Chapter 101
Chapter: 101
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 101
>Chapter Title: Imperial Palace Banquet (3)
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>The Holy Emperor already knew at least that Logan was no ordinary person.
Seongjin was this certain for a reason.
While conversing with Logan, he was simultaneously receiving various pieces of information from the Demon King. The Demon King had acted as a reliable lie detector, which made it easier to believe the seemingly absurd claim that Logan was a reincarnator.
Of course, the part about Logan being over seventy was a lie.
*A guy who hates losing even subtly.*
And the Demon King had whispered a few peculiarities about Logan's soul.
[That guy's soul is kinda weird?]
Due to his innate divine power, it was surrounded by such a brilliant light that its true form couldn't be clearly seen.
However, according to the Demon King, whenever Logan mentioned his previous life, the size of his soul would change slightly.
In other words...
It would look like a boy's form at one moment, then suddenly like a tall adult the next.
And there was one thing common to both forms.
Long, rod-like objects embedded in the soul's torso.
When Seongjin had once asked the Holy Emperor how souls appeared, the answer had been:
-They resemble the person's form in life. Souls are influenced by the body right up to the moment of death.
In that case, the soul the Demon King was seeing was probably Logan's appearance right before death in his previous life.
And the Holy Emperor could see souls.
The conclusion was obvious.
At Seongjin's words, Logan fell silent, as if struck. At the very least, he would realize Seongjin was speaking with conviction.
From their conversation, Seongjin had sensed that just as he used the Demon King, Logan also had some reliable basis for judging the truth of Seongjin's words.
Whenever Seongjin glossed over something or avoided answering properly, Logan would zero in on it like a ghost.
No matter how gullible he seemed, no one could easily believe an evil spirit that had possessed his brother's body and claimed to be from another world.
“…That person… knows about me?”
Logan finally murmured a question after a long silence.
He still sat rigidly upright, but his interlaced hands trembled faintly, betraying his agitation.
“Probably. How did you die on that battlefield?”
At Seongjin's question, Logan's blue eyes darkened as if recalling the past.
“…I don't clearly remember the moment right before death. It was a prolonged melee… I was exhausted from long fighting, surrounded by countless enemies. I recall suffering a fatal sword wound and taking several spear thrusts to vital spots.”
*So those rods in his body were spears.*
“Then it's certain. At least Father knows you died on the battlefield.”
“In that case…”
Logan's gaze wandered unfocused as he stared blankly ahead.
“Then why hasn't that person asked anything until now?”
Logan no longer referred to the Holy Emperor as Father in Seongjin's presence. He didn't truly see him as his real father.
And Seongjin soon understood why.
Logan muttered to himself in a trembling voice.
“What if… he already knows who I am?”
“…”
“Does he… remember me?”
From his words, Seongjin could imagine one possibility.
“You don't mean… you met Father in your previous life?”
Logan didn't answer the question, but his silence spoke volumes.
Seongjin realized: since they knew each other in his past life, he couldn't see him as his real father.
Logan remained lost in thought for a while before startling as if struck by a realization.
“…Right. That's why that person gave me [Arjuna] without a word.”
Arjuna?
As Seongjin blinked, Logan drew the long sword at his waist.
It was a unique silver blade, long and slender.
The thin, narrow blade was wavy-forged, and with its equally thin, elongated hilt and small guard, it almost resembled a short spear.
It was certainly not the typical knight's sword seen in the Imperial Guard.
“When I first requested this sword, the entire Guard opposed it, saying it didn't suit imperial knight swordsmanship. But that person handed it over without comment.”
After explaining that much, Logan hesitated before continuing.
“And… Arjuna was my sword from before.”
No way?
“The one you used in your previous life?”
That was confirmation if anything was.
Logan slowly raised his trembling hands to cover his face and let out a small groan.
“How… should I face that person now?”
* * *
It was over a dozen years ago.
Ortona had been torn into three large pieces but was barely clinging to its name as a nation.
The continent's only republic government, pushed back repeatedly by foreign powers and royalists, had endured for a full year without total annihilation thanks to one exceptional swordsman.
Gael Bertrand.
The sole Sword Master in Ortona and the eastern regions.
He was the longtime friend and guard knight of Prince Benicio II, a supporter of the republic. He was also called the republicans' sole pillar and final sword amid their decline.
Yet even this busy man was now wasting time as a drinking companion for his old friend.
“Ortona's done for. Those pigheaded royalists couldn't let go of their nostalgia for the past and dragged in foreign powers. Look at the mess they've made of the country!”
Gael watched Prince Benicio down his cup after cup with a weary expression.
His friend, always brilliant in youth, had devolved into a simple drunkard lamenting his fate daily with a bottle in hand.
“My homeland, the first on the continent to bloom republicanism, ending so futilely…”
The prince filled his cup again with a voice thick with grief.
