C1073
-S-say something, because it's scary!
Wrath grabbed Raon's chin and shook it, telling him to just say it.
'Move away.'
Raon pushed Wrath away, who was fidgeting in front of him, and looked at Glenn.
"Head of House. There's one more thing I'd like to ask."
"Say what's on your mind."
Glenn nodded as if he was going to listen to anything Raon had to say.
"Denier Zieghart."
Raon muttered his name as he recalled Denier's desperate look from the battlefield.
"No, what happened to Denier?"
He was as curious about Denier's story as he was about the well-being of other Transcendentals. He felt he couldn't sleep tonight without knowing why Denier had betrayed the Five Kings, and then later betrayed the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
- This King too!
Wrath raised his hand suddenly.
- I want to know why that traitor-traitor did what he did!
He swallowed as he called Denier, who had betrayed twice, a traitor-traitor.
"That's..."
Glenn parted his trembling lips before looking down.
"Although I know, it's difficult for me to say it myself. Go hear it directly from Martha."
He exhaled deeply, saying that Martha, not him, was the owner of this story.
"I see..."
Raon nodded as he recalled Denier's final moments.
'Denier treated Martha like his own daughter.'
It seemed he had committed his two betrayals to save Martha and her mother, and to kill the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
"What I can tell you is..."
Glenn looked for a long time at the second pillar where Denier always used to stand.
"Denier Zieghart. That boy is my son."
He nodded calmly, indicating that he wouldn't expel Denier from the Zieghart family.
"I understand."
Raon bowed, saying he would comply.
'I'll have to meet with Martha after all.'
He thought it worked out well, since he needed to meet with Martha's mother anyway.
"Darkan."
Glenn turned his gaze and called out to Darkan.
"It seems your physical wounds have almost healed."
"Yes. The medical skills of the Untidy Saint of your house were quite helpful."
Darkan nodded, saying he recovered quickly thanks to the Untidy Saint Federick.
"What will you do now?"
"I'll look around this neighborhood a bit and then leave."
He brushed the dust off his hands, saying he would leave Zieghart.
"Wouldn't it be better to stay here?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Darkan. Although he was an unpredictable bomb, he was a useful card that Raon didn't want to let go.
"There are certainly many interesting types here. However..."
Darkan curled his lips as he placed his hand on his sword.
"My sword always comes first. I need to regain my weakened martial prowess and clean up the mess I made."
He showed his white teeth, saying he would personally kill Derus, who had obtained the Soul Weapon.
"Although he uses a dull sword, I feel something will be different the next time we meet."
Darkan licked his lips in anticipation.
"When do you plan to leave?"
Raon let out a short sigh.
"After having a fight with you and your elder sister."
Darkan smiled as if he had already mentioned this.
"Were you serious about that?"
Raon let out a hollow laugh.
"Of course I'm serious! I always say only the truth!"
Darkan muttered about saying only the truth right after spreading lies a minute ago.
"Ha..."
Seeing someone who had truly lost his mind, Raon was speechless with disbelief.
"Your elder sister? What does that mean?"
Glenn narrowed his eyes in confusion.
"This person asked Elder Sister Sia for a duel. More than ten times, besides."
Raon shook his head again and again.
"You're crazy insane."
Glenn frowned as he placed his hand on the Heavenly Tremor.
"Fine. I'll be your opponent."
He lifted his chin as if telling Darkan to attack him right now.
'He'll probably rush in with enthusiasm.'
However, contrary to his expectations, Darkan didn't move from his spot.
"Ah, I'll have to decline that."
Darkan showed a serious look in his eyes for the first time since he arrived in Zieghart.
"Because a fight with you would be a battle to the death."
He lowered his trembling hand, saying he wanted to fight when he had reached greater heights. ¡Whoosh! It seemed as if invisible swords rose behind Darkan's back. Although his soul had weakened, it still burned with a fighting spirit worthy of Glenn's opponent.
"Yes. That would be the case."
Glenn nodded slightly and sat back down on his throne.
