The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 85

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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 85

I acknowledged Roen’s words and left the Patriarch’s Hall.

‘What is he thinking?’

I couldn’t tell if Glen truly intended to give me a gift he’d failed to present before, or if he had other questions about Eden.

‘I still can’t pin down his nature.’

Through countless experiences, I’d gained some ability to read people’s hearts, yet Glen’s true intentions remained obscured as if shrouded in mist.

“Raon!”

The moment I stepped out of the Patriarch’s Hall, a familiar voice called to me. Sylvia rushed forward, her eyes reddened and her lips pressed tightly together.

“Goodness!”

She knelt down without concern for her dress dragging across the ground, examining me carefully from head to toe.

“You fought Eden, didn’t you! Is your arm alright? And why is your waist like this!”
“I’m fine. It’s almost completely healed.”

I smiled gently. The medicine Rimer had applied was remarkably effective, leaving me nearly fully recovered.

“I….”

Sylvia’s gaze fell upon the thick bandages wrapped around my arms, waist, and thighs. She bit her lip hard, her expression suggesting tears might spill at any moment.

‘Ah, that’s right….’

She had lost her husband and eldest daughter to Eden. I realized how thoughtless I had been.

“Mother. I….”
“I regretted it.”

Sylvia lowered her head. Her hands, gripping my arm, trembled slightly.

“I told you before you left on that mission. I wanted to see you live as a true Zigheart.”
“Ah….”
“When I heard you fought the Green Warrior alone and stood before the Gwahyeolgwi to protect everyone, I truly regretted it.”

Tears that had clung thinly to her eyes finally fell.

“I was afraid my words had driven you to make such a choice. Truly….”

Her voice wavered with tears, but what Sylvia was trying to say, what lay in her heart—it all reached mine.

“I wasn’t just a poor swordmaster, but a poor mother….”
“I’m actually grateful to you, Mother.”

I took her trembling hands in mine. Her warm hands seemed to speak for her heart.

“Gr-grateful?”
“Yes.”

I nodded and offered a faint smile.

“When I fought the Gwahyeolgwi alone, I thought about so many things. Should I flee? How? Should I give orders to Burren and slip away by myself? If I abandoned the trainees and the people as bait and ran, wouldn’t I survive?”

I met Sylvia’s trembling gaze with an embarrassed look.

“That’s when I heard your voice. The words you said: ‘I hope you’ll live as a true swordmaster of the Zigheart of old.'”

It was true. If not for your voice ringing in my ears, I would have fled without saving the Village Chief, without looking back.

“Ah….”
“Without those words, I would have abandoned everyone and fled, only to die. Even if I had lived, I would have spent my life in regret and never wielded a sword again.”

I exhaled the dizzying emotions of that moment along with a cold breath.

“That I stood before the Gwahyeolgwi and fought to the end—it was all because of your words. There’s nothing to apologize for, nothing to regret.”

Why did I fight the Gwahyeolgwi? Why did I have to become a shield for others? I endured that agonizing moment because of my own choice, born from her words.

“Hnngh….”

Sylvia finally let out the tears she had been holding back. Ever since hearing news of Eden, it seemed she had been carrying a heavy burden in her heart.

“It’s alright.”

I gently stroked her back while reciting the words Sylvia had spoken to me countless times since childhood.

*

*

*

I remained by Sylvia’s side until she fell asleep from exhaustion, then left her room. Helen was waiting outside the door.

“To think that the young master, once so small and innocent, would comfort the lady like this—I could die without regrets now.”

Helen covered her eyes with her fingers, pretending to cry.

“No regrets needed. Live long. I’ll make sure you and Mother live comfortably.”
“Your words alone are more than enough, young master.”
“I don’t intend to stop at words.”

I waved my hand and closed Sylvia’s door behind me.

“Then I shall wait with joy in my heart.”
“Good.”

I nodded and entered my room. A thin silhouette stood in the darkened space beyond the closed curtains.

“Judith.”

Since I already knew who she was, I called out her name as I sat on the bed.

“Yes, young master.”

Judith, who had been standing by the window, knelt and prostrated herself before me. Her expression had frozen like cold marble.

“What’s the situation?”
“Orders came down from the Central Intelligence Agency to return. It seems I’m going to be disposed of.”
“Hmm….”

I smacked my lips while observing the crown of Judith’s head.

‘Is this retaliation?’

It was Karun Zigheart who sent Judith to the Annex Building. He couldn’t even take the information about my advancement to Sword Expert, and since I’d properly provoked his nature in the Audience Chamber just moments ago, he seemed to have decided to dispose of Judith.

‘However….’

Judith remained composed even in a situation where her life seemed to be slipping away.

I’d thought she was ordinary after seeing her terrified before the Lake, but it appeared she’d received proper training as a spy.

“Do you want to live?”

I spoke slowly. My tone suggested I didn’t care whether Judith lived or died.

Of course, inwardly I was already planning to save her. I couldn’t abandon a double agent I’d gone to such lengths to secure.

“….”

Judith slowly raised her head. Her eyes wavered like a lake reflecting moonlight. Just as I’d felt when I first saw her, she clung to life.

“I’ll show you a way to survive.”
“Pardon?”
“Don’t go to the Central Intelligence Agency. Send a letter instead. Say you’ve become Raon Zigheart’s personal maid.”
“Ah….”
“If you say my mother, who’s worried about my current condition, chose you, you won’t be suspected.”

