The Swordmaster Who Returned After 1,000 Years

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 72

The Saintess.

A heavenly envoy who appears whenever the Middle Realm faces an invasion from the Demon Realm.

"Historically, the Saintess has only appeared when the Demon King invaded."

Whenever the Demon King extended his claws toward the Middle Realm, the Saintess always emerged to protect humanity.

Even during Kaylen’s time as Ernstine, he had survived numerous fatal injuries thanks to the divine power of the Saintess.

Her power was on a completely different level compared to the existing clergy of the Holy See.

Because her divine power was so overwhelming, the Saintess would only appear when the world was in grave danger.

“So, this era must be dangerous enough to warrant the appearance of the Saintess.”

The mana felt during dungeon subjugations, the energy emanating from the moon, and even the colonization symbols on dungeon cores—this era felt more ominous than the past when the Demon King descended. It was understandable that the Saintess had appeared.

That was what Kaylen thought, until he heard her name.

"Saintess Theresia…"

"Theresia?"

Theresia?

Hearing that name, Kaylen was taken aback.

"Theresia was a Saintess from the Meier Empire era…"

Saintess Theresia, who had assisted Emperor Ernstine in the Demon King subjugation campaign.

Theresia was the epitome of a Saintess—benevolent and compassionate. Her overwhelming divine power greatly aided the imperial army, saving countless lives.

And now, her name was being mentioned a thousand years later?

"Is it a mere coincidence?"

Kaylen couldn’t shake off a feeling of unease.

“As you all know, the Saintess rarely leaves the Sanctuary. When she personally appears, it means the situation is extremely dire.”

…

“Has the Saintess truly revealed herself?”

“Yes, Prince Lioness. You are aware of this, aren’t you?”

“The Princess is correct. I’ve also received the report.”

The rivalry between the First Prince's faction and the Second Prince's faction briefly subsided as the topic shifted to the sudden appearance of the Saintess.

“I was already puzzled by the Dungeon Guild’s recommendation for the Civil Squad to withdraw…”

“But for the Saintess herself to appear… How long has it been?”

“Over a century, at least.”

“Do you think the Sacred Army will also be dispatched from the Sanctuary?”

The mages in attendance seemed well-versed in matters regarding the Saintess.

Kaylen focused on the term “over a century.”

“What kind of person is the Saintess?”

“Theresia?”

Princess Violet looked puzzled by his question, as if wondering why he would ask something so obvious.

It was clear he wasn’t unfamiliar with Saintess Theresia, so she seemed curious about the intent behind his question.

“Yes. She just feels like a figure out of legend to me.”

“She is a legend. After all, she’s been around since a thousand years ago.”

Lioness interjected, answering in her stead.

Those words made Kaylen’s eyes grow calm, darkened by a heavy realization.

The unease he felt turned out to be true.

“Theresia is alive.”

Saintess Theresia.

A girl with radiant white hair and a divine beauty.

She was destined to live in a fifteen-year-old’s body, never aging, for a hundred years before passing on to the heavens.

But now...

A thousand years later, she was still alive?

“The Saintess usually slumbers in the Sanctuary but awakens to protect humanity when they are in danger.”

“She’s already saved more than ten kingdoms. Without the Saintess and the Sacred Army of the Sanctuary, humanity might have perished long ago.”

“If she only appears during times of great danger... does that mean the kingdom is in peril now?”

“Yes. While her presence is reassuring and dependable, it is also a warning. The fact that she has revealed herself…”

The Saintess’s appearance signified a monumental crisis.

Considering how the Dungeon Guild had suddenly ordered the Civil Squad to retreat, and the sequence of events that followed, it was clear that something dire was unfolding.

“Was the writing found in the dungeon core that serious?”

The words [Colony – Subjugation] …

Did it mean that the Demon Realm intended to subjugate this colony?

“They already knew.”

It was clear that both the Saintess and the Dungeon Guild headquarters were already aware of the meaning behind those words.

“If a crisis is imminent… will I draw my sword or not?”

