The Returned Sword King Decided to Become a Tyrant Episode 13
To change the future (3)
My eyes scanned the surroundings.
Inside Daejeon, the smell of blood resonates.
The knights surrounding me were all aiming their swords with hostility, and the royal sword Estella glittered in the light.
And an old man standing proudly above it.
This place.
It is the battlefield of betrayal, the beginning and the end of everything.
“……vision?”
I know it’s a fantasy.
It is something that cannot be explained unless it is a fantasy.
But the gradually clearer consciousness and the faint sensation felt from my wounded body seemed to be reminding me that this was reality.
“What are you talking about?”
“Wow, that’s some incredible mental power. You’ve already figured out this space.”
Duke Asus, whose identity was discovered, approached me, stroking my chin.
I slowly raised my head as I heard the guy’s voice ringing in my ear.
“Stop using words that don’t even match your tone. On the topic of remnants of black magic.”
“For that matter, all of this was created based on your memories.”
It was just as he said.
This situation, with the bloody war and death upon me, was designed to break my spirit.
of course…….
“Even this kind of speech.”
Tsk-
I clicked my tongue slightly as I recalled things from before my regression.
It wasn’t the situation I was expecting.
Rather, I was surprised by the fact that one could plant illusions on the subject of artifacts.
‘It’s a more dangerous magic than I’ve heard.’
Whatever. The bastard started to examine the sword Estella by turning it around here and there.
“This is a really good sword. It’s a shame that it’s in someone like this’s hands.”
“Are you being sarcastic?”
“If that’s how you feel, Allen Esteban, then that would be like admitting your own patheticness.”
I couldn’t protect it because I was stupid.
It was a really simple story that sounded straightforward.
“I have no intention of denying it.”
“Kuhaha. What a personality I really like.”
An expression that makes it hard to tell whether he’s smiling or crying.
It was exactly the same as in my memory, so I felt like vomiting.
The bastard slowly bent down and met my eyes.
“That’s why you came to me. You must need strength.”
“… … .”
“Are you sure you’re going to say I was wrong this time?”
I didn’t feel the need to answer.
Since he’s already seen fragments of all my memories, he’s probably saying that to shake me up.
I rather threw a question at the face of the guy who was splitting it up.
“You are coveting my body.”
“of course.”
The bastard simply nodded with a bright face, as if he had no intention of hiding his desire for the body.
“To be exact, it’s a story about mutual benefit.”
“How cheeky.”
“This is not a bad story at all.”
A black magical power rose above the shell of the Asus Duke.
That bastard started to directly encroach on my mental world.
“You gain powerful magical powers, and I gain a new body that is not just a discarded skeleton.”
“… … .”
“Do you think it’s a loss? I just want a body that I can live in. The initiative is yours.”
I couldn’t guess what calculations were made in that brief moment.
But the meaning behind those words is easy to understand.
As if he was offering to give me strength without any conditions.
If you just stretch out your hand, I will give you great power… … .
“Let me see for myself. What do you look like now?”
I lowered my gaze and examined my body.
A bloody coat painted over a body covered in wounds.
It was the epitome of a loser.
“Isn’t that wrong? The world’s greatest swordsman.”
“… … .”
“But if you accept me, everything will change.”
The illusion became distorted, and a new sight unfolded before my eyes.
I no longer collapsed in loneliness, and the eyes of the lords standing in line showed strong loyalty.
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“What about the new future?”
It was the ideal future I had dreamed of.
The bitter sense of defeat that had already consumed my heart had long since permeated my entire body, and now only a single thread of ugliness, a thirst for power, remained in me.
“Now, choose.”
Do you accept power and become strong, or do you continue to live the life of a loser?
You are faced with a choice that will determine life and death.
All I can do is… … .
“Haha, hahaha!”
All I could do was laugh out loud.
Duke Asus’s eyebrows twitched.
“… … Have you lost your mind?”
“Insanity? Insanity?”
Can I express the feelings I have right now like that?
