N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 430
Raon, accompanied by Sword Demon, looked back as they headed towards the annex building.
'Has it already begun?'
Hearing the deafening roar that seemed to shake the entire sky and the faint cries of Rimmer, it seemed like Glenn's beating was starting.
'There's no way he can just stand by.'
Seeing the situation, it was clear that Rimmer had provoked Glenn quite openly, and Glenn couldn't just let it go.
It could be said that he was late to start because of Sword Demon.
'Rest in peace, squad leader. No, division leader.'
Raon closed his eyes and prayed for the soul of Rimmer, who might have died as soon as he became division leader.
'But he's getting beaten a little harder today.'
Although he had seen Glenn strike Rimmer with lightning before, he didn't know he could pour out such strong thunder. It was almost like he was slashing his sword at an enemy.
'He does seem a bit strtooange today.''
Rimmer was not a stranger to unusual behavior, but Glenn seemed a bit different today.
'Was it jealousy?'
You're right.
Wrath nodded in agreement.
The King of Essence felt a faint jealousy from both your grandfather and that Sword Demon.
'I wasn't wrong.'
A little earlier in the training audience chamber, Glenn and Sword Demon had shown signs of jealousy towards each other, though it was subtle. It was clearly the emotion of jealousy.
Raon scrunched his nose.
'I don't understand.'
Sword Demon and Glenn both had martial arts that were second to none, so he didn't understand at all what they were jealous of each other about.
It was strange that even such accomplished swordsmen had envy.
'People are really weird.'
Raon glanced at Sword Demon next to him. He also felt Glenn's lightning and let out a sigh.
"It's amazing, that kind of energy... I see why he was called the Thunder God in the past."
Sword Demon shook his head in disbelief as he felt the fading thunder.
'What?'
Raon tilted his head as he looked at Sword Demon.
'Why is there no jealousy now?'
He had shown jealousy when they met in the audience chamber, but now that he had felt his martial prowess, he was full of admiration. He didn't understand what was going on.
'Human emotions are really difficult.'
It's because you've transcended humanity.
Wrath mumbled he would never understand human emotions even if his whole life passed.
You should think about following the King of Essence to the Devildom. It's annoying, but the place that suits you is not the human world.
'Go away.'
As he pushed away Wrath, who was clinging to him, and was leading the way back to annex building, Sword Demon approached him.
"Have you ever learned martial arts from the Destructive King of North?"
"I've received advice, but I've never formally learned it."
Raon shook his head as he looked straight ahead.
'I don't need to tell him about the Supreme Harmony steps.'
Sword Demon was a trustworthy person, but he didn't tell him that he had directly inherited the Supreme Harmony steps from Glenn, just in case.
"I see."
Sword Demon's face looked bright as if he had been hit by the sun directly. He nodded with a smile on his face.
"However, now that I think about it, it's even more puzzling. You haven't received the teachings from the Destructive King of North, yet you possess such power…"
He couldn't comprehend it, his brows furrowing in confusion.
"I was lucky in many ways."
Raon turned heis gaze to the right. He looked at the cotton candy that wanted to eat in the annex building and smiled with a small grin.
'I was really lucky.'
Raon was grateful for his luck. If he hadn't been traveling with Sword Demon, it would have taken him another 10 years to reach his current level.
"Luck? There is certainly some luck involved," said Sword Demon, lowering his blue eyes and stroking his beard. "But...
"I have seen you as a warrior who works harder than anyone else. You are the first one up in the morning to finish your own training, and you even help others train. To say it is luck is an exaggeration."
He patted Raon on the shoulder, telling him to have confidence in himself.
"That's right. I will continue to strive harder to follow Raon-nim!"
Musten clenched his fist tightly, his eyes filled with passion.
Knowing his old self, Musten's clear eyes still felt awkward. To be honest, it made him want to pinch him with his fingers.
"I have a proposal for you," said Sword Demon, licking his lips as he looked at Musten, then turning his gaze to Raon.
"A proposal, you say?"
"Would you like me to take a look at your swordsmanship while we are here?"
