The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman 1334

 Chapter 1334

 

“Hmm…”

As he made his way toward the fifth training ground, Raon smacked his lips lightly.

'I wonder if they're all focused on their training.?'

He had ended up spending more than a month in his mental world, completely unexpectedly. His original plan had been to significantly improve the Light Wind Palace swordsmen's strength while also helping Burren and Martha reach Transcendence. But all of those plans had fallen apart, leaving him wondering what he should deal with first.

Didn't they tell you?

Wrath narrowed his eyes slightly.

They said everyone had been training diligently, so stop worrying so much!

He lightly jabbed Raon's side, telling him to trust his subordinates.

'Of course I trust them.'

Raon gave a calm nod.

'But trusting my subordinates and getting the results I want are two different things.'

There's no doubt Burren, Martha, and Runaan pushed the swordsmen hard and made sure they trained properly.
Still, I don't think those three can bring out the same level of growth I can. Even with the Sword Sovereign, the War King, and the Gambling Monster beside them, they couldn't possibly grasp every swordsman's condition as thoroughly as I can or tailor every detail of their training accordingly.

'That's what bothers me.'

Raon frowned faintly.

'I should've at least left them with assignments before entering my mental world.'

As usual, he had only told Burren, Martha, and Runaan that he would be undergoing personal training before entering the mental world. If he had known he would be gone this long, he should have assigned each person individual tasks or training assignments. The fact that he hadn't was deeply regrettable.

Haa...

Wrath let out a long sigh.

Looking at you now, it seems those swordsmen are going to start dropping like flies again!

He shook his head, saying Raon would probably make them go through either focus enhancement training or exhaustion training all over again.

'Naturally.'

Raon shrugged.

‘There’s no better training than that for increasing actual combat experience and skill.’

Other than being a little tough on the people who actually have to go through it, I can't think of a single downside to that kind of training. I should keep using it in the future.

A... a little?

Wrath's jaw trembled in disbelief.

If that's only "a little," then there is no such thing as difficult training in this world!

Grinding his teeth, he insisted that even by a Demon King's standards, Raon's training was anything but normal.

Don't go thinking other humans are the same as yo—

'We're here.'

Ignoring Wrath's outburst, Raon opened the doors to the fifth training ground. He stepped inside, expecting to find the swordsmen training at a relaxed pace.

Fwoooooosh!

Despite being outdoors beneath the cold wind, a wave of scorching heat washed over him. The heat pouring from the Light Wind Palace swordsmen as they trained had turned the entire fifth training ground into something that resembled a volcano.

“This…”

Raon's lips trembled slightly as he looked over the swordsmen one by one.

“This is beyond what I expected.”

Contrary to what he had anticipated, every swordsman in the training ground had grown stronger, as though they had trained with their lives on the line. The degree of improvement varied from person to person, but it was unmistakable that each of them had devoted themselves wholeheartedly to training and made remarkable progress.

Hoh!

Wrath followed Raon's gaze over the swordsmen and let out an exclamation.

Even the King of Essence didn't expect this much!

The corners of his mouth curled upward in genuine surprise.

He thought they might grow weaker without you, but every last one of them has improved!

Curious about what kind of training they had undergone, Wrath rubbed his chubby hands together.

“Huh?”

“Palace master!”

“The palace master’s here!”

The swordsmen only noticed Raon's arrival after being completely absorbed in their training, and they immediately cried out.

“Y-Young master! Are you alright?”

Dorian was the first to rush over, his eyes glistening with tears. Calling him young master for the first time in a long while, he bit his lip.

“What could've possibly happened to the palace master? He was just taking a break!”

Krein shook his head vigorously, saying that one shouldn’t worry about Raon.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Mark Goetten smiled gently, saying he had always believed Raon would return.

“Come on, you gladly took us in, then left us on our own for far too long!”

Trevin, the leader of the Warring Steel Division, waved his hand and complained that Raon should have paid them a little more attention.

“Are you alright?”

“We were worried because you wouldn't wake up!”

“What kind of person sleeps for an entire month?”

