The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 996

 Chapter 996

 

“Para?”

The king turned his clouded eyes to the left.

“A name I’ve never heard before. Are they some kind of race like the elves?”

He shook his head, saying it was a race he was hearing of for the first time.

“Your Majesty, Para is not a race.”

A high priest with neatly flowing white beard stepped forward.

“They are humans like us, only more sensitive to mana. That’s why we refer to them as Para.”

He lowered his gaze, explaining that Para were simply mana-sensitive humans.

“The high priest is correct. I once treated a Para before, they were no different from an ordinary human.”

The healer also nodded, affirming that Para were not a different race.

“I see.”

The king gave a nod of understanding and turned his gaze to the sage wearing the Fallen’s face.

“Then why did you bring up this name Para?”

He furrowed his white, grayed eyebrows, seemingly unable to understand the reason.

“Before I explain that, there is something I must first correct.”

The sage raised his long, slender fingers, fingers that resembled the Fallen’s.

“Para are not human. They are a completely different race from us.”

He shook his head, disagreeing with the high priest and healer.

“What?”

“What are you saying…?”

The high priest and the healer swallowed dryly as the sage dismissed their claims.

“Para’s physical bodies are no different from humans, but the flow of their mana is distinctly different from ours. The cross-shaped mana hole that exists in their eyes generates a foreign wavelength. They’re more similar to elves or trolls than to humans.”

The Fallen lowered the finger he had used to explain that Para were fundamentally different from humans.

“Hmm…”

“The flow of mana, you say…”

The high priest and healer seemed unfamiliar with that part and scratched their cheeks and ears, unable to refute him.

“Whether they’re human or another race doesn’t matter. I asked why you brought up the name Para!”

The king wrinkled his brow, as if pressed for time. Even now, strands of his hair and eyebrows were falling out one by one.

“Because the Para are the answer to stopping Your Majesty’s aging.”

The sage gave a faint smile as he said that Para could cure the king’s illness.

“Is… is that true?”

The king’s jaw trembled as he stepped closer to the sage.

“Tell me! What must I do?”

He clasped his hands together, declaring he would do anything if it could cure his aging.

“This is information no one else knows yet…”

The sage glanced sideways, as if checking his surroundings.

“Everyone, leave!”

The king understood and waved his hand to order everyone out of the audience chamber.

“Hmm, as you wish.”

The high priest and healer smacked their lips in reluctance before leaving the chamber.

“You as well—leave!”

The king stamped his foot at the royal guards standing like statues beside the pillars.

“Your Majesty, we must stay in case of something happens—”

“Enough! Do you take the sage for someone who would harm me?”

He cut off the royal guard captain and narrowed his eyes.

“…Understood.”

The captain bit his lip lightly and led the knights out. Judging by the look on his face, this wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.

“Now speak.”

Once he confirmed that everyone had left, the king tightly grasped the sage’s hand.

“Tell me how to cure this illness!”

He bit his lip, saying he would do anything.

“The blood of the Para race I just mentioned…”

The sage looked down at the king’s hand and calmly nodded.

“…will become the elixir that cures Your Majesty.”

“What…?”

The king dropped the sage’s hand in shock.

“Their blood… You mean we have to kill them?”

His eyes widened, as if the idea hadn’t occurred to him.

“That is correct.”

Even as he spoke of killing people, the sage’s smile did not fade.

“Currently, Your Majesty’s mana is flowing in the exact opposite direction of natural mana. The stress of that is what your body cannot endure, leading to rapid aging.”

He shook his head, saying no human medicine or treatment could cure such an unnatural disease.

“But as I mentioned earlier, the Para possess a flow of mana different from that of humans. What makes that possible is the mana hole in their eyes and their hearts.”

The sage raised a finger and pointed once each to his own eyes and the heart on his chest.

“In the past, the Para built a flourishing kingdom called Sirken, but now they’ve fallen, and only a few remain. Still, there should be enough to treat Your Majesty’s illness.”

He smiled faintly, saying it was fortunate that treatment was still possible.

