The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1143

 Chapter 1143

 

“Envy?”

Raon frowned slightly as he looked at Evelyn.

“Evelyn has never felt envy, though?”

Even when I went out with Runaan to eat bead ice cream or spent the entire day sparring and training with Martha, Evelyn never said a single word about it. She would even tell me to have a good time.

Sometimes I thought it was better that way—I'd even felt relieved, thinking maybe her attention toward me had waned a little. I never imagined the word envy would come up now.

“……”

Evelyn said nothing, only glared at Lust with eyes filled with irritation.

“Maybe you saw it wrong?”

Raon tilted his chin toward Lust, asking her to check again.

“No, I saw it right.”

Lust smiled faintly, saying Evelyn’s trait wouldn’t change no matter how many times she looked.

“She’s been holding it in all this time.”

“Why?”

Raon narrowed his eyes, unable to understand.

“As expected, our Wrath doesn’t know much about this kind of thing.”

Lust lifted her finger, smiling lightly.

“Why else? She held it in because she didn’t want you to dislike her.”

Her lips curled, as if wondering why he’d even ask something so obvious.

“Can’t you shut that mouth of yours?”

Evelyn, unusually, scowled deeply and shot Lust a sharp glare.

“I just told him the truth.”

Lust shrugged, saying she’d merely answered because Raon had asked.

S-she even had envy?

Wrath gaped as if he were about to lose his mind.

And she hid that? He thought Lust was the worst stalker, but he was wrong! The madwoman is the strongest, and the worst!

He sighed in relief, glad that Evelyn wasn’t the one following him around.

“Hmm…”

Raon looked at Evelyn’s distorted expression and realized Lust’s words were true.

‘So she was being considerate in her own way?’

If Lust said Evelyn’s envy was strong enough to rival obsession, then it must be far more intense than I’d imagined.

And the fact that she had hidden such deep feelings without letting them show meant she truly cherished me, so much that I felt grateful to her instead.

“Receiving <Lust>, which I changed into obsession, from me wouldn't be bad, but receiving <Envy> from Envy would also be a good choice.”

Lust smiled, saying either way, it would help Evelyn grow stronger.

“Shut up already!”

Evelyn reached out toward Lust, telling her to stop talking.

“Alright, alright. I’m done. Said everything I needed to.”

Lust turned into a pink current of air, dodging Evelyn’s hand, and stuck out her tongue.

“You little—”

Just as Evelyn was about to channel her mana in anger—

“Thank you.”

Raon looked at Evelyn and gave a small nod.

“W-what?”

Evelyn blinked blankly.

“What did you just…”

She shook her head, as if thinking she’d misheard.

“I said thank you for holding it in all this time.”

He wanted to tell her he was grateful she hadn’t been swayed by her emotions and had followed his words.

“O-oh, yeah.”

Hearing his thanks directly, Evelyn lowered her head slightly, embarrassed, a sight that could never be seen from her usual self.

“Wh-What! Say it to me too!”

Lust popped her face out of the pink smoke, demanding to be thanked as well.

Kyaaaah!

Wrath screamed and jumped back in shock at the sight.

“Thank you, too.”

Raon nodded toward Lust as well.

“Now stop playing around and transfer your authority to Evelyn.”

“So you’re giving up on envy?”

“Someone else will receive that. And…”

He smiled faintly as he looked at Evelyn.

“If it’s Evelyn, she might even be able to accept two authorities.”

Her soul had endured hundreds of years, it might be possible for her, like me, to possess more than one authority. For now, receiving lust was the right path.

“Well, fine. It’s not a difficult thing for me anyway.”

Lust nodded and approached Evelyn.

“With my power, crave love even more.”

She murmured that she would be looking forward to it, and gently brushed Evelyn’s wrist.

Fwoooosh!

A rose-shaped pink flower bracelet bloomed on Evelyn’s wrist, slightly different from Lust’s own.

“Finally, we have matching items!”

Evelyn smiled as she looked at the pink flower bracelet on Raon’s wrist.

“I have one too! No, mine’s the real one, yours is the fake!”

Lust bared her teeth as she pointed to the flower bracelet on her own wrist.

“To get stronger…”

Evelyn ignored her and focused on the bracelet.

“I just have to keep obsessing over Raon like before, right?”

Her lips curved in a cold smile, as if pleased that she could now openly indulge her obsession.

