WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

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◈ Reincarnation of the Sword Demon

Chapter 59

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Do It Later

The next morning, after breakfast with his family, Kyle left the Rose Mansion at once and headed to Barkas's estate.

"What brings you here this early?"

Bruno opened the front gate. Seeing him drenched in sweat, Kyle asked immediately,

"Join the Wolf Knights."
"What? Me?... Why?"
"Don't want to? Then forget it."

Kyle turned away without hesitation, and Bruno jolted in panic and grabbed his shoulder.

"Hey! Why are you ignoring my question? I asked why!"
"Why else? I coached your sword before."
"That wasn't even for that long..."

Bruno muttered in disbelief. Back then, Kyle had only coached him for one year before entering the Cultivation Floors.

"It was only one year, but that one year made you who you are now. Didn't it?"
"That..."

Bruno frowned. He couldn't deny that. If he hadn't gotten Kyle's advice then... Bruno glanced behind him. Barkas was nowhere in sight, but his father was surely hearing this conversation.

"Still worried about your uncle?"
"It's not that..."

At the teasing tone, Bruno flared up for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

"It's different from before. I mind him for a different reason now. I'm my father's son."
"You said you didn't want to join the Crimson Snow Knights."
"Don't take my words to that extreme."
"If you need time, I'll give it to you. One day. Think it over and decide whether you want in or not. You can talk to your father too."
"What do I gain by joining your knight order?"
"You'll get to cross swords with me often. Isn't that enough?"

The answer overflowed with confidence. Bruno scrunched up his face, but he couldn't say that wasn't a benefit. Kyle's sword from yesterday's bout with Karthan was still stuck in his head.

"You don't need to give me time. I'll... join your knight order."

Bruno answered in a firm voice. He looked much less indecisive than his massive build suggested.

"You sure you don't need to talk to your father?"
"I'm not a kid anymore, and Father knows that. He also understands that I... don't want to join the Crimson Snow Knights."

Bruno said that and glanced back again. Barkas was still nowhere to be seen, but Bruno could feel his father's intense gaze and pressure. It wrapped around his whole body and bore down on him, but though he trembled, he didn't take back his decision.

"Anyone else in mind besides me?"
"Yeah. I'm going to ask them now."
"Wait a second. I'll change and come out."
"Fine."

A few minutes later, the front gate opened again.

"Good morning, Uncle."

It was Barkas. He must have been swinging his sword since dawn too, because his huge frame was also drenched in sweat. Kyle smiled and asked,

"Were you training with Bruno?"
"Why my son?"

The question came with a gaze sharp enough to pierce his chest, but Kyle's smile didn't waver. Barkas's brow furrowed deeper. Kyle wasn't resisting that crushing pressure head-on; he was smoothly letting it slide past him.

That attitude was different again from the "sword" he had shown against Karthan yesterday. If anything... it was closer to Karthan's sword. It was only attitude, but Barkas felt a sword in Kyle.

'Strange brat...'

He hadn't acted his age even before. Now he was older, yet felt even less age-appropriate. As if that old, young, immature body had been his shackle back then.

"He's my cousin, and my friend."
"That's all? My son isn't someone you need as a friend at your level. He won't be much help to you."
"I don't see it that way. Bruno is weak right now, sure, but he won't stay weak forever. And does a friend have to be useful?"
"Looks like you expect a lot from my son."
"He's still young. Depending on what he does, he'll have a sword that entertains me later."
"Aren't you five years younger than Bruno?"
"A sword doesn't always follow age."

At that answer, Barkas snorted.

"I'm fairly grateful to you. You corrected the weakness in my son that I couldn't."
"I just didn't try to force him to change. I only made him think again about what he's good at and coaxed him to use his strengths."
"So my way was wrong?"
"I'm not the one who decides that."
"Then who does?"
"Who do you think?"

Kyle smiled and looked straight at Barkas. Kyle was smiling, Barkas was not. After glaring at him for a moment, Barkas placed a massive hand on his shoulder.

"I'll be honest. You make me uncomfortable, and you get on my nerves."
"Thank you for being honest."
"I dislike you. But I don't hate you. Your sword is too strong not to acknowledge."

Barkas lowered his head and glared at Kyle from up close.

"But if you toy with my son, or break him so badly he becomes useless... then I'll hate you."
"I don't hate you either, Uncle. In the end, you acknowledged that Bruno's change was right."
"Strange brat."

Barkas growled the words, stepped back, then sharply turned and opened the door. On the other side stood Bruno, changed and dressed, stiff as a board.

"Move."

