The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 594

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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 594

“What do you mean by that?”

Merlin narrowed her eyes and tilted her head slightly.

‘Is she suspecting me?’

The moment Raon Zigheart’s name was mentioned, Tacheon addressed me, who had only been showing my face in the meeting. It meant he already harbored some suspicion. Before I could deny any involvement, he first asked what I meant.

“You still maintain considerable interest in Raon Zigheart, do you not?”

Tacheon continued in a calm tone, as if it were of little consequence.

“I’m asking what you currently know about him.”
“You’re saying I have an interest in Raon Zigheart?”

Merlin lifted the edge of her mask slightly and twisted her lips into a smile.

“Am I not?”
“No, you’re right.”

She chuckled and nodded.

‘Honesty is best.’

A clumsy denial wouldn’t fool him anyway.

I’ve interfered in Oma’s affairs more than once to help Raon. There was no way Tacheon wouldn’t know of it.

“I swore I would slit the throat of Raon Zigheart, who devoured Rocta’s soul. But when I actually saw him, he carried Rocta’s scent, so I couldn’t bring myself to act.”

Merlin furrowed her brow and wove truth and falsehood together skillfully.

“So that’s why you interfered with the Holy Sword Association, the Black Tower, and the White Blood Cult’s operations?”

As expected, Tacheon already knew that Merlin had clashed with all three factions. Deception was pointless.

“Right. I couldn’t just let her die before my eyes.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”

Merlin spoke as though it were merely that simple, her crimson lips hidden beneath the Old Woman’s mask.

“I understand to some degree.”

Tacheon nodded briefly, as if satisfied with the explanation.

“Then I’ll ask again. Do you have any knowledge of why Raon Zigheart moved so swiftly from Sepia?”
“I don’t.”

Merlin waved her hand decisively and leaned her back against the sand once more.

“I saved Raon Zigheart because he was right in front of me. I’m not the type to follow him around. Besides….”

She wiggled her raised fingers back and forth.

“How would I know his movements when I’m here?”
“Someone of your caliber could certainly cast magic to that effect.”
“I already told you. As long as he doesn’t die before my eyes, that’s enough. I’m not going to bother myself with such tedious things.”

Merlin closed her eyes, remarking that such behavior was unlike her true nature.

“….”

Tacheon gazed down at Merlin’s mask without opening his mouth.

“That certainly sounds like you.”

He nodded lightly and turned his gaze elsewhere.

“This incident has caused considerable damage.”

Despite his words of grave damage, Tacheon’s tone carried no darkness whatsoever.

“The death of the Red Ghost Knight is a gain, but Cassandra and Hongryeom-gwi—or rather, the most critical matter is that Hongryeom-gwi died without ever obtaining his true power.”

He tapped the desk lightly with his slender, elongated fingers.

“So the Heavenly Demon is applying pressure.”

The man wearing the troll shaman’s mask clicked his tongue sharply.

“Damn them all. If they come looking, I’ll wring their necks!”

The woman wearing the griffin mask already had veins bulging in her neck, her irritation evident.

“That’s not much of a concern. I can smooth it over.”

Tacheon shook his head and gazed upward at the sky.

“The problem is that someone is changing the celestial fortune.”
“Celestial fortune, you say…?”
“Before we began this operation, I read the celestial fortune. I saw the World Tree burning, the Spirit Realm crumbling, and Hongryeom-gwi reaching transcendence. But…”

A chill crept into his previously serene gaze.

“The outcome became the complete opposite. The World Tree survived, two Spirit Kings were born and the Spirit Realm found stability, and Hongryeom-gwi died. The celestial fortune I saw was perfectly reversed.”

Tacheon rested his chin on his interlaced fingers, his eyes narrowing.

“Generally, there aren’t many who can change celestial fortune. Those who transcend—especially those who reach the Ten Heavens—can only do so by sacrificing much.”
“Then… does that mean Raon Zigheart has reached transcendence…?”
“That’s not it.”

He shook his head.

“According to the information left by the Red Ghost Knight—or rather, the Blue Time Envoy—he’s still only at the beginning of the Grand Master realm. Which makes this all the more troubling.”

Deep shadows carved themselves beneath Tacheon’s eyes.

“It means Raon Zigheart can change celestial fortune without reaching transcendence. I tried not to pay too much attention, but…”

His eyes, emanating an eerie heat, fell directly upon Merlin.

“I think I need to reconsider my approach.”

*

*

*

“…And so it came to pass!”

The baby fox raised her paw triumphantly, as if to say, I did well, didn’t I?

