The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 596

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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 596

Beneath the expansive branches of the World Tree.

The Elves gathered in small groups, exchanging idle conversation and sipping from goblets that wafted sweet fragrances into the air.

“Hmm….”

I rubbed the back of my neck as I observed the Elves’ modest gathering.

‘The atmosphere is quite bright.’

I had attended because I heard they were holding a gathering to honor the fallen Elves, yet they were sipping fruit wine and wearing subtle smiles. I had come expecting a funeral, so this lighthearted air felt somewhat disconcerting.
I came expecting a funeral, so this light atmosphere was a bit surprising.

Don’t worry about trivial things!

Wrath’s shoulders sagged as his eyes darted rapidly.

We must finish eating before the food gets cold!

He quickly pointed to the table where the food was laid out and suggested they eat.

-Why do you have such poor appetite! You must eat more to grow tall and strong!
‘Are you my mother now….’
“Are you our mom…?”

Raon shook his head as he listened to Wrath’s complaints.

‘Sure, sure.’
“Yeah. Yeah.”

Wrath had also helped with this matter, so she put a well-baked pie into his mouth.
-Ahhhhh! How delightfully sweet!
The ingredients were so good that I could taste both a refined elegance and a comforting warmth at the same time.

Ugh! It’s so sweet!

Wrath clenched his fists and let out a gasp of admiration.

-This is it! This is why I live!

He danced on his shoulders with an expression of joy I hadn’t seen in ages.

-Next, that one! That food glazed with honey—I crave it!
‘Anyway.’

I chuckled softly and ate the food Wrath desired. Since he wanted so many things, I’d only sampled one of each, yet I was already quite full.

‘Where are the fruit drinks?’

As I turned my head searching for something to drink, I heard the voices of Rimer and the young elves coming from beneath a tree in the right corner.

‘What is he doing with the children?’

I tilted my head curiously and approached the tree where Rimer was.

“When five cards have the same suit like this, it’s called a flush. And when the numbers are consecutive too, it’s called a straight flush.”

Rimer grinned as he showed the children the poker hand rankings.

“The probability of a flush is less than 0.2 percent, and a straight flush is 0.01 percent. But once you’re actually at the table, they come up more often than you’d think. That’s the beauty of poker.”
“….”

I swallowed hard watching Rimer teach poker to the children.

‘This guy really is….’

He was so pathetic that the word escaped my lips just like it would from Wrath.

‘Though it seems like he’s only teaching it as a game.’

If he were teaching it as gambling, I would have kicked him away immediately, but Rimer appeared to be teaching poker to the children purely as a game.

“So, shall we all take a look?”

Rimer snapped his fingers after teaching them a few more hand rankings.

“Yes.”

The children nodded and pulled small pieces of gold and jewels from their pockets.

“That’s right! This game needs shiny things like these. Let me show you how it works first with your older brother….”
“Damn it, you fool!”

I couldn’t hold back and kicked Rimer’s back.

“Ugh….”

He couldn’t withstand the sudden impact and slammed his face into the ground.

“Who is it!”

Rimer sprang up, his face covered in dirt.

“Who dares strike the teacher of the Spirit King’s Summoner!”
“That Spirit King’s Summoner.”

I drew my sword and let a cold gleam flash in my eyes.

“Hahahaha.”

Rimer laughed awkwardly and approached, grabbing my shoulder.

“Oh, you’re here?”
“What are you doing right now?”

I sighed, looking at Rimer’s pale face.

“Well, children get bored when there are only adults around. I was just trying to entertain them….”

Rimer shook his head as if it was nothing serious.

“Then what are all these pieces of gold and jewels for?”

I frowned, pointing at the gold and gems in the children’s hands.

“As you know, Elves don’t value jewels or gold. They’re useless trinkets anyway. It only makes sense that I, who understands their true worth, should use them….”
-Ugh! What a tiresome ear-grating excuse!

Even Wrath let out an exasperated sigh. When someone tedious complains about another tedious person, it somehow carries more weight.

“That man is a bad person, so you absolutely shouldn’t trust him.”

Raon made eye contact with the children and waved his hand.

“Return the gold and jewels to where they originally were.”
“Yes!”
“Understood!”

The Elf children nodded with sparkling eyes, perhaps because they knew me as the summoner of the Spirit King.

“Ugh….”

As I watched the children return to their parents, Rimer let out a pained groan.

