WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Reincarnation of the Sword Demon

Chapter 44

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I'll Be Back

Julius did not keep this outing secret. If a giant like him moved in secret, it could cause serious trouble later.

Less than thirty minutes after Julius arrived in the Kingdom of Valian, the Imperial Palace contacted Gladiheim. To summarize their long message: the Family Head had entered Valian, so what exactly was going on?

Jerard, who handled political affairs, dealt with this kind of issue. The moment he replied that he would look into it, he summoned Arian. The Family Head, who had shut himself in the Sword Tower for thirteen years, had gone to Valian with his young grandson. No matter how he looked at it, there was only one reason.

"The Family Head and your son entered the Kingdom of Valian."
"What? Why?"
"He must have gone to drag your damned husband back. Arian, did you really know nothing?"

It took less than a few dozen minutes for the truth about the Family Head going out with his grandson to spread to every pure-blood in the Sword Tower.

And so now, the pure-bloods of the Sword Tower got to witness just how powerful Arian's Spirit Arts were, and just how tough Aslan had become after twelve years of Closed-Door Training.

"You miserable bastard!"

Arian's fury was too great for her to care about the eyes on her. She did not hesitate to spit curses as she attacked Aslan, who had collapsed on the ground.

Bang, bang, bang! Every time Zephyros, the wind spirit contracted to Arian, beat its wings, a massive hammer of wind slammed down on Aslan's back.

"Who the hell do you think you are, showing your face in front of me?! Huh?!"
"A-Arian."

Aslan moved mana just to survive. If he didn't, Arian's attacks were vicious enough to crush him to pulp.

"I... I was wrong..."
"Don't call my name!"

Arian roared. Zephyros reacted to her rage and beat its wings hard, swelling the wind hammer even larger before smashing it into Aslan again.

"Urk!"

Blood burst from Aslan's mouth. Seeing that, Arian flinched and glared at Zephyros. She had decided to beat him up because she was boiling with anger, but even so, that last hit felt too extreme.

[...]

Zephyros felt completely wronged. It had responded to Arian's anger and attacked exactly as she wanted, only to get glared at as if it had gone too far.

"J-Just die!"

She couldn't bring herself to say she was sorry. She also didn't want to back down. So Arian threw even harsher words at him.

"Just die already! You son of a-!"
"A... Arian..."
"I told you not to call my name!"

No longer attacking through Zephyros, Arian marched up and started kicking Aslan herself.

"I can't even stand looking at you! Y-you didn't want to see me either, right? That's why you buried yourself for twelve years, wasn't it?!"
"Th-that's not true!"
"Not true my ass! You left one stupid letter and buried yourself for twelve years! If you had really loved me..."
"Arian!"

Aslan, who had been taking kick after kick, suddenly sprang up and grabbed Arian in a tight embrace before anyone could stop him.

"I was wrong about everything."

His apology came out strangled by surging emotion. Thick tears rolled from Aslan's eyes and dripped down, soaking his own shoulders.

"No matter what I say... it'll all sound like excuses. B-but Arian, I... I did not enter seclusion because I didn't love you. I..."
"I..."

Arian's shoulders trembled.

"You... stink...!"

Aslan's hair was right in front of her face. No, not just his hair. A horrifying stench came off his entire body, too awful to compare to anything. It was far beyond what love could endure.

Arian recoiled and tried to shove him away, but Aslan, overcome by emotion, did not let go. Instead, he hugged her even tighter and shouted.

"I won't let go until you forgive me!"
"I-I forgive you, I forgive you! I forgive you, so let go!"

Only after shouting that did Arian get free from Aslan. She hurriedly leaned into the clean air from Zephyros's wind and panted.

"You came to see your wife after t-twelve years, and you didn't even bathe first...?!"
"That's... well..."
"And what is that state? Why is your hair white, and why are you skin and bones?"
"I was training and couldn't eat properly..."
"Are you proud of that? Huh? Are you proud of it?!"

As Arian shouted through clenched breath, tears began to fall from her eyes too. Aslan hesitantly approached, trying to hug her again, but the instant he reached out, Arian recoiled in disgust and stepped back.

"You smell horrible! If you want to hug me, bathe first!"

Arian's blows and insults finally stopped. Kyle, who had been holding his breath and looking out the carriage window, judged that now was the time and slowly poked his head out.

"Mom, did you calm down a bit n-"
"Kyle! Come here!"

Arian, still sniffling, put on an angry face again and barked his name. For eleven years, he had heard nothing but loving words and had never once been scolded, so that shout hit Kyle like a shock.

Kyle slowly looked back. Inside the carriage, Julius just sat with his arms folded as if none of this had anything to do with him. In the end, Kyle awkwardly walked toward Arian.

The moment he got close, she flicked him hard on the forehead.

"You! Without saying a word to your mother!"
"Well... I mean..."

