The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 974

 Chapter 974

 

The first to enter the conference hall among the heads of the Five Kings was Xanthos.

With calm steps, he walked up to the platform and looked at the people seated around the round table.

“I am Xanthos, King of Balkar.”

He bowed first to the heads of the neutral factions, saying he welcomed them to Balkar.

“Before we begin the conference, I want to first thank you all for coming all the way here.”

He offered a gentle smile, saying he was sincerely grateful.

“No, we’re the ones who should thank you!”

“That’s right! Who knows when we’d ever get to set foot in Balkar’s grand hall again while still alive!”

“Just being invited is an honor!”

The heads of the factions who had sided with the Five Kings bowed deeply, saying they were actually grateful to have been invited to such a grand conference.

“Hmm…”

“Well, we came because we were called…”

“But I don’t think it’s something we need to be thankful for…”

“I’m curious to hear what this is all about.”

In contrast, the heads of the neutral factions who hadn’t yet chosen a side looked around nervously, their gazes unsettled as if intimidated.

“Well, even that much…”

“Your Majesty!”

Just as Xanthos nodded, a middle-aged man with a red hawk emblem on his chest suddenly stood up. Gripping his bruised eye, he bit his lip.

“Oh, head of House Sairan. It’s been a while.”

Xanthos raised his hand in greeting with a friendly smile.

“Your Majesty, I don’t know if you’re aware, but there are currently violent groups causing chaos in the capital! They set traps and ambushed us—”

Just as the head of house Sairan was grinding his teeth and trying to explain the situation—

“Your Majesty. You arrived first?”

Raon entered the conference hall again and bowed to Xanthos.

“As the host of this place, it felt right to greet everyone first.”

Xanthos nodded as if it were only natural.

"But..."

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the head of House Sairan standing in front of Xanthos.

“What’s going on? The mood doesn’t seem very pleasant.”

“Ah, the head of House Sairan said he had something to tell me. He mentioned a group causing trouble with violence in the capital?”

Xanthos frowned, saying that if such people existed, they needed to be dealt with immediately.

"Since everyone else must be busy, I will handle it."

Raon gave a faint smile as he walked up to the head of House Sairan.

“The head of House Sairan? Would you mind explaining it to me?”

He casually slung his arm around the head of House Sairan’s shoulder while giving off a subtle killing intent.

This looks like something a thug would do…

Wrath shook his head, saying it reminded him of scenes he often saw in back alleys where people got shaken down for money.

“A-ah, no. I was just…”

The head of House Sairan saw the glint in Raon’s cold eyes and swallowed dryly again and again.

“I-it seems I didn’t explain things clearly, and His Majesty may have misunderstood! There were some suspicious people causing trouble, but the Light Wind Palace master and his subordinates here took care of all of it! That’s all! Yes!”

His eyes moved nervously side to side as he mumbled that he had said the wrong thing.

“Ah, I see. That’s a relief.”

Xanthos smiled and nodded.

“Thank you. I appreciate you resolving it.”

He patted Raon on the shoulder, praising his efforts.

“It was nothing. I was just doing what needed to be done.”

Raon replied calmly, shaking his head.

“But the head of House Sairan doesn’t look very well.”

Raon narrowed his eyes slightly and began pulling the head of House Sairan away from the round table.

“Urgh…”

The head of House Sairan tried to cling to the table, but of course, he couldn’t resist Raon’s strength.

“I’ll escort the head of House Sairan to the medical room.”

“Ah, please do.”

Xanthos agreed readily and returned to the platform.

“W-wait! Your Majesty! I was just—mgh!”

Raon pressed down lightly on the head of House Sairan’s shoulder with his finger, silencing him before he could say more.

“Is anyone else feeling unwell?”

He gestured toward the people seated at the table as he escorted the head of House Sairan toward the exit.

“N-no, not at all!”

“I’m perfectly fine!”

“Yes! We could sit through this conference all day!”

The heads of the neutral factions, who had been replying to Xanthos in half-hearted tones just moments ago, suddenly straightened up and shook their heads fiercely.

