30 Years After Reincarnating, It Turns Out This World Was A Rofan?! novel Chapter 4

After his morning training, Ihan thoroughly washed himself off.

He didn’t want anyone around him to complain about the smell of sweat.

Then he ate again.

Nutrition was just as important as training.

He had stew—filled with meat, vegetables, and tomato sauce, which he had slow-cooked the night before.

Stew was one of those dishes where you could absorb all the nutrients from the ingredients. Despite using cheap ingredients, slow cooking made them tender and easy to digest, while the tomato sauce and commonly available herbs like basil enhanced the flavor. It was a nutritious and tasty meal.

“Whew, that was good.”

After eating, it was time to rest.

Ihan was meticulous about rest, just as he was with his training. He took a short, 30-minute nap.

Although it wasn’t as effective as a full night’s sleep, the benefits of a short nap were undeniable.

Even a brief nap helped restore physical energy and mental clarity. After precisely 30 minutes, Ihan got up and stretched his body.

Waking up after rest, followed by stretching, then intense exercise, followed by nutrition.

Sword training, then a bath, and more nutrition.

A nap followed by more stretching.

This was Ihan’s daily routine, the structure that shaped his mornings.

For the past three years, he hadn’t missed a single day of this routine.

Even after getting beaten to a pulp by that wretched knight captain, he still followed it religiously the next day.

‘Honestly, sometimes it feels like getting beaten and then recovering makes me even stronger.’

If someone asked why he continued such insane training, Ihan would say it was because it worked.

Pushing his body to the limit and then healing with his troll-like recovery always left him feeling stronger.

Though his progress was slow, like a snail's crawl, what mattered was that he was making progress.

Even if he only gained 0.01 points in strength or stamina each day, over 100 days, that became a full point.

Over 1,000 days, that would be 10 points.

Since experiencing this, Ihan had trained consistently.

What might seem like insignificant progress to others was his lifeline of hope, especially since he wasn’t a noble, didn’t have a teacher, and had nothing but his own body to rely on.

Sometimes, his progress was even faster—0.05 or 0.1—and the pleasure that came with growth was incomparable. Ihan felt like he was steadily moving toward self-perfection.

"...But when will I ever win?"

Yet, he was human, and sometimes those gloomy thoughts crept in.

Today was one of those days.

It was one of those days when he just wasn’t in a good mood.

As Ihan walked out of the area where farmers and commoners lived on the outskirts of the city, the bustling capital began to emerge.

The overwhelming grandeur of Pandragon, the capital of the kingdom, became more apparent the closer he got to the royal palace.

Magnificent buildings lined the streets, and it wasn’t uncommon to see sculptures that looked like works of art.

It hadn’t always been this grand. The kingdom underwent significant development after the war, transforming its capital to match its newfound status as a major power.

Anyone who remembered the old scenery would probably be shocked and disoriented by the sight of the capital now.

As Ihan entered the noble district near the capital, the towering royal palace came into view.

Some people gazed at it with admiration, but while Ihan could appreciate its beauty...

"...I really don’t want to go."

His expression was one of pure dread, and it was clear he had no desire to be there.

He stood still for a few moments, engaged in an internal struggle before finally giving in and walking toward the palace gates.

When he arrived:

“Salute! Sir Lihan, reporting!”

“Good morning, Sir Lihan.”

“Thank you, everyone... but for the last time, it’s Ihan, not Lihan.”

“Aren’t they the same thing?”

“......”

Oh, grandfather.

Your honorable lineage is being mocked in this medieval world.

Should I beat them up for this?

[Stop spouting nonsense and just get on with your day.]

‘...Yes, sir.’

Imagining what his grandfather would say, Ihan nodded and presented his identification.

The soldier used a magical device to scan his medallion, and it glowed blue in response.

It was a bit like modern fingerprint or iris recognition technology—magic really was fascinating.

“No problems. Have a good day, Sir Lihan.”

“...I don’t want to have a good day.”

“Haha, you’ve got such a sense of humor.”

“......”

What’s so funny?

Feeling like everyone but him was having a great time, Ihan entered the palace, grumbling to himself.

His stress levels were pretty high, and he was on edge.

One wrong move, and he might just explode.

Just one person.

Let someone mess with me today.

Fueled by frustration, Ihan quickened his pace toward the knight’s quarters on the outskirts of the palace.

“Lihan’s here.”

“He’s arrived.”

“Wonder what today will bring?”

“The captain’s here too, right?”

A group of knights in silver armor, adorned with white lions, greeted him.

Of course, most of them avoided making eye contact with him.

‘Cowards.’

If a commoner like me had shown up, shouldn’t they be glaring at me, picking fights, or something?

Shouldn’t they be trying to push me into traps or send assassins after me?

Why did none of them have any spine?

‘The guys in the old days were better.’

At least back then, the noble knights had tried to stab him, sent assassins, and genuinely attempted to kill him.

He had enjoyed those days, back when beating them up gave him an excuse to relieve stress.

But things had changed. After getting beaten up by Ihan so many times, all the troublemakers had disappeared.

He couldn’t help but feel the passage of time.

Ihan had wanted to be expelled. He would’ve welcomed it.