The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 837
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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 837
“Move!”
Aris cut down the golems and sorcerers blocking the path, then rushed toward the red-haired man bound in chains.
“Seif! Seif!”
She shattered the enchanted chains with her bare hands and cried out Seif’s name toward the red-haired man.
‘That person….’
I narrowed my eyes as I observed the red-haired man called Seif.
‘So this is Seif.’
He was a man with long, disheveled red hair hanging like rags, his entire body withered like ancient tree bark, and the stench of sorcery emanated thickly from the scars carved across his frame.
‘He’s been through hell.’
Just as the Branch Chief had said, the cruel sorcerous experiments had left him in such a state that I couldn’t even sense the natural flow of aura that should have been his own.
‘Yet….’
He wasn’t completely destroyed.
Perhaps because they needed him alive for the experiments, they hadn’t completely shattered his dantian and mana circuits.
But after enduring such severe torment for so long, I couldn’t call this fortunate.
“Wake up!”
Aris shattered the shackles binding Seif’s hands, then grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
“Damn it! Open your eyes!”
She screamed for him to please open his eyes, but Seif didn’t move an inch.
“Speak.”
I seized the Branch Chief of the Iron Chain Alliance by the throat and hoisted him into the air.
“Why can’t you get up?”
“Gah…”
The Branch Chief bit down hard on his lips, refusing to answer.
“Do you think you can endure this?”
I let out a cold laugh and tightened my grip around the Branch Chief’s throat.
“Kgh-ghhh!”
The Branch Chief gasped as though death were imminent. His face flushed crimson, and veins bulged prominently across his forehead.
“I-it’s merely a spell keeping him asleep!”
One of the sorcerers, trembling with fear, cried out that a sleep incantation had been cast.
“Then wake him.”
I waved my left hand, commanding them to rouse Seif.
“H-he cannot awaken during transport, so the Branch Chief himself cast the sleep spell directly. We cannot dispel it.”
He averted his gaze, insisting that only the Branch Chief could undo it.
Crash!
I flipped the Branch Chief’s body and hurled him to the ground.
“Hack! Ugh-ughhhh!”
The Branch Chief clutched at his throat, marked with my handprints, coughing up blood-tinged sputum.
“Wake him. If you play games, I’ll make sure you wish for death but never find it.”
I lowered my chin, my eyes burning with fury.
-You won’t do it yourself?
‘I’m still inexperienced.’
While I could dispel the curse itself, my inexperience meant I might apply too much force.
Given Seif’s body and mind were already shattered, I didn’t want to inflict any additional harm.
“Ugh….”
The Branch Chief trembled violently, overwhelmed by my presence, then crawled forward on his knees to stand before Seif.
“Aunt, please step back for a moment.”
“….”
Aris turned around while gripping Seif’s hand, her eyes gleaming with a chilling intent to crush him to death. Despite her mental and physical exhaustion, she radiated an icy murderous aura toward the Branch Chief.
“Wait, just a moment!”
The Branch Chief shook his head, his sagging brow creasing with tremors.
“I won’t awaken him unless you promise to spare my life.”
He begged for his life, his eyes rolling desperately.
“If you awaken him without any complications, I won’t kill you—I’ll set you free. I stake my name on it.”
I nodded with a grave expression.
“Hmm….”
The Branch Chief hesitated, weighing his options, then seemed to reach a decision as he placed his hand on Seif’s chest.
As crimson curse energy bloomed from his palm, the curse lingering within Seif’s body began to slowly fade.
“Phew….”
The Branch Chief absorbed the curse from Seif’s body and stepped back.
“He should be able to awaken now.”
He nodded, saying he’d get up soon enough.
“Now you’re letting me go…?”
“Commander!”
I called out to Rimer without even glancing at the Branch Chief.
Boom!
Rimer smashed through the iron door and entered, turning his head toward me.
“What is it? What happened now?”
“Nothing, sir. Just subdue this man for me.”
