N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 423
Raon put his arms out and walked into Sloth's barrier. It felt like he was diving into water. He didn't feel any resistance at all.
"Free pass, huh."
He turned around with a smile, and Wrath was gaping at him with his mouth open so wide it could touch the ground.
"Just 'come on in'?"
What, why is it open?
Wrath shook his lips and pounded on the barrier.
This is not supposed to happen. There's no barrier that opens this easily!
He was so surprised that he even abandoned his usual dignified tone and started whining.
You! What kind of scam are you pulling? Why isn't the barrier working!
"Why, of course."
Raon pointed to the black flower bracelet on his wrist.
"Because this bracelet and my soul also have the emotion of <Sloth>. That's why it opened."
He felt the black flower bracelet and the <Sloth> in his soul resonating with Sloth's barrier a moment ago.
Since this barrier was created by Sloth, and the black flower bracelet and the <Sloth> in his soul were also his power, it was only natural that the barrier would not push him away.
Hmm...
Wrath looked at the barrier closely with his shaking chubby hands. His eyes, which had narrowed, widened like a full moon.
This stupid sleepy guy! What kind of barrier is this!
"What? It's well-made."
Raon waved his finger at Wrath, whose face was as red as strawberry cotton candy.
"He knows exactly who to reject and who to accept."
He touched the barrier again. There was not even a slight reaction of rejection.
Since Sloth, who is indifferent to all worldly affairs, made such a barrier, it seemed that he liked the goblin king's magic stone he had given him before, so he wanted him to come anytime.
Grrr...
Wrath seemed to be unhappy with that, and his face turned even redder.
If the King of Essence find his body, he will make Sloth unable to sleep for the rest of his life! The King of Essence will never forgive him!
"That's up to you later...,"
Raon held out his palm to Wrath.
"You have to pay up."
Hmph!
Wrath squeezed his eyes shut as soon as he saw that hand.
"You've never heard the saying, 'Don't bet if you're not sure?'"
The King of Essence hasn't heard it! You damn cheating bastard!
He was even more furious than usual because he thought he had won the bet.
"Then you've learned it today. Think of it as tuition and pay it diligently."
Tuition...
"Don't give me useless abilities, give me something decent."
The King of Essence won't decide it like before, so don't worry about that.
Wrath muttered that he would leave it to the system because it would be unfair to the bet if he decided it himself.
'He's a strange guy.'
He doesn't lie or deceive even though he's a demon king. Apart from the occasional intense anger, he is a better person than most people..
"I'll be waiting with pleasure."
Raon waved to Wrath, who was shaking with anger, and climbed the mountain, which was not far away.
Since there were no monsters or wild animals in Sloth's barrier, he could easily climb to the top.
Raon stood on the top of Stallin Mountain and whistled.
"Is this the top of Stallin Mountain?"
The top was a slightly sloping plain, and the entire floor was covered in white.
It wasn't snow, but the water was frozen like a winter lake.
The transparent frozen ground that could be seen inside and the faint sunlight created a mysterious atmosphere as if it were not from this world.
"Where is Sloth... Oh, there he is."
Raon laughed dryly as he looked at the center of the frozen ground.
'He's blatantly asleep.'
In the center of the ground, a small fluffball lay hugging a red stone. It was clearly Sloth.
That stupid fool!
The King of Essence got in trouble again because of you, you useless baby bear!
Raon approached Sloth, listening to Wrath' angry shouts.
'A baby bear?'
The appearance of holding the goblin king's magical stone with short arms and legs was like a perfect baby bear.
However, unlike a typical white bear, it had two horns the size of a candy on its head, and a black star was engraved on its chest.
'Is this Sloth?'
He could feel the energy of <Sloth>, but the appearance was so different from what he had seen before that it made him suspicious of whether it was really Sloth.
Don't you know even looking at this silly face? This is the sleepyhead!
Wrath frowned, pointing to Sloth..
Raon smiled and nodded.
'There is a feeling.'
As I listened to Wrath' words, the face he had met in front of the wall overlapped.
"Sloth."
He called his name in a loud voice to his round ears, but Sloth didn't move.
"Sloth! Wake up!"
Even though he kept calling his name, he didn't move even in his sleep.
'Is he dead?'
This guy won't wake up for a while.
Wrath took his hand off Sloth and took a deep breath.
'Why?'
Originally, there are two types of sleep: shallow sleep and deep sleep. When a creature sleeps, it cycles between these two types of sleep. However, this guy is currently in a deep sleep state.
'Then we just have to wait until the shallow sleep comes. It won't be that long, will it?'
For ordinary humans or demons, it will be repeated every 90 minutes, but this guy..."l
The guy looked down at Sloth with a pitying expression.
It's on a yearly cycle.
'What...?'
Raon's mouth fell open. He was so surprised that he spoke out loud.
'Years?'
Indeed. Roughly speaking, he should wake up next year.
Wrath shook his head, saying that he would never wake up in this state.
