N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 466
Heukgeumje's eyes twisted as if they were crushed by a hammer. A trembling lip slightly parted and a low voice came out.
"How... can you...?"
She quickly regained composure and sealed her mouth, but Raon didn't miss that moment.
"As expected, it was true."
Raon smiled coldly and clenched his fist.
'That's enough.'
Though the words didn't fully connect, it was a sufficient response. The evidence that Heukgeumje had met the one wearing the dragon helmet was indeed true
‘Perhaps the effect of bothering her.’
Seeing that Heukgeumje's firm spirit had momentarily collapsed, it was worth it to keep bothering her from the moment she entered the audience chamber until now.
"Please tell me. What is your relationship with Eden?"
The one who responded to Raon's question was not Heukgeumje, but the executives.
"Kugugugugugugu!"
The executives silently drew their swords and surrounded Heukgeumje. Even though they did not speak, they created a threatening atmosphere to pressure her.
"Is she Eden's monster?"
"Don't move."
"Coming here without shame despite being a troublemaker?"
Karoon, Denier, and Balder. The three palace masters brought their swords to Heukgeumje's neck, creating an eerily sharp aura.
Thinking they were merely hindrances, Karoon and Balder seemed somewhat reliable now
It seemed like they also put the family first above anything else.
"Gooooo!"
The high ranking executives were also blocking the way as if to assist the three palace masters, pointing their swords at Heukgeumje.
"Kugugugugu!"
Even though Heukgeumje was under the full force of the executives and the three palace masters, she did not bow her back.
A powerful aura rose from under her feet like a tidal wave.
"My bottom line is getting properly shaken today."
Heukgeumje curled up her lips. A look of liberation. It seemed like she had calmed her mind and regained her composure in this short moment.
"Choose your words carefully."
Glenn's cold voice drew Heukgeumje's gaze to the podium.
"If you have a relationship with Eden, I can't let you go."
"Uhm..."
For the first time, tension filled her eyes.
"I have no intention of fighting."
Heukgeumje slowly raised her hands and shook her head. Sweat dripped from her forehead.
"I'll admit it. I have met a man wearing a dragon helmet in the past."
She closed her eyes calmly.
"But there is no relationship. He was a client who came to White Whale to buy information."
"Client?"
"As those present here may know, you should know that White Whale trades both power and information."
The executives nodded slightly. They all seemed to know that point.
"He came to me directly to buy information, and I sold him information. A merchant and a customer. That's the extent of our relationship."
After trading information with him, she hadn't seen the man again, she said, gripping her sleeves.
"How does that helmet look?
Glenn opened his lips and cast a chilling gaze.
"Hmm..."
Heukgeumje sighed briefly as she heard Glenn's question.
“Indeed, My lord seems to know about the Heavenly Demon."
She nodded slowly.
“Heavenly Demon?"
"What is Heavenly Demon?”
"Hmmm..."
The executives frowned, as if they did not know about the Heavenly Demon.
"......"
However, the three palace masters, as if they knew about the Heavenly Demon, generated an even more powerful aura and pressed down on Heukgeumje.
"Heavenly Demon..."
Raon tilted his head when Heukgeumje continued.
"The purpose of Eden is to return to the old times. They want to go back to the old days. Do you know what that time is?"
Heukgeumje turned her gaze to Raon. She smiled with a somewhat distorted expression and continued speaking.
"A hell where humans and monsters fought endless wars. A time when the dragon was trying to devour the world. It is also the time when the first patriarch of this Zieghart became known."
"Dragon..."
Raon swallowed his dry saliva.
'I've heard of it,'
There was a legend that the worst and strongest dragon, who even ate his own kind, tried to wipe out the human world.
The demons were also rampant, so it seems that the life of humans in that time was hell itself.
"The true purpose of Eden is the resurrection of that dragon. Some of you here may know, and some of you will find out in the future."
Heukgeumje nodded her head, saying that it was not cheap information.
"In Eden, the one who wears the dragon helmet is called the Heavenly Demon. He wishes to become a dragon someday and dye the sky with darkness. He has never shown his face to the world, but my lord should know, right?"
She smiled at Glenn.
'I see.'
Raon trembled his lips as he listened to Heukgeumje's words.
'The second leader of Eden was the Heavenly Demon.'
There were many rumors that there was another leader besides the Fallen in Eden, and it seems that his identity is the Heavenly Demon.
"The dragon helmet worn by the Heavenly Demon is a red scale with a black horn and a reversed white and black eye. But..."
