The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 842

 Chapter 842

 

“Huff….”

Rimmer exhaled a white breath as he deflected the space sword that Sif had launched.

Just blocking the sword made his arm ache as if struck by a chunk of metal, and he felt pain as though his insides were twisting.

“Are you going to keep blocking it?”

Sif clicked his tongue briefly as he looked down at Rimmer.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just dodge?”

He shrugged as if wondering why Rimmer was just standing still and taking the attacks.

“Wow, you’re really a damned bastard.”

Rimmer wiped the blood flowing down from his mouth with his sleeve and gritted his teeth.

“Why? Even if you’re injured, someone like you could dodge all of this without a problem.”

Sif shook his head as if he couldn’t understand.

“Oh, don’t tell me it’s because of those lumps of burden?”

He raised a finger and pointed behind Rimmer, toward Dorian and Aris.

"Both of them are useless, aren’t they? One is completely worthless trash, and as for my mother, just by being in this space, she’s giving me strength."

With his chin raised, Sif waved his hands dismissively.

“Just abandon them. Make things easier for yourself.”

He pointed his black sword forward as if to say, let’s fight properly now.

“You sure know how to talk.”

Rimmer spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and sneered.

“While you keep shooting those space swords this way.”

Sif hadn’t aimed his strikes in the direction he was moving, only sending his slashes toward Aris and Dorian.

Seeing him exploit such a weakness while running his mouth made Rimmer want to snap his neck.

“Well, then keep blocking, if you can.”

Sif curled his lips into a long smile and slowly thrust his black sword forward.

Piiiiing!

Unlike the black sword that moved slowly, the slash it created erupted right in front of Rimmer, exuding chilling killing intent.

Chiiiing!

Rimmer twisted his leaf-shaped sword diagonally, diverting the space sword that Sif launched to the lower left.

Kwaaang!

The ground, struck by Sif’s slash, was gouged out so deeply it couldn’t be seen, and the cavern shook as if it would collapse.

‘This isn’t easy.’

Having blocked the space slash that Sif had unleashed with full force earlier, the artificial arm attached to his right shoulder had cracked, so now his hand wouldn’t move properly.

His internal injuries had worsened, so the artificial energy center also couldn’t exert its full strength. It was the worst situation.

“D-Division leader…”

Dorian’s face, drenched in tears, trembled as he muttered through quivering lips.

“It’s fine. I’ve been through this kind of thing plenty of times.”

Rimmer smiled faintly, lowering his head slightly.

‘Yes. I’ve been through this a lot.’

Unlike what people believed about him being a genius, he had suffered countless defeats.

‘When was my first loss…?’

Rimmer stared hazily at the space sword flying toward him again.

‘Ah, it was that human….’

*   *   *

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Back when I wasn’t much different from other elves.

A human guest visited Seipia after a long time.

“I heard one of the humans who entered the holy ground today is a direct line of Zieghart. Glenn Zieghart. The current head of house’s son.”

Erian said, swallowing dryly, that his gaze was different from that of other humans.

“Different…”

For Erian, who had no interest in other races, to say such a thing, I became curious about what kind of human he was and decided to go see him for myself.

As I waited in front of my grandpa’s house, it wasn’t long before the wooden door opened, and a man with brilliant blond hair, like sunlight filtering through the forest, came out.

Despite his young age, I could sense the presence of a complete warrior. While thinking that Erian’s words about him being fearsome were true, his gaze landed on me.

Calm, deep red eyes, unshaken even amidst turbulent waves. Meeting them stirred up a fighting spirit within me that I never knew I had.

I grew curious. Normally, I would ignore such thoughts and focus on my tasks, but the presence exuding from that man made me want to feel his strength through combat.

In the quiet evening, I visited Glenn’s lodging and knocked on the door.

“What is it?”

Glenn, despite his young age at the time, spoke in a tone that sounded like an old man’s. Looking back now, it’s amusing.

“I’m Rimmer, the Guardian of Seipia.”

At the time, I was the grandson of the Protector and the Guardian of Seipia, so I introduced myself as politely as possible.

