The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 91

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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 91

A Duel of Blades.
True to its name, it was a sparring match fought with swords, but it came with two conditions.

The first was that both participants had to possess the qualifications of a swordmaster. The second was that each side had to stake their desired conditions upon victory.

I believed a Duel of Blades was the best way to escape this situation, and I managed to bring up the term no matter what.

“Since this is the land of swordmasters, might we resolve this through the way of the sword?”

Glen’s intense aura subsided as he nodded.

“Indeed, I did say something like that. Your words ring true.”
“P-Please, Patriarch! I humbly request the same!”

Rayden Zigheart clapped his hands in agreement and stepped forward.

“I too have a debt to settle with that wretch. Please grant me this duel!”
“Hmm.”

Though the situation was sudden, Valdemar seemed to think a duel was preferable, so he stepped back and held his silence.

“Raon Zigheart. Since you were the first to propose a duel, you must be confident, yes?”
“I am.”

I nodded with conviction.

“Rayden Zigheart.”

Glen’s gaze now turned toward Rayden Zigheart.

“Yes!”
“According to the reports I received, you were overwhelmed from start to finish in your last encounter with Raon. Do you have confidence you could win if you fought again?”
“O-Of course! I was merely careless then, not expecting a blade to come flying at me. If we fought again, I could crush him decisively!”

Rayden Zigheart shook his head vigorously, like a woodpecker hammering at bark.

“It will serve as a minor amusement, at least.”

Glen’s lips curved upward—a rare sight indeed.

“Rayden. What is it that you desire?”
“I will shatter Raon Zigheart’s dantian and sever his mana circuits.”
“The mana circuits and dantian, then.”
“Yes. Both of them!”
“Granted.”

Despite the brutal nature of the condition, Glen’s expression remained unmoved.

“Thank you!”

Rayden’s face brightened as though a magical lamp had been ignited within it.

“Raon Zigheart.”
“Yes.”
“Should you emerge victorious from the duel, what is it that you wish for?”
“That Rayden Zigheart and his butler kneel before my mother and her attendants to apologize, provide material compensation, and that nothing connected to Jinmu Hall shall approach the Annex Building.”
“An apology and a ban on access. That too is granted.”
“Father! The apology falls to Rayden, but the access restriction concerns Jinmu Hall. It exceeds the authority one can claim through a duel….”
“Valdemar.”

Glen’s crimson eyes turned toward Valdemar. As though facing the sun itself, Valdemar cast his gaze downward.

“This is the last time.”
“I-I apologize.”

Valdemar stepped back and bowed his head deeply.

A low rumble echoed through the chamber.

Glen, maintaining his tempestuous presence, regarded Raon and Rayden in turn.

“Both of your conditions are approved. The duel shall take place at the Grand Training Grounds one week hence.”
“Yes.”
“Thank you!”

Raon and Rayden bowed their heads in unison.

“Our discussion is concluded. You may withdraw.”
“Yes.”

Having said all that needed to be said, Raon departed from the Audience Chamber.

“A duel, then? So you do favor our side after all.”

Valdemar stepped forward with a sinister smile.

“No matter how talented he is, no matter that he is Sylvia’s child—he remains Branch Family. I shall make the distinction between Main and Branch abundantly clear. Rayden, you are confident, yes?”
“Of course. Through this recent mission, I have ascended to intermediate Expert rank. A mere boy who has just barely reached lower Expert rank is nothing—I could defeat him with a single hand.”

Father and son narrowed their eyes in unison, their smiles sharp and cruel.

“Why not simply kill him during the duel? It would prevent those presumptuous Branch Family worms from crawling any higher.”
“No, everyone will be watching. It is better to cripple him, to shatter his hope. Imagine it—both mother and son rendered useless, their dantians and mana circuits severed. The thought alone is delicious.”

Valdemar chuckled with pure malice toward Raon and Sylvia, who were his younger brother and nephew by blood.

“Indeed, that would be most fitting.”

Rayden nodded with a twisted grin, the two of them already speaking as though victory was assured, as though Raon was already within their grasp.

“You may go as well.”
“Yes.”
“We shall meet again in one week.”

Rayden and Valdemar departed the Audience Chamber, their mouths curved in satisfied smiles.

“Head of House.”

Only after everyone had left did Roen step before Glen.

“Young Master Raon has reached lower Expert rank, while Young Master Rayden has already settled into intermediate Expert rank. The disparity between them is considerable. Is this not dangerous?”

