N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 358
"Please save me! I'll do anything! Please!"
Phalen cried out, wringing her hands together like a fly.
"I'm fine with being a servant. Or a slave! Just let me stay by your side!"
Mark Gorton shouted in a serious voice, banging his head on the floor.
Hmm...
Wrath scratched his chin and licked his lips.
The King doesn't understand what did you do to those two.
'I didn't do anything to them, except hit them yesterday.'
Phalen didn't even get beaten up. She passed out on her own.
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he looked at Phalen and Mark Gorton kneeling and begging.
But why are they like this?
'I don't know either.'
Are they trying to lull you into a false sense of security and then hit you in the head?
'That's possible, but the chances are slim.'
Phalen is a woman with a strong sense of self-esteem, even more so than her abilities. Even if she had a plan to attack him, she wouldn't be the type to beg on her knees.
'And…'
Raon frowned when he saw Phalen's face.
'She's terrified.'
It seemed like she had experienced something very scary after waking up from fainting. There was no other way to make that kind of expression.
"You two, come in."
Raon turned back and returned to his room after leaving.
"Th, thank you!"
"Thank you!"
Phalen and Mark Gorton crawled into the room on their knees.
"Hu..."
Raon let out a sigh and closed the door, then sat down on the bed.
"Get up and sit down."
He took out a chair and gestured for the two to sit down.
"I'm fine."
"I'm fine with this."
Phalen and Mark Gorton shook their heads and remained kneeling. (lol)
"What the hell..."
Raon looked at the two people's eyes, which had sunk into different colors, and touched his temple.
'I don't understand.'
I don't understand either.
'What?'
Why are you suddenly using honorifics? You were talking in a rude tone yesterday.
Wrath scrunched up his nose and looked at him.
'They're being polite, so I'm being polite too.'
So you're being polite because they're being polite? You were rude yesterday?
'Yeah.'
In my opinion, you're not normal either. You're about 45 degrees off.
He floated in the air like cigarette smoke, saying that he didn't expect humans to be so difficult to understand.
'It's natural that even people don't understand each other.'
Raon closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and looked at Mark. There was a small, faint light in his eyes, which were filled with emptiness and despair.
'I think it'll be easier to talk to this one.'
It seemed like it would be better to talk to Mark Gorton first, rather than Phalen, who was crushed by fear.
"Mark Gorton."
"Yes!"
"What do you mean by asking to be my servant?"
"It's exactly what I said."
Mark Gorton pounded his left chest, the side with his heart.
"I want to follow you even as a servant! Please accept me!"
His voice was filled with strength that was hard to believe it was the same person he saw yesterday.
"Why are you doing this all of a sudden?"
Raon sighed briefly and leaned his arm on his knee. He was so dumbfounded that his body was limp.
"If it's for revenge and you want to hide behind my back, you've come to the wrong address. I don't trust you."
"That's not it."
"Then because I'm a member of the Zieghart's family...?"
"That's not it either! I didn't know you were Raon Zieghart when I woke up."
Mark Gorton shook his head vigorously.
"The pain I felt in my heart was worse than the pain I felt when I was punched in the jaw or the cut wound when I woke up from fainting. The words you said before you hit me in the jaw were stabbing my chest like needles."
He pounded his left chest again.
"Your words are right. When I was young, I was spoiled by my talent and neglected my efforts. After I got older, I thought it was too late, so I put off the training I had to do and only did the training I wanted to do."
Mark Gorton pressed the ground with his clenched fist.
"I'm trying. I consoled myself that I was working hard and swung the sword, but there was no foundation, no basic technique, or will in it."
"Hmmm..."
He blushed with embarrassment, but continued speaking.
"Thanks to you, I woke up late. If you accept me, I'll be your servant. I want to catch one last chance by serving you."
He finished speaking and bowed his head to the ground. He hit it so hard that the room shook.
'He seems sincere, but...'
