WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ Reincarnation of the Sword Demon

Chapter 66

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Not a Provocation

"Alright. To be honest, I wasn't that fond of the name Wolf Knights either. I wouldn't call it lame, but if three out of five say no, let's try a different name."

The old man in the back of his mind grumbled, but Kyle decided to respect his members' opinions. He looked over the other four and asked,

"So. Anyone have ideas for our knight order's name?"

The oldest member was twenty-three-year-old Jade. Then came Bruno at twenty, Narua at nineteen, and Lucia at eighteen. Kyle, at fifteen, was the youngest.

Still, hierarchy mattered in this kind of group. Kyle was the commander, and the reason was simple: he was the strongest of the five. So he spoke casually as if it were only natural, and the members accepted it just as naturally.

"If we're changing the name anyway, we should match the naming style of Gladiheim's other knight orders."

Bruno gave his opinion like he'd been waiting for the chance. He had disliked the name Wolf Knights since yesterday.

"Funeral, White Night, Crimson Snow, Black Iron, Aurora. So our order should match the others too, probably with a two-syllable name in the eastern style."
"So you mean something plus 'wolf'?"
"That'd be best."
"All five of us use swords, so let's go with Sword Wolf. Sword Wolf Knights, that's a good name. What do you think?"

Kyle casually tossed out the idea, then checked their faces. Narua, with her odd, clumsy way of speaking, who referred to herself by name and had openly called Wolf Knights lame, nodded as if she had no more complaints.

"Sword Wolf Knights. That's a very cool name. As expected of Kyle-nim."

Lucia looked genuinely impressed. In many ways, she was great at boosting Kyle's self-esteem.

"Since we all use swords, Sword Wolf... but why wolf specifically?"
"The Dokkaebi dwelling in my sword is a wolf."
"Do... kkaebi? What's that?"

Jade blinked and asked. It wasn't something worth hiding, so Kyle gladly explained his abilities.

"I've got all kinds of talents besides Sword Talent. My beautiful mother, Lady Arian, is a Spirit Artist. Thanks to her, I was born with aptitude for spirits too."

Tap. Kyle struck his chest, and Jor answered the call, bursting out of his Middle Dantian as crackling light. Jade and Narua's eyes went wide as a giant snake suddenly shot out of Kyle and coiled on the floor.

"A... snake?"
"The commander raises a snake inside his body?"

Jade stammered, and Narua asked in disbelief.

"It's not a snake, it's a spirit. I fed it strange things and raised it from the Middle Dantian, so it's completely different from ordinary spirits."
"I am called Jormungandr, juniors."

Jor raised his head and spoke. His face was no longer the cute one he had changed into for Kaya yesterday; it was back to his original face. A massive serpent big enough to swallow a grown man whole, flicking its tongue and speaking human language, could easily look creepy depending on who was watching. Kyle smacked Jor on the head with a dumbfounded look.

"Why are you talking like that?"
"As Master's first subordinate, they are my juniors," Jor said in a dignified tone.

He seemed to care about hierarchy in his own way.

"This is a spirit? Narua has never seen a spirit like this."

Narua stared blankly at Jor. Aptitude for Spirit Arts was rare across the whole continent, but spirit artists were at least somewhat concentrated in the south. Spirits stayed in nature far from civilization, in lands that were barely developed.

"Wait, you said the Dokkaebi in the commander's sword is a wolf, right? But that snake..."
"Call me senior."

Ssshhk. Jor bared sharp fangs and hissed. Jade flinched and corrected himself.

"Th-that... senior is still a snake."
"This one is a spirit, and the Dokkaebi is separate. So, yeah... a spirit that dwells in an old object, or one you've grown attached to, that's a Dokkaebi."

Kyle lowered Fenris from his shoulder and continued.

"This sword has a Dokkaebi too. It's five hundred years old... and its former owner used it with a lot of affection."

Of course, the "former owner" Kyle mentioned was Sword Demon Raikal. It did sound like self-praise somehow, but he wasn't making anything up. Objects are used best when they're used for what they were made for, and Fenris really had been used best in the Sword Demon's hands, fed plenty of affection.

