The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1296

 Chapter 1296

 

One day earlier.

“Huh? Whaaaat?!”

Dorian jumped up in disbelief.

“W-Why do I have to play the sage?!”

He stared wide-eyed, as if he couldn’t understand why he had to be sage instead of Raon.

“I’m against it!”

Martha kicked off the ground and shot to her feet.

“That guy’s way too much of a coward!”

She frowned, saying Dorian would probably panic and ruin everything.

“I’m a little worried as well.”

Burren narrowed his eyes as he tossed another log into the campfire in front of him.

“I trust Dorian, but the people we’re trying to deceive are sharp.”

He also voiced his opposition, saying the mission seemed far too difficult for Dorian.

“I think he’ll be fine….”

Runaan unexpectedly took Dorian’s side.

“He can do it.”

She gave a slow nod, as if she genuinely believed in him.

“W-Why are you supporting me?! Please oppose this!”

Dorian shook his head frantically at Runaan, begging her not to trust him.

“Umm….”

“I am a little worried….”

“Yeah. Feels like this is going to end badly….”

“Who knows? The palace master chose him, so I guess it’ll work out somehow!”

The Light Wind Palace swordsmen all lowered their brows. They trusted Dorian as a person, but clearly had little faith in his ability to handle a mission like this.

“Ugh….”

Krein let out a groan as he looked at the terrified Dorian.

“B-But why did you choose Dorian?”

Since he was usually the closest to Dorian, he looked especially worried.

“Because Dorian has the Mind’s Eye.”

Raon nodded calmly.

“There’s no one better than him at reading people. Honestly, even I can't beat him at it.”

Because Dorian had always been so timid, he’d developed a habit of constantly reading the room and picking up on exactly what others wanted or needed. And after learning the Mind’s Eye, that intuition had sharpened to the point where it almost felt like he could see straight into people’s minds.

“Dorian. Be honest. You already know what people are thinking most of the time, don’t you?”

Raon tilted his chin toward him.

“Th-That….”

Dorian bit his lip instead of answering immediately.

“I’m right, aren’t I?”

Raon lifted his wooden teacup, urging him to answer.

“Haah….”

Dorian stared at Raon for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

“Y-Yeah. I could already get a rough read on people thanks to the Mind’s Eye, but ever since the authority of <Gluttony> grew stronger… I don’t know how to explain it. It’s like I can see their thoughts directly now.”

He gave a small nod, admitting that Raon was right, that other people’s thoughts had started coming to him with unsettling clarity.

“W-Wait… does that mean you’ve been reading our thoughts this whole time?”

Burren glared at Dorian, his face reddening.

“You little punk! You’ve been peeking into my head?”

Martha raised her fist as if she were about to punch him on the spot.

“N-No….”

“You can really read people’s thoughts?”

“That’s insane!”

“So Dorian could’ve been seeing through us too…?”

The Light Wind Palace swordsmen stared at Dorian in stunned disbelief, clearly never expecting his ability to have reached such an absurd level. Their eyes wavered uneasily, suddenly terrified that their private thoughts might have already been laid bare to him.

“It’s n-not like I can read minds whenever I want….”

Dorian shook his head frantically.

“I have to focus intensely on a specific person, almost like when I’m using swordsmanship! I can’t just casually hear everyone’s thoughts, so I normally don’t even try!”

He frowned, explaining that he could only pick up someone’s thoughts when he deliberately concentrated on them.

Ohh!

Wrath let out a short exclamation.

It seems the authority of <Gluttony> that wallet acquired fused with his obsession for collecting things. Now he’s even collecting other people’s thoughts!

The Demon King smacked his lips, intrigued by the bizarre way the authority had evolved.

“A-Anyway, I can’t do this!”

Dorian ran up to Raon and dropped to his knees.

“Even if I can read people’s thoughts, there’s no way I can pull off something like this!”

He clung to Raon’s ankle, insisting he’d be so scared his tongue would stop working altogether.

“I’ll stay in the back and tell you what people are thinking! Young master, you do it instead!”

Dorian cried out in desperation, even reverting to calling Raon “young master” like he had back when they were trainees.

“No. You need to stand in front so I can move more freely behind the scenes.”

Raon shook his head firmly, making it clear there was no changing his mind.

Reconsider this!

Wrath wrinkled his nose as he glared at Dorian.

That wallet is way too cowardly! He’s definitely going to ruin everything halfway through!

He snorted, insisting Dorian absolutely could not do it.

‘I don’t think so.’

Raon calmly shook his head.

“Dorian. You—”

He was just about to speak to the sniffling Dorian when—

“Hey!”

Krein walked over and grabbed Dorian by the shoulders.

“You can do this!”

He forcibly hauled Dorian to his feet from where he had been clinging to Raon’s leg.

“How long are you going to keep supporting everyone from the sidelines? Sometimes you need to be the one in the spotlight too!”

Krein bit his lip and smacked Dorian hard across the back.

“Ah….”

Dorian stared blankly at Krein, seeming not to have even noticed getting hit.

“I’ll help too! So give it a shot!”

