C1015
"Eh!"
Mustan's eyes widened as he finally noticed the crest of House Robert.
"Could it be from Derus Robert?"
He gulped hard, unable to believe it.
"It seems so."
Rector clicked his tongue briefly and untied the letter that was tied to the white hawk's leg.
"This can't be! The only outsiders who know this place are Lord Raon and his acquaintances!"
Mustan's eyes trembled, bewildered as to how they could have discovered this location.
"Derus Robert is surrounded by archangels and other high-ranking masters. They can use all sorts of methods, so I'd say we were discovered quite late."
Rector didn't seem surprised, as if he had expected the new location of the Holy Sword Alliance to be discovered eventually.
"You're right about that."
Mustan scratched his forehead, accepting that it was natural for an archangel to find hidden people.
"But why is Derus Robert still using the crest of House Robert?"
He tilted his head, looking at the crest of House Robert engraved at the end of the letter.
"Isn't Derus a traitor who abandoned the Five Kings and House Robert to join the Five Demons?"
"The reason is simple."
Rector spun the letter with his fingertip, mockingly.
"It means that he alone is House Robert."
"He alone is House Robert?"
Mustan blinked, not understanding what that meant.
"It means that as long as he himself is alive, Robert continues to exist, even if the buildings collapse, the territory burns, and the bloodline is extinguished."
He clicked his tongue, saying the letter reflected Derus' confidence.
"What a despicable bastard..."
Mustan gnashed his teeth in disgust.
"Indeed. He's an arrogant and repulsive man, but he has the right to pursue those ambitions."
Rector frowned, gripping the rolled-up letter tightly.
"After all, Derus demonstrated overwhelming power against Lecross, the king of Owen and known as the Silent Sword Master."
King Lecross' strength was certainly not inferior to his own. It made sense that Derus would show such confidence after decisively defeating a top-tier transcendent.
"Excluding isolated transcendents, the only ones who can definitively defeat him on the current continent are Glenn Zieghart, the Heavenly Demon, and the former Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance."
Rector unfurled the seemingly heavy letter, stating that there were very few people who could stop Derus Robert.
"W-what does it say?"
Mustan's eyes moved rapidly, curious about the contents of the letter.
"He's calling a conference of the Five Demons now that the Black Tower has fallen and The Fallen is dead. Face to face."
Rector nodded calmly, as if he had anticipated the contents of the letter.
"If we pretend not to have received the message and don't go, like before..."
"That won't work."
Rector lowered his eyebrows, looking at the white hawk with its broken neck.
"This is a warning."
"W-a warning?"
Mustan's chin trembled.
"Yes. He probably already knows that this letter is in my hands. The fact that he sent a hawk capable of breaking this place's barrier, despite having other ways to contact us from the outside, is proof of that."
Rector crumpled the letter and smiled mischievously.
"If we don't participate in this conference, he'll come here himself."
He frowned, saying that words wouldn't be enough then.
"But wouldn't it be suicidal to attack us in this situation?"
Mustan exhaled forcefully, unable to understand.
"The Derus Robert I've seen and felt is more than capable of doing just that. He's not human, but rather a demon. He will never leave loose ends."
Rector nodded firmly, as if he was sure.
"Even if that wasn't the case, it's better to go. We need to figure out what Derus Robert is thinking, even if it's for that child's sake."
He exhaled deeply, saying he would attend the Five Demons conference for Raon's sake.
"T-then, shouldn't we at least contact Lord Raon!"
Mustan raised his hand, suggesting they should inform him of the situation.
"Telling him will only make him worry. Nothing will happen yet, so don't worry."
Rector patted Mustan on the shoulder and returned to the mansion.
"Something..."
Mustan's fingertips trembled as he watched Rector walk away under the darkening sky.
"...feels unsettling."
***
After telling his family that he had been assigned a new mission, Raon began to prepare to leave for the Five Divine Orders.
"Five Divine Orders? With only two left now, shouldn't it be called the Two Divine Orders?"
Evelyn silently opened the door and entered.
"Knock before entering."
Raon shook his head as he packed clothes and essentials in his subdimensional space bag.
"What's the point of knocking between us?"
Evelyn waved her pale hand, saying that such signals were unnecessary.
"This mission to the Five Divine Orders..."
She approached him and gave him a gentle pat on the shoulder.
"Should I go with you?"
"You want to come with me?"
Raon's eyes widened as he looked at Evelyn.
"Why?"
"You're planning to kill the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of the Swords if the Five Divine Orders refuse to side with the Five Kings, right?"
Evelyn shrugged, suggesting that she might be needed in that fight.
"Eh..."
Raon gulped as he met Evelyn's violet eyes.
"How did you know?"
He couldn't understand how she had predicted the killing part when he had only mentioned meeting with the Five Divine Orders.
