The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1046

 Chapter 1046

 

‘Now I can finally feel it.’

Raon placed his hand on the scabbards of Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword and closed his eyes.

‘That I’ve grown stronger.’

He could feel the realization of swordsmanship he gained in Darkan’s mental world melting into his soul. It wasn’t a dramatic leap in growth, but a confidence bloomed that he could now wield swordsmanship different from before.

“I was quite worried coming here…”

Rector lowered his hand and looked at him.

“I’m glad things turned out well.”

He let out a heavy sigh, as if finally at ease.

“It’s all thanks to you, grandfather. Thank you.”

Raon bowed his head to Rector.

“It wasn’t because of me. It was all your own doing.”

Rector waved both hands, as if he hadn’t done anything.

“I couldn’t even properly protect you from Darkan, nor convey my words correctly.”

He said all he did was watch, clenching and unclenching his fists.

“Not at all.”

Raon firmly shook his head.

“If you hadn’t told me the contents of the Four Demons’ meeting, we would’ve waged war against the White Blood Religion and suffered a crushing defeat. Just the fact that you stopped that makes you, not just to me, but to all the Five Kings, our benefactor.”

Because of Rector’s position, he couldn’t easily pass on information about the Four Demons, but it was no exaggeration to say his information had saved the entirety of the Five Kings.

“And if you hadn’t found Darkan for us, we wouldn’t have been able to persuade him, and I wouldn’t have had the chance to grow stronger either.”

Because the search had started from the Holy Sword Alliance’s holy land, he was able to find Darkhan, if the search had started from Zieghart, he would have only heard information about him after the war.

“Hmm…”

A faint sigh escaped Rector as if moved by Raon’s words.

“And finally…”

Raon looked at Rector, who was still clenching his fist, and gave him a gentle smile.

“You’ve been protecting me from beginning to end, haven’t you?”

“You… knew?”

Rector widened his eyes in surprise.

“Yes. You tried not to show it, but I saw it in your expression, grandfather.”

Raon nodded calmly.

“That you were keeping Darkan in check and preparing to protect me.”

From the moment he arrived in the kingdom of Oscot, Rector had never once let down his guard, ready to block Darkan’s unpredictable actions. He was always prepared to lay down his life for Raon.

“Hoo…”

As if he hadn’t realized Raon had noticed, Rector let out an awkward breath.

“This is a little embarrassing.”

He leaned his back against a worn-down wall, a thin smile escaping as if a mix of embarrassment and exhaustion washed over him.

You really do seem to be popular with old men.

Wrath gave a short nod of his chin, as if he too understood Rector’s feelings.

But thanks to that, that old man will also gain something from this.

‘Gain something?’

He might not feel it clearly right now with the tension having eased, but that old man will also be able to grow a little more.

He smacked his lips, saying he could feel Rector’s soul and martial power growing.

‘Really? That’s a relief.’

Raon had felt a little regret at being the only one to grow stronger, but hearing that Rector had grown too made him smile without realizing it.

“We should head back now.”

Rector exhaled roughly, as if all the fatigue until now was rushing in at once.

“Yes. You need to rest now too, grandfather.”

Raon nodded as he supported Rector by the shoulder.

“I really have gotten old, haven’t I.”

Rector furrowed his brows, as if he couldn’t deny it.

“Thank you, grandfather.”

“Family shouldn’t say things like that.”

Rector waved his hand dismissively.

“In that case….”

Raon gave a refreshing smile as he carried Rector on his back.

“Please keep watching over the path I walk.”

“Yes. That’s much better.”

Rector gave a heavy nod, as if to say he would watch over Raon and Sia until the day he died.

“Then you’ll have to live a very long life. Unlike me, my sister has so many things she wants to do.”

As Raon listed the things Sia wanted to do one by one, he walked out of the worn alleyway. Behind the steps of the grandson and grandfather, it wasn’t a shadow that bloomed, but a vivid laughter.

*   *   *

The spire of the palace from which one could view the full scenery of the Oscot Kingdom.

