The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 657

-Has that old man lost his mind eating nothing but stale bread?

Wrath’s eyes widened in disbelief.

‘Just be quiet.’

Raon silenced Wrath and focused on Glenn.

‘What in the world is going on?’

Even though the information he provided to Glenn about Eden was somewhat significant, it wasn’t something Glenn couldn’t have predicted himself.

Handing over martial arts books suddenly was far from a normal reward.

‘What kind of trick did that foolish elf pull this time…?’

He couldn’t figure out what kind of scheme Rimmer had used for Glenn to hand over five martial arts books for such a trivial piece of information.

“Are you really giving me these martial arts books?”

“There’s no need to be so surprised.”

Glenn shook his head with a gentle gaze, like moonlight veiled by clouds.

“I just gave you books I intended to discard.”

He waved his hand dismissively, saying that he had only pulled out martial arts books he was planning to throw away.

“Hmm…”

Raon stifled a groan as he scanned the titles of the books.

‘[Extinction Sword Technique], [Blood Pursuit Steps], [Whirling Wind Sword Form], [River Flow Technique]…’

There were five martial arts books in total, and their names were anything but ordinary. He wasn’t sure about their actual level, but judging by the titles alone, they seemed like high-level techniques.

“Each of these techniques has a flaw. However, seeing your creation of the [Light of the Annex], I thought it better to give them to you rather than discard them. There’s no need to be thankful.”

Glenn spoke in a calm tone as if the matter was insignificant, but his speech was longer than usual, and his voice slightly trembled.

“Again, these aren’t exceptional martial arts books. They are merely compensation for the information you provided, so there’s no need to thank me.”

Just as Raon was about to bow in thanks, Glenn preemptively spoke up.

“Even so, I thank you.”

Raon smiled lightly and bowed to Glenn. Even if these books were ones he had collected to discard, there were certainly valuable lessons to be learned from them. He was simply grateful.

“Hmph!”

Glenn cleared his throat and turned his back toward the lake again. The sky was dark, so his facial expression wasn’t visible, but his earlobes seemed to turn as red as if they’d been scalded by fire.

“But…”

Glenn’s gaze shifted slightly.

“Did that elf… no, did the Deputy Commander of the Light Wind Division teach you any martial arts?”

It seemed he was already aware of Rimmer’s actions.

“Yes, he did.”

“What kind of martial art?”

“Hmm…”

Raon hid his trembling fingertips.

‘Should I tell him?’

The martial art Rimmer taught him wasn’t an ordinary cultivation method; it was Garunua, a technique mastered by the Guardian of Sephia, an elf. If he mentioned it, Glenn wouldn’t just let it slide.

However, knowing Rimmer, he was very likely to speak up first, and Glenn might have already figured it out. Lying would only get him caught.

“It’s called Garunua.”

Raon sighed and revealed that he had learned Garunua.

“The Song of the Wind, is it?”

Upon hearing the name Garunua, Glenn’s eyes widened.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Hmm.”

He seemed to know about Garunua, as expected. His lips tightened into a thin line.

“Patriarch, regarding Deputy Commander Rimmer…”

Raon was about to fabricate a story to defend Rimmer, but Glenn’s expression turned seriously stern.

However, it wasn’t the sternness of a failed diplomat in negotiations but more like the defeated look of a swordsman who had lost in battle.

“Ugh…”

Glenn let out a pained groan as he looked at the martial arts books he had just handed over.

“Pa-Patriarch?”

“It’s nothing!”

He gritted his teeth and turned his head away.

“I’ll be leaving now.”

With those words, Glenn vanished into the darkness. He moved so swiftly that even his back was no longer visible.

-What’s wrong with that old man?

Wrath shook his head, clearly perplexed.

‘I have no idea either.’

Raon sighed deeply and picked up the top martial arts book, “Extinction Sword Technique,” from the ground.

‘This…’

Recently, Raon had been exposed to many martial arts techniques, so he didn’t need to read the entire book to be certain.

This was not something to be discarded. It was a high-level martial art, meticulously broken down into detailed steps, making it easier to create a new technique.

‘Was this prepared specifically for me?’

