Chapter 580
Raon frowned deeply as he looked at the book with his name on it.
'That's right. The mercenaries I met at the restaurant before I came to Seipia also mentioned a book with my name as the title.'
'So, this is the book they were talking about. But when was this even made?’
It must have been when Encia said she would use his face as her signature mark on Sylvia's artificial energy center.
It hadn't been that long ago, so how had this book already been published?
‘So, she didn't ask for permission to make the book after all... Ah!’
It finally clicked.
Encia didn't ask for my permission to use the signature mark and publish the book first, but she had already published the book and obtained permission afterward.
'That's why she gave me the royalty fee for the portrait rights.’
Even though Raon had adamantly refused, she had persisted in offering him money, and now it seemed it was because of this book.
"Ugh...."
Raon shook his head, his eyes tightly shut.
'This is not human behavior.'
At times like this, Encia seemed to be on par with Merlin.
"Oh, how is brother with the handsome Sir Raon?"
When he sighed, unable to believe it, Siyan looked up with trembling eyes.
"Hmm?"
Rimmer tilted his head as he looked at Siyan.
"Isn't the book you're reading about Raon?"
"W, well, yes...."
"Then you must know I'm Raon's master, right?"
"What are you talking about! The handsome Sir Raon got strong on his own! There is no such thing as a master or teacher!"
Siyan raised her voice slightly, urging Rimmer not to talk nonsense.
"You are the one talking nonsense! I raised him!"
Rimmer frowned as he looked down at the blanket Siyan had turned upside down.
"No! Sir Raon was a genius who learned swordsmanship from birth!"
"Where in the world does such a person exist? Listen! Raon is my disciple whom I raised, and now he's my subordinate!"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he listened to the conversation between the siblings.
'If there is no content about the division leader being my master, what the hell is written?'
With trembling hands, he turned the pages. Thanks to the Ring of Fire, he could understand the contents even if he turned the pages in seconds.
"What, what does it say? Is my name in it?"
"What about me?"
Dorian and Yua leaned their heads out, looking curious.
"......"
Raon shivered as he read the entire book in an instant, but he didn't respond.
'It’s Ridiculous. This is a hymn. Not a normal hymn, but a Raon hymn.'
Everything starts and ends with Raon.
The deeds and events themselves are true, but in the content, Raon was portrayed as an omnipotent being who could do anything.
Rimmer didn't even appear, and the three captains appeared, but they appeared as stumbling blocks, and Dorian was simply referred to as a walking pocket without even a name.
Yua was the only one who seemed to be portrayed well, as her name was mentioned. But she only appeared once and that was the end of it.
"Yes, you guys are here."
Raon awkwardly nodded to Dorian and Yua, then flipped to the last page of the book.
"Oh...."
As soon as he saw the last page, he groaned involuntarily.
1. The round stone thrown by Raon Zieghart towards the sky is now called the moon.
2. Raon Zieghart did not learn swordsmanship. Swordsmanship was born for Raon Zieghart.
3. Raon Zieghart does not have a separate home. This world is his home.
4. Raon Zieghart can burn fire and freeze ice.
Such crazy contents were written in a row. He couldn't bear to look any further and closed the book.
You, did you create the moon? When, how!
Wrath looked at him with trembling eyes, as if he believed what was written in the book.
"Sigh...."
He couldn't even muster the strength to respond.
'I have to burn them all.'
He decided to burn all traces of this book's existence, even if it meant spending his entire assets.
"Are, are you really the handsome Sir Raon?"
Siyan's trembling voice came out from under the blanket. It seemed like she had no intention of showing herself at all.
Only a few strands of blonde hair sticking out from under the blanket revealed the color of her hair.
"I'm not handsome, but I am Raon."
Raon nodded as he looked at Siyan's blanket.
"I, I'm a fan. Of the handsome Sir Raon."
Siyan peeked out her eyes again, saying handsome. Her clear blue eyes, like a cloudless sky, twinkled dimly.
"Thank you. And you can drop the handsome."
"But the book says you should always be called handsome...."
"Don't believe this book. 9 out of 10 things in it are lies."
Raon shook his head as he handed the book back to Siyan.
"W-Well, you're even humble as written in the book."
Siyan, perhaps already brainwashed, didn't believe Raon himself but trusted the book.
"That's not it. Sigh...."
Raon shook his fingertips. It was too complicated to explain. All that came out was a sigh.