Bruno flinched and stepped aside. Barkas strode past him and said,

"Your spirit's still weak. Don't just learn swordsmanship under that brat, learn guts too."
"Y-yes!"

His stammered reply still carried strength.

"I won't disappoint you, Father...!"
"Not just me. Make sure that brat doesn't end up disappointed in you."

With that, Barkas went back into the estate. Kyle looked at frozen Bruno and smirked.

"Pig. I thought you'd grown up in four years, but you're still a kid in front of your father."
"You..."

Bruno trembled and turned toward him. He had just wiped off his sweat and changed clothes, but cold sweat had already soaked his bangs again.

"Aren't you... scared? My father's pressure just now..."
"If you freeze like that every time you face a strong enemy, you'll die immediately in real combat."
"..."
"Let's go, Pig."

Kyle tapped Fenris at his waist and turned. Bruno hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed.

"So who are we recruiting?"
"Lucia."

Kyle answered like it was obvious, and Bruno looked like he'd expected it.

"If it's Lucia... no way she'd refuse you."

He was right. As soon as they reached the lodging in Hilt and called her out to explain, she nodded without a trace of hesitation.

"Understood."
"You can answer that fast? Other knight orders are eyeing you too."

Kyle grinned, testing her.

"The Wolf Knights are newly formed, and you still have no achievements, so you probably won't receive major support."
"If it's Kyle-nim, you'll quickly earn achievements and receive plenty of support."

Lucia looked at Kyle with unwavering faith.

"Do you not want me, Kyle-nim?"
"If I didn't, I wouldn't have come to recruit you."
"Then why are you asking as if testing me?"
"In case you resent me later for not looking after you enough."
"You already gave me a sword far beyond what I deserve."

Lucia answered while stroking Blood Fang at her waist.

"Are we done with just the three of us?"
"Even so, it's still a knight order. Three is too few. If possible, I want at least two more."
"Do you have anyone in mind?"
"Hm."

Kyle rubbed his chin and thought.

He had checked the documents Karthan gave him last night. A total of three hundred young martial artists had participated in this Exchange Tournament, but only fifteen were listed as noteworthy talent.

"The one who fought me yesterday. Was his name Jade? His sword looked pretty decent."
"You felt that even though he couldn't withstand a single strike from you, Kyle-nim?"
"He just had bad luck with his opponent. Yesterday I was a bit... heated, so I swung hard."

Jade's name was on the list too.

"His sword is unique. Compared to you or Bruno, it's far more practical. Unlike you two, who learned inside Gladiheim, his sword was honed in real fights."
"Bruno-nim and I also experienced many real battles as apprentice knights."
"But your foundation wasn't real combat from the start. It's a completely different kind of sword. Keep someone like that near you, and you'll have a lot to learn."

Kyle had no intention of picking only the strongest and most exceptional people. Lucia and Bruno, whom he had just recruited, were swords he had carefully sharpened since childhood. To make those swords even sharper, he needed other swords around them that could push them and teach them.

The heat of rivalry and competitiveness made people boil. Kyle knew that well from his previous life. Even calm-looking Lucia had that heat. She had lost to him many times, but she had never once treated defeat as natural.

"Lucia learned from the Elders, and Bruno, you learned from Uncle. You went through Knight Candidate and apprentice knight stages and saw combat, yes, but your swords are still orthodox. And those missions you call real combat were probably high-success missions, weren't they?"
"That... is true."
"I'm not saying orthodox swords are bad, but swords need more freedom. Sometimes they need to be irregular and dirty. Just because you're knights doesn't mean your opponents will always be honorable knights too."

Kyle wore a mischievous smile.

"And I don't believe fair fights exist in this world. It's a fight where both sides pick up swords to kill each other. If you win, that's all that matters. Right?"

For words like that to come from an Alastor young master who had spent most of his life in the Sword Tower, they carried too much blood scent. But Bruno and Lucia couldn't point it out. They already knew too well that Kyle's nature didn't match the life he'd lived.

"Let's go to Jade first. We'll ask, and if he says no, we'll force him into the order."
"If it's that man, he'll be at the forge."

Gladiheim was divided into four districts.

Hilt, the lower district where the Black Iron Knights, Knight Candidates, and apprentice knights stayed.

Crossguard, the middle district packed with production facilities like forges.

Blade, the upper district where other knight orders and Alastor collateral branches stayed.

And the topmost district, the Sword Flower Garden and Sword Tower. Remembering what he had told Jade yesterday, Kyle nodded.

"Perfect timing. I need to make a scabbard for Fenris anyway. While we're at it, we can commission knight order uniforms too."

