N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 618
Raon finished all preparations to return to Zieghart and left his lodging.
"Are you all ready?"
Judiel and Juvel had finished preparing long ago and were sitting under a nearby tree, waiting.
"Yes. I don't have anything to take with me."
Judiel showed him the small bundle she was holding in her hand and smiled faintly. Her expression was alive. It seemed like the dam of her emotions had burst since she met her younger brother.
"I only brought a dagger and night clothes, so I'm ready to go like this."
Juvel pointed to his waist where he had hidden his dagger and smiled awkwardly.
"Hmmm…Maybe because you’re siblings, even your smiles look similar. Let's go."
Raon waved to them and headed towards the village exit. Before reaching the gate, he saw members of the Sran tribe standing in formation, ready to open it.
"Tribe leader."
Raon approached the Sran tribe leader, who was standing in the middle of the tribe members, and bowed his head.
"Thank you for everything. Thanks to you, I had a good rest."
"Rest? All I saw was you getting beaten every day."
The tribe leader chuckled, looking Raon up and down.
"That's how I rest."
"As expected, your spirit is unbeatable. I still see you in my dreams. The red eyes you showed that night are unforgettable."
He shivered his shoulders, saying that he could still feel the momentum he had when he stopped the fight.
"I'm sorry. I was in a hurry at that time..."
"No, thank you."
The tribe leader shook his head, taking Raon's hand.
"I was also blinded by rage back then. If it weren't for you, many of our children would have died."
He closed his eyes slowly, saying that he was truly grateful.
"If you have any trouble in the future, please contact me anytime. If you call, I and these guys will put everything aside and run to you."
The Sran tribe leader spread his arms wide, indicating the entire tribe.
"What's that...?"
"Our Sran tribe will never forget a favor. Thanks to you, everyone survived, so the whole tribe owes you their lives. Even if we have to stake our lives, we'll help you."
"That's right! Just say the word anytime!"
"I'll come running even if I'm in the middle of eating!"
"I'll come even if I'm taking a dump!"
"It's fine anytime, just let us know!"
The Sran members also raised their clenched fists as if to say that they would definitely help.
"You don't have to do that. I came to follow Judiel..."
"No matter what the reason, you saved us, didn't you? Don't worry. A life for a life."
"Hmm..."
Raon nodded his head. It was so burdensome to talk about life while being told not to feel burdened.
"That's right!"
A voice that shook the ground seemed to come from behind the village restaurant on the right.
Ogram came out, kicking open the door, chewing on a piece of meat the size of a club.
"Beast Union leader?"
Tha, that!
Wrath's eyes widened as he pointed at Ogram's meat.
The King of Essence also wants to eat that meat too!
He clung to Raon's shoulder, saying that he wanted to rip and eat the meat like that.
'Just stay quiet for a bit.'
Raon pushed Wrath away and looked at Ogram.
"What they said is correct...."
"It's right to repay kindness with kindness!"
Ogram, with arms as thick as adult men's thighs, tore into the meat and approached.
"There is no need to refuse or feel burdened. It's just taking what you deserve."
He laughed refreshingly and patted Raon on the shoulder.
"That's right."
Garona nodded in agreement, standing next to Ogram. Despite the bruises all over his face, he didn't lose his smile.
"Our Beast Union has a clear sense of gratitude more than any other faction. Since brother saved the Sran tribe, it's only natural for them to risk their lives for you."
Raon took a step back and looked at the Sran tribe leader and tribe members. He didn't see any false expressions on their faces, as Ogram or Garona had said.
Everyone, big or small, seemed to genuinely want to help him.
"Of course I feel the same way! I can give all my bones and flesh for my brother!"
Garona patted his chest and shouted to call him anytime.
'Ah….'
Raon waved his hands quickly and looked at the people standing in front of him.
'Did I make another connection?'
It wasn't intentional, but a series of overlapping coincidences seemed to have forged yet another positive relationship for him.
As Garona said, if he refused any further, it would be disrespectful to them, so he made up his mind and came forward.
"Thank you. I will gratefully accept the kindness of the Sran tribe."
Raon bowed his head to the entire Sran tribe.
"Of course! Think of us as brothers."
The Sran tribe leader bowed his head in return and showed a sincere smile.
After greeting the Sran tribe, Raon turned his gaze to Juvel. The guy, who understood the meaning of his gaze, came forward.
"I'm sorry!"
Juvel bowed at a right angle to the Sran tribe.
"I deceived all of you. I have nothing to say. I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay."
The Sran tribe leader nodded calmly. The other tribe members looked at Juvel calmly, without malice in their eyes.
"Yes?"
Juvel's eyes widened in surprise at the reaction.
"Anyone would have done the same if they had lived like you. Thank you for having the courage to come forward."
The Sran tribe leader approached Juvel.
"Next time, come as Juvel, not Philip."
He said that and grabbed Juvel's shoulder.
