The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 375

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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 375

I approached the mansion’s entrance. The closer I got, the clearer it became. Inside the mansion were Sylvia and Helen, along with the other maids from the Annex Building.

But within, there were also people I’d been hoping would come here.

‘I should go in.’

If they were asleep, that would be one thing. But since they were all awake, I decided to enter.

Creak.

I approached the mansion’s entrance and opened the door. Warm air like stepping into the Annex Building poured out, along with soft lighting that soothed the eyes.
The neatly organized lobby bore the touch of the Annex Building maids.

‘They’re all over there.’

I sensed the presence of people in the largest room to the right. I carefully opened the door without making a sound and stepped inside.
Unlike the lobby, the room’s lighting shone down only onto the platform.

Yua and Helen, along with the other maids, were manipulating puppets behind a black desk placed on the platform, while below the platform, a group of small children sat with only the backs of their heads visible, intently watching the performance.

-Those children from back then!

Wrath flew forward and let out a cheer as he confirmed the children’s faces.

-They all survived safely! What a relief!

He wore a beaming smile, saying that young ones should live long lives. It was truly warm words that couldn’t be called those of a Demon King.

-But what are you maids doing right now?
‘It looks like they’re performing a puppet show.’

Yua manipulated a puppet that appeared to be a Blonde Knight, while the other maids operated soldier and monster puppets.

“The monsters’ attacks grew increasingly fierce. Eventually, the castle wall shattered, and the soldiers fell below the castle.”

Sylvia stood slightly apart from the stage, reading what looked like a script as she provided narration.

“A critical moment! Fallen soldiers face the approach of vicious monsters!”

Following Sylvia’s narration, Yua moved her hand to lower the blonde doll down below the Castle Wall.

“The hero Raon Zigheart leaps down below the Castle Wall and stands before the soldiers.”

She continued speaking softly with a gentle smile.

“Before Raon Zigheart’s exceptional swordsmanship, the monsters fall one after another.”
“Aaaaaahhhhh!”

The handmaidens controlling the monsters shrieked and hurled the monster dolls to the ground.

“Grrrraaaaaahhhhh!”

Surprisingly, Judith performed with such convincing realism—as if she’d been struck by an actual blade—laying the monster doll down.

“Without retreating a single step, Raon Zigheart protected the people below the Castle Wall until the crimson moonlight faded and the golden sun rose.”

With the power infused in Sylvia’s voice, the handmaidens tilted all the monster dolls.

Julius crawled toward the table, removed the moon model, and hung up the sun model.

“What protects the frozen Castle Wall of the Frost Plateau is not a knight’s blade, but….”

Yua began to sing while manipulating Raon’s doll. Her voice—crystalline yet vivid—captivated every gaze in the room.

I smiled, tapping my fingers in time with the melody.

‘She’s grown again.’

Yua’s voice and her sense of singing had developed further than before. She had truly become a songstress capable of enchanting people.

-Pineapple girl! Pineapple girl!

Wrath shook his round fists wildly toward Yua. Frost bloomed from his knuckles, sparkling like starlight.

“Raon.”

As I smiled while listening to Yua’s song, Pedrick, dressed in his characteristic beggar’s garb, approached from the side. I had known he was there, of course, but I hadn’t spoken to him since I was concentrating on watching the performance.

“It’s been a long time, Saint.”
“How does it feel to hear about the achievements you’ve accomplished?”
“It’s embarrassing.”

I scratched my cheek and shook my head.

“They say it’s the truth. What’s there to be embarrassed about?”
“It seems to be embellished somewhat.”
“That child said it was 100% true?”

Pedrick smiled warmly as he watched Yua manipulating the Raon Zigheart puppet.

‘So Yua wrote it after all.’

Only Yua would know that story properly, so it was natural that she had written the script.

I turned my body toward Pedrick after watching the children concentrating below the platform.

“Thank you for granting my request.”

I straightened my posture and bowed respectfully to Pedrick.

“Forget the formalities.”

Pedrick waved his hand gently, like waves approaching the beach.

“It was something I should have helped with regardless of your request, so don’t worry about it.”

He smiled, saying it was something he naturally had to do as a human being.

“But….”

I asked while watching the continuing puppet show.

“Why are you doing a puppet show at this hour?”

While children that age typically enjoyed puppet shows, I couldn’t understand why they were being performed at bedtime.

