The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 1552 "Hmm…." Ragged Saint Federick sat in a creaking rocking chair, tilting his chin to the side. "At your current level of medical skill, you'd put most physicians to shame — do you really not know?" He clicked his tongue, as if he couldn't fathom her not knowing at all. "Y-yes…." Martha bowed her head, her face drained of energy unlike usual. "There are a lot of illnesses with similar symptoms, but they're all a little different, so…." She lowered her brows, saying she had no idea what illness she was suffering from. "I see." Federick put his feet down to stop the rocking chair and drew a faint smile. "Tell me your symptoms." He flicked his finger, telling her to explain where and how it hurt. "W-well, you see…." Martha tapped her finger on the old desk and let out a sigh. "M-my heart beats really fast. Maybe because of that, my chest hurts like it's being squeezed, and my b-body trembles like I have the chills." She chewed on her pale, bloodless lips, saying her condition wasn't good. "A racing heart, a squeezing pain in the chest, and trembling like chills…." Federick let out a low groan as he wrote down the symptoms Martha had described. "It's likely a heart condition. Give me your hand." He narrowed his eyes, saying he needed to give her a proper examination. "What? Oh, yes!" Martha gulped and held out her hand to Federick. "Hmm…." As Federick held Martha's hand and wrist and closed his eyes, a faint golden glow radiated from around his grip. "Huh?" After a moment, Federick opened his eyes and slightly narrowed his brow. "There's nothing wrong with your heart?" He scratched his chin, saying her heart was indeed beating faster than normal, but there was nothing wrong with the heart's function itself. "Just in case, let me check elsewhere too." Federick closed his eyes again and used his examination ability to check over Martha's entire body. "Aside from the heart, there's nothing particularly wrong with your other organs, bones, or muscles either." After a long while, Federick opened his eyes and tilted his head. "You're so healthy it's almost absurd." He looked at Martha, asking if she was really sick. "W-why would I be faking it right now…." Martha let out a heavy breath through her dry, pale lips. "I have a lot of work to do, I only came to see you, Saint, because I really felt terrible…." Unlike the spirited figure she'd been during her time in the Light Wind Palace, she bowed with slumped shoulders. "Well, you're not the type of child to feign illness." Federick scratched his cheek as he looked at Martha's pale complexion. "Judging by your complexion and the state of your lips, something's definitely wrong somewhere." Thinking there was definitely something wrong with Martha, he picked up his pen as if to examine her again. "Tell me more about the symptoms you're experiencing in detail. Also when they started." Federick flicked his finger, saying he would look into it again. "I-it started right after the war ended. At first there were only very faint symptoms, but after I returned to Zieghart, they suddenly got worse…." Martha bit her lip, saying that after returning to Zieghart, her heartbeat had become frighteningly fast, and the trembling in her chest had worsened too. "A-and I keep thinking about it." She drew a sharp breath and continued. "When I think about it, my heart beats even faster…." "Think? What kind of thought is it?" Federick sat up straight, asking what thought was making her heart pound so violently. "T-that guy…." Martha lowered her trembling eyes and parted her dry lips. "Lately, whenever I think of Raon, my chest pounds like crazy…." She frowned, saying her heart felt like it would explode every time she thought of Raon. "I had a bit of this symptom before too, but it got even worse once he disappeared. So much that I can't sleep…." Martha clutched her head, saying something seemed seriously wrong with her. "Oho!" Federick let out an exclamation, his wrinkled forehead smoothing out as if it had been ironed. "That's— Hmm…." He clapped his hand over his own mouth, having been about to blurt out the answer. "B-by any chance." Federick clicked his tongue and leaned forward toward the desk. "Not just thinking about Raon — can't you also picture yourself being together with him?" He shrugged at Martha, as if asking how that sounded. "B-being together with him?" Martha perked up her ears like a rabbit, seemingly startled by Federick's words. "That's right. Spending time together, eating meals together. As if you'd become lovers." Federick licked his lips with his tongue and let out a ragged breath. He seemed unable to contain how interesting he found the situation. "R-romance? Ugh!" Martha bit her lip, clutching her chest as if she'd been stabbed. "T-that's right. Imagining being with Raon makes my chest hurt even more…." She clutched her head, saying her condition seemed serious. "I-it must be a curse from Derus Robert or Eden, for sure!" Martha shook her head vigorously, saying her condition wasn't normal. "Please, lift the curse for me!" She grabbed Federick's tattered sleeve, begging him to remove the curse she'd gotten in this war. "Heh heh!" Federick drew a grandfatherly smile, as if he just found Martha adorable. 'This child's all grown up now.' Ever since joining Zieghart, Martha had only ever looked at the sword. The child who had lived as nothing but a swordsman, setting aside the feelings she should have had at her age in order to save her mother who was kidnapped by the White Blood Religion, had finally become a girl falling for her first love — it was endearing and heartwarming all at once. Perhaps because he himself had grown old, seeing Martha fall in love made his own heart start to pound just like hers. 