C847
After shedding a torrent of tears, Raon followed Glenn into the audience chamber. Sylvia and Edgar, along with other executives, trailed behind him with bewildered expressions, seemingly surprised to have witnessed his tears.
"Haha..."
Glenn stood on the platform of the audience chamber, exhaling a deep sigh. He stood before the throne and extended his hand towards Raon.
"Rimmer..."
Glenn paused and bit his lip slightly as he looked at Rimmer's coffin beside Raon.
"I heard that Rimmer had died and Alice was severely injured, but I wasn't informed of the exact circumstances."
He glanced at Lawaine, seemingly realizing that Raon and the Light Wind division were in a mentally challenging situation.
—Lawaine. You...
"Head of House. I will explain."
Raon wiped the remaining tears from his eyes with the back of his hand and stepped forward.
"Are you sure you're ready for this?"
"Yes, I want to do it. No, I must do it."
He nodded, gazing at Rimmer's coffin beside him.
"...Then please proceed."
Glenn stepped back, his brows slightly furrowed.
"I'll start from the beginning. After we obtained the Soul Crystal and were about to return to Zieghart, one of Lady Alice's subordinates came to us."
Raon referred to the subordinate as Alice without mentioning Paras's name, to avoid putting pressure on him.
"The news was that they had found traces of Sif, Lady Alice's son. After deliberating a bit, we decided to first send the Soul Crystal to Zieghart and then go search for Sif. When we first entered the dungeon..."
Raon recounted everything that had happened inside the dungeon in detail, leaving nothing out.
"...Thanks to my master, whom I met in the mental world, I was able to ascend to transcendence. I then adjusted the dungeon to pursue Sif and Bardiel and take my revenge."
As he recalled the memories of the dungeon, Rimmer's face came to mind, and he felt tears welling up again. But since he no longer wanted to cry, he suppressed the wave of emotions.
—Derus Robert! That son of a bitch!
Balder stomped violently as if he could bring down the audience chamber.
"Where the hell is this bastard hiding while he's doing this shit?"
He gritted his teeth, expressing his desire to drag Derus by the hair.
"We're in front of the Head of House. Be quiet."
Karoon shook his head as he looked at the platform.
—Aren't you angry, brother? This bastard is toying with Zieghart... Mmph!
Balder was shouting but shut his mouth upon seeing Karoon's glare.
"I told you to shut your mouth."
Karoon's eyes were surrounded by crimson lightning. As someone who felt deep pride for Zieghart, he seemed angrier than anyone present.
"Mmm..."
Balder pouted before stepping back again.
"..."
Even Denier, who always maintained a calm demeanor, was shaking his clenched fist, apparently angry.
"I see. So that's what happened..."
Glenn looked at Rimmer's coffin, slowly closing and opening his eyes.
"That's why you've been blaming yourselves."
He nodded gravely, acknowledging the looks in the eyes of the swordsmen of the Light Wind division.
"It’s all my fault!"
Dorian stepped forward, his voice choked with emotion.
"Because I couldn't do anything, the Vice Leader..."
He grabbed his disheveled hair, saying he had been more of a hindrance than a help.
—No. It's my fault.
Raon shook his head, stopping Dorian.
"There were several opportunities to stop Sif's plan. It was my negligence that led to Lady Alice being stabbed, and even the Vice Leader was attacked."
Raon bowed his head, taking all the blame to prevent Dorian and the other kids from the Light Wind division from reproaching themselves. However, this was not just an emotional gesture; it was also a genuine way to address his own shortcomings.
"If I had been a little calmer, I could have saved them both."
If the calmness of his past life had remained intact, Raon would not have trusted Sif until the end. It seemed that becoming Raon Zieghart and believing in people and relationships had created a weakness within him.
"The swordsman Rimmer I knew could be frivolous, but he never spoke nonsense."
Glenn pressed his lips tightly together as he looked at the coffin.
"He left you with words to cheer you up, and the fact that he left with a smile in Raon's mental image means he has no regrets. Neither the leader of the Light Wind division nor the Light Wind division should blame themselves."
He lowered his chin, and his gaze turned cold.
"There is someone else who used dirty tricks, so why are you all so desperate to blame yourselves? Blaming yourselves more would be an insult to Rimmer. Forget about that from the moment you leave this room."
Glenn gritted his teeth and told them to blame Derus instead of themselves and to think about revenge.
"Do you understand?"
"...Yes, I understand."
Dorian nodded, kneeling and sobbing.
"I understand."
Raon also bowed his head. As Glenn had said and as he himself had seen, Rimmer had disappeared with a smile, seemingly without regrets. He felt that he should not dishonor his master's last moments, as Glenn had pointed out.
