The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

Chapter 107

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 107

The first emperor to unify the continent and the great hero who defeated the Demon King—Ernstine Meier.

Though the Meier Empire had fallen, statues and portraits commemorating the emperor who once ruled the continent remained scattered across the land.

A thousand years later, people looked upon these relics and often thought:

"No matter how great Emperor Ernstine was, isn’t this excessive glorification?"

"How could a man in his fifties look like this? He wasn’t even an elf."

History books consistently described Emperor Ernstine as an unparalleled beauty, but…

Most still believed the depictions of Ernstine to be overly romanticized—especially the ones portraying him as a strikingly handsome man even in his middle age, during the time he ruled the unified empire after vanquishing the Demon King.

However—

Saintess Theresia knew the truth.

All the statues and paintings of Ernstine—

They didn’t come close to capturing his real appearance.

"The sculptors simply weren’t skilled enough to carve his likeness."

Theresia knew better than anyone how transcendent Ernstine’s beauty was.

Even after a thousand years, she still dreamed of the Hero Ernstine from time to time.

As she longed for him, she felt certain—there would never be another man like him.

But today, upon descending upon Viltre Fortress with the Holy Order—

She saw something she could not believe.

"Lord Ernstine!"

Theresia, who always carried herself with a benevolent smile, faithfully embodying the image of the 'Saintess' known to the world—

Now lost all composure, running straight toward Kaylen and embracing him tightly.

Through the robe concealing his form, she could feel his firm, solid physique.

"Hero… this isn’t a dream, is it…?"

Kaylen was taken aback.

His current appearance was identical to that of Ernstine’s in the past, but—

He never expected anyone to recognize him.

Well, perhaps…

He could concede that Saintess Theresia, having lived in the same era as him, might recognize Ernstine’s face.

But he never imagined she would throw herself at him so recklessly.

"Did she… have a thing for me?"

Now that he thought about it, she had never left his side during the Demon King subjugation.

Back then, he assumed it was just the admiration of a young girl for a hero.

But who could have predicted that, even after a thousand years, she would still react like this?

"Um, Saintess. I’m Kaylen."

"What are you saying, Lord Ernstine? I have never forgotten you, not even once in the past thousand years. To say such a thing with that identical face… Fufu. What a funny joke."

"This is just a side effect of an experiment—I really am Kaylen. Besides, Emperor Ernstine was a man who lived a thousand years ago, wasn’t he?"

"Oh my, such a harsh joke. If there really was an experiment that could make someone look like Lord Ernstine, I’d have the entire Holy Order undergo it."

Theresia spoke with a gentle smile—but her words were terrifying.

A thousand years ago, she had been an innocent and pure-hearted saintess, but time had clearly changed her.

A cold sweat ran down Kaylen’s back.

One of the knights standing behind her quickly ran up and stammered,

"L-Lady Saintess…!"

"Why?"

"This person is indeed Meister Kaylen. I previously reported that his appearance had changed."

"What! Don’t be ridiculous. This is Lord Ernstine!"

"I… I swear it’s true. It was a major topic in the capital."

"You. Just what do you take me for? Do you think I’ve lost my mind after living for a thousand years? Hohoho… You must have some nerve to treat me like a senile old woman, Sir Les."

"I-I didn’t mean it like that…!"

Saintess Theresia fiercely scolded the Holy Knight, pushing him into a corner.

Sir Les, a knight with a long beard and the most dignified appearance among them, now had tears welling in his eyes under her relentless assault.

"This person is the Hero! He is Lord Ernstine!"

"Saintess… I… This man is indeed Lord Kaylen."

Princess Violet stepped forward.

And as those around them also affirmed that the man was truly Kaylen, the Saintess finally stepped back from him, staring in disbelief.

"Are you… truly Lord Kaylen?"

"Yes, I am."

"No, that can’t be. Even if the experiment failed… There’s no way you could just happen to look exactly the same. You’re not even from the Meier bloodline. Right, you’re Sir Stein, the head of the Meier sword lineage, aren’t you?"

Kaylen sighed and looked toward Stein.

The Saintess was far too adamant, making it difficult to dismiss this as merely a failed experiment.

At this moment, he decided to reveal part of the truth.

"I am also of the Meier bloodline."

"…What?"

"Like Sir Stein, I carry the blood of the Meier family."

A murmur spread through the crowd.

People glanced back and forth between Stein and Kaylen in astonishment.

"The Meier bloodline…?"

"I thought they were wiped out when the empire fell…."

The Meier bloodline—descendants of Emperor Ernstine.

Once shunned by various kingdoms for their alleged ties to the demons, their name had faded into obscurity over time.

After all, a thousand years was a long, long time.

To those living in the present, the Meier lineage was nothing more than an old tale, a piece of forgotten history.

"Is that… really true?"

"Yes. Emperor Caius, the second ruler of the Meier Empire, was defeated and disappeared. His children were all executed…"

For a brief moment, Kaylen's gaze darkened as he spoke of the lost eldest son and the slaughtered grandchildren.

But he remained composed and continued.

"The youngest, Starn, was saved by a loyal vassal and managed to escape."

"Starn…."

"Yes. And he became the founding ancestor of our Starn family."