“….”

I blinked as I looked at the baby fox housing Merlin.

“You’re under suspicion, you know!”

Considering Tacheon’s words, he had essentially said he would keep watch over Merlin without stating it outright. No—that dangerous man had likely already anticipated the relationship between Merlin and me.
No, if it’s that dangerous guy, he might have already predicted the relationship between Merlin and me.

“Then why are you so calm about it!”
“I’ve told you before.”
“I told you before.”

Merlin fluttered her front paws.

“I’m telling you, I have no lingering attachment to Eden. It was like that before too, but now it really has no value whatsoever.”

She shook her head, saying she was only at Eden to extract information.

“I love it whenever you worry about me. I’d like to record it.”
“It’s always nice to hear you worry about me. I want to record this.”

Merlin crossed her hind legs while her cheeks flushed red.

Ugh, she’s really crazy…

Wrath couldn’t bear to watch any longer and fled into the ice flower bracelet.

“Think about this seriously. You’re already in a dangerous position.”
“I know.”

Merlin nodded calmly in acknowledgment.

“But the risk was worth taking.”
“What?”
“I may have drawn suspicion, but in exchange, I was able to save you. That’s enough for me.”

She smiled as if that settled the matter. Her untroubled smile carried genuine sincerity.

“Sigh….”

I exhaled deeply, clutching my head. There was nothing I could say when she put it that way, but there was still something I needed to tell her.

“You did save me, and I’m grateful for that.”
“My! Grateful? There’s no need for such formality between us.”
“But from now on, I need you to think about yourself.”

I ignored Merlin’s words and looked directly into her eyes.

“Don’t approach me in your true form anymore. Not even if I’m in danger.”
“Mm, I’ll try my best.”
“Not try—you must promise. And….”

I lifted my finger and gently tapped the baby fox’s nose.

“Prepare an escape route from there.”

Based on Tacheon’s reaction, he may have already begun investigating. Creating a way out was the most crucial thing.

“I’ve made some rough preparations, but since you’re saying it like that, I’ll think it through more carefully.”

Merlin stroked my hand with her front paw, telling me not to worry.

“That works then.”

I exhaled and nodded in agreement.

“Phew, I’ve been so worried about you today that I’m practically full from it.”

Merlin let out a small laugh and burped quietly. The fact that she was in the form of a baby fox made it annoyingly cute.

“Now that I’ve confirmed you’re safe, I should be going.”

She glanced up at the sunlit ceiling, saying her time was up.

“Hmm….”

I straightened my posture and swallowed hard.

‘What now?’

As I waited tensely for Merlin to speak, she swept her front paw through the air.

“This little one is asking for grooming.”
“Grooming?”
“Grooming is when an animal uses its tongue to groom its own fur. When members of the same species groom each other, they build bonds of affection.”
“With a tongue, you say?”

I stared at the baby fox with my mouth agape.

“This little one lost its parents not long ago and became alone. It asked if it could receive grooming from a human at least.”

Merlin petted herself sympathetically, as if to say the poor thing.

“Ah….”

Hearing the baby fox’s story, I couldn’t refuse. This was a situation where I needed to groom it with my heart, if not my tongue.

-Kkeup!

Wrath crept out slowly and covered his mouth with his hand.

-Poor thing….

He said it was pitiful, but if he removed the hand covering his mouth, I had a feeling he’d be grinning.

“Then I’ll count on you!”

Merlin waved her hand and departed. The baby fox’s dark eyes gazed directly into mine.

“Ah….”

I swallowed hard as I looked at the baby fox. Meeting its gaze, I found myself unable to refuse.

“Just give me a moment to prepare myself.”

I took a deep breath with my eyes closed.

‘Just ten times. My tongue might feel a bit rough, but….’

After steeling myself and opening my eyes, the baby fox was smiling like a human.

“Hehe.”
“Merlin!”

Hearing Merlin’s voice, I immediately pushed the baby fox away.

“You really are different from everyone else.”

Merlin laughed heartily, as if she’d expected this.

“You don’t have to groom it with your tongue. You can pet it with your hands instead.”

She chuckled, clearly amused by what she’d witnessed.

“Then I’ll really be going now.”

With those words, the baby fox’s eyes gleamed with a soft amber hue. This time, she truly seemed to have departed.

Patter.

The baby fox came to my lap and rubbed its face against my knee.

“All right. I’ll pet you as much as you’d like.”

I settled the baby fox back onto my lap and carefully stroked from its head down to its tail.

