The Last Place Hero’s Return - Chapter 50

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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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Chapter 50. The Swordsman of the Sun (2)
Yuren Helios.
Leader of the Five Great Heroes, descendant of Reynald Helios, the “Swordsman of the Sun.”
A genius swordsman who overwhelmed his own master with a blade at merely ten years old.
The sword bestowed by seven gods, the reincarnation of the Swordsman of the Sun, Reynald reborn—such titles were too numerous to count.
The epithets adorning his name were beyond enumeration.
From childhood, Yuren commanded the undivided attention of the Continent’s people, and he repaid that interest by demonstrating prowess so extraordinary that one could scarcely believe it came from one so young, cementing his legendary reputation.
People spoke in unison of how a genius had finally emerged to save the Helios Family, which had been gradually declining over the past five hundred years.
Yet they say tragedy always follows genius.
When Yuren turned twelve, his younger sister Yurina Helios died in an accident.
The cause was a fatal fall.
The tragedy occurred on the Sacred Mountain, where the successive heads of the Helios Family lay buried.
Devastated by his sister’s death, Yuren abandoned the sword he had never released from his grasp, ceased all external activities, and locked himself away at home.
Three years passed.
While gossiping dilettantes gleefully proclaimed that the light of hope illuminating the Helios Family had extinguished, that the sun had set,
Yuren finally broke his three-year silence and revealed himself once more.
He reappeared at none other than the annual swordsmanship tournament held throughout the Empire.
At merely fifteen years old, Yuren confidently claimed second place in the Empire’s swordsmanship tournament, announcing his continued vitality to the entire Continent.
From that point forward, he ascended without pause.
Entering the Hero Academy at eighteen as the top student of his year, he never once relinquished first place in the Candidate Program’s comprehensive evaluations, solidifying his position as the true heir to the “Swordsman of the Sun.”
And yet, that very person—
an elite among elites, a genius swordsman—
“Teach me swordsmanship!”
If others witnessed him bowing his head to a last-ranked candidate, pleading to be taught the blade, what would they possibly think?
‘They would assume I’m dreaming.’
Honestly, that was precisely my sentiment at this moment.
‘Well, I was planning to teach him anyway without him asking.’
I never expected Yuren himself to request instruction in swordsmanship first.
And to a classmate he’d only sparred with once in a non-magical duel, no less, bowing respectfully.
“You want me to teach you swordsmanship?”
“Yes. I’ll compensate you however you wish.”
“No, it’s not really about compensation… Are you truly certain about this?”
“Certain about what?”
“If word spreads that the top student of the year is learning swordsmanship from a last-ranked candidate, the entire Academy will be thrown into chaos.”
“I don’t care.”
Yuren answered with unwavering resolve.
‘Even in my past life, I recognized his singular passion for the blade, but it was even more intense during this period.’
I shook my head slowly, observing Yuren’s determination.
“I’ll teach you, but don’t go spreading word of this to others.”
It was certain that if knowledge of his studying under me became public, it would tarnish Yuren’s reputation.
I didn’t want to become a burden to my only friend, let alone fail to help him.
“…Thank you, Dale.”
Yuren smiled brightly, like a castaway discovering an oasis in a barren desert.
“So what should we start with?”
“Hmm….”
After a moment of thought, I glanced around the center of the Training Ground and spoke.
“First, swing your sword the way you do when practicing alone.”
“The way I practice?”
“Yeah. Use your mana too.”
“Got it.”
Yuren moved to the center of the Training Ground and slowly drew in a breath, gripping his sword with both hands.
Whoooooosh!
Mana spread across his entire body, and an aura bloomed along the blade he held firm.
A radiant golden aura befitting the epithet of ‘Sun Swordsman’….
‘Hmm?’
I tilted my head, watching the golden aura that blazed around Yuren’s sword.
‘Was it always that pale?’
In my memory, Yuren’s aura was certainly far more vivid and brilliant gold, but now it seemed hazy, as if water had been mixed into it.
‘Well, maybe it changed later.’
It wasn’t uncommon for an aura’s color to change as one’s realm advanced, so there was no need to dwell on it.
‘The color of the aura doesn’t matter when displaying swordsmanship anyway.’
I watched Yuren concentrate, sword in hand, and a faint smile tugged at my lips.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen this.’
I used to love watching Yuren practice with his sword like this, lost in thought.
Just watching was enough to captivate me.
The swordsmanship that unfolded from Yuren’s hands was nothing short of beautiful.
“I’m starting.”
Yuren’s sword drew a graceful arc through the empty air.
A flawless slash that made me acutely feel how relentlessly he had trained with his blade.
Watching the golden aura beautifully embroidering the empty space, I clenched my fists tight.
‘This is Yuren’s sword.’
A blade that captivates merely by being witnessed.
So fluid it makes the heart tremble, so noble it makes the soul ache.
The sword of my one and only friend.
‘Of course, compared to Yuren’s swordsmanship from my past life, it still falls short in many ways.’
But still.
I could see it.
Only I could see it.
The swordsman before my eyes would become a sun that shines far more brilliantly than Reynald Helios, who was called the ‘Sun Swordsman’ five hundred years ago.
“Haah!”
With a sharp battle cry, Yuren’s sword erupted with aura in a violent explosion.
Krrrumble!
The entire Training Ground was engulfed in a deafening roar as if thunder itself had struck.
I gazed at the golden aura swirling like a tempest and let out an exasperated sigh.
‘No matter how many times I see it, that’s genuinely absurd mana capacity.’
