The Son-In-Law of the Magician Is a Transcendent Sword Master - Chapter 157

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 157
“So that’s what happened….”
​
Valen Wirth von Benheim, Warden of the Runes and Commander of the Alliance Subjugation Force, wiped his brow as he surveyed the devastated landscape of central Eltora.
It had been mere minutes since he’d rushed out upon hearing of the commotion.
Mercenaries lay scattered across the ground, not a single one unscathed. Broken arms were the least of their injuries—many bore grievous wounds: pierced abdomens, severed wrists, and worse.
At first glance, one might assume a brawl had erupted between battle-hardened mercenaries, but….
​
“Reagan.”
​
Standing before him was Reagan, wearing an awkward smile.
At his feet lay a corpse drenched in water. From the quality of the clothing and the sword at its side, this was no ordinary person.
​
“…I’ll give you a chance to explain yourself.”
“It was unavoidable.”
“Unavoidable, you say?”
​
Valen’s shoulders trembled slightly.
Stay calm. You must stay calm. This is the heart of Eltora. And behind you stand the mages of the Alliance Subjugation Force.
​
“Listen, Reagan…. Let me summarize the situation. You’ve not only annihilated this entire mercenary group, but you’ve reduced the streets of Eltora to rubble.”
​
Valen’s gaze fell upon a broken bridge. A great river flows through central Eltora, and this bridge spanning it was the lifeblood of the city.
The bridge lay in complete ruins. A historic structure nearly three hundred years old had been reduced to dust.
​
“There was no choice.”
“…Damn it all….”
​
Valen wanted nothing more than to explode in fury, but he forced himself to compose. Yet composure changed nothing about the situation itself.
​
“This is different from the Mist Valley operation.”
“I understand.”
“And yet you did this anyway.”
“It was unavoidable.”
“….”
​
Eltora is a major city. Had he merely eliminated a single mercenary group discreetly, that would be one thing. But to engage in open combat in the middle of the streets at midnight, destroying nearby residences and a bridge in the process—the only mercy was that there were no civilian casualties.
​
“Actually… those mercenaries lying there weren’t knocked down by me. It was Renia who….”
“That’s enough excuses.”
​
Valen sighed, his gaze fixed on the letter Reagan had just handed him.
Yet he couldn’t fault Reagan too harshly—precisely because of this letter. Evidence that the Stork Mercenary Company was collaborating with a curse mage from Iridia. If he gathered the surviving mercenaries for interrogation, he could uncover the schemes the curse mage was orchestrating.
A harvest not to be dismissed. No, there could be no better harvest than this. Had Valen known this fact beforehand, he would have deployed force to suppress the Stork Mercenary Company and ransacked their coffers himself.
​
“But I wouldn’t have proceeded so recklessly.”
“Ha ha….”
​
Valen tucked the letter into his breast pocket.
​
“Reagan, regardless of your merits… I have no choice but to impose strict punishment for acting on your own authority like this. It’s the discipline of the Alliance Subjugation Force.”
“Understood. Yes, I’ll accept it gracefully.”
“There’s a high probability you’ll be excluded from the roster of the next operation.”
“That would be rather inconvenient. Couldn’t you flog me instead?”
“…What barbaric punishment are you suggesting, Reagan?”
“That’s how it was done in the mercenary group I belonged to.”
“We are not a mercenary group.”
​
Valen exhaled a sigh so deep it seemed the earth itself might collapse.
That audacious, shameless attitude. Yet he couldn’t simply condemn it, for Reagan had genuinely found the right answers time and again.
However, the Alliance Subjugation Force stood outside Benheim’s walls. Discipline must be upheld. A major incident had occurred, so punishment must come first….
​
Tap.
​
In that instant, someone struck Valen’s waist.
Few within the Alliance Subjugation Force could lay hands on their captain without hesitation. In fact, there was scarcely more than one such person.
​
“Why are you being so strict, Uncle Valen?”
​
A petite woman had approached behind Valen without his notice.
Golden hair, a height that barely reached his chest, an expression bold—no, audacious.
​
“Miss Renia….”
Renia grinned widely, placing both hands on her hips.
​
“You’re going to punish Reagan?”
“…I’m afraid so. This is in accordance with the laws of the Alliance Subjugation Force….”
