Reformation of the Deadbeat Noble - Chapter 216

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Dionysus

Chapter 216: We're All Getting Old (1)

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Northwest of Alkantrea, the premier swordsmanship city in the continent's central region, lay a large lake.

With its many varieties of fish and no monsters to be found, plenty of people came there to fish.

There had been even more visitors lately. Enjoying the warm April weather, nobles and wealthy merchants leisurely cast their lines into the water.

There was, however, someone disrupting their peaceful pastime.

Splash! Splash!

“Wow! This is fun! Kiril, look! I caught a fish!”

“Did you? You really did.”

It was Lulu, the cat Sorcerer.

She had once lived along the continent's eastern coast, but that had been quite some time ago.

Besides, swimming in saltwater had always felt unpleasant, so she had never liked it much.

A clear, deep lake like this suited her far better.

Wearing an inner tube Kiril Farreira had made for her, Lulu splashed noisily through the lake. Every now and then, she dove beneath the surface and caught fish herself.

Naturally, she was bound to disturb those who had come to fish.

Yet no one seemed annoyed by it.

Instead, fishermen with wide eyes spoke among themselves as though they had seen something truly remarkable.

“Hey, look at that cat!”

“Goodness! A cat can talk...?”

“So it's true. They said a talking cat Sorcerer has been wandering around the continent lately. That must be the cat from the rumors.”

“A cat that likes water. How strange.”

“Haha! I'm a water-type cat, the kind humans like!”

Having overheard them, Lulu proudly stood atop her inner tube and shouted.

The sight was both mysterious and adorable.

The fishermen had already forgotten why they had come and were completely absorbed in watching Lulu.

Kiril smiled as she watched her, then turned her attention back to her own task.

This seemed like a good opportunity to create a Summoned Creature that could be useful near the water.

‘Nothing like a Kraken... Maybe a turtle? Or a dolphin?’

Lost in thought, Kiril walked along the shore.

Her golden hair gleamed beneath the midday sun, and against the backdrop of the blue lake, her beauty stood out even more.

Even among the attractive members of House Farreira, she was exceptionally beautiful.

That was why the young people gathered at the lake were watching Kiril more than the talking cat.

A few older people watched them and chuckled.

A short distance away, in a relatively quiet spot with no fishermen or sightseers, a young man stood quietly.

He swung his sword toward the lake at terrifying speed.

Swish!

Booooom!

“!”

“Gasp!”

“What...?”

A tremendous roar rang out.

A column of water shot high into the sky.

Those who had been happily watching Lulu and Kiril turned in surprise.

Then they swallowed dryly.

Hummmmmm...

A massive golden Aura Sword.

A few guards looked at Airen Farreira, who was unleashing it before the lake as its waters churned as though caught in a storm, and spoke among themselves.

“This is insane...”

“That’s him, right? The famous...”

“Yeah. Airen Farreira. I heard he became a Sword Master last year, but... I didn't think it was true.”

“Exactly. He's only in his early twenties, isn't he? Isn't that faster than Hall Master Ian?”

“That's right. Of course, becoming a Master early doesn't guarantee that someone will be the greater swordsman in the end, but...”

Still unable to hide his shock, one of the guards quietly finished the thought.

“...I think he might actually be able to do it.”

“Do what?”

“Become the strongest on the continent.”

“Hmm, isn't that getting ahead of ourselves...?”

The guard arguing against him trailed off.

Thinking about it, the guard could not dismiss the idea outright.

Who else had reached the realm of Master faster than Airen?

There were only two, Ignet Crescentia and Illia Lindsay. Airen had even defeated one of them.

Illia was three years younger than Airen, of course, but there was no doubt that Airen possessed the talent to stand among the strongest of the next generation.

Thinking of it that way made the moment feel all the more precious.

‘Maybe I'm watching the future strongest swordsman train!’

The guard's body grew hot.

With the strange feeling of blood racing through their veins, the guard's gaze, which had been fixed on Kiril until then, turned toward Airen.

The guard expected Airen to show something even more amazing.

But he did not.

Ten minutes passed. Then twenty. Then thirty.

The golden swordsman simply stood with his eyes closed, immersed in meditation.

“...Is that training too?”

“It must be. How could we presume to understand what a Master is thinking?”

“That is true.”

Having lost interest, the guards turned back toward Kiril. Whenever Lulu performed another trick, they glanced in her direction as well.

In the end, Airen Farreira once again faded from everyone's attention.

Hall Master Ian, who had appeared beside him without anyone noticing, passed by his side.

“Not working?”

“Hall Master. Hmm...”

“That is understandable. It's quite difficult.”

“It isn't something that can be accomplished after trying for only a few days,” the Hall Master added under his breath.

Then he slowly walked toward the shore.

His appearance drew everyone's attention once again.

Though they were residents of Alkantrea, chances to see the master of Krono were rare.

Ian rarely went out. Even if they saw him often, though, their interest would not have faded.

That was how great the reputation of one of the Continent's Top Three was.

Yet the sword strike displayed by that giant of his era fell far short of their expectations.

Splash!

It was neither slow nor fast.

