[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 282: Heavenly Sword (1)

“Sss. I think I can get rid of that.”

Before the words he muttered unconsciously could spread through the air, the malicious surge of mana that rushed like a savage wave swallowed every sound.

Oscar, startled, turned his widened eyes toward Heavenly Sword.

“Heh. Look at you, trembling with fear.”

Heavenly Sword sneered at that frail display.

“Don’t utter meaningless things that might give him false hope when he hears them.”

“…….”

So—he actually did this for his grandson?

If someone who didn’t know Heavenly Sword heard that, they’d ask, ‘Why?’

It might be natural for a grandfather to look after his grandson, but if the grandfather in question is Heavenly Sword, it becomes hard to believe.

‘Is this Heavenly Sword? Hasn’t he had his body taken by a demon or something?’

Seeing Oscar’s strange expression, Heavenly Sword twitched his eyebrows.

“What’s with that look on your face?”

“……It’s unexpected, that’s all.”

Heavenly Sword was a selfish man who cared only for himself.

In his previous life, there wasn’t even a memory of him spending a single speck of mana for another person.

That didn’t change even for his son.

‘Why is the old man who treated his own child so cold acting like this with his grandson?’

Watching Oscar’s displeased face, Heavenly Sword spoke.

“Continue what you were saying. How exactly can you get rid of that vermin?”

“Ah—if I explain the principle, it’s removal via spatial magic.”

Oscar stuck his hand into the air with a sudden whoosh! and the hand popped out right in front of Heavenly Sword’s nose.

He withdrew it and explained.

“As you can see, my spatial magic is quite useful. I’ve actually treated mana reflux symptoms this way before and—well, you know about the other time without me saying it, right?”

“Hmm.”

Heavenly Sword fell into deep thought.

He had a good idea when that “other time” had been.

‘The Emperor started showing up at official events looking fine around the time this brat arrived in the capital.’

Besides, the Emperor’s problem was his brain.

That was even harder to treat than a heart problem, not easier.

‘Mana reflux and brain surgery.’

If that were true, removing the parasite in his grandson’s heart wouldn’t be so difficult. Heavenly Sword, who radiated oppressive mana from his whole body, spoke in a cutting voice.

“If there’s even the slightest lie in what you told me, I’ll tear that body to shreds and drag your sin before the White Tower…”

“Ah, let’s just pretend it never happened.”

“What?”

Oscar answered, frowning.

“I’m not going to chase after fame and fortune by fixing this. I just thought the kid looked pitiful for his age and wondered if there was anything I could do. That’s all it was. If I’m treated like this for simply thinking about it, I’d rather not do it. Let’s forget it.”

He turned to leave, but Heavenly Sword shouted.

“…Stop!”

Blue mana shimmered from Heavenly Sword’s body like heat haze, but it did not strike Oscar.

Instinct told Heavenly Sword that if he used force to subdue him in this situation, everything would end.

“Anything else to say?”

“…….”

Heavenly Sword looked genuinely angry; to see his face was ridiculous.

Who was he?

The continent’s greatest swordsman, the strongest knight close to level 9.

Even the Emperor didn’t treat him as an inferior.

‘And yet I have to pander to a mage. A greenhorn from the White Tower at that.’

Just thinking about it made his chest burn with irritation.

He wanted to shout at the brat to get lost—he didn’t need his help.

He wanted to punish the insolent man who dared to speak to him like that.

But the image of the silent figure who wielded the sword kept appearing at the corner of his eye.

“…Tch.”

Finally Heavenly Sword clicked his tongue lightly, retracted the mana he had flung out, and said,

“Fine, I admit it. My response was too harsh.”

He didn’t know how long it had been since he admitted a fault.

Even a rough guess would put it at decades.

Anyone who knew him would gape in surprise.

Yet no reply came from the young man before him.

“Did you not hear? I said my response was too harsh.”

“I heard you. So?”

“…What?”

“So you’ve admitted your response was harsh. But you haven’t apologized for it yet.”

“Apologize? You expect an apology now?”

He burst out laughing as if he’d heard a ridiculous joke.

“You’re rather greedy for someone so young.”

But seeing Oscar’s earnest face, the laughter gradually faded.

“Young one, do you know what you’re demanding?”

“And Heavenly Sword, do you know how you look right now?”

“What?”

“……Honestly, I’m deeply disappointed.”

Oscar looked at Heavenly Sword as if he were pitiful.

Although they walked different paths, he was someone Oscar acknowledged.

Many things differed between them, but Oscar felt fundamentally similar to him.

‘Especially when facing demons.’

