The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 1547 (Side Story) "It's a pity, but this is probably right too." Rector sighed as he watched the Zieghart swordsmen leaving the Holy Sword Alliance. Setting aside his regret, he turned his back and looked over, one by one, those who remained in the Holy Sword Alliance. "Everyone worked hard to overcome an impossible battle." Rector raised his voice toward the remaining people of the Continental Alliance. "If you wish to stay on this land, you are welcome to stay as long as you like! The Holy Sword Alliance will forever be your friend, so rest well from the fatigue of war and return home!" He bowed his head, conveying his gratitude to those who had fought alongside them in place of his suddenly vanished grandson. "I'm grateful for your words, but we should be going too." Milland, the lord of Habun Castle, stepped forward leading his horse. "Monsters carrying the cold wave will soon be coming down, so we need to prepare for that." He nodded, saying he would head north immediately without rest, just like the Zieghart swordsmen. "...and now there's no one left to work to the bone and tease." Milland let out a short sigh, his face looking as though it wouldn't shed a single drop of blood even if pricked with a needle. "That kid would be grateful." Rector lowered his chin, saying that Raon must have ascended while holding onto his gratitude for Milland and the cavalry of Habun Castle. "That, I know better than anyone." The lord of Habun Castle narrowed his eyes as he mounted his horse. "That Raon kid locked eyes with me right before splitting the sky." He smirked, saying Raon had given him a glance of thanks with his eyes. "Well then." Milland, every bit the Martial Artist of the north, left the Holy Sword Alliance with his cavalry, as if no more words were needed. "I'll get going too." Beast King Ogram approached Rector with a hollow expression. "Your injuries are severe—will you be alright?" Rector narrowed his eyes slightly at Ogram, whose entire body was covered in wounds. "These are all just wounds of flesh and skin." As if it didn't hurt at all, Ogram thumped his fist against his chest, where chunks of flesh had been torn away. "Your expression doesn't look good…." Rector smacked his lips, seemingly worried about Ogram. "That's because of regret. Regret that Raon, who was like a son to me, has left this world, and regret that I didn't manage to properly distinguish myself in this war!" Ogram bit down hard on his lip, as if the second reason weighed on him more than the first. "In the next war, I'll play a bigger role than anyone else!" As if declaring he would be the protagonist of the next war, he swung his fist through the air and dashed out of the Holy Sword Alliance. "A-Alliance Leader?" "Where are you going alone!" "P-Please wait for us!" The Martial Artists of the Beast Union, eyes wide like startled rabbits, hurriedly chased after Ogram, who had dashed out alone. "So that is Beast King Ogram!" Greer, the new king of Owen Kingdom, let out an exclamation of admiration. "Not satisfied even after winning the war, but striving to go further still! That is an attitude I must learn, every bit as much as the Iron Will Lord Raon showed us!" He clenched his fist tightly, as if he had gained some realization from Ogram's words. "I won't lose either! Next time, I will become a true king and achieve even greater feats than Lord Raon!" Greer shouted that he would return as a true king, both in martial prowess and in spirit, and dashed out just like Ogram. "Y-Your Majesty!" "T-The Beast King is not someone to be imitated!" "Please reconsider!" The Knights of Owen broke into a cold sweat, startled to see Greer trying to imitate Ogram, and chased after him. "We won, that should be enough. Feats, my foot." Chamber clicked her tongue as she watched Ogram and Greer. "Martial Artists are no different from children even at that age." She took out a piece of candy, saying Ogram was pathetic. "Then again, even that Raon kid who achieved Ascension often looked like a child." Chamber curled up the corners of her mouth, as if just thinking of Raon made her want to laugh. "He was such a cute kid, I thought about taking him as my husband, but what a shame." As if she had been serious, she popped the candy into her mouth and flicked her tongue. "Ahem…." Rector felt the sincerity behind Chamber's words and his chin trembled. "Master…." Jayna, the princess of Balkar and Chamber's disciple, let out a sigh. "Please maintain some dignity." She shook her head, telling her to stop saying such strange things. "Why! He was handsome, had a great background, was warm-hearted, and his abilities were the strongest on the continent. There's no husband material like Raon anywhere on the continent!" Chamber narrowed her eyes slightly, saying that even