N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Has that old man gone senile from eating only nadine bread?
Wrath opened his eyes wide in disbelief.
‘Be quiet.’
Raon covered Wrath's mouth and looked at Glenn.
‘What the hell is going on?’
Even though the information about the Five Demons that he had given Glenn was special, it wasn't something Glenn couldn't have predicted at all. Suddenly giving him martial arts books was far from a normal reward.
‘What kind of trick did that idiot elf pull this time...’
He couldn't understand what kind of scheme was involved that made Glenn give away five martial arts books for such a small piece of information.
"Are you really giving these martial arts books to me, my lord?"
"No need to be so surprised."
Glenn shook his head with a serene look, like moonlight covered by clouds.
"I’m just giving you the books I was going to discard."
He waved his hand, as if to say he had merely brought out martial arts books he was originally going to throw away.
‘Hmm...’
Raon swallowed a groan and scanned the names of the books one by one.
"Destroying Star Sword Technique, Blood Chasing Steps, Remaining Wind Sword Technique, Flowing River Body Technique..."
There were five books in total, and their names were anything but ordinary. Though he didn't know their actual level, the titles alone suggested they were all advanced martial arts.
"All of these are martial arts with a few screws loose. However, after seeing the Shining Light Style you created, I thought it better to give them to you than to throw them away. There's no need to thank me."
Glenn's voice was calm and indifferent, as if it meant nothing, but his speech was longer than usual and his voice trembled slightly.
"Again, they're not great martial arts. They’re just the price for the information you provided, so there's no need to thank me."
When Raon was about to bow in gratitude, Glenn beat him to it.
"Even so, thank you very much."
Raon smiled faintly and bowed to Glenn. Even if they were manuals intended for discarding, there was definitely something to learn from them. He was just grateful.
"Ahem!"
Glenn cleared his throat and turned back towards the lake. The sky was dark, so his face was not visible, but his earlobes seemed to be burning red, as if they were scalded.
"By the way..."
Glenn glanced back slightly.
"Did that guy... no, did the Light Wind’s vice division leader teach you any martial arts?"
It seemed he already knew about Rimmer.
"Yes, he did."
"What kind of martial arts?"
"Well..."
Raon hid his trembling fingertips.
'Should I say it?'
The martial art that Rimmer had given him was not an ordinary cultivation technique but Garunua, the one practiced by the leader of the guardians of Seipia. If he mentioned it, it wouldn't just be overlooked.
But knowing Rimmer's personality, he would probably talk about it himself, and Glenn might already be aware of it. Lying would be immediately caught.
"It's called Garunua."
Raon sighed and revealed that he had learned Garunua.
"...The Song of the Wind."
Glenn's eyes widened as soon as he heard the name Garunua.
"Yes, that's right."
"Hmm."
He bit his lip as if he already knew about Garunua.
"Head of house. The Light Wind’s vice division leader..."
When Raon tried to make an excuse for Rimmer, Glenn's expression turned extremely serious.
But it wasn’t the look of a diplomat who failed in negotiations, it was more like a swordsman who lost a battle.
"Ugh..."
Glenn looked at the martial arts books he had laid down and groaned in pain.
"My lord?"
"It's nothing!"
He clenched his teeth and turned his head.
"I'll be going now."
Leaving those words behind, Glenn disappeared into the darkness. He moved so fast that his back was no longer visible.
Why is that old man acting like this?
Wrath shook his head in confusion.
‘I don’t know either.’
Raon sighed deeply and picked up the topmost book, the Destroying Star Technique.
"This is..."
Having seen and heard various martial arts recently, he could tell without reading it all.
This martial art was not something to be discarded. It was definitely an advanced martial art. Moreover, its techniques were well-segmented, making it easy to create new martial arts.
‘Did he prepare this for me?’
Come to think of it, Glenn mentioned the Shining Light Style, saying it was better to give it to him. It seemed he had prepared it in advance.