"It's an honor to meet you."
Siyan reached out her hand slightly and took the book. Her hand was so white it was almost transparent. It seemed like she hadn't been outside for a very long time.
"Hey. Siyan. Aren't you too uninterested in your brother who you haven't seen in a long time?"
Rimmer shook his head, saying it was too much.
"Oh, sorry. I'm not in my right mind... Oh, brother! Your arm!"
The blanket Siyan was hiding under shook violently.
"This? I invested in the future."
Rimmer glanced at Raon with a smirk. It seemed he liked what he had said in front of Sterin.
"Did you do it for Sir Raon?"
"Yeah. I had a hard time keeping that guy alive."
"Oh, you're not hurt, are you?"
“It’s fine now, thanks to the good treatment I received after I was cut.”
He tapped the blanket where Siyan's head was.
“Brother.”
“Yeah?”
Rimmer blinked at Siyan’s energetic voice.
“You did well.”
“Huh…?”
“Sir Raon is the best among the best! You’ll definitely make a big comeback!”
She waved her hand outside the blanket, saying that he was a good choice.
“Uh, yeah….”
Rimmer nodded blankly, as if he hadn’t expected this kind of reaction.
“Is the handsome Sir Raon okay?”
“Thanks to the division leader, I wasn’t seriously injured.”
“That’s a relief!”
Siyan hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth again.
“May I ask you one thing, the handsome Sir Raon?”
“You can, if you take out the ‘handsome’ part.”
Raon exhaled briefly and nodded.
"I-I'm just wondering, Sir Raon, if you didn't have talent in swordsmanship, what do you think you would have done?"
“Talent?”
It was a question he hadn't considered, so he was a little taken aback.
"I-I was born a High Elf, but I didn't have the talents that a High Elf should have. I couldn't fight well like other Elves, couldn't summon spirits, and couldn't even use aura properly. I was called an incompetent High Elf...."
Siyan muttered that all she could do was hide and breathe. Her voice was filled with moisture.
"But you shoot arrows well, don't you? You never miss."
"Oh, what's the point of being good at archery if I can't use aura. Besides, it's been too long since I've shot a bow...."
She stared at the bow hanging on the wall for a moment before burying her face in the bed.
“Hmm….”
Raon clicked his tongue briefly.
'It's a puzzling question.'
Even if she was a fan, asking such a question to someone she just met meant she was mentally overwhelmed.
Siyan herself must have mustered up a lot of courage, so he wanted to help her, regardless of her being his fan or Rimmer’s sister.
However, there were things he needed to know before he could answer.
“If Lady Siyan is a High Elf, then is the division leader also a High Elf?”
“No, I’m not.”
Rimmer shook his head nonchalantly.
“High Elves are determined at birth. It was passed down from my grandfather to Siyan, but it could come from a different tribe next time. It’s different every time.”
He shrugged, saying that High Elves were beings chosen by the heavens
“And there can only be two High Elves at the same time. Right now, there are only two in Seipia, my grandfather and Siyan.”
“I see.”
Raon bit his lip slightly.
‘If there are only two High Elves, it's inevitable to feel burdened.’
Especially since you don’t know when Sterin will leave.
Judging from the wrinkles on Sterin’s face, his remaining lifespan wouldn’t be very long.
If you exclude him, the only high elf left would be Siyan, and since she couldn’t fulfill her role, it was clear that she was feeling a lot of pressure from herself and the people around her.
‘That’s sad.’
Raon thought of the answer to Siyan’s question and slowly opened his lips.
“If I didn’t have a goal, I wouldn’t have held a sword and lived a normal life. However, if I had something to accomplish, I would have held the sword even if I didn’t have the talent.”
“Until the end?”
“Yes. I would never have given up.”
Although he didn’t reveal the details, he gave his answer with all his sincerity.
"I don't know what you read, Siyan, but it's true that Raon is overflowing with talent."
“As expected….”
“However.”
Rimmer smiled faintly and sat down on Siyan’s bed.
"That guy put in more effort than anyone I've ever seen. He was the first to come out to the training ground and the last to leave. I guarantee you, there's no one his age who has trained more than him."
He patted the blanket, saying that Raon’s current strength was created by more than just talent, but by his relentless efforts.
“That’s right. When I first saw young master Raon, he was a monster who only had training on his mind.”
"Even when he comes home, he only trains!"
