The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 128

“W-Who is that…?”

Irene’s voice trembled as she looked at Deluna, who was following behind Kaylen.

Her translucent, ghost-like form, combined with her beauty—so breathtaking even by elven standards—left Irene in awe.

[My children.]

Unlike her tone with Kaylen, Deluna addressed the two elves with a gentle yet dignified presence.

The moment they heard her voice, Eldir flinched in shock.

This voice—no elf could possibly fail to recognize it.

“C-Could it be… the World Tree?”

[I am the seed of the World Tree. I will accompany Ern… King Kaylen and take root in the royal capital.]

“Ah…”

“A new World Tree… in the royal capital…?”

So this was the reason the World Tree had summoned the king.

A new World Tree was about to take root.

Faced with such an unexpected revelation, the two elves widened their eyes in disbelief.

“Since I’ll be traveling with Deluna for a while, make the necessary preparations.”

“W-Wait… Deluna…?”

“Hm. You two may recognize her. She is also Melvria’s mother.”

Eldir’s face twisted in shock as he repeated the words.

“Melvria’s… mother? Why is she here…?”

“Well, it seems that reviving the World Tree required the sacrifice of a High Elf. Isn’t that right?”

[It’s not quite that simple… but if you remove all the details, that’s more or less accurate.]

Eldir couldn’t hide his surprise.

He recalled asking Melvria about her mother in the past.

Her response had been cold and sharp.

—Mother? Don’t ever ask me about her again. I don’t even want to think about it.

Only after their relationship deepened and they had gotten married did he hear a brief explanation.

—She left me alone in the imperial palace… The only person I could rely on was my father.

Seeing how much pain Melvria felt whenever the topic of her mother came up,

Eldir had deliberately avoided bringing it up over the years.

And now, to learn that she had been merged with the World Tree all this time…

[Eldir. Thank you for being there for my daughter. I’ve always wanted to say that.]

As Deluna gave a warm smile, Eldir lowered his head.

“It was nothing, Mother-in-law… If anything, I failed to protect Melvria.”

[That was not your fault. The Helmeier family was simply too powerful. Don’t blame yourself too much.]

At Deluna’s gentle words, Eldir’s expression eased slightly.

Kaylen, watching the two, turned his gaze outward.

“The rest can be discussed outside. We’ll take the drakes back, just like we did on the way here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty Kaylen.”

[Ah… Ern… Kaylen. The drake… would be a problem.]

Unlike her composed demeanor when speaking to the elves, Deluna’s attitude completely shifted when addressing Kaylen.

She hesitated before speaking.

“Why?”

[I need to travel across the land, gathering mana from the earth as I go.]

“Hm. There’s a lot of work piling up in the royal capital…”

[A-Are you really that busy?]

Deluna’s expression fell.

[Then… you can go ahead first. I’ll follow on my own.]

She forced a smile, as if trying to appear unbothered, yet her demeanor resembled that of someone heartbroken.

‘What’s going on? What kind of relationship do these two even have…? And Ern? Why is she calling him Ern?’@@novelbin@@

Irene’s eyes darted between the two, observing their dynamic with interest.

These two…

For people who supposedly just met today, they seemed far too familiar with each other.

Meanwhile, as Kaylen looked at Deluna’s expression, he changed his mind.

‘Once she becomes the World Tree, I won’t even be able to face her like this anymore.’

In a way, the journey to the capital might be his last chance to spend time with her.

Besides, the royal palace wasn’t that far away.

Spending a few days with her wouldn’t be a bad idea.

“…Eldir. Take the drake and head to the palace first. I’ll give it the command.”

“I should go first?”

“Yes. Tell them training in the Sword Domain will be on hold for three days. In the meantime, spar with the knights.”

[Oh, then… could it be…?]

“Protecting the seed of the World Tree is the top priority right now.”

[Hehe. I’m sorry.]

Though she said she was sorry, Deluna beamed.

It was clear she couldn’t hide her joy at the thought of traveling with Kaylen.

‘Mother-in-law… why is she so happy? Could it be…?’

Her expression was that of a lovestruck maiden.

Eldir quickly wracked his brain.

How long had they even known each other for her to be this infatuated?

Then, it hit him.

‘Now that I think about it… the Saintess did say that Kaylen resembles Grand Emperor Ernstine…’

Was it because he looked too similar?

After a brief moment of contemplation,

Gulp.

Eldir swallowed hard, then cautiously stepped toward Kaylen and whispered quietly.

“Your Majesty Kaylen…”

“What?”

“I… I think my mother-in-law might be mistaking you for Grand Emperor Ernstine… Perhaps you should set some boundaries…”

Having witnessed Kaylen’s devastating mastery of the Six Swords up close, Eldir had mustered great courage to bring this up.

“What… exactly are you implying?”

“Your Majesty, while my mother-in-law is certainly beautiful, she is still a married woman. And now, she is also the seed of the World Tree… Personal emotions should—”

Did he seriously think Kaylen was playing along and pretending to be Ernstine because he was enchanted by Deluna?

Kaylen looked at Eldir with sheer disbelief.

[Eldir! How could you be so disrespectful to Ern—Kaylen?!]

“Ah, forget it. Deluna, stop calling me Ern-Kaylen and just use my name properly.”

[Ern…]

“Yeah. Just like that.”

Ern?

What was Ern?

As Eldir stood there, dumbfounded, Irene pinched his arm from the side.

“Brother, why are you stirring up trouble for no reason?”

“Why. Why? So you’re telling me to just stand by and watch the strange atmosphere between my mother-in-law and His Majesty Kaylen?”

“…Ah, you’re hopeless. Seriously.”

Irene shook her head in disbelief at her oblivious brother.

