The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 334

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

Chapter 334

I moistened my lips with wine and offered a faint smile.

‘He said he’d fix Cardis’s arm directly, didn’t he?’

Everything is proceeding according to plan.

Derus had mentioned he’d thought of several methods to heal Cardis’s shoulder.
The most prioritized approach would be seeking out a physician as skilled as the Sage of Rags or a miraculous elixir, which meant he wouldn’t return to the Robert Family for quite some time.

‘I severed Cardis’s arm completely to induce that very behavior.’

When I cut Cardis’s arm, I twisted his meridians and mana circuits not only for revenge, but to force Derus into treating him—buying me the time needed to enter the Underwater Dungeon.

I turned quietly to look behind me. Derus was conversing with approaching guests, his expression wearing a benevolent smile.

‘Fortunate.’

That you remain the serpent you’ve always been.

Knowing both the masked Derus and the unmasked Derus made his actions easy to predict.
The fact that I know the true face of Derus will become my sharpest blade in confronting that monster in the future.

-Hey! The pizza’s getting cold!

As I was savoring the satisfaction, Wrath fluttered his hands like a Sparrow, pointing at the plate.

‘Ah, my apologies.’

I nodded and took a bite of the pizza on the plate. The salty cheese, crispy crust, and spicy beef sauce each maintained their distinct character while harmonizing into a delicious whole.

-This place makes excellent pizza. Not quite as good as the Pineapple Girl’s, but more than sufficient to satisfy the True Demon King!

Wrath touched his cheeks contentedly, grinning with satisfaction.

‘Indeed.’

Raon chuckled softly and swallowed the remaining pizza in one bite.

‘Derus is taken care of, so now I just need to figure out how to reach the Underwater Dungeon.’

I heard that after the Six Emperors conference and duels concluded, we’d be returning to Zigheart the day after tomorrow.
I needed a way to slip away without going back to the Family, so I’d considered various plans, but nothing satisfactory had emerged.

‘Maybe something good will…’
-Craaahhh!

As Raon was turning ideas over in his mind, Wrath’s exclamation burst forth.

-Not just cheese—the pizza melts right in your mouth! What a magnificent bite!

He pointed at the empty plate and swayed his body side to side like a roly-poly toy.

-Next! Next is meat and shrimp! Bring forth the lamb ribs and grilled shrimp that captivated me the moment we arrived at this place!
‘Calm down a bit.’

I pressed down on the excited Wrath, whose face had flushed crimson, and stood up. I went to the buffet and brought back the garlic butter shrimp and lamb ribs he’d mentioned wanting.

-Shrimp. I must eat the shrimp first!

Wrath tapped the table with his round hand and pointed at the shrimp.

This is supposed to be a Demon King?

Whenever he stood before food, he looked no older than ten years old, no matter how highly I regarded him. This creature was a Demon King. And not just any Demon King—the Demon King of Wrath. I still couldn’t believe it.

By any measure, he was just a food fanatic…

Raon smacked his lips and peeled the shrimp to eat it. The plump shrimp meat melted with soft butter, savory yet sweet. The garlic’s aroma was vibrant, leaving no greasy aftertaste, making it easy to keep eating.

-My mouth is overflowing! This is true cooking!

Wrath sniffled his nose, muttering that he lived for this taste.

-Now for the lamb ribs!
‘Yes, yes.’

I let out a soft chuckle and tore into the ribs. The succulent juices burst across my palate, flooding my mouth with savory richness. The meat was so tender that it practically dissolved after a few chews.

-It melts upon the tongue! Like warm ice cream, it does!
‘Indeed.’

I surveyed my surroundings while Wrath basked in his delight.

‘He’s still over there.’

Lunan Slion remained glued to the ice cream section, moving only within that vicinity as he devoured multiple servings.

‘He must have emptied at least one container.’