“May I request a spar?”

“Sure.”

Without any hesitation, Glenn nodded his head.

Since childhood, I had been told I was talented and that I might inherit my grandfather’s position as Protector, so I was confident.

But…

Before we even exchanged a few blows, I was on my knees in the dirt. It was an undeniable, complete defeat.

“That was a good spar.”

Glenn, without a drop of sweat, turned back into his lodging.

I was bewildered. It felt as though my understanding of swordsmanship had been shattered.

Even lying in bed at home, eating, or standing on guard duty, Glenn’s overwhelming swordsmanship lingered in my mind.

I wanted to see it again and fight him again.

The next evening, I went back to Glenn and requested another spar.

“Sure.”

Glenn accepted as easily as the first time, almost to the point of disbelief.

And once again, I lost. And the next day, and the day after that.

After days of racking my brain, I finally made up my mind on the day Glenn left Seipia. Without hesitation, I followed him.

‘The look on the head’s face was priceless.’

These days, thanks to Raon, I’ve gotten used to seeing Glenn flustered, but back then, it was the first time I saw such an expression on him.

Glenn, seemingly impressed by my determination and will, immediately assigned me as the leader of the Charging Strike division.

Of course, there were objections.

“Charging Strike division? How can you entrust it to someone you’ve just met?”

Sheryl—who had a pretty face but a wild personality—spoke words of dissatisfaction from the moment she saw me.

"He looks decent on the outside, but I can see he’s not fit to do proper work!"

With a face not much different from now, she frowned deeply.

"…A noisy human."

That was the first thing I said to Sheryl.

“What?”

“If you’ve got something to say, speak through your sword.”

Not wanting to be looked down on, I challenged Sheryl to a duel right then.

And, damn it, I lost…

“Crawl in front of me from now on. Don’t even think about leading the Charging Strike division.”

Sheryl snorted and left the training ground. It was only later that I realized Sheryl treated me not as an elf, but as an equal person from that time on.

She was considerate, but had a nasty temper.

“You lack sparring experience.”

Glenn said it was something that could be resolved with time and effort, smiling slightly.

“From now on, spar with Sheryl every day.”

Following his advice, I sought Sheryl out daily for sparring, and I lost every single time.

But as Glenn had said, experience was the issue, and I gradually started catching up. After six months, I finally beat Sheryl for the first time.

“You… damn…”

Sheryl sniffled, wiping her tears as she fled the training ground without even bothering to dry her tear-streaked face.

“Just wait. I won’t lose tomorrow!”

She was cute. I hadn’t expected such a side from someone who usually nagged so much.

“Now you’re ready to lead the Charging Strike division.”

Glenn patted my shoulder as if to say I did well. More than the sense of accomplishment that I had grown stronger, my heart felt warm.

I didn’t know much about humans yet, but it felt like I’d found a new family.

The very next day.

Glenn sent over the swordsmen who would serve under me.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’m Seuran!”

A man with a friendly impression, looking cheerful, bowed his head.

“Yuser…”

A skinny woman with dark rings under her eyes turned her head slightly and just said her name.

“I’m Cleo Zieghart.”

A man in his mid-20s, with excessively polite manners, bowed deeply.

"I am Drevin. Please leave anything related to money to me."

A middle-aged man who was somewhat chubby for a swordsman smiled and held out his hand.

Unlike the elves, who all seemed to look and act similarly, each of them was brimming with individuality.

However, building relationships with them wasn’t as easy as it had been with Glenn or Sheryl.

For over ten years, we remained just a relationship of superior and subordinates—giving and receiving orders, teaching and being taught—nothing more, nothing less.

Fortunately, since we continued to work together even after Glenn became the head of house, we worked well together, and there wasn’t a single failure.

As usual, we received a solo mission for the Charging Strike division. While camping outdoors before reaching the field, Seuran broke the silence.

“Division leader, do you happen to have any dreams?”

Seuran tilted his head, looking curious.

“…I don’t know.”