"Now that everything has been said, you can..."
Just as he was about to tell Raon and Darkan to leave, ¡whoosh! A blue dimensional door opened in the air, and Jayna's face appeared.
[Greetings to the Northern Destructor King. Now... Ah!]
Jayna was about to give news when she saw Raon and Darkan, her eyes widened in surprise.
[My apologies. I see you have guests.]
"No, I deliberately accepted the call. It doesn't matter, so speak."
Glenn nodded, indicating it was okay to speak if it wasn't an important secret.
[Lady Chamber has awakened. She said she'll contact you soon, so please wait.]
Jayna let out a sigh of relief as she informed them that Chamber had awakened safely.
"That's good news."
Glenn also smiled softly, saying he was fortunate.
"...Any news from Lecross?
[There hasn't been any change yet.]
Jayna lowered her head, her expression hardening again.
"I see. Understood."
Glenn lowered his eyebrows as if he understood the situation just from Jayna's reaction.
[Yes. Then...]
"Wait."
Raon approached Jayna as she was about to end the communication.
"I heard you put in a lot of effort to open a long-distance dimensional door. Thank you for your hard work."
He bowed his head, saying she had done something truly important.
[Ah...]
Jayna's eyes trembled as her face turned red, as if she was overwhelmed with emotion.
[I-it's thanks to you.]
She calmed down before slowly parting her lips.
"What do you mean?"
[When you defeated me in the underground auction, I was angry because my pride was hurt, and when I was treated like a slave, I wanted to kill you with all my might. But as time passed, I realized that those humiliations and experiences made me who I am today.]
Jayna smiled, saying that thanks to those difficult experiences, she could now endure the pain and hardships of magic without giving up. Her pink eyes seemed to be filled with tears.
[Thank you. For letting me live not as an arrogant princess, but as a hardworking mage.]
She took off her hat and bowed her head, expressing sincere gratitude.
"I humbly accept your thanks. I would also like to apologize to Princess Jayna for my behavior and rude words so far."
Raon bowed to Jayna, apologizing for his past behavior and rude words.
[I also accept your apology.]
Jayna smiled, gladly accepting his apology. Honestly, she hadn't tormented him with the intention of correcting his behavior, but seeing how much he had changed made her feel strangely proud.
"You look good together. Get married."
Darkan clapped loudly, saying they made a good couple.
"What?"
[What are you saying?!]
Raon and Jayna turned their heads towards Darkan with wide eyes.
"Great families and kingdoms like yours have many political marriages, right? You look good together, so get married."
Darkan looked at Glenn as if asking if it wasn't a good idea.
"While political marriages are common, I believe the wishes of the children are most important."
Glenn took Darkan's words seriously as he looked down at Raon.
"First of all, we don't have that kind of relationship. Besides, I..."
As Raon waved his hand in denial, the squirrel doll in his chest pocket began to vibrate frantically. It was almost strong enough to tear his clothes.
- C-crazy! She's been listening to everything!
Wrath yelled as if he felt Evelyn's presence.
"I-I'll leave now."
Raon immediately turned around, worried that Evelyn might break the doll if he stayed any longer.
"See you next time."
Raon also bowed to Jayna.
[Next time, I'll be ready to replace Lady Chamber.]
Jayna nodded with a flushed face, as if promising to work harder. It was comforting to have someone who she thought would be a lifelong enemy become such a valuable ally.
'So this is...'
Raon curled his lips as he watched Jayna disappear, wiping away transparent tears.
'What they call destiny, perhaps.'
***
After leaving the Lord's Mansion, Raon headed towards the Wise Martial Palace where Martha was.
"Why are you following me?"
He frowned at Darkan, who was following him like a little bird.
"Aren't you curious?"
Darkan whistled, saying he was also curious about the circumstances of Martha and Denier.
"This doesn't concern you."
Raon waved his hand, telling him to go back.
"It hurts when you say that. I'm a warrior who fought alongside you."
