C829
The sea otter, sensing danger, quickly twisted its body and dove into the sea. Raon stepped onto the steps of supreme harmony amidst the waves. He invoked the gale-style wind and reached out towards the pentagonal stone that the sea otter was holding tightly.
The sea otter tried to escape by abruptly changing direction, but Raon had already predicted its movement from its gesture.
'I'm going to check the stone.'
Raon blocked the sea otter's escape route and reached for the stone it was holding.
'Huh?'
What's this? Even though his hand touched the pentagonal stone, nothing happened. Despite opening his soul realm, he couldn't feel anything.
'Wasn't I supposed to know something when I touched it?'
Merlin had said that someone of his level should be able to enter the Mental Image of the soul the moment they touched the stone, but he couldn't sense any energy or phenomenon coming from this stone. It was literally an ordinary, common stone.
-Mmm.
Wrath frowned as he looked at the pentagonal stone in his hand.
-I can't feel it accurately because my current condition is bad, but as you said, it seems like an ordinary, common stone.
'Then, it's not the right one after all?'
-That's right. It means that the sea otter isn't that crazy woman, but an inhabitant of this sea.
He sighed in relief, as if he were happy.
'I knew it.'
He knew it was a real animal, as Merlin wouldn't have run away if it had been her. He touched it because the shape and color of the stone the sea otter had were too similar to Lawaine's testimony, but it turned out to be just an ordinary, common stone.
'I'm sorry.'
Raon returned the stone to the sea otter and nodded slightly. The sea otter nodded as if to say it was okay and swam away.
'Sea otters even comfort people nowadays.'
Raon chuckled and returned to the surface of the sea.
"What? Did you find it?"
Rimmer approached and tilted his head.
"No."
Raon shook his head.
"The stone the sea otter had was pentagonal, so I chased after it, but it was just an ordinary, common stone."
"Sea otter? Ah! The stone they use to open shells?"
Rimmer hit his stomach with his fist as if he were a sea otter himself.
"That's right."
Field nodded.
“The shape was similar and it was emerald-colored, but it wasn't the right one.”
"It would have been fun if you had found it like that."
Rimmer laughed and said it would have been interesting.
"As you said before, since it's been on the beach all this time, it's probably right to assume that its edges have worn down. We should search everything."
He clicked his lips, suggesting that they should examine all the stones in that area instead of looking for a pentagonal one.
"It won't be difficult, but it will be a very arduous task."
Raon let out a short sigh as he looked at the stones submerged in the clear sea.
«Even more so for others.»
It was natural for him to do it, as it was a family matter, but it wasn't the case for the Light Wind division or the Azure Wind crew. He felt sorry that they had to work hard on the beach for so long.
"It's something we have to do, no matter how arduous it is."
Rimmer gave him a small smile, telling him not to worry too much.
"Oh..."
Raon blinked as he looked at Rimmer.
"What?"
"I'm surprised because someone who seemed incapable of comforting me is actually comforting me..."
The Rimmer he knew would have complained about the tedious task and gone to rest, but today he was looking for the Soul Crystal with more passion than Alice. He was so different from usual that he couldn't help but laugh.
—Don't you think you're looking at me like a troublemaker?
Rimmer frowned as if he found it absurd.
"I may have done some crazy things, well, quite a few actually, but I'm not so selfish as to go to rest and leave something valuable to the division leader."
He smiled softly and said that he knew how important family was to him.
"So let's put more effort into finding it."
Rimmer abruptly turned his back, as if embarrassed by his own words, and went out to search for the Soul Crystal.
"...Thank you."
Raon bowed his head towards Rimmer's back.
"I appreciate your comfort, but I still can't help but feel sorry."
Since only he, Alice, Rimmer, and Lawaine could find the Soul Crystal, the Light Wind division and the crew could only do the tedious job of sorting the stones. He felt even more sorry for using high-level personnel for such a monotonous task.
"Haha..."
Raon let out a short sigh and dived back into the sea to search for the Soul Crystal.
* * *
—Nnngh!
As the moon set and the sun began to rise again, Wrath groaned as if he were in pain, clutching his head.
—Ah! I can't take this anymore!
'What is it?'
Raon blinked and pushed back his wet hair.
—How long will it take to find it like this! There was nothing on that little island either! At this rate, I'll never get to see the Bead Ice Cream!
He shouted, saying that it would take too long to find the Soul Crystal.
"We can't help it. Have patience a little longer."
-You do it.
Wrath grabbed his shoulder tightly with his round hand.
—Me? What should I do?
Raon tilted his head and looked at Wrath.
—What this king was about to do! Open your soul and detect the Soul Crystal that should be around here!
