The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 1153
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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 1153
“Understood.”
I nodded at Karun before gesturing to Burren Zigheart, who stood beside me.
“Let’s call it a day.”
“…Yes.”
Burren Zigheart glanced between me and Karun in turn, then slowly turned his body.
“We’re leaving.”
He led the Gwangpung Hall swordsmen out of the Training Ground in my stead.
“Let’s head over there.”
I pointed to an empty space on the outer edge of the Training Ground. Since crowds were pouring out after the event concluded, it seemed better to converse within the Training Ground itself.
“…”
Karun nodded without a word and followed me toward the far end of the Training Ground.
“So what…”
I was about to broach the subject as I took a seat across from Karun.
“Um, over here.”
Dorian suddenly appeared and thrust his hand into his belly pouch.
“There’s nothing in here!”
He withdrew a table from his pouch, then set down teacups and an elegant kettle filled with hot water.
Sizzle!
Dorian brewed a pot of black tea with an elegant aroma and set it before Raon and Karun before finally stepping back.
“P-please have a good conversation!”
He grinned, delighted at being selected today, and rushed toward the Training Ground entrance.
“You certainly attract quite the unusual individuals around you.”
Karun took a light sip of the tea Dorian had prepared and nodded.
“Well, I suppose that’s one way to put it.”
I recalled not just Dorian, but several other faces that fit that description of unusual, and offered a faint smile.
“So what brings you here?”
I took a sip of the black tea Dorian had prepared, swallowed, and turned my gaze toward Karun.
“…”
Karun set down his teacup with frustrating slowness before finally speaking.
“Why did you choose me?”
“Pardon?”
I narrowed my eyes slightly as I looked at Karun.
“Why did you give me the opportunity to receive the Head of House’s guidance?”
Karun lifted his quiet gaze and met my eyes.
“You and I are rivals competing for the Jade Throne of Zigheart. My sister suddenly inserted herself, but she will never claim the position of Head of House. She simply wants to expand the game further.”
He furrowed his brow as he observed Aris, who was watching us with a faint smile.
“Even if I receive the Head of House’s guidance, it offers you no advantage. So why did you choose me?”
Karun gripped his teacup with force, demanding a proper answer.
“That’s an odd question.”
I took a sip of tea and let out a thin smile.
“An odd question?”
“Yes. It’s true that the Jeonju and I are rivals competing for the position of Head of House. But before that….”
I lowered my chin slightly while meeting Karun’s gaze, which carried gravity and weight.
“We are swordsmen of Zigheart. What should be prioritized first is not the individual, but the family. If the Central Intelligence Agency Master grows stronger, we could save dozens—no, hundreds of retainers. I believed that should take precedence over me becoming Head of House.”
I explained to him that rather than deciding who would become Head of House, we needed to build up our military strength to prepare for the wars ahead.
“Then why did you choose Sylvia and Sia?”
Karun asked with half-closed eyes why Sylvia and Sia had been selected.
“Isn’t that also for personal reasons?”
“As I mentioned, my mother’s and sister’s talents are so exceptional that they stand out even within Zigheart, where geniuses are abundant. If Zigheart comes under attack while we’re waging war outside, it’s no exaggeration to say the family’s future rests on those two.”
I shook my head, emphasizing that I had not chosen Sylvia and Sia out of personal emotion.
“If I had acted on personal feelings, I would have chosen my father first. Unfortunately, my father doesn’t possess the same level of talent as my mother and sister.”
Edgar happened to pass by nearby and, hearing my words, suddenly hung his head low and let out a heavy groan.
“Hmm….”
Karun’s hand trembled as he held his teacup, as if struck by my words. He remained frozen in that posture for a long moment before exhaling a quiet sigh.
“I see. So you too….”
Karun gazed steadily into my eyes, then slowly nodded as understanding finally dawned on him.
“Pardon?”
I tilted my head, looking at Karun with confusion.
“Not the individual, but the family. I never thought you would share the same conviction as me.”
Karun let out a soft chuckle and lifted his teacup with a hand that had finally stopped trembling.
“I didn’t think this way from the beginning. As my position changed, so did my perspective.”
