WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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Chapter 167: Reincarnation, You Say?

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Reincarnation.

It was shocking, but there was no reason to doubt it. The Dragon Queen Velatus, that absurd being, had declared it herself, and Kyle had not denied it.

Beyond Kyle's admission, Julius could think of many things that suddenly made sense if Kyle truly was the reincarnation of Sword Demon Raikal from five hundred years ago.

The unbelievable sword talent he had shown at the age of five. And Fenris. Julius recalled the day Kyle had first entered the Sword Hall.

"So that's why you suddenly begged for Fenris."

Julius muttered with a chuckle.

"Your beloved sword from five hundred years ago was displayed beneath the Founding Ancestor's portrait..."

"Do you know what I was secretly thinking before I entered the Sword Hall?"

Kyle let out a long sigh and sat on the floor. He had learned what kind of place the Ascension Platform was, met Ruin's gaze, and even encountered the Dragon Queen. Still, there was much he had yet to discuss with Julius.

"On the way there, I saw the Discard Path and the Sword Garden. I heard the Discard Path held swords not worth remembering, while the Sword Garden held swords that were. But Fenris wasn't in either place."

"You must have been flustered."

"Flustered? Was that all? I was secretly cursing the Founding Ancestor. Um, can I just call him Ruin here?"

"Call him whatever you wish, Sir Sword Demon Raikal."

Julius sat across from Kyle with a mischievous smile. Kyle's face immediately twisted.

"I call the Founding Ancestor by name because he sees me not as a cute descendant, but as the Sword Demon. And I see Ruin the same way. But you see me as your grandson, don't you?"

"I see you as both my grandson and the Sword Demon."

"Then should I speak casually to you too? Hm? Instead of calling you Grandfather, should I call you Julius?"

"You insolent brat. You would dare call your grandfather by his name?"

Julius glared at Kyle with a quiet chuckle. It was only a joke. Kyle smiled back and shrugged.

"Come on, would I really call my grandfather by his name? To me, you're my real grandfather. Anyway, Fenris wasn't anywhere in the Discard Path or the Sword Garden, so I cursed Ruin out in my head. You don't know what Ruin said to me before I died, do you?"

"What did the Founding Ancestor say?"

Julius's eyes gleamed. In that era, there had been many foes who had faced the Founding Ancestor. The Founding Ancestor had fought the Dragon Queen and Demon King Astaros as well. He had said his clash with the Dragon Queen had scarcely been a fight, while he had fought the Demon King to a draw.

And his battle with the Sword Demon had been his most enjoyable. A fight fought with no thought for the glory of victory or the loss of defeat, a battle of swords in its purest form. From that alone, it was clear that the Sword Demon had been the opponent the Founding Ancestor considered most special.

"He said he would remember me."

Those had been the last words Kyle heard from Ruin before his death.

"I died after hearing that, but my sword wasn't anywhere in Gladiheim. So of course I cursed Ruin out in my head. You fucking bastard, you said you'd remember me, so why didn't you put my sword on display? That sort of thing."

"Even if you are the Sword Demon's reincarnation, hearing a descendant curse the Founding Ancestor is unpleasant."

"I won't curse him anywhere else, so don't worry. Anyway, I was badmouthing Ruin all the way into the Sword Hall, then there was Fenris beneath the portrait."

"Were you happy?"

"Honestly? Of course I was."

Kyle grinned.

"Though that damned mutt rejected its owner's hand, so I couldn't take it with me then."

"I remember your expression. At the time, I thought you were simply a grandson born with absurd talent."

"I did work hard at playing the role of a grandson."

"Not only were you gifted with the sword, your acting was excellent too."

"I remember everything from my previous life, but that was the past. Like I said earlier, I treat everyone around me with Kyle's sincere feelings. Naturally, that includes my family."

"It could not have been easy."

"It was actually easy. Why would it be difficult? It feels a little strange to say this myself, but in my previous life, the only blood relative I had was my father."

He was the first person to teach Raikal about the sword.

"I have no memories of my mother. After I was reincarnated, things felt a little awkward at first, but Mother is such a wonderful person, and she loves me so much... I got used to it quickly. The body of a little kid that wouldn't do what I told it to was harder to get used to."

"Was it acting when you used that childish voice and acted cute around Arian?"

"That... I just said it. A child's body doesn't do what you tell it to. I didn't use that voice because I wanted to, I could only speak that way."

"And the acting cute?"

"That...! I told you...! I had no memories of a mother in my previous life. I'd never received motherly affection, but Mother now is such a wonderful person, so..."

"So it was sincere."

Julius nodded with a pleased smile.

"As long as you have not been deceiving Arian, that is enough."

"Deceiving her, my ass... No matter how shameless I am or how good an actor I may be, I know what human dignity is."