if she wanted to find a husband like Raon, she couldn't help herself. "If it couldn't be me, I thought I'd at least introduce him to you, but what a shame." She smacked her lips, saying she had actually planned to properly introduce Jayna and Raon to each other, even more than herself. "...Then you should have done it sooner. So slow." Jayna glared sideways at Chamber, who was sucking on her candy, and bit her lip slightly. Her expression turned fierce, just as it had been before Raon had scolded her into changing. "What? What did you just say?" "Nothing." She shrugged, saying it was nothing. "Hmm, I'm sure she said something strange…." Chamber scrutinized Jayna with a furrowed brow, but her face had already returned to a calm expression. "Anyway, we'll get going too. We need to check on the broken communication magic. Ugh, what a pain. Won't someone do it for me?" Chamber waved the hand holding her candy, saying that she and the other Magicians probably needed to return to the kingdom too. "W-We'll go too." Mage Tower Master Larian crept closer, her body wrapped in a tattered blanket. "Hm? That's not your job." Chamber tilted her head, looking at Larian. "The communication magic is our…." "I-I want to do research." Larian shook her head firmly, saying that fixing the communication magic wasn't her goal. "A-Ascension! I couldn't see it properly when it happened to Lord Glenn, but this time, with Lord Raon, I felt it clearly. That is absolutely not something achievable by human power alone! I want to uncover that secret through magic!" As if she had realized something from witnessing Raon's Ascension, she shouted, rare as it was, still wrapped in her blanket. "D-Did you gain a realization?" Ironclad Yuria, who had come along with Larian, widened his eyes in shock. "T-There's plenty of possibility! That Ascension could be achieved through magic too! Right? Isn't that right?" Larian nodded her head repeatedly, as if seeking Chamber's agreement. "Huh? Uh-huh…. Sure. Do as you please." Chamber nodded her trembling chin, looking at Larian's twisted eyes, which seemed ready to kill anyone who tried to stop her. "Yes! I'll contact you later, then!" Larian said she would begin her research right away, opened a Dimensional Gate alone, and disappeared. "Ugh, kids these days are scary." Chamber muttered that she had almost wet herself looking at Larian's eyes, then disappeared into her giant witch hat. "Master?" "M-Mage Tower Master!" Jayna and Yuria called out for Chamber and Larian, but their masters gave no answer and simply vanished. "Where are you going now!" "Master! There's a lot of work to handle after the war! You can't go to the cave!" The two of them, insisting they had to catch Chamber and Larian immediately, stepped into their own Dimensional Gates. "Hah…." Rector blinked blankly as he watched the scene. "Is disappearing alone the trend among the Five Kings these days? I suppose I should learn that too." He stroked his chin, thinking he too should learn how to disappear alone. "Learn, you say? Don't make me laugh! You old geezer were the first one to pull that stunt!" Lawrence glared at Rector. He ground his teeth hard enough to make a grating sound, as if irritated at having inherited the position of Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance from him. "I'll dump it right back on someone too! Once Mustan reaches Transcendence…." It was just as Lawrence muttered that he would personally teach Mustan and shook his head. "You're the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance, aren't you?" Thespian Emperor Ariel approached Lawrence. "I'm Ariel, the leader of the White Whale. I look forward to working with you." She extended her hand, as if she had come to greet the new Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance. "Whether it's the White Whale or whatever, there's no need to concern yourself with me. The position of Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance will change soon enough." Lawrence did not take the Thespian Emperor's hand, saying he was only holding the position of Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance temporarily. "Even if it changes, greetings are still in order. As a leader who will also stand in the same position." The Thespian Emperor said that she and Lawrence would come to stand in the same position, and extended her hand again, forcing a handshake. "The same position?" Queen of Swords Brigitte frowned. "You still haven't given up on joining the Five Kings?" She clutched her head, saying Ariel was truly relentless. "Because now is the opportunity." Ariel smiled brightly and lowered her hand. "All of the Five Kings are still alive, while all of the Five Demons except for the Holy Sword Alliance have fallen. That means a new power structure is about to be formed." She folded and unfolded