The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 963

 Chapter 963

 

“A way to shorten the time, even just a little…”

Martha swallowed dryly as she looked at Denier.

“Is it really possible to shorten the time it takes to reach the wall of Transcendence?”

Since she had only recently become a Grandmaster, she believed that it would take at least ten years, no matter how fast she progressed, to reach the wall of Transcendence.

Assuming she could even reach Transcendence at all, ten years would be a remarkably short period, but when she thought of her mother suffering at the hands of the White Blood Religion’s leader, even one year, let alone ten, felt agonizingly long.

Despite carrying these frustrating and gloomy emotions, she couldn't show them. But hearing Denier say that the time could be shortened made her heart beat fast, as if it would explode.

“It depends on your effort, but the possibility is high.”

Denier nodded, saying that Martha could definitely do it.

“Hm…”

The wall where Martha had placed her hand crumbled. She had unconsciously applied too much strength to her fingertips, breaking the brick.

“But that doesn’t mean you’ll immediately reach the wall of Transcendence.”

Denier shook his head while brushing away the shattered bricks himself.

“It’ll merely cut down a bit of the time.”

"What is the method?"

Martha clenched her fist, her hand covered in dust and stone powder.

“Is it learning a new martial art? Or some special training?”

Confident she could endure any kind of training, she immediately asked for the method.

“You’ll need both. But the focus isn’t on training or martial arts.”

Denier slowly shook his head.

“It’s an elixir.”

He spoke the word elixir as he pulled out a wooden case radiating a dark glow from his coat.

“An elixir?”

“To be precise, it would be more accurate to call it a poison than an elixir.”

“P-poison?”

Martha’s eyes widened at the sight of the wooden case.

“There’s no need to be afraid. Would I ever do something that would harm you?”

Denier waved his hand lightly, as if to calm her.

"Of course, I know. I was just surprised when you said it was poison."

Martha let out a soft smile and nodded.

‘If I don’t trust my father, then who could I trust?’

Denier had accepted her as his foster daughter, even going against the entire house Zieghart, and treated her like his own.

If he had intended to harm or use me, he would have done it long ago. Along with Raon, he was one of the people I trusted the most.

'Besides, if he really intended to poison me, he wouldn’t have told me it’s poison.'

Hearing him openly call it poison meant he

wasn’t trying to deceive her.

“But why a poison…?”

Martha looked at Denier with trusting eyes.

“The elixir inside this case is called the Azure Sea Flow, made from a toxic herb known as the Sea Flow Herb. It has the effect of putting a person in a state of suspended animation.”

Denier raised a finger and drew a cloudy shape in the air.

“Suspended animation?”

“Yes. But it’s not just any suspended state. It’s what we call the realm of selflessness or trance, an ultra-focused mental state. You’ll be able to enter the deepest part of your mental world.”

He nodded solemnly, saying that the moment you take the Azure Sea Flow, you enter a deep, deep realm of the mind.

“In a way, its effect is similar to the Chamber of Self. You could even call it a mini-Chamber of Self.”

Denier clenched his fist, explaining that by taking the Azure Sea Flow, one could enter the mental world and achieve growth faster than anyone else.

“I didn’t know such an elixir existed…”

Martha let out a breath of awe.

" I happened to find it during my last mission. The herb is extinct now, so it has been forgotten, but its effect is certain."

He gently stroked the black wooden case, calling it an elixir that couldn’t be bought even with ten million gold.

“The Azure Sea Flow…”

Martha’s fingers trembled slightly as she looked at the black wooden case.

'This is completely a cheat.'

The mental world wasn’t a place one could enter just because they wanted to. It was only accessible in moments of enlightenment through extreme concentration. But this elixir could forcefully bring someone into that realm, and into its deepest depths.

'If that's really true...'

I might be able to cut down the time by several years.

If Denier’s words were true, she could shorten her training period by at least several years. Sweat trickled down her hand without her realizing it.

It was something she absolutely had to accept, but there were a few things she needed to consider.

“If it’s a poison, then there must be side effects, right?”

Martha bit her lip slightly as she looked at the wooden case in Denier’s hand.