I pointed to the wounds wrapped in bandages. Since word had spread that my injuries were severe despite my current state, this method would work without fail.

Moreover, Karun would think that since his planted spy had become my direct subordinate, it would be easy to extract proper intelligence.

“Y-yes, that’s true. But why would you show me such consideration…?”
“It’s not consideration. Wasting a double agent would be a loss for me as well.”
“Hmm…”
“Here’s some useful information for you. Everyone thinks my injuries are severe, but I’ve already recovered considerably. I plan to train in the Annex Building while pretending to recover from my wounds.”

I shared this information about the extent of my injuries with Judith without the slightest hesitation.

“Only the Patriarch and Rimer know about this. If you take this information, you’ll be able to show that you’re useful.”
“Y-yes, that should be the case.”

Judith nodded, her trembling jaw still quivering.

“Then what are you doing?”

I pointed toward the door with my finger.

“Go right now and write this information on a note to send. And if you don’t manage your expression, they’ll see through you.”
“Ah, understood!”

Judith cupped her cheeks with her hands, lowered her head, and left the room.

-Every word and action is pathetic. What do you intend to use such a useless spy for?
‘She’ll become a trap to strike at Karun Zigheart from behind. And…’

I muttered inwardly, gazing at the door that was too dark to see clearly.

She reminds me of my former self.

*

*

*

I rose from the bed where I had been lying in a daze the moment the moon reached the center of the sky.

Not because of an appointed time, but because I sensed a presence outside the window.

“Fortunately, you were waiting.”

I opened the window to find Roen smiling broadly.

“After what you said, I couldn’t possibly sleep.”

I draped my coat over my shoulders and climbed through the window.

“So what did you mean by what you said earlier?”

I spoke while observing the wrinkles around Roen’s eyes.

“How could I possibly understand all of the Patriarch’s intentions? You’ll know once you see for yourself.”
“Hmm….”

I had asked the question because I wanted to know his meaning, but Roen remained as evasive as ever. He clearly knew something, yet refused to answer.

I made light conversation with Roen as we headed toward the Patriarch’s Hall. Strangely, the presence of the swordsmen who had been standing guard in this area had vanished.

‘Not a soul around.’

Following Roen, I entered the Patriarch’s Hall without encountering anyone. Even the maids, servants, and swordsmen who normally guarded the interior were nowhere to be seen. It seemed Roen had dismissed everyone beforehand.
It seemed Roen had already gotten rid of the people beforehand.

“Hmm…”

My heart pounded with an inexplicable sense of unease and tension.

“There’s no need to be so anxious. What the young master did was a matter of great pride.”

During the Evaluation, it had been brilliant; this afternoon, it had been vivid. Now it was a soft, gentle light that soothed the spirit.
The light that was brilliant during the discriminant era and vivid this afternoon had now become soft and subdued, offering comfort to the heart.

As we entered the Audience Chamber following Roen, Glen Zigheart, who had been sitting on the throne as if he were a statue, opened his eyes.

“Sigh…”

The atmosphere of the Audience Chamber, which had been comfortable until then, seemed to fill with tension once more.

“Enough.”
“That’s it.”

As I tried to kneel and bow my head, my body froze as if turned to stone.

‘This aura….’

It wasn’t my own will. Glen Zigheart had stopped my body with nothing but his voice.

‘Truly….’

I trembled at the realization of yet another realm of martial arts mastery, lifting my head.

Tap.

Glen Zigheart gazed down at me for a moment, then removed the hand that had been supporting his chin.

“Raon Zigheart.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”

At his call, I lowered my head, my neck trembling.

“What are your thoughts on footwork?”

‘Footwork, then.’

Footwork was the art of movement itself.
Whether in attack, defense, evasion, or retreat—it was footwork that created the most efficient path of movement in any situation.

“I believe it is the most crucial martial art, for a warrior’s life and death are determined by their mastery of it.”
“Hmm.”

Glen Zigheart nodded slightly, barely perceptible. Whether he approved of my answer or not remained unclear.

“What footwork did you use when fighting the Green Warrior and Gwahyeolgwi?”
“I used Garam Footwork.”

I had used not only Garam Footwork but also the Shadow Steps I had learned in my past life, yet I chose not to mention that.

“Garam Footwork is excellent—capable of use even after reaching enlightenment—but its patterns are far too simple.”

That’s a fair point.
The Garam Technique is certainly an excellent footwork method, but it only contains the fundamental forms.

On the other hand, Shadow Step is a footwork method focused on evasion and concealment, so unless it was for assassination, it was even more mediocre than the Garam Technique.

I had planned to request a new footwork method if I received an additional token, but my plans have completely fallen through.

“Raon.”

As I clicked my tongue in regret, Glen Zigheart called my name once more.

“At the merit ceremony held at noon, I rewarded you with a silver token for beheading the Green Warrior and withstanding the Gwahyeolgwi. However, I gave you nothing for discovering their true purpose.”

I swallowed hard without realizing it. Reflecting on Glen Zigheart’s words so far, I could anticipate what he would say next.

“As compensation for uncovering Eden’s purpose, I shall teach you a footwork method befitting you.”

Glen Zigheart rose from his throne. The image of Ellist Mountain, said to be the highest on the Continent, materialized before my eyes.

He descended from the platform, extending his right foot forward and his left foot back. His bearing was noble and dignified, yet carried the fierce momentum of a commander on the battlefield.

“Watch carefully. You will have only one opportunity.”

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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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