WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 160: Congratulations

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Gladiheim was unchanged, even after several months away. The swords in the Discard Path still looked bleak and desolate, the walls remained high, and the Sword Tower that rose from the summit above as if to pierce the sky was still magnificent.

“It looks less like the castle of the continent's greatest Martial family and more like the Demon King's Castle. They say Dragon Queen Velatus made it himself, so I suppose that lizard had no eye for beauty.”

Agur muttered from inside the Iron Dragon, which had stopped in midair.

“It is a well-made war fortress overall, but that tower stands out too much. And why are weapons planted along the road and left to rust? If someone gets scratched, they will catch tetanus on the spot.”

“It is a tradition.”

“What a useless tradition.”

Agur grumbled as he stared intently at the Sword Tower. It had been four hundred years since the dragons led by the Dragon Queen crossed over to the eastern continent. Until then, dwarves had been exploited by dragons. Agur had not lived through it himself, but hatred toward dragons still lingered throughout the dwarf race.

That was why Agur did not look kindly upon the Sword Tower, which the Dragon Queen himself had built. After glaring sullenly at it for a while, Agur glanced down.

“That is quite the welcoming party. Shall we start descending?”

“Everyone has probably seen it by now, so you may land.”

After arriving in Vigrid, they had flown to Gladiheim aboard the Iron Dragon instead of taking a Sky Carriage. Even after arriving, they had not landed inside the castle right away, lingering in the sky for a short while.

The reason was simple. Kyle wanted to show everyone the Iron Dragon, which had become his mount. It was one of a kind, beyond comparison with a Sky Carriage.

Inside Gladiheim's walls, the Iron Dragon slowly descended into a broad clearing. Everyone gathered there began murmuring at its immense presence. Once it landed, stairs extended from its wide-open chest.

“You certainly know how to make a noisy return.”

Julius had come to greet him in person. Standing with his hands behind his back, he gave a hollow laugh as he looked at Kyle descending the stairs.

“Looking down on the Family Head while you do it.”

“If you had waited in the Sword Tower, I would have come straight to see you.”

Kyle smiled sheepishly and finished descending the stairs. In Hilt, Gladiheim's lower district, nearly everyone living in the castle, along with all the relatives from the Sword Tower, had come to greet Kyle in the wide clearing near the gates.

“Seeing you come all the way here, you must have missed your adorable grandson terribly.”

“You are too old to be called adorable now. You may be young, but you are far too mature for your age.”

Julius snorted and continued.

“You got engaged to the Sword Church Master without even asking the family's permission, then revealed it to the entire world. Lavian's matter was sudden enough, but you have surpassed even your mother.”

“That... was not my intention. A ridiculous rumor, made up of several misunderstandings, was printed as though it were fact.”

“Whether it is fact or a misunderstanding does not matter. That newspaper has already spread across the continent, and everyone knows. Even if you claimed now that the engagement was a misunderstanding, who would believe it? Nor can we simply pretend it never happened. The honor of our family and the Sword Church Master has become entangled.”

Kyle had no choice but to swallow the sigh rising in his throat. He wanted to find the reporter who wrote the article and grab them by the collar. He also wanted to demand answers from Desmond, who had broken his promise, and Alero, who must have approved the article.

Still, there was nothing he could do about an article that had already been published. Kyle composed his expression and spoke.

“Anyway... I'm back. Ah, and this gentleman who came with me is...”

“I am Agur Duroka.”

Agur gave a small nod.

“I came along because I have a few agreements with the young master. I would like to remain in this castle from now on, if that is acceptable.”

“Stay as long as you wish. If you are that boy's guest, then you are Alastor's honored guest.”

The greeting ended simply. Julius did not ask many questions, and Agur did not go into detail about why he needed to stay.

“I returned much later than planned, but I gained a great deal in return for the delay.”

“So it seems.”

Julius nodded with a pleased smile. Only three months had passed since Kyle left the Sword Tower, but it would not have been an exaggeration to call Kyle's growth astonishing.

It was something one could feel without even seeing him draw his sword. His growth after spending four years training in the Cultivation Floors had been remarkable, but not as remarkable as this.

