The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 154

A Celestial God being a parasite.

For someone with faith, it was an unacceptable notion.

"Why do you say it's a parasite?"

"According to mythology, this world was already complete as the Dragon God's domain. But the Celestial Realm and the Demon Realm... they are forces that entered from the outside. They cling to the Middle Realm, trying to survive in any way they can. They are invaders from beyond."

"So the Celestial God didn’t create the Middle Realm, but rather the opposite..."

"Yeah."

‘Is this why Theresia reacted with such disgust?’

Kaylen understood.

As someone from the Holy See, there was no way she would have a favorable opinion of a foreign mythology that labeled her god as a parasite.

‘And yet, the Holy See still allowed dwarves into its sanctum.’

The dwarves had initially come to see the Holy Sword, only to be so captivated by it that they set up forges right there.

When Kaylen mentioned this, Myorn shook her fur up and down.

"Well, that makes sense. After all, it's something completely unknown to the world."

"You’d think that even an outsider’s mythology would be somewhat known."

"Even most dwarves don’t know about this myth. We’ve always been more interested in metal refining than in mythology. Besides, this is a secret myth passed down only to the Queen. Even within the Holy See, only a handful of top leaders would know about it."

"So they just left the dwarves alone, then."

"Yeah. It benefits the Holy See to have dwarves forging weapons in their sanctum, doesn’t it?"

That was true.

Back in the day, many knights would visit the Holy See just to purchase high-quality weapons from the dwarves.

For the Holy See, the dwarves were likely an invaluable industry.

"A whole continent being a dragon… Then, do you know anything about the Dragon Heart?"

"Dragon Heart? Hmm... I only know that it’s the source of mana. It’s said that the very foundation of the mana in this world originates from the Dragon Heart."

"The source of mana, huh."

Since the continent itself was a dragon, it made sense that the Dragon Heart would be the very origin of mana.

Kaylen thought of Infinity. Mana with the nature of infinity.

If that power expanded and grew further, it might very well serve as a source of mana.

‘Infinity once told me it was a fragment of the heart…’

Infinity, which had been in the possession of the Meier Clan.

Could it have been a fragment of the very heart of the continent, Aberia?

And I was the one who awakened it.

‘They said I was unworthy of the dragon’s name.’

The reason I was denied the dragon’s name… It must have been because I rejected the Six Demonic Path.

If I had abandoned the Six Sword Path, I could have reached an even higher level.

But I didn’t, because I felt like I would lose "myself" if I did.

Was that why Infinity was displeased with me?

‘...What if I had chosen the Six Demonic Path back then?’

Would I have been granted the dragon’s name?

And would I have fulfilled the role of the Dragon Heart of Aberia?

‘If it’s the role of the Dragon Heart…’

Perhaps, it was something similar to what the Helmeier Clan is doing now through the Geysir Empire.

Drakes flying endlessly through the skies.

And then, the Black Dragon they created…

A being that saw humans as nothing more than prey and sacrifices, like the Empire of Dragons and Demons.

‘I will not live like that.’

He was the Emperor of humanity, their protector and champion.

Regardless of whether it was a fragment of the Dragon Heart or not, he had no intention of siding with Helmeier, who mercilessly slaughtered people.

‘No matter how powerful the Six Demonic Path may be…’

Kaylen vowed again and again that while he would refine and develop the Six Sword Path through the way of the sword, he would never allow it to transform into the Six Demonic Path.

“Ugh… Uuugh… L—No, Your Majesty… That was too much. If I weren’t an elf but a human, I would’ve died.”

At that moment—

From the entrance of the workshop, Eldir staggered out in a disheveled state.

“You’re back. You looked so pathetic that I had no other choice.”

“Ugh… That woman… What the hell did she do? C-Could she be a mage? Like, turning rum into water or something.”

“Sure. An impressive woman, indeed. So, are you really boasting in front of me about drinking all night with another woman?”

“Ah… That…”

Eldir shut his mouth completely.

Because, in front of his father-in-law, he had just admitted to getting drunk all night with a human woman, completely forgetting about his wife.

“Looks like I’ve been too lenient with you lately.”

“Ugh… I-I’m sorry… I even had nightmares… Nothing’s going right today.”

“Nightmares?”

Kaylen asked back while closely observing Eldir.

The moment he mentioned nightmares, something that had gone unnoticed until now became apparent.

‘There’s something attached to Eldir’s head.’

A presence—a mixture of dark mana and wind mana.

The most similar type of mana composition would be…

A spirit.

It was so faint that it had gone undetected until Eldir brought up his nightmares.

But now that he had mentioned it, Kaylen could see it clearly.

“What kind of dream was it?”

“It told me to fulfill the elves’ long-cherished wish… quickly.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

Kaylen spoke while looking at the mass of mana clinging to Eldir’s head.

“Tell me about it in detail.”

In the South River district of Alzass, the capital—

Stood the Red Tower.

The Red Tower was the most prominent magic tower in the Kingdom of Starn.

Specializing in fire magic, this tower had nurtured many talents, including Lioness, the son of Duke Oblaine.

