The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 411

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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 411

Before leaping down from the Castle Wall, I gestured toward the table where the Gale Wind Squad sat.

“I’ll step outside for a moment and be right back.”
“But the festival’s starting now?”
“Where are you going?”
“To see a crocodile.”

I answered honestly that I was going to see a crocodile.

“Huh?”
“A crocodile?”
“What kind of insane nonsense is that!”

Burren, Lunan, and Martha widened their eyes in shock, and the other Gale Wind Squad swordsmen asked what I meant, but I didn’t answer and descended the Castle Wall.

As I stepped before the crocodile, treading upon the swamp as though it were solid ground, it gestured for me to follow and turned its body.

‘A gesture, huh….’

Crocodiles are surprisingly intelligent creatures. While they’re said to possess the highest intelligence among reptiles, there’s no way one would gesture to a human to follow and guide them along a path—this was clearly Merlin.

“Sigh.”

I exhaled and followed Merlin’s swaying tail into a densely vined area.

Crunch.

The crocodile entered a place hidden from prying eyes, stopped in its tracks, and turned around.

-Hisssss!

Wrath trembled throughout his entire form as he gazed at the crocodile, even forgetting his desire to eat.

-I cannot even fathom what mad scheme that Mad Woman has concocted this time….
‘Indeed.’

What was she trying to say?

Merlin had mentioned before that the executives of Eden each performed different tasks and didn’t know much about each other’s work.
She too might not have known whether the Phantom Soul Ghost would attack the Arian Family, so it was a somewhat ambiguous situation where I could neither trust nor distrust her.

“Raon.”

Merlin lifted her gaze, her reptilian eyes rolling smoothly.

“How are your injuries?”
“Injuries?”
“Are you alright from the wounds that damned skull-faced bastard gave you?”

Whether from the beginning or not, Merlin knew about the Phantom Soul Ghost’s attack. She extended her front leg, asking me to tell her if there were still any painful spots.

“I’m fine now.”

I said I had fully recovered and waved my hand dismissively.

“But you this time….”

Just as I was about to ask Merlin about the Phantom Soul Ghost’s attack, she lowered her head deeply first.
Despite her crocodilian form, it was a clear gesture of bowing.

“I’m truly sorry.”

She exhaled deeply, saying she had nothing to say about this matter.

“What are you apologizing for?”

I knelt down to meet Merlin’s gaze.

“I couldn’t warn you in advance about the Phantom Soul Ghost’s attack. I found out too late.”

Merlin shed tears, saying she hadn’t been there at the most crucial moment and hadn’t provided information.

‘Crocodile tears, they say….’

They say you shouldn’t believe a crocodile’s tears.

Coincidentally, since Merlin was currently in the form of a crocodile, the phrase “crocodile tears”—a metaphor for hypocrisy—came to mind.
However, I had received considerable help from her, so I couldn’t simply dismiss her outright with suspicion.

“Did you know the Phantom Soul Ghost was going to attack?”
“No.”

Merlin shook her trembling head.

“That skeleton’s original mission was to retrieve the treasure recovered from the Swamp of Death, taint it with greed, and return. Attacking the Arian Family and trying to kill you—that was entirely his own decision.”

She scraped the swamp with her front paw, insisting it was the Phantom Soul Ghost’s judgment alone, not Tacheon’s orders.

I observed Merlin’s expression silently, but since she was in crocodile form, I couldn’t discern what she was actually feeling.

“You don’t believe me.”

She smacked her lips. A fragment of meat caught between her upper teeth was somewhat unsettling.

“I’m not completely disbelieving you. If you really wanted to kill me, you would have used a different method.”

Neither Merlin nor the Phantom Soul Ghost are fools. If they had conspired to attack me together, there would have been far more effective approaches, so her words likely held truth.

Still, because I couldn’t trust someone affiliated with Eden, I intended to maintain some distance.

-You’re thinking wisely! If you keep company with that mad woman, your mind will rot away….

Just as Wrath was about to suggest we leave and grab something to eat, Merlin lifted her right front paw.

“That’s why I prepared something this time.”

Merlin tapped the swamp lightly with her raised front paw.
With a wet, sticky sound, the swamp where moonlight descended became transparent, and something began to emerge into view.

“Hm?”

