C781
After making a request to Helen, Raon headed toward Federick's mansion.
'How long have I been sleeping?'
-Two days.
Wrath clicked his tongue and murmured that it was pathetic.
"I don't understand why such a young boy has so little stamina. When I was your age, I slept using lava as a blanket."
"But you told me to rest in the mental world..."
He had told Raon not to overexert himself in the mental world because it could be fatal, but he was angry that Raon had woken up late in reality. He was an incomprehensible demon king.
"Hah, you should have woken up after a day! I haven't eaten anything in two days, and my stomach hurts! *cough*"
Wrath shook his head, complaining that he had been too busy just smelling food.
You're coughing again. Are you alright?
-I'm feeling a bit better after sleeping a little, even if it was brief. *cough*
He said not to worry while still coughing dryly. It seemed he was still not in good condition.
Is there no medicine that works for you?
-Hmph! You're just a young boy, how dare you worry about me? Go dry some blood off your head and come back... *cough*
Wrath frowned, telling him not to say such nonsense.
"You make such a fuss when it comes time for rewards..."
-T-that's different! Would you like me to just put my skills in your mouth?
He shook his head and said there was no need to worry anyway. His mood swings were so severe that Raon didn't know how to react.
"Just bring me some food!"
'Alright, alright.'
While Raon maintained this brief conversation with Wrath, he had already arrived in front of Federick's mansion. Knock, knock.
"Come in."
When Raon knocked on the door, he heard Federick's soft voice from inside the mansion. As soon as he opened the door and entered, he saw Federick examining a patient in the treatment room.
"Raon. It seems you've finally awakened..."
-Raon!
As Federick waved his hand with a smile, Merlin jumped from the back of the treatment room.
-Eek! *cough* Eek! *cough*
Wrath let out shouts and coughs in succession, seemingly genuinely surprised.
Did you sleep well? I carried you on my back to the annex building!
Merlin seemed to ask if he remembered, gesturing with her hand.
"The grandpa was following us from behind with his eyes wide open. I thought he was a stalker!"
She laughed, turning Glenn into the subject of her joke.
—The head of the house? No, more importantly, why are you here?
Raon, who hadn't expected Merlin to be there, opened his eyes in surprise.
"My mother, my father, and my grandfather are all here. Of course, I have to attend to them."
Merlin tilted her head as if it were natural.
"You shouldn't change those titles..."
Raon shook his chin while looking at Merlin. He could understand her using those titles during the urgent times of war, but he hadn't expected her to keep using them now. She was truly an uncontrollable woman.
"Hey! If you're here, get rid of this one!"
Martha stepped out from behind Merlin, wrinkling her nose.
"She keeps interfering while I'm treating patients!"
—But isn’t it right for me to change Mom’s and Dad’s bandages?
Merlin shrugged as if asking what the problem was.
"That’s what’s getting in the way! You can’t even wrap them properly!"
Martha glared at Merlin and gritted her teeth.
-Why are you here?
Raon sighed as he looked at Martha, whose face had turned red.
"There were too many patients, so I've been helping."
Martha nodded as if to say it was obvious.
"Are you still learning medical skills?"
"She absorbs everything I teach her very well. She might surpass me soon."
Federick laughed and said Martha's talent seemed to lie more in medicine than in fencing.
"You’re still thinking about that time..."
The reason Martha began to learn medicine was due to her self-reproach for being unable to do anything when the Light Wind division was dying after being attacked by the Flame Demon General. It seemed she was still thinking about that incident.
"That's part of it, but I also want to save my mother."
Martha bit her lip as she lowered her head.
"Mmm..."
"I shouted that I would definitely save my mother, but inside I had already given up more than half."
She exhaled softly as she let the blood-stained bandage fall.
"I thought it was absolutely impossible for me, even at Master level, to defeat the Leader of the White Blood Religion, who is at the top among the Transcendent Warriors. But..."
Martha smiled faintly as she met Raon's eyes.
"Seeing you rescue your family. No, seeing all the family members taking care of each other gave me courage."
She nodded, saying that now she had hope of being able to save her mother as well.
"I see..."
Raon smiled slightly with his head down. Although he still hadn't saved everyone, hearing that Martha had regained her courage made him feel determined to save Sia as well.