Raon rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Wrath.
'What do you think?'
The eyes that were distorted like drugs have been smoothed out like an ironing board, haven't they? That means it's sincere.
'What If he was brainwashed?'
It's impossible to brainwash like that in just a day. There's no trace of that magic scent. However, I can't be sure. He might have used an artifact.
As Wrath said, he seems sincere, but he can't be sure.
It's a great opportunity to have a Master-level subordinate, but it could backfire, so I shouldn't decide rashly.
"I understand why you're here, but I can't just trust you unconditionally."
"I understand."
Mark Gorton bowed his head. He seemed to have changed his soul from the one he saw yesterday. It had changed so much that it was hard to trust him.
"I'll think about it, so go back."
"Understood."
Mark Gorton nodded and headed to the door. He crawled on his knees as he did when he came in.
"Walk a little!"
"Yes!"
Only after he was told to walk did he stand up and go out.
"Phew..."
Raon shook his head and looked at Phalen. She was still biting her dry lips like a person who was terrified.
"Phalen Sepia. Why are you here?"
"I, I came to ask for forgiveness."
"For what?"
"For being arrogant and not knowing my place yesterday and..."
Phalen paused for a moment and swallowed her saliva. Her eyes were shaking rapidly, making her look like she was struggling, but eventually her mouth opened again. It seemed like she couldn't overcome the fear of something.
"F, for trying to assassinate you..."
"Assassination?"
Raon's jaw trembled.
'What is this?'
What was she thinking?
He had expected Phalen to hire an assassination group, but he never dreamed she would admit to trying to assassinate him. Bringing up the subject of assassination was the same as revealing her true intentions.
"You tried to assassinate me?"
"Y-yes...."
Phalen lowered her eyes and nodded. Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Why did you reveal that? If you had kept it a secret, I wouldn't have known."
"I d-don't want to die."
"You don't want to die?"
"Y-yes. I-if I don't reveal the truth to you, I'll die. No, I'll be in more pain than death...."
"Who's going to kill you?"
"S-someone with a cross in their eyes... w-who is it?"
Phalen looked up at the sky with dull eyes.
'Who was it?'
She felt fear and pain so intense that she wanted to bite her tongue and die, but all she could remember was the red cross in the person's eyes.
She felt a chill that was so intense that her hair stood on end.
But one thing was certain.
What she had felt all night was not a dream. If she did not reveal the truth to Raon and beg for his forgiveness, she might have to feel that fear and pain for the rest of her life.
"T-that's not important! P-please! Please forgive me!"
Phalen again banged her head and rubbed her hands together, begging for forgiveness, no matter what.
"Hmmm..."
Raon looked at Phalen and raised his chin slightly.
I smell something.
'That's right.'
Unlike Mark Gorton, who seemed to have realized it on his own, it seemed that there was external intervention in Phalen's case.
'Two or so?'
There were two places where this was thought to have happened.
Was she pressured by the assassination group she was trying to hire, or... the second one was something he didn't really want to imagine.
"Where were you trying to put in the assassination request?"
"Th-it's a place called Black Crow." (Previously Black Snake)
"Black Crow..."
Raon's eyes hardened when he heard the name Black Crow.
'This name is coming up here?'
Black Crow was one of the external names used by the assassination group Shadow, which Derus had raised in the shadows.
'Rat bastard.'
He even tried to get involved here.
Derus seemed to have tried to get involved in the succession struggle of the Sepia Merchant Association as well.
After house Yonaan and the north, now Sepia. He was reaching out to the entire continent.
"Ah, the request hasn't been submitted yet! I only asked them to check the connection. I'll cancel it right away...."
"No."
Raon slowly shook his head to stop Phalen.
"Carry out that request."
"Y-yes. Yes?"
Phalen raised her head in horror. Her eyes widened as if they were about to burst.
“Do you also want to assassinate Dorian and the other brothers?”