-Stroke it properly! Every single strand of fur!
‘I know, so be quiet.’

Huff.

The baby fox’s eyes crinkled with delight as it swished its tail contentedly.

‘It’s not just the fox that’s enjoying this.’

Strangely, as I stroked the baby fox, my own heart grew calm and peaceful.
This grooming seemed to bring tranquility to my mind as well.

After petting the fox for a while, the door opened and Rimer, Dorian, and Yua entered.

“Raon! You’re awake!”

Dorian rushed over and dropped to his knees, bowing his head.

“Are you in any pain?”

He sniffled, clearly having worried greatly.

“See? I told you there was no need to worry. This guy’s body is made of steel.”

Rimer chuckled and patted my shoulder.

“Young Master!”

Yua rushed toward me, holding a tray with both hands.

“Be careful.”

I caught Yua with the hand that had been stroking the baby fox.

Chirp.

The baby fox’s eyes opened narrowly as if wondering what was happening.

“Huh? What’s that fox?”
“It was beside me when I woke up.”

I couldn’t mention that Merlin had possessed it, so I pointed to the hole the baby fox had emerged from.

“It must have come in through here.”
“Ohhh….”

Yua gazed at the fox with sparkling eyes.

“Can I pet it?”
“Yes!”

I nodded and picked up the baby fox, handing it over to Yua.

“Good girl.”

Yua held the baby fox tenderly and stroked it gently.

I watched Yua and the fox for a moment, then turned my gaze toward Rimer.

“Is it all over?”
“Why are you asking me? You handled everything.”

Rimer laughed, saying everything ended when Hongryeom-gwi collapsed.

“I was just making sure.”
“It ended well. Grandfather survived, the World Tree survived. Some of our kin fell, but that was unavoidable.”

He murmured reassurances in a voice tinged with melancholy.

“You must be famished. Let’s have some food first.”

Dorian offered a steaming golden soup from the tray Yua had brought.
It resembled corn soup with small bread pieces floating in it, yet strangely, it carried no aroma whatsoever.

-Ohhh!

Wrath smacked his lips eagerly at the sight of the soup.

-You’ve been starving, so where’s the soup! Eat up quickly!
‘I am hungry, so…’

I nodded and took a spoonful of the soup. Unlike the lack of aroma before tasting it, the moment the soup touched my tongue, a rubbery flavor spread throughout my mouth.

-Blegh…!
“What is this…?”
“It’s soup made from Nadin bread.”

Rimer laughed while pointing at the soup.

“Since your stomach isn’t feeling well, you won’t be able to eat much. I made it so that even just one spoonful would be enough.”
“I see…”

I answered briefly and looked toward Wrath. His plump body began to glow a vivid red.

-You Eden bastards! Don’t worry!

Wrath raised both fists and ground his teeth.

-I’ll annihilate every last one of your ears!
‘This isn’t actually that bad?’

I ignored Wrath’s fury and took another spoonful of the Nadin bread soup.

-Bleeegh…!

The moment the rubbery taste coated my tongue, Wrath’s anger naturally evolved.

-This cursed land! I’m never coming back!

*

*

*

“Sigh…”

Sterin slowly lifted his eyelids. Within his sunken eyes, a deep weariness and pain radiated outward.

“Guardian!”
“You’ve awakened!”

The Guardians who had been keeping watch around the World Tree rushed toward him.

“I’ve awakened, but it seems I’m far too late.”

Sterin exhaled a heavy sigh as he gazed upon the charred roots and base of the World Tree.

“Were you aware of what transpired?”

The Grand Elder, who had been maintaining the temporary barrier, approached Sterin and bowed his head.

“Since I was in resonance, I cannot know the exact details. I could only sense that the World Tree was suffering greatly.”

Sterin furrowed his brow as he spoke of the searing pain he had felt from within the World Tree, as though it were burning in flames.

“Then allow me to explain.”

The Grand Elder released a brief sigh and settled down beside Sterin.

“It began with Raon Zigheart. He said something felt amiss and ordered reconnaissance of the Grand Forest….”

He explained to Sterin everything that had transpired during his unconsciousness.

“I see. So that’s how it was. A Spirit King, then….”

Sterin showed little surprise at hearing that Raon and Siyan had dealt with a Spirit King, as if he had anticipated the situation to some degree.

“That child has placed me in considerable debt.”
“Indeed. Considering Siyan’s awakening as well, it is a debt most difficult to repay.”

The Grand Elder nodded in agreement.

“You seem to have changed somehow.”

Sterin narrowed his eyes as he regarded the Grand Elder.

