WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 155: I Do Not Resent You

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The forest, whose scenery had been frozen for five hundred years, changed quickly. Only one dwarf had come, but true to his race's reputation, Agur worked fast.

He was fast without being careless. The dissatisfaction Agur himself felt was replaced by the Apostles' specific requests and satisfaction. Even when he tried to keep working on something, the clients stopped him, saying it was enough, so Agur could only relieve his stress by smoking cigarette after cigarette.

Strictly speaking, that was because the desire that made Agur truly want to create was focused not on houses and furniture, but on Jor, the eastern dragon.

In any case, Agur rebuilt the Sword Church Master's and Apostles' eight houses, along with all their furniture, in just four days. After that, he built conveniences the Sword Grove had never possessed before, according to each Apostle's individual requests.

Near the lake, he built Helenas a magnificent private bathhouse. He also made a training ground and Cultivation Chambers that would not have been out of place in a prestigious Martial family. At last, Sword Grove met the bare minimum requirements to be called the headquarters of the Sword Church.

"It is something to be grateful for."

The younger Apostles, excluding Lamika, were naturally delighted by the major renovations at Sword Grove.

Being able to see the Sword Church Master's sword up close every day was a privilege only the Apostles could enjoy. Every current Apostle had clawed their way up from the bottom of the Sword Church to earn that privilege.

Still, even monks devoted to the sword wanted basic comforts. Living in a crumbling house without a bathroom or toilet was miserable.

"Thanks to Young Master, we can finally live like people. Ah, now we won't have to leave Sword Grove under the excuse of missionary work."

Evan spoke with a broad smile.

Kyle was facing Evan in the center of the training ground, which had only been completed yesterday. Helenas and the other Apostles watched from a distance.

Agur's arrival had not changed what Kyle needed to do.

He swung Ruin's sword in the mornings, then crossed blades with the Apostles from the afternoon onward.

It should have been terrible to see the sword one had honed for a lifetime taken by another swordsman who was not even a disciple. Yet the Apostles no longer complained about it.

The sword of Ruin Alastor that Kyle displayed was far more valuable than the swords they had honed their entire lives.

"Young Master is getting the worse end of this deal."

Evan shrugged as he drew his sword.

"The price for watching the Sword Saint's great sword is only my own. Ha ha, my sword is not worth nearly that much."

Evan would never have said such a thing in the past. They fell far short of the Sword Church Master, but every Sword Church Apostle possessed outstanding swordsmanship. Evan, the lowest-ranked Apostle, could not quite be called one of the Ten Peaks, but Evan was certainly close to that name as a swordsman.

The confidence suited to that fact had faded to the faintest trace. That was how great the Sword Saint's sword was. A sword that any swordsman could only revere.

A sword that made the one Evan had honed for a lifetime seem shabby.

"I don't think I'm losing anything. Being able to cross swords freely with a sword of this level is good fortune."

Kyle knew well how incredible Ruin's sword was, but he could not wield it freely. No matter how he swung it, it pulled him along. It was too unmatched, too self-contained, to connect with other swords.

As he wielded that incredible sword for several days, Kyle had devised his own measures. The first was to engrave it completely into his body so he could use it at any moment.

The second was to fill his inner image with even more swords. No matter how incredible or great it was, it was still a sword.

'If I fill myself with every kind of sword, surely I can connect with it at least a little.'

Fenris slid free.

"What do you think?"

The spar began. Ronia swallowed and asked Tebar. Leaning against his greatsword, which was planted in the ground, Tebar twisted his already crumpled expression even further.

"It has only been a week since that bastard came to Sword Grove."

"Yes? Yes, that's right."

"A week has passed for everyone, yet that brat acts as though he has spent over a year in Sword Grove."

Kyle from a week ago did not feel like the same person as Kyle now. In only a week, his sword had improved to an absurd degree.

"In swordsmanship alone, he has already surpassed Evan. Evan would win in a fight to the death, since Sublimation is available to Evan... but if they fought with swords alone, it would be certain defeat for Evan."

"Is it really to the point of certain defeat?"

"If the odds are nine out of ten, that is practically certain defeat. Didn't you feel it yourself yesterday? Without Sublimation, with the sword alone, you couldn't win."

"I, I didn't lose."

"Oh, you idiot. It wasn't that you didn't lose. That damn brat simply didn't beat you."

Ronia's lips stuck out at those words, but Ronia could not refute them. It was the same uncomfortable feeling Ronia had carried throughout yesterday's fight.

Surely... if Ronia pressed Kyle just a little more, a breakthrough felt possible. Yet Ronia could never reach that little bit further. No matter how Ronia kept swinging and pressing Kyle, every strike felt vague. Ronia was clearly fighting another living person, but it felt like facing an illusion instead.

Little by little, the swords Ronia could wield, the swords Ronia knew how to wield, were taken from Ronia.

'He makes you swing even when you know exactly what he's up to.'

