C887
'Opposition...'
Raon narrowed his eyes as slits while looking at Karoon.
'What is the reason?'
He also thought that the Light Wind Division still lacked many ways to ascend to palace status. He hadn't even expected the position of Palace Master, so he wouldn't have minded if the promotion was postponed, but he was curious as to why Karoon had opposed it.
—Especially since he had apparently been the one to propose it?
Recently, Karoon had been helping him in various ways instead of keeping him under control. The fact that he proposed the promotion to Palace Master and then opposed it made Raon think there must be a reason.
"Master of the Central Martial Palace."
Glenn frowned deeply as he looked at Karoon.
"You yourself proposed the agenda and then opposed it. What is your reason?"
He also seemed unable to comprehend, his low voice filled with deep anger.
"That's right! You said it yourself. Promote the Light Wind Division to palace!"
Balder shook his fist while standing in front of Karoon.
"You're not senile, so why do you reject your own proposal?"
He shouted at Karoon to come to his senses while shaking his shoulders.
"Did Karoon propose the promotion of the Light Wind Division?"
"Well, that's quite special..."
—But why oppose it after proposing?
The executives also tilted their heads as if they couldn't understand Karoon's actions.
"Central Martial Palace."
Glenn called Karoon while crushing the armrest of the throne with his hand.
"Explain the reason for your opposition."
He revealed eyes so dry they sent chills, as if he would not tolerate any jokes.
"The leader of the Shadow Agents is correct."
Karoon pushed Balder aside and stepped forward.
"Since he ascended to Transcendence, the Leader of the Light Wind Division has achieved countless feats, and the Light Wind Division has supported him excellently. Recently, the Light Wind Division is probably the martial force that has spread the reputation of Zieghart the most widely and the highest."
He calmly acknowledged Raon's and the Light Wind Division's achievements, despite having expressed his opposition.
"It's not just about the results. The division leader is at Transcendence, the squad leaders are at the peak of the Master level, and most of the members are Masters, so we have to recognize their martial prowess."
—So why do you oppose?
Balder struck the pillar behind him, demanding to know the reason for the opposition.
"Numbers."
Karoon slowly opened and closed his eyes.
"The current Light Wind Division has just over thirty members. That’s a small number even for a division, let alone for a palace. No matter how many of the swordsmen are Masters, accidents are inevitable due to the lack of personnel."
He shook his head, saying that while he had to acknowledge their prowess and martial achievements, the number of members was simply too small.
"Mmm..."
Raon nodded calmly.
‘That's an irrefutable point.’
The Light Wind Division needs more people to become a palace. Since the first selection ceremony, only Yua, Julius, and Mark Goetun had joined the Light Wind Division. If they ascended to palace status, they might have to take on multiple missions simultaneously, so reinforcing their numbers was essential.
"A Zieghart palace must be able to handle five or more missions simultaneously. Even if the current squad leaders of the Light Wind Division are at the peak Master level, it's hard to assign them to all missions due to the small number of subordinates."
Karoon recited the facts clearly, without a hint of emotion.
"Well, that's true..."
The leader of the Shadow Agents nodded while lowering the documents.
"Although it has decreased recently, soon missions related to war will reappear."
He slightly crumpled the document in his hand, acknowledging that the numbers of the Light Wind Division were indeed small.
"Numbers..."
Glenn also let out a low groan, as if he couldn't refute Karoon's words.
"Therefore."
Karoon stepped forward again and raised his hand.
"I believe that at least 30 more swordsmen should be added to the Light Wind Division to ascend to the Light Wind Palace. If they are experienced swordsmen, even fewer could suffice."
He expressed his opinion in a calm tone and lowered his hand.
-Well, that's true, but...
Balder frowned as he looked at Karoon.
"The selection ceremony ended last year. It will be years before it happens again. For now, we should promote them and then..."
"That shouldn't be done."
Karoon shook his head firmly.
"We're not talking about just any military force. This is a Zieghart palace. We cannot treat lightly a palace that could be considered the face of the family."
He revealed a chilling gaze, as if to tell them to regain their common sense.
"He's not wrong."
Glenn nodded slowly as if he agreed with Karoon's words.
"However..."
Karoon turned to look at Raon and slightly tilted his chin.
"It would be a shame to bury the achievements of killing two ancient dragons, forming an alliance with Sepia, and saving the Gray Hammer Guild, providing an opportunity for all the swordsmen of Zieghart to obtain swords made from dragon bones."
He clasped his hands in front of him as he looked at Glenn.
"Therefore, allow another division to join the Light Wind Palace."
Karoon bowed his head, asking for not just trained swordsmen for the promotion but to incorporate an existing martial force into the Light Wind Division.
"Mmm..."