As he headed to Crossguard, Kyle paused and said,

"Right. Our knight order emblem is a snake. No objections, right?"
"The name is Wolf Knights, but the emblem is a snake? Why?"

Bruno asked with a baffled expression, but Kyle answered calmly.

"Because I said so."
"..."
"I'm the commander. Any complaints?"
"None."

Unlike Bruno, whose lips twitched, Lucia answered with a completely steady expression.

The workshops of Crossguard were staffed by craftsmen who had sworn loyalty to Alastor for generations, forging and repairing weapons and armor for knights and soldiers. Among them, the First Workshop was where master craftsmen took only pure-blood commissions.

"I'm telling you, your young master clearly said it. He told me to use his name and request a sword!"
"Go to the Second Workshop."

A giant blacksmith answered with an annoyed face.

"We only take pure-blood commissions. Whatever Kyle young master told you, you're not pure-blood, are you? The craftsmen at the Second Workshop are excellent too, so commission your sword there."
"Are their craftsmen better than yours?"
"No."
"Then you make it."

Jade was grabbing the blacksmith and arguing. His usual weapon had broken, and he'd earned a chance to commission a sword from Gladiheim's famous craftsmen. If so, of course he wanted the very best craftsmen here to make it.

"Don't make me repeat myself. Unless you're pure-blood, we will never..."
"Then what if I commission it myself?"

At that voice, the argument stopped dead. Jade whipped his head toward the sound. Kyle stepped into the workshop with a grin, the murderous mood from yesterday completely gone.

"We greet a pure-blood."

As soon as Kyle entered, all the craftsmen stopped what they were doing and bowed deeply. They had served Alastor for generations, so their loyalty to pure-bloods ran high.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kyle Alastor."

After introducing himself, Kyle approached the blacksmith who had been arguing with Jade.

"This is my first time using the workshop, so I was ignorant of the system here. Please forgive the rudeness."
"Rudeness...? Young master, please don't lower your head."

The blacksmith looked troubled.

"Young master. Even as a pure-blood, you cannot use the First Workshop freely. To place any request you want here, you need enough achievement points. Of course, I did receive orders from the Family Head to fulfill one request you desire, but..."

The blacksmith's eyes flicked toward Jade.

"Using your one commission right to make an outsider's sword is a bit too..."
"Hm, is that so? I did promise yesterday, so his sword must be made. Let's do this. I'll use my one commission right to make his sword."
"Young master, are you serious?"
"Yes. I promised I'd have one made for him."

Kyle stroked Fenris's blade with a regretful look.

"I wanted to make a scabbard for this sword, but if that's how it is, there's no choice. You said the Second Workshop craftsmen are excellent too, so I'll have to commission Fenris's scabbard there."
"Y-yes...?"

The blacksmith's eyes went wide. Other craftsmen watching also gasped, and several blacksmiths rushed toward Kyle.

"Fe... Fenris...!"
"The Sword Demon's sword..."

It was their first time seeing Fenris in person, but of course they all knew what Fenris was. The Sword Demon's blade from five hundred years ago. The sword Founding Ancestor Ruin Alastor kept to the very end. The sword displayed in the Sword Peak Hall of the Sword Tower for five centuries.

"Could it be... the sword that flew to you yesterday... was Fenris?"

The blacksmith in front of Kyle asked, shoulders trembling. They had heard the rumor that some sword flew to the young master at the training ground yesterday, but never imagined it was Fenris. Kyle nodded like he'd expected this reaction.

"Yes. This sword is Fenris."
"And you were going to commission a scabbard for this... sword?"
"Yes. But you said I only have one commission right, so I'll use that to make Jade's sword... and request Fenris's scabbard from the Second Workshop."
"No... no, you mustn't do that! You absolutely mustn't!"

The blacksmith shouted, eyes blazing.

"I'll make Fenris's scabbard myself!"
"But the achievement points..."
"No achievement points needed! I'll make it because I want to! I'll make that guy's sword too. And Fenris's scabbard..."
"Hey, Roke! Since when do you get to decide you'll make the scabbard?!"
"Kyle young master! I'll make Fenris's scabbard! Me! I'm the most skilled in this First Workshop!"
"Yaik! Most skilled, my ass!"
"Young master! I am the top master craftsman of the First Workshop!"

The blacksmiths crowded around Kyle, shouting that they were the best here and that they would make Fenris's scabbard.

Standing in the middle of that scene, no different from a marketplace, Kyle stroked Fenris.

"Hey, you're popular."

At that, black mist seeped out of Fenris, and a wolf appeared.

"Bark!"

Fenris wagged its tail and raised its head proudly, making a sound somewhere between dog and wolf.

