The God-Possessed Swordsmanship Genius - Chapter 47

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Swordsman Genius Blessed by a Spirit, Chapter 47

Allen waved at Mary.
Mary’s face brightened the moment she spotted Allen, who had come back to his senses.

“Team Leader!”

The members of Squad Two gathered around Allen.
Allen looked over each of them in turn before asking.

“I heard everyone’s safe, but is anyone hurt?”
“No, sir!”
“Bigra looks a bit banged up, though.”
“I’m perfectly fine!”
“Then you can go straight to training when we get back.”
“Ah, but I think it hurts a little…”

Allen laughed heartily at Bigra’s theatrics.
A few people had been injured, but just as Lucas had said, nobody was seriously hurt.
Despite the unexpected complications of the difficult mission, no one had died.
That outcome owed a great deal to one person.

“Deputy Team Leader.”
“Yes, Team Leader.”
“I hear you looked after the squad so no one got hurt. Good work. Your contribution was huge.”

Mary nodded at Allen’s praise.

“I think so too.”
“Right?”

At Mary’s answer, Allen grinned and turned his head.
When his eyes met Kasar’s, Kasar flinched.

“Why would I hand over a deputy this capable to anyone? No way I’m giving her up.”

In this wager, the prize Kasar had wanted was Mary.
Was it because she was the most skilled? Or was there some other reason?
He had asked her once, but she had not given him a straight answer.
Still, be that as it may.

“Ah, that’s right. We were in the middle of talking, weren’t we?”

Allen had no intention of transferring his deputy to another squad.

“I might be mistaken, but did Squad One actually help us at all?”

Allen drew a clear line with Kasar.
The mission’s success had nothing to do with them. Recovering the Demonic Sword was entirely Squad Two’s achievement, he was saying.
On that point, Kasar had no argument.
In truth, Squad One had not contributed anything toward recovering the Demonic Sword on this mission.
Flustered for a moment, Kasar finally forced the words out.

“We may have gained different things, but we weren’t idle, were we? We fought in far more dangerous conditions. Surely that deserves recognition?”
“You’re saying danger should be the measure of merit?”

Allen smirked at Kasar’s words.

“Then Squad One will have to hand back every Merit Point it’s accumulated up to now.”
“Huh?”
“Since taking over as squad leader, I’ve reviewed the mission records of the Flying Sword Corps. Squad One always seems to pick the safest assignments.”

At Allen’s sudden words, Kasar glanced around in a panic.
Several of the other squad leaders nodded. They had been thinking the same thing for some time, but none of them had dared to say it out loud.
Allen continued.

“You’re a good leader to your men, I’ll give you that. You only bring in safe assignments with high Merit Points. But I’d advise against saying that here. Other squads might feel ashamed of themselves, if nothing else.”

Heat flooded Kasar’s face as he looked around.
The eyes of the other squads were fixed on him.
Every one of them had been quietly resentful that Squad One always chose the safe, lucrative missions.
Kasar hurried to make excuses.

“That’s a m-misunderstanding. When did I ever say we should split the merit here? I-I was only trying to point out that whether the Demonic Sword is genuine or not is what matters.”
“Isn’t that right?”

Allen broke into a bright smile at Kasar’s words.

“I’m glad you admit it so readily. As expected of the Squad One leader. You know honor and shame.”
“O-of course I do.”

Put another way, it meant he had neither honor nor shame, but Kasar didn’t stop to consider that.
All he could think about was getting out from under the stares now falling on him.

Meanwhile, the members of Squad Two struggled to hold back their laughter at the sight of Kasar’s face, now bright red.
Bigra, who had never bothered to hide his dislike of Squad One, couldn’t contain himself and sent a Voice Transmission to Allen.

-“Our squad leader is the best!”
-“I wish I’d realized sooner. It would’ve been nice to know on his first day.”
-“Are we still on that? Do you still have some lingering grudge, sir?”
-“Don’t worry. I don’t have that much left.”

As Bigra and Allen exchanged a brief Voice Transmission,
a figure stepped out from the open gates of the Steel Castle.
It was Lucas, who had just finished his farewells with the Castle Lord.

“Ready?”
“Everything’s set.”

The one in charge of preparing the Transfer Gate was Gridun, leader of Squad Five.
The Transfer Gate stood ready before the Steel Castle.
Beyond it lay the main stronghold of Bishuken.
Lucas nodded at Gridun’s report and addressed the Flying Sword Corps.

“Good work, all of you, on this mission. The family placed great importance on it, and you completed it without a single mistake. That’s all thanks to you.”
“Thank you, sir!”
“Once we return, you’ll be granted a short leave and a modest reward. Anyone who was injured is to report to their squad leader separately.”

Lucas’s words were brief.
Proper praise would come once they were back home anyway, and with the mission finished, there was no reason to linger at the Steel Castle any longer.
Lucas signaled Gridun.
The swordsmen of Squad Five, who had been waiting in readiness, activated the Transfer Gate.
As the round, translucent gate came to life, Lucas gave the order.

“Squad One, move first.”

At his command, Squad One’s leader Kasar led his men through the Transfer Gate one by one.
Once the entire squad had passed through, it was finally Allen’s turn.

Allen stepped into the translucent space.
Inside the Transfer Gate was still like the inside of a fog. Passing through the murky mist, Allen walked on toward the other side.
For several moments, the sensation of treading on empty air persisted.

Swooosh.

On the far side of the Transfer Gate.
Beyond the Steel Castle, the true face of Bishuken came into view.
The Path of Swords stretched long to the left and right.
Waiting for Allen and the Flying Sword Corps there was someone none of them had expected.

“You made it.”
“…Corps Commander?”

Corps Commander Hairen.
He let out a booming laugh, strode over to Allen, and slung an arm around his shoulders.