Glenn let out a faint sigh, as if he had just realized Karoon's intention, hiding his anger.
"Not a bad idea."
He rubbed his chin as if accepting Karoon's opinion.
"However, since this came up today, we should give both parties time to think."
"There is a division that has expressed its desire to join the Light Wind Palace."
Karoon raised his hand, stating that there was already a place that had been discussed.
"What?"
"What did you say?"
Raon and Glenn opened their eyes wide in surprise.
"The Warring Steel Division, currently on a mission, has expressed its desire to join the Light Wind Palace."
Karoon lowered his hand and said he had already discussed it with the leader of the Warring Steel Division.
"When on earth..."
"I spoke with them before the Warring Steel Division departed on their mission."
Karoon nodded calmly, as if he had calculated the entire situation from the beginning.
'The Warring Steel Division...'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Karoon.
—Then it’s definitely not a trap.
He had planned to refuse if Karoon suggested providing personnel as if he were helping. But Trevin, the leader of the Warring Steel Division, was a reliable comrade. He had treated Raon like a family member even when the whole family looked down on him, and he even went as far as to support House Arianne.
If it were someone else, Raon might have thought Karoon was hiding some plot, but not with Trevin and the Warring Steel Division.
"The Warring Steel Division..."
Glenn nodded and turned his gaze toward Raon.
"That seems fine. The Warring Steel Division and the Light Wind Division have fought together on several occasions."
"Yes. I've helped them many times, and they have helped me as well."
Raon nodded in agreement.
"Then it seems both parties have a positive view on this."
Glenn drew a thin smile as if he were pleased.
“Umm, we also want to join!”
“How do we apply?”
“Please give us a chance too!”
Perhaps because the Warring Steel Division had expressed their desire to join first, the executives who had been silent until now raised their hands, saying they also wanted to be incorporated into the Light Wind Palace. There were some among them who were stronger than the Warring Steel Division, but Raon didn’t feel particularly drawn to them. Trust is more important than martial skill when accepting new comrades.
—Hey, you should have said this from the beginning! Why did you create such a sinister atmosphere?
Balder frowned as he touched Karoon’s side.
“Look at those chubby cheeks you have! You came completely prepared to take care of your nephew, didn’t you?”
“Shut your mouth.”
Karoon frowned and touched Balder’s side.
“Ugh!”
Balder slumped, clutching his abdomen, although it didn’t seem like he had received a strong blow.
“Well, then we will continue the process of promoting the Light Wind Division to a palace after the Warring Steel Division returns.”
Chad, the leader of the Shadow Agents, let out a sigh of relief as if things had gone well and picked up the second document.
“The second agenda is to accommodate the growing number of injured…”
Raon looked at Karoon as he listened to Chad’s words. Karoon was looking ahead with his arms crossed, as if he had said everything he needed to say.
'How would he say it...?'
It seems the person has become more admirable. At first, Raon had the impression of Karoon as a petty person. He thought Karoon was not just a narrow-minded person but a shriveled human being. Now, however, Karoon himself seemed immensely grand, beyond his martial prowess.
'People...'
Raon smiled slightly as he watched Karoon walking a path opposite to Derus.
"I guess they can change too."
* * *
“Master of the Central Martial Palace.”
Raon approached Karoon after the grand conference ended.
"..."
Karoon, about to leave the audience chamber, cast a cold glance.
"What is it?"
Karoon slightly lowered his eyebrows as if asking why Raon had come.
"Thank you for helping us ascend to palace status."
Raon bowed his head, expressing gratitude for the preparation that Karoon had made, which he himself could not have done.
"There’s no need to thank me."
Karoon shook his head calmly.
"The promotion of the Light Wind Division to palace status is a natural progression. I simply prevented a Zieghart palace from operating with too few members, which would make us seem incompetent."
He turned his back and said it was not for the sake of the Light Wind Division.
"Even so, you’re the only one who thought that far ahead."
Raon bowed his head again, sincerely grateful.
"If you’re thankful for that..."
Karoon turned his head again, glanced at Raon for a moment, and then slowly parted his lips.
"Continue to strive even after you become a palace."
With these last words, he left the audience chamber.
“Eh, did that guy eat something bad? Did he come back changed from the outside?”
Balder let out a sigh as he held his waist where Karoon had hit him.
- Do you think so too?
“Yes, it’s quite surprising.”
Raon nodded with a smile.
“Ah, he just gave me a little tap, but why does it hurt so much? Give me a hand, would you?”
Balder leaned in and asked Raon to support his shoulder.
“Alright.”
Raon greeted Glenn, who was seated on the throne, before supporting Balder and exiting the audience chamber.
