The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

Chapter 108

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 108

When Kaylen first entered this body,

He had come across a particular passage in a history book.

—Emperor Caius succumbed to dark magic and sided with the demons.

The Sanctum’s official declaration that Crown Prince Caius had fallen to dark magic and aligned with the demons—

That announcement was the final blow that led to the downfall of the Meier Empire.

Even the most loyal vassals who had once supported the empire turned their backs, and the imperial forces of Meier collapsed rapidly.

"But that was a thousand years ago. And it’s still affecting things now?"

Kaylen kept his expression neutral as he waited for the Holy Knight to continue.

"Regardless of the circumstances, allowing the descendant of an excommunicated bloodline to take the Holy Sword’s trial is strictly forbidden. Especially… for Meier."

The way the knight singled out Meier gave Kaylen an unsettling feeling.

Why were they still so wary of a family that had fallen a thousand years ago?

"Something feels off."

As Kaylen pondered this,

The hazy look in Theresia’s eyes sharpened.

Regaining her composure, she nodded slightly, her face now calm and collected.

"I apologize. I let my emotions get the better of me. Lord Kaylen. Lord Stein."

She offered her apology to both of them.

"The selection of the Holy Sword will need to be discussed again at the Sanctum after the fortress defense is complete."

"Understood."

"I will personally ensure that this matter is pursued. Please wait just a little longer."

Even after saying this, the Saintess could not take her eyes off Kaylen.

"May I meet with the commander of this fortress?"

She directed her question to the others,

But as she spoke, her gaze subtly drifted back to Kaylen.

"Yes, Saintess! I am Guntrian, the Supreme Commander of Viltre Fortress!"

"Ah, Commander Guntrian. It’s a pleasure to meet you."

Even as she exchanged greetings, she continued stealing glances at Kaylen.

If she truly had business with the commander, she should have gone to him directly.

Yet, she remained standing in front of Kaylen, forcing Guntrian to rush over instead.

"The reason I came to Viltre Fortress today was not to meet with Lord Ernstine—no, Lord Kaylen—but rather… Ah, well… To stop the Demon Realm’s main army."

Guntrian, startled by her rambling, urgently questioned her.

"The Demon Realm’s… main army?"

"That’s right. Up until now, the Meisters’ magic has been effective, hasn’t it?"

"Yes. Thanks to their firepower, we’ve been able to hold off the monster waves."

"But… those were merely scouting forces. The true main army of the Demon Realm is entirely inscribed with Anti-Magic Seals."

"Anti-Magic Seals…? What are those?"

Theresia glanced around before pointing at the drake.

"Look at that drake."

The creature, currently reduced to the size of a horse,

Was happily eating the meat given to it by the fortress soldiers.

Sensing the attention on itself, the drake lifted its head curiously.

"You see the magic sigils covering its entire body?"

"…Yes."

"That is an Anti-Magic Seal—a spell that completely neutralizes all lower-circle magic. It is the natural enemy of Meisters."

A spell that could completely nullify lower-circle magic…

Even though it was the Saintess speaking,

The people found it hard to believe.

Guntrian's expression immediately turned grim.

He had witnessed it himself—when the drake first arrived at the fortress, the spells cast upon it had simply vanished as if erased.

"I saw it too. When our Meisters used magic on Sir Stein’s drake, all their spells were nullified. If magic doesn’t work, we have no other means… Does the Holy Order have a solution?"

"Anti-Magic Seals resist magic, but divine power still works. Our Holy Order will take the lead in stopping the enemy’s main force—the Mana Eaters. In the meantime, we ask that the fortress’s Meisters focus on containing the monsters that are not inscribed with Anti-Magic Seals."

"Understood."

"If the Mana Eaters surpass the strength of our Holy Order, the knights may have to step in. Aura, after all, is unaffected by Anti-Magic Seals."

At those words, Guntrian stole a glance at the drake.

Though it was currently shrunken in size, its original form was an overwhelmingly massive beast.

Watching it effortlessly hunt down flocks of harpies in the sky had been reassuring—since it was on their side.

But if it were an enemy, it would have been nothing short of terrifying.

"If the Mana Eaters, inscribed with Anti-Magic Seals, are as powerful as that drake… can knights even stop them?"

Even if aura remained effective, could they truly take down such colossal creatures?

Guntrian recalled how he had felt within the Sword Seat’s domain, when his abilities were enhanced.

Even as one of the stronger knights in the fortress—equipped with a knight-grade Mana Suit—he wasn’t confident he could face a monster of that scale.

"I don’t understand the enemy commander’s decisions. If Mana Eaters have the ability to nullify magic, then had they joined the monster waves earlier, this fortress would have already fallen."

As soon as Kaylen spoke, Saintess Theresia whipped her body toward him.

She approached him with a bright, unfitting smile and gazed at him intently.

"Yes! That’s exactly right, Ern—Kaylen! Their invasion strategy has been incredibly inefficient, almost bafflingly so."

"I see…."

"Indeed. Even the harpies could have simply flanked around and attacked from the rear, but instead, they charged directly at the fortress. On top of that, they neither eat nor sleep, yet they’ve been exhausting their forces against this stronghold. It doesn’t make sense."

Viltre Fortress was a naturally fortified position, but it wasn’t the only path to the Oblaine Duchy.

By simply bypassing the mountain ranges that formed the canyon, the demon army could have either attacked the duchy directly or ignored the fortress entirely and marched on toward the capital.

"If their troops don’t need supply lines or rest, their strategic options are limitless."