her fingers, lifting her sparkling eyes. "In times of such chaos, a hero always emerges. Of course, I intend to become not an ordinary hero, but a cunning one." Ariel smacked her lips, as if planning to seize the opening that would arise amid the new power structure being formed. "Haah, do as you like." Brigitte sighed and shook her head. "What do you mean?" Ariel's eyes went round. "You should come along with me too, Queen of Swords." She curled up the corners of her mouth, as if intending to raise the Sword Pavilion, which Brigitte led, to the same standing as the Five Kings. "What? Says who!" Brigitte shook her chin fiercely. "I just want to live comfortably, with nature as my companion…." "I'll make you comfortable, so just stay still." "No! That kind of comfort is not the comfort I want…." "It's fine! Just trust me!" Ariel, saying she would handle everything herself, took away a Brigitte who was now making a fuss. "Let's be sure to meet again next time, new Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance." With a graceful smile, as if to say they'd meet again, she waved her hand and left the Holy Sword Alliance. "Lawrence." Rector called out to Lawrence, recalling Ariel's captivating smile. "You'd know, wouldn't you? Women like that are the ones you need to watch out for the most… hm?" He shook his head, telling Lawrence to be wary of Ariel, then suddenly widened his eyes. "Did you say Ariel?" Lawrence trembled as he called out her name, his right hand—the one that had shaken Ariel's—quivering. "Ariel of the White Whale…." Lawrence, as if he had fallen in love, smitten by Ariel's smile and the passion she had shown, even had a flush of red rising between the strands of his long white hair. "Ahh!" Rector, realizing that Lawrence had completely fallen for Ariel, smacked his own forehead with his hand. 'To think it would turn out like this….' After being abandoned by the Leader of the White Blood Religion, Lawrence had done nothing but hole himself up in a cave of the Holy Sword Alliance, so he was hopelessly naive and had absolutely no resistance to the opposite sex. For a rare beauty like Ariel to greet him so brightly, acknowledge his position by taking his hand, and even leave him with the words that they'd surely meet again—it would have been strange for him not to fall for her. "The Holy Sword Alliance, handed down for a thousand years…." Rector squeezed his eyes shut as he watched Lawrence repeat Ariel's name over and over, as if vowing never to forget it. "…might just collapse right here." * * * A few days later. "Got everything packed?" Rector looked at the bundle on the ground and brushed off his palms. "Now all that's left is to leave." He looked around with eyes tinged with bitterness, as if intending to leave the Holy Sword Alliance. "Master." Mustan approached Rector, who was about to shoulder his bundle. "Where are you going?" He bowed his head, asking whether he, as a disciple, didn't have the right to know where Rector was going. "Tell me." Lawrence, arms crossed, furrowed his eyes. "If you're going to dump the Holy Sword Alliance on me, at least tell me where you're going." He shook his head firmly, declaring he would never take charge of the Holy Sword Alliance unless Rector told him. "Thinking about it, I never went through a harsh environment." Instead of revealing the place right away, Rector first began speaking about himself. "Even in the Holy Sword Alliance, I was born carrying a strong background and outstanding talent from the very start, and I've only ever walked the easy path." He closed his eyes, as if looking back over his own life. "The Martial Artist I respect most, and the grandson I love most, both crossed beyond the sky and reached the heavens. Even though we trained together, I am the only one who never reached that position." Rector bit his lip deeply, saying he was disappointed in himself. "I thought about the difference between me and those two. Unlike them, who were always exposed to death in harsh environments, I lived a relatively peaceful life. So even now, I intend to go bare-handed into a fearsome place—one cold enough to chill the bone, where a single moment of carelessness could cost my life, and filled with endless temptation strong enough to bend my spine—and temper myself there." He nodded heavily, gripping his sword, as if he had no intention of stopping where he currently stood. "M-Master. So that's why you only packed a bundle…." Mustan, as if moved by Rector's words, bit his lip with tears welling up in his eyes. "Hmm…." Lawrence let out a hollow breath, apparently not having thought that Rector had entrusted him with the position of Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance for the sake of Cultivation. "Mustan, and Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance." Rector, bundle