The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 938

 Chapter 938

 

“H-Head of house…?”

Raon let out a shaky breath as he looked into Glenn’s wrinkled eyes.

“What happened to you?”

Glenn Zieghart was the most cold-headed and rational person Raon had ever known. Even if he had been worried due to the communication with Montiro being cut off, he never expected such an emotional reaction from him.

His mind, which had been so dizzy he felt like he might pass out, suddenly cleared for a moment.

"Just seeing you tells me how dangerous the war here must have been."

Glenn gently bit his lower lip and tightened the arms holding Raon.

“Thank you for holding on until the end, Raon.”

He repeated his thanks, gently patting Raon’s back with trembling hands.

“Grandfather…”

Glenn's words of gratitude resonated strangely in Raon's heart, and the word grandfather slipped out involuntarily.

H-He finally lost it, the old man’s gone senile…

Wrath inhaled sharply, as if he couldn’t understand Glenn’s behavior.

‘It’s not senility… I think he’s just overwhelmed with emotion.’

Raon knew well that Glenn cared more about him than anyone else.

But in front of others, Glenn had always shown a cold, detached demeanor, never warmth like this. That he was now openly showing affection in front of everyone was shocking.

‘It’s not just emotion. He looks completely exhausted.’

From the moment Glenn arrived, he had been panting, and his eyes were filled with the fatigue of someone who hadn’t slept for days.

There’s no way a Transcender would be worn out just from traveling here, so he must have gone through a fierce battle.

‘But… for some reason, it looks like he’s somewhat hazy or blurry…’

Is it just because I’m tired?

Though Glenn was exuding an even greater energy wave than when he sat on Zieghart’s throne, but he also gave off a faint feeling, like morning mist dissipating before the sun. The conflicting sensations confused Raon.

No, you saw it correctly.

Wrath narrowed his eyes, affirming Raon's feeling.

‘What do you mean…’

Just as Raon was about to ask Wrath, the sound of something collapsing shook the ground, and people began gathering around the fountain.

“H-Head of house?”

"What is the head of house doing here?"

“Huh…?”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan widened their eyes as they saw Glenn holding Raon in his arms.

“You three, come here as well.”

Glenn slightly raised his head and gestured to Burren, Martha, and Runaan.

"Uh? Ah…"

"U-Us too?"

"Yes."

Though Burren and Martha hesitated, frozen in place, Runaan launched forward without hesitation and stood beside Raon.

“You’ve done well.”

Glenn gently pulled Runaan into a hug, just like he had done with Raon.

“I’m okay…”

Runaan softly returned the gesture, patting Glenn’s back.

"Ah!"

"Wh-What…?"

The moment Burren and Martha saw Glenn hug Runaan, they slammed their feet into the ground and charged toward him.

"You all endured a difficult battle. Thank you."

Glenn nodded as he hugged Burren, Martha, and Runaan all at once.

“Hmgh…”

Raon let out a soft groan as he saw the slight tremble in Glenn’s voice.

‘What in the world happened to him?’

For him to express emotions not only to Raon but to everyone like this… it was like he was a different person.

“Raon. Can you tell me what happened here? What kind of battle you faced?”

"Yes, you probably already know the operation details, so I’ll begin from what happened afterward."

While Glenn continued to comfort the three team leaders, Raon gave a brief report of the war against the Black Tower.

“F-Father?”

Just as Raon was finishing the report, Karoon emerged from the medical tent after being treated for his injuries.

He looked at Glenn, who was holding Burren, Martha, and Runaan in his arms, and was so startled that he blurted out father instead of head of house.

"…What is going on here?"

"Ah, well…"

Only then did Glenn realize how little attention he’d paid to the people watching him. He let out a low sigh and slowly released the children from his arms, rising to his feet.

"How did you end up here, and why are you hugging the children…"

Karoon’s eyes trembled like a sailboat caught in a storm, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"You played a big role. You've worked hard."

Glenn slowly walked over and stood in front of Karoon. After briefly lowering his eyes in thought, he opened them again and gently embraced him.

“F-Father?”

Karoon trembled all over, unable even to move his eyes. He was more shocked now than when the Black Tower’s master had burst through the ceiling.