"I would do anything for that day."
Martha revealed a determined look in her eyes, saying that she also needed his help.
-Alright. I will help you to the end.
Raon nodded heavily, feeling Martha's determination.
"Jo, jo."
Federick drew a soft smile, seeming pleased with the conversation between Raon and Martha.
"......"
Surprisingly, Merlin did not say anything. Seeing her fingers tremble, it seemed she wanted to intervene, but she appeared to be showing consideration since it was a family conversation.
-Keu! The meat girl has grown even more.
Wrath clapped for Martha while letting out an exclamation.
-You always say that.
-This time I mean it! She’s not just some fluffy herbivore; she’s showing real claws!
He laughed as if he were looking forward to what was coming.
-Her role must have been important to achieve that change.
'Are you praising me now too?'
-The meat girl is my subordinate after all. *cough*
Wrath lifted his chin, saying he is responsible for his subordinates until the end, even as he coughed.
"That's right. That's how it should be. We must take responsibility for family and subordinates until the end."
Raon reflected on Wrath's sincerity and then looked at Federick.
"How are Mom and the others?"
"They still haven’t awakened, but they have entered the recovery phase."
Federick lowered his hand as if to say there was no need to worry.
"Can I see them for a moment?"
"I will guide you!"
Merlin jumped as if she had been waiting and opened the door to the right room.
"Ugh..."
Raon exhaled softly and entered the room.
"I have been constantly caring for them. I have bandaged them, given them medicine, and even massaged them."
Merlin smiled, slightly bowing her head as if asking for praise.
"Mmm..."
As Merlin said, Sylvia, Rector, and Edgar's complexions had improved. Their breathing seemed much more stable than before, suggesting they might awaken soon.
-Mom! *cough*
Wrath sobbed as he pressed his forehead against Sylvia's.
-This guy hasn’t fed me and just sleeps! I miss you, Mom!
He patted Sylvia's head, telling her to wake up soon.
"Thank you. Really."
Raon bowed to Merlin. He felt grateful and apologetic for everything that had happened during and after the war.
"Why are you bowing among us?"
Merlin straightened her posture, ordering him to stand up, and then held both hands tightly.
"Are you already in front of the family? Isn’t it a bit early?"
She squinted and curved the corners of her lips.
"...Are you the one holding my hands?"
Raon shrugged after letting go of Merlin's hands.
"By the way, where is Sia... I mean, the older sister?"
In this room, only Edgar, Rector, and Sylvia were present, and Sia was nowhere to be seen.
"There is a possibility she might go insane, so Grandpa is protecting her."
Merlin pointed toward the main building, saying that Glenn was protecting Sia.
"Merlin. I need to enter the mental world of my older sister again. Can you help me?"
"Right now? Won't it be difficult?"
"That's fine."
Although his body and mind were still stiff, he couldn't remain idle after seeing Murkada's past.
"Alright."
Merlin said she would go ahead and prepare, as it would take some time, and she went to the Lord's Manor. She seemed to treat entering the audience chamber, something even direct lineage members feared, as a walk in the park. It was incredible to see.
-Are you not going to follow her right now?
-I have something to do before that.
Raon left Federick's mansion and returned to the annex building. In that brief time, the dining table of the annex was set with food carefully prepared by Helen and the maids.
"You thought well! To protect Sylvia, even you need to eat properly, Young Master!"
Helen said it was a stroke of luck as she pushed the plates on the table toward him.
-Ah! What are these meals?! *cough*
Wrath drooled as he looked at the prepared dishes, as if he hadn't expected this at all.
'While you were complaining about being hungry, I asked Helen to prepare something to eat.'
Raon waved his hand while sitting at the table.
"Now is not the right time. When everyone wakes up, I will hold a feast with the dishes they like the most."
-This is more than enough!
Wrath smiled and said he was satisfied with just this.
-Then, the first is...
-Of course, it’s pineapple pizza!
He pointed at the pizza with half a pineapple on top as if to say there was no need to ask.
'Ah...'
* * *
Raon told Glenn and Merlin, who were waiting in the basement of the audience chamber, about what happened in the mental world and about Murkada's dream.
"Hmm, I have never heard of such an incident. No, I should say that there are too many to find them easily."