Kyle grumbled and sighed. He had spent a long time worrying about how to treat his family, especially Arian, ever since he had been an infant. Looking back, he had never needed to worry. Growing up surrounded by Arian's sincere affection, Kyle had come to genuinely see her as his mother.

"Do you consider your other relatives family as well?"

"At first, I wondered whether I should. Mother left the family and spent five years alone at the Manor of Roses. If my relatives had denied and persecuted Mother and me, I intended to return it in kind."

"Arian left the family of her own accord. Living alone in that manor was her decision too."

"I know. Grandfather and the rest of the family are all good people. They just aren't honest about it."

If Alastor had been the kind of family where fights to become Family Head were a daily occurrence, where Arian was dismissed as someone who had married out and Kyle was treated as a stone that had rolled in and needed to be pulled out, Kyle would have acted very differently.

"The world you lived in and the world now are very different. What did you think of that?"

"Honestly? The first time I really felt it was when I saw Aunt Erika's sword. She swung it, and ice shards went flying everywhere. I was dumbfounded. Was that a sword or magic...?"

"There were no swords like that five hundred years ago?"

"No. There were no Spirit Roots in that era, and there were not many swordsmen who could use mana. Swordsmen who had reached the Boundary Realm, who had opened their Upper Dantian, could be counted on one hand. But in this era, everyone older than ten knows how to use mana, there are plenty in the Boundary Realm, and swordsmen use their swords to perform wonders that look like magic. So I like it."

"You like it?"

"Yes. Five hundred years passed since the era I lived in. If swords had not changed much since then, I would have been disappointed instead. The fact that so much has changed means there is much I don't know, and much more for me to learn and enjoy."

"Ha ha, I see..."

Julius could only nod. Kyle had frequented the Great Archive before awakening his Spirit Root, mastering all kinds of cultivation techniques and sword arts. Julius had thought his grandson's passion for learning was simply admirable, but there had been a reason behind it.

"Who else knows that you are the Sword Demon's reincarnation?"

"As far as I know, only Helenas."

"Ah, I see. So that is why the Sword Church Master was so obsessed with you."

"I'll say this in advance. I have no desire whatsoever to go around telling people that I am the Sword Demon's reincarnation. So you must keep what we discussed today a secret too."

"Even if Arian learned you were the Sword Demon's reincarnation, her attitude toward you would not change."

Kyle thought so too. Even if she learned about reincarnation, Arian would still love Kyle as her son. Yet Kyle answered with a grave expression.

"It is for my dignity."

The things he had been forced to do as an infant. Even now, memories of them made Kyle tremble and want to kick away his blankets. His expression was so serious that Julius had no choice but to nod.

"Very well. I swear I will not tell anyone that you are the Sword Demon's reincarnation."

"You don't have to swear... A promise would have been enough."

"A promise from the Family Head of Alastor is an oath. It is a strange feeling in many ways. Reincarnation, reincarnation..."

"Nothing will change, so don't be conscious of it. From now on, I will still be your grandson, Arian and Aslan's son, Kaya's older brother, my relatives' nephew, and the commander of the Sword Wolf Knights. Just as I have always been."

"Yes. I will treat you as my grandson as well. But sometimes, when I cross swords with you... I may not be able to think only of how admirable my grandson is."

Julius rose from his seat with a mischievous smile.

"Now that I know you are the Sword Demon's reincarnation."

"That hurts a little. Please do think I'm admirable. I told you, the swords of this era are completely different from those of the era I lived in. And Grandfather, you are stronger than I was in my previous life."

Julius froze at those words. Surprise filled his golden eyes, and Kyle shrugged as he stood.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"Do you truly... mean that?"

"Yes, I do. You are stronger than I was in my previous life."

"Ha ha... That is... good to hear."

"Of course it is. You're much older than I was when I died. That is why you don't need to find me difficult to deal with."

Julius laughed softly. He was a swordsman too, and he had admired swordsmen who left deep marks on history since he was young. Above all, the Sword Demon. The swordsman who had traveled through the Dark Age alone five hundred years ago, the swordsman the Founding Ancestor had considered most special. That very swordsman had acknowledged Julius as stronger than himself.

That acknowledgment and their conversation filled Julius with emotion. In truth, he had felt that way even before entering the Ascension Platform. His grandson had inherited the Founding Ancestor's sword, and Julius had become able to share swords with him. From that moment on, Julius could no longer see Kyle as only an adorable grandson.

Kyle was no longer merely his grandson. He was a proper swordsman in his own right.

"Yes. The fact that you are the Sword Demon's reincarnation is not important at all."

Julius composed himself and nodded.

"You are my grandson, and a swordsman. That is all, and that is enough."

What else could matter? Feeling Julius's sincerity, Kyle grinned and picked up Jor by the head. She was still sprawled limply across the floor.

"Give me a hand. We should get her out of here first."

"Do you intend to keep taking that Spirit with you?"