-¡Eek!
Wrath screamed and hid behind Raon's back.
-¡It seems this harlot can now read your thoughts too!
He trembled, stating that she must have developed a new magic.
"How? It's all obvious!"
Evelyn hung a soft smile on her lips.
"We've spent nights together. I can read your eyes at least!"
"That's not what it means!"
Raon shook his head vigorously.
"Don't say things like that! Everyone misunderstands!"
He grabbed Evelyn's shoulders, begging her to be quiet.
"This is also nice."
Evelyn's cheeks flushed, as if she was pleased just by being embraced.
"Oh, geez..."
Raon slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand, feeling that the conversation wasn't going anywhere.
"Anyway, I want to go too. I'm sure I'll be useful."
Evelyn clasped her hands together, as if she was sincere.
"Of course you'd be useful if you came. But..."
Raon shook his head, looking at Evelyn's bright eyes.
"You haven't fully recovered from your wounds yet."
Unlike him, whose body and mind had fully healed, Evelyn's mind hadn't fully recovered yet. For a magician, mental strength was the most crucial element, so it was better for her to focus on recovery now.
"Did you know?"
Evelyn blinked in surprise.
"It's all obvious."
Raon smiled slightly, returning the words to Evelyn.
"Ugh, if they've figured me out, there's nothing I can do."
Evelyn briefly licked her lips.
"Then take this instead of me."
She pulled a small squirrel doll out of the pocket of her maid uniform. It looked cute, but the ribbon on its ears and clothes were made roughly.
"This is..."
"It's a charm for you. I made it with the young one."
Evelyn smiled, saying she made the squirrel doll while Sia made the ribbon and clothes.
"Thank you."
Raon received the squirrel doll with both hands. If she had done it alone, he would have rejected it, feeling burdened, but since Sia had also participated, he had no choice but to accept it.
"Come to think of it, you've been sticking to my sister a lot lately. Have you become friends?"
"The young one and I get along well."
Evelyn smiled, saying their conversations matched.
"I-is that so?"
Raon rolled his eyes towards the wall.
'Is it because their mental ages match?'
It seemed that Evelyn, who had lived only for revenge since childhood, lacked experience outside of magic, and therefore got along well with Sia, who still had a young mental age.
"Well, take care!"
Evelyn said she would wait in the annex building and left his room.
-Better throw that away.
Wrath frowned, looking at the lovingly decorated squirrel doll.
'Why? Do you feel something?'
-I don't feel anything, but it must be cursed! It's surely going to reveal all your moves!
He shook his head vigorously, insisting that Raon throw it away immediately.
'No way. My sister helped make it, remember?'
He absolutely couldn't throw it away, knowing that Sia would be upset for a long time if she found out.
'I'll pack the rest of the luggage tomorrow. Should I do some mental image training today?'
As he was about to close his eyes and imagine fighting the Thespian Emperor (Thespian Emperor), he heard someone walking towards the annex building.
'It's not Grandpa.'
He thought it might be Glenn, but the footsteps were different. However, it was definitely someone he knew. Knock, knock. Opening his eyes and looking out the window, he saw Martha tapping on the window with the back of her hand.
"What brings you here?"
Raon opened the window for Martha, who, unlike usual, had her eyebrows slightly lowered.
"I have a favor to ask."
Martha bowed her head slightly, asking him to come out for a moment.
"I'll wait for you by the lake."
Raon closed the window again and went out, approaching Martha, who was standing in front of the lake.
"What's up, coming all this way?"
He slowly rotated his shoulders, telling her to state her request.
"The aura enhancement training we did recently..."
Martha bit her lip as she mentioned the aura training they had been doing for a week.
"Can you continue it?"
She bowed, saying she wanted to do that training now.
"You want to do that training now?"
His mouth opened, as he hadn't even considered this possibility.
"Yes. Not just today, but I want to continue this training even when we go to the Five Divine Orders."
Martha clenched her fists, saying she wanted to become stronger as quickly as possible.
"Why go to such extremes?"
Raon let out a soft groan.
"Honestly, it's painfully difficult."
The aura enhancement training he had created was a modification of torture techniques into a training method, so even as the aura strengthened, the pain of the cold and heat never subsided. Other swordsmen had welcomed this mission to avoid that pain, but he never thought someone would come and ask to do it.
"I can easily endure this level of pain."
Martha bit her lip deeply.
"Compared to mental anguish, it's nothing."
She exhaled a troubled breath, saying that while she wanted to endure the mental pain, she couldn't.
"...I see."
Raon closed his eyes and opened them again, realizing why Martha wanted to continue the aura training.
"With the Black Tower Master dead and The Fallen gone, it won't be long until we face the Leader of the White Blood Religion."
Martha raised her trembling hand and placed it on her sword.
