N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 540
Runaan bit her lip as she looked into Syria's snake-like eyes.
'Why did he come?'
Syria had not paid attention to me since she was humiliated by Raon.
Since the humiliation by Raon, Syria hadn't shown any interest in her. He had given up, he didn't even come home for a while, so his sudden appearance upon her return didn't feel pleasant.
"What did you do to have your hands so cold?"
Clara frowned as she touched Syria's white hand, which felt like it had frozen.
"It's still cold weather, you know."
Syria smiled warmly, unstrapping the sword from his waist and leaning it against the wall.
"Just use your aura to protect yourself.”
Rokan sighed at why he was enduring the cold with his bare skin.
"It's bothersome.”
"You're the successor of Sullion. Take care of your body.”
"I understand!"
Syria put his hand on his forehead in a salute and sat down next to Runaan.
"Anyway."
"It never changes."
Clara and Rokan found Syria's stubbornness cute, exchanging warm smiles.
"......"
Unlike the two of them, Runaan kept her whole body tense so that she could move at any time.
‘His gaze is like it used to be.’
Syria's eyes were full of blatant desire, as if he had returned to the time before he was humiliated by Raon.
Fortunately, the Snow Flower sword is next to the dining table.
She brought it to clean the blade after dinner, but it made her feel a little better to be prepared for any unexpected situation.
She may not be able to defeat Syria, but she can hold on until he does something strange to her dad and mom.
'I'll stop him no matter what he does.'
Just as Runaan was concentrating on Syria's movements with her right hand under the table, the door to the dining room opened and maids carrying new food came in.
The maids cleared away the cold food and placed the hot food with steam rising on the table.
"Oh, by the way, I have a present."
Syria smiled faintly and took out his spatial pocket.
As Runaan put her hand on the hilt of Snow Flower Sword, a gray box popped out of Syria's spatial pocket. It was a box that had been wrapped in a ball of ice cream.
"They released a new flavor, and I thought of you, so I bought it.”
Syria handed the box of ice cream to Runaan.
"Wait a minute!"
Rokan raised his spread palm.
"Mine is first! Why did you cut in line!"
He reached into his spatial pocket and pulled out a larger box of ice cream than Syria's.
"Runaan! Eat your dad's first!"
Rokan waved his hand, indicating that Runaan should open his own box instead of Syria's.
“They're both the same, I tell you.”
Clara, pleased with the scene, chuckled while resting her chin on her hand.
"Uh-huh..."
Runaan took the ice cream boxes from Syria and Rokan after removing his hand from the hilt of Snow Flower sword.
"I'll eat it after dinner."
"Okay, but you'll eat mine first, right?"
Rokan raised his finger, demanding that Runaan eat his ice cream first.
"Yes."
Runaan nodded and looked at Syria. He showed a mysterious smile and then turned to Rokan.
"I'm a little disappointed. I also prepared a gift for my father."
Syria reached into his spatial pocket again. This time, he pulled out a vintage white wine.
"It's a 40-year-old Chelle Blanc.”
“Wow!”
Rokan trembled with his hands as if the wine were a treasure.
"I accidentally got it at auction. Try it right away."
"No."
Runaan pushed back her chair roughly and stood up. It didn't feel right. It seemed like Syria might have done something to that wine.
"Dad. Don't drink that."
"Ru, Runaan? Why?"
Clara raised her head with her eyes wide open.
"...It's a waste."
Runaan licked her lips awkwardly as she looked at the wine Rokan was holding. It was an absurd excuse, but she couldn't think of anything else. At times like this, she wished he could borrow Raon's mouth.
"It's definitely a waste. This wine is not something you can get just by having money. Besides, it's a gift from your son after a long time."
Rokan nodded slowly as he looked at the wine.
"Just drink it. I'll buy you another one next time."
Syria shook his head, saying it was okay.
"No, I won't. This guy, you always bring Runaan's gift, but you never bring mine. I'll keep this for bragging rights later.”
Rokan laughed and handed the wine to the butler behind him, and ordered him to bring another fine wine.
The butler soon brought red wine and glasses and served them to the four of them.
"It's Barasia 30 years old. It's not as good as Chelle, but it's still worth drinking.”
Rokan raised his glass to propose a toast to the family for the first time.
"Let's do it."
Syria raised his glass without a hint of disappointment.
Clink.
Runaan focused on Syria's eyes and hands as she clinked glasses with the three of them.
Syria finished his glass in one breath, and Rokan and Clara also laughed and took a sip of the wine.
Thump.
Runaan didn't even touch the drink, placing her glass down.
"Aren't you going to drink, Runaan?
"No."
She shook her head at Clara and loosened her fingers, which seemed a little stiff.
"Father, Mother, do you happen to know about this?”
When the laughter-filled drinking party continued and the wine bottle was emptied, Syria leaned forward over the table.
"What do you mean?"
"There are reports of a monster called Baphomet appearing in the south.”
"Baphomet!"
"Hmm..."
Rokan frowned, and Clara tilted her head as if she didn't know.
