The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 452

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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 452

When I arrived at the Patriarch’s Hall, I saw the White Lotus Society crossing through the Main Mansion.

“They really do look like defeated soldiers.”

Just as Dorian said, the White Lotus Society moved without strength in their steps, like soldiers who had lost a war.

“That’s what I told you. They looked like they’d lost.”

Dorian stepped beside me and whispered softly.

“Hmm? Wait….”

I narrowed my eyes as I examined the White Lotus Society more carefully.

‘Did they actually get beaten?’

Upon closer inspection, every single swordmaster of the White Lotus Society was wrapped in bandages here and there.

‘Who did they fight?’

There shouldn’t have been any enemies left there.

I’d dealt with both the Black Tower and the White Whale, so I couldn’t fathom what enemy they could have fought.

“Huh?”

I clicked my tongue and looked at the White Lotus Society again, my eyes narrowing.

‘Even Airand took a beating?’

Airand seemed to have suffered severely as well—half his head and face were blackened with soot, and thick bandages wrapped from his right shoulder down to his waist.
He appeared to be the most seriously injured among the White Lotus Society.

“They’re… they’re actually hurt?”

Dorian also noticed that their injuries were genuine and let out a groan.

“Exactly.”

I nodded slowly.

‘Did they fight the main forces of the Black Tower?’

Though I didn’t want to admit it, the White Lotus Society was slightly stronger than the Gwangpung Corps at present.
It was remarkable that those who were called strong wherever they went had been broken like this.

‘But why hasn’t anyone died?’

Strangely, everyone had suffered severe injuries, yet it seemed no one had actually perished. It was an odd situation in many ways.

As I was contemplating enemies who might be in the Hopiren Region, Airand approached the front of the Patriarch’s Hall.

“Hmm….”

Airand glared at me, his expression crumpled like a piece of paper held in a fist.

“Did something happen?”

I raised my chin slightly, observing the bandages wrapped around Airand’s shoulders.

“Last I saw you, you were holding your breath in hiding. It seems you got caught by someone.”

I curled my lips into a thin smile, mocking how he had remained hidden and never emerged during my fight with Baek Rangdo.

“…None of your concern.”

Airand ground his teeth and entered the Patriarch’s Hall.
The White Lotus Society followed behind him, looking embarrassed and avoiding my gaze.

“Hmm….”

I smiled faintly and trailed after the White Lotus Society, spreading a thin veil of spiritual energy so those ahead wouldn’t notice.

“Let’s go too.”
“W-where are we going?”

Dorian grabbed my sleeve in alarm.

“I need to verify whether those bastards report properly.”
“But the Head of House is right there—they’ll surely do it correctly.”
“No. I saw it in their eyes. They were ready to lie outright.”

I dragged Dorian along and followed the White Lotus Society.

-Pathetic.

Wrath tapped my shoulder sharply.

-Vengeance is but a hollow thing. Forget such nonsense and let us go eat ice cream instead.
‘…Is that really what the Lord of Wrath should be saying?’

I never expected a Demon Lord to discourage revenge rather than urge it on. He must be genuinely craving ice cream.

But if I didn’t follow now, I’d miss seeing Airand’s face crumble, so I had no choice but to go along.

-Please! The ice cream shop is closing!
‘Then I’ll get two sets tomorrow.’
-Deal! Vengeance must absolutely be pursued! Yes! Even if it takes a thousand years, the Demon Lord’s vengeance shall not be late!

Wrath cheered and dashed off.

-Then I can choose eight flavors. First, four mint chocolate ones, then this month’s special, plus chocolate, strawberry, and pineapple… but that’s still not enough, is it?
‘….’

I’m truly sick of this guy now.

I sighed briefly and stood before the Audience Chamber, following the White Lotus Society.

As if it had been arranged beforehand, the moment Airand approached, the door opened and Roen stepped out.

“You’ve worked hard. Please, come in.”
“Thank you.”

Roen gestured for them to enter, and Airand bowed to him before stepping into the Audience Chamber.

After the White Lotus Society had all entered, I approached him just as he was about to close the door.