Tebar furrowed his brows and glared at Kyle. At this moment, the brat had the entire fight with Evan in the palm of his hand. He made Evan swing at the openings he showed. If Evan did not take them, Evan would instead be put in danger.

To avoid being cut, he had to cut. Yet the moment he did, his sword was taken.

Clang!

Evan's sword pressed Fenris back. Kyle deflected the pressure and stepped back. Evan did not miss the opening and drove in.

Fast, sharp consecutive strikes. A sword that targeted openings precisely. Evan's sword was honest. It had no flashy tricks or overwhelming power. Every aspect was balanced, and every judgment was precise.

Kyle's eyes read its path. From Evan's breathing to every bodily movement used to swing the sword in the most efficient way. Even the flow of Aura coating the blade was broken down in complete detail.

'This...'

The corner of Evan's mouth twitched.

'It feels like I'm facing a ghost.'

Evan's sword seemed as if it would land, yet it did not. Evan could not even tell whether Kyle was truly standing there. It felt as if Evan was fighting a swordsman from a slightly later moment in time, someone looking back at the past.

'My intent reaches him. It does, but it isn't enough.'

The sword path Evan thought was best was being forced into compromise. Swords moved back and forth in instants faster than a blink. Evan accelerated every thought, read the opponent's moves, prepared the next move, and tried it.

Yet it felt as if those moves were being subtly read. Was even that subtlety intentional? This went far beyond having keen eyes.

'Even if he is a genius...!'

Evan's sword path changed sharply. Unlike the honest sword he had shown until now, an unorthodox path surged toward Kyle.

At that moment, Kyle's sword changed just as sharply. Chilling killing intent bloomed from the sword. Fenris's pitch-black blade writhed like a living snake, then bared its fangs. Crash! The winding sword path blocked Evan's blade. Evan gritted his teeth and unleashed his next move.

'Lady Lamika's sword.'

Of course Evan knew that sword. Evan had faced it many times since becoming an Apostle. Gripping the hilt with both hands, Evan drove out a slash.

Then Kyle's sword changed again. Evan's response became the wrong answer. Kyle's blade slashed down at an angle and drove Evan's sword toward the ground.

'Lord Serga's...'

Even Evan's accelerated thoughts felt slow. That wrong answer from moments ago was humiliating. It was Kyle, not the Second Apostle Evan respected, who had declared the sword wrong. Evan hurriedly stepped back and recovered the sword. At that instant, pressure like a massive wall bearing down on Evan left Evan choking for breath.

'Lord Theodic's...'

Evan could not be crushed by the pressure. Evan had to break through, even if it was reckless. However similar it might be, the one wielding that sword was not the Third Apostle. Evan could overcome this much pressure. Through gritted teeth, Evan stepped forward.

The moment he thrust out his sword, the pressure from before scattered like mist. Evan's vision blurred. The arm Evan swung, the sword in hand, and the Aura covering it tangled together.

'Phantom Sword...!'

It was the sword of Obion, the First Apostle. Evan focused his intent. His blurred vision cleared, and the edge of his mind and senses sharpened.

At that very moment, a pitch-black sword tip flew toward Evan's face. It was Ronia's swift sword. Clang! Evan barely raised the sword and changed the thrust's path, but Evan's startled heart hammered so hard it felt ready to burst.

'I...'

Evan staggered back. Kyle took a long step forward for every step Evan gave.

'Who am I fighting?'

Kyle became Lamika, then Serga, then Theodic, then Obion, then Ronia. Neither his steps nor stance gave Evan any clue. Even his mana attribute changed in an instant, enough to drive an opponent mad.

'Who is this? Whose sword is it?'

Fenris answered the question rising in Evan's tight chest.

'This...'

It had no exceptional strength, but no weakness either. Honest and precise. As Evan faced that sword path, his eyes trembled.

'It is my sword.'

It felt as if Evan were swinging a sword before a mirror. Neither could cut the other or force the other back. It was simply a tedious repetition of swords colliding. Evan's heart raced fiercely. To break this boring deadlock, Evan had to reveal more swords, and wield them with greater sincerity.

If Evan did, they would be devoured in turn. Could Evan end this before they were devoured? Not without using Sublimation. The boy before Evan was already several steps ahead of Evan in swordsmanship. So far ahead that it was hard to believe he was another human being.

There were countless swords inside that boy.

"Let's stop here."

Kyle sheathed his sword first. Evan, who had taken a step back, swallowed whatever he had been about to say and bit down on his lip. There was no need to ask why Kyle had put away his sword first.

"My discipline was lacking."

Evan let out a short sigh and bowed deeply. Things had seemed fine... but a person's heart did not always obey as they wished. Having a sword taken was one thing, but the more the fight went on, the stronger Evan's self-loathing grew. Evan still had the strength to swing a sword, but the heart was about to break first.

"There is something wrong with the youngest lot."

Tebar grumbled.

"Have you been neglecting the sword because you became Apostles? Huh? Do you think you can swing your swords carelessly because you can use Sublimation when things get difficult?"