“That’s good to hear.”

Raon gave a cold smile and left the hall with only the head of House Sairan.

Aaaaaargh!

Not long after, a blood-curdling scream echoed from behind the conference hall, like someone’s throat was being torn apart.

“U-ugh!”

“H-he didn’t kill him… right?”

“No way…”

The heads of the neutral factions flinched like prey hearing a predator’s roar, their hands trembling uncontrollably.

“Tsk tsk.”

“That’s why you should’ve picked the right side from the start.”

"Or at least been quicker to understand the situation."

The heads who had already sided with the Five Kings curled their lips mockingly.

“What did you say?”

“You rat bastards!”

“Say one more word and I’ll cut out your tongue!”

The heads of the neutral factions clenched their jaws and glared bitterly at the factions that had sided with the Five Kings.

“If anyone's not feeling well, please don’t hesitate to say so. Our Light Wind Palace master will take care of you.”

Xanthos looked at the heads of the neutral factions on the right side of the table and flicked his chin.

“N-not at all!”

“Yes! We’re perfectly fine!”

“We could have this conference go on for ten hours and still be fine!”

The moment Raon’s name came up, the heads of the neutral factions' shoulders trembled as if they’d seen a ghost. They now looked like they would say yes to anything.

“Hm? What’s with the atmosphere?”

“It’s always like this in the conference hall.”

As the air in the hall grew heavier, Ogram and Chamber entered. They gave slight nods and walked up to the platform.

“Ugh…”

“……”

Larian pulled her hood deep over her head to avoid attention and quietly took the seat at the far end. Lecross, trying not to show any signs of injury, walked up with an even more confident stride.

Rumble.

Glenn entered the conference hall with an icy gaze, colder than frost. As if it were only natural, he sat in the central throne.

“We greet the Five Kings!”

The heads of the neutral factions who had sided with the Five Kings all rose at once and bowed deeply.

“Hmm…”

“We greet the Five Kings.”

The heads of the neutral factions, after hesitating and watching the others, bowed their heads slightly as well.

“You’re not even our subordinates. There’s no need for such excessive greetings.”

Ogram waved his hand, saying a simple greeting was enough.

“Yeah, relax. No need to be so stiff.”

Chamber said she wasn’t a fan of heavy atmospheres and waved her hand as well.

“Whatever it is, just hurry and get it over with…”

Larian, grabbing her hooded robe in frustration, muttered that she just wanted it done quickly.

“There’s no need to rush. What matters is the content of the conference.”

Lecross calmly drew a circle in the air with his finger, urging everyone to focus.

“Let’s begin.”

Glenn gave a small nod, signaling for the conference to start.

“I’ll close the doors.”

Just as Roenn was about to shut the door to the conference hall, a bloodstained hand shot through the gap.

“Apologies for being late.”

It was Raon. He wiped the splattered blood from his cheek with the back of his hand and gave a wide grin.

“Please begin.”

With that, Raon used a white handkerchief to clean the blood off his hand, then shut the door to the conference hall.

Creeeeak.

As the huge door made a scary closing sound, the faces of the heads of the neutral factions started to turn pale white.

Thud!

*   *   *

“…And because of that, we need your strength.”

Xanthos finished explaining. He repeated the main points from the first conference and asked the heads of the neutral factions sitting at the round table for their support.

“Of course!”

“Leave it to us!”

“Not even a single rat will slip past our territory!”

The heads of the factions who had sided with the Five Kings brought their hands together in earnest, shouting that they could count on them.

“Hmm…”

“W-We could do it, but…”

“Well, it’s just that…”

However, the heads of the neutral factions, who had come with the intention of raising their own worth, hesitated and were unable to give a straight answer.

“Tsk.”

Raon clicked his tongue sharply, clearly displeased, and raised his hand, still stained with blood.

“Gasp!”

“W-we’ll do it.”

“Just leave it to us!”

Without asking for anything in return, the heads of the neutral factions quickly agreed to join the search and nodded vigorously.

“Really? Thank you so much!”

