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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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Chapter 245
The place where the rematch between Zion and the Hero took place was the Hero’s exclusive training ground.
Naturally, entry was prohibited for undergraduates, but instead of security guards, Kasim stood there with a smile.
“Hello, Leciel, good afternoon.”
He not only didn’t stop Leciel, but kindly guided her.
“Grandmother is waiting on the first floor of that building. There’s still over 30 minutes until it starts, so you’ll have plenty of time to talk.”
“Thank you.”
Leciel bowed her head slightly and continued running.
As she approached the waiting room, her confusion grew.
‘A rematch….’
What wind blew for them to make such a choice?
Leciel naturally recalled Zion over the past few years.
When Zion realized that her granddaughter was not as talented as she had hoped, she seemed to lose all motivation.
She even stopped her own sword training, not just guiding others.
‘It was a complete retirement.’
Since then, it seemed like she had been compensated for the harsh years of effort and restraint.
She devoted herself to social activities like an ordinary noblewoman.
‘She seemed so comfortable, letting go of attachments and regrets….’
Therefore, Leciel thought Zion had completely let go of any lingering feelings about the sword.
‘But why now suddenly…?’
Unless she could win.
The outcome of the rematch was as clear as day.
‘She lost ten years ago, and now she thinks she can win?’
Leciel remembered vividly ten years ago.
It was so shocking she couldn’t help but remember.
At that time, Zion was like the sky itself to her.
No one she knew doubted Zion’s strength.
But one day, a young man appeared, asking for a sword fight, and everything changed.
Dim moonlight.
A pitch-black greatsword.
The moment her grandmother knelt down and the Shape Shifter rolled on the ground.
The image was engraved in Leciel’s mind as vividly as if it were yesterday.
The desire to break the Hero took root deep in her heart then.
‘This is an unreasonable rematch.’
Leciel gritted her teeth.
Ten years had passed since then.
Her grandmother had put down her sword, and the Hero had tirelessly traveled the battlefield, sharpening his sword.
In any case, her grandmother couldn’t win.
The person who knew that better than anyone would be Zion, who had faced the Hero and his sword directly.
So why…?
‘Inviting me to witness it too….’
The clearest memory of that day was her grandmother’s expression.
After the defeat. Zion didn’t look at the opponent who defeated her.
Her endless gaze was directed towards Leciel, who had secretly come out to watch from one of the barracks.
It was a moment when many things broke inside her grandmother.
‘Why would she want to repeat that?’
In the connector’s message, there was an insistence from the Hero to attend the rematch.
He wouldn’t have made such a demand without Zion’s consent.
Her mind was complicated and noisy.
…The only person who could answer these tangled questions was one.
Click-
Leciel pushed open the door to the waiting room.
A calm voice greeted her.
“You came?”
“…Grandmother.”
Zion sat on the floor of the waiting room, looking up at Leciel.
Next to her lay an ordinary-looking sword.
Leciel realized there was something she needed to do before dispelling her accumulated doubts.
“Use the Shape Shifter.”
Zion smiled faintly at her granddaughter, who held out her scabbard.
“No, there is no need.”
“…Yes?”
Expecting her grandmother to accept the sword, Leciel’s eyes widened in surprise.
Zion, who was proficient in almost all types of swords, considered the Shape Shifter an effective artifact, almost a punctuation mark in swordsmanship.
She never expected her to refuse it.
“….”
“….”
The conversation paused for a moment.
Neither the granddaughter nor the grandmother knew what to say.
The relationship between them had reached such a level.
With a frustrated expression, Leciel clenched her teeth for a moment, then couldn’t hold back the words she had kept inside.
“Why are you doing this? There’s no way you can win.”
She knew it was a remark that would hurt her grandmother’s pride.
But Leciel couldn’t help but say it.
“I know. Achieving this level of accomplishment at your age is rare. But it’s still not enough. It’s too lacking.”
“Leciel. Did you really feel like you could reach Ted?”
“It’s impossible.”
“…Is this the limit of Hiyashin?”
“The title of Sword Saint won’t come back to Hiyashin.”
Zion, who once denied the possibility of defeating the Hero, now entertained the idea.
Why was she attempting such an impossible challenge now?
‘I don’t understand.’
Leciel looked up, expecting Zion’s chilly gaze and angry face.
But Zion’s expression remained calm.
Her lips slowly curled up.
“I’m not fighting to win.”
It was a response that made Leciel even more puzzled.
“Then why….”
Where else could there be a purpose other than winning the confrontation?
It was a moment when her eyes, filled with doubts, were directed at Zion.
Zion stood up and approached Leciel.
And surprisingly, she cautiously reached out her hand and stroked her red hair.
“!”
Leciel froze like ice but quickly retreated her body.
It wasn’t because she disliked it.
It was because she was too surprised.
Zion smiled faintly.
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no. I-It’s okay. Y-You can touch it.”
Zion’s hand, reaching out again, slowly caressed Leciel’s hair.
“Um, uh….”
It was a moment for Leciel to feel that strange yet familiar touch while being tense like a stretched cat.
Unexpected words followed.
“I thought my expectations had made you unhappy.”
“Huh? What…?”
Leciel, who was tilting her head in confusion, suddenly froze.
Zion was explaining what had happened all this time.
“If I make excuses, it was that. Expectations from me.”
Zion smiled weakly.
She, who had modest talents, always felt only disappointment and burden from someone’s expectations.
“So expecting from you… suddenly became terrifying one day.”
“Grandmother….”
