C944
"Huh..."
Raon let out a dry laugh as he observed the numerous dishes arranged on the table.
'It was true.'
Bone soup, pineapple pizza, lamb chops, steamed lobster, and even a whole roasted pig. All the foods Wrath had mentioned by smell were spread out on the table.
'Is that a demon king or a dog?'
Although Wrath currently had a cat-like appearance, he seemed to turn into a dog when it came to smelling food. It was puzzling how he had detected all these dishes.
- Slurp!
Wrath licked his lips noisily as he brought his nose closer to the plate.
- I'm so hungry my eyes might pop out! Quickly, offer these dishes to your king!
He pounded the table with his fist, shouting for everyone to eat quickly.
'Not yet.'
Raon shook his head as he pushed Wrath aside, who was wriggling with excitement.
'Our guest hasn't arrived yet.'
It was time to wait since Olga had not yet arrived in the dining hall.
"Raon! You have to be patient, even if you're hungry!"
Sia nodded at him.
"It’s known that food tastes better when we eat together with our guest."
She waved her hand as if trying to calm him, saying they should wait for Olga, who was still not in the dining hall.
"My sister is right."
Raon smiled slightly as he looked at Sia, who had raised her chin with pride.
'Has Sia's mental age increased a bit?'
Unlike before, Sia did not throw a tantrum about being hungry but maturely stated that they should wait. It seemed her mind was slowly returning to her original age.
'It's a little disappointing, though.'
While he wished for Sia to regain her original self, on the other hand, he felt sad about losing the cute big sister who was like a little sister.
'I wonder if there’s a way to keep that cuteness even as she grows up.'
As Raon licked his lips while looking at Sia, the entrance of the dining hall opened, and Olga walked in.
"I'm sorry for being late."
Olga bowed her head as she tidied her neatly tied hair. There was still moisture in her purple hair, creating a strange harmony with the tattoos on her body and revealing a mature beauty.
"These days, it seems they choose saints for their looks. You're too beautiful."
Sylvia smiled radiantly, apparently captivated by Olga's face and aura.
"Sister! You've become even prettier!"
Sia, who had liked Olga from the start, continued to shower her with compliments. Although she wasn't actually her sister, she decided to let it be for now.
"You didn't have to wait for me..."
Olga fell silent, as if feeling burdened by having made them wait. It was quite different from her defiant appearance.
"Of course, we had to wait when a guest arrived."
Edgar waved his hand, saying it was fine to wait.
"Especially if that guest is a saint, I could wait until tomorrow morning."
He nodded, seeming pleased just to have met Olga.
"...Thank you."
Olga sat down in her seat, lowering her gaze as if she were embarrassed.
"Why are you being so shy? You used to put your feet on the table and curse. Anyone would think you're a real saint now."
Raon pointed at Olga, who had become as quiet as a well-mannered lady.
"Shut up... I mean, could you please watch your language?"
Olga was about to say 'shut up,' but upon seeing Sylvia and Sia, she used a more refined expression.
"Thinking about it, it has been a while since Raon brought a friend."
Sylvia smiled slightly, watching how Raon treated Olga with familiarity.
"We're not friends."
"We're not friends."
Raon and Olga shook their heads simultaneously.
"Seeing how synchronized you are, you must be friends! How lovely! I used to be like that too. I wonder if that bastard is still locked up in his cave."
Edgar looked up as if recalling someone while watching Raon and Olga.
"Let's build our friendship later and eat first. I've prepared a feast to celebrate our victory in the war."
Sylvia extended her hands, saying they should eat first.
"Let's start with the soup."
She handed Olga a bowl of bone soup, saying it would calm her.
"Thank you."
Olga received the bowl of soup with both hands and placed it in front of her. After hesitating for a moment, she took the spoon and tasted the bone soup.
"Oh?"
Olga's eyes widened. The soup seemed to taste better than she had expected.
- Stop staring and eat something too!
Wrath scratched his shoulder, pleading for him to eat.
'Fine, I will.'