‘Yeah, that must be it.’
It didn't make sense to discard martial arts of this level. He must have intended to give them as a reward for taking care of his mother.
‘Thank you.’
Raon bowed respectfully in the direction Glenn had left. He brushed the dirt off the martial arts books and smiled faintly.
"It's time to return to the training room."
Good decision.
Wrath nodded.
A brat like you should focus properly when you train. If you try to do this and that, you'll accomplish nothing!
‘Ah, thank you for accepting it despite my worries.’
Raon smiled and lightly tapped Wrath's head.
Huh? What do you mean?
‘If I go back to the training room, I'll only be eating nadine bread. I'm glad you're okay with it.’
Oh no! Cancel that! Don’t go in! I hate rubber bread!
‘I'll spread jam on it.’
Aaagh! Rubber is rubber, even if you put jam on it!
* * *
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"Ugh!"
Rimmer tousled his hair as he watched Glenn leave the lake.
"What's wrong with that old man!"
He had been holding back, but now his patience was wearing thin.
"Saying he gave them because they were going to be discarded! That's worse than picking up something off the ground!"
He had set a grand table with baked bread, cooked meat, and sliced vegetables.
All Glenn had to do was use a fork to eat, but instead, Glenn had not only kicked the table over but completely overturned it. His frustration was boiling over.
"Hohoho."
Roenn chuckled gently and shook his head.
"The head of house is shyer than we thought."
"That's not shyness, it's being completely stubborn! Ugh, so frustrating!"
Rimmer raked his hair back, which looked like a bird's nest.
"I did everything for him, but he still acts like that."
He had openly provoked Glenn and given Raon hints on how to obtain the martial arts books from Glenn and Garunua.
Raon acted as expected, but Glenn ignored the clear path of flowers in front of him and jumped into a mud pit. It was truly baffling behavior.
"I have to admit, it's a bit frustrating."
Sheryl nodded as she stood up from the rock she had been leaning against.
"He stayed up all night selecting those martial arts books and then said he was going to discard them. It’s ridiculous."
She sighed, exasperated.
"All night? So he was looking through the books?"
"Yes. He even visited the archives to find martial arts that would match the Light Wind swordsmen."
Sheryl clicked her tongue, saying the books given to Raon were all precious.
"Oh! Hearing that makes me even more upset! This is an internal injury! Internal injury!"
Rimmer pounded his chest and frowned.
"I’m done! I even stopped gambling to help out! Never again! This is harder than matchmaking!"
He said he was going back to gambling and dusted off his hands.
"Isn't the gambling den closed today?"
Roenn tilted his head.
"When does a gambling den or casino ever close?"
"But what about the renovation?"
"Of course that was a lie. Gamblers will play cards in the bathroom if the casino is under renovation."
Rimmer scratched his nose, warning not to underestimate gamblers.
"Why did you suddenly get involved anyway?"
Sheryl narrowed her eyes at Rimmer.
"People say doing unusual things can kill you. Did you catch some kind of illness?"
"I'm an elf."
Rimmer snorted.
"Elves are naturally capricious."
He told them not to treat him like a human and disappeared in the direction of the gambling den.
"If he's not human, then who is?"
Sheryl exhaled in disbelief.
"Hohoho."
Roenn, looking at Raon reading the martial arts book by the lake instead of Rimmer, smiled with pleasure.
"He has grown so much stronger. Soon, we won't be able to reach him."
"Indeed."
Sheryl turned her gaze and nodded.
"When we first saw him, he was just a kid who couldn't even run properly."
She smiled faintly as if recalling old memories.
"You must have a rough idea since you recently saw the Axe King. Do you think young master Raon can win?"
"Right now, it's about 3:7. But…"
Sheryl glanced at the martial arts book Raon was reading and brushed her side hair.
"If that boy creates a new martial art, who knows what will happen."
* * *
"This is strange…."
Chad, the master of the Shadow Agents, kept muttering the word "strange" while resting his forehead on the desk.
