N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 528
Hey! You're not listening to the King of Essence, are you?
Raon, instead of listening to Wrath, stared blankly at Aris.
"That's all?"
"Well, what else could there be?"
Aris tilted her head as if she was even more surprised.
"I wouldn't ask you to sacrifice your life, would I?"
She shook her hands up and down, asking him not to think of anything strange.
"No, even if that's the case, this is a Dragon Heart."
A dragon's heart is a treasure among treasures that can only be obtained by killing a dragon, so it is impossible to obtain even if you pile up money like a mountain.
Being told that she would give such a thing without any compensation just because he made a great contribution in killing Kaibar, he couldn't help but be surprised.
"I need to ask the opinions of other people."
It was true that he made a great contribution in killing Kaibar, but it was impossible to achieve it alone.
The crew of the warships assisted in dealing with the sea monsters, and Aris not only intercepted Kaibar's breath but also launched a counterattack, allowing us to secure the victory.
It felt burdensome to receive the greatest treasure outright.
"Enough of this discussion."
Aris smiled, pointing her thumb behind her.
"No one objected to giving you the dragon's heart. Of course, if anyone had objected, I would have killed them... "
Unlike her bright face, she let out a chilling voice.
"Besides, we have Kaibar's corpse. If we sell it moderately, we can all live comfortably for a lifetime."
Aris assured that she would take care of the families of the deceased as well.
Excuse me? The King of Essence is right here.
Wrath popped up in front of him and glared.
Hurry up and flip the meat...
"It's truly fascinating."
Aris began to stroke Raon's head with her hand.
"How did a guy like you come out of our family?"
"Yes?"
"Everyone in our family, including my son, is cold and only cares about themselves, but you have a different temperament."
"Hmm..."
Raon licked his lips when he thought of the direct line members of Zieghart. He couldn't refute Aris' words.
"Oh, Sylvia was a bit similar to you back then."
"My mother?"
"Yeah, back then, I couldn't properly take care of her. However, when we met, I offered her snacks one by one, like a squirrel. She looked adorable as she enjoyed them."
Aris smiled with a slightly dark look on her face, as if she was remembering the old days.
“The gaze of Sylvia back then and you now are similar."
She lowered her hand, which had been patting Raon's head, and offered the Dragon Heart again.
"So, what's your decision? Decide quickly."
"Well...."
Raon looked at the dragon's heart, which was sparkling with rainbow colors, and licked his lips.
'There's no reason not to accept it.'
The dragon's heart would be in his hands with just one word from his mouth, calling Aris "aunt.”
It could even raise his realm, not just create an artificial energy center for Sylvia, so he had to accept it unconditionally.
'However...'
The words didn't come out easily.
Until now, the only family member Raon had called by their family title was his mother. He had never called anyone else "grandfather," "uncle," "brother," or "sister," so it was hard for him to open his mouth.
Quickly, call her aunt and flip the meat! You rascal!
When Wrath yelled, Aris frowned in disbelief.
"Do you dislike calling me aunt?"
"That's not it," Raon shook his head firmly.
"In truth, it's the first time I've used such a family title for anyone other than my mother, so I feel a bit nervous..."
"Oh..."
Aris nodded as if she understood.
"Right. I wouldn't expect such words to be used in that household."
"Yeah. So, it doesn't come out well."
"I'll have to go home soon, I guess..."
She pursed her red lips with a cold gaze, as if she were thinking about something.
"Hmm..."
Raon sighed as he watched Aris lost in thought. He calmed his mind and slowly opened his lips.
"U-um, aunt."
"Hyuk!"
As soon as Aris heard the word "aunt," she clasped her chest and leaned back, gripping her waist.
"I-Isn't this a bit dangerous?"
"Yes?"
"I've never received the word 'aunt' before, so I didn't know. It's a bit strong.”
She mumbled strange words while waving her finger.
"Could you say it one more time?"
"..."
"...Aunt."
"Kkuuee!"
After hearing the aunt's address, Aris made a sound as if downing a glass of beer and then hugged Raon tightly.
"Yes! My nephew!"
"Uh, just a moment..."
"Trust only this aunt!"
She held Raon in her arms for a long time, as if she were drunk.
"In terms of looks, ability, and personality! This is what a perfect nephew is!"
"Ugh..."
Raon groaned while looking at Aris' face. Seeing the soft eyelids that gently closed, memories of Sylvia, who used to sing lullabies when he was young, came to mind.
It felt strange to address someone with a family title other than his mother for the first time.
The pure fragrance of the sea flower, distinct from Sylvia's, gently eased his mind, completely dispelling various worries.
It's really burning! It's really burning! Push the thief woman out!
