C1046
'Finally, I can feel it now.'
Raon closed his eyes as he placed his hands on the hilts of the Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword.
'The fact that I've gotten stronger.'
He could feel the swordsmanship insights obtained from Darkan's mental world fusing into his soul. While not a massive improvement, he felt confident that he could now display a different level of swordsmanship than before.
"I was very worried coming here..."
Rector lowered his hands as he looked at him.
"I'm glad everything turned out well."
He let out a deep sigh, as if finally feeling relief.
"It's all thanks to you, grandpa. Thank you."
Raon bowed his head to Rector.
"It wasn't because of me, you achieved everything on your own."
Rector waved both hands as if rejecting his own contribution.
"I couldn't protect you properly from Darkan, nor could I convey my message correctly."
He clenched and unclenched his fist, saying that he had only been watching from the barrier.
"That's absolutely false."
Raon shook his head firmly.
"If you hadn't told us about the Five Demons' conference, we would have started a war with the White Blood Religion and suffered a major defeat. Just avoiding that makes you a benefactor not only to me but to the Five Kings."
Although Rector couldn't hastily reveal information about the Five Demons due to his position, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that his information had saved all the Five Kings.
"Also, if you hadn't helped find Darkan, I wouldn't have been able to persuade him, and I wouldn't have gotten stronger."
They were able to find Darkan because the search started from the Holy Ground of the Holy Sword Alliance; if they had started searching from Zieghart, they wouldn't have gotten his information until after the war.
"Hmm..."
Rector let out a soft groan, seemingly moved by Raon's words.
"And finally..."
Raon smiled softly as he looked at Rector, who was still clenching his fist.
"You were watching over me from beginning to end."
"You... knew?"
Rector's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes. Even though you tried to hide it, I could see it in your expression."
Raon nodded calmly.
"That you were preparing to control Darkan and protect me."
Since arriving in the Kingdom of Oscott, Rector had never let his guard down, ready to stop any sudden movements from Darkan. He had always been prepared to sacrifice his life for Raon.
"Huh..."
Rector let out a sigh, seemingly unaware that his intentions had been noticed.
"What a shame."
He leaned against the old wall with a slight smile, looking embarrassed and exhausted.
-You seem to be quite popular with the elders.
Wrath lowered his chin briefly, as if also understanding Rector's feelings.
-Thanks to this, that old man will also gain something from this experience.
'Gain something?'
-Although he may not notice it now that he's relaxed, that old man will be able to grow a little more.
He licked his lips, saying that he could feel the growth in Rector's soul and martial prowess.
'Really? That's good.'
He had felt a bit disappointed at becoming stronger alone, but upon hearing that Rector would also become stronger, an unconscious smile spread across his face.
"We should return now."
Rector exhaled heavily as if all his accumulated fatigue had hit him all at once.
"Yes, you need to rest too, grandpa."
Raon nodded as he supported Rector by the shoulder.
"I'm certainly getting old, am I?"
Rector lowered his eyebrows, unable to deny it.
"Thank you, grandpa."
"Family doesn't need those words."
Rector waved his hand dismissively.
"Then..."
Raon let out a refreshing laugh as he loaded Rector onto his back.
"Please continue to take care of me. The path I will take."
"Yes. That's much better."
Rector nodded firmly, promising to take care of him and Sia until the day he died.
"Then you'll have to live a long time. Unlike me, my sister has many things she wants to do."
Raon listed one by one the things Sia wanted to do as they left the worn-out alley. Behind the grandfather and grandson's footsteps, a clear laugh bloomed instead of dark shadows.
***
From the palace needle overlooking the Kingdom of Oscott, Darkan stood at its peak where strong winds blew, watching Raon and Rector leave the kingdom.
"Raon Zieghart..."
From the first time he saw Raon, he knew the boy had extraordinary talent. However, Raon always transcended even that talent, producing results that surpassed his predictions.
'The first time was when he killed my disciple.'
At that time, Cloud was a Grand Master, and Raon was a Master, so he naturally thought Cloud could capture him. But what awaited him was only the death of his disciple, leaving no trace behind.
'That was only the beginning.'
Whether it was meeting him at the Holy Ground of the Holy Sword Alliance, hearing about him destroying the Black Tower and killing his master, or receiving news that he had killed The Fallen alongside the Magic Tower Master, each time, Darkan was astonished by Raon's achievements.
'Although not as much as this time...'
When he became frustrated that his life as a beggar wasn't going according to plan, Raon appeared and gave him exactly the advice he needed. At first, his pride made him reluctant to listen, but after feeling the sincerity in Raon's eyes, he decided to try it.
'The results were more satisfying than I expected.'
Despite being at a lower level, Raon recognized his condition and provided him with the most appropriate guidance. Thanks to that, he experienced more of human life and gained martial arts insights.
Furthermore, he established a roadmap on how to live and act in the future. Although he overlooked it lightly, it wouldn't be strange to call Raon his benefactor.