Darkan stood atop the spire, where the biting wind blew, and watched Raon and Rector leave the kingdom.

“Raon Zieghart…”

From the moment I first saw Raon, I knew the boy possessed tremendous talent. But he always went beyond even that talent, producing results that escaped my predictions.

‘The beginning was when he killed my disciple.’

Back then, Cloud was a Grandmaster, and Raon was merely a Master. So I had assumed it would be only natural to capture him. But what greeted me instead was the death of my disciple, so thorough that not even a trace remained.

‘That was the start.’

When we met at the Holy Sword Alliance’s holy land, when I heard the news that Raon had brought down the Black Tower and slain its master, and when I learned he had killed the Fallen alongside the Magic Tower master, I was always stunned by the results he produced.

‘Though not as much as this time…’

When my life as a beggar wasn’t going the way I had planned and my heart felt suffocated, Raon appeared and gave me exactly the advice I needed. At first, my pride was wounded, and I didn’t want to listen. But when I saw the sincerity in his eyes, I decided to give it a try.

‘And the result was more satisfying than I’d imagined.’

Despite Raon being at a lower level, he saw through my state and offered the most suitable guidance. Thanks to him, I was able to feel a bit more of human life, and also gain martial enlightenment.

On top of that, I now had a clear direction of how I should live and what kind of actions I should take. It may have passed lightly, but it wouldn’t have been strange to call Raon a benefactor.

‘Of course, the most shocking thing is the Heart Sword.’

No matter how much he borrowed the power of an object, the fact that a brat whose head hadn’t even dried yet could wield the Heart Sword was more shocking than anything else to me.

“Interesting.”

Darkan curled his lips as he watched Raon leave the royal capital.

‘I no longer need to look to the future, just the present is satisfying enough.’

The Raon I faced in the mental world was a monster more obsessed with the sword than I could have imagined. It was certain that before long, he would climb to the same level I stood upon.

“So this is what happiness is.”

Above me stood Glenn Zieghart, and below me followed Raon Zieghart. To have two opponents capable of satisfying me, I could hardly contain my joy.

“Ah.”

Thinking of Raon and Glenn, Darkan narrowed his eyes.

“There’s someone I need to fight first.”

Derus Robert.

If Derus had grown so strong that Rector couldn’t sense his presence, then he was no opponent to be taken lightly.

‘I need to prepare.’

For the sake of an enjoyable battle.

Though he had gained enlightenment, his body and mind were somewhat damaged from spending so long as a beggar. No telling when the duel with Derus would begin, he had to be ready.

“Derus Robert, Raon Zieghart, and Glenn Zieghart…”

Darkan stepped forward onto the darkening sky, murmuring the names of the three.

“Who will become the death god to sever my neck?”

He curled his lips in a long arc, as if looking forward to that day.

* *   *

Raon returned straight to Zieghart and went to see Glenn.

“I greet the head of house!”

As soon as he entered the audience chamber, he knelt before Glenn, who was standing atop the platform.

Wow, look at how the floor is dented....

Wrath let out a hollow breath as he saw the floor beneath Glenn’s feet deeply worn in.

That old man was definitely shaking his leg all day again.

Wrath shook his head, calling him a persistent old man.

“So, did your trip go well?”

Glenn scanned Raon’s entire body with a trembling voice, as if he had been worried.

“Yes. Fortunately, I was able to finish the task without any problems.”

Raon gave a slight smile as he said the mission was a success.

“You... you finished the task?”

Glenn’s jaw quivered, as if he couldn’t comprehend it no matter how he thought about it.

“I didn’t stop you since you were going with your grandfather, but Darkan is by no means someone to take lightly….”

He let out a hollow breath, saying he honestly expected Raon to return in failure.

“I don't understand either. Did Darkan really say he would grant our request?”

Sheryl opened her mouth wide in disbelief.

“Truly, you are something else, Sir Raon.”

Roen let out a huhuhu laugh, as if to say he had believed in him because they had recently worked on a mission together.

“He’s not an easy opponent, but in some ways, he’s easier than anyone else.”