“Yes. There’s the risk of not waking up from the suspended state, or losing your memories.”

Denier explained the side effects of the Azure Sea Flow in a calm tone.

“Not waking up… or memory loss…”

Martha furrowed her brow deeply.

‘Should I say… it’s not as bad as I expected?’

She had assumed that, because of what the Azure Sea Flow could do, the side effects might include death, but memory loss, depending on how severe it is, might be something she could accept.

“Of course, there’s a solution. Both side effects occur from entering too deeply into the mental world. If someone wakes you before that happens, it can be prevented.”

Denier tapped the wooden case and shook his head.

“If you take the Azure Sea Flow, I’ll stand guard and protect you myself, so there’s no need to worry.”

His eyes carried a serious light, showing he wasn’t just saying it, he meant it.

“Hmm…”

Martha looked at the wooden case again and shook her head.

“If I take it, how long would I be unconscious?”

“To see results, you’d need to be in suspended animation for at least two months. The safe limit without side effects is about six months.”

He held up his fingers, explaining that in historical records, those who exceeded six months all suffered side effects.

“Two to six months…”

Martha reached out a trembling hand toward the case, then stopped.

“Thank you for thinking of me… but I don’t think I can take it right now.”

“What’s the reason?”

“This is the most important time for establishing the structure of the Light Wind Palace. As the team leader, I can’t be absent.”

Though her mother was the most important person to her, Raon and her comrades in the Light Wind were just as precious. She couldn't let everyone waste this important time because of her.

Even if she were to take the Azure Sea Flow, it would have to be after the Light Wind Palace’s structure was firmly in place.

“In that case, it can’t be helped.”

Denier smiled as if to say they could talk again when the time was right, and put the wooden case back into his coat.

“Thank you. Truly…”

Martha bowed her head, biting her lip lightly.

“There’s no need to say such things between family.”

Denier gently stroked Martha’s head and shook his chin.

“And don’t tell anyone about the Azure Sea Flow. The fewer people who know about treasures like this, the better.”

“Of course. I won’t say a word.”

Martha raised her hand and assured him not to worry.

“Oh, but… father, why don’t you take the Azure Sea Flow? Why give it to me…?” “Because I don’t need it. I wanted you to have it.”

Denier lowered his gaze as if it was of no use to him.

“You don’t need it?”

“Right. I’ve already reached the wall of Transcendence. Even if I used the Azure Sea Flow, it wouldn’t be enough to cross that high wall.”

He smiled faintly, saying he wanted to give it to someone who could gain greater benefit from it.

“The wall of Transcendence…?”

Martha stepped a little closer to Denier.

“Then, did you enter the Chamber of Self when you were standing before the Grandmaster wall?”

"No. I have never entered the Chamber of Self."

Denier shook his head, saying he had never entered it.

“What? Why didn’t you go in! If you’re already standing at the wall of Transcendence, you could enter the Chamber of Self and break through the wall like the Central Martial Palace master did!”

Hearing that Denier hadn’t entered the Chamber of Self despite standing before the wall of Transcendence only made her more curious about the reason.

“I just didn’t think the time was right yet. Unlike my older brother, I haven’t stood before the wall for that long.”

Denier rolled his wrist, saying he still needed more training.

“That common belief isn’t necessarily always right! Raon never even stood before the wall, and yet he came out stronger than those who did! The head of house and the Central Martial Palace master both said so…”

Martha repeated the words that Karoon and Glenn had said while assessing Raon's strength.

“When the Chamber of Self opens, go in right away! You've already accomplished more than enough!”

She held Denier’s hand and insisted he could do it without a doubt.

“If you become a Transscender too, that’ll make five Transcenders in Zieghart alone!”

“It’s still four.”

“Huh? Isn’t it five?”

Martha narrowed her eyes slightly.

“The head of house, Lady Aris, the Central Martial Palace master, Raon, and you. That’s five, isn’t it?”

She tilted her head, puzzled.

“…Right. You’re correct.”

Denier gave a small tap on Martha’s head, admitting his mistake.

“Aww, that was anticlimactic.”

chuckled slightly, saying he had surprised her.

