The Reincarnated Assassin is a Swordsmaster

Chapter 7

House Sieghart possessed powerful armed organizations, in line with its reputation as the ruler of the northern territory.

Although each one of them was extremely strong and brave, the most fearless organization was the War Horses.

Karun Sieghart, the most prominent head of the War Horses and Glenn’s second son, tut-tutted, a frown on his face.

“Didn’t they say he’s an ill child who can’t even move properly?”

“There are many handmaidens who overheard the conversation between the Ragged Saint and Lord Sieghart. They definitely said he’s suffering from a serious illness.”

“I’ve heard that as well. Even back then and today, the boy’s health didn’t seem normal. But...”

Karun Sieghart tapped the desk. Every time he did that, his entire office shook.

“The boy endured Father’s energy.”

The energy Glenn had emanated was as tiny as a firefly in front of the sun compared to his true power.

But this sickly child, who was only twelve years old, endured it. He couldn’t believe it, even though he’d seen it himself.

“Could Warren have endured it?”

There was no response to his question.

“Right, he couldn’t have.”

His son, Warren, began training at the age of seven, and was continuously fed quality elixirs.

He couldn’t stop thinking about how Raon was able to endure it when he was certain Warren wouldn’t have been able to.

“Sylvia was also outstanding in terms of talent.”

Although she was basically a dead loss now with a broken elixir field and mana circuit, no one could compare to Sylvia’s talent back then.

“Can we place someone in the annex?”

“It’ll take time. But it’s possible.”

The butler waiting at the door nodded.

“Do it, then.”

Karun turned away with shining, cold eyes.

“Make sure to report everything that goes on in there.”

***

Raon left the room before the sun had risen. After warming up in front of the garden, he started running around the annex.

Since he said he’d prepare for the training, he didn’t have to worry about anyone interrupting him.

“Huu...”

Although it hadn’t been long since he started running, he was already running out of breath. His body was so weak compared to his past life.

“Haa...”

He tried to regulate his breathing. Then he activated the Flame Link while focusing on the simple act of breathing in through his nose and out through his mouth.

Natural mana was being drawn in with each breath he took.

The small particles of mana fluttered around the mana circuit like pollen, giving energy to his body and calming the cold energy.

It’s going well.

Raon calmly nodded. The Flame Link showed its true value when used with physical activities. The amount and purity of the mana was much higher than usual.

“Huu...”

His clothes were drenched with sweat and his breath became dry, but the energy created by the Flame Link brought a smile to his face.

“Raon!”

Just as he was about to focus more, feeling cathartic from the training of his entire body, a window opened and Sylvia’s head popped out.

“You shouldn’t exercise too hard on the first day!”

Raon stopped and panted.

“Look at you sweating. It was too much!”

“I-I was just in the zone.”

He dropped his head, breathing heavily.

She didn’t interrupt. I’m glad she stopped me.

Sylvia was right this time. His current body was like that of a patient with a chronic illness. Even though the Flame Link was giving him energy, he would’ve gotten sick if he’d pushed himself more than this.

I still have time.

There was a month left until the basic training started.

That was enough time to raise the Flame Link from two stars to three, so there was no need to rush.

“Let me rest in my room.”

“How are you feeling? Are you okay?

Sylvia scanned his entire body with a worried look. He shook his head.

“Yep. I think I should stop and rest for today.”

“If you push yourself too hard like this, I’m not gonna let you train anymore.”

“Don’t worry.”

Raon smiled faintly and walked into the room.

Now I should create a vertical ring.

Horizontal rings developed the body, and vertical rings developed the mind.

Since he’d been practicing the horizontal rings, it was time for him to start creating a vertical one.

Raon sat on the floor and closed his eyes. He accepted the natural mana after calming down his mind.

With a high-pitched hum of magic, faint shadows began appearing on the sides of the two rings of fire that were spinning around his heart.

***

Glenn Sieghart left the house, headed to the mansion, and arrived at Training Hall 5 alone.

When he entered the training hall, the instructors were standing on the grounds, which were big enough to accommodate hundreds of people.

“Greetings, Lord Sieghart!”

Glenn raised his hand as a response and continued to walk into the senior instructor’s office.

There was one rocking chair in the middle of the messy room, and a man covering his face with a straw hat was lying back in it as if he were dead.

“Stop acting like you’re sleeping and get up.”

“Ugh...”