Dorian and Yua also said that Raon’s real talent was his effort.
“Ha, but in the book, it says that you can imitate swordsmanship after seeing it once….”
“I can imitate it, but that’s not swordsmanship, it’s just a trick. Training is the only answer to improve your skill.”
Raon nodded, looking at Siyan’s trembling shoulders under the blanket.
“Effort….”
Siyan’s voice sounded both depressed and bright.
“If it’s hard, give up.”
Rimmer ruffled Siyan’s hair and smiled.
“G, give up? Who will purify with the World Tree then!”
“Leave it to the next high elf.”
He nodded, telling her to relax.
“Since grandfather has been purifying the continent with the World Tree like a perfectionist, it will last for 40 years even if he dies. Wouldn’t a new high elf be born by then?”
“But….”
“Siyan. The world is a big place and there’s a lot to do. Don’t give up on yourself just because you’re trapped by your duty.”
Rimmer smiled gently, as if he truly cared for his sister.
Raon watched silently.
‘She has a strong sense of responsibility.’
As soon as Rimmer told her to give up, Siyan brought up the subject of purification ritual.
It meant that even though she was ignored by the other elves, she didn’t forget what she had to do.
"I don't know much about the Elf world, but..."
He continued, looking at the blue eyes that were shining under the blanket.
“Aren’t you curious about what kind of expressions the elves who ignored you as an incompetent high elf will make when they see you changed? They’ll probably be speechless and just open their mouths.”
The shocked expressions that the other children had shown him during his trainee days came to mind.
“Ah….”
Siyan’s eyes trembled with excitement at the thought of it.
"And even if you've done your best and it still doesn't work out, giving up is also an option. The important thing here is to acknowledge that you've done your best. Even if you can deceive others, you can't deceive yourself."
"Doing your best..."
Siyan murmured the word 'doing your best' from under the blanket.
"And Siyan, you're not lacking in everything."
“What?”
“You made Nadine bread, didn't you? I really like it. And there's one more person who likes it, besides me."
Raon smiled softly, thinking of Glenn.
“That’s right. You haven’t tested all of your abilities yet. Think carefully.”
Rimmer patted Siyan’s head and got out of bed.
“We’re going to go. Get some rest.”
He waved as he left.
“……..”
Siyan didn’t say anything.
“Then I’ll go too.”
“T, thank you!”
As Raon followed Rimmer out, Siyan’s voice came from under the blanket. She seemed to have found some courage, as her voice was half a tone higher.
“Wow, I’m being discriminated against in Zieghart and here too. I can’t live like this.”
Rimmer muttered that he was annoyed, but he left the room with a smile on his lips.
“Have a good rest.”
Raon followed Rimmer out, chuckling, and looked to the right.
‘But….’
He frowned as he saw Wrath floating in the air, his chin resting on his hand.
‘Why are you so quiet?’
Wrath, who had said he would kill Siyan as soon as he saw her, was strangely quiet.
That high elf woman.
‘What?’
Wrath turned around and frowned.
She’s blocked.
* * *
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After everyone left, Siyan crawled out of the blanket like a turtle.
“That’s right. Handsome Raon. No, Sir Raon too….”
He hadn’t gotten to where he was now just on talent.
The Raon she had seen in person had a different aura than the others. He had a natural presence that drew attention, and although she thought it was just as she had seen in the books, Raon himself seemed to have gone through a lot of hardships.
“Effort….”
Surely she had made an effort. Maybe she had spent more time on resonance training than the other Elves outside, who spent their time with aura and summoning spirits.
But if she was asked if she had tried her best, she couldn’t answer for sure.
There were times when she was lazy, and times when she couldn’t concentrate because she was worried about the other elves’ eyes, and times when she just gave up and went to sleep.
“Even if you can deceive others, you can't deceive yourself."
That's right. The time I wasted in vain remained in my mind.
“Maybe I’ll try a little bit more….”
After hearing advice from Raon, whom she considered an idol while reading the book, the desire to give up disappeared and the desire to try harder arose.
Especially, the thought of how the reactions of the Elves who had looked down on her would change intrigued her.
To be honest, she had quite a deep desire to receive attention and praise from everyone.
Siyan got out of bed and closed her eyes.
‘I don’t have the courage to go outside yet.’
She held the book of the biography of Raon Zieghart tightly in her hands and focused her mind on uniting with the nature.
* * *
Raon smiled faintly as he looked around the designated lodging.
