N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 431
Note: ‘Alliance’ translation changed to Union.
"His name is Edgar."
Sylvia looked at Sword Demon's eyes, which were somehow similar to her husband's, and spoke Edgar's name for the first time in a long time.
"He, he is...."
She thought she would be okay now, but as soon as she said his name, her heart felt like it was stabbed with a sharp thorn.
Her nose twitched, and tears began to well up in her eyes when Raon silently held her hand.
The firm yet warm touch of her son's hand slowly calmed her swirling heart.
"I first met him in a tavern in Cameloon. It was when my condition was at its worst due to the endless missions."
Sylvia closed her eyes and recalled that time.
'It was a boring and painful time.'
Her father paid no attention to her, her brothers ignored her as if she didn't exist, and the executives tried to find a way to use her, so she left the family and traveled outside, only handling the missions that came down.
When she was so tired that she wanted to give up, she met him.
"I was drinking alone in the second floor of a tavern, hiding my identity, when a fight broke out on the first floor. I didn't care because it looked like a fight between drunkards that could happen anywhere."
She didn't do anything even when she saw them fighting and making a mess. She was tired and thought they would handle it themselves, so she just kept drinking.
However, both of the drunkards were successors to fairly large martial arts families, so the personal fight turned into a group fight and the entire tavern turned into a battlefield.
"I was going to leave the tavern because it was going to be a hassle, when a man got involved in the fight."
Sylvia opened her eyes wide and looked at Edgar's face.
"He held a single old sword and subdued all the warriors on both sides. He defeated over twenty warriors with just his swordsmanship, without without any flashy moves or special techniques."
"With swordsmanship alone...."
"What's funnier is that he started preaching to the people he subdued. He talked about how much damage fights in taverns do to the owner, how scared the citizens are, and how swordsmanship shouldn't be used like that for a long time."
"......"
Sword Demon stared down at the shaking tea water with a serious expression.
"It was clearly a meaningless act, but he gave everyone a serious lecture. I thought he was an idiot and turned to leave, but then the first unconscious warrior tried to stab him from behind."
She thought that a person with such excellent swordsmanship skills would be able to sense the presence of those who were trying to attack him, but he surprisingly didn't notice the movements of those who were trying to attack him from behind.
She thought about leaving it alone because it wasn't her business, but she didn't know why, but she threw a fork from the table and hit the shoulder of the man who was trying to attack him.
"That's when I first made eye contact with him. His eyes were sharp as a knife, but there was warmth in his blue pupils."
He didn't kill even the man who tried to attack him, and after giving a sermon, he went up to the second floor.
"He bowed his head to me and thanked me for saving his life, and said he would definitely repay this debt. I said I didn't need the debt, but I wanted to ask a question."
The first thing she asked was why he was preaching to them. It was clearly a meaningless act, so she was curious about the reason.
"He knew that too. He said that most of them wouldn't find it meaningful. However, if even one person could start a new life, his words would be helpful."
She smiled as she recalled the smile she saw on Edgar's face for the first time that day.
"The second question was why his aura was so weak, which didn't match his excellent swordsmanship. He replied with a bright smile.”
“It just happened that way.”
She watched Sword Demon's face turn black as she recited one by one the events she had shared with Edgar.
* * *
"In simple terms, Edgar was a person who would stand up for weaker individuals. He often boasted about it. However, in Zieghart, and actually everywhere, his personality was unlike anything I had ever seen, so I couldn't help but keep an eye on him."
"I see."
Rekhtar, listening to Sylvia's words, smiled faintly. But deep inside, his emotions were burning like a raging fire.
'That's just like you, Edgar.'
The foolish son, despite hating his father and union so much, he never changed his name. He continued to use that name until the end, even though he despised it. He truly was his son.
'And he still hasn't changed that annoying personality of his.'
Unlike the men in union, Edgar had a kind and just personality. If he had been part of an ordinary faction, he would have been known as a righteous assassin.
"But…"
The way he lived was not right.
They say people can't just live doing what they want, but for Edgar, it was extreme. He never understood killing and saving people for mutual gain without holding a grudge.
It pained his heart every time he saw that kid, like forcing a kid who was meant to wield a fountain pen to wield a sword for life.
