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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 28
[Cohen Trevis]
-Trait: Master of Cold
-Skill: Advanced Trevis Swordsmanship
-Strength: 10.1
-Agility: 13.4
-Stamina: 10.3
-Sense: 6.5
Vital Energy: 16.8
‘What is this?’
Cohen Trevis was said to be a swordsman stronger than the head of the family, Layton Trevis.
But when you look at his stats, aside from energy, the rest are not even at the level of a high-ranking knight — they're just average knight level.
Only his energy is extraordinarily high, far surpassing other high-ranking knights.
Considering Sica had 11.6 and Layton Trevis had 13.1, 16.8 is an absurdly high number.
‘No matter how much he's aged, a knight who’s reached that level shouldn't have deteriorated this much.’
Thinking about the cause of this imbalance between stats, my eyes caught his trait.
‘Master of Cold…?’
[Master of Cold]
A physique that accepts cold throughout the body.
#The more cold you absorb, the faster your energy accumulates.
#You can handle cold easily.
#You absorb cold faster.
From the information given, nothing seemed particularly strange.
It was easy to deduce that his extremely high energy was thanks to the Master of Cold trait.
However, the issue was that his physical abilities had drastically declined compared to the past.
‘Just a few years ago, he was definitely stronger than Layton Trevis. But at some point, he withdrew from the frontlines and began focusing on administrative work...’
Before I regressed, Cohen Trevis eventually lived like this until he was assassinated one day.
I still remember, because I personally built his grave.
Back then, I thought he had simply grown weaker with age, but now I realize that wasn’t the case.
The chilling cold I felt when I opened the door.
“You've arrived.”
My heightened senses picked up on the way the air changed with each step I took forward.
“Nice to meet you. I'm Ren Arzen.”
“Cohen Trevis.”
The moment I shook his extended hand, I realized something.
‘It was because of Master of Cold.’
A body that accepts cold.
From the chill at his fingertips, I could faintly sense a kind of static energy I hadn’t felt from other knights.
‘I’ve been... trusting the status window too blindly.’
The illusion that the abilities displayed on the status window were everything.
Without realizing it, I had been trapped within the boundaries of the given information.
What if the status window only showed part of the information?
If the Master of Cold wasn’t just about handling cold well, but also had the side effect of physically weakening the body?
‘The effects are listed, but there’s no mention of side effects.’
The various pieces of information I'd gathered laid themselves out clearly in my mind, and within them, I spotted the gaps I'd previously missed.
Realizing that gave me chills.
“Have a seat.”
“Yes.”
“Wait just a moment.”
Cohen brought over some steaming tea and placed it in front of me.
‘It's hot.’
Hot enough to burn my tongue if I wasn't careful.
Sip—
Cohen, however, sipped the tea nonchalantly and set his cup down.
“You’ve solved a major concern for the head of the family, I hear.”
“Yes.”
“Take a look at this.”
The document Cohen handed me listed someone's personal information, and the next page listed various pieces of equipment.
“What’s this?”
“A blacksmith in Cormir. He'll make the equipment you need.”
“This is the Trevis family's reward?”
“That's right.”
Considering I had resolved the long-standing disappearance of the Trevis family's eldest son — a case unsolved for three years — the reward felt a bit underwhelming.
But would Layton Trevis really be that stingy over something like this?
‘He must be confident.’
Though Cohen’s expression was neutral, a faint confidence underpinned it.
Confidence that I would not be disappointed.
“You just need to go to Cormir and find the blacksmith. We’ve already informed him.”
“Thank you.”
“And there was something else you requested.”
“I... Ah!”
— If you say so. Either way, I don't feel right leaving without offering anything in return.
— If you find a good gravesite, please let me know.
The conversation with Trevis briefly flashed through my mind.
“There’s a large smithy in Cormir. It's been a traditional place for generations. There's a graveyard for blacksmiths there. If you want, you can take a look.”
A graveyard for blacksmiths.
It was an intriguing offer.
I was also in need of a decent sword, so the timing was perfect.
Sip—
Clack.
Cohen quickly finished his tea and set the cup down.
Meanwhile, I had only just taken my first sip.
The cold air settled heavily across the room, and after the conversation ended, a brief silence fell.
Playing with the hot teacup in my hands, I eventually spoke.
“There’s something I’m curious about. May I ask?”
Cohen Trevis had a reputation within the royal court as being irritable and difficult.
However, the head of the Trevis family had said he wasn’t actually that hard to deal with.
“…Ask away.”
His answer was true to that.
Had anyone else from the royal court asked, he would have dismissed them immediately. But for me, after a moment's hesitation, he allowed the question.
Layton Trevis wouldn’t have given me that tip for no reason.
Besides, there was no real need to hear these things directly from a busy man like Cohen Trevis.
‘In the end, he must want something.’
He likely didn’t expect me to solve any specific problem.
Just — meet him once.
That’s all.
The moment I faced Cohen Trevis, I had fulfilled Layton’s intention.
‘He must have seen something in me…’
Layton had made the request even before I headed south.
Meaning he had already seen something in me back then.
Perhaps even following me south was part of a deeper plan.
At the very least, it was clear Layton Trevis highly valued me.
“Have you perhaps been feeling unwell compared to before?”
For the first time, Cohen’s eyes wavered faintly.
“No... even now, you still are.”