I narrowed my eyes as I peered down into the swamp. In the pitch-black chamber below, someone was thrashing about like an insect turned upside down, their head clamped in their own grip.

“What is this?”
“The final fate of the one who touched you.”

Merlin’s lips twisted upward into a smile—not because of her crocodilian form, but a grin that sent chills down one’s spine all on its own.

“Don’t tell me that’s….”
“Yep. That disrespectful skull-faced bastard.”

She nodded, confirming it was indeed the Phantom Soul Ghost.

“Huh….”

I examined the thrashing figure more closely. The torn robes and the skull mask with a hole bored through its center—just as Merlin said, it was the Phantom Soul Ghost I’d fought to the death just days ago.

“What’s it doing like this?”
“I’ve locked it away in an artifact called the Golden Fishbowl.”

She spoke as casually as if she’d simply caught a mouse in a trap.

“L-locked it away?”
“That’s right.”

Merlin nodded, her eyes staining a vivid crimson.

“It wounded you. A worthless creature like that dared to hurt you.”

She muttered that it was too late to help, so she’d sealed the Phantom Soul Ghost away where it could never see the world again.

“Won’t Tacheon find out if you do something like this?”
“As long as I don’t kill it, he won’t notice. Besides, my main body is elsewhere right now.”

Merlin shook her head, her expression turning cold as she explained she’d acted with consideration for the movements of the other executives.

“But….”

I pointed at the Phantom Soul Ghost reflected in the swamp. It trembled violently across its entire form as if wracked with agony.

“Why is it suffering like that?”

It was merely confined in the fishbowl, so I couldn’t fathom why it appeared to be in such torment.

“I’m casting a curse on him.”
“…A curse?”
“Yes. I’m inflicting mental anguish by repeatedly chanting curses infused with intent. It’s closer to sorcery than magic.”

Merlin gazed down at the Phantom Soul Ghost with flickering eyes.

“He won’t even be able to escape the fishbowl, but if he somehow does, he’ll flee the moment he sees you.”

As she struck the swamp once more with her front paw, the image shifted. Through a perspective looking up from below at the fishbowl, the ceiling became visible.

‘That’s….’

Above the fishbowl loomed a colossal Merlin, her eyes blazing with crimson light. Her red lips moved ceaselessly, whispering without pause.

-Gasp….

Wrath stared at Merlin’s eyes hovering above the fishbowl before collapsing backward as though losing consciousness.

-That, that woman is truly insane! She went mad, and mad, and mad again!

He retreated into the ice flower bracelet, claiming she’d lost her mind far worse than the stalker from the Demon Realm.

‘Hmm….’

I swallowed dryly and nodded. When Wrath had called her insane before, I hadn’t felt much, but witnessing her cast that curse made my heart clench tightly.

-Do you know what’s even more terrifying?

Wrath poked his head slightly above the ice flower bracelet.

-That image right now. She’s linked it to the Mad Woman’s lifespan.
‘Ah….’

Right. For Merlin to use magic in that state, she’d have to burn through her lifespan. Truly, there wasn’t a single thing about this that didn’t send shivers down my spine.

“That’s enough.”
“Huh? Don’t you want to see more? He’s the one who tormented you! You could watch all day and it still wouldn’t be enough, right?”
“Your lifespan is being consumed.”
“Are you worried about me? For your sake, I could throw away a thousand years!”

Merlin smiled with evident delight, attempting to enlarge the image further. Truly, she was a woman difficult to manage.

“That’s enough. Turn it off.”

I exhaled a sigh and touched the swamp where the Phantom Soul Ghost was visible. The water rippled, and his form vanished.

“This much really doesn’t bother me.”

Merlin smacked her lips regretfully and dispelled the magic projecting the image.

“In any case, the Phantom Soul Ghost won’t appear again, right?”
“Right. Even if he did, he’d be a cripple incapable of doing anything.”
“I suppose so….”

I nodded. If a colossal Merlin were endlessly hurling curses from above my head, no one could endure it. The mere thought made my hair stand on end.

‘At least that’s fortunate.’

The Phantom Soul Ghost’s abilities that I’d experienced this time were terrifying.
Even without that jewel, he was undoubtedly formidable, so if he couldn’t exert his power, it would have ramifications for Eden as well.

‘I need to grow stronger too.’

