REAPER SCANS
The Reincarnated Martial God Brings Down the Heavens
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Chapter 173 - The Border Plan (3)
Marquis Foltaine’s eyes filled with emotion. Even in that condition, his gaunt and bloodied body continued to tremble.
“...Step back. He’s not someone you can handle.”
Despite everything, he straightened his shoulders and feigned composure. At the same time, Ancelot’s chest throbbed.
“How about we stop here?”
A pause.
At Ancelot’s calm voice, Kamaras furrowed his brow.
“...Boy, did you just block my halberd?”
“Why bother asking? You have eyes, don’t you? Didn’t you see for yourself?”
“...”
With just a few words, Ancelot rendered his opponent speechless and continued.
“If you insist on fighting, I won’t stop you, but you’re overstepping your authority.”
“...Overstepping my authority?”
“This is a demilitarized zone and a military demarcation line. Yet, Masters of two nations—practically ultimate weapons—have engaged in direct combat.”
Finishing his statement, Ancelot pointed the tip of his sword.
“If someone dies here… an all-out war will be inevitable.”
“An all-out war, huh… Heheheh. That doesn’t sound so bad. Maybe this is the perfect chance for our Empire to expand its territory into the Kingdom of Hart.”
“Would you report that to your esteemed Emperor?”
“...”
Only then did Kamaras shut his mouth.
‘This bastard…!’
He pretended to remain composed, but inside, his anger was boiling over.
Right.
A mere field officer like him couldn’t make such a critical decision.
As this whelp said, he would be overstepping his authority.
However—
“...You’re making a big mistake, brat.”
Kamaras’s lips twisted into a smirk.
“Mistake?”
“I clearly warned you. I said that crossing that line before you would be considered a declaration of war. The one who ignored that warning was that old fool over there.”
Kamaras pointed to the ground. There, a deep mark had been left.
But—
‘...He’s laughing?’
That whelp had the audacity to smirk in response.
“And what gives you the right?”
“What?”
“This demilitarized zone is not imperial territory. It is a neutral area belonging to no nation. This is all according to international law.”
Kamaras shook his head.
“So by your logic, the Masters—practically ultimate weapons—can roam freely in a neutral zone?”
“What ultimate weapon?”
“...?”
“All I see is some thug harassing a powerless old man.”
“...”
Kamaras’s eyes twitched violently.
‘This little bastard…’
He had merely repeated the kid’s own words back at him. The term ‘ultimate weapon’ had come from his mouth first, too.
Yet that damn mouth of his wouldn’t stop running.
“Or, if you prefer, you can go back and report it like this: some frail old man crossed the border, and you had no choice but to escalate the situation into an all-out war.”
At last, Kamaras thought he understood what this brat was relying on.
“You think you’re safe just because Marquis Foltaine is an ‘unofficial’ master, unknown to the world…”
Once again, Kamaras smirked.
“There are plenty of witnesses here.”
“Right. And all of them are from that Empire of yours. But we’ll keep our mouths shut.”
“...”
At that moment, Kamaras made up his mind.
‘What am I even doing…? I should just kill him.’
Yes. He would simply kill this brat.
“But what do you think the other nations will say?”
“...?”
“A so-called ‘unofficial’ master from the Kingdom of Hart suddenly went mad and entered the demilitarized zone alone. There, he just happened to run into an imperial Master, who attempted to stop him, leading to an all-out war.”
“...”
“Sounds absurd when you hear it, doesn’t it? But that’s reality. Everyone will believe that the Empire has finally revealed its long-hidden ambitions of conquering the continent.”
Kamaras’s hands twitched uncontrollably.
He wanted nothing more than to cut this boy down, yet he found himself entranced, listening to his words.
“And if that happens, I’ll expose the secret tunnels you’ve been digging beneath the border.”
“...!”
“And not just that. Do you think only the other nations will have a problem with this?”
Ancelot’s smirk deepened.
“Your Emperor may believe your claim that this frail old man is actually a Master. But if you report that you were unable to prevent this situation from escalating because of him… Wouldn’t that just confirm your own incompetence?”
“...!”
“You’d be admitting that you failed to control the situation because you couldn’t handle a mere kingdom-level Master you always looked down on.”
Kamaras took a slow, deep breath. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to contain his killing intent.
And at last, he took a proper look at the brat running his mouth.
‘He’s even younger than I thought.’
It was truly shocking that a mere child had blocked his attack. But his face was oddly familiar.
Black hair, black eyes, and an almost feminine beauty.
“...I see. You must be that prince from the rumors.”
Kamaras recalled a recent report. A report about the successor of the ‘Great Hero.’
At the same time, a faint smile played on Ancelot’s lips.
“If you understand, then get lost before you follow your comrades to the underworld.”
“...!”
Kamaras’s eyes gleamed with killing intent again.
But—
“Hahh…”
A sigh escaped through his teeth.
‘As much as I hate to admit it, the brat is right.’
This was a demilitarized zone, and a military demarcation line. He could not escalate the situation here as he wished.
That was precisely why he had tried to set up a tight encirclement before this brat could escape.
‘This is turning into a mess.’
He was a completely unexpected variable.
“...Heheheh.”
Kamaras finally let out a small chuckle and turned on his heel.