It was also known for having the highest number of A-rank Mana Suits.

Inside the grand conference hall of the Red Tower—

The master mages of the capital’s magic towers had gathered with solemn expressions.

“How have things been lately?”

“Haa…”

"It is not looking good."

Since King Kaylen's ascension to the throne, the prestige of the magic towers had been gradually declining.

Kaylen, though not openly, had been implementing policies favoring knights.

On top of that, the Myorn Workshop had been producing results far surpassing anything the magic towers had researched.

Even though it had only been a year since Kaylen took the throne, the tide of the world had shifted far more than expected.

"His Majesty is a Swordmaster, so it is understandable that he favors knights."

"For those without talent in magic, becoming a knight is a good thing. More meat shields for us, isn’t it? Haha."

"Yes, even with knight-favoring policies, our advantage won’t disappear overnight. However… there is a far more serious issue."

The knight-favoring policies—

In the long run, they would certainly be a disadvantage to the magic towers, but within just a year, they had not yet caused immediate harm.

However—

"Whatever His Majesty has done… dungeon portals are no longer appearing. How absurd."

"Several cities have already notified us that they will be terminating their protection contracts."

"The losses are beyond imagination…"

When the kingdom's name was changed to the Kingdom of Starn, and the King declared that dungeon portals would no longer emerge,

Not many had anticipated the gravity of the situation.

Would they really disappear?

Doubt had been the prevailing sentiment.

After all, dungeon portals had existed for centuries, becoming an inseparable part of life on the Averia Continent.

"For those of us who purchased A-rank Mana Suits from the King, the losses are even greater."

"With Myorn Workshop around, even selling our goods has become difficult."

When the King first sold A-rank Mana Suits at low prices, the magic towers had eagerly snapped them up, thinking it was a bargain.

But soon after, the Combine Suits from Myorn Workshop were revealed to produce nearly the same output as A-rank suits.

Not only that, but Myorn's newly developed mana suits were steadily being supplied across the entire kingdom.

They were not restricted by elemental affinities, yet their power was comparable to A-rank Mana Suits.

Unlike the traditional magic tower Mana Suits, which could only be used by Meisters, these new suits had a massive competitive advantage.

Naturally, the market was being taken from them.

"Sigh… That damned Myorn Workshop."

"With the King protecting them, we can't even touch them."

"We tried to recruit their talents, but they all refused, saying they wanted to stay."

"What, because of elves? Imagine that—mages losing themselves over women. Tsk tsk…"

The masters of the magic towers, gathered in the Red Tower, all began condemning the mages who had joined Myorn Workshop.

Even though they themselves kept multiple concubines, they viewed their junior mages differently from themselves.

"Regardless… this situation is more serious than we thought."

"If dungeon portals disappear, so does the income cities have been paying us."

"But we can’t exactly go and ask for the portals to be restored."

"If we were to make such a request to that King… the magic towers might cease to exist altogether."

The magic tower masters still remembered how King Kaylen had once beheaded multiple tower masters in an instant.

Against a ruler who was a force unto himself, they dared not rebel.

In this situation, they had no choice but to accept reality and find a new path forward.

"That is why I have come up with an idea."

"And what would that be?"

"The Demon Hunters should operate abroad."

"That is true, but…" One of the magic tower masters trailed off.

What was being said made sense.

Dungeon portals were still rampant in foreign lands.

However—

"Would the King allow this?"

"Isn't it a fundamental rule that domestic Meisters are not permitted to leave the country?"

Meisters and Mana Suits were vital resources for maintaining national security.

Sending them abroad to subjugate foreign dungeon portals simply did not make sense.

Even though dungeon portals were no longer appearing in the Kingdom of Shtarn, there was no guarantee they would not return one day.

Whether the magic towers suffered losses or not, from the kingdom’s standpoint, keeping their Meister forces within the country was the obvious choice.

"Still, based on what we’ve seen of the King, he is not completely unreasonable. Would it not be worth making the request?"

"Hmm…"

"Then, how about having all the magic tower masters sign a petition?"

"That sounds like a good idea."

If every magic tower master gathered here were to sign the petition—

Even King Kaylen would not go as far as to behead them all.

"Then I will submit the petition on behalf of everyone."

"Ah… For the Red Tower Master to take on such a burden…"

"As expected of the Red Tower Master."

Hearing the other magic tower masters praising him, the Red Tower Master let out a bitter smile.

‘If they knew this was actually the King's idea, they'd be utterly shocked.’

Lioness, who had once belonged to the Red Tower,

After joining the Royal Knights, he had recently approached the Red Tower Master and urged him to push for the magic towers’ expansion abroad.

—This is all by His Majesty’s will, Master.

His former disciple had spoken as if simply delivering a notice.

The Red Tower Master found it irritating, but with Kaylen boasting the strongest royal authority in history, he was in no position to defy him.

‘And his will just so happens to align with our magic towers’ interests.’

With dungeon portals having vanished so suddenly, the Demon Hunters were left idle.

One way or another, dungeon subjugation had to continue.

At this rate, they would run into deficits and suffer massive financial losses.

‘But what exactly… does the King want?’

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]