The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 852
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 852
“It’s already finished?”
I blinked as I gazed at Merlin, who dwelt within the cat’s body.
“You said it would take about two weeks.”
Merlin had told me that awakening Sia would require approximately two weeks, yet she had completed the preparations far more swiftly than that.
I didn’t doubt her abilities, but I felt a twinge of concern.
“Yep. All done!”
Merlin stretched her back languidly like a cat waking from slumber and nodded.
“Are you truly certain it’s alright?”
I bent my knees to meet Merlin’s gaze directly.
‘There cannot be any complications with Sia.’
Rimer was dead, and Aris was in a state where it wouldn’t be surprising if she never recovered.
With not only the Gwangpung Corps and the Annex Building shrouded in darkness, but the entire Zigheart household itself suffocating under a pall of despair, if something went wrong with Sia, it could shatter even Sylvia and Glen. I had to prepare with absolute thoroughness.
“Yes. The preparations are flawless.”
Merlin assured me there was no need to worry, gently wrapping her long tail around my ankle.
“The reason I finished early is nothing special. I simply pulled all-nighters.”
She explained that since returning to Zigheart, she had continuously calibrated the magical formulas, pressing her front paws against the ground rhythmically.
“…You stayed awake for over a week?”
“Yes. Everyone’s been so downhearted. I wanted to create something joyful for them.”
Merlin laughed, saying this was her first time doing something that could give others strength.
“Ah…”
-You can trust her. As I’ve said before, that Mad Woman’s magical talent is every bit as formidable as your swordsmanship.
Wrath shook his head up and down over the bracelet.
-But that Mad Woman is changing too. To think she’d make an effort to dispel the gloomy atmosphere—the Mad Woman from before you arrived would never have done such a thing.
He let out a hollow laugh, calling it a curious thing.
-But that’s what humans are, isn’t it? Influencing one another…
Wrath smacked his lips, saying he’d witnessed humanity’s better side for the first time in ages.
‘I was thinking the same thing.’
To dispel Zigheart’s gloomy atmosphere, she’d woven magic all through the night. All I could do now was trust her.
“Thank you, Merlin.”
I bowed my head to Merlin, my hands clasped before me.
“Thanks? There’s no need for such words between us! You’re not some stranger, after all.”
Merlin cried out that it was fine, wagging her front paws gently.
“It’s too early now. Let’s start this evening.”
She said it would be better to wake Sia when everyone was present, stretching all four legs.
“So for now…?”
“Yes. I came to tell you first!”
Merlin smiled brightly, saying she’d wanted to be the first to share the news.
“…Thank you.”
I lowered my gaze and spoke the words of gratitude. Merlin had told me not to, but I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
“Ugh! I told you it’s not necessary!”
Merlin waved her front paw, saying it was fine.
“Then I should get a little rest too. I can’t afford to make mistakes later.”
She let out a long yawn, saying she needed to close her eyes and replenish her stamina.
“Just come to the Patriarch’s Hall around 7 PM.”
“Understood.”
I nodded, committing the time to memory.
“And this little one here…”
“Huh?”
Raon’s eyes widened as he looked at Merlin.
“Oh, you have another request for today?”
“Of course. All the children I’ve made contracts with must fulfill my requests.”
Merlin nodded, explaining that she was listening to the requests of all the animals whose bodies she borrowed.
“This one wants a grooming session. Even though cats can groom themselves, the fact that she’s asking means she must be envious of dogs.”
She said “please take good care of her” and jumped into my arms.
“Then I’d like a baby seal cut, please. Poof!”
As Merlin lowered her front paw, her soul vanished and the cat’s eyes began to sparkle with a blue light.
Meow.
The cat stood on the ground with its head held high, as if urging me to hurry.
“A baby seal cut…”
I examined the cat from different angles, swallowing hard.
“The fur is too short to look like a seal…”
Meow!
The cat scratched frantically at the ground, insisting on something with all its might.
-I, I don’t know anything about this! the True Demon King protested.
Wrath retreated into the bracelet, clearly annoyed at being dragged into this mess.
“Ah…”
My hair had turned white for the first time in ages.
*
*
*
I arrived at Sylvia’s chamber at the appointed time.
Knock, knock.
I rapped on the door with my knuckles and called out to Sylvia.
“Mother, it’s time to depart.”
“Yes…”
Despite her immediate response, Sylvia did not emerge from the chamber for quite some time.
“Mother?”
Finding this strange, I opened the door and stepped inside, only to find Sylvia sitting on the floor with her hands clasped together.
