N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 615
"What did Raon do to make you smile like that my lord?" Sheryl glanced at Glenn, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Hmm.”
Rimmer nodded.
“Did Raon offer you water or something? Flowers of laughter are blooming on your face.”
He chuckled as if he had a rough idea of what was going on.
“Ahem!”
Glenn cleared his throat and forced a stern expression on his face. But the corners of his mouth seemed to twitch as if trying to rise again against his will.
"It's nothing much."
"For something that's 'nothing much,' it's a facial expression I've never seen before."
Roenn approached the platform with a chuckle.
“No, it's not.”
Glenn shook his head and frowned.
‘Did they all see that….’
He thought he had covered his face with the report, but he seemed to have lowered his hand unconsciously because he was so happy with Raon's accomplishment.
Feeling embarrassed, he felt a flush creeping up his face, but he managed to suppress it with his aura.
"Alright, I get it. Why doesn't my lord tell us what Raon did? I'm so curious I can't stand it."
Rimmer pointed at the report with his hand.
"Well, if you're that curious, I suppose I can't help it."
As Glenn nodded and was about to raise the report again, the door of audience chamber burst open and Aris walked in.
“Father!”
She ran towards the center, raising her voice as if she knew something.
“I heard Raon's report arrived!”
“How did you….”
Glenn narrowed his eyes as if he couldn't understand.
"I have stationed one of my men in the Shadow Agents' office," Aris chuckled, explaining that the operative had managed to stay within the organization and gather valuable information.
“Ahem….”
Glenn turned to Chad with a fierce look in his eyes.
Hiccup!
Chad froze, shoulders trembling. He seemed to be so tense that he even started hiccupping involuntarily.
“Don't pressure the master of the Shadow Agents for no reason. Just read the report quickly. Isn't that right?”
Aris patted Chad's head and stepped forward.
“Heww.”
Glenn sighed helplessly and turned his gaze to the report.
"He said he was going for training, but in reality..."
He recounted everything Raon had done at the Sran Tribe.
"What's with this guy?"
Aris burst into laughter as she heard the report.
"He single-handedly stopped the skirmish between the Sran Tribe and the assassins? Does that even make sense?"
"That's what happened."
Roenn blinked blankly.
"It's not an exaggeration to call it an achievement when there isn't a single casualty in the Sran tribe."
He nodded his head enthusiastically, as if to convey that Raon had achieved a great feat.
"No matter how high one's affinity to fire is, it wouldn't have been an easy task. Anyway, it's astonishing how talented he is."
Sheryl smiled as if she was most pleased that Raon had saved many people.
"It may not be a remarkable feat, but it's commendable that he made an effort."
Glenn shook his head with a calm look. However, the corners of his mouth were trembling.
"Oh! I'll go out for a bit!"
Aris raised her hand and stepped back.
“What? Where?”
Glenn frowned.
"If Raon saved the entire Sran tribe, then the Beast King, as I know his character, is sure to hold a celebration festival! I have to participate!"
Aris assumed a posture of urgency, insisting she couldn't be late.
"You, just stay put for once!"
Glenn stopped Aris and looked at the report again.
‘Come to think of it….’
He looked at the last line of the report again.
[I think my return will be a bit late because the Beast King wouldn't let me go, that's why I'm sending the report first.]
Raon wrote in the last line that he was sending this report first because he was forced to stay in the Sran village by the Beast King Ogram.
‘Could it be alcohol….’
He had only had drinks with him twice, but he felt a rush of heat to his head as he imagined Raon drinking with the Beast King.
‘Should I kill him?’
As Glenn was seriously considering this, Rimmer, who noticed his expression, glared at him.
"No! Please, head of the house, hold yourself back!"
* * *
An unnamed forest outside the Beast Union territory.
Karoon slammed his trembling fist into the hard, dark ground.
Kuwoooooooooong!
A huge crack appeared in the ground where his fist struck, as if an earthquake had occurred.
"Damn them!"
Karoon continued to slam his fists down, seemingly unable to contain his anger, revealing the anger he had been holding back in front of Ogram.
After vomiting his frustration for a while, he finally lowered his hand, even letting black blood trickle from his mouth.
However, the forest was already too badly damaged to be repaired and had turned into ruins.
“Ugh….”
Karoon wiped the black blood from his lips.
‘The pain won't subside.’
The pain in his abdomen, where Ogram had hit him, was getting worse and worse.
It was the Beast King’s martial arts that pierced through his astral sphere barrier and physical defenses and sent the shock straight into his body.
‘I guess there's no other way.’
Karoon frowned and put his hand on his abdomen. The moment a faint blue light emanated from his palm, the blood flowing from his mouth turned back to red.
“Huff.”
Karoon adjusted his breathing for a while and then stood up. He straightened his posture and returned to his original noble appearance, and then flicked his finger lightly.