“Their eyes and hearts…”

The king swallowed dryly as he looked into the sage’s gently glowing eyes.

“You’re saying we must kill them?”

“That’s right. In fact, there is no other way.”

The sage nodded, saying killing the Para were the only way to save the king.

“But killing others to save myself… isn’t that human sacrifice?”

The king bit his lip, as if the thought of killing others to save himself had never even crossed his mind.

“As I said at the beginning, the Para are not human.”

The sage waved his hand as if to reassure him.

“But still…”

“Your Majesty, what do you feel when an orc, a troll, or an elf is killed?”

He cut off the king’s hesitation and brought up the names of monsters.

“Hmm, probably nothing in particular.”

The king lowered his brows, saying it wouldn’t bother him.

“Then how about when you pull up an herb growing from the ground?”

“That would feel even less significant.”

“It’s the same thing.”

The sage gave a soft smile.

“The Para may look like humans, but they are not. There’s no need for Your Majesty to feel anything about their deaths, treat it like pulling a plant from the soil.”

He shrugged lightly, as if it were a simple matter.

“Your Majesty does not have much time left. Are you going to leave behind all this wealth and glory… over nothing more than a few monsters?”

The sage pointed his chin toward the vast view of the kingdom beyond the window.

“Hm…”

The king followed the sage’s finger, surveying the prosperous kingdom, and his wrinkled fingertips trembled.

“There’s no need to agonize over it. It’s no different from issuing an order to subjugate monsters.”

The sage knelt on one knee and held the king’s hand.

“Leave everything to me. Just grant me the authority to mobilize the knights, and I will finish the job and prepare the elixir.”

He bowed, asking for the authority to move the knights.

“The knights?”

The king narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the sage.

“Yes.”

The sage nodded calmly, as if it were an obvious request.

“As you’d expect from those sensitive to mana, every Para—whether a young child or an elderly person near death—can use magic. To capture them, we’ll need strong warriors.”

He smiled faintly, saying they would need to use knights to capture the Para alive.

“That… that’s all it takes?”

The king opened his trembling lips, as if entranced by the sage’s words.

“There’s one more thing. We must also prepare a ritual to interfere with their magic… That will take a bit of time.”

The sage lifted his gaze, saying that once the preparations were complete, the Para could be captured without significant losses.

His golden eyes began to gleam eerily.

“Haaah…”

The king met the sage’s gaze and swallowed dryly. He placed his wrinkled hand against the window, looking out at the view of the kingdom.

“It’ll work for sure, right?”

He lowered his voice deeply, as if he had made up his mind.

“Of course. Only my hands and the knights’ will be stained with blood, so please don’t worry.”

The sage bowed, asking for his trust.

“Very well. If you’re going to do this, do it thoroughly.”

The king nodded, giving the order to capture the entire Para race.

“Of course.”

The sage responded and took a step back. Without ever turning his back, he exited the audience chamber.

“……”

Raon bit down hard on his lip as he caught sight of the sage’s sinister golden eyes through the closing door.

‘It feels like I already know what’s going to happen next.’

It was as if the word tragedy had begun to descend upon that once warm village, and it made his chest tighten.

So does the King of Essence.

Wrath exhaled a heavy breath, as if he felt the same.

‘Filthy bastard.’

Raon scowled as he looked at the king.

‘A swindler without even the courage to dirty his own hands sits on the throne.’

The king had said he would leave it to the sage, thereby pushing away the responsibility for murder. It felt like witnessing the pinnacle of human ugliness, and rage surged from deep within.

‘I want to kill him right now.’

Just as Raon was glaring at the king with deep fury—

Ssshhhhk!

Time froze again, and a blue dimensional gate opened before his eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to show me…”

Raon narrowed his eyes at the wavering dimensional gate.

“But if it’s to save her, I’ll do anything.”

Without the slightest hesitation, he stepped into the gate.

*   *   *

When he opened his eyes again, he saw a large cave dug into the mountainside.

“……”

Merlin was crouched beside the cave entrance with her head bowed low.

