The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 204

Geysir Imperial Castle.

"You called for me."

Caius entered the throne room where Kaina had summoned him.

‘What’s going on?’ She seemed on the verge of reviving the Dragon God at any moment.

Yet, something must have happened—she halted everything and hadn’t called for him even once until now.

Caius looked toward the throne.

She always wore a relaxed smile, but today, her expression was unusually grave.

“Caius.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“You’ve been enjoying your freedom, haven’t you?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“You’ve come to your senses, haven’t you?”

Kaina’s grave expression softened, and she beamed brightly.

“I deliberately weakened the brainwashing last time.”

“…!”

“If you had never doubted the Dragon God, you would have remained the good child you once were.”

Caius clenched his teeth.

No wonder the brainwashing hadn’t taken hold.

He dropped his courteous demeanor and glared at Kaina with eyes filled with hostility.

“…You tested me.”

“Hehe. Of course. Even I felt my heart race when I saw the fake. If I reacted that way, don’t you think I should test the others as well?”

“…Your heart raced, did it? Then you must know, instinctively, that the one you call a fake is actually real.”

“No. He is a fake.”

Sssss…

Flames rose before Kaina, forming the face of Kaylen.

It was the exact same face as Emperor Ernstine from a thousand years ago.

She gazed at it with a look of ecstasy, brushing her fingers over it, murmuring wistfully.

“My heart only raced because it reminded me of the memories we built together when he was human.”

Caius stared at Kaina.

She was utterly convinced that Kaylen was an imposter.

“…I see. Then why did you leave me alone, knowing I wasn’t under the brainwashing?”

“I let you be so you could conspire with the fake…”

As the fiery image of Kaylen faded, Kaina’s eyes turned pitch black.

“But now, the situation has changed.”

“Urgh…!”

The overwhelming force was completely different from the previous brainwashing.

Kaina was shaking Caius’s mind with her full power.

As he clutched his head and collapsed, she spoke.

“My original plan was to use you as bait to lure the fake into the Imperial Castle…”

She licked her lips and smirked.

But her eyes were no longer on the fallen Caius.

She was thinking about the beautiful Six Sword Pattern she had seen in the Starn Empire.

“…But now, you’ll have to become a sacrifice for the sake of obtaining that sword, Caius.”

After the fall of the Sanctuary.

Most of the continent’s inhabitants didn’t yet realize the Sanctuary had collapsed.

However, they could sense that somewhere, something enormous had changed.

“It’s already been over a month.”

"What does the Dungeon Guild say?"

"They keep repeating that they still can't contact headquarters."

The King of Rahendra listened to the report with a grave expression.

'Too many inexplicable things have been happening lately.'

The neighboring Bormian Kingdom had suddenly transformed into the Starn Empire.

A single emperor had seized control over multiple nations across the continent.

And now, the dungeon portals, which had existed alongside humanity for centuries, had abruptly stopped appearing.

'From a ruler's perspective, this is a welcome development.'

The sudden peace was beneficial, considering the manpower and resources that had been spent on subjugating dungeon portals.

But if there were those who profited from this, there would inevitably be those who suffered losses.

'…At this rate, there will be no need to rely so heavily on the Mage Tower anymore.'

Mages had played a central role in dungeon portal subjugation, their influence growing so immense that even high-ranking nobles dared not oppose them.

But if the portals remained gone, the Mage Tower's influence would gradually wane.

'And naturally, this would lead to a drop in mana stone prices as well.'

Mana stones, essential for manufacturing and charging mana suits.

If the dungeons disappeared, there would be no need to invest heavily in mana stones anymore.

'This will ease our financial burdens a bit.'

The funds requested by the Mage Tower for dungeon subjugation had been so exorbitant that it left no room for other ventures.

If mana stone prices dropped, new business opportunities that had never been considered before might open up.

The reason for the disappearance of dungeon portals was still unknown.

'But the situation itself is not bad.'

With that thought, the King of Rahendra turned to his vassal and asked,

"Any other unusual reports?"

"Ah. The Mage Tower is dispatching a large number of people to the Starn Empire."

"To the Starn Empire? Why?"

"They say the Empire is purchasing mana stones."

"…Mana stones?"

"Yes. And they're paying full market price, so the Mage Tower has begun selling off its reserves."

Why would the Empire suddenly do that?

'That monstrous emperor shouldn't have much need for mana stones.'

The King of Rahendra thought of Emperor Kaylen.

A being of overwhelming power who had once ridden a dragon and seized a kingdom single-handedly.

The fact that he was suddenly purchasing mana stones made the King seriously consider whether Rahendra should start stockpiling them as well.

"That emperor buying mana stones… It’s strange. Shouldn’t we secure some for ourselves too?"

"That may be so, but… will you issue an order to the Mage Tower?"

Hearing his vassal's indifferent tone, the King realized his own predicament.

No matter how much he was a king, the real power rested with the Mage Tower.

A mere figurehead like himself had no authority to interfere in their affairs.

