The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years-Chapter 176
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
Chapter 176
The outskirts of Alzass, the capital of the Starn Empire.
A crimson portal opened, and Kaylen and Johannes stepped out.
“This is your empire’s capital?”
“That’s right. It’s smaller compared to the Meier Empire, but it’s well-established.”
Johannes, in his human form, glanced around the capital.
Unlike other cities, which had become isolated due to dungeon portals, Alzass had a thriving flow of goods, and the people’s faces were free of worry.
“It’s a good place.”
Leaving behind that brief remark, Johannes followed Kaylen toward the city center.
Kaylen naturally stood out wherever he went, drawing the citizens’ attention.
“The Emperor has arrived.”
“Who is the person beside him?”
Many people observed them from a distance, whispering among themselves.
“Your Majesty! Hello!”
“Yeah.”
A few children waved at Kaylen, greeting him without hesitation.
It was a reaction that would have been unthinkable back in the days of the Bormian Kingdom.
This change had come about because Kaylen had continuously presented himself as an approachable ruler.
“You’re still the same. Isn’t the Emperor wandering around too freely? You should have some attendants with you. Maybe bring some knights along for protection.”
“Protection? Who’s protecting who?”
“…Well, that’s true. Still, even if being overly authoritarian is bad, you should maintain a certain level of formality. If the people see the Emperor as too easygoing, it could undermine your authority as a ruler.”
Johannes nagged at Kaylen.
It reminded Kaylen of the old days in the Meier Empire, making him smile faintly.
“I understand that much. But I had no choice.”
“Why?”
“You’ll understand when you see the palace.”
“Then let’s go quickly. Fly.”
Johannes lifted off the ground and swiftly soared through the air.
When they reached the center of the capital and saw the palace, which had been split in half, he understood what Kaylen meant.
“It’s been cut clean in two.”
“Yeah. At first, the people looked at me as if I were a monster.”
“So that’s why you approached them without formality? Considering that, they warmed up to you rather quickly.”
“They’re living better than before, now that the king has changed.”
Compared to the time of the Bormian Kingdom, life had improved—there were no more dungeon portals, and daily life had become more bearable.
It was only natural that support for Kaylen had grown, even among those who had once feared him.
“That must be the World Tree… and the cathedral is over there. All the key places are clustered together. But settling in the city center will be difficult for me.”
Even if he was currently in human form, Johannes was, at his core, an undead lich.
“With your abilities, I doubt the cathedral’s clergy would notice you.”
“I won’t be detected, sure. But the center of the capital is overflowing with life energy. It’s not an efficient place for magical experiments. A lich like me needs a damp, dark place.”
“Hmm… I see. If you find a place you like, let me know. I’ll give it to you.”
“I’ll look around. By the way, where’s that workshop you mentioned before?”
“The Myorn Workshop? It’s over there.”
Perhaps because it was the first to create mana suits in the Middle Realm, Johannes had taken an interest in it after hearing about it from Kaylen.
“Let’s head there first.”
“Alright.”
Thus, they arrived at Myorn’s workshop.
As soon as Johannes stepped inside, he meticulously examined the surroundings and nodded.
"Not bad."
While he gave a passing grade to the workshop facilities—
"That magic circle, though..."
"Their skills are seriously lacking."
"Tsk, tsk. Modern mages these days..."
His evaluation of the people was far less favorable.
Johannes clicked his tongue loudly enough for everyone in the workshop to hear.
As the guest of the Emperor openly criticized them, the mages’ expressions twisted in displeasure.
‘Is he His Majesty’s guest?’
‘How incredibly rude.’
‘Lacking skill? What nonsense. Let’s see him do better.’
The mages working at Myorn’s workshop were the best of the best in the industry. For a young man to waltz in and start giving unsolicited advice was nothing short of laughable. Still, since he was the Emperor’s guest, they held their tongues and bottled up their frustration.
"Tsk. That’s not it at all."
But their resentment didn’t last long.
Johannes reached out his hand, and in an instant, the magic circle engraved on the mana suit was redrawn and completed flawlessly.
"This part was wrong."
On another mana suit, the mistakes in the magic circle were highlighted in red before the lines were properly corrected.
"You can’t even use a mana heart properly? No wonder you're stuck at 3rd Circle forever."
Johannes pointed at a 3rd Circle mage, and suddenly, the mage’s mana circle began moving on its own.
As Johannes directly demonstrated a more efficient flow of mana, the mages’ eyes widened in shock.
"Uh..."
"Wha..."
"W-What is this?!"
With just a few casual gestures, the entire workshop transformed.
It was similar to when Kaylen had trained the knights—
Only this time, it was the mages who were experiencing the same astonishment.
"Emperor. Is the head of this workshop as incompetent as these guys? That would be disappointing."
"Incompetent, you say? How rude."
At Johannes’ remark, a heavily bearded dwarf emerged from the back of the workshop.
It was Myorn.
"Kaylen. Who’s this guy?"
"The new court mage of the Starn Empire."
"Court mage? Isn’t he way too young for that?"