Darkan slumped his shoulders like a beggar, as if saying he was too hard done by.
"Haah..."
Raon shook his head. While it was true that Darkan had joined voluntarily, he had also used him, so he couldn't say anything about it.
"Fine. But if Martha doesn't want to tell you, you leave immediately."
"I'll do that."
Darkan nodded as if he had no intention of forcing the issue. Toc toc. Raon clicked his tongue briefly and knocked on Denier's mansion inside the Wise Martial Palace.
"Who is it?"
After a fresh voice sounded, the door opened and a woman with black hair and eyes came out. An elegant face he could never forget. It was Martha's mother, whose body had been stolen by the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
"Ah..."
Raon stepped back and clenched his fist. Although he knew she was Martha's mother, the tension rose within him, as he had only known this face as an enemy for so long.
"Everyone freezes when they see me."
Martha's mother clasped her hands apologetically.
"Raon Zieghart. Right?"
He nodded as if he knew who she was.
"Did you know about me?"
Raon relaxed his tense body and stepped forward again.
"How could I not know the benefactor who saved my daughter and me?"
Martha's mother smiled, saying she wanted to thank him. She was more energetic than he had expected.
"Elena greets her benefactor."
She revealed her name and tried to kneel before him.
"Please don't do this!"
Raon rushed over and helped Elena up.
"I haven't properly thanked you yet. Please, at least accept this."
"Martha is my friend before she is my subordinate. I don't want to see a friend's mother kneel."
He shook his head vigorously, saying that words of gratitude were enough.
"Please, speak to me informally. That would be more comfortable."
"Should I?"
Elena immediately switched to informal language without any hesitation. While it seemed she had wanted to do so from the beginning, it was indeed more comfortable.
"Please do."
Raon smiled and lowered his hand.
"You're as direct as they say! The more I see, the more perfect it seems..."
"What? What's perfect..."
Just as he was about to ask what he meant, footsteps were heard from behind the door.
"Mom! Why are you taking so long? The food will get cold... Huh?"
Martha was approaching Elena when she saw him and opened her eyes.
"You're awake? Since when?"
"Yes. Early this morning."
Raon nodded as he looked at the surprised Martha.
"That's a relief."
Martha let out a sigh of relief, saying it was fortunate nothing had happened. It seemed she had also visited him often.
"Your friend is really human? How can someone look like that?"
Elena let out an impressed breath, saying her beauty was beyond words in person.
"What must one eat to grow like that? Your mother must have nothing to envy."
She smiled brightly, saying Sylvia must be proud.
"M-Mom!"
Martha covered Elena's mouth and shook her head.
"How can you speak so informally! Even if she looks like that, she's still from the Zieghart Direct Lineage and a Palace Master!"
She hit Elena's back, telling her to come to her senses. More than anything, she wondered what she meant by "even if she looks like that."
"Ouch! Raon said I could speak informally!"
Elena removed Martha's hand, saying she had received permission.
"Really?"
Martha opened her eyes in disbelief.
"Because she's your mother. And..."
Raon shook his head as he looked at Martha.
"You don't treat me like a Palace Master anyway."
"W-when did I do that!"
"You're speaking informally right now."
"T-this is just a sign of closeness! I'm the one who follows you the most in the Light Wind Palace... ugh."
Martha closed her mouth as if embarrassed and turned her flushed face to the left.
"A-anyway, thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save Mom."
She bowed her head from the side, saying her thanks were long overdue.
"Let's not do this out here, let's go inside. Have something to eat before you leave."
Elena waved her hand, suggesting they have breakfast together.
"You too, tall young man."
"Great!"
Without any hesitation, Darkan entered the Wise Martial Palace before the owners.
- Food prepared by the meat girl's mother? This is exciting!
Wrath flew in like a blue lightning bolt, not wanting to lose to Darkan.
"Why did you invite that person?"
Martha let out an exasperated sigh.
"He said he wanted to come."
Raon sighed and headed to the mansion's dining room with Martha. The food was already served. While there weren't many varieties, each dish looked delicious.