Glenn frowned and said that even now, there are incidents of capturing monsters that live quietly or spiritual beasts to enhance performance.
"If the entire orc tribe possessed wisdom, they must have been an ancient race."
Merlin exhaled softly while playing with the old woman's mask.
"Ancient race?"
"The ultimate goal of Eden. They were special beings who lived during the era ruled by the Destruction Demon Dragon. They possessed superior wisdom and martial skill compared to humans."
He clicked his tongue and said that there would be almost nothing left.
"The reason that human named Essian returned to visit the forest must have been because he knew that the Green King and the other orcs were an ancient race and wanted to achieve a great feat."
Merlin clenched her fist and said it was terrible. It seemed she had experienced something similar.
-Smell...
Suddenly, Wrath sobbed and lowered his head.
-I didn’t know that much, poor thing!
He reddened his eyes as if sympathizing with Murkada's anger and despair.
-That’s why we need to help him reach enlightenment.
Raon sighed and looked at Merlin.
"I will enter again."
"Alright. I understand."
Merlin said to wait a bit and concentrated mana in both hands.
"Will you be alright?"
Glenn narrowed his eyes as if worried.
"Repeatedly entering another person's mental world is not good."
"Right now, I am the only one who can do this. And..."
Raon nodded with a slight smile.
"I want to raise my older sister before mom wakes up."
"I see..."
Glenn gave a soft pat on the shoulder, seemingly knowing that he could not stop him.
"Just don’t overdo it."
"Yes."
When Raon nodded and looked at Merlin, Wrath waved his hand.
-I won’t go with you this time.
Wrath shook his head and said he should sleep with the bracelet since his stomach was full.
-I already told him everything I needed to say to that guy.
"What did you need to say?"
-There was such a thing!
He stuffed the bracelet and told Raon not to ask any more questions.
"What a fickle one."
Smiling slightly, he looked at Merlin. She nodded as if she were ready.
"Then I'm off."
Raon took a deep breath and extended his hand toward the blue pillar that Merlin had raised. Woof! The view of Glenn and Merlin changed in an instant, and a dead, blackened forest appeared. It was the mental world of the Green King. Murkada stood in the center of the forest, holding a broken stone sword, just as Raon had seen him for the first time.
"Why have you returned?"
He frowned as if he didn't understand.
"I said I would come back."
Raon approached Murkada and drew the Heavenly Drive. Rumble! Murkada raised a dense fighting spirit above his stone sword, seemingly taking it as an invitation to fight.
"Let’s train."
Unlike Murkada, Raon maintained the Heavenly Drive while raising an aura of calm.
"What...?"
Murkada's eyes widened as if asking what Raon was talking about.
"The swordsmen of Zieghart, to which I belong, cultivate friendship and skill through combat. It is training where we study each other's swordsmanship with swords that do not contain killing intent."
"......"
Murkada's eyes trembled as if he did not know what Raon was thinking. A dull sound. Raon stepped closer to the confused Murkada and gently tapped the face of the stone sword with the Heavenly Drive.
"Since our swords have crossed, I suppose you have accepted."
Smiling faintly, he forcefully deflected Murkada's stone sword. With a metallic sound, Murkada's arm swung as if it would fly away.
"Puh!"
Murkada swung his stone sword roughly and frowned. Woof! Raon blocked Murkada's sword strike and slowly opened his lips.
"Once I was also bound by humans."
"What? What are you..."
"Unlike you, I was not deceived, but from the very beginning, my soul was in the hands of that person. There was nothing I wanted to do, nothing I could do."
He told Murkada about his past. Of course, he couldn't talk about reincarnation, so he modified it appropriately to sound like something that happened in his childhood.
"...That's how I was able to save the castle of Habun. Looking back now, every step was like walking on thin ice. It was luck earned through the recklessness of my youth and the favor of the lord of the castle. Ah, I have a son I brought from there and a gift, but... Huh? It seems my time is up."
Raon smiled ironically as he saw his hands weakening as if they were about to disappear. He had experienced so much that the time he could remain in the mental world passed while he talked about the castle of Habun.
"I will return soon."
Raon waved goodbye to Murkada, still dazed, and vanished like smoke from the mental world.
"Then..."
Murkada bit deeply into his lip as he looked where Raon had disappeared.
