C970
"Mmm..."
Raon received the letter that Glenn handed him with both hands. Although it clearly contained only paper, it felt strangely heavy.
"Is the Conference of the Five Kings being held again?"
"With the fall of the Black Tower, the balance of the Five Kings and the Five Demons... no, the Five Kings and the Four Demons has been disrupted. Naturally, we must hold a conference to celebrate our victory and demonstrate our strength."
Glenn's cold eyes shone as he mentioned that the Conference of the Five Kings could create an even greater rift among the remaining Demons.
"You’re planning to draw in the neutral forces that haven’t chosen a side to our faction, aren’t you?"
Raon clicked his tongue briefly as he glanced at Glenn.
"Correct. As expected, you’ve understood."
Glenn nodded approvingly.
"There are still neutral forces that have not decided between the Five Kings and the Demons. There are countless martial artists and unaligned magicians. This Conference of the Five Kings is an important event to attract those people to our side."
He slowly closed and opened his eyes, saying that this conference could determine the outcome of the next war.
"It’s certainly an opportunity we cannot afford to miss."
Raon nodded as he contemplated the moonlit lake.
"If we manage to pull it off, we must make it a success no matter what."
If they could bolster the forces of the Five Kings through this conference, they could lead the next war with an overwhelming advantage. As Glenn said, it was an extremely important event.
"But is it alright for me to attend such an important conference?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the five stars engraved on the envelope.
"The reason this Conference of the Five Kings is being held is thanks to you, Raon."
Glenn smiled slightly as he grasped Raon's shoulder.
"If you hadn't killed the Master of the Black Tower, this event would never have taken place. If you don’t go, no one will be able to."
He nodded slightly, saying that the conference itself was being held because of Raon's achievements.
"Moreover, everyone wants to see you."
Glenn smiled with pride, mentioning that the leaders of the Five Kings also wanted to meet Raon.
"Well, I guess I should go then."
Raon nodded while rubbing the back of his neck. Hearing those words made him feel a bit embarrassed.
"Raon, you not only took down the Black Tower; you shattered the very structure of the Five Kings and the Five Demons. It’s something even I couldn't do, so have confidence." (E/N: Didn’t you do that 200 chapters ago?)
Glenn raised a finger and said it was an achievement that would mark history.
- "How grand!"
Wrath wrinkled his nose, apparently disgusted.
- "Wasn’t it all achieved with the help of this king?"
He clung to Raon's shoulder, insisting that after hearing such praise, Raon should buy him ice cream.
"I didn’t take down the Master of the Black Tower all by myself."
Raon shook his head, downplaying Wrath's contribution.
"Without Chamber, it would have been impossible."
It wasn’t just Chamber. Without Wrath, Gluttony, and Lust, he and the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace would have been buried in that infernal darkness.
"You’re still humble."
"No, it’s not humility. I’m stating a fact. I can’t defeat the leaders of the Five Kings and the Four Demons at this moment."
Raon lowered his calm gaze as he said he still couldn’t win.
"Right now, huh?"
Glenn stroked his beard, slightly curving the corners of his mouth.
"It seems you will reach that level soon."
"Of course, I have to rise. I have a lot to do."
Raon nodded calmly, saying he would definitely be at the same level as the leaders of the Five Kings and the Four Demons.
"Haha..."
Glenn covered his face with a trembling hand.
'Well done! Very well done!'
To think he would become so admirable. Raon had always shown a humble attitude. It was almost excessive, so Glenn thought he would try to give credit to others this time as well, but hidden in that action was a clear confidence that he could become stronger. It seemed that his mindset had changed after visiting the Hall of Self.
"Head of House?"
"Ah, it’s nothing."
Glenn quickly dried his slightly damp hand at Raon's call.
"Where will this conference be held?"
"Balkar."
"Is it because of Chamber, right?"
Raon sighed briefly, recalling Chamber's condition when he last saw her.
- "Yes, she still hasn't regained her strength."
Glenn clicked his tongue and said that Chamber was still in rehabilitation.
"Ah, then is King Lecross alright?"
Hearing Chamber's name reminded him of King Lecross's condition after being attacked by Derus.
"He’s fine. His wounds haven’t healed completely, but he hasn’t lost his martial prowess."
Glenn nodded, saying that King Lecross could move well enough.
"That’s a relief."
Raon furrowed his brows, recalling the kind face of King Lecross.
'Now that I think about it, our team of the Five Kings isn’t in good shape either.'