Raon let out a faint smile as he recalled Darkan, who had been pretending to be a beggar in such a clumsy way.

“And he was someone we had to coax no matter what if we wanted our plan to succeed.”

“Could you tell us what happened?”

Glenn clasped his hands in front of his knees, as if genuinely curious.

“Yes. I’ll start from the beginning. As you all know, I first heard about the Four Demons’ meeting from Sir Rector…”

Raon nodded and began recounting everything that happened in the Oscot Kingdom, one event at a time.

“…And so, I was acknowledged by Darkan, received his definite promise to stop Derus, and returned.”

“Ha, ahahahahaha!”

Sheryl couldn’t hold it in and burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

“Not only was Darkan pretending to be a beggar, but you even slapped him?”

She couldn’t stop laughing as if she were picturing Darkan’s face, letting out a long stream of giggles.

“Huhuhuhuhu!”

Roenn also let out a laugh two tones higher than usual, bursting out in admiration.

“A beggar and the beggar’s master, it’s a completely different approach than anything I imagined! As expected of Sir Raon!”

He shook his head, saying it was a shame he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes.

“Hmmm….”

Even Glenn couldn’t suppress the laughter rising up, letting out a hoarse groan as he covered his mouth.

“What made you think of doing that?”

“It wasn’t something I did to win Darkan over from the beginning. I was simply annoyed that he was putting on such a half-baked act as a beggar.”

Raon furrowed his brow as he said he couldn’t stand it out of sheer irritation.

“It just happened to work well. I was lucky.”

“Darkan is no fool. It worked because you were sincere.”

Glenn gave a firm nod, as if to say he had done well.

“You always come up with new answers. Well done.”

He offered sincere praise for what Raon had done. Just hearing those warm words and voice was enough to wash away Raon’s fatigue.

“And also…”

Glenn looked into Raon’s eyes and curled his lips slightly.

“You’ve returned having grown even more as a swordsman. It seems the day isn’t far when you’ll be able to use the Heart Sword with your own strength alone.”

“Yes. Fighting inside Darkan’s mental world helped a lot.”

Raon looked at Heavenly Drive and said it had been an unexpected gain.

“To draw someone else’s soul into one’s own mental world, what a fitting ability for Darkan.”

Glenn narrowed his eyes slightly, saying it was something he himself could not do.

“Raon. I think it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to consider another direction as well.”

He tilted his chin slightly toward Raon.

“Rather than simply following me and drawing a Heart Sword meant only for killing, it might be good to envision a Heart Sword that only you can wield.”

Glenn offered the suggestion that Raon try creating a Heart Sword of his own, like Darkan.

“Yes, understood.”

Raon bowed his head to Glenn, saying he would give it some thought.

“By the way… has the mages’ discussion ended?”

“Yes. They managed to reach an agreement, quite dramatically, at that.”

Glenn’s lips twitched slightly, as if he had been too afraid to stay in the audience chamber while the discussion was going on.

“Th-then… when will the magic be completed?”

Because the completion of the magic was the most important matter, his tongue trembled without him realizing it.

“They said it would take two months, for completion, refinement, and practical implementation. Meaning, in two months…”

Glenn raised two straightened fingers and his eyes gleamed with a chilling light.

“We strike the White Blood Religion.”

*   *   *

As soon as he heard that the magic would take two months to complete, Raon headed straight to the fifth training ground. It was just past noon, so all the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace had gathered there.

Hooh.

Wrath let out a small exclamation as he looked at the swordsmen from atop the wall.

They must’ve just had lunch, but their focus isn’t bad at all.

‘Right. They’re training more properly than I expected.’

Even though the swordsmen had just finished lunch and it should’ve been hard to stay focused, they were training together without a single sign of distraction. Despite being away for more than ten days, things were in such order that Raon felt there was no need to interfere in their training anymore.

Really? You’re really not going to mess with the kids?

Wrath widened his eyes in surprise.

‘I want to say yes, but…’

Raon shook his head with a cold smile.