“Keep listening.”
Zion’s calm expression slowly crumbled.
Gradually, sadness and guilt penetrated into the wrinkles of the old woman.
“I was sure you could never surpass Ted.”
“……”
“I thought you would feel disgrace and helplessness in front of his overwhelming talent.”
Leciel blinked her eyes dumbfoundedly at such a candid remark.
“So, I gave up on you.”
“What…?”
“You, with my expectations, would have wasted your life chasing futile goals.”
It was enough for her to be the only one so wrapped up in her sword that she missed out on all the other parts of her life.
That was as far as Leciel could tolerate.
“Why did you assume I would fail so easily…?”
“I was wrong.”
“…Huh?”
“I’m sorry, Leciel. Truly.”
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Join our Discord for release updates!
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Leciel opened her mouth blankly, forgetting her anger.
Zion’s hand reached Leciel’s cheek, and it was then.
“Yeah, you were different.”
Zion spoke slowly, with conviction.
“Even just by watching the videos Ted made, I can tell.”
“I… I….”
“You were different from me. You were the one who could wield a sword even after being by Ted’s side for a year, witnessing and experiencing his talent firsthand. You were the one who could keep growing without giving up.”
“Uh….”
“I was foolish, narrow-minded, and immature… I made a mistake by misunderstanding and giving up on you.”
What if she had continued to trust and support Leciel?
Zion was witnessing the result of that assumption now.
Under the Hero’s teachings, what kind of person was Leciel now?
She was different from Zion, suffocated by expectations and pride.
“This… should’ve been said earlier. It’s too late now.”
Zion smiled as she looked at Leciel.
It was a smile filled with pride and expectations that Leciel had longed for.
“Leciel, you have talent and potential. I couldn’t see it properly with my limited perspective. I’m sorry.”
Leciel looked at her grandmother without saying a word.
Something warm was welling up in her throat.
Zion might have felt the same emotion.
She hesitantly held Leciel’s hand tightly for a moment, then turned away.
“Anyway… I feel terribly embarrassed for realizing these things so late.”
Zion picked up the iron sword from the floor.
Leciel finally realized that it was almost time for the confrontation to begin.
She urgently called out to Zion.
“It’s the rematch. If it’s because of me, it’s okay now. You don’t have to do it. I already know how you feel…!”
Leciel was very worried about this confrontation.
Losing to someone as a swordsman was not an easy thing.
Would experiencing that pain once make it less painful?
Now that she had reconciled with her grandmother, she could leave the task of defeating the Hero to her.
But Zion just smiled faintly.
“This confrontation. Come to think of it, it wasn’t for you.”
“…What?”
“It was for me.”
Zion’s grip on the sword tightened.
“I can’t leave behind the image of a cowardly grandmother to my only granddaughter. I want to be remembered by you as someone admirable. So just watch.”
Leciel opened her mouth in surprise for a moment, then closed it again.
It seemed like a hearty laughter was about to burst out.
She approached Zion and tightly wrapped her hands around her grandmother’s.
“…Win. Please.”
Without hesitation, Zion nodded her head.
“Return the title of Sword Saint to Hiyashin, Grandmother.”
…Yes, that burden had always been hers from the start.
Pride filled Leciel’s eyes.
It was the first time in a long while that Zion faced her.
“But still.”
“Yeah?”
“I’ll defeat the professor too. It’s my goal as well.”
The same determination reflected in Zion’s eyes.
“I believe you can do it, without a doubt.”
After glancing at Leciel one last time, the former Sword Saint turned and left the waiting room.
* * *
Yussi made several personal arenas for me.
Among them, one was solely for duels, resembling a circular arena with a covered ceiling.
‘There are spectator seats for watching.’
Since it wasn’t an official match, there were no procedures for who entered first or anything like that.
I entered the arena first and waited for the former Sword Saint on one side.
“……”
The Hero and the former Sword Saint.
Compared to their fame as duelists, the number of spectators was modest.
Of course, if the rematch were announced, there would be a flood of spectators, even if they had to pay a fortune, but naturally, this combat was kept secret.
Kasim and Labin, as well as Pia, who was kept on standby in case of any injuries.
And…
‘Here she comes.’
There was a passage in the waiting room corridor that connected to the spectator seats.
Leciel arrived at the spectator seats, cautiously looking around before taking her seat.
It seemed like her conversation with Zion had ended well.
Thud-
The former Sword Saint walked towards me from the opposite side.
Judging by Zion’s expression, I could tell her conversation with Leciel had ended well.
A relaxed face.
…A face prepared for battle.
Swish-
‘Words aren’t necessary, are they?’
I grasped the Black Hope.
Zion’s posture gradually lowered as she saw it.
For a moment, a subtle emotion flickered across my face.
It could be described as tension, facing the person who was once called the strongest with a sword before Ted.
But now, it was irreversible.
And I didn’t want to turn back.
Following Labin’s advice, while swinging the sword countless times, something kept touching my nerves, as if hinting at something.
Although I had realized Infinity Second form, I had a feeling I could go further.
To confirm that, this confrontation was necessary.
I took a deep breath and strengthened my grip.
Our gazes met.
The crimson eyes flickered intensely.
Even though they were distant, they burned vividly before me.
Thump-
Clap-
Simultaneously, Zion’s footsteps on the floor widened-
“Ted Redymer!”
When I blinked, she was already in front of me.
A glint of her smile brushed against the blade.
“I’ll show you the Sword of Hiyashin again!”
That’s what I longed for.
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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