C1093
"Uh..."
Raon ran a hand through his hair as he observed Runaan and Sloth drifting off to sleep simultaneously—as if they were in a contest.
"W-what is happening here?"
Normally, he wouldn’t respond to Wrath’s remarks, but this unexpected situation forced him to speak up.
'Why are they dozing off without even exchanging a single word?!'
Since he had already explained everything to Sloth earlier, Raon had assumed that either Sloth would eventually transfer his Authority to Runaan after a proper discussion or outright refuse it—but he never expected them to fall asleep in silence.
'Is this truly the method of Sloth’s trial?'
Raon turned his vacant eyes toward Wrath.
–This king doesn’t have a clue either!
Wrath waved his hand dismissively, signaling that Raon should not press him for an explanation.
–After witnessing today’s events, they’re not just sleepyheads—they’re downright bonkers!
He ground his teeth, declaring that he would no longer treat Sloth as a demon king.
'At least it appears we weren’t rejected.'
Raon exhaled a sigh of relief.
'Knowing Sloth’s character, if he didn’t like it, he would have rejected it immediately.'
Though Sloth was laid-back and relaxed, he was also forthright in expressing himself. The fact that he had simply drifted off without a word suggested he must have sensed something about Runaan.
'If it’s about Runaan, then she must be acceptable.'
Among all the people Raon knew, no one slept as deeply as Runaan. Even Rimmer, renowned for his laziness, couldn’t rival Runaan when it came to sleep.
"Um..."
Dorian cautiously stepped closer to Raon.
"Is the Demon King of Sloth currently testing Lady Runaan?"
Having overheard the conversation, he tapped his lips in curiosity.
"It appears so," Raon replied, nodding as he watched Runaan and Sloth, their soft snores perfectly synchronized.
"T-then when will this end?"
Dorian scratched his cheek, as if that were the critical question.
"From what I understand, once Lady Runaan truly settles into sleep, she won’t wake even if someone drags her away. And that demon king didn’t stir a single time during the month Lord Raon spent training!"
His voice trembled, hinting that they might end up spending another month right there.
"Hmm..."
Raon furrowed his brows as he gazed at Runaan, snugly wrapped in her blanket.
"Still, given that Runaan is human, shouldn’t she eventually wake up—say, after about two days?"
While Sloth, as the Demon King of Sloth, could sleep indefinitely, Runaan, being human, surely had limits to her slumber.
"Exactly. Human sleep does have its boundaries."
Evelyn tenderly caressed Runaan’s face with the back of her hand as she slept soundly like a small child. Strangely, her touch seemed to carry a certain force.
'Now that I consider it...'
Raon squinted as he looked at Evelyn.
'Could we possibly link Evelyn with Lust just like we did with Runaan and Sloth?'
Instead of employing Lust’s Authority of <Lust>, perhaps their bond could be established through the trait of obsession. As Raon mulled over Lust, the Blade Queen and the Warlord ascended to the peak of Mount Sterling.
Beside them stood a handsome young man with golden hair and slumped shoulders—it was unmistakably the Gold Dragon Paratheus in human form.
"Hm?"
The Blade Queen’s eyes widened when she noticed Runaan sleeping next to Sloth.
"Have we acquired another charming companion?"
She smiled softly, finding Runaan’s sleeping figure adorable.
"This child is remarkably strong for her age," the Warlord remarked, exhaling as he sensed Runaan’s hidden martial prowess.
"It appears that Zieghart is truly a refuge for monsters," he added, nodding in admiration—just as he had been impressed by Raon.
"Forget about that human—look at him!"
Gold Dragon Paratheus pointed a trembling finger at Sloth.
"That is the Demon King of Sloth! Watch closely—he slumbers in a way that defies normal human limits!"
His golden eyes flashed, as if he’d already deduced Sloth’s true identity.
"Here we go again!"
The Blade Queen frowned, smacking the back of Paratheus’s head.
"I told you to stop."
The Warlord also hushed him by clapping a hand over his mouth. With a groan, Paratheus tumbled forward, planting his face into the ground from the simultaneous blows to his head and mouth.
"Ughhhh..."
Even as he groaned, his eyes remained locked on Sloth.
"You’ll see! Just wait and watch—I'm absolutely right!"
Paratheus shouted, determined never to take his eyes off Sloth.
"Sigh, I'm sorry," murmured the Blade Queen.
"We have no words to offer our lord," added the Warlord as they both bowed, apologizing for their clumsy behavior with the dragon.
"It’s fine," Raon replied with a slight curl of his lips as he observed Paratheus’s confident expression.
"All will be made clear if you simply watch him act."
* * *
Five days passed since Runaan and Sloth had fallen asleep. Not once did they stir; only the sound of their gentle, rhythmic breathing filled the air.