Raon nodded and tasted the bone soup that Sylvia had given him.
'This is really quite good.'
Although the oil from the beef bones floated in the soup, strangely, it wasn’t greasy. Just a soft and rich flavor, reminiscent of high-quality butter, enveloped his tongue.
- Oooh!
Wrath let out a loud exclamation like a drunkard who had just drunk whisky.
- This is it! That’s why I stayed in this land!
He shouted that the happiness of demons wasn’t far away and pointed to the next dish to eat.
'The roasted pig?'
- You must eat it before it cools down to enjoy its tenderness!
Raon took the roasted pig to his plate, as Wrath had indicated, and looked around.
"Sia, you like pizza, right? Mom brought something."
"No! Our Sia prefers shrimp."
Sylvia and Edgar competed to feed Sia.
"I think Miss Sia will choose the pizza today."
"No, Miss Sia's favorite is shrimp."
"Hm? She used to eat meat first before..."
Helen and the maids smiled gently, curious to see who would win Sia's choice.
"Hmm? Wow! Oh..."
Olga seemed to enjoy the cooking from the annex, quickly moving her hands and trying each dish one by one.
- The roasted pig is cooked to perfection! The fat is crispy and the meat is tender!
Wrath recited his usual low-quality food critique with his eyes closed.
'I suppose...'
Raon smiled slightly as he watched the happy dinner hour in the annex.
'Perhaps I want to become stronger to keep seeing this scene.'
* * *
- Ugh!
Wrath let out a loud burp as he lay sprawled out on the bed.
- Finally, my stomach feels better after being upset by that gluttonous bastard!
He nodded, saying it was a satisfying dinner. He seemed to have no regrets after devouring all the dishes and even enjoying two boxes of ice cream as dessert.
'Do you like food that much?'
Raon chuckled softly as he looked at Wrath, whose stomach had puffed up.
- It’s not that I like food; I like delicious food!
Wrath shook his head, telling him not to confuse the two.
'Isn't it the same?'
- It’s different! I don’t want to talk to someone like you who doesn’t understand gastronomy!
He turned his head in disdain, telling him not to speak to him.
'Then I guess I’ll have to call another conversation partner.'
Raon smiled as he looked into the air.
- Another conversation partner? Wait a minute!
Wrath urgently stretched out his hand, as if realizing who it could be, telling him not to do it.
"Lust."
Raon called out Lust's name, ignoring Wrath.
- No!
Wrath got off the bed and shouted.
- Why are you calling that crazy seductress? I was about to sleep happily!
'I should at least tell her to relax now that we’ve returned home.'
Raon ignored Wrath and called out to Lust again.
"Lust?"
But the demon queen did not respond or show herself.
"Huh..."
Raon let out a dry laugh as he looked at the empty air.
'I thought maybe, but is she really lost?'
He had warned Lust to follow carefully before leaving Montiro, but it seemed she had gotten lost again. She was incredibly bad at navigating.
- Ha! Hahahahaha!
Wrath burst out laughing as he realized Lust was not in Zieghart.
- So your judgment can be wrong sometimes! I never thought I would be so happy about that seductress's bad orientation!
He mocked openly while holding his puffed-up stomach.
'I told you, I just thought maybe. In a way, I expected this.'
He had thought that the demon queen who had come all the way from the Devildom searching for him might get lost.
'Besides, I can call Lust anytime if I want to.'
- W-what creepy thing are you saying...
Wrath's jaw trembled.
'Since we're all in the human world now, if I use Lust's power, she should appear, right? She probably can't come immediately due to the distance, though.'
Lust is a demon queen who came from the Devildom after sensing <Wrath> and her own <Lust>. Since they were still in the human world, she would begin to move here as soon as Raon used Lust's power.
- Urgh...
Wrath looked down at the ground as if remembering the fear he felt when he saw Lust.
- You’re not going to call her now, are you! Don’t you have many things to do too!
He shook his head, saying nothing would happen if Raon called Lust.