Without the support of four factions including Milland and Rimer’s surprise assault, the damage could have been far greater, and many more could have perished.
I shouldn’t be content standing at a slightly higher place—I must advance toward even greater heights.

After returning to the Family Estate, I decided I’d undergo hellish training with the Gale Wind Squad. I lowered my gaze.
Merlin was quietly looking up at me.

“Are you really alright?”
“About what?”
“What if Tacheon somehow finds out?”
“Wow. That’s the second time you’ve worried about me today? So my love is finally seeping in.”
“Stop spouting nonsense.”
“There’s no chance of being discovered, but even if I am, I’ll just leave.”

Merlin whispered that she no longer had any lingering attachment to Eden, that she was here for me.

“Sigh….”

I shuddered, my shoulders trembling. Every word, every gesture sent chills down my spine.

“Time’s running out now.”

Merlin smiled faintly and waved her hand.

“I should get going. See you next time.”

She smiled as if everything were finished.

“Thank you for thinking about this.
“Ah….”

Merlin’s eyes widened in surprise, as though she hadn’t expected such words. Her lips curved upward in a thin smile.

“My choice was indeed the right one.”
“Don’t say strange things. That crocodile’s wish is food, right?”

I smiled faintly as I gazed at the crocodile’s teeth.

‘That’s simple enough.’

Beyond the Castle Wall, succulent meat stretched out endlessly. I only needed to bring back a few chunks.

“No.”

Merlin shook her head calmly.

“Huh…?”
“It wants its back scratched.”
“B-back? It wants its back scratched?”
“Yes. Just scratch it for thirty minutes and that should do it. See you later.”

She instructed me to scratch its entire back thoroughly, then waved goodbye.

Grrrr.

As Merlin’s presence vanished, I felt the wild instinct awakening in the crocodile’s elongated eyes.

Growl!

The crocodile thrust its back forward insistently, as if demanding I keep my promise.

“Sigh….”

I placed my hand on the crocodile’s rough, bumpy back and exhaled deeply.

“You really do ask for everything.”
-Did it… leave?

*

*

*

Mustan narrowed his eyes as he watched his master Lectar’s back.

‘What’s gotten into him today?’

The master who had said he wanted to see Raon Zigheart’s swordsmanship had gone rigid the moment he actually laid eyes on him.

Rather than asking about his technique, he’d simply left without a word and spent the entire day staring out the window.

Despite serving him as my master for so long, this was the first time I’d ever seen him like this.

‘What on earth could it be… Could it be?’

The master had marveled at the sword marks Raon left behind, yet when he actually saw him in person, he couldn’t even form words.

There was only one reason the Sword Ghost, obsessed with the blade, would react this way.

‘Talent?’

His master was undoubtedly astounded by Raon Zigheart’s talent, which explained his reaction.

‘Damn it….’

I was irritated that my master—who never revealed his expressions or emotions to anyone, not even himself—had changed because of a young swordsman who had barely come of age.

‘I disliked him from the start.’

Both of the epithets, Sword Ghost’s Disciple and White Sword Dragon, should have been mine to claim.
As I recalled Raon Zigheart, who possessed them all despite being younger than me, my fists clenched with force.

Especially since my relationship with my master was far removed from an ordinary master-disciple bond, the inferiority complex surged even more intensely.

Mustan exhaled a turbid breath that pressed against his chest and approached Lectar.

“Master.”
“What is it?”

Lectar spoke in a sunken voice without turning his gaze away.

“Master, are you all right?”
“Don’t worry about it. Go out and enjoy the festival.”

He waved his hand as if swatting away a fly. The light in his master’s eyes, reflected in the window, bore a color I had never seen before.

‘Is he really that remarkable?’

An unsettling thought bloomed—perhaps my master had taken me on as a disciple reluctantly and now regretted that decision.

“Is Raon Zigheart really that impressive?”
“What?”

Lectar turned his head toward Mustan for the first time. A sharp light blazed in his pupils.

“When I saw him and the sword marks he left behind, Master, your eyes bore a light you have never shown me before.”
“….”

Lectar raised his chin and looked down at Mustan with a fixed gaze.

“What is it you wish to say?”
“I wish to spar with the White Sword Dragon.”
“Spar?”
“Yes. I will defeat Raon Zigheart and prove that I am the one most suited to be your disciple!”