"No matter how I think about it, it's strange…."
Why hasn’t he come?
He had expected Raon to seek him out and had prepared for his visit for quite some time, but Raon showed no signs of coming.
‘I don’t get it.’
He had given Raon a hint about how to enter the Saber Sword Sovereign’s tomb, sent Aris to find the tomb's location in case Raon was in danger, and even quickly created a line connecting the tomb to Zieghart.
Lastly, he had written down detailed information about the vice head and his harassment of the annex building and handed it to the Gambling Monster.
He had minimized the time taken by moving directly, without using other informants, yet Raon hadn’t visited or even thanked him.
‘Why?’
If it were Balder, the master of the True Martial Palace, he would understand. Even if he helped him with all his heart, Balder would just say, "Yeah, okay. Good work."
But Raon was different. His nature was similar to his grandfather, Glenn, and he was clear about rewards and favors.
Raon must have recognized the significance of his assistance, so why was he staying silent?
“Whew….”
Chad let out a deep sigh as he stood up.
‘This isn’t something to stay idle about.’
His intuition, honed from years of surviving on reading people, told him. No matter how small Raon was, he was a potential leader, and with a bit of luck, he could even become the head of house.
He couldn't just let go of his relationship with such a person.
'Right. If I don't know, I'll find out myself.'
Chad decided to uncover the reason himself and left his seat.
He immediately went to find Aris, who was packing her things, seemingly preparing to leave the family.
"Chad. What brings you here?"
Aris smiled and waved at him.
"Are you here to see me off?"
"No, it's not that…."
Chad swallowed hard and approached Aris.\
"Lady Aris, didn't you go to the Saber Sword Sovereign’s tomb to protect the leader of the Light Wind?"
"Yes, thanks to that, I was able to save Raon. It was really a dangerous situation."
Aris gave a thumbs-up, saying it was a good decision.
"Did you tell young master Raon about it by any chance?"
"Hmm? Now that you mention it, I didn't. Things were quite urgent."
She giggled and shook her head.
"Ah…."
Chad trembled as he looked into Aris' innocent eyes.
‘Could it be….’
Have they all kept quiet?
The worst-case scenario popped into his mind: Aris, who saved Raon, and the Gambling Monster, who sent the information about the vice head’s misdeeds, hadn't said a word to Raon.
Given that Aris and the Gambling Monster were strong individuals who rarely paid attention to others, this seemed plausible.
"I just greeted Raon a little while ago. It’d be embarrassing to go again, so you should tell him yourself."
Aris patted his shoulder before leaving her quarters.
"Ah…."
Chad stared at her departing back, his mouth agape.
‘Please, no! Please!’
Suppressing the worst-case scenario from his mind, he went to find the Gambling Monster.
The Gambling Monster was drinking while watching former vice head of the senators Killuan digging with a shovel in the annex building.
"Ha! I don’t need any snacks! The liquor goes down! Glug! Glug! Glug, glug!"
"E-Excuse me, Sir."
Chad swallowed hard as he approached the Gambling Monster.
"Oh? It’s Chad."
The Gambling Monster lowered his bottle and nodded.
"Just in time. You had a hand in making those guys dig. Let’s enjoy this together."
He poured liquor into an empty glass and handed it over.
"Th-Thank you. But, Sir Gambling Monster."
Chad took the drink with trembling hands and called the Gambling Monster.
"Did you tell Raon that I compiled information about the vice head and his misdeeds and gave it to you...?"
"Hmm?"
The Gambling Monster rubbed his temples with the bottle and shook his head.
"I can't really remember because I was drunk. Probably did, right?"
He chuckled and took another swig.
"Ugh…."
Chad closed his eyes tightly, resembling Raon.
‘Damn it!’
Now he understood why Raon hadn’t come to see him.
Just as he had feared, neither Aris, the Gambling Monster, nor any others had said a word to Raon.
