The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1194

 Chapter 1194

 

Beneath the brilliantly rising morning sun, the peak of North Grave Mountain lay suspended in light

“Gghhkk….”

“Aaaah!”

“K-kill me. No, please, spare me….”

“Please, just stop now….”

The Light Wind Palace swordsmen lay sprawled out, limp like rags that had been washed and dried countless times, replacing pleas for mercy with groans and screams.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

Burren lay flat on his back, breathing heavily as if he no longer had the strength to speak.

“Th-that damn bastard….”

Martha was too exhausted to move as well, managing only to barely move her lips.

“Grrrr….”

Runan, forcing herself to sleep in order to recover her depleted stamina and aura, seemed especially worn out, so much so that she was snoring, unlike her usual self.

Tap. Tap.

Raon shook the blood and dust off his scabbard. With a face that looked fresh as if he had just come out of a bath, he surveyed the utterly drained Light Wind Palace swordsmen.

“Hiiik!”

“Ghhh….”

“Seriously, stop already!”

The swordsmen, tormented all night long, panicked and screamed, scrambling backward in terror at the mere sight of Raon shaking his scabbard.

“Are you really trying to kill all of us…?”

The Gambling Monster frowned deeply, looking sick of it. He shook his head, saying that he had joined the training midway and nearly died after running out of stamina.

“That’s not possible.”

Raon smiled faintly and fastened the scabbard of Heavenly Drive at his waist.

“I was just playing around a little.”

He waved a finger, saying that it wasn’t training at all, just a light game of tag.

“G-Game of tag? If that’s a game, kids would die before they even grow up!”

The Gambling Monster ground his teeth, unable to understand how this kind of training could be called play.

“If we had done proper focus enhancement training, it would have taken three days and four nights.”

Raon waved his hand, saying the duration had been far too short.

“Of course, since we compressed the training, it must have felt quite intense in terms of difficulty. But….”

Looking toward the eastern mountains where golden sunlight shimmered and fell, his lips trembled slightly.

“You’ll need to endure at least this much to get through the battles ahead.”

Raon nodded, putting strength into his voice so that not only the Gambling Monster, but all the Light Wind Palace swordsmen could hear.

“I agree with that, but there’s still time before the war. If you rush too much, it could cause problems instead.”

The Gambling Monster narrowed his brow slightly, saying that growth was important, but for now, having some breathing room would be better.

“Sir Gambling Monster is right!”

Krein wiped the blood and sweat streaming down his head and lifted his chin.

“We need rest too!”

He puffed out his lips, saying that training this excessively could wreck their bodies.

“Right?”

Krein elbowed Dorian beside him, seeking agreement.

“M-me?”

Startled by the sudden attention, Dorian’s jaw trembled.

“I-I’m fine! I like it like this!”

He shook his head vigorously, terrified by Raon’s cold gaze.

“I-I didn’t think it was bad either?”

“R-right. Training like this is necessary sometimes!”

“Yeah. It’s not like we actually die!”

The Light Wind Palace swordsmen averted their gazes, thinking that agreeing with Krein might put their lives in danger, and refused to back him up.

“So should I take it that Krein is the only one with complaints?”

Raon stepped in front of Krein, drawing an eerie smile.

“Ah….”

Seeing once more the shadow of Raon that had filled him with terror all night, Krein’s lips turned pale blue.

“S-sorry… huh?”

As he brought his hands together like a fly to beg Raon, he blinked in confusion.

“Honestly, it must’ve been tough. You went through three nights and four days’ worth of training in a single night.”

Instead of smashing Krein’s head with the scabbard, Raon patted his shoulder with his hand.

“But I want you guys to endure it.”

He let out a short sigh, saying that he was sorry, but the training ahead would be even harder.

“W-what? What do you mean…?”

Krein’s eyes widened, startled by Raon’s sudden change.

“I think the war will break out faster than expected.”

Raon bit his lip thinly as he recalled Derus Robert’s detestable face.

“Sounds like something’s going on.”

Burren nodded, finally understanding the reason for the intense training.

“If that’s the case, then training like today is the right call.”

Martha clenched her fist, saying that if the situation had changed, harsh training was the correct choice.

“I… I can endure it….”

Runan murmured that she could do it, blinking sleepily. As if expressing her will, white frost flowers bloomed from the ground

“W-well, it can’t be helped! I’ll work hard too!”