Analyzing the remnants of the Demon Realm’s drakes and magic circles, Kaylen recognized a fatal weakness in the current Meister system.

The magical barriers designed to defend against lower-circle spells were ineffective against the threats of this era.

The present age of mages, with knights long fallen from prominence, had no answers.

In this system, where not even a 6th-circle mage existed, their defenses were insufficient to repel an attack.

“There will undoubtedly come a time when the power of Aura is necessary.”

Although Glacia had urged him to conceal his sword, Kaylen, as both a former Emperor and Hero of the continent, could not stand idly by while people died.

“Rather than hide, it’s time to revive the age of knights and restore balance.”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

But in this era, where Aura had diminished and no Sword Masters had emerged for centuries, it seemed an impossible dream.

Even if Kaylen’s strength alone stood out, he would remain merely an irregularity.

No one could reverse the flow of an era.

But Kaylen had faith in himself.

“The framework for the mana suit for knights is already in place. The next step is my problem. If I complete just one more of the Six Swords…”

Kaylen envisioned the Six Swords Doctrine.

It contained the means to strengthen knights.

But before that, he needed the fourth sword.

Only then could he restore balance to his mana, which was currently skewed.

Light balanced the mana of darkness, but there was no counterpart to balance water mana at present.

“The sword I need to forge immediately is the Flame Sword.”

The mana of fire.

Right now, what he needed most was fire.

Meanwhile, Irene gently caressed the scales of a drake.

The traces of a magic circle revealed between its scales caught the attention of the elven researchers behind her, who began meticulously replicating the design.

“This is truly remarkable.”

At first, Kaylen had questioned whether a hundred researchers were truly necessary.

But seeing the drake’s magic circle in person, he understood why.

“This magic circle… it changes slightly over time.”

The magic circle wasn’t just intricate—it shifted subtly over time, almost as if it were alive.

At present, the magic circle’s form had diverged significantly from what Myorn had originally drawn.

“So this is the magic circle meant to block spells?”

Whisk. Whisk.

As Irene continued to carefully stroke the drake’s scales, the creature twitched slightly in response.

“Grrrr...”

“Stay still,” Irene said softly.

Royen relayed her words to the drake.

“She says to stay still.”

[It tickles. How long is this going to take?]

“Uh… Lady Irene, it’s asking when this will be over.”

Royen hesitated as he turned to Irene, his face already flushed bright red.

It wasn’t surprising—after all, they were surrounded by female elves.

Among them, Irene stood out as the most beautiful, making Royen’s heart race so much he couldn’t even look at her directly.

Irene glanced at him with a faint smile, finding his reaction rather endearing.

‘Well, this is the usual response from a young man surrounded by elves.’

In contrast, there was Kaylen…

Irene couldn’t help but recall her earlier attempts to pair him with one of the elves.

She had deliberately chosen an all-female team of elf researchers, hoping to create some spark.

When the elves first arrived, she thought back to their meeting:

“You’re here?”

“Yes, Lord Kaylen.”

The group of elves—101 female researchers, including Irene herself—had arrived at the decrepit mansion.

Though every pair of eyes was fixed on Kaylen, he remained completely unfazed.

“These days, do research teams consist only of female elves?” he remarked casually before pointing towards the forest beside the mansion.

“Since you’re elves… the forest should suffice as your lodging, right?”

His words left everyone stunned.

“Lord Kaylen, that’s…”

Some of the younger elves in the group, born and raised in human cities, had never even experienced life in the woods.

Now they were being told to live outdoors?

When Irene expressed her reluctance, Kaylen simply gestured toward the derelict mansion.

“In that case, you can restore and use that.”

“The… house?”

“Yes. With your water spirits, it shouldn’t take long to clean it up, right?”

Irene was dumbfounded.

‘Does this man think spirits are some kind of cure-all?’

“And as for food, you can forage from the forest, right?”

“From that tiny forest?”

Wow...

This was going too far.

