The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 1028:
Ruuumble!
The wolf rose from the water, its sea-infused, glossy fur bristling.
Its massive body, large enough to brush the sun hanging at the center of the sky, was as majestic as an island. The natural mana blooming from the tips of its blue-tinged fur made it feel less like facing a living being and more like standing before the World Tree that protected Sephia.
“Th-that’s him!”
Rabawin raised a trembling finger, pointing at the blue wolf blotting out the sun.
“That’s the wolf I told you about!”
Despite being flustered by the sudden situation, he revealed his murderous intent toward the wolf that had destroyed the village.
“Wh-what is he, so big! I didn’t hear anything about him being able to block out the sky!”
Martha swallowed hard, seemingly stunned by the wolf’s overwhelming size.
“It’s not just that he’s big. That mana… it’s beyond what we can handle.”
Burren bit his lip deeply, sensing the immense mana the wolf possessed.
“Cool and big puppy…”
Unlike the others, Runaan wasn’t afraid of the wolf, nodding with calm eyes.
“Euaaaaaagh!”
“M-monster! No, it’s beyond that level!”
“That’s not a monster, it’s dragon-class, isn’t it?”
“J-just one kick from it would probably wreck this ship…”
The Light Wind Palace Swordsmen and the sailors were all terrified, unable to look at the blue wolf properly, their legs trembling.
“That won’t happen.”
Raon told them not to worry, heading toward the prow of the Azure Wind ship.
‘To think I’d meet him so soon.’
He had been wondering how to search the vast ocean for the wolf, but he never expected to run into it as soon as they set sail.
‘Rabawin didn’t mistake it, after all.’
It was definitely Transcendant-level.
The massive wolf possessed the immense mana Rabawin had described, rivaling a Transcendant. It truly seemed to have inherited the power of this sea.
‘I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.’
He had been planning to give the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen practical experience fighting pirates while helping Rabawin, but he never thought he’d get a chance to grow first.
“Hoo.”
Wrath smacked his lips as if he found it interesting.
– “He’s quite cute. He would be perfect to tie up in front of my castle!”
He licked his lips, wanting to catch the wolf and take it away.
To say such things after seeing a mysterious wolf with power beyond a Transcendant, he was truly worthy of being called the Demon King.
‘But…’
Raon narrowed his eyes, drawing Heavenly Drive from his waist.
‘Is that thing really alive?’
All living beings possessed mana. The blue wolf had immense mana surpassing a Transcendant, but something about it was different from others.
‘It’s like a spirit, but it has a sinister air. It’s like a monster, but I can sense spiritual power.’
He couldn’t pin the blue wolf down as a single species, like a monster or a spirit.
‘Leaving aside its identity…’
Why was it standing still?
After rising to the surface, the blue wolf only stared intently at them with its sea-colored eyes. No, at him.
‘Is it gauging me?’
The mana-laden sea breeze rolling off the blue wolf made it clear that it was probing his power.
‘Hmm.’
Raon examined the blue wolf as well, then shook his head.
‘I can’t tell with Aura Sense.’
He couldn’t grasp how strong the blue wolf was from the amount of mana alone. In the end, he would have to face it directly.
“Protect the ship.”
After instructing the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen to protect the Azure Wind ship, Raon descended onto the sea.
“If you have that many thoughts, you’re not a beast. Let’s get physical.”
He was about to take a stance to leap across the sea when—
Fwoooosh!
As if it had lost interest in him, the blue wolf began to sink back into the sea. Its body turned into blue water droplets and scattered, as if its form had never existed in the first place.
“What is this!”
Raon frowned, rushing to where the wolf had been standing.
‘It…’
Activating the senses of Glacier and spreading his Aura Sense, he couldn’t feel the massive mana of the wolf anywhere.
‘Wrath!’
Raon immediately called out to Wrath.
– “I can’t sense it either.”
Wrath shook his head, saying it seemed to have truly disappeared.
– “Didn’t it just come to greet you?”
He muttered that he liked it even more, calling it a polite wolf.