“Anyway, promise me you’ll go in! Promise!”

She held out her pinky finger to make him swear on it.

“Alright. I will.”

Denier smiled gently and hooked his pinky with hers.

“Then I'll see you at dinner later. I need to prepare a few things for the Light Wind Palace.”

Martha went ahead to her room, saying she had things to take care of regarding the Light Wind Palace.

“……”

Denier watched her enter her room, then quietly made his way to the second-floor study.

Clack.

He carefully set down the black wooden case on his desk and opened the lid.

The Azure Sea Flow he had intended to give Martha, was nowhere to be found. The inside of the case was completely empty.

“Five, huh…”

Closing the empty case, Denier let out a dry, leaf-like smile tinged with solitude.

*   *   *

Zieghart’s fifth training ground.

Though it was far from the main building and usually quiet, today the ground rumbled from morning to night due to the ongoing construction of the Light Wind Palace.

Raon felt the pleasant vibration and opened the door of the fifth training ground and entered.

The Light Wind swordsmen were already waiting, lined up in front of the platform, clad in their black uniforms.

From the tips of their fingers radiated sharp energy waves, so sharp they made his skin tingle faintly.

‘Now they look like seasoned warriors.’

Strength isn’t something you can judge by age alone.

Of course! They’ve been raised by the King of Essence!

Wrath nodded smugly, as if there could be no other explanation.

'Maybe so.'

Though they were young, the Light Wind swordsmen had endured countless battles and harsh training, and now possessed strength and experience befitting peak warriors.

As he recalled each of them in their younger days, a subtle but deep sense of pride quietly filled his chest.

Step.

With pride in his eyes, Raon stepped onto the platform.

“We greet the palace master!”

“We greet the palace master!”

Following Burren’s shout from the front row, all the swordsmen bowed in unison.

“Everyone, rise.”

Normally, he would’ve waved off such formalities, but today was an important day for the palace, so he quietly accepted their gesture.

“Did you all get some rest while I was away?”

Raon smiled slightly as he made eye contact with the swordsmen.

“How could we rest when our palace master was in seclusion training? All we did was train too.”

Martha shook her head emphatically, saying their break had been nothing but training.

“I felt how lacking I still was, so I spent the whole time practicing my swordsmanship at home.”

Burren wrinkled his nose and said he’d focused on sword training as well.

“I just slept. Slept deeply…”

Runaan let out a long yawn, saying she spent her time happily buried in bed.

“I’ve been diligently restocking our supplies! We won’t be lacking anything now!”

Dorian beamed, saying he could pull out anything they needed. His bright face showed he truly felt at ease after restocking.

Then tell him to bring out some bead ice creams right now!

Wrath waved his chubby hand, eager to test Dorian’s claim.

“I nearly died following this guy around…”

Krein sniffled, saying it was harder than going shopping with his mom and dad.

“What about you, palace master? Word is spreading fast that you’ve gotten way stronger.”

Trevin smacked his lips, curious about how much Raon had improved.

“Tch. It’s noisy now that you’re here. Damn Light Wind…”

The Gambling Monster perched on the platform, waved his hand. He seemed to have a headache from yesterday’s drinking and wanted peace.

“Haha.”

Unlike the Gambling Monster, Mark Goetten laughed heartily, saying he liked the noisy atmosphere of the Light Wind Palace.

“Hurry up and finish setting up the structure already. I’m going crazy here with all the chaos.”

The Gambling Monster gulped down water, urging Raon to quickly establish the palace’s structure and organization.

“Understood.”

Raon nodded toward the Gambling Monster, then stepped to the front edge of the platform.

“From this moment, I will announce the organizational structure and internal system of the Light Wind Palace. There was some debate about the name Light Wind, but I plan to keep it as is.”

If it had been about anything else, he might have considered opposing opinions, but when it came to remembering Rimmer, he wanted to hold on to the name Light Wind no matter what.

“Yes Sir!”

The Light Wind swordsmen nodded without a single objection.

“First, the Warring Steel Division will remain just as it is and become the first official division of the Light Wind Palace. Naturally, the division leader stays the same.”