“Commander of the Gwangpung Corps?”

Roen didn’t seem startled, but tilted his head with an expression of mild surprise.

“What brings you here today…?”
“Since the Gwangpung Corps and White Lotus Society have been assigned the same mission, naturally I should participate as well.”

I walked forward with unwavering confidence, my expression as impassive as steel.

“Hehehehe.”

Roen chuckled softly and turned his gaze inward.

Following his line of sight, I looked up at the Jade Throne on the Platform. Glen gave a small nod of approval.

“Please, come in.”

Roen smiled and raised his hand courteously.

“Thank you.”

After bowing to Roen, I took my place before one of the pillars, as the executives typically did when waiting during regular reports.

“I pay my respects to the Head of House.”

Since I was not the subject of today’s report, I spoke in a low voice and bowed my head.

“I-I pay my respects to the Head of House!”

Dorian wiped the cold sweat trickling down his forehead and bent at a perfect right angle.

“Mm…”

Glen nodded dismissively to acknowledge their greetings.

“Yes, yes… why are you here…?”

Airand’s eyes darted about in confusion as his lips trembled.

“Don’t mind me. Let’s proceed with the Treasury report.”

I shrugged and gestured toward the Jade Throne.

“We, we greet the Head of House!”

Airand and the White Lotus Society swordsmen bowed to Glen, though their trembling eyes remained fixed on me.

“Airand.”

Glen gazed down at the kneeling Airand and White Lotus Society swordsmen with cold eyes, his brow furrowing.

“I heard the White Lotus Society hadn’t engaged the Black Tower or the White Whale. What is the meaning of this condition?”

He surveyed the White Lotus Society, who looked like defeated remnants, his expression darkening.

“That is… the truth…”

Airand lifted his head, his lips pressed tightly together.

“We were attacked by Eden, not the Black Tower.”
“Eden?”
“Yes. Merlin from Eden suddenly launched an assault.”

He exhaled deeply as he spoke Merlin’s name.

‘…Merlin?’

The moment I heard the name Merlin, a chill ran down my spine.

‘Could she have been there?’

The probability of the White Lotus Society coincidentally encountering Merlin was infinitesimally small.
It was clear that Merlin, who had followed me, had taken offense at Airand’s conduct and struck first.

—That, that perverted stalker was there?

Wrath trembled visibly as well, his lips quivering. He probably hadn’t noticed, too preoccupied with thoughts of ice cream.

“Wait.”

Sheryl, standing behind Glen, raised her hand.

“I know Merlin’s abilities well. She’s a monster whose magical power and mastery continue to grow even now.”

Sheryl narrowed her brows as if the situation made no sense.

“How did no one die when that madwoman launched a surprise attack?”

Airand clenched his fists until they bled, then opened his mouth.

“The truth is….”

*

*

*

After a brief rest, Airand departed the Hopiren Region with the White Lotus Society.

‘That arrogant bastard. He made his declaration, so he won’t refuse a duel.’

As I walked, contemplating my plan to challenge Raon to a match immediately upon returning to the Family Estate, the sky suddenly darkened as if night had fallen.

“Hm?”

I looked up to see a Strange Being wearing an old woman’s mask hovering beneath the blackened storm clouds.

“M-Merlin!”

Recognizing her as Merlin from Eden, I immediately drew my blade, but she didn’t attack—instead, she plucked petals from the air.

“Kill. Spare. Kill. Spare. Kill. Spare. Kill. Spare. Kill. Spare. Kiiiill!”

Merlin threw a flower stripped of all its petals and let out a cheer.

“Now it’s two versus two. Can’t be helped. I’ll end this right before you die. I think it’s better to leave you as food for him.”

The moment she spoke of ending things right before death, countless magical formations emerged from the dark clouds.

Whoooosh!

Brilliant light erupted from the magical formations as spells of every color began to rain down like a downpour.

“Defensive formation!”
“Defensive formation!”

At Airand’s command, the White Lotus Society swiftly deployed a defensive sword formation.

Crackle!

But since they hadn’t properly established their positions and hastily activated the formation, Merlin’s spells shattered the formation’s flow as easily as an awl piercing paper.

