C791
"Why is there no response?"
Raon twisted his lips as he stood before the Thespian Emperor.
"It's simple. Will you follow the Five Kings and survive, or will you follow the Five Demons and die?"
He extended his index and middle finger, saying they could choose either option.
"Uh, um..."
Rimmer's eyes widened. He seemed surprised, as if he hadn't expected the conversation to suddenly turn to matters of life and death.
"N-nephew?"
Balder, who had been laughing merrily, turned pale. He also seemed confused, his lips trembling slightly.
"Are you threatening us right now?"
The Thespian Emperor, on the contrary, smiled deeply as if things were going well.
"For House Zieghart, known as the strongest family on the continent, to resort to force... What a disappointing choice."
She scoffed, lifting her chin.
"But the White Whale and I do not yield to force. No matter what external pressure comes..."
"You can delude yourself, but this is too much."
Raon sighed as he wiped his ear with his little finger.
"What...?"
"Did you really think we were threatening someone like the White Whale?"
He shook his head, returning the mockery.
"You are underestimating Zieghart far too much. As you said, we are the strongest force on the continent. We wouldn't attack you in your defenseless state."
Raon gently touched his own temple, telling her to return to reality.
"We will send you back safely, regardless of the choice the Five Divine Orders make. We should even provide an escort."
"T-then what you said before about dying..."
"After the war."
A serious light flashed in Raon's eyes, which had been full of mockery.
"If we win the war between the Five Kings and the Five Demons..."
He clenched his fist and shouted through gritted teeth.
"We will destroy everything the Five Divine Orders have built."
"Hmm..."
The Thespian Emperor swallowed with difficulty, feeling the tempestuous intensity of Raon.
"Ah, of course, we will have to exclude the Pirate King."
Raon smiled, extending a finger again.
"As you know best, the true Pirate King is on our side, so we will exclude 'him'."
He tilted his head to the side, saying it's not the Five Divine Orders, but the Four Divine Orders.
"Let me say it again. If you side with the Five Demons, the name 'Four Divine Orders' will cease to exist in this world after the war is over."
Raon looked into the trembling eyes of the Thespian Emperor as he spoke with a murderous intent dripping from his voice. While his martial prowess was indeed much weaker than hers, what dominated this situation wasn't martial prowess, but cunning and information.
"After the war..."
The Thespian Emperor bit her lip hard enough to leave teeth marks.
"Then, even if we align with the Five Demons, are you sure you can win the war? You're already losing, so how..."
"That's none of your concern."
He shook his head calmly.
"There's no need to convey important information to someone who might become an enemy. You just need to make a choice. Die at the hands of Zieghart, or follow Zieghart."
Raon demanded a choice as he watched the hesitant eyes of the Thespian Emperor.
'Your head must be spinning.'
The Thespian Emperor had come to Zieghart thinking she had the upper hand, and indeed, she had the power to change the course of the war.
'But...'
She lacked information. At this moment, the Thespian Emperor was dizzy hearing that the Four Divine Orders, excluding the Pirate King, could all go to the Five Demons' side. Being naturally cunning and intelligent, she had surely let her imagination fly, flying to unknown places.
'That's exactly what I'm looking for.'
Although the Thespian Emperor and the White Whale act bravely, they actually move after calculating everything. Like this time, if an unknown question arises, they won't make hasty decisions.
"H-Head of House!"
The Thespian Emperor moved away from Raon and approached Glenn.
"Do you intend to trust the judgment of the Leader of the Light Wind Division like that? I recognize his achievements, but isn't he still too young?"
She cried out for a proper answer, her fingers trembling.
"This is the heart of Zieghart."
Karoon cast a cold gaze as he placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
"Lower your voice."
He exuded a cold aura as if he was going to draw his sword if she raised her voice again.
"I don't know what comes next, but I like it! So straightforward!"
Balder nodded emphatically, saying he would trust Raon's words.
"Head of House..."
Unlike his two brothers, Denier looked at Glenn as if the deal with the Five Divine Orders shouldn't end like this.
"My thoughts and..."
Glenn nodded gently as he looked at Raon.
"The intentions of the Leader of the Light Wind Division are the same."
He shifted his gaze to the Thespian Emperor and tapped her with his finger.
"And wasn't it you who threatened us first, not the other way around?"
"When...?"
"That's what it means when you say the Five Demons promised a great reward first. It implies that you are in the middle to gain profit."
Glenn lifted his chin with a cold gaze.
"Coming with such a threat knowing what kind of beings the Five Demons are, the Five Divine Orders are more despicable than I thought."
"Hmm..."