Anything he said would only be an excuse. Kyle decided to admit his fault cleanly.

"I'm sorry."
"Sigh..."

Her son admitted fault so quickly that she couldn't keep scolding him. It wasn't even really something to scold. He had brought his father back because he was thinking of his mother. If anyone was at fault, it was the parents who had pushed their eleven-year-old son into acting like this. Arian let out a deep sigh and pulled Kyle into her arms.

"I'm sorry, Kyle. I should have thought more about you..."

Aslan, who had edged closer awkwardly, also knelt in front of Kyle and Arian and bowed his head.

"This is embarrassing in front of others. Go inside."

Julius stepped out of the carriage. Once the Family Head said that, the relatives who had come outside went back into the Sword Tower one by one.

"Father."

Arian glared at Julius with reddened eyes.

"Instead of thanking me, you glare at me. What exactly did you do right?"
"W-what did I..."
"You protected your pride and made your son grow up eleven years without a father. Do you think that was well done?"

If one looked at it closely, Julius himself had never once planned to go bring Aslan back until Kyle asked him. But now that things had turned out this way, that was no longer something Julius needed to worry about.

"I'm... sorry..."

Arian could not argue back, so she lowered her head deeply. Julius clicked his tongue at the sight.

"Your son is more mature than you."
"..."
"Go back and talk more among yourselves. Your son likely has something important he wants to say."

Julius left those words and returned to the Sword Tower. At the phrase something important, Arian tilted her head and looked at Kyle.

"What... is this important thing?"
"I'll tell you inside."

Kyle had not brought Aslan back because he was curious about his father's face. He did it because he didn't want to leave Arian alone while he entered the Cultivation Floors.

Now that Aslan was back, it was time to persuade Arian.

In the living room of the Rose Mansion, the family of three sat together. Aslan had bathed and no longer reeked, but his hair and beard were still a mess, so at a glance he looked like some random beggar sitting there.

"The Cultivation Floors...?"

Arian muttered, her mouth hanging open. Aslan, who had not been allowed to sit on the sofa, knelt on the floor and stared at Kyle with shocked eyes.

"The Sword Tower's... Dokkaebi? What is a Dokkaebi, anyway?"
"Please ask Mom to explain that later."

Aslan's permission was not what mattered here. Kyle looked straight at Arian and said,

"Grandfather already gave permission. Now I only need yours."
"So that's why you suddenly went to bring your father..."

Arian blankly muttered and shook her head.

"The Cultivation Floors... the Sword Tower's Dokkaebi... the Dragon King's Fragment...? My god..."
"Um... is it not allowed?"

Kyle asked in a careful voice. If Arian said no, then there was nothing he could do. He had already brought Aslan back because he didn't want her to be lonely, so he had done everything he could.

'Then I'll have to go in secret.'

He hoped it wouldn't come to that. He had done this much for Arian, so if possible, he wanted her permission and to leave openly, without regret or worry.

"..."

Arian looked at Kyle with complicated feelings. A son who had never caused trouble in his life. More than that, a son she could proudly show anywhere. Smart, overflowing with talent, and so devoted that he had brought back a father he had never even seen for his mother's sake.

If that son sincerely wanted this, how could she refuse as his mother? But what bothered Arian was Aslan, kneeling on the floor.

To be honest, Arian did not mind Kyle entering the Cultivation Floors. It was his wish, and it was his path. What bothered her was that father and son would separate again before they had any time to build memories after finally reuniting.

"Kyle. Don't you... want to spend time with your father?"
"Huh? No, not really."

Kyle answered with an awkward face. Arian's mouth fell half open, and Aslan's shoulders shrank even more as his back bent lower. Only then did Kyle understand the meaning of that sudden question.

"Play... with swords, yes. We tried for a moment earlier, and I thought it would be fun to play with Father using swords."
"That was... play...?"

Aslan slowly raised his head and muttered. The killing intent his son had unleashed when he suddenly entered the Cultivation Chamber had not been anything one could call play.

"So... you don't want to spend more time with your father?"

Arian asked carefully. Kyle folded his arms and thought for a moment. More precisely, he pretended to think. If he answered too fast, Arian and Aslan might take it too seriously.

"Right now I'm too lacking to spar with Father properly. But if I come back from the Cultivation Floors, I'll be able to do it better."
"..."
"Mom, do you wish I wouldn't go?"
"No."

Arian steadied her expression so her son wouldn't worry for no reason.

"If you want it, I won't stop you. I heard the Cultivation Floors are dangerous... but you still want to go, don't you?"
"Yes."

After answering, Kyle added,

"Don't worry too much. If it feels impossible, I'll give up and come out, like Aunt Erika did."

He said that, but Kyle had no intention of giving up on the Cultivation Floors before even challenging them.