Now that he thought about it, Glenn had mentioned that it was better to give these books to him, considering his creation of Light of Annex. It seemed he had prepared them in advance.

‘Yes, that must be it.’

It wouldn’t make sense to discard martial arts books of this level. It seemed Glenn wanted to reward him for taking care of his mother.

“Thank you.”

Raon bowed respectfully in the direction Glenn had disappeared, brushing the dirt off the martial arts books with his hand, a faint smile forming on his lips.

‘It’s time to return to the training hall.’

-You’ve made a wise decision.

Wrath nodded approvingly.

-For a rookie like you, it’s crucial to focus completely when you train. If you dabble in this and that, you’ll accomplish nothing!

‘Oh, I was worried, but I’m glad you agree.’

Raon smiled warmly and patted Wrath’s head lightly.

-Huh? What do you mean?

‘When I go into the training hall, you’ll only be eating stale bread. I’m glad you’re okay with it.’

-Oh no…! No, cancel that! Don’t go in! I hate stale bread!

‘I’ll spread some jam on it.’

-Aaargh! Even with jam, rubber bread is still rubber!

* * *

“Ugh!”

Rimmer messed up his hair furiously as he watched Glenn leave the lake.

“Why is that old man like this!”

He had held back for a long time, but his patience was now hanging by a thread.

“Saying he only gave away the martial arts books because they were to be discarded! That’s worse than saying he found them on the street!”

He had prepared a grand meal with freshly baked bread, roasted meat, and even sliced vegetables.

All Glenn had to do was pick up the fork and eat, but instead, he kicked over the entire feast. Rimmer’s frustration was boiling over.

“Hahaha.”

Roenn chuckled kindly, shaking his head.

“It seems the Patriarch is even more shy than we imagined.”

“That’s not shyness; he’s just hopelessly stubborn! Ah, it’s so frustrating!”

Rimmer gritted his teeth, pushing his hair back as if it were a bird’s nest.

“I did everything for him, and this is what I get.”

He had directly provoked Glenn and had given Raon Garunua, along with hints to acquire martial arts from Glenn.

Raon had followed his expectations, but Glenn ignored the easy path laid out before him and stepped into the mud. Truly incomprehensible.

“It is a bit frustrating.”

Sheryl nodded, getting up from the rock she was leaning on.

“He stayed up all night picking out martial arts books, only to say he was going to discard them. It’s absurd.”

She sighed, exasperated.

“All night? So he was searching for martial arts books the whole time?”

“Yes, he even visited the library, looking for martial arts that would suit the Light Wind Division.”

Sheryl clicked her tongue, mentioning that all the martial arts books given to Raon were rare treasures.

“Ah! Hearing that makes me even more annoyed! This is an internal injury! An internal injury!”

Rimmer pounded his chest, furrowing his brows.

“I’m done! I even stopped gambling to help out! I’m never doing this again! This is harder than matchmaking!”

He clapped his hands, declaring that he was heading back to gambling.

“Aren’t the gambling dens closed today?”

Roenn tilted his head in confusion.

“There’s no such thing as a holiday for gambling dens.”

“Then what about the internal repairs?”

“Obviously, that was a lie. Gamblers would play cards even in a bathroom if the gambling den were closed for repairs.”

Rimmer scratched the bridge of his nose, warning not to underestimate gamblers.

“But why did you suddenly get involved?”

Sheryl narrowed her eyes at Rimmer.

“People say doing something you’re not used to can kill you. Did you catch some disease?”

“I’m an elf.”

Rimmer snorted as if to dismiss her words.

“Elves are naturally fickle.”

He vanished in the direction of the gambling den, reminding them not to treat him like a human.

“If he’s not human, then who is?”

Sheryl sighed in disbelief.

“Hahaha.”

Roenn didn’t look at Rimmer but rather at Raon, who was reading a martial arts book by the lake, smiling warmly.

“He’s grown so much stronger. Soon, we might not be able to reach him anymore.”

“Indeed.”

Sheryl nodded, turning her gaze.

“When we first saw him, he was just a little boy who couldn’t even run properly.”

She smiled faintly, reminiscing about the past.

“Since you recently visited the Axe King, you should have a rough idea. Do you think Young Master Raon can win?”