'Of course, the most surprising thing was the Soul Weapon.'
Even if borrowing power from artifacts, the fact that such a young novice could wield the Soul Weapon was more impactful than anything else.
"How interesting."
Darkan curled his lips upwards as he watched Raon leave the palace grounds.
'Now it's satisfying enough just to watch the present, no need to look to the future.'
The Raon he encountered in the mental world was a monster obsessed with swords beyond his imagination. It wouldn't be long before he reached the same level where Darkan was.
"So, this is happiness."
Glenn Zieghart waiting above, and Raon Zieghart chasing from below. He could barely contain his joy at having two opponents capable of satisfying him.
"Ah!"
Darkan frowned as he thought about Raon and Glenn.
"Before that, there's someone I need to fight first."
Derus Robert. If he had become strong enough for Rector to not be able to feel his aura, he was definitely not an opponent to be taken lightly.
'I should prepare.'
For a pleasant fight. Although he had achieved enlightenment, his body and mind were somewhat damaged from living as a beggar for so long. Since he didn't know when the duel with Derus would begin, he needed to prepare in advance.
"Derus Robert, Raon Zieghart, and Glenn Zieghart..."
Darkan murmured the three names as he walked through the darkening sky.
"Who will be the Grim Reaper who cuts my throat?"
He curled his lips into a long smile, as if he was looking forward to that day.
***
Raon returned directly to Zieghart and went to look for Glenn.
"Greetings, Head of House!"
As soon as he entered the audience chamber, he knelt before Glenn, who was standing on the platform.
-Wow, look how worn out the floor is...
Wrath let out a sigh as he noticed how worn out the floor was beneath Glenn's feet.
-That old man must have been pacing back and forth all day again.
He shook his head, calling him a stubborn old man.
"Well. Did everything go well?"
Glenn's voice trembled as he examined Raon's entire body with concern.
"Yes. Fortunately, I was able to complete the task without any problems."
Raon smiled brightly as he reported his success.
"You, you completed it?"
Glenn's jaw trembled as if he couldn't understand it no matter how much he thought about it.
"I didn't stop you because you were going with your grandpa, but Darkan isn't an opponent to be taken lightly..."
He let out a sigh, admitting that he honestly expected them to return with a failure.
"I don't understand either. Did Darkan really accept our request?"
Sheryl's jaw dropped in astonishment.
"You really are different, Lord Raon."
Roenn laughed out loud, as if he had come to believe in Raon because of their recent mission together.
"He's not an easy opponent, but in a way, he's also easier to deal with than anyone else."
Raon smiled slightly, remembering Darkan as the awkward beggar.
"And he was someone we needed to persuade by any means necessary for our plan to succeed."
"Could you tell us what happened?"
Glenn clasped his hands in front of his knees, showing genuine curiosity.
"Yes. I'll tell you from the beginning. As you all know, after hearing about the Five Demons' conference from Lord Rector..."
Raon nodded and recounted everything that had happened in the Kingdom of Oscott, one by one.
"...And so, after obtaining Darkan's recognition and receiving his firm promise to stop Derus, I returned."
"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!"
Sheryl couldn't hold back, grabbing her stomach as she burst into laughter.
"Not only was Darkan acting like a beggar, but you also slapped him?"
She couldn't stop laughing for a while, seemingly imagining Darkan's face.
"Ho, ho, ho!"
Roenn also let out an excited exclamation, his laughter two tones higher than usual.
"A beggar and a beggar master, what a different approach than I imagined! As expected of Lord Raon!"
He shook his head, expressing his regret for not having seen it personally.
"Hmmmm..."
Glenn also covered his mouth with a rough grunt, as if he couldn't suppress his growing laughter.
"How did you come up with an idea like that?"
"It wasn't an act intended to win Darkan's heart from the beginning. I just couldn't stand seeing him pretend to be such a bad beggar."
Raon frowned, saying that he couldn't stand it out of irritation.
"It just worked out well. I was lucky."
"Darkan isn't stupid. It worked because you were sincere."
Glenn nodded firmly in approval.
"You always come up with new solutions. Well done."
He praised Raon's actions with sincere words. Just hearing those warm words and his voice was enough to ease his fatigue.
"Besides..."
Glenn curled his lips upwards as he looked him in the eye.
"You've returned having grown as a swordsman as well. It seems the day when you can use the Soul Weapon with your own power is not far off."
"Yes. Fighting inside Darkan's mental world seems to have helped."
Raon looked at the Heavenly Drive as he mentioned this unexpected benefit.
"A Soul Weapon that draws the souls of others into its mental world. That's like Darkan."
Glenn narrowed his eyes, saying that it was something he couldn't do.
"Raon. You might also want to consider a different direction."
He tilted his chin as he looked at him.
"Instead of simply following my path with a Soul Weapon that kills, it might be good to think about a Soul Weapon that only you can create."
Glenn advised him to try to create a Soul Weapon like the one Darkan had made.
"I understand."
