N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 373
"The head of house."
Raon licked his lips as he threw the pebble he was holding in the air
"Is it an urgent call?"
"No, you have some time."
Rimmer shook his head, indicating that there was no need to rush.
"Then I'll continue what I was doing."
With a smile, Raon lightly gripped the stone.
"What exactly are you doing?"
Rimmer had just arrived and didn't know what kind of training was taking place.
"It's a simple cliff climbing training."
"Simple?"
When he raised an eyebrow in disbelief, Raon threw the stone in his hand down below.
Crash!
As the sharp sound echoed, a scream from one of the Light Wind squad members erupted from the middle of the cliff.
"Ggweeeeek!"
With the help of Mark Gorton, who was waiting below, the Light Wind squad member was able to touch the ground without any injuries, although the mental shock was quite evident.
Raon turned back and smiled at Rimmer.
"It's fundamental training that will benefit everyone."
"Where did you learn to do crazy things like this? But..."
Rimmer frowned as he watched the fallen Light Wind squad member.
"It looks fun!"
He chuckled and picked up a stone from the ground.
"Can I try too?"
Rimmer understood what fun was all about.
"It's not just about hitting them. The goal is to target their weak points, enhance their senses, and improve their reaction skills."
This training wasn't about simply tormenting the Light Wind squad members. It was about throwing stones at their vulnerabilities to boost their sensory awareness and response experience.
"Huh...?"
Dorian opened his mouth in surprise as he listened to Raon.
"It wasn't just for torment?"
He had been throwing stones and wood around, thinking it was just for fun, but now that he heard his explanation, it seemed to have a purpose.
"Come to think of it..."
When he faced Krein earlier, he felt a weakness when Krein raised his sword for defense.
Targeting that spot with his practice sword, Krein couldn't withstand it and surrendered, lowering his forehead.
"It seems like you've thought of everything."
Indeed, he was the vice-leader of the squad.
"I apologize for doubting."
Dorian internally admired him and bowed his head.
"Why are you suddenly being polite? Did you curse me in your mind?"
Raon narrowed his eyes at Dorian, who had greeted him unexpectedly.
"Oh, no! Absolutely not!"
Dorian shook his head vigorously.
"Stop with the weird thoughts and just give the squad leader a stone."
"Oh, yes..."
He sighed and handed a stone to Rimmer.
"I was once called Zieghart's Flying Squirrel in my younger days," Rimmer said, stroking the stone.
"Why?"
"Because I used to run away so well!"
"Isn't that irrelevant to the current situation?"
"I just wanted to say it!"
He loosened his tightened belt and threw the stone. The stone, imbued with the wind aura, struck Burren's forehead and shattered.
"Kkheuk!"
Getting hit in the forehead for the second time, Burren let out a short scream and fell backward, as if he had lost all his strength.
"Burren Niiiiiim!"
"Aaargh! Burren-nim is going down right now!"
"Raon! You devilish kid!"
"At this rate, we're all going to die! We're all going to die!"
The members of the 3rd Team, who had lost their captain, shouted frantically.
"How was that?"
Rimmer raised his arm and chuckled.
"Not bad."
Raon nodded and handed a split stone to Rimmer.
"Let's get started."
"Okay!"
The squad leader and the squad vice-leader, threw stones harmoniously, causing the Light Wind squad members climbing the cliff to fall.
Swoosh!
The Light Wind squad members climbed the cliff like newlyweds, using their well-trained bodies, but they lost their balance and fell one by one under the shower of stones.
"Cough!"
Martha demonstrated impressive focus, dodging a dozen or so stones, but eventually succumbed to the combined efforts of Raon and Rimmer.
"You, you little...!"
Her scream echoed through the cold cliff.
"Now, only Runaan is left."
Rimmer chuckled as he watched Runaan , who was clinging to the cliff in the center.
"Huh? Is he seriously sleeping?"
"He was sleeping earlier."
"Is she trying to develop a sleep sword or something?"
Rimmer shrugged and threw a stone at Runaan .
Whoooom!
The stone, imbued with the wind aura, surged like lightning, but Runaan , still with her eyes closed, twisted her shoulder to dodge it.
"Whoa!"
Not expecting such an agile dodge, Rimmer rolled up his sleeves and threw stones continuously. Runaan, with his eyes still closed, crawled like a lizard, avoiding the stones.
Watching Runaan dodge with such ease, Raon raised an eyebrow.
"Throw them seriously now."
After all, the squad leader would have to climb the cliff starting tomorrow.
