WeTried Translations

Translator: Hydrogen B

Editor: Hydrogen B

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◈ Sword Master of the Fallen Kingdom

Chapter 43

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Shadow of a Tainted Past (5)

"Lena."

Kyle closed the book he had been reading. Lena hurried toward him, glancing around as if checking whether anyone else was there. Like Kyle, she was lightly dressed, with the blue robe she usually wore over her clothes. She looked like she had stepped out for a brief dawn walk.

"How did you get in?"

Kyle put away the half-used holy potion and asked. Lena stopped right in front of him and avoided his eyes.

"Well... it was open..."

"Didn't it close automatically after midnight?"

"It usually does. But I heard that rule does not apply to an elder's pass."

"You saw me heading to the library and came after me."

"Sorry. You left so suddenly..."

Lena lowered her head. Kyle had not meant to scold her, so he softened his voice at once.

"Can't sleep?"

"Yes. So I thought I'd get some air. What about you, Kyle-ssi?"

"Same. I slept too early. I came to clear my head and read."

"Did you read all of these?"

Lena looked at the stack of books piled high on the desk with wide eyes. Even at a glance, there were easily more than ten beneath the magic-stone lamp.

"These are all forbidden books, right?"

Kyle nodded silently. She carefully flipped through the books he had finished. Forbidden books she normally would not even be allowed to touch, books even First-Rank Mages could not read. Looking through them with a mage's curiosity, Lena noticed one volume with an old ornate cover and spoke quietly.

"Time magic..."

"Interested?"

Kyle asked as he watched Lena open the cover.

"Yes. Time magic is basically fantasy magic. There have been lots of attempts and studies to realize it."

"But all of them failed."

Any act in this world that came close to a miracle demanded a price.

Just as Izra's Thorn needed hundreds of souls just to create one. Just as Gerard, who studied Spatial Magic, had nearly died of Magicite Syndrome. Mana could not do everything.

Time magic was one of those limits. Countless people had challenged it, yet no one had ever found even a clue. It was magic that effectively existed only as a concept. If time magic truly existed, everyone would have gone back to the past. Even the Lich, the last king of Alenos, could only stretch his perceived time through Thought Acceleration.

"Still, they say it's not completely impossible."

Kyle reopened the book he had closed. Lena pulled out the chair across from him and sat down.

"Time magic?"

"Yes. Do you know the story of the Progenitor Dragon Prisia?"

Lena, flipping pages, raised her head and looked at Kyle. For a moment, he could not answer and lowered his eyes.

The Progenitor Dragon Prisia. The first and last dragon. A being worshiped like a god by Imperial citizens. The guardian dragon of the Imperial House of Archandia, the foundation of everything in the Empire, and the origin of what became today's Celestial Knights.

And unlike the wyverns he had killed, the king of true dragons.

"I really like old myths and stories like that. When I was little, I read a lot of fairy tales about the Progenitor Dragon Prisia. Dragons are... well, they are cool. Some stories even say they are living magic itself."

Dragons were masses of living mana. No matter how advanced a mage was, their magical level and the density of mana they could hold in their body could not compare at all to a dragon. In books about myths, dragons giving magic to humans for the first time was a common tale.

"I heard rumors that the Imperial House still has a fragment of Prisia's Dragon Heart from a thousand years ago. Not a lesser dragon like a wyvern, but the real Dragon Heart of Prisia, the first and last dragon."

Dragons were mana beings who wielded authority. Naturally, their hearts, Dragon Hearts, also held tremendous power.

"A rumor is just a rumor. You believe that?"

But Kyle did not. If the Dragon Heart really existed, they would have used it in the Northern War.

"I don't know. It could be a lie, but it could also be real. More than anything, they say a Dragon Heart is a wish stone that can do anything."

"Do you have a wish you want to make?"

No answer came this time. Kyle took his eyes off the book and looked ahead. Lena was staring at the desk with downcast eyes.

"I do... have one."

"What is it?"

"I just want to see my parents' faces one more time, even once."

Lena smiled faintly. The smile looked so dim it could vanish at any moment.

