C857
After bidding farewell to Denier, Raon entered Federick's mansion.
"We have many guests today."
Federick waved his hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together, and said he was glad Raon came.
"Did you finish the party?"
"It’s not over yet."
Raon shook his head and said he was still enjoying it.
-Then why did you come here?
Federick gestured dismissively with his hand, telling him to go back and have fun.
"I brought some food and dessert."
Raon unwrapped the package and placed the buffet dishes and the pearl ice cream he had personally brought on the table.
"Eat them now. I just brought them, so they should still be warm."
"Hmm! I was hungry..."
Federick licked his lips while looking at the steaming dishes.
"You’re the only one who takes care of me! That so-called friend of mine is too busy stuffing his mouth to even show up."
He snorted while cursing Glenn.
"Thank you. I will enjoy it."
"It’s nothing."
Raon bowed his head, thanking Federick for staying in Zieghart.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn’t be here either. No need to say those things."
Federick clicked his tongue.
"The truth is, I miss traveling without a destination, but I plan to leave only after taking care of Alice, no matter what."
He smiled slightly and said he couldn't leave a patient behind.
"Well then, shall we eat?"
Federick pondered what to choose before grabbing a pizza for the first time.
-Ugh! This fool doesn’t know how to eat! You’re supposed to start a buffet by warming up your stomach with hot soup!
Wrath frowned and didn’t seem impressed.
—Huh? Didn’t you also say we should eat pizza first?
-W-well, this king was so hungry because of you that I had no choice...
'Wouldn’t that be even more of a reason to warm up your stomach first?'
-La la la la!
He turned his head sharply, pretending not to hear.
'Honestly.'
Raon chuckled to himself as he picked up two more packages.
"I’ll also give some food to Aunt and Merlin."
"Alright. Alice’s internal wounds have almost healed, so she should be able to eat normal food. As for Merlin, it’s just a matter of endurance, so that’s even better."
Federick rubbed his chin, telling Raon to say it well.
"Yes."
Raon bowed to Federick again and then knocked on Alice's hospital room door.
"Come in."
He opened the door upon hearing Alice's voice.
"Aunt... Oh, really?"
Raon's eyes widened as he called out to Alice. She was doing push-ups with her hands on the ground. His mouth involuntarily dropped open, not expecting her to be exercising.
"R-Raon?"
Alice gasped, apparently thinking the person calling her was Federick.
"Is it okay for you to exercise?"
Raon looked at Alice while placing the food package on the table.
"Ah, it’s fine..."
Alice nodded awkwardly with a smile.
"I felt my body getting stiff from being still, so I tried to move a bit."
She shrugged and said her physical condition wasn’t bad.
"I heard you come to visit us often. Thank you."
Alice looked down at her feet like a criminal who had committed a grave offense.
"Of course I should come."
Raon shook his head as he unwrapped the food package. He spoke while placing the food on the table.
"We're celebrating a small banquet in the annex building, so I brought some food."
"...I heard. They said it was a party to celebrate Sia's awakening."
Alice nodded as if she already knew.
"I should have participated too. I’m sorry."
She still had the words "I’m sorry" on her lips.
-It’s alright. You can come later.
Raon first handed Alice the hot stew, following Wrath's advice.
"...Thank you."
Alice received the bowl of stew with slightly trembling hands.
-Well, shall we try it? It’s delicious!
She moved her spoon with a forced smile that anyone could see through.
"Aunt."
Raon closed his eyes briefly before opening them and holding Alice's trembling hand.
"I understand that you feel guilty towards me and the Light Wind division. But we have already properly said goodbye to the Master."
He shook his head and said that it wasn’t just him; the entire Light Wind division had accepted Rimmer's death.
"The Master also left satisfied, smiling while he saved you and Dorian."
He held Alice's increasingly trembling hand more firmly.
"If you continue to avoid us and react so awkwardly, it would be an insult to the Master and the entire Light Wind division."
Raon nodded calmly while looking into Alice's wavering eyes.
"After all, a Zieghart swordsman who is sustained by a sword always carries death on his back."
"Mmm..."
Alice bit her inwardly curved lip as she looked at him.
"Raon, you are truly honest. I envy you and also regret..."
"..."
Raon sighed softly, seeming to understand what Alice meant by her envy and regret.
"It’s alright. I understand your... no, all your feelings. Since everyone says it, I should try to cheer up a bit too."
She thanked him and stuffed the entire stew into her mouth at once.
"Everyone?"
Raon murmured the word "everyone" while looking at Alice.
-Yes. Denier came and told me something similar to what you said.
Alice pointed to the fruit basket that was on top of the wardrobe.