“It was right within reach.”
“Consider it fortunate that I stopped you. If the Guardian had seen it, you would have been pierced by arrows.”
“Hmm, that might be true….”

Rimer nodded while his shoulders trembled slightly.

“But the funeral atmosphere seems brighter than expected.”

Raon looked at the funeral again and smacked his lips briefly.

“Ah, that’s because….”
“Elves become one with nature through death.”

The answer came not from Rimer, but from Leiran’s lips as she approached from the left. She stood beside Rimer holding two round goblets.

“Become one with nature through death?”
“For Elves, death is not an end, but a new beginning. They dissolve into nature and return to a new life.”

Leiran explained that this gathering was not a funeral to mourn death, but a farewell celebration to send off a beloved person.

“That’s right.”

Rimer nodded with a faint smile.

“Elves don’t accept the death of their kin as mere sorrow.”

Despite his words about not accepting death as sorrow alone, his eyes betrayed a bittersweet melancholy.

“I see.”

Raon nodded quietly. The difference in race between humans and elves seemed to create this lighter atmosphere at the funeral.

“You should eat and enjoy yourself too. Here, that’s how we comfort the departed.”

Rimer extended his hand toward Leiran as he spoke.

“You brought that for me, didn’t you? Thank—”
“No.”

Leiran passed by Rimer and offered the cup to Raon instead.

“It’s a fruit wine made by the Cotton Tribe. Beyond its exquisite taste, it will aid in physical recovery and alleviating fatigue.”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the crystalline liquid shimmering within the cup. A refreshing fragrance—whether from Leiran or the wine itself—caressed the tip of his nose.

“Thank you.”

Raon bowed his head slightly as he accepted the cup.

“Such a treasure wasted on someone who doesn’t know wine!”

Rimer clicked his tongue in regret.

“A rare wine?”
“Yes. The Cotton Tribe’s fruit wine is said to be a treasure that even the elves of Sepia can’t obtain.”

He gestured for me to taste it quickly, as if I should be moved by this.

“Hmm….”

Raon gazed at the fruit liqueur, clear as water, and licked his lips. Hearing Rimer’s words, his mouth watered involuntarily.

He brought the fruit liqueur to his lips slowly, as if savoring wine.

-Ahhh! The aroma is intoxicating!
‘Oh….’

The sweet, refreshing taste and fragrance of fruit pierced through my tongue and nose. It felt as though the entire interior of my mouth—weary from consuming various foods—had been cleansed with pristine clarity.

What followed was the distinctive, prickling stimulation unique to fruit liqueur.
My tongue tingled slightly, and it was exquisite. The sharp, lingering finish was far more satisfying than the sweet fruity flavor.

-Cough! Cough! Cough!

However, Wrath seemed displeased with the aftertaste, clutching his throat and staggering.

-N-no! Alcohol! I don’t like alcohol!

The creature who had been raving about how sweet and delicious it was began wiping his tongue with his palm.
I had sensed it with Dogyae as well, but Wrath seemed unable to tolerate alcohol. His palate was entirely childlike.

“Raon.”

As Raon sighed while watching Wrath, Leiran stepped forward and clasped her hands together.

“I apologize. And I thank you.”

She knelt on both knees and bowed her head as though she were human rather than an elf.

“Pardon?”

Raon’s eyes widened in bewilderment at the sudden turn of events.

“What is this….”
“On the day Eden attacked, when you said you had a bad feeling and suggested we scout ahead, I refused, calling it nonsense. I wanted to apologize for that.”

Leiran bowed deeply, her words heavy with remorse.

“There is no need to apologize.”

Raon offered Leiran a faint smile as he helped her to her feet.

“Anyone would have done the same.”

The Guardians had gone two days without sleep, standing watch, and when they were finally about to have their first meal, I had asked them to scout ahead simply because something felt off. There was no way they could have responded positively.

It was remarkable that Erian had trusted me, but Leiran had no reason to apologize like this. It was pathetic to criticize her over such a trivial matter.

“….”

Leiran bit her lip as she watched Raon grasp her arm and pull her upright.

‘He’s nothing like the humans I’ve known until now.’

Humans quibbled over every trivial matter and tried to gain advantage however they could, but Raon possessed none of those traits.

He had accomplished the great deed of saving the World Tree and Sepia, yet he neither elevated himself nor boasted about it. He was a different kind of being from any human she had known, and it bewildered her.

“The wine tastes excellent. Thank you for the drink.”