I pointed my finger at the Branch Chief.
“Huh…?”
The Branch Chief’s eyes widened as he looked at me.
“What are you talking about?! You clearly said you’d let me live and go!”
“I wanted to let you go, but my Commander doesn’t agree.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?!”
“I’m keeping my word by staying quiet. Don’t complain to me.”
I laughed and waved my hand dismissively.
“You damn con artist… Ugh!”
As the Branch Chief gnashed his teeth and tried to curse, Rimer struck the back of his neck, knocking him unconscious.
-Tsk, tsk. Trusting this one is like trusting the Celestials.
Wrath shook his head, saying he knew this would happen.
“I’m not sure what happened, but it looks like you’ve pulled another con.”
Rimer chuckled as he looked at me.
“It’s not deception—it’s a righteous lie.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Yeah. This time, it does seem that way.”
Rimer nodded heavily while observing Seif’s condition.
“Do I have to let him live?”
He raised his killing intent above his blade as if he wanted to strike down the Branch Chief immediately.
“There’s much we need to ask him.”
The location of the Iron Chain Alliance headquarters, their purpose, and the method to restore Seif—there was too much to interrogate the Branch Chief about. Now was not the time to kill him.
“Then I’ll clean up the rest of this place.”
Rimer exhaled shortly and approached the sorcerers and warriors cornered in the distance.
“Aunt, try waking her now. The curse has vanished, so she should be able to wake up.”
I stepped back and pointed toward Seif.
“Hmm….”
Aris bit her lip without immediately waking Seif.
“Aunt?”
“Something….”
She exhaled a long breath while gazing at the ground.
“I’m afraid.”
“Afraid?”
I stared at Aris with widened eyes.
“Yes. I’m afraid she won’t wake up this time either, and I’m terrified she’ll resent me for finding her too late.”
Aris caressed the scars etched across Seif’s entire body, her voice trembling with sobs.
“Aunt…”
I had never seen Aris this fragile before. She who had always been as refreshing as the sea itself seemed to shrink when it came to her son’s suffering.
“Still, we have to wake him.”
Rimer shook his head after subduing the sorcerer and the warriors.
“Whether he resents you or thanks you, he’s still your son.”
“The Deputy Commander is right.”
I grasped the back of Aris’s hand and nodded in agreement.
“There’s no way Aunt would resent you for arriving late. Rather, he’ll thank you for saving him. If he dares resent you, I’ll slap him myself.”
I offered her a reassuring smile, telling her not to worry.
“Heh…”
Aris let out a small laugh and nodded.
“Getting comforted by my own nephew… I’ve grown far too weak. Alright, let me try.”
She wiped away the tears glistening at the corners of her eyes and transmitted her aura to Seif.
Whoooosh!
A brilliant blue light as vast as the sea spread in all directions, and Seif’s shoulders trembled violently.
“Ugh…”
With a gasp as though his breath were being torn away, Seif’s eyelids fluttered open. The distinctive crimson eyes of the Zigheart clan flickered faintly to life.
“Seif!”
Aris cried out his name, her voice breaking with emotion.
“M-Mother? How are you here…?”
Seif stared at Aris in disbelief, his breathing ragged.
“You foolish boy!”
Aris clenched her teeth and pulled Seif into her embrace.
“Why were you suffering like this here!”
She cried out in anguish, holding him even tighter.
“Ah….”
Seif’s gaze swept across the fallen Branch Chief and the sorcerers, and understanding the situation, his lips—covered with dried blood—trembled slightly.
“You saved me, Mother.”
He closed his eyes tightly, his emotions overwhelming him, and nodded.
“Thank you. And I’m sorry….”
Seif raised his right hand and gently stroked Aris’s back. Though his fingers trembled weakly from exhaustion, that touch was more comforting to her than anything else in the world.
I stepped back and quietly observed their embrace.
In my past life, I wouldn’t have understood why she wept with joy, but now I could sense the color of their emotions.