Roen’s voice had grown quieter—he harbored genuine concern for Raon.

“Battles between swordsmen are not decided merely by realm or learned swordsmanship. Who that person is—that is the most crucial factor.”
“I understand that, but….”
“Of course, there is a difference in their realms. However, that boy Raon’s eyes were serene. He possessed confidence, not arrogance or overconfidence from having defeated an opponent once before. How could I not believe in him after witnessing such a gaze?”

Glen smiled gently, a departure from his earlier demeanor. His eyes held the warmth of a grandfather watching his grandchild’s antics.

‘And beyond that….’

Unlike Rayden, when Raon spoke of his conditions, he thought of his family rather than himself. There was no mention of protection or compensation for his own sake. The more I observed him, the more affection I felt for the boy.

“Roen.”
“Yes.”
“Cut the Jinmu Hall’s budget for next month in half, no matter what excuse you must use. Recall all the missions as well.”
“There will be objections.”
“I don’t care. Tell them to bring their complaints to me.”
“Understood.”

Roen lowered his head, then raised it to look at Glen. Rarely did his eyes carry such anger.

‘Well, he did touch a sore spot.’

To Glen, Sylvia and Raon were tender wounds. It seemed that no matter what others might say, he could not forgive those who hurt them.

‘He’s gradually returning to his former self.’

Roen smiled behind his composed expression. The sight of Glen seeking vengeance on behalf of his grandchild, like a grandfather avenging those who had struck his heir, was almost amusing.

*

*

*

When Raon returned to the Annex Building, Sylvia and the handmaidens were all waiting outside.

“Why are you out here?”
“Um, how did it go?”

Sylvia’s hands trembled as she clasped them before her chest. She was resolute in her own matters, yet anxious when it came to her son’s affairs.

“We’ve decided to hold a duel a week from now.”
“A, a duel?”
“A duel, you say!”

Sylvia and Helen seized my shoulders and arms, shaking them urgently.

“I’m going to duel Rayden Zigheart.”
“What? What did you say?”
“No, how on earth did this lead to a duel….”

Their eyes wavered like a sailboat caught in a gale. The handmaidens gasped, unable to close their mouths.

“I’ve considered many approaches, but a duel is the best way.”

I met Sylvia’s gaze as I spoke.

“There’s no better option.”

The enemy is the direct line, and we are the Branch Family. The only way to make Rayden kneel without bringing harm to the Annex Building was to win Glen’s recognition through a duel.
The only way to not only make Rayden kneel but also avoid damaging the Annex Building was to engage in a gladiatorial duel and earn Glen Zigheart’s recognition.

But Raon. What you’ve seen isn’t all there is to Rayden.

Sylvia approached and took his hand. The trembling from her hand traveled up to his wrist.

“Y-yes, Young Master. The swordsmen of Jinmu Hall are renowned for their diverse techniques. You mustn’t think so simply. He’ll be stronger than the Green Warrior you defeated!”
“And this time he won’t be careless either, and you haven’t even fully recovered from your injuries! This won’t do. I must speak to your father! If I ask him right now….”
“Mother.”
“Mom.”

Raon grabbed Sylvia’s shoulder as she tried to let go of his hand and run toward the Main Mansion.

“It’s okay. Trust me.”

As she smiled faintly, Sylvia, who had been about to run off immediately, turned her body around.

“The family head taught me something.”
“Ah, Father did?”
“Yes. If I use that, I can win.”
“I see….”
“So I’m going to disregard the training prohibition I promised your mother.”

After finishing those words, I entered the Annex Building. Sylvia stood frozen in place, unable to stop me.

“My lady. Surely, even if the young master learned from the family head, shouldn’t you have stopped him?”

Helen stood beside Sylvia and swallowed dryly.

“I intended to, but when I saw Raon’s eyes… I felt an inexplicable sense of relief.”
“Hmm, truthfully, I felt it too….”

Helen nodded, saying she had experienced the same emotion.

“Still, we can’t just stand idle. Let’s find something, however small, that we can do for Raon.”
“Yes.”

The handmaidens bowed their heads in unison. Judith, standing at the very end, watched the Annex Building where Sylvia and I had entered, her eyes gleaming with light.

*

*

*

I changed into training clothes in my room and headed toward the Annex Courtyard. The handmaidens glanced at me as they passed, but I paid them no mind.

‘What’s urgent now is the duel.’

News of the duel would spread quickly. Since I’d already drawn attention, it was better to attract even more eyes so that Jinmu Hall couldn’t make other moves.

