The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 312
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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 312
Thump! Thump!
The moment I laid eyes on Derus Robert, I heard my heart pounding. It was a tremendous beat that resonated through my entire body, like the sound of dozens of drums striking in unison.
Crackle.
I bit the inside of my cheek hard. The taste of blood, as if I’d licked metal, filled my mouth.
‘Ugh….’
Even as sharp pain coursed through me, my mind wouldn’t cool. My thoughts burned hot, and strength surged into my hands and feet.
‘I have to hold it in. I absolutely have to hold it in.’
Derus Robert was more suspicious and cautious than anyone I knew. If I let even a hint of killing intent or anger show here, things would become complicated.
‘Please. Please.’
Fortunately, there was considerable distance between us. I had to regain my composure before he drew any closer.
‘Damn it!’
I tried to force my emotions down, but like elastic rubber, they rebounded even stronger.
-What are you doing right now?
Wrath approached from the side, furrowing his brow.
-Why are you drawing up such anger at that lanky one?
‘Hmm….’
I had no mind to humor Wrath. I focused entirely on suppressing my emotions.
-Hmm, now that I think about it, this anger has the same quality as when you called upon the True Demon King….
‘Ah!’
The moment I saw Wrath tilting his head in confusion, the memory of our first meeting flashed through my mind.
‘Ring of Fire!’
I exhaled sharply and activated the Ring of Fire.
Whooooom!
Seven rings resonated in harmony, their vibrations quelling the turbulent emotions that had been boiling within me.
As if blue waves were sweeping away the crimson haze of rage that had consumed my mind, clarity began to return.
‘I forgot about the Ring of Fire….’
My mind had completely slipped away.
The fact that I hadn’t even thought to activate the Ring of Fire showed just how consumed I was by rage—my resolve for vengeance had grown even stronger.
‘Or is it natural that I can’t regain my composure?’
Even after twenty years, the moment my neck was severed by Derus Robert remained vivid in my memory.
My body crumbling, Derus’s cold eyes as if gazing upon a filthy insect, and even the inverted moon above—the memories from the moment of my death were still etched into my mind.
It was impossible for anyone to maintain reason when facing the enemy who had toyed with their life as he pleased and disposed of them when they were no longer useful.
Haaah.
I breathed slowly and activated the Ring of Fire with utmost intensity, resonating the rings at full power to suppress the elevation of my soul’s presence.
Rather than elevating my spirit as I would in battle, I concealed everything as if hiding my body in shadow, pressing down all my aura so that nothing beyond my actual strength would be revealed.
-You seem strange today, boy.
Wrath narrowed his eyes, asking what was wrong.
‘It’s nothing.’
I smiled at Wrath and shook my head.
‘I’m glad Wrath is here.’
That cotton candy had warned me about Derus Robert’s existence beforehand and even hinted at the Ring of Fire, allowing me to suppress the emotional explosion before facing him directly.
To think Wrath would help even at a time like this—his generous service seemed to extend beyond the Owen Kingdom.
“Ah, so you’ve come all the way to Cheongeomseong.”
The Third Prince smiled as he watched Derus Robert approach.
‘Cheongeomseong. Right. That damned epithet of his.’
Cheongeomseong—an epithet meaning “the castle of the sword that touches the heavens.”
If one truly knew what kind of bastard Derus was, he should be called garbage instead, yet he possessed an epithet more noble than anyone else’s.
I swallowed hard as Derus drew nearly within arm’s reach.
‘He might have sensed something.’
The Derus Robert I knew might have noticed my heated emotions from moments ago. I calmed my mind again, preparing myself not to be flustered no matter what question came.
“Greetings, Cheongeomseong!”
The Third Prince walked forward and dropped to one knee before Derus Robert. It was the same level of courtesy he had shown Glen Zigheart.
“Greetings, Cheongeomseong.”
Sheryl and Rimer did not kneel, only bowing their heads. I feigned surprise and followed suit, lowering my head.
“Greer and the heroes of Zigheart. It’s been quite some time since we’ve met.”
Derus Robert nodded with a gentle smile. Regardless of his age and status—both far superior to the Third Prince and the Zigheart swordsmen—he spoke to all of them with formal respect.
‘This is what makes him so repulsive.’
A man who dealt with assassins, dukes, and slaves in the shadows, yet always spoke with formal respect to everyone on the surface, claiming all people possessed dignity—it was utterly nauseating.
“I don’t see the Northern Destruction King.”