Heukgeumje licked her dry lips.
"The one who came to me wearing the dragon helmet was different from him. He had silver scales and blue horns. His appearance was also different from the known characteristics of the dragon."
She shook her head, saying that she didn't know his identity.
"What information did he buy?"
Glenn looked into her eyes, trying to figure out Heukgeumje's intentions.
"Today, I showed a pathetic appearance, but I am an information dealer. I cannot tell you the information that a customer has purchased."
Heukgeumje straightened her back. Her aura rose up like when she first came here.
"One thing I can tell you for sure is that the information he bought is not about the Six Kings or the Five Demons."
Heukgeumje guaranteed that the information would never harm Zieghart.
'That woman....'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Heukgeumje.
'She's more remarkable than I thought.'
Her composed response in such an urgent situation was impressive. It seemed necessary to reassess the level of danger she posed.
"Why should I believe that?"
Glenn looked down at Heukgeumje with his cold and dignified eyes.
"I have no proof. But I will swear on my and White Whale's names that it is not a lie."
Heukgeumje pulled a white token from her pocket. The symbol of the White Whale, a spiritual and aquatic creature that roamed the sea and sky, was engraved on the roundly carved token.
"If my words are proven false in the future, you can come and use this token to take my life."
She narrowed her eyes, emphasizing that this was not just to escape the situation.
'It doesn't seem like a lie, but....'
Raon swallowed his dry saliva as he looked at the token that Heukgeumje had presented.
'I wonder how this will turn out.'
If Heukgeumje has information about the dragon helmet other than Heavenly Demon, she might be able to leave safely; otherwise, a battle with Glenn seems imminent.
‘Whatever it is, the current approach is not good.’
As rumors about White Whale’s misdeeds spread among those held captive by the Black Tower, Heukgeumje's injury or death here could ruin carefully laid plans.
It wasn't the time to attack her, even if tempted.
Woowung.
As he was thinking about how to move in each situation, the White Whale token in Heukgeumje's hand floated up and was caught in Glenn's hand.
“I'll accept it. However....”
The token in Glenn's hand instantly turned to dust and scattered. The fact that an object made of steel melted like that indicates a power beyond human capability.
“If those words are lies, I'll erase White Whale's name myself, regardless of this token."
"I will keep that in mind."
Heukgeumje nodded her chin and trembled her shoulders as if she was overwhelmed by Glenn's intimidation.
“Hmm…”
Raon looked at Glenn's sunken eyes and stroked his back.
'So, is there another dragon helmet other than the guy called Heavenly Demon?'
Silver with blue horns. It was a color combination that seemed to have seen somewhere.
When he was thinking about that helmet in his head, Glenn waved his hand.
"Retrieve it."
The executives who heard his instructions sheathed their swords and withdrew.
“Hmm…”
Heukgeumje took a shallow breath and shook off her sleeves. Seeing that the back of her clothes was wet, she seemed to be nervous as well.
“Then let's go.”
Roenn approached Heukgeumje with a smile as if nothing had happened.
“The Light Wind's vice leader.”
Heukgeumje did not follow Roenn, but turned her gaze to Raon.
"This time, I suffered properly. A complete defeat."
A spark of heat like embers flared up in her eyes, which seemed to have dried up.
“I hope we meet again.”
"I'm not really looking forward to it."
Raon shrugged, saying he wasn't interested.
“Wait a minute.”
When Heukgeumje was about to scratch her forehead, she extended her fingers
"It would be better if you left the lord's manor and went to the building on the right."
“Right building?”
"Yes, you should get new shoes. If you go there and ask for shoes, they'll give them to you."
He pointed to Heukgeumje's shoes with a bright smile. According to his life so far, it was the right way to go all the way if you touched it once.
Puk.
Heukgeumje, whose emotions that she had barely suppressed seemed to rise again, gritted her teeth with a red face and left the audience chamber.
*Thud*
Even though a magnificent sound was made when the iron door closed, the audience chamber was silent.
“Hmm…”
“What…”
The executives were dumbfounded as if they didn't expect Raon to overwhelm Heukgeumje to this extent.
“Hmm…”
“It seems to have ended well somehow.”
“That’s right.”
“I didn’t expect things to go this way.”
All the executives nodded in satisfaction at the outcome that even Heukgeumje seemed to accept. Balder smiled, too.
Raon looked at Wrath, receiving gazes of surprise and admiration.