Wrath shouted, looking at the meat. Aris' scent was gradually being replaced by the burnt smell of meat.
"Um, aunt. The meat..."
"Ah!"
Aris finally seemed to come to her senses, opened her eyes, and stepped back.
"I'm sorry. I almost fell asleep because I smelled something familiar from you."
She bowed her head with a look of apology, clasping her hands together.
Kughugh!
White foam began to rise from Wrath's mouth.
Cook it again before the King of Essence cut this thief woman's head!
His body began to spin violently like a storm.
"Shall I cook it for you?"
"No, it's okay."
Raon shook his head. It was obvious that Wrath would have a fit if she tried to cook it now, so he thought it would be better to cook it alone.
"Since the first attempt failed, I can just cook it again."
He smiled as he showed Aris the new meat.
"I was planning to cook it in a variety of ways from the start, so don't worry."
"Um, but..."
"It's really okay."
Raon gave Aris the burnt pan and meat, who apologized for ruining it, and sent her out.
She wanted to help to the end, but he quickly closed the door.
The King of Essence will never forget today's humiliation...
‘Endure a bit, I'll cook it again.’
Raon pushed aside the growling Wrath and looked at the dragon heart that Aris had given him.
The sparkling light and the thick scent of mana that flowed deep and wide. Just looking at it made him feel like his energy center was pulsing.
'She really gave me this...'
He was honestly surprised and couldn't hide his joy, as he had never expected such a situation.
"I can make an even better artificial energy center with this."
Encia had said that the best material for making an artificial energy center was a dragon heart.
He had said that he was having trouble finding it, so he was combining a sea serpent heart and a drake heart, but now that he had the original item, he would be able to make the best artificial energy center.
Raon put the dragon heart in his spatial pocket with trembling hands.
If you're done admiring it, hurry up and cook the meat! My stomach is about to burst
'Isn’t means you’re full…?'
Just shut up and cook!
‘Okay…’
Raon took out a new frying pan and placed the dragon meat on it.
This time, he cooked the meat while controlling the heat so that it wouldn't burn. Perhaps because he had gained a small enlightenment about fire, it was cooking faster than the first time.
How long will it take to cook like that?! The King of Essence wants to eat it right now!
Wrath yelled and poured his wrath into it. His energy naturally bloomed from his fingertips and seeped into the meat, increasing the heat of the flame.
'If you do that, something will happen to the causality...'
Don't worry about that! Just cook the meat properly!
He shouted not to worry and drooled as he looked at the meat.
'I understand.'
When the meat started to cook a little, Raon added butter and poured the melted butter water into the meat.
The meat slowly cooked in the heat of the bottom and the butter water, giving off a richer aroma than before.
'The smell is good, but I why am I doing this...'
He never had such desires for food, so he wondered why he was going to such lengths to eat Dragon meat.
Oh! You're doing well! Move your hands a bit faster!'
Wrath praised him for the first time and patted him on the back.
‘Okay…’
As he continued to cook while enduring his chatter, the color of the dragon meat turned yellow like well-cooked beef.
Well done!
Wrath clapped his hands and nodded his head in satisfaction.
Now, place the meat on the cutting board, and cover it with a plate to keep the heat from escaping!
‘Aren't we going to eat it right away?’
You ignorant fool!
Wrath bared its teeth like a beast.
Don't you know resting?
'Resting?'
After cooking the meat, let it rest for a while to allow the juices to flow, as it'll be juicier then!
Wrath shook his head in disappointment.
‘Hah…’
Raon put the meat on the cutting board and trembled his lips. He wanted to flip it over, but he had promised to do it, so he forced himself to endure it.
After about 10 minutes, Wrath patted him on the back again.
Now is the time!
Wrath gestured like a storm to hurry up and try the meat.
Raon used a knife and fork to cut the Dragon meat. Surprisingly, due to Wrath's energy having melted the mana, it was sliced smoothly, contrary to expectations.
Huff huff! Hurry up!
Wrath started to drool like a hungry dog.
'Let's take a breath.'
Raon sighed and put a piece of meat on the fork and put it in his mouth.
"Ahhh..."
As soon as he chewed the dragon meat, the concentrated juices spread out like a wave of the ocean. It felt like his entire mouth was filled with juices from the meat.
The strong meat flavor was so intense that the firm texture of the meat itself added to the enjoyment of eating.
As Wrath said, dragon grilled was a delicacy among delicacies.
Ahhh!
Wrath covered his mouth and teared up.
"This is it! This is why the King of Essence is alive!"
He proclaimed that he had lived for this taste, and tears continued to stream down his face.
Keep eating! Hurry up!