“Right now, it’s about 3:7. But…”

Sheryl glanced at the martial arts book Raon was reading, brushing her hair aside.

“If he develops a new martial art, who knows what could happen.”

* * *

“This is strange…”

Chad, the Chairman of the Shadow Agents, muttered repeatedly, resting his forehead on his desk.

“No matter how I think about it, it’s strange…”

Why hasn’t he come to see me?

He had anticipated Raon would come to him and had been prepared for some time, but Raon showed no signs of coming.

‘I can’t figure it out.’

He had given Raon hints about entering the Sword Saint’s Tomb, sent Aris to find the tomb’s location to ensure Raon wouldn’t be in danger, and quickly connected Zieghart to the Sword Saint’s Tomb.

He had even handed over detailed information about the Deputy Leader and his harassment of the annex to Dogae.

Chad had minimized the time by moving himself instead of using another informant, but Raon had neither visited the Shadow Agents nor even said a word of thanks.

‘Why is that?’

If it were Balder, the leader of True Martial Hall, he could understand. Even if you went out of your way to help him, he would only say, “Oh, yeah. Good job.”

But Raon was different. His temperament was much like that of his grandfather, Glenn—he was clear in his dealings.

He should understand the significance of the help provided, yet why was he staying silent?

“Sigh…”

Chad sighed deeply and stood up.

‘I can’t just sit around like this.’

His instincts, honed over years of navigating social intricacies, told him so. Even if Raon didn’t grow much, he could at least become a province lord, and with a bit of luck, he might rise to become a patriarch.

He couldn’t afford to let his relationship with such a person lapse.

‘Fine. If I don’t understand, I’ll find out myself.’

Chad decided to find out the reason himself and got up from his seat.

He left the Shadow Agents building and went straight to find Aris, who seemed to be packing as if she were planning to leave the family.

“Chad. What brings you here?”

Aris waved her hand with a bright smile.

“Are you here to see me off?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Chad swallowed dryly as he approached Aris.

“Lady Aris, didn’t you go to the Sword Saint’s Tomb to protect the Light Wind Division Commander?”

“Yes, thanks to that, I was able to save Raon. It was a really dangerous situation.”

Aris gave a thumbs-up, saying it was a good decision.

“Did you happen to tell Young Master Raon about it?”

“Hmm? Now that you mention it, no, I didn’t. It was a pretty urgent situation.”

She chuckled and shook her head.

“Ah…”

Chad’s hands trembled as he looked into Aris’s innocent eyes.

‘Could it be…?’

Was it possible everyone had kept quiet about everything?

A worst-case scenario came to mind: Aris, Dogae, and the others hadn’t told Raon anything.

Given their nature, it was entirely possible since they were strong individuals who hardly cared about others.

“I just said goodbye to Raon earlier. I’m a bit embarrassed to go again, so why don’t you tell him yourself?”

Aris patted his shoulder and left the premises.

“Ah…”

Chad watched Aris leave, his mouth agape.

‘Please, no! Please!’

He forcibly suppressed the worst-case scenario that had surfaced in his mind and went to find Dogae.

He found him drinking while watching Killuon, the former Deputy Leader, digging in the dirt at the annex.

“Heh! I don’t need snacks! Down goes the booze! Gulp! Gulp! Gulp!”

“Uh, um, Dogae?”

Chad swallowed hard and approached Dogae.

“Oh? It’s Chad.”

Dogae nodded, lowering the bottle.

“You’re just in time. It’s partly thanks to you that those guys are digging. Let’s enjoy it together.”

He poured a drink into an empty glass and handed it to him.

“Th-Thank you. But, Dogae…”

Chad, with a trembling hand, accepted the drink and called out to Dogae.

“Did you, by any chance, tell Young Master Raon that I compiled information about the Deputy Leader and his misdeeds?”

“Hmm?”

Dogae rubbed his temple with the bottle, then shook his head.

“I was pretty drunk, so I don’t really remember. I probably did, though?”

He laughed, then drank again.

“Ugh…”

Chad closed his eyes tightly, just like he had seen Raon do once.

‘Damn it!’

Now he understood why Raon hadn’t come to see him.

As he feared, neither Aris nor Dogae, nor anyone else had said a word to Raon.