The elf researchers he had summoned weren’t just ordinary scholars; they were highly skilled experts, respected wherever they went.

It would’ve been reasonable to expect them to receive proper accommodations and provisions, especially considering their expertise.

But instead, they were being treated like mere laborers.

‘There’s no way we can conduct research under these conditions.’

Irene resolved to withdraw the team.

‘Forget it. I’ll handle the research myself. There’s no reason to put the entire team through this.’

However, that thought only lasted until Kaylen brought the drake.

"Grrrr…"

The sight of the massive drake and the intricate, high-level magic circle etched onto its body made Irene immediately abandon her previous resolution.

‘That magic circle… there’s no way I can let it slip by!’

In all her long years of life, she had never seen such a magic circle before.

Compared to the value of that magic circle, things like lodging and food were insignificant.

In fact, she felt they should be the ones paying a fortune just to be allowed to analyze it.

"Analyze the characteristics of the magic circle thoroughly and share the findings with me. All I know is that it’s a magic circle from the Demon Realm designed to block great spells."

"Ah, such a magic circle…"

"You can publish the findings later under the name of the Fairy Tower. However, make sure to disclose it widely and not use it for commercial purposes."

"What?! W-We can publish it under our name?"

If they managed to properly research this magic circle from the Demon Realm and present the findings to the magical academia, it would cause a significant stir.

And now they were being allowed to publish it under the name of the Fairy Tower?

This was an extraordinary discovery of the century.

"It’s… an honor."

Irene and the elf researchers got to work immediately.

Scrub. Scrub.

They summoned water spirits to quietly clean the mansion.

"I’ll sleep outside."

The elves, familiar with the forest, slept outdoors.

In this way, they gradually adapted to life in the decrepit mansion…

"Lady Irene?"

"Yes?"

Lost in thought about her dealings with Kaylen, Irene had paused her work for a moment.

When Royen cautiously asked, she withdrew her hand from the drake’s scales as if nothing had happened.

"Yes, for now. Please let the drake know it’s done well."

"Understood. Thank you."

As Royen extended his hand, a soft light glimmered from the magic circle etched on his body.

The drake soon shrank to about the size of a horse.

Irene stepped back to observe the scene, her eyes drawn to the magic circle on Royen’s body.

"By the way… what effects does your magic circle have, Sir Royen?"

"M-Me?"

When Irene asked, Royen blushed and wrapped his arms around himself as if embarrassed by the magic circle on his body.

"I-I don’t really know. My brother mentioned something, but…"

"What did he say?"

"Ah, well…"

Royen started to speak but quickly closed his mouth.

Should I even talk about this?

As he hesitated, Irene gave him a sidelong glance.

"Oh, my. What exactly does this magic circle do?"

"I’m curious too."

"Sir Royen~ Won’t you tell us?"

At that moment, the female elves around Royen swarmed him, coaxing him with playful charm.

These were no ordinary women—each elf was an unparalleled beauty.

Among them, the ones Royen had often stolen glances at took the lead.

"U-Uh…"

Having grown accustomed to human society, the elves had begun to wield their natural beauty like a weapon. They didn’t need to say much; a single gesture was enough.

Suddenly overwhelmed, Royen’s face turned bright red, and he lost his composure, unable to find the words to respond.

‘I-I shouldn’t say anything…’

At that moment—

"Stop teasing him."

A savior appeared.

"Lord Kaylen."

"Have you finished analyzing the drake’s magic circle? You seem curious about Royen’s as well."

"T-That’s not it… I was just curious…"

"Hmm."

Kaylen approached Royen, whose face was still crimson.

Looking closely, the magic circle on Royen’s body seemed optimized for fire mana.

While not as crucial as the drake’s magic circle…

‘It might actually be more useful to me right now.’

For Kaylen, who needed to forge a fire blade, the magic circle generating fire mana was of significant importance.

"Royen."

"Yes?"

Still—

"For the sake of analyzing the magic circle…"

Kaylen paused.

"Would you mind… removing it?"

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]