Reincarnation of the Sword Demon - Chapter 41

WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Reincarnation of the Sword Demon

Chapter 41

──────

I’m going to kill him.

The Sky Carriage that left Gladiheim arrived at the Warp Gate below the Blade Mountain Range.

Normally, if you wanted to travel abroad through a Warp Gate, you had to start with exit screening and go through a pile of complicated procedures, so you couldn’t just show up and use it on the spot. But their destination, the Kingdom of Valian, was an ally of the Empire, and someone at the level of Alastor’s Family Head could brush aside exit formalities through sheer authority.

Because of that, Julius and Kyle were assigned a Warp Gate the moment they got off the carriage.

“Have you ever used a Warp Gate?”
“Of course not. This is my first time riding one too, with you, Grandfather.”

Kyle added, “Honestly, this is my first time coming this far out. I stayed inside the Rose Mansion the whole time until I was five. Then I came to the Sword Tower.”

Julius’s eyes narrowed. Kyle had meant it as a pleasant comment, sharing a new memory with his grandfather, but Julius muttered in a low voice.

“You never once left that mansion until you were five? Arian has lost her mind.”
“Um... it wasn’t Mom’s fault. I didn’t want to go out.”

That wasn’t a lie. Before he turned five, Kyle hadn’t even been able to properly control his body, and he hadn’t wanted to show that ugly side of himself, so he hadn’t tried to leave the mansion.

If this kept up, Arian would obviously get blamed for her parenting, so Kyle did his best to defend her.

“When small children use a Warp Gate for the first time, they get mana sickness. But you should have no issue now.”

Mana sickness was something children unfamiliar with mana experienced.

“Once we reach the Kingdom of Valian, things will become troublesome in several ways, but it won’t take long.”
“Because you’re amazing, Grandfather?”
“That’s right.”

Julius nodded with a flat expression. He was the lord of Vigrid, the castellan of Gladiheim, and the Family Head of Alastor. Beyond that, Julius himself was the Thunder Emperor, one of the Ten Peaks.

He was the Empire’s sharpest sword and a strategic weapon. Even without all of Gladiheim’s armed forces, Julius alone could change the course of a war. If he chose, he could occupy the royal castle and behead the king the moment he arrived in Valian.

So when a superhuman like that came flying in through a Warp Gate, Valian would naturally greet Julius with grand hospitality and guarded vigilance.

“Normally, even I need the Emperor’s permission before crossing into another nation.”

While the Warp Gate was being prepared, Julius and Kyle sat waiting in a lavish reception room.

“Then should you not be bringing me with you?”
“As long as you don’t go and cause trouble, it’s fine. Even the Emperor has that much flexibility.”

Even while speaking of the ruler of the largest empire on the continent, Julius sounded completely indifferent.

“If anything, I’m more worried about you. I didn’t step outside for thirteen years, then I came out with my grandson and traveled to the Kingdom of Valian. The world will learn about you.”
“Will I become a target?”

Kyle asked with shining eyes. There wasn’t even a speck of fear on his face.

“I can’t exactly say, ‘Who would dare threaten an Alastor pure-blood?’ There are many in this world who don’t like Alastor.”

Julius snorted and stroked his beard.

“But you were the one who said you didn’t want to remain a flower in a greenhouse.”
“Should I just carry a sign around?”

Kyle snorted too.

“‘The monstrous treasure publicly declared by Thunder Emperor Julius Alastor. Possessor of the Chaos Spirit Root. Kyle Alastor, age eleven.’ I’ll write that on it.”

By the time their idle chatter ended, the Warp Gate was ready.

Warp Gates were usually run on schedules, and people commonly rode together, but Julius showing up in person made this an exception too. Kyle and Julius entered the Warp Gate alone.

Warp Gate transit happened in an instant.

They entered a room engraved with complicated magic circles no one could understand, waited around ten minutes, then the door opened and they were told they had arrived in the Kingdom of Valian.

Outside the door, just as Julius had said, many people were waiting.

In place of the king, a duke, the chancellor, and the prince had come out. They said they would escort Julius and Kyle to the royal castle, but Julius cut down every offer with blade-sharp words.

“I came for personal business.”
“What kind of...?”
“I said, personal business.”
“M-My apologies. Then we will personally escort you...”
“That won’t be necessary. We need to take another Warp Gate from here anyway. If you truly want to help, open the Warp Gate closest to the Levar Territory. And prepare one Sky Carriage there.”
“Pardon? Y-Yes... yes, understood.”

While the prince answered in a cold sweat, the duke and chancellor beside him quickly passed orders and had the Warp Gate prepared.

“Is Father in the Levar Territory?”
“It’s Aslan’s hometown. Do you know his background?”
“No. I avoided asking on purpose because I thought Mom would worry. So most of what I know, I heard from you today.”
“Aslan came from a ruined noble house that barely kept its name alive. He lost his parents to illness in childhood, and to find a way to survive, he entered a military academy.”

For fallen nobles left with little more than their name and body, military academy was a common path.