By rough estimation, Lunan Slion alone had consumed an entire tub of ice cream. His passion for the frozen treat rivaled even Wrath’s.

‘Burren remains true to form.’

Networking, even here.

Burren Zigheart stood among other Six Emperors warriors, engaged in animated conversation. The casual shoulder pats they exchanged suggested they had grown quite close.

‘And Martha…’

Martha had piled her table high with meat and was consuming it with characteristic vigor. Nothing particularly unusual about her usual appetite, save for one detail.

‘Why is the Third Prince sitting there?’

Greer, the Third Prince of Owen, sat vacant-eyed before Martha as she gulped down her food. He neither ate nor drank, simply staring at her with unwavering attention.

“Aren’t you eating? Stop staring at me like that—it’s annoying!”

Martha’s expression twisted in displeasure at his behavior.

“Merely watching you dine fills my stomach. Ah, you have sauce upon your lips.”

The Third Prince smiled warmly and produced a handkerchief, reaching toward Martha’s face to wipe away the sauce when her fist came flying.

“You lunatic!”
“Ugh!”

The Third Prince’s forehead caved inward from Martha’s fist, and he crashed to the ground.

“Ugh, how gross! That gave me goosebumps!”

Martha shuddered and moved to the adjacent table, continuing to chew her meat.

I let out a snort of amusement watching the Third Prince stagger.

‘It won’t work on her at all.’

The Third Prince’s background, appearance, and skill might have swayed someone else with that display, but Martha was utterly immune to such tactics.
His favorability rating with her had probably plummeted to rock bottom after this.

“F-first my temple, now my forehead?”

The Third Prince rose to his feet, his jaw trembling. Despite the beating, his eyes gleamed brightly—no, they seemed even more delighted.

“You’re the first person to drive your fist into my forehead! I’ve fallen for y—”
“Get lost!”

He was muttering nonsense as he approached Martha, only to catch a blow to the throat and collapse again.

‘That one’s got it rough.’

I shook my head and stood up.

-Is he actually leaving on his own?
‘Dessert?’
-At last, the True Demon King’s teachings have borne fruit!

Wrath nodded with a hearty laugh.

-If you serve me just a bit better, I might even take you on as one of my subordinates!
‘That works.’

As I headed toward the ice cream station, Lunan’s head snapped around. His vacant eyes were brimming with pure joy.

‘How many flavors are there?’

Lunan’s plate was piled high with scoops of ice cream like foam. It seemed he had thoroughly enjoyed the mint chocolate, as the plate was now filled with several varieties of ice cream.

“Would you like some ice cream too, Raon?”
“Sure.”
“I recommend the mint chocolate.”

Lunan blinked his vacant eyes and pointed toward where the mint chocolate was located.

“It tastes even better today.”
-Mint chocolate! Truly befitting a subordinate of the True Demon King!

Wrath nodded with satisfaction and leaned forward.

-Scoop the mint chocolate as the ice cream girl recommends. No, take the entire container!
‘Then Lunan will cry.’
-Ahem. In that case, perhaps just five scoops….
‘Regardless, mint chocolate tastes terrible.’
-You tasteless fool! How pitiful that you don’t appreciate the refreshing essence of mint chocolate!
‘Fine. I’ll just stick with Cookie and Cream.’

I nodded and scooped two portions of Cookie and Cream ice cream onto my plate.

-R, Raon?

Wrath called my name for the first time in a while, then crept over and clung to my shoulder.

-Raon? You haven’t eaten anything too heavy today. If you finish with mint chocolate, your mouth and stomach will both feel as refreshed as if you’d breathed in the scent of pine trees!

His voice had become as smooth as jade rolling across silk.

‘Is that so?’
-It certainly is! Your stomach will feel at ease, and you’ll sleep like a log….
‘No. I’m training today.’
-Ugh, you ghostly creature!

Wrath couldn’t persuade me much further and erupted in anger. Of course, lacking any real power, he merely fluttered about like paper.
Seeing his pitiful state, I walked toward where the mint chocolate was.

