REAPER SCANS
The Reincarnated Martial God Brings Down the Heavens
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
Chapter 184 - Count Arsene’s Children (1)
Marquis Foltaine stepped out of his mansion just as the children came running from Duke Herman’s mansion.
“P-Please wait a moment!”
“We want to participate too!”
“…?”
Marquis Foltaine tilted his head in confusion at the sudden influx of newcomers. Beside him, his butler made a troubled expression.
“There’s more of them?”
“I-It seems so.”
“Hahaha. They’re wasting their time.”
“...Pardon?”
The butler tilted his head.
However, Marquis Foltaine’s gaze remained fixed on a single spot.
‘Kirian, was it?’
Marquis Foltaine’s beliefs differed from those of Duke Herman.
Fairness?
Gossip?
‘They don’t matter to me.’
Marquis Foltaine smirked.
He wasn’t blind.
That boy named Kirian—
He was undoubtedly the second son of Count Arsene.
He’d once invaded that family with the intention of killing them all, and as a result, he knew that face very well.
But more importantly—
‘That brat holds that child in special regard, doesn't he?’
Given that, his conclusion was simple.
Step, step, step.
Without hesitation, Marquis Foltaine strode forward.
‘O-Our country’s new Master!’
‘As expected of a Master. The pressure exuded by his walking is…’
‘No wonder they call him the Swordsman of Tsunami. It really feels like a raging wave is crashing down on us.’
The children tensed up. Marquis Foltaine stopped right in front of one particular child.
“You, take it.”
He suddenly pulled out a parchment from the inner pocket of his garments and held it out.
“…!”
Kirian, caught off guard, accepted it with widened eyes.
“Wh-Why are you giving this to me…?”
“As the one giving out the letter of recommendation, that’s up to me.”
Marquis Foltaine let out a chuckle and spun around.
“Th-That’s the letter of recommendation for the Rising Star Tournament!”
Just as the other children grasped the situation and were about to speak out—
“What? Do any of you have a problem?”
A chilling voice slipped through Marquis Foltaine’s lips.
“...”
Instantly, everyone fell silent as if their mouths had been sewn shut. Marquis Foltaine’s reputation preceded him.
If something displeased him, he wouldn’t hesitate to behead not only his own knights, but even his own children.
The most ruthless man in the Hart Kingdom. That was why most children had flocked to Duke Herman’s household instead.
‘This isn’t right.’
Yet, Kirian couldn’t accept this outcome. He could feel the hostile gazes on him from all directions.
They were definitely assuming that his family had pulled some strings. He wouldn’t tolerate such insults.
“I-I want to compete fairly.”
“That’s bothersome.”
“But…”
Kirian looked troubled.
Of course, the seasoned Marquis Foltaine could easily guess what was on his mind.
‘Fool, do you think I gave it to you because I like you? Heheheh.’
After all, this was the son of Count Arsene, who he had once almost gone to war with. This was merely Marquis Foltaine’s own form of petty revenge.
“Well, if the owner of the item wants to decide its fate, who am I to argue?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s out of my hands now. Do whatever you want with it.”
“...”
Marquis Foltaine thought he’d get the point. Especially since Kirian was known to have a timid personality.
However—
“Then… Can I really decide what to do with it?”
Marquis Foltaine froze.
For the first time, he turned his head back.
Their gazes locked.
Unexpectedly, Kirian didn’t look away.
“Oho?”
For a fleeting moment, Marquis Foltaine made a small smile before it disappeared.
‘That’s not a bad look in his eyes.’
Kirian took it a step further.
“Anyone who wants this recommendation letter!”
He raised the parchment high.
“Come at me, whoever you are!”
His other hand rested on his sword’s hilt as he shouted loud and clear.
“If you can defeat me, I will gladly hand over this recommendation letter!”
“...!”
Marquis Foltaine’s pupils trembled slightly. Inside, he couldn’t help but let out a string of exclamations.
‘This boy… Was he always like this?’
And it wasn’t just him.
“I-Is that really Kirian?”
“Has he lost his mind?”
“He’s hopeless. Did he forget who’s present here?”
The children started murmuring in disbelief.
“Heheheh.”
Marquis Foltaine laughed for a long time. Then, he glanced to the side.
“Was this child also your doing?”
Before he knew it, Ancelot had appeared silently into view.
“He’s got guts.”
“He certainly does.”
Ancelot, smacking his sheathed sword against his palm like a club, smirked coldly.
“Should I really beat him up? Just what is making him act so arrogantly?”
“Isn’t it because he takes after his friends?”
“I have something to rely on, but that guy doesn’t.”
Ancelot clicked his tongue.
“On the battlefield, the ones who act cocky without the skills to back it up are always the first to die…”
“Heheheh. You think he’s showing off just for fun? It’s all because of my nasty personality.”
At that, Ancelot glanced at the side of Marquis Foltaine’s face.
He barely held back from saying, ‘Then why did you do it?’
‘If not for me, he wouldn’t have even tried to improve the relationship.’
That’s why Ancelot was always grateful to the Marquis. Just then—
“Hahahaha!”
A sudden burst of loud laughter erupted.
All eyes turned in that direction.