“His Majesty is enjoying tea at the moment.”
The Third Prince looked around the Audience Chamber and smiled.
“A tea time between the Northern Destruction King and the Silent Sword Master? I simply cannot miss this. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Derus Robert smiled faintly. Our eyes met just as he was about to head toward the Audience Chamber.
“Golden hair and red eyes. Could it be…?”
“I am Raon Zigheart.”
I bowed my head, gripping my churning stomach as if I might retch.
“The Legend Sword Association!”
Derus Robert clapped his hands and nodded vigorously.
“I’ve heard much of the Legend Sword Association’s reputation. Even in the South, tales of the new hero have been the talk of the realm.”
“You are too kind.”
“Seeing you in person, I can confirm those rumors are no exaggeration. Your achievements are truly exceptional. There seems to be no equal among your peers. However…”
His blue eyes gleamed with a subtle, dark light.
‘This bastard…’
Others might not see it, but I, who rotted beneath him, could tell. That glint in his eyes meant something had caught his attention.
“You seemed displeased just a moment ago. Has something troubled you?”
With those words, Derus Robert’s oppressive gaze descended upon me, and my heart felt as though it might burst from the pressure.
‘He knew all along.’
My emotional turmoil had lasted only an instant, but Derus Robert had not missed that fleeting moment. He was watching me with suspicious eyes.
‘At least there’s that.’
I was grateful I had prepared beforehand.
“No, nothing at all.”
Raon offered a faint smile and shook his head, desperately employing the Ring of Fire to calm his turbulent emotions.
“Nothing happened. It’s just….”
“Just?”
“When I encountered the Silent Sword Master, I was struck by a resolve and momentum distinctly different from the Head of House. The piercing sharpness that seemed to pierce through my heart made me tense, and my emotions became heightened without my realizing it.”
“Hah! To already perceive the texture of martial arts those masters possess—truly remarkable.”
Derus Robert exhaled softly.
“No, it’s only because those two graciously revealed themselves.”
I smiled while observing Derus Robert’s gaze. My face smiled, but my eyes did not. Deep within his pupils, something flickered briefly.
Others might be deceived, but not I—not after having served him so closely. He had harbored ill will toward me long before this incident.
‘So he was targeting me all along?’
Before relief at resolving my suspicions could arrive, a fresh sense of danger flooded my mind.
‘Of course. I shattered his plan.’
I had mercilessly destroyed Derus Robert’s long-standing scheme to devour the Yonan Family, so his reaction was understandable.
‘He must want me dead.’
Though he smiled now, Derus Robert surely wished to wring my neck this very instant.
‘Or perhaps it’s already underway.’
As the youngest Master from a rival family who had also destroyed his plans, there was every possibility that schemes against me were already in motion.
“Our youngest is an ardent admirer of the Legend Sword Association. I would be grateful if you might spare a moment for light conversation with him at the banquet later.”
Derus Robert brought the boy standing behind him forward. Silver hair and blue eyes—features similar to Derus Robert’s, yet his gaze still sparkled with youthful innocence.
“I-I’m Lepon Robert!”
A child I had never encountered in my previous life. Judging by his age, he must have been born after my death.
‘As expected, truly impressive.’
Concealing the murderous intent beneath, he wore a gentle smile as he introduced his son—the very picture of a benevolent father that I needed to learn from.
It was a composure I absolutely had to master, unlike myself moments ago when I nearly exploded and ruined everything.
“I am Raon Zigheart.”
As Raon Zigheart offered a faint smile and bowed his head, Lepon’s face flushed crimson.
“Ah, ah! I, I was in that battle where you saved the saint, or rather, from Habun Castle onwards, in that battle where you saved the soldiers, I’ve admired you, Raon…”
“Lepon. You can speak with Raon later—first, let’s pay your respects to the Sword Tomb.”
“Ah, yes!”
“We’ll meet again later.”
Derus Robert led the trembling Lepon forward.
Behind the two, a young man bearing a striking resemblance to Derus Robert gave a slight nod. His eyes and the corners of his mouth carried a hint of mockery.
‘So he came as well.’
That man—I knew him. Kadis Robert, Derus Robert’s third son and current holder of one of the Twelve Continents’ seats.
I passed by the Robert Family swordsmen and exited the Owen Royal Castle.
“This way, please. I’ll introduce you to the Sword Tomb, the pride of Owen Royal Castle.”
The Third Prince smiled broadly as he led the Zigheart delegation forward.