‘There’s no way.’
Raon shoved Wrath aside, wrinkling his nose.
‘What is it thinking?’
Did it retreat after seeing him, even after trying to attack the port?
He didn’t know the blue wolf’s identity, so he couldn’t figure out what it was thinking, and that made him frustrated.
“Tch.”
Raon clicked his tongue and crossed the sea again, climbing back onto the deck of the Azure Wind ship.
“Did it disappear?”
Rabawin quickly turned his gaze, looking worried.
“Yes. It completely erased its presence.”
Raon let out a short sigh, saying he couldn’t find it.
“Did it disappear like this when you first met the wolf?”
He asked if Rabawin had experienced the same thing, since he had said the wolf vanished.
“No, it didn’t.”
Rabawin shook his head firmly.
“It only showed its face to me, then ran across the sea.”
His eyes twitched as he said it hadn’t lingered like this, and it hadn’t dissolved into water droplets.
“I see.”
Raon raised his hand and stroked his chin.
‘Is it really probing people?’
What was the reason?
‘Because I might interfere with what it’s doing?’
But he didn’t sense much malice.
He couldn’t figure out the blue wolf’s intentions, no matter how much he thought about it.
“What did you all see?”
Raon turned and called out to the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen.
“I felt like I was facing nature itself.”
Burren groaned, still unable to come to his senses.
“I know I’m not even worth a handful…”
Martha straightened her back with a composed posture.
“But I wanted to fight it.”
She put strength into her voice, saying it would be fun.
“I-I couldn’t read its mind well…”
Dorian drooped his shoulders, saying he didn’t know what the wolf was thinking even though he used Mind’s Eye.
“I…”
Runaan slowly parted her lips.
“It looked tired…”
She waved her hand, saying the wolf’s condition didn’t look good.
“Why did it look tired?”
“It just did…”
Runaan blinked, saying she didn’t know either.
‘Tired, huh…’
Raon smacked his lips as Wrath approached him from the side.
-“I…”
Wrath stared at the sea with serious eyes. Judging by his expression, he seemed to have sensed something.
‘What did you see?’
– “It doesn’t look tasty!”
He shook his head, saying it somehow had a face that wouldn’t taste good.
‘……’
-.”But I still have to taste it… Hey! Where are you going!”
Raon ignored Wrath, who was smacking his lips, and approached Rabawin.
“Let’s keep sailing for now. We still have a long way to go.”
===
“Haa….”
Raon let out a short breath as he entered a tavern in the port city of Kurt to fill his stomach.
‘It didn’t show up again in the end.’
He had gone with Rabawin to inspect the ports and villages protected under the Pirate King’s name, but fortunately, none had been attacked.
He had even come to Kurt, tucked away in a corner, in case the wolf might visit other villages or ports, but he hadn’t gained anything.
‘Should I call this fortunate?’
It was fortunate that there were no dead people or destroyed cities, but he still felt frustrated because the wolf didn’t appear.
“Let’s eat first.”
Burren said he was tired, so they should eat first, handing him the menu.
– “What’s wrong with him?”
Wrath nodded grandly, saying Burren had said something he liked for the first time.
“First of all, since we came to the coast, we should start with seafood…”
“Order whatever you want. Mainly seafood.”
Raon passed the menu to Martha, who was sitting across from him.
– “I’m not done talking! First of all, it’s seafood, and there’s still a lot left!”
‘They’re good eaters, so they’ll order well on their own.’
Runaan ate little, but Burren and Martha weren’t picky, so they would probably order half the menu.
“Is there anything worth looking at on the menu?”
“Well, we can just order everything.”
Martha and Burren shouted to bring everything on the menu as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
‘See?’
– “Heh-heh-heh, but there’s a taste to ordering things yourself…”
Wrath smacked his lips, disappointed.
‘But…’
Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at Wrath.
‘It truly was a village that could only be called ruins.’
He could understand the word “destruction,” too.
He had also visited the village Rabawin said had been destroyed while coming here. The village was decaying and collapsing as if it had been abandoned for decades, just as Rabawin had said.