“Damn it!”

Even as Airand gritted his teeth and deployed a barrier of aura, he couldn’t withstand the torrential cascade of Merlin’s spells.

Boom boom boom!

As various elemental spells detonated across the crumbling aura barrier, the interior of the formation became absolute chaos.

“Aaaahhh!”
“Cough!”
“Ugh….”

The White Lotus Society’s swordsmen couldn’t maintain the formation against the exploding spells and were sent flying in all directions.

“This insane witch!”

Airand didn’t care whether his fallen subordinates lived or died, and retreated backward with aura wrapped around his body.

“Yeah. I’m a witch. And crazy too.”

Merlin giggled and snapped her fingers, causing the magical circles hovering behind her to interweave like a spider’s web and emit a tremendous burst of light.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

From the magical circles descended a meteor shower of spells, each one thicker and saturated with denser mana.

“Ugh!”

Airand attempted to flee, but Merlin’s spells pursued him as if they possessed eyes, clinging only to him.

“Running won’t help. They have homing capability.”

Merlin swayed her shoulders and laughed heartily.

“Damn it!”

Airand halted and turned around. His blade, wreathed in a brilliant cyan aura, cleaved through a massive fireball.

Crash!

True to his status as master of the White Lotus Society, his swordsmanship flowed with sublime grace, effortlessly severing the relentless tide of spells.

Yet Merlin’s magic was inexhaustible. She continued to rain down master-level spells as though her mana were infinite.

“Argh!”

Airand groaned. As his aura depleted, the barrier of force shattered, and spells began detonating against his exposed body.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

His right shoulder, struck by the fireball, suffered severe burns, while his left shoulder, pierced by an icy spear, developed frostbite.
Consecutive magical impacts inflicted internal injuries, and blood streamed from his mouth.

“Still far from over.”

Merlin refrained from unleashing her full power despite being capable of killing him, instead employing only moderate-level spells to inflict pain and trauma.

“Argh….”

Airand drove his sword into the ground and lifted his head weakly.

“Kill me.”

With my aura and stamina depleted, I could do nothing, yet Merlin remained undiminished.
In the moment I realized the vast gap in power left no options, her magic turned transparent.

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

Merlin condensed her mana into fist-sized projectiles and began pummeling her own body like a punching bag.
Simultaneously, strikes rained down from over a dozen angles, leaving me unable to regain my senses. Endless agony clouded my mind.

“Kugh—ack!”

Only after Airand collapsed, coughing blood, did the clusters of mana scatter into the air.

“Stop toying with me and just kill me!”

He gritted his teeth and demanded death, but Merlin shook her head.

“I’d say that’s about half the job done, wouldn’t you?”

Merlin waved her hand with an exhilarated smile.

“You can handle the rest yourself.”

With those final words, she transformed into a small light and vanished.

“Hah…”

Airand spat blood as the sky above grew clearer.

“What in the world is this…”

*

*

*

“…That is what happened.”

Airand recounted everything that had transpired, omitting only his attempt to abandon his subordinates and flee, as well as his surrender to Merlin.

“Half and half? What does that mean?”

Glen Zigheart stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes.

“I’m not entirely certain myself.”

Airand shook his head heavily.

“That tracks.”

Sheryl slowly rested her chin in her palm.

“Seeing her act so insanely. It’s definitely that Mad Woman.”

She nodded, affirming that Merlin was capable of such things.

“Sigh….”

I grasped my forehead and squeezed my eyes shut.

‘It’s because of me.’

She seemed to have used a flower petal divination to decide whether to kill Airand, who had clashed with me.
Since she said “half and half,” both death and sparing appeared equally, so she killed only half and left.
A chill ran down my spine as if I had entered an ice cave.

“I have returned in shame after being toyed with by the enemy and suffering defeat. I apologize.”
“I apologize!”

Airand bowed his head, asking Glen Zigheart to end his life. The White Lotus Society swordsmen bent their waists in the same manner.

“Rise.”

Glen Zigheart let out a low voice and snapped his knuckles.

