The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 100

Kaylen looked at Royen.

‘The shape of the magic circle on his arm has changed a bit, hasn’t it?’

The red magic circles engraved on both of his arms.

According to the analysis conducted by the elven researchers, the shape had been gradually changing from its original form.

And as the shape changed, the speed of analyzing the magic circle had also increased.

‘If he learns magic here, the magic circle might undergo further transformations… which could accelerate the analysis even more.’

By partially replicating Royen’s magic circle and pouring mana stones into it,

Kaylen had been able to complete the Flame Sword.

If the magic circle could be analyzed with greater precision, there might be even more to gain from it.

“Royen, this is Roenna. She will be your teacher and teach you the basics of magic.”

“Hello, teacher.”

“Roenna, Royen has yet to form a mana circle; he’s a complete beginner. Please teach him until he’s able to form one.”

“Understood, Kaylen.”

“And though he might not look it, Royen is only thirteen years old, so don’t feel too pressured.”

“Thirteen years old?”

Roenna looked at Royen.

With his black hair and the tattoos covering both of his hands, he appeared to be at least seventeen or eighteen.

Thirteen was completely unexpected.

“Oh, it’s due to his unique constitution. Also… he can already use fire magic.”

“What? But without a circle, how—”

“Royen, try using Fire Arrow.”

“Yes, Fire Arrow.”

At Kaylen’s words, Royen immediately cast the spell.

A large flaming arrow materialized in midair.

Its size was so massive that it looked more like a 3rd-circle Fireball rather than a simple Fire Arrow,

startling Roenna.

‘W-What? Why is it bigger than the ones I use?’

“As you can see, Royen has a unique constitution. You’ve seen the number of elves at the mansion, right?”

“Yes…”

“Some of those elves are studying the magic circle engraved on Royen’s arms. Interacting with them later might be helpful for you.”

“Oh, so that’s why I saw so many elves…”

“Alright then, I’ll leave his education to you from today. Alkas, show Roenna around.”

Kaylen stood up and walked toward a painting hanging on the wall.

Whoosh.

‘Huh? Did he just put his hand in the painting…?’

Like a magic trick, he swiftly slipped his hand into the painting and pulled out a mid-grade mana stone,

tossing it to Alkas.

“Take this, settle the accounts for bringing my brother over, and split it appropriately.”

“My lord, this is a mana stone… the value is too high!”

“You haven’t been properly compensated until now, have you?”

“That’s because I’m still learning—”

“Enough of that. If you work, you should be paid accordingly.”

“But—”

“Just take it when it’s given.”

Watching this, Roenna felt the same way as Alkas.

‘Yeah. Just take it when it's given! You fool!’

Why is he being so unnecessarily stubborn? A mid-grade mana stone!

It’s worth a whopping 5,000 gold.

With this, he could cover the tuition for the magic academy and even move his parents to a better house.

So why is he hesitating?

Although she was curious about how Kaylen pulled the mana stone out of the painting, the immediate concern was the stone right in front of her.

“But I haven’t done anything to deserve it…”

“If you keep saying that, I’ll give you another one as punishment.”

“…Understood.”

‘Another one? Ah, I should’ve held out a little longer.’

Roenna felt a pang of regret when Kaylen mentioned giving another stone, but as soon as Alkas accepted it, his face lit up with joy.

“Alkas, we’ll depart tomorrow at noon. Get some rest today.”

“I’m fine, but…”

“The monster wave isn’t something that will be over in a day or two. You might not see your family for a long time. You should at least say goodbye before heading to the battlefield.”

The battlefield.

At that word, Alkas’s expression hardened.

Unlike dungeon subjugations, defending the duke’s territory was essentially war.

There was no telling when the battle would end, and the danger level was much higher than in a dungeon.

“Wait, brother. The duke’s territory you're talking about… it’s not Oblaine Duchy, is it?”

“Yes.”

“But that place is dangerous…”

“It’s fine. I’ll be going with someone reliable.”

“Someone reliable…?”

“Have you heard the rumors about the Swordmaster who recently appeared at the royal capital?”