‘I can’t let this stand.’

Even if it seemed a bit shameless, he had to come clean.

It would be embarrassing to boast about what he had done, but he had gone through too much trouble to stay silent.

‘Let’s go!’

Chad clenched his fists and headed to the fifth training ground where Raon was.

* * *

“Until I come out, I’m counting on you to take care of the Light Wind Division and the annex.”

Raon made eye contact with Burren, Martha, and Runaan as he entered the training room of the fifth training ground.

“Alright, don’t worry. Just focus on what you need to do.”

Martha nodded firmly, telling him not to worry.

“Okay.”

Runaan blinked, saying she’d prepare ice cream for him when he came out.

“Um…”

Burren approached Raon, tilting his head.

“The Ice Spirit on your shoulder… it seems quite angry.”

The Ice Spirit Raon had obtained was now rampaging on his shoulder.

“Oh, it’s just dancing. It’s happy, you see.”

Raon casually patted the spirit’s head. The spirit jumped around even more wildly, as if possessed by madness.

“Is that so?”

When he thought about it that way, it did seem like the spirit was dancing. Of course, the fact that its eyes were bloodshot was still frightening.

“Alright then.”

Raon waved lightly and entered the training room.

“A new martial art!”

Krein smiled broadly, clasping his hands together.

“Isn’t this exciting? It’s bound to be even better than Light of Annex!”

“I’m most excited about the fact that the entire Light Wind Division will be learning it. We’ll be able to use it well.”

Martha licked her lips, leaning against the wall of the training room.

“It won’t necessarily be better. Just as Light of Annex was tailored to the maids of the annex, the new martial art Raon is creating will be suited to us. It’s not about better or worse.”

Burren responded calmly, stepping back from the training room.

“Isn’t it the first squad’s turn to stand guard today?”

“Yes, you’d better go.”

Martha waved her hand, signaling him to leave.

“I’m not going.”

Runaan pulled out a box of pearl ice cream from her pocket, indicating she intended to stay.

“Seriously, just go.”

“I’m not going.”

Burren watched the two bicker, then turned away.

As he left the training ground and headed toward the main building, he saw Leader Chad running toward him.

“Leader of the Shadow Agents?”

Judging by his flushed face, it seemed like he had something very important to say.

“Ah, Squad Leader Burren… Is the Commander of the Light Wind Division…?”

Seeing him looking for Raon, it seemed to be quite urgent.

“He has just entered the training room.”

“Ah…”

Chad’s complexion turned pale, as if he were ill. He looked like someone who had lost a precious treasure.

“If it’s something urgent, I can go relay the message. He just went in, so it’s still okay.”

“N-No, it’s not that important…”

He shook his head and turned around. His drooping shoulders made him look like a defeated soldier, and he seemed to emit a strange, sorrowful noise.

‘What was that about?’

Burren tilted his head, watching Chad leave, then headed for the infirmary in the main building.

After greeting the guards at the infirmary, he stood in front of the innermost room.

“Phew…”

He adjusted his hair and clothes, took a deep breath, and slowly opened the door to enter.

Inside the room, bathed in soft sunlight, was a single bed. Sitting on it was Karoon, his face pale.

“You called for me.”

Burren entered the room and bowed to Karoon.

“…Sit.”

Karoon slowly raised his hand, pointing to the chair beside the bed.

“I prefer to stand.”

Burren stepped forward without sitting.

“Alright.”

Karoon nodded calmly, turning his gaze away. His eyes burned with a calm intensity.

Despite his severe injuries, his commanding presence hadn’t diminished at all.

“Burren.”

“Yes.”

Karoon’s eyes flashed like lightning.

“Have you considered returning to the Central Martial Division?”

“……”

Burren’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected question.

“I’ll offer you the position of leader of a newly formed unit. And…”

Karoon continued speaking in a calm, prepared tone.

“I will personally train you.”

“Hmm…”

Burren couldn’t suppress a groan.

Training under his father and becoming the leader of his former unit were dreams he had long cherished.

More than anything, the fact that his father needed him made his heart race wildly.

Burren closed his eyes. After a moment of contemplation, he calmly parted his lips.

“I…”