The other swordsmen also ran over with bright smiles, delighted to see Raon again. Beneath those smiles, however, their concern was unmistakable.

“I'm sorry.”

Raon let out a quiet sigh before bowing his head to the swordsmen.

“As the master of the Light Wind Palace, I neglected all of you for far too long. I have no excuse.”

He apologized, saying he was sorry for disappearing without giving them any explanation beforehand.

"No!"

"Palace master, you deserve time to focus on your own training too!"

"And you must've been exhausted after everything!"

“We trained hard ourselves while you were gone!”

The swordsmen all shook their heads vigorously, insisting he had nothing to apologize for.

“Still…”

Looking at the swordsmen before him, Raon tilted his chin slightly.

“What kind of training have you all been doing? It doesn't look like you've only been following the usual routine.”

Their previous training regimen might have been enough to maintain their level, but not to produce this kind of dramatic improvement. He couldn't help wondering what sort of training they had undergone.

“Sir Burren, Lady Martha, and Lady Runaan stayed up all night looking after us one by one.”

“Yes. All three of them even analyzed our condition and showed us exactly how we could keep improving!”

“Lady Runaan especially, maybe because she'd already reached Transcendence, put off her own training to help every single one of us. We were grateful... and honestly felt guilty too.”

“That's right! Thanks to the three of them, we finally understood how we needed to move forward!”

The swordsmen nodded, saying it was thanks to Burren, Martha, and Runaan that they had found the path that led to their current growth.

“Ah, but that doesn't mean your training was pointless, palace master!”

Krein hurriedly jumped forward.

“If your training made us stronger, then theirs helped us understand why your training made us stronger!”

He desperately racked his brain, making sure to add some praise for Raon as well.

“T-That's right!”

“If it weren't for you, palace master, we never would've been able to wield our swords like we do now!”

"Exactly! We'd still be stuck where we were before!"

The other Light Wind Palace swordsmen quickly realized what Kein was trying to do and enthusiastically began praising Raon's training as well, practically spraying saliva as they spoke.

“Hey.”

Krein jabbed Dorian in the side with his elbow and frowned.

“You'd better say something too! Or do you want to go through exhaustion training?”

He pressured Dorian, saying he had better start praising Raon if he wanted to avoid Raon's training.

“Nngh...”

But even after hearing Krein, Dorian merely let out a low groan instead of stepping forward.

What adorable little things.

Wrath chuckled as he watched the swordsmen shamelessly buttering Raon up.

You guys don’t have to worry too much. Even this ghost-like bastard must be satisfied with your growth.

'Hmm, you're right.'

Raon nodded in agreement with Wrath.

“You all worked hard. You've grown far beyond what I expected. Burren, Martha, and Runaan may have helped you, but it's obvious you devoted yourselves wholeheartedly to your training.”

Smiling, he thanked them for training so earnestly despite his absence.

“Ah!”

“N-No, not at all!”

“Thank you!”

Seeing the expression on Raon's face, the swordsmen relaxed, broad smiles spreading across their lips.

"I'm truly moved. You guys really are the kind of people who can do it if you set your minds to it."

Raon thrust out his hand.

"Which is why I've made up my mind!"

Moved by the determination the swordsmen had shown, he stamped his foot firmly.

Uh...?

“Huh...?”

Wrath and Krein’s eyes quivered as they realized the situation was taking a very dangerous turn.

"Haaah..."

As if he had known this was coming all along, Dorian raised a hand to cover his forehead.

"I never realized you were this devoted to training and becoming stronger. If you've achieved this much through ordinary training alone, then with my training on top of it, you'll be able to reach even greater heights before the war!"

Nodding with blazing determination, Raon declared that from this moment on, he would devote himself fully to personally training every one of them.

“Ugh…”

“N-No, that's not what we meant…”

“No! Absolutely not!”

The swordsmen frantically waved their hands, realizing Raon had taken their words in a completely different direction.

“K-Krein!”

"You bastard! You said if we trained hard enough, we could avoid exhaustion training!"

“Now it looks like we’ll have to do even more of it!”