"When will you go?"
"If you give permission, Mom, I want to go tomorrow."
"Then today you should eat as much of your favorite food as possible. I heard that inside... it's hard to eat what you want."

Kyle had not separately asked Erika about the Cultivation Floors. He was curious, but he felt it would be less fun later if he entered with prior knowledge.

Arian, though, knew enough about the Cultivation Floors. She had never challenged them herself, but she had heard about them many times from her older brothers and sisters.

"If needed, I can go get advice from your uncles and aunts right now. What do you think?"
"I don't need it. Since I decided to go anyway, I think it'd be more fun to go in knowing nothing."

Kyle smiled softly as if he were going on a picnic. At that expression, Arian let out a small laugh and stood up.

"I'll ask Ceryl to prepare food. And Aslan, you... first... get a haircut. Trim that beard too. If I see your face at the table like this, I'll lose my appetite."
"A... alright."
"And one more thing. I haven't fully forgiven you. So from now on, you sleep in the garden."

Arian hardened her gaze and shot Aslan a stare.

"Wrap up in a sleeping bag and sleep there. Eat outside too. Sometimes, if I want to eat with you, I'll call you."
"..."
"Live like that until my mood softens. If you want me to calm down faster, you need to put in effort too. If you don't know what to do, pick flowers every day and sing under my bedroom window. Got it?"
"Y-yes."

Just not being thrown out beyond the Sword Tower was already something Aslan could be grateful for.

'Could I come out of the Cultivation Floors and find I have a younger sibling?'

Watching Arian and Aslan, Kyle thought that inwardly.

For now, Arian looked like she was putting up a wall and pushing Aslan away, but it didn't seem like that would last long.

'A sibling... a sibling...'

A small part of him hoped he would get one.

The next day.

Kyle ate breakfast with Aslan, now neatly groomed and clean-shaven, and with Arian, whose eyes were slightly red.

"You said he had to eat in the garden. Changed your mind already?"
"Only for today. It's the day I'm sending my son off, so we should at least eat breakfast together."
"It's not like I'm going to a battlefield. I'm still just inside the Sword Tower."

He said it to reassure her, but for whatever reason, it hit the wrong button, and tears welled in Arian's eyes.

"Should I just not go?"
"G-go! You don't need to worry about Mom."
"That makes me worry more when you say it like that."
"So are you not going?"
"I am."
"Now that I look at you, you do resemble your father in subtle ways. Especially the part where you make people's hearts hurt."

Aslan, who had barely touched the food on the table, hunched his shoulders smaller.

"Father, don't you have anything to say to me?"
"Wa..."

Aslan hesitated, then opened his mouth.

"Take this watch with you."

Not giving only verbal advice, Aslan pulled out a pocket watch from his chest and carefully handed it to Kyle.

"I... used this when I wandered the world. It keeps time well, and you can check the date too."
"You had this and still stayed shut in for twelve years?"
"I... forgot to bring it in..."

Aslan answered in a fading voice. Kyle let out a deep sigh, took the pocket watch, and tucked it into his chest.

"Mom says she hasn't forgiven Father, but I forgave you. Your sword was pretty cool."
"..."
"Hmm, I didn't have any special feelings about you as a father to begin with. Maybe that's why it was easy to forgive?"

Aslan's eyes shook. He was usually a bold man, but he had too much guilt, so in front of Arian and Kyle he could not act like himself at all.

"You can build those special father-son feelings later. For now, while I'm gone, fix things with Mom first."
"Kyle..."

Arian's eyes filled with emotion at his mature words.

"I thought about it before sleeping yesterday. If I get a sibling, I want a younger sister."
"W-what?"
"If a little sister acts bratty, I think I could still spoil and adore her, but if a little brother acts bratty, I think I'd snap his legs."
"W-what is this child saying?!"
"Anyway, that's it."

Kyle grinned and set his utensils on top of his empty plate.

After the meal, Kyle left the Rose Mansion. Fragment had said that as long as he was inside the Sword Tower, he could meet him just by attempting resonance, but Kyle did not attempt resonance right away.

He felt he should say goodbye to Julius first.

Arian and Aslan rode the Sword Tower elevator down to the first floor with Kyle.

Quite a few people were waiting for Kyle in the first-floor hall. Erika, Bruno, and Lucia. The awkward air among them loosened at least a little after the elevator doors opened.

"Kyle!"

Erika walked up to him with a bright smile. Since she became an Apprentice Knight and had been busy with missions, they couldn't see each other as often as before, but this time she happened to be resting in the Sword Tower.

"I heard you're entering the Cultivation Floors. Want your aunt to give you some advice?"
"Aunt, you couldn't even last one month and came out."
"I lasted one whole month!"

Erika snapped and shouted.

"And at my age! Going in for the first time, one month was a good run! You... you won't even last fifteen days."
"Instead of cheering me on, you're cursing me."
"I... I came to cheer you on. I was going to, but you started being annoying."
"Then just tell me to do my best."
"D-do your best."