Raon explained how his thoughts had shifted as he rose from a regular member to vice-leader, leader, Organization Master, and finally Gwangpung Jeonju.
“That part is a bit different.”
Karun nodded in agreement with Raon’s words.
“Different how?”
“….”
Karun kept his lips sealed, regarding me with eyes that held a subtle warmth for just a moment.
Tap.
Without another word, he drained his teacup entirely and rose to his feet.
“I’ve heard what I came to hear. I’ll take my leave now.”
“What? You say your piece and just leave like that….”
Raon let out a hollow laugh as he called after Karun, but instead of responding, Karun departed from the Training Ground alongside the Central Intelligence Agency swordsmen who had been waiting.
-Still has that insufferable royal gaze about him, doesn’t he.
Wrath clicked his tongue in disapproval.
-Though his eyes do seem to have warmed up a bit….
‘That’s true.’
Raon chuckled softly as he gazed at the empty teacup Karun had left behind.
‘His gaze. No—the man himself has changed.’
Though I had feigned ignorance when he questioned me, I understood perfectly what Karun had been trying to say.
‘I’ve thought about it before too….’
I arranged the table and refreshments that Dorian had left behind, a subtle smile gracing my lips.
‘Karun becoming the Head of House wouldn’t be such a bad thing.’
*
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*
“They look good together, don’t they?”
Sheryl watched Karun and Raon depart after their conversation, a gentle smile playing across her face.
“I never expected those two to develop such a relationship.”
Roen nodded, remarking that life was truly fascinating.
“Indeed.”
Sheryl recalled the old days, her lips curving slightly.
“They were practically enemies back then, and they’re still rivals competing for the position of Head of House, yet somehow they’ve become like genuine uncle and nephew.”
She let out a soft laugh, sensing the affection that had grown between Raon and Karun.
“Both of them have changed. Under the name of Zigheart.”
Roen chuckled warmly, finding it a wonderful development.
“It’s a good thing. There won’t be any internal strife to worry about anymore.”
Sheryl smiled brightly and waved her hand.
“Isn’t it? The Head of House….”
As she turned to address Glen Zigheart, something happened.
“Cough!”
Glen Zigheart covered his mouth with his hand, letting out a whimper tinged with moisture.
“Those bastards….”
His face flushed crimson as he held the images of Karun and Raon’s backs within his trembling gaze.
“Ha….”
“Hehe….”
Sheryl and Roen watched Glen, who seemed to be searching for tears, and stood speechless with their mouths agape.
“A-are you really that happy?”
Sheryl shielded Glen’s face from the view of others and sighed.
“Karun was stubborn and jealous from childhood, and he only fueled those emotions further as he climbed to the position of Jeonju. I thought it was absolutely incurable, but to think he would change like this….”
Glen shook his head, saying even he hadn’t expected Karun to transform so completely.
“It truly is a miracle.”
Sheryl nodded quietly, her voice hollow.
“No, it’s not a miracle.”
Glen shook his head as he watched Raon’s figure disappearing into the distance.
“Raon changed everything. Not just Karun, but me and this entire family.”
He smiled, saying that thanks to Raon, the Zigheart that had been distorted was returning to its true form—no, beginning to shine even more brilliantly than in its golden age.
“Indeed.”
Roen gently nodded as he watched Glen, whose eyes were still reddened.
“To think I would come to rely on someone….”
Glen rubbed his reddened nose and lifted his gaze.
“Knowing that Raon is behind us, no matter who the enemy is or how many there are, it feels like we could never lose.”
He spoke of his anticipation for the training that would begin tomorrow, curling his lips into a smile.
*
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“Come here!”
The moment I returned to the Annex Building, Sylvia pulled me to a seat at an empty dining table.
“Raon!”
Sylvia thrust her furrowed brow forward.
“What on earth were you thinking! Why did you suddenly summon Sia and me!”
She furrowed her brow, saying her heart nearly leaped out of her chest from the sudden shock.
“Sigh…”
Edgar kept his head bowed low, exhaling only sighs, perhaps because of what he’d heard at the Training Ground.