‘I suppose I’ve changed somewhat.’
-Hmm….
‘Really?’
-Hmmm….
*
*
*
“Hah…”
Seif exhaled a turbid breath as he drank the water Dorian had given him.
“Don’t swallow it—spit it out first! If water goes down suddenly, you’ll ruin your insides!”
Only after crying her heart out did Aris seem to calm down, immediately launching into a barrage of nagging at Seif.
“Ha…”
Seif let out a soft chuckle and lowered the water bottle.
“Before, I found that nagging tiresome, but now it’s… welcome.”
Unaccustomed to speaking at length, he laughed thinly in a halting, fragmented voice.
“Ah, I’m sorry.”
Aris shook her head, smoothing the back of her hair.
“How long have we known each other, and here I am nagging you? I’m ridiculous.”
She wrinkled her nose apologetically.
“No, Mother.”
Seif gazed at Aris, a subtle smile gracing his features.
“Your voice is something I’ve yearned for even in my dreams. Please, scold me more.”
He waved his hand, expressing his joy at hearing her voice once again.
“Are you really my son? You were never like this before.”
Aris let out a hollow laugh, looking at Seif.
“That was my rebellious phase. Besides, having spent over two years in this place, I’m hardly in my right mind.”
Seif swept back his disheveled hair, admitting he no longer recognized his own nature.
“Regardless, right now everyone is simply delighted and joyful.”
He spoke of his happiness at reclaiming his freedom, smacking his lips together.
Yet from his eyes emanated a killing intent so palpable it sent chills down one’s spine. A deep wellspring of rage and resentment toward the Iron Chain Alliance seemed to be blooming within him.
“Let’s set thoughts of revenge aside for now and focus on recovery.”
Aris, sensing Seif’s murderous aura, grasped his hand firmly.
“You’re right. I’ll return to strength as quickly as possible….”
Seif glared at the sorcerers, grinding his teeth audibly.
“I will erase the Iron Chain Alliance itself.”
He exhaled a breath tinged with the scent of blood, vowing to obliterate every last remnant of the Iron Chain Alliance lurking in the shadows.
-Hmmmmm….
Wrath let out a pained groan as he observed Seif.
‘Why have you been whimpering since earlier? Are you a puppy?’
-I feel like I’ve seen that fellow somewhere before, but I cannot recall where.
‘Seif?’
-Indeed. Yet it also seems as though I haven’t.
He shook his head, noting that his own state was far from normal, and the sorcerous aura embedded within Seif’s body was far too potent, causing confusion.
-Perhaps not. Simply disregard it.
Wrath turned his head away, thinking he must have been mistaken.
“Should I call you Brother Seif?”
Martha approached Seif and lowered her gaze. Calling him brother so readily—she was indeed a girl whose boldness rivaled even Aris’s.
“Yes. You’re Martha, correct?”
Seif nodded, speaking warmly in acknowledgment.
“You became a Grand Master, so why were you captured by these lowlifes?”
Martha blinked, unable to comprehend.
“Martha!”
“No, it’s fine. I should explain from the beginning.”
Seif moistened his throat with water, then turned to face everyone.
“After being confined by my mother and spending all that time training, I was desperate to travel. I especially wanted to see the ruins and dungeons I’d only read about in books with my own eyes.”
A faint smile crossed his face as he recalled those days.
“The moment my mother gave me permission to leave, I explored the ruins, dungeons, and legends across the Continent. Even now, I have no regrets about that time.”
“That’s why we never heard from you.”
Aris nodded, finally understanding.
“Yes. I only traveled to remote and desolate places. Thanks to that, I was able to understand why you emphasized the need for strength.”
Seif expressed his gratitude, saying that the training Aris had given him allowed him to explore without difficulty.
‘That makes sense.’
I nodded as I looked at Seif. I could relate to his actions since, in my previous life, I too had wanted to escape the life of an Assassin and simply live in peace.