"When you think about it, what crime did Jor commit? It is not as though she was born in the Sword Tower because she wanted to be. Velatus said it was not her arrangement that she sought me out and made a contract with me either."

"Perhaps the Dragon Queen lied. Someday, your Spirit may lose her will and be controlled like she was today. That could place you in danger."

"If that happens, I decided I will kill Jor myself. Until now, Jor has never put me in danger."

With that said, Julius could only nod. The grandfather and grandson each took hold of Jor's long body and returned to the elevator. The elevator was spacious enough, but Jor's body was so large that even curled into coils, they had to press themselves close to the walls.

"When do you intend to cross over to the East?"

"I should go once preparations are complete. It is for Ruin... for the Founding Ancestor."

"Is that the feeling of the Sword Demon, or the feeling of a descendant?"

"Both."

"Thank you for saying so. But Kyle, I cannot leave Gladiheim for long. I cannot go to the East with you."

Julius continued with a bitter expression.

"I must swing my sword at the rift on the Ascension Platform, and as Family Head, I cannot leave the family for an extended time. Especially now, when the situation between the Imperial Palace and Alastor is more delicate than before."

"Because of me?"

"Honestly, yes. Alastor is not a family that submits to the Imperial Palace. The interview in Karent may have served as propaganda toward other nations, but the Imperial Palace still fears the close relationship between the Sword Church and Alastor. If I leave the family for a long time in times like these, we will not be able to respond to an emergency."

"I understand."

"Before you cross over to the East, you should visit the Imperial Palace with me at least once. Alastor need not seek the Emperor's permission to go anywhere, but if we show him the courtesy of informing him beforehand, the Emperor will be satisfied."

"What about the Moon Church?"

After their last visit to the Imperial Palace, they had learned that the Emperor and the Moon Church were suspicious. Julius had since tried to establish a relationship with the Moon Church by supporting it as a family.

"I have shown goodwill several times, but I have not yet gotten close to the Moon Church's inner circle."

"Have you reached a decision about Duke Oun's proposal?"

"The assistance that Garcia, that insolent bastard, promised is not satisfactory. What I want is a closer alliance."

"What kind?"

"If Alastor concludes that the Emperor is unjust, Alastor's sword must be turned upon him. When that time comes, I want Garcia and the forces he possesses to become Alastor's allies... but he keeps trying to leave himself room to withdraw."

Duke Oun had proposed using Crow's Eyes to spy on the Imperial Palace and the Moon Church, but they had not discussed assistance beyond that. In truth, that was nowhere near enough. If the Crows' spying was discovered, the Emperor would immediately charge the Crows with treason, and Duke Oun would try to make Alastor share that guilt.

"He said he would stand with us if the Emperor attacked us, but whenever the situation becomes one where Alastor might attack the Emperor, he tries to pull away. Until that is promised, I have no intention of joining hands with Garcia."

"Did that raccoon bastard have any other conditions?"

"He did. He said he would agree to every condition we want if we send you to the dark frontier."

"I can understand his position. To form an alliance with the Crows, we would have to get that raccoon out of the dark frontier. Do you think an alliance with the Crows is necessary, Grandfather?"

"If we conclude that the Imperial Palace is unjust, the more strength we have to strike it, the better."

"Would the Sword Church alone not be enough?"

"The strength of the Imperial Palace and the Moon Church is unknown. Unrest is rising across the continent as well. The dark mage groups in the south, Garcia's daughter, and even Erebos. If someone lights a fire, it will spread across the entire continent in an instant."

Alastor was the continent's foremost Martial family, and Helenas was with the Sword Church. But there were too many unknown powers on the continent to be certain on that basis alone.

"So we do need to get Duke Oun out of the dark frontier in the end."

"There is no need to rush. Garcia is the one with a fire at his feet, so he is the desperate one. We have no reason to beg someone who keeps trying to slip away. You should travel to the East first."

"I am thinking of stopping by Izelion before I go. Has there been no letter from Izelion?"

"None."

Julius narrowed his eyes.

"Even if they are having difficulty persuading the family Elders, their silence has lasted too long. Soha comes of age this year as well, but there has not even been word that she left the family for her coming-of-age ceremony."

"It sounds like something is wrong in Izelion."

"Likely. From this point onward, it is your decision. Muheok did not directly ask us for help."

"We are not strangers, so I will stop by at least once. You said it is better to have more allies."

"To the East by way of Izelion... It will be a long journey. What will you do with your members? Will you leave them behind again?"

"No, I will take them with me."

"It will be dangerous."

"What is the point of keeping them somewhere safe because it is dangerous? A sword grows sharper through danger."

If one was afraid of danger and chose to cower, one should never have taken up a sword in the first place.

"I trust your strength, but as the Family Head, it does not sit easily with me to send my grandson somewhere so perilous. So I will assign you assistance."

"Assistance?"

"Yes. I will find someone in the family to help you."

Several names came to mind.

Footnotes:

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