He wanted to teach Musten just as he had been doing, providing some light advice along the way.
"If you do that, I can only be grateful."
Raon bowed his head respectfully. Sword Demon's teachings were easy to understand and quickly adapted to, so it was convenient.
There was no reason to refuse a direct teaching from a master like him.
"Me too! Me too!"
Yua raised her arm and shouted that she wanted to participate in the training.
"Yes, Yua, come along."
Sword Demon nodded, stroking Yua's head.
"Oh, if she's doing it, then I have to do it too..."
Yulius lowered his head and rolled his eyes to look at Sword Demon.
"You can come too, Yulius."
"Thank you!"
Sword Demon seemed to think that Yulius was cute in an childish way, as he curled his lips slightly.
"Musten, is that okay?"
"Of course! They are all Raon-nim's subordinates, so it doesn't matter!"
Musten shouted that it was no problem and that he would even help.
"Hmm..."
Raon frowned as he watched Musten smile without a wrinkle.
"I really can't get used to it."
After the feelings of jealousy disappeared and the master-servant relationship was established, Musten was like a completely different person, as if he had washed his dirty clothes. He had a cool personality and took care of those around him, so the two children followed him well.
Most importantly, he trusted Raon so much that he believed him even if he said the sun would rise in the west, which was burdensome.
Relax.
Wrath began to appear, watching the annex building as it began to come into view.
Think of it as having obedient subordinates. As long as you don't intend to exploit them, what's the problem?
'Yes, that's true.'
Raon nodded at Musten.
'Sometimes he's helpful.'
He smiled and patted the chubby shoulder of Wrath, who was only thinking about eating.
As they listened to the conversation between Sword Demon and the two children, they soon entered the garden of the annex building.
"Waaaaa!"
Yua ran like the wind and opened the door to annex building.
"Madam! Sisters!"
Her cry shook the entire annex building, and Sylvia, Helen, and the maids all rushed out.
"Yua!"
"Oh, our Yua! Your face got half-ruined since we last saw you!"
"You're so late!"
"You should've contacted us halfway!"
The maids paid no attention to Raon's side, and they checked Yua, making sure she didn't have any injuries or wasn't hurting.
"Yulius!"
"You're not hurt, are you?"
"Look how tall he is now!"
"He's growing up. Did you eat well?"
Next was Yulius's turn. Yulius, who seemed to have missed annex building as well, nodded with a sulky look.
"Hmm..."
Looking at the maids surrounding Yua and Yulius, Raon scratched his cheek, feeling a bit awkward.
'Well, this is a bit ambiguous...'
He used to find such reactions annoying, but now that he was giving all their attention to the two children while being ignored, it made him feel somewhat left out.
Sylvia, who had been cupping the children's cheek as Raon savored the bitter taste on the inside of his tongue, stood up.
"Raon, good work! How are you and Yulius ... huh?
Sylvia smiled and came to a halt, her eyebrows twitching as if she saw something she shouldn't have.
"Oh..."
It was a look Raon had never seen on Sylvia's face. He couldn't read the emotions in her trembling red eyes.
"..."
Sword Demon also gazed at Sylvia for a long time before moving forward.
"Nice to meet you for the first time. I'm sword man Rekhtar."
He bowed to Sylvia first, and surprisingly, he even raised his voice.
"Rekhtar? Sword Demon!"
Sylvia already knew Rekhtar's name and widened her eyes.
"Oh, sorry. I was just so surprised."
Even though she blushed from embarrassment, she quickly apologized by bowing deeply.
"Don't worry about it."
Rekhtar nodded as if it was okay.
"But why has the Great Swordmaster come here for...?"
Sylvia raised an eyebrow, not understanding why Rekhtar was here.
"I came because there's something I'd like to ask."
"To me?"
"Yes."
Rekhtar nodded and looked Sylvia in the eyes.
"I apologize for the intrusion, but... can you share your story?"
* * *
Balder sat in the reception room of the Central Martial Palace and glared at Karoon across from him.
"Are we just going to leave him alone like this?"
He clenched his fists as he looked at the sculpture of a sword-wielding warrior behind Karoon.