Someone well versed in swordsmanship might have admired the clean, efficient motion, but there was no one here with that kind of insight.

They could only focus on the sword that weakly touched the water's surface before rising again, on the disappointing result.

Would something amazing happen if they waited?

Even that expectation gradually faded.

After seeing that nothing happened, the fishermen tilted their heads and began turning away one by one.

“...”

Airen was no different.

It was undoubtedly an incredible sword.

Now that he had reached that realm, he could tell. There was no forceful presence or pressure, but the Hall Master's sword was the work of a true master.

Decades of effort had been deeply embedded in that single stroke.

Still, it could not compare to the sword he had seen a week ago.

The sword that had split the lake, that had cut the water... that had cut something which should never have been cut.

“As I told you before, the sword I first showed you and the sword just now are no different. I cut the same thing.”

“...”

“You need not grow impatient because you cannot understand it right away. Train with patience... I will be away for a few days, so keep that in mind.”

“...Yes, I understand.”

But apparently, the Hall Master did not see it that way.

Once again, Ian left after showing the same sword and saying the same words.

Airen watched his retreating back, then closed his eyes again.

He still remembered it clearly.

The Hall Master's posture when he cut the water, his breathing, the movement of his Aura, every part of the process was perfectly etched into his mind.

Even so, Airen could not imitate it.

Frustrated, he let out a sigh.

‘I wish he'd give me another hint.’

He desperately wanted to ask.

But Airen did not ask in the end.

There had to be a reason the Hall Master was sparing with his words. He did not want his impatience to ruin his master's intentions.

‘Likewise, there must be a reason he demonstrates the technique once a day.’

This time, Airen recalled not the first sword strike, but the one he had just seen.

He still did not understand.

No matter how he looked at it, it only seemed as though Ian had dipped his sword into the lake.

As if facing an unsolvable riddle, Airen's heart began to simmer.

“...”

Even so, he had no choice but to continue.

To join the subjugation force within a year.

To defeat the Jester Demon and the other demons as quickly as possible.

He needed to become far stronger than he was now.

Hummmmmm...

Fwaaaash!

His sword cried out in response to the will rising within him. The Aura Sword swung again and fell toward the surface of the lake.

The water did not split this time either.

Airen exhaled a hot breath.

* * *

After leaving the lake, Hall Master Ian walked aimlessly.

He was not running. From the outside, he appeared to be walking like an ordinary old man, yet the speed at which he moved was far from normal.

The sun set and rose four times as he traveled.

When Ian finally came back to his senses, he looked at the water flowing through the ravine before him and casually swung his sword.

Splash.

Shhk!

Amazingly, the water was cut once again. The flowing water through the ravine split apart and stopped, as though time itself had frozen.

It did not remain that way forever, of course.

A few seconds later, the divided stream merged again and flowed downward.

Ian was about to swing his sword again, but hesitated. He sheathed it and muttered,

“I'm the impatient one.”

Airen was an excellent disciple.

A youngster with outstanding character, talent, and patience. At twenty-three, Ian had not come close to Airen's level. Airen was a disciple far more remarkable than Ian deserved.

But it was still too early for him to understand the Water Sword.

Normally, it was something that should be taught ten years later, or perhaps even further in the future.

But...

‘There is no knowing whether I'll still be alive by then.’

Ian sat cross-legged on a suitable boulder and closed his eyes.

Worries rose within him. Anxiety followed.

The reason was clear. It was because of reports from the Holy Kingdom that demons were appearing in force.

‘What will become of the continent after I die?’

It might sound arrogant.

Yet Ian was confident. At least while he lived, he believed he could protect the continent no matter what demon appeared.

Julius Hyul likely held the same belief. Knowing that he remained well gave Ian even greater reassurance.

But Ian was old.

The same was true for Julius Hyul, and Quincy Myers, the Holy Kingdom's secret weapon, had reached an age when death could come at any time.

Karakum, the orc tribe's strongest warrior, likely did not have much time left either. Orcs had slightly shorter lifespans than humans.

The heads of Runtel Kingdom's three great houses had all lived for more than eighty years as well.

‘In the end... within fifteen years, perhaps even less, the continent's strength will be cut in half.’

That was why Ian was so eager for his disciple to grow.

Thankfully, many talented young people had appeared across the continent in recent years.

Ignet, Illia, and Airen were among them.

Ian was certain Brett would eventually be no less capable than them, and Kun seemed to have glimpsed the same potential in Judith.

But there was not enough time.

What if the old people died before the young ones could grow enough to support the continent, and the demons that had been lying low awakened in the meantime?

Could the continent truly preserve the peace it had maintained for one hundred and fifty years?

‘...Even so, it was too soon.’

Ian shook his head.

No meant no.

It had taken him more than thirty years to cut that. Even now, he was still working at it.

The slightest lapse allowed worries and anxiety to gather as they had now, dulling his sword and weighing down both his body and heart.

Having reached that thought, Ian quietly steadied his breathing and focused his mind.

He intended to settle his own shaken heart first, then continue thinking.

But he could not.

Fwaaaash!

“...!”

Ian opened his eyes.