"I feel like my memories of them are fading. When I was young, I remembered everything clearly. Then one day I started forgetting things one by one. Even I get surprised by how much."

"..."

"I still have my grandfather, but I still miss my parents sometimes. I have so many childhood memories with them. I wish I had at least kept something with their voices..."

Lena said bitterly. Kyle stayed silent.

"What about you, Kyle-ssi? Do you have a wish?"

After a short silence, Lena raised her head and asked.

Kyle kept his eyes fixed on the open book.

"A wish..."

In the pages revealed by the holy potion were several spells from the Crescent Theocracy. Kyle rubbed the part that said Rite of Revival. Just as expected, the resurrection spell was completely useless to the current Kyle. He could not use it.

Only those with holy power equal to a cardinal or higher could cast it.

The price was the caster's death.

And only one person could be revived. Even then, it was impossible unless the corpse was intact, had died within half a day, and had died from injury rather than aging.

All the other spells were black magic that forcibly bound wandering souls or made soulless undead shells.

"I had many. Too many to count on both hands."

Izra's Thorn was no different. The text only listed dry, simple information about the curse. It gave no direct method to break or solve it. If it had, Gerard would have told him.

"Like what, specifically...?"

"I don't know either."

"What?"

"Because they are dreams I already gave up."

Kyle smiled sadly, almost mocking himself.

"Nothing is more miserable than clinging to a fantasy that can never come true."

Things he cherished. Things he wanted to protect. Even things he wanted to destroy with his own hands.

"It's all... in the past."

He had already lost everything he once had. The only thing left was one rotting body. After the fall of Hailen, Kyle escaped the north alone and tried countless times to take revenge. In his head, he had torn apart wyvern knights and the emperor over and over.

And what did reality give him?

It was different from fantasy. Alone, Kyle could do nothing. Not topple the Empire, not kill the wyvern knights.

Even when Hailen stood strong, they could not defeat the Empire. For Kyle, now weaker than in his prime, to destroy the Empire alone was absolutely impossible.

It was obvious when he thought about it.

An individual could not defeat a nation. One person could not handle tens of thousands of soldiers. Then what exactly could he have done?

Throw himself into the Federation?

They had not sent direct reinforcements even right before Hailen's destruction. A side that was barely maintaining the current balance would never hear Kyle out and choose direct war with the Empire. At some point, Kyle started seeing himself give up. So he clung to the fantasy called a resurrection spell while wandering the continent, even though he already knew the answer, while turning away from reality.

"Kid, have a drink."

"Ugh! This tastes awful. It's just bitter..."

"That is because you're still young. Do you know how expensive this liquor is? Keep drinking and you'll come to like it."

Were those memories unusually vivid because they showed his own weakness, his inability to move forward?

"Why can't you do this? Image is important, image!"

"If Incantationless Magic and Shortened Incantation were that easy, everyone would use them."

"Sigh... I'll explain it again. No second time, so listen carefully."

Or was it because that time had been that happy?

"I lost..."

"I... I won! Yurian, this is your first loss, right?"

"Yes. Give it another year and you'll completely surpass me. Feels a little bitter."

But a dream was only a dream.

"Will you not retreat, even in blood and blizzard?"

"I will not retreat."

"Do you swear to protect honor, shield the weak, and remain loyal to the kingdom?"

"I swear."

"From this moment, your sword belongs to the kingdom. Ash and frost shall bear witness. Rise, knight of Hailen."

Now he knew. He had seen reality. Hailen had fallen, everyone precious to him had died, he was still wandering the continent, and the Empire was still mighty.

So there was only one thing left.

"..."

Silence hung between them for a while. Kyle closed the old white book after turning the last page. Lena, who had been watching his mood, carefully spoke.

"Um... Kyle-ssi."

"Speak."

"Kyle-ssi, you're a mercenary. This time too, you accepted my commission."

"That's right."

"Do you have any plans after this?"

Kyle silently shook his head. Lena's face brightened.

"Then, would you consider staying at our Magic Tower?"

"At Lenore Magic Tower?"

"Yes!"

Lena nodded.