Erika, who ended up saying exactly what Kyle told her to, scrunched up her face and scratched her head. Then as now, Kyle still pushed her around.

"..."

Bruno stared at Kyle in silence. Kyle read the complicated emotions flickering in his eyes. Worry, admiration, jealousy, irritation... emotions that suited him. Kyle smirked and patted Bruno's shoulder.

"Pig, do your best while I'm gone too. Don't slack off and get disowned by Uncle."
"That won't happen."

Bruno spat back.

"Are you really... confident? The Cultivation Floors are..."
"No one my age has entered them, and it's dangerous, right? I know. That's why I'm even more excited."

Pat, pat. Kyle patted Bruno's shoulder a few more times and looked up at him.

"I don't know how many years it'll take before I come out, but if I come back and your skills still haven't improved much, then you and I will cut ties. Not your father."
"Who do you think you are?"
"What do you mean who? I'm your cousin and friend. Is 'cut ties' the wrong word? Should I say we'll stop being friends?"
"Hah."

Bruno snorted and brushed Kyle's hand off his shoulder.

"I'll handle myself, so you handle yourself."
"Looks like you don't want to stop being friends."
"Get lost."
"Yeah, yeah."

Kyle chuckled and walked past Bruno.

Lucia stood there with her usual calm face, holding a wooden sword.

"Is that a gift?"
"Yes."

Lucia held out the wooden sword with both hands politely.

"It's nothing special. I just... wanted to give you something."
"Thanks."

Kyle smiled and accepted it. Just as Lucia said, it wasn't a special wooden sword. It was simply a sturdy practice sword commonly used in Gladiheim. But receiving it as a gift alone made it feel special enough.

"I can't say I'll use it forever. It might break quickly in there."
"Then I'll give you another gift next time."
"Then next time, give me something other than a wooden sword."
"Is there a specific gift you want?"
"Your sword."

At that answer, Lucia blinked her round eyes several times.

"When you say my sword..."
"Do you remember what I said yesterday?"
"I remember... you told me to try loving the sword."
"Change slowly as you love it."

Kyle swung the wooden sword a few times, then tied it at his waist.

"I want to see your sword after it changes like that."
"..."
"Even if it takes a long time."
"I... understand."

Lucia hesitated, then nodded.

The doors of the Sword Hall were already open. The moment Kyle strode inside, Fenris immediately buzzed and begged him to resonate, as if it had been waiting.

Kyle ignored Fenris again this time. He stepped out of the faintly writhing fog and approached Julius, who sat on the throne. Nelia stood beside him.

"I already gave you permission yesterday, so there was no real need for you to come here."
"And yet you were waiting here, Grandfather."
"Coincidence."
"Then should I skip greeting you and just go?"
"You should greet me. I am Alastor's Family Head, and you are a member of the family."

Julius rose from his seat with an indifferent face.

"You said you don't want advice. Tools that might help you inside are barred because they would make the trial impure, so all I can give you are farewell words."
"That's enough."

Julius came close and looked down at Kyle in silence for a moment. Then both hands suddenly grabbed Kyle's shoulders.

"Come back alive."
"Yes."
"Challenge only trials you think you can overcome. You are still young."
"Yes."
"The Spirit Medicines I invested in you over six years alone equal one year's budget for a decent large city. Do not forget that."
"I didn't know Grandfather was this materialistic."
"If anyone invests that much, anyone thinks in materialistic terms. I invested in you because I believe in you, so you must prove value greater than what I invested."
"I'll come back alive and well, and live a long time."
"Then that's enough."

Julius smiled and let go of Kyle's shoulders.

"Come back safe."

Nelia, who had walked up with Julius, heard that and laughed softly.

"The Family Head seems honest, yet not fully honest. It would be better if he conveyed his feelings exactly as he feels them."
"You're saying useless things."
"Child, you're clever, so you'll still feel the sincerity in the Family Head's words. But I'll say it plainly in his place. Please stay safe."

Nelia's hand stroked Kyle's head.

"Yes."

Kyle nodded firmly and turned around. At the entrance to the Sword Hall stood the relatives who had come out to see him off. Arian, Aslan, Erika, Bruno, Lucia.

It felt strange. He wasn't going to a battlefield, yet they were worrying this much. In his previous life too, he had been close with his mercenary comrades and followers, and he believed he had been loved in his own way. But never once had he been worried over this much when heading to war.

'Maybe it's because this body is eleven years old.'

Either way, this situation and these feelings were unfamiliar and strange. Kyle hesitated briefly, then spoke.

"I'll be back."

Thinking about it, he had rarely said those words with feelings this heavy in them since being born.

Even counting his previous life.

Kyle closed his eyes and focused on resonance with the Sword Tower.

End
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