Mustan gripped his sword with confident assurance.

“A sparring match, then….”

Lectar lowered his cold, inscrutable gaze.

“Are you certain?”
“Of course!”

Mustan nodded as though it were obvious.

“Very well.”

Lectar rose from the sofa for the first time, nodding in acknowledgment.

“Do as you see fit.”
“I won’t disappoint you!”

Mustan nodded and departed through the door.

“Sigh….”

Lectar followed after him, exhaling a quiet breath.

“It must have been a misunderstanding.”

*

*

*

After scratching the crocodile’s back for roughly thirty minutes, I made my way up to the castle.

The festival was now in full swing, and joyous laughter and cheers erupted from every corner.

-Dealing with the Mad Woman was exhausting. Let’s eat first!
‘I should wash up first.’

Every time the crocodile scratched its back, my body jerked in response, leaving me covered head to toe in mud. I needed to wash my hands and face first.

“Sigh.”

I exhaled deeply and made my way down from the castle.

“Did you play in the mud or something? Why are your clothes like that?”

Burren let out a hollow laugh as he observed my mud-caked garments.

“Did you really go play with a crocodile?”

Lunan’s eyes widened with curiosity, his expression suggesting he wished he could have gone too.

“You’re a vice-captain. At your age, playing in mud? Have some dignity.”

Martha shook her head in disapproval, her expression one of exasperation.

“That’s not it.”

Fearing I’d sound even more insane if I mentioned scratching the crocodile’s back, I simply waved my hand dismissively and headed toward the nearest well.

As I drew water to wash my hands and face, a young man in flowing white robes approached me.

‘That person…’

He was the youth who called Sword Ghost his master. His fierce presence had left a lasting impression since our first encounter.

Sword Ghost, whose towering frame naturally commanded attention, followed behind him.

‘Have they come to enjoy the festival?’

Though Sword Ghost’s reaction this morning had been peculiar, I owed him a debt of gratitude, so it was only right to greet him first. As I moved toward Sword Ghost, his disciple stepped in front of me.

“Hmm?”

I turned to ask what he meant, but he lowered his head before I could speak.

“It’s an honor to meet you. I am Mustan, disciple of Lectar.”
“I am Raon Zigheart of the Gale Wind Squad.”

Despite Mustan’s fierce gaze, he conducted himself with proper courtesy, so I returned his greeting in kind.

“Forgive my boldness, but I have a request. Would you be willing to hear me out?”
“A request, you say?”

Mustan glanced back at the Sword Ghost approaching from behind, then tapped his scabbard lightly.

“I wish to experience the martial prowess of the White Sword Dragon, whose reputation echoes across the entire Continent. Would you be willing to spar with me?”

He bowed his head again as he made his request.

‘The Sword Ghost’s Disciple, then….’

Undoubtedly a formidable warrior.

The aura emanating from him was befitting of the Sword Ghost’s Disciple—vast and imposing. I could sense the bearing of a master who had refined countless martial techniques into his swordsmanship.

‘This wouldn’t be a bad opportunity.’

A match with him would yield much, regardless of victory or defeat.

‘However….’

I glanced up at the Sword Ghost standing behind Mustan, my lips curling slightly.

‘If I fought the master instead of the disciple, I could gain far more.’

Since Wrath acknowledged him as a formidable opponent, even if I were defeated in a single exchange, I would learn far more than from sparring with Mustan.

For someone who needed to grow stronger faster than ever before, this opportunity was a blessing that had rolled into my lap.

“I understand.”

I nodded to Mustan, then turned my gaze toward the Sword Ghost.

“In return, would it be permissible for me to make a request as well?”
“A request?”

The Sword Ghost parted his lips for the first time.

“If I should face your disciple and still have strength remaining, I wish to obtain the opportunity to exchange blades with Lectar.”

Exchanging blades was less a duel than a desire to learn from one another.

“What are you saying right now!”

Mustan’s pride wounded, he bared his teeth and unleashed a savage aura.

“An opportunity….”

The Sword Ghost’s gaze grew sharp and cold. He—

“Are you confident?”

I caressed the blade of my Heavenly Celestial Sword, a faint smile crossing my lips. Above my eyes, a crimson shimmer bloomed.

“I shall demonstrate through results.”

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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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