The Thespian Emperor bit her lip as if she had nothing to say.
"Die or follow. That's all I can say too. However, forcing an immediate choice isn't a good method either."
Glenn shook his head as he sank back into his throne.
"Return to the White Whale, think deeply, and then send your answer. However..."
He revealed dry eyes even as he said he would give time.
"It would be best to send it before the war accelerates. Bats are not welcome anywhere."
Glenn shook his hands as if he had finished saying what he needed to say.
"Tsk tsk."
Raon clicked his tongue briefly as he looked at the Thespian Emperor.
"If you had come saying you would help, we would have treated you well. That's why people who only use their heads are called stupid."
He shook his head disapprovingly. He seemed like a completely different person from the one who had shown a serious look just moments ago.
"In gambling houses too, those who think they are smart are usually the first to lose money. The person who runs errands for us used to be an expert in this."
Rimmer laughed, calling them fools.
"Our place?"
"Ah, our casino? I've been going there so often that it feels familiar..."
He laughed, saying he sometimes gambled there too.
"Kuk..."
The Thespian Emperor could only bite her lip, unable to refute Raon and Rimmer's taunts.
"...Then I will leave."
She bowed carefully to Glenn before stepping back.
"I won't see you out."
Glenn waved his hand as if telling her to leave.
"Yes."
The Thespian Emperor nodded slightly and turned around. She left the audience chamber with her subordinates who couldn't hide their confusion.
"Hahaha!"
Balder burst into laughter loud enough to shake the ceiling even before the Thespian Emperor had completely left.
"How can you be so bold!"
He gave Raon a thumbs up as if he had done a good job.
"Balder. Your laughter is too loud."
Karoon frowned at Balder. However, he also seemed to agree that Raon had done a good job, nodding his head at him.
"As the Leader of the Light Wind Division said..."
Glenn rose from his throne and looked towards the executives in the audience chamber.
"Zieghart will not yield to any threats. We will not give a single coin to the bats who weigh rewards. Remember this, all of you."
"Yes!"
The swordsmen's eyes shone like blades, seemingly moved by his grand declaration.
"Head of House. Since the conference is over, can I leave first?"
Raon tilted his head as if he had an urgent matter.
"Let's end here for today."
As Glenn waved his hand, the doors of the audience chamber swung open, and Raon left first.
"..."
Denier stood still, following Raon's back with eyes that seemed to have lost all moisture.
* * *
"M-Master."
Sakan followed the Thespian Emperor and swallowed with difficulty.
"Do we really have to leave like this? At this rate, our plan..."
He trembled, as if he couldn't believe this situation.
"For now... Kuk!"
Ariel, the Thespian Emperor, tried to answer but spat out red blood.
'Damn it...'
She thought she had the upper hand this time, but she suffered internal injuries again from an unexpected counterattack. It felt like a terrible nightmare.
'I still can't clear my head.'
She thought she had finished preparing for Raon Zieghart, but her expectations were completely destroyed. It seemed his tongue had grown as much as his martial prowess.
"Master!"
Sakan shouted upon seeing the blood dripping from the Thespian Emperor's hand.
"It's alright."
Ariel shook her head as she wiped the blood with a handkerchief.
"I just bit my tongue."
She muttered that she had bitten her tongue, unwilling to reveal that she had suffered internal injuries from someone much younger than her.
"Let's just align with the Five Demons."
Beriol raised his fist with some anger in his eyes.
"You must be kidding. We should join the Five Demons and make them regret..."
"No."
Ariel shook her head as she wiped the blood from her lips.
"We can't move until we know whether it's a joke or not."
Neither Raon Zieghart nor Glenn Zieghart were foolish enough to tell lies that would be easily exposed. They were confident that they could win, or at least not lose, even if four of the Five Divine Orders, excluding the Pirate King, aligned with the Five Demons.
'What the hell is it?'
Even compiling all the information currently disseminated, nothing came to mind. Rather, she could only think of unfavorable aspects for Zieghart and the Five Kings due to the appearance of dragons or angels.
"As soon as we return, update all the information about the Five Kings and the Five Demons. Especially bring everything about Zieghart."
Ariel bit her lip, saying she would personally review all the information about Zieghart from top to bottom.
"There must be something..."
As she put the blood-soaked handkerchief in her pocket, she heard soft footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw Raon Zieghart approaching.
"What is it now?"
Ariel tried to maintain a calm expression, but she couldn't hide the thick veins protruding from her forehead.
"I have a request."
Raon extended his hand with a calm gaze. She wanted to break his arm and waist at that moment, but she bit her lip and endured.
"A request?"
