The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1231

 Chapter 1231

 

"Did you just say..."

Raon blinked as his eyes swept over Glenn’s face.

“Did you say… secluded training?”

He had fully expected Glenn to tell him about his conversation with the Heavenly Demon. But he never imagined the very first thing he’d hear would be that Glenn intended to train in seclusion, and that he needed his help.

“Yes.”

Glenn nodded heavily.

“I think I need to enter seclusion.”

He looked at Raon with eyes as sharp as blades, as if he had become a different person in that short span of time.

“What exactly happened?”

Raon lightly bit his lip. Even if Derus Robert was dead and his faction destroyed, the archangels and Eden’s Heavenly Demon still remained.

There were monsters that couldn’t be dealt with without Glenn, and this was a dangerous period when an unexpected crisis could erupt at any moment. The idea that Glenn would suddenly withdraw into seclusion was hard to accept.

“The Heavenly Demon…”

After saying the name, Glenn fell silent. As though replaying the moment, he slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again.

“He was watching me.”

“What do you mean…?”

Raon didn't immediately grasp the meaning and tilted his head.

“Exactly what it sounds like. I wasn’t watching him. But he was watching me, and only me.”

Glenn pressed his lips together.

“As the head of house Zieghart, I prepared for the wars to come. I gathered the family’s talents and trained them, and I personally took part in various operations to push back Derus Robert and Eden’s demons.”

He let out a heavy breath, his fingers brushing the hilt of Heavenly Tremor.

“And it paid off. Zieghart’s talents broke through their limits one by one, and through this war, we were able to eliminate Derus Robert and his forces. But…”

His voice trailed off as his brow furrowed.

“I stayed where I was.”

With a trembling hand, he clenched Heavenly Tremor tightly.

“I watched you all break through your walls and move forward, proud of you, doing nothing but observing. And I told myself that was the right thing to do. Because my era was over.”

A faint smile crossed his face, as if he were picturing each of them stepping forward in turn.

“I resolved to end my life as a warrior, Glenn Zieghart, by settling things with the Heavenly Demon. Even though he had reached the same realm as me, I believed I could defeat him. No… back then, I knew I could.”

His lips quivered slightly as his emotions rose.

“But the Heavenly Demon I saw today was different.”

For the first time, Glenn clenched his fist so tightly it looked as though blood might spill, as if his pride had been utterly crushed.

“Unlike me, who spent my time raising Zieghart, the Heavenly Demon abandoned Eden and had been shaping both his body and mind with a single thought in mind, our final showdown. The duel to the death I’ve only begun considering now… he had been preparing for it from the very beginning.”

“He abandoned Eden…?”

Raon let out a hollow breath at the unimaginable thought.

'He's insane, too.'

Everyone knew the Heavenly Demon had his sights set on grandfather. But no one had thought he’d go so far as to discard his own faction just to focus on a one-on-one fight.

He was no different from Darkan, the Dark Night Sword God who had abandoned the Holy Sword Alliance.

‘Weird madmen really do flock to grandfather.’

Perhaps it was because grandfather was the strongest swordsman on the continent, those overflowing with madness among warriors seemed drawn to him.

You’re one to talk.

Wrath snorted as if Raon were saying something ridiculous.

Have you already forgotten how many obsessives you’ve had clinging to you until now?

He jerked his chin, telling Raon to think carefully.

‘That’s… true.’

Raon frowned as memories of obsessively fixated enemies surfaced one after another. When it came to sheer intensity, though, the worst of them all was, absurdly enough, someone he now lived with. Evelyn.

That geezer seems to regret not focusing on his own training, but the King of Essence thinks differently.

Wrath clicked his tongue.

If you live alone, that’s one thing. But when you’re carrying an entire faction on your back, prioritizing them is only natural!

As a Monarch of Devildom World who cherished his subordinates, Wrath acknowledged Glenn’s choices as a leader.

Those who abandon their followers to focus solely on their own strength have no right to be kings!

‘I think so too.'

As Wrath said, unlike when grandfather lived as a conqueror in the past, he had reached a new realm by learning the value of his family and his house.

If he had lived the way he once did, he would never have achieved this level of absolute might.

“If I had fought the Heavenly Demon today, I would have lost, without question.”

Glenn released a deep, heavy sigh.

“Someone who pursues only one thing and someone who tries to protect many… of course they’ll end up different.”

Though it wounded his pride, he clenched his teeth as if he had no choice but to acknowledge the Heavenly Demon.

“Grandfather.”

Raon met Glenn’s gaze again.

“I hope you don’t regret the choices you made. Even if the Heavenly Demon abandoned everything just for a duel to the death with you, the time you spent with us is worth far more than that.”

Because of Glenn, both Raon and Zieghart’s elites had grown significantly stronger.

That growth had allowed them to crush Derus Robert’s forces in overwhelming victory.

“Because you trusted us and pushed us forward, grandfather, I’ll help you however I can,” Raon said.
“Whether it’s seclusion, training, or a fight, just say the word.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that everyone who lived and breathed in Zieghart, Raon, the Light Wind Palace, all of them, had grown under Glenn’s light. That was why Raon could say, without hesitation, that he would help with anything.

“……”

Glenn stared at Raon blankly, clearly having never expected words like that from him.

“Keuk—khahahahahaha!”

Rarely did he laugh so hard, clutching his forehead as he burst into laughter.

“Did you really think I would regret the time I spent on you all?”

He shook his head firmly.

“I’m only disappointed in myself. Even while overseeing your swordsmanship, I still had more than enough time to focus on my own training and sharpen my resolve toward the Heavenly Demon.”

He lowered his hand, explaining that he didn't regret the time spent for the house, but rather his own complacency.