"Who is that child and what is the gift..."
* * *
Woong! The light emanating from inside the helmet disappeared and Raon collapsed.
"It seems it's over."
Merlin smiled as she watched Raon.
"Indeed."
Glenn nodded and first moved Sia to the bed.
"Ugh."
Meanwhile, Merlin lifted Raon onto her back and stood up.
"Then I will take Raon to the annex..."
"Stop right there."
Glenn blocked Merlin's path and frowned.
"I will take him today."
"What? Why?"
"You took him yesterday, so it's only right that I take him today."
He extended his hand as if to say there would be no rejection.
"What? There is no such thing!"
Merlin did not let go of Raon, saying it was not allowed.
"I can't smell Raon except at times like this!"
-What a smell! Stop saying weird things!
When Glenn moved his fingers, saying it was absolutely not allowed, Raon, who had been in Merlin's hands, was suddenly in his grasp.
"I will go first!"
"Where to!"
When Glenn reached out again, Raon was sent flying and caught in his hands. He immediately went up the stairs as if he was determined not to be fooled by Merlin again.
"Puh!"
Merlin shouted and closely followed Glenn.
"Even if you are grandpa, there are things I cannot give up!"
The two moved together to the annex building and played tag.
* * *
As soon as Raon regained consciousness, he returned to the audience chamber and entered the mental world of Murkada. He continued telling Murkada about the path he had taken while training with him.
"...That is how I was able to defeat the ghosts of Eden and save the Tattered Saint. I was glad to be able to return the kindness of my childhood."
"Those bastards from Eden are everywhere, aren't they?"
"Once I was kidnapped by Eden during a mission, and when I thought there was no way out, the Head of the House and others came to rescue me. The emotion I felt then is indescribable. It was the day I felt the intangible value of connections."
"Connections are a value that our tribe also cherishes. To think that even beings who do not love you helped you, your family must be like a tribe."
"The Arianne House we fought this time was originally a place called the Death Marsh. A Specter of Eden in that place..."
"To go to the extent of playing with life and insulting the dead is to be a being whose soul should be annihilated. It is fortunate that you dealt with him."
Murkada, who at first had not reacted at all, listened attentively to Raon's story, expressing joy, surprise, and confusion. He seemed to be completely immersed in the story accompanying his battle.
"...So this time I was able to save my family."
Raon lowered his sword with a deep sigh. He had told Murkada about his entire life, ending with the story of how he reunited with his family. There was nothing more to say.
-Then your story is not over yet.
Murkada clicked his tongue as if disappointed and lowered his stone sword to the ground.
"Like my ancestors, I wanted to have a good relationship with humans. With humans like you."
His gaze, which had been fixed on the gray-white sky, slowly fell on Raon.
"It seems that it is finally happening. Even if it is the end, I am very happy."
Murkada smiled with eyes filled with warmth instead of fighting spirit.
"You..."
"The oath I made to protect that child was not to move from this place and not to let my heart submit."
He nodded and grasped his broken stone sword upside down.
"What are you suddenly talking about?"
Raon frowned as he looked at Murkada.
"Thank you."
Murkada drew an even deeper smile and stabbed his chest with the broken stone sword. Splash! The stone sword pierced his chest and began to gush red blood.
"Murkada!!"
"This is the oath I made. If I die here by the hand of another, the girl named Sia will never awaken. I thought it was better for her not to awaken than to be used as a killing machine by those evil bastards."
Murkada told Raon about the oath he had made while spitting black blood from his mouth.
"But with you here, it's different. I believe in you and want to revive that child again."
He pulled out the stone sword piercing his heart without erasing his smile. Splash! Red blood, the same as a human's, gushed out and soaked the dead black forest.
"Why..."
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at Murkada.
"You were deceived by humans, so why did you protect a human?"
He couldn't believe that Murkada, who had been betrayed by humans, had protected Sia with an oath. It was something he could never do.
"Just because a beast bites doesn't mean I should also become a beast."
Murkada smiled while saying something more human than anyone else, despite his orcish appearance.
"I will watch over your life until the end through the eyes of that child."
With those last words, he disintegrated into black ashes along with the other orcs. Wooosh! A soft light rose from the ground where Murkada had stood until the end.
-
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