Although Rimmer had grown stronger, he lacked stamina and physique since he had been practicing aerial combat.
Tomorrow, he would also be clinging to that cliff.
"Oh."
Just as he thought about Rimmer screaming tomorrow, he heard Runaan's short scream. It seemed like she had finally been hit by Rimmer's stone and fallen to the ground.
"But who's that man down there catching them?"
Rimmer finally seemed curious about Mark Gorton's identity and raised an eyebrow.
"He's going to become my vassal."
"Vassal? But he's a master!"
"It just happened that way."
Looking bewildered, Rimmer's lips trembled thinly.
"It's really a coincidence. I'll go to the head of house and explain."
Raon extended his hand to Rimmer and approached the edge of the cliff, looking down.
"Since they've all fallen! Come back up!"
He shouted down with his aura.
"If anyone wants to stop training, either climb up or wait until sunrise!"
Scream!
Terrifying sounds of shouting came from below.
"You bastard!"
"We won't let you off easily!"
"We'll never leave you alone!"
"Let's go! Let's kill that guy!"
The Light Wind squad members started climbing the cliff while cursing.
"As expected, the Light Wind squad gains energy when you're around."
Rimmer laughed heartily while watching the Light Wind squad members climbing quickly, still unaware of his own fate tomorrow.
As Raon watched Rimmer like that, he grabbed Dorian's shoulder.
"Dorian."
"Yes? Yes!"
Seeing the madness in his eyes, Dorian trembled and nodded vigorously.
"Do you see how it's done?"
"Th-they're throwing stones?"
"Yeah. I'm going to the head of house. This time, you'll be the one throwing."
"H-How am I supposed to..."
"Anyway, Mark Gorton is down there. You can throw anything."
"Right. Just throw anything; they're all going to get hit anyway."
Both Raon and Rimer smiled, thinking it would be easy.
"Then I'll do it."
The two of them shook hands lightly and descended the cliff through the opposite path.
Dorian, watching the Light Wind squad members climb up the cliff, swallowed dryly.
"W-Will this work?"
The Light Wind squad members climbing up were terrifying, but Raon, who had made them like that, was even scarier.
"I don't know for sure."
He shook his head vigorously, then took a long, thick log from his bag and rolled it down the cliff.
Swoosh!
With a deafening roar, the log crushed three Light Wind squad members as it fell.
"Aaargh!"
"Kyaaakh!"
"Damn you, Raon Zieghart!"
Even as they fell, the Light Wind squad members cursed Raon.
"This is fun, isn't it?"
It was much more fun than he had expected. Since Raon was the one who would receive curses when they fell, he felt no pressure at all.
Smiling, Dorian poured square rocks, sharp rocks, and round rocks from his bag.
"Fall, all of you!"
Dorian poured stones and odds and ends towards the Light Wind squad members. His actions resembled Raon's in some way.
"Khehehe!"
Wrath, who was barely holding on by stretching his body, shook his head at the sight of Dorian.
Is this what a human is like...?
Or does everyone go crazy when they meet that guy?
* * *
Raon entered the audience chamber through the door that Rimmer opened.
'It's cold.'
Every time he came, he felt that the audience chamber was the coldest and most eerie place in the entire Zieghart family.
He walked across the center carpet and raised his gaze.
To his left was Roenn, to his right was Sheryl, and on the dais sat Glenn, who was still looking down at the world with his dry eyes.
Raon clicked his tongue silently and looked at Rimmer.
'A gift?'
The atmosphere was such that he would be lucky if he didn't get punched in the face.
Why does that old man always have the same expression? He looks like he's in a bad mood.
'I don't know either.'
Raon took a deep breath and knelt down and bowed his head.
"I am here to see the lord!"
"Rise."
A deep voice came before he could even finish his greeting.
"Thank you."
Raon stood up and raised his head. Glenn's eyes were colder than usual.
"Why didn't you come to see me as soon as you returned?"
"I thought it would be impolite to come at a late hour."
He was worried that it would leave a bad impression if he came late at night, so he was going to wait until the next day, but it seems that was the worst thing he could have done.
"Raon Zieghart."
Glenn leaned his fist on his chin and shot a haughty look.
"I have a question for you."
"Please ask."
"The head of Sepia Merchants Association will be coming to us soon to secure the infrastructure and road network. What have you done at the Sepia Merchants Association?"
He still didn't know what had happened at the Sepia Merchants Association, so his eyes sank coldly.
'I see why he's angry.'