Myorn frowned at Johannes, who looked like a man in his twenties.
"He’s just that skilled."
"Oh yeah? How skilled, exactly?"
"Hmm..."
Kaylen glanced around.
The entire workshop had fallen silent, every mage now fixated on their conversation.
With all attention locked onto them, Kaylen raised eight fingers.
"8th Circle."
"...8th Circle?"
Even beneath her thick beard, it was clear Myorn’s eyes had widened.
Not 6th Circle... but 8th Circle?
Was this some kind of joke?
Kaylen had first drawn attention because he possessed the talent of a 6th Circle mage—
And now this young man was claiming to be 8th Circle?
“No, Emperor. 8th Circle, you say?”
As Johannes denied it, those shocked by the revelation felt a brief moment of relief.
‘Yeah… that doesn’t make sense.’
‘How could there be a 9th Circle mage?’
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‘His Majesty must be joking.’
“You should raise one more finger.”
At those words, they couldn’t believe their ears.
“Because 9th Circle is possible too.”
Inside the Workshop Master’s Laboratory
“A lich…?”
“Yes. He is the great mage from a thousand years ago—Johannes.”
“Johannes?! That Johannes?!”
The Great Mage Johannes.
Even Myorn knew that name.
Among the dwarves, his fame didn’t stem from being an 8th Circle mage but from his groundbreaking development of magic circles.
She had benefited immensely from his work, and as such, Johannes was one of the few humans she respected.
‘That legendary figure… became a lich? He looks entirely human, though.’
As she pondered that thought, Myorn carefully observed Johannes.
He, however, turned his gaze to Kaylen and spoke.
“Emperor. Show her the Fireblade.”
“The Fireblade… You mean the one Kaina threw away?”
“Yes.”
Swoosh.
The Six Swords floated into the air.
Kaylen drew out the Fireblade and summoned the Dragonflame.
The Fireblade, now broken in half.
Yet, the fire it contained was still dangerously potent, forcing Kaylen to carefully control its intensity to prevent the workshop from catching fire.
“This is…”
“A lot has happened.”
As Kaylen recounted everything that had occurred, including the story of Marquis Helmeier, Myorn’s eyes widened in shock.
“Lady Kaina… was Marquis Helmeier?”
“That’s right. I never expected it either. And she said she forged this Fireblade… using ten thousand dwarves.”
“She… sacrificed ten thousand dwarves? What do you mean by that…?”
Hearing that Kaina—someone old enough to be her grandmother—had committed such a monstrous atrocity left Myorn completely shaken.
A sword made by sacrificing ten thousand dwarves?
The fire mana contained within it was immense, but simply looking at the blade, she couldn’t tell if dwarves had truly been used to create it.
“Emperor. Baldrix’s last words to you included instructions to forge a sword, didn’t they? Why do you think he said that?”
“To keep the Six Swords from transforming.”
Baldrix had spent centuries hammering away to forge the Earthblade.
When Kaylen embedded Baldrix into the Earthblade, he finally understood why.
‘The Six Swords, which contain divine-level weapons, resist transformation.’
The Holy Sword Astella in the Lightblade.
The Dragonflame in the Fireblade.
Baldrix in the Earthblade.
These three maintained the balance of the Six Swords, preventing them from shifting.
However, the remaining three swords—those that did not contain a weapon—constantly tried to transform into Demonic Swords.
Kaylen had to keep a constant watch to prevent that from happening.
“That’s right. If the Six Swords change, you, Emperor, could fall into corruption again. Your final self must have determined that maintaining a sword as a medium was crucial.”
Johannes paused for a moment before adding,
“But did Kaina forge the Fireblade without knowing this? And why did she throw it to you in the first place?”
Johannes stared at the Fireblade Dragonflame with suspicion.
“There must be a reason she gave you this sword. Until we figure it out, recklessly using it could be dangerous.”
“That’s true.”
“But creating a Fireblade of this caliber is no easy feat for us. That’s why the role of the Dwarf Queen is crucial here. Queen, can you restore this broken sword to its original state and uncover Kaina’s intent?”
At Johannes’ question, Myorn gazed at the Fireblade.
She was confident in her smithing skills, but whether she could restore a masterpiece of this level…
“I’m not sure. This sword is far beyond my capabilities. But… I want to try.”
“Good. Then drop all other research and focus solely on analyzing this sword.”
Johannes’ eyes gleamed sharply.
“Besides, if we’re going to forge the remaining three swords, you’ll need to improve your skills anyway.”
“The three remaining swords… You mean the Darkblade, Waterblade, and Windblade?”
“That’s right. Emperor, I have an idea. If her skills are up to par, we can complete the Three Swords.”
“What’s your idea?”
“That is…”
Knock, knock.
Just as Johannes was about to speak, a knock came from the door.
“Your Majesty, an urgent message from the palace.”
“What is it?”
“A Dark Elf claiming to be Your Majesty’s daughter… is causing a disturbance, demanding to see you.”
Kaylen’s eyes widened.
There was only one Dark Elf who would make such a claim.
“Melvria….”
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