on his back, looked at the two of them. "I entrust the Holy Sword Alliance to you both." He left behind the words entrusting the Holy Sword Alliance to them in his place, with a faint smile. "Yes! Master! Leave it to us!" Mustan thumped his own chest with his fist, as if to say just leave it all to him. "…." Lawrence said nothing, but gave a small nod as if to say he understood. "I'll come visit now and then." Rector left behind the words that they'd meet again and turned his back. As if he had no lingering attachment at all, he left the Holy Sword Alliance without looking back once, his steps as light as a feather. "Let's work hard!" Mustan raised his fist, suggesting they run the Holy Sword Alliance well together. "That old geezer…." Without responding to Mustan's enthusiasm, Lawrence frowned as he watched Rector slowly grow distant. That light, cheerful gait, as if he had wings attached, was utterly displeasing. "Something seems off about this, somehow." * * * Rector did not stop walking even as the sun set, nor even as it rose again. As if truly undergoing an ascetic trial, he neither ate nor slept, crossing rivers and climbing mountains as he journeyed north. The place where Rector's endless walk finally came to a stop was the empty land of the north—House Zieghart, where everything had turned to ash. "Huh? It's Grandfather!" Sia, sitting atop the makeshift annex building made of tents, recognized Rector and waved her hand. "Huh? Father!" "Father?" Sylvia and Edgar also widened their eyes in surprise at Rector's sudden appearance. "Grandfather!" With a bright smile, Sia jumped down from the tent and ran toward Rector. "Oh my! My little puppy!" Rector scooped Sia up into his arms, his face brightening to a degree one would hardly believe a person's face could. "You've grown so much now! If this old grandpa lets his guard down, my back might just snap!" He laughed brightly as he lifted Sia up with ease. "Hehehe!" Sia, too, let out a childlike laugh and hugged Rector tightly. "Grandfather. I love you!" "Keh heh, that's right. As long as I have my Sia, I'd have no regrets even if I died! None at all!" Rector grinned broadly and nodded his head vigorously, as if all the dignity he had shown in front of Mustan and Lawrence had completely flown away. "Father, what brings you here?" "I knew you'd come, but I didn't expect you so soon." Edgar and Sylvia widened their eyes, asking how he had come when the Holy Sword Alliance itself wasn't in good shape. "Oh! Of course I had to come! Those kids will handle things there on their own, no need to worry about it." Rector snorted, saying the Holy Sword Alliance was something Lawrence and Mustan would handle on their own. "Now that I'm old, it's cold enough to chill my bones. Let's go inside quickly. Let's cook up some warm food too." He said he had brought high-quality ingredients from the Holy Sword Alliance, and went into the tent and opened a subspace full of food. "Ugh, that old man, honestly!" "Why? I'm glad he came. Sia likes it too." Edgar sighed while Sylvia smiled brightly, and the two followed Rector into the tent. Inside the tent where the four of them had entered, a warmth bloomed, just like in the annex building of old. "Ha ha ha!" Because the family of the annex building was staying in a makeshift tent, unlike before, Rector's laughter was now carrying outside. Of course, the rest of the people of Zieghart were on the main building side, so there should have been no one to hear his voice, but today, exactly one person was listening to that sound. "Haah…." It was Lawrence. The new Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance, who had sensed something strange in Rector's expression and had followed after him, burst out in a cry of fury. "Cold like it's in your very bones? A situation where one moment of carelessness could cost your life? Temptation strong enough to bend your spine? Bare-handed?" Lawrence ground his teeth, repeating word for word what Rector had said when leaving the Holy Sword Alliance. "It's absurd how every bit of it actually checks out." Rector had come to Zieghart, the coldest place on the continent; utterly smitten with Sia, he had opened his arms to her without a shred of defense; and he had held her fully in his embrace, enough to bend his spine. He had come empty-handed and even opened a subspace, so in a way, he hadn't told a single lie. That made it all the more infuriating—infuriating enough to make Lawrence want to drive a fist right into Rector's grinning face. "You damned old geezer!" (E/N: Since we are nearing the end of the story...Gotta say I'm disappointed with the way the author treated Sia. Let's not forgat Sia has been a full grown adult from her introduction. While there are reasons to her stunted development, until the very end, her role was just a little mascot kid.)