"You tried to use Sublimation when you were being pushed back last time too, Lord Tebar."

"Hey, Young Master, get your facts straight. I wasn't going to use Sublimation because I was being pushed back. You pulled out that unfair cursed blade first!"

Tebar opened his eyes wide and shot Kyle a glare.

"You charge at me with a cursed blade that kills its opponent without fail, so naturally I have to fight with the intent to kill you without fail too. Isn't that right?"

"Let's say it is."

"What do you mean, let's say it is? It is a fact. Hey, Young Master, why didn't you use my sword?"

Kyle had used the Apostles' swords in his spar with Evan, but Tebar's had not been among them. Tebar had clearly been bothered by that and glared at him, so Kyle shrugged.

"Lord Tebar's sword is difficult to use with Fenris."

It was not a lie. A sword technique needed the right sword. Using Tebar's sword technique with Fenris would not produce its original power.

"And if I pull out Baal, it becomes a fight to the death instead of a spar."

"You pulled out Baal from the start when you fought me a few days ago."

"That was our second fight, Lord Tebar. And with your skill, you can keep fighting without being cut by Baal. That is why I used it."

Kyle praised him casually, and Tebar's crumpled face relaxed. His lips twitched as he nodded.

"Well, that is true. Unlike these youngest ones who have grown soft, I am still devoted to the sword."

"As expected of the Sword Church's Fourth Apostle."

It had already been a week since Kyle came to Sword Grove. As of today, he had crossed blades with every Apostle and sampled the swords they wielded.

'Each of them has something worth taking.'

There had already been value in coming to Sword Grove just to reflect on his own sword and understand Ruin's a little better. Yet this forest was filled with a feast prepared for Kyle.

'Even I can't take everything. If I eat too much too quickly, I will get sick.'

With the experience of his past life as the Sword Demon and his innate talent, Kyle was quickly learning the Apostles' swords. Still, it felt to him like nothing more than skimming the surface. He could draw out the essence of each sword, but mastering that essence immediately was difficult. If he forced it, too many swords would make his head burst and tangle his hands.

'As planned, I will stay in Sword Grove for only a month. And spar with the Apostles once a day.'

He would spend his remaining time organizing the swords he had learned. Kyle nodded to himself. That meant he would devote every moment except the time needed to eat, sleep, and relieve himself to the sword.

No. To be honest, Kyle thought of nothing but swords even while eating and relieving himself. He thought about Ruin's sword that he focused on in the morning, then the Apostle's sword he sparred with in the afternoon.

And at night, he crossed swords with Helenas as well. At first, he had not even known how to face Helenas's sword, but now he could exchange a fair number of moves with her.

There was still no process to Helenas's sword. Her overwhelmingly powerful intent made the result that was entirely natural to her arrive through her sword.

At first, Kyle could not defy that naturalness. Barely, truly barely, protecting his body was the best he could do.

But now, he could question that cowardly sword which was natural to Helenas and had no process. Ruin's sword, a truth and textbook of the sword that stood far beyond Helenas, flickered in his mind and heart.

Before that sword, Helenas's sword was not natural. Exchanging moves with her was the best he could do, and even that was only because Helenas was not giving it her full focus. Still, the fact that he could exchange moves with Helenas proved how tremendously Kyle had grown over the past few months.

'I think I am thinking about swords even in my sleep, not just while eating and relieving myself.'

He swung a sword even in his dreams. Honestly, he had never devoted himself to the sword this much even in his previous life. He had dreamed of the sword until the moment he died, filled with lingering attachment and love for it. By this point, one could say his wish had been granted.

'No, it isn't enough.'

What wish? Kyle still felt thirsty. The more he swung his sword, the more he felt the lack of something, like pouring water into a bottomless jar. The path of the sword was that long and endless.

And beyond that long, endless path, ascended Ruin might be waiting.

'Ascension is not death.'

Duke Oun had said so. Incomplete Ascendants left the earth and were trapped inside the outer gods' bellies. Ruin, who achieved complete Ascension, would not be trapped inside an outer god's belly, but somewhere at the end of a road he could not see.

He was probably swinging a sword.

'I lost once and even died. I can't lose again, not after being reincarnated.'

Another thought came to him.

'Could it be that Ruin reincarnated me?'

He had said the only enjoyable moment in Ruin's life was when he fought the Sword Demon. Could Ruin, who carried his duty all his life in loneliness, have looked back on his life and reincarnated the Sword Demon because of a powerful lingering regret?

'And I, who was reincarnated that way, became the Turning Point of the world.'

If the Turning Point changed the world completely, then at least humans should not blame Ruin.

The Sword Saint, who had been noble all his life, had indulged one final selfish desire.

'I do not resent you either.'

Kyle stroked Fenris and gave a quiet laugh.

'Thanks to you, I get to swing a sword until I am truly sick of it.'

Of course, he never would be.

Footnotes:

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