Kyle had always possessed extraordinary talent. The Cultivation Floors were harsh, but considering his natural gifts and the learning he had undergone even before awakening his Spirit Root, it could have been called natural for him to improve that much in four years.

This was different. The higher one's realm, the harder it became to rise further. Yet in only three months, Kyle had grown beyond comparison to the person he had been before leaving the Sword Tower.

‘Hah...’

Julius was not the only one who sensed Kyle's growth. Gladiheim's knight commanders felt it as well. Barkas swallowed a groan and stared hard at Kyle.

The person before him was unmistakably Kyle. His younger sister Arian's son. His young nephew, only sixteen years old. Kyle's body, which had already finished growing, had barely changed from the last time Barkas saw him. His face was the same. Kyle's face still stood at the boundary of boyhood.

Yet he was different. He had not grown taller, nor had his frame grown larger. Still, Barkas felt something unfathomable from Kyle.

He was not giving off any particular presence. If anything, it was the opposite. Barkas could sense no presence from Kyle at all. A few months ago, Kyle had been like a finely honed sword. Even without a sword in his hand, the exceptional sharpness he possessed despite his youth made it clear that he was a swordsman.

Now, though, it was different. Barkas was a knight who had spent his life in the field. Reading an opponent's presence and measuring their strength was second nature to him. Yet his senses could read nothing at all from Kyle now.

That was why Kyle felt unfathomable. It was like looking into a lake of unknown depth. The surface was calm, but he could not see what lay beneath it.

‘A sword sheathed in its scabbard... No, that is not it. He does not even feel like a sword. Just how much stronger has he become?’

Katarina swallowed hard. Kyle had been strong before, but he had not felt like an unknown existence as he did now. It would never happen, but if they crossed swords with the genuine intent to kill each other, Katarina had once been certain of her own victory.

She no longer had that certainty. Not being certain of victory meant she might lose. Katarina shivered at the possibility she herself had recognized.

‘Brother...’

Swallowing her bitterness, Katarina glanced at Karthan. Her older brother was holding the wheelchair of their mother, Lavian, whose legs did not work properly.

It had not been publicly announced, but within the family, among Gladiheim's knights, and even in the eyes of the continent, if someone asked who would become Alastor's next Family Head, Karthan's name would be the first mentioned. Katarina herself had always believed that her older brother would become Family Head someday.

But now... she could not think that way anymore. It seemed more likely that Kyle would grow stronger faster than Julius could age and Karthan could become stronger.

“The joy of our family has returned.”

Unlike Katarina, who felt bitter, Karthan's smile was exceedingly bright. He was someone who deeply understood what the Alastor name meant. Alastor's Family Head was not chosen by birth order. For generations, it had been a position only the strongest person in the family could claim.

Kyle was his nephew, younger even than his youngest son. But if his nephew's strength became so great that everyone had no choice but to acknowledge it, Karthan would gladly serve Kyle as Family Head.

“There is much to discuss. Family Head, let us return to the Sword Tower.”

“Let us.”

Julius nodded slowly. The gathered crowd opened a path, and Kyle stored the Iron Dragon in his Out-of-Place Artifact.

“It appears the family matriarch's legs do not work properly.”

Agur whispered as he glanced at Lavian's wheelchair beside Kyle.

“Yes. It is not a problem with her bones or nerves. It is more of a magical... reason, I suppose. She cannot move her left arm or either leg because of it.”

“I came here because of my agreement with you, young master, but I do not lack the conscience to simply eat and drink without contributing. I will soon make her a support device far better than that wheelchair.”

“A support device?”

“If her left arm and legs had been severed entirely, she would need prosthetic limbs. But you said it is not a problem with her bones or nerves, did you not? If the magical cause is resolved, she will be able to move again, so we cannot simply cut them off.”

Agur stroked his beard, thought for a moment, then continued.

“Even if she cannot move them by her own will, she should move them often to lessen the aftereffects later. Can she use mana?”

“Yes.”

“Then an exoskeleton that covers her left arm and legs should do. I have a rough design in mind already, so prepare the materials.”

Kyle could not help being impressed. If Lavian could walk on her own with an exoskeleton Agur made, Julius would cry buckets again, just as he had before.

“Kyle!”