The man on the rocking chair took off the hat, letting out a heavy sigh.

He could’ve been about twenty years old. The handsome man with red hair suddenly sprang to his feet, yawning.

His ears were pointed, unlike those of ordinary humans. It gave him a mysterious appearance, as if he wasn’t from this world.

An otherworldly beautiful man with pointed ears. The senior instructor of Training Hall 5 was an elf, not a human.

“You’re certainly the only one my sleep attack doesn’t work on.”

“Other instructors were on the grounds, sweating. How come…?”

“They’re following my orders. I work using my brain while they’re using their bodies. It’s only fair.”

“Lemaire. You still haven’t grown up even after ten years, have you?”

“If a person changes too much, it means they’re close to death. Oh, right. I forgot I’m an elf.”

The elf named Lemaire got up from the chair, giggling.

“To what do I owe the honor today? Don’t tell me it’s because of your youngest grandchild.”

Glenn stared at Lemaire silently.

Since they’d fought on the battlefield together, they could understand each other just by looking into each other’s eyes.

“Sylvia already came to beg me. I didn’t think you’d come as well.”

“Sylvia?”

“She asked me to go easy on Raon so he doesn’t get hurt. If that’s also what you’re here to do, you’ve wasted your time.”

His playful hazel eyes turned deep.

“You mentioned you wouldn’t interfere with anything that goes on in this training hall. I understand he’s your youngest grandson, but there will be no exceptions.”

“Sounds good.”

“Pardon?”

Lemaire was left speechless as Glenn nodded.

“Raise the difficulty level as much as you want so the unqualified might be filtered out.”

“You mean I should raise it, not lower it?”

“That’s right.”

“Then your grandson will fail too... Oh!”

Lemaire smiled, clapping his hands.

“Wow, I suppose you love your grandson more than I thought. You must be trying to provide the love you couldn’t give to Sylvia...”

“I would’ve sliced your head off just now if you weren’t my comrade.”

“Ahaha!”

He rubbed his neck, making a devious face.

“Make sure to filter out the best, so only the qualified ones can receive your training.”

“Are you suggesting that I should conduct a pre-admission test or something?”

“That’s up to you.”

“All right!”

“I’ll leave then.”

“Yes, sir!”

Glenn left the room after Lemaire saluted.

The instructors were still working on the training ground on his way out.

He looked over to the west where the annex was located and turned his back to walk toward the mansion of the house head.

His steps seemed heavier than usual.

***

Raon was sitting in his room with his eyes closed. After three hours of sitting still, golden smoke slowly appeared over his shoulders.

[Third <Flame Link> has been created.]

[<Flame Link> reached three stars.]

[<Flame Link (3-star)> increases the body and spiritual level.]

[<Flame Link (3-star)> increases the Strength, Constitution, and Dexterity.]

[<Flame Link (3-star)> increases the mana affinity, mental force, and energy.]

[<Water-element resistance> reached three stars.]

[One strand of Curse of Bitter Frost disappeared.]

“It’s done.”

Raon clenched his fist and looked at the semi-transparent messages floating in front of him.

[<Status Window>

Name : Raon Sieghart

Title : None.

Status : Curse of Bitter Frost (eight strands), poor health, low athletic abilities, low mana affinity.

Feature : ???, Flame Link (3-star), Water-element resistance (3-star)

*Additional abilities have not been unlocked.]

3-star certainly feels different.

He felt much more sensitive, as if cool mana was traveling through the entire body, and his head became clear.

As the mana circuit widened, the pain from cold energy decreased, and muscle began to form on his arms and legs.

The effect was definitely more noticeable after leaving the beginner level.

The basic level of the Flame Link started at three stars.

Although he had just arrived at the basic level, the difference in his body and mind felt drastic.

There are differences in the status window, too.

Thanks to these magical messages and status windows, the Flame Link was giving a much better effect than in his past life.

One strand of the Curse of Bitter Frost has disappeared...

He got up and tried moving his body. It felt as light as a feather. In this state, he was confident he could endure the basic training of House Sieghart, no matter how rough it was.

No, it’s more than that.

On top of enduring the training, he felt as if he could easily compete against other kids who were called geniuses.

“Hm?”

When he was drunk with excitement, his stomach rumbled. Come to think of it, he’d skipped both lunch and dinner.

Should I eat something?