'Hmm...'
Raon let out a sigh as he thought about Wrath.
'What should I do?'
- Please! I’ll endure whatever you do! Just don’t call her!
Wrath clasped his hands, pleading with him to do anything.
'Then check once more if the aura manipulation method I'm going to use on Olga tomorrow is fine.'
- I’ve checked that dozens of times already!
He frowned, saying he had been constantly reviewing it on the way to Zieghart.
'The body of a demon and a human are different. Even checking a hundred times isn’t enough.'
Raon shook his head and opened a medical book with diagrams of human anatomy.
- It’s not even your business; why are you so diligent about it!
'That’s exactly the reason. I need to be sure.'
It was natural to study more detailed and precisely because it wasn’t training for his own strength, but a study to save others.
'Check the aura manipulation again before I call Lust.'
Raon told him to stop talking and look at the aura manipulation, closing his eyes. The heat from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation emanating from his fingers drew elegant arcs in the air as if filtering into the human body.
- Now I understand!
Wrath shrugged as he examined Raon with his eyes closed.
- Why do humans cling to you!
For those at the top, the charisma that makes people follow them is as important as strong power. Although he said it jokingly, it seemed that the human named Raon Zieghart really had the talent to be a demon king.
- But if this guy becomes a demon king...
Wrath frowned as he looked Raon up and down.
- The Devildom could be doomed!
* * *
The following night.
Raon entered the training hall of the fifth training field with Olga.
The training hall was a perfect place to treat Olga, as it completely blocked out noise and vibrations.
"Are you ready?"
He stretched his wrists after settling Olga in the center of the training hall.
"Um..."
Olga's hands, clasped in front of her knees, trembled slightly as if she were nervous.
"You don’t need to worry too much."
Raon pointed to the slightly open door of the training hall.
"Did I arrive a bit late?"
The Torn Saint, Federick, opened the slightly ajar door and entered the training hall.
"Even if you can’t trust me, you can trust the saint, right?"
He had also asked Federick for help in case of unforeseen situations. If Olga could endure well, they should be able to complete the treatment without major issues.
"No."
Olga shook her head as she looked at him.
"I trust you more."
She clenched her trembling fingers, saying she trusted him more than Federick.
"I agree. There aren’t many more trustworthy than Raon."
Federick smiled slightly upon seeing Olga’s calm eyes.
"Olga. Your body has deteriorated much more since the last time I saw you. Though your mind seems healthier."
He frowned, saying she didn’t look well.
"Have you met Olga before, sir?"
Raon opened his eyes as he looked at Federick.
"They call me saint by right, so of course, I’ve met a girl known as a saint."
Federick lowered his hand, saying he had met Olga in the Sacred Realm of Suphren.
"I was extorting money from thugs in an alley. My image of a saint was shattered in an instant."
He shrugged, saying it was a memorable first encounter.
"Of course, now I know what kind of girl Olga is."
Federick nodded, saying that was why he had come to this training hall.
"I see."
He had sent a letter to Federick in Montiro asking for help, and only received a reply saying he understood, so he thought they had no connection, but it seemed they knew each other quite well.
'I guess it makes sense.'
Before staying in Zieghart, Federick had traveled across the continent doing good deeds, earning the nickname 'Torn Saint.' It wasn’t strange that someone like him would go to the Sacred Realm and meet Olga.
"You said you could live like everyone else if you didn’t use sacred power, but you’ve been using it recklessly. You really don’t have much left..."
Federick frowned as he looked at Olga's skin, which had melted from the sacred power.
"It was what I wanted."
Olga shook her head as if to say she didn’t regret her past, just as she had said in Montiro.
"Yes. That’s why a day like today has come for someone like you."
Federick closed the door of the training hall and stood beside Raon, saying that today would bring good results. A gentle wind with a blue tint arose around the training hall as he brought his hands together.
"I’ve inscribed a technique called 'Wind of Regeneration' using my power. It’s a type of sacred magic that quickly regenerates physical wounds."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, saying it would help in today’s treatment. Although he spoke as if it were nothing, it seemed to be a skill that consumed a significant amount of mental energy.