Rather, you could say the opposite.
……okay.
If I had to be specific, I was feeling happy right now.
“How ridiculous.”
“What?”
“What are you talking about? I was going to wait and see. It’s so pathetic that I can’t listen to it any longer.”
Duke Asus, sensing something strange, took a step back and wrinkled his face.
I shrugged my shoulders at the sight and got up from my seat.
“……what!”
“Still, since you dared to please me, I will not send you away in pain, even if it is only for the sake of your sincerity.”
“S-Seriously! The mind control didn’t work?!”
“Mind control? Hmm… … .”
A sense of defeat and a longing for power that consumed my body.
As long as one exists in this space, it must have been a temptation that could never be avoided.
but.
“So what?”
He is cut by the swords of his trusted subordinates, and is finally stabbed in the heart.
It was a scene I would recall a hundred times when I closed my eyes.
That feeling of guilt and disappointment that repeats itself every day.
But even so, he never gave in to defeat.
Because I regretted it and decided never to live like that again.
Because I promised myself that I would never let go of anything precious to me again.
Since the feeling of defeat was the driving force that proved my existence, I could laugh off such nonsense a hundred or a thousand times.
Because the ‘me’ of now was not a puppet that died helplessly in a nightmare.
“Are you trying to devour me, a mere dead spirit?”
-shit!
“Where.”
He strangles Asus, who was trying to run away in a hurry.
The bloodshot eyes reflected on the sword that had fallen to the floor were shining like a beast.
Even though it was just an illusion, the image of myself who had died helplessly was nowhere to be found.
“I will make sure you never appear in front of me again.”
-Ugh, ugh!
A scarecrow? A warmonger?
It didn’t matter if I was imperfect and immature.
This moment.
I triumphed over the nightmares of my past.
* * *
Woohoo!
Space begins to slowly collapse.
And my body was standing in the middle of the warehouse.
“… … !”
At the same time, I felt the muscles in my entire body burning, and all the energy in my body began to explode.
It felt as if a dam that had been artificially blocking the flow of energy had burst.
Pfft!
Before I knew it, the mass of negative magic had turned into a black dot and was slowly seeping into my body.
But this wasn’t just a light phenomenon like taking root in the body.
“Huh!”
A self that was infinitely weak, yet clearer and stronger than any other energy.
On the contrary, a negativity that is uglier and greater than any other energy.
Finally, after the gap between the two energies disappeared, all that remained was the aura that completely enveloped the body.
I have accepted defeat in the fight for dominance and have chosen to become a part of myself.
Phew. Phew.
I caught my breath and regained my balance.
The eyes that had turned black for a moment slowly returned to red.
Still.
Apart from the sore head, my physical condition was better than ever.
“… … It’s light.”
I began to examine the inside of my body, lightly clenching and unclenching my hands.
The aura that flowed naturally through my blood vessels was no longer lacking, and instead, it felt like it filled my entire body.
It is a tremendous success.
By completely absorbing the negative energy into his power, he succeeded in regaining some of his former glory.
It was a more difficult road than I thought, but I gained a lot from it.
I knew it just by the feeling I had unconsciously.
At least ten times the amount of aura.
Now, not only has he reached the level of a simple aura proficiency, but his power has also reached the level of a sword master that no one can deny.
Was the youngest swordmaster in the history of the continent thirty years old?
This was a growth rate that was 10 years ahead of schedule, and it was so fast that even I thought it was unbelievable.
‘I expected it would take at least three years… … .’
One factor that could be cited was that the hideout was discovered ahead of time.
The reason why no particular energy could be felt from the outside was because the energy trapped in the skull had not yet escaped.
Although it was difficult because of that, the fact that he was able to absorb all the energy was an undeniable variable.
“Coming here was the right decision.”
I stood there for a long time, staring at where the skeleton had been.
The afterglow of growth? The regret of the situation ending? The sense of liberation from finally being free from the nightmare?
… … Maybe all three.