-Eh?

Wrath let out a hearty laugh and turned his head.

-Hey, what in blazes are you up to today! I like it well enough, but it makes me uneasy!

Since I rarely treated him well, Wrath smiled with his left face while scrunching his right face into an expression of suspicion and astonishment.

‘Just felt like it.’

I simply wanted to ease Wrath’s mood a bit while eating, since he’d worked hard today having his stats drained.

“Huh?”

I stopped my spoon as I was about to scoop the mint chocolate ice cream. Unlike the other ice creams, the mint chocolate was nearly empty. It looked like there wouldn’t even be half a spoonful left.

‘It’s gone?’

Lunan had eaten more than half, and seeing that, the others had taken portions out of curiosity, leaving almost nothing.

-Krrrraaaaaahhh!

Wrath raised both hands and let out a wail.

-Ice cream girl!
‘That’s Wrath for you.’

I chuckled softly. If he actually managed to eat it properly, that wouldn’t be Wrath. He was perfectly suited to despairing like this when he couldn’t have what he wanted.

‘Hmm?’

As I scooped only the cookie and cream and was about to return to my seat, a red-haired elf passed by like a shadow.

‘What’s that person gotten themselves into now?’

The one wandering around like a zombie was Rimer. He reeked of alcohol, but rather than drunk, his expression seemed as though his very soul had departed.

“Unit Master?”
“Huh?”

At the sound of my voice calling his name, he turned his head blankly. His eyes had lost all focus.

“R-Raon, is that you? Our lucky charm!”
“What happened, sir?”
“Ugh!”

Rimer approached with tears streaming down his face and bowed his head deeply.

-First, let’s get some ice cream….
“Come this way.”

I led Rimer to a corner and erected a barrier to prevent sound from escaping.

“What on earth happened?”
“My money! My retirement fund! My 5,000 gold coins vanished!”

He struck the ground with a look of desperation.

-Can’t you explain while eating? Kuanku seems fine with it….
“5,000 gold coins?”

The 5,000 gold coins must have come from gambling winnings, but I couldn’t understand why they had disappeared.

“Look at this.”

Rimer pulled a charred piece of paper from his pocket. It appeared to be a gambling voucher, and from its size, more than half of it had been burned.

“The part with the official seal got burned, so they said they couldn’t cash it in….”

He collapsed backward, lamenting that his life was ruined.

“Hmm….”

I unfolded the gambling voucher and nodded.

‘It’s ruined.’

The seal used to verify authenticity had burned away—of all the parts that could have been damaged, it was naturally impossible to receive payment.

‘But….’

If I do well, I might be able to receive it.

Either way, there’s nothing to lose. I made up my mind to at least try once and nodded.

“Let me give it a try.”
“C-can you really?”
“I’m not certain. I don’t think I’ll be able to receive all of it.”
“That’s fine! At least it’s something! Please!”

Rimer grabbed my ankle, saying he’d be happy with even 100 gold if I could just receive something.

“Let’s go right now!”
“Ah, first I need to find my wallet.”
“Your wallet?”
“Dorian!”

*

*

*

After finishing the ice cream, I headed to the Treasury Department that had managed the gambling for this tournament, bringing Dorian along.

-The kingdom directly conducted gambling?

Wrath settled onto my shoulder, his belly full but his mood ambiguous from not having eaten the mint chocolate.

‘Of course. The money wagered in this gambling was no small sum.’

On the Continent, gambling is a form of entertainment. Numerous gambling houses exist both in the shadows and in the light, operating legally.

Naturally, a gambling den had opened during this duel tournament, and it was managed by the Owen Kingdom’s Treasury Department—an organization that would never take the money and run.

“Excuse me.”

I entered the office of the administrator who had overseen the gambling for this duel. A manager who appeared to be in his thirties looked up and suddenly stood to his feet.