“For those children, night is a time of terror.”
“Ah….”
“I heard that during their assassin training, night was when they were tortured and taught how to kill people. Since they were tormented during their sleep hours and learned to take lives, they have every reason to fear the darkness.”

Pedrick’s tone was calm, but his hands trembled visibly with barely contained rage.

“So those children couldn’t sleep at night. Even when they managed to drift off, they’d wake immediately from nightmares and try to strangle themselves.”
“I see….”

I bit my lip.

‘As I suspected.’

I knew this all too well from my previous life as Raon. Night had been hell—the most terrifying hours imaginable.

“This puppet show is psychological therapy designed to transform the children’s fear of night into joy. I thought it would be difficult, but those children willingly helped.”

Pedrick smiled warmly as he watched Sylvia and her attendants conducting the puppet show with genuine care.

“Is it effective?”
“Though it’s still early dawn, they now sleep without waking until sunrise.”
“Then the brainwashing can be reversed?”
“Yes.”

Pedrick nodded without hesitation.

“Because we rescued the children before the brainwashing was complete, they can be healed.”
“…Thank you.”

I closed my eyes and exhaled deeply. Having worried constantly about whether recovery was even possible, hearing Pedrick’s definitive answer brought me immense relief.

-Whooooosh!

Even Wrath released a long, relieved sigh.

-Fortune smiles upon us! Young ones of any race must be cherished and raised with care!

That fellow spouted nonsense unbefitting a Demon Lord once more, exhaling sharply through his nose.

“What do you intend to do with these children once their treatment is complete?”
“I want to let them live as they wish.”

I gazed at the children and spoke my honest heart. I wanted to grant them the ordinary life that my previous self and Number Nine—already departed from this world—had never obtained.

“I suppose there was no need to ask after all.”

Pedrick patted my shoulder with evident satisfaction.

“Anyone would have done the same. It’s hardly a remarkable thing.”

I waved my hand dismissively while saying it was nothing special. Pedrick watched my hand, then the smile playing at his lips faded.

“I apologize for dampening the mood, but it seems I must share some unfortunate news.”
“Unfortunate news?”
“Those children aside, it appears we cannot save anyone whose brainwashing has already taken complete hold.”

Pedrick gazed upward into the darkened void and bit his lip.

“The brainwashing afflicting these children works by wrapping hundreds of meters of wire around the brain, creating an inescapable barbed wire fence. Once completed, it is nearly impossible to undo. It will never break free unless one suffers a wound severe enough to bring death, and the survival instinct fails to dominate the body.”
“A wound severe enough to bring death….”

So that’s how I escaped the brainwashing.

When I faced death during a mission, the bonds of brainwashing loosened, and in that gap, I was able to master the Ring of Fire.
It seemed fortune layered upon fortune had allowed me to break free from Derus’s brainwashing.

“Even if we capture the one who created this brainwashing, there is no guarantee we can undo it. If we encounter those afflicted by it, the most merciful approach would be to grant them peace….”

Pedrick lowered his head, apologizing for his inability to help.

“No. The ones who imposed the brainwashing are nothing but trash.”

I exhaled deeply. It seemed the only way to end this hellish struggle was to kill Derus.

‘I must grow stronger, faster.’

Even now, I was growing stronger faster than anyone else, but I wanted to develop even more rapidly and end that monster’s time.

“Since I’ve shared bad news, allow me to deliver good news this time.”

Pedrick raised a finger, pointing toward the region of his heart.

“I couldn’t capture the Brainworm, but it seems we’ll be able to resolve the Rage Worm.”
“Truly?”
“It will require time, but a method to remove the worm embedded in the heart should become possible.”

When he spoke with such conviction, it meant he was nearly certain.

Those bearing the Rage Worm were Derus’s trusted subordinates. If I could only loosen their tongues, finding Derus’s weaknesses wouldn’t be impossible.

“Money is no object. I’m counting on you.”
“Seems you’ve earned some coin outside.”
“Yes. It happened rather unexpectedly….”

I nodded lightly and explained how I’d secured cooperation from the Sepia Trading Company.

“What! The Sepia Trading Company?”

Pedrick’s mouth fell open as if he’d never expected the Sepia Trading Company to align with Zigheart. At his outburst, the puppet show halted, and everyone turned around.

“Saint… suddenly…? Raon!”
“Young Master?”
“When did you arrive!”
“The Young Master is here!”