“…….”
Juvel bowed his head again. His shoulders trembled slightly and warm tears fell, wetting the ground.
"Brother!"
Garona approached Raon and slung his arm over his shoulder.
"I heard you have grasped the Raging Sea. Can you share the secret?"
He asked, raising his hand in request. There was no hint of jealousy. He genuinely sought advice. His pure and innocent nature was comforting to be around.
"Believe in yourself."
Raon gave him the best advice he could give at the moment. The Raging Sea is a martial art that requires self-realization, so giving him any more hints could have prevented him from achieving enlightenment.
"Myself?"
Garona tilted his head in confusion.
"Brother! Simplify it! Explain it more easily and comfortably..."
"You fool!"
Ogram slammed Garona's head, who was about to ask another question.
"Aaaakk..."
With a thud-like sound, Garona collapsed to the ground.
"That's enough advice. There's no easy path!" Ogram scowled and slung the fallen Garona over his shoulder.
"Hm...You've worked hard."
"No, I haven't."
"If I could give you one last piece of advice, it's that sometimes you have to take the hard road to get further and deeper. Don't end up like this guy. And..."
He took out a yellowed piece of paper from his pocket.
"This is a letter for your head of the house. Make sure he sees it."
"Understood."
He accepted Ogram's letter and tucked it into his inner pocket.
"Then go."
Ogram waved him off as if urging him to leave.
After nodding respectfully to Ogram, Raon turned away. He waved his hand at Judiel and Juvel, who showed both smiles and tears.
"Let's go back. To Zieghart."
* * *
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Rimmer stood at the center of fifth training ground, drawing his sword with his prosthetic arm. It felt entirely different. But his spirit was burning hotter than ever.
He swung his sword lightly, as if practicing basic swordsmanship. The sunlight danced off the sleek blade, casting graceful reflections.
The wind that followed the blade cut a deep black mark on the ground.
'Not bad.'
Rimmer smacked his lips and infused the mana circuit of his prosthetic arm with a slightly stronger aura. The wind energy stored in the energy center surged and a powerful wind burst out of his hand.
'Good.'
Once I get used to the feeling, it won't be much different from my original arm.
The prosthetic arm made by Encia moved as naturally as his original arm, and using wind energy was even stronger.
It seemed to be because the branch of the World Tree embedded in his arm amplified the wind energy.
'I never thought it would be this good to use my arm again.'
They say humans have to experience loss to find happiness. And that was true.
'I might not just maintain, I can become even stronger.'
At first, Rimmer had vowed not to be a hindrance in the Light Wind division, but after receiving the prosthetic arm, the path of martial arts that had been blocked for him was slowly opening up. It seemed that if he continued to train like this, he might even surpass his prime.
'Life is really strange.'
It's so strange how life works. When you want something, it ignores you, but when you give up, that's when light appears. The god of martial arts is truly capricious.
Cheeeeeeee!
Rimmer narrowed his eyes and released the wind energy that had gathered in his palm like an explosion.
Woooooom!
A green gust of wind emerged above the silver sword, brushing against the sky and stirring up a gentle breeze that cooled the sweat-drenched foreheads of the Light Wind swordsmen.
Rimmer lowered his sword and touched the shoulder of the prosthetic arm. The connection was smooth and there was no discomfort at all. It felt like he could wear it for the rest of his life.
'I owe a great debt.'
And that to both of them.
He was grateful to Encia for making the prosthetic arm, and to Raon for bringing all the materials for the prosthetic arm to be made.
Rimmer put the sword back in its scabbard, thinking about what he could do for the two of them.
Hoo.
As he regulated his breath and stabilized the aura, the training ground door opened, and Dorian entered.
"Sir Raon is returning!"
Dorian waved at everyone in the fifth training ground and smiled brightly.
"Hmm...."
Rimmer looked up at the suddenly darkening sky and licked his lips.
'That guy. Why do I have a feeling he's going to cause trouble today?'
* * *
The office of the master of Central Martial Palace.
Thud, thud.
A rough knocking sound came from outside the office of the master of Central Martial Palace, which had a splendid and dignified atmosphere.
"Come in."
Karoon set down his teacup and nodded.
The door opened carefully, unlike the knock, and his steward came in and bowed his head.
"Raon Zieghart is returning," he said.
"He's quite late."
"There are rumors that he learned martial arts from the Beast King."
"He's not even a raccoon, yet he seems to eat everything he's given."
Karoon tapped the desk with his long fingers.
"So I think you should go to the audience chamber now."
"Is it a summon from the head of house?"
"Yes."
"Every time that bastard returns, it's turned into a family event to summon everyone."
He frowned as if he didn't like it.
"By the way...."
The steward glanced around discreetly.
"Should we just stay still like this? If Raon Zieghart reveals that Judiel was affiliated with the Central Martial Palace..."
"We've severed the connection and erased all evidence. It would be meaningless even if he spoke."