'Though achieving that love won't be easy.' If Raon had remained in this world, it might have been different, but he had ascended, having carved an achievement into the Continent's history. For Martha to realize her love, she would have to challenge the same impossible realm of Ascension as Raon. On top of that, even though they weren't blood-related, Martha also bore the Zieghart surname, so there was bound to be a bit of an issue. 'No, even if he'd stayed, it would've been a problem.' Federick lowered his brows slightly. 'Because those girls are there.' Evelyn, who wouldn't lose to anyone in her obsession with Raon, Runaan, who blindly followed Raon, Siyana, the Guardian of Sepia who was always a reliable supporter, and even Denning Rose, who secretly offered support from behind the scenes — with four women after Raon, even if Martha had realized her first love, achieving it seemed like it would be quite difficult. 'Then it'd be best to let her realize it on her own.' Even if he told Martha it was lovesickness, it wasn't a situation that could be resolved right away, so it seemed best to merely guide her toward realizing it herself. "Martha. That aching pain in your chest isn't a curse. You yourself…." It was just as Federick was about to tell Martha to find the answer herself. "That's it!" The flap of the tent where Federick stayed was flung up roughly, and Gambling Monster came in. "It's lovesickness!" Contrary to Federick's wishes, he immediately branded Martha with the label of lovesickness. "That's right!" Alice came out from behind Gambling Monster and nodded. "Our Martha has finally woken up to love!" She too smiled brightly, saying Martha was in love. "L-lovesickness…." Martha's chin trembled as she repeated the name of the illness now applied to her. "Me, suffering from lovesickness…." She bit her lip, as if she couldn't believe she had lovesickness. "Love? Between a nephew and a niece? Isn't that a problem?" Balder suddenly popped up, frowning as if asking whether this was okay. "You idiot! Martha isn't Denier's biological daughter! It's fine!" Alice waved her hand, saying there was no problem at all. "Oh, I see!" Balder nodded, as if convinced by Alice's words. "What do you mean it's fine!" Gambling Monster let out a hollow laugh, as if at a loss for words. "Even if they're not blood-related, Martha is still a Zieghart. There are a lot of problems that need to be sorted out!" He shouted that this wasn't something to be accepted so easily, and gulped down his liquor bottle. "That's something those two can figure out for themselves…." Alice put her hands on her hips and approached Federick. "Hey, old man. Why didn't you say anything when you knew the whole time! And with that girlish look on your face, too!" She wrinkled her nose, asking why an old man like him was teasing a child. "The old man's quite mischievous too!" Balder let out a long huff through his nose, saying he was being way too playful. "That old man's always been like that. If he hadn't learned medicine, he'd have ended up a thug or a beggar." Gambling Monster shook his head, saying the title of Saint didn't suit Federick at all. "These bastards…." Federick rose to his feet, striking the rocking chair as if to smash it. "How could you say it like that! Right now, Martha is…." He explained to the three of them why he hadn't properly told Martha about the lovesickness. "Oh? Now that you think about it, that's right!" Balder clapped his hands and nodded. "The nephew and niece can't even meet right now!" He frowned, realizing that with Raon having ascended, there was nothing to be done even if Martha came to realize her love. "Right! Why did you have to go and butt in!" Alice clicked her tongue, looking at Gambling Monster. "Honestly, once you get old you should just die." He shook his chin, saying everything had been ruined because of Gambling Monster. "W-what nonsense are you spouting!" Gambling Monster ground his teeth, his face turning red. "You're the one who egged me on to step in because you couldn't stand the suspense!" He shouted, asking if it wasn't Alice who had thrown open the tent flap. "I just opened the tent flap because I was hot, though?" Alice lowered her brows as she stepped back from Federick. "D-don't be ridiculous! You said it looked fun! You're the one who said let's go!" Gambling Monster retorted at Alice's words and stepped back two paces. "You're both at fault!" Balder tilted his head and stepped back three paces. "Now's the time!" "Run!" "Mm-hm!" Alice and Gambling Monster turned their backs as if in perfect sync and bolted, and Balder, sensing the mood too, ran off without even looking back. "I'll leave the rest to you!" "Let's grab a drink sometime later!" "If a nephew and a niece get married and have a kid, what would we even call it?" Alice, Gambling Monster, and Balder left those parting words and vanished out of sight. "Huh…?" Federick's jaw dropped as he watched the backs of the three who had vanished in a flash. "To think those three are this family's top executives…." He shook his head, genuinely worried for Zieghart. "Martha. Don't mind what those fools said…." Federick sighed and placed a hand on the shoulder of Martha, who sat crouched there. "Ngh…." Martha's face had gone so red it looked ready to burst. "N-no! It's true I have a bit of a liking for him, but it's definitely not enough to cause lovesickness! T-there's no way I'd be in love with that guy!" She screamed and bolted out, as if she could admit to liking Raon but couldn't accept that she loved him. "Hmm, I guess that counts as shock therapy." Federick clicked his tongue as he watched Martha's back disappear even faster than Alice, Gambling Monster, and Balder had. "It turned out differently than I expected, but that only makes me more curious." He tilted his head, recalling Martha's flushed face welling up with tears. "Martha. I wonder what choice you'll make."