The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1306

 Chapter 1306

 

‘Let’s see what I got.’

Raon was just about to check the reward messages he had received thanks to Wrath.

"T-The shaking stopped."

“Is it over...?”

“I-I think that demon is dead!”

The people who had been cowering under archangel Sariel’s overwhelming presence slowly forced themselves to look up.

“Th-the demon is dead!”

“The Sage has cut down the demon!”

"H-He's an immortal! A Sword Immortal!"

Even during the dangerous clash between divine power and flames, the people had not closed their eyes. Having watched the battle to the very end, they now cried out in celebration of Raon’s victory.

“A Sword Immortal!”

“A Sword Immortal has descended upon the Winten Kingdom!”

“Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal!”

The crowd raised both arms high, calling Raon the Sword Immortal.

Even though they had been exposed to an archangel’s divine power and were surely exhausted both mentally and physically, their cheers and applause showed no sign of stopping.

W-What nonsense is this?!

Wrath ground his teeth in disbelief.

This bastard is no immortal! He is simply a villain! A leech who sucks up everything he can get his hands on!

His blue tail trembled violently as he complained that a massive amount of his power had been drained away once again.

‘You’re the one who acknowledged me.’

Raon pushed Wrath aside and shook his head calmly.

The King of Essence did not acknowledge you!

Wrath shook his head firmly.

The King of Essence was merely shocked by your deviousness!

He wrinkled his nose, insisting that admiration and acknowledgment were two entirely different things.

‘You definitely used the word acknowledgment.’

Raon lowered the reward message and chuckled.

Grrrgh!

Having no comeback, Wrath could only grind his teeth.

It's always this damned mouth of mine...

Muttering that his own mouth was the problem, he smacked himself on the lips.

‘Well, there’s no need to worry too much.’

Raon slowly closed and reopened his eyes before shaking his head.

'I doubt anyone will ever call me by that nickname again.'

The people had started calling him the Sword Immortal, but after today, that name would likely never be spoken again.

“From Sword Emperor to Sword Immortal huh...”

Burren let out a wry chuckle, looking at Raon.

“To be fair, calling him an immortal when it comes to swordsmanship wouldn’t be an exaggeration.”

He nodded, unable to deny it.

“True. Watching Raon use his sword these days, he hardly seems human anymore. Though...”

Martha narrowed her eyes as she stared at him.

“His twisted personality ruins the whole image.”

She snorted.

“There’s no way I’m calling someone like that a Sword Immortal.”

“That’s...”

Runan slowly opened her eyes and looked at Martha.

“Not something the Rakshasa Woman should be saying...”

She shook her head, implying that there wasn't a single person in the Light Wind Palace whose personality Martha had the right to make fun of.

“Ahem. She’s not wrong.”

Krein smacked his lips briefly as he looked at Martha.

“You little shit want to die?!”

Finally losing her patience, Martha charged at him and kicked him square in the rear.

“Urgh!”

The moment her foot connected, Krein toppled face-first onto the ground.

“Ow, that hurt like hell. It’s not like I said anything wrong. Huh?”

As he pushed himself up, he blinked.

“What are you doing?”

He tilted his head at Dorian, who was standing there in a daze.

“It’s just...”

Dorian let out a heavy sigh.

“We lied to all those people who genuinely cared about us.”

Clutching his head, he said he felt guilty.

“Guilty, my ass!”

Krein smacked him on the back.

“We helped them, and they helped us! It’s not like we took their money! If anything, we spent our own money and time helping them!”

He frowned, saying they had healed people, helped them in countless ways, and never accepted a single coin in return, so he couldn’t understand why Dorian felt guilty.

“And you don’t even have to call it a lie! We can just quietly disappear!”

Krein waved a hand dismissively.

“I-Is that so?”

Dorian blinked, still looking a bit conflicted despite Krein’s logic.

“You worry too much.”

Krein slung an arm around Dorian's shoulders and raised a finger.

“Even the acting head of house would tell us to just disappear quietly in a situation like this.”

He chuckled, saying Raon would probably think the same way he did.

“Unfortunately, I can’t do that.”

Standing behind Krein and Dorian, Raon shook his head firmly.

“Huh...?”

Krein turned around and stared at Raon with wide eyes.

“T-Then...”

“I’m going to tell them the truth.”

Raon slowly closed and reopened his eyes.

“This incident involves kingdoms affiliated with the Five Kings Alliance. If the truth comes out later, we could lose their trust.”

Having already made his decision, he calmly stepped forward.

“Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal!”

Even now, the people continued calling Raon the Sword Immortal, bowing and dropping to their knees. They seemed to regard him as a living god.

“That’s enough.”

Raon stomped his foot at the center of the crowd. At his low command, the cheering people immediately fell silent, and a curtain of silence descended over the area.

“I am not an immortal.”

Opening his eyes slowly, Raon met the gazes fixed upon him.

No one spoke.

They simply waited for his next words.

“My name is Raon Zieghart. I am a swordsman of House Zieghart.”

Raon removed the worn robe and restored his black-dyed hair to its original blond color. His tall stature, and the human dignity that towered even higher than it, made the people's eyes tremble violently.

“We received information that the archangels were manipulating royalty and nobles, so we came here and...”

Raon told those watching him everything that had happened.

“...And thanks to all of you who came here to see me, I was able to cut down archangel Sariel and save the royalty and nobles who had fallen under his control. I would like to thank you once again.”

It was thanks to the people gathered here that he had been able to lure archangel Sariel out and provoke his pride enough to prevent his escape. This had not been something he accomplished alone, so he bowed his head in gratitude to everyone.