Wrath raised his fist, saying that would allow them to find it immediately.
You said only you could do that. I haven't even reached Transcendence yet, right?
Wrath had said that a person's soul size increases according to how they have lived. No matter how many hardships he had endured, he couldn't match the soul of a demon king.
«If even my aunt can't do it, there's no point in me doing it.»
-Sigh...
Wrath let out a long sigh as if he found it pathetic.
—This king has been telling you all along! Your soul is incomparably larger than your pitiful martial prowess!
'You have said that...'
Raon nodded. Wrath had often told him that the size of his soul was disproportionately large compared to his martial prowess and age.
-When you spun that damn Fire Ring, the size of your soul was even greater than that troublemaker's!
Wrath pointed his finger at Alice.
—That's why this king always says it's a cheat!
He gave him a swat with his hand and told him to realize his own abilities.
'Mmm...'
Raon clicked his lips and placed his hand on his left chest, where he was spinning the Fire Ring.
—Still, wouldn't it be difficult? Even if I opened my soul completely, it would only cover this area.
—Idiot! You weren't given just a soul.
Wrath pointed at the bracelet he was wearing on his wrist.
'The Demon King's Authority...'
-That's right. What you've been given isn't just simple power and traits, but fragments of the demon kings' souls!
He slapped his wrist, telling him to look closely.
'I know, but...'
Raon bit his lip, remembering the emotions of the demon kings tied to the edges of his soul.
"I can't use all of that right now."
Because his realm was insufficient, he couldn't summon all of the Demon King's Authority. It took all his concentration just to extract the most well-known Wrath.
-This king will help you.
Wrath wiggled his chubby fingers as he sat on his shoulder.
'What?'
-I said this king will help you control the Demon King's Authority.
'But you...'
-While it's difficult to use physical force at the moment, it's certainly possible to support you in that sense.
He nodded calmly, as if telling him not to worry.
"No, this is too much strain for you."
Raon was the first to worry, even though Wrath said he would help, because he had said that his spiritual body was in bad condition and couldn't exert external force.
—How ridiculous that a young man like you would worry about this king!
Wrath scoffed, lifting his round chin.
—Enough! We'll start now, so get ready! If you can't keep up, I'll leave you behind!
He twisted his lips, telling him to keep going no matter what.
'...Thank you.'
Raon thanked Wrath and closed his eyes. He resonated the Fire Ring, awakening the Demon King's Authority that slept deep within his soul.
<Wrath>, <Sloth>, <Envy>, <Gluttony>, and even <Lust>. Like a volcano erupting, spewing lava, the Demon King's Authority spread in all directions, escaping his control.
—Now! Concentrate!
With Wrath's shout, his Wrath began to seep from his shoulder. Unlike before, when he tried to steal his soul, this was a concentrated force to control the Authority of other demon kings.
—This king won't be able to hold out for long! Use those emotions as your hands and feet and extend them throughout this beach!
'I understand.'
Using Wrath's shout as a foothold, he raised his concentration to the extreme. The Demon King's Authority connected through Wrath's emotion, giving him a feeling of having the entire beach in the palm of his hand. It was an omnipotent feeling as if his skin had transformed into the entire Giran Island.
'Show me everything!'
The moment he entered a world of Super Sense where he could feel even the shape of each grain of sand, not just stones and pebbles, he strongly felt Lust's Authority from the empty space.
"What is this..."
Raon's lips trembled. Lust, whom he thought had returned to Devildom, was looking at him from within a pink current.
—Kyaaaaak!
As soon as Wrath saw Lust, he flinched and removed his hand from Raon's shoulder. The omnipotent feeling that made him feel like he could do anything disappeared in an instant.
"Lust? Why are you here?"
"Ah..."
Lust, in a state of pink current, let out a sigh that sounded like a lament.
"Jejejeje!"
While Raon exhaled empty air, looking at Lust, a baby sea otter emerged from the water and began to laugh.
—I told you! You got too close!
A sea otter speaking in human language. There was no need to ask who inhabited it.
"Even Merlin..."
—Yes! It's me!
The sea otter nodded rapidly.
"Why are you two here?"
"We made a little bet."
Merlin smiled and said that it all ended in victory thanks to her.
"I'm sorry..."
Lust revealed her face in the middle of the pink current.
"I was so happy that you used my Authority that I..."
She bowed her head deeply, saying that she was very sorry.
—Ughhhh!
Wrath sobbed and hid behind Raon's back.
—Why did those crazy women come! Why do crazy women always travel together! At this crucial moment!
He shouted that everything was ruined.
"You don't have to worry."