"I don't care who makes it. What about you?"

Since it was Fenris's scabbard, Kyle figured it was better to ask Fenris directly. Fenris sniffed and walked around the blacksmiths. Even now, they were still shouting at each other, veins bulging in their necks, about how skilled each of them was.

'Not a consciousness domain.'

It seemed Fenris could show this wolf form even without full resonance.

"Bark!"

After wandering between them for a while and sniffing, Fenris stopped and barked loudly. At once, pale mist rose around the hammer of a nearby blacksmith.

Clang, clang! Clang-clang!

Clear metallic sounds rang from inside the mist covering the hammer, and a tiny dwarf peeked its head out from within it.

"What's this? Can you see me?!"

The dwarf pushed itself up with both hands on the hammer. That one was a dokkaebi too.

'This is convenient.'

Kyle's eyes gleamed.

So far, he had met three dokkaebi.

First, Fenris. Second, Baal. Third, Fragment.

He had met all three in consciousness domains where no outsider could interfere, but this was different. The surrounding scenery stayed the same, and people's voices were still clear. Only Kyle could see the dokkaebi.

'I roughly get it. That dokkaebi isn't interested in me. That's why we resonated without opening a consciousness domain.'

Kyle's inborn ability was a strong communion with spirits and dokkaebi. But that happened when he consciously focused, or when a dokkaebi that noticed his ability approached him first.

This dokkaebi, however, had its own blacksmith, the owner of the hammer it inhabited, so it had little interest in Kyle. But Fenris approached first, and the dokkaebi showed interest this way.

"Brother, you want to place a commission, right? This guy's skill is incredible! Trust me and leave it to him!"

The dwarf shouted, smacking the hammer with both hands. Kyle took his eyes off the dwarf for a moment and looked around. Blacksmiths hungry to make Fenris's scabbard were everywhere. Since they belonged to the First Workshop, all of them were likely excellent.

At that point, choosing one to commission was a matter of preference. Kyle didn't know their names or skill levels well, but Fenris had chosen a craftsman on its own. And a dokkaebi inhabited that craftsman's hammer.

Dokkaebi settled into objects handled with affection for a long time. Whether that blacksmith had birthed the dokkaebi or not, a dokkaebi that had watched this workshop for years had vouched for his skill.

"Excuse me."

Even while everyone else shouted, that man kept his head down desperately, as if he wanted to avoid eye contact. A hunched back, long bangs covering his eyes, and tightly drawn shoulders, anyone could see he had no confidence at all.

"Y-yes... yes?"

When Kyle called him, the man startled and looked up.

"Y-you called me?"

At that barely audible voice, the nearby blacksmiths clicked their tongues.

"Hey, Gallen! A pure-blood young master is speaking to you. Answer properly."
"Ugh, that frustrating bastard."

Under their rebukes, the man called Gallen shrank further and stepped back.

"S-sorry. Young master, I'm no one special. There are many excellent seniors here besides me, so please leave your commission to them..."

At that timid attitude, the dwarf sitting on the hammer beat its chest in frustration.

"You idiot owner! What are you lacking compared to those guys?!"

The dokkaebi shouted, but it seemed Gallen couldn't hear it.

"If you're truly no one special, you couldn't be in the First Workshop, right?"
"Th-that's..."

Gallen hesitated, unable to answer properly. Kyle let out a short laugh and held out Fenris.

"First, take a look at the sword and decide. As you heard, this one needs a scabbard."

From beneath his thick bangs, Gallen's eyes trembled. He was a blacksmith too, so of course he wanted to make the famous Fenris's scabbard with his own hands. He was simply born timid, and in this marketplace-like chaos, raising his hand and shouting like the others to assert himself was no easy task.

So he had forced himself not to draw attention and kept his head down, and now the most famous pure-blood young master in Gladiheim had personally walked over and picked him. Gallen accepted Fenris with trembling hands.

"O... oh..."

He let out a trembling exclamation. Even after a full five hundred years, Fenris's edge remained sharp, and the blade surface was smooth without a single rough patch.

"What a savage sword..."

Gallen murmured as if entranced. His fingers carefully ran down the blade.

"Blood, resentment, and will... it feels like the sword itself is breathing. Put this in an ordinary scabbard and it'll rot in just days."

Gallen's eyes changed. The timid, cowering look vanished, and the madness of a craftsman analyzing a legendary sword spread through his gaze.

"What do you think?"

Gallen had been muttering words no one could follow while inspecting Fenris, then flinched and turned to Kyle.

"M-me? Can someone like me really make the scabbard?"
"If you don't want to, you can refuse."