At that time, I didn’t really have anything that could be called a dream.

Reaching Transcendence was more of a goal than a dream, and since Glenn had reached the position of head of house on his own, without much help, I didn’t consider it significant.

“Well then, shall I tell you about my story?”

Seuran leaned forward toward the campfire with a smile.

“I hope there won’t be any children suffering. That’s why I make donations, even if they’re small amounts.”

He said he donated his salary to orphanages and childcare centers, hoping that no children would have to grow up struggling as he had.

“That’s not a small amount. You just dump all the money you earn there!”

Drevin snorted at Seuran while looking at him.

“You just pile up your money. At least this is better.”

Seuran frowned at Drevin.

“Why do you save money?”

Having no particular attachment to money, I asked out of genuine curiosity.

“Because money is power. Those who have it don’t understand. They don’t know how hellish life is without money…”

Drevin said his dream was to become the richest person on the continent, waving his arms as he explained how he had lived in extreme poverty during his youth.

“I want to gamble as much as I want!”

Cleo Zieghart, a direct line of Zieghart, smacked his lips and rubbed his hands together.

“The feeling when you’re dealing cards—no amount of battle can satisfy that.”

He licked his lips, saying he looked forward to going to the casino after returning.

“You lose every time though.”

“Winning or losing isn’t the point! It’s the tension that’s exciting!”

Cleo laughed, saying gambling itself made him feel alive.

“That’s because you’re rich. Gambling is only fun when you have money.”

Drevin furrowed his brows as if he couldn’t stand Cleo.

“Yuser, what about you?”

Seuran looked at Yuser, who was already starting to doze off.

“I just want to sleep…”

Yuser barely lifted her eyelids and shook her head.

“My dream is to be born as a rock and sleep for eternity…”

She mumbled that even while dreaming, she wanted to dream.

“Actually… I also want to try raising some kids.”

Seuran smiled softly as he stared at the campfire.

“You mean getting married and having children?”

Cleo clicked his tongue, saying that was too ordinary.

“No, I mean I want to become a teacher. Not just an instructor, but a real teacher.”

Seuran glanced at me with a faint smile.

"Just like when the division leader took care of us in detail, I’d like to raise children to become fine swordsmen."

“Is that so….”

To be honest, I couldn’t understand it. Donations, greed for money, gambling, laziness—they were all values that had nothing to do with me.

Even after ten years, I felt I hadn’t been able to close the distance between myself and my subordinates.

“Division leader, after this mission ends, would you like to visit an orphanage with me? Kids love handsome people, so I’m sure they’ll welcome you.”

“Forget the orphanage—it’s boring. Come to the casino with me instead! I’ll treat you to the full experience!”

Seuran and Cleo waved their hands, inviting me to an orphanage and a casino, respectively.

“Forget that. If you have money, leave it to me. I’ll double it in a year.”

Even in this situation, Drevin rubbed his hands together, talking about money.

“……”

Yuser, uninterested in anything, snored as she fell asleep.

“If the opportunity arises.”

I said so, but during that time when dozens of battles were happening every day, it was hard to find time for anything outside of missions.

A few more years passed like that, and my subordinates and I joined Glenn in the war against the Holy Sword Alliance.

On that day, which I thought would be like any other…

Seuran was looking at pictures of the orphanage’s children, Yuser was lazing in her sleeping bag, Cleo was fiddling with his cards, and Drevin was counting money.

That day, all my subordinates died, and I suffered injuries so severe it wouldn’t have been strange if I had died, with my energy center destroyed.

When I woke up, I was in Zieghart, and my subordinates didn’t even leave behind their corpses.

For an elf, the death of someone isn’t particularly sorrowful.

The dead become the mana of this world, and we’ll meet them again someday.

But perhaps because my soul had melted into human life, it felt like being stabbed by a sword—my insides twisted, and my chest ached.

For a while, I lived like a shut-in, locked in my room like a broken man, until Sheryl broke down the door to my room and stormed in.

“Ugh! Look at all this dust!”

Sheryl waved her hands in disgust and glared at me.