Sylvia and Helen, along with the other maids, lit the lamps and leaped down from the platform.

“Children! This is Raon! Raon Zigheart!”

Yua infused her voice with aura as she announced my name to the children.

“Raon?”
“R-really the hero?”
“Raon! Raon! Raon!”
“Waaaaaaaa!”

Even the children sitting in chairs leaped up and swarmed toward me like a hive of bees.

“Did you really fight for a whole week and save people?”
“Did you really defeat the Demon King?”
“Did you catch a dragon too?”

I had no idea how far Yua’s script had gone—now they were talking about me catching the Demon King and a dragon.

“That’s not quite—ah.”

That child….

I shook my head, then locked eyes with the young girl whose name I’d learned was Fine.
Her eyes, once shrouded in darkness, now brimmed with hope and light, and she held hands with the friend she’d once pointed a blade at in the underground.

Seeing her face shine so brilliantly—incomparably brighter than before—something deep within my soul began to melt. It could have been lingering resentment from my past life, or hope itself, or perhaps the lingering grudge Number Nine had left behind.

“Yeah.”

I released that indescribable emotion and nodded to the children.

“I caught the Demon King.”
“Really?”
“You really caught the Demon King?”
“Yeah. A pushover Demon King named Wrath.”
“Wooooooow!”

The children threw their hands in the air and cheered.

-A pushover named Wrath….

Wrath didn’t understand at first, then his eyes ignited with blazing fury.

-You little bastard!

*

*

*

The next day at noon.
I finished my leisurely lunch before heading toward the Bekmang Mountain Cliff.

Since I’d sent word that morning, all members of the Gwangpung Order had gathered at the base of the cliff and were warming up. Unlike yesterday, their faces looked remarkably refreshed and invigorated as they stretched below.

“Raon.”

Lunan Slion rushed over first and nodded at me.

“You’re finally here?”

Burren Zigheart approached next with a smile.

“In the old days, you would’ve been here since dawn. You’ve gotten lazy.”

Martha clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“I wanted to enjoy some home cooking for once.”

Wrath, who’d been sulking since yesterday, had pestered me to stay for lunch as well, so I had no choice but to eat both breakfast and lunch at the Annex Building before coming here.

-Most satisfying indeed.

The creature, now in high spirits, floated suspended in mid-air like he was doing backstroke, grinning contentedly.

I approached Dogyae, who was leaning his back against the cliff.

“Chief Steward. Thank you for all your hard work.”
“I’ve been bored to death waiting for you to finally show up after dumping all the troublesome work on me.”
“Yet the members’ growth has improved considerably.”
“I simply couldn’t leave them idle out of sheer boredom.”
“I’m grateful.”

Dogyae turned his head away with a frown. The Gwangpung Order members’ growth was thanks to his training, so I bowed my head in sincere gratitude.

“Are you climbing the cliff again today?”
“Wasn’t yesterday enough?”
“I fell nearly ten times….”

The Gwangpung Order members sighed, wondering if I was going to do that again.

“Ugh, ah, hello there.”

Hearing a groan, I glanced to the side and saw Dorian wrapped in bandages from head to toe. If not for the pouch at his waist, I wouldn’t have recognized him.

“Why do you look like that?”
“B-because of you, Commander!”
“Me? What did I do?”
“You left me in charge of throwing stones yesterday and then left, so everyone thought I was the one throwing them from the start!”

Dorian pointed at the Gwangpung Order members, pleading for them to clear up the misunderstanding.

“Ah….”

I chuckled as I looked at Dorian and the Gwangpung Order members.

‘So that’s what happened.’

Now I understood why he ended up like this. Dorian must have continued throwing stones at the right moment without stopping, only to be caught by Burren, Martha, and Lunan and beaten senseless.

“I told you to do it just once and then stop.”

I waved my hand dismissively, playing innocent.

“B-but when did you, Commander….”

Dorian’s mouth fell open wide enough for a toad to crawl inside.

“No, surely….”
“So that’s how it was!”
“That bastard!”
“You’re dead later!”

The Gwangpung Order members glared at Dorian with reddened eyes, and his pale lips trembled.

“Is everyone here?”

A weary voice came from the right. When I turned, I saw Rimer with his red hair singed black and both eyes bruised a vivid blue.

“Commander, what happened to you?”
“Don’t ask. Just start already.”