[Woof!]

See? Even Fenris agreed and barked.

"Dokkaebi..."

Jade looked stunned. He had gone his whole life without hearing about spirits or Dokkaebi, so that reaction made sense. Narua, on the other hand, listened to the explanation, especially about Dokkaebi, and her eyes turned very serious.

"Dokkaebi... Avara tribes have things like that too. Narua has not seen one herself, but the great shamans of the plateau see Dokkaebi. In our language, we call it Ashi."
"You've got an Ashi too."

Kyle grinned as he said it. Narua jolted and started patting herself down.

"Narua has Ashi too? Wh-where? What does it look like?"
"In your twin swords. To my eyes, it looked like flames."
"Fl... ames..."

Narua murmured blankly. Soon her eyes reddened, and tears began to gather. She flinched and wiped away the tears that were about to spill with the back of her hand.

"..."

Kyle didn't know why she had suddenly started crying, but she clearly had a story behind it. And he still couldn't hear that story yet. Borrowing Narua's words, they still hadn't bled together.

"Anyway, our order's name is Sword Wolf Knights. No more complaints, right?"

Narua held back her sniffles and nodded. Jade and Bruno had no other opinions. Lucia naturally agreed too.

"Now that the name is set, I'd like to train right away, but first we need a place for the order. I'll go get one, so you guys head to the First Training Ground and at least watch some sparring."
"How are you going to get it?"

Bruno tilted his head and asked, and Kyle answered calmly.

"If I ask Grandfather for one, he'll give it."
"That... sounds right."

Bruno gave a dry laugh and nodded.

In truth, even pure-bloods couldn't casually go to the Family Head and ask for things. Kyle was different. He had already proven himself again and again, and even just today, Kyle had defeated Sword Church's Jenafelt in a spar before countless spectators.

And he had done it barehanded, without even holding a sword. The Alastor Family and the Sword Church weren't hostile to each other, but Kyle's victory in that absurd match raised Alastor's prestige. Getting something like an order residence would be easy.

"I'll be back, so go amuse yourselves."

Kyle said that and turned around.

Sword Hall in the Sword Tower. In the past, the doors used to open before Kyle even reached the corridor, but this time they didn't open even when he walked right up to them.

"Grandfather? Are you not there?"
"Wait a moment."

A hurried voice leaked from behind the thick iron doors. Kyle had heard Julius's voice many times, but never that rushed, never that emotional.

So he couldn't help being shocked. The Family Head of Alastor, who served only strength. The Thunder Emperor, one of the Ten Peaks said to be the strongest on the continent. Julius Alastor was flustered. That voice, always restrained and dignified, was shaking hard.

Kyle immediately pressed his ear to the door, but he couldn't hear anything from inside. The soundproofing in Sword Hall was that good. Unless someone inside intentionally sent their voice out, there was no way to tell what was happening in there.

"Grandfather? Are you alright?"

Kyle knocked urgently. It was only a brief moment, but all kinds of thoughts ran through his mind. Julius never stopped training and kept refining his mana and raising his realm, but even so, Julius was an old man. Could he suddenly be unwell? Thinking that, Kyle put his hand on the iron door.

Julius couldn't be allowed to grow weak or frail. This wasn't just the concern of a grandson wishing for his grandfather's health; it was also the feeling of a swordsman who had sworn he would one day cross blades with Julius and bring him down. Kyle put strength into his hand and tried to force the doors open, and then a deep sigh came from inside.

"Come... in."

The iron doors opened.

"And do not tell anyone what you see today...!"

Kyle hurried in, then froze mid-step.

Julius sat on the throne in Sword Hall as usual, but he wasn't filled with his usual dignity.

How to put it? Right now, Julius looked surreal. It almost felt like a dream. It was definitely real, but it didn't feel real.

Kyle stared blankly at Julius for a moment, colorful ribbons hanging from his red hair and beard. It looked like he had tried to untie them and been firmly stopped; a few ribbons were tied to his beard in shaky little knots.

"Oppa!"