“Gasp! The White Sword Dragon! Ah, my apologies! Raon Swordmaster!”

He lowered his head, his eyes widening in confusion.

“It’s no trouble at all.”

Raon stepped before the manager’s desk with a faint smile.

“I’ve come to exchange my winnings.”

As I spoke, I presented the gambling voucher—half of it charred and blackened from Rimer’s carelessness.

“Ah, this is….”

The manager’s brow furrowed as he examined the voucher.

“My apologies. I explained this to Rimer as well, but since the seal portion has been burned away, I’m unable to process the exchange.”
“Surely no one else has come demanding five thousand gold coins besides your unit leader?”
“That’s true. However, according to our regulations, gambling vouchers with a missing seal cannot be used.”

The manager withdrew a gambling voucher from his desk. He pulled at the fluttering section at the top, splitting it into two separate pieces.

“Originally, gambling vouchers are designed to be divided this way into two halves—one for us and one for the customer. And….”

When he pressed the two vouchers together, a subtle light in the shape of a sword emerged.

“The authenticity can only be verified when both pieces are combined like this. Since that’s impossible, I cannot issue the gold coins.”

The manager bowed apologetically once more.

“Hmm….”

Raon nodded. Everything up to this point had unfolded exactly as I’d anticipated. Now the real game began.

“What is your name, manager?”
“Cyrus, sir.”

The manager gestured toward his name badge, his eyes lowering slightly.

“Sir, you’re already aware that our Unit Master purchased this gambling voucher. Given the price, you must have verified his identity, and I’ve heard many people witnessed our Unit Master holding the voucher.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then you’re acknowledging his identity.”
“That’s right. As I mentioned, once we verify the seal, I can immediately disburse the gold coins.”

Cyrus nodded.

‘I’ve cleared about half the hurdle.’

Acknowledging his identity meant there was considerable possibility of success.

“I just came from the Banquet Hall.”
“Ah, I thought as much.”

Cyrus nodded, observing the ornate formal robes and the black dragon robe draped over them.

“It seems the bonds between the leaders of the Six Emperors have grown even stronger because of this tournament.”
“That’s likely. I was moved several times watching the duels myself. Especially the sight of the White Sword Dragon leaping skyward during the match to save others—I’ll never forget that as long as I live.”

He bowed his head again, expressing gratitude for being saved. Affection gleamed in his gaze.

“Among them, it seemed our Head of House and King Lecross grew particularly close.”
“From what I observed, the two of them were conversing quite frequently.”

Cyrus agreed with a subtle smile.

“Because of that, if this matter escalates upward, orders will come down to handle it quietly. Ultimately, that money will flow to our Unit Master.”
“Hmm….”
“However, even with quiet handling, noise could leak out and create unfavorable rumors.”
“That’s certainly possible.”
“To eliminate even that noise, they sent me from above.”

I pointed my finger upward at the sky.

“Ah, I see.”

Cyrus tensed at the word “above” and swallowed dryly.

-Above? It was me who sent you, you fool!

Wrath tilted his head as if finding something strange.

‘That’s right. But that person is probably thinking of the Heavenly Sword Master or the Head of House.’

Before broaching the main topic, I had elaborated on stories about Glen Zigheart and King Lecross, so the face now etched in this official’s mind would be either Glen Zigheart or Sheryl. That was precisely what I intended.

-You thought that far ahead before bringing up Grandfather’s story? You’re absolutely merciless.

Wrath’s lips trembled as if utterly dumbfounded.

“I’d like to resolve this quietly so that it doesn’t cause trouble for those above us. After all, it’s money that will eventually go to the Unit Master.”
“B-but we need this gambling voucher….”

Cyrus pointed at the gambling voucher while sweat dripped from his forehead. Of course, I had already prepared a solution for that as well.

“Could you provide me with a blank gambling voucher and a pen?”
“Ah, yes, right here.”