Rimer leaned his back against the cliff and muttered that life was too exhausting.

‘Truly a remarkable group.’

I chuckled softly and stepped before the unit members.

“Fall in.”

At the command to form ranks—something I hadn’t given in a while—the scattered Gwangpung Order members immediately gathered and aligned themselves. Their eyes gleamed with a sharpness that suggested they were ready for battle at any moment.

“First, let me introduce someone. Sir Mark.”

At the mention of his name, Mark Goeten, who had been standing back, stepped forward.

“You’ve all met before, haven’t you?”
“Very well. Though our first meeting was under rescue circumstances, which is awkward….”

Burren Zigheart shook his head at Mark Goeten with an expression of disbelief.

“He looks skilled. Who is he?”

Martha’s black pearl-like eyes gleamed with competitive spirit.

“Good catch.”

Lunan Slion nodded, satisfied with the landing.

“This is Mark Goeten, a swordmaster of knightly origin. He’s not officially part of the Gwangpung Order yet, but since we’ll be working together often, it would be good to get along.”

If Mark Goeten wanted to join the Gwangpung Order, I would accept him, but since he preferred to remain as a vassal, I had placed him under the Annex Building for now.

“….”

Lunan Slion stared blankly at Mark Goeten, seemingly indifferent to his name and status.

“Never heard of him.”

Martha, unfamiliar with the name, murmured “Mark Goeten” several times to herself.

“Mark Goeten? Could it be… Nakhwado… Huh!”

Burren Zigheart closed his mouth after uttering the epithet Nakhwado.

“That’s correct.”

Mark Goeten stepped forward and nodded.

“I am Mark Goeten, known by the epithet Nakhwado, which means ‘a fallen warrior who has sunk even lower than the depths.'”

He smiled confidently as he revealed the meaning of his epithet.

“I was drowning in the abyss, but thanks to you, Raon, I was able to find enlightenment. I look forward to working with all of you.”

Mark Goeten bowed respectfully to the younger warriors of the Gwangpung Order.

“Welcome!”

Burren Zigheart, sensing a kindred spirit, was the first to applaud and laughed heartily.

“Let’s spar later!”
“Do you like bead ice cream?”
“Looking forward to working with you!”
“Woooooow!”

Martha and Lunan Slion each spoke in their own manner, and the other members of the Gwangpung Order laughed and cheered.

Clap!

I clapped loudly once Mark Goeten had finished introducing himself to the Gwangpung Order. The members turned their gazes toward me with serious expressions, as if they had been waiting.

“Now that introductions are complete, we’ll continue with the cliff-climbing training from yesterday. Everyone, take your positions.”

As I moved between the swordsmen, I blocked their mana circuits.

“That’s right. From what I can see, you all need to suffer a bit… huh?”

I pressed down on Rimer’s throat, blocking his mana circuit just as he was giggling, and he spun around with his eyes wide open.

“R-Raon? I think you made a mistake? I also blocked my aura….”
“No mistake. You should do it too, Commander.”
“Damn it! I’m the commander….”
“You said you’d entrust your training to me until your power is fully restored.”

I narrowed my eyes as I looked at Rimer.

“No matter what, I can’t train together with these brats at my rank!”
“Commander. I can see grease on your belly. You’ve been skipping physical training while only doing aura cultivation, haven’t you?”
“Ugh, th-that is….”

Rimer’s shoulders flinched and he lowered his gaze.

“Once you reach the top even once, I’ll exempt you.”
“Really?”
“Of course.”

I nodded and looked down at the entire Gwangpung Unit.

“The same goes for all of you. If you overcome my interference and reach the top even once, I’ll exempt you from this training.”
“Ohhh!”
“Excellent!”
“We’re used to it now! Let’s finish today!”

The Gwangpung Order members cheered at each other, saying they could do it.

I bowed my head to Dogyae standing beside me as I heard the swordsmen’s cheers.

“Chief Steward. I’m counting on you.”
“Good grief. You make me do all sorts of things because of you.”

He let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded and approached the cliff. Since Mark Goeten also had to train, Dogyae was today’s safety officer.

“Then I’ll see you later.”

I waved my hand lightly and ascended to the cliff’s summit in one fluid motion. Upon reaching the top, I shouted down toward the training ground below.

“Training begins!”
“Let’s go!”
“This ridiculous training ends today!”
“Ahhhhhhh!”