“I apologize. Everything about the selection had to remain confidential, so there was no way around it.”
I pressed my palms together toward Sylvia.
-You deserve to be scolded. No, you absolutely should be scolded!
It was when Wrath chuckled and tapped my head repeatedly.
Clatter.
The attendants brought steaming dishes and set them down on the table.
-Huh!
Wrath’s mouth fell open as he gazed at the dishes spread before him.
-Now, now is the time! You can only taste the true flavor if you eat it now!
He pointed frantically at the steaming pizza and grilled meat, shouting for me to eat quickly.
‘This fool! How can I eat at a time like this!’
I swallowed hard as I glanced at Sylvia, who was glaring at me like a predator.
-Just eat! If you eat, I won’t say another word!
Wrath jutted his chin forward as if to say, “Even a dog wouldn’t bother me while I’m eating.”
“Raon! Even if it’s supposed to be a secret, you should at least give me a hint!”
Sylvia had been neglecting her swordsmanship lately, and she sighed as if asking what I intended to do about it.
“And my talent is ordinary! During the North-South Alliance, I thought you were dead, so I stepped forward!”
She shook her head, afraid that others would be disappointed by her abilities.
“It’s fine. There’s no one within Zigheart who can match your talent.”
I shook my head, assuring her that I could guarantee it.
“Still….”
“I think it’s good?”
Sia tilted her head as she looked at Sylvia.
“You get to be with Raon and Grandfather. Don’t you like that, Mother?”
She tugged at Sylvia’s sleeve, as if questioning why she was upset.
“Well, I do like that part.”
Sylvia waved her hand, clarifying that wasn’t what she meant.
“I just need to know beforehand so I can prepare. That way there’s no embarrassment.”
She sighed, lamenting that her training had been lacking lately.
“It’s fine! I’ll teach you!”
Sia offered to teach her swordsmanship directly, patting Sylvia’s head as if she were a child.
“Hmm, but even so, I’m not at the level where I need to learn from our Sia, am I?”
“You are though? Mom can’t do it.”
“C-can’t? But I’m a swordmaster?”
“You’re a swordmaster, but you don’t train.”
“Ugh….”
Sylvia and Sia, true descendants of the Zigheart line, were both stubbornly defending their pride when it came to matters of the sword, regardless of their mother-and-daughter relationship.
“Hey, son….”
Edgar took a deep breath and placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Am I really that talentless? When I was at the Holy Sword Association, they called me quite talented. Actually, a genius. My aura itself wasn’t exceptional, but when it came to sword technique and finesse, no one could match me. I’ve deteriorated considerably now, but hearing that I lack talent really… it stings.”
He was genuinely hurt, speaking breathlessly about how exceptional his talent once was.
-Eat faster! Come on!
Wrath grabbed his own hair and shook it, desperately urging me to eat.
“How about we spar once this training session is over?”
“Yes! The loser has to grant the winner’s wish!”
“I’ve lived hearing the word ‘genius’ like it was nothing, but hearing that I lack talent hurts. Especially coming from my own son….”
-The food’s getting cold! If you keep this up, it’ll all go to waste!
I squeezed my eyes shut against the deafening noise of my family’s voices.
‘Can’t we just start training right now instead?’
Please….
*
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*
The next morning at dawn.
Every single swordsman Raon had called upon gathered and lined up in the Training Ground of the Patriarch’s Hall.
They had been too excited by the opportunity to receive instruction from Glen Zigheart, the greatest swordsman on the Continent, to sleep, and their eyes were all bloodshot.
“….”
Unlike usual, Glen Zigheart had arrived early rather than late, and now stood in the Training Ground with his hands clasped behind his back, observing the swordsmen. Each time his gaze swept across them, they trembled as though stripped bare.
“I see.”
With merely a glance, Glen Zigheart seemed to have grasped the martial prowess and shortcomings of every swordsman present. He closed and opened his eyes with perfect composure.
“Those whose names were called by the Gwangpung Jeonju—come forward in the order you were named and spar with me.”
He indicated with a slight nod that the first training would begin with sparring.
“Until death.”
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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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