Kaya, sitting on Julius's lap, waved her hand. She jumped off her grandfather's lap, then ran toward Kyle with such wobbly steps that she looked ready to fall at any second.

"Child, be careful."

Julius quickly stood and followed after Kaya. Kyle, who had been standing there blankly, hurried over too and picked Kaya up.

"..."
"..."

In that awkward air, grandfather and grandson faced each other. Julius subtly tried to untie a ribbon, and Kaya immediately whipped her head around. In the end, Julius gave up untying it again and lowered his hand.

"I told you to wait. Why did you try to force the door open?"

Julius asked, straightening his expression. He looked surreal, but his voice was extremely real. He still cared about decorum and dignity, yet somewhere in it, he had also given up. That Family Head, that grandfather, looked at Kyle.

"Um... your voice didn't sound like you usually do, Grandfather, so I got worried."
"..."
"Don't scold him. He did it because he was worried."

Kyle said while squishing Kaya's soft cheek.

"Why did you come?"
"I formed a knight order, but we don't have a residence. So I came to ask if I could get one..."
"No."
"Why? I raised the family's prestige today."
"Alastor's prestige was already high."
"You're saying no because you're embarrassed right now, right?"
"..."
"I'll keep quiet about what I saw today until the right time."
"Until the right time...? Why until the right time? Keep quiet for life."
"It's too fun a memory to keep quiet for life. Kaya will love hearing it when she's older."

As he said that, Kyle looked around Sword Hall. The slash mark on the floor where Fenris had been stuck for a long time had already been repaired, and a small toy sword sat beside the throne.

"You even play sword fighting with Kaya."
"Yes."
"Is it fun?"
"It has a different kind of fun from playing with you."
"What kind of fun?"
"When I played with you... now that I say it, that wasn't really play at a young grandson's level. There was something chilling about it."

Julius grumbled quietly and went back to sit on the throne.

"But Kaya is pure. It's enjoyable to play with her."
"How do you see her Sword Talent?"
"Kaya is only two years old. It's not an age where Sword Talent shows. But she likes swords, and she likes swinging them. In that sense, you could say she has talent."
"Oppa, I wike sword."

Kaya looked up at Kyle and smiled brightly. Kyle gave his little sister a bright smile back and gently patted her bottom.

"If you like it, that's enough."

Julius watched his grandson and granddaughter for a moment, then spoke.

"I'll give you one building in Blade, the upper district. It's too large for five people, but it has a Cultivation Chamber and a training hall."
"So you're giving it in the end?"
"I'm not giving it as a reward for raising prestige. Like I said, Alastor's prestige was high to begin with. The reason I'm giving you a building is payment for showing me an amusing spectacle. You could also call it an investment."

Julius tried to rest his chin on his hand as usual, but the ribbon on his beard bothered him, and he let out a short sigh.

"You're okay with me taking Lucia too, right?"
"That child wants to serve you, so I don't mind. But Lucia wanted to join the Funeral Knights since she was young. If she later tries to transfer to the Funeral Knights, will you cut her arm then too?"

It seemed the events at the Third Training Ground had reached Julius in real time. Kyle smirked and answered.

"If Lucia wants to transfer to the Funeral Knights, I won't cut her arm. But... I'm not sure she'll still want to transfer later."
"Why do you think that?"
"The reason Lucia wants to join the Funeral Knights is because they're the strongest knight order in Gladiheim."
"Heh."

Julius's eyes flashed.

"Are you confident your knight order will become stronger than the Funeral Knights?"
"The bigger the goal, the better."
"The Funeral Knights are the Family Head's personal guard."
"That might not be true later. In the end, who becomes the personal guard is the Family Head's decision."

At Kyle's answer, Julius laughed quietly.