The moment I called out to start, the Gwangpung Order members sprang forward like grasshoppers, clinging to the cliff face. With the sun already high and having made several round trips, their climbing speed was twice as fast as yesterday.

“Fast, but still….”

I smirked and retrieved a wooden dart-shaped fragment. Wedging it between my index and middle fingers, I fired it downward.

Whiiiing!

With a sharp cutting sound, the wooden dart struck Crain’s cheekbone as he climbed at the front.

“Ack! Why me again?!”

Crain let out a piercing cry and plummeted downward. Dogyae sighed but moved to catch him.

“That’s not quite right.”

I clicked my tongue briefly and pulled out a manual from my pocket. It was the martial arts treatise on White Thunder Flying Daggers I’d received yesterday.

“Ah, my hand position was slightly off.”
-You… surely you’re not….

Wrath’s lips trembled as he stared at me.

-Are you trying to use those fools as practice targets for flying daggers?
‘Exactly.’

I nodded confidently.

‘Such perfect targets shouldn’t go to waste.’

The most important aspect of training with throwing blades is hitting a moving target. Thanks to mastering blade techniques in my past life, I decided to skip stationary objects and aim directly at moving targets.

‘They’re training their senses and reaction speed, while I’m training my accuracy. Two birds with one stone.’
-What kind of insane bastard is this….

Wrath shook his head, muttering that I’d truly gone mad.

‘This is what I call cost-effective training.’

I chuckled and released a second blade. Flying faster than before, it struck the armpit of a Gwangpung Order member. The swordsman screamed as he was hit in a vital spot and plummeted.

“Still a bit lacking.”

This time my accuracy had improved, but the speed was slightly insufficient. I infused more aura and hurled a wooden blade at the ascending Gwangpung Order member.

Thwack-thwack-thwack!

With the Moonless Technique and the Ring of Fire compensating for my shortcomings, the blades grew progressively faster and more precise as they bombarded the Gwangpung Order members.

“Ahhhhh!”

As I gleefully sent the Gwangpung Order members plummeting, Rimer had somehow climbed halfway up the cliff. He was using the surrounding wind instead of internal aura to increase his speed.

‘That’s cheating.’

I shook my head and fired a blade packed with aura toward Rimer. Just as it fell like lightning toward his forehead, a green wind rose up, deflecting the blade’s trajectory and reducing its power.

“Raon! You’re still just a child!”

Rimer grinned, claiming this was what an adult’s response capability looked like.

“Hmm….”

I threw several more blades, but Rimer used the wind to diminish their power before bounding up the cliff like a grasshopper.

“No choice then.”

Without hesitation, I drew my sword. I summoned the Heavenly Rotation above the blade of the Heavenly Sword.

-What…?

Wrath’s jaw dropped as he witnessed the scene.

-You… surely you didn’t….
‘That surely is exactly what I did.’

I smiled wickedly and unleashed a spark-laden blade toward Rimer.

Kwaaaaaaa!

The blade spun like a circular saw, obliterating the entire edge of the cliff that Rimer had been climbing.

“Gack!”

As the wall supporting his hands and feet crumbled away, Rimer’s eyes bulged as if they might burst.

“I never said I wouldn’t use a sword.”
“Raon! You insane bastard!”

Since Rimer couldn’t use aura either, he began plummeting downward along with the cliff.

“Uh….”
“Why did that lunatic show up again?”
“Dorian! What’s wrong with him!”
“He’s always been like that!”

Dorian waved his hand dismissively at Martha.

“That’s cheating.”

I chuckled softly and sheathed my sword. Just as I was about to throw another dagger, I heard rustling from behind, and someone walked up the path.

“Vice-Leader. It’s been a while.”

Turning around, Chad, the leader of the Bi-Yeon Society, approached with a bow, carrying a large box.

Crack!

I struck Dorian’s forehead with the dagger I’d been holding, then bowed my head to him.

“What brings you all the way here?”
“I came in person because I have good news.”

Chad set down the box he’d been carrying and smiled.

“A gift has arrived from the Beast Palace.”
“A gift from the Beast Palace….”

I alternated my gaze between the box Chad had set down and the Gwangpung Order members climbing the cliff with determination, my smile growing brighter.

‘With this, I could increase the intensity of their training…’
-…Are you really trying to kill these kids?

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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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