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"Haha..."
Raon let out an ironic laugh as he looked at the door burning with golden flames.
'Was this really the answer?'
It seemed that the fire beings that had been wandering this archive all day existed to open this door. He almost felt apologetic for realizing it so late.
"If I had looked here from the beginning..."
No, that wouldn't have been right. Thanks to spending more than half a day in this archive, he was able to realize that the burning being in front of the wall wasn't moving. Even if he had seen this wall from the beginning, he wouldn't have thought there was anything special hidden there.
-What, what is this?
Wrath also seemed able to see the door made of flames, his eyes widening.
-For such a thing to happen without any phenomenon occurring...
Judging by his reaction, it seemed that even his senses couldn't detect the space behind this wall.
'There was a phenomenon.'
-What phenomenon are you talking about?
—I told you before. The fire beings were moving. Those fellows opened this door.
-Was that real? Wasn't it nonsense?
Wrath's jaw trembled in disbelief.
-That's what I'm saying.
-Grr, to think that even I, in my spiritual form, couldn't notice such a trick...
He pressed his lips tightly, apparently hurt in his pride.
"Still, there's no sensation of harm."
Like the burning beings, this door only emanated a warm sensation. There was no malicious energy or quality, so it seemed safe to enter as he was. Raon breathed slowly and gradually moved his feet towards the flaming door. *Whoosh!*
As soon as he stepped through the door, the world darkened as if the lights of a theater had been turned off, and everything before his eyes turned completely black.
'What is this?'
It was clear he had been in reality, but now it felt like he was floating, as if he were in a dream. Wrath, who had been perched on his shoulder, was nowhere to be seen, and his own body began to blur like mist. As he cautiously looked around, his vision brightened as if the lights had been turned on again.
A familiar space. It was the underground archive of the Shadow Agents where he had spent all day.
-No, it's different.
It was clearly the underground archive of the Shadow Agents, but it was very different from what he had seen. There were fewer shelves, records, and documents, and people dressed as scholars moved busily throughout the archive.
'Those people, could they be...?'
The fire beings? The way they wrote in the books, organized, and stacked the documents was exactly the same as the fire beings that had been moving inside the archive.
'Then...'
Raon swallowed and turned around. In the end, he saw the wall he had just entered through, and in front of it, two martial artists stood motionless like statues. As he had expected, those two were swordsmen guarding that wall.
'They're strong.'
Although he was seeing a memory, he could feel the powerful martial prowess of the two swordsmen. Although they weren't as strong as him now, they were fully mature grandmasters. It was surprising that martial artists of such skill were protecting the wall.
'Should I go back there?'
As he was thinking about where to go, a commotion occurred behind him. When he turned his head, he saw a blond swordsman and a magician wrapped in a blue robe descending the stairs.
The swordsmen guarding the wall and the scholars who had been writing records stopped what they were doing and bowed deeply. Deep respect and trust were evident in everyone's eyes.
[I told you, there's no need to bow.]
The blond swordsman waved his hand with a gentle smile.
'The First Patriarch...'
Although his face wasn't clearly visible, just from his gestures, Raon could tell that this person was the First Patriarch of Zieghart.
[Keep up the good work.]
After politely greeting the family members, the First Patriarch headed towards the wall. When he placed his hand on the wall, a door made of golden flames rose, just as it had happened before for Raon.
[It's working well.]
The First Patriarch nodded, seemingly pleased.
[Of course it is. If you and I work together, it would be stranger if it didn't work.]
The robe-clad mage complained as she entered the door first.
[Is that so.]
The First Patriarch let out a light chuckle and followed her.
'I should follow you... huh?'
Just as he was about to follow the First Patriarch, his perspective naturally shifted, and he found himself standing in a small room built with what looked like red bricks. *Oof!* Seeing the First Patriarch and the mage in front of him, it seemed like he had been pushed toward the flaming door regardless of his will.
[It's done.]
The First Patriarch placed a single book on a small shelf in the center of the room. The cover seemed stiff, as if it had been freshly made.
Why are you making this so complicated?
The blue-robed mage frowned as she looked at the unnamed book.
[You could simply say the direct lineage verbally, or put it in the treasury like the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.]
She shook her head, saying she didn't understand.
[That mustn't be done.]
The First Patriarch firmly shook his head, contrasting with his warm voice.
[Don't tell me you don't trust them. The people here would give their lives for you without hesitation.]
The mage wrinkled her nose, as if asking him to understand.
[I know. But the future will be different.]
The First Patriarch offered a gentle smile, asking for understanding.
[In the future, our achievements will be forgotten, and various martial arts and treasures will leak out. The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Fire Ring might be among them.]
