Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: The Founding Head
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I already knew the Head's legacy would be in the Fairy Forest.
But I never expected to see the Founding Head's name here.
“So the Head's secret sword arts have been passed down since Deinox's time.”
The legend of him becoming a god and leaving the mortal plane suddenly felt real.
Especially if a fairy friend was willing to erect a tombstone for him.
Besides, when I activated the Deinox summoning circle, hadn't my soul been transferred to a new body?
I felt like I was getting a small taste of the Founding Head's greatness.
*If he was going to do it, he could have at least put me in a decent body. The son of my enemy? Really?*
Muttering inwardly, I shifted my gaze to the tombstone on the right.
If this person was buried next to Deinox, they must have been quite remarkable as well.
I was curious about the inscription.
“Mulo, the Last Fairy of Livius.”
Just as I’d thought, it was another unexpected name.
Fairies are generally immortal beings.
After all, a similar being, the Dark Spirit King Alkheim, had lived for eons.
A fairy dying and leaving behind a tombstone?
It was a difficult phenomenon to comprehend.
*Maybe it's just pretending to be dead.*
I gazed around the desolate forest.
But no matter how much I heightened my senses, I couldn't detect any sign of a fairy.
“Doesn't seem like it's going to show up right away.”
It was just a feeling.
A supreme being wouldn't have done something like this for no reason.
In any case, it was time to find the Head's legacy.
I paused in front of Deinox's tombstone, pondering.
*To get the legacy, do I have to dig up the grave?*
Usually, a coffin would be buried in the mound in front of the tombstone.
But the ground all around it had been completely dug up.
It seemed the previous Heads had the same idea as me.
“Blood really is thicker than water, I guess.”
A small smile on my lips, I scanned the excavated ground, but sure enough, there was no coffin.
The Head's legacy was probably a visual recording.
If it were passed down in the form of a secret manual, the risk of it being lost would be too high.
Plus, there was a high chance it would evolve in a different direction from its origin.
*It must be magic.*
I immediately cast a search spell.
*Whoosh!*
A red beam of light swept over the tombstone and its surroundings, but I couldn't find any trace of magic.
“Why isn't there anything? This can't be…”
The Black and White Twin Elders had clearly stated that the Head's legacy was in the Fairy Forest.
It seemed the tombstone was nothing more than a memento of the friendship between the Founding Head and the fairy.
*There are still places I haven't checked, so I won't get disappointed yet. It has to be somewhere.*
Thinking positively, I started to walk past the tombstone.
But, at that very moment.
*Flash! Zzzing!*
A brilliant blue flash erupted from the inscription on the tombstone.
Before I could even react, the beam of light struck me in the chest.
*Thump—!*
“Huk!”
I felt a tremendous impact, and my consciousness began to fade.
* * *
—...What a strange one.
As my consciousness gradually returned, I heard a mysterious voice.
Soon, the blurry figure before me came into focus.
A young man in a pale blue martial arts uniform.
My eyes landed on a man who bore a subtle resemblance to my past self.
He looked me up and down with an intrigued expression, then sent another thought.
—The shell is different, but the scent of your soul is that of a descendant. What in the world are you?
“Deinox?”
Instead of answering, I tilted my head and muttered.
The man smirked, shrugged, and spoke.
—The Young Lords who see me for the first time always react that way. As if they can't believe it.
He readily admitted his identity.
I'd experienced a strange phenomenon in front of the Founding Head's grave, so it made sense that the person who appeared would be closely related to him.
Deinox continued, his voice dripping with self-admiration.
A thousand years had passed, but it seemed blood truly was thicker than water.
*Right. Where would that awful narcissism go?*
—I suppose it can't be helped. How could you possibly see the Founding Head who was active a thousand years ago? Isn't that right, my little descendant?
Listening to Deinox, an unbearable rage surged within me.
If he was going to set something up, he should have done it properly!
“Hey! You idiot! There were much easier paths. Why the hell did it have to be the illegitimate son of an enemy family!”
I lunged forward, grabbed him by the collar, and shook him with all my might as I yelled.
Deinox flailed about with a dumbfounded expression.
Seeing him as powerless as a paper doll, I was about to let out another triumphant roar.
*Swoosh.*
But his form vanished like smoke.
Having moved back a step in the blink of an eye, Deinox scoffed and gestured lightly.
*Thwoom!*
An immense shockwave slammed into my body.
“Keuk!”
Thrown dozens of meters, I crashed to the ground and staggered back to my feet.
I instinctively tried to summon my aura, but there was no response from within my body.
Come to think of it, not only was the Black Dragon Sword missing, but so was Calipe, which was always at my waist.
Watching my panicked state, Deinox smirked and sent a thought.
—This is a temporary space I created. Your soul has merely crossed over for a moment. That's why you can't use your power.
“To see my foolish ancestor and not even be able to punish him…”
—But what are you so angry about? The illegitimate son of an enemy family? I don't understand what you're talking about.
“When I drew the summoning circle, you said you'd give me a chance.”
—Summoning circle? Ah, that technique? That doesn't really have anything to do with me. Why are you blaming me for something my original self decided?
