N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 419
Kreu..
Wrath looked up at the yellow walls of Habun Castle and let out a pained sigh.
This place holds unpleasant memories for the King of Essence.
He remembered the worst moment of his life, when Raon sold his name to put pressure on Sloth.
Damn it...
Since he became this way, he rarely found moments of satisfaction except when he enjoyed delicious foods, but he regretted not being able to raise his voice as he did back then.
Raon placed his hand on Wrath's head and teased him, 'Really? It was my finest memory.'
Thanks to coming to Habun Castle, he built good relationships, saved Yua, and received numerous rewards. Especially, he was able to obtain Sloth's traits.
Unlike Wrath, Habun Castle was a land of fortune for him.
Raon crossed the gates of Habun Castle, receiving the cheers of knights and scouts like sunshine.
"Waaaaa!"
"It's been a long time!"
"Now we can't even call you young Sword Demon anymore! Welcome, White Sword Dragon!"
"You've gotten taller!"
"I've been hearing rumors about Raon-nim all the time!"
The scouts inside the gate smiled with joy and waved their hands.
"Yua is here too!"
"Yua!"
"Why are you here now!"
"I missed your cooking!"
"How have you been?"
Yua smiled brightly at the scouts who were jumping around at the sight of her.
'All familiar faces.'
Perhaps because he started out as a scout when he first came to Habun Castle, all of their faces were familiar to him.
"It's been a while."
Raon bowed his head slightly in response to their cheers.
As the news of his return spread, residents of Habun Castle also came running out behind the scouts and knights.
The sound of countless people shouting at the same time was deafening.
"Wow..."
Burren opened his mouth wide enough to fit a fly as he looked at the gathered people.
"What did he does to make people like him so much?"
He said it looked like he was seeing the return of a hero.
"You obtained a demon nickname and even made a statue of you, and wherever you go, you're treated like a hero."
Martha frowned, covering her ears.
"Why don't you just live here? Habun Castle feels like your hometown."
She had her horns firmly on because she had heard the word demon girl before coming here.
'It's because of your personality that you're called demon girl...'
Martha's nickname became demon girl because of her bad temper and venom shown in the Six Kings Assembly tournament. He doesn’t know why she always complains when it's the result of her own actions.
"North. Cold."
Runaan looked around with her sparkling eyes.
"Ice cream!"
She muttered that there must be a great ice cream shop here, and she looked over the buildings beyond the people.
Unfortunately, there was no ice cream shop to be found, but the rare scene of such vibrant energy was something he hadn't seen in a long time, so he left it alone.
"Everyone's so unique."
Raon commented as he walked forward, and an elderly man wearing a hood came from the right. He was the owner of the pub "Branch of Frost" and Yua's grandfather.
"Wow! Grandfather!"
Yua ran towards him with excitement.
"Euchaa!"
The owner bent down and gently picked up Yua, who was rushing towards him.
"Hehehe! This kid is now too big to hug!"
He straightened his wrinkled face as he hugged Yua tightly.
"I missed you!"
Yua rubbed her cheek against the owner's chest and teared up.
"Me too. You're welcome."
The owner patted Yua's back as she sobbed and smiled with warmth.
"Kkhekheng!"
Yullius covered his mouth with his hand, his head turned away, as if he was moved by Yua and her grandfather's reunion.
After a short conversation with Yua, the owner approached Raon.
"Thank you for taking care of this little troublemaker."
He bowed his head before he could even say anything.
"Don't mention it."
Raon shook his head as he raised the owner to his feet.
"She`s such an energetic child, and we're grateful for the energy she brings to us."
He was sincere. Yua was a bright and kind-hearted child, so she created a warm atmosphere wherever she went, just like Sylvia.
Even the annex building had become livelier since Yua arrived.
"Yua. Go ahead and rest with your grandfather first."
"Is that okay?"
"Yes. We'll come to Branch of Frost later."
"Yes! I'll prepare something delicious!"
Yua excited to increase the sales after a long time, grabbed the owner's arm and headed to the Branch of Frost
'Hmm.'
Raon tilted his head as he looked at Wrath, who was slumped over his shoulder.
'What's the matter?'
What do you mean?
'Normally, you would have said, What are you doing? Go order the owner's pineapple pizza right now!, but why are you quite now?'
Those two also need time to talk, so why would the King of Essence interfere?
Wrath snorted, saying that they needed time to talk as they hadn't seen each other in a long time.