"I will never regret getting to know you all, and feeling what I have felt."

With his clenched fist, Glenn struck the left side of his chest.

“Then the seclusion is…?” Raon asked, eyes widening as he stared at Glenn’s fist.

“I have no intention of abandoning my position as the head of house.
I simply want to see things through to the very end, as Glenn Zieghart the warrior, against the greatest opponent I will ever face.”

Glenn nodded, indicating he merely wanted to face the Heavenly Demon in his peak condition.

“Because now, there are people I can trust enough to leave the entire house of Zieghart in their hands.”

Glenn smirked and glanced to his right.

“You called for me, head of house?”

Karoon Zieghart, the master of the Central Martial Palace, approached with calm steps. He seemed to have come straight from Glenn’s summons, bowing immediately.

“Ah…”

Raon let out a quiet sound as he looked between Glenn and Karoon.

‘So he’s planning to leave Karoon in charge, temporarily?’

He just said there were people he could entrust the house to. It seemed that person was Karoon Zieghart.

‘He used to be barely passable, but now…’

Not bad. No, he might even make an excellent head of house.

Having sincerely reflected on his narrow-minded past, Karoon had reached the realm of Transcendence. Even now, he maintained that mindset, rather than chasing recognition, he worked from the position best suited to him for the sake of the house. If anyone could serve as acting head of house, it was him.

“I plan to enter seclusion starting tomorrow,” Glenn said.
“So for a while, you’ll be in charge of Zieghart.”

He waved his hand lightly, as if he were asking Karoon to watch over a small shop rather than a massive great house.

“Pardon…?”

Karoon blinked blankly, like Runaan fighting off sleep, unable to process Glenn’s words.

"I do not understand what you mean. Please explain in detail."

Even in his confusion, he bowed and asked for clarification.

“I’m entering seclusion to prepare for my duel to the death with the Heavenly Demon.”

Glenn explained, tipping his chin.

“Someone has to run the family while I’m gone. It’ll only be temporary, but I want you to do it.”

“Huh…”

Despite the explanation, Karoon’s lips trembled in shock.

“Come to the lord’s manor at dawn tomorrow,” Glenn said.
“I’ll handle the handover there. It won’t take long.”

“…Understood.”

True to a Transcender warrior, Karoon quickly steadied himself and bowed. Even with the position he’d desired his entire life suddenly within reach, he prioritized understanding the situation first, proof that he would handle the role of acting head of house well.

“Raon. Since you offered to help with my seclusion, come to the lord’s manor tomorrow at the same time.”

Glenn added, smacking his lips.

“Yes. Understood.”

Raon bowed. Helping Glenn with his seclusion would clearly benefit him as well, so there was no reason to refuse.

“Oh, one more thing.”

Glenn raised a finger between Raon and Karoon.

“Karoon, while you’re serving as acting head of house, if Raon finishes his seclusion before I do, you’ll hand the position over to him.”

He rotated his finger back and forth, smiling lightly.

“Opportunities should be fair.”

He shrugged, making it clear that while he’d explain it again tomorrow, this decision was already set and meant to be remembered.

“Opportunities…”

Raon swallowed dryly at Glenn’s words.

‘So he hadn’t meant to simply leave the position with Karoon.’

Grandfather wasn’t entering seclusion just to prepare for his duel to the death with the Heavenly Demon. He was using that time to see, in real terms, who truly deserved to stand as the head of Zieghart.

‘Grandfather really hasn’t changed.’

I had thought grandfather might be focusing only on training after being overwhelmed by the Heavenly Demon’s pressure, but he had considered everything. Even now, he seemed to be placing the house above himself.

“I understand.”

Karoon nodded, as though he had expected this from the start.

“However, I don’t believe the opportunity is truly fair.”

Karoon frowned slightly, as though something still didn’t sit right with him.

“What isn’t fair about it?”

Glenn tilted his chin.

"You previously stated that you would give high marks in the successor test to whoever made great contributions in finding Derus Robert or Eden."

As he said the word “successor,” Karoon looked steadily at Raon.

“In the war against Derus Robert, the one who made the greatest contribution was clearly the Light Wind Palace master. I believe he should be given a greater opportunity.”

Karoon nodded calmly, as if it were only natural. Raon’s achievements in the war were undeniable, and in his view, it would be right for Raon to hold the acting head of house position for a longer period.

“There’s no need to worry about that.” Glenn waved his hand lightly, a thin smile on his lips.

“I won’t be ending my seclusion before the Light Wind Palace master returns. That means he’ll have more than enough time to serve as acting head.”

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, making it clear that Raon, too, would be given more than enough time to serve as acting head of house.

“And when that happens, when Raon takes over, you’ll be the one assisting me instead,” Glenn added.

"Then that is settled."

Karoon clasped his hands in front of him, indicating he had nothing more to say.

“Very well.”

Glenn patted Karoon lightly on the shoulder, clearly pleased.

“Then I’ll be going. Come to the lord’s manor tomorrow.”

After telling Raon they’d speak again the next day, Glenn headed toward the main building with Karoon.

“……”

Karoon cast Raon a brief glance, then followed after Glenn.

Huh?!

Wrath gaped at Karoon’s back.

Wasn’t becoming the head of your house that big shitty eyes’s lifelong dream? And he was willing to step aside? He’s completely lost his mind!

Wrath shook his head violently, as if he’d just witnessed something impossible.

He’s changed beyond recognition! You could almost say he’s become something else entirely!

Wrath shoved his face close to Raon, asking how this was even possible.

‘You’re not wrong. He’s changed too much. And because of that…’

Watching Karoon’s broad, upright back, Raon curved his lips into a faint smile.

"The head of house position won't be easily won…"

 

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