For that, I needed to show not merely victory in the duel, but overwhelming dominance.

“A practice sword….”

A flexible sword, in simple terms, is a sword with elasticity.
They range from those with slightly enhanced springiness to blades that bend as freely as whips. Flexible swords come in many varieties.

The swordsmen of Jinmu Hall are those who harmonize such pliable blades with ornate swordplay.
The higher a swordsman’s skill, the more pronounced the flexibility of their flexible sword becomes. Standing before a master wielder of a powerful flexible blade, one might witness what appears to be a wall constructed from steel itself.

‘Rayden’s flexible sword must have extraordinary elasticity.’

As the son of the Jinmu Hall Master, renowned for his mastery of flexible swords, Rayden’s technique would surely transcend ordinary flexible sword mastery.

Yet I harbored no thought of defeat.

I had mastered the Taewhabo that Glen himself had transmitted to me, and in my previous life, I had even assassinated an exceptional flexible swordsman.

Whether Rayden wielded a flexible sword or an intermediate-level Expert technique, neither held any significance for me.

Clang!

I unwound the bandages that Sylvia had forcibly bound around me and drew my sword.

I flowed through the Yeonseong Swordplay while treading the Garambo Footwork. A movement that bloomed smoothly like a single brushstroke. It was already a completed form beyond question.

As I unfolded the final technique of Yeonseong Swordplay, I shifted into a movement distinct from the Garambo Footwork. Rather than extending my right foot, I stamped the ground with my left.

Screech!

In that instant, my form became as faint as dust before erupting like lightning three paces ahead. Even watching from mere steps away, it appeared as though I had vanished before my eyes only to reappear.

Whoosh!

I brought my sword down in a diagonal slash. The air itself seemed to cleave along the blade’s path—a sword aura that could sever anything before it.

“Hah…”

I exhaled and stilled my blade.

‘So this is the Taewhabo.’

Taewhabo was not merely a footwork technique.
It was a special stepping method that could be woven into the intervals of other footwork patterns, allowing me to create the most optimal movement for any given moment.

With the thought of fighting the enemy who had insulted Sylvia and Helen burned into my mind, the quality of my training seemed to elevate.

If I made full use of this time, I could undoubtedly grow stronger.

“Then.”

I raised my sword again and moved my feet, until the rising sun melted into the darkness.

*

*

*

The next day, my routine remained unchanged.
I came to the Training Courtyard at dawn and swung my sword again and again. Others might question why I repeated the same movements endlessly, but I knew it was the right path.

‘This repetition is what saves my life.’

In a life-or-death battle, what saves me is neither newly learned swordsmanship nor expensive armor.
Only martial arts honed through endless training—techniques as natural as breathing—could truly save me.

I moved my feet and swung my sword without even taking a moment’s rest.
I wove Taewhabo into the intervals of Garambo, steadily raising its proficiency.

When lunchtime arrived, Judith approached the Training Courtyard carrying a tray covered with white cloth.

“Young master. I’ve brought your lunch.”
“Lunch?”

I stopped my training and turned around.

“Yes. I’ve prepared sandwiches for you to eat conveniently.”

My stomach was rumbling, so I sheathed my sword and sat at the table where Judith had set down the tray.

“Since you’ve been moving about, eat slowly so you don’t upset your stomach.”
“Thank you.”
“Yes.”

Judith bowed her head and returned to the Annex Building.

I wiped my hands with a damp cloth and lifted the white fabric covering the tray.

“Hmm?”

Beside the plate of neatly cut sandwiches lay a thin book I’d never seen before.

‘What is this?’

I frowned slightly and picked up the booklet. It had no title, and its cover was smooth as if freshly made.

“Ha!”

I let out a hollow laugh as I opened the book and examined its contents. Inside were the names and characteristics of all the sword techniques and footwork that Rayden Zigheart had learned.
Everything was organized and arranged perfectly for easy reference.

‘This book…’

Though it clearly contained valuable information, it was undoubtedly not something that had existed before.

‘It’s newly made.’

Judith must have created this book in just a single day using information about Rayden and Jinmu Hall.

To produce such a book while attending to her duties as a maidservant—she was no ordinary talent. It would be a waste to keep her as merely a simple spy.

“Hmm.”

I watched Judith’s retreating figure as she walked toward the Annex Building and smiled faintly.

“She’s proving to be more useful than I expected—far more useful, actually.”

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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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