Raon bowed his head to Glenn, saying that he would think about it.
"However..."
Evelyn frowned as she looked behind the communication device.
"Is the mages' conference over?"
"Yes. They reached an agreement in a rather dramatic way."
Glenn's lips trembled as if it had been terrifying to be in the audience chamber during the conference.
"T-then when will the magic be completed?"
Her tongue trembled unconsciously because the completion of the magic was the most important thing.
"They say it will take two months for its completion, improvement, and practical application. In other words, in two months..."
Glenn raised two straight fingers as his eyes gleamed coldly.
"We will attack the White Blood Religion."
***
As soon as Raon heard that the magic would take two months to complete, he went directly to the fifth training ground. Since it was just after noon, all the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace were gathered there.
-Hmm.
Wrath let out a small exclamation as he looked at the swordsmen from atop the wall.
-Although they just had lunch, their concentration isn't bad.
'Indeed. They're training more correctly than I expected.'
Despite having eaten recently when maintaining concentration would be difficult, the swordsmen were engaged in group training without the slightest hesitation. Seeing them in such a state even though he had been away for over ten days, it seemed there was no need to interfere with their training.
-Really? You're not really going to touch them?
Wrath opened his eyes in surprise.
'Yes. That's what I'd like to say, but...'
Raon shook his head with a cold smile.
'This time is an exception.' (E/N: Every time is an exception)
With the war against the White Blood Religion coming in two months, he needed to crush them thoroughly through training to save as many lives as possible.
-To-to crush them...
Wrath rolled his eyes as if questioning whether that word was appropriate for his subordinates.
'Ah, my mistake. Not crush them, but kill them, that's how they'll stay alert in a real battle. Of course, I won't tell them this to their faces.' (E/N: Is that better?)
He planned to treat them calmly in person, as they might run away if he pushed them too hard during these two months.
'Well, then, shall we?'
Raon gently opened the door and entered the fifth training ground.
"Huh? Palace Master!"
"When did you arrive?"
"Raon...!"
Burren, Martha, and Runaan were the first to notice his presence, their eyes widening in surprise.
"P-Palace Master! We missed you!"
"You're early, no, you're late!"
Krein and Dorian's cheeks trembled as soon as they saw him, as if they were thinking about the training that awaited them.
"You've come."
"You're late. I was waiting for your training."
Mark Goetun and Trevin nodded calmly, as if they had truly been waiting.
"Greetings, Palace Master!"
"Everyone to the platform."
Raon gestured to the Light Wind Palace swordsmen who greeted him and went up to the platform.
"While I was away on my personal mission, there were internal changes as well."
Raon rubbed his chin as he looked down at the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"The date of the war has been set."
He clenched his fist as he announced that the war with the White Blood Religion would begin soon.
"Finally..."
Martha gripped her sword until her hand bled, saying that she had only been waiting for this moment.
"Hmm..."
"Miss Rakshasa..."
Burren and Runaan bit their lips as if they felt Martha's determination beside them.
"This war will likely take the form of a siege where we must first attack the headquarters of the White Blood Religion. As it is dangerous in our current state, I hope you will give your all to training for the remaining two months."
Raon pounded his chest with his right hand as he made this request.
"Hmm..."
"Um, I'm more scared of the training than the war?"
"Me too. What kind of treatment awaits us this time..."
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen swallowed nervously, seemingly intimidated by his presence.
"Don't worry too much. I know better than anyone that you wouldn't survive if I trained you too hard for two months."
Raon smiled subtly as he looked at the worried Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
'As expected, some might run away if I say I'm going to kill them with training, so I must be careful with my words.'
If he announced two months of hellish training, not just one, it would cause more chaos than the war itself, so it seemed better to speak softly as he had planned before entering.
'It would be better to say "let's do our best".'
-The poor kids...
Wrath shook his head repeatedly, saying that he could see the future of the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"For the next two months..."
Raon nodded as he looked at the Light Wind Palace with a serious look.
'Let's do our best together.'
"I'll kill you all."
He curled his lips upwards and tilted his chin.
"What?"
"Uh..."
"Hick!"
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen couldn't even think of speaking as they stared with wide eyes.
"Hmm?"
Raon tilted his head as he looked at the now silent Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
-Hey...
Wrath's jaw trembled in disbelief.
-You're crazy! You just said out loud what you were supposed to keep in your head!
He slapped his forehead as if wondering if Raon had truly lost his mind.
"Ah..."
Raon finally realized why the Light Wind Palace swordsmen's expressions had frozen and blinked.
"Well, there's nothing that can be done about it now. Since it's come to this..."
-Oh? Can you fix this situation?
Wrath let out a sigh, as if he was waiting for his solution.
"We'll just die!"
Raon showed his white teeth as he abruptly stirred the fighting spirit he had been hiding inside.
"No, I'll kill them!"
-You...
Wrath moved his chin as he looked at Raon with cold eyes.
-You've been infected by that sword-obsessed maniac!
Why have you become so brutish?!
-
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