He was about to thank him for keeping his mouth shut, but the guy was turning his back and moving his hands vigorously.
‘What are you doing?’
Writing notes.
As he said, Wrath was writing on his round palm.
‘What notes?’
How you manipulate others. It had such a crazy effect that the King of Essence acknowledged it. Take. Your. Shoes. Away.
He was writing one word at a time, remembering what he had said to Heukgeumje a moment ago.
"You should have come sooner." Hmm, it's very effective to make them angry when you simply say "Come sooner."
‘That’s not it….’
You had to tailor your words to the situation to manipulate others; otherwise, they were meaningless.
‘That word is not used that way….’
It's noisy. I'm studying. The King of Essence will also shed his human disguise like you!
Wrath waved his hand, indicating he shouldn't be disturbed as he was studying.
‘You’re not human to begin with.’
When Raon shook his head, Rimmer stuck to him from the side.
“You’re really something. Where did you learn such things?”
"Where did I learn it? The ugly adult is right next to me."
He pointed at Rimmer.
"Me? I don't do crazy things like you! You were just a troublemaker!"
“No. I did exactly the same as you division leader.”
Raon shook his head.
“Hmm, whatever. It doesn’t matter right now.”
Rimmer laughed and waved his hand at Glenn.
“My lord!”
He pointed to the mountain of treasures that Heukgeumje had left behind and smiled.
"The additional gain thanks to Raon should go to Raon, right?"
When he heard that, Glenn’s lips trembled.
“My lord. I…”
Raon was about to wave his hand to say that it wasn’t necessary when a message popped up in front of his eyes.
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As Ariel followed Roenn out of the lord's manor, her subordinates, including White Wolf and Blood Cloud Blade, were waiting.
Their appearance was not much different from before, but their eyes were dead like an old lion.
‘Damn it….’
She wanted to smash the heads of White Wolf and Blood Cloud Blade, who had pathetically leaked the information to Raon, but she had to endure it because of the place.
“Ma, master, forgive us!.”
“I’m sorry!”
White Wolf and Blood Cloud Blade bowed their heads first, seeing Ariel’s terrifying eyes, begging to be killed first.
“Get up. This is not the place to talk.”
“What?”
When Ariel waved her hand to raise everyone up, White Wolf’s mouth fell open.
“Master. There’s blood on your lips…”
Hearing that, she wiped her lips, staining her fingers with blood
‘It’s not blood from my mouth.’
Internal injury.
It was an internal injury that occurred when she was exposed to the actual energy in a state of great mental shock. It was not an exaggeration to say that it was a wound caused by Raon.
‘Damn it.’
Though not severe, the annoyance of having to momentarily compose oneself from the injury was palpable.
Ariel gestured to White Wolf and Blood Cloud Blade.
“Follow me. We have to go back right away. Just say you don’t know anything.”
In order to cover the mouths of the people sent by Raon, they had to move as quickly as possible. There was no time for conversation.
As she headed for the main gate of Zieghart, the sworsamen she had seen when she came in were still standing there, and even ordinary people who had not learned martial arts were behind them.
"You didn't save the hostages? What were you thinking!"
"At this point, you're no different from the Five Demons!"
"What's the point of being one of the Five Divine Rulers when there is no difference between them and the Five Demons!"
“Heukgeumje? Hero? It was all bullshit!”
The residents of Zieghart behind the swordsmen had already heard the rumors of Heukgeumje and White Whale and began to criticize them.
Heukgeumje chewed her lip and headed for the main gate at a brisk pace.
“Are you leaving already?”
Illiune, the foreign minister who was standing in front of the gate, waved his hand with a smile that was worlds apart from when he first saw her.
“Yes, please open the gate.”
“As much as you want.”
With a refreshing expression, he shook hands, and the gate slowly opened.
“Phew….”
Heukgeumje sighed as soon as she left the gate, but followers who had followed her all the way rushed forward, blocking her path.
“Heukgeumje-nim!”
“What happened here?”
"You just stood still even after seeing people captured by the Black Tower's magicians!"
“It’s a lie, right!”
The followers who followed her path folded their hands and begged her not to be true. Not only them, but even the residents of Zieghart who were behind them came out and started criticizing her.
“Have a comfotable journey!”
With a teasing voice, when she turned around, Illiune, who had climbed onto the wall, was smirking.
“Argghh….”
Heukgeumje bit her teeth and swallowed the blood that was trying to come up through her throat.
‘Raon Zieghart. This time, I’ll let you win. But next time….’