“Because I witnessed something that had no choice but to change.”
“I see.”

Sterin rose to his feet with a faint smile. He nearly collapsed from weakness, but the Grand Elder caught his shoulder.

“What is Siyan doing?”
“In place of the Guardian, she is circling around Sepia and regenerating the World Tree’s barrier.”
“I wanted to teach her that myself.”

He clicked his tongue softly, genuinely regretful.

“Will you go see her?”
“I’d like to, but there’s something I must do first, isn’t there?”
“Indeed.”

The Grand Elder nodded with a serene smile, understanding perfectly what he meant.

“That matter takes priority above all else.”

*

*

*

Raon left the Dormitory upon hearing that Sterin had awakened.

“Is the Guardian doing well?”
“You’d be shocked at how perfectly fine he is.”

Rimer chuckled and nodded.

“That old man. I have no idea how much longer he’ll keep playing Guardian.”

He clicked his tongue, calling it absurd. Yet it was clear he hadn’t slept a wink from worry.

“Hmm…”

Raon furrowed his brow as he walked the path leading to the World Tree.

‘They really did burn quite a lot.’

The passage from Sepia to the World Tree was filled with black ash.
Even for elves, it seemed it would take considerable time and effort to restore the forest.

“Don’t worry about it.”

Rimer waved his hand, sensing what I was thinking.

“As long as the elves remain, the forest will recover. We can restore something like this without much difficulty.”

He laughed, confident in that much at least.

“You worry about yourself instead. Have you tried using the Sword of Victory again?”
“I tried, but it didn’t work. It seems it really was just a coincidence.”
“Thank goodness. If it had worked, I would’ve given up on swords and opened a gambling house instead.”
“Isn’t that basically what you’ve already done? You’re there all week long.”
“It’s not that bad!”

As I walked while joking with Rimer, I soon found myself arriving before the World Tree.
But there, it wasn’t just Sterin—most of the elves staying in Sepia had gathered.

‘What’s this?’

I thought something was odd and stopped walking.

“Not yet.”

Rimer grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the Center of World Tree.

“I’ve brought him. Or rather, I’ve escorted him here.”

He stood beside Sterin and grinned widely.

“You’ve awakened. I’m relieved.”

I bowed my head to Sterin with a bewildered expression.

“Thanks to someone, that is.”

Sterin smiled faintly as he gazed up at the World Tree. Despite more than half of its base being consumed by flames, the colossal entity remained utterly unmoved.

“When I became one with the World Tree, I felt the agony of burning. I knew it was an external attack, but there was no way to sever the resonance.”

He ran his hand over the charred sections and clicked his tongue softly.

“I thought everything was lost when the World Tree came under attack. Yet the pure essence of fire and water—so pristine that even I, resonating with the tree, could sense it—gave me a sliver of hope.”

Sterin’s gaze turned back to me. It was different now.
The eyes that had held the pride of a grandfather watching his grandchild now gleamed with reverence, as if beholding an equal.

It was not only him. Every elf present—the Grand Elder, Erian, all of them—bore the same transformation in their eyes.

“Allow me to begin.”

Rimer stepped forward before Raon. He grasped his right shoulder with his left hand and lowered himself onto one knee.

“The Yuhwa Branch Tribe bows before our benefactor.”
“B-Branch Lord?”

Before anyone could voice their confusion, Erian stepped forward from the left and assumed the same posture as Rimer.

“The Corn Branch Tribe bows before the benefactor of our kin.”
“The Sihua Branch Tribe bows before the benefactor of our kin.”
“The Maran Flower Tribe bows before the benefactor of our….”
“The Karan Stem Tribe bows before….”

The tribe leaders did not merely speak the words—their sincerity became intent, tickling my chest with warmth.

“Sepia’s Guardian bows before the benefactor of our kin.”

Finally, Sterin stepped forward. He too knelt and bowed with solemn reverence, his bearing as grave as if addressing the World Tree itself.

Behind Sterin, the Grand Elder, the other elders, and every elf present grasped their left shoulder with their right hand and knelt. A ritual visible only when elves revealed their true hearts. They conveyed their sincerity through postures as straight and true as tree trunks.
A ritual that only appears when Elves reveal their true hearts. They have conveyed their sincerity through a posture that displays themselves as straightforwardly as a tree trunk.

Beneath the dappled sunlight, hundreds of elves raised their voices.
Hundreds of Elves raised their voices beneath the bright sunlight streaming through the trees.

“I greet the benefactor of our Elf Clan!”

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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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