"I see… Starn… When he was born, I was the one who bestowed my blessing upon him. When I first heard your family name, Kaylen, I thought it was just a coincidence…"

When Saintess Theresia first investigated Kaylen out of curiosity, the name "Starn" had vaguely sounded familiar.

But she had never imagined that it was connected to the youngest son of the second emperor of the Meier Empire.

After all, that had been a thousand years ago.

"So that’s why you bear Lord Ernstine’s appearance…."

Though Saintess Theresia nodded in understanding, she still stared at Kaylen with eyes full of disbelief.

Kaylen’s connection to the Hero had now been partially revealed…

But even if he was a descendant of Ernstine, there was no way his appearance could be identical to that of the legendary emperor.

"Suspicious."

Still, pressing him for answers now wouldn’t yield anything useful.

For now, the Saintess took a step back and offered an apology.

"I apologize for my disgraceful behavior, Lord Kaylen."

"It’s alright, Saintess. Even I didn’t realize just how much I resemble Lord Ernstine."

"I don’t know what kind of experiment you conducted, but there must be a reason why the Hero’s face has reappeared after a thousand years, Lord Kaylen."

Srrk.

Saintess Theresia reached inside her priestly robes and pulled something out.

It was a small, pure-white dagger.

Unlike ordinary daggers, the entire blade shimmered with a radiant white light.

"A fragment of the Holy Sword Astella."

Kaylen recalled his past days as Stein.

Back then, the Saintess had used a fragment of the Holy Sword Astella to summon the Heavenly Sword while he rode atop his drake.

"It’s just a fragment, but its divine power remains unchanged."

The Holy Sword Astella—

A sacred weapon wielded by all the past Heroes, and the only weapon that had been of any real use to Kaylen when he had reached the rank of Grand Swordmaster.

Normally, a true master doesn’t discriminate between weapons.

But the Holy Sword was different.

Back in his days as a Hero, the Holy Sword Astella was more than just a blade—it was a weapon that transcended the very concept of a sword.

It was so powerful that when he returned it to the Sanctum after slaying the Demon King, he had spent several sleepless nights debating whether he should just take it and leave.

"Lord Kaylen, who bears the exact likeness of Hero Ernstine… And Lord Stein, a Swordmaster appearing after centuries… I believe this explains why the two of you have manifested in the same era."

"And what is this?"

"A fragment of the Holy Sword Astella."

At the mention of the Holy Sword’s fragment, the knights’ eyes gleamed with curiosity.

"The Holy Sword Astella…"

"The legendary blade that has slain countless Demon Kings!"

"There were rumors that it was kept in the Sanctuary… So it was true!"

With a flushed face, Saintess Theresia stared intently at Kaylen and spoke.

"Lord Kaylen. And Lord Stein. Would you both be willing to challenge the selection of the Holy Sword?"

At her words, the knights could no longer contain their excitement.

"The selection of the Holy Sword?!"

"Do you mean the trial of drawing the Holy Sword Astella from the plaza of the Sanctum?"

Guntrian, the most eager among them, asked excitedly.

The Saintess, returning to her usual benevolent smile, nodded.

"Yes. When a Demon King descends, the Holy Sword chooses the Hero of the era. A thousand years ago, that Hero was Lord Ernstine."

Hearing this, Kaylen couldn’t suppress the primal urge to take on the challenge.

The Holy Sword Astella—

The regret he had felt when he returned it to the Sanctum’s plaza after slaying the Demon King…

"Astella had practically begged me not to leave it behind."

—Master. Are you really going to put me back there?

—Master. I wish to stay by your side forever. I don’t want to fall into someone else’s hands.

—Master… If you change your mind even now, I will grant you the honorifics you always wanted.

—Master… Master! Please, don’t abandon me!

The closer he had gotten to the Sanctum’s plaza, the more desperate and polite Astella’s tone had become.

Kaylen wanted to accept immediately as he recalled those past memories.

However, as the Meister "Kaylen," he responded with caution.

"Saintess, but I am a mage. I don’t think I have any connection to the Holy Sword."

"That’s not true. There must be a divine reason why you bear an identical appearance to Lord Ernstine. Even if you don’t know swordsmanship now, once chosen by the Holy Sword, you will awaken as a Hero and rapidly grow stronger."

Without sparing Swordmaster Stein even a glance,

Saintess Theresia focused solely on Kaylen.

"Is that so…?"

"Yes. There is undoubtedly a great will of the Celestial God at work."

As if convinced that his resemblance to Ernstine was a sign of divine will,

She gazed at Kaylen with hazy, unfocused eyes.

"She must have missed me that much… To the point of obsession now."

Still, in this situation, that obsession was actually useful.

It gave Meister Kaylen a legitimate excuse to take part in the Holy Sword’s selection trial.

"Once matters in the kingdom are settled, I need to reclaim Astella."

Just as Kaylen thought that—

The Holy Knights behind Theresia hurriedly approached her.

"Saintess, isn’t it too soon to bring up the selection of the Holy Sword…?"

"What do you mean? If not them, then who else could take on this trial?"

One of the knights stepped closer to Theresia, cautiously glancing around before whispering in her ear.

He spoke in such a hushed voice that no one else should have been able to hear—

But Kaylen heard every word.

"But… wasn't Caius and the Meier bloodline… personally excommunicated by His Holiness?"

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]