'I came into the barrier, but in the end, it was all in vain.'
The guy curled his lips as if it was a relief.
'Is that true?'
If you can't believe it, shake him or try hitting him. Yelling won't work; his ears are plugged.
'What if he wakes up and goes on a rampage?'
With your pathetic power, you can't wake Sloth up. His recovery is faster than your attacks.
Wrath laughed, saying that Sloth would not wake up unless it's during a life-threatening situation when he senses danger.
'This is bad...'
Wrath doesn't usually lie. If he says it so openly, it means it's true.
Even if you are lucky enough to wake Sloth up now, there is a problem. The guy who wakes up from a deep sleep will not recognize you and will go berserk and trample you.
'So there is no way?'
Now all we can do is wait.
'Why sleep like this?'
The idea that he was sleeping for a whole year, and the fact that it was on a yearly cycle alternating between deep and shallow sleep, was baffling.
That's why he's <Sloth>. Sloth only cares about sleeping. That blockhead doesn't care if other demons sell his name as long as he can sleep soundly.
Wrath went on and on about how many lower demons in Devildom were selling Sloth' name.
"Haa..."
Raon shook Sloth' shoulder.
"Wake up!"
"..."
But Sloth kept his happy expression and didn't move a muscle.
'Should I try to take it away?'
He tried to pull out the goblin king's magic stone, but it was stuck in the ground like it was nailed in.
'Even in this form, is he still the demon king?'
Even though he was using all his superhuman strength, he couldn't take the magic stone from a baby bear. He must have earned his position as demon king for a reason.
"Haa..."
Raon sighed and put Sloth down.
'I can't really hit him either.'
Wrath said it would be crazy to swing his sword when he came to ask for a favor.
This is an impossible task, unlike the barrier from earlier. How about going back and having some pineapple pizza?
'Pizza?'
Hearing the word pizza and the mention of the barrier, one remaining idea came to mind.
'Just in case.'
Just like he broke through Sloth' barrier, he decided to try using <Sloth>.
Gooo!
He raised the energy of Sloth that was stuck to the bottom of his soul, just like the <Wrath> that he received from Wrath.
As the feeling of <Sloth> rose through his soul, his whole body became lethargic.
Closing his eyes, he felt an overwhelming sense of lethargy, as if he had no desire to do anything. This was the pure power of Sloth.
He held Sloth's shoulder with the hand that raised <Sloth>.
Hwaaa!
As the energy of Sloth and Sloth met, Sloth made a small movement. (yo dawg)
"Huh...?"
But that wasn't in the direction that Raon wanted.
"Heh..."
Sloth smiled even more and fell into a deeper sleep. His expression was one of bliss.
Khehehehehehe!
Wrath burst into laughter, holding his round belly.
If you add <Sloth> to Sloth, it will only become more Slothful.
He snorted and said that the world doesn't always go your way.
'I don't know.'
Raon ground his teeth and lay down on the transparent ice, determined to sleep until he woke up.
You fool. Waiting for a whole year here…
As Wrath was about to let out another mocking laugh, a message popped up.
[You have won the bet with <Wrath>]
Raon raised his chin as he looked at the message.
'I guess I can wait while watching this.'
Damn it! Why now!
* * *
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Sword Demon put his hand on Musten's forehead and closed his eyes.
'He'll wake up soon.'
Musten had not woken up yet, as the mental shock from being beaten one-sidedly by Raon was great.
However, his body had recovered a lot thanks to the high-grade elixir and Sword Demon's use of his aura to help the elixir's energy flow. He seemed like he would wake up and be able to move right away.
'He really hit him hard.'
It would have been easier to kill him. It was amazing that he had beaten someone this badly without leaving any aftereffects.
'I think this guy has finally come to his senses.'
After being beaten up by Raon, who was much younger than him, Musten must have finally learned his lesson.
"Hurry up and wake up."
Sword Demon was using his aura to further loosen Musten's body when a small groan was heard.
"Ugh...?"
It was Musten. He opened his eyes slowly, like a turtle.
"Where... am I...?"
"In the infirmary."
"Master?"
"Are you alright?"
Sword Demon took his hand away from Musten's forehead and looked into his eyes. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any problems with his mind either.
"Is, is there any severe pain?"
Musten's cracked voice revealed some discomfort, but thankfully, there didn't seem to be any lingering pain in his body.
"Do you remember what you did?"
"Ah..."
Musten seemed to remember that he had lost to Raon, and his mouth opened.
"I'm, I'm so sorry. I lost again...."
He bit his dry lips and clutched his head.
"I'm really sorry for tarnishing your name...."
"That's not it."
Sword Demon shook his head.
"Do you think of me as your master?"
"O, of course!"
If you hold me in such high regard, then Raon must value Rimmer just as highly. If your master is precious, the masters of others are equally precious. You said things that you shouldn't have.
"Ah...."
Musten's eyes wavered like a sailboat hit by waves.