‘Father… is hugging me? And praising me?’

Despite all the achievements he had made as Glenn Zieghart’s son, never once had he received such words of praise from him. The simultaneous shock and disbelief left his mind blank.

“Head of house.”

Raon pressed a hand to his throbbing temple and called out to Glenn.

“Communication across all of the Five Kings has been cut off. It’s definitely the work of the Five Demons. We must act quickly—”

“It’s alright.”

Glenn turned around and calmly shook his head.

“Owen was attacked, but the others are safe.”

“…I see.”

Raon frowned slightly as he glanced at the third prince, Greer, watching from a distance. As he had suspected, while they were dealing with the Black Tower, the Five Demons had attacked Owen.

“Then… the one who attacked Owen was…”

“Yes. Derus Robert.”

Glenn lowered his chin, confirming that he had fought Derus Robert.

“He’s become much stronger. Among the heads of Five Kings and Five Demons, few would be able to stand against him now.”

He furrowed his brow, noting that Derus's strength now ranked among the highest of the Five Kings and the Five Demons.

‘So that’s why he looked so worn out.’

Raon finally understood the reason for Glenn’s exhaustion. He had gone to Owen, fought off Derus, and then flown all the way here, he must have drained a great deal of stamina.

‘But… he’s gotten that much stronger?’

Did he receive power from the celestials or something?

Derus hadn’t disappeared for long. Yet in that short span of time, he’d grown strong enough that even Glenn acknowledged it. That was hard to believe.

“U-Um, then… my father…”

Prince Greer, unable to contain himself, ran forward and stood in front of Glenn.

“He’s injured, but he’s safe. He’s a strong man. You don’t need to worry.”

Glenn nodded, saying the wounds weren’t serious and he would recover fully.

“Haa…”

The third prince sank to the ground, his tension completely released.

‘That’s a relief.’

Raon sighed in relief as he looked at the prince.

‘We can’t afford to lose anyone else now.’

To win the war against the Five Demons, they couldn’t afford any further losses in strength.

Hearing that Lecross survived and that the other Five Kings were safe helped calm the storm that had been swirling in his chest.

“But… something about this is strange. Why did only Derus attack Owen, while the other regions were left untouched…?”

Raon’s brows furrowed as he recalled Derus Robert’s disgusting face.

"If they had acted after hearing about our surprise attack, they would have been capable of attacking the Magic Tower, Balkar, or even the Beast Union."

Of course, preparations had been made, but if the White Blood Religion and Eden had joined in the attack as well, the entire continent would have become a battlefield. The fact that they didn’t aim for that was suspicious.

“Just in case, we should conduct further investigations…”

“Without information, it’s impossible to grasp his intentions right now. For now…”

Glenn slowly shook his head and pulled Raon into his arms again.

“…You should rest.”

“Wait, but… Ah.”

The moment his hand gently stroked Raon’s back, a wave of fatigue surged over him like a crashing tide, and all the strength drained from his body.

Whoooosh.

Glenn’s soft touch summoned a warmth that reminded Raon of his childhood, when he would fall asleep while training the Ring of Fire. A gentle drowsiness wrapped around him.

‘I’m not done yet…’

But before he knew it, Raon was already drifting off, just like when he used to fall asleep beside Sylvia after a long day.

*   *   *

Creak.

Glenn opened the cracked door to a medical room and stepped inside. He approached a girl with a cute face who was sucking on a candy and gave a slight nod of his chin.

"Good to see you're awake."

"Someone caused a big commotion outside, so it got noisy. That’s what woke me up."

Chamber narrowed her eyes slightly as she bit down gently on the candy.

“The old ice block who never even smiles at his family suddenly hugging children in front of everyone? What’s gotten into you?”

She shook her head, clearly unable to make sense of it.

“How’s your body?”

“Thanks to Olga, the Saintess of Schper, all the external wounds are healed.”

Chamber nodded, saying the Saintess had paid extraordinary attention to her wounds, almost to the point of disbelief.

"But my upper energy center is in bad shape."

She tapped her forehead, saying it was a close call.

