The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1262

 Chapter 1262

 

Piaaaang!

A sharp gust of sword wind skimmed over the campfire that was struggling to push back the dark, and a crimson spiral of flame shot up into the air.

Hooouuuung!

The Light Wind Palace swordsmen weren’t wasting even their camping time. Instead of resting, they were absorbed in personal training.

“Their sword energy energy is alive!”

Martha grinned, clearly pleased with the intensity rolling off them, and waved her hand vigorously.

“That’s how the sword demons of the fifth training ground should be!”

She grinned, noting that ever since Raon’s return, the swordsmen finally seemed like their old selves again.

"The difference is undeniable..."

Burren let out a long sigh, something he rarely did.

"It’s making me painfully aware of how pathetic my own leadership was."

He shook his head, saying the Light Wind Palace when he led it and the Light Wind Palace when Raon led it were far too different.

“Ah, come on! It couldn’t be helped! That guy isn’t the same kind of human as us!”

Krein giggled while offering comfort that was not comforting at all.

“R-Right! Sir Raon’s always been different from ordinary people! I mean, he was crushing all the talents of the fifth training ground back when he was still under that curse!”

Dorian also babbled something similar to Krein, as if, even though he could read people’s mind, he had no situational awareness at all.

“…Is that so.”

Burren’s shoulders sagged even further.

Runaan, who had been silently watching the swordsmen train, approached one of them without a word.

“Your right elbow, bring it slightly more inward….”

She adjusted the swordsman’s posture herself, guiding his body into place.

“Th-thank you.”

“….”

She simply nodded at his gratitude and returned to her spot, resuming her quiet observation of the others.

“Looks like that idiot’s finally come to her senses, huh?”

Martha bared her teeth and smiled as if relieved that Runaan had come to her senses.

“That’s a good thing.”

Burren also managed a faint smile, noticing that Runaan seemed to have grown even more than before.

“When this is over, I’m going to request a spar. You can’t just let a Transcender sit around doing nothing, right?”

Martha licked her lips, already thinking about how to use Runaan to push her own growth further.

“Can’t believe I’m agreeing with you.”

Burren narrowed his eyes. He’d been thinking the same thing.

“Hmph! No matter what you try, the second Transcender of the Light Wind Palace will be me!”

Martha lifted her chin as if she would not lose to Burren.

“With the acting head of house here, that makes you third. And there’s no winning or losing in growth. Of course… I won’t lose to you.”

Even so, Burren lightly bit his lip, determined that at the very least, he would not lose to Martha.

“I’ll help you both….”

Runaan slipped soundlessly between them and nodded. It seemed she’d heard their entire conversation from afar and come over.

“W-What the—?!”

“Gah!”

Martha and Burren both jumped back, startled by her sudden appearance.

“T-This isn’t where you’re supposed to butt in!”

“Y-Yeah! We’re building competitive spirit here!”

They shook their heads at her, asking why she’d even come over.

“…Hmm?”

Runaan tilted her head as if she didn’t understand what they meant.

Martha and Burren began shouting at each other like old times, their bickering loud and lively. Runaan blinked between them, completely lost.

“They’ve started again.”

“Yeah. Feels like it’s been a while since we’ve seen the three of them like that.”

“It’s like everything’s finally back to normal.”

“This is how the fifth training ground should be, and this is how the Light Wind Palace should be!”

The swordsmen smiled broadly, relief washing over them as they watched Burren, Martha, and Runaan return to who they truly were.

“Hmm.”

Raon let out a faint smile as he watched the three through the gaps between the swordsmen.

‘Not bad.’

Through the incident with Syria Sullion, Martha, Burren, and Runaan hadn’t just grown stronger, they’d matured mentally in a way that mattered far more.

I knew it because I had walked that path myself. Souls that had climbed to a higher place like theirs wouldn’t be easily broken by anyone.

‘And besides….’

Burren and Martha won’t be far behind.

The wall of Transcendence blocking their path was already riddled with cracks. It was obvious they would follow Runaan into Transcendence before long.

“…Ugh.”

The Bear Alteration Demon’s dry lips trembled as he watched the Light Wind swordsmen display a bond deeper than family. Instead of jealousy or anger, what flickered across his face looked more like envy.

“Bear Alteration Demon.”

Raon turned to him and rolled his wrist slowly.

"I'll ask again. How exactly do we enter Eden's headquarters?"

They would reach the entrance the Bear Alteration Demon had mentioned by tomorrow. Raon wanted to hear it once more.

“UUhhh….”

Unable to meet his gaze, the Bear Alteration Demon stared at his knees and swallowed dryly.

“As I said… once you approach the area near the headquarters’ entrance and send the designated signal, a gatekeeper comes out. If your identity is verified through questioning, the entrance opens.”

He shook his head, explaining that the entrance was hidden, without going through the gatekeeper, it was impossible to enter.

“That’s all?”

Raon narrowed his eyes, telling him to speak about whatever he was hiding.

“I-It’s the truth! I have no reason to lie to you!”

The Bear Alteration Demon bit his lip, saying that the moment he chose to follow Syria Sullion, he no longer had a place in Eden anyway.

“That’s true.”

Raon lowered his brows calmly.

“Then let’s talk about this.”

He fixed him with a steady, sunken gaze.