[Leaked out?]
The mage widened her eyes, as if she had never considered such a thing.
[Yes. Probably many things.]
The First Patriarch nodded as if it were no big deal.
[If you know that, you should prevent it!]
[Destiny is not something that can be prevented just because you try to prevent it.]
He revealed a distant look in his eyes as he used the word "destiny."
'Leaked...'
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at the First Patriarch's back.
'Now that I think about it...'
The place where his past self had obtained the Fire Ring was a cave that had no relation to Zieghart. It was a place where there were no traces of his ancestors, so he thought someone might have leaked it.
-Yes, it's very likely.
It didn't make sense for the Fire Ring to not exist in Zieghart, even if the Sword Control in the Holy Sword Alliance could be explained. It seemed that something had indeed happened in between.
[What exactly are you seeing?]
The mage raised her eyebrows as she looked at the First Patriarch.
[It's not much different from you. I'm just making some preparations.]
The First Patriarch shrugged as if it were no big deal.
[Then let's go.]
Are you really going to leave like this?
The mage tilted her head as she fiddled with her staff.
[Without saying goodbye to everyone?]
[We've already laid the groundwork. It's better for goodbyes to be dry.]
The First Patriarch moved his finger, indicating it was time to leave.
[I can't tell if you're being cold or considerate.]
The mage sighed as she tapped the ground with her staff.
So, where are we going?
[South for now. That's the direction "he" last appeared. There are also things we need to plant.]
[You really live a busy life.]
As she clicked her tongue briefly, a blue light enveloped the ancestors. *Whoosh!* Amidst the undulating blue mana, the First Patriarch turned around. His red eyes calmly met Raon's. He offered a deep smile as if to tell Raon he was doing well, or perhaps to encourage him to work harder. *Whoosh!*
With an intense light, the First Patriarch and the mage disappeared, and the room fell dark. When Raon closed his eyes and opened them again, he saw a ceiling made of red bricks.
'Huh? This ceiling is...'
-Hey!
As Raon stared at the ceiling, Wrath appeared before his eyes.
-Why are you still still after falling?!
Wrath waved his arms with an urgent look in his eyes.
'Fallen?'
Raon blinked and looked around. He was lying on the ground, and when he turned around, he saw the flaming door still burning.
'I see.'
It seemed he had rolled on the ground while being absorbed into the First Patriarch's memory. His body was so strong that he didn't seem to be injured anywhere.
"Thank you for worrying about me."
-I'm worried about the foot!
Wrath widened his eyes like a frightened rabbit.
-If you collapse, this king won't be able to eat ice cream! That's the only reason!
He gritted his teeth and told him not to say nonsense.
'Is that so.'
Raon chuckled. If he died or fainted, Wrath might eat his body, but seeing him worry like that, he really didn't seem to have the personality of a demon king.
-But...
Wrath narrowed his eyes.
-Where did you go?
'What do you mean where did I go?'
-For a brief moment, your soul disappeared from your body.
He nodded, saying that's why he was surprised.
-Come to think of it, I think something similar happened before.
"It did."
Raon calmly nodded. Even before, when he had entered his ancestor's memory, Wrath had said something similar. Of course, even then, the demon king hadn't laid a hand on his body, unlike what a real demon king would do.
"I saw the memory of the Zieghart ancestor."
-Ancestor's memory? You mean that dream?
'Yes.'
Raon nodded. As Wrath trusted him, he in turn trusted Wrath and told him the truth.
-That shouldn't be possible without an artifact or special item, right?
Wrath swallowed dryly, as if he couldn't believe it.
"It's not that there's no means."
The means that connected him to his ancestor was the Fire Ring and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Those two martial arts were calling him to his ancestor's memories.
-Still, it's impossible! If it were possible just with martial arts, anyone could learn from their ancestors!
Wrath shook his head and said that something like that was impossible even for a genius.
-Are you sure your ancestor was really human?
'What else could they be, a demon?'
-Hmm! Well, judging by your personality, there's definitely no demon blood mixed in.
He clicked his tongue and said there was absolutely no connection to the Devildom.
'To think I'd hear those words from a demon king.'
Raon chuckled and looked at the bookshelf in front of him. The book he had seen in his ancestor's memory still retained its hard cover, as if less than an hour had passed since then.
'Why did they put this book here?'
Unlike the mage, he didn't have prior knowledge, so he didn't know what this book was for. In the end, he had no choice but to open it himself.
"Oof."
Raon calmed his rapidly beating heart and opened the book. At that moment, the Fire Ring and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation activated simultaneously, and the book began to burn with a golden light.
'This isn't a book...'