From what I’d heard before, Yuren possessed far more mana than his peers from the moment he first awakened his stigma.
‘And growing up consuming every conceivable elixir designed to boost mana since childhood, naturally.’
Innate mana combined with unwavering support from his family.
And finally, consistent mana cultivation through breathing techniques.
These were the reasons why Yuren, at merely twenty years old, commanded more mana than not only his peers but even most professors.
‘A perfect convergence of talent, effort, and support.’
It was only natural that he possessed such an absurd quantity of mana.
Whoosh! Whoom! Crash!
About five more minutes passed like that.
The silver light that had been gracefully weaving through the air gradually faded.
“Phew. I tried it like you said—how was it?”
“Excellent.”
Yuren truly deserved the title of swordsmanship prodigy, his technique was that exceptional.
“Excellent? I lost without even landing a proper counterattack against you.”
“Well, that’s…”
No matter how much of a swordsmanship genius Yuren was.
He couldn’t compare to me, who had trained with the blade for hundreds, thousands of years.
‘It’s like comparing a baby taking its first steps to a fully grown adult.’
Of course, from Yuren’s perspective, unaware of this fact, I must have seemed like some sort of sword saint.
‘From my standpoint, I actually prefer him harboring that misconception.’
Just as the same words sound different depending on a professor’s credentials.
The more Yuren regarded me as remarkable, the easier it would be to teach him swordsmanship.
‘Should I lay it on even thicker?’
I turned to face Yuren with the corners of my mouth raised.
“Alright then. Shall we have another match?”
“Sure.”
“This time, let’s use mana.”
“…Use mana?”
Yuren stiffened slightly, his words trailing off.
He continued cautiously, gauging my expression.
“This is a bit awkward to say, but…”
“Isn’t the mana difference between us too severe?”
“Ah, yeah. That… I’m sorry.”
“What’s there to apologize for? Mana quantity affects swordsmanship too.”
Hadn’t I felt this firsthand when I experienced the ‘Incarnation’ state last time?
‘Mana and swordsmanship aren’t things that can be separated from one another.’
Yuren had said that if one reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, they could perform miracles with pure technique alone, without mana.
‘But on this point, you’re wrong, Yuren.’
In truth, it was impossible to reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship without mana in the first place.
‘When you think about it, it’s obvious.’
Asking someone to reach the pinnacle without mana was like asking them to fly through the sky without wings.
‘Of course, having mana alone doesn’t guarantee reaching the pinnacle either.’
It was equally true that no amount of training in pure swordsmanship could achieve that realm.
“If you’re going to say it like that… fine.”
Yuren nodded and pointed his blade at me.
A golden aura blazed along the edge of his sword.
I stood before Yuren and drew my own blade.
And then.
Collision.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The clear ring of steel echoed as the golden aura and gray aura intertwined.
“Ugh…!”
Each time my blade clashed with Yuren’s, the flesh of my palm tore away, sending waves of dizzying pain through me.
“Maybe I shouldn’t use mana after all….”
“Stop spouting nonsense and fight properly.”
I drew all the mana from my entire body and charged toward Yuren.
Rumble!
The Training Ground shook as if an earthquake had struck.
“Huh?!”
Yuren, who had been savagely pressing me back with his overwhelming mana advantage, began to lose ground.
“What is this…?”
Yuren’s eyes widened in shock.
He stared down at his own blade, wrapped in golden aura, as if unable to believe it.
The difference in mana between him and me was clear just from the amount of aura gathered on the blade.
‘My blade should definitely be faster and stronger…!’
So why was it he who was being pushed back, not Dale?
“That’s enough for today.”
“Ah, I can still go more!”
“I said that’s enough.”
“Ugh….”
“Don’t be impatient. Swordsmanship isn’t something you can master overnight, after all.”
“That’s… true, but.”
I sheathed my blade and swallowed hard, making sure Yuren wouldn’t notice.
‘Damn it, this reckless bastard really is something.’
I was doing my best to appear unfazed in front of Yuren, but.
To be honest, I wasn’t in perfect condition myself.
‘I almost made a fool of myself trying to show off.’
If the sparring had lasted just one more minute—no, even thirty more seconds—it wouldn’t have been Yuren who was pushed back, but me.
“Tell me. How can I… wield a sword like you do?”
Yuren asked with a voice that carried an almost desperate edge.
“How to wield a sword like me, huh…”
I never thought the day would come when Yuren would ask me something like this.
‘Well, I can’t exactly tell him to train with a sword for thousands of years like I did.’
I rummaged through my memories from my past life and came up with something that sounded plausible.
‘Yeah, that should work.’
I curled my lips into a smirk and opened my mouth softly.
“Don’t think about yourself. Think about where the sword wants to go.”
“Not about myself… but where the sword wants to go?”
“Yeah.”
“What does that even mean? The sword isn’t a living creature. How am I supposed to know where it wants to go?”
Beats me, kid.
‘How does it feel? Getting your head scrambled trying to figure it out?’
Watching Yuren furrow his brow in deep contemplation, I burst into a fit of giggles.
It felt oddly satisfying, like I’d succeeded in some petty form of revenge.
“You don’t need to understand it right away…”
“…Ah!”
Then came a soft gasp that escaped between Yuren’s lips.
His body trembled violently as he clenched his fists tight.
“Ah, ah! Yes, yes! That’s what you meant! I get it!”
“What?”
He got it?
‘How did you figure that out?’
I don’t even know.

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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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