Escaping from the union was nearly impossible for Edgar, so he tried various methods to change that kid, but he never bent, perhaps inheriting from his mother.
'In the end, he left the union on his own.'
While he was out to handle Ryeonju's (Union leader/master/head) requests, Edgar took Ryeonju's test and left the union on his own.
The boy, who could have even been considered for the next Ryeonju l, left the union even though he suffered injuries that could never be healed.
He realized that he should have understood his son sooner and more deeply.
'That mischievous brat...'
He remembered his son's last letter, which was left in a corner of his room when he finished Ryeonju's request and returned.
[I want to be a person who is not ashamed of myself and my family. Please understand. Father.]
Edgar left the union with a short but sincere letter.
He thought not searching for the kid was his final consideration for his son, but right here, he met the people left behind by that kid.
"He was always happy no matter what he did. He always smiled, even if he didn't have any money or faced difficult situations. His eyes were a bit scary, but he was a bright person like the sun."
Sylvia smiled brightly as she looked at the garden trees swaying in the wind.
"Thanks to him, I changed too. I grew up in Zigheart, I was cold, I didn't know love, but because of him, I learned what it means to be human."
Her eyes deepened as if she was remembering the days she spent with Edgar.
"The reason I told Raon to wield the sword for people is because of Edgar. I wanted him to be like him, to wield the sword for the world and always be able to smile happily. Well, the second one is ambiguous, but the first one seems to have come true."
Sylvia muttered that she wished he would smile a little more and touched Raon's cheek.
"That's correct. Raon's sense of justice has spread throughout the continent."
Sword Demon agreed with Sylvia and his fingertips trembled.
'Edgar. You have achieved what you wanted.'
Your life has melted into this place.
When he heard from Raon that his father had died, he thought Edgar had died a dog's death.
If he had remained in the union, when the seal was released, he might have been called the Sword King and might have died foolishly while hurting himself.
But it wasn't like that.
His son's (Edgar) determination remained and stayed with these two.
Just like the meaning of Edgar's name, which means "creating happiness." His happiness remained here.
'Hmm...'
His nose tingled and his eyes stung, so he bit his lip tightly. If he didn't suppress his emotions by even using his aura, he felt like he would cry.
Sword Demon looked at Sylvia, who was telling him about the joy of her life with Edgar, and clenched his hand tightly under the table.
'They must have had a hard time.'
She didn't bring up the story of this place on purpose, but it was clear that she must have led a challenging life.
He felt a pang in his heart.
"After leaving Zieghart, we settled down in a small village in the northeast. The people were kind, and there were mountains and rivers nearby, so we didn't have to worry about making a living. However..."
Sylvia's bright voice sank low and heavy.
"The monsters of Eden attacked us after recognizing my face...."
She said she had lost Edgar and her first daughter to Eden, and she bit her lip until it bled.
"Daughter? Was Raon not alone?"
Sword Demon was surprised that she had a daughter.
"Yes. I had a daughter who was a little older than Raon. But she was killed along with him by Eden... "
Sylvia finally couldn't finish her sentence and closed her eyes tightly. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she held back her tears.
"Squeeze."
Gritting his teeth and clenching his fist, Sword Demon pressed down hard to suppress his overwhelming emotions. He felt that if he didn't control his feelings, his strength would burst forth in an instant, causing pain.
'I had a granddaughter too?'
Sword Demon's jaw trembling, turned his gaze towards Raon. The realization that he had not only a grandson but also a granddaughter struck him like a sledgehammer, constricting his heart.
'I should have found him sooner!'
No, he should have at least tried to find out.
Regret gnawed at him. He had failed at everything, not only losing his son but also his granddaughter. The pain was like a tearing agony in his chest.
"Can you tell who attacked you from Eden?"
"It's Two-headed Ogre." (Two-Headed Giant) 쌍두귀 (ssangdugwi).
A two-headed ogre is an Eden's monster that inherits the power of Ethin, one of the highest-ranking monsters. However, the power of that monster was not important.
He felt a surge of anger at the thought that the guy had killed his son and his granddaughter, whose face he had never seen.
"I see."
Sword Demon nodded, suppressing his emotions.