“I’m… anxious…”
Sylvia’s legs wouldn’t obey her, and her lips trembled so severely that vertical lines were visible on her parched mouth. For a Grand Master to be reduced to such a state—she was clearly gripped by overwhelming tension.
For a Grand Master to be in such a state, it seemed like my heart was about to burst from the tension.
“Let me help you up.”
Raon let out a short sigh and took Sylvia’s arm, draping it over his shoulder.
“I’m sorry…”
“No, I understand completely.”
I had thought my daughter was dead, and now that I’d found her again, only to see her on the verge of waking from a sleep that could have claimed her forever—it was natural to be this tense.
Whoosh!
As I helped Sylvia down toward the entrance hall, I heard someone tumble down the staircase.
Looking down, Edgar lay sprawled on the floor with his head planted firmly against it, his legs trembling.
“S-sorry. I was nervous…”
Edgar laughed awkwardly, claiming his nerves had caused him to miss a step.
“M-my arm isn’t moving well. Could you help me up too…”
“Figure it out yourself.”
I ignored Edgar’s outstretched hand and descended the staircase.
“That’s harsh! After raising a son… well, I suppose I never actually did raise you…”
Edgar cracked a joke to lighten the heavy, tense atmosphere.
“Goodness, anyway…”
Sylvia’s tension eased somewhat at Edgar’s jest, and she relaxed her stiff limbs and stood on her own strength.
“Is this gender discrimination? Or rather, parent discrimination?”
“…”
I narrowed my eyes as I watched Edgar slowly crawl down the staircase.
‘He’s similar…”
Watching Edgar gently ease the tension despite his own nervousness, Rimer’s face naturally came to mind.
While Edgar spoke far more and Rimer was lighter in spirit, the two shared an unmistakable resemblance in some indefinable way.
‘It would have been nice if they’d spent more time together.’
Rimer and Edgar could have become friends with a perfect rapport, and it was a shame that I wouldn’t witness that.
“…Let’s go.”
I clicked my tongue briefly, opened the entrance hall, and stepped outside.
I boarded a carriage that had been prepared in advance and headed toward the Main Mansion. I received polite greetings from the swordsmen guarding the Patriarch’s Hall before entering the Audience Chamber at the innermost part of the hall.
The red carpet that always appeared was gone, as if prepared beforehand, and the pristine marble floor was engraved with multiple layers of geometric patterns.
“You’ve arrived.”
Glen nodded as if it had been a long time. His complexion appeared more at ease than before. It seemed he had now accepted Rimer’s death.
“Head of House, I greet….”
“That’s enough.”
When Raon, Sylvia, and Edgar attempted to bow, Glen waved his hand dismissively.
“Everyone’s tension is practically radiating off them!”
Pedrick chuckled as he checked on Sia, who lay on the bed.
“How is my sister’s condition….”
“How is Sia?”
As I was about to ask about Sia, Sylvia rushed forward first.
“She’s in perfect condition. This old body bent over from all the work, but it couldn’t be better!”
Pedrick waved his hand, telling us not to worry as Sia’s condition was excellent.
“Ah, thank you so much.”
Sylvia exhaled a long breath while grasping Sia’s hand, and Edgar placed his hand on her shoulder beside her.
‘But….’
I narrowed my eyes as I observed Karun standing by the pillar beneath the platform.
‘Why is that person here?’
A heavy tension settled over the gathering because of Karun, who thought there was no reason for him to be present.
Denier was suspicious, but Karun couldn’t be dismissed as not being a count either.
“Has the Head of the Central Intelligence Agency come as well?”
Raon approached Karun’s side and bowed his head.
“There’s nothing strange about it. Since she will become a new member of Zigheart, I simply wanted to see her.”
“…I see.”
Karun gave an answer befitting someone obsessed with Zigheart and calmly folded his arms. It seemed there was no need to worry.
“Oh! Everyone’s here!”
A clear voice rang out from thin air, and Merlin suddenly appeared.
“Then let’s begin right away without further delay.”
Merlin said everything was ready and snapped her fingers. The mana scattered around the Patriarch’s Hall began to gather into her grasp.
“Wait!”
Sylvia grabbed Merlin’s wrist and shook her head.
“W-what happens when Sia wakes up?”
Her lips trembled as if she didn’t know how to treat Sia when she awakened.
“Just think of how it was when you parted with her. Your body will likely move naturally.”
Merlin took Sylvia’s hand with a tender gaze and stood before the magic circle.
“Then please bring her over here.”
“…Understood.”
Sylvia and Edgar embraced Sia with trembling hands and lowered her onto the magic circle.
The two of them stood right beside the magic circle, ready to move at any moment, their hands clasped together.
“Then I’ll begin.”