Whatever it was, it was an emotion I wasn’t even aware of that was holding me back.
but.
Haven’t we finally laid the foundation? It’s too early to stop like this.
If only for the sake of the Baron who is anxious outside.
“In the end, was it really just an excuse to purify it?”
I chuckled and my eyes lit up.
This will prevent future attacks on surrounding villages by the undead, and will also prevent their hideouts from being discovered.
The future has changed again.
Is this also fate?
“let’s go.”
Squeak-
“majesty!”
As I opened the warehouse door and went out, I saw the Baron’s pale face.
I smiled slightly, feeling somehow pleased by the fuss.
“Ah, are you okay? There’s going to be a huge vibration soon… … .”
“Don’t be so excited, I’m fine. More importantly, how much time has passed?”
In response to my cut-off question, the Baron wiped away his cold sweat and said:
“About two hours.”
“Hmm. Has it been that long?”
“I… I’m sorry. His Majesty has ordered us to return to the palace, but I couldn’t bear to go like this.”
I had said 30 minutes just in case there was any danger… … .
It was probably an unconscious action that he stayed in his seat, worried about me, even though the tremors were strong enough to shake his hideout.
For that reason, it goes without saying that I want to keep you as my person.
‘By the way… … .’
It was a fleeting ordeal, but two hours have passed?
I wasted much more time than I expected.
“I’m done with my work, so I’ll go back now.”
The way out is the same as when you came in: through the door.
I needed to move quickly because I had to check my improved skills.
However, what stopped my steps was the Baron’s urgent voice heard from behind me.
“Oh, Your Majesty! Something just appeared over there!”
“hmm?”
“It’s under the stone statue!”
I turned my gaze in the direction the Baron had spoken.
What was visible was an antique ring with a black gem set into it.
“What is this?”
I slowly approached and picked up the ring that had fallen on the floor.
Then, the Baron approached with slightly cautious steps and glanced at the ring.
“It doesn’t seem to be a mimic. It probably looks like some kind of artifact.”
“Hmm.”
“I… I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help. I’m just so stupid… .”
The subtle reaction was never due to ignorance of the object’s identity.
Rather, the corners of my mouth rise without me realizing it.
Because I discovered a truly unexpected harvest.
“Is the mana of the negative dimension hidden in thorns?”
A body engraved with geometric patterns. A black jewel catches the eye above it.
At first I wasn’t sure, but upon closer inspection it seemed like it was the item I knew.
“Good. If you hadn’t discovered it, I would have passed it by without knowing. Good job.”
The Baron’s expression brightened at those heartfelt words.
“I’m glad it helped.”
If that’s the thing I know, it probably won’t be of much help in a place like this.
Because each item has its own way of using it and the people it suits.
I said, putting the ring in my bosom.
“First, let’s return to the palace. It wouldn’t be good to be away for a long time.”
“All right.”
Woooooooooo-
The vision flashed with a loud noise that was now familiar.
The hand opening the stone gate felt more relaxed than ever.
… …
After a while.
When we came to our senses, we were standing where we first started.
“Whew. I can’t get used to this teleportation.”
The cemetery we returned to.
Even though it was already morning, visibility was poor due to the fog that had rolled in again.
But the sense of spaciousness was wider than before, and it seemed as if a cemetery hundreds of meters wide was in the palm of my hand.
“There is no need to adapt to teleportation.”
“That’s true, but… … .”
“That’s enough of that story.”
I shrugged and placed my hand on the scabbard.
Then the Baron shook his head with a weary look on his face.
“Are you sure you’re not going to grill me again?”
“No. It seems like other guests have arrived this time.”
“Well, then maybe it’s a ghost or something… … .”
I let out a short sigh and replied to the Baron’s fuss that had broken out again.
“Fortunately, it is a living creature.”
“Whew. Then… … .”
“But in some ways, it would have been better to be a ghost.”
At least if it was a ghost it wouldn’t have been so bad.
I said, looking through the fog at the lynxes hiding their lives.
“He is an assassin.”