Considering their strength, experience, and achievements, Raon chose the Warring Steel Division as the first official division under the Light Wind Palace.

“We accept the order.”

“We accept the order!”

At Trevin’s declaration, the Warring Steel swordsmen, who stood behind him, knelt down and bowed in unison.

“Since the Light Wind Division doesn’t have enough swordsmen, they’ll be organized into squads under the squad leaders.”

Raon gave a small nod to Burren, Martha, and Runaan.

“Squads, huh?”

“Well, there aren’t enough of us to form a proper division.”

“I’m fine with whatever.”

Martha, Burren, and Runaan curled their lips into faint smiles, content with becoming squad leaders rather than division leaders.

“The names of the squads will be based on the nicknames of their squad leaders. Runaan’s squad will be called the Full Moon Squad, after her nickname the Full Moon Fairy, and…”

Raon turned his finger in the air as he looked at Martha, whose face had turned bright red

“Martha’s squad will be called the Rakshasa Squad, based on her nickname the Rakshasa Woman…”

“Hey, you son of a bitch!”

Martha stomped hard and leaped onto the platform.

“The Rakshasa Squad? You want me to show you what a real rakshasa looks like, huh?!”

“W-wait! This is an official event!”

Burren grabbed her by the shoulder, trying to stop her from lunging at Raon.

“Yeah. Nice name…”

Runaan mumbled, saying it was a name to be envious of, her lips curling into a soft smile.

Looking at her now, it seemed she had more mischief in her than Raon had thought.

“That damned ice witch gets Full Moon Squad, and I get Rakshasa? Are you kidding me?!”

Martha screamed, saying there was no way she could accept that name.

“Well, that’s how it is for now. I plan to hold a recruitment soon to increase our numbers. I want to promote both squads into proper divisions.”

Raon nodded as he said he intended to promote both the Full Moon Squad and the Rakshasa Squad into full-fledged divisions.

“Sounds good.”

“I agree…”

Burren and Runaan nodded approvingly.

“I object! No one will want to join with a name like Rakshasa Squad!”

Martha protested fiercely, shouting that it was unacceptable.

“It sounds cool. I’d even change the name of the Light Wind Palace to Rakshasa Palace if I weren’t so attached to it.”

Raon smacked his lips, saying that if he didn’t have lingering feelings for the name Light Wind, he would’ve already changed it.

“Well, I don’t think it’s bad. It sounds strong.”

Krein nodded in agreement, as if the name appealed to him too.

“We could even change the emblem into something ghostly. That’d look good.”

Burren chuckled while tracing a ghostly shape in the air with his finger.

“Huge approval!”

Runaan rarely spoke loudly and raised her hand.

“You’re all insane…”

Martha hung her head, already looking tired of it all.

“Well, enough with the jokes.”

Raon looked at everyone and waved his hand.

“Huh? Uh oh…”

Martha looked at him with hopeful eyes.

“Next is Sir Mark Goetten.”

But Raon betrayed her expectations and called out Mark Goetten’s name.

“Sir Mark Goetten, since you said you’re more comfortable in small groups, I’m appointing you as the Guardian of the Light Wind Palace.”

Raon respected Mark Goetten’s preference for fighting solo over leading a group, and appointed him as the palace’s guardian.

“It’s an honor! I’ll stake my life to protect you, Palace Master!”

Mark Gorton knelt, pledging to become the palace master's shadow as his guardian.

“I’ll assign Dorian and Krein under you.”

Aside from Trevin and the three team leaders, Dorian and Krein were the strongest swordsmen in the Light Wind Palace. With their unique strengths, they’d be a great support to Mark Goetten.

“Uh…?”

Burren’s eyes widened as soon as Mark Goetten was appointed guardian. He seemed surprised that the structure turned out differently than he had expected.

“And next…”

Raon smiled faintly at Burren’s bewildered expression.

“I appoint Burren Zieghart as the vice palace master of the Light Wind Palace.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Raon named Burren as the palace’s vice master.

“M-me? How could I…”

Burren’s chin trembled slightly. It seemed he had thought Mark Goetten would be appointed instead.

