REAPER SCANS
I Reincarnated As The Greatest Genius of a Prestigious Family!
[Translator – Rainypup]
[Proofreader – Harley]
Chapter 71: Holy Core (3)
“Fuu.”
I wiped my sweat away as I looked at the corpse of Saint Aimar—or, rather, the undead, which was split open vertically from head to toe.
To be honest, it was a bit difficult. I never thought I would use my swordsmanship, Karnas, and assassination skills. I thought that Karnas’ flames—or, rather, Ignis—would be enough along with my swordsmanship, but I didn't know that he would go on such a rampage at the end.
“I have to be careful from now on.”
When cornered, Revenants could create a massive explosion. I had to keep that firmly in my head. If it weren't for the 'shadow hiding' that my mother taught me and that I was using for the first time in real life, I probably would have been seriously injured.
“Kikreuk?”
At that moment, Karnas popped his head out.
"Are you alright?"
“Kikreuk!”
Karnas was surprisingly unharmed.
Every time the morning star and my sword collided, a shock would have been transmitted to him. However, it wasn’t easy to take him out and fight, so I kept him in my arms. Thankfully, he didn't show any signs of being hurt or shocked.
"Oh, right." I realized why.
“Kikreuk! Kikreuk!”
Karnas shook his head as if to show me something. There were scales on his neck. When I touched them, I noticed that the scales were incredibly hard.
“You’re a dragon…”
“Kikreuk!”
His scales had absorbed the shock. He should be alright for a while, right?
Anyway, whatever.
I won.
"Dane! Dane!"
I heard a cry. It was Leila. She ran toward me, grabbed me, and examined every part of my body.
“Are you alright? Are you really unharmed?”
"Yeah. I’m fine. Are you alright?"
“I-I’m fine! I thought you were dead! I thought you disappeared!”
Leila then lowered her head, clenched her fists, and trembled. She seemed really worried.
“I’m really alright. So don’t cry—”
“If you die, I won’t ever be able to defeat you!”
“…”
This girl was so full of competitive spirit. Just as I was at a loss for what to say…
"Dane! Priscilla is unconscious!"
Ah.
I ran quickly over with Leila. Priscilla lay motionless.
“She’s breathing… She was protecting us earlier…”
As Ernest sobbed, I checked Priscilla's condition. She was breathing, but she looked bad. My senses, which were heightened by ancient magic, now told me that the divine power flowing throughout Priscilla’s body was disturbed.
“Right now…”
Exploration was halted for now. We needed to save people first.
Just as I was trying to lift Priscilla…
“That child will wake up.”
Suddenly, a heavy voice came from behind me. Before I realized who it was, the voice continued, “O’ blessed light. Grace this child.”
Suddenly, light burst out and the dark hall became clear.
Whoong!
A strong thick ray of light fell down一
一and went right into Priscilla's body.
“The child will be fine now.”
Priscilla's complexion visibly improved, and then I heard her breathing softly. It was as if she were asleep.
I turned my head to see the owner of the voice.
It was…
"You, boy, set me free."
I looked at Saint Aimar, who was standing in his living form, not in an undead state.
“Boy, I am very grateful.”
The image floated over the corpse I just cut in two…
I couldn't stand it.
“Saint Aimar.”
“Boy. I owe you a great favor that I cannot repay…”
“A soul? Or resurrection?”
“…”
I wasn’t the type of person who could stand being curious.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – Rainypup]
[Proofreader – Harley]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
Very ‘fortunately’, Saint Aimar did not come back to life.
The divine power that had been corrupted after his death had returned, and thanks to that, he appeared before us in a spirit form.
“Thanks to you. If it weren’t for you, I would have had no choice but to live as an undead forever.”
Saint Aimar’s spirit felt extremely saintly. It was floating in the air, enveloped in light, and it was so dazzling that if it were placed in a ballroom, there would be no need for a chandelier at all.
The already quiet hall seemed to have regained its former appearance as the necromancy energy cleared away. Of course, it was bright thanks to the debris that had been destroyed during the battle. It was an ironic mess.
“It wasn’t a big deal.”
“How could that be possible?” Saint Aimar shook his head. “I lived as a warrior priest for a long time and participated in many battles, but I have never seen a warrior of your level at your age. The same goes for your talent. You even have a dragon… I thought they were just legendary creatures.”