No matter what proposals demons made, Heavenly Sword would cut them down without flinching.

That was a trait Oscar respected—Heavenly Sword was necessary for the Empire.

‘But…’

His current behavior was not admirable at all.

What stood before him was a petty old man who couldn’t even offer a sincere apology.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Everyone makes mistakes. Yet people can live with one another because they ask forgiveness and grant forgiveness.”

“Are you lecturing me now?”

“Can’t you be taught? Is it because you’re old, or because you’re level eight?”

“…….”

Heavenly Sword opened his mouth to retort but bit it shut.

He knew that anything he said now would only make him look worse.

The thought made him flush with anger.

“I can’t fathom it. I can’t remember the last time I was this furious. Has my ancestor committed some mortal sin against you?”

“That’s not it.”

“Then you could at least let this go graciously for my sake.”

“Graciously?”

Oscar gave a bitter smile.

He knew Heavenly Sword well.

Perhaps because of that, he was even more disappointed.

“I understand you came from the neighboring country when you were young. Is that right?”

“That’s right.”

“It must have been much worse back then; discrimination against people from that land was rampant. Right?”

“…….”

Heavenly Sword was one hundred and four years old this year.

His childhood must have been very different from now.

“You must have endured hardship and injustice.”

“Stop.”

“Tell me—how did it feel to be persecuted and despised just because you were born different, because you were weak?”

“Stop it.”

Oscar did not stop speaking.

He simply looked at Heavenly Sword with cold eyes and continued.

“You say let it go graciously? Is that really good for everyone?”

“…….”

“Right now, your behavior isn’t much different from those you once hated.”

Those words struck like a sharp dagger into Heavenly Sword’s heart.

Memories he had long tried to forget—memories he thought he had buried long ago—were resurrected by the young man’s voice.

The children who hurled stones at him, nobles who looked down on him like vermin, mages who tried to use him as a test subject, comrades in the sword school who never acknowledged him even when he proved himself.

He had crushed them all with force until none dared treat him badly.

‘….’

Now, he who had wanted only equal regard had become the very thing he despised.

Lost in past thoughts, Heavenly Sword could not say anything.

A heavy, long silence passed.

‘Could this be trouble for me?’

Oscar glanced back nervously.

No matter how proud Heavenly Sword was, he wouldn’t kill a mage he’d invited for the Shadow Tracker mission.

But he might smash a bone or two to teach a lesson.

Oscar briefly calculated an escape route just in case.

“My response was too harsh.”

After a long silence, Heavenly Sword finally spoke.

“I oppressed someone who offered help with force and even insulted that magus tower.”

“…….”

“I apologize.”

When Heavenly Sword inclined his head slightly, Oscar couldn’t help but be surprised. Frankly, he hadn’t expected a genuine apology from Heavenly Sword.

“You’re right. I unconsciously repeated the behavior of the people I hated most. Perhaps it was a twisted desire.”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to apologize to a young brat. Thank you.”

“You sure know how to speak your mind.”

“Heh.”

Heavenly Sword let out a hollow laugh and looked at his grandson.

“To be honest, I didn’t want to apologize even after hearing those words from a young man. If it were the old me, I would have cut his throat.”

“…….”

A chill brushed his throat for no reason.

“But when I thought my grandson’s life was at stake, what good is pride?”

“…….”

His eyes seemed to linger on someone beyond his grandson’s back.

“I didn’t want to hand over the Heavenly Sword House—this stronghold I built with a sword in a foreign land—to just anyone. I wanted my child to inherit it if possible. I wanted the Heavenly Sword fortress to remain of my bloodline alone.”

It was an understandable sentiment—things that had happened in some Magic Towers as well.

“So I trained my son from a young age to be stronger than most adults. It was cruel. In truth, that boy had more talent for magic than swordsmanship.”

“…….”

“If I had to apologize to anyone, it would first be to my son. It may sound like an excuse, but that might be why I didn’t want to apologize to anyone else.”

Oscar was silent.

He knew the ending of this story.

“My son died in the war with the demons. It was as if I killed him with my own hands. If I hadn’t forced him to learn swordsmanship—if I’d let him live satisfied with modest talent, or let him study magic—instead of pushing him into that path… I couldn’t stop thinking. If only I had said ‘I’m sorry’ while he was alive, I wouldn’t be tormented by regret now.”

Heavenly Sword swung his sword to banish those troubling thoughts.

Ironically, that very habit enabled him to reach the late stages of level eight.

“…One cannot keep repeating the same mistakes after realizing them.”

Heavenly Sword looked straight at Oscar and said,

“Please. I beg you—save my grandson’s life.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]