"Lucia and Bruno. Honestly, Bruno joining was unexpected, but if his sword develops because of you, that's good for Alastor."
"What do you think about the other two?"
"Jade Crase. His sword was worth watching. I didn't expect the brat to reveal on his own that he was from House Crase."
"Looks like you already knew."
"He's the one called the mad dog of the western duel scene. I do like mad dogs, but bringing one into the house is a separate question. The Secret Shadow Corps already identified the backgrounds of the young men who came to the Exchange Tournament."
"Is House Crase a big family?"
"One of the top three martial families in Ransel."
"Sounds shabby compared to Alastor."
"Maybe so. But the head of House Crase is one of the swordsmanship instructors of the current Ransel royal family."
"One of the instructors means there are others too?"
"The Ransel royal house has a lot in common with Alastor. They insist on being called the kingdom of knights, so the king of Ransel must be the strongest among the kingdom's knights. Whether reality matches or not, that's how it has to look on the surface."

Julius chuckled and rested his chin.

"Because of that, every martial house in Ransel has to offer its family martial arts to the royal house. That's also a surface-level story, though. Secret arts are always hidden tight."
"Sounds interesting."
"Are you interested? Isaac said something earlier. He asked what I thought about betrothing you to the princess of Ransel."
"You know how old I am, right?"
"Fifteen isn't too early for an engagement. And just because an engagement is made doesn't mean marriage must happen. Engagements like that usually carry political meaning."
"Wouldn't it be too much of a waste to use me for politics?"

The answer that came back was full of confidence. Julius stared at Kyle. The brat had always been confident since childhood, but not once had it felt excessive.

Now that he was fifteen, Julius felt that even more strongly. At this point, even Julius could no longer find it simply cute when Kyle talked about the position of Family Head. It was admirable, and it also made his fingers tense. He wanted to grip a sword.

Julius had been a swordsman and martial warrior from birth. The reason he constantly demanded qualification and proof from his children and grandchildren was because he himself had lived that way and become Family Head. So naturally, Julius had no intention of stepping down and using old age as an excuse. He would do his utmost to protect this throne.

"You're right. You're too valuable to be spent on politics. And if I sent you to Ransel, your name would become Kyle Ransel."

No matter how Alastor was called the continent's number one martial house, it was still a house. Ransel, meanwhile, was a kingdom, so in ordinary terms, Kyle would become a groom who married into Ransel.

"We could change Ransel's name to Alastor."
"Ha ha... That's a story too big. If that happened, the Emperor of the Empire would foam at the mouth."

Alastor was both the shield that protected the Empire and its sharpest sword, so of course the Emperor would want to keep Alastor tied to the Empire.

"Are you interested in the princess of Ransel?"
"I've never even seen her face."
"I heard she's an outstanding swordsman. Rumors in Ransel say she's fit to be the next queen."
"Hearing you say it like that makes me pretty curious. Engagement is too early, so if we meet later, let's start as friends."

Julius burst out laughing again at that answer.

"Besides Jade Crase, that native from the Avara Plateau is quite an interesting one too. Aren't you curious about that child's background?"
"The Secret Shadow Corps is impressive. Did you identify Narua too?"
"I found out why that child left the plateau."
"I am curious, but you don't have to tell me. I decided I'd hear Narua's secret later, after we bled together."

Kyle shook his head as he spoke. Julius's eyes sparkled at that answer.

"You don't only have talent for swords and spirits, you also have talent for handling people."
"You're praising me too much."
"I don't say things I don't mean. You started from a very uncomfortable position. A position where being checked and trampled by my children would have been no surprise. But now even Barkas and Jerard acknowledge you."
"They're all kind people."

Kyle said it like it was nothing. Compared to five hundred years ago, when siblings swung swords at each other, Alastor's relatives really were kind.

Handling people wasn't enough to call it talent anyway. He had done it before.

He just weighed gains and losses reasonably, then dealt with people honestly.

By expecting a little more than what the other side expected, and by sharing the swords they loved.

"Did you provoke the Sword Church Master too because you thought she was kind?"

Julius tilted his head and asked.

"It wasn't a provocation, I only asked them to pass along a greeting."
"Most people would see it as a provocation."
"Do you think the Sword Church Master will take it as a provocation, Grandfather?"
"Honestly, I don't know."

After saying that, Julius fell silent for a moment.

"But the Sword Church Master will come looking for you."

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