The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 126

"Kaylen? Or should I call you Your Majesty?"

"Call me whatever you like, Myorn."

"…It feels strange hearing formal speech from a human king. Just speak casually."

"As you wish."

Watching how effortlessly Kaylen responded, Myorn couldn’t help but be impressed.

‘It hasn’t even been a year since he stood out in the Superior Mage Selection Tournament.’

Back then, he had just been one of many promising mages.

But while she had been locked away in her workshop, absorbed in research, the man had undergone a drastic transformation.

And that wasn’t all.

When he first revealed he was a Swordmaster, she thought nothing else could surprise her.

But when she heard that he had fought in the fortress defense, split the royal palace in half, and then founded a new kingdom—

she could hardly tell whether it was a dream or reality.

"What brings you here today?"

"I heard you needed more people in the workshop."

"Yeah. There aren’t nearly enough researchers for the scale of the project."

"I’ve brought some suitable candidates. Come in."

The workshop doors opened.

Dozens of mages entered, looking visibly uneasy.

"Who are they?"

"Mages from the Seven Towers who collaborated with the Demon Realm’s followers."

"Ah… the ones you wiped out recently."

The king who had slain the former ruler and single-handedly subdued the Seven Towers.

The common people were in awe of the sight of the capital’s palace being split in two.

But among Meisters and those connected to the mage towers, what truly astonished them was the fact that Kaylen had defeated the Seven Towers alone.

Within the former Bormian Kingdom, the Seven Towers had been among the most powerful institutions.

And yet, he had taken them down single-handedly.

His power was beyond comprehension, and the nobles and mage factions were now treading carefully, afraid to earn his ire.

"The real problem was the leadership of the Seven Towers. The mages and Meisters who weren’t involved in their inner circle aren’t to blame."

"And you even confiscated the towers’ wealth and distributed it to the people."

There were multiple reasons why the capital had stabilized so quickly.

But one of the most effective moves in the early days of his reign was the cash distribution.

Of course, all that money had come from the Seven Towers.

"Most of the towers’ wealth belonged to the leadership. That gave me the right to handle it as I saw fit."

"I see…"

"In any case, while the remaining mages aren’t guilty of serious crimes… public perception of them isn’t great. Being affiliated with the Seven Towers is like a scarlet letter—they’ll never escape that stigma. So, I’m giving them a chance to legally atone for their past."

"By working here?"

"That’s right. They’ll be part of the workshop for one year."

Myorn glanced at the group of mages, still cowering.

At first, their pale faces had made them hard to recognize.

But looking closely, she realized some of them were highly skilled mana suit artisans.

‘Even if they’re from the Seven Towers, plenty of people would want to recruit them.’

She quickly saw through Kaylen’s reasoning—offering them a chance at redemption was just an excuse.

He had simply taken the opportunity to staff the workshop with capable people.

And this…

Was something she wholeheartedly welcomed.

‘I knew putting him in charge of the workshop was the right decision. He thinks things through well.’

Myorn’s Workshop.

The projects currently underway were enough to make any mana suit researcher lose their mind with excitement.

But because of Myorn’s past reputation, skilled researchers had been reluctant to apply to the workshop.

For the time being, they had been pushing forward with the project by collaborating with Irene and bringing in elven researchers.

However, even that workforce was struggling to keep up with the research on Demon Realm magic circles.

‘Until now, recruiting people has been difficult. But things will change. Once word spreads that this workshop is fully backed by the king, we’ll be able to attract top talent.’

There was an overwhelming amount of research to be done.

The development of knight mana suits—both normal and expert-class.

Research on attribute-less magic mana suits.

Analysis of Demon Realm mana suits.

Studies on the vampires' Combine Suits…

Compared to existing mana suit research and development, these were challenges on an entirely different level.

But if they succeeded, these projects had the potential to completely reshape the mana suit industry.

"Your compensation will match the highest standards in the industry."

"Ah… Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Well, if you want to stay past the one-year mark, you’re free to do so."

"Yes…."

The gathered mages hesitated at the end of their response.

Having come from the prestigious Seven Towers, where they had enjoyed top-tier treatment, their reaction was understandable.

Watching them, Myorn grinned beneath her thick fur.

‘Once they actually start working, their attitude will change.’

If they had any sense, they would soon realize the immense value of the projects being developed in Myorn’s workshop.

"Alright. We need to divide up the work… Myorn, has there been any progress?"

"Not much. We’ve been too short on manpower. Recently, though, we’ve made some progress on Demon Realm mana suits and Combine Suits."

Hearing that, the mages’ eyes widened in shock.

Demon Realm mana suits? Combine Suits?

They dared not speak openly in front of the king, but they exchanged glances.

‘The mana suit left behind when Black Skull appeared…’

‘Could it be that?’

"Hmm. Speaking of the Demon Realm, we have two captive demons. If you ever hit a dead end, let me know. I’ll figure something out."

