Regressing as the Reincarnated Bastard of the Sword Clan

Translator: FenrirTL

Editor: Doodle, Eyes

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Chapter 151: Dragon Fang Corps (1)

– We need to be cautious of the Keeper?

– Yes.

– ……So it really was Ode who leaked this location to Troyban.

– You suspected as much, I see.

– A little.

Before Theo went to rescue his companions, Cassandra briefly warned him.

He had to be wary of Ode.

– The Sword Legacy the elders used to speak of wasn’t entirely lost. While only the foundational basics of the secret art remain, even that isn’t complete. Still, parts of it were preserved and passed down.

– Then those who inherited it, could they be…?

– Yes, that’s right.

Theo sensed a hint of regret in Cassandra’s demeanor.

It was the kind of sentiment only those who could glimpse the past, present, and future while understanding the full breadth of human history could possess.

– They are the Keepers of the Mausoleum.

**********************

– The Captain did have a disciple.

– Yes, a very young child.

– But because of that, the secret art wasn’t fully passed down….

– That child was left in this form as the Keeper. A pitiable child.

The ghosts gazed at Ode with forlorn eyes.

It wasn’t as if they were unaware of the story behind the Keeper.

Yet they had been unable to intervene, as they lacked any physical means to convey their voices to Ode and the previous inheritors.

Only the chosen one could face them.

“Do you not deny it?”

Ode bit his lower lip tightly.

It was the look of someone whose concealed truth had been exposed.

The other members hurriedly turned to Theo.

“Theo, we can’t follow your story at all. Explain it in a way we can understand. What’s the Sword Legacy? What’s this inheritance? Are you saying Ode isn’t just a simple Keeper?”

Selperd glanced at Theo while checking to see if Ode would show any further reaction.

Rumble, rumble…!

Theo, looking at the ceiling trembling noisily, spoke quickly.

There was still a little time before new enemies reached this place.

“Everyone buried in this Mausoleum sacrificed themselves to stop the demons beyond the Great Wall.”

“Yes, we know that much. But so what?”

“Then, do you also know that there is a lord among them who has never been found?”

“A lord…?”

“Yes. The one who was the head of the Ragnar family at the time. The 300th Mausoleum, which does not exist in this place, belongs to him.”

“The 300th Mausoleum…”

“Unfortunately, the ultimate secret art that they possessed was tragically lost. Troyban is now chasing after that very secret art.”

Theo gave a brief explanation about why Troyban needed Cassandra and their purpose for seizing the Mausoleum.

For an ordinary swordsman, not a Chosen, these were events difficult to accept.

“Wait, wait! So, to summarize what you’re saying—Troyban is pulling that crazy stunt just to get the Sword Legacy? Then what about Lady Ode? Sir Upsurging Dragon clearly said it. Lady Ode is a righteous person who guards a Mausoleum that hardly anyone in Ragnar even remembers anymore.”

“Yes, that’s correct. She is righteous. Where else can you find someone who has dedicated countless generations solely to guarding this Mausoleum?”

“But why…?”

“The problem is that the gravekeepers have another role besides protecting the Mausoleum. The restoration of the Sword Legacy.”

Ode still said nothing.

Theo continued, keeping her closely in his gaze.

“The gravekeepers are descendants of the family head who sacrificed himself at the time. They bear the responsibility and duty of restoring the lost school of swordsmanship.”

“……”

“And Troyban noticed that and approached Lady Ode, the gravekeeper, in advance. Isn’t that right?”

Ode clenched her fist tightly.

Her hand, with veins bulging, trembled violently.

“But doesn’t it seem strange? If she had already allied with Troyban, wouldn’t she have revealed the true location of the Mausoleum to them beforehand?”

It was clear that Troyban only arrived here well after Theo’s group had caught their breath.

If this had been intended as a trap, they would have struck much earlier.

“Well, I can’t know the exact reason, but could it be that Lady Ode also harbored suspicions about Troyban?”

“Ah.”

“If what you’re saying about being able to restore the Sword Legacy is true, then bring evidence. If she was negotiating by saying something like, ‘I won’t open the Mausoleum unless you provide proof’…”

“Stop.”

“So, she brought us here to confirm with her own eyes, and after verifying Troyban’s claims, she reached out to them.”

“Stop it!”

“That makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“I said stop!!”

Finally, Ode shouted at the top of her voice.

“Fine! What you’re saying is true! Troyban proposed to restore the Sword Legacy and share it. I brought you all here to verify their claim that if you could find a way to restore it, then they could as well. So what? What’s wrong with that?”

Her gaze burned with anger as she stared directly at Theo.

“Look! In the end, as they said, you’ve already restored the Sword Legacy! Something that should rightfully have been mine! You took what I’ve pursued my entire life!!”

“If you had given me any prior indication, I would have shared it with you.”

“Share? You, a descendant of a branch family?”

Ode twisted one side of her lips sharply—a sneer.

“Listen closely. The rightful heir of Ragnar isn’t you or your kind—it’s me. Me, Ode Ragnar! You’re nothing but thieves who snuck into the main house during a momentary lapse of vigilance!”

Ode and the other gravekeepers lived with the pride that they were the true and rightful heirs of Ragnar.

Had it not been for this belief, they wouldn’t have guarded the Mausoleum for over hundreds of years, passing down the duty through generations.

And at the same time, they resolved that when the Sword Legacy was finally restored, they would reclaim the throne that had been usurped.

Yet, at this moment, that long-held dream was shattered into pieces.

-It’s just pitiful.

-The seat of the Sword Legacy’s owner was never assigned to anyone in the first place…

-Hmph! What’s there to pity? Survival of the fittest—that’s the essence of Ragnar! If they truly believed the throne was theirs, they should have claimed it themselves! Relying on what, exactly?