“Then I should be punished too.”
“Pardon?”
“The truth is, Reagan was trying to resolve this as gently as possible. It was I who pestered him and caused this trouble.”
“Renia…?”
​
Valen Wirth von Benheim looked between Renia and Reagan, his brow furrowing.
​
“Reagan wanted to report to you first. But I objected. If we don’t arrest them now, won’t they all escape?”
“Miss Renia, there’s no need to cover for him.”
“Why would I cover for Reagan? I’m simply stating the facts.”
​
Valen studied Renia through narrowed eyes. Given her track record in Mist Valley, he’d assumed Reagan had orchestrated this incident. But there wasn’t a trace of deception in Renia’s expression. That could only mean she had truly orchestrated everything herself.
Only then did Valen look at Reagan, who merely shrugged—a silent affirmation.
​
​
“….”
​
Valen fell into contemplation.
Reagan had made a decision befitting a mage, while Renia’s solution was something you’d expect from a rough mercenary. Considering their respective backgrounds, this was quite remarkable.
​
“…Heh.”
​
Valen quickly grasped the reason.
The husband was beginning to resemble his wife, and the wife was beginning to resemble her husband. Perhaps this was what they meant by “two bodies, one soul.” Their transformation was fascinating enough to draw an involuntary chuckle from him.
​
“So, what will you do about punishment?”
​
Renia asked boldly, and Valen released a heavy sigh. No matter how much authority the Alliance Subjugation Force wielded, they couldn’t punish direct descendants of Benheim.
​
“…I see. There’s nothing to be done, Miss Renia.”
“Exactly.”
​
Renia’s eyes curved into crescents.
​
​* * *
​
The resolution of the incident concluded with surprising speed.
Apparently pressed by the Stork Mercenary Company’s influence, the city officials came rushing over the moment the situation ended, bowing and scraping before us.
Once we explained it was an operation by the Great Mage Alliance, their attitude became even more obsequious. They insisted we needn’t compensate for the collapsed bridge, and instead thanked us, saying the Stork Mercenary Company had been a thorn in the city’s side.
Thus the incident concluded smoothly, with us receiving a substantial sum as compensation—money the Stork Mercenary Company had embezzled over time.
During this process, our treatment was also decided. Since the city had no demands of us, the decision was made through a vote according to Alliance Subjugation Force internal regulations, and….
​
“By unanimous vote, we’ve decided not to hold you responsible.”
​
Everything was wrapped up cleanly.
Renia deserved much of the credit for this. Not a single member of the Alliance Subjugation Force had supported punishing Benheim’s direct bloodline. As Renia had said, the Benheim name carried enough weight to bury an incident like this without breaking a sweat.
Of course, after hearing the full story, Rashek wore an expression of mild disappointment as he said this.
​
“Hmm… If you were going to stir up trouble, you should’ve called me. I feel robbed.”
​
Yusefin fielded the follow-up.
​
“Give him a break, Rashek. They just went out for a night stroll as a couple. The world must look like cherry blossoms through their eyes.”
​
I couldn’t argue with that, so I simply offered a wry smile.
In the end, my original plan to stay in Eltora for just one day had been completely derailed by this incident. I would need to remain in Eltora for several more days to interrogate the surviving members of the Stork Mercenary Company.
​
“That’s how it is.”
“Y-yes.”
​
Seila, who stood at the center of all these events, nodded with a bewildered expression. Then, as if unable to believe the series of incidents that had unfolded, she looked at me with vacant eyes and spoke.
​
“Reagan.”
“What?”
“You really are… quite an extraordinary person.”
“I told you. I’m with Benheim.”
“Y-yes… I didn’t really believe it until I saw it with my own eyes… Actually, even now it doesn’t feel real….”
​
From Seila’s perspective, she had never imagined that I, whom she thought was merely a green mercenary, could be a pillar of the Great Mage Alliance.
Of course, Seila’s bewilderment stemmed from something else entirely.
​
“Your debt.”
“Huh?”
“Your debt. It’s gone now. You’re free.”
​
Seila had become a free woman. She was no longer indebted to the Stork Mercenary Company. That vacant expression on her face was entirely because of that.