"Because of that damn brat, all sorts of people have been showing up from both inside and outside the house. Are you going to just stand by?"
"Are you suggesting we shouldn't leave him alone?" Karoon asked, raising a transparent glass.
"Considering he's currently the most prominent figure in Zieghart, no, the entire continent, how do you plan to deal with him? Should we launch an attack from within the house?"
"What prominence? He's just a kid!"
Balder scowled as if he didn't like the idea.
"It's precisely because he's a kid that it's a problem," Karoon replied.
Karoon poured whiskey into an empty glass and furrowed his brow.
"Right now, the one known as the strongest among the future is Raon Zieghart. He achieved genius-level recognition at the age of 20, which is something even father acknowledges. So..."
"Well..."
"Originally, the world applauds young heroes who crush evil. If word spreads about this Manghongwi incident, his name will resonate throughout the continent."
"So, should we just watch and do nothing? Should we allow him to continue encroaching on the house's territory?"
"Don't misunderstand. I've never suggested leaving him be."
Karoon twisted his lips, recalling the defiant expression of his youngest son, who rejected his outstretched hand and chose his own path.
"We may not be the ones to act against him, but there are plenty of others who will act for Raon's sake. He's made too many enemies within the house, but the real problem is the Five Demons. Four out of five of them have their sights set on him."
From Eden and White Blood religion to South-North Union and Black Tower, if he were to provoke just one, Raon's life would be at risk.
"But still, isn't calling the Five Demons a bit...?"
Balder hesitated to speak. As a member of house Zieghart, he found it uncomfortable to address the Five Demons.
"What?"
"Why would we even talk to the Five Demons? We could get the information we need just by spreading some rumors. We only need to know where Raon is, what level of strength he's attained, and what he's learned."
Karoon smiled, as if suggesting that it was only natural that such conversations would be overheard by others.
"Ah!"
Balder realized the cunning of Karoon's plan and snapped his fingers.
"But getting information on him is not that easy. He's always holed up in the annex building or at the five training ground."
"No need to worry."
Karoon raised a glass filled with pale yellow liquid, his cold eyes shining.
"Don't worry. It's time to remove the thorn we've kept buried for so long."
* * *
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Raon sat at the garden table with Sword Demon.
Thanks to Sylvia and her maids, the garden still exuded a warm atmosphere.
"You've been waiting for a while," Sylvia walked to the garden, carrying tea and snacks.
"Allow me to serve you," Raon said as he received the tray from Sylvia and placed it on the table.
"The garden makes me feel better just by being here," Sword Demon said, nodding as he looked around the garden. It seemed his admiration was genuine, evident in his eyes.
"We all take care of it together," Sylvia said, pleased to receive compliments from Sword Demon. However, her attention remained curiously fixed on him.
After sipping their tea, a moment of silence followed before Sylvia's gaze lifted.
"What is it that you want to know? Whether I can answer sir Rekhtar..."
She hesitated briefly, unsure of what Sword Demon's question might be.
"Only you can answer," Sword Demon replied, keeping his eyes on Raon, who was nibbling on a cookie.
"I was very impressed by swordsman Raon in various ways."
"Impressed?" Sylvia leaned forward, showing keen interest when Raon's name was mentioned.
"Yes, indeed. Normally, even if young swordsman possess combat skills, they often lack either mental strength or character. But this kid doesn't seem to be lacking anything."
Sword Demon repeated the words he had told Glenn. His compliments flowed smoothly, as if well-prepared.
"I see..."
"Is that so?"
Raon scratched his head awkwardly, but Sylvia's face flushed upon hearing Raon's name.
"I know because I raised my disciple. I understand how difficult it is to raise a child character and combat abilities."
Sword Demon sighed softly as he looked at Musten, who was admiring the infants and the lake.
"That's why I came to find Sylvia. I want to know how swordsman Raon was raised."
Sword Demon made the request, lowering his head to Sylvia.
"Oh! Please don't do this!"
Sylvia stood up and clapped her hands, trying to prevent Sword Demon from getting up. She forced him to sit back down.
