30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?!-Chapter 240: The Knight Dislikes the Chaos (3)

Once, Ihan had aspired to be a man of letters, a literary youth dreaming of a life steeped in books and prose. Unfortunately, his impoverished circumstances and the cruelty of abusive teachers and dismissive adults around him had snuffed out those dreams prematurely. Yet, the love for literature, rooted deep from his past life, lingered still in his heart.

That lingering passion led him to approach the fairy tale written by a noble house's head with a measure of skepticism, yet what he discovered was astonishing.

"This gentleman, he's truly a remarkable author, isn’t he?"

The book turned out to be not just excellent but a masterpiece that commanded reverence. Even compared to the renowned works of his former world, it held its ground impeccably.

The narrative bore a semblance to the personal saga of Felicia de Offen, but its quality was so high that any similarities did not detract from its value.

"Given the medieval setting, it's more like a novel with illustrations than a mere fairy tale, but that's hardly a downside."

Despite its harsh and realistic depictions, the book managed to maintain a magical quality. It resonated with both children and adults, packed with universal lessons and moral insights. The unique and artistic illustrations, alongside a captivating story and prose, made it incredibly appealing.

Some might nitpick the historical inaccuracies, but such are the liberties of fairy tale storytelling.

In essence, it meant one thing:

"It's damn interesting."

Adaptations aside, the work was overwhelmingly engaging and artistic.

That's all that mattered.

Clack.

Ihan closed the 10th and final volume of the <Knight Series>, nodding deeply as he reflected on the profound aftertaste of the narrative.

Chirp, chirp!

Despite reading through the night, forgetting even to sleep, he found the time investment more than worthwhile. It clarified why books are often called food for the soul. Far from feeling tired, his mind was alert and refreshed.

"You were quite passionate in the past, weren’t you?"

"Ahem..."

"And that scene where you break a giant boulder to save a village from a flood... it's quite something."

"Ahem!"

"And about your first encounter with your husband—why did you kidnap him? Was that a trend fifty years ago...?"

"Enough! Why must you bring up my past in front of me!"

"Just curious. I wanted to know how much of the real-life knight's experiences inspired this work. As a fan, I’m genuinely interested."

"When did you become a fan of that dreadful series!"

"The moment I read it?"

Felicia seemed almost struck by a spell, blushing and spluttering in embarrassment.

It was hard to imagine her as the formidable Sword Sage who could slice through clouds with a wooden sword. Indeed, having one's past—especially romantic exploits—detailed in a fairy tale read worldwide would be mortifying.

"My past deeds coming to light like this... Ah, I’d die of embarrassment if it were me."

Recognizing he was teasing, yet unable to stop, Ihan continued. It wasn’t meant to taunt her; his questions stemmed from genuine fan curiosity. No one would dare jest at the expense of a formidable aura user’s life—not unless they valued their life very little.

"Why ever would you read that..."

"Your son told me it would help me understand you better. Since we're teacher and student, he thought it'd help us get closer."

"Huh, Iliad has always been deep... a thoughtful child."

"Definitely not like the Sword Sage."

"That's right, not like me, wait—something about that feels off?"

"Let's not dwell on the unnecessary."

"??"

Felicia felt a vague discomfort but only shrugged slightly, accepting it nonchalantly.

Perhaps she had grown simpler, or perhaps simplicity was a refuge from fear.

Looking at the content of the fairy tales, one might see her as a disciplined and formidable person, but her current naïveté was somewhat baffling.

"The least talented knight in history..."

Ihan lightly ran his fingers over the cover of the fairy tale book, pondering the irony and the journey it outlined.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

***

Ihan asked his tutor,

"What should I do now?"

"Hmm?"

"Not 'hmm,' how should I proceed with the next training?"

"...Ah."

"Ah?"

"...Ahem, I'm sorry. I honestly forgot. I didn't expect you to follow along so well."

"...I appreciate your honesty."

While it was bewildering, Ihan neither chided nor rushed her.

Once again, the great sword sage known as Sword Sage was in a very unstable emotional state.

Hadn't Iliad mentioned that last night?

-"Sorry to say about your mother, but when dealing with her, please think of her as a teenage girl with dementia... Not that she really has dementia, but her emotional state is that unstable... Hmm, it might be more appropriate to consider it like dealing with a wild cat."

Remembering his advice, Ihan did not press Felicia.

Her manner might have been erratic, but when it came to matters of the sword, she knew to be serious like no one else.

Sure enough,

"Right, by now you should have a rough idea of what willpower is, right?"

As she began to instruct, her demeanor changed.

Her naturally emitted aura was fierce and profound, enough to make one's skin sting.

"However, you still don't fully understand what willpower is. You don't know how to properly use that power."

"Is that so?"

He readily agreed. As she said, he now knew how powerful willpower could be, but he was not 'feeling' it yet.