‘This place is…’

Raon looked around. Judging by the location, it seemed to be the mountain next to the village.

“Fuuu…”

As Merlin exhaled a long sigh with her head still lowered, a rustling sound came from deeper inside the cave.

‘Could it be a bear?’

He tensed, thinking it might be a bear or a monster, but what stepped out from the cave was a blue-haired knight clad in silver armor. He looked like someone Raon had seen before.

“Princess. Are you crying again?”

The blue-haired man bent slightly at the waist as he approached Merlin.

‘Princess? Ah!’

Loctar Defort!

Raon’s eyes widened. The blue-haired knight was Loctar Defort, the draconian he had once absorbed while wearing Eden’s helmet.

“I’m not crying. And don’t call me Princess…”

Merlin shook her head without lifting her face.

“You are crying. And how could I call you anything else?”

Loctar said it was obvious and went down on one knee.

“I’m not a princess…”

Merlin sniffled, insisting she wasn’t.

“You are the daughter of Queen Sella. Naturally, that makes you a princess.”

Loctar continued calling her princess.

‘Now that I think about it…’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Loctar and Merlin.

‘Even in my mental world, he called her princess.’

Back in his mental world, Loctar had also called Merlin a princess and said he regretted not being able to protect her.

“Lady Sella is the queen of Sirken, and… you are her daughter. Naturally, you are a princess.”

“But our village isn’t the Kingdom of Sirken…”

Merlin shook her head, saying that no such kingdom existed.

“Sirken’s legacy lives on in this village. It may be small, but it’s a place no one dares to touch.”

Loctar placed his hand on the sword at his waist, calling the village the embodiment of Sirken.

“And with Queen Sella and **** princess both  here, even more so!”

He nodded with confidence as he spoke both names.

‘Wait a second. **** princess?’

Raon rubbed his temple as he looked at Loctar.

‘Did you hear Merlin’s name just now?’

No, he didn’t.

Wrath also shook his head, saying he only heard the word princess.

‘As I thought. Still can’t hear it.’

Just like when speaking with Sella, and now with Loctar too, whenever Merlin’s real name is about to be said, a crackling noise rings out, making it impossible to hear clearly.

“But I’m not Lady Sella’s real daughter.”

Merlin bit her lip, as if saying, "You already know that."

“Whether she gave birth to you or raised you with her own hands, it doesn’t matter. Lady Sella considers the Princess her daughter.”

Loctar nodded, saying that was all that mattered.

“……”

Merlin said nothing for a moment, then slowly lifted her head.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Loctar gave a soft smile for the first time.

“Lady Sella is probably waiting for you to call her ‘mom.’”

He motioned with his hand, suggesting she try it today.

“But the words just won’t come out…”

Merlin let out a sigh, saying it felt like her tongue wouldn’t move.

“And besides, I don’t have the cross in my eyes, and I can’t use magic either…”

She shook her head, as if embarrassed.

“Things like that don’t matter to a parent.”

Loctar gave a faint smile.

“My parents… well, our situation was a little, no, very different, but still, that kind of thing doesn’t matter.”

He lowered his chin slightly, saying that Lady Sella wouldn’t care about such things.

“Hm…”

Merlin straightened her back slightly, as if her mood had lifted.

“But, Uncle, where are you going?”

She blinked up at Loctar, who had a pack slung over his back.

“Being here so long has made my body stiff. I’m going out to train for a bit. I’ve already received permission from Her Majesty the Queen.”

Loctar nodded, saying he’d be away for a short while.

“Ah…”

Merlin’s chin trembled slightly at the news that Loctar was leaving.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back in about a month.”

Loctar let out a soft laugh, saying he was just going to sharpen his combat senses.

“N-no, it’s fine. Have a good trip.”

Merlin nodded weakly, trying to hide her disappointment.

“Yes. I’ll be off. And one more thing…”

Loctar waved to Merlin once he had fully exited the cave.

“Princess, you just need to be honest with yourself.”

He smiled brightly and said, if you do that, everything will work out just fine.

“Well then.”

Leaving those final words behind, Loctar slowly descended the mountain.