"You've asked to know, but to be honest, Raon grew up on his own."
"It's exactly as I've heard from the leader of the Light Wind."
"That's the truth. Apart from a little illness when he was young, he found his own way."
"I see..."
Raon remained silent, feeling embarrassed. Sylvia's words that it felt like raising an adult seemed to make him self-conscious, so he looked away.
"What do you mean by 'a little illness'?"
"When he was young, he suffered from a curse known as the Curse of Frost, but he's completely recovered now."
Sylvia recounted the story of Raon's childhood struggle with the Curse of Frost.
"The Curse of Frost..."
Sword Demon lowered his head and shivered, as if he were cold.
"If you don't mind, could you tell me how swordsman Raon grew up?"
"Of course! Feel free to ask me anything!"
Sylvia was visibly excited, and she nodded vigorously.
"I'll take a break..."
"Where to?"
Raon attempted to escape before his limbs turned into jelly, but Sylvia grabbed his arm and didn't let go.
"Oh..."
"Guests have come. You can't run away! You need to spend time with your mother for the first time in a long while!"
"Uh..."
"I'll start from when he was a baby. He didn't even cry when he was born, so..."
The conversation continued, with Sylvia's bright voice sharing stories about Raon's development, from his infancy.
Sylvia, with her arms folded, smiled brightly and began her story.
The King of Essence was also curious!
Wrath also climbed onto the table and lay down with his chin on his hand.
The King of Essence wants to know what caused a human to become a demon.
He kept talking about how he would definitely listen and find his weakness.
“He was so mature that I didn't feel like I was playing with a child.”
“Hu, he was different from the start.”
That's right. That bastard beat the King of Essence when he was a kid!
The conversation between the two and the demon king continued, and Raon sighed with his head down.
'I want to rest. I want to rest so badly.'
* * *
It seemed that Sylvia and Sword Demon's conversation continued until evening, perhaps because a mother who wanted to brag about her son and a master who wanted to raise his disciple properly had met.
In particular, Sword Demon listened to Raon's growth without getting bored, clapping along, or smiling. It was so sincere that it was embarrassing to see someone watching.
“...And that's how this child came to be.”
Sylvia smiled and stroked Raon's head.
“He may look cold, but he's learned to take care of people. I'm glad he figured it out on his own, because that was my biggest concern.”
She said she was happiest that Raon had developed a sense of justice, and she smiled brightly.
“I don't know why, but…”
Raon sighed and shook his head.
“It's because of what my mother said. That's why I changed.”
“Me?”
Sylvia tilted her head, wondering what he was talking about.
“You said you wanted me to be a swordsman who wields the sword for others, like the old Zieghart swordsmen and like my father. You also said to be a swordsman who smells like a human.”
Raon repeated the words that Sylvia had said to him when he was even taller than he is now.
'That's right. It was thanks to that.'
The current me, and the current Light Wind division members, are all thanks to her one word.
Thanks to those heartfelt words, he was able to become human Raon Zieghart from a discarded hunting dog.
“That's a good word.”
Sword Demon nodded slowly, keeping his eyes fixed on Sylvia.
“Oh, that, that's right.”
Sylvia blushed when she heard her own praise. It was strange that she would be like that after listening to compliments, even though she had been talking about other people all day long.
“Actually, that wasn't just my thought, it was something I learned from your father.”
She laughed, saying that she learned what a swordsman who smells like a human is from Raon's father.
“…….”
Sword Demon bit his lip and leaned forward slightly as soon as the word “father” came out.
“I heard that your husband passed away, but can you tell me about him?”
He swallowed his saliva as if he was nervous.
“It wouldn't be fun. He was a very upright person, and he wasn't a well-known warrior either.”
Sylvia shook her head, saying that it would be a boring story.
“It's okay. It's not common for a swordsman to have that kind of thought.”
Sword Demon's voice trembled very thinly, like a harp string plucked with the tip of his little finger.
“Hmmm…”
Sylvia stared at Sword Demon's face for a long time, then nodded.
“All right. Then….”
The moment Raon's father's name left her lips, Sword Demon's pupils turned a deep black.