"I want to become a little stronger until then. So that, even if I die, I can at least stab the Leader of the White Blood Religion!"
She clenched her fist until blood dripped from her palm, saying she didn't want to leave any regrets.
"Haa..."
Raon let out a deep sigh.
'This can't be helped.'
If it were any other matter, he would have told her to rest, but he couldn't ignore it since her mother was involved.
"Sit here."
Raon pointed to the spread grass by the lake.
"Thank you!"
Martha bowed her head in gratitude and sat down where he had indicated.
"I'm starting. It will be a little stronger than usual."
Raon concentrated the energies of Glacier and Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation on his fingertips, then inserted them into Martha's mana circuit.
"......"
Despite the intense pain she must have been feeling, Martha began her aura cultivation without making a sound. The sweat dripping from her forehead contrasted with her silence, seeming to speak of her determination.
'The Leader of the White Blood Religion...'
Raon bit his lip as he looked towards the dark night sky.
'That monster will be different from The Fallen or the Black Tower Master.'
Although the Leader of the White Blood Religion also uses powerful magic, her essence is that of a martial artist. Unlike The Fallen or the Black Tower Master, facing her directly wouldn't be easy.
'Besides...'
He clicked his tongue internally as he watched Martha endure the pain and cultivate her aura.
'If I want to save this girl's mother, I can't just kill the Leader of the White Blood Religion.'
It was clear that the difficulty of dealing with the Leader of the White Blood Religion would be beyond imagination, as he needed to subdue her and extract her soul afterwards.
-That blood-sucking harlot, as you've seen, has the ability to strengthen herself by absorbing blood.
Wrath frowned as if he was disgusted.
-She must have become even stronger now.
'Nothing is easy. In the end...'
Raon gripped his wrist where six bracelets shone, gnashing his molars.
'I have no choice but to become stronger.'
***
Two days later, at dawn.
Raon stood on the platform of the fifth training ground, looking down at the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace, unlike during training, had cold eyes as if they had discarded all emotions. They had reached a level where they could control their emotions and aura according to the situation.
"As I said, this mission could lead to an all-out war with the Five Divine Orders. Be prepared to fight even in your sleep."
Raon descended from the platform after explaining the mindset needed for the mission.
"We're leaving."
Raon brushed aside his Black Dragon cloak that fluttered in the wind as he passed the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace. The swordsmen followed him, emanating an aura as solid as a wall that protected their king. The Light Wind Palace didn't move towards the main gate of Zieghart as usual, but headed towards the internal magic tower.
"Preparations for the teleportation to Barene are complete."
Berbin, the vice master of the magic tower, bowed his head, saying they were ready to teleport to Barene, the city of the Five Divine Orders.
"Thank you for accommodating our request."
Raon showed courtesy to Berbin, recalling his jovial interactions with Rimmer.
"It wasn't difficult. Barene provided the coordinates of the dimensional gate directly and cleared the way for us."
Berbin waved his hand, saying it was a simple task.
"If any problems arise there, please contact us. We will come immediately."
He clasped his hands together as if he was casting a spell, emphasizing his sincerity.
"I appreciate your words alone."
Raon nodded with a soft smile.
"Then we'll start now."
As Berbin raised his hand, the mages behind him unfurled a magic formula that pulsed with deep mana. A blue light rose from the empty circular hole, opening a massive gate that pierced through dimensions. The rippling blue curtain seemed to reflect the image of Barene.
"You can enter now."
Berbin nodded, saying they would arrive in Barene as soon as they entered the blue gate.
"Thank you."
Raon bowed to Berbin and the mages before entering the blue dimensional gate. As the warm light particles enveloped his body, he closed his eyes and then opened them to find himself in a vast building with luxurious carpets spread out.
"Greetings, Master of the Light Wind Palace."
Before Raon could move his gaze, a voice came from his left. Turning his eyes, he saw a middle-aged man in white robes bowing to him.
"I am Mekein, who serves the Thespian Emperor."
"It's been a while."
Raon bowed slightly to the middle-aged man who introduced himself as Mekein.
"Oh? You remember me?"
Mekein's eyes widened in surprise.
"You left an impression."
The Mekein he had seen before was acting as the Thespian Emperor's secretary, and his cold and calm demeanor had left a lasting memory.
"Ah..."
Mekein seemed a little nervous, but quickly recovered and raised his head.
"This is the internal magic tower of Barene. Since it's been a while since you've been here, perhaps before the meeting, you'd like a tour..."
He raised his hand, offering to show Raon Barene.
"No."
Raon shook his head, watching the cold eyes of the Light Wind Palace swordsmen emerging from the dimensional gate.
"I would like to see the Thespian Emperor and the Queen of the Swords first."
Raon gripped the Heavenly Drive that was trembling slightly as he parted his red lips.
"I have much to discuss with them."
-
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