The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 596
Under the expansive branches of the World Tree, elves were gathered in small groups, chatting or sipping fragrant sweet drinks.
“Hmm…”
Raon rubbed the back of his neck as he watched the elves’ small gathering.
‘The atmosphere is quite cheerful.’
He had heard that they were holding a wake to console the souls of the deceased elves, so he had attended, expecting a solemn atmosphere. However, the elves were drinking fruit wine and wearing gentle smiles. This lighthearted air felt somewhat disconcerting, as he had come prepared for a funeral.
“Don’t worry about unnecessary things!”
Wrath landed on his shoulder, his eyes darting quickly.
“The priority is to finish the food before it gets cold!”
The demon pointed to the table laden with food, urging Raon to start eating quickly.
‘Wait a bit.’
“Why do you have so little appetite? You need to eat a lot to grow taller!”
‘Are you my mom…?’
Raon shook his head, listening to Wrath’s grumbling.
“I’m taking care of you in place of your mother!”
‘Yes, yes.’
Given Wrath’s assistance in the recent events, Raon placed a well-cooked pie in his mouth. Although a bit hard, the rich flavor of the bread and the fullness of the raspberries harmonized perfectly, filling his mouth. The quality of the ingredients was so good that it felt both luxurious and comforting.
“Delicious! Sweet!”
Wrath clenched his fist and exhaled in satisfaction.
“This is why life is worth living!”
The demon danced with joy, a rare sight.
“Now try that! That food that looks like it’s covered in honey!”
‘Really…’
Raon chuckled and indulged Wrath, taking small bites of the food the demon desired. Even though he only picked one of each item Wrath wanted, he was starting to feel full.
‘Where’s the fruit wine?’
As he looked around for something to drink, he heard the voices of Rimmer and some young elves from beneath a tree on the right side.
‘What is he doing with the kids?’
Raon tilted his head and approached the tree where Rimmer was.
“These five cards with the same suit form a flush. If the numbers are sequential, it’s called a straight flush.”
Rimmer explained the poker hands to the children with a sly smile.
“The probability of a flush is less than 0.2%, and the probability of a straight flush is 0.01%. But when you sit at the table, they come up more often than you’d think. That’s the charm of poker.”
“…….”
Raon swallowed dryly as he watched Rimmer teach poker to the children.
‘This guy…’
The word “pointy-ear” naturally popped into his head, a term Wrath often used, out of sheer exasperation.
‘At least he seems to be teaching it as a game.’
If Rimmer had been teaching gambling, Raon would have kicked him away immediately. But it seemed he was just teaching the game aspect to the children.
“Now, let’s take out the treasures.”
After explaining a few more hands, Rimmer snapped his fingers.
“Yes!”
The children nodded and took out small pieces of gold and jewels from their pockets.
“That’s right! This game needs shiny things like these. Let’s play a bit with me first…”
“You rascal!”
Unable to hold back, Raon kicked Rimmer in the back.
“Gah…”
Rimmer, unable to withstand the sudden impact, fell face-first into the ground.
“Who dares!”
Rimmer, his face covered in dirt, jumped up.
“Who dares to hit the summoner of the Spirit King’s master!”
“It’s the summoner.”
Raon glared coldly, as if he would draw his sword any moment.
“Hahaha.”
Rimmer laughed awkwardly and grabbed Raon’s shoulder.
“You’re here?”
“What are you doing?”
Raon sighed at Rimmer’s pale face.
“Adults-only events can be boring for kids, so I was just trying to entertain them…”
Rimmer shrugged as if it was no big deal.
“Then what about these gold pieces?”
Raon pointed to the gold and jewels in the children’s hands, frowning.
“As you know, elves don’t value gold or jewels. They don’t use them anyway. It’s better for someone who knows their value, like me, to use them…”
“What a tiresome pointy-ear!”
Even Wrath sighed, exasperated. Coming from someone as tiresome as Wrath, it had more impact.
“Don’t trust that man. He’s a bad person.”