Scrape—
Suddenly, Cohen pushed his chair back, stood up, called in a staff member, and instructed them not to let anyone inside.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Then he closed the door again.
“There was a reason the Family Head insisted on assigning this to me.”
Cohen’s eyes shone with a quiet light.
Seeing the cold chill flowing in his gaze made my heart feel like it was beating slower.
“Speak. Say what you intended to.”
Unlike Zalatan or Layton, there was no ferocious air about him.
But there was a thoroughly restrained, heavy stillness emanating from him.
Even if Cohen’s physical abilities had declined, if he unleashed his sword energy, I would surely be cleaved in half in an instant.
“I felt it the moment I stepped into the room. The air was different.”
“Anyone with sensitive senses would have noticed that.”
“But did the others also know it was because of your constitution?”
Cohen narrowed his eyes.
“How did you know that?”
“It's pretty obvious, considering the cold energy radiating from your body. It would be foolish not to notice.”
“…You speak as if you were a high-ranking knight.”
At his words, I flinched instinctively.
People around me had been calling me a high-ranking knight so much lately that I almost started believing it myself.
‘I need to be careful.’
I wasn’t truly a high-ranking knight.
I was just an ordinary swordsman—someone who could easily be erased from this world if the old man before me so wished.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do it.”
“You? Do you have the ability?”
“Was there anyone in your family lineage with a constitution like yours?”
He closed his eyes in thought for a moment, then opened them again.
“There was. The head of the family two generations ago.”
“Did you learn anything from him?”
“If I had, I wouldn’t be in this situation now, would I?”
Cohen let out a bitter laugh.
“Do you know what my profession is?”
“A gravekeeper, isn’t it?”
“You know well. That’s right. A gravekeeper. Honoring the souls of the dead is my job.”
“…I don't quite follow.”
Cohen Trevis.
The former master of the Trevis family, and a swordsman doomed to be assassinated by a mysterious killer.
In my past life, his death had been a source of great mystery.
It would take an assassin of extraordinary skill to kill someone like Cohen Trevis—but who was capable of such a feat, and why would they assassinate him?
But now, I thought I knew the answer.
“I can see the spirits lingering in graves.”
“…You expect me to believe that?”
“That’s how I found the eldest son of the Trevis family after his death. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Lord Layton.”
His gaze wavered slightly with doubt.
But now that I’d dropped Layton Trevis’s name, he couldn’t easily dismiss me.
“If I can meet with the spirit of the Trevis family’s head from two generations ago, I might be able to solve this issue.”
“The Trevis estate doesn’t allow outsiders in.”
Scrape—
Cohen pushed back his chair and stood.
“Please check with Lord Layton. Once confirmed, call me again. Also, I’d appreciate it if you kept my ability a secret.”
With that, I bowed and left the room.
Thud.
After closing the door, I walked down the wide corridor and, once I had put some distance between myself and the room, let out a deep sigh of relief.
“Phew... That was intense.”
Though his body was weak, the force he exuded was still formidable.
His vitality was nearly seven times mine...
‘This is a worthwhile deal.’
I wasn’t thrilled about more people knowing about my ability.
But seeing spirits was only part of my power, and very few knew even that.
If I could help someone like Cohen recover, he would owe me a debt he could never easily repay.
Plus, I could also visit the grave of the Trevis family's former head.
It was a trade worth taking a risk for.
‘In the end, he’ll have no choice but to call me.’
Having once stood at the pinnacle, he would do anything to restore his body to its former state.
Once Layton confirmed it, he would investigate me and summon me again.
After returning to Dacaine, I went to see my ancestor.
“Let’s continue where we left off.”
– Your blood must be boiling.
Just as my ancestor said, my blood was indeed boiling.
Even while I was at the royal capital, the sword energy that Scarlett had shown kept swirling in my mind.
Sshing—
The sword slid from its scabbard, slicing through the dry air smoothly.
– Watch carefully.
[Descent – Havenberg Arzen]
A different sensation coursed through my veins.
It was like a crackling current racing from my heart down my arms and into my sword.
Woom—
Grayish sword energy instantly gathered along the blade.
Havenberg Swordsmanship
– Third Ultimate Move
– Moon Severance
The sword tip trembled strangely, moving through the air as if wandering.
‘Whoa...’
The night was already deep, but when the sword moved, it felt like even the moonlight filtering through the leaves disappeared.
Whoooom—
When the sword stopped moving, a sudden gust swept through the area—and at the far end of the sword’s path, I could see a single tree.
Sshhk!
A sharp slicing sound echoed, and the tree toppled over.
Thud.
The ground shuddered as the tree fell.
The freezing chill in the air finally lifted.
Feeling utterly drained, I stood there, staring blankly at the tree's smooth cross-section.
“…This is—”
Sring—
Before I could even express my awe, I heard a chilling sound—the swift draw of a blade.
The sword, gleaming a cold blue, was pointed straight at me.
“You—what the hell are you?”
A voice I had definitely heard before.
But the emotion in it was completely different now.
“I knew it was right to keep watching you.”
Silver hair gleaming under the moonlight, and eyes shining fiercely.
Curiosity, competitiveness, excitement, and pleasure—her gaze made my skin crawl.
“Scarlett... Arzen?”
The battle-crazed maniac had been watching me all along.
I instinctively realized that things had gone very, very wrong.
I locked eyes with her.
Her pupils were already half gone, spinning madly.
‘I’m screwed.’
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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