"Wait… I heard you defeated demons, but you captured them alive?"

"Yes."

Kaylen casually summarized the events at Viltre Fortress.

Myorn listened silently, but her interest was piqued when he mentioned Armor.@@novelbin@@

"So the true form of that giant demon is a massive centipede… Can I have it? I’d like to study it."

"Sure."

Kaylen’s quick agreement made the Seven Towers mages widen their eyes.

‘A demon’s limbs…?’

‘He’s just handing over research materials like that?’

The previously despondent mages began to regain color in their faces, their eyes lighting up.

When they had first been brought here, they had thought their careers—and their lives—were over.

But after hearing the conversation between the king and the dwarven queen,

they could sense the scent of a golden opportunity.

And then—

Clank.

A door on one side of the workshop swung open, and dozens of elves poured in.

"Lord Kaylen, you’ve arrived?"

"Yes, Professor Irene. So you were here in the workshop."

"Oh, you’re not an academy student anymore—no need to call me professor. And it feels strange to hear the king speaking so formally. Please, just speak comfortably."

At the front of the group of elves, Irene smiled and spoke.

"Well then. I won’t hold back."

"Then what brings you here today?"

"I came to help fill out the workshop staff and also to check on the progress."

"Ah, I see. So, are these people going to be working with us?"

Irene asked, flashing a playful smile as she looked at the mages, and the expression of despair that had been on their faces quickly vanished.

They had thought they were being dragged to some hellish place to be exploited by the cruel King Kaylen, but...

‘We’ll be working with elves?’

‘Wait, this could be good…

‘Should I settle here?’

The research projects were intriguing, and the working environment seemed like it would be excellent.

"Then, Charles. Was it?"

"Yes! Your Majesty!"

"Tell the rest of the research team to bring in more people. The workshop itself is conducting a lot of research, so it would be difficult to send them elsewhere."

"Understood."

When Kaylen ordered Charles, the representative of the mages, he responded quickly with light steps, in stark contrast to his earlier hesitations.

"Charles~ next time, I’ll make sure to formally greet you~"

"Yes... Yes, I understand!"

Charles, his face turning bright red, quickly exited the room.

"As for the other mages... right. Please guide them, elves."

The mages, who had been looking at Charles with envy, were now following Kaylen’s orders, their faces matching in blank expressions as they were led by the elves.

With that, only Kaylen, Irene, and Myorn remained in the workshop.

Kaylen smiled slightly and spoke.

"We’ll have tea when you have time."

"There’s an issue with the wheat interfering with mana absorption?"

"Yes. While he saved humanity, he also made them into a colony of the Demon Realm."

Irene sipped her tea, and Kaylen shared his thoughts about the Nameless Archmage.

"Do you have any more records about him from the elves?"

"No. The only record we have is that he wore a jester’s mask and gave out mana suits."

"Hmm..."

It seemed there was no immediate way to learn his true identity.

"But what can we do? Without that modified wheat, human society would have struggled to survive."

"That’s true. For now, we have to rely on it. But once the kingdom stabilizes and we establish control, we’ll gradually change things."

"That’ll take a long time. The farmers may not even want to switch to older wheat varieties."

Kaylen thought Myorn’s point made sense.

Honestly, even he could only barely distinguish the side effects of the wheat...

Would farmers really choose to grow the older wheat when the current one yields so much?

"Hearing you say that, it doesn’t sound easy. After all, it’s the farmers who grow the wheat. If they intentionally switch, we’d have no way of knowing."

"Hmm… well, Kaylen, why don’t you ask the World Tree?"

"The World Tree?"

"Yes. The will of the World Tree has mentioned that it wishes to meet you again."

"Really?"

The will of the World Tree, which carried the spirit of Kaylen’s fifth wife, the High Elf Deluna.

Thinking of her, Kaylen couldn’t hide his distaste.

"Why does she want to meet me?"

"She didn’t specify the reason. However, when she heard that you founded the Meier Kingdom, she expressed a desire to meet you. She said it was important."

"Hmm..."

What did founding the Meier Kingdom have to do with her?

Kaylen didn’t understand, but he nodded anyway.

‘If it’s the World Tree, maybe it has a way to deal with the wheat seeds.’

After all, the World Tree was a plant, so perhaps it knew something.

Since it was quick to travel by drake, Kaylen decided to visit.

"Alright. I’ll visit in three days."

"Got it. I’ll prepare ahead of time."

As Irene smiled and replied, Kaylen thought to himself,

‘But with her looking like this... Deluna might mistake me for Ernstine.’

The saintess was still holding on to that hope, but Deluna, who had once shared a bed with him as his fifth wife, might recognize him.

‘There’s no need to hide it, but there’s no need to bring it up first either. If she recognizes me, I’ll handle it when the time comes.’

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]