I followed behind, opening my clenched fist. Blood dripped from the wounds where my nails had torn into my flesh.
‘It’s fortunate.’
I turned back and smiled.
‘That my thirst for vengeance hasn’t been extinguished. And that you stand in a place even higher than you were twenty years ago.’
I had worried that Derus Robert might retire or die, but it was meaningless concern. He had grown stronger and now stood in an even loftier position.
‘Just a little longer.’
I shook the blood from my hands and smiled.
‘I’ll bring you crashing down from the heavens to the earth.’
*
*
*
Roen narrowed his eyes as he watched Glen savoring his bitter-scented tea.
‘He seems to be in quite a good mood.’
Glen drank his tea with an expressionless face, but his true feelings were overflowing with joy.
‘It’s all because of….’
Lecross, the King of Owen across from him, and the Third Prince who had guided them to the royal castle.
“I always thought children just needed to grow up healthy, but after seeing the Gale Storm Master today, my perspective has changed somewhat.”
“At nineteen years old, his martial prowess surpasses the intermediate Master stage. Normally, the Master realm has significant differences between each level, but that boy doesn’t seem to be overwhelmingly pushed back even against those at the advanced stage.”
“At 19 years old, she possesses power that surpasses the intermediate Master level. While Master stages normally have significant gaps between each rank, that child doesn’t seem to be unilaterally overwhelmed even against those at the advanced level.”
He let out a short breath of amazement.
“How did you raise such a remarkable person? Won’t you share your secret with me?”
Roen smiled faintly as he listened to King Lecross’s words.
‘It’s thanks to this praise.’
With the Third Prince of Owen praising Raon, and now even King Lecross himself doing the same, Glen’s spirits had already soared to the heavens. His hands trembled slightly, and it seemed he would soon burst into laughter despite himself.
Seeing his hand tremble slightly, it seemed like he would soon burst out laughing despite himself.
“Hmm, the boy did that on his own. I didn’t do anything in particular.”
Glen cleared his throat while covering his mouth and waved his hand dismissively. It was a gesture suggesting it was nothing, but from behind, a deep smile was already blooming at the corners of his lips.
‘He’s truly an incorrigible old man.’
Perhaps as a side effect of forcibly suppressing his emotions in front of his grandson, Glen couldn’t hide his expressions in front of others.
Whenever he heard praise about Raon, clearing his throat and lifting the corners of his mouth was practically an automatic reflex.
‘It would be nice if he could be honest now.’
As Rimer said, it would be good if Glen opened his heart and revealed his affection for his grandson, but having served him most closely, I understood his thoughts as well.
‘Still, I’d love to see the three of them together.’
I thought I had no regrets since I had accomplished everything I set out to do, but I truly wanted to see Glen grow closer to Raon and Sylvia, sharing meals and laughing together.
As Roen was picturing Glen and Raon smiling at each other in his mind, the chief steward entered the reception room.
“Your Majesty. Cheongeomseong and the Robert Family have arrived.”
“They’ve arrived earlier than scheduled.”
King Lecross rose from his seat, smacking his lips slightly.
“It seems one more seat will need to be added. Is that acceptable?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Glen nodded his head as if to say do as you please.
“Then please wait a moment.”
The king left the reception room with a faint smile.
“Cheongeomseong, then….”
Roen gazed at the reception room door and smacked his lips briefly.
“The Head of House once said they were exceptional in talent. By now, they must have developed beyond recognition.”
Derus Robert of Cheongeomseong was the youngest and weakest among the current leaders of the Six Emperors, yet Glen held him in the highest regard.
“Indeed, that was the case.”
Glen set down his empty teacup and nodded slowly.
“Though it seems my expectations were slightly off the mark.”
“Pardon? What do you mean…?”
“His talent exceeded my predictions.”
He turned to observe the reception room door as it gradually opened. Upon seeing Derus Robert’s smile, he offered a cold smile in return.
*
*
*
The Sword Tomb, despite its grim name meaning the grave of swords, was a place of luminous beauty.
Verdant foliage radiated brilliant vitality, and fragments of countless blades cultivated an atmosphere of elegance. It resembled a meticulously maintained garden far more than a tomb.
“Ah….”
Raon exhaled a breath of admiration upon witnessing the thicket sculpted with the precision of a blade.
‘This wasn’t created carelessly.’
The blade-form of the thicket before me was not trimmed by ordinary garden shears. The aura of a true blade emanating from the edges of the foliage—this was unmistakably the work of swordsmanship, where genuine blades had carved the very shape of a sword into the vegetation.