“Why did you follow Syria Sullion? Why go so far as to use ancient sorcery, something that difficult, just to help that bastard?”

It was the question that mattered most if he wanted to understand the man.

“That’s….”

The Bear Alteration Demon couldn’t answer right away. He chewed on his lip.

“To save someone….”

His fist tightened.

“You’re saying you did it to save someone?”

Raon frowned, irritation flickering across his face.

“I know. I know how hypocritical it sounds, to harm others while claiming you’re saving someone. But….”

The Bear Alteration Demon exhaled deeply, his sigh heavy with the faint scent of blood.

“I had no other choice. Syria Sullion even freed me from the soul of the Bearwolf Sorcerer….”

He bowed his head low, saying Syria Sullion had been the only one who could help him.

“I see.”

Raon didn’t press further. There was no point. He doubted anything useful would come out of it, and he had no real interest in the tragic backstories of villains.

“We’ve got a long way to travel tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

He gestured dismissively.

“….”

The Bear Alteration Demon nodded faintly and lay down on the ground.

There is no one without a story.

Wrath narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man who had closed his eyes.

It is only that, even amid the same despair and hardship, there are those who grow upright and those who become twisted.

He snorted, glancing between Raon and the Bear Alteration Demon.

So then….

Wrath grabbed Raon’s shoulder and nodded vigorously.

Come with the King of Essence to the Devildom! With you, the stagnant order of Devildom could be overturned!

He trembled his round hand as if picturing Devildom changing because of Raon.

You now have the qualifications to be a king, both in might and in mentality! Ah, you are still far off, but you have laid the foundation! So….

‘No thanks. Not buying it.’

Raon waved him away as if brushing off a street peddler.

Do not treat the King of Essence like a peddler!

*   *   *

“…Seriously.”

Raon let out a short, incredulous laugh and turned around.

"It’s really here?"

“Y-Yes… it is.”

The Bear Alteration Demon nodded heavily, saying it was correct.

“Haaaa…..”

Raon blinked as he stared at the massive city gates, where countless people streamed in and out without pause.

“Who would’ve thought Eden’s headquarters would be in the trading city of Cameloon?”

The place where he was now standing was Cameloon, the center of the continent and the most famous city for trade.

The idea that Eden’s headquarters might exist in a place this crowded, this open, had never even crossed his mind. Honestly, he was a bit taken aback.

"W-wait a second! Are you sure it's Cameloon?"

Krein stepped forward, swallowing hard.

“This bastard isn’t lying to us, is he?”

He grabbed the Bear Alteration Demon by the collar, unable to believe it.

“N-No…”

Dorian quickly stopped him, shaking his head.

“He’s not lying.”

As if he’d read Bear Alteration Demon’s mind with his mind’s eye, he bit his lip.

"So Eden is actually here?"

Martha slammed her fists together, excitement flashing across her face.

“Not necessarily,” Burren said, narrowing his eyes. “There could just be a gate here. A passage that leads to the headquarters.”

He sounded more convinced that this was a transit point than the headquarters itself.

“….”

Runaan closed her eyes slightly and spread her aura perception, as if trying to sense what lay within Cameloon’s walls.

“Eden… in Cameloon.”

“So even those merchants over there, if they suddenly put on helmets, it wouldn’t be surprising.”

“Well, without their helmets or masks, Eden members are no different from ordinary people. It would be easy for them to blend in.”

“Yeah. It’s entirely plausible.”

The Light Wind swordsmen accepted the reality of the situation and nodded grimly.

"Nothing is ever easy."

Raon let out a soft laugh.

Eden was a collection of the worst madmen among the Five Demons. If anyone would hide in plain sight in a city teeming with people, it would be them.

Just imagining hunting down those helmeted demons and making them pay in blood made his fingers tighten on their own.

"Lead us to the gatekeeper."

Raon jerked his chin toward Cameloon and nudged the Bear Alteration Demon forward.

“N-Not now.”

The Bear Alteration Demon shook his head firmly.

“The gatekeeper only appears at dawn. And there’s something you need to prepare in order to summon him.”

He frowned, saying there was no way to call the gatekeeper as they were.

“This is ridiculously complicated! Can’t we just smash our way in?”

Martha stomped her foot, frustration spilling over.

“We came here to collect blood debts anyway!”

She ground her teeth, suggesting they just barge in, find Eden, and start taking heads.

“Martha…”

Burren rubbed his forehead, looking as if he didn’t even know where to begin explaining.

“If we do that, we won’t be the Five Kings anymore, we’ll be the Five Demons. We’d end up with a worse reputation than Eden.”

He let out a sigh, saying that Eden probably made the entrance here aiming exactly for that.

“Ahem, I see….”

Krein cleared his throat awkwardly, apparently having thought the same thing as Martha.

“We have to wait….”

As if mindful of what her own impatience had caused not long ago, Runaan gently caught Martha’s wrist.

“I know that! I was just venting!”

Martha snorted at her but didn’t shake her off.

“Bear Alteration Demon.”

Raon looked down at him and crooked a finger.

“Make the preparations to call the gatekeeper. We’ll call him out first….”

His hand rested on Heavenly Drive as a cold light flickered in his eyes.

“And once he appears, we’ll cut off his head. The answers will follow.”

 

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