Cyrus retrieved a blank gambling voucher and a pen from his drawer.

“Hmm….”

I held the pen and carefully copied Rimer’s handwriting from his gambling voucher onto the new one. I even crumpled the paper slightly to match the original’s appearance perfectly.
It was a document forgery technique I had researched alone during my days as an assassin.

‘My past experience really does come in handy.’

The knowledge from my previous life continued to prove invaluable in the present.

“Ah….”

Cyrus’s jaw dropped as he watched. His expression showed he never imagined such a thing was possible.

“Now you just need to stamp it here. Dorian.”

I extended my hand toward Dorian, who stood beside me.

“Yes.”

Dorian responded as usual and pulled out a pristine white cloth bundle from his ship’s pocket. It was a bundle he had prepared beforehand, filled with gold coins.

“You must be exhausted, so I hope you’ll use this to refresh yourself.”

I accepted the bundle of gold coins and set it down on Cyrus’s desk. At the jingling sound, Cyrus’s shoulders flinched.

“Th-this is….”
“It’s a token of my sincerity to resolve this matter quietly.”

I smiled and waved my hand dismissively.

“Hmm….”

Cyrus’s trembling eyes remained fixed on the pouch of gold coins. Like someone accustomed to handling such matters, his expression revealed that he had discerned the amount inside from the sound alone.

I observed Cyrus’s quivering jaw, my eyes narrowing slightly.

‘It worked perfectly.’

Spoken gently, yet this was coercion—pressure applied through status, reputation, and wealth alike.

“Ugh….”

Cyrus bit his lip firmly and lowered the pouch of gold coins. He retrieved a circular seal from a drawer and stamped it onto the gambling voucher. He then pulled the voucher apart on both sides, dividing it into two copies—one for the customer and one for verification.

“I-I have verified the gambling voucher.”

He set the voucher and verification copy aside and lowered his eyes slightly.

“Will you be taking the gold coins with you now?”
“That would be more convenient.”

I nodded gently.

“Understood.”

Cyrus walked to the safe on the right and opened it. He withdrew ten pouches of gold coins from inside and placed them on the desk. The weight caused the desk to tremble slightly.

“Each pouch contains five hundred coins.”
“Confirmed.”

I rifled through each pouch and nodded in satisfaction.

“The exchange is complete. I hope you have a pleasant evening.”

Cyrus had fully accepted the situation, his expression returning to what it had been when we first met.

“Thank you, Dorian.”
“Ah, yes!”

At my call, Dorian stuffed the gold coins into his pouch with a half-dazed expression.

-Insane. Is this actually happening?

Wrath shook his head in disbelief as well.

“As I mentioned before, I’d appreciate it if we could let this pass quietly, as if nothing happened.”
“Did we do something wrong? Weren’t you just here to exchange currency?”

Cyrus tilted his head as if nothing unusual had occurred. He was a man I could respect.

“Indeed.”

I nodded and turned away, opening the door as if nothing remarkable had transpired, and stepped outside.

“Phew….”

Only then did Dorian release a deep breath.

“Is this… is this really working?”
“People see only what they wish to see, and hear only what they wish to hear.”

I chuckled softly and glanced at Dorian.

“When I gesture later, take out five chunks from the gold coins you received.”
“F, five chunks? But that’s only half….”
“It’s fine.”
“Uh….”

I led the bewildered Dorian out of the Treasury.

“R, Raon!”

Rimer, who had been waiting by the Garden, abandoned his drink mid-sip and scrambled over on all fours.

“They said no! Those damn bastards! My money! Sob….”

He hurled the empty bottle and clutched his head in despair.

“Yes. Unfortunately….”
“Damn it!”
“I could only bring half.”
“What? Really?”

At those words, Rimer’s eyes bulged wide open.

“Dorian.”
“Yes….”

Dorian trembled as he withdrew five pouches of gold coins from his waist pouch and set them down.