Raon told the children, shaking his head.
“Put the gold and jewels back where you found them.”
“Yes!”
“Okay!”
The elf children, their eyes shining, nodded, perhaps because they saw Raon as the summoner of the Spirit King.
“Ugh…”
Rimmer groaned as he watched the children return to their parents.
“We were so close.”
“Be glad I stopped you. If the Guardian had seen, you’d be full of arrows.”
“Hmm, that might be true…”
Rimmer shivered and nodded.
“But the mood is brighter than I expected for a funeral.”
Raon clicked his tongue as he looked at the ceremony again.
“Oh, that’s because…”
“Elves become one with nature in death.”
The answer came from Reylan, who approached from the left, holding two round glasses. She stood next to Rimmer.
“Becoming one with nature?”
“Death for elves is not an end but a new beginning. We merge with nature and return to a new life.”
Reylan explained that this gathering was not a funeral to console the dead but a farewell ceremony to send off loved ones.
“She’s right.”
Rimmer nodded with a faint smile.
“Elves don’t see their kin’s death as mere sadness.”
Despite his words, his eyes were tinged with sorrow.
“I see.”
Raon nodded slightly. The species difference between humans and elves seemed to create this light-hearted atmosphere at a funeral.
“Enjoy the food. It’s how we comfort the dead here.”
Rimmer said as he reached out to Reylan.
“Did you bring that for me? Thanks…”
“No.”
Reylan passed by Rimmer and handed the glass to Raon.
“This is fruit wine from the Cotton tribe. Not only does it taste good, but it also helps recover physical strength and fatigue.”
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the clear drink in the glass. The delicate scent, whether from Reylan or the drink, tickled his nose.
“Thank you.”
He bowed his head and took the glass.
“A fine drink going to a non-drinker!”
Rimmer smacked his lips in regret.
“A fine drink?”
“Yes. The fruit wine from the Cotton tribe is a treasure even the elves of Sephia can’t get their hands on.”
He gestured for Raon to drink, saying he would be moved.
“Hmm…”
Raon licked his lips, looking at the crystal-clear fruit wine. Hearing Rimmer’s words made his mouth water.
Like drinking wine, he slowly sipped the fruit wine.
“This aroma is incredible!”
‘Oh…’
The sweet and refreshing taste of the fruit penetrated his tongue and nose. It felt like it cleansed his entire mouth, which had grown greasy from eating various foods.
Following that was the stimulating taste unique to fruit wine. His tongue tingled slightly, which was exquisite. The stimulating aftertaste was more satisfying than the sweet fruit flavor.
“Ugh!”
But Wrath, who disliked the aftertaste, clutched his throat and staggered.
“I hate alcohol!”
The demon, who had been grinning at the sweetness, began wiping his tongue with his hand.
Raon had noticed during the chaos that Wrath didn’t handle alcohol well. He had a child’s palate.
“Raon.”
As Raon sighed, looking at Wrath, Reylan approached and clasped her hands together.
“I’m sorry. And thank you.”
She knelt on both knees and bowed her head as if she were a human, not an elf.
“Excuse me?”
Raon blinked in surprise at the sudden situation.
“What is this about?”
“I want to apologize for rejecting your suggestion to go on patrol when you felt something was wrong the day Eden attacked, thinking it was nonsense.”
Reylan bowed deeply, apologizing.
“You don’t need to apologize.”
Raon smiled gently and helped Reylan stand.
“Anyone would have done the same.”
After two days of sleepless vigilance, he had suggested a patrol because he felt something was off just as the guardians were about to have their first meal. It was only natural that the suggestion was met with a poor reaction.
The fact that Erian believed him was surprising; Reylan didn’t need to apologize. It would be pathetic to blame someone for something like this.
“….”
Reylan bit her lip as she looked at Raon, who had helped her up.
‘He’s different from the humans I’ve known.’