“T-that’s…”
“Cancel the rest and leave me and Dorian alone.”
“Why would you do such a thing….”
“You don’t need to know.”
Raon stood up and approached Phalen. He grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes.
“You said you would do anything, right?”
“Ah…”
Phalen’s lips trembled. When she saw the scarlet eyes that burned brighter than the sun, the fear that had crushed her the night before came back to life.
No, the coldness that made her body feel like it was being crushed by a thick darkness made her sweat all over.
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Yes…”
There was nothing she could do but nod at the words that were like putting on a slave collar.
* * *
Raon sent Phalen, who was terrified, away and went to the training ground where he had sparred with her the day before. There was no one there because it was breakfast time.
I don’t want to go! Go by yourself!
Wrath, as if he knew who Raon was going to meet, grabbed the door of the training ground and whined.
‘I don’t want to go either, but I have no choice.’
I had to meet that person in order to get a clear understanding of this matter.
Raon went to the tree where he had felt a small presence the day before and cast a barrier. He blocked out the sound and looked up.
“Are you here?”
“Yes!”
A bat popped out of a branch hidden by leaves, accompanied by a bright and clear voice.
Aaack!
Wrath screamed at the sight of Merlin, who was in the form of a bat.
You’re crazy! I knew it!
He trembled his lips, saying that he couldn’t tell the difference between an ordinary animal.
“Were you the one who did it?”
“Yes!”
He answered with an unbelievably cheerful answer, as if he had no intention of lying.
“Haa…”
Raon sighed deeply, placing his hand on his forehead.
‘It was Merlin, as I thought.’
The bat he had seen fleetingly yesterday and the terrified Phalen today confirmed his suspicions.
“Don’t worry. I made sure that no harm would come to you. No one will know I was involved, no matter what happens.”
Merlin wriggled his fingers and swayed his body from side to side. Now that I think about it, his voice was a little lower than usual, as if he was tired.
I didn’t feel Merlin’s presence yesterday! If I had, I would have woken you up and told you to run away!
Wrath hid behind his shoulder, saying that he was truly a madwoman.
“How did you get in here?”
“Who would be suspicious of a cute little bat?”
Merlin rubbed her head and smiled brightly. I always feel like she expresses his emotions too well in animal form.
“That’s fine, but there are security spells on the mansion.”
There are several security spells cast on the compound building. I don’t know how she managed to break through the barrier, which becomes thicker at night.
“I knew you were coming here, so I already figured out the route I would take. There are always holes in such a large building.”
“The route….”
Raon touched his temple with his finger. The words “I already figured out the route” sounded too scary.
“Even if there are holes, the barrier magic will…”
“The barrier magic detects mana that is dormant deep within the target’s body. There is only a very small amount of mana in this child’s body. It can’t be caught.”
Merlin continued in a soft voice, like a teacher teaching a child.
“Then how did you instill fear in Phalen?”
I still had a question because I had heard from Wrath about Merlin’s magic the day before.
“I just cast a spell like this.”
It’s impossible!
Wrath popped out from his shoulder and shook his head vigorously.
As you said a moment ago, how could you use magic if you have little mana?
That’s right. I didn’t understand how she used magic if she escaped the barrier because she had little mana.
“Look. Here.”
Merlin pointed to the bat’s chest.
“Wha, what….”
“That’s right. Life force. I put my life force in all the children I controlled, but I didn’t recover it and used it. You’re interested in my work. It feels good, doesn't it?”
As I heard Merlin’s laughter that flowed with those words, his body hair stood on end in a chill. He looked at Wrath with trembling lips.
It is possible. It is not the specialty of only warriors to convert life force into mana. But life force is….
‘It’s lifespan.’
It feels like my heart is being squeezed tight.
Just as the Martio I fought before coming here raised his aura with life force, a magician can create high purity mana with life force.
That crazy woman seemed to have done this by cutting her own lifespan.
“You’re really crazy, aren’t you?”