“Kikreuk!”
I agreed that it was pretty amazing. Thanks to Karnas, we were victorious. We could have won in other ways, but if it hadn't been for Karnas’ flames, it would have taken a very long time to find a solution.
“Boy, I haven’t even asked your name yet.”
‘I told you I would let you know when I became undead.’
“Dane Sogres. The only son and youngest child of Count Arken Sogres.”
“Sogres, ah.” Saint Aimar smiled. "In my memory, they were a family of some reputation in the South, but things seem to have changed now."
“We’re the largest house in the South. Perhaps the second largest in the Empire.”
It sounded very good. I could practically feel Leila’s pride radiating from behind me.
“Hahaha…” Saint Aimar must be feeling the difference between the ages now. “While I was neither alive nor dead, so many incredible things happened.”
Then Ernest stepped forward. “Let me explain the major events that have occurred over the past three hundred years…”
“Oh, who are you?”
“Ernest Dylan. The eldest son of House Dylan.”
“Dylan… I’m sorry, I haven’t heard of your house.”
Ernest became sullen but soon began to give a history lecture, seeming eager to somehow make House Dylan known. Although it was only a few minutes, Saint Aimar was very happy.
“Oho. A war against the Drenik Empire?”
“It lasted for a whopping fifty years.”
“So, who won?”
"It ended in a ceasefire without a winner."
“What a pity. It should have collapsed.” Although there was no mention of which empire he was referring to, it probably was the Altheon Empire, right? “It seems that House Dylan has a very extensive knowledge of history. Whoever your head of house is, he raised his son very well.”
Ernest answered confidently, “Having extensive historical knowledge is one thing, but I also want to be remembered as a master explorer.”
“I will definitely do that.” Saint Aimar then pointed to the back. “Oh, it looks like your cleric friend is about to wake up.”
A rustling sound coming from behind them. Priscilla was waking up.
“Priscilla. Are you alright?”
“Dane. I definitely did something, but I can’t remember… Why does my body feel so refreshed? What’s that light…? Oh my God!”
Priscilla woke up and was immediately shocked.
“A spirit! Goddamnit! I never thought I’d be able to see a spirit in my life! This is so freaking crazy! I was even blessed by Saint Aimar! Fuck! Wow!”
Priscilla jumped around in excitement while spewing words not typical of the Theology Department.
“Saint Aimar! It is an honor to meet you! I am Priscilla Neriel, the abandoned child of House Neriel. That’s not it! I am a child of God who lives in faithful and beautiful faith.”
“A child walking on the path.”
“Th-the one who saved me is Saint Aimar… right?”
“Yes, that’s what happened. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry? No need. Goodness, I am blessed by Saint Aimar!”
Priscilla was at a loss. Was he her idol or something?
“This child has a considerable amount of divine power.”
“Isn’t the future of the empire bright?”
“…Personally, I hope it’s not too bright.” Saint Aimar seemed to have a terrible hatred for the Empire.
“Hmm. Let me guess. Is that girl from House Thermion?”
“Oh, how did you know?”
Now the only one left, Leila opened her eyes wide he guessed her identity before she could even introduce herself.
“I knew Axel Thermion.”
“Oh! The seventeenth lord!”
“Well, he was a good friend. He helped me a lot.”
Leila was surprised but still had her doubts. "But what does that have to do with you recognizing me?"
“Your sword pommel has the emblem of House Thermion on it.”
"Ah."
Leila lowered her head in embarrassment.
Saint Aimar asked with a grin, “How is House Thermion now?”
"The most powerful family in the empire!"
“As expected.”
Alright. That was enough introduction. We should get to the main point.
“Saint Aimar. I heard something bad happened to you.”
"Yes. The emperor sent knights. They said it was a rebellion. They laid siege on this hall and starved us for three months. They said they would let us live if we came out, but there was no way that bastard emperor would allow that.”
This old man also had a bit of a potty mouth. Well, I guess no one would say anything nice about the person who killed them.
“When the food in the hall finally ran out, the people inside prepared for a final fight. By the way, we took about one hundred people with us. Maybe more?”
The spirit proudly shrugged his shoulders.