Humans would usually nitpick over trivial matters to gain some benefit, but Raon was completely different. Despite achieving great feats by saving the World Tree and Sephia, he didn’t boast or elevate himself. He was unlike any human she had known, which was disconcerting.
“The wine is excellent. Thank you.”
Raon smiled at Reylan and returned the empty glass.
“Oh, you can have more. Please, come.”
Reylan nodded, saying she could provide more wine.
Raon bowed to her and nudged Rimmer’s waist with his elbow.
“Grandmaster. Please come with me for a moment.”
“Where to?”
“Just follow me.”
He led Rimmer to Sterin, who was sitting at the base of the World Tree, guarding it.
“You’re here?”
Sterin tilted his chin, holding a small glass.
“How do you find the gathering? It must be dull compared to human events.”
“I’m not one to enjoy gatherings anyway, so it’s fine.”
“I see.”
Sterin smiled faintly, seeming pleased.
“But why did you bring that troublemaker?”
Sterin frowned as he looked at Rimmer standing blankly.
“Calling your grandson a troublemaker is too harsh!”
“Isn’t he? It’s fine if you ruin yourself, but don’t drag the children into it!”
He struck Rimmer’s forehead with the back of his hand as if he had seen everything.
“Kek!”
Rimmer fell to the ground, still holding his glass.
“Sigh…”
Raon sighed and stepped closer to Sterin.
“I have a request.”
“Go ahead.”
“May I have a branch of the World Tree?”
Raon licked his lips, looking up at the World Tree, whose branches resembled stars.
“A branch of the World Tree?”
“Yes.”
He nodded and looked at Rimmer.
“I was told that the more familiar the material for the framework when making the Grandmaster’s prosthetic arm, the better it would be. They asked me to bring a branch or root of the World Tree if possible.”
“Hmm…”
Sterin frowned as he looked at Rimmer.
“Wouldn’t it be better for you to live with one arm? You might cause fewer accidents that way.”
“Is that something a grandfather should say?”
Rimmer shouted back.
“Ahem.”
Sterin cleared his throat and turned his gaze to Raon.
“Originally, it’s a rule in Sephia not to give even a leaf of the World Tree to humans. But…”
He smiled softly, unlike when he looked at Rimmer.
“Since you’ve already received a fruit, giving you a branch isn’t too difficult.”
As soon as Sterin said this, a branch of the World Tree, which had been shining transparently like starlight, naturally fell into Raon’s hand.
“This is…”
Raon widened his eyes as he held the branch of the World Tree.
“It seems I didn’t even need to answer.”
Sterin laughed, saying that even among the High Elves, the World Tree had never shown such favor.
“Thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”
“To good use?”
Wrath squinted, questioning.
‘I mean, not to bad use…’
Raon corrected himself as he stroked the World Tree.
Whoooo!
The World Tree spread its branches as if pleased. The leaves, shimmering with moonlight, swayed, creating a scene like a galaxy.
“I thought you came back with your mind, personality, and skills ruined…”
Sterin turned his gaze to Rimmer.
“But you brought back a disciple who compensates for all those losses.”
“Because of his excessive luck, he loses money every time he goes to a gambling den.”
Rimmer clicked his tongue, brushing the dirt off his hands.
“You said you came to return that sword, didn’t you?”
Sterin glanced at the sword still at Rimmer’s waist.
“Yes.”
Rimmer nodded and was about to unfasten the sword when Sterin raised his hand.
“No need.”
“Huh?”
“You said you fought the Flame Demon with Raon, right?”
“I did…”
“As long as you still want to wield a sword, you don’t need to put it down. The sword also seems reluctant to leave your hand.”
Sterin shook his head as he looked at the trembling blade.
“Whether you wield it with your left hand, with a prosthetic, or decide to lay it down, make your decision after reflecting on yourself properly.”
He turned away, saying he would keep the sword until then.
“Haa…”
Rimmer sighed deeply and nodded.
“Understood.”
“And…”
Sterin’s eyes darkened as he looked at the sword at Rimmer’s waist.