Raon smiled at Leiran and returned the empty cup to her.

“Oh, yes, of course. There’s plenty more. Please, come and have some.”

Leiran nodded, saying she could provide as much wine as he wanted.

Raon bowed to Leiran, then nudged Rimer’s waist with his elbow.

“Master. Come with me for a moment.”
“Where?”
“You’ll see if you follow.”

He pulled Rimer along and approached Sterin, who sat beneath the World Tree as if guarding it.

“You came?”

Sterin tilted his chin slightly, holding a small cup of wine.

“How are you finding the banquet? It must be tedious compared to human gatherings.”
“I don’t particularly enjoy banquets even in ordinary circumstances, so this is fine.”
“I see.”

He smiled faintly, as if pleased by my response.

“But why did you bring that wretch along?”

Sterin tilted his head while looking at Rimer, who stood dazed.

“Wretch? That’s too harsh a word for my grandson!”
“He is a wretch. It would’ve been fine if only you were ruined. Don’t try to drag the children down with you!”

He struck Rimer’s forehead with the back of his hand as if he had witnessed everything.

“Ugh!”

Rimer crashed to the ground while still holding his wine glass.

“Sigh…”

I exhaled deeply and took a step closer to Sterin.

“There is something I would like to ask of you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Would it be possible to obtain a branch of the World Tree?”

I gazed up at the World Tree, which hung like stars suspended from its branches.

“A branch of the World Tree?”
“Yes.”

I nodded and glanced at Rimer.

“When crafting the Grand Elder’s prosthetic limb, I was told that materials with greater affinity to mana would be better for supporting the framework. I asked him to bring back a branch or root of the World Tree if at all possible.”
“Hmm…”

Sterin frowned while observing Rimer.

“Wouldn’t it be better for you to just live as a one-armed man? That way, you’d probably cause fewer accidents.”
“Is that really something you should be saying, Grandfather?”

Rimer let out a sharp cry of protest.

“Ahem.”

Sterin cleared his throat and turned his gaze toward me.

“It is the law of Sepia that we do not surrender even a single leaf of the World Tree’s branches to humans, let alone the branches themselves. However….”

His expression softened in a way it hadn’t when looking at Rimer.

“For one who has already received its fruit, granting a single branch is hardly a difficult matter.”

The moment Sterin spoke those words, a branch of the World Tree—transparent and gleaming as if illuminating the night—naturally fell and settled into my grasp.

“This is….”

I stared at the World Tree branch in my hand, my eyes widening.

“It seems I didn’t even need to answer.”

Sterin laughed, saying that even among the High Elves, there was no one the World Tree had ever taken such care of.

“Thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”
-Good use?

Wrath squinted, questioning whether that was the right way to put it.

‘Not a bad place, at least….’

I gently stroked the World Tree, adjusting my phrasing slightly.

Whoooooosh!

The World Tree spread its branches with delight, and its leaves—glistening with moonlight—unfurled in a spectacle like a sprawling galaxy.

“I thought you’d returned with your character, disposition, and abilities all ruined….”

Sterin turned his gaze toward Rimer as he observed the scene.

“You’ve brought a disciple capable of compensating for all those losses.”
“He’s had his fortune drained so excessively that whenever he steps into a Gambling House, he loses money.”

Rimer brushed the dirt from his hands and clicked his tongue softly.

“You said you came to return that sword, didn’t you?”

Sterin’s eyes lingered on the blade still hanging at Rimer’s waist, and he licked his lips.

“That’s right.”

Rimer nodded and reached to unbuckle the sword from his waist when Sterin waved his hand.

“There’s no need to give it back.”
“Pardon?”
“Didn’t you say you fought alongside Raon against Hongryeom-gwi?”
“Yes, I did….”
“Your desire to wield a blade hasn’t been broken yet, so there’s no reason to set it down. That sword, too, seems reluctant to leave your hands.”

Sterin shook his head as he observed the blade trembling faintly.

“Whether you grasp the sword with your left hand, restore yourself with a prosthetic, or set the blade down entirely.”

Sterin placed his hand on Rimer’s right shoulder and offered a gentle smile.

“Make that decision only after you’ve properly reflected upon yourself.”

He turned away, saying he would hold onto the sword until then.

“Sigh….”

Rimer exhaled deeply and nodded.

“I understand.”
“And….”

Sterin’s gaze returned to the sword at Rimer’s waist, his eyes growing distant.