"I always thought he was a headless guy, but when he encouraged me today, he was sincere."
She smiled slightly and said she saw Denier in a new light.
"So I was trying to do a bit of exercise to regain some strength."
"...I see."
Raon nodded with a serene expression.
Did Denier give her any advice?
-...What is that guy's true identity? What is he thinking?
'I don’t know.'
For Alice to talk like this meant that there must be some sincerity in his words. It was hard to understand what Denier was thinking or what he intended.
'Why is he trying to raise Aunt?'
To be honest, Alice would take a long time to recover, and there was no guarantee she would return to her original skill level. From an enemy's perspective, she wouldn’t have any value to use. He couldn’t understand the intention.
"Then he’s not an enemy?"
No, it would be better to raise her if he wanted to use her as a hostage... As Raon tilted his head, Alice shook her chin.
"And there’s one more person."
Alice raised a finger.
"What? One more?"
"Someone who really annoys me..."
As she sighed, the hospital room door suddenly swung open.
-Raon!
It was Merlin. She wore her mask slightly crooked and kicked hard.
"You should have come to see me first! I was waiting to see when you would come, why didn’t you come?"
She exploded with frustration, asking why she only played with Alice.
-Eek!
Wrath gasped as if he were scared, although Merlin hadn’t appeared in animal form this time.
"It’s her."
Alice chuckled softly while pointing at Merlin.
"She said she came here to regain energy after waking up, but instead of regaining energy, she comes to visit me every day and talks nonstop. It’s exhausting."
She shook her head, saying she was tired of all the strange things Merlin kept saying.
—Aunt! It hurts when you say that! We have a great time, don’t we?
Merlin murmured, asking why Alice was acting like that, and nudged her. Seeing this, it seemed the two had really become close.
"I brought yours too."
Raon smiled as he unwrapped the food package he had brought for Merlin.
"My hand hurts..."
Merlin hunched her shoulders and said that her hand, which had been fine before, now hurt.
"Your hand?"
"Yes. So..."
She leaned forward and parted her red lips.
"Will you feed me? Ah!"
Merlin closed her eyes and asked to be fed directly.
"Here we go again."
Alice let out a hollow laugh while watching Merlin.
"But I don’t understand why you keep wearing that mask when your face is incredibly pretty."
She shook her head, saying it was a shame to hide a face that could rival Runaan's and Martha's.
"Ugh."
As soon as the topic of the mask came up, Merlin closed her mouth and adjusted her mask firmly.
"Esmerejón?"
"Oh, now that I think about it, I also have fruit."
She said she would be right back and brought a fruit basket identical to the one in Alice's room.
"This is..."
"Your uncle brought it."
Merlin smiled brightly and said Denier had given it to her.
"He was being very kind and considerate."
She nodded and said he seemed like a good person.
-Aunt! Let’s eat together!
Merlin also placed her food on the table, creating a small buffet.
"Who would have thought that the Queen of Terror, Merlin, was so cute?"
Alice let out a hollow laugh, saying it was surprising.
"I'm not like that with just anyone!"
Merlin smiled and said it was because Raon was there.
—Raon, it seems you have a lot of luck with women.
Alice smiled slightly as she took a rib into her mouth.
"It’s not luck with women; it’s just my luck."
Merlin frowned and said that she alone was enough.
- No! It’s the luck of the demon king!
Wrath shook his head vigorously, insisting that he was providing the greatest luck.
-It's okay. Think what you want...
Raon shook his head and looked at the two fruit baskets that Denier had brought.
'The denialist Zieghart...'
* * *
The next day, at noon, Raon took a deep breath as he stood in front of a building so grand that it seemed excessive even compared to the Lord’s Mansion. When he knocked on the silver door that towered as if to protect the building, the main door opened with a majestic sound, and a middle-aged man with an intellectual air bowed his head.
"We were expecting you, leader of the Light Wind Division."
The middle-aged man slowly lifted his head and introduced himself.
"I am Gotarn, the chief administrator of the True Martial Palace."
"I am Raon of the Light Wind Division."
Raon bowed his head in response to Gotarn.
"Please come this way. The lord of the palace is waiting."
Gotarn entered the main building of the True Martial Palace, which was so luxurious that it was almost ridiculous, saying he would guide him.
"Yes."
Raon turned his gaze left and right as he followed Gotarn down the corridor of the True Martial Palace.
'There are many decorations, but...'
There’s no order to them. It’s impossible to find any sense in it. Normally, high-end decorations are arranged according to balance. Swords with swords, armor with armor, and artworks with artworks, but here, luxury items were scattered everywhere. It seemed more like a market than the True Martial Palace of Zieghart.