"Your upper energy center…"

Glenn scanned Chamber's head, letting out a low groan. Even without a deep examination, he could tell the shock to her mind was significant.

"This is a wound only I can heal. It’s going to take some time."

Chamber let out a short sigh, as if already bored at the thought of a long recovery.

“But don’t worry. I’ll definitely recover.”

She waved the hand holding her candy, saying she’d be able to join the next war.

“I believe you.”

Glenn nodded calmly.

“What is this? Why are you so gentle today?”

Chamber muttered suspiciously as she rubbed the goosebumps on her arm.

"You asked earlier what came over me, hugging the kids like that."

Glenn looked into Chamber’s narrowed eyes and opened his mouth.

"Before coming here, I met Derus Robert."

“What…?”

Chamber’s eyes widened. That was news she hadn’t heard yet.

"So he finally showed himself! Where was it?"

“Owen. King Lecross was struck down.”

“H-He’s not dead, right?!”

At the mention of Lecross being attacked, Chamber kicked off the blanket and sat up abruptly.

"He’s in much better shape than you, so don’t worry. He has serious external and internal injuries, but his energy center wasn’t damaged."

Glenn told her to worry about herself instead and gently laid her back down on the bed.

“Haah…”

Chamber let out a long breath of relief upon hearing that Lecross was safe.

“Wait a sec! Then Lecross lost to Derus? That useless idiot!”

“He was strong.”

Glenn shook his head at Chamber, who was fuming with anger.

“Even if you and Lecross had fought him together, it wouldn’t have been easy.”

"…He was that strong?"

“Yes.”

Glenn nodded firmly, speaking with certainty.

“Wait, don’t tell me… did you use the Heart Sword again?”

Only now did Chamber seem to realize what had changed about Glenn, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"I did."

Glenn let out a short breath as he turned his gaze toward the window.

"With communication to Montiro completely cut off, we had no news coming in… and Derus Robert told me that Raon and Karoon were dead."

“Hmm…”

Chamber bit down hard on her molars as she looked into Glenn’s sunken eyes.

“You know this already, but the Heart Sword is a martial art that goes beyond even the realm of Transcendence. I could have killed Derus, or even that angel beside him. But the moment I heard that Raon and Karoon had died… I couldn’t bring myself to swing the sword to the end.”

Even now, Glenn’s wrinkled hand trembled as if he was still tormented by that moment.

“But thanks to that, I realized just how precious Raon, Karoon, and the children of our house are to me. Pathetic, isn’t it? That it took the enemy’s lie for me to understand something so important.”

He curled his lips into a crooked smile, like he was mocking himself.

“Ascension is the dream and ideal of every warrior. I used to yearn for that path, even in my sleep. But now… I no longer want to leave. I want to stay on this land and watch Raon and the others as they grow.”

Glenn lowered his head, heavy with resolve, saying he didn’t mind becoming weaker, as long as he could remain on this continent.

“So that’s why you hugged Raon and the others in front of the plaza. I get it now.”

Chamber smiled softly, saying she finally understood.

“You’ve really gotten old, haven’t you? Back in your youth, you didn’t even care about your own blood and left a trail of bloodshed wherever you went. Now, you’re just a kind-hearted grandpa.”

“Mmh. I… don’t really have anything to say to that…”

Glenn furrowed his brows as if regretting his younger years.

“But honestly, I think you might live long enough to see Raon’s grandchildren.”

Chamber shook her head lightly, as if telling him not to worry.

“What do you mean by that?”

“They say you have to let go of all five desires and seven emotions to ascend—that you have to become something beyond human. But you, on the contrary, developed human emotions. Doesn’t that make you different?”

She waved her hand as if telling him to think about it.

“Hmm…”

“And don’t just act like this today. Keep treating the kids with warmth from now on too.”

Chamber gave a bright smile, telling him not to change after just one day and to keep his heart as it was now.

“Because children need consistent praise.”

*   *   *

“Nghh…”

Raon slowly opened his eyes. Through the window, he could see the sea, it looked like he was still in Montiro.

‘Well, I guess this was the better choice.’

The Saintess Olga’s healing abilities and holy power weren’t far behind even Ragged Saint Federick.