"Thank you."
Raon bowed his head to Federick and then pulled out two small boxes from his chest.
"First, take this elixir."
He handed Olga the White Dew Pill and the Spiritual Water Pill that he had taken from the Zieghart treasury.
"Elixir?"
Olga's eyes widened as she looked at the elixir in the box.
"This looks like a very precious elixir..."
"I received it from the Head of House. He said he hoped it would help you just as Suphren helped us."
Raon nodded, repeating what Glenn had told him.
"...I should thank him first when this is over."
Olga let out a low groan, saying she should thank Glenn.
"Don’t worry about things like gratitude right now, just focus on what I tell you."
Raon slowly raised his finger to attract Olga's attention.
"After you take the elixir, you must not make any sound. Don’t move your body either. Just focus on suppressing your sacred power so that it doesn’t go out of control outside your body."
He gestured to cover her lips with his index finger, telling her to keep her mouth shut.
"Is that all?"
Olga tilted her head as if to say it was too simple.
"That’s not all. You’ll feel a pain so severe that you’ll want to die. It will be difficult to endure without losing consciousness."
He lowered his hand after telling her the points she needed to keep in mind.
"I can endure any kind of pain."
Olga shook her head, saying she had endured even the melting of her skin.
"It will be much worse than that, but I believe you can endure it."
Raon said he would trust her and sat down behind Olga.
"Phew..."
Olga exhaled deeply as she looked at Raon's eyes reflected in the small mirror in front of her.
'Is she scared?'
Just by listening to Raon’s words, she had nothing to do for herself. She was a bit... no, honestly, very worried, but strangely, she felt calm because it was Raon behind her.
"If you’re ready, put the elixir in your mouth."
"Okay."
Olga closed her eyes and chewed and swallowed the White Dew Pill and the Spiritual Water Pill in order.
"Ugh!"
Her shoulders trembled slightly as if surprised by the power of the elixir exploding inside her body.
"Then, I’ll begin."
Raon bowed to Federick and then placed his hand on Olga’s back. Using the heat from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, he guided the power of the elixir that was roaring inside Olga’s body along the path that Wrath had taught him.
He expelled the remnants of sacred power in the mana circuits with the power of the elixir and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, forcing Olga’s body.
Olga's fists, resting on her knees, trembled as if she were feeling extreme pain.
"You must endure."
Raon furrowed his brows as he told Olga, who was trembling with pain, to hold on.
'It seems to be going well so far.'
- After studying all night, it’s not bad. But it’s a bit fast.
Wrath lowered his hand, telling him to slow down the aura manipulation.
- The method I taught you is a body strengthening technique used by demons born with strong demonic energy. The human body is much weaker, so you need to adjust the strength and speed.
He nodded, telling him to move the power of the elixir more slowly so it could adapt to Olga’s body.
- Besides, you’re trying to reconstruct that tough saint’s body as if you’re achieving a complete body reform, so it’s right to move with more meticulousness.
Raon nodded and slowed down the speed of his aura manipulation.
'I'm getting tired faster than I thought.'
It was already quite difficult to control the roaring power of the elixir in his own body, but trying to control the power in someone else's body consumed dozens of times more strength and mental energy.
Less than 10 minutes had passed, but cold sweat was running down his body as if he had been fighting for hours.
But he couldn’t show weakness here because it was a matter of life or death for his precious benefactor, not for him.
'I must save her no matter what.'
Thanks to Olga, his precious people were able to survive the war. He had to keep going, if only to repay that debt.
'Even if I die, I will save you.'
* * *
'Ugh!'
Olga bit her lip until it bled.
'This is much worse than...'
The pain of skin melting from sacred power is something that ordinary people could never understand. She thought she could now be indifferent even to death, but this was beyond the realm of pain.
'I feel like all my flesh and bones are crumbling.'