"You called?"
Maximian, the first secretary of Central Martial Palace who had been hiding his body, stepped forward and bowed.
"Who was the one giving orders to that woman?"
"It was Steward Berif, Sir."
"You'd better shut his mouth."
Karoon nodded, looking up at the night sky.
"If it’s Berif, he won't open his mouth no matter what torture he goes through."
Since shutting his mouth meant killing him and shutting Berif's mouth, Maximian bowed his head as if to ask for mercy.
"I told you to shut his mouth."
Karoon's gaze sank down so chillingly that it constricted his throat.
"...I will take action."
Maximian trembled his shoulders thinly and bowed his head. He turned to leave but stopped.
"But if Raon Zieghart has already sent report to the family, it could escalate the problem."
"No."
Karoon shook his head firmly.
"Even if he sent a report, it will not contain anything about me. Raon Zieghart isn't someone who moves without solid evidence."
"But the head of house..."
"Even if Father is aware of the situation, he won't take action. There's a strong likelihood that scoundrel Raon will conduct his own investigation upon his return. As soon as he's back, sever all ties with the spies."
"Understood."
Maximian closed his lips and stepped back.
Karoon gazed into the darkness of the forest, contemplating his next move.
'Raon Zieghart...'
Judging by Judiel's reaction, Raon must already know everything.
Yet, intervening in this matter amounted to a declaration of war against me.
'If he wants to die, I'll grant him that.'
So far, I haven't laid a finger on him directly.
No, I haven't even indirectly interfered with him much. That's because I thought he was a worthless guy who wasn't worth my time.
But it was him who crossed the line first. So I have to show him how foolish that was.
Squeeze.
Karoon clenched his fist so hard that it made a sound.
'I'll make you regret today's actions for the rest of your life.'
No, he won't even have time to regret it.
* * *
Gulp.
Raon swallowed dryly as he watched the pile of empty liquor jars in front of him.
'...Is he drinking again?'
Didn't he drink a lot yesterday?
He had emptied ten liquor jars from last night until this afternoon, and more jars kept being delivered out of nowhere.
It was so absurd that he couldn't even close his mouth.
'This is crazy.'
He could handle his liquor, but seeing such a large amount made him sigh involuntarily.
'Especially because of the cotton candy next to me.'
Raon looked at Wrath, who was snoring on his shoulder.
This cotton candy, when he drank, would start:
Kweeeeeeeeek! It tastes disgusting! What do you humans see in this stuff? Spit it out right now!
Then, when he picked up some food, he would start:
Uhehehehehe! It's delicious! These savages actually know how to make good food! The grilled meat is especially top-notch!
And when he drank again:
You drunkard! Stop drinking so much! Eat some food!
If he didn't like the alcohol, he could just go into the bracelet and sleep, but instead, he kept babbling beside him, making his ears ring.
Ooooh...
Even now, he dreamed in his sleep and wagged his tongue, clearly thinking about last night's foods.
"It's a good day. Isn't it?"
Ogram smiled broadly at the Sran tribe leader.
"Yes, it is! A good day, good people, and good liquor!"
The Sran tribe leader also smiled heartily. Perhaps because there were no fatalities, despite some injuries in the Sran tribe, he seemed to be in a good mood.
"Brothers!"
As they chuckled at the sight of twenty liquor jars being filled, a voice, familiar from somewhere, rang out from the right.
"Hmm?"
They turned to see a young man who was even bigger than Ogram running towards them, two liquor jars in his hands.
"Garona?"
The young man holding the liquor jars was Garona of the Black Beast tribe, who Raon had fought in the Conference of the Six Kings. He had grown even bigger than before. With his current size, it seemed like he wasn't the Dragon Slaying Beast (Garona’s nickname), but a Dragon himself.
"It's been a while! Brother!"
"Why am I your brother?"
"Didn't we fight a duel where our souls clashed? That makes us brothers!"
Garona laughed as if it were obvious.
"Heh..."
Raon chuckled.
'He hasn't changed at all.'
Garona had proposed that they were brothers right after he lost to Raon in the Conference of the Six Kings duel tournament. He acknowledged the result, shouting that Raon had won. It seemed that it wasn't a joke, but genuine sincerity.
"Why are you here? You must have been assigned a task?"
Ogram frowned at Garona.
"They say my brother saved the Sran tribe. How could I stand idly by? When you said you were looking for liquor, I brought everything!"
Garona stood proudly with a confident look in his eyes.
"That's… well! Come and join us!"
Ogram, instead of scolding him for coming here, praised him and sat Garona down next to him.
The people of the Beast Union seemed to live by their reflexes rather than their instincts.
"Bring out the ingredients!"
At Garona's gesture, colorful ingredients were brought down from the backs of the beasts. The Beast Union's chefs started preparing food and lit fires here and there.
