The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1318

 Chapter 1318

 

Bzzzt!

The space before Zieghart's main gate split apart, and Raon and Evelyn burst out amid a flash of blue light.

‘I’m back.’

Raon let out a short breath as he looked at the main gates of Zieghart, which hadn't changed a bit since he left for the Winten Kingdom to hunt down Sariel.

‘That took longer than I expected.’

Killing Sariel had not been particularly difficult, but luring him into the Kingdom of Winten had required considerable time and effort. It made returning to Zieghart feel as though I had been away for ages.

‘And I even made a trip to Melvin mountain on top of that.’

Not wanting to let the information I had obtained from Sariel go to waste, I immediately headed for Melvin mountain, weakened Uriel, and even destroyed the celestials' temple before returning. In reality, I really had been away for several days.

You're a strange one.

Wrinkling his nose, Wrath clicked his tongue while staring at him.

‘What do you mean?’

Even if it's only temporary, you're basically a king now! Why do you insist on handling every problem yourself when you could just sit back and issue orders? And you always pick the dangerous ones!

He frowned, muttering that Raon should have stayed in Zieghart and enjoyed luxurious meals instead.

‘Because they're dangerous. That's exactly why I have to go myself.’

Raon tilted his head at Wrath.

‘I can't send my subordinates on missions where death is practically guaranteed.’

The role of a king, as I understood it, was not to command subordinates with the wave of a finger, but to stand at the very front and swing a sword at the enemy. Even if I became Zieghart's head of house one day, I had no intention of staying safely behind the lines.

You always have a smooth answer ready.

Wrath wrinkled his nose. But, he seemed secretly pleased with the answer, the corner of his lips lifting slightly.

“Raon! Let's hurry back and get some rest!”

Saying she was worried about his injuries, Evelyn wrapped both arms tightly around one of his.

“I'm fine.”

Raon raised a hand toward her.

"I've at least stopped the internal injuries from getting any worse."

He calmly shook his head, saying that although his internal and external injuries were severe, they were still manageable.

“No! You absolutely need to rest! I'll take care of you!”

Evelyn lightly bit her red lip, looking as though she had an ulterior motive.

"All you have to do is sleep soundly, Raon!"

She smiled with her eyes curved into crescents, saying he could leave everything to her.

N-No, absolutely not!

Wrath waved his hands frantically.

Y-You must never fall for that madwoman's seduction!

Biting his lip, he claimed he could see all sorts of suspicious intentions behind Evelyn's smile.

“N-no. I still have things to do.”

Agreeing with Wrath for once, Raon carefully pried Evelyn's arms off him.

“But—”

"Greetings, acting head of house!"

Just as Evelyn was about to latch onto his arm again, a voice rang out from atop Zieghart's gate. It belonged to Illiune, the Foreign Minister.

Rumble!

After ordering the guards to open the gate, Illiune immediately leapt down to the ground.

“Acting head of…. No… I should start calling you Sword Immortal now.”

He grinned as though he had already heard the entire story of Raon slaying an archangel.

"That's an excessive nickname. The name Sword Emperor is already burdensome enough for me."

Raon let out a faint chuckle, telling him not to call him that.

"Excessive? Not at all."

Illiune shook his head firmly.

"A nickname isn't something you give yourself. It's something given to you by others. If a nickname is too grand, people stop using it and it naturally fades away. However..."

He raised a finger and pointed south, beyond Zieghart, toward the rest of the continent.

"The nickname Sword Immortal is spreading throughout the continent by word of mouth. That means everyone acknowledges that name. It isn't excessive in the slightest."

Telling him to accept it, Illiune flashed the same bright smile Raon had known since his trainee days.

Hmph! It's not excessive, but it certainly doesn't suit an evil bastard like you!

Wrath snorted, clearly displeased that the word "Immortal" had become attached to Raon's name.

“Thank you.”

Accepting Illiune's advice, Raon nodded quietly.

"It's nothing."

Illiune placed a hand over his chest, acting as if he had merely stated the facts.

“What about the head of house?”

Lowering his chin slightly, Raon asked whether Glenn had returned.

"He has not returned yet."

Illiune scratched the back of his neck as he glanced toward the main building.