He left the room and headed to the dining hall. Sylvia was sitting at a table in the dimly lit room.

“Mom, why are you…?”

“I’ve been waiting to eat dinner with my son.”

Sylvia tapped the chair next to her, smiling brightly.

“It’s late though.”

Although it was way past dinner time because he’d been busy creating the third Flame Link, Sylvia pulled out a chair with a smile.

“It’s okay. Come and sit.”

Raon sat right next to her, making an awkward face.

“Helen.”

“Yes!”

He heard Helen’s voice from the kitchen. Shortly after, the handmaidens brought out the food, which included all his favorites.

“Raon.”

Sylvia smiled awkwardly as she pushed the dishes toward him.

“I have something I’d like to tell you today.”

“What?”

“Well...”

She nodded and stayed silent for a while.

“You’re smart, so you probably thought it was odd. How we live separately. How other people criticize us...”

“Hmm...”

Raon put down the fork. Sylvia seemed like she wanted to tell him about the past before his training began.

Although Raon knew the basics, he stayed quiet as if he didn’t.

“I’m a sinner. After running away from my responsibilities, I returned for my own survival.”

Sylvia’s story started with more weight than expected.

She had fallen in love with his father, whom she had met coincidentally. She’d left the family after shutting down her mana circuit and elixir field to be with him—an ordinary knight at the time.

“You also had an older sister. Her name was Sia, and she was two years apart from you.”

“Then she was also...”

“That’s right.”

Her voice became filled with sadness. It sounded as if it was flooding her.

“The leader of the Cadre of Eden, who knew my face, ambushed us. Your father, who wasn’t that strong, and I, who was pregnant, couldn’t do anything.”

Eden was one of the Five Devils who was in conflict with the Six Lords—of which House Sieghart is a part. Contrary to its warm-sounding name, it was a monstrous group that had more powerful individuals than an entire kingdom.

“Then how were you able to return here?”

“Father secretly had bodyguards follow me. They only arrived after your sister and dad had died, since they were quite far away from us.”

“Grandfather did?”

Raon narrowed his eyes. He hadn’t expected cold-blooded Glenn to have bodyguards following her.

“So I’m a sinner in this family. I really have no words to say to your grandfather.”

Sylvia dropped her head, and Helen and the handmaidens clenched their hands.

Raon stared silently at Sylvia, who had her head down.

How selfish.

He could understand why the main and branch families of the house were treating her so poorly, given their values.

However...

She was a woman who had granted him a new life, and love like he had never once experienced before.

Even if everyone else called her selfish, she was his one and only mother—the only mother whom he had met after living two lives.

“Mom.”

Sylvia lifted her head when Raon called out to her.

“Do you regret it?”

“Regret?”

“Would you like to go back to before you left the house?”

“No. I don’t regret it.”

Sylvia firmly shook her head. She said that she felt alive for the first time after meeting his father and sister, having lived like an invisible person in the house until then.

“But I feel so sorry for you. I’m such a bad mom...”

“Were you happy?”

“Yes. I was happy back then, and I’m also happy with you right now.”

“That’s it then.”

“R-Raon?”

“I’m okay. Don’t worry about me.”

Raon smiled at her and grabbed the fork again.

I don’t care if she’s selfish.

He didn’t care if others called her selfish or criticized her for being a runaway and coward.

I’ll get it back.

Her position as a main family member of House Sieghart that she had lost… He was determined he’d get his revenge only after he got her position back.

“Hmmph...”

“Lord Raon...”

As a big teardrop fell from Sylvia’s big eyes, Helen and the handmaidens who were standing next to her wept silently.

In the annex cafeteria, the sound of plates and utensils rattling created a strange harmony with the sound of sniffling.

***

Raon went back to his room, leaving Sylvia and the handmaidens with puffy eyes.

I better review before going to bed.

He thought it’d be a good idea to reorganize his body and mind with the three Flame Links before sleep.

Vwoom.

The rings surrounding the heart were spinning and jumping like living creatures.

After reaching three stars, it certainly felt as if the spinning speed had increased and the development effect for the body and mind had intensified.

Nice.

He was excited to see what power it’d have once the Flame Link was higher than this intermediate level.

Raon spun the rings five times and got ready for bed. The moment he was about to close his eyes, new messages popped up.

[Feature <???> is unlocked.]

[Feature <Wrath> is created.]

[<Wrath> is awake.]