It's memory and energy. As the book burned, it was engraving its contents into his mind. It was the same method as the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. *Whoosh!* The burning, clear energy inhabiting the book began to swirl around his entire body, connecting the energies of the Fire Ring and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
At the same time, the mantra engraved in his head acted as a bridge, connecting the two energies more naturally.
Although the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Fire Ring were both martial arts of the First Patriarch, their nature was different. The Fire Ring, which grew the body and soul to adapt to a martial artist and maximized the realm of the soul and senses, and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, which was a flame cultivation method and contained various sword techniques, drew a deep and intense circle of flames as if they had been one from the beginning.
*Woooosh!* Raon nodded as he took the remaining ashes of the book in his hand.
"So this is what it was."
The contents of the book his ancestor left behind were simple: the synergy between the Fire Ring and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. It wasn't about creating a crude harmony like before, but about using the Fire Ring to maximize the power of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
It was an incomprehensible text that wouldn't have any effect on others, but for him, it was miraculous.
"I've become stronger again."
No, I will become stronger. Thanks to the First Patriarch's arrangement, he was confident that he could become even stronger on his own, beyond the realm of transcendence.
-W-what is this?
Wrath frowned as he looked at Raon.
-Suddenly, the two types of flames inhabiting your body are connecting very naturally.
He shook his head, apparently having grasped Raon's change in an instant.
'It's still subtle, but I've connected the flames of the Ring and the flames of the energy center.'
-That ring isn't just the flame of martial arts, right?
-That's right. The aura amplification effect has increased even further.
Raon smiled as he felt the movement of the ring swirling in his heart.
-Ugh...
Wrath bit his lip tightly.
-Why do you keep devouring lucky encounters like this! Others might encounter one in their whole life, but you're devouring them like they're air!
He yelled that the world was discriminating.
"I don't think everything is alright."
-What?
«It's likely the enemy is also strong.»
-Enemy? You mean that bastard who summoned the angels?
«He is my enemy, but I'm talking about another.»
Raon shook his head and lowered his eyebrows.
'The so-called Anima who fought with my ancestor.'
I'm sure they're still alive.
* * *
After leaving the Shadow Agents, Raon headed to the Lord's Mansion instead of the annex building. He first needed to inform Glenn about the new place he had found in the underground archive. *Knock, knock, knock!* When he opened the large door of the audience chamber and entered, he knelt before Glenn, who was looking at the moon outside the window.
"I have come to see the Head of House."
"Rise."
Like the First Patriarch in the memory, Glenn waved his hand, saying that unnecessary greetings were over. Now that he looked at him, their gazes seemed quite similar.
"Hmm, I heard you went with the Shadow Agents, but did you already find something?"
His eyes trembled slightly, apparently sensing Raon's change.
-Yes. I found something unexpected.
-"Something unexpected?"
"Indeed..."
Raon told him about seeing the flame beings through the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, observing those beings, and entering the new space created in the underground archive.
"Wow, to think such a thing existed..."
Glenn let out a sigh, apparently also unaware of that space.
"There was only one book inside. And when I grabbed that book, it turned to ashes and scattered like the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation you gave me, Head of House."
—Did that also get into your head?
"Yes, it did."
Raon nodded heavily.
"What was the content?"
"It was a method to make the flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation hotter and stronger. There was also a way to improve swordsmanship, which was similar to what I had been thinking."
The book his ancestor left behind contained not only ways to strengthen the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation but also more refined swordsmanship techniques, and those improvements were almost identical to what he had been considering.
"That means your path hasn't deviated from your ancestor's intentions. That's extraordinary."
Glenn nodded with a gentle smile.
"People of the world sit and wait for luck to accompany them in an encounter, but, in principle, fortuitous encounters accompany those who make an effort. Well done."
He smiled and said that it seemed Raon's efforts had yielded that result. However, his expression didn't seem very good.
"Grandpa."
Raon bowed his head and addressed Glenn not as the Head of House but as his grandfather.
"You don't look well. Is it because of my sister?"
Even during his training, he took the time to visit Sia every day, but she still hadn't woken up. It seemed Glenn felt frustrated that his granddaughter wasn't waking up and there was no information about the Soul Crystal.
"Yes. It's so difficult to find that I'm starting to wonder if the Soul Crystal really exists."
Glenn sighed and said he didn't know that the position of Head of House Zieghart could be so powerless.
"Have all the contacts returned?"
"Most of them didn't even know of its existence, and although they said they would look for it, there's been no news since. Ah..."
He lowered his chin slightly as he spoke.
"There hasn't been any contact from anywhere."
Glenn frowned deeply, apparently annoyed.
"Who is it?"
-Alice, that fool as always doesn't answer at all.
-
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