'I guess you are right.'
He couldn't hate him, even though he was sometimes childish and sometimes showed this serious side of him.
The King of Essence is not a glutton!
'Oh, you're a glutton, that's for sure.'
What did you say!
Raon smiled as he pushed Wrath's nose bridge, who was rushing at him.
As he and the Monarch of Wrath were hitting each other's noses, Dorian's eyes trembled uneasily.
Dorian looked around Habun Castle, where Raon's name echoed endlessly, and rubbed his belly pocket.
'What is this....'
Even though they had fought side by side in Half-Moon City, he couldn't believe the difference in treatment.
When Habun Castle became hell, he fought to the end, just like Raon, without even sleeping.
It wasn't just wielding a sword, but he also rolled logs, poured rocks, and even spread supplies, but he never thought he would be treated like he didn't exist.
'I admit that the vice-squad leader is amazing. Of course, I do. But....'
He couldn't help but feel frustrated when no one called his name among the many people surrounding the Light Wind squad members!
The trauma of being ignored when he returned to his family before completing the successor test came to mind, and moisture welled up in his eyes.
'This is really too much!'
As he was trembling with anger, he heard his name being called in a small voice from somewhere.
"Dorian!"
"What?"
It wasn't a mistake. There was someone looking for him.
He turned his head to the direction of the sound, and a middle-aged man in a white windbreaker was waving his hand. It was Radin, the third scout party leader, where Dorian had initially joined when he came to Habun Castle.
"Radin-nim!"
Dorian smiled brightly and ran to Radin. He felt his heart pounding when he met someone who greeted him for the first time.
"It's been a long time, Dorian!"
"As expected, there's no one but the party leader."
He nodded as he felt his nose bridge tingling.
"You're still the same. You don't seem to have changed much."
"I haven't changed? but I've changed a lot!"
He felt even sadder when he said he was still the same, even though he couldn't recognize him if he had changed.
"But..."
"Yes?"
"Do you happen to have any of those yellow apples you shared with us before? It's been years, but I can't forget the taste…"
Radin missed the taste of those yellow apples so much that he couldn't get them out of his mind.
"So you didn't recognize me, but it was the apples that did?"
The veins on Dorian's forehead popped up. He thought it was strange that that cunning human was acting like he knew him.
"The apples? Of course I have some."
He opened his belly pocket, releasing his pent-up anger. He took out a box of apples and smashed it on Radin's head.
Bang!
The apple box turned to dust and shattered, and Radin screamed and fell
backward.
"G-gulp..."
"Eat them all!"
* * *
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Knock! Knock!
Lephon Robert knocked on the door of his father, Derus Robert's office, with a thud.
"Father! Father!"
He knocked on the door repeatedly, calling for Derus inside.
"Come in."
A warm voice came from the room after a moment.
"Yes!"
Lephon Robert smoothed his clothes and opened the door to the office.
"Lephon."
Derus Robert put down the pen he was holding on the desk and raised his eyes. His eyes were filled with warm glow of affection.
"I can tell from your urgency that this is about swordsman Raon."
"Exactly!"
Lephon Robert nodded vigorously. Since Six Kings Assembly Tournament, he had developed an even greater admiration for Raon, and everyone in the household knew that he held a deep fondness for him.
Lephon Robert nodded emphatically, unaware of the growing warmth in his father's eyes.
"So, what remarkable feats has swordsman Raon accomplished this time?"
"Raon-nim went to that Arian family and executed the corrupt executives who were ruining the family, and even Eden's Manghongwi that was about to attack the family..."
He relayed all the rumors about Raon going to the Arian family, protecting it, and driving out the Manghongwi and the Undead.
"Raon did all that?"
Derus Robert's eyes were filled with a gentle fire of pride.
"Indeed, he is an admirable young man. But I didn't expect you to be so worked up because of him."
Lephon Robert looked earnestly at his father.
"Father, swordsman Raon is..."
He started explaining why he was so attached to Raon.
"Indeed, she's an amazing friend."
After listening to his youngest son's story about Raon, Derus nodded quietly.
"And now, it seems you've become a real fan of his."
"Well, I've been a real fan for a long time! The signed uniform he gave me is still hanging on my wall!"
Lephon chuckled as he talked about how he dusted Raon's signed uniform every day.
"Raon's strength is admirable, but what's truly amazing is how various forces rallied to save him in times of crisis. It's as if my heart swells just thinking about it..."
"Your heart swells?"
