The 9Th Class Swordmaster: Blade Of Truth [EN]: Chapter 427

261. The Power of the Sun (1)

“You certainly make good use of your past life’s memories,” Aln Zavias said in the carriage returning from Kalan’s cabin. Cayrel, who was looking out the window, didn’t respond.

“You’ve managed to change the minds of the Hawat family and also caught the Demon King, preventing him from interfering. The Demon King will be more cautious from now on,” Aln continued, even without a response.

“It’s not over yet.”

“Indeed. We must always be wary of the demons. But conversely, the more cautious he is of us, the narrower the scope of his schemes will be.”

“I’m not talking about Hagane. I didn’t do it specifically to hold him back. I don’t care what that demon is thinking. He wouldn’t be thinking of anything helpful to me anyway.”

“……Then?”

“It’s the same as with Anchar. It’s to prevent Hawat from carrying a burden in his heart.”

“A burden in his heart?”

“Yes. In the previous life, Hawat, like Anchar, lost his father due to this incident.”

The same past.

However, the way the two accepted their father’s death was distinctly different.

“Both of them realized their abilities after the Corruption appeared. The Titan’s blood flowing in him is just his problem, not related to the Corruption.”

“Hmm…….”

“Well, it’s true that the Titan’s blood influences the war against the Corruption as a Blader [a warrior who fights against the Corruption using special powers], but there was another reason for his power to awaken.”

Anchar lost his family when the continent was destroyed by the Corruption’s attack because his power was weak, but Hawat killed his own father with his own hands.

“I can’t believe it. That seemingly simple and uselessly large guy? He killed his own father?” Aln looked at Cayrel.

“Could it be… Does that mean it’s related to the demons?” Aln asked, recalling his father Kalan’s contract with them. Cayrel smiled faintly. Aln’s extraordinary mind was certainly worthy of being called genius in the Magic Era.

“That’s right. Thanks to that, we were able to stop the demons’ invasion of the continent, but…”

In the previous life, when the War of the Oracles broke out,

Demons were among the races that attacked the continent along with the Corruption. They always moved thoroughly for their own benefit.

They sometimes disguised themselves as gods or as loved ones to seduce and torment humans.

It wasn’t just Kalan.

Even before the War of the Oracles, demons had already extended their reach throughout the continent.

“After the war broke out, those people became sacrifices to the demons. Kalan was no exception.”

“Indeed… I suppose so. There’s no way he could have survived after making a contract with the demons. You used your memories of your past life to save Kalan and change Hawat’s future before that happened. Without anyone knowing.”

“Half right and half wrong.”

“……Hmm?”

“Do you know what epithet Hawat gained in the previous life after Kalan died?”

“What is it?”

Cayrel chuckled.

“Demon Hunter.”

“Huh?” Aln shouted involuntarily, as if he really hadn’t expected it. Fortunately, no one else heard him.

“Demon Hunter…? How childish. Well, what ability did he gain? Does he get stronger just by seeing demons?”

The surprise turned into mockery with a slight sneer.

“That’s right. A power specialized for demons. Just his appearance on the battlefield was enough to burn their bodies.”

“Huh…….”

Cayrel didn’t change his expression and answered immediately.

“Could it be… Does that mean he possessed the power of the sun?” Laminue said.

“So you guys know about it.”

No human heard Aln’s surprise, but the spirit kings showed interest in their conversation.

“I can’t believe it. That power can’t be innate… Besides, Yula would never allow that power.”

“Well, it’s not entirely impossible. Especially if he really has the blood of the Titan. Chronon, the leader of the giant race who was the first Blader, certainly had the power of the sun.”

“……It’s definitely a terrible power for demons.”

As the words of the spirit kings, who had been silent, echoed in his head, Cayrel frowned slightly, as if he had anticipated their reaction.

“But the question still remains, why is the Titan’s blood still around?”

“It’s also questionable that Yula tolerated that power. The power of the sun is different from the power of light. To just leave a power that could be a threat to herself…”

“Why?”

Even as questions piled up, Cayrel didn’t give any answers.

“But if what you say is true, Hawat has lost the opportunity to awaken his power, hasn’t he? Since the connection with the demons is gone,” Aln asked.

“No. The connection is not gone.”

“What does that mean?”

At that moment, Cayrel’s eyes flashed coldly.

“Demons have always been preparing to invade the human realm, and Wooden Cloud became the passage for that. They are the ones who worship the Corruption, but the demons gave them direct help.”

“That’s right. They even allowed them to cultivate plants that only grow in the Demon Realm. They have been eyeing the human realm for a long time.”

That’s why when Cayrel made Hagane his subordinate, the first order he gave was to annihilate Wooden Cloud.

“Wooden Cloud can ultimately be said to be the remnants of the demons planted on the continent. If the Demon King of the previous life sided with Yula, the Demon King of this life must be gambling on me.”

Cayrel never thought that Hagane was supporting him because his own plans were excellent.