“I see.”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he followed Illiune's gaze.

"He might be gaining enlightenment, or perhaps he's experiencing difficulties in his training."

Illiune lowered his brows as well, apparently thinking Glenn's return was taking a little longer than expected.

“Or…”

Turning back to Raon, he curled his lips into a smile.

"Perhaps it's because he has a successor he can trust."

Illiune gave a thumbs-up, saying that Glenn was probably able to devote himself entirely to his training because he trusted Raon.

"Did you get the position of Foreign Minister through flattery? I never realized it before, but your tongue is quite silver."

Raon let out a hollow laugh as he listened to Illiune's praise.

"So you've finally noticed. However..."

Illiune raised his hand with a gentle smile.

"I never say things that aren't true. Sir Karoon also demonstrated management that was close to perfection while serving as acting head of house, but he wasn't nearly as... disruptive as Sir Raon."

He shook his head as though acknowledging that Karoon had been remarkable as well, but still couldn't compare to Raon.

"That's enough. If I stand here listening to sweet words any longer, my teeth are going to rot."

Letting out a faint chuckle, Raon stepped through the gate.

"Thank you for your hard work!"

As if saying the joking was over, Illiune bowed respectfully toward Raon. The warriors stationed at the outer compound lowered their heads as well.

"I'll be counting on you all going forward."

Raon waved to Illiune and the outer compound warriors before heading toward the main building.

‘I didn't know Illiun had this kind of personality.’

The Illiune I had known as a trainee had seemed like an impenetrable warrior who wouldn't bleed even if stabbed. The Illiune I met after becoming the leader of the Light Wind Division was someone trustworthy enough to watch my back. And now, as acting head of house, I was seeing yet another side of him, a warmhearted subordinate.

‘They say the scenery you see changes depending on your position.’

He had felt it a little after becoming the leader of the Light Wind Division, but it seemed he was realizing it once again.

That's true.

Wrath nodded calmly.

Humans, demons, and even those damned celestials all see different things and are capable of seeing different things depending on their position. That's why everyone struggles so desperately to climb higher!

Snorting, he said that he felt as though Raon was only now becoming an adult.

‘I suppose so.’

Raon chuckled and nodded.

In any case, there are still many things the King of Essence needs to teach y—hm?

Wrath's mocking expression vanished as his eyes widened.

What is this?

‘What's wrong?’

Raon blinked in confusion and looked back at him.

Your soul...

Wrath swallowed hard.

It's boiling like molten lava!

*   *   *

“Please bring me the backlog of documents.”

The moment he returned to Zieghart, Raon entered the audience chamber and sat down on the throne.

“There must be a mountain of work waiting. I should deal with that first.”

Taking a sip of steaming tea, he asked Sheryl and Roenn to bring him all the pending work.

"What? Your injuries are severe! You need treatment before anything else!"

Sheryl frowned, unable to believe a patient was talking about work.

“I agree, work is important, but your health is more important, acting head of house.”

Roenn shook his head as well, saying that now was the time for rest.

"I've stopped the internal injuries from worsening, and the divine power lingering in my body has already dissipated. I'll recover on my own."

Saying it was nothing serious, Raon set down the teacup Roenn had handed him.

“Huhuhuhu...”

Roenn let out a hollow laugh, looking utterly dumbfounded.

“You really can't deny your bloodline. Just like the head of house...?”

Sheryl shook her head vigorously, saying that Glenn had been just as stubborn as Raon was now.

"Should we just bring them to him? Knowing the head of house, that stubbornness is never going away."

Wrinkling her nose, she suggested fetching the documents.

"I suppose so."

Apparently of the same opinion, Roenn scratched his cheek before bringing over the stack of accumulated documents and placing them beside Raon.

"This much should be finished quickly enough."

Raon calmly nodded as he looked at the pile of documents stacked higher than his knees.

“Once I'm done, I'll go receive treatment.”

Telling them not to worry, he immediately picked up a pen.

"You absolutely must."

Sheryl thrust her small face toward him.

"I don't care if you're the Sword Immortal. This is as far as I'm willing to compromise!"

She scrunched up her nose and declared that if he refused to go, she would drag him there herself.