Several of the swordsmen grabbed Krein by the collar, blaming him for creating this situation.

“Gaaaah…”

With his collar still in their grip, Krein let out a strangled groan.

“How was I supposed to know that guy was this crazy!”

He shouted that Raon's personality completely defied all common human sense.

“We'll start with the always Krein.”

Saying they might as well begin immediately, Raon drew Heavenly Drive, still sheathed.

"Waaaaaaah! I don't care if it's God or a Demon King! Somebody, please take that man away! Please!"

Screaming at the top of his lungs, Krein was dragged away by Raon.

The King of Essence’s sorry.

Watching the wailing Krein, Wrath let out a long sigh.

That madman is beyond the reach of both Gods and Demon Kings....

*   * *

After overseeing the Light Wind Palace’s training until dawn was approaching, Raon finally left the fifth training ground.

'I feel refreshed.'

Perhaps it was because he had loosened up his own body while instructing the swordsmen for the first time in a long while, he felt so refreshed that he could almost fly.

Only now do the King of Essence finally understand.

Wrath wrinkled the bridge of his nose as he looked at Raon.

The profession that suits you best is that of a torturer! No one knows better than you how to torment people without killing them!

Clicking his tongue, he said Raon had chosen the wrong profession.

'A torturer….'

Remembering his previous life, Raon gave a bitter smile.

'Maybe you're right. But it's not something I'd ever want to be.'

Even if it wasn’t his own will, he had taught torture techniques to children who were destined to become assassins in his previous life. It wasn't something he could take as a compliment.

No, that's not it. You'd make an even better con artist! How are you so good at hiding your expressions?

Wrath shook his head, saying that no matter how much he thought about it, Raon’s acting skills were beyond his comprehension.

'You'll understand someday.'

Raon chuckled quietly as he lowered his hand and stepped onto the main road.

“Light Wind Palace master.”

From behind the wall surrounding the training ground, a middle-aged man with blond hair and red eyes emerge, someone who seemed entirely out of place at this hour.

“Central Martial Palace master.”

Raon had sensed Karoon's presence from the very beginning, so he calmly inclined his head.

“It hasn’t been that long since we last saw each other, but...”

Looking into Raon's eyes, Karoon gave a quiet nod.

“You seem to have changed a lot during that time.”

His hand trembled ever so slightly, as if merely looking at Raon allowed him to sense the realm Raon had reached.

“I believe I should be the one saying that.”

Raon swallowed dryly as he took in Karoon's energy wave, now as tranquil as a towering mountain, and the red eyes that had grown even sharper in complete contrast.

"What exactly did you experience in that training ground?"

Karoon's transformation had far exceeded anything Raon had expected.

"When I was left alone in our ancestor's training ground, I discovered a path he had left behind."

Karoon answered honestly, without concealing anything.

“It was a dangerous path, but once I broke through it, I found a new sword in my hand.”

A faint smile crossed his lips, as though he had gained a sword unlike any he had wielded before.

“A new sword…”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he carefully reassessed Karoon's transformed presence.

“So…”

Karoon stepped closer to Raon, resting a hand on the sword at his waist.

“I've come to challenge you.”

He looked straight at Raon with his chin held high.

"This isn't a duel with the position of the head of house at stake. I simply wish to cross swords with the one who has long since surpassed me."

He nodded, saying he sought nothing more than a pure contest of might, with nothing else on the line.

“A challenge…”

Raon smiled faintly as he looked at Karoon, who remained completely composed even while issuing his challenge.

"I heard it hasn't been long since you awoke. You should at least have time to recover."

Karoon gazed up at the night sky for a moment before slowly lowering his eyes.

“One week from now. At the head of house’s training ground, I'll surpass you.”

His eyes burned like molten lava as he declared that he would overcome Raon.

“I accept your challenge, Central Martial Palace. However…”

Unlike before, Raon showed no false humility as he calmly accepted Karoon's challenge.

“I wouldn’t mind fighting right here, right now.”

Resting his hand on Heavenly Drive, he raised his chin with quiet confidence.

“Come at me.”

 

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