Fine.

Let him dig his own grave.

It’s not like she was the one getting hit.

“Eldir. I was planning to tell you eventually, so this works out well. It’s better to say it while Deluna is here.”

“Tell me… what?”

“I am Ernstine.”

“…What?”

“I’m your father-in-law.”

---

[Ern, do you think Eldir will be alright?]

As Deluna strolled through the forest with Kaylen, she suddenly voiced her concern.

“Why? It’s not like I hit him.”

[Still, he got on the drake with a completely dazed look.]

“Well, it is a lot to take in. If you hadn’t backed me up, he would’ve never believed it.”

A former emperor from a thousand years ago, revived in the body of his descendant—

Who in their right mind would believe such a thing?

Even when Kaylen had demonstrated the overwhelming power of the Six Swords and transformed to resemble the Grand Emperor, Eldir had never even considered the possibility.

It was only because Deluna—who had once been the Grand Emperor’s fifth wife—had confirmed it herself that he had barely managed to accept the truth.

[Hehe. Still, don’t be too hard on Eldir.]

“They say mothers-in-law always favor their sons-in-law.”

[Because of Eldir, Melvria didn’t have to be alone.]

“…That, I have to acknowledge. But since he’s now Ernstine’s son-in-law, I need to train him properly. He’s still far from a true Sword Master.”

[Your standards are way too high…]

Kaylen walked alongside Deluna, casually conversing.

[Ern, thank you. You’re busy, yet you’re still making time for me.]

“It’s fine. I made sure things would run smoothly even if I stepped away for three days.”

[But won’t the current queen get jealous?]

“Queen? I’m single. I have no plans for now.”

[…*You*?]

Deluna narrowed her eyes at him.

[Ern, don’t lie to me just because I’m about to become the World Tree. I know how much you like women.]

“That was… unavoidable for the sake of unifying the continent.”

[Hoho… For the sake of unifying the continent? So that’s why the number of concubines kept increasing beyond a hundred even while I was still in the imperial palace?]

Even after a thousand years, he was still getting nagged by his wife.

Kaylen let out a dry chuckle.

“I had too much energy back then. But after seeing the fall of the Meier Empire, I regret living so indulgently.”

[…]

“Caius, Baldrix… and all the other conflicts among my children… I thought none of them would dare act while I was alive. But the world is unpredictable.”

[Who could have imagined you would disappear? You were the great Grand Sword Master who even cut down the Demon King.]

“I should have set things in order properly… but I foolishly thought I’d live forever.”

As the sun set and night fell, their conversation continued without pause.

[Ern. How much progress have you made with the Six Swords?]

“I’ve completed four—Flame, Water, Life, and Shadow.”

[That leaves Earth and Wind.]

“Yeah. So far, I’ve been lucky. But completing the last two won’t be easy. They have to be mastered almost simultaneously.”

[The Wind Sword and the Earth Sword…]

Deluna repeated the names of the two remaining swords before speaking.

[Should I start gathering Earth mana? I can store it inside the World Tree’s fruit.]

“Huh? That’s possible?”

[Yes. Now that I’m independent, I can use a certain amount of mana at my discretion. Besides, the stronger you become, the safer the World Tree will be.]

“That’s good. Then all that’s left is solving the issue of Wind mana.”

When Kaylen had first awakened in this body, the thought of ever completing the Six Swords had seemed like a distant dream…

But things were progressing much more smoothly than expected.

[As for Wind mana… there’s a lot stored in Eldir’s Spirit Stone. But if you take it, he’ll die.]

“You mean the Spirit Stone embedded in Eldir’s eye? No matter how urgent it is to complete the Six Swords, it’s not so urgent that I’d gouge out my son-in-law’s eye.”

Once the World Tree took root and stopped the red moon’s mana plundering,

it would become far easier to gather mana than it was now.

[Right?]

“Yeah. So don’t worry.”

[Ern. But haven’t we been walking for too long? I’m getting tired.]

“You’re tired? I can feel an overwhelming amount of life energy coming from that seed.”

[Still, walking for 36 hours straight is too much! Let’s rest for a bit, okay?]

Rumble—

Before Kaylen could even respond,

the ground trembled as mounds of earth rose up, forming a small house.

[Let’s sleep together for old times’ sake.]

The earthen door opened on its own.

From inside, Deluna gestured for Kaylen to enter.

“Haha, this brings back memories.”

With a small smile, Kaylen stepped into the house.

Once she became the World Tree, this would likely be the last time they could do something like this.

Even if it was just for a few days, he wanted to grant her every wish.

—

Rumble—

As the entire Sanctuary shook from the violent tremors, Theresia frowned.

“What’s happening?”

“Astella Bridge is shaking.”

“Again?”

Astella Bridge.

One of the four bridges that supported the Sanctuary.

Sustained by the power of the Holy Sword Astella, it had been unstable ever since that day.

“He still insists on going to Lord Kaylen?”

“Yes… It keeps shaking the entire bridge, saying it must return to its master.”

Ever since Kaylen had used a fragment of the Holy Sword, Astella had refused to continue stabilizing the bridge.

It had been constantly trying to move, demanding to return to its rightful master, the Hero.

Because of this, the Sanctuary had been forced to divert all efforts to suppress it, unable to focus on anything else.

“It seems impossible to stop it without the Saintess’s power.”

“…Sigh. Alright, I’ll go.”

Just as Theresia, exhausted, stood up—

Boom!

A deafening explosion echoed through the Sanctuary, loud enough to be heard even within the Saintess’s quarters.

“…No way.”

Theresia rushed out of the room in alarm.

But—

“L-Lady Saintess… We’re too late! The Holy Sword—it has fallen!”

It was already too late.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]