Raon cried out, clutching his head.
“Oh! You’re worried about me?”
Merlin jumped down from the tree. She flew lightly and landed on her shaking hand.
“I’m happy….”
She blushed as she touched her fingers with the bat’s small hand.
“Don’t worry. I can melt everything for you.”
“Enough. How much of your lifespan did you cut off?”
"Not much. I was able to enter without bloodshed thanks to you breaking down the mental barrier of that child.”
Merlin shook her hand, saying it was less than a month.
“Don’t do that again. I may need your help, but I won’t allow you to cut your lifespan.”
It’s not because I like Merlin. I felt that if I used her this way, I might become a person like Derus, who played with my past self.
Even if Merlin did it herself, I didn’t want to do anything similar to Derus.
“You’re thinking of me now.”
Merlin smiled like a crescent moon, as if she was happy.
“I have to follow if you say so, I understand….”
She nodded with a deep smile.
“I’m going crazy.”
Raon sighed, looking up at the sky.
It doesn’t make sense! She’s already gone around twice.
Wrath now seemed to be feeling fear, sticking out only his trembling eyes.
“What did you do to Mark Gorton?”
"I didn't do anything to him, though?"
"What?"
"I didn't have time."
Merlin shrugged, as if to say that was true.
'Then...'
It seemed that he really wanted to follow me sincerely.
"Was I helpful?"
Merlin smiled brightly, her hand on her waist.
"......"
Raon closed his eyes as he looked at Merlin.
'It was helpful'
It was a big help to cut off Phalen before she could play her tricks, and to get the chance to reduce the shadow's power. However, it was never something to do by cutting your lifespan.
"Yeah. But you didn't need to go out of your way like that. Don't do this again."
"Okay. But... what is it this time?"
"Because you're worried about me. I'm getting so excited that my connection is being cut off. I guess I overdid it yesterday."
Merin's face flushed and her voice began to break.
"This child has worked hard. So... what is it this time?"
Raon smiled and looked at the bat. He was confident this time because he had brought a variety of food in his spatial pocket.
"He wants to eat bird eggs and rotten meat."
"......"
"Did you hear that? Bird eggs and rotten meat.."
"D, do bats eat that?"
"Bats are omnivores, and their preferences change depending on the season. Well, I'll leave it to you."
She said that and disappeared. The moisture in the bat's eyes disappeared in an instant.
"Squeak!"
The bat reached out as if to ask for food quickly.
"Ah, um, uh...."
Raon looked in his spatial pocket. Of course, there were no eggs or rotten meat.
"That's a unique taste."
"Squeak!"
The bat tapped the palm of his hand loudly and quickly.
"So, uh...."
"Vice-leader!"
Just as he was wondering what to do, the door to the training hall opened and Dorian came in.
"Father has invited you to dinner tonight! Maybe the test you mentioned before...."
"That's not important right now."
Raon shook his head and beckoned to Dorian.
"Do you have any bird eggs? Small ones?"
"Do you want to give it to that guy?"
Dorian looked at the bat in his palm and reached into his belly pouch. A few moments later, two small and cute bird eggs appeared on his hand.
"Squeak!"
The bat bounced around on his palm with joy.
"Do you have any rotten meat...?"
"He eats that too? That's strange."
Dorian looked at the bat with a puzzled expression.
"I guess you don't have that either."
Raon nodded. Of course it was. Even if there was space left, who would carry around rotten meat?
"What kind of rotten meat do you need? Beef? Pork? Chicken? I have duck too."
Dorian pulled out a bunch of packaged meat from his belly pouch.
"It, it's there?"
"Of course it is. It's a necessity."
"Why is that...?"
This is crazy.
Wrath shook his head back and forth, looking at Dorian and the bat.
Why are you carrying around rotten meat!
He grabbed his head and screamed.
Why are there so many crazy people in this era!