"You were also important to me, but I guess I was leading you in the wrong direction. I should have focused on your humanity first, not just your strength. It was my mistake."
"M, Master...."
"Your body has recovered a lot, and your mind has also come to its senses. Once you wake up, go and apologize to Raon and Rimmer first. I'll go with you as your master."
Sword Demon patted Musten's shoulder and stood up.
"This is the internal injury medicine that Raon left. Your internal injuries are still not fully healed, so take it after you eat."
He placed the wrist guard that Raon had left on the bedside table.
"Be grateful for Raon's consideration. You could have really died this time."
"......"
Musten stared at Sword Demon without saying a word and nervously chewed on his lips.
"Take it easy."
Sword Demon left a message of well-wishing and left the room.
"Hoo..."
He leaned against the wall outside the room, exhaling a deep breath.
'Sorry, but it had to be said.'
Mustan had hoped that the Sword Demon wouldn't bring up the issue of Raon and would simply worry about him. However, he knew that if he had done that, it would have created the same situation again. To awaken his disciple's spirit, he needed to firmly establish the point.
"Teaching a disciple is tough."
Fighting enemies and wielding a sword was one thing, but raising a disciple was an entirely different challenge.
Sword Demon felt a deep sense of respect for Rimmer and Sylvia Zieghart, who had raised Raon so well at such a young age.
Sword Demon rubbed his forehead as he left the infirmary.
'I'm tired.'
He felt a slight dizziness, not sure if it was from using his aura to treat Musten for two days or from scolding him.
'I need some rest.'
He glanced around Musten's room before heading back to his own quarters.
* * *
After Sword Demon left the sickroom, Musten continued to gaze at the ceiling for over an hour. Meals and medicine were brought in, but he didn't touch them.
'Raon. Raon again. As soon as I woke up, I had to hear that guy's name from my master.'
Sword Demon's first words had been, "Are you alright?" But Musten seemed to have forgotten that concern and was fixated on Raon's reprimand.
Clink.
Musten ground his teeth, making a sound like iron being twisted.
'Why on earth…'
Why do you say such things?
As a master, shouldn't he be worried about his student and his recovery first, rather than scolding him right away? Musten couldn't comprehend the situation.
'You've changed because of that guy.'
Originally, his master had only cared about himself and paid no attention to others. Seeing his master, who held his disciple more dear than anyone else, favor Raon over him, his fist clenched involuntarily.
'Raon Zieghart, that guy…'
The jealousy he had suppressed in the face of Raon's violence and terror resurfaced with even greater intensity. It blazed fiercely inside him.
'I was the choosen one!'
Being recognized as second talent in the Alliance and acknowledged as the disciple of Sword Demon, Musten couldn't bear the feeling of being ignored. He felt suffocated, almost as if he would die.
'Damn it!'
Musten stood up. He felt pain all over his body, but it was bearable. He changed his clothes and left through the window.
It was still early in the morning, and there weren't many people on the streets. He climbed up to the city wall, his footsteps heavy.
"Gah!"
He gritted his teeth and leaped down into the snow. He didn't care about the scouts and knights calling after him. He was too focused on the overwhelming jealousy he felt.
"Curse you! Curse you! Curse you!"
Jealousy burned within him.
Musten was more jealous of Raon Zieghart than anyone else in the world.
More than anyone in the world, Musten felt intense jealousy toward Raon Zieghart. He had built a name throughout the continent, held the nicknames of young Sword Demon and White Sword Dragon, and received his master's genuine attention. Every little thing Raon received made him feel uncontrollable envy. Musten couldn't contain the growing jealousy, so he expressed it loudly, punching the ground.
"Argh!"
His legs, once thin and feeble as dry branches, were now filled with strength. His lungs, which had once struggled for breath, were now filled with air.
As the green flames in his heart grew, his entire body surged with power.
It was like the power was running wild, just like before he fought Raon. No, it seemed that even more power was running wild.
Kugugugugu!
He couldn't control the emotions and power welling up inside him. Fearing his body might explode if left unchecked, he focused his mind as he ran.
Damn it!
He was jealous of Raon Zieghart.
He wanted to steal everything he had, including his name, fame, power, and the attention of his master.
"I'm jealous of you, Raon Zieghart!"
Musten uttered the word "jealous" for the first time.
"I will use all the means in the world to steal what you have! I will never let it go!"
The moment he said that, the energy that had risen up to his neck exploded.
Kuuuung!
An enormous force that could not be controlled began to be released outside.
"What…"
But it wasn't his own power.
"What is this?"
A green blade-like object sprang out in front of his eyes and twisted the space.
Zizizizizi!
Green and black lights merged in the dimensional rift, and an existence that had no place in this world surged forth.
It was a malevolence he had never felt even from his master. It was a grand wave of an overwhelming soul.
Kugugugugugugu!
Musten trembled uncontrollably and came to a halt. In the space that had been torn open, the emerald light flashed brightly.
"This is quite a pleasing form of <Jealousy>."