“Listen well. Once you become Palace Master, you’ll have more to do than you think. First, you’ll need to build a new building, and the kids don’t listen well at all…”
Glenn watched Raon, Balder, and Karoon walking in front of him, his wrinkled eyes trembling.
“Karoon is siding with Raon, and Raon is supporting Balder…”
Sheryl approached the platform, smiling slightly.
“I never thought we’d see something like this, but it’s hard to predict how things will turn out in this world.”
She shook her head in amazement.
“I feel the same way.”
Roenn nodded, laughing.
“I never imagined that young Master Raon would become close to those two.”
“To be honest, I thought the Head of House had completely failed in raising his children.”
Sheryl looked up slightly.
“But thanks to having a good grandson, even the raising of the child has been a success.”
She laughed, seemingly pleased with the changes in Karoon and Balder.
“You’re right. The grandchildren turned out excellent from the start.”
Roenn smiled gently, mentioning the names of Raon, Burren, and Martha.
“Mmm…”
However, Glenn did not relax his serious expression even after hearing compliments for his children and grandchildren.
“Head of House?”
Sheryl approached Glenn, finding him strange.
“Is something wrong?”
“Raon…”
Glenn bit his lip slightly before continuing.
—He doesn’t like Karoon more than me, does he? I don’t think I’ve seen him smile like that...
His hand that gripped the throne trembled, as if he were worried.
“Ah…”
“Well…”
Sheryl and Roenn bowed their heads, speechless.
* * *
“Try it, sister.”
Raon nodded after stepping away from Sia.
“Okay!”
Sia nodded confidently and swung the wooden sword she had raised above her head. A sword wind that emanated from the blade of the wooden sword split the ground and the lake in front of her.
“Well done.”
Raon smiled and gave a thumbs up.
“Your control of power was perfect.”
Unlike before, Sia had precisely controlled her power to prevent the sword wind from extending beyond the lake. It was typical of a body that had reached the Grand Master level to master the power perfectly after just a week of training.
“How was that?”
“It’s incredible…”
Raon nodded slowly.
‘Actually.’
He had only intended to teach her to control her power to avoid harming others, but she was already expressing the true meaning of the sword. It seemed as if her body was reviving the memory of the sword, despite all memories of living as the Green King having faded.
—With a little more teaching, I think she could recover her original skills.
Wrath nodded and said her talent in itself was remarkable.
—I think so too.
As Wrath said, if he taught her properly, it seemed she could return to the Grand Master position at the top without needing much time.
‘Wait then…’
Would the weakest in the annex become the father? He glanced at Sylvia and Edgar, who were watching from the side. Sylvia’s skills were improving due to continuous training, but Edgar was still busy healing his wounds. If Sia’s skills improved rapidly, Edgar might become the weakest person in the annex.
—That would be interesting too.
—Ah, the dignity of a father...
Wrath let out a regretful voice.
‘He should continue teaching her while they’re still in the family.’
He thought it would be good to teach Sia the correct use of the sword so she could protect herself and the annex as the war continued, since even the interior of Zieghart couldn’t be considered safe.
“What do you plan to teach?”
Wrath squinted with curiosity.
‘There’s something perfect for my sister right now.’
Raon smiled as he approached Sia.
“Sister. The name of the sword technique you’ll learn next is Fangs of Madness.”
The Fangs of Madness were a sensational sword technique. It was the perfect sword for Sia, who had an even more outstanding talent than he did.
“Fangs of Madness… What does that mean?”
Sia tilted her head with curiosity about the Fangs of Madness.
“Well, it means a sword technique that bites like the teeth of a puppy.”
Unable to say “bites like a fierce beast,” he expressed it as a puppy.
“A puppy!”
Sia nodded enthusiastically, seeming to like it.
“Then let’s start with the basic application method…”
Raon taught Sia the most basic mantra and application method of the Fangs of Madness. She must be intelligent, as she memorized the application method in one go and began to express the Fangs of Madness on her own.
—She is much better than you.
‘That’s right.’
Raon nodded. As Wrath said, Sia’s talent surpassed his. He taught Sia until the sun set, and as he was about to finish the sword lesson, three doves flew and crossed the sky that was darkening at dusk. The doves seemed to have flown in such a hurry that they were panting.
“Wow, so cute!”
Sia left her sword and hugged the panting doves.
“Mmm…”
Meanwhile, Raon took out the letters that were attached to the doves’ legs and unfolded them. There were three letters, but the content of each was exactly the same.
'An unbreakable sword has been completed, a sword that will turn even grudges into strength has been forged, a demon has descended.'
They were letters sent by Vulcan, Kuberad, and Borgos, each stating that their swords were finished. The phrases in the letters were all of a chilling content.
“This…”
Raon looked toward the undulating sky and clicked his tongue.
“I guess I can look forward to it, right?”
-
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