“You’re a lucky charm, you little rascal. A lucky charm!”
“Your arm’s heavy. Could you just… ow!”
“Hahaha!”

At Allen’s plea to let go of his arm, Hairen thumped him on the back, again and again.
From the way he flicked his hand, it looked like a light pat, but the force packed into that broad, thick palm was so fierce that Allen’s back went numb.

Meanwhile, the swordsmen of Team One, who had arrived earlier, and those of the Flying Sword Corps who had come through the Transfer Gate after them, were stunned the moment they spotted Hairen.
That the Corps Commander had come out to greet them was surprising enough, but he was also draped over Allen’s shoulders, acting as though they were old friends.

“Greetings, Corps Commander!”
“”Greetings, Corps Commander!!””

The swordsmen of the Flying Sword Corps bowed deeply upon seeing Hairen.
He was a man who seldom ventured out of the Chong-geom Pavilion, yet here he was, come to meet them upon hearing the news of the Flying Sword Corps’ successful mission.

‘Why is the Corps Commander here?’
‘This is the first time I’ve seen him since the Corps Leader appointment ceremony.’
‘The legend of Bishuken…’

Among the swordsmen with relatively short careers, some were seeing Hairen up close for the first time.
Corps Commander Hairen.
The second-in-command of the main castle, the one who stood atop every sword corps.
To all the swordsmen of Bishuken, he was almost like an idol.
Though he had not been born into the Bishuken bloodline, he had risen from the lowest rank of a sword corps to Corps Commander on skill alone, a truly legendary figure.
Unlike the other team members, though, this was only the second time Mary had seen the Corps Commander up close.

‘Could it be because of Team Leader?’

Earlier, too, Hairen had visited the training grounds of Team Two to see Allen.
Mary had also seen Hairen up close on that occasion, and she knew he had taken an interest in Allen.
After thumping Allen’s back for a while, Hairen spoke.

“I hear you found the Demonic Sword? I’ve heard the rough report.”

It seemed he had received the report in advance, before Allen had even woken.

“And you saved that old fox, the Steel Castle lord, too? Heh. Should I have tagged along? It’s a shame I missed the look on that wily old man’s face.”
“It’s heavy, you know?”
“You’re secretly pleased, so why act like this, you cute brat? Tell me, have you been putting that sword I gave you to good use?”

The swordsmen of the Flying Sword Corps, still streaming through the Transfer Gate one after another, were astonished.
The Corps Commander had given Allen a sword as a gift.

“The Chong-geom Pavilion Master, wielding a sword?”
“I don’t hear that he’s the type to do such a thing…”

Hairen was known for keeping his personal and official dealings strictly apart, even from Lucas, the Corps Captain.
From the start, he was not someone who would hold back out of deference to Lucas or Allen for being Axion’s sons. That would hold true no matter which of the two became Heir.

Apart from the Clan Head, Hairen wielded more unchecked power and influence within Bishuken than anyone else.
Apart from the Lord himself, Hairen wields unchecked power and strength within Bishuken, so there’s no need to say more.

‘So that means…’
‘Could it be that the Pavilion Master is backing the Second Young Master?’

The expressions of those who saw Allen standing so close to Hairen shifted by the moment.
If Hairen had made up his mind to make Allen the Heir, the landscape of the coming race for the position could change entirely.

“Thank you, Pavilion Master.”

The hand that had been patting Allen’s back stopped.
It was because of the Voice Transmission that reached Hairen’s ear from Allen.

‘Clever boy, as always.’

Though he played at being reluctant on the surface, Allen knew his intentions exactly.
By showing such familiarity in front of all these swordsmen, Allen’s standing would rise sharply, not only within the Flying Sword Corps but across the entire main household.

“If you’re really grateful, bring me a good bottle of liquor sometime. Something strong.”
“I’ll come visit soon. And, that was good swordsmanship as well.”
“Still, you’re more courteous than your elder brother, I see.”

Meanwhile, the face of Kasar, Squad Leader of the First Squad, grew paler as he watched the scene.
Only now did he realize whom he had picked a quarrel with.
His father was the Clan Head, his elder brother was the Flying Sword Corps Captain, and he was close to the Pavilion Master.
On top of that, Allen had even distinguished himself with remarkable achievements on this mission.

‘Surely that won’t happen…’

A single thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

‘What if the Second Squad Leader one day becomes Clan Head…?’

The moment his thoughts reached that far, Kasar quickly shook his head.
Even so, would it really come to that?
He knew Allen had contributed greatly to this mission, but the Clan Head of Bishuken was not a position anyone could simply become.

While Hairen and Allen traded idle talk like this, the other squads of the Flying Sword Corps kept coming through the Transfer Gate one after another.
And finally, Lucas came through last of all.

“So everyone’s here at last.”
“Pavilion Master?”

Lucas, stepping through the Transfer Gate, spotted Hairen and bowed his head in surprise.
It seemed Corps Captain Lucas had not been told that Hairen would come out to meet them either.

“What’s gotten you so startled? Did you see a ghost?”
“It just seems you’re showing a little too much favor toward one of your squad leaders, sir.”
“Why? Are you feeling bitter, as if your brother had been taken from you?”
“…Never mind.”

Lucas let out a sigh, as though he regretted having said anything. Even in an official setting, Hairen didn’t bother reading the room or holding his tongue.

“Why have you come here? Judging by the look of it, you didn’t come to lift the spirits of the men, did you?”
“Who else in this castle would dare put the Chief Steward to work?”

At the words that they had come on someone’s orders, Lucas and Allen’s eyes sharpened.

“You two.”

Hairen chuckled as if amused, his gaze moving back and forth between Allen and Lucas, who had their arms slung around each other’s shoulders.

“Come on. The Lord of the House is waiting.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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