Some ghosts looked at Ode with pity, but the majority seemed displeased.

The reason why the ghosts hadn’t shown much reaction to Ode was that they already knew of the gravekeeper’s twisted attachment, passed down through generations.

That’s why, when they transmitted the Sword Legacy, they hadn’t explicitly informed Theo of the existence of the inheritors.

But Ode was unaware of this fact.

“And yet, you, a descendant of a branch family and a mere thief, dare to hand it over like charity? How dare you…! Who do you think you are to lecture me?”

“So, you turned to Troyban? You don’t find it more shameful to receive their teaching instead?”

“Hohoho! You’re still gravely mistaken. Who said I received teaching from Troyban or inclined myself toward them?”

At that moment, Theo wondered if his assumptions had been entirely wrong.

“Then… could it be that Troyban knows the identity of the Sword Legacy because…?”

“Yes. I told them directly.”

“…!”

“I brought Troyban here. I set the stage for them to move. There’s no better pawn for restoring the Sword Legacy.”

For a moment, Theo’s expression hardened completely.

-Wh, what?

-That lunatic!

-To involve outsiders in Ragnar’s affairs?

The ghosts finally realized that the situation was far graver than they had initially thought and were shocked.

Some erupted in furious cries, drawing their swords. However, their rage and threats failed to reach Ode.

“Are you saying you broke the rule that ‘Ragnar’s matters are resolved only within Ragnar’ by involving outsiders?”

Theo, along with Selperd and Ray, glared at Ode with eyes filled with anger.

No matter how rife Ragnar was with internal conflicts and competition for the throne, there was still a “line” that everyone had to respect.

Crossing that line, regardless of one’s claim to succession, meant facing Ragnar’s retribution.

That was the pride of Ragnar.

And yet—

“Broke the rule? Who did?”

“What are you saying? You admitted with your own mouth that you brought in Troyban!”

“I did.”

“Then what nonsense is this?”

“What I mean is, why does that count as breaking the rule?”

Once again, Theo felt there was something he hadn’t yet understood.

“Don’t tell me… you mean that Troyban isn’t an outsider?”

“You truly know nothing, child.”

Ode’s sneer deepened.

“Despite how close you’ve come to the throne, having inherited the Sword Legacy and becoming a Chosen, you don’t know a single thing.”

Gooooo—

An overwhelming pressure began to emanate from around Ode.

Rumble!

The ground quaked violently as if it would collapse the cave at any moment.

Even with his awakened Dragonblood, Theo felt a tingling sensation on his skin.

“No matter how I look at it, you’re not worthy of the Sword Legacy. I’ll have to take it back.”

The pressure spiraled, forming a sphere above Ode’s head.

It resembled an eclipse but was subtly different in shape.

A pitch-black sphere.

Its form was more akin to the moon than the sun.

It radiated no heat, only an intense coldness.

This phenomenon occurred because she was unable to manifest black flames—a sign that only fragments of the legacy’s secrets had been transmitted and developed.

Crackle!

Theo, unwilling to back down, drew upon his magic and formed a thunderstorm around himself.

The remaining time for All Buff was roughly four minutes.

Within that time, he needed to subdue Ode and stop the Blue Crane Corps, which was already closing in.

「Selperd, take Arin and go with Ray to the central area. Check the ceiling there; you’ll find a passage leading outside. Cassandra will help, so move quickly.」

「And you?」

「I’ll follow right behind.」

Selperd didn’t ask Theo what he planned to do. Theo was already the leader of their group.

Flash—

In the end, as instructed, Selperd carried Arin on his back and began running deeper into the heart of the area with Ray.

Ode didn’t particularly try to stop them.

Her sole focus was on reclaiming the Sword Legacy from Theo.

“My ancestors, unable to restore the ‘Sun,’ created the ‘Moon’ as a countermeasure. Lacking flames that could burn everything, they instead imbued it with coldness.”

Ode assumed a stance, pointing her sword toward the sphere.

Her posture was similar yet distinctly different from the commander Theo had seen in his visions.

“The efforts of my ancestors and myself to reach the Progenitor… Can you truly bear their weight?”

At that moment, the Blue Crane Corps entered the cavern.

Simultaneously, Ode swung her sword in a sharp arc.

Slice!

A flash followed the ‘Moon,’ dividing the space into upper and lower halves.

The split crescent moon shattered, scattering a blizzard and icy hail in all directions.

Rumble—

Theo smiled coldly as he stood before her.

“Bear it? Why would I need to?”

“What?”

Ode realized too late that something was amiss.

By then, Theo had already deployed the eclipse of .

“Whatever your reasons, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re a traitor. I have no reason to comprehend the sword of a betrayer.”

Slice—

The thunderstorm broke apart, and bolts of lightning ricocheted against the ground and walls.

“The walls?”

Ode noticed belatedly that the lightning wasn’t targeting her, only striking other areas, leaving Theo minimally protected.

“Don’t tell me—!”

But by the time she grasped Theo’s intention, it was already too late.

Crash!

The accumulated impacts had worn down the cavern’s structural integrity, and it collapsed entirely.

The spots struck by the lightning had all been pre-checked by Theo using his [Spiritual Essence]-enhanced vision.

Rumble—

Before Ode or the Blue Crane Corps could respond, they were buried beneath falling rocks, entombed alive.

-This bastard turned our grave into a real grave!

「I’ll make sure the Mausoleum is restored soon.」

-You’d better make it far better than before!

-Replace my coffin! I’m sick of looking at the same one every day!

-I want murals! Add murals to the walls!

「I’ll do all of that.」

Theo, exchanging lighthearted jokes with the ghosts, calmly escaped the Mausoleum on the back of Umbra.