Gael understood his profound despair—after all, no one had dreamed more vividly of Ortona's bright future.
But instead of comforting him, Gael unwittingly sighed. He was the one who wanted to drink and drown his sorrows.
It was Gael who had to find new patrons starting tomorrow, Gael who had to figure out how to integrate the mercenaries smoothly with the soldiers.
And now, even worrying about where to resupply those empty bottles at dawn.
“What about you, Gael? Do you see me, the Second Prince who failed to seize the throne, as a traitor to the royal family? Do you doubt my firm conviction in supporting the republic for the nation's future?”
Prince Benicio glared at the silent Gael with reddened eyes.
*This frustrating friend.*
*If I really thought that, would I be suffering on the front lines like this?*
But Gael didn't voice it. He knew that no matter what he said, the prince would repeat the same drunken rant the next day.
Ultimately, the republicans wouldn't reclaim Ortona, and his friend's deep despair wouldn't end. To Gael, the remnants reversing their fortunes was a pipe dream that would never happen.
“No one in this world believes my true heart for Ortona. Damn it…”
Gael watched his friend finally collapse hugging the bottle, then sighed and rose.
He caressed the hilt of Arjuna at his waist before leaving the prince's tent and heading to the mercenaries' camp.
It was late, but he still had to finalize the contract details with the new mercenary band.
“I'm Justin Astros, captain of the Astros Mercenaries.”
A rare tall man with well-developed muscles and an imposing aura approached with a light, carefree smile.
“The east's greatest swordsman! What an honor to meet the famous General Gael Bertrand. First time seeing a Sword Master—truly an overwhelming presence!”
The man named Justin gushed exaggeratedly, circling Gael.
But Gael recognized his skill was no ordinary level. Impressive for a young mercenary captain.
“Amazing! Just being near you makes me shake. With someone like you on the front, where do we even fit in?”
*What a blatant liar. He thinks he can take me on.*
Gael was starting to feel annoyed when a calm voice came from behind.
“Enough, Justin. That's going too far.”
“Ah, if it's truly rude, my apologies.”
Justin quickly straightened and apologized to Gael.
Wondering who could speak so casually to the captain, Gael looked over. A fairly tall but still boyish youth was eyeing the captain pityingly.
For a moment, Gael wondered.
*Did I make a mistake in hiring? I chose them because they're skilled, but if they need a kid's help, that could be trouble.*
But the instant their eyes met, Gael felt an odd sensation. Dealing with this boy would be extremely tricky.
Of course, the boy wasn't anywhere near Sword Master level.
His aura activation was far below the captain's—plainly visible. Dark circles under his eyes suggested poor health too.
Yet strangely, Gael's senses picked him up as twice as tough an opponent as the captain.
The boy glanced at Gael briefly before slipping out of the tent.
Gael stared blankly in the direction he'd gone, then found himself asking the mercenary captain without thinking.
“That boy…”
“Regrettably, he's not an official member. Let's call him a temporary guest swordsman we met by chance and synced up with.”
Justin grinned mysteriously at Gael.
“Even to your eyes, he's quite the enigma, isn't he, General?”
Gael, hailed as the continent's top genius from youth, saw the boy's talent as extraordinary. If not for his circumstances, he'd have done anything to take him as a disciple.
“…Where did that friend learn the sword?”
“That's the really mysterious part…”
Justin scratched his cheek and answered.
“He says he's never properly learned it. Sounds absurd, but it seems true. Look closely, and he doesn't use proper forms. Yet he wields it masterfully.”
Gael stared silently at the mercenary captain's face.
Judging by the aura he emitted, he was probably telling the truth.
Gael frowned.
A sword beyond form and style.
The legendary realm his own master had mentioned in jest.
*No way… Is that boy reaching such a realm alone?*
“Uh, so, General. Shall we get to the contract details…?”
Justin rubbed his hands with a body light as could be despite his bulk. Gael nodded and pulled out the contract.
No need for wild speculation now. They'd be moving with the Astros Mercenaries for a while, so he'd soon witness the boy's level firsthand.
The two huddled to iron out details.
And soon, Gael received unexpected advice from Justin.
“Um… General. Quite rude for a first meeting, but…”
Justin opened with a baffled expression.
“If you just accept everything without pushing back, we can't negotiate. We're bracing for some refusals here.”
“…”
“Do you always take losses like this?”
Gael bitterly sensed the truth in his aura. Sadly, yes.
He swallowed inward tears, resolving to leave contract negotiations to Prince Benicio or other republicans from now on.
Gael's time with the Astros Mercenaries lasted only four months. Their short-term contract ended without renewal due to their patron's change of heart, and they left the front.
But that brief connection would have an enormous impact on him later. Of course, Gael at the time couldn't even imagine it.