“He discovered his talent for the sword there, then ran from the academy because he loved the sword. He couldn’t swing it freely there. After that, Aslan wandered the world training with the blade, taking mercenary requests whenever he ran out of money.”
“Huh.”

Even a fallen noble should have some pride, yet he still took mercenary jobs. Kyle’s favorability toward his father ticked up a little again.

“He was a man with nothing but his body and sword skill. Arian hated living in the Sword Tower, so she returned to Aslan’s hometown.”
“Mom bought that house too, right?”
“That’s right. That’s why Aslan’s a bastard.”

Back at the Sword Hall, Julius had barely spoken about his son-in-law. But now that he was personally going to meet him with his grandson, nonstop hatred poured out.

“Grandfather, you really care about my mother.”

Julius, who had been heading toward the newly prepared Warp Gate, paused and glanced sideways at Kyle.

“Arian is my child. Is it strange for a father to care for his child?”
“It would be nice if you showed it in actions as much as you feel it in your heart.”
“You little brat, I’ve expressed it as best I could in my own way. I respected her choice not to hold a sword, even though she was born my child. When she showed talent in Spirit Arts, I supported her so she could learn them. When she suddenly said she had fallen for Aslan and wanted to marry him, I allowed it. When she said she wanted to leave the Sword Tower and live elsewhere, I allowed that too. I even let her take as much dowry as she wanted.”

It seemed that even this superhuman ruler of Gladiheim had plenty built up in his heart. As he resumed walking, he continued.

“After she left and returned to Vigrid one year later to shut herself away, I still did not forcefully bring her back. Even after learning she had given birth to a son, I waited for Arian herself to bring and introduce him instead of acting coercively. Even when she returned after five years, I did not scold her harshly, and I let you and Arian live in the Sword Tower. What more, exactly, did you want me to show through actions?”
“Um, I’m sorry. You’re right about all of it, Grandfather.”

Kyle scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He had to admit what was true. Julius might not have been an excellent father while Arian lived in the Sword Tower, but Arian had not been an excellent daughter either.

“As long as you know that now.”

Julius let out a short sigh. He reproached himself for saying every little thing to his grandson, yet at the same time, strangely, talking with his grandson felt comfortable.

Maybe because they were traveling within the country, the Warp Gate trip to the Levar Territory did not take long.

“Take us to Aslan Antares’s estate.”

As requested in advance, a Sky Carriage was waiting in front of the Warp Gate in the Levar Territory. Julius gave the destination to the coachman and stepped into the carriage first.

“What will you do when you meet Aslan?”

The moment Kyle climbed in after him, Julius asked from his seat, arms folded.

“I’ll tell him to stop Closed-Door Training and come back to the Sword Tower.”
“That’s all?”
“Well, honestly, I want to beat him black and blue with a wooden sword.”
“If you fear Aslan will resist, I can make it impossible for him to resist.”

After saying that, Julius suddenly knitted his brows.

“No, the fact that I’d even have to step in annoys me. If Aslan has any conscience, he should lie flat on his own and take your wooden sword.”
“Will he recognize me?”

Kyle asked with a snort. Aslan Antares had entered Closed-Door Training without even knowing Arian was pregnant. If Kyle suddenly appeared before him, would he really recognize him as his son?

“He will.”

Julius answered with certainty.

“If he does not, then his eyes are meaningless anyway. In that case, I’ll pluck one of the two myself.”
“I don’t really want to see my father turned into a one-eyed man.”
“That won’t happen. Aslan will recognize you.”
“Do I look that much like him?”
“Of course you do. But more than appearance...”
“Talent for the sword?”
“Not that. If we’re talking sword talent, you’re far superior to Aslan. What I mean is... how do I put it, something instinctive. Parents can’t help but recognize their children.”

Was that really true? Kyle tilted his head. He had never fathered a child in his previous life either, so it was hard to relate. But this was coming from Julius, who had nine children, so it carried enough weight.

The Sky Carriage descended to the ground. They had reached their destination.

The wife had run away, and the husband had shut himself in for Closed-Door Training, yet the estate was being kept tidy. At least a minimal number of servants still lived there.

Julius walked up to the tightly shut front gate and did not bother with pointless knocking. He moved a finger, the lock was cleanly sliced, and the gate slid open.

“W-Who... hhk?!”

Servants tried to block Julius as he strode into the garden, but the moment they recognized the emblem of the Alastor Family embroidered on his clothes, they swallowed hard and dropped to one knee.

“Where is Aslan?”
“M-My... m-master is currently in Closed-Door Training...”
“Did I ask because I don’t know that? I’m asking where he is doing it.”

The butler hesitated, then let out a long sigh and stood.

“Master is in the Cultivation Chamber in the back garden. I will guide you.”

The door to the Cultivation Chamber was, as expected, shut tight when they arrived. Julius stood there with folded arms, staring at the iron door, then glanced at the butler.