As Merlin withdrew the soul stone from her embrace, the layered magic circles drawn on the floor came alive and naturally rose, beginning to coil around Sia.
Whoooooom!
The soul stone and dozens of magic circles resonated, scattering an emerald radiance like the sea itself throughout the entire Patriarch’s Hall.
“Spirit Veil Separation.”
As Merlin chanted the incantation aloud, the magic circles that had been spinning dizzily like a kaleidoscope connected into a single plane, and the soul stone floating in the void melted away in blue light, seeping into Sia.
Paaaang!
A magnificent flower of brilliant radiance bloomed above Sia’s head like the grand trajectory of stars sweeping across the galaxy, then faded away.
Whoooosh.
Sia slowly descended to the marble floor along with the fading magic circle.
“Mmm….”
“Sia!”
“….”
Edgar, Sylvia, and Glen stared at Sia with eyes that seemed ready to burst from tension.
The Patriarch’s Hall fell so silent that no one’s breathing could be heard.
“What happened?”
Unable to contain himself, I called out to Merlin, whose hand had fallen.
“Huff….”
Merlin exhaled heavily and slowly opened her eyelids.
“It succeeded. She’ll wake up soon.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes growing dim as if about to fade away.
“Ah….”
Merlin attempted to smile, but her strength seemed to drain away as she stumbled backward.
“Are you alright?”
Raon moved urgently to catch Merlin before she could fall.
“Don’t worry. I simply expended too much energy.”
Merlin waved her hand dismissively, insisting it was nothing serious. From her condition, it appeared she had pushed herself too hard with her magic.
“Merlin. You….”
Raon was about to tell Merlin to take better care of herself when—
“Mmm….”
A faint whimper escaped Sia’s lips as she slowly lifted her eyelids.
Her crimson eyes, so like Sylvia’s, beheld the world for the first time in twenty years.
“Ah….”
Sia’s gaze drifted slowly until she saw Sylvia and Edgar to her right, and her lips trembled.
“Mother? Father?”
With the innocent voice and manner of a child, she reached out trembling hands toward Sylvia and Edgar.
“Sia!”
Sylvia and Edgar could no longer contain themselves, tears streaming down their faces as they rushed forward and embraced Sia tightly, as if they would never let her go again.
“Waaaaahhh!”
Sia wept like a child, clinging to Sylvia and Edgar in return.
“…At last.”
Glen too exhaled a long, deep breath, his trembling hands shielding his forehead and eyes as emotion overwhelmed him.
“The young lady’s mind is trapped in an adult’s body, after all.”
Merlin lifted her head weakly, managing a faint smile.
“Since returning to her original age would have been difficult in many ways, I used the soul stone to adjust the magic so her mind could grow in harmony with her body.”
She waved her hand, saying it wouldn’t take long for Sia’s mind to mature.
“And I erased all the misdeeds she committed while brainwashed as the Green-haired Queen. I wanted her to live brightly from now on.”
Merlin gazed at Sia with a bittersweet expression. She seemed to be recalling her own circumstances.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me! I just….”
She dismissed such words and closed her eyes. It appeared she had lost consciousness from exhausting all her mental energy.
—Hmph!
Wrath turned his head away, unable to bear looking at Sia and Sylvia.
—S-sad, indeed. Yet all has turned out well!
He sniffled like someone eating pasta, his eyes darting about.
“….”
I gazed at the hands of Sia, Sylvia, and Edgar—linked together as if they would never break—before lowering my eyes.
One person had departed, and one had returned.
Where there is meeting, there is parting. I felt I had come to understand a little more about what Rimer had taught me—what a human life truly is.
‘Teaching me until the very end, even in departure.’
I gazed out the starlit window, wiping away the tears that had gathered at my eyes.
Even though I was indoors, I felt that person’s serene breeze flowing toward me.
‘Thank you, Master.’
*
*
*
After the time filled with tears, joy, and sorrow came to an end.
“Very well.”
Glen Zigheart leaned back against the Jade Throne, his gaze descending upon Karun standing below the platform.
“What is it you wish to say?”
His complexion, brightened somewhat by Sia’s presence, tilted as he raised his chin.
“I wish to submit a proposal, sir.”
Karun bowed respectfully, speaking of official matters.
“Do not mistake me—just because it is today does not mean I will grant everything you ask.”
Glen shook his head heavily, warning against exploiting the current circumstances.
“I would never presume such a thing.”
“Then speak.”
He gestured with a decisive gaze and a flick of his hand.
“Raon Zigheart and the Gwangpung Corps…”
Karun raised his quiet gaze, paying no heed to Glen’s warning.
“Please promote them to Gale Wind Hall.”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————