The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 172

One month had passed since Baldrix received the Mana Suit from Ernstine.

During that time, he had been completely absorbed in studying the Six Sword Path contained within the Mana Suit.

'Isn't he going to the New Continent?'

A whole month had passed without any summons from Ernstine, which left him feeling somewhat puzzled.

'He must be too preoccupied with learning magic.'

Well, he himself had been holed up in the training hall, observing the Six Sword Path the entire time.

His father must have been just as focused on mastering magic.

With that thought, Baldrix turned his gaze toward the six swords.

'Now that I’ve looked at it closely, I get it. I’ll never be able to use these swords.'

The more he studied the Six Sword Path, the more he realized the vast gap between himself and his father.

A swordsmanship of six attributes—nearly perfect, or rather, completely flawless.

The idea that his father had created such a technique when he was merely a Swordmaster was something he still couldn't fully believe, even after a month of research.

'I may be a member of House Meier, but I was simply born different from my father.'

Even as a prodigy who became a Swordmaster at a young age, recognized as one of the most gifted knights…

That very talent made him even more aware of just how exceptional Ernstine was.

'No matter how much of my life I dedicate to the sword, I’ll never be able to create an Aura Sword like this.'

In the past, he had tried everything to master the Six Sword Path.

But after spending a month in its presence, he felt his lingering attachment to it gradually fading.

'I should just focus on refining my own Aura Sword.'

With that thought, Baldrix deactivated the Mana Suit.

* * *

"Lord Baldrix, His Majesty has summoned you."

"Oh? Alright."

Still wearing the Mana Suit in its gauntlet form, Baldrix responded and made his way to the Imperial Palace upon Ernstine’s summons.

Along the way, he unexpectedly crossed paths with someone.

"Your Holiness…"

"Prince Baldrix—no, I should call you Grand Duke now. It has been a while."

Pope Benedict, who was supposed to be at the Holy See, was stepping out of Ernstine’s office, accompanied by several attendants, wearing a warm smile.

"Did His Majesty summon Your Holiness?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Heh… Please take good care of him."

With those words, Pope Benedict passed by Baldrix.

Then, just before leaving, he casually offered a blessing.

"May the divine protection of the Celestial God be with you in the days ahead."

"Thank you."

For a brief moment—

A faint white light enveloped Baldrix’s body before vanishing just as quickly.

'To run into His Holiness by chance and even receive his blessing…'

Feeling that today might be a lucky day, Baldrix stepped into Ernstine’s office.

"You’ve arrived, Baldrix."

"Yes, Father."

"Hm."

The atmosphere in the office was noticeably different from a month ago.

Johannes, who was usually all smiles, now wore a deeply solemn expression.

And Ernstine spoke in a tone laced with irritation.

"Why did you bring that Mana Suit?"

"Ah, I came straight from training in the hall, so…"

"Hm. Try putting it on now."

Following Kaylen’s command, Baldrix activated the Mana Suit.

As soon as it was equipped, Ernstine reached out toward him.

"O sword, leave my body."

Sssssss…

The engravings of the Six Swords on the Mana Suit darkened, growing more pronounced.

At the same time, the mana contained within it surged dramatically.

Ten minutes passed, and by the time Ernstine finally lowered his hand—

The six swords had extended from the suit, reaching from his head down to the tips of his limbs.

"From now on, do not bring the Mana Suit here again. As long as I can see the Six Swords, I can't focus on my magic."

"My apologies. I’ll be more careful."

"Good. Keep that in mind next time."

When Baldrix, who had bowed his head deeply, lifted his gaze again—

Johannes, standing beside Ernstine, furrowed his brows and subtly shook his head.

A gesture warning him to tread carefully.

'Just what kind of magic is he learning for Father to have changed like this?'

Ernstine had never once shown irritation in front of his children.

Not toward any of them, from childhood to adulthood.

Even when Baldrix openly opposed Caius and vied for the throne, Ernstine had never gotten angry about it.

At most, he had gently advised him.

"Baldrix."

"Yes…?"

"Look at this."

With a smooth motion, Ernstine brushed back his hair, revealing the nape of his neck.

On his pale skin, small, rough crimson scales were visible.

"This is…"

"Yes. The Pope saw them and told me what they were. These are dragon scales—Dragonhide."

"Dragonhide…?"

"That’s right, Baldrix. Our House Meier is descended from dragons. I realized this as I studied magic, and the Pope confirmed it."

In that moment—

A glint flashed through Ernstine’s golden eyes.

His once-round pupils shifted, narrowing into vertical slits like those of a serpent.

"Our Meier bloodline is destined to become dragons, Baldrix."

"Dragons? But… we are human, aren't we?"

"No. You possess Infinity as well, do you not? Even if in small amounts. We are the descendants of dragons."

To claim that simply having Infinity—unlimited mana—meant they were descended from dragons…

That was far too much of a leap.

Father, you need to regain your composure.

Baldrix wanted to say that.

But the moment he met Ernstine’s gaze, his body froze, and he found himself unable to speak.

"…I see."

Instead, his lips parted on their own, and he agreed as if his reasoning had been numbed.

"Good. There is something I need you to do."

"Something you need me to do?"

"Yes. Go to Akinsor, your mother’s homeland, and gather an army."

"An army…?"

"That’s right."

Why is he suddenly telling me to raise an army?

Baldrix briefly questioned it.

But as he looked into Ernstine’s eyes, his reasoning gradually faded…

‘It’s Father’s command. I must obey. No matter what.’

