?”
“No, it’s just… I think I might have seen something like that before.”
“Where?”
“Well…”
At Levi’s next words, Roen blinked once, then simply shook his head.
It must have been a misunderstanding.

After all—
“Something that precious wouldn’t possibly end up in the hands of a mere maid.”
There was no way a maid had something of that caliber.

***
“Achoo!”
“Mistress, are you catching a cold?”
“No! My nose just itched! And I’ve never caught a cold in my entire life, hehe!”
“…Is that so?”
“Yep! One time, I even tried to catch a cold—I swam in winter and ate ice, but instead, I just got stronger!”
“…Please don’t do that again. That’s how people freeze to death, not catch colds.”
“My parents scolded me for it too!”
The maid, Laira Winter, smiled innocently, her face full of pure delight.

Ihan looked at her with an expression that could only be described as dumbfounded.
Then—
“Hehe, and the ring that Sir Knight gave me is really warm! I feel even healthier these days! It’s amazing!”
“I’m glad you like it.”

Laira held up the ring dangling from her necklace with both hands, proudly showing it off.
Seeing her cherish it so much brought him genuine satisfaction.
‘That thing’s pretty useful.’

As a portable hand warmer.
Ihan nodded to himself, thinking he should try to get three more of them.