“That’s right.”

Lust nodded.

“But no matter how much you obsess, you won’t be able to catch up to me.”

She smirked, saying she was a being born from obsession itself.

“You won’t know until we see who lasts longer.”

Evelyn snorted, showing no intention of losing.

“How dare you?”

Lust lifted her chin, unwilling to lose either.

“Stop fighting.”

Raon sighed and stepped between them.

“Evelyn. From now on, focus on feeling the energy within that bracelet.”

“Okay!”

Evelyn obediently nodded and stepped back, ready to follow whatever he said.

“Lust.”

After taking a breath, Raon turned to her.

“He has one more favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

Lust tilted her head, telling him to go on.

“Soon, the archangels will descend, and a war to destroy this world will begin. Will you fight alongside the King of Essence in that war?”

Raon’s eyes grew calm and heavy, much like Wrath’s, as he looked at her.

“With eyes like that, I can’t say no, even if I wanted to.”

Lust let out an excited breath, saying those eyes left her no choice but to agree.

“I’ve already given that envious girl my authority, and you have lust within you, so it’s more than enough to bring out my full power!”

She smiled, saying she now had the conditions to balance causality, so it would be no problem.

“Thank you.”

Raon nodded to her.

“What’s there to thank me for between us?”

Lust giggled, leaning her shoulder against his as if they were already lovers.

W-what do you mean ‘between us’?!

Wrath trembled, his jaw quivering.

What exactly is between the King of Essence and you?!

He ground his teeth, demanding an explanation.

“Ufufu.”

Lust simply laughed endlessly, as if she was enjoying the situation.

“Do that somewhere I can’t see. No, actually, just don’t do it at all!”

Evelyn frowned, displeased, and sat on the opposite side.

Th-the King of Essence hasn’t done anything! Why do things keep progressing on their own!

Wrath screamed, begging them to leave him out of it.

Where is this relationship even heading?!

*    *    *

Raon lay back down on the bed after sending Lust and Evelyn away.

Kkeuaaaah….

Wrath’s skin was cracked like a drought-stricken field, and he could barely breathe. The back-to-back appearances of Evelyn and Lust seemed to have drained both his stamina and mental strength completely.

‘You okay?’

Raon let out a dry laugh at the sight of the half-dead Wrath.

Th-this must be a mistake of the universe itself…

Wrath let out a sigh so heavy it could crack the earth.

For there to be two ghostlike creatures like them… No, the real problem is that a lunatic like you exists!

He shook his head, saying the world was surely doomed.

‘Even you’re having a hard time enduring this?’

Hmph! The King of Essence is a monarch of devildom! This kind of hardship is nothing but a child’s plaything!

Despite what he’d just said, Wrath turned his gaunt face upward arrogantly, insisting he was not to be underestimated.

‘Then that’s good to hear.’

Raon smiled faintly and reached his hand forward.

Hm? What do you mean, good to hear?

‘I was going to check later, but since you’re fine, I might as well do it now.’

He flicked his fingers, calling up the reward messages he hadn't checked.

[You have fought against <Lust>.]
[You have influenced and awakened <Lust>.]
[You have achieved a great feat.]
[All stats have increased by 100 points.]

A full hundred points gained just from achievements related to Lust, proof of how extraordinary it was to awaken alongside her.

O-one hundred?!

Wrath’s face darkened as if bruised, completely different from when he’d said he was fine earlier.

That bastard….

He trembled with rage, clenching his fist, not only at Raon, but seemingly at the system itself.

‘Didn’t you say you were fine?’

How could this possibly be fine?!

Wrath shouted, jerking his head up.

The King of Essence deserves more than this pitiful—

‘Here, have this.’

Raon took out the last bead ice cream from his subspace pocket and stuffed it into Wrath’s mouth.

Hngh…

Wrath’s expression softened, his anger melting away like the ice cream in his mouth.

‘So simple, as always.’

Raon let out a quiet chuckle and checked the next set of messages.

[The rank of the trait <Snow Flower's Veil> has increased.]
[The rank of the trait <Wrath Release> has increased.]
[The rank of the trait <Ascara’s Combative Energy> has increased.]
[The rank of the trait <Authority Amplification> has increased.]
[The rank of the trait <Authority Control> has increased.]