“Hey! Get out so I can clean!”

Without saying anything else, she declared she was cleaning and kicked me out.

I stumbled out of my quarters, wandering aimlessly until I reached the bustling streets and saw a fancy sign. It was the casino Cleo used to frequent.

With the one gold coin I had left in my pocket, I entered the casino.

I lost everything on the first round. Cleo had said the thrill of gambling was unmatched, but I felt nothing. I didn’t understand why people did this.

The next day, I went to the bank to see the money I had saved so far. Piles of gold coins stacked high in my account. Drevin would’ve loved it, but I felt no emotion.

I took 100 gold coins and visited the orphanage Seuran had regularly donated to.

Some children were standing on their tiptoes, peeking outside the fence. Since they didn’t know Seuran had died, they must have been still waiting.

At dawn, I left the gold coins and a letter that seemed to have been written by Seuran and quietly departed.

The children were happy, but my heart remained unmoved.

Finally, I returned to the room Sheryl had cleaned and tried sleeping for days like Yuser.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t sleep, and I woke up naturally every morning.

Donations, laziness, money, gambling—none of it resonated with me. I still couldn't relate to those guys.

Yet I repeated their actions daily. Looking at money, donating, gambling, and sleeping like the dead.

At some point, the sight of accumulating money felt satisfying, the tension from gambling cards made my heart race, seeing the children’s faces during donations made me feel fulfilled, and the more I slept, the happier I became.

The day I turned from elf to human.

The day I could finally grieve for my subordinates.

For the first time, tears flowed down my face.

And then I remembered what Seuran had said at the end.

‘I want to become a real teacher, not just an instructor.’

Seuran had looked at me as if he had realized something before saying he wanted to become a true teacher.

For the first time in a long while, I dressed in my formal uniform and went to Glenn, saying I wanted to become an instructor.

“…It took you a long time, huh?”

Glenn gave a bitter smile as if he had been waiting for this for a long time.

“But an instructor, you say? I can’t just give Zieghart instructor position to someone with no qualifications. You have to pass the test and earn your qualification.

He didn’t show favoritism even though we were longtime comrades, telling me to take the test and come back.

It was different from the time when I was lost in darkness and indifferent to everything. Glenn, too, had completely overcome his distress.

“Tch.”

Sheryl snorted as if I were pathetic, but she couldn't hide the hint of warmth in her eyes.

“Fine, let’s do that.”

I barely managed to pass the insanely difficult test Glenn gave me and earned the qualifications to become an instructor.

And just like Glenn who once visited Seipia, I met a child whose red eyes gleamed brightly.

That was my new beginning and my greatest happiness.

*   *   *

Kyaaaaang!

Rimmer bit his lip as he felt a shock so strong it seemed like his wrist would twist.

“Ah…”

Did I lose consciousness for a moment?

The pain from his internal injuries was so severe that it seemed his mind had blanked out momentarily.

“Where are you looking? You need to keep blocking. Otherwise…”

Sif tilted his chin up and shot a space sword at Dorian behind him.

Swish!

Dragging his legs that wouldn’t move properly, he stepped back and deflected the strike aimed at Dorian’s neck.

“Huff…”

As Rimmer exhaled to prepare for the next attack—

Thud!

Sif emerged from a rift in space and drove a black sword into Rimmer’s chest.

“Gah!”

Rimmer coughed up blood, bending forward.

‘Damn it…’

His reaction was too slow. The sensation of the black sword piercing flesh and breaking bone was clear. The pain was as if his soul was being torn apart, and screams erupted from inside him.

“See? This is what happens when you care about insects.”

Sif threw a deep sneer at Rimmer.

“They’ll all die anyway once you’re gone.”

“No… that’s not true.”

Rimmer raised his left hand and grabbed the black sword impaled in his chest.

“As long as my disciple is alive before I die, that’s enough.”

“…You still have that much strength left?”

Sif chuckled at the black sword held firmly in Rimmer’s left hand, unable to budge.

“Vice division leader!”