"…No. Even if I ordered it, they wouldn’t listen. We'll just stockpile whatever belongs to the royal palace."

"Understood."

* * *

The Imperial Capital of the Starn Empire

"…What are you doing?"

"You're here."

Myorn looked around the open space of the imperial capital, her voice filled with confusion.

"Why are you throwing mana stones on the ground?"

Thud.

From large crates, mana stones tumbled down onto the earth.

As soon as it touched the ground, the mana stones dissolved and disappeared.

‘Do you know how much that costs…?’

Even though the price of mana stones had dropped a bit recently, they weren’t something to be treated like mere pebbles.

‘Wait, come to think of it, I heard that Kaylen buys mana stones at a high price from abroad. That means he’s just throwing around something worth 5,000 gold into thin air, isn’t he?’

Even if he was the Emperor, wasn’t it too much of a waste to treat mana stones like ordinary rocks?

When Myorn shot a disapproving look at Kaylen, he responded with a smile.

“The ground… can’t you feel the intent?”

“Intent?”

“It’s enough to deceive even the senses of the Dwarf Queen. It’s working well.”

“Deceive the senses?”

“Look.”

Kaylen extended his hand toward the ground.

Vrrrrrrr.

Six-colored light began to rise from the ground.

And at the same time—

“T-This is….”

Myorn’s fur bristled with fear and shrank inward.

A sword’s presence, something she hadn’t sensed at all before, was now closing in on her from all directions.

A sword’s deadly aura, as if it could slice her to pieces at any moment.

With trembling eyes, she looked down at the ground.

Something.

Something enormous was faintly revealing itself.

“This is… Six Swords…?”

At first, the sheer size made it hard to discern its shape.

Stretching her fur upward to get a better look, she finally saw it—six swords forming a massive figure.

“That’s right.”

The Six Swords rose from the ground.

A pattern of six swords completely encased the royal palace grounds.

Faced with its overwhelming scale, Myorn’s eyes widened.

“Pouring mana stones into it…”

“It’s to nurture the swords.”

Snap.

With a flick of Kaylen’s fingers, a box of mana stones floated into the air and started pouring into the empty spaces at the center of the Six Swords.

As soon as the mana stones disappeared, the six swords glowed faintly and gradually grew in size.

“…Shouldn’t you be absorbing the aura into your body instead? What’s the point of just making them bigger?”

“There’s a use for them. A human body has limits to how much power it can contain. But the earth can take it all.”

“But you won’t be able to use it at a crucial moment…”

“I have my own way.”

For Myorn, who believed Kaylen to be human, this was a natural doubt.

‘She would never imagine that I am the sword itself.’

Kaylen didn’t offer a detailed explanation.

Instead, he asked her,

“How’s the production of the Divine Sword coming along? I sent Johannes and Violet.”

“Oh, the Divine Sword of Water? It’s going well. It should be completed within a week.”

“That fast?”

“It’s possible because Violet joined. She’s a descendant of merfolk, right? She can freely manipulate water mana, so most of the issues were resolved.”

The former Dwarf Queen, Kaina, had once created a Fire Sword. Using that as a reference, along with Johannes—who had previously attempted to forge the framework of a Divine Sword—and Violet, who could freely control water mana, the process of creating the Divine Sword of Water was progressing smoothly.

“…But, do we even need a Divine Sword anymore?”

Kaina asked in a somewhat weary voice as she looked at the Six Swords embedded in the ground.

If he could wield these swords freely, then wouldn’t the Divine Sword be unnecessary?

“No, I still need it.”

Kaylen shook his head at her words.

While the Divine Sword was no longer required to stabilize the swords, he still had a use for it.

A new purpose—different from its previous necessity.

“So, make sure it’s completed as soon as possible.”

“Got it. But… why did you call me here in the first place?”

“I wanted to see if your senses could detect these swords. If they can deceive the Dwarf Queen’s perception, then they can be used for even more applications.”

“Oh. I had no idea. I didn’t even realize the swords were here.”

Hearing Myorn’s response, Kaylen nodded in satisfaction.

Though she hadn’t yet reached the pinnacle of mastery, her ability to perceive swords and their intent was exceptional—just as one would expect from a Dwarf Queen.

If even her senses could be fooled, then it meant Kaylen had achieved his goal.

‘This should be enough.’

As he continued pouring mana stones into the Six Swords, a knight from the imperial palace approached him.

“Your Majesty. The Geysir Empire has completed the sword. An envoy who introduced himself as Caius has arrived.”

“Caius?”

Kaylen’s eyes gleamed at the name.

‘Kaina… she moves fast.’

It had only been a month, and yet they had already completed the Divine Sword and sent it here?

Or perhaps…

“I see. Have him come here.”

“Here… Your Majesty?”

He was an envoy of an empire.

And yet Kaylen was ordering him to be brought to such an empty space?

The knight asked in confusion.

“Yes. Bring him here.”

Kaylen’s voice was firm.

“They will want this as well.”

“…Understood.”

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]