Before boarding the carriage that would take them back to the Sword Tower, Arian ran toward Kyle, shouting his name.

“My son!”

Arian rushed in and hugged Kyle tightly. She repeatedly stroked his back, kneaded his shoulders and arms, then held his cheeks in both hands and looked up at him.

“You have not grown much taller, have you? I heard boys your age shoot up in height over just a few months. Have you already finished growing...?”

“I am already quite tall. If I grow any taller than this, it will look strange.”

“Hmm, that might be true. Your proportions are perfect now. If you get any taller or broader, it might not suit your face.”

Arian nodded with a bright smile. The other relatives saw a swordsman in Kyle, but to Arian, he was still only her beloved son.

“Big brother.”

A voice came from below. The pronunciation was clearly more precise than it had been a few months ago. Feeling his chest tighten for some reason, Kyle lowered his gaze. Kaya, dressed in a pretty dress, looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Kaya!”

Kaya was already four years old. Children that age grew by leaps and bounds every day, and Kaya had grown noticeably since Kyle last saw her. He lifted his little sister high into his arms and asked,

“Didn't you miss your big brother?”

“I didn't miss you.”

Kaya answered with a pout. That reply was as shocking as when he had faced Ruin's sword. It hurt as much as being cut down by Ruin. Kyle's mouth fell open.

“Why... why?”

“You left without saying anything.”

Kaya stuck out her lower lip.

“I did say... No, I did leave without saying anything.”

He had decided to leave right away on the day Lentz came to visit from the Crows' Central Branch, so it was true that he had left without saying anything to Kaya.

“I'm sorry. Big brother was wrong. I didn't think it would take this long.”

“How wrong were you?”

“I was very wrong.”

“Then will you buy Kaya a present?”

Kaya asked, still pouting. Kyle blinked a few times, then burst into laughter.

“I will buy Kaya anything she wants.”

His little sister already knew how to handle people. Kaya did not immediately relax at Kyle's answer. He held his sulking sister and gently swayed her from side to side. The more he swayed her, the more her protruding lower lip slowly withdrew.

“Who could he have taken after to become so handsome?”

Arian giggled as she watched the siblings fondly.

“After Mother, of course.”

“Say something about your father too.”

“I don't think my face resembles Father's much. Hmm, maybe I inherited his love of swords? Though I won't go into Closed-Door Training for over ten years like Father did.”

Aslan, who still felt guilty toward his son, staggered. Every time Kyle mentioned the ten years he had grown up without a father, Aslan felt as though he could hardly breathe.

“I'm sorry... I'm sorry.”

Kyle gave a soft laugh when he saw Aslan speak in a trembling voice.

“I was not saying it to make you feel guilty. You can just treat the family well from now on, as much as you feel sorry for me. Ah, you granted my request, right?”

“Your request...? Ah, the members' training? Of course I did. Not only me, your grandfather helped as well.”

“Did you neglect your own sword too much while teaching the members? I think I could beat you if we fought now.”

Aslan could not help looking conflicted at that. He had been so obsessed with the sword that he had entered Closed-Door Training without even knowing his wife was pregnant, and had not realized ten years had passed.

Before marrying Arian, he had been called a sword maniac. It was true that after coming out of Closed-Door Training, he had not been able to devote himself to the sword as deeply as before. There had been no situation in which he could. Not long after Kyle entered the Cultivation Floors, Arian became pregnant with their second child.

If he had ignored Arian then, turned away from raising their child, and swung his sword instead, he would have repeated the sin he had committed before. Aslan would not be alive in this world now.

“A son... surpassing his father. That, that must surely be a joyous thing. I never thought I would be overtaken so quickly, but...”

By ordinary standards, Aslan was also called a genius. If he had not come to Gladiheim, married Arian, or entered Closed-Door Training, and had instead become a follower of the Sword Church, he could have become one of the Sword Church's Apostles.

Aslan knew he was a genius, but his son possessed talent so absurd that it felt less like a gift from heaven and more like heaven's mistake. Aslan could no longer believe himself stronger than his son.

The fact was frustrating and sad. Aslan was both a father and a swordsman. Even if it was his own son, being overtaken already by a child who was only sixteen could not help leaving him with a swordsman's sense of loss...