“……”

Merlin didn’t get up until Loctar had completely disappeared. As if she had made up her mind, she clenched her fists and headed back to the village.

“Haa…”

Merlin took a slow breath, opened the door, and stepped into the house.

“I told you not to stay out so late!”

Sella stood with her hands on her hips, clearly upset.

“Uhh…”

Merlin looked at Sella, her lips twitching as if Loctar’s words had resurfaced in her mind.

But the moment she saw the blue cross glimmering in Sella’s eyes, she pressed her tongue down.

“…I’m sorry.”

She bowed her head and fled into her room.

“Really now.”

Sella furrowed her brow for a moment, then returned to the study.

“……”

Raon let out a long sigh as he watched Merlin, completely drained of the boldness she usually had.

‘She’s nothing like the Merlin of the present.’

Realizing there was likely a reason behind this completely different personality, a chill crept into his heart.

‘Haaa…’

Raon let out a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling, where a speck of dust was caught.

*   *   *

“Nngh…”

Merlin groaned like she was in pain, slumped in front of Loctar’s cave.

“Failed again…”

She bit her lip, saying she had failed to cast magic again today.

“Why is it only me?”

Even though she understood the theory and could sense mana better than anyone, Merlin shook her head wildly, frustrated that she still couldn’t complete even a simple spell.

“……”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched the flame at Merlin’s fingertip fade away in vain.

‘Just like she said… there’s nothing wrong with the flow of magic.’

This Merlin had mana as pure as, if not purer than, her present self. And yet, she had never succeeded in even the smallest spell, only repeated failure.

‘What’s the reason?’

It’s confidence.

Wrath furrowed his brow as he looked at Merlin.

‘Confidence?’

That girl lacks so much confidence, it’s hard to believe she’s the same madwoman from the real world.

He snorted, saying that was the reason.

‘Confidence matters that much?’

Magic and sorcery depend even more on mental strength than martial arts. The way one perceives oneself determines how that flow unfolds.

Wrath smacked his lips, saying that Merlin’s shattered confidence was suppressing the flow of her magic.

In truth, that young madwoman should have been able to wield stronger magic than the adults here.

He nodded firmly, saying he was certain.

Though, there is something a little strange…

strange

This madwoman seems to have even greater talent than the one in the real world.

‘What do you mean by that?’

Raon narrowed his eyes at Wrath. It didn’t make sense that this Merlin, who was the same person, could have greater talent.

The King of Essence doesn’t know the theory well enough to explain it precisely either. But the power he senses from this young madwoman’s soul is fundamentally different from the one in the real world.

Wrath scratched his head, saying he couldn’t fully explain it either.

‘…Is there something wrong with her soul?’

Although Merlin’s appearance was the same as in the real world, the cross in her eyes and her level of boldness were different, suggesting that an explanation wasn’t possible at the moment.

‘I don’t know.’

Since entering this mental world, he had spent about two weeks watching Merlin, but she was just a shy, ordinary child.

Though she loved Sella, she couldn’t bring herself to call her mom. And even though she claimed not to be trying, she spent all day practicing magic behind the scenes.

‘She’s too different from the Merlin I know…’

Raon shook his head, feeling the disconnect between this Merlin and the masked madwoman known as Merlin.

Kuwaaaaang!

A deafening roar like something massive crashing down erupted, and bright red flames began to shoot up from all over the village.

“Huh…?”

Merlin’s jaw trembled as she saw black smoke rising from the direction of the village.

“W-What is that?”

She swallowed dryly and shot to her feet, running toward the village.

It’s begun.

Wrath let out a short sigh.

‘Yeah.’

Raon also sighed, watching Merlin’s trembling back.

‘Being powerless… is truly frustrating.’

He could tell what was about to happen, but not being able to do anything about it was unbearably frustrating.

It felt like he’d returned to the time when Derus had him on a leash.

‘Still, I have to go.’

Raon closed his eyes for a moment as he ran after Merlin toward the village, then opened them again.

‘If I want to see the end of this world…’

 

 

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