"It’s a bit flashy, isn’t it?"
Gotarn smiled as if he understood.
"The Lord of the Palace values his own feelings above all else, so we have no choice but to leave it that way."
He shook his head, saying that Balder didn’t listen well to others.
"...I see."
Raon nodded towards Gotarn and licked his lips.
"I’ve certainly come to the right place."
Buying flashy items means wanting to show off, and placing them haphazardly afterward means being stubborn. He was sure he had found the most suitable person to keep Denier in check.
"This is the office of the Palace Master."
Gotarn stopped in front of Balder's study, which was no less impressive than Glenn's audience hall.
"So I’ll open the door."
He knocked forcefully on the iron door before pulling the handle.
"Palace Master. I’ve brought the guest."
—Ah! Is that so?
The true master of the Martial Palace, Balder, let out a small exclamation as he lifted his gaze from the thick book he was reading while wearing glasses without lenses.
"..."
"..."
Both Gotarn and Raon fell silent. They both knew this was a very clumsy act.
"Ahem! The weather was so nice that I started reading a bit, and time flew by."
Balder laughed as he set down the book, which had not a single stain on it. He tried to pretend with his voice, but it didn’t come off well.
"I greet the True Master of the Martial Palace."
"Yes. Welcome."
He extended his hand, pointing to the sofa on the right as if welcoming Raon.
"Thank you."
Raon straightened his back and sat down on the sofa next to Balder.
"It’s quite special that you’ve come to see me."
Balder had already abandoned his act and returned to his usual brusque manner of speaking.
"...I’m taking my leave."
Gotarn left the room, looking a bit embarrassed.
"I came because I have a favor to ask you, Palace Master."
Raon got straight to the point as soon as he sat down.
"A favor..."
Balder nodded as if he had expected this.
"Speak. If it’s about our nephew, of course I will listen!"
"Well..."
Raon licked his lips. It was quite annoying when he showed such energy. But at that moment, Balder was the only person he could trust.
"I was hoping you could keep an eye on the Wise Palace Master."
"Denier?"
Balder bluntly called his older brother by name.
"Yes. As you know, Alice has not yet regained her strength, and I fear Denier might try to use some unverified magic on her."
Raon sighed and said it seemed Denier was trying to perform unverified healing and give Alice elixirs.
"In other words, you’re saying he’s acting like a quack!"
Balder summarized Raon’s long explanation in one word: "quack." He believed Raon’s words without the slightest doubt. He had definitely done well to come here.
—Ah, yes. He’s a quack.
Raon nodded with a slight smile.
"That guy has always been like this; he becomes obsessed with one thing and is unable to see anything else. He may seem like a blank slate, but he’s stubborn."
Balder snorted, saying that Denier only appeared correct on the outside but was ignorant on the inside.
—Y-yeah. Anyway, I thought you were the only one in Zieghart who could do this, so I turned to you.
Raon bowed his head, saying he was asking for a favor.
"R-really? Is that so?"
The corners of Balder’s lips curved upward, seeming pleased with the affirmation that only he could do it.
"Ahem, it is indeed possible for me, but hmm, I have been busy developing martial arts lately, so I’m not sure if I will have time."
He murmured that he was having trouble developing the martial arts while casting furtive glances at Raon.
"...When I return from my mission, I will help you examine the martial arts you are creating."
He nodded immediately, as he hoped to pay both from the start.
"R-really?"
Balder abruptly stood up, as if he hadn’t expected such a quick response.
"Yes, of course. I am the one who benefits from you utilizing your busy time."
"Hmph! As expected, my nephew speaks so refreshingly! Alright! I will keep such a close watch on that guy that I’ll even know how many pieces of bread he eats!"
He shouted not to worry and patted himself on the back.
"Thank you. And please keep this a secret."
"A secret? Why?"
"Denier is also moving for Alice's sake, and I don't want to embarrass him."
Raon clasped his hands and said he only wanted Balder to be attentive to any strange behavior.
"You..."
Balder looked at him with a frown.
'Did he figure it out?'
To be honest, even he thought it was a rather flimsy response, so it seemed that Balder had noticed.
"Palace Master. What I mean is..."
"You’re such a good boy!"
Balder gave a vigorous pat on Raon’s shoulder, telling him he had a good heart.
"..."
Raon swallowed a dry gulp as he looked at Balder, whose eyes were shining.
'Is this correct?'
It felt like he was committing a crime even though he was getting the answers he wanted.
*Sigh...*
Wrath also exhaled emptily, as if he was in disbelief.
*Is that really a human head?*
-
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