“I was a bit wild when I was alive. Everyone said that it was a good thing I became a priest. Otherwise, I would have been in a back alley somewhere, splitting people’s heads open.”
I felt like I'd heard this kind of speech somewhere before. Well, I knew he was strong. After all, I'd fought him. It would have been fun to fight him when he was alive.
“It’s such a pity.”
“If only he hadn’t been the emperor. Yes, he was madness itself. He was so sure that he would restore his former glory.”
“Former glory?”
"Yes. Former glory. I died because of Aemon V’s ambition.”
I tilted my head and asked, “Didn’t the imperial family become afraid because your power grew so much that they were afraid you would lead a rebellion?”
“Is that what they wrote in the history books?” Saint Aimar had a bitter expression on his face.
“It’s why this is a restricted area. It is also a place that no one can access. It is said that you attempted a rebellion and that this place was left as an example.”
“Haha…"
There seemed to be something we didn’t know about.
I asked him, “Or is there some reason unknown to the world?”
Saint Aimar looked at me blankly and suddenly asked, “It’s a restricted area. Why are you here?”
“To find treasure.”
Saint Aimar's eyebrows twitched at the word treasure.
“…Treasure?"
“We deciphered a treasure map and came here to find the treasure in the underground tomb.”
“Haha…" Saint Aimar laughed for a moment.
Why was he laughing?
“Treasure. Yes. It’s coming back to me. I died because of that treasure.”
What on earth…?
Ah.
No way.
“Could it be that the Emperor killed you for the treasure?”
Saint Aimar nodded with an even more bitter expression than before. “Yes. They framed me for rebelling, but it was actually because of the treasure. The treasure hidden here, in the underground tomb of the temple.”
History was written by the victors. Therefore, the history and records we knew about Saint Aimar were not true.
There was a treasure. However, Saint Aimar died because of it.
“Rebellion. It must be the same now, but back then, the empire was prosperous and powerful. The poor were plentiful, but a rebellion was unthinkable. All I did was gather the poor, take care of them, and feed them so they wouldn’t go hungry.”
To put it simply, there was no reason to get rid of him. Of course, he could be annoying. The poor were suffering, and in the midst of this, it was not the empire but a priest who was saving them. However, that didn’t mean it would have been a threat to the empire.
In the end, there must have been another reason.
“Everything was going well until the treasure was discovered. But the treasure I accidentally acquired… ended all of that.”
"You didn't plan on handing it over? If you had, it’s likely that no blood would have been drawn. I don't know for sure, though."
"No. The emperor wanted no one but himself to know of the treasure's existence."
What did that mean?
“He wanted to monopolize the treasure. Keep it only for himself.”
He didn't try to buy it with money, nor did he threaten to take it from them, he just… killed them all to keep the existence of this treasure to himself.
"In that way, dozens of people, including the poor staying in the hall, priests, and myself, were massacred in one day, all at once."
The treasure was forgotten for a moment, and only a solemn atmosphere filled the hall.
“Why… did it happen?” Leila muttered. “The emperor already had everything and was the master of the empire, so what on earth could he have been missing?”
Leila's rational questions were answered by Ernest. "The emperor at that time was Aemon V. His later years weren’t good. He went mad and was eventually forced to abdicate and commit suicide in his villa."
Was it retribution? At least he didn't enjoy longevity.
Of course, one person's opinion seemed to be different.
"…Suicide. He went most comfortably." Saint Aimar asked, spitting out words, “Is there a reason he went crazy?”
“It was written that he didn’t go crazy all of a sudden, but gradually.”
“How did he lose his mind?”
“I don’t know. It just says he went crazy.”
“Well, it’s a miracle that the imperialists wrote that their emperor went mad.” Saint Aimard added, “Well, I think I know why he went insane.”
“What is it?” Saint Aimer chuckled. “The treasure. You said it was written on the map that it was here, right?”
“Actually, after deciphering it, the clues gathered here.”
“Alright. Then why are you still here?”
Ah.
We were missing an important fact. The emperor went so far as to brand respected priests as rebels and massacred them in order to seize the treasure.
But why was the treasure still here?
“Did the emperor not get the treasure in the end?”
“That’s right. For some reason, the emperor couldn’t take the treasure.”
“…”
Something was starting to smell fishy.
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