Karoon nodded calmly as if he had checked all the situations.
"And I think he won't say anything."
"Yes?"
"Raon Zieghart values his people more than anyone else. He's bound to back down quietly to prevent harm to his people."
"Then...."
"Yes. It's a silent deal I'm making. I'll overlook this incident in exchange for not touching Judiel and her brother. He's a smart guy, so he'll know what to do."
He narrowed his eyes as if he had predicted all of Raon's thoughts.
Karoon emptied his almost empty teacup and stood up.
"Then let's go. We can't afford to be late if we want to demonstrate that everything is fine."
"As you wish."
The steward opened the door to the office.
Karoon put on his splendid uniform with the Zieghart emblem and stepped out of the office. His eyes flashed coldly like an owl hunting in the darkness.
'Raon Zieghart.'
You are what I cannot tolerate.
* * *
Raon entered the audience chamber and glanced to his left. He saw Karoon standing in front of the pillar closest to the platform.
'He's calm.'
He looked ahead with an indifferent gaze, as if he had judged that I wouldn't say anything.
'I can see your thoughts clearly.'
But I'm not a simple person.
He stood in the center of the audience chamber, vowing to crush that annoying expression.
"I greet the head of house."
He knelt down in the center of the audience chamber and bowed his head.
"I greet the head of house!"
Judiel and Juvel, who followed behind, also bowed their heads. Thankfully, they didn't shake and showed proper manners, thanks to the training they had received.
"Rise."
He raised his head at Glenn's call. He stared straight ahead with a stiff expression, as if he were a mannequin.
"Raon Zieghart."
"Yes."
"You said you were training nearby, so why did you go to the Sran tribe?"
Glenn tilted his head with his fist under his chin.
'Now I understand what that means.'
The meaning of that expression and posture was to tell those present here what he had experienced.
"I will explain from the beginning."
Raon bowed his head and pointed to Judiel behind him.
"I have one personal maid."
"Her name is Judiel."
Judiel came forward and bowed her waist.
"She has a younger brother whom she separated from when she was young. I found out about it and promised to find her brother somehow. I had been requesting information from the Black Market and was waiting, and...."
Raon briefly explained what had happened.
"...and that's how we were able to return together."
After explaining everything, there was a brief silence in the audience chamber.
"Hmm, made a promise and actually kept it."
Glenn recited in a low voice. His lips trembled as if a strange memory had surfaced.
"It's a simple thing to do, but it's also very difficult."
"That's right!"
Aris raised her hand enthusiastically.
"In an era where promises are discarded like trash, a guy who follows through on a maid's promise until the end is something you won't see again."
She nodded vigorously as if she was impressed.
"I personally don't think it's meaningful, but it's admirable."
"Yeah. It was a very knightly thing to do."
"I heard he single-handedly blocked the assassins and the Sran tribe. It's quite remarkable."
The other executives also laughed or raised their fingers as if to say "well done."
"It was an act worthy of Zieghart's swordsman! Of course, I wouldn't have made such promise myself!"
Balder nodded, praising him, but admitted it was something he wouldn't have done himself.
“…….”
"Good work. You did well."
Karoon said nothing, and Denier just smiled faintly.
"Ahem! Although it was clearly a personal matter, since he made one of the Six Kings indebted to him, we can't say it's insignificant."
Glenn coughed and covered his mouth with his hand. At the same time, his speech sped up, but strangely, his pronunciation didn't slur. It seemed like he was speaking with his mouth wide open.
"Therefore, Raon Ziegha...."
"Head of house."
Raon raised a hand to his chest and bowed his head.
"There is still something I need to say."
"What is it?"
"I mentioned earlier that my maid was separated from her younger brother when she was young."
"Indeed."
"The one responsible for that incident is someone else, damn it!"
He covered his mouth in a similar way to Glenn as he spoke.
"The scum who caused a beloved sibling to be separated..."
Raon chewed his lips, containing both anger and sorrow. Tears welled up in his eyes as he pounded the ground with his fist.
"Sob...."
"Ugh...."
Judiel and Juvel also knelt down, bowed their heads, and began to sob.
"Who is it!"
Balder raised his fist as if he were about to go after them immediately.
"I'll take care of that bastard!"
"You stay still, I'll kill him."
Aris gritted her teeth.
"Enough of this."
Glenn leaned forward, furrowing his brow. There seemed to be a glint in his red eyes.
"Speak up. Who's responsible for this?"
"Um...."
As if frightened, Raon bit his lip and then turned his gaze to Karoon. Following his gaze, everyone's eyes in the audience chamber turned to Karoon.
Raon twitched the corner of his mouth as he looked at Karoon's eyes, which had suddenly distorted.
Wow….would you look at this....
Wrath looked at Raon, who was forcibly narrowing his broad shoulders, and shook his head.
Just throw away your sword and start your acting career already!