‘Magnificent.’
-Hey.
As I gazed at the blade-formed thicket, Wrath thrust his head forward.
-Who was that guy from earlier?
‘What?’
-I’m asking what your connection is to that scrawny, lanky fellow.
Wrath’s eyes flashed a cold, piercing blue, as if melting frost itself.
-The fury you’ve stirred up is comparable to when you first called upon the True Demon King. Is that being the target of your wrath?
‘Hmm….’
He was remarkably perceptive at times like this.
It was no wonder Wrath was the Lord of Fury—when sensing emotions of anger, his intuition became razor-sharp.
Still, I couldn’t tell him the truth.
Though my relationship with Wrath had improved considerably, speaking of reincarnation was premature.
It would be best to evade the question somehow.
I made my decision and nodded slightly.
‘He is indeed an enemy.’
I couldn’t hide that much, so I answered honestly.
-I suspected as much. But something feels off.
Wrath narrowed his eyes further.
-That one seemed to be seeing you for the first time. And you were far younger back then, were you not? What grudge could you possibly have formed with him?
‘….’
-Speak.
‘Uh, food.’
Unable to think of anything better, I grasped at the one word Wrath might overlook.
-Food, you say?
‘When I was young, he took the last bowl of my stew. As you know, I was treated as if I didn’t exist in the family back then, so I probably didn’t understand the full situation.’
I bit my lip hard.
‘This won’t work, will it?’
Even I think it’s insane.
No matter how much of an idiot Wrath is, this crossed the line. I let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity of what I’d just said.
-Tch, you bastard….
I had a suspicion, and it was confirmed. From the shape of his mouth, it looked like he was about to explode.
-You should have said something like that sooner!
‘Huh?’
-When you’re young, you develop strong attachments to food. And the last bowl at that! It’s remarkable you didn’t crack his skull!
‘….’
I slowly closed my eyes. When it came to food, Wrath was an idiot beyond all expectations. It was both touching and heartbreaking.
-If you’d told me sooner, I would have helped! You’re such an infuriating fellow!
‘…I suppose.’
-The resentment over food. Especially the resentment over the last bowl runs deep and profound. Even if that bastard is rarely strong among humans, you must absolutely take your revenge on him!
Wrath muttered that he would help, urging me to repay that grudge without fail. His encouragement to do my best was a bonus.
“Ha….”
I let out a deflated laugh watching Wrath’s fists tremble with emotion.
‘Should I be grateful for this….’
Wrath already gave generously without being asked, so having him help was like gaining ten thousand soldiers. Yet to draw his aid in this manner—life was truly full of surprises.
-Grr. I’m absolutely furious. If there were someone who took the last mint chocolate ice cream in front of me, I would have cracked their skull and frozen every single cell of their body.
‘Y, yes….’
Grateful and somewhat pitiful, I decided to fill Wrath’s belly generously at the banquet tonight.
I shook my head and followed the group. As we climbed along the white path of the Sword Tomb, I spotted swords embedded in the ground. It had been a long time since they lost their owners—the blades were rusted and the hilts were completely torn.
‘Hmm?’
It wasn’t just a single blade. Countless swords, weathered by the passage of time, were embedded throughout the chamber.
Some gleamed with undiminished brilliance, while others were worn and dull—standard-issue blades filling the space.
“This is….”
“This is the true Sword Tomb.”
The Third Prince turned back with a broad smile spreading across his face.
“The blades embedded here belong to the heroes who fought for Owen. Whether Grand Master or common soldier unable to wield aura, anyone who drew their sword beneath Owen’s banner earns the right to plant their blade in this place.”
His expression radiated pride like never before—eyes gleaming with the expectation that one day his own sword would join them here.
Crunch.
I clenched my teeth. Hearing the Third Prince’s words, memories from my past life cascaded through my mind like a kaleidoscope.
A wretched era where I devoted my life to the Robert Family, only to end as nothing more than a dog boiled alive in a cauldron.
‘How different.’
The chasm between Owen—where even soldiers left their names—and the Robert Family was staggering. The rage I’d suppressed surged forth once more.
‘It’s sooner than planned, but I must begin.’
-Begin what?
‘Revenge.’
I couldn’t strike at him directly yet. I would have to gnaw away at his periphery, slowly and methodically.
‘And it starts with….’
I let out a bitter laugh, my lips curling into a cruel smile as I recalled Cardis passing by moments ago.
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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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