- Ooooh!
Wrath raised his head with an exclamation.
- The aroma is wonderful! Hurry up and sit down!
He showed his first happy smile since he awakened.
"Eat before it gets cold."
Elena raised her hand, confidently urging them to eat.
"Thank you for the food."
Raon bowed to Elena before tasting the stew first as always.
'It's warm.'
The sweet but simple broth warmed his body. Beyond the taste, he could feel the care that had been put into it.
- Kyaaah! This is great!
Wrath waved his hands vigorously in approval.
- This is a stew full of heart! Then, that meat! Bring me that well-roasted lamb!
It seemed he liked Elena's culinary skills, as he immediately pointed out the next dish.
"It digests well! This is good food!"
Darkan started stuffing food into his mouth, saying it was good for filling his stomach. It seemed that for him, eating was a ritual to gather strength to wield his sword.
- You uncouth type! One shouldn't talk at the table! Hey! Then, bring that meat over there! Being the meat girl, you should eat meat! Kyahaha!
Wrath laughed greedily as he shouted for meat. He was truly an uncouth demon king whose words and actions were completely contradictory.
"This reminds me of the past."
Martha drew a soft smile as she looked at the steak on her plate.
"When your mother treated me kindly, my heart felt warm and I was happy, but I also felt guilty thinking about my mother. I remember crying alone after returning home."
Her hand holding the fork trembled as if she was remembering her childhood.
"It was a long journey, but now I can finally be with Mom without feeling guilty."
Martha put down her cutlery and looked at him.
"Thank you so much. You saved me."
She bowed her head with red eyes, her sincerity was evident.
"Let's just say thanks once."
Raon waved his hand after cutting and eating the steak from Martha's plate.
"Huhu."
Elena let out a soft laugh, seeming pleased with the friendship between her daughter and Raon.
"You came for Dad, right?"
Martha still called Denier father.
"Yes. I'm curious about what happened."
Raon nodded, asking if she could tell him.
"Although we can send that person away."
Elena pointed at Darkan, who was stuffing the carefully prepared food into his throat.
"It's okay. It's not a secret anymore."
Martha shook her head calmly.
"Dad wasn't human. He was an experimental being born from the blood of the Leader of the White Blood Religion. However..."
She told him all the memories Denier had shared with her.
"...That's how we repelled the Leader of the White Blood Religion. And Dad left this world along with the oath bound to my soul."
Martha smiled wistfully instead of tears, as if she had already emptied most of her emotions.
"I see."
Raon nodded as he let out a long sigh.
'Now everything makes sense.'
He finally understood why he could never fully understand Denier as a person, and why Denier had attacked both friends and enemies.
-Nngh...
Wrath stopped eating, his eyes trembled as tears streamed down his face.
- Denier Zieghart was a true father! Even though he wasn't born human, he was a father!
He snorted, saying he would have saved him somehow if he had known.
"That man was a true swordsman!"
Darkan slammed his fist on the table, saying Denier's life was admirable. Calling him a swordsman seemed to be the greatest praise he could give.
"Dad was grateful to you."
Martha pressed her lips firmly as she looked at him.
"He said that not only me and Mom, but he himself was saved."
She smiled, saying that thanks to him, Denier could leave as a human.
"Tell him I received his thanks well."
Raon nodded with a smile.
"Okay."
Raon and Martha looked at each other with transparent smiles, as if they had returned to their childhood.
"You look good together. Get married."
Darkan suddenly clapped his greasy hands, telling them to get married. He had been encouraging Jayna before, but it seemed his heart had changed in less than an hour.
"What are you...?"
"..."
Raon frowned, and Martha frowned as she blushed.
"Martha is a Zieghart, but since there's no blood relation, would the marriage work?"
Elena tilted her head curiously.
"Don't take this person's words seriously."
Raon waved his hand, but then he flinched. ¡Whoosh! Evelyn's squirrel doll in his pocket began to vibrate more violently than before. The purple mana seemed to burn in the doll's eyes.