"It's like I've gained a new sense organ, a new sense in my body, but I still don't quite know how to use it."

It could be compared to suddenly having wings or a tail.

If humans suddenly had wings or tails, could they use them naturally? Probably not. Since it's something new, something they never had, it would naturally be awkward and challenging.

And in the case of willpower, it was even more tricky than these new appendages; it was like gaining a 'seventh sense', and it was only natural that he had no idea how to handle it.

Just like Baltar said, he had only been using it unconsciously, and only through the Sword Sage's teachings was he just beginning to be aware of its existence.

He was truly like a baby just learning to walk.

"Ha-ha, don't be so down."

"I'm not disappointed, really."

"I've been there too. But remember, with effort, this can be overcome!"

"You're not listening to me, are you?"

Felicia ignored Ihan's muttering and launched into a long speech.

"When I first mentioned willpower, remember? I talked about 'tenacity' and 'faith'! These two are crucial. And this isn't just some nonsensical spiel about grit."

"It wasn't?"

"Do you think I'm that naive?"

"..."

"Baby?"

"...What about tenacity and faith?"

"Baby!?"

Ihan, he was a man who disliked even uttering falsehoods in jest.

***

...He heard a lot.

For over 30 minutes, Felicia went on without pausing, barely taking a breath.

It was astounding that someone could talk non-stop for 30 minutes without breathing. Elderly people are known to be talkative, but dealing with it directly felt dizzying, and he would have fled long ago if he were not receiving her teachings.

After enduring the verbal barrage, which nearly hurt his eardrums and fighting off sleepiness, Ihan somewhat succeeded in interpreting what she was trying to say.

'...So, tenacity and faith are really important?'

To his own surprise, he found himself agreeing more and more as he listened.

Willpower is basically the 'if you believe, it can happen' theory.

People cannot fly. People cannot breathe underwater. People cannot move faster than the wind.

These are common knowledge, and there have been many Darwin Award candidates who have shown us the dangers of trying to defy these by jumping off roofs hoping to fly, only to end up gravely injured.

...But willpower was the 'power' to break these impossibilities.

Like floating a sword in the air or even splitting clouds with it.

I just believed. I believed my sword could fly, that my sword could split clouds. That was all.This was a concise summary of Felicia's words, and now Ihan understood why Iliad explained that willpower was 'the path to transcendence.'

It was indeed the most direct and simplest explanation.

"That gentleman, no, that author knows how to teach." Now a fan of Iliad, Ihan admired him with respect, and the ceaselessly talking lady smiled proudly when her son was mentioned.

"Hmm! Well, Iliad did turn out pretty well!"

"Yes, he's very accomplished. Not just a head of a noble family but also a celebrated author."

"Oho!!"

They say there is no parent who dislikes praising their child, and Felicia puffed up proudly at the surprise compliment.

It was a bit annoying to watch, but Ihan understood the feeling. If he had such a child, he'd probably want to brag too.

"Your son really shows how unequal the world can be."

"It's not just because he's my son; he's truly exceptional, right!"

"Even a copper statue can be art. It seems he's also highly skilled in sculpture and crafts, not just painting."

"That's right, even in sculpture..."

-Clink.

Suddenly, her words stopped.

With wide eyes, Felicia looked up at him, and Ihan nodded, feeling the satisfaction of a confirmed suspicion. He wore a refreshing smile.

-Yes, a child with talents even the parent lacks.

"That author, he really was strong."

"When did you...?"

"Notice? The day we first met?"

"??"

"Don't you remember?"

During their first meeting, disguised as her grandson, Felicia had pointed to a statue...

"You were so proud of it."

"..."

"And later, I wondered if you were so proud because you wanted to show off something you carved yourself. I even thought maybe you had some narcissism, but now I understand that's not the kind of person the Sword Sage is."

"..."

"Of course, you might feel proud of a statue you made yourself, but the admiring look you gave it said something else. So I suspected it might have been made by someone else, maybe your disciple or a relative, but..."

"..."

"By process of elimination, it had to be the author."

"Ha."

"Of course, it wasn't just the Sword Sage that convinced me. When that author explained willpower to me, I felt he was a true master. The way he explained things was just different from someone who only knows the theory."

Ihan, being a teacher himself, knew that to teach or give advice to someone, one had to have a deep understanding of the subject. In that sense, Iliad was...

"Maybe even more skilled as a swordsman than..."

"-Better than me."

"..."

"Much, overwhelmingly, incredibly..."

"...Did I touch a nerve?"

Ihan showed a regretful expression, wondering if he had unintentionally touched a sore spot.

But at that apologetic look, Felicia slowly shook her head.

"You have nothing to apologize for. If anything, I should always feel sorry and guilty."

...It's me.

She harbored a faint, almost extinguishing smile, tinged with self-reproach.