"And there is one more thing I need to tell you."
Raon stepped forward again and looked at Glenn.
"It’s about how Sif stole Lady Alice's power."
Before speaking, he scanned the entire audience chamber. Only the Palace Masters, direct lineage members, Division Leaders, and high-ranking executives were present, so it seemed safe to bring up the topic.
"Yes. I was curious about that!"
Balder nodded emphatically.
"Even someone as ignorant as I knows it's impossible to achieve transcendence by stealing someone else's power!"
He waved his finger, urging Raon to continue.
"In our Zieghart..."
Raon continued, placing a hand over his chest.
"It is said that the blood of angels flows within us."
"...Angels? Are you talking about the angels that Derus Robert supposedly summoned?"
Karoon's lips trembled in apparent shock.
"That's right."
Raon nodded and looked at Karoon.
"Sif apparently ascended to transcendence by absorbing the power of the Angels residing in Lady Alice's blood. Martha."
"Yes."
Martha stepped forward and handed Raon Sif's Cursed Black Sword.
"Sif stole Lady Alice's power through the curse left in the cavity and this Cursed Black Sword. The secret must lie within this sword."
Raon passed the Cursed Black Sword, still smelling of blood, to Glenn.
"...Indeed, there is an intense and suffocating aura remaining."
Glenn squinted and said he had no idea such a sword existed.
"We will also need to contact Vulcano and Ogram."
He nodded, thinking that he should summon Vulcano, recognized as a master blacksmith, and the shamans of the Beast Union.
"Head of House. Did you know this?"
Raon frowned as he watched Glenn examining the Cursed Black Sword. Judging by his calm reaction, he seemed to have already known about the Angels.
"I knew nothing about the mixed blood of the Angels. However..."
Glenn shook his head as he lowered the Cursed Black Sword.
"Considering our unique Sword Domain and Zieghart's trait of not diminishing its growth even after achieving transcendence, I thought our lineage itself was special. We will need to investigate this aspect thoroughly as well."
He lowered his brows, saying it was unexpected even for him.
"Angels, huh? Should we be happy about this or not...?"
Balder let out a hollow laugh, as if he still couldn't believe it.
"..."
Karoon looked at Rimmer's coffin with somber eyes, seemingly lost in thought.
"It seems..."
Denier, after staring at the Cursed Black Sword, stepped forward.
"It seems that Derus Robert is also using the power of the White Blood Religion."
"The White Blood Religion?"
Balder tilted his chin, as if asking what Denier meant.
"The White Blood Religion is the one that best understands human blood across the continent. The two forces must be deeply connected."
Denier rubbed his temples, suggesting that Derus and the leader of the White Blood Religion must have collaborated to investigate ways to steal the power of Zieghart.
"That is certainly a possibility."
Glenn nodded and said that since Sif had ascended to transcendence using Alice's blood, there was a high chance that the Leader of the White Blood Religion was involved.
"From what we can see, it seems that Zieghart's blood must be connected to Zieghart for the power to be stolen, but just in case, I want the Palace Masters and Division Leaders to investigate all aspects."
He ordered all the executives present in the audience chamber to gather information on this matter.
"From now on, I declare Derus Robert and his forces as Zieghart's primary enemy. Prioritize them above all other forces, and if you encounter them, kill them without fail. I give you my permission."
Glenn gritted his teeth, emphasizing that they must never let them live.
"Yes, sir!"
The Zieghart executives bowed their heads resolutely, as if swearing to fulfill the order even at the cost of their lives.
"Esmereld."
Glenn gestured to Merlin, who was standing at the back of the Light Wind division.
"Yes! Grandfather!"
Merlin responded with an even cheerier voice than usual, as if trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.
"Hmm... How long will it take to prepare to awaken Sia?"
Glenn, after hesitating for a moment, as if taken by surprise, asked about Sia.
"Probably about two weeks."
Merlin held up two fingers, saying that since it was the first time she was doing something like this, she needed to prepare meticulously.
"It doesn't matter if it takes longer. There must be no failures, so please make sure it is as safe as possible."
"Leave it to me!"
She smiled, confidently patting her arm.
"In three days, we will hold Rimmer's funeral. Since he came from Sepia, it may be right to send him back there, but I want to bury him in Zieghart." (E/N: In the original, it was not Sepia but Sephia, which is the company that belongs to Dorian's family, but I assume it was a typo. Or something very bad went wrong in the translation at some point.)
Glenn said this and then turned around.
"You must all be tired, so go back now. I will take care of the rest."
He made a tired gesture, as if telling them to withdraw.
"...Understood."
Raon bowed deeply and left the audience chamber with the Light Wind division.
"We'll be leaving too."
"Please don't overdo it..."