He seemed to be irritated by the fact that he had decided to expand the infrastructure without reporting.
'I should have asked first, right?'
Even if it was good for the house, it was still Glenn who was the lord. It was the right thing to do to report first.
"It may take a while, is that okay?"
"Go ahead."
Glenn nodded slowly, as if it was okay.
"When I arrived at the Sepia Merchants Association, the head, Adis Sephia, said he would hold a successor selection test... ."
Raon told Glenn and his people everything about the successor competition that had taken place at the Sepia Merchants Association.
He mentioned the battle with the Black Tower, but he didn't mention the story of the shadow and only said that it was an assassin and poisoner.
"…So the head of Sepia is coming to Zieghart in person to check the condition of the infrastructure and road network."
The audience chamber fell silent at the news that the Sepia Merchants Association would invest in Zieghart and that their first request was for Zieghart to expand its infrastructure and road network.
"Um, did the Sepia Merchants Association really say they would invest in Zieghart?"
Sheryl's mouth dropped open.
'The Sepia Merchants Association has been neutral up until now...'
Countless organizations have tried to maintain close ties with the Sepia Merchants Association, but none have succeeded.
It was hard to believe that the place that had only maintained a relationship between customers and merchants had reached out to Zieghart first.
"That's incredible."
Even Roenn was surprised that he would return with the support of the Sepia Merchants Association, so he let out a sigh.
"And to think that Fallen Sword is your vassal, you've returned with a master level Swordsman!"
"That's right. You're a different kind of person."
The two were amazed that he had also obtained Fallen Sword, and they continued to express their admiration.
"As expected of my moneymaker!"
Rimmer raised his thumb to Raon and nodded. His confident expression made it seem as if he had done something great himself.
Raon bowed his head to Glenn as he listened to the praise of the three people.
"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you in advance."
"Raon Zieghart."
While looking at the red carpet, Glenn called out to him. He raised his gaze. His face was cold, unlike the three people.
"Why did you ask the Sepia Merchants Association to develop house Zieghart?"
Glenn's eyes shone sharply, as if piercing through his heart.
"He was captivated not by house Zieghart, but by you. You could have just taken care of your own interests, so why did you want Zieghart to develop?"
The question wasn't long, but it wasn't easy to answer. He thought about it, but it seemed like the best thing to do was to be honest.
"I honestly didn't like house Zieghart very much. I gave my affection to the Light Wind squad, but I didn't have any feelings for the house itself. However, my thoughts changed after one incident."
Raon closed his eyes as he recalled that day's miracle.
"When I saw people I only knew by face wielding their swords to save me, who had been kidnapped, something inside of me changed. I felt like I was starting to understand what a family and a power were."
He continued speaking as he looked at the red moonlight pouring in from the window.
"From then on, I started to think about the house's affairs, not my own. I was angry when the house was ignored, and I wanted to step up and win for the house when it lost."
"Hmm..."
Glenn rubbed his chin with a look of indifference, but he did not interrupt.
"This request was also a part of that. Currently, Zieghart is located on the most barren land between the Six Kings. It is cold all year round, storms blow, and monsters are abundant, so it is very closed off."
Raon pointed to the floor of the audience chamber.
"The word closed off is not only applicable to the outside, but also to the inside. The house's members and servants have nowhere to rest or enjoy themselves, so they stay in their quarters even on weekends. There are entertainment venues, but they are all the same, so people get bored and don't move, and money just piles up."
"That's right! That's right! All the bars are the same!"
Rimmer suddenly interjected, waving his hands.
"There are only a few places to go, when I'm looking for our squad leader, It's so easy to find him."
Rimmer always only goes to the old tavern and the gambling den of destruction, so finding him is as easy as pie.
"Oh? Is that why you found me so easily? I thought you had implanted a tracking artifact on me or something..."
Rimmer shook his head, saying that he was surprised that Raon had found him like a ghost.
"If the house's infrastructure is expanded, the members will go out and spend money on weekends, which will lead to the gradual development of the surrounding business district. They will be able to relieve stress, and merchants will be able to make money. As people attract people and money attracts money, I thought it would eventually lead to the expansion of the house."
When he finished speaking, the audience chamber was silent as if no one was there.
"I can't believe you thought of that. You've really changed a lot."
Sheryl smiled gently. She raised her hands and clapped.
"If that happens, many members and servants will be happy."
Roenn also clapped next to Sheryl with his characteristic laugh.
"......"
Rimmer stared at Raon without saying a word.