​
“Since your creditor no longer exists in this world, the debt you owed is erased as well.”
“Y-yes… I never thought it would be resolved this way….”
​
Seila nodded with a reluctant expression. I had expected her to be quite delighted at having found the freedom she’d dreamed of, but her complexion seemed oddly subtle.
​
“What’s wrong?”
“No, it’s just… well….”
​
Seila, who had been pondering for a moment, spoke as though expelling the words.
​
“I just… got scared.”
“Scared?”
“Yeah.”
​
Seila clenched her fist against her thigh.
​
“I’ve lived like a machine my whole life. But suddenly being free… I don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t even figure out how I’ll eat tomorrow.”
“….”
​
In her past life, Seila had killed three members of the Stork Mercenary Company and fled northward. There, she founded a mercenary group with like-minded individuals.
Years later, an age of chaos descended, and Seila’s mercenary group—or rather, her legion—had become a colossal force dominating the western Continent.
It sounds like an easy tale on the surface. In fact, Seila herself used to say this during drinking sessions in the past.
​
– I was fortunate. Everything I touched succeeded.
​
I didn’t believe that. Barely twenty years old. Thrown into the world with nothing but a murder conviction on her back, much like Renia’s age now.
As someone who had lived as a mercenary, I could well imagine how much hardship Seila must have endured to become the leader of such a vast mercenary company.
But this life is different. Seila didn’t flee, and in the process, she committed no murders. She bears no debt to repay.
So… Seila wouldn’t need to tread the same arduous path as her past life.
​
“Take this.”
​
I handed Seila a longsword. It was one I’d seized after killing Gord, the captain of the Stork Mercenary Company. It appeared to be the work of a rather renowned blacksmith, with a red jewel even set into the pommel.
​
“Why this?”
“Keep it.”
“I already have… a separate sword.”
​
Seila gestured toward the nodachi strapped to her pack.
Though its broad, flat form made it difficult to use in actual combat, in her past life, Seila had nonetheless employed that nodachi in real battles. Because of this, before she earned the epithet of legion commander, she was known by the nickname “the Executioner.”
​
“I’m not giving it to you to wield.”
“Then?”
“Sell it and raise funds.”
“Sell it? This?”
​
Seila tilted her head, clearly not understanding.
But there was a reason I was saying this at all.
Namely….
​
“Honestly, you have no talent with the sword. No matter how hard you work your entire life, you’ll never reach my current level.”
“….”
​
Seila’s expression hardened at my words. It seemed even a swordmaster had some pride.
But what could I do?
​
– I should have picked up the bow from the start.
​
This was testimony Seila herself had given me in my past life.
Unfortunately, Seila had no talent with the sword. She’d only taken it up because she’d inherited her father’s heirloom executioner’s blade, but her true talents lay in mercenary arts and marksmanship.
Her archery skills in particular were extraordinary. The record of seven consecutive arrows striking dead center on a target hundreds of meters away was something few in Imperial history could match—save for Seila herself.
When she first demonstrated the technique of infusing arrows with aura to bend their trajectories at will, everyone was astounded.
That was around the time Seila had ascended to Swordmaster.
​
– Could a wall really crumble this easily…?
​
There was one fool who’d discovered her true talent only near the end of the war. Her expression at that moment had been quite something to behold.
If Seila, who was twenty-seven then, picked up the bow now, she might earn the title of Divine Archer within just a few years.
​
“If you sell this, you’ll fetch a decent price. Use that money to settle somewhere quiet. Somewhere with good security if possible. There are plenty of places that treat you well if you have money.”
​
But I’d decided not to tell Seila this truth.
​
– I envy you, Reagan.
– You have family, after all.
​
I remembered what Seila had said that day over drinks.
The Captain had regretted her own life. She’d regretted the past where she couldn’t do what she wanted. She’d wanted to build a family, to find a partner.
If that was the case….
​
“Build a family or find a partner—whatever you want. Live the life you desire.”
“….”
​
Though I was losing a powerful ally, I felt no great regret. I’d already secured Victor Otto as Seila’s replacement for the legion.
So there was no harm in letting one connection from my past life walk the path she desired.
“…Take it. Don’t refuse.”
​
Seila, having received the longsword from me, fell silent for a long while.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————