"Wow, how frustrating!"
Karoon, Denier, Balder, and the other executives also bowed toward Glenn's back before exiting the audience chamber.
"..."
Glenn remained alone in the audience chamber, contemplating Rimmer's coffin. Like a statue, he stood still, his eyes fixed solely on Rimmer, even as the sun set and dawn approached. Bam!
As Glenn held his head and bent over, apparently feeling dizzy, the door of the audience chamber burst open violently, and Sheryl flew in as if she had launched herself forward.
"Haha..."
Fresh blood stained Sheryl's cheeks and clothes; it seemed she had come running without looking back as soon as her mission ended.
"Head of House! Where is that bastard...? Ah!"
She trembled as she searched for Rimmer and then saw the coffin beneath the platform. Glenn descended from the platform with heavy steps and stood before Rimmer's coffin. He raised and lowered his trembling hand several times before finally deciding to open the coffin.
Among the precious white frost flowers lay Rimmer's figure. He was smiling.
It seemed that at any moment he would sit up and exclaim with a mischievous smile: "You finally embraced Raon! Why did it take you so long?"
"..."
Glenn could not continue looking at Rimmer's face and lifted his gaze to the ceiling. His vision seemed to blur, as if filled with fog.
"Rest in peace..."
Roenn bowed his head and placed a hand over his chest. Transparent tears welled up in his aged eyes.
"You are a stupid child. You are a fool..."
Sheryl knelt and struck the ground. Tears streamed from her eyes and slightly dampened her hair.
"You told me to wait! Lazy player!"
She shouted at Rimmer, her voice filled with resentment, asking him why he had not kept his promise.
"You left us in a way that was truly your own."
Glenn bit his lip while holding Rimmer's scarred hand.
"I’m glad you have no regrets, but I wish I had spent more time with you. My comrade. No, my dear friend."
* * *
"Haha..."
Raon sighed as he looked at the ceiling of his room.
'I can’t sleep.'
It had been a long time since he returned to the annex, washed up, and lay down, but sleep eluded him. Despite having never been so mentally and physically exhausted before, his mind was clear.
—No, it's not entirely clear.
It seemed that sleep wouldn't come because his emotions and mind were too agitated.
—Then at least move your body.
Wrath yawned briefly and shook his head.
—You'll feel better if you relax your body a bit.
Unlike usual, he nodded and told Raon to go stretch his body.
'...Thank you.'
Despite not having fulfilled his promise to throw a party upon returning with the family and not having enjoyed a delicious meal for a while, Wrath had endured silently without complaining. Knowing Wrath's usual temperament, Raon could only feel grateful.
—Don’t say nonsense. This king is just bored.
Wrath snorted, urging Raon to hurry up and go out.
'Alright.'
Raon smiled faintly and was about to leave through the door when he stopped. His senses, which had arisen naturally, brought the presence of Sylvia, Edgar, and Helen in the dining room. Sylvia and Helen were crying, mourning Rimmer's death while Edgar comforted them.
'...'
Raon turned around and exited through the window of his room. To avoid waking the others, he headed to the back of the lake and drew his Heavenly Drive sword. Woong! Just by grabbing the sword, the mana within his body resonated with the mana of nature. Celestial connection. The aura of a transcendent warrior, a human who had reached the heavens, blossomed over his shoulders.
!Swoosh! As he slowly lowered his sword, the lake parted silently. The mana of nature followed the path left by the aura of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, creating a wall that divided the lake.
"...I've grown stronger."
He felt more powerful than ever. However, despite having reached the coveted realm of transcendence, he was not happy. It seemed to be because the person who would have celebrated and rejoiced for him the most was no longer there.
«Still, I have no choice but to move on».
None of his goals had been achieved yet. Even if he were to die, regardless of the outcome, he had to kill Derus at the very least. While pouring his heavy heart into the sword, the blade, imbued with a faint aura, twisted and split the air. The transcendence realm could turn ideals into reality even with a weak aura.
When Raon finished his basic fencing and was about to unleash the Fangs of Madness, he sensed someone on his right. Without needing to use his aura perception, the mana informed him of that presence. Now he understood why Wrath always sensed people's presence in advance.
The person who descended to the lake with rough steps was Sheryl. Her hair clung to her wet face, indicating how hurriedly she had arrived.
"Heavenly Sword Division Leader..."
Raon bowed his head, unable to look directly at Sheryl.
"I'm sorry."
She and Rimmer were friends. No, they seemed to be more than that, leaving Raon speechless.
"Don't worry about it. Just take this."
Sheryl pulled out a crumpled piece of paper from her pocket.
"This is..."
"That damn fool left this for you..."
She paused for a moment and then bit her lip hard.
"It’s his last will."
-
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