"Yes, just like that."
With an excited expression, Lephon placed his hand over his left chest where his heart was.
"Raon is my goal. I want to follow him and stand on the same battlefield with him someday."
"Didn't you say that before?"
Derus Robert chuckled and gestured to Lephon.
"To be like swordsman Raon, you shouldn't be here right now, should you?"
"Oh..."
"You're still not training, and you've been outside, haven't you"
"I-I'll go right away!"
Lephon nodded quickly and hurried out of the office room.
Thud.
As soon as the door closed, Derus Robert's eyes, which had been twinkling like a fool, turned as cold as ice.
"Seris."
At his call, a black shadow emerged from the ground. The undulating shadow took shape and transformed into a striking young man with black hair, like a wave rising.
"You called, sir?"
Seris, kneeled and bowed his head.
"Tell me about the progress of gathering information on Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind squad."
"We've collected everything without leaving a single strand of hair behind. The recent events have yielded significant results, as we now know that he has allies in Habun Castle, Owen, and Warring Steel."
"And Balkar?"
"There are rumors that Balkan's magicians squad has arrived due to Princess Jaina's request, not Morell's, suggesting a connection with Princess Jaina."
"It didn't seem like a friendly connection..."
Derus, recalling the confrontation between Raon and Princess Jaina he had witnessed in Owen Kingdom l, furrowed his brows.
"I inquired with the Black Market, and it seems they are concealing vital information about Raon."
"Considering that he received something from Raon, that's understandable. As I've mentioned before, never blindly trust information from the Black Market. Always approach it with skepticism."
"Of course, sir."
Seris nodded.
Szzzt.
Derus removed his black leather gloves. The sticky blood that had dripped from his palm formed spider-like threads, connecting the glove and the table.
He clenched his fist around the bloody threads and smiled menacingly.
"He defeated Manghongwi..."
"It's not an actual one, right?"
"Rimmer must have helped. Even if he's grown up, he's still at master level."
"A master at twenty? That's a genius in its own right."
Seris whistled and shrugged his shoulders.
"He's not a genius; he's a monster. He transcends human understanding. However, it seems we won't need to take action directly now."
"Agreed."
Seris licked his lips and continued speaking.
"Raon Zieghart has come into conflict with four out of the Five Demons. The remaining one isn't on good terms with Zieghart either, so it's safe to say that he's a target for all of the Five Demons. It would be wise to use them."
"Those are valid points," Derus nodded, as if he appreciated Seris's judgment.
"Where do you think we should lend our assistance?"
"Of course, it's either Eden or the White Blood religion. Even though the Black Tower has made some moves, they have far less animosity compared to those two."
"Unfortunately, no."
Eden is obsessed with restoration, and the White Blood religion members are fanatics about their doctrine. They don't have much camaraderie. They're probably already planning something else."
"In that chase...?"
"We need to look at the South-North Union."
"But they seem to be staying idle, accepting bribes…"
"Not the South-North Union itself, but the vice head of the senator, Siran."
Derus brought up the name of a person who belonged to the South-North Union.
"Would he just sit back and do nothing after losing his only grandson? I don't think so."
Siran's grandson, Tyler, was torn to pieces by Raon while playing with the lives of the Blue Lugh tribe.
Unlike the other Five Demons, the North-South Union still has some humanity left, so they are likely preparing for revenge regarding blood ties.
"Find out what Siran and the senators are up to, and approach with caution."
"Understood."
Seris nodded and, like when he first appeared, transformed into a shadow, then disappeared.
"Enjoy what time you have left,"
Derus smiled, forcing blood from his wounded palm, wearing a dizzying grin.
"You don't have much time left."
* * *
The Light Wind squad and the swordsmen stopped in front of the Commander's mansion, which was built in the center of Habun Castle.
Milland smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the swordsmen and knights.
"You've all worked hard. I'll give you a week off, so rest well!"
"Wooooooh!"
At his instruction, the knights removed their helmets and cheered.
"We're the same!"
Now that he was conscious, Rimmer raised his hand.
"Since you've worked hard, think of it as a vacation and go play and eat!"
"Can we really rest? Raon will cause a commotion."
"That's right."
"Please stop him, squad leader."
"Kerhump...."
The Light Wind squad members looked at Rimmer with pleading eyes, but he cleared his throat and turned his head away, pretending not to know.
"That damned leader..."
"He doesn't do anything right."
"An elf with gambling addiction who has a protagonist complex."