“Seawater alone can’t corrode it like that.”
Wrath shook his head, saying it couldn’t happen through normal means.
– “That wolf must have used some trickery.”
He bit his lip, calling it vermin that didn’t know the value of people.
‘Blue wolf…’
It was as Raon narrowed his eyes, thinking about the blue wolf he had encountered as soon as they entered the sea.
People who looked like fishermen sat down behind them, holding glasses of alcohol.
“The tides are good these days, but I’m worried because there’s been bad news.”
A bald fisherman frowned as he drank his beer.
“That’s right. Fish are pouring in as soon as you cast your line these days, but it’s scary to go out.”
A middle-aged man with a cactus-like beard sighed.
“Speaking of which, did you hear that news?”
The bald fisherman lowered his head slightly, as if sharing a secret.
“What rumor?”
“It’s about Raon Zieghart. Looks like you don’t know.”
He snorted as if it were ridiculous.
“I-I know him too. Why wouldn’t I know the Sword Emperor who slain the Black Tower Lord?”
The middle-aged man with the cactus beard shook his head as if he didn’t want to lose.
“Tsk tsk.”
The bald fisherman clicked his tongue.
“You don’t know because you’re just fishing around here.”
He shook his head, calling him pathetic.
“Why! What else happened!”
The middle-aged man with the cactus beard banged the table with his glass, telling him to speak.
“Ahem, I’m hungry and thirsty, so I can’t just tell you for free….”
The bald fisherman smacked his lips.
“Hey, owner! Bring two beers to that bald guy!”
“I’ll buy the snacks!”
“You like free stuff. No wonder your hair fell out.”
The residents sitting in the tavern ordered alcohol and snacks, saying they were curious, and gathered around the bald fisherman.
“I’ve quenched my thirst, so I’ll start!”
The bald fisherman set down his glass and slapped the table with his palm.
“First, we have to start with the Eden incident. Eden spread the Net of Heaven and Earth to track down the traitor. Literally, not even a rat could escape….”
He recounted the incidents carried out to save Merlin in detail. The rumors seemed to be spreading more vividly than before.
“D-did Raon Zieghart really kill The Fallen One?”
The middle-aged man with the cactus beard widened his eyes.
“That’s right!”
The bald fisherman clicked his tongue, asking if he’d lived his whole life being fooled.
“Of course, the Magic Tower Lord faced most of The Fallen One’s power, but it was definitely the Sword Emperor who finished him off!”
He shouted that Raon was the one who cut down The Fallen One at the end, draining his beer.
“A-amazing.”
“A martial artist who’s only just started drying the blood on his blade killed a monster called The Fallen One….”
“One of Eden’s pillars has fallen, so will we be a little more comfortable now?”
The people in the tavern muttered that the Four Demons would hold their breath and began returning to their seats.
“Uh-huh! Where are you going!”
The bald fisherman hurriedly raised his hand.
“I’m not done talking yet!”
He shook his head violently, saying he hadn’t said everything.
“Huh…?”
“You’re not done yet?”
“He killed The Fallen One, but there’s more?”
The people widened their eyes as if they couldn’t believe there was more beyond that.
“That’s right. The Fallen One being dead is already a widespread and tasteless rumor. What I really want to tell you is the next story.”
The bald fisherman spread his arms, chewing the fish that came out as a snack, head and all.
“Raon Zieghart went straight to the Five Divine Orders without resting for even a few days after slaying The Fallen One. And there….”
He explained in detail, as if he had seen it himself, how Raon awakened the Thespian Emperor and the Evil Sword Marquis and accepted the alliance of the White Whale Theater and the Swordless Pavilion.
“N-no matter how much Raon Zieghart has the title of Sword Emperor, he awakened the Thespian Emperor and the Evil Sword Marquis?”
“That doesn’t make sense! There’s almost no difference in skill!”
“I’d believe he fought and won, but I can’t believe he awakened them.”
The middle-aged man with the cactus beard and the residents shook their heads, saying it was hard to believe.