Xanthos expressed his heartfelt gratitude and went around shaking each of their hands.

“And here I thought it’d be a hassle…”

Lecross let out a dumbfounded laugh.

"Yes. I thought it would take longer..."

Larian, hiding a long grin beneath her robe, was clearly pleased she might get to leave soon.

“It’s all thanks to Raon.”

Chamber said with a candy in her mouth, smiling.

“People like us have age and status, so we can’t act too freely. But Raon, even with all his power and position, is still young, so whatever he does, people let it slide.”

She tilted her head, saying things worked out well all because of Raon.

“He’s our Five Kings’ lucky charm.”

Ogram burst into a hearty laugh, saying Raon was the kind of kid you grew fonder of the more you saw him.

“Ahem!”

Glenn, hearing the praise for Raon coming from the other Five Kings, covered his mouth with his hand and began trembling. If he got any more emotional, it felt like he might cause an earthquake, just like back in Zieghart.

"That settles it. All the faction heads present have agreed to help us."

Xanthos looked toward the throne where the Five Kings were seated and nodded.

“…Thank you.”

Glenn worked hard to suppress his emotions and gave a slight nod of appreciation to those seated at the round table.

“No, not at all!”

“T-thank you? It’s an honor for us!”

The heads of the neutral factions flailed their hands nervously, as if they were seeing Raon in Glenn’s face.

“Now that the conference is wrapped up nicely, let’s head back.”

Glenn stood from his throne, sensing that people were starting to feel uncomfortable.

“Really?”

Larian sprang to her feet as if she had been waiting for this moment and leapt down from the platform.

“Understood.”

“How about a drink?”

Lecross and Ogram also got up with pleased expressions.

“We’ll leave the rest to you, Your Majesty, and to you as well, Light Wind Palace master.”

Chamber gave a wink to both Xanthos and Raon, then was the last of the Five Kings to leave the hall.

“Th-then we’ll be going too…”

“It wouldn’t be proper to stay much longer.”

“Hold on.”

Just as the heads of the neutral factions were about to follow the Five Kings out, Raon shut the conference hall door again.

“Promises are important between people, don’t you think? I do trust you, but if anyone breaks that promise… there has to be consequences.”

Raon gave a cool smile and pulled out dozens of contracts from his subspace pocket.

“Just give them a read and sign at the bottom. You can skip the penalty section, I got a bit carried away there. It's only meant for those who don’t keep their word.”

He had prepared the contracts ahead of time, knowing that if he tried to force a verbal promise, someone was bound to break it.

“Ah, you all can go ahead.”

With a faint smile, Raon gestured for those who had already sided with the Five Kings to go ahead.

“Yes, we’ll take our leave, then.”

"Have fun."

The ones who had sided with the Five Kings waved mockingly at the heads of the neutral factions as they exited the hall.

“You should head out first as well, Your Majesty. I’ll finish up here and follow shortly.”

“…I don’t know if I should say this, but the more I look at you, the more I’m convinced you were born with the heart of a king.”

Xanthos let out a soft laugh, saying that Raon suited the role of a king more than anyone he’d met.

This lunatic…

Wrath snorted in disbelief.

What is this, a thug kingdom or something?! What kind of king acts like that?!

He shook his head in shock and, in his mind, grabbed Xanthos by the collar.

“Well then, I suppose I’ll be going too.”

Xanthos licked his lips as if satisfied and walked out.

“Urgh…”

“Damn it!”

“Why the hell did I even come here…”

The heads of the neutral factions finished signing the contracts with trembling hands.

This really is a thug den!

Wrath trembled as he watched them sign against their will.

Has the human realm always been this rotten?!

*   *   *

After collecting all the contracts from the heads of the neutral factions, Raon stepped out of the conference hall.

How the hell did this guy end up like this? He was cold before, but at least he used to have a shred of humanity left.

Wrath shook his head in disbelief, grumbling that maybe this was his fault after all.

‘It’s not like I’m doing this just to be cruel.’

Raon glanced down at the contracts and shook his head.