Krein gripped Dorian’s shoulders tightly with both hands.

“Show them that the Light Wind Palace isn’t just the Sword Emperor, the Sky Shadowed Star, the Rakshasa Woman, the Full Moon Fairy, and Always Krein!”

He nodded firmly, saying this was the moment Dorian needed to grow even more.

“Always Krein… ugh….”

Looking into Krein’s serious eyes, Dorian gradually calmed the trembling that had been spreading through his body like chills.

“O-Okay. I’ll do it.”

He clenched his teeth hard, as if steeling himself to go through with it even if it killed him.

“I-I’ll do it! Honestly, I really don’t want to, but I’ll do it!”

Dorian looked back at Raon and gave a heavy nod.

“…Good.”

Raon swallowed the advice he had been about to give Dorian and instead smiled faintly.

“Then gather around, everyone. The mission begins in the Winten Kingdom. We’ll start there and expand our influence outward from that point.”

As he spread out the map, he explained to the Light Wind Palace swordsmen everything he had discussed with the Shadow Agents and the Black Market.

Hey, but….

Wrath narrowed his eyes curiously.

How did you realize that wallet’s Mind’s Eye had grown stronger?

He shook his head, saying he had never noticed Dorian’s ability improving at all.

‘It was obvious.’

Raon smacked his lips casually.

‘Every time you started babbling about food or complaining, Dorian’s expression would freeze up.’

Whenever Wrath whined about things like ‘the King of Essence is hungry,’ ‘the King of Essence wants something delicious,’ or ‘Stop training and go eat already,’ Dorian’s face would gradually turn pale. From those reactions, it seemed he had started to realize there really was something beside Raon, and that the fearsome Demon King of Wrath was actually just a spoiled brat.

Uh…? Uhhhhh?

Wrath’s eyes blinked rapidly the moment he heard that.

B-Beat that wallet over the head immediately!

He grabbed Raon by the shoulders and shook him frantically, demanding he do something immediately.

The King of Essence is the noble and dignified monarch of Devildom More people cannot be allowed to learn such disgraceful secrets!

Wrath screamed that he refused to let the awe and authority behind the title of Demon King be destroyed like this.

‘Yeah. Too late for that.’

Raon grinned as he shoved the clinging Wrath away.

‘The world deserves to find out what kind of idiot the Demon King really is.’Top of Form

N-Noooooooo!

*   *   *

“A sage?”

“He knows everything?”

"Pfft! Anyone can see he's a total fraud!"

“Yeah. Once he’s done putting on this act, he’ll probably start peddling medicine.”

The people of Winten Kingdom sneered at Dorian, treating him like nothing more than a shady medicine peddler.

“A sage, huh?”

Still, as always, there was one middle-aged man whose curiosity got the better of him, and he cautiously approached Dorian.

Kyaaaang!

Burren and Martha lowered a spear and a greatsword in front of him, blocking his path.

“Uwaaak!”

The man’s eyes widened in shock at the razor-sharp pressure pouring off them, and he fell backward onto the ground.

“How dare you!”

“Do not approach the sage carelessly!”

Burren and Martha barked furiously like loyal attendants guarding their master.

“…Let him through.”

When Dorian waved his hand as if to say it was fine, Burren and Martha smoothly stepped aside while handling their massive weapons as naturally as extensions of their own bodies.

“Ah, um….”

The middle-aged man awkwardly got back to his feet with a slight bow.

“H-Hey! Don’t go!”

"There's something seriously off about them..."

“Malun! Just back off!”

The others were also stunned by the overwhelming pressure radiating from Burren and Martha. Unlike before, they could no longer mock Dorian so casually and instead shouted for the middle-aged man, Malun, to back away.

"E-Excuse me, I..."

“Your son’s illness doesn’t seem to be getting any better.”

Without even hearing him speak, Dorian slowly nodded as though he already knew exactly what was troubling the man named Malun.

“Wh-What? H-How did you…?”

Malun’s jaw dropped in complete shock.

“How did he know that?”

“R-Right? Malun’s not anyone famous. He's just a local merchant, who runs a small shop….”

“I didn’t even know Malun’s son was sick….”

“C-Could he really be a sage?”

The people watching from behind gasped in disbelief.

“Take this and have your son drink it three times a day.”

Dorian pulled out medicine personally made by the Ragged Saint from the pouch hanging at his waist and handed it to Malun.

“By tomorrow, his coughing and stomach pains will disappear completely.”

"T-Thank you. But the c-cost..."

Malun swallowed nervously, clearly worried about the cost even after accepting the medicine.

“Once your son recovers, just come back and thank me.”

Dorian waved his hand calmly, truly looking like a sage who had transcended worldly matters.

“Th-Thank you so much!”

Malun bowed so deeply his head nearly touched the ground, then sprinted home.

“U-Um… excuse me….”

A young woman who had been watching Malun leave slowly approached Dorian.

“It seems you’ve been struggling to conceive.”

Dorian immediately understood her concern as well and nodded. 

“Ah… yes!”

The young woman clasped her hands together as if she had just met a god.