“Aslan never came out, not even once?”
“No. Master has not left the Cultivation Chamber even once in twelve years.”
“What about meals and water?”
“There is a well prepared inside the Cultivation Chamber. Also, there are several decades’ worth of pills from the Belair Workshop stocked inside.”
“Even if Belair Workshop pills can replace meals, if he holds out on nothing but that for twelve years, his body should break down.”

Julius’s eyes narrowed.

“If his body didn’t break down and he endured it, that means Aslan crossed a major wall.”

From the moment the upper energy center opened, humans stepped far beyond the restraints of the flesh. Humans and most living beings originally needed nutrients to survive, but once the upper energy center opened, those nutrients could be replaced with mana.

If you could ignore hunger, you could live by cultivating mana alone. Expectation appeared in Julius’s eyes, which had been sour the entire trip.

The last time he saw him, Aslan had been right before completing the Will Realm. But most geniuses praised in this world could not set foot in the Peak Realm beyond the Will Realm even if they devoted their whole lives. Even among Julius’s own children, many were still struggling and unable to cross the thick wall needed to enter the Peak Realm.

If Aslan had managed to tear down even a little of that wall and glimpse the world beyond it...

“Hmm.”

Julius shook his head. If Aslan had done that, then as a martial artist walking the same path, it would be something to celebrate. But Julius had not come today to meet the martial artist Aslan Antares. He had come to rebuke the bastard son-in-law who had neglected his daughter for twelve years and drag him out by force.

“Wait.”

Just as Julius was about to open the Cultivation Chamber door, Kyle stepped forward and stopped him.

“I’ll go in first.”
“Why bother?”
“It’s my first meeting with Father. I want to see his face one-on-one first.”

He was curious whether this so-called father would recognize the son he hadn’t even known was born.

Kyle drew the wooden sword he had brought from the Sword Tower. Crackle! With the snapping sound of electricity, violet Aura wrapped around Kyle’s wooden blade and became Sword Qi. He compressed that Sword Qi as thin as paper, then swung through the narrow gap of the sealed door.

Ssshk!

The thin Sword Qi slipped cleanly through the gap and severed the lock on the other side in two. For Kyle, swinging once like that took no special concentration to keep the blade from slipping off line. Julius quietly admired his grandson’s precise sword and mana control.

“Come in when I call you, Grandfather.”

With its lock cut, the door opened with a light push. Kyle did not wait for Julius’s reply. He stepped into the Cultivation Chamber and shut the door right behind him.

“Ugh...”

The moment he opened the Cultivation Chamber door, he saw living quarters first. Kyle’s gaze went to a corner piled high with martial robes that were little better than rags. Clothes neglected for a full twelve years. He hadn’t even gone near them, but a foul stench still drifted over.

On the opposite side sat several large jars. He wondered if they were chamber pots, but they were too large for that and carried no smell. Working up his nerve, Kyle approached one to check for himself.

The jars were filled with pills the size of two finger joints. They seemed to be the pills Aslan had eaten as meal replacements during Closed-Door Training.

‘How the hell did this bastard handle the bathroom?’

Kyle decided not to think about that too deeply.

A door on the inner wall of the living space. Feeling his chest pounding, Kyle walked toward it.

Opening the door did not require any special mental preparation. Kyle opened it without hesitation.

Thankfully, it wasn’t locked. He opened the door and stepped inside, and at that instant,

Whoooosh!

Mana dense beyond belief slammed into Kyle once, then was sucked back inward. A violent current of mana that felt like a storm. His vision blurred as if the room were filled with fog, and he couldn’t see clearly.

Kyle narrowed his brows and forced his eyes through the storm of mana blocking his sight. Slowly, the haze cleared, and he saw the figure of a man seated proudly at the very center of the storm.

Whitened hair spread in all directions like a lion’s mane, and a shaggy gray beard covered half his face.

His body had withered thin like old bark from long years of Seclusion Training, but it did not look weak at all. Every time he inhaled, dense mana was drawn into him, and every time he exhaled, mana burst outward, puffing his loose martial robes tight and shaking the space itself.

Kyle watched for a moment, then boldly stepped into the storm of mana. The man’s closed eyes opened.

Whoooosh!

A fierce gaze pierced straight through Kyle. Kyle clenched his wooden sword without realizing it. Unlike Julius, this man showed no consideration for him. Because of that, this was the first time he had felt this sensation in this life.

A cold pounding heartbeat. A chill down his spine. A sword hilt his hand tightened around on instinct. Feeling the corner of his mouth twitch, Kyle stared straight at the man.

Soon, a different feeling rose.

Like he was being drawn in... something like that. A pounding unlike anticipation for a fun fight.

“You...”

The man, Aslan Antares, spoke. In a low voice cracked from not speaking for so long, he said,

“Could it be... my... son...?”

Just as Julius had said, Aslan recognized Kyle immediately.

Kyle felt strange.

Even if he had met that man without knowing he was his father, it felt like he would still have known it the instant they met.

Kyle did not answer out loud. He did not nod either.

Instead, Kyle raised his wooden sword. The feeling was strange, but it did not come before the anticipation, excitement, and thrill.

Kyle ran his incomplete Primordial Chaos Art at full force.

[Master?]