"Well, thank you for the food! I'm leaving now!"
Raon said he would come again as he cleaned his place and stood up.
- A-already leaving?
Wrath shook his head, saying there was still food left.
'Evelyn might come running here!'
-C-curse...
He closed his mouth without arguing, apparently not wanting that either.
"You come too."
He grabbed Darkan's shoulder, who was still tearing at the meat, and lifted him up.
"But I haven't finished eating?"
"We're leaving because of you!"
Raon gritted his teeth as he dragged Darkan out of the dining room.
"What a troublesome child."
Elena smiled, saying it was fun to just watch.
"Yes. A warm storm."
Martha drew a soft smile as she continued to watch Raon's back.
"One who embraces anyone."
***
The next morning.
"The training was going well... Huh?"
Raon froze like a statue as soon as he entered the fifth training ground.
"That's right! Throw it like that!"
"That swordsmanship looks delicious. Show me more!"
"No! Lower your stance there! Spread your legs and bend your waist like a rhinoceros beetle!"
"Have you ever lived like a beggar? You should try it once. Change your perspective!"
"Hou!"
Darkan was teaching swordsmanship to the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen as if he was their instructor.
"P-Palace Master!"
Dorian opened his eyes wide when he saw him.
"The Palace Master has arrived!"
"We're glad you're safe!"
"W-we were waiting!"
The Light Wind Palace Swordsmen who heard him rushed over and bowed.
"What were all of you doing?"
Raon blinked as he looked at the swordsmen and Darkan standing behind them.
"This person suddenly came and gave us advice on swordsmanship."
"Yes. He said he would kill us if we didn't follow him..."
"We had no choice but to follow him, but surprisingly, our swordsmanship flowed better than usual."
"Yes. It's hard to believe, but we could feel our skills improving."
The swordsmen let out a sigh, saying that although they were threatened by Darkan, curiously, the training was quite effective.
-Speaking of training by threats...
Wrath smiled as he looked at him.
-What's the difference between that and you?
'That's not true!'
Raon turned his head sharply to look at Darkan.
"Are you trying to be an instructor?"
"How could I ignore all these uncut gems! Their skills and talents may be mediocre, but their swordsmanship is alive, and I like that!"
Darkan showed his teeth in a smile, saying the swords of the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen were interesting.
"Do all those who learn from you end up using living swords? Well, thanks to you, I learned what a real beggar is!"
He nodded his chin, calling it an interesting talent.
"Didn't you used to care only about talent?"
"Yes. But losing this eye changed my way of thinking."
Darkan smiled, saying there were things in the world that couldn't be seen.
"Would it be okay if I kept watching over these kids?"
"Just don't push them too hard."
"I'll keep that in mind."
He nodded in approval and returned to the center of the training ground with the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen.
"Ah, the direction of the left hand was also important."
"So we needed to swing beyond the shoulder."
"This is teaching indeed!"
Despite their previous words, the Light Wind Palace Swordsmen smiled as they listened to Darkan's advice.
-The kids' expressions look much brighter than when they train with you.
Wrath poked him, noticing how happy the swordsmen seemed.
'...No way.'
Although he said "no way," even he could see that the swordsmen's expressions looked better.
'Well, it worked. Anyway, I needed time to prepare.'
-Prepare? Prepare what?
'Preparations for a journey.'
Raon clicked his tongue as he brushed the dust off his hands.
-Journey? What journey are you talking about at a time like this?
'We need to leave because of this situation. There are some types we need to find.'
-Types we need to find?
Wrath opened his eyes wide with curiosity.
'Yes. Your friends.'
Raon gave Wrath a cold smile.
-N-no way, you're using this King again!
Wrath's complexion paled as if he finally realized Raon's intentions.
'Correct. The name of this journey is...'
Raon smiled brightly at the trembling Wrath.
'Let's call it the Wrath Demon King's Journey in Search of His Friends.'
-
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