“This is fun. Really fun, Kirian.”
“…!”
Even Kirian flinched when he identified the owner of the voice.
“Havi…”
A boy, towering a head above his peers and nearing two meters in height, with a build more befitting a bandit than a knight.
“Hmm… He’s the eldest son of Count Kepel, isn’t he?”
Marquis Foltaine, well-connected in noble society, murmured.
“Tsk. that’s why he should’ve just taken it when he had the chance.”
“Do you know him?”
“He might not be much by your standards, but he’s one of the top three young talents of the kingdom.”
Hearing this, Ancelot tilted his head.
“That guy?”
“Heheheh. To you, he might be just ‘that guy.’ But to your friend, will he be the same?”
“Well, I feel like he has a good chance at winning.”
“…?”
Marquis Foltaine looked intrigued.
“Your eye for people isn't as good as I thought. Mark my words, if those two fight…”
But before he could finish—
“No one has ever dared act this cocky in front of me. You’d better keep your word!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Havi wielded an enormous greatsword fitting for his massive frame. The blade spun above his head like a windmill.
Clearly, he was rushing to attack before Marquis Foltaine could interfere.
“I’ll crush you!”
Boom!
Havi stomped the ground forcefully. The sheer weight of the impact cracked the ground beneath him.
Then, launching himself high into the air above the training field—
“Hraaaaah!”
He came crashing toward Kirian, just like a thunderbolt.
‘That flimsy sword, those weak wrists—I’ll break them both in one strike!’
A glint of cruelty flashed in Havi’s eyes. Against such a frail opponent, he didn’t even need mana.
Kirian wasn’t even moving, as if frozen in fear.
‘It’s over!’
Just as Havi felt certain of his victory—
Whirl.
“…?”
Kirian’s sword suddenly began to rotate.
‘A perfect circle.’
As the honored guest once said. If you can draw it—
‘Then you can easily deflect any force.’
In other words, using the opponent’s strength against them.
And right now, with Havi charging like a raging boar, he was the perfect opponent for that circle.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
“…Urk.”
Of course, it was easier said than done. The moment their swords clashed—
A devastating shockwave rippled through Kirian’s entire body.
Even with the majority of the force redirected, the impact of the strike penetrated deep into his bones.
‘As expected… A true prodigy of the kingdom.’
But even when his stance wavered, Kirian did not fall.
He endured, believing in his training. He channelled his strength through his two feet, his waist, and then to his entire body!
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The closer he came to drawing a perfect circle, the fainter the sounds of impact became.
When the honored guest executed this technique, one couldn’t even hear the sound of metal striking metal.
Kirian wasn’t expecting perfection.
‘Just focus on my own circle.’
Screech!
At the right moment, he slid one foot back. The pressure was so great that it dug a furrow into the ground.
At the same time—
‘I drew it!’
Swirl!
“…Huh…?”
Suddenly, Havi’s massive body soared into the air.
Boooom!
His back collided with the hard marble floor.
“Urk!”
Harvey let out a dry cough as he felt the tremendous shock on his back.
“Haah…”
Kirian finally released the breath he had been holding. With his sword handle touching his forehead and his blade tilted at a slight angle.
Swish.
Then, Kirian calmly pointed the tip of his sword at Havi.
“Will you yield, senior?”
“…!”
Havi’s face burned red in humiliation and the murmurs of the other children grew louder.
However—
“Wh-Wh-What did I…?”
You see as much as you know.
Of course, no one was more shocked than Marquis Foltaine.
“Just what was that? That sword technique?!”
Ancelot answered honestly.
“That’s the swordsmanship of Harhel.”
“…!”
Marquis Foltaine’s pupils trembled with shock.
“H-Harhel swordsmanship!? The Harhel I know?”
“Unless there’s another one with the same name in this world, yes.”
“G-Goodness…”
Marquis Foltaine gulped dryly.
“How…? That’s the swordsmanship of an ancient fallen empire. How did that child…?”
He trailed out mid-sentence.
A realization struck him.
“W-Was it you?”
“…”
There was no answer, but his silence was an answer in itself.
‘This brat… He really is the eye of the storm.’
At this point, he didn’t even have the energy to laugh.
Yes.
Not just Ancelot, but now even those around him were causing storms wherever they went.
And those storms were brewing elsewhere as well.
“Welcome, Sir Jan.”
“…Excuse my intrusion.”
At that moment—
A lone, one-eyed boy stepped into a household that no one had visited for a long time out of fear.
* * *
Reaper Scans
[Translator – San]
[Proofreader – Abstract]
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* * *
He waited for half a day.
Swish.
Jan, sitting in meditation within the training hall, slowly opened his eyes. Then, he stood up at once.
“Have I kept you waiting?”
“…Not at all.”
Jan stared forward with a hardened expression. The man who met his gaze—
Whoosh!
“The night breeze is refreshing.”
A lone, beautiful man stood tall under the moonlight.
“The perfect weather for a duel, isn’t it?”
Shiiing.
Jan drew his sword, his expression tense.
“Hahaha. Then, shall we have some fun?”
The beauty stepped onto the training grounds.
It was none other than Duke Serin.
* * *
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