“There is someone you will take with you when you return to Zigheart.”
“Take with us, you say….”
“The elders have approved it as well. I wish to establish some exchange between us and Zigheart.”
“That’s an excellent decision!”

Rimer grinned widely and slapped his knee.

“Zigheart is nearly returning to its golden age right now. There’s absolutely no downside to this!”

He raised his hand in approval of the wise choice.

“An envoy is certainly important, but who will you send?”
“That has already been decided.”

Sterin looked at Raon again with a faint smile.

*

*

*

The following evening.

I was summoned by Sterin and made my way back to the World Tree.
Contrary to my expectation that I would be alone, the Grand Elder, Rimer, and Siyan were all waiting beneath the World Tree.

“You arrived on time.”

Sterin nodded approvingly at my arrival.

“Unlike someone else, perhaps.”

The Grand Elder shot a pointed glance at Rimer.

“Ah, you’re really making a fuss about being a little late.”

Rimer scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze.

“R-Raon. Hello there….”

Siyan bowed her head, her blonde hair falling forward to obscure her face.

“Why are all of you here….”

Raon tilted his head, regarding the four of them with confusion.

“You need to consume the World Tree’s fruit now, don’t you? The base of the World Tree is the most efficient place to absorb its essence.”
“Ah….”
“The four of us will stand guard, so focus entirely on your cultivation without worry.”
“All four of you will protect me?”
“Just to be safe.”

Sterin nodded with a faint smile.

“Isn’t this a bit excessive….”
“It’s not excessive. What you’ve done for us far exceeds this.”

The Grand Elder waved his hand, dismissing further pleasantries and urging them to proceed.

“Right. Let’s begin at once.”

Rimer patted Raon on the shoulder.

“I-I will protect you with my very life!”

Siyan’s blue eyes gleamed between her golden locks, her resolve absolute and unwavering.

“Then I’m in your hands.”

Raon smiled gently and settled himself at the base of the World Tree. Normally he would have demurred, but remembering Wrath’s words, he chose to accept their goodwill gracefully.

-F-Finally!

Wrath’s eyes blazed with anticipation as he gazed upon the World Tree’s fruit.

-At last I can taste that delicious, sweet nectar!

He sniffled, pleased that the creature had stuck by his side despite the mistreatment.

As Raon pulled out the World Tree fruit, Rimer’s lips curled into a wide grin.

“It’ll taste delicious to you.”
“Pardon?”
“Never mind.”

He chuckled, urging me to eat quickly.

‘Something feels off.’

The way Rimer phrased it struck me as odd.

-What’s there to worry about!

Wrath shook his head.

-Can’t you smell that sweet fragrance wafting from the fruit! It’s bound to taste wonderful!

He waved his plump hands eagerly, urging me to eat.

‘Fine.’

I steadied my mind and took a bite of the World Tree fruit. Before I could even fully register the crisp, apple-like texture, the taste bloomed across my tongue.

-Sweet… wait?

Wrath, the first to taste it, widened his eyes in shock.

-Blegh! What—what is this! Why does the World Tree fruit taste like rubber bread!
‘It really does….’

I took another bite of the World Tree fruit, blinking rapidly. Despite its sweet aroma, the fruit tasted exactly like rubber bread—that rubbery, nauseating flavor.

‘No, it’s worse than that.’

The rubber taste was far more intense than rubber bread. It was as if I’d stuffed my entire mouth with rubber.

I widened my eyes in bewilderment, and Rimer chuckled, pointing toward Siyan.

“The flavor of Nadine bread was actually inspired by the taste of World Tree fruit. The World Tree’s species is a rubber tree, you see.”
“Are you… are you alright?”

Siyan blinked, asking if I was okay.

“…I’m fine.”

Raon nodded. The taste of Nadine bread had become quite familiar, so there was no real problem.
But there was one Demon Lord who couldn’t say the same.

-Master, kill me…

Wrath staggered and collapsed face-first onto the ground.

-Just kill me already! This is too cruel! Why does the World Tree fruit taste like rubber?! Spit it out quick—

He tried to tell Raon to spit it out immediately, but Raon had already chewed and swallowed all the World Tree fruit, lost in blissful oblivion. Now only Wrath remained to experience the rubber taste.

-Noooooo!

Wrath stretched his hand toward the World Tree, his lips trembling.

-I, the True Demon King, shall burn it all down! Every last bit of it!

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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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