With no need for provisions, they had no reason to waste forces attacking a heavily fortified position.

And since they didn’t require sleep, even a long detour wouldn’t have slowed their advance.

With an aerial unit, they could have even executed completely unconventional tactics.

Yet, despite these advantages, the monster army had mindlessly thrown itself against the fortress.

Of course, even this inefficient assault had nearly led to the fortress’s fall…

But had they even slightly adjusted their strategy, both the fortress and the duchy would have already been reduced to ruins.

"You are absolutely right, Commander Guntrian."

After briefly glancing at Guntrian, Theresia once again fixed her gaze on Kaylen.

"Even we at the Sanctuary do not fully understand it, but the monsters in the Wave have been employing only the most basic, primitive strategies. That is why they have not even considered bypassing the fortress and continue attacking head-on."

"I see."

"However, the Mana Eaters, led by a demon commander, are different. Since they are under the commander's direct control, they can employ more sophisticated tactics."

"Hmm… Then could they flank around Viltre Fortress and attack from another direction?"

"That is possible. However… until now, they have never done so."

Theresia gave a bitter smile as she continued.

"Let me give you an example. Commander Guntrian, when you step on an ant colony, do you deliberately avoid them and take a longer route just to crush them from behind?"

"No. There’s no reason to go out of my way to do that."

"It’s the same for the demons. There is simply no need to go to such lengths against humans."

To the demons, humans were nothing more than insects.

As the gathered people felt the stark difference in power and fumed at being compared to mere pests,

Kaylen, in contrast, smiled at the remark.

"I’d love to show that commander just how ‘pests’ can bite."

"Ah… that smile."

"Lord Kaylen, you truly must be Lord Ernstine. That confident smile—it’s exactly the same as the one I, Theresia, have committed to memory countless times."

Kaylen let out a dry chuckle as he looked at Theresia, whose eyes sparkled as she clung to his hands.

For a brief moment, he considered revealing the truth to her alone.

But something about the situation made him uneasy.

"The Sanctuary’s refusal to allow the Meier bloodline to take the Holy Sword’s trial… That’s concerning."

Until he uncovered why the Sanctuary was suppressing the Meier lineage, he couldn’t recklessly expose his identity.

With that decision, Kaylen gently pulled his hands away from Theresia’s grasp.

"That is not the case, Saintess."

"But…!"

"I only found out today that my face resembles my ancestor, Lord Ernstine. Any similarity in expressions must simply be due to our similar features."

Theresia stared intently at Kaylen’s face before letting out a long sigh.

"Haah… You’re right. I already apologized earlier, and yet I’ve embarrassed myself again."

She chuckled to herself before murmuring,

"If he were still alive, the Meier Empire would never have fallen…"

Turning away from Kaylen, she faced the Holy Knights.

"Commander Guntrian, we will begin preparing for the Mana Eaters’ defense. Could you guide our Holy Order to our lodgings?"

"Of course, Saintess. I will personally escort you."

With that, the hundreds-strong Holy Order departed with Guntrian leading the way.

Even as she walked, Theresia glanced back multiple times—before finally following the procession.

"The Mana Eaters…"

"The real problems are only beginning."

Reinforcements had arrived, and the monster army had retreated, allowing for a modest banquet to be prepared.

Yet, the mood had long since soured.

"Monsters that can nullify Meister magic…"

"Even if aura still works, just how much can the knights really do?"

"Sir Stein is likely the only one among us truly capable of fighting the Mana Eaters."

Second Prince Bellos spoke to Stein in a worried tone.

"Sir Stein, after hearing the Saintess’s words, it seems the Mana Eaters are no ordinary foes."

But Stein’s gaze wasn’t on Bellos.

His eyes were locked onto the wine bottle in the prince’s hands.

"That is…"

"Ah, my apologies, Sir Stein. I wasn’t expecting things to turn out this way, so I had planned for a simple banquet tonight. I wanted to personally pour a drink for you, as you have endured the most hardship."

Stein, however, remained silent, staring fixedly at the bottle.

His gaze was so intense that Bellos quickly pulled the bottle back.

"I suppose… alcohol isn’t appropriate for this situation."

"No, that’s not…"

Stein wanted to say it was fine—to accept the drink.

The words almost escaped from Eldir's lips instinctively, but he barely managed to hold them back.

"Ah… If it's wine from the prince, it must be exceptional… I’ve been fighting for days without sleep. A single drink wouldn’t hurt, would it?"

Because of his oath to Kaylen, he could not drink.

Yet, his throat felt parched, and his eyes remained glued to the wine bottle.

He desperately wanted a drink.

Staring at the bottle with a terrifying intensity,

Stein made Prince Bellos uneasy.

"As expected of a Swordmaster—he is incredibly disciplined. I need to bring him over to my side, yet I’ve only made things worse."

Just as an odd silence settled over them—

A voice echoed in Stein’s mind.

[Eldir. You’ve worked hard, so I grant you this freedom. Accept the drink.]

"Lord Kaylen…!"

[Just don’t make a mistake.]

The moment Kaylen’s voice reached him,

Stein’s lips curled uncontrollably.

He had been granted permission.

"Since His Highness personally brought it, how could I refuse? I will gratefully accept."

"Oh! Wonderful. I shall pour it myself."

"You could simply hand me the bottle—"

"Pardon?"

"Ah, never mind. Please pour."

As Stein and Bellos shared their drink,

Kaylen, watching from the side, suddenly felt a light tap on his shoulder.

"Lord Kaylen, may I have a word?"

Princess Violet approached with a bright smile.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]