Even Dorian clenched his lips tight, declaring that he would give his all in training.

“You should’ve told us sooner!”

Krein raised his hand as if to say not to worry.

“Just trust me, Krei—huh?”

He was smiling confidently when his jaw began to tremble.

“Uh….”

Krein pointed at his own shoulder that Raon was gripping, his voice shaking.

“I-It hurts?”

He blinked, saying that the shoulder Raon was gripping with his hand hurt.

“In such a very important situation, our Crane had quite a few complaints.”

Raon brought up Krein’s earlier lone complaint, a cold smile spreading across his face.

“N-no, wasn’t that already over?”

Krein let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.

“Over? I just set it aside for a moment.”

Raon tightened his grip on Krein’s shoulder and showed a spine-chilling smile.

“There is only one way to resolve complaints. Greater violence.”

He pulled Heavenly Drive’s scabbard out again, suggesting they do some personal training together.

“Aaaaaaaack! Keugh!”

Krein screamed and ran, but Heavenly Drive’s scabbard lashed out as if alive and struck the back of his head.

“Ughhh….”

“Huh!”

“Crazy….”

As they watched Krein collapse unconscious, drooling, all the Light Wind Palace swordsmen held their breath. They squeezed their eyes shut, as if vowing never to defy Raon.

What kind of human is this…?

Wrath let out a hollow breath in disbelief.

Even in Devildom, there’s no one this unhinged! Someone get this monster out of here!

*   *   *

After finishing training with the Light Wind Palace swordsmen, Raon returned to the annex building.

Glenn, having finished breakfast, seemed to be waiting for him, standing by the annex building’s lake with his hands clasped behind his back.

“You’re here.”

He welcomed him with a faint smile, as if he truly lived in the annex building.

“It seems the Light Wind Palace children have grown quite well.”

Glenn nodded calmly, as though he already knew where Raon had been and what he had done.

“Yes. Though they’re still lacking a little.”

Raon rotated his wrist, saying that the Light Wind Palace swordsmen needed to grow a little more.

“Hmm, can you do it right away?”

Glenn tilted his chin, suggesting they could spar after resting a bit.

“It’s fine. I haven’t even warmed up yet.”

Raon said he could start immediately and drew Heavenly Drive.

Though he had trained the Light Wind Palace swordsmen all night long, his stamina did not fall behind even that of a Demon King, so he didn’t feel tired at all.

“Good.”

Glenn smiled as if pleased with Raon’s confidence and raised his twig.

“Hoo….”

Watching Glenn’s twig slowly rise, Raon let out a calm breath.

‘I really want to break it.’

Ever since the spar began, I hadn’t managed to leave even a scratch on that twig, and the desire to completely shatter it surged up to my throat. Even if I had to pour out everything I had and be unable to move for a while afterward, I wanted to break that twig no matter what.

“Begin.”

Glenn flicked his chin as if telling him to try blocking, then slowly thrust the twig forward.

Wooooooong!

The moment Glenn moved his wrist, Raon resonated the Ring of Fire. As the nine rings rotated, he began forming a new ring.

‘What?’

The flames he had summoned to create the tenth ring moved faster and more flexibly than usual. In far less time than expected, the new ring was already halfway complete.

‘This feels good.’

As he connected the rings, Raon read the principles in Glenn’s twig.

‘Slow sword, subtle sword, breaking sword, erosive sword, heavy sword.’

Perhaps because the movement of the rings was so lively, the profound flow of Glenn’s swordsmanship revealed itself far faster and more precisely than usual.

‘But it’s still not enough….’

Knowing that Glenn’s swordsmanship always contained hidden martial principles, Raon did not let his guard down and heightened his focus even further.

Gooooooo!

Through the heightened focus strengthened by the <Clear Mirror, Still Water> trait, Raon sensed the principles embedded at the very tip of Glenn’s advancing twig.

‘Just a little more… damn it!’

He still lacked time.

Although the tenth Ring of Fire had grown half a span more than usual, it was still insufficient to fully grasp Glenn’s swordsmanship. The twig had already reached right in front of his neck.

‘I don’t know it, but I’ll block it anyway!’

Raon created a new form to counter Glenn’s swordsmanship, adding the principle of precise sword within it.