Chamber and Ogram had lost their martial prowess, and Lecross was gravely injured. Currently, only Glenn and the master of the Magic Tower, Larian, were unharmed.
'Of course, the demons aren’t in a normal state either.'
Derus, the White Blood Religion, and Eden remained intact, but the Holy Sword Alliance was already following a different path than theirs. They might not be able to aid the Five Kings, but they would never side with the Demons.
- "There’s that guy, you know."
Wrath nodded and sat on Raon's head.
- "The crazy one who gouged out his eyes in his obsession with the sword."
'The former leader of the Holy Sword Alliance...'
Raon bit his lip, recalling the most grotesque swordsman.
"It's definitely a problem."
The leader of the Holy Sword Alliance had promised not to touch the Holy Sword Alliance, but he had not said he would not participate in the war.
"I'm sure he will come."
He was a monster who lived solely to confront Glenn. He would surely get involved in the war, even if it meant allying with the demons.
"You don’t have to worry about Zieghart during the conference."
Glenn smiled calmly, seemingly misinterpreting Raon's severe expression.
"Chamber and the Master of the Magic Tower have developed a new magic that allows them to return to the main building immediately. It might be discovered after using it once, but for now, it's safe."
He tightened his fingers and said they wouldn’t allow a situation like when they attacked King Lecross.
"That’s good to hear."
It seemed there would be no risk of the main building being attacked like King Lecross's.
"Then, will you go?"
"Of course I should."
Now there were no reasons to refuse, and it didn’t seem bad to use his reputation and strength to attract neutral forces.
"You’ve thought well."
Glenn lowered his hand and said they would depart in a week.
"Head of House. I have a question..."
"Call me grandfather."
He slightly raised his shoulders and said this was no longer an official matter.
- "This old man is really annoying."
Wrath shook his head and said he was fed up.
"Grandfather. How is Aunt doing?"
Raon looked at Glenn, recalling Alice as he had seen her last.
"After returning from Mirtan Village, she went to the main building and hasn’t come back..."
As Raon had expected, Alice had gone to Mirtan Village to retrieve the cursed sword. However, she had not returned since going to the main building, which worried him.
"She’s doing so well that it’s becoming a problem."
Glenn slightly lowered his eyelids and said it was exhausting.
"If you’re worried, why don’t you go see her yourself?"
He immediately turned his back, as if suggesting they leave now.
- "No, she'll be sleeping, so tomorrow or later..."
"No."
Glenn shook his head firmly, as if saying absolutely not.
"She will still be awake. In fact..."
He smiled and raised two fingers.
"Those two."
* * *
Raon followed Glenn to the training ground of the Head of House.
'Mmm...?'
Around the training ground, a barrier was set up that nullified sound and impacts. Everything was silent, but it seemed there was someone inside.
"From now on, suppress your presence. You might disturb their training."
Glenn entered the training ground through a side door that, unlike usual, made no noise.
"Yes."
Raon nodded and quietly crossed through the open door into the training ground. A series of thunderous sounds erupted as soon as he set foot in the training ground. Turning his gaze toward the source of the sound, he saw Karoon and Alice pointing their swords at each other's throats.
The swords wrapped in aura clashed violently, sending blue sparks flying around the training ground.
Karoon and Alice continued to unleash fierce sword strikes against each other, not backing down even as their flesh was torn by each other’s powerful aura.
'Are they training?'
Raon examined the black sword in Alice's hand amid the magnificent waves of conflicting transcendental auras.
"So she got that black sword."
He had expected her to go to Mirtan Village to retrieve that sword when she left Federick's mansion. She seemed quite accustomed to wielding the power contained within the sword.
'Are they venting their repressed emotions?'
Raon let out a sigh as he watched the combat between Karoon and Alice.
'Why are they fighting so fiercely?'
Karoon and Alice were not just training; they were plunging their swords into each other's hearts as if facing a mortal enemy. They wielded their swords with all their might, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he and Glenn had arrived, as if they truly intended to kill each other.
The two continued to swing their swords until their arms and legs ran out of strength. After about an hour, the endless exchange of sword strikes began to slow down.
Karoon and Alice dropped their swords as if they had been waiting for this moment and collapsed on the spot.
"You’re too stable."
Alice squinted her eyebrows as she looked at Karoon.
"Sometimes you need to move provocatively and aggressively to create variables, but you’re so stable that your movements are predictable."
She huffed, saying it was easy to deal with him.