‘I can’t let this go on.’
As embarrassing as it might be, he had to reveal it himself.
It was awkward to boast about his own deeds, but he had gone through too much to stay silent.
‘Let’s go!’
Chad clenched his fist and headed to the fifth training ground, where Raon was.
* * *
"Until I come out, take care of the Light Wind division and the annex building."
Raon made eye contact with Burren, Martha, and Runaan as he entered the training room of the fifth training ground.
"Alright, don’t worry about it."
Martha nodded confidently.
"Sure."
Runaan promised to have ice cream ready for him when he came out.
"Um…."
Burren approached Raon, tilting his head.
"The sea spirit on your shoulder seems really angry right now?"
The sea spirit that Raon had obtained was currently going wild on his shoulder.
"Oh, it's dancing right now. It’s happy."
Raon lightly patted the spirit’s head, as if it were nothing. The spirit jumped even more, as if filled with madness.
"R-Really?"
Hearing that, it did seem like it was dancing. Although the spirit's eyes were glowing red, which was a bit scary.
"Alright then."
Raon waved his hand casually and entered the training room.
"A new martial art!"
Krein grinned and clasped his hands.
"I’m really looking forward to it! It should be better than the Shining Light Style!"
"I’m most excited about the fact that the whole Light Wind division will learn it. We’ll be able to use it well."
Martha licked her lips, leaning against the training room wall.
"It won’t be better. Just as the Shining Light Style was tailored to the maids of the annex building, the martial art Raon will create this time will be suited to us. There’s no higher or lower."
Burren replied calmly and stepped away from the training room.
"Today, the first team is on guard duty, right?"
"Yes. You should head there quickly."
Martha waved her off.
"I’m not going."
Runaan declared she would stay here and pulled out a box of bead ice cream from her pocket.
"Please, just go."
"I won’t."
Burren watched them bicker for a while before turning his back.
As he exited the training ground and headed to the main building, he saw Chad running towards him.
"Master of Shadow Agents?"
Seeing Chad’s flushed face, it seemed something important had happened.
"Ah, captain of the third team. Um, by any chance, is the leader of the Light Wind division…."
Seeing him look for Raon, it seemed like a really urgent matter.
"He has entered the closed training."
"Ah…."
Chad's face turned ashen, looking as if he had lost something precious.
"If it’s important, I can convey the message. He just entered the training room, so it should still be fine."
"N-No. It’s not that important…."
He shook his head and turned away. His slumped shoulders made him look like a defeated soldier, and a strange whimpering sound seemed to follow him.
‘What’s going on?’
Burren tilted his head as he watched Chad's retreating figure, then headed towards the hospital in the main building.
After greeting the guard at the hospital, he stood in front of the innermost room.
“Whew…”
He tidied his hair and clothes, took a deep breath, and opened the door to enter the room.
Inside the room, bathed in gentle sunlight, was a single bed. On it sat Karoon, his face pale.
“You called for me.”
Burren entered the room and bowed to Karoon.
“…Sit down.”
Karoon slowly raised his hand, gesturing to the chair beside the bed.
“I prefer to stand.”
Burren took a step forward but did not sit in the chair.
“Alright.”
Karoon nodded calmly and turned his gaze. His eyes burned quietly.
Despite his serious injuries, his dignified presence remained unshaken.
“Burren.”
“Yes.”
Karoon's eyes flashed like lightning.
“Have you considered returning to the Central Martial Palace?”
“……”
Burren’s eyes widened at the unexpected question.
“I will give you the position of leader of the new squad that I’ll create. And…”
Karoon spoke calmly, as if he had prepared in advance.
“I will personally teach you.”
“Hmm…”
Burren couldn't help but groan.
His father's teachings and the leadership of the Central Martial Place were dreams he had cherished.
More than anything, his heart raced wildly at the thought that his father needed him.
Burren closed his eyes. After careful consideration, he opened his lips calmly.
“I…”