"The White Whale's information network is as famous as the black market, isn't it? I'm making this request based on that information."
He smiled, saying it was just a simple request.
"We're quite expensive, you know."
Ariel replied, frowning slightly.
"What I'm looking for is an object called a Soul Crystal."
Raon mentioned the name of the Soul Crystal, ignoring her comment about the price.
"S-Soul Crystal? How do you know about...?"
Ariel swallowed with difficulty. It was shocking that the word came out of Raon's mouth, as the very existence of Soul Crystals was known to extremely few people.
"If you bring it directly or tell me its location, I'll give you a suitable reward. Probably whatever you want."
Raon smiled calmly as if he was testing the White Whale while making the request.
"Alright then."
He waved his hand as if telling them to take care of it and left the Lord's Mansion without any attachment.
"..."
Ariel bit her lip as she watched Raon's back.
'How does he know about Soul Crystals? And why is he looking for them?'
She couldn't tell if he was really looking for them because they were important, or if he was testing them. Her head was so complicated that she wanted to punch that little brat.
"Damn it..."
Ariel stood there for a long time before moving with heavy steps.
* * *
-You're a stupid fool!
As Raon returned to the annex building, Wrath thrust his face forward.
-How could you openly reveal that you're looking for Soul Crystals! You should have mentioned other objects too to deceive them!
Wrath frowned, saying it was pathetic.
'If I had done that, I would have revealed that I desperately need Soul Crystals.'
Raon shook his head as he grabbed Wrath's tail.
-What?
'The Thespian Emperor is intelligent. She's especially good at reading people's minds. If I had mentioned several objects there, she would have quickly figured out that Soul Crystals are what I really want.'
The Thespian Emperor is a giant who leads the second largest information organization on the continent. With her cunning, she would have surely understood that Soul Crystals were the true necessary object if I had thrown out several objects.
But if I openly mentioned Soul Crystals in a state where my composure was altered, like today, she wouldn't be able to make a proper judgment about whether Soul Crystals were really necessary or if I was testing her, or if I had some completely different thought.
'That's why I even used the Fire Ring.'
I had calmed my emotions by resonating with the Fire Ring just before. Because I performed such a perfect act, even the Thespian Emperor wouldn't be able to tell that I desperately needed Soul Crystals.
-Damn, you're a smartass...
Wrath wrinkled his nose as he looked down at Raon.
-You're lucky! Being smart, you must want to eat a lot of things! In that sense, this king wants to eat bread!
He ended up talking about food again today, licking his lips.
'Nadine's bread?'
-No!
While he was bothering Wrath, he arrived in front of the annex building and saw Rector standing by the lake. Like Glenn, it seemed all the old swordsmen liked lakes.
"You arrived quickly."
As Raon approached, Rector smiled and turned around.
"Is everything ready?"
"Yes. It went as expected."
Raon told Rector everything that had happened in the Lord's Mansion.
"Hahaha!"
Rector threw his head back and burst into laughter.
"Correct. As you said, her head must be spinning so much that she doesn't know what to do."
He curved his lips, saying it was a pity he couldn't see the ruined expression of the Thespian Emperor.
"The Five Divine Orders won't be able to move easily, and we've gained another information organization to look for Soul Crystals. It's a great gain."
"Yes. It seems the plan worked well, luckily."
"It's not luck."
Rector shook his head with a warm gaze.
"It's your plan that worked well. The saying that one should be more careful of Raon Zieghart's tongue than his sword is true."
He gently grabbed Raon's shoulder as if he was proud of his grandson.
"Now that everything is done, tell me. What do you want to ask me?"
"The squad leaders of the Light Wind Division are about to break their shells. Can I take them to the Holy Sword Alliance?"
Raon bowed his head to Rector. He wanted to create an opportunity for Burren, Martha, and Runaan to become stronger.
"You remain close, I see."
Rector smiled faintly as he looked at Raon.
"Honestly, they are more like friends than subordinates."
"Then it's alright."
Rector nodded without hesitation.
"As a grandfather, I can't refuse my grandson's friends."
He laughed, saying there was no need for permission.
"First of all, for them to agree to go to the Holy Sword Alliance, they must surely be filled with fighting spirit."
"Eh? It's not that they've agreed, right?"
Raon tilted his head as he looked at Rector.
"What...?"
Rector blinked.
"If they didn't agree, did they refuse?"
"No. I didn't even ask them."
Raon curved his lips, revealing a chilling gaze.
"If I say they go, they go. There's no need to ask for their opinion."
"Hmm..."
Rector swallowed as he saw the cold look of his grandson.
'Is it really friendship...?'
-
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