“H, how is this possible….”
“I negotiated with them. Since leaving the rest would allow it to be used for the royal budget, it was difficult, but I barely managed to secure half.”
“That’s incredible! I thought we wouldn’t get anything at all!”

Rimer waved dismissively at the pouches of gold coins and sniffled.

“But this shouldn’t be told to anyone….”
“Of course not! You’re the only one I can trust!”

He sprang to his feet and pulled me into an embrace.

“You are the light and salt of my life, my beacon, my guiding star! I’m truly grateful!”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.”

I patted Rimer on the back, suppressing a smile.

‘I’m the one who should be grateful.’

After all, he generously donates gold coins to me every time without fail.

I chuckled and glanced to the side, where Dorian and Wrath were trembling with eyes wide in fear.

“Ah…”
-B-boy, I fear you now….

*

*

*

I left the delighted Rimer behind and headed to the Dormitory with Dorian.

As I was about to open the door to the Dormitory, a middle-aged man approached from the right.

“Hm?”

Dorian’s eyes widened as if he recognized him.

“I greet the White Sword Dragon.”

The middle-aged man bowed respectfully.

“I am Tetkal of the Yenam Trading Company.”
“Ah, I’m Raon Zigheart.”

I returned his greeting, though I had no idea who he was.

“Forgive me, but might I borrow this friend for a moment?”

Tetkal pointed toward Dorian. Judging by their reactions, they seemed to know each other from before.

“Ah, he’s a friend of my father’s.”
“Ah!”
“I’ll just have a brief word with him.”
“Of course.”

After nodding, Dorian and Tetkal entered the Garden beside the Dormitory.

A short while later.

Tetkal departed first, and some time after, Dorian emerged from the Garden. His gait was utterly drained of vitality.

“Hmm….”

I smacked my lips. Dorian’s expression was darker than usual—not just his walk, but his entire demeanor.

“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing….”

He waved his hand dismissively.

“That doesn’t look like the face of someone saying it’s nothing.”
“Ugh….”

Dorian rubbed his belly pocket repeatedly—a nervous habit of his.

“Well, if it’s a secret, I can’t help it.”
“That….”

Dorian hesitated for a moment before lifting his head.

“He asked me to visit the trading company….”
“You mentioned you came from a merchant background.”

Dorian had mentioned in passing that he came from a trading company in the Southwest Region.

‘A trading company….’

This should work out fine.

I smacked my lips together. I’d been pondering how to reach the Underwater Dungeon in Robert, but using the excuse of escorting Dorian home seemed like it would do the trick.

‘It’s entirely feasible.’

As a vice-leader taking a valued squad member home, the excuse would fly with Rimer, and certainly with the Head of House.

“Then I should go.”

I nodded with a faint smile playing at my lips.

“You didn’t go even when you were kidnapped, so since we’re here, let’s make the trip. I’ll handle things with the higher-ups.”
“Y-yes….”

Dorian nodded reluctantly, as if he had no choice in the matter.

‘There must be something going on.’

Before, I’d thought he simply didn’t want to go because it was a hassle, but looking at his expression now, it seemed there was something more to it.

“Your surname was Apicese, right?”

I tried to recall any trading companies or establishments with that name, but nothing came to mind. It appeared to be a relatively small operation, just as I’d assumed before.

“I-I’m sorry for only telling you now, but that was fake….”

Dorian slowly shook his head.

“My real surname isn’t Apicese—it’s the reverse: Sepia….”
“Sepia?”

I murmured the name, then my eyes widened.

“You mean the Sepia Trading Company?”
“You knew?”
“How could you not mention this!”

Sepia was one of the five greatest trading companies on the Continent, with branches extending not just throughout the Southwest Region but across the entire land—a colossal organization.

“You….”

Raon’s tone flowed softly for the first time.

“Was it you all along, Young Master?”

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