'I got it... Hmm?'
When Wrath shouted to hurry up, a message suddenly popped up in front of his eyes.
[Consumed food imbued with wrath energy.]
[All stats are increased.]
Huh?
Wrath dropped to the ground as soon as he saw the message while enjoying the taste of the meat. His belly folded thickly.
This is crazy! Why do your stats increase when you eat meat?
Wrath couldn't believe it and widened his eyes.
This is a scam!
'It's not a scam.'
Raon shook his head as he looked at the message.
'You used your energy on the meat and flames. I think that energy melted into the meat, causing the stats increase.'
Even though he didn't have the trait of <Greed>, there was no way his stats would go up just by eating dragon meat.
This was because of the energy that Wrath had conveyed, wanting to eat the meat quickly.
Damnt it! The King of Essence didn't wish for such a situation!
Wrath glared at the message and gritted his teeth.
‘Eating meat and raising my stats, this is good.’
Raon smiled and picked up the meat he had cut.
Wait! Stop it!
When he was about to eat, Wrath quickly waved his hand.
If you eat that, your stats will increase again, won't they?
'Yeah, probably.'
Then you must absolutely not eat it!
'This will taste bad if it cools down, right? The juice will come out.'
Ugh...
Wrath trembled his jaw as he looked at the meat dripping with juice.
‘Then, well...?’
Aaaaaack! What should I do?!
He couldn't even say whether to eat the meat or not, so he scratched his head.
As Raon was leisurely waving the fork, a new message popped up.
[Congratulations on successfully hunting the Blue Dragon.]
[All stats will increase by 20 points.]
[Title <Dragon Slayer> is created.]
[The rank of the trait <Armor of Snow Flower> increases.]
It was unclear whether the system was doing everything at once, or whether the reward for the achievement of killing Kaibar was just now being delivered.
Ah...
Wrath's face turned as pale as a sheet of paper.
I just want to die...
* * *
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On a dark night with the moon hiding behind the clouds.
The Third Prince of Owen Kingdom stopped in front of the rehabilitation training center attached to the royal treatment center.
"Are they still there?"
He took a deep breath as he looked up at the bright lights illuminating the interior.
"Not yet, but it's just beginning."
A royal knight approached the Third Prince and bowed his head.
“They say that none of them will leave the training ground until dawn.”
"Is that really true?"
"Yes. According to the doctor, they're not just rehabilitating, they're training as if their lives depend on it."
"Is it okay, though? They might not have fully recovered yet."
The Third Prince's voice rose as if he was worried about the condition of the Light Wind division.
"All physical injuries have healed and there are no problems."
The royal knight turned his gaze to the Third Prince as he held the doorknob of the rehabilitation training center.
"Do you want to go in?"
"Hmmm..."
The Third Prince looked at the door of the rehabilitation training center as if he was worried, but shook his head.
"No, it's better not to disturb them. Martha. No, it looks like they all need time."
He sighed a little disappointedly and left the training ground.
Inside the rehabilitation training ground, the Light Wind members didn't even notice that the Third Prince had come to the entrance, relentlessly wielding their swords.
As if to vent their anger at not being able to do anything during their encounter with Orgos, they endlessly trained their swordsmanship with madness in their eyes.
It wasn't long since they started training after they recovered, but their swordsmanship had changed beyond recognition.
Kuuong!
When the moon, which had been hiding in the clouds, began to tilt from the center of the sky, Burren rolled his foot.
"Huff..."
At the loud sound that shook the earth, the Light Wind swordsmen stretched their waists and raised their eyes.
Their faces were all flushed red as if they had trained with all their might.
"That's it for today."
At Burren's shout, the Light Wind swordsmen finally lowered their swords.
"If we do any more, it will affect tomorrow's training as well. Everyone, go back and rest."
He waved his hand, telling them to go back and rest quickly.
"Thank you for your hard work!"
The Light Wind swordsmen did not refute or shout that they wanted to train more, as they had done in the past.
Knowing that Burren was right, they immediately bowed their heads and left the training ground. They had all grown mentally.
"Good stopping point. But..."
Martha approached Burren, who was cleaning up the training ground, and nodded lightly.
"Where are you going after sending the kids away?"
"What?"
"Krein said you come back to the dorm late every day?"
She frowned, wondering what he was hiding.
"...I'm going to the library."
"The library? Why there?"
"I'm studying about strategy and tactics."
Burren exhaled a low breath, looking up at the sky.
"Strategy and tactics?"
"This time, I led the Light Wind division in place of Raon, and I realized my own shortcomings."
Burren chewed his lips, emphasizing that being strong in combat alone was not enough.
