Chapter 492

The Light Wind division was gathered in front of the training ground at their lodgings because of Raon’s order.

“Why is our vice division leader gathering us at this late hour?”

Krein frowned while rubbing the soil on the ground with his foot.

“Ugh…”

Dorian didn’t say anything and rubbed his belly pocket with his trembling lips.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Isn’t the Thespian Emperor going to kill me?”

He started to bite his nails, saying that he was anxious because of how he was used to mock the Thespian Emperor in the arena.

“She knows it was the vice division leader’s doing. She shouldn’t even be paying attention to you.”

Krein patted Dorian’s shoulder and reassured him.

“…The problem is this meeting. I wonder why he asked us to gather.”

“He is really difficult to understand.”

“Maybe he learned a martial art that makes him more insane the stronger he gets.”

“That might be true. No, that’s the only way to explain his realm!”

“Ugh, I hate focus enhancement training!”

The Light Wind swordsmen sighed while saying that Raon was becoming more and more vicious the stronger he got.

“But he still cares about us the most.”

Burren smiled faintly while coming in front of the swordsmen.

“If it weren’t for him, all of us would’ve been a few ranks lower than we currently are.”

“I’m aware of that fact, of course.”

“On top of that, I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for the vice division leader.”

“I would’ve been shredded by the Blood Raving Demon…”

“He is indeed my benefactor who I have to repay with my life, but I still don’t like focus enhancement training…”

The swordsmen shook their heads, saying that they were well aware of Raon’s consideration, but it still didn’t change their opinion about focus enhancement training.

While everyone was expressing their anxiety about what was going to happen next, the front door opened and Raon made his entrance.

“Why are you so nervous?”

Raon casually walked up to them and stood in front of Burren.

“Because we can’t guess what you are about to do.”

Burren scratched his nose after taking a glance at the Light Wind division standing behind him.

“Stop thinking useless things. Did you watch me properly when I was fighting in the arena?”

“I saw everything. I didn’t even blink as I did. However…”

He licked his lips and voiced his concerns once again.

“I still can’t understand even though I’ve seen it. The memory is still vivid for some reason though…”

Burren shook his head, saying that he couldn’t understand much of the fight because it was too high level for him.

“That’s enough.”

Raon smiled faintly at Burren.

“You will be able to make it your own one day as long as it remains in your memory.”

When Raon was fighting the disciples of the Five Divine Orders, he’d mainly used the swift and precise swords on purpose, intending to leave a deep impression on Burren since they were his specialties.

Those memories would be extremely helpful for Burren in overcoming the Master’s wall.

“Show me what you’ve learned today. Even a small detail is fine.”

Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive with a frightening smile on his face.

“Huh? Right now?”

“Vent your frustration for being unable to enter the arena today.”

Raon bobbed his finger as he spoke.

“It will be your turn next, Sir Mark Goetten. Please get ready.”

“Understood!”

Mark Goetten loudly responded right away with a smile on his face.

“Huh…”

Burren laughed bitterly while placing his hand on the hilt of his blade.

‘Seriously. He is too kind.’

Raon told them that he was going to kill them all the time, but his actions actually stemmed from kindness.

He even felt like a teacher recently in addition to Rimmer. Burren felt nothing but gratitude towards him.

“Hey.”

Raon looked at the Light Wind division. He furrowed his brow and slammed the sword on the ground.

“What are you waiting for?”

“What?”

Dorian stopped rubbing his belly pocket and widened his mouth.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“All of you lost. I’m asking why you are just standing there when you lost.”

“Err…”

“You could’ve practiced your technique at least ten times instead of just standing there like idiots. Stop hoping for the time to flow and repeat your techniques a hundred times.”

The Light Wind division widened their mouths to the point of tearing.

“W-wait! We won’t be able to sleep tonight if we practice one hundred times!”

“That’s right! The moon is already in the sky!”

“Moreover, we are exhausted from the matches…”

“Do it or get buried.”

Raon tapped on Heavenly Drive, which was embedded in the ground, with a frightening smile on his face.

Burren chuckled while watching Raon bark at the Light Wind division.

‘I don’t even know if I should call him cruel or kind…’

* * * 

The moonlight was hiding behind the late visit of the clouds, but Zieghart’s lodgings were still bright.

Raon stared at the dark night sky before he lowered his gaze.

“Haap!”

Mark Goetten was charging at him with a loud shout of concentration, astral energy swirling around his saber as it sliced through the wind. It felt as though the very air in the entire area was bursting out.

Wham!

Raon forced his left thigh forward. He amplified the strength of his muscles to push the ground and slash down with Heavenly Drive.

The almost flawless harmony between his body and aura turned the simple strike into a supreme martial art.

Claaang!

A thundering sound resounded throughout the space from the clash between the