"Lalala..."
Rimmer sang a tune without paying attention to what the Light Wind squad was saying.
"Sir Rekthar. Let's go. I have some good alcohol."
Milland smiled as he pointed to the mansion.
"I'll have to rely on the sir Rekthar today."
Sword Demon smiled faintly and nodded his head. The two men were of similar age, so they had become quite close during their travels.
He followed Miland into the mansion but stopped when he saw Raon.
"Can I make one request?"
"Please go ahead."
"Since this guy lacks discipline, could you take him and give him some combat training?"
Sword Demon pushed Musten, who was standing nearby, forward.
"Master!"
"I and commander Milland are having a drink, what will you do there?"
"Well..."
"There are not many places like this filled with the smell of blood and battle. Look around, think about what battles have taken place here, and how you would defend it."
He seemed to think this could be a valuable experience for Musten and told him to find something to learn here.
"Understood."
Although Raon wasn't thrilled, he had received a lot of help from Sword Demon, and it didn't seem like a difficult task, so he nodded.
"I'm going too!"
Rimmer followed closely behind Sword Demon and Milland.
"Are you really going like this?"
"You gambling addict!"
"You lazy elf!"
The Light Wind squad members yelled at Rimmer, but he didn't look back and walked faster, disappearing.
"Today..."
Raon stood in front of the Light Wind squad members with his eyes wide open. He simply said "today," but fear filled everyone's eyes.
"It's a break."
"A break?"
"Really?"
"What's going on?"
The Light Wind squad members opened their eyes in surprise. They kept asking if it was true.
"You've worked hard, so rest until tomorrow."
He needed time to meet with Sloth, so he had planned to give them a break from the beginning.
"Dorian, the scout party leader, will show you the lodging marked by boxes."
He pointed to Radin, who was eating apples with his head bowed, and then turned away.
"It's over, let's go."
He gestured to Musten.
"You too, it might be a hassle, so I'll finish it quickly."
"..."
Musten twisted his mouth but followed behind. It seemed like he was following his teacher's words.
Raon introduced various places in Habun Castle to Musten while trying to remember.
At first, he seemed to be forcing himself, but when the residents, who he hadn't seen in a while, greeted him warmly, his complexion turned as red as a catfish living in a puddle.
'Annoying.'
Sword Demon probably made this request hoping him to get closer to his disciple, but no matter how much he thought about it, getting close to this pathetic guy was impossible.
To finish quickly, they climbed up the castle walls after circling the castle.
"This is the wall of Habun Castle. This is where the chaos takes place to prevent the thousands of monsters that invade in early spring. You should be able to smell the blood that is buried in this land."
"..."
Musten still didn't say a word. He just looked at the snowy ground with traces of blood.
"This is the last. I've shown you everything, now do as you please."
"Raon Zieghart."
Raon pointed and turned his back, and for the first time, Musten's voice was heard.
"Don't approach my master anymore."
A voice filled with hostility. Even without turning around, it was a voice whose expression could be anticipated.
"Hmph..."
Raon let out a short sigh and turned around. Musten's face was more contorted than he had expected, and he exhaled a heavy breath.
"Because of you, my master has changed. He wasn't like this originally!"
"Don't twist the truth. I didn't approach sir Rekthar, he came to me."
"Even though he was someone who used to only pay attention to me when giving advice on swordsmanship, but then you... How dare you..."
Musten shouted, claiming that everything had gone awry because of him.
It was nonsense.
Rekthar gave him advice on swordsmanship, and then he explained to Musten why he gave him that advice and what changes it had caused.
The intensity and frequency of the teachings are incomparable, but he's throwing a tantrum for no reason.
Raon locked eyes with Musten.
In the tilted gaze, the emotion of jealousy reached his skin.
'In a way, he's quite remarkable.'
Throughout his past and present lives, he had seen quite a variety of individuals, but this was the first time he had seen a human so consumed by jealousy.
As Wrath had said, his eyeballs themselves looked like reptilian vertical pupils.
"Let's just stop."
He had an overwhelming desire to smack his face, but he had to go find Sloth, and and it was Rekthar's job to handle this. He waved his hand.
"Don't touch my master just because your master is a degenerate!"
"..."
He halted his departure.
"You said you wanted to fight me again, didn't you?"
"What?"
"I will give you the chance."
The icy rage, overshadowed by jealousy, gleamed ominously over Raon's crimson irises.
"You may need a good beating."