“Oh… yes! There have been rumors about a Swordmaster appearing at the capital. The students at the knight academy have been acting all high and mighty, even though they aren’t Swordmasters themselves. Honestly, from a mage’s perspective, it all sounds exaggerated…”

The rumors about the Swordmaster circulating in the capital were full of unbelievable claims.

It was said that he had taken down a colossal demonic beast that even numerous Meisters had struggled to contain—with a single strike.

“The part about his sword setting the sky ablaze seems way too exaggerated.”

“No, if it’s his sword, the rumors are actually understated.”

“Come on, brother. Be reasonable. How could swinging a sword make flames shoot up to the sky? You graduated as the top of the knight academy—can you do anything even remotely similar?”

“Of course not. With my aura, I can’t even come close to his level.”

“…You sound like you know him?”

Kaylen, who had been listening to their conversation, finally spoke up.

“Of course, we know him. We have a cooperative relationship with that Swordmaster. In fact, his mana suit was made at our Myorn Workshop.”

“Oh… is that so…”

“Yeah. And I’ll be going to the duchy with him, so you don’t need to worry too much about your brother. Sir Stein, the Swordmaster, will protect him.”

The connection between Swordmaster Stein, Myorn Workshop, and Kaylen—

Kaylen chose to simply define it as a cooperative relationship.

As for the fact that he himself was the Swordmaster…

He planned to reveal it when the time was right.

“Alright then, Alkas. Once the training session ends, take your sister home and get some rest today. Royen, make sure to learn well.”

“Yes, brother.”

After sending the three of them off from his office,

Clunk.

Kaylen opened the window and leaped out in an instant.

He landed in the training grounds where Eldir had been standing.

Thud.

Perhaps because there was no sense of presence during Kaylen’s landing, Eldir remained unaware of his arrival and continued meditating with his eyes closed.

“Elidir.”

“…! Lord Kaylen. When did you arrive?”

“A little while ago. It seems your sword has become more stable these days. Your skills have improved.”

Heh heh.

“Still, I couldn’t even sense Lord Kaylen’s presence.”

Eldir did not take Kaylen’s praise as praise.

As a Swordmaster who wielded the wind, he had not been able to detect even the slightest trace of Kaylen’s presence.

‘As expected… the gap between me and Lord Kaylen is just too great.’

At this point, it was almost impossible to believe they were both Swordmasters.@@novelbin@@

Eldir gave a wry smile and straightened his back, which had been leaning against the tree.

“Elidir, I’m going to the duchy tomorrow. I’ll need your cooperation.”

“What kind of cooperation are you referring to?”

“I need you to take on the role of Swordmaster Stein.”

“Oh, now that you mention it, you had borrowed my face, didn’t you? The human form.”

Eldir touched his ears.

“For the ears and eyes, I can disguise myself in a human-like manner.”

An elf’s disguise technique?

Kaylen looked at Eldir’s ears, which were shrinking, with fascination.

Elves from a thousand years ago couldn’t use such techniques.

“An elf’s disguise technique?”

“Yes. If you’re from Elven Guard, you’re likely to be familiar with it. We used all sorts of methods to blend into human society.”

Eldir’s ears continued to shrink, and in his jewel-encrusted eyes, pupils appeared.

The pupils seemed to have been created by covering up the jewels and layering them, so fine that ordinary people wouldn’t be able to tell they were fake…

But Kaylen could feel the wind mana emanating from the eyes.

“I can feel the presence of the wind spirit.”

“Impressive, as expected. This method was taught to me by the will of the World Tree.”

“Ah, she…”

“Well, the appearance can be changed to resemble a human, but the issue is the skill. I’ve heard rumors that you set the sky on fire at the royal capital. If I disguise myself as you, wouldn’t the difference in skill be too obvious?”

Kaylen’s Inferno.

Even Eldir, as a fellow Swordmaster, could not dare replicate it.

Could he possibly replace Kaylen and disguise himself as him, showing the same level of swordsmanship?

Eldir’s concern was valid.

“Ah. Don’t worry about that.”

“Do you have a method?”

“Yeah. Eldir, why do you think I’m going to the duchy?”