There were plenty of craftsmen who wanted to make the scabbard anyway. If Gallen truly said no, Kyle could just commission someone else.

"..."

As expected, Gallen couldn't say he didn't want to. He only glanced at Fenris with lingering desire. At that, the gathered craftsmen clicked their tongues and shook their heads.

"Ah, this is hopeless."
"Gallen, you punk, if you want to make it, then say so clearly. Don't make us hang on for nothing."
"I-I'll make it."

Pressed by the other craftsmen, Gallen finally gave his true answer. Kyle grinned and slung an arm over Jade's shoulder.

"Scabbard is scabbard, but you also need to make this guy's sword. That's fine, right?"
"If... if I can make the scabbard, then yes, that's fine."

At that shaky answer, Jade's brows crumpled hard. The whole thing had flipped upside down and it didn't feel great, but this was Fenris. Jade clicked his tongue and said,

"I get that you're making my sword along the way, but do it properly."
"I have never once made a weapon carelessly."

No confidence, maybe, but pride, definitely. Gallen's voice came out steady now.

"I'll make your sword first. What kind do you want?"
"Sword breaker."

Jade unfolded the paper in one hand and showed it to Gallen. It had a sword design that Jade had drawn himself, and unexpectedly, the drawing was excellent.

"One edge serrated. I wrote down the blade and hilt lengths, so just make it as shown."
"I can make it as requested... but won't you regret it?"

Gallen asked hesitantly.

"You can use it for its purpose... but I see many structural points to improve. The balance is off, and..."

He pulled out a stubby pencil and began correcting Jade's drawing on the spot.

"Shave this section, and make the serrations double. Carve deeper grooves between them so blood drains better... and a slightly longer hilt would be better."

Gallen kept muttering while revising the design. At that point, Jade stared with his mouth open, not understanding everything Gallen said, but he could tell those criticisms matched the exact discomforts he had always felt while using his blade.

"What's the best metal used in this workshop? Something that suits that sword."

Kyle asked suddenly, and Gallen jolted and looked up.

"For this design... Asril Alloy would suit it best. B-but, young master, this isn't a sword you'll use yourself...?"
"I commissioned it personally, so make it as if it were my own."

At the words Asril Alloy, Jade's mouth dropped open. It was a metal so expensive he'd never even seen it before.

"Young master, I'm really grateful you said that, but honestly this is a lot of pressure."
"If it's pressure, then come under me."

At that calm answer, Jade blinked.

"What do you mean by that?"
"Why did you come here?"
"Me...? To make a sword."
"Not to the workshop. Why did you come to Gladiheim? To serve Alastor? Or to swing your sword here and become famous?"

The sudden interview made Jade blink several more times. Soon, he read Kyle's gaze and straightened his expression.

"Can I answer honestly?"
"Yeah."
"I came because I wanted to see how great Gladiheim's knights really are. I especially wanted to cross swords with those amazing Alastor pure-bloods."
"Then you got your wish."
"Right. I did. That's why I rushed in front of you yesterday, young master."
"Was it what you expected?"
"Honestly, beyond what I expected. I felt pretty pathetic."
"What were you planning to do next?"
"What else? Get a new sword... and go back. I learned that the skill I was proud of was shabby, so I'd return to the fight pits like before coming here and sharpen myself. Remember what you said yesterday? That if I asked for another match later, you'd give me one."
"If you come under me, you can spar whenever you want. I can even show mercy so your newly made sword doesn't break."
"Heh."

Jade's lips twitched in a smile.

"That's an offer I can't refuse. Young master, what did you see in me to tell me to come under you?"
"The guts to swing your sword in front of me without fear. And your greed for the sword."
"..."
"I like even more that you're still talking to me without shrinking."
"What if I say no?"
"Why say things you don't mean? If you say no? Fine, I can be petty too. Mr. Gallen, skip the Asril Alloy and make it with cheap steel."
"No, no! I didn't mean it like that. I was just asking."

Jade panicked and grabbed Kyle's hand.

"I'll come under you, young master. Do I need to swear loyalty too?"
"Do that later."

Kyle shook Jade's hand up and down, then asked Gallen,

"Asril Alloy, not cheap steel, please. How long will it take?"
"The sword breaker will need one week. As for the scabbard... I won't know until I begin work."
"Then I'll come back in a week with Fenris."

Kyle sheathed Fenris at his waist and gave Gallen a wide grin.

"Looks like we'll be seeing each other often. Please take good care of me each time."
"Th-thank you for choosing me...!"

Gallen bowed deeply with a flustered expression, and the dwarf on his hammer smiled brightly and waved at Kyle.

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