“It’s no different from a human’s lodging.”
Erian had given him a building that had been touched by human hands as his lodging. It was comfortable, but he regretted it a little because he wanted to stay in a tree house once.
Raon unpacked his things and left the lodging. He wanted to feel the pure mana of Seipia more deeply, so he looked around, but the elves stopped walking one by one.
“Is that a human?”
“How can a human possess such pure mana..."
"Cleaner than us. Almost at the level of a spirit."
“Is he really the contractor of the Spirit King, as Sir Erian said?”
“I don’t know if he’s the contractor or not, but I can see the possibility."
The elves gasped or looked at Raon with admiration.
“That’s ridiculous. Why would the Spirit King contract with a human?”
“That’s right. I’ve never heard of a human contracting with the Spirit King.”
“I don’t understand Sir Erian. Why does he like him so much….”
Some elves shook their heads and dismissed it as nonsense.
‘So it was that elf’s doing.’
Seeing Erian's name mentioned, it was clear that the stubborn Elf had spread the story of the Spirit King throughout Seipia.
'There really are no normal people around the division leader.'
Raon shook his head and walked away, avoiding the elves’ gazes. As he walked where the elves’ eyes couldn’t reach, he soon found himself in front of a small courtyard.
‘Is this a training ground?’
Judging from the arrows and wooden swords around, it seemed like a training ground for elves to practice archery and swordsmanship.
‘A training ground always makes me feel at ease.’
That's because you're obsessed with training!
Wrath frowned as he looked at Raon.
Let's stop wasting time and go back. The King of Essence is hungry!
The guy was smacking his lips, saying he wanted to try the delicacies that Rimmer had mentioned.
‘Before that.’
Raon grabbed Wrath’s tail and pulled him forward.
‘What do you mean Lady Siyan is blocked?’
Blocked means blocked.
‘So explain it in detail.’
That high elf woman. The part you guys call the upper energy center is completely blocked.
‘Isn’t it usually blocked? It’s natural to break through it as your realm rises.’
Some children’s upper energy centers are already open from the moment of their birth, but it usually opens up upon becoming a Grandmaster for most people. Raon himself was a special case, the upper energy center opened up during his growth.
That's right. But that woman has something else besides her own wall.
'Something else?'
The King of Essence himself doesn't know what it is. But it's clear that something quite deep and dark is blocking it.
‘Why didn't Sir Sterin know about it?’
She was born that way, so he probably thought it was natural. Besides, that old High Elf can't see what the King of Essence sees.
Wrath raised his nose, declaring himself to be of higher status.
'Blocked....'
Raon touched his chin, lowering his head.
‘It looked very difficult.’
Having experienced similar gazes while living as collateral line in Zieghart, he could somewhat understand her. Also Seeing Rimmer worry so much as he left Siyan's room, he wanted to help her if he could.
'The upper energy center... Hmm?'
When Raon was lost in thought, he heard the sharp sound of the wind from the right forest.
Raon drew Heavenly Drive without even thinking. His swordsmanship was steady even in the midst of the crisis. He thought he could handle anything that came his way.
Jjeoreureureung!
The swordsmanship crumbled like a sandcastle, and a white arrow pierced through the defenses.
With his empty left hand, Raon drew the Blade of Requiem and erected a barrier.
Whoaaa!
A shield of flames rose like moonlight, blocking the path of the arrow.
Piiing!
However, the white arrow, like a living creature, did not aim for the left side where the Flame Wall was erected, but for the right shoulder.
Zheo-reung!
Raon hastily retrieved Heavenly Drive and barely managed to deflect the arrow.
"Argh...."
His hand tingled fiercely. The force contained within the arrow was mightier than that of a Grandmaster swordsman.
Uuuuuuuung!
Furthermore, the arrow only bounced off slightly before returning and emitting a sharp aura.
"This arrow is..."
"It's quite something, isn't it?"
As the forest parted where the arrow had flown, Sterin's figure emerged. His towering stature resembled that of Rimmer, with confident strides.
"Why did the Protector suddenly..."
"You gave my granddaughter, who had been sitting down, the strength to stand up, so I had to do something in return."
As Sterin gestured, the white arrow floating in the air was sucked into his hand.
"He said he wanted you to see my enchantment and gain inspiration?"
He smiled faintly as he nocked the arrow onto his bow.
"If you can take it, feel free to do so."