“To stop the monster wave, of course…”

“Right. But that’s not the only reason. If it were just to stop the monster wave, it’d be more efficient for me to go as a Swordmaster myself.”

Eldir nodded at that statement.

As Kaylen, a mage, would be less efficient at fighting monsters, whereas Swordmaster Stein would be much more effective.

“Eldir, I’m going to establish a sword school.”

“A sword school… There used to be many, didn’t there? After the Swordmasters disappeared, they became obsolete and eventually vanished.”

Sword School.

A family that teaches its unique swordsmanship and Aura manipulation, with a lineage of swordmasters leading apprentices.

While there are many places that teach swordsmanship, to use the name "Sword School" requires the presence of a Swordmaster.

“Since Lord Kaylen has gained fame as a Swordmaster, you should be able to establish a Sword School soon.”

“Yeah. Establishing a Sword School would be easy. But the reason I want to create one is... to train knights who are worthy of this era. Even if I create a Sword School, it won’t be easy to achieve that goal.”

Eldir nodded at those words.

In this world, where mana is scarce,

No matter how talented a knight is, it’s difficult to shine in such an environment.

Looking at Alkas, he has brilliant potential, but his Aura growth is significantly delayed due to the mana shortage.

“That’s why I’m going to the duchy to try and rapidly develop some knights.”

“Rapid growth?”

“Yeah. Right now, I only have Alkas as my knight. And you’re here on a cooperative mission from the World Tree’s will.”

“That’s true.”

“But if I rapidly grow knights on the battlefield and engrave the name of the Myorn Sword School into their minds... the knights will have no choice but to join the Myorn Sword School of their own accord.”

“Rapid growth of knights... How is that possible?”

“Hmm, there is a way.”

Eldir looked at Kaylen with disbelief.

Kaylen, of all people, should know how slow knights develop in this world due to the mana shortage.

Is there really a way for rapid growth?

‘If such a method existed, wouldn’t you have taught it to Alkas already?’

When Eldir looked at him with suspicion, Kaylen smiled faintly.

“You’re wondering why I didn’t teach Alkas, right?”

“…Yes.”

“If someone has the potential to become a Swordmaster on their own, this method would actually be harmful to them.”

“Really?”

What kind of method would cause such an effect?

Eldir’s confusion didn’t subside.

“You’ll understand when we get to the duchy.”

With that one sentence, Eldir put his doubts aside.

If Kaylen said so, then it must be true.

“Understood. I’ll start preparing for departure.”

After the private lessons with Royen were over,

Roenna looked at Alkas, who was about to take her, and spoke in a worried tone.

“Monster Wave... it looks so dangerous. Does Big Brother really need to go? We could just sell this mana stone and go into hiding.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“No, but it’s better than dying, right?!”

“Who said I’m going to die?”

Alkas sighed deeply as he looked at Roenna.

“Either way, if the duchy falls, this place won’t be safe. It’s better to go ahead and block it off.”

“But Big Brother, you’re not a Meister, you’re just a knight. Knights are just meat shields on the battlefield.”

“Meat shields, huh... You...” Alkas frowned, and Roenna quickly covered her mouth in surprise.

“Ah. I’m sorry. I’ve been using that phrase a lot at school, and it just slipped out.”

“…Tch. It’s fine. It’s not like this is the first time mages look down on knights.”

Meat shield.

This term sharply revealed the way knights were treated.

During dungeon raids, knights would go in front to catch the monsters' ankles, acting as shields.

All the credit would go to the Meisters using powerful magic, while knights were sacrificed like replaceable pawns.

“...Yeah. Like you said, we are just the Meisters' shields. But, I’ve seen a new possibility through my sword.”

Right.

If anyone could show knights a new possibility in the age of Meisters, it would be Kaylen.

Alkas, as a knight, desperately wanted to see that scene.

“Roenna. Take care of Mother with this mana stone.”

“Big Brother... You really plan on going?”

“Yeah. Taking care of her is my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can’t just back out because the duchy is dangerous.”

Roenna nodded.

In her current state, she couldn’t break her brother’s stubbornness.

“Okay. Don’t get hurt... and come back safely.”

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]