"That monster..."
"Yes, it's a monster. A formidable one at that.”
Syria smiled and nodded calmly.
"Since Mother and Runaan seem unfamiliar, let me explain briefly. It's an incredibly powerful monster capable of using both physical strength and mana. It's a leader-class monster with intelligence surpassing that of humans.”
He continued his explanation, moving his fingers as if drawing a picture on the table.
“However, unlike other monsters, Baphomet has one distinctive feature.”
“A distinctive feature?”
"Yes. It tries to find its mate from the moment it's born."
Syria slowly pressed his left index finger and right index finger together.
"Baphomets that find their mates become significantly stronger than before. The one reported in the south is probably still looking for its mate.”
"That's not all."
Rokan sighed as he put down his wine glass.
"Baphomet is a growing monster."
He frowned as he looked down at the blood-red wine.
"They grow faster than humans considered geniuses. You have to defeat them before they find their mate and grow even more.”
"Father seems to know well."
"I fought one when you were just a baby."
Rokan shook his head, recalling a dreadful experience.
“But it's still somewhat pitiful.”
Clara sighed as she stroked her wine glass with her fingers.
"It's moving to find a mate and getting attacked in the process…”
"Sigh. Mother is too kind."
Syria narrowed his eyes, as if surprised by Clara's words.
"Don't say such things. Because they act on instinct, they often attack humans for no reason.”
Rokan shook his head, saying that it was still just a monster.
"Oh, there's one more peculiar thing about Baphomet.”
"What is it?"
"It's looking for a mate, but if that mate is a blood relative, it can gain unimaginable power.” ("In the process of finding a mate, if the mate happens to be of the same blood, they can gain unimaginable power.”)
"Blood relative? Such a bizarre monster... Ah."
Clara dropped the glass she was holding onto the floor.
"Th, this is...."
She trembled all over as if she had been electrocuted, and then fell backward with her chair.
"Clara!"
Rokan got up from his seat and ran to Clara.
"Why are you acting like this!
"Mom!"
Runaan, holding the Snow Flower sword, stepped on the table and jumped down to the spot where Clara had fallen.
"What are you doing! Call a healer quickly!"
Rokan shouted at the butlers and maids behind him, but none of them moved.
"What the hell are you doing...?"
"Don't be so loud."
Syria smiled as he wet his lips with red wine.
"They are simply following my command to stay still.”
"Sy, Syria?"
Rokan trembled as he looked into Syria's eyes, which had changed in an instant.
"Anyway, Father is impressive. That drug affects the mind regardless of your martial arts, and you endured it until now. I'm a bit surprised.”
"Is this your doing?"
"Then whose would it be?”
"Who else there!”
As Rokan shouted, the dining room door opened, and the family guards entered.
"Take Clara to the healer, and deal with this bastard quickly.”
But the guards who entered were not following Rokan. Instead, they stood behind Syria, hands on their swords.
"You, you guys why...?"
"Those who are closest to father have become mine. Isn't it natural for the guards to follow me as well?”
"You bastards!"
"But they have served quite well. Money, martial skills, desires, and even weaknesses. I've captured it all.”
Syria smiled brightly as he looked at the guards and servants standing behind him.
"Father you have been too comfortable with peace. You have become an old, fat dog that only eats the food that Zieghart throws at you."
"You bastard!"
Rokan roared and stood up. His eyes turned bloodshot with anger.
"Undoubtedly, Zigheart is powerful, however, 80% of that strength comes from Glenn Zigheart. It's all because of that monster. The rest are a bunch of nobodies.”
Syria chuckled, lifting his head despite the unsettling atmosphere. He lowered his eerie gaze, unsuitable for the warm lighting.
"The world will change soon. I will become a thorn that stabs Zieghart from behind at the center of our House Sullion."
"I won't allow that! Never... Ah!”
Rokan staggered and fell to his knees. He shook his arms and legs involuntarily and fell backwards.
"Of course, the drug works better when you're excited."
Syria amusingly caressed his chin.
"Ru, Runaan. Run a...."
Rokan couldn't even articulate his last words properly before his body stiffened.
"Ah, Dad, Mom."
Gasping for breath, Runaan looked at Rokan and Clara, whose eyes were the only things moving. Both of them shook their eyes, silently pleading, "Please run away.”
"What did you do!"
She glared at Syria.
"Did you think I put drugs in the wine? That would be boring."
Syria picked up the almost empty wine bottle. As he spread his palm, the bottle fell and broke, spilling blood-red wine like blood onto the white floor.
"I did nothing to this wine. The only thing I touched was…”
Syria's finger pointed to the glasses that Clara and Rokan had drunk from.
"Those glasses."
"What did you do to my mom and dad!"
Runaan raised the Snow Flower sword, her eyes filled with killing intent.
"Runaan, you made a mistake too."
Syria grinned and waved his hand.
"If you wanted to stop me and save your parents, you should have kept talking. You should have said things like, 'My brother seems strange,' or 'My brother seems insane.' Of course, it wouldn't have made a difference.”