“If you’ve been outmaneuvered and defeated by an enemy, then you and your subordinates must grow stronger so that you never experience such humiliation again. That is the mindset a leader must possess.”
“I will keep that in mind.”

Airand clenched his teeth and lowered his head.

“Then report what happened before that.”
“Understood. I was assigned a reconnaissance mission….”

He stood at attention and began reporting everything that had transpired.

“When we finished exploring the two lakes, the Gwangpung Corps arrived late.”

Airand’s gaze turned toward me. He continued speaking with a subtle look suggesting we should move past this matter.

“Since the two units had never coordinated before, we decided to move separately….”
“That’s not quite right.”

I cut off Airand’s words with a cheerful tone.

“You clearly said we should move together.”
“W-what are you talking about? You and I were separate….”
“That was after. You said we should move together but spread out the swordsmen one by one, didn’t you?”
“Hmm….”

When I pointed out that he’d already forgotten that, Airand trembled at his fingertips without responding.

“You also said to use the swordsmen as bait by having them move separately. You heard that too, right?”

I jabbed Dorian standing beside me with my elbow.

“Ugh, y-yes, that’s right!”

Dorian nodded with a pale face.

“Bait?”

A chill flickered across Sheryl’s eyes.

“Hmm….”

Glen’s eyes narrowed as he grew visibly displeased at the mention of bait.

“What bait are you talking about?”
“It’s not bait, but….”
“You said that since the Cheoljeon Unit had already been kidnapped from that location, moving one person at a time would inevitably expose us to the enemy. Yet the White Lotus Society Master said that was actually good—that if we suffered at their hands, we could deduce their location. You said it didn’t matter if weak subordinates died.”

I explained what had happened there in a light, almost amused tone.

“Airand….”

Sheryl glared at Airand with a murderous furrow between her brows.

“No, no! I was confident we could rescue them! Since so much time had passed since the Cheoljeon Unit was kidnapped, I wanted to hurry and save them….”
“As I mentioned then, the Hopiren Region is vast. The White Lotus Society and Cheoljeon Unit alone cannot handle it.”

As Airand frantically waved his hands, I interjected with a smile.

“Go on… continue.”

Glen gestured with his finger for him to continue, as if to say they would settle this after the report was finished.

“Ah, understood. After we decided to move separately from the Gwangpung Corps, we headed straight toward the village….”
“That’s not it either.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“I had a clue I wanted to tell you about, but you didn’t listen and left anyway.”
“W-what are you talking about!”
“I sensed signs of presence near the Frozen Lake and wanted to suggest we encircle them together, but you said you’d move separately and told me to handle it myself.”

As I said this, I pointed to the White Lotus Society’s unit commander standing directly behind Airand.

“You heard that too, didn’t you, Commander?”
“That is….”

The commander couldn’t answer and only swallowed hard, but that was answer enough.

Goooooh!

Sheryl’s eyes burned red with exasperation that had crossed beyond her limit as she glared at Airand.
If not for Glen, she would have drawn her sword on the spot.

“Next.”

Glen’s voice carried a chilling coldness.

“A-after that, I searched various places and confirmed that demonic energy erupted from the Frozen Lake, so I rushed there. However, by that time, everything was already over….”
“That’s not it either.”

I raised my hand calmly, as if toying with Airand.

“You were hiding in the trees, watching as Baek Rangdo and I fought.”
“That was to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. In case Baek Rangdo or Hyeol Unkgyeom tried to escape, or if others arrived….”

Airand offered an excuse this time as if he had prepared his thoughts in advance.
However, that reasoning was full of holes.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

I shook my head slowly.

“The tree where the Head of House was hiding was positioned in the direction where the passage was blocked. Those men aren’t fools—they wouldn’t escape that way. And even if others had come, providing help from such a distant location would be far too late.”
“I, that’s… Gasp!”

Airand stopped mid-excuse, frozen in place.

“Ah….”

His complexion turned sallow as he met the piercing gazes of Glen and Sheryl.

I drew a satisfied smile—one that resembled Rimer’s irritating grin—and nodded with contentment.

‘What a delightful expression.’

This was exactly what I wanted to see.

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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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