“There’s someone you should take with you when you return to Zieghart.”
“Someone to take with us…?”
“The elders have agreed to engage in some exchange with Zieghart.”
“That’s a good decision!”
Rimmer clapped his knees and smiled brightly.
“Zieghart is almost back to its prime. There’s nothing to lose!”
He raised his hand in approval.
“The envoy is important. Who will you send?”
“That has already been decided.”
Sterin smiled faintly at Raon.
The next evening, Raon headed back to the World Tree after receiving a summons from Sterin. Contrary to his expectations that Sterin would be alone, the Great Elder, Rimmer, and Siyan were also there waiting under the World Tree.
“You’re on time.”
Sterin nodded approvingly.
“Unlike some people.”
The Great Elder glared at Rimmer.
“Geez, complaining about being a bit late.”
Rimmer scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes.
“R-Raon, hello…”
Siyan bowed her head, hiding her face with her hair.
“Why is everyone here…?”
Raon tilted his head as he looked at the four of them.
“It’s time for you to eat the fruit of the World Tree. The place where you can absorb it most effectively is right under the World Tree.”
“Oh…”
“The four of us will guard you, so don’t worry and focus on your cultivation.”
“All four of you will protect me?”
“Just in case.”
Sterin nodded with a faint smile.
“Isn’t that a bit excessive…?”
“It’s not excessive. What you’ve done for us is more than enough.”
The Great Elder waved his hand, urging Raon to get to the point.
“Okay, let’s start right away.”
Rimmer patted Raon’s shoulder.
“I-I’ll protect you with my life!”
Siyan’s blue eyes sparkled between her golden hair. She seemed ready to give her all.
“Then I’ll rely on you.”
Raon smiled faintly and sat at the base of the World Tree. Normally, he would have shown humility, but he decided to accept their goodwill, remembering Wrath’s advice.
“Finally!”
Wrath’s eyes sparkled with joy as he looked at the World Tree’s fruit.
“I can finally taste that sweet juice!”
The demon sniffled, glad to have stuck around despite the scolding.
As Raon took out the fruit of the World Tree, Rimmer smirked.
“You’ll find it tasty.”
“Huh?”
“Nothing.”
Rimmer urged him to eat quickly.
‘Something feels off.’
Rimmer’s words made Raon feel uneasy.
“What’s there to be uneasy about!”
Wrath shook his head.
“Can’t you smell that sweet aroma from the fruit? It will surely be delicious!”
The demon waved his chubby hands, urging him to eat.
‘Fine.’
Raon calmed himself and bit into the World Tree’s fruit. Before he could fully appreciate its crisp texture like an apple, the taste began to spread on his tongue.
“Sweet… What?”
Wrath’s eyes widened as he tasted it.
“What is this? Why does the World Tree’s fruit taste like nadin bread?”
‘Indeed…’
Raon blinked as he took another bite. Contrary to its sweet aroma, the fruit tasted exactly like nadin bread, filled with a strong rubber flavor.
‘No, it’s even stronger.’
The taste of rubber was even more pronounced than in nadin bread. It felt like his entire mouth was filled with rubber.
Wondering what was going on, Raon widened his eyes, and Rimmer laughed, pointing to Siyan.
“The taste of nadin bread was based on the World Tree’s fruit. The World Tree is actually a rubber tree.”
“A-Are you alright?”
Siyan blinked, worried.
“I’m fine.”
Raon nodded. He had grown accustomed to the taste of nadin bread, so it wasn’t a problem.
But there was one demon who couldn’t handle it.
“Kill me…”
Wrath staggered and fell to the ground.
“Just kill me! This is too cruel! Why does the World Tree’s fruit taste like rubber? Spit it out…”
He tried to urge Raon to spit it out, but Raon had already chewed and swallowed the fruit, entering a state of deep concentration. Wrath was the only one still suffering from the rubber taste.
“Ugh!”
Wrath reached out to the World Tree, trembling.
“I’ll burn it all! Every single bit!”