"Syria..."
"Ah, of course, when we were young, you told our parents that I was strange. Why didn't that work? Why didn't they believe you?"
Syria pointed to the guards and servants standing behind him and smiled a bright yellow smile.
"Even then, a lot of them stood behind me, reporting in my favor, so there was no chance of it being believed. Our parents thought you were hallucinating and wouldn't believe you without solid evidence.”
"You..."
Runaan gritted her teeth and drew out all the energy from her energy center. A sharp astral energy, enveloped in a chilling aura, flared up on the blade of the Snow Flower sword.
"Impressive! I've been waiting for this day for so long!”
Syria, facing the astral energy aimed at his throat, raised the corners of his lips, trembling with a smirking expression.
"It was worth sending that guy."
As he clapped his hands lightly, the guards and servants approached the fallen Rokan and Clara.
"Don't come near me! I'll kill you all!"
Runaan roared and pointed the Snow Flower sword at the guards.
"Rebellion is always a beautiful thing. However…”
Syria pointed at Rokan and Clara, licking his red lips with a sly smile.
"If I leave them like that, they will suffocate and die. Is that okay?"
At his question, Runaan's fingertips trembled.
"......"
The astral energy that blossomed from the blade of the Snow Flower melts away like spring snow.
Clang!
Finally, Runaan's sword fell to the ground.
"That was a wise choice."
With Syria's laughter as the last sound, the lights in the dining room went out.
* * *
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Raon stood in the center of the fifth training ground and drew Heavenly Drive. He aimed the blade at the sky that had not yet risen, and held his breath.
Remembering the advice that Glenn had given him two days ago, he swung the sword down.
Whoosh!
The fierce sword wind cut through the cold morning air, drawing a thin line on the floor of the training ground.
Whoosh!
Raon lifted Heavenly Drive again, without even glancing at the line, and drew the sword in the same stance.
Although the second strike from the sword poured out, there was no increase in the markings on the training ground floor.
Even after performing 100 strikes, only one mark remained on the floor, just like the very first one.
Roaaaar!
The accuracy and sharpness of the 100 sword strikes turned into speed and heaviness, leaving a trajectory on the floor of the training ground as if it had been struck by a hammer.
He used the techniques he had learned so far to fill the basic sword technique with the principles of martial arts.
He had concentrated all his attention on each sword strike, so when he finished a round of training, the sun that had risen was heading towards the center of the sky.
'This time, with the...'
Hey!
When Raon was about to continue his training, Wrath popped up in front of him.
It's time for the appointment, isn't it? Why aren't you going?
Wrath pointed to the sky, saying that they had made an appointment at the ice cream shop with everyone.
"Hmmm..."
Raon lowered Heavenly Drive and raised his head. As Wrath said, the appointment time was approaching.
'I'm a little disappointed.'
What are you disappointed about? You've been training non-stop since that old man came, haven't you?
‘I've been doing well in my training lately. It would be a waste of time to stop now. While I don't necessarily feel a definite sense of growth, there's a satisfaction in seeing the previously disordered martial arts gradually organizing themselves every time I train.’
You're the first one obsessed with martial arts like this!
Wrath shook his head in disgust.
'Then a little more?'
Just shut up and hurry to the ice cream shop! I've been holding back my craving for bead ice cream just for today!
'Okay, okay.'
Raon sighed. He quickly washed his body and headed to the shopping district.
Because he arrived almost on time at 10 o'clock, most of the Light Wind members were gathered.
"Why is the one who called us here arriving so late!”
Martha complained, narrowing her eyes.
“He brought his sword, probably practicing before coming,"
Burren said, shaking his head while looking at Heavenly Drive.
"Seriously weird. So weird.”
He sighed and mentioned that he couldn't keep up with him.
"What kind of training is he planning for us…”
Dorian shivered, already afraid of the upcoming training.
"Vice division leader."
Mark Goetten quietly nodded, as if expressing respect.
"Hmm?"
Raon approached the Light Wind members and tilted his head. The girl who should be mumbling "Handsome Raon" in a sleepy voice at this time was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Runaan?"
"She hasn't arrived yet."
Burren shook his head.
"Something's wrong, isn't it? There's no way she'd be late for an ice cream party.”
Martha tilted her head, saying it was strange.
"......"
Raon raised his eyes and looked at the clock in the square.
Tick.
Even though it was 10 o'clock, Runaan had not shown up.
Hey!
'I know.'
Raon nodded and looked at the Light Wind members.
"If I don't come back in an hour, tell everyone something happened to the House Sullion. Dorian and Martha, follow me!"
"What?"
"What's that supposed to mean…”
Without waiting for others to respond, he ran to the west.
It's strange that the ice cream girl didn't show up!
'Yeah. I don't know about other things but she has never broken an ice cream appointment.' (promise)
Runaan may seems lazy, but she never breaks two appointments.
Training and ice cream. Especially the latter, she arrives an hour or more early to wait for it first.
'Something definitely happened.'
With confidence, Raon headed towards the House Sullion.