“We’ve tried everything people say works, but no child has come to us….”

“Take this home and boil it into a tonic. You’ll hear good news soon enough.”

Dorian took out a bottle filled with brown powder along with several medicinal herbs from his pouch and handed them to her.

“Th-Thank you! I’ll definitely come back and tell you when it happens!”

The young woman bowed repeatedly, promising to return with news of her pregnancy before hurrying away.

“S-Sage!”

This time, a young man immediately dropped to his knees.

“My father recently—”

“The stolen goods will return soon enough.”

Dorian casually waved his hand, as if telling him not to worry.

“They’ll come back naturally, so just wait patiently.”

“Y-You mean the thief will be caught? Understood!”

The young man bowed deeply, seemingly determined to trust Dorian’s words and wait.

“P-Please hear me out too!”

“Sage! I have troubles as well!”

“My elderly mother is sick at home, and her illness—”

“Please help us!”

The people of Winten, who had been anxiously watching from behind, all rushed toward Dorian at once as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“Stop!”

“Wait your turn!”

Like seasoned guards by now, Burren and Martha raised their spear and sword to stop the crowd rushing forward like a swarm of ants.

“…….”

Dorian slowly closed and reopened his eyes as though this situation were perfectly natural, patiently hearing out the people's concerns. 

“Oh ho.”

A well-dressed old gentleman let out an impressed chuckle.

“He’s doing surprisingly well.”

He curled his lips upward, looking genuinely impressed by Dorian.

“I heard he was the biggest coward in the Light Wind Palace. No, in all of Zieghart….”

An elderly woman in loose-fitting clothes let out a breath of disbelief.

“Looks like the Black Market’s file on Dorian needs updating.”

She smiled softly, saying Dorian’s file would need major revisions.

“Indeed.”

Raon nodded in agreement with the old man and woman.

“He’s doing far better than I expected.”

Contrary to everyone’s worries, Dorian calmly read people’s emotions and immediately provided solutions. Anyone who didn’t know better would truly think a sage had descended upon the world.

Hoo….

Even Wrath blinked in amazement.

That coward, that wallet… no, whatever his name was, he’s doing better than the King of Essence expected!

Though he still couldn’t remember Dorian’s name, Wrath gave him an enthusiastic round of applause anyway.

“Thanks to Dorian handling things so well, I’ll be relying heavily on the two of you from here on.”

Raon bowed lightly toward Federick, disguised as an old gentleman, and the Black Market’s master, disguised as an old woman.

Since the most common concerns people had were about their own health or the health of those close to them, he had brought Federick along. And because information was equally important, he had also sought the cooperation of the Black Market's master.

Dorian merely read people's thoughts and pointed them toward solutions. The actual work of resolving their concerns would fall to Raon and the others.

“Guess it’s about time I started earning my keep again.”

The Ragged Saint, Federick, grinned, saying he’d treat this as another form of charity work.

“Gladly.”

Roseline, the Black Market’s master, answered with an elegant smile, saying she would gladly do even more if needed.

“Since the opening act went smoothly….”

Raon rubbed his hands together and smacked his lips.

“Now all we have to do is wait for the prey to take the bait.”

*   *   *

Rumors about the sage Doraen, the role Dorian was playing, spread like wildfire not only through the Kingdom of Winten, but throughout the surrounding regions as well.

Malun’s son, the first child to receive medicine, recovered completely overnight. The young bride who longed for a child soon conceived. The thief was caught, and every stolen item was returned to its rightful owner.

And since every other prediction and promise Sage Doraen made also came true, the people of Winten had begun praising Dorian as though they were witnessing a living god.

"E-Excuse me, please hear my troubles!"

“Please save me!”

“Sage!”

Not only people from Winten, but even people from nearby cities and kingdoms flocked around Dorian until the area became packed shoulder-to-shoulder with people. Yet thanks to Burren and Martha, everyone still stood in orderly lines with proper manners.

“The sage is really up there, right?”

“Of course! They say he hasn’t even slept because he’s been listening to everyone’s troubles!”

"Not even the King would do that for us. Truly incredible."

“The king? Don’t compare him to that puppet swallowed up by nobles! That man is a god! A living god!”

As people stretched their necks like giraffes just to catch a glimpse of the sage Doraen—

“Move aside!”

“Out of the way, you filthy peasants! Move!”

A violent crashing sound rang out from the back of the crowd along with a rising cloud of dust.

Baaam!

Knights clad in silver armor pushed forward, beating the people standing in line with their scabbards.

“Count Asak is here!”

“Everyone kneel!”

The knights shoved the crowd aside in an instant and advanced straight toward Dorian. 

“So you’re….”

Behind the knights, a greasy-looking middle-aged man with an oily mustache sat atop his horse and looked down at Dorian.

“…the fraud who’s been deceiving the people.”

He sneered as if he had already heard every rumor surrounding Dorian.

‘There you are.’

Amid the crowd being violently split apart by the knights, Raon’s eyes gleamed red.

‘Our first prey.’

 

 

Advance Chapters