"Thank you for telling me such a difficult story."
He bowed to Sylvia politely.
"Umm..."
Sylvia swallowed her saliva, putting down the teacup she was holding with her fingertips.
"By any chance, are you acquainted with Edgar, sir Rekhtar?"
Her words stirred a deep emotion. Raon also seemed to sense something, as his eyes looked in their direction, showing a glimmer of understanding.
There was a certain certainty in the eyes of the two.
'That's right.'
He and Edgar looked alike, especially their eyes.
When he saw Raon, he found his son's face hidden in his glamorous appearance, so it wasn't strange.
He wanted to reveal the truth. He wanted to shout, "I am your father in-law and grandfather," but he couldn't.
'But...'
It's not possible now.
His current affiliation was with Zieghart, and they were viewed as enemies. Until he completed his mission there, he couldn't reveal his identity, let alone risk hurting these already suffering individuals.
"That's not the case."
"Is that so?"
Sylvia smiled awkwardly with a look of great disappointment.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you."
Sword Demon closed his eyes, pressing his fingernails into his palms.
"No! I feel a little relieved after talking about the buried story for a while."
"That's good."
Sword Demon looked at Sylvia and Raon, who were smiling, and closed his lips tightly.
'From now on, I will... I will protect you as your unworthy grandfather.'
* * *
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"Fortunately, my father's escort arrived, and we managed to survive. After that, we returned to Zieghart and raised Raon."
Sylvia stroked Raon's head, her smile tinged with nostalgia.
"It must have been hard..."
Sword Demon lowered his eyebrows, as if he knew what life would be like here.
"It's okay. Now that I think about it, I was treated with a lot of convenience."
"Convenience?"
"Yes. He sent me to this annex building so that I wouldn't clash with my other siblings or executives. At first, I thought I wasn't being recognized, but it wasn't that. It seems like my father was being considerate in his own way,"
Sylvie smiled as she said that Glenn had worked hard to make her life here easier.
"That's certainly true."
Sword Demon nodded in agreement.
Raon nodded at Sylvie's faint smile.
'That's right.'
He had thought that it was cold, but in its own way, it was considerate to send her to the annex building after she returned from leaving the house and sending the previous maids back.
'He's still different from what he looks like.'
Whether you were a direct line, a collateral line, or someone from outside, if you put in effort, you would receive appropriate rewards. Glenn Zieghart, despite his stern appearance, was a man who had deep compassion within.
Raon looked at Sword Demon, who had been listening to Sylvie's story for several hours, and folded his hands.
He was pretending to have a calm conversation, but he couldn't hide his slightly trembling gaze.
'Is it regret?'
He still didn't understand human emotions well, so he didn't know exactly what it was, but it was a color that seemed to be shining through regret.
"Oh, by the way, you're officially promoted to division now! Congratulations!"
Sylvie turned her head with a clap of her hands as if she had just remembered.
"Anyway, Let's have a party to celebrate! Let's invite the lord too..."
"Ah, that person can't come."
"What? Why?"
"He doesn't seem to be able to move for a while. Or else..."
Raon shook his head, muttering that he might be dead already.
"Well, then we have to do it ourselves. We need to prepare, so let's do it tomorrow. Please join us, sir Rekhtar."
"I didn't do anything, but..."
"You can just come as a guest and congratulate me!"
"Hmm, I understand."
"Thank you!"
Sylvie nodded and headed to annex main hall to tell the maids.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he scanned Sword Demon's eyes, who was gazing at Sylvie's back.
'He said he wasn't related to my father...'
Sylvie confidently asked Sword Demon if he was someone who had a connection with her father, but he denied it.
'I've heard the same thing too.'
But it was a little different.
When he was at Habun Castle, he asked the same question as Sylvie, and Sword Demon also denied it. However, there was one more word in front of it at that time.
'He said "not yet".'
It was a very awkward thing to say that he didn't know someone who was already dead.
'I'm sure. Sword Demon and my father knew each other.'
And it was quite close.
Sword Demon didn't know his own expression, but it was clear from the side. He and his father had definitely met.
Raon licked his lips as he looked at Sword Demon, who was raising an empty teacup.
'He either owed my father a great debt or...'