"Of course. Ah, but before that..."

By the time he finished speaking, Raon had already processed five documents. He looked up at Sheryl and Roenn.

"Please gather the house's swordsmen."

“The swordsmen?”

Sheryl blinked in surprise, as if wondering what he was planning this time.

"Yes. A long and major mission has come to an end, so there's something that needs to be done. Therefore, please gather everyone."

Nodding as though it were the most natural thing in the world, Raon spoke matter-of-factly.

“First thing tomorrow.”

*   *   *

Following the orders of acting head of house, Zieghart's swordsmen gathered at the head of house’s training ground. Standing in small groups, they chatted among themselves about why they had been summoned.

"Why do you think he called us here today?"

"I heard a major mission just ended, and there's something that needs to be done."

"Ah, then it must be reward time!"

“Exactly. What else could it be?”

The swordsmen licked their lips in anticipation, assuming Raon was naturally going to hand out rewards for their recent missions.

“The head of house contributed the most, of course, but he's not going to reward himself.”

“Probably not. He's the head of house. Well, even if he weren't, he doesn't seem like someone who needs anything.”

"Then Dorian must have made the greatest contribution, right?"

“Definitely. He used his Mind's Eye to read people's minds and lure out the archangel.”

"Dorian did a lot, but the Light Wind Palace swordsmen worked themselves to the bone too. They handled everything behind the scenes."

"The people who stayed behind in the house carried out plenty of missions too! The Light Wind Palace isn't the only group that deserves credit!"

The swordsmen grew increasingly animated as they debated who deserved the greatest reward.

"You hear that?"

Krein clicked his tongue and glanced at Dorian.

"Must be nice. They say you're the top contributor."

He jerked his chin, remarking that unlike himself, who had merely acted as a decoy, Dorian would probably receive a substantial reward.

"No one can deny that Dorian played the biggest role this time."

Burren congratulated him as well, patting him on the shoulder.

"Just don't wet yourself on the platform because you're nervous."

Martha snickered as she teased Dorian, apparently of the same opinion.

“Mmhh...”

Runaan quietly nodded as though telling him to stay strong.

“Ugh...”

Contrary to everyone's reactions, Dorian bit his lip and backed away.

"What's wrong with you? On such a good day?"

Krein tilted his head as he looked at Dorian, whose shoulders were trembling.

"You've all got it completely wrong—"

Just as Dorian was about to continue,

"The acting head of house is entering!"

The gatekeepers of the training ground struck the ground forcefully as they announced Raon's arrival.

Step.

As always, Raon entered the training ground with footsteps that naturally drew everyone's attention. Maintaining a calm demeanor, as though he had truly come to hand out rewards, he ascended the platform.

“Thank you all for gathering here.”

Raon first greeted not only the Light Wind Palace, but every swordsman present with his gaze.

“Today...”

As though he intended to immediately reveal the reason for the gathering, he parted his lips, still marked by a small scab.

"…Is the day we begin a new exhaustion training."

The smiles on every swordsman's face instantly froze at Raon's calm declaration.

“A-a new exhaustion training?”

"And a new exhaustion training at that..."

"Wait, weren't we supposed to be getting rewards? I thought that's what this was about!"

“Uh...”

The swordsmen's jaws trembled. Not one of them had expected training.

"Why training all of a sudden?!"

“Just give us our rewards!”

"Hey, you said we were doing what needs to be done after a mission!"

Unable to accept the situation, the swordsmen shook their heads vigorously.

"The thing that needs to be done after a mission is, naturally, training."

Raon tilted his head instead, as though he couldn't understand their reaction.

"Guhhh..."

Looking into Raon's cold eyes, Dorian clutched his head.

“I knew it. I knew this was going to happen!”

Sniffling, he seemed to be the only person present who had seen through what Raon was really planning.

"Prepare yourselves, everyone. Until the head of house returns..."

Looking over the pale-faced swordsmen of Zieghart, Raon slowly curled his lips into a smile.

"I'll make sure every one of you breaks through your current wall."

I-It is definitely a good thing to say. You're talking about making them stronger, after all...

Wrath let out a dumbfounded laugh.

So why does it sound so evil?!

 

 

Advance Chapters