— "I’ll give you advice too. Sister, you’re fighting purely on instinct, without using your head at all."
Karoon let out a disheartened laugh, as if he found it pathetic.
"Fighting on instinct isn’t necessarily bad, but if you don’t use your head at all, you’re no different from a beast. No, you’re worse than a beast."
He firmly pointed out Alice's flaws, returning the favor.
"I’m thinking while I fight!"
Alice frowned, insisting that she had been swinging her sword while thinking intensely.
"Are you not intelligent? If so, there’s no hope..."
Karoon waved his hand provocatively.
— "You’re too scared to fight! You don’t have the courage to enter my range, do you?"
Alice stared at Karoon, gritting her teeth.
"Shall we try again? With the same ferocity as a beast."
"Sure. This time I’ll kill you! While I think!"
Karoon and Alice immediately got back up and clashed swords again. Even though their strength and aura had significantly decreased, a new flow and vitality were emerging between their swords that hadn’t existed before.
"This is..."
Raon swallowed hard and turned to look at Glenn.
"It’s a symbiotic training. A method where martial artists of similar skill levels recognize each other’s strengths and weaknesses and grow together."
Glenn nodded and said that, although Karoon was stronger, they were moving in sync to a certain extent.
"Symbiotic training..."
Raon clicked his tongue.
"I’m a bit envious of this."
He felt a twinge of envy at the idea of being able to grow together by facing a similarly skilled opponent.
'Who could compete with me now?'
By his calculations, only the Thespian Emperor. If he expanded his reach a little, perhaps the Demon-Slaying Spear would be possible.
- "You know why those two have been training until now?"
Glenn turned his finger pointing at Karoon and Alice toward Raon.
"All thanks to you."
"...?"
Raon observed silently as Karoon and Alice fought. Watching the two wield their swords while shedding blood and sweat made his heart beat strongly as if it had been struck by a drum.
- "Not giving up even after seeing their growth is more impressive than this king expected."
Wrath let out a dry laugh as he looked at Karoon.
- "Until now I thought he was nothing noteworthy, but now I see him from a new perspective."
He nodded heavily, saying that Karoon was not just Shitty Eye's father for nothing.
'Indeed.'
Raon bit his lip as he watched Karoon exhibit refined swordsmanship even while sweating profusely.
"It’s the first time someone hasn’t given up and keeps following me."
To be honest, he was cheating in this world.
Wrath's abilities and traits, the Fire Ring, and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation. Each of these powerful skills harmonized to elevate him to Transcendence in his twenties.
Seeing such impossible growth would make anyone feel discouraged and give up, but Karoon did not fall. He immediately got back up and started running. Raon felt admiration and surprise as he watched them train all night, wanting to catch up to him.
"..."
After watching Karoon and Alice fight for a while, Raon slowly stood up.
"Are you leaving already?"
"It itches my hands."
He smiled gently as he grasped the hilt of the Heavenly Drive.
"I need to rise higher so that those two don’t catch up to me."
Swearing never to lose, he headed toward the exit of the training ground.
"Mmm..."
Glenn leaned back in his chair and let out a deep laugh.
"I was lucky to have two children and grandchildren in my later years. Of course, all thanks to you."
He smiled warmly as he watched Raon's back recede.
- "Thank you, Raon."
* * *
A week later, Raon stood on the platform in his black uniform, looking at the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"Today we are going to Balkar, the center of the continent where the Conference of the Five Kings will be held."
He nodded his head toward the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace, who emanated a sharp aura like knight statues.
"This conference could change the course of the next war. We, the Light Wind Palace, have the honor of escorting the Head of House to such an important place."
Raon raised a finger as he exhaled softly.
"As you know, there are many who do not believe that we have completely destroyed the Black Tower. They may be puppets of the Demons or simply paranoid, but trying to convince those people would be a waste of time."
Raon stepped forward on the platform. Golden flames like demon wings blossomed behind his back.
"Show them our strength. Show those who doubt who we are and what we have achieved with our strength. Etch the three words 'Light Wind Palace' into their minds."
"Yes, we will follow your order!"
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace placed their hands on their left chests, over their hearts, and raised their voices loud enough to shake the ground.
"Then let’s go."
Raon descended from the platform. He passed through the center of the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace, his black dragon cape fluttering down to his knees. With each step Raon took, the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace followed him, hands on the hilts of their swords.
Raon and the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace set off toward Balkar, emanating a noble aura as if they had become the famous sword of a master craftsman.
-
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