"See! I told you I was right!" Paratheus bellowed, stomping his feet as he glared at Sloth.
"Have you ever seen a human sleep for five days straight without fainting or getting ill?"
He clenched his fist, now entirely convinced that Sloth was indeed a demon king.
"Don’t hold back now! I’ll wipe that out..."
"Hey."
The Blade Queen’s gentle face contorted suddenly, resembling a famished beast’s scowl.
"Can’t your gleaming eyes see the child beside him?"
She snapped, pointing toward Runaan who lay sleeping on the opposite side of Sloth.
"What?" Paratheus blinked, as if confused.
"Paratheus," the Warlord sighed, stepping beside him.
"What does that child remind you of?"
He pointed at Runaan with a raised finger.
"She’s human," Paratheus replied, frowning as if wondering why such an obvious statement was necessary.
"Then do you know how long that child has been sleeping?"
"She’s been asleep since we arrived—five days... Gasp!"
His jaw dropped as he finally realized that both Runaan and Sloth had been in slumber for exactly the same duration.
"There’s a human right here, sleeping for five days without falling ill. How do you explain that?"
The Warlord tilted his chin, challenging him with that sharp tongue of his.
"This just doesn’t add up...?" Paratheus panted as he stared at Runaan.
"How can she, a human, sleep for five entire days?"
He ran a hand through his hair in disbelief.
"..."
Though Raon remained silent, he empathized with Paratheus’s confusion.
'I never imagined Runaan could sleep so deeply,' he thought.
He had assumed she would wake on her own after roughly two days, but she had continued in deep slumber for five days straight—barely seeming human at all.
"Let’s start over," the Blade Queen said gently, tapping Paratheus in an affectionate tone.
"Who exactly is that child?"
She pointed at Runaan with a delicate finger.
"S-she’s human, but is she really human?" Paratheus’s voice trembled with uncertainty.
"No! She’s undoubtedly human! I’m certain!" he insisted, nodding emphatically despite her prolonged sleep.
"Then what about him?"
The Blade Queen shifted her finger toward Sloth.
"D-demon king? Or human...? I’m not sure..." Paratheus’s eyes began to waver, confused by Sloth’s identity in light of Runaan’s influence.
"Get a grip! That’s a demon king. Without a doubt, a demon king!" he declared, slapping his cheeks and shouting. With a sudden kick from the Blade Queen to his rear, Paratheus jumped into the air, clutching his backside.
"This isn’t acceptable. You need a good lesson," the Blade Queen scolded, wrapping an arm around his neck.
"I’ll instruct you until you mistake the sun for the moon," she muttered as she bounded down the mountain with Paratheus in tow.
"I apologize—I’ll make sure to teach him properly this time," said the Warlord, bowing politely as he followed the Blade Queen down the mountain.
"Aaaahhhhh!"
Soon after the two, along with one dragon, descended the mountain, a piercing scream echoed upward.
"Ugh..."
Wrath glanced down the slope, frowning deeply.
"This is the first time I’ve ever felt pity for a lizard," he muttered, shaking his head as he noted that Paratheus was utterly gullible and pitiful.
"You knew this would happen, didn’t you?"
'That’s right,' Raon agreed with a small smile.
'I expected Runaan to hold up well, though I never anticipated her sleep would stretch to five days.'
While he had believed Runaan’s deep sleep would allay any doubts about Sloth, five days was far beyond his expectations.
"Lady Runaan is truly something else..."
Dorian remarked as he shook his head while watching Runaan. He had set up a large camp and now reclined in a warm bed, snacking contentedly, fully accustomed to the situation.
"Indeed. How can a human sleep so long without resorting to sleep magic?"
Evelyn tilted her head, equally surprised by Runaan’s remarkable sleep drive.
"I wish she’d wake up already," Raon sighed, just as...
"Mmm..."
Runaan slowly lifted her eyelids.
"I want bead ice cream..."
She mumbled, blinking her vacant eyes and smacking her lips.
"Dorian," Raon gestured toward Dorian.
"Yes!"
As if he had been waiting for the moment, Dorian produced bead ice cream from his pouch and handed it to Runaan.
"Thanks..."
Runaan nodded faintly before immediately beginning to eat the bead ice cream. It appeared that her awakening had been driven solely by her craving for it.
'Seeing this, she hardly seems human at all.'
Watching her devour bead ice cream right after a five-day slumber made Runaan appear even more peculiar than Sloth.
"Have you always slept this long?"
Raon tilted his head as he approached her.
"It's so comfortable here—I sleep deeply..."
Runaan offered a slight smile, explaining that she had finally experienced proper rest. For her, it was a remarkably expressive display of emotion.
'Could she have been influenced by Sloth’s presence? If so...'