‘If they fulfill the contract properly, I’ve promised a reward.’

After all, a horse won’t move forward if you only ever use the whip. To give them something to hope for, he’d included a clause, a major reward if they discovered traces of the Four Demons.

Still…

Wrath narrowed his eyes at Raon.

Your brain really is scary good.

He let out a puff of breath, muttering how this guy just seemed to understand people a little too well.

‘It’s not that amazing.’

Raon smiled faintly as he began walking toward the royal palace—

“Ah!”

A black-haired girl walking from the opposite side suddenly let out a scream.

“Sir Raon!”

She dashed toward him without hesitation and leapt into his arms. Her pale green eyes welled up with tears on the verge of spilling over.

“Rensia?”

The girl who had come running to him was Rensia, the one who had played the biggest role in opening the Black Tower’s dimension back in Montiro.

She’d been undergoing intense training, so they hadn’t seen each other in a while, but it seemed that had just come to an end.

“She said the first thing she wanted to do when she got here was see you.”

Olga, who had been standing behind Rensia, shrugged. It looked like she had guided her here.

“You should’ve told me you were here!”

Rensia sniffled, asking why he hadn’t said anything first.

“I didn’t want to disturb your training.”

Raon gently patted her back, apologizing.

“Have you been well?”

“Y-yes…”

Rensia wiped the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand and nodded.

“Master took really good care of me, so I’ve been doing great.”

She nodded again, saying it had been a truly happy time.

“I’m glad to hear that. So, learning magic has been fun—”

Raon began to mention magic but then suddenly widened his eyes.

‘No way…’

She already formed a circle?

He could feel the mana ring deep within Rensia’s heart. It seemed she had already reached the level of a First-Circle Mage.

“I became a First-Circle Mage!”

Rensia proudly puffed out her belly like a frog and declared her accomplishment.

“Ha…”

Raon let out a breath as he looked into her bright green eyes.

‘Her growth speed is insane.’

It felt like it had been a while since he last saw Rencia, thanks to his time in the Chamber of Self, but not much real time had actually passed in the outside world.

Even if she had Chamber as a teacher and was born with talent, he hadn’t expected her to reach the First Circle this quickly.

A genius indeed.

Wrath smacked his lips, saying she was a pearl hidden in the mud.

“I worked really hard!”

Rensia raised her hands over her head.

“Because I wanted to help Sir Raon and master!”

She smiled brightly, saying she wanted to become stronger quickly so she could fight alongside them.

“I see.”

Raon gave a soft smile and gently patted Rensia’s head.

‘If I’m being honest…’

I hope this war ends before you become strong enough to fight.

Rensia had lived a life of suffering, chained to the Black Tower since birth.

She had only just begun to learn what happiness was. Raon didn’t want to drag her back into suffering by pulling her into a war.

If possible, he wanted to end this war before Rencia ever had to fight, and create a peaceful era for her to live in.

Hmph…

Wrath smacked his lips again as he looked at Raon.

You looked like a celestial just a moment ago… but now, you seem like a demon.

He shook his head, muttering that it was impossible to fully hate someone like this.

“Alright. I’ll count on you.”

Raon nodded at Rensia, not wanting to dampen her passion despite everything.

“Yes! I’m going to reach the Second Circle real soo—”

Just as Rensia nodded and held up two fingers—

BOOOOM!

A massive pillar of light fell from the sky, crashing down into the center of the royal capital.

WUUUUNG!

From within the radiant, sacred light, a being with white wings slowly descended.

Blonde hair, blue eyes. Eyes that seemed to gather all the nobility of the world shimmered like the end of days, falling like crashing waves.

While the sky seemed to sing and the earth beat a war drum, the noble being raised a staff covered with golden scales.

“that staff…”

Olga's eyes widened in shock as she stared at the golden staff held by the blond-haired, blue-eyed being.

“Do you know who that is?”

Raon, still holding Rensia in his arms, turned to Olga.

“…An archangel.”

Even just speaking the word seemed to weigh heavily on Olga, who swallowed dryly.

“Raphael.”

 

 

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