"Hey! What are you doing? Aren't you going to applaud?"
Sheryl hit Rimmer's side with her elbow.
"I'm just so moved by my disciple's growth!"
He rubbed his sore side from being elbowed by Sheryl.
He smiled faintly at Raon.
"He was closed off to everyone but the annex building and the Light Wind squad, but I think he's starting to think about the house seriously since he keeps saying 'Zieghart'."
Raon was always mentally and talented from the first time he saw him, but he kept his heart tightly hidden.
It took a long time to even narrow the distance with the Light Wind squad, but it seems that his thoughts have changed a lot since the kidnapping incident.
"Raon, please build one more gambling den!"
Rimmer laughed brightly and clapped along with Sheryl and Roenn.
Raon looked up at Glenn as he received the applause of the three people.
"Hmm..."
Glenn looked up as if he was thinking, and he took a short breath. His jaw seemed to be trembling slightly.
"I want the people of the house to live a more comfortable and enjoyable life, and I want the house's reputation to spread wider and higher. I thought that the best way to do that would be to expand the infrastructure. Please accept it."
Glenn is still a man whose true intentions are unknown. That's why he is not sure if it went well when he revealed his true feelings.
Glenn covered his mouth with his hand and closed his eyes. Seeing his voice slightly shaking, he seemed to be troubled.
Raon kept his mouth shut and bowed his head so that he could think enough.
"Cough. I didn't think your thoughts would reach that far. It's definitely true that the house can't being passive forever."
Glenn cleared his throat as if he was doing something against his will, and then nodded.
"Thank you."
Raon bowed his head politely with his hand on his chest.
"Cough!"
Rimmer laughed at the sight of Glenn, who was coughing and covering his mouth.
'That uncle is starting again.'
He was using all the muscles and aura in his body to suppress his expression and movements, but in the end, he lost his strength and his lips rose to the sky.
It was clear that if he just removed the hand that was covering half of his face, he would be smiling brightly like a puppy.
'It's amazing that he's not fainting.'
If a grandson asked one of the five major Merchant on the continent to build infrastructures for the house, what grandfather wouldn't have his eyes go round.
Now that I look at it, Glenn's pupils were half-closed. It was the first time I had seen him like that.
'I can't miss this opportunity.'
Rimmer jumped up onto the stage. From the side, he could see Glenn's mouth being forced down.
His lips were moving busily like a squirrel chewing on an acorn.
"Hmm! Why did you come up?"
"Your highness knows better than anyone how great this matter is, right?"
Rimmer raised his hand slightly and began to speak.
"You can't just let Raon go after he asked for such an enormous profit for the house , so why don't you give him something?"
He looked at Sherryl and Roenn for help.
"That guy is right for once. I also think that this matter should be rewarded enough."
Sheryl smiled and looked at Raon.
"I agree."
Roenn also nodded with a hearty laugh.
"Cough! If three people say so, then I can't help it."
Glenn straightened up as if he had been waiting for it, and raised his chin.
"I will bestow the Golden Plate upon Raon Zieghart, who successfully secured an investment from the Sepia Merchants Association for the house."
“Young master Raon, come up.”
“Squad vice-leader. Come this way.”
Sheryl and Roenn gestured for Raon to come up to the stage.
Raon, unable to keep up with the rapidly changing situation, tilted his head and headed to the stage.
‘What is this….’
Why is it going so fast?
In the past, when a task or achievement was accomplished, a reward was given after a thorough discussion, but this time, things were going by like lightning.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Glenn is a thorough person when it comes to rewards, and the fact that he offered a golden plate means he did enough.
Since he was one step closer to making Silvya a direct line, he decided to be happy for now.
Glenn’s eyes were still cold, but he offered the golden plate as if he was determined to not renege on the reward.
“I understand how you feel about the house. I hope that thought remains unchanged in the future.”
“Thank you.”
Raon took the golden plate with both hands. He almost dropped the plate, not sure if it was his hand or Glenn’s that was shaking.
“Thank you all.”
When he was about to go down after thanking Sheryl, Roenn, and Rimmer for helping him get the golden plate, Glenn’s voice rang out.
“Where are you going?”
“Yes?”
When he turned around in surprise, Glenn was looking at him with eyes that seemed to be slightly flushed.
"I don't particularly want to be too generous, but if I merely give you a single golden plate, those fellows will probably give me a hard time. Tell me what you desire."
He waved his finger as if it didn’t matter what he said.
“I….”
“Name two things.”