Oh! From now on, you're the King of Essence's brothers!
Wrath nodded his head vigorously at Garona.
'Why it's so easy to become brothers...'
Raon shook his head in disbelief. Whether as a subordinate or a brother, as long as you gave him something to eat, that was it. Was there another demon king this easy?
"Since another good lad has arrived, let's start again!"
Ogram raised not a glass of liquor, but a jar of liquor.
"Good! Brother! You too, come and join us!"
Garona poured liquor into a jar even larger than Ogram's and handed it to Raon.
"Brother you should have big stomach, so this is the size you should drink from!"
"..."
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at the liquor sloshing like a sea in the jar.
'Can someone please save me?'
He glanced around, wondering.
Judiel and Juvel were busy talking about what had happened, and Risrin was having a lively conversation among the Sran tribe members.
"Ah, it was definitely risky! Risky, but! Once I thought I had to save people, I wasn't afraid at all, just valuing life…"
He wondered why an informant who lived as an assassin talks so much.
"Ugh..."
He gave up and picked up the jar Garona had given him.
Foods! Eat the foods first!
Wrath was pointing his hands at the food being filled in front of the liquor.
"Drink up!"
"Cheers!"
Today is a festival!
"..."
Raon closed his eyes tightly as he listened to Ogram and Garona's roars and Wrath's complaint.
'I miss home...'
* * *
The drinking party continued for over two days.
Ogram and Garona drank liquor like water, or rather, like air, without getting drunk.
"Ugh..."
Raon lowered his empty glass and shook his shoulders.
'It's getting tough now.'
Thanks to the Ring of Fire, he didn't get drunk, but now he felt like his strength was leaving his body just by drinking liquor.
Heehee...
After enjoying the food to the fullest, Wrath had gone into the ice flower bracelet and was enjoying a deep sleep.
'I want to stop.'
Sitting and drinking only made him itch to swing his sword around.
"Grrrrrrrrrrrr."
Ogram put down his glass and let out a roar that shook the ground.
"Phew..."
Garona, too, leaned against the wall and breathed heavily.
"Well, then..."
Ogram turned his shoulders and stood up.
'Is it finally over?'
Raon raised his lips. Now that this drinking session was ending, a smile naturally crept onto his face.
Kwooong!
However, Ogram came back with another huge liquor jar. It was the biggest jar out of all of them so far.
"Shall we start the second round?"
"Ahahahaha! Sounds good!"
Garona approached as if he hadn't tired at all.
"Why don't you join us, brother?"
He gestured for him to come quickly. Raon wanted to smack his glittering forehead with his palm.
Raon trembled with a pale face.
'Drink more here?'
They were truly obsessed with liquor. They seemed like they would get along well with the Gambling Monster.
'Ugh...'
Raon groaned and stood up. He no longer had the strength to be at this drinking party.
"Union leader."
"Just call me brother!"
Ogram waved his hand.
"I have a question. May I ask it?"
"Anything!"
He waved his hand as if telling him to say anything.
"When you delivered the third punch to the master of the Central Martial Palace, it appeared as though you disregarded his defense entirely. Is that an accurate assessment of what occurred?"
To change the situation, Raon asked about the most interesting thing that had happened so far.
"Did you see that?"
Ogram raised an eyebrow as if intrigued.
"It's called Rampage. Brother." (격해) (Geakhae)
Garona emptied his glass without realizing it and nodded.
"Rampage?"
"It's a martial art that ignores the opponent's defense and directly hits them with one’s own attack. I've been learning it lately."
He shook his head, saying it was a very difficult martial art.
"Indeed, it's a martial arts technique."
Ogram raised himself after emptying his glass.
"You both follow me."
For the first time, he put down his glass and headed towards a small open space next to the village.
Ogram looked back and raised his chin. He seemed to be the most confident and proud in the Six Kings.
"Originally, a fight between warriors is about exchanging offense and defense. It is important who has a stronger attack and who has a more perfect defense. However..."
He clenched his fist. A colorless light shimmered and rose from his large fist.
"If I can directly hit my opponent with my full strength, I can win any fight."
He thrust his fist. It was a slow punch, so slow that it was boring to watch like a turtle crawling, but just looking at it sent a chill down the spine.
Boooom!
Raon reached out to grasp Ogram's fist in an attempt to block it with his aura shield. However, Ogram's fist ignored Raon's barrier and delivered a tremendous impact to his grip.
Kwaaaang!
Unable to control his body, Raon was thrown back and slammed to the ground.
"Ugh..."
He felt a pain as if his wrists were going to be torn off. A shock pierced through the aura shield and directly into his soul, not his flesh. It was enough to make his mind, not his wrist, fly away.
"Rampage was created and developed in that way."
Ogram opened his clenched fist and showed a refreshing smile.
"What do you think? Would you like to learn it?"