“I know it’s hard to believe, but this is an undeniable fact. Because….”
The bald fisherman smiled and raised his finger.
“These rumors all came from White Whale.”
He twisted his lips, saying the story came from the Thespian Emperor’s White Whale Theater, not anywhere else.
“R-really?”
The middle-aged man with the cactus beard shook his head, dumbfounded.
“That’s right. Why would they underestimate their master, the Thespian Emperor? That alone means it’s real!”
The bald fisherman shook his fist, saying this rumor was spreading all over the continent.
“How do you feel?”
Martha asked, tapping the table with her finger.
“If your name spreads all over the continent like that?”
She smacked her lips, saying she was curious what it felt like.
“I’m curious too.”
Burren said he’d been thinking the same, folding his arms.
“We sometimes get dragged into your rumors, but we’ve never been the main characters.”
His eyes sparkled as he asked what it felt like to be the continent’s protagonist.
“Well. I feel very good, but….”
Raon smiled faintly, looking at the people who were enjoying talking about his name and title.
“It’s quite embarrassing.”
“Anyway, our Lord is shy!”
Martha patted his shoulder hard, telling him to have confidence.
“What are you lacking to be embarrassed!”
She frowned, saying the rumors were lacking.
“Yeah. You’re all good…”
Runaan nodded, agreeing with Martha.
“Thank you for saying that.”
Raon waved his hand, smiling awkwardly.
‘White Whale is spreading rumors?’
I know what the Thespian Emperor is thinking.
The Thespian Emperor was deliberately spreading the rumors in detail to increase her recognition and reputation.
She was bound to carry out other plans based on the recognition and reputation she had built up like that.
– “Why! Why isn’t my name there!”
Wrath frowned, saying it was thanks to his abilities.
– “These are all things my traits made possible, so why is only your name being praised!”
He seemed annoyed that his name wasn’t mentioned at all, even though he had lent his abilities.
‘What name. Let’s just eat.’
Eating was what mattered now.
Raon pointed to the dishes arriving at the table, appeasing Wrath, who looked ready to explode with anger.
– “Ahem, shall we?”
Wrath looked at the dishes, grinning as if he had never been angry.
‘What should I eat first?’
– “I want the shrimp that’s been cooked warm, head and all…”
It was as he was lowering his hand, saying he wanted the salt-grilled shrimp.
Baaang!
The tavern door slammed open like it might break, and Rabawin rushed in.
“Raon! Belder Port has been attacked!”
He raised his hand, saying the information had just come in.
“R-Raon?”
“S-surely not Raon Zieghart?”
“It can’t be….”
“No! That’s right! That person is the Pirate King. No, it’s Aris’s right-hand man, Rabawin!”
The people in the tavern were shocked that Raon—the one they had been talking about—was right there, and they collapsed on the spot.
“Is the preparation for departure complete?”
Raon rose and approached Rabawin without paying attention to the stares.
“Yes! We can leave right away!”
Rabawin nodded, saying everything was ready.
“Then let’s go.”
Raon paid for the food he hadn’t eaten and left the tavern.
The executives of the Light Wind Palace followed Raon with disciplined, spirited steps, as if they hadn’t relaxed even for a moment.
“Is, is that Raon Zieghart?”
“I didn’t even know he was here, but when he revealed his mana… I can’t even breathe….”
“It seems even the title of Sword Emperor can’t keep up with him anymore….”
The people shook their heads, saying it was unbelievable to see the Sword Emperor Raon right in front of them.
However, unlike the people who were thrilled, there was a Demon King biting his lip with tears in his eyes.
– “I knew this would happen….”
Wrath, looking at the steaming dishes, screamed.
-Why does only misfortune befall this Wrath! Even a dog isn’t bothered when it’s eating!
‘Dogs bite if you bother them.’
– You crazy bastard! This king also has tee…
‘I’m sorry, but we have to go quickly.’
Raon shook his head, grabbing Wrath’s tail and pulling.
‘We don’t need any more sacrifices.’