Paaaaaaah!

But the sword principles Glenn had concealed were not erased by the precise sword. Instead, they surged forward, knocking away Heavenly Drive and stabbing into his neck.

“Kugh!”

Raon clutched his neck where the twig had struck and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath.

Hmph! Serves you right for tormenting the kids all night!

Wrath snorted, finally feeling refreshed.

Though… maybe that was a bit much.

He glanced sidelong at Glenn, who had stabbed his grandson without mercy.

“Hmm.”

Glenn lowered the slightly trembling twig and stepped toward Raon.

“Did you gain some kind of enlightenment?”

Narrowing his eyes, he remarked that Raon seemed to have grown again overnight.

“There was no enlightenment. What changed is….”

Raon rose to his feet and tapped his chest with the fist holding his sword.

“My heart and my will.”

He nodded, saying that his resolve had hardened at the thought that he might be able to stab Derus before the war.

“So that’s why.”

Glenn nodded calmly, as if he had already heard about it from Chad, the master of Shadow Agents.

“It is good to steel your fighting spirit, but do not be hasty. One wrong step, and you may step into your own trap.”

He shook the branch lightly, telling him to be careful.

“Of course. That’s why I’m careful to check even the safest path over and over before moving forward.”

Raon smiled faintly, saying he had asked Evelyn to keep that in mind as well.

“Very well. If you say so, then so be it.”

Glenn said no more, as if he trusted Raon completely, and clasped his hands behind his back.

“Sylvia left some food for you. Go eat and rest.”

Leaving those words behind, he headed not toward the annex building, but toward the main building.

“You’re going to the main building?”

Raon blinked as he looked at Glenn’s back.

“Even I should go home once in a while.”

Saying that if you don’t go back often enough, dust starts to pile up, Glenn waved his hand behind him.

That geezer is finally doing some work.

Wrath frowned, saying Glenn had been lazing around far too much for a head of house.

‘No, grandfather worked every day.’

Raon slowly shook his head.

‘Because Lady Sheryl, Sir Roenn, and the Shadow Agents master came every night.’

He flicked a finger, saying that the reason those three visited was due to the head of house’s duties.

Hmm? Then why is that geezer going to the main building now?

Wrath tilted his head, confused.

‘I think it’s for me.’

Raon slowly closed and opened his eyes as he looked at Glenn’s back.

For you?

‘He’ll likely gather the information obtained this time through Evelyn, the Shadow Agents master, and the Black Market, and use it to plan Zieghart’s course of action.’

After hearing the Shadow Agents master’s report, it was clear that he intended to prepare a house-level plan and strategy to support me.

“Grandfather! Have a safe trip!”

Feeling Glenn’s affection toward him, Raon called out casually instead of offering a formal farewell.

“Ah….”

Glenn stopped mid-step toward the main building and blankly turned around. He stared at Raon for quite a while, as if surprised by the words “safe trip.”

“Right. I will be back!”

Wearing the warmest smile Raon had ever seen, Glenn resumed walking toward the main building.

What’s with that geezer now?

Wrath frowned, saying Glenn was acting strange.

‘“Have a safe trip” is something you usually say at home.’

Raon smiled faintly as he pointed toward the annex, where laughter bloomed.

‘It means acknowledging him as a family member of the annex building. That must’ve made him happy.’

Recalling how Glenn’s red eyes had rounded in surprise, Raon smiled softly.

‘You’re the one who’s bad at reading the mood today.’

Shrugging his shoulders, Raon said that he felt he had become more human now.

Heh! Don’t talk nonsense!

Wrath shook his head vigorously.

The King of Essence simply doesn't concern himself with trivial matters!

He scowled, clearly irritated by the implication that he was less human than me, I couldn’t understand why a Demon King would care about being more human.

‘I should visit the fifth training ground occasionally, too.’

Raon smacked his lips as he sheathed Heavenly Drive.

‘Adding some variation to training wouldn’t be bad.’

Thinking of something that would make the Light Wind Palace swordsmen panic if they heard it, Raon was about to head toward the annex.

Whoooosh!

From the peak of North Grave Mountain rising behind the annex building, a tremendous energy wave burst forth.

Gooooooo!

Raon’s eyes snapped open as he saw a sword stretching up from the peak, piercing the sky.

“That is….”

 

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