Beyond the melting of her skin, she felt pain as if her entire body were burning in a hot furnace. The pain was so extreme that she wanted to faint at that moment.
Moreover, her sacred power was roaring as if it were about to explode, so controlling it was also consuming a lot of mental energy. It seemed she couldn’t endure even a minute longer in this state.
'How am I supposed to endure this... Ah.'
Just as Olga was about to say she couldn’t take it anymore, she felt a violent tremor in Raon’s hand on her back.
'Hmm...'
She forced her eyes open and looked in the small mirror in front of her. Raon seemed to be feeling the same pain as her, biting his lip and sweating profusely. An expression she hadn’t seen even during the war. He seemed to be in as difficult a situation as she was.
'There’s no benefit for him in saving me.'
Raon hadn’t promised to cure this condition. They could have passed it off as mutual aid, but it was strange that he was enduring so much pain to save her.
'He’s an incomprehensible guy. But...'
I understand that I have to endure. Olga gritted her teeth so hard they might break and suppressed her raging sacred power.
'If that guy is enduring, I can’t give up.'
She bit her tongue with her teeth to stay conscious and focused. If she couldn’t endure it, she was prepared to die right there. Just as she felt the time spent in this training hall was longer than her entire life, a massive explosion occurred within her body and soul.
A refreshing sensation that instantly erased all the pain she had felt so far washed over her.
It felt as refreshing as diving into a cool mountain stream after walking under the scorching sun for half a day.
'I feel like I'm losing my mind.'
After enduring terrible pain that felt like her entire body was on fire, suddenly feeling this cool sensation made her head spin, and she felt she might collapse right there.
'I still need to endure...'
Olga forced her eyes open. In the small mirror, she saw Raon’s face, looking even more exhausted than hers.
"Good job. You can rest now."
Seeing Raon smile and tell her to rest, all the fatigue she had been suppressing rushed in at once, and her eyes closed.
"Thank you..."
Olga fell into a deep sleep before she could finish her words of gratitude.
* * *
"Haah..."
Raon let out a deep sigh as he looked at Olga, who had fallen asleep with her head resting on his knee.
'It was successful.'
Olga’s skin, which had been marked by traces of melting and tattoos, had changed to a bright milky white like that of a newborn baby. It now exuded an elegant beauty, quite different from the worn-out look she had before. However, that wasn’t the most important thing.
'The strength of her body.'
Currently, Olga’s body had been reconstructed by the highest-grade elixir and her aura, reaching a strength beyond that of a Grand Master. She had even developed resistance to sacred power, so she would no longer suffer from skin melting or pain even if she poured out all the vast sacred power she possessed.
'It turned out well, but this isn’t something I can do twice.'
He had to endure Olga’s pain along with her and guide the power of the elixir along the exact path without any mistakes. It was so painful and difficult that he felt as if he had fought another war. He vowed never again to perform a complete body reform for another person as he brushed his sweat-soaked hair.
"Saint."
Raon bowed his head to the saint, his eyelids fluttering.
"Thank you for your help."
"Why are you thanking me when you did everything?"
Federick waved his hand, saying he only observed.
"You stabilized me every time I faltered. I survived thanks to you, sir."
Federick had helped him regain focus every time his concentration wavered and also helped Olga control her sacred power. It would have been many times more difficult without him.
- What about me! I taught you everything!
'Right. You did well too.'
Raon chuckled softly as he patted Wrath on the head.
- Then treat me to a sumptuous feast today too! Of course, there must be dessert!
Wrath raised his chin, making the exact demand Raon had expected.
'Yes, sir. Right away.'
Raon nodded readily.
"Now you can also rest for a while."
Federick massaged his shoulder, saying Raon could rest well for a while.
"No. I have something else I need to do."
He shook his head as he listened to Olga’s soft snores.
"Something else to do?"
"Yes."
Raon licked his lips as he looked toward the distant Lord's Mansion.
"I’m going to ask the Head of House for a reward, then I’ll enter a cave."
And a very special cave at that.
-
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