Just as Raon narrowed his eyes at Runaan’s vacant stare, Sloth pulled back the blanket covering his head and slowly rose from the bed. With a soft thud, Runaan set aside her ice cream and gradually stood up.
"..."
"..."
Without uttering a word, Runaan and Sloth moved toward each other. They faced one another and extended their right hands. With a sharp, refreshing high-five, they slapped their palms together enthusiastically—as if celebrating the quality of their sleep. Witnessing this, Wrath could only mutter one word.
–Show-offs...
* * *
"There really... was one..."
Sloth nodded gravely.
"A human... like me..." he murmured, looking at Runaan with eyes filled with genuine goodwill.
"You can sleep just as soundly too...?"
Runaan blinked, acknowledging that it was the first time someone had managed to match her sleep.
"What is... your name...?"
Sloth tilted his chin toward her.
"Runaan Sullion..."
After swallowing a mouthful of bead ice cream, Runaan softly declared her name.
"Runaan Sullion... And what is... your goal?"
Surprisingly, Sloth asked about her ambition first.
"I haven’t finished what I need to do yet..."
Runaan bit her lip and smoothed her blanket.
"There is someone I must kill, so that I can finally sleep deeply..."
She nodded, conveying her desire to achieve a profound rest even after her extended sleep.
'If she mentions "someone"...'
Raon let out a brief sigh as he noticed a slight darkening in Runaan’s expression.
'It must be Syria Sullion.'
Since Syria Sullion’s corpse and helmet had vanished—and traces of the Evil Goat Demon wearing the goat helmet had surfaced in the black market and among the Shadow Agents—and given that the monster Baphomet is known for having two lives, Syria must still be alive.
It appeared that Runaan wished to definitively slay the revived Syria Sullion and grant him eternal peace.
"Vessel of Wrath..."
Sloth slowly turned his gaze toward Raon.
"I acknowledge... that this human... is worthy," he said, nodding to indicate that Runaan was suitable to receive the Authority of Sloth.
"I told you. She would prevail," Raon smiled as he placed a hand on Runaan’s shoulder.
"Runaan Sullion... I will... pass my authority... on to you... Do you accept it...?"
Sloth rubbed his chin, leaving the decision to Runaan.
"I accept it..."
Runaan stared steadily at Raon before calmly nodding. Despite the gravity of receiving a demon king’s authority, she showed no fear.
"<Sloth> will... support your will... fulfill your wishes..."
As Sloth moved his finger, a black flower bracelet—identical to Raon’s—materialized on Runaan’s wrist.
"Is it the same as Raon’s...?"
Runaan lightly touched the bracelet, a faint smile forming on her lips.
"Huh? Ugh!"
Evelyn’s eyes widened in shock.
"Hey! Demon King! Give me one too! Hand over the same thing right now!"
She grabbed Sloth’s collar and shook him, demanding that he give her the identical bracelet.
"Ahhhhh! Stop it!"
Dorian quickly seized Evelyn’s arm, exclaiming that the demon king would surely lose control.
"Yawn... You... are not qualified..."
Even as Sloth’s collar was jostled, he let out a long yawn as if succumbing to sleepiness.
–M-my head hurts.
Wrath sighed as he clutched his forehead.
–There isn’t a single sane person here...
'True,' Raon thought.
Runaan was a monster who slept for five days, Evelyn was tugging at a demon king’s collar demanding a bracelet, and Dorian was struggling to restrain her—it was a truly dizzying scene.
"How do I use this...?"
Runaan asked Sloth about the bracelet’s function.
"That bracelet... is linked not only to me but also to Wrath’s vessel... You just need to live your life as you always do..."
Sloth nodded, explaining that if she continued to sleep as she had been, she would naturally grow stronger.
"Really...?"
Runaan’s mouth formed a perfect O.
"Wow...!"
She hopped about like a delighted rabbit.
"So all I have to do is sleep?"
"Sleeping... is far better than training alone all day," Sloth confirmed with a nod.
"Then I’ll go back to sleep right away..."
Despite having just awakened, Runaan rolled herself back into her blanket, declaring that she would resume sleeping.
"Sleep later! Not now!"
Raon sighed as he tried to stop her.
[You have achieved a legendary feat!]
[You have received an oath of fealty from the secluded Transcendents.]
[You have gained the acknowledgment of <Sloth> and connected a new medium.]
[All abilities...]
[Characteristics...]
As dimensions split, a cascade of blue messages began to float before Raon’s eyes—so numerous that they nearly obscured his vision.
–Grrrr! T-there are far too many...
Wrath appeared utterly exhausted from reading the reward messages, foaming at the mouth like a crab stranded in mud.
'Seeing this...'
Raon curled his lips into a wry smile as he watched Wrath collapse in shock, rather than paying attention to the messages.
'I wonder what expression Grandfather will have.'
How many golden tablets will he receive?
-
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