“I know some of you may feel that I deceived you. That is why I want to offer both my thanks and my apology.”

Raon bowed once more.

As Krein had said, he had spent his own money helping the sick, repairing damaged homes, and catching swindlers and thieves who had ruined people's lives. It was true that he had done nothing but good for them. However, what they had wanted was to meet the Sage, so he believed it was only right to reveal the truth and apologize.

“R-Raon Zieghart?”

“That Sword Emperor?”

“The Sword Emperor who killed Derus Robert...”

“So the Sage was Sword Emperor Raon Zieghart...”

The crowd swallowed nervously as they stared at him, clearly having had no idea.

“Haaa...”

Ignoring whatever they might say, Raon kept his head bowed for a long moment before finally straightening up.

“It’s the Sword Immortal!”

“That’s right! No matter what anyone says, you are an immortal! A Sword Immortal!”

“Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal! Sword Immortal!”

“Sword Immortal Raon Zieghart!”

“WOOOOOOOAHHHHH!”

The moment Raon straightened his back, the crowd erupted louder than ever, calling him the Sword Immortal once again.

“R-Regardless of how it started, my mother is alive because of you!”

“You saved my child too!”

“Thanks to your advice, Sword Immortal, I caught the thief who stole my family heirloom!”

“And because of the medicine you gave me, I was finally able to have a child!”

“Thank you, Sword Immortal!”

The people bowed deeply, insisting that Raon had nothing to apologize for.

“Don't say ‘regardless of how it started’! Your intentions were good too!”

“Exactly! If the archangel had brainwashed the royalty, we would have suffered as well!”

“Who cares if you hid your identity? Please don't worry about it!”

Most of the people simply smiled, saying that pretending to be the Sage and concealing his identity was hardly a problem at all.

“You are the person who erased the inferiority complex I carried my entire life in a single stroke.”

Count Asak stepped forward alongside the other nobles.

“Whether you are the Sage or the Sword Immortal, that does not change. You have my deepest gratitude.”

He knelt and lowered his head once more.

“Thank you!”

The other nobles followed suit.

“Thanks to you, we escaped the archangel’s grasp. We are truly grateful.”

“It feels as though I’ve only just awakened from a nightmare.”

“Thank you for saving us!”

Even the royal families of the Kingdom of Sarion, House Belsia, and the Kingdom of Rophels forced themselves to stand and bow before Raon despite their weakened condition.

Rumble!

Countless people knelt and lowered their heads at the same time.

Even after learning that he was not Sage Doraen but Raon Zieghart, not a single trace of resentment appeared on their faces. If anything, their expressions grew even brighter as they thanked him.

Clench.

Raon tightened his fist.

As countless people, more than he could take in at a glance, offered their heartfelt gratitude, he felt his soul growing stronger and more substantial.

No, it wasn't merely a feeling.

At this very moment, the level of his soul was rising.

“The name Sword Immortal...”

Accepting the nickname that everyone was shouting, Raon smiled faintly.

“I'll strive to become a swordsman worthy of it.”

“WOOOOOOAHHHHH!”

The crowd erupted in cheers, but one Demon King alone responded with a scoff.

Immortal, my ass!

Wrath shook his head violently.

You're a born villain! There's not a single shred of goodness in you!

*   *   *

“You've worked hard all this time.”

Raon bowed to Roseline, the master of the Black Market, and Federick, the Ragged Saint.

“We wouldn't have been able to complete this mission without the two of you.”

The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace had all worked hard, but not nearly as much as these two. Honestly, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Sage Doraen could only be portrayed so perfectly because of their help.

“This much is only natural between allies.”

Roseline waved her hand dismissively.

“You don't need to thank me.”

“I lost a bit of sleep, but that's all right! It felt like I was finally getting back to the volunteer work I haven't been able to do lately, so I enjoyed it too!”

Fedrick grinned broadly.

“And I got to witness something extraordinary as well.”

He narrowed his eyes to thin slits as he looked at Raon.

“To manipulate souls like that... even that friend of mine wouldn't be capable of such a thing.”

Federick nodded, saying that even Glenn couldn't match Raon's ability to manipulate souls with such precision.

“I was lucky.”

Raon smiled faintly.

“Getting involved in this mission turned out to be a fortunate opportunity.”

“Always so humble.”

Federick snorted.

“A nickname like Sword Immortal isn't something you earn through luck.”

Patting Raon on the shoulder, he told him to have confidence befitting the nickname the people had given him.

“Sword Immortal...”

Roseline softly repeated Raon's new nickname and smiled.

“To be honest, it doesn't sound like a nickname that would suit a young swordsman. But somehow, it fits you perfectly, Sir Raon.”

She nodded, saying it seemed tailor-made for the Raon standing before her now.

“To be honest, it's a lot to live up to.”

Raon scratched his head with an awkward laugh. He had declared that he would become someone worthy of the nickname, but it was such a lofty one that he couldn't help feeling a little pressure.

“If anyone can live up to it, it's you, Sir Raon.”

Roseline nodded, clearly believing in him.

“By the way, when do you plan to visit the temple the archangels supposedly must visit?”

She lowered her brows, curious about his plans.

“I have to be careful. Archangel Uriel isn't an opponent I can defeat yet.”

Raon shook his head calmly.

“Still, I do intend to conduct some reconnaissance.”

“T-Then...”

Roseline's eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes.”

Raon slowly drew in a breath, his eyes turning cold.

“I'm planning to leave right now.”

 

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