This time, it was messages about trait increases, mostly related to authority, probably because I’d learned how to channel emotion into swordsmanship.

Mph mph mph!

Wrath mumbled something while pointing at the messages, though his expression didn’t look particularly angry.

No, he was angry, but it seemed to dissipate immediately because of the bead ice cream.

‘I can feel it clearly now.’

Raon clenched his fist, sensing the demon kings’ authorities burning deep within his soul.

'How to use these authorities, and how to strengthen them.'

Until now, I had merely used the Demon Kings’ powers as they were, but now I was certain I could truly command and refine their authorities.

To do that, though, I would have to build both my stamina and my mental strength even further.

‘It’s a power that will vanish one day, but before that…’

Raon gripped the hilt of Heavenly Drive tightly, a faint smile forming on his lips.

‘Derus Robert. I’ll pour every last drop of it into your body.’

* * *

After confirming that the reconstruction of the Holy Kingdom of Schper was underway, Raon packed his things and left the lodging.

You’re returning later than expected.

Wrath tilted his chin, his mood visibly improved after a satisfying breakfast.

‘I had to make sure everything was being restored properly, that there were no issues.’

Raon clicked his tongue softly as he looked toward the northern central district, where the ground was being filled in again.

Says the one who destroyed it all.

‘That’s exactly why I checked. I caused it, so I need to take responsibility.’

I felt bad for the destruction I’d caused to the land and buildings, but since I had provided more than enough building materials and gold to cover the damage, the city would be rebuilt stronger and more magnificent than before.

“Are you leaving now?”

As Raon was passing through the royal garden on his way to the audience chamber, Holy King Hopen emerged from behind a neatly trimmed bush.

“I was about to visit you, why are you here?”

“You’re our benefactor. Of course I should see you off.”

Hopen carried himself without the slightest trace of royal pretense,  still living as the devout holy knight he had always been.

“Thank you, for saving Schper before, and again this time.”

He said he wanted to offer his gratitude once more before Raon left, bowing deeply.

“You’re always bowing. You’ll hurt your back at this rate.”

Saintess Olga appeared behind him, clicking her tongue.

“You’ve thanked him enough. Just let him go now.”

She frowned, saying Raon was probably getting uncomfortable.

“She’s right. That’s enough.”

Raon gave a light smile and helped Hopen straighten.

“We’re allies, remember? As I said before, helping each other when we can is only natural. You really don’t need to go this far.”

He shook his head, saying there was no need for such excessive thanks.

“…Understood.”

Hopen smiled faintly as he stood up, though his expression made it clear he’d probably do the same thing next time.

“You’re leaving now, right?”

Olga leaned against a white pillar, narrowing her eyes.

“I am. Thanks to the Holy Kingdom of  Schper’s support, I’ll pass the successor test,so now I’ll focus on training.”

With the Holy Kingdom of Schper’s support alone, Raon now had more than enough assurance of passing the successor test.

“How much stronger do you plan to get this time?”

Olga exhaled a short breath, as if she’d realized she could no longer catch up to him.

“I’m still far from enough. My goal is to cut off Derus Robert’s head.”

Although I had grown tremendously and now stood nearly at the level of the heads of the Five Kings and Three Demons, there was still a huge gap between me and Derus Robert.

I had one year and one month left—to risk my life and grow strong enough to reach him.

“Derus Robert…”

Olga lifted her gaze to the sky for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“If someone else said that, I’d laugh at them. But you… I think you might actually do it.”

For once, she spoke without her usual sharp tone, acknowledging him calmly.

“Oh?”

Hopen widened his eyes at her.

“Whoa, what’s this? Saintess Olga, admitting someone for once? That’s a first!”

He laughed awkwardly, saying the sun must be setting in the east today.

“Do I look like a kid to you? You think I’m just sulking?”

“Aren’t you? You do get sulky sometimes.”

Hopen shook his head with a faint smile, saying she was always so curt when she talked.

“Could it be that you… like Sir Raon—”

“Shut it!”

Olga smacked the back of his head, forgetting for a moment that he was the king.

Fwoooooosh!

Suddenly, the sunlight dimmed, and the royal garden sank into shadow.

No, not just the garden. A dark veil was falling over the entire palace.

Goooooooh!

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked up at the massive being floating above, blocking the sun and sky.

“It’s a dragon.”

 

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