‘This time’s an exception.’

Since a war with the White Blood Religion would break out in two months, he had to thoroughly stomp them down through training if he wanted to save even one more life.

S-Stomp them…?

Wrath rolled his eyes, as if questioning whether that was an appropriate word to use on subordinates.

‘Ah, that was a slip. Not stomp—kill them. That’s the only way they’ll snap to their senses in actual combat. Of course, I won’t say that to their faces.’

If he pressured them like they were going to die for two whole months, there was a chance some might try to run, so for now, he intended to treat them calmly on the surface.

‘Then let’s get started.’

Raon softly opened the door and entered the fifth training ground.

“Oh? Palace master!”

“When did you get back?”

“Raon…!”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan were the first to notice his presence and opened their eyes wide.

“P-Palace master! I missed you!”

“You, you came e-early. No, wait, you’re late!”

Krein and Dorian, upon seeing him, began trembling slightly in their cheeks, as if already thinking about the training to come.

“You’ve arrived.”

“You’re late. I was looking forward to the palace master’s training.”

Mark Goetten and Trevin gave calm nods, as if they had truly been waiting for him.

“Greetings, palace master!”

“All of you, to the platform.”

Raon gestured to the Light Wind swordsmen greeting him and stepped up onto the platform.

“While I was away on a personal mission, I heard there were changes within.”

Raon looked down at the Light Wind swordsmen and nodded.

“The date of the war has been set.”

He clenched his fist as he declared that the war with the White Blood Religion would now begin.

“At last…”

Marta, having waited only for this moment, gripped her sword so tightly that her hand bled.

“Hmm…”

“Rakshasa woman…”

Burren and Runaan bit their lips, feeling Martha’s will from right beside them.

“This war is likely to take the form of a siege in which we strike the White Blood Religion’s headquarters first. In our current state, it’s dangerous, so I ask that you give your all in training over the next two months.”

 

Raon placed his right hand over his chest as he said he was asking them for this.

“Ugh…”

“Uh, I’m more scared of the training than the war…”

“Same here. Who knows what he’ll do to us this time…”

The Light Wind swordsmen, overwhelmed by his pressure, swallowed dryly with tense expressions.

“Don't worry too much. I know better than anyone that if I put you through harsh training for two months, you won't be able to endure it.”

Raon looked at the worried Light Wind swordsmen and gave a faint smile.

‘As expected, if I talk about killing them through training, some of them might try to run, so I’d better watch my words.’

If he said he was going to put them through hellish training for not just one, but two months, it’d cause an uproar worse than war itself. Just like he thought before coming in, he figured it was best to speak gently.

‘Saying “let’s do our best” is probably the way to go.’

The poor kids…

Wrath shook his head side to side, saying he could already see the future of the Light Wind swordsmen.

“For the next two months…”

Raon nodded as he looked over the Light Wind swordsmen with a serious gaze.

‘Let’s do our best—together with me.’

“I’ll kill you.”

He curled up the corners of his lips and tilted his chin.

“…Eh?”

“Uh…”

“H-heup!”

The Light Wind swordsmen couldn’t even think of saying anything and simply opened their eyes wide.

“Hmm?”

Raon tilted his head as he looked at the now-silent Light Wind swordsmen.

Hey…

Wrath’s jaw dropped in disbelief.

You crazy bastard! The words you were supposed to say in your head came out of your mouth!

He smacked his own forehead, as if Raon had really lost it.

“Ah…”

Raon finally blinked, realizing why the Light Wind swordsmen’s expressions had frozen.

“Well, nothing I can do now. Since it’s come to this…”

Oh? Are you going to turn this situation around?

Wrath let out a hollow breath, as if expecting Raon to have some kind of fix.

“Let’s just die together!”

Raon bared his white teeth, violently rousing the fierce will he had kept suppressed inside.

“No—I'll kill you!”

You bastard…

Wrath shook his chin with eyes gone cold.

You’ve been tainted by that sword-mad lunatic!

How did you end up turning into such a brute of a human being!

 

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