"Kyle-ssi, you're amazing with the sword, but you're also very skilled with magic. How about becoming an official mage of the tower?"

"Ah, of course I'm not forcing you. Only if you want it. Once a year, a Lenore elder can directly appoint a Third-Rank Mage without tests or recommendations. If I ask my grandfather, he will definitely agree. And with your skill, you'd reach First-Rank quickly..."

Excited, Lena listed all kinds of benefits he would get by joining the tower. Status as an official tower mage. Yearly discretionary research funds based on rank. She spilled it all without hesitation, like she had been thinking about this for a long time.

"I'm grateful for the offer, but I don't think I can."

When Lena's rapid speech finally settled, Kyle calmly refused. The bright expression on her face quickly faded.

"Ah... is it not possible?"

"I'm not the kind of person you think I am."

Lena lowered her eyes, as if she had never expected such a direct refusal. But only for a moment. Then she protested in a shrinking voice.

"But you're incredibly strong, Kyle-ssi. You use the sword well, and you handle magic well too."

"I have never seen anyone as strong as you, Kyle-ssi. At least among the knights and mages I've seen so far. And whatever your status is now, you used to be a knight, and also..."

"A coward."

Kyle said it clearly. Lena tilted her head with a confused look.

"A coward? You, Kyle-ssi?"

"..."

"But Kyle-ssi..."

"I'm not talking about fear of death."

Moving forward. Admitting that he himself was nothing special.

Accepting failure.

Kyle did not fear death, but he feared that if he disappeared, Hailen would be buried in history forever. He could not accept the sacrifices of those who died for this worthless life becoming meaningless.

That was also why he had taken no major action. He had wanted revenge for three years, yet never acted on it.

He kept making excuses to himself. It was not the right time yet. If he moved carelessly, he would ruin everything. Again and again and again.

"And once the relic disposal is finished, I'll leave immediately. Probably tomorrow or the day after."

"...What?"

Kyle stood up. When he turned off the magic-stone lamp, soft moonlight spread everywhere again, just like before. Lena seemed shocked by his words and kept moving her lips several times.

"You're leaving? Right away, tomorrow or the day after?"

Lena barely forced the words out.

"Yes."

Kyle slowly stacked the books to return them.

"I've already gotten everything I can get. No reason to stay longer."

"Ah..."

"More importantly, how are things on your side? Elder Marsen and his disciple Veronica, was it?"

He remembered the purple-haired girl he had run into at the front gate before treating Gerard. Veronica looked around Lena's age, and she was the disciple of Elder Marsen, who opposed Gerard. Both were nobles from prestigious houses and part of the noble faction.

"If you mean Veronica and Elder Marsen... there hasn't been any obvious movement yet. At least not on the surface."

"I see."

"Yes. But I do think they're plotting something behind the scenes. House Belkart and House Krabel are both top high-noble houses in the Kingdom of Brendel. They were close from the start too. Their plan failed, so they won't just let it go. My grandfather is also a noble, but..."

House Hartion had a hereditary title, but no territory. Compared with houses boasting histories of over a hundred years, they were bound to be at a relative disadvantage. The power of generations of built-up history was that great.

"It won't become a major problem."

Kyle replied casually. Gerard was an elder directly below the Tower Master in rank. On top of that, as a war hero he had direct ties to the royal family. He was also a longtime friend of the Tower Master, so unless they were insane, they would not touch him directly.

"But Kyle-ssi..."

"Don't worry about me. It's pointless concern."

Lena looked at Kyle with worried eyes. Kyle did not care.

"Many people have tried to pull tricks on me."

"..."

"And I'm still alive."

Just like Marquis Filein before. If they touched him, he would return it exactly the same. Kyle was confident he could win even if they brought their whole house knight order, unless the Empire's Celestial Knights or the Federation's Chevaliers came as a group.

Kyle hugged the books he had brought, went up to the top floor, and put them back where they belonged. He came back down to the first floor and checked the clock hanging on one side of the library. It was already past three in the morning.

"It's late."

Kyle muttered to himself, then spoke to Lena.

"Let's head back now. If we're any later, your day and night will flip."

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