That was the only thought that came to mind.

"Ernstine! Gather an army? What nonsense are you talking about!?"

"As a former prince of Akinsor, shouldn’t this be an easy task for you?"

"Shut up!"

Had Johannes not stepped forward and blocked Baldrix’s path in anger—

He would have continued thinking that way.

"Your Majesty. Explain yourself properly. Why do you want an army from Akinsor? If you cannot convince me, as the former prince of Akinsor, I will resist with all my might."

"Heh… Resist? You dare, against me, your Emperor?"

"What!?"

"As expected, those without my blood cannot understand. Enough. You are no longer of use to me."

Johannes' eyes widened.

Though he had served Ernstine as his lord, for decades, they had been nothing less than lifelong friends.

But ever since Ernstine started learning magic, he had changed.

And now, he was saying Johannes was "no longer useful."

"Mana, explode the traitor."

"You…"

The moment Ernstine pointed a finger at Johannes' head—

Boom!

The head of an 8th-circle Grand Mage burst apart effortlessly.

Thud.

As Johannes’ headless body collapsed, Ernstine smiled serenely at the sight.

"Heh… so this is what it feels like to truly control mana."

"U-Uncle…! Father, what have you done!?"

"Baldrix. He defied me. This is the rightful punishment."

Ssss…

As Ernstine’s pupils once again narrowed into vertical slits—

Baldrix felt his body freeze.

He could feel the mana within him submitting to those eyes.

A gaze that no one of the Meier bloodline could resist.

"…You are correct."

"Then, you should also punish the traitor, should you not?"

"Understood."

Baldrix nodded blankly—

And stepped on the corpse of the uncle he had once followed more than anyone.

Ernstine watched with delight.

And with that, Baldrix’s mind went blank for a long time.

From then on, he lived as Ernstine’s puppet.

"Caius is unfit to be Emperor!"

He marched into Akinsor and raised a rebellion against the Empire.

"We take no prisoners."

He slaughtered every surrendering soldier, leaving only corpses in his wake.

And as the bodies piled up—

"Heh heh heh…"

Ernstine devoured them all, consuming them to become a dragon.

And when the Empire finally crumbled—

When he had gathered enough to satisfy his desire—

"Baldrix. The time has come."

The Emperor, his body covered in scales, gave his command.

"Bring me the Mana Suit that contains the Six Swords. Once I absorb it, I will become a true Dragon God."

The Mana Suit containing the Six Swords—

It was stored in the treasure vault of the Akinsor Royal Palace.

Once, Baldrix had never wanted to part with that treasure, not even for a moment.

–I don’t even want to look at it. Hide it away somewhere.

Following Ernstine’s orders, he had sealed it within the treasure vault of the newly established Akinsor Kingdom after toppling the Empire.

‘With this, Father will become the great Dragon God.’

Baldrix retrieved the Mana Suit from the depths of the vault, overwhelmed with joy.

Once Ernstine absorbed the power contained within the Six Swords and completed his transformation—

Baldrix would have fulfilled his sacred duty.

To him, this was the ultimate glory.

–Child of man.

If not for the solemn voice echoing in his mind—

He would have continued his task in a daze.

–Awaken from your delusion.

With just those words—

A splitting pain erupted in his head.

His reason returned.

"N-No… What have I done…?"

He had destroyed the great Empire that once unified the continent.

He had slain his own kin—

Even sentencing his elder brother Caius’s wife and children to death.

He had flooded the land with corpses—

Feeding them all to the Dragon God.

The world had branded him the Bloodsucking King for his atrocities.

And in the end, all he had gained was the Akinsor Kingdom, the nation he rebuilt.

Baldrix grasped at his hair, pulling it in despair.

Even if he had been manipulated, he was the one who had committed these acts.

It would have been better if he had never awakened from his delusion.

He collapsed to the ground.

He wished—

That all of this had been a dream.

Just then—

A brilliant white portal opened in the corner of the treasure vault.

From within, a man stepped out, walking slowly toward him.

"Baldrix."

"Uncle…?"

"Yes. I've come to take you with me."

Seeing Johannes standing before him, unchanged from before, Baldrix sighed in relief and asked—

"Y-You’re alive?"

"No. I’m dead."

Shhhk.

Johannes ran a hand across his face—

And his head instantly transformed into a blackened skull.

"But the Celestial Realm revived me."

"L-Like that? Aren’t you undead?"

"Yeah. Apparently, that’s the only way they could bring me back. Damn ridiculous… an undead in the Celestial Realm. The world’s gone mad."

Johannes let out a dry chuckle, then turned to the white portal.

"The Celestial Realm wants me to bring you there."

He reached out beside it—

And a new, crimson portal formed.

"But who knows what they’ll do to you if we go there? We’re taking this way instead."

"U-Uncle. But if I leave… Father won’t be able to become the Dragon God."

"Ugh, that bastard. Do you even realize what’ll happen if he does?"

"That…"

"This entire continent will be turned upside down. Every human will die. Akinsor, this kingdom you built—it will all be wiped out. Is that what you want?"

Baldrix had no response.

If he were still in his dazed state, perhaps he wouldn’t have cared.

But now—

The thought of humanity’s extinction was something he could no longer accept.

"Let’s go."

"…Yes."

Holding the Mana Suit, Baldrix followed Johannes—

Stepping into the crimson portal.

Just moments before Ernstine could complete his transformation into the true Dragon God—

Baldrix fled with the Mana Suit, ruining everything.

And because of that, Ernstine was never able to become the Dragon God.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]