Dorian cried out as he rushed forward. Carrying Aris on his back, he drew his sword and struck Sif's neck.

Teeooong!

Dorian’s sword strike was incredibly sharp, as if it surpassed his level, but it could not penetrate Sif’s aura and melted away like mist.

“You piece of trash!”

Sif, looking displeased, kicked Dorian with all his strength.

“Gkueuk!”

Dorian coughed up blood as he fell, but he got back up, ready to charge at Sif again.

‘Even that guy…’

Rimmer’s lips trembled slightly as he watched Dorian, who had forgotten his fear.

‘He’s grown a lot.’

The Dorian he knew would’ve cowered in fear and hidden in a corner in a situation like this, but now he was charging at a Transcender. It gave him a small sense of strength.

“I’ll kill you first!”

Sif pulled out the black sword, gripping it tightly as if to finish him off.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

But Rimmer, determined not to let him go, didn’t release his grip on the black sword that pierced his chest.

“You crazy bastard!”

Sif punched Rimmer with his fist, but Rimmer moved his creaking right arm despite taking the blows directly to his body.

Whoosh!

As if responding to his final wish, the divine relic of Seipia created a majestic wind that seemed to dispel the darkness.

“What the—!”

Sif exclaimed in surprise and lowered his left hand. It seemed he was trying to defend using Aris' aura.

'Even so, I'm going.'

As if the lost freedom had returned, his whole body overflowed with strength.

Gripping the sword tightly and straightening his fingers, he plunged the blade forward, imbued with the wind of Garunua that he had cultivated in his entire life and the Light Wind Flow that Raon had passed on to him.

Kyaaaaaaang!

The aura wall, warped with a dark blue glow, shattered, and a deep sword wound was etched into Sif's chest.

“Haa….”

But now it truly seemed as if he had no strength left, he could no longer hold the sword.

“You worthless insect!”

Sif, unable to contain his rage, struck Rimmer’s abdomen while the black sword remained embedded in his chest. Rimmer felt death approaching.

Even so, he did not loosen his grip with the left hand holding the blade of the black sword.

Even if it ended here for him, he had to protect his disciple and the child’s family.

His knees trembled, and he clenched his teeth in pain, but he endured.

Yet, as if even willpower had its limits, strength finally left his hand, and his vision began to turn white.

There were no regrets about this fight.

Not reaching Transcendence, getting injured while protecting others—it was all fine.

But not being able to protect Dorian anymore, not being able to see Raon and the other children’s faces again… that left him sighing faintly in regret.

“You persistent bastard! Fine! I won’t just let you die easily!”

Sif, even though he could kill him immediately, pushed his aura into the black sword as if to inflict greater pain.

The agony of his flesh and bones being torn apart brought him back to consciousness. There was nothing he could do.

As he exhaled a blood-stained breath, waiting for death, space tore open, and a winged human burst through, spilling blood.

Following them, a familiar flame pierced through the space, revealing Raon and the Light Wind swordsmen.

“As expected of Raon Zieghart. But you’re a little too late.”

Sif’s mocking words made Raon and the others turn to him.

Seeing their eyes trembling with emotion at the sight of him stung faintly in his chest.

There’s no need for that expression.

The reason I’ve lived until now…

The reason I endured even with a fake arm and fake energy center… it was all for you.

You’re the ones who made me live as a human again.

Haaah.

He could feel that his time was coming to an end.

What should I say?

Should I tell them to utterly destroy this damned bastard?

Should I ask them to pass on a message to Glenn, telling him to finally be honest with himself?

Should I tell Raon to become the greatest head of house Zieghart, even though I wouldn’t be there to see it?

If my students are truly as I know them, they’ll be able to fulfill any request.

But I don’t want to burden these already struggling children with such heavy words.

Then the answer was clear.

“Always….”

Rimmer swallowed the blood rising to his throat and smiled. He didn’t want his students to remember his final expression as twisted with pain.

“Be happy.”

With the brightest smile of his life, he gave his final farewell.

My young king.

No, my greatest students.

 

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