"You're also said to be coming back late, so what are you doing at the treatment center?"
He narrowed his eyes, as if he knew Martha's movements as well.
"You're not learning medicine, are you... Hmm?"
Burren's mouth fell open when he saw Martha's blushing face.
"I-is it really learning medicine?"
"I just thought it would be good to have a variety of skills!"
Martha yelled with a shriek, staring at Burren.
"Huh...?"
"Huh? Why do you make a sound like 'huh' when I say I'm learning medicine? Can't a martial artist learn medicine?"
"No, it's not that, but...."
Burren shook his head quickly. He wasn't making fun of her, he was just surprised. He never imagined that Martha would learn medicine for the sake of the Light Wind division.
"Hey!"
Martha seemed to want to change the subject, so she called out to Runaan, who was quietly tapping the floor.
"You're also coming back late these days. What are you doing these days?"
Burren was learning strategy and tactics, and she was learning medicine, so Runaan couldn't be sitting still. She must be doing something else.
"Cooking."
Runaan answered sullenly, as if to ask why she was asking.
"Yo, cooking?"
"What kind of cooking?"
"Ice cream and cookies."
She nodded, saying she was learning from the royal kitchen staff who started work early.
"Why are you learning that?"
"I want to make it for Raon and everyone."
Runaan blinked her eyes, expressing her desire to eat ice cream with everyone while sick and lying in bed.
"Oh, goodness..."
Martha laughed softly, looking at Runaan.
"She's really a strange kid."
"That's right."
Burren smiled softly in agreement.
“Let's go too.”
He kept a faint smile on his face as he led Martha and Runaan out of the training ground.
"Well..."
"Okay."
"Yes."
Burren, Martha, and Runaan. The three of them said goodbye to each other at the door of the training ground and then went their separate ways.
In the darkness and silence that had descended on the training ground, Rimmer and Sheryl appeared.
"What a blessing."
Sheryl glared at Rimmer and frowned.
"Why did such kids stick to someone like you?"
"I know, right?"
Rimmer smiled awkwardly and nodded.
“They should have gone to a better side.”
He sighed as he looked at where the captains were standing.
"Tsk."
Sheryl clicked her tongue and slapped Rimmer on the back of the head.
"Don't talk nonsense!"
"You asked me first...."
Rimmer rubbed the back of his head, which he had been hit, as if he couldn't believe it, and went down to the training ground.
"Are we doing it again today?"
Sheryl stood in front of Rimmer and narrowed her eyes.
"Of course."
Rimmer nodded and drew his sword silently. The eyes that always had a relaxed expression were now being swept by a violent storm.
"I can't let my revenge be passed on to those kids."
"If that's your thought, be prepared to die and come at me."
Sheryl blocked the sound from escaping by making a fist and drew her twin swords. The two swords of different colors emitted a chilling light.
"I'll think of it as my own training, not yours. I'm also annoyed that I'm powerless."
* * *
Slurp!
Wrath eventually chose to eat the dragon meat. His rage of not wanting to give away his stats was overcome by his appetite. Of course, he ate the meat while crying.
Raon left the Blue Wind with Wrath on his shoulder, who was exhausted.
Even though it was well past midnight, the city was still bright. People from other villages had come, and the whole city was noisy.
'This is how a celebration party should be.'
Since it was a celebration of both joy and comfort, it was more fitting for it to be noisy and chaotic until late at night.
"Raon-nim!"
While Raon was watching the festival, receiving people's greetings, Labawin approached him with a beer mug in his hand.
"I was going to Blue Wind anyway, but this is good."
"What's the matter?"
"There is a guest who is looking for Raon-nim."
Labawin told him to go to a tavern on the outskirts of the city.
Raon nodded and headed for the tavern. When he opened the door and went inside, he saw Kuberad's back and two people sitting opposite him, their faces covered by hoods.
"You came faster than I thought."
Kuberad waved smiled brightly and waved his hand.
"I met Labawin-nim in the center of the city."
When Raon bowed to Kuberad and went inside, the people behind him got up and took off their hoods.
'Of course it's Denning Rose. And next to her... hmm?'
The person on the left was Denningrose, with her purple hair and eyepatch.
He had known from the beginning because he felt her presence, but he had never expected the identity of the person next to her.
An old woman with an elegant atmosphere wrapped around her like the moonlight shining through the window. It was the Black Market master, Roseline.
“Black Market master?"
"It's been a while."
Rosaline greeted him with a graceful gesture.
"How did you end up here?"
"Since you rescued my successor, it's only natural to come and express my gratitude. And..."
She distorted her smile at the corner of her mouth as she continued.
"There's one piece of information that must be shared."