* * *
Raon and Dorian attended the dinner party that Adis had invited them to. Even though they arrived 20 minutes before the appointed time, most of the long rectangular table was already occupied.
'Are they the subordinates of the heirs?'
Just like he had followed Dorian, there were one or two subordinates sitting next to the other heirs. With their sharp eyes, they all looked like they were capable people.
"That man at the end is my older brother."
Dorian leaned in a little and whispered.
A well-built middle-aged man was sitting in the seat on the right side of the head seat. His beard and hair were neatly trimmed, so he didn't look clumsy even though he was big, and he gave off a cold impression.
'They must know about me.'
Jessir Sepia.
While Phalen and Diarun did not learn any martial arts or magic, Jessir was a famous person not only in the merchant guild but also in the martial arts world. He was not a brilliant genius, but he was a rare case of becoming a master by spending money.
'He said he's never had any elixirs.'
I heard that Jessir was raised very preciously by Adis's legal wife, and he had never had any elixirs, and he always received martial arts lessons from a master-level master. That's why the energy he felt from his body was enormous.
"……."
Jessir glanced at them and turned his head away as if he was not interested.
'Just as Dorian said.'
Unlike Phalen and Diarun, who had been bullying him, Jessir had said that he had completely ignored his existence. Seeing how he was treating his younger brother who had returned after 9 years, it seemed that he still did not consider him family.
'However....'
His skills are real.
Not only his personal strength, but also the power and money he possesses would be incomparable to others. He was the most ranked and dangerous figure in the competition for the heir.
"Oh, welcome."
Phalen got up from her seat and bowed. Her expression was awkward to say the least.
"I knew you would come. Welcome."
Diarun bowed his head with cold eyes, unlike his words of welcome.
"Oh, hello."
Dorian stood in the center of the table and bowed his head.
"……."
"Yeah."
"Uh-huh...."
Jessir didn't react at all, Diarun nodded slightly, and Phalen trembled.
"Let's go."
Raon followed Dorian's guidance and sat down at the end of the table.
"Phew..."
Dorian wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed.
"I'm a little nervous."
"It's okay."
Raon smiled and leaned back in his chair.
The smell of the finest dishes is vibrating!
Wrath licked his tongue like a dog as he smelled the food coming from somewhere.
Ask for it quickly! It looks like everything from land, sea, and air is here!
'They'll come out on their own. Just be quiet.'
As Raon pressed Wrath's head down and forced him into his bracelet, the restaurant door opened wide.
Kuung!
Adis Sepia and his five target people entered. Even though they did not learn martial arts, their presence was as if it would reach the ceiling.
Ddeu-ddeu-ddeu-ddeu!
Everyone sitting at the table stood up and bowed to Adis.
"Greetings to the head!"
"Thank you for accepting my invitation. Sit down."
Adis nodded his head as he sat down in a dignified manner.
"Yes."
"Thank you!"
The heir candidates and their subordinates all sat down.
Bang!
As Adis clapped his hands, the restaurant door opened again and the servants entered with dishes steaming.
Oh!
Wrath took a deep breath and laughed.
He seems to want to eat first!
'That's right.'
It seemed that he wanted to eat first and then bring up the main point.
As expected of the choice of the father of my subordinate!
Wrath's eyes shone with desire as he looked at the dishes placed on the table.
First, eat the truffle soup there. After melting your stomach with a warm soup, you can have a proper battle...
"While the food is being served, I will explain the reason why I called everyone here."
As Wrath happily decided the order of the dishes to eat, Adis' soft voice echoed through the restaurant.
"I'm going to give everyone one test."
The restaurant fell silent with the cool, calm voice.
'In this situation?'
He released the tension, only to create a situation where he had to be tense again. He's no ordinary person, is he?
'This is fun.'
Raon looked at Adis with a gleam in his eyes.
Ah....
Wrath hunched his shoulders like a sulking child, unable to tear his gaze away from the food.
I'm eating, you know....