“I heard rumors of a dungeon in this place where time flows differently, so I thought there might be hidden secrets and came to investigate. But…”
Seif struck the ground with a clenched fist, his voice hollow.
“This was the Iron Chain Alliance’s lair. Even though they were strong, I could have escaped, but the guide who was leading me turned out to be one of their sorcerers. I was ambushed from behind.”
He pointed to the wound on his abdomen, biting his lip.
“What was harder than my own pain was hearing the screams of others. This place was a hell where they used people as sacrifices to amplify their sorcerous power.”
Seif lowered his head, his face buried in his hands as he spoke of how agonizing those moments had been.
“Seif….”
“Ugh….”
Burren and Dorian clenched their lips, empathizing with Seif’s sorrow and rage.
“Still, there’s something we learned because of this.”
Seif shook his head slightly as he looked at Aris.
“Something you learned?”
“Yes. It concerns our Family’s blood.”
“Blood? What do you mean by that?”
I stepped closer to Seif.
“That is… *cough*!”
Seif spat black blood from his mouth mid-sentence. The accumulated trauma from his injuries seemed to have erupted.
“Seif!”
Aris caught him and cried out.
“I’m… I’m fine.”
Seif lowered his trembling hand.
“The Iron Chain Alliance’s sorcery has burrowed deep into my bones, so this happens often.”
He shook his head, insisting he could endure it.
“Let’s leave this place first.”
I frowned as I looked at the Wizard Dungeon floor, where the sorcerous aura lingered intensely.
“This space itself isn’t good for Seif. Getting out of the Wizard Dungeon should be our priority.”
“Yes. That would be best.”
Aris nodded and supported Seif.
“Have the Gwangpung Corps take the hostages from outside and the subdued sorcerer with them.”
I issued the order to the Gwangpung Corps and hoisted the unconscious Branch Chief onto my shoulder.
“Understood.”
“I’ll take the sorcerers. With my fists!”
“Leave it to me.”
Burren, Martha, and Lunan Slion headed outside immediately and relayed instructions to the Gwangpung Corps, who were calming the hostages.
“I just need to handle these ones, right?”
Rimer led the sorcerer and Iron Chain Alliance warriors from the chamber where Seif had been held out through the cavern.
“Dorian. Gather all the sorcerous equipment and documents here, then come out last.”
“Yes!”
I gave Dorian his final instructions and headed out through the blood-soaked cavern we’d entered from initially.
‘No matter how I look at it, I can’t adapt to this place.’
The stench of blood was so overwhelming it made my head spin.
If my cultivation hadn’t advanced, controlling the Demon Sword would have been difficult.
‘I should consider coming back later and destroying this place entirely.’
The negative energy lingering here wouldn’t be easy to burn away.
It seemed better to return alone after everyone left and demolish it completely.
As I stood in the cavern observing it in silent tribute to the fallen, a commotion erupted from behind.
“Skin and bones, really!”
Aris Zigheart supported Seif while heaving heavy sighs.
“Why are you so light!”
“I’m sorry….”
Seif couldn’t even lift his head, too embarrassed.
“Don’t you dare apologize! Shut your mouth! Once you return to the Zigheart Family Estate, you’ll eat whatever I give you. Understood?”
Aris had reverted to her usual self, unleashing a torrent of colorful language as she pressed Seif relentlessly.
‘A beautiful sight.’
Realizing that others likely perceived my relationship with Sylvia in much the same way, I found myself smiling naturally.
‘The Saint could heal this without difficulty.’
I was already thinking I’d need to summon Pedrick the moment we returned to Zigheart.
Shhhhwoooop!
A chilling sound echoed from behind—the unmistakable whisper of a blade piercing flesh.
“Wh—”
I clicked my teeth together and spun around.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
A pitch-black sword protruded from Aris’s chest, and behind it, Seif was wearing a smile that split his face wide open.
“Thank you, Mother.”
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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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