Since she remained in Montiro, it was better to continue receiving treatment here.

So you’ve finally woken up.

Wrath snorted, sounding unimpressed.

‘How long was I out?’

Two days.

He pointed toward the darkened sky outside, frowning.

Even after reaching Transcendence, you slept for two whole days! That means the King of Essence missed twelve meals!

‘…Why twelve?’

Raon stared at Wrath, dumbfounded.

Three regular meals, and three snacks! That makes six per day, does it not?

‘…….’

He used to say four meals a day, and now it was six. Raon was starting to wonder more seriously whether Wrath was a demon king or just a glutton.

‘Still… I’m relieved.’

Raon let out a small laugh as he looked at Wrath, who was now complaining about being hungry.

Relieved? What do you mean?

‘Every time I go through a battle this dangerous, you either descend or pour out so much power that you end up coughing and sputtering. But this time, you didn’t.’

Whenever he encountered Transcender or demon kings, Wrath would step in and help him survive, at the cost of using power that defied causality, which severely impacted his soul each time.

But this time, he and Chamber had fought through to the end and defeated the Black Tower’s master, and with Lust and Gluttony’s help, they even managed to drive off Greed.

Now that the battle was over and Wrath was still perfectly fine, Raon felt genuinely at ease.

Uh, um…

Wrath let out a quiet groan, as if he hadn’t expected Raon to think of him that way.

Th-The King of Essence is a monarch of the devildom! A lowly thing like you doesn’t need to worry about him!

He turned his head sharply, his cheeks flushed red. Though he spoke as if annoyed, it was clear he was embarrassed.

‘Yeah, yeah.’

Raon chuckled and gently patted Wrath on the head.

‘Where are Lust and Gluttony right now?’

Lust…

Wrath’s whole body began to tremble as he looked up toward the air.

She’s still watching over you, having turned into mist. It’s terrifying and annoying, he swears, it’s killing him…

He sniffled without even daring to glance at the ceiling.

‘Ah, right…’

Raon let out a soft breath as he looked up at the gently shimmering pink current in the air. He could feel Lust still watching over him.

Gluttony, on the other hand, is wandering the city and eating everything in sight! If you don’t get up soon, all the food will be gone!

‘So she did have money after all.’

Though Gluttony had claimed she was broke, it seemed she’d really come just to help. As Raon had suspected.

The more Raon saw of them, the more he realized how different the celestials and demons were from the myths passed down across the continent.

You seemed really worried about something before you passed out. Are you feeling okay now?

‘Of course I’m still worried.’

Raon still couldn’t shake the unease about why Derus had targeted Owen, and why the other Five Demons hadn’t made any moves.

Knowing Derus, there had to be a purpose behind it.

But whether he discovered that reason or not, the only thing he could do now was recover and grow stronger.

‘I have to become even stronger.’

As Raon tightened his fist with renewed resolve to climb even higher, the door opened and Olga entered, carrying bandages and medicine.

“You’re already up? What is your body made of, steel?”

Unlike Wrath, Olga was surprised that Raon had recovered in just two days and shook her head.

“The wounds weren’t that serious.”

Raon glanced over the bandages on his body and shook his head.

"The physical wounds weren’t that serious, but the mental shock was. Not as bad as Lady Chamber’s, but your upper energy center was on the verge of collapse."

Olga frowned, asking what exactly he’d done to end up like that.

"I just fought hard, that’s all. How’s the situation outside?"

Raon shifted the topic, motioning with his chin toward Olga.

"It’s mostly settled. The knights of Owen left first, and the rest are preparing to head back after handing this place over to the next group. Now that you’re awake, Zieghart will leave too."

“What about you?”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the tattoos on Olga’s skin.

"We’ll return too. A king can’t be away from his kingdom for too long, right?"

Olga lowered her hand, saying she’d stay a bit longer before heading back.

“Then let the king return. You’re coming with me.”

“What? What are you talking about…?”

“Your body. That condition of yours.”

Raon calmly nodded as he looked at the black tattoos that had spread across Olga’s arms and legs.

“I can fix it now.”

 

 

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