“Andrew, Seventh Prince of the Principality of Meeke… I’ll remember that name well.”
Of course, he didn’t forget to leave a warning. Next time, he would make sure to kill him—no matter what.
“If you’re going to remember, do it properly.”
Kamaras halted mid-step, turning his head slightly.
“I abandoned that name. I am Ancelot.”
“...!”
For a moment, Kamaras shuddered.
It was an instinctive reaction. Because in the Empire, the name ‘Ancelot’ carried weight.
“Remember it well. Before long, this sword will come for all of you.”
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Join our discord for updates on releases! https://dsc.gg/reapercomics
* * *
“Ugh…”
Marquis Foltaine let out a painful groan.
His wounds, now exposed with his shirt removed, were far from shallow.
Deep sword scars were carved all over his gaunt body. There had been no time for first aid, and fresh blood still seeped from the wounds.
“H-Here’s some medicine!”
Fortunately, Nella was there, the best in the field.
“Thank you.”
I took the medicine from her and carefully applied it on Marquis Foltaine’s wounds.
“Give it to me. I can do it myself.”
“Stay still.”
I smacked his back with a loud ‘smack!’ before continuing my treatment.
“Ugh…”
Even as cold sweat dripped from his face, the marquis obediently entrusted his body to me.
“I never imagined you to be such a feisty person. To think you’d go up against an imperial Master.”
Marquis Foltaine, who had been enduring the pain, let out a faint chuckle.
“I didn’t know that I had such a reckless side, either.”
“...”
Who would think that was recklessness?
He had simply thrown himself in to save me.
‘I’ll make sure to do better from now on.’
In my past life, I had no parents. However, I was certain that even most biological fathers wouldn’t go to such lengths for their child.
“You have to live long.”
The words slipped out from my heart.
“Heheheh.”
Marquis Foltaine chuckled softly. Feeling embarrassed, I quickly changed the subject.
“But where did you learn your swordsmanship?”
It was a question that occurred to me only now.
The Foltaine family was widely known. Not as a lineage of swordsmen, but as a family of merchants.
Naturally, his father was not a swordsman, but a businessman.
This wasn’t something that made sense.
Even in renowned martial families, producing a Master was considered a rare feat.
“If you want to know, pay up.”
“Nothing in this world is free. How much?”
Marquis Foltaine chuckled at my retort.
“Just finish wrapping the bandages properly.”
“I’ll even give you a shoulder massage.”
Treatment along with a complimentary shoulder massage. Marquis Foltaine began his story.
“As you already know, we’re a family of merchants. Naturally, we have an inseparable relationship with bandits. When we travel for trade, it’s common for our goods to be plundered.”
Of course.
Marquis Foltaine had lost his eldest son to such an incident.
“Wealth must be protected with strength. That’s why my grandfather emphasized physical training for the head of the family. It’s just that… My father lacked the talent for combat.”
“And then, you appeared—an outlier.”
“Heheheh, exactly. I had over ten siblings. It’s rare to find a wealthy man that doesn’t take concubines.”
“Were you an illegitimate child?”
“Yes, I was. But the head of the family still chose me as his successor. Because I had both the talent for business and an exceptional aptitude for combat.”
“A strict meritocracy… That was a wise decision.”
“Heheheh.”
A child with immense talent for combat born into an obscenely wealthy family?
Then nurturing the child wasn’t an issue at all.
Rare sword manuals, the best mentors, elixirs that enhanced mana reserves—all of those could be acquired with money.
‘Some might argue that there are rare techniques and potions money can’t buy.’
To them, I would say,
‘If money can’t solve your problem, you just don’t have enough of it.’
“Nearly a hundred years. Over that long period, our family invested heavily in martial prowess.”
Not just elixirs but also countless rare martial arts manuals.
They even established a research institute to extract the best aspects of various techniques.
That’s how the unique swordsmanship of the Foltaine family was born. However, it had no name because it had never been publicly displayed.
“One of the most recent techniques I acquired was from Urha, the Swordsman of Waves.”
The mention of Urha made my body shudder instinctively.
‘So that’s why the traces left at the scene reminded me of Urha.’
It wasn’t surprising.
I already knew what kind of twisted experiments the Empire was conducting with their swordsmanship.
“Now that my story’s done, it’s your turn.”
“Huh?”
“How did you appear from behind? And don’t brush it off with nonsense this time. Earlier, you mentioned something about tunnels.”
“Ah.”
I nodded and answered honestly.
“The Empire dug a tunnel. A long underground passage that extends all the way into the Kingdom of Hart, bypassing the border.”
“…I suspected as much, but those lunatics really did it.”
I summarized the events that had transpired. Yet, as the conversation went on, Marquis Foltaine’s expression grew brighter.
“So, in other words, you’ve made a huge contribution to the country?”
“Is that how it works?”
“Of course. You’ve uncovered undeniable proof of the Empire’s malicious ambitions.”
A grin spread across Marquis Foltaine’s face, despite his pain.
It was the look of a man plotting on using this information to his advantage.
“This journey turned out far more beneficial than harmful. Now, let’s head back.”
Marquis Foltaine rose to his feet, still chuckling.
“Hahaha. The royal palace is going to be turned upside down.”
However, it wasn’t just the Kingdom of Hart's palace that would be shaken.
* * *
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