Raon stroked Wrath's head as he cried and shook his head.
"I'm curious to know what kind of bet it was, but we'll talk about it later."
"Are you trying to find the Soul Crystal? I'll help you too!"
Merlin extended her hand, saying that she would come in her main body.
"I've already found it."
"Huh? You found it?"
—Is, is that true?
Merlin and Wrath's jaws dropped in surprise.
'Yes.'
Raon nodded calmly. Although Lust and Merlin surprised him, his concentration, which had reached the state of Everlasting Unperturbed Mind, didn't break immediately. When his soul extended throughout the beach, he clearly caught a gloomy emotion as if it were enveloped in darkness.
'It's here.'
Raon looked at a fist-sized stone in the shallow sea, not far from the shore. It was round, with all the edges worn down, and had a deeper green color than emerald. From that stone, he could perceive someone's crying, sadness, and despair.
«But it doesn't seem like a good soul.»
But we still have to leave. Raon let out a short sigh and grabbed the stone. With a feeling as if his body were floating, as if he were seeing the memory of an ancestor, his vision turned black.
* * *
A seven-year-old girl? No, even younger, appears. The girl was practicing swordsmanship in the open space in front of her house, and she seemed to be growing noticeably day by day, as if overflowing with talent. Despite her young age, there were times when the girl's emotions faltered, and that was when she saw children her age playing together.
The girl stared at the children who were wondering what to play or what to look for that day, as if she felt envy. One of the children approached the girl and held out his hand. He smiled cheerfully and asked her to play together.
[Me too?]
Just as the girl was about to take the boy's hand, a middle-aged man with a stern expression came out and blocked the way.
[Go away.]
At the man's sharp voice, the boy ran away with a tearful face and never appeared in front of the girl again.
You have things to do. Don't disappoint me.
The middle-aged man, who seemed to be the girl's father, repeated that she should focus on training with dry eyes that didn't show affection. After that, the girl swung her sword day and night. Even when she saw children her age laughing and playing, she didn't give them a glance, swinging her sword every day with the sole intention of living up to her father's expectations.
When three years passed, the girl reached the level her father desired. When the girl went to look for her father with an excited heart, he uttered only one sentence.
[It's time. Let's go.]
'Without a word of praise like 'Good job' or 'Well done', he simply said to go somewhere and got up.
The girl didn't feel disappointed. Thinking that happy days awaited her from that moment on, she followed her father to an unknown underground chamber. There were children who seemed to be her age. The girl was happy to finally have friends, but the other children didn't seem to have those thoughts.
They all had cold eyes, as if they were looking at the girl's father. The girl's life didn't change much. She swung her sword all day in the chamber and slept alone in a separate room. There wasn't even time to rest, let alone get close to anyone.
While the other children seemed to adapt quickly to this hell, only one child was different.
He always had tears in his eyes, as if he were scared of the darkness of this underground world. The girl seemed to see herself reflected in that child and took care of him. When the girl began to feel a little happiness building a bond with the boy named Valde, it happened.
One dawn, instead of being called to the training chamber, she was kept in the room where she only slept. While she was trembling with happiness for not having to swing a sword and anxiety for not being able to see Valde, she heard someone's scream from afar. The next day too. And the next day, continuously.
A strange land where someone's screams erupted every passing day. The girl shouted her father's name in fear, but, of course, there was no answer.
When a week passed with the girl worrying about her father and Valde's well-being, the door to her room opened and her father entered.
[Father!]
The girl ran towards him, calling out for help, but her father kicked her with eyes that looked at her as if she were an insect. While the girl rolled on the ground after being kicked, a boy with cold eyes entered in front of her.
Valde. The young, immature boy with whom she had built a small bond was now holding a sword with the same cold eyes as his father.
[Valde. What are you...?]
When the girl was about to shout at him to lower the sword, Valde's sword pierced her heart. Her chest felt hot. Only after feeling the empty sensation of all her aura and soul being absorbed, did Valde pull out his sword.
[Dad, Valdé...]
The girl used her last strength to approach her only friend and father, but that hand stopped in the air and her father and friend left the dark room without even looking at her.
[I see it was a half-success...]
The girl remembered her life as she listened to her father's cold voice. The cold father, the sword she swung all her life, the children who approached to play, and the betrayal of the friend she made in the end. The moments of despair of not being able to live like normal children flowed through her pupils.
I just wanted to play like the other children...
The girl's body burst into black flames and transformed into a giant fire monster. All the dark energies of death, despair, anger, and pain were reflected in the girl's soul.
'I see...'
Raon opened his hand towards the child's soul that had become black flames, without drawing his sword.
'I'll play with you.'
-
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