“Burren. You're the only one who can keep the punks of the Light Wind Palace in check and look after them in my place.”

Raon stepped down from the platform, gently patting Burren on the shoulder as he told him he trusted him.

“Urgh…”

Burren tightly shut his eyes in emotion, then opened them again, dropped to his knees, and bowed.

“I’ll prove myself worthy of that trust, even at the cost of my life!”

Rather than saying thank you, he declared that he would answer Raon’s trust with action.
Raon found that answer far more satisfying.

“The members of Light Wind team 3 that Burren had been leading will be split evenly between the Full Moon Squad and the Rakshasa Squad.”

Raon finalized the allocation of the remaining members and lowered his hand.

“Alright, with that, the basic organizational structure is complete. Now, shall we work on the system?”

“Huh?”

“Wait, we’re not done?”

“Isn’t the system the same thing as the organizational structure?”

The swordsmen widened their eyes, clearly confused by what he meant.

“Training.”

Raon tilted his head with a thin smile.

“A swordsman’s system is ultimately their strength. I’ve prepared a very special kind of training to raise yours.”

Raon rotated his wrist as he spoke, hinting that this training would be different from anything before.

“Oh! Training by the palace master himself?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Training prepared by a Transcender… What a fortunate opportunity..”

The swordsmen from the Warring Steel Division smiled in anticipation and nodded.

“Oh no… it’s finally come…”

“I should’ve taken sick leave…”

“Damn! I didn’t think training would start right away!”

In contrast, the ones from the Light Wind Division went pale, trembling as if they were staring straight into hell.

“Everyone, move out to the base of North Grave mountain.”

“L-let’s go…”

Showing his role as vice palace master, Burren took the lead and guided the reluctant swordsmen toward the North Grave mountain.

“Hmm…”

The Gambling Monster slowly stood up and shook his head.

“Now that the Light Wind Division has become the Light Wind Palace, I guess I’m no longer needed.”

He sighed, saying it had been tough until now.

“I’m sure things will only get tougher from here, but… well, good luck—”

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Raon shook his head and stopped him.

“I told you, now that the Light Wind Division became a Palace, I—”

“You’re quite mistaken about that, Sir General Administrator.”

Raon waved his hand with a grin.

“W-what are you talking about…?”

The Gambling Monster swallowed hard, flustered by Raon’s relaxed expression.

“You’re not the General administrator of the Light Wind Division. You’re the General Administrator of the annex building. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten, it’s been a while, after all.”

Raon shrugged his shoulders as if reminding him of an obvious fact.

“Wha—wait—ahh!”

The Gambling Monster’s mouth dropped as if the old memories came flooding back.

“In short, it means you can’t leave, even if you want to.”

Raon gave a soft shake of his head, as though telling him not to worry, while clearly meaning the opposite.

“W-wait, hold on! Then how long do I have to stay here?!”

“For life.”

He shook his head, as if stating there was absolutely no way out.

“And Sir General Administrator, you’re going to the North Grave mountain too. It’d be good for you to train with us from now on, so you don’t get any funny ideas.”

Raon shook his head, as if saying, You’re stuck here, Sir General Administrator.

“Damn iiiiiit!”

The Gambling Monster grabbed his head, wailing that he was doomed for speaking up in the first place.

He’s dragging even that old man into training…

Wrath trembled his chin as he looked between the smiling Raon and the crying Gambling Monster.

Truly, this guy’s vicious.

‘You’re surprised? I’ve made even a demon king my slave. A human elder is nothing in comparison.’

Raon shrugged, wondering why Wrath was acting so shocked.

You made a demon king your slave? Who—

Just as Wrath tilted his head in confusion, Raon pointed a finger straight at him.

Me? The King of Essence is… ah!

Only then did Wrath realize he was also in a slave-like position, and let out a scream.

“Aaaaaagh!”

Uaaaaagh!

“Well then, let’s get going.”

Raon went up to the North Grave Mountain, listening to the harmony of human and demon cries.

“As long as you don’t die, it’ll be fine.”

Maybe they should start with the Hellfire Climb.

 

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