Yula and himself.

Demons are ultimately a race that wouldn’t be strange siding with either side, so he was just reminding himself that they could betray him at any time.

“But at least not this time.”

“Not this time…?”

“Like the spirit kings questioned, why did Yula leave Hawat’s giant power alone? Hawat’s father, Kalan, is an ordinary human. Did he really give birth to Hawat? Remember when the Platinum Dragon created the Chimera.”

“Could it be… Does that mean he’s a created human?”

“Similar. There’s no need to think too hard. It’s because Yula gave Hawat the power, so it’s natural to allow the Titan’s power. She gave the power, so she has to make him use it on purpose.”

“That’s absurd. You clearly said that Kalan made a contract with the demons?!”

“Yula said that herself when she gathered us all in the previous life and gave the oracle. We naturally believed it.”

“……!!”

Aln didn’t shout this time, but the silence was even more shocking than the sneer from before.

“But after checking with Hagane, it wasn’t true. The reason I’m trying to ease his burden is to prevent him from being deceived by Yula. In the previous life, the Ten of the Oracle were just used by Yula. And I told this to Hagane. We were just acting according to the plan Yula had made.”

“Huh…….”

“Hagane also decided to participate in this play because he agreed that the reason Yula gave the Titan’s blood to Hawat was to destroy the demons.”

“This is truly astonishing. It seems like the demons were trying to harm humans, but in reality, it was a scheme created by a god? And you’re using that? How many schemes are intertwined here?”

Aln Zavias couldn’t help but be amazed by the fact that there was another deception on top of a deception, and even that might not be the end.

“Did the Demon King believe you about your previous life?”

“He already suspected that I had traveled back in time from the moment he handed over the essence of Kaie Esir to me. He didn’t say much, but at least he has no choice but to follow me in a situation where he threw his cards on my side. Of course, he’ll try to plot behind my back to extract the memories of my previous life that I know.”

“You’re surrounded by enemies on all sides.”

“When wasn’t I?” Cayrel gave a self-deprecating smile and looked at Heim, which was getting closer.

“Then how are you going to draw out the hidden power in Hawat? Parel has appeared, but Yula won’t appear anymore because the oracle was canceled when the Nephilim died.”

“Who do you think I am? I have endured for countless years in Parel. Although I’m ignorant about magic, I’ve learned more than you, Aln, in other things.”

Sometimes he forgot.

Cayrel, who would be coming of age in just a few months, was just young in body, but his mind was wiser than anyone else here.

“Yurin.”

When his name was called, Yurin, who was sitting across from him in the carriage, looked very nervous.

“……Yes, what is it?”

“How many sacred artifacts are there in the Order right now?”

“Excuse me?”

“Sacred artifacts. Not the lower-grade ones used by the priests of the Order, but the highest-grade sacred weapons only allowed to the bishops and the saintess, like the staff that Rael Stalen used before.”

“Ah… Yes.”

Yurin Hugart looked slightly embarrassed by the sudden question.

‘What is that human trying to do again…?’

After the Empire fell, Yurin Hugart moved more busily than anyone else, as much as Cayrel expected. As a priest, he had already had a close relationship with the Empire since Tyran Stean was the emperor, and his disposition was able to cope with the changed situation most quickly.

And Yurin Hugart did not betray that expectation and was secretly dealing with the priests of the Order who were related to Wooden Cloud.

Compared to the heyday of the Order under the protection of the Empire just 30 years ago, the number of priests living in Heim is now less than half.

“That’s…….”

Among them, there were many who managed the sacred artifacts.

That’s because the sacred artifacts were the relics and weapons of the Order, so special management was necessary, and Wooden Cloud would not entrust it to just anyone.

“I’m not trying to order you to do anything. You’ve been doing better than I expected so far. You used to keep them in the west shrine, right? Thanks to you purging the Wooden Cloud’s henchmen, it seems like there are many vacant positions for the owners of the sacred artifacts. How about it?”

“……How do you know that?”

“You’ll know when we get to the shrine. Let’s go there.”

Cayrel crossed his arms and closed his eyes as if to tell him not to talk to him anymore. Yurin Hugart looked at him, not knowing what to do, and eventually sighed and nodded.

‘I need to make a gift for Hawat before I take him away.’

“So that was the real reason you came back to the Order.”

“That’s right. This time, I’m going to make him draw out the power of the sun himself, not through a false oracle. There is a sacred artifact needed for that.”

When the oracle was given, Yula said to the Nephilim [a race of powerful beings], that she had left a part of her power dormant in the Order, so find that power and punish the Corruption.

Cayrel smiled coldly, recalling the memories of his previous life.

“Yula’s power is still stored under the Order, but there are no more Nephilim who can use that power.”

As he slowly opened his eyes, Yurin Hugart swallowed hard, unknowingly, at the ominous energy flowing from his eyes.

“Then we’ll have to use it,” Cayrel murmured in a small voice that could not be heard.