“No, why are you so sad over one joke? I may be stronger than you now, Father, but if you train hard again later, you might become stronger than me again.”

No, that would never happen. He had said it only to comfort Aslan. Even if Aslan devoted himself to the sword again and entered Closed-Door Training, he could not become stronger than Kyle. Kyle himself knew that better than anyone.

But he could not tell him the truth. This was not a lie to protect a swordsman's pride, but a father's pride.

“Yes... that is what I must do. I have taught you almost nothing about the sword... Someday, I will become stronger than you again and teach you the sword...”

“Yes, you can do that. Once Kaya is a little older, Father will be able to devote himself to the sword again.”

After reuniting with his family, Kyle headed toward a carriage with Agur. He naturally tried to ride in the same carriage as Arian, but Arian shook her head.

“You should ride with your members.”

“Huh? All right.”

“You are Master Agur, correct? Master Agur, please ride in the same carriage as us.”

Kyle wondered why she was insisting, but since Arian wanted it that way, he did not say anything. Agur did not refuse either. Kyle then headed toward the Sword Wolf Knights' carriage.

“Sorry, sorry. It has been a while since I came back, so I ended up talking with my family for a long...”

Kyle, who had been walking over while scratching the back of his head, suddenly stopped.

First, the members' growth had to be mentioned. Naturally, it could not compare to Kyle's, but all four members of the Sword Wolf Knights had improved greatly since he last saw them.

It seemed they had trained diligently as instructed. By the look of it, they had endured in the Cultivation Floors for over a month, and they had received guidance from Julius and Aslan as well.

They had also digested the training tools and Elixirs they received as payment for the Central Branch's request. Bruno had originally been at the beginning of the Will Realm, but had now reached its middle stage. Narua, who had not yet entered the Will Realm, had firmly stepped into it.

Jade's improvement was the most noticeable. He had already been in the Will Realm, but he had possessed the fatal weakness of having a weak Spirit Root and Circuits compared to his skill. Yet perhaps because he had consumed several Elixirs in the meantime, his presence had changed dramatically.

Still, Lucia had improved the most in every way. They had all made great achievements, so as their commander, Kyle should have praised them.

But Kyle could not give any commander-like praise right now. After thinking for a moment, he asked,

“Did I do something wrong...?”

Lucia's red eyes were terribly dark. She leaned against the carriage with a slouch and stared at Kyle.

Lucia had always been composed before Kyle, an example to everyone else. If Kyle pointed at a mutt and called it a dragon, she would sincerely believe the mutt was truly a dragon. This Lucia, standing there with defiant eyes, was not the Lucia Kyle knew.

The other issue was that the other members were watching Lucia's mood. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say they agreed with her. Narua was also standing with her arms folded, giving him a rebellious look. Jade looked troubled, but stood on the same side as Lucia. Only Bruno was sighing deeply and making a pained expression.

“Hmm...”

Kyle stroked his chin and thought. Why were they acting like that? Had his absence for a few months disappointed the members this much? He had sent plenty of things that would help their training as payment for the Central Branch's request, and had even written to Julius asking him to look after the members and provide them with some Elixirs. Why were they looking at their commander, who had returned after going through so much, like that after using all of it?

“You all seem to have a lot of complaints about me, whatever they may be. Shall we settle this cleanly with a duel?”

Kyle spoke after thinking for a moment. If they had any grievances against each other, whether they used words or swords, it was better to clash openly and get it over with.

[That is not it!]

The moment Kyle spoke, Jor screamed from within his Middle Dantian.

‘What is not?’

As he asked Jor back, the members' expressions changed by the second. Narua's eyes filled with contempt, while Bruno covered his face with both hands.

“No... Commander, what do you mean, a duel...? Did spending a few months with those Sword Church people put too much Sword Church thinking in your head?”

Jade sighed deeply as he asked. Lucia, who had been standing crookedly, straightened up and spoke.

“I am glad you returned safely, Commander.”

“Hmm... Right. You are glad, correct?”

“And congratulations on your engagement.”

Ah, that was it.

Only then did Kyle understand why Lucia had been making that expression.

Footnotes:

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