“What kind of nonsense is this?”
When I asked with a bewildered expression, Deinox scratched his cheek.
He seemed to find it difficult to explain.
—It's a bit complicated. I'm just a thought-form created to teach my descendants the secret sword arts. I share the same consciousness as my original self, but strictly speaking, I'm a different entity.
“So you're not the real Deinox?”
—It's not quite right to say I'm not. When a descendant arrives, I awaken like this. It just takes some time to recall the memories.
“Are you him or not?”
—I'm the same person, but the responsibility isn't mine. That's the gist of it.
“What kind of sophistry is that!”
I was about to charge at him again, but instead, I let out a long sigh and slumped to the ground.
Arguing with this damn Founding Head wouldn't change reality.
And there was no way I could beat him in this space anyway.
—Huhu! Quick to accept, aren't you? It seems you have the basic attitude required for training.
“Hoo! Fine. The Head's secret sword arts. That was the goal. Hurry up and teach me.”
—Hah...!
Deinox let out a hollow laugh and stared at me with fascination.
I suppose none of the previous Heads had been so brazen and confident.
It sounds like bragging, but I was quite the black sheep among the direct descendants of Riverune.
—I can't teach you right away anyway, so let's talk for a bit.
“Why?”
—I told you. It takes time to recall my memories. And from what you were just spouting, it sounds like you have quite a story.
“...Yeah. I guess you should know.”
I scratched the back of my head with a reluctant expression.
I never had much respect for Deinox to begin with.
He was a great man who supposedly became a god and left the mortal plane, but he was a figure from a thousand years ago.
To me, a former loafer, it was all just a stuffy old tale.
But this was the Founding Head of Riverune.
It wasn't easy to tell him that the family had been annihilated.
*Even someone as rotten as me can feel ashamed sometimes.*
Honestly, the family's destruction wasn't entirely my fault, but the words still wouldn't come easily.
“The family... was utterly destroyed.”
—...
I began to recount the tragic story of Riverune.
From the Head's assassination and the massive ambush to being born into an enemy family and struggling to survive.
I condensed it as much as possible, but it still covered forty years.
Deinox listened to my story silently, his expression unchanging.
Then, at the end, he uttered a single phrase.
—That's nothing special.
“Huh?”
—You're getting discouraged by a hardship of that level?
His unexpected response left me feeling awkward.
I had told the story with a heavy heart, but Deinox's attitude was one of indifference.
*Is it because he's the one who built the family from nothing?*
After all, when the Founding Head was active, the Riverune family didn't even exist yet.
—Back in my day, there were more monsters than people in the fields. I wiped them all out and built houses from their bones.
What kind of thousand-year-old geezer was this?
Deinox confidently listed his achievements.
It seemed the memories of his original self were finally starting to return one by one.
But at some point, he stopped talking and just stared at me.
“What is it?”
—You're completely different from Lucas. He was a polite and upright fellow, but you... you're just...
“...”
When my father's name left his lips, I clenched my jaw.
The sorrow of the past that I had tried so hard to suppress felt like it was surging up.
But Deinox paid it no mind and continued.
—It's like looking at myself. Interesting.
A swaggering walk and a relaxed, yet chilling, smile.
We had never met, but the Founding Head and I had much in common.
Our appearances were different, but our personalities and temperaments were remarkably similar.
I disguised it with a carefree attitude, but I was a vengeful demon harboring an infinitely sharp dagger.
*Like me, he hides his true self behind a careless facade.*
At that thought, Deinox's form seemed to grow immense.
Not that he had literally gotten bigger, but for a moment, I saw his true nature.
*Come to think of it, I've been speaking informally to the Founding Head... Did I get too emotional?*
No matter how recklessly I had lived, I always showed respect to the family elders.
I hadn't exactly turned over a new leaf, but hadn't I become a reasonably decent person by now?
Although Deinox didn't seem to care much that my body had changed.
“Ahem! Let's stop talking about my father.”
—Hah! Why the sudden formality? It doesn't suit you, so just drop it.
“...Still, how could I be so disrespectful to the greatest elder of the family?”
—You're even more pretentious than I am. I've heard enough of your melodrama. Now, it's time to teach you the secret sword arts.
“As you wish.”
—But you know. There's one more procedure.
“Pardon?”
—I have to confirm it first. Whether you are qualified.
Under normal circumstances, one would visit the Fairy Forest only after receiving the Head's acknowledgment.
But I had used a shortcut to meet the Founding Head.
Moreover, I was in the body of a stranger, not a blood relative of Riverune.
Of course, Deinox didn't seem to care about such trivial matters.
In any case, I hadn't proven that I was skilled enough to learn the secret sword arts.
Deinox was pointing that out.
“Very well. I will show you what I have achieved.”
I had reached a state nearly equal to my past life's peak.
By completing the Heaven-Severing Demonic Chain Sword up to the fifth form, I was actually even stronger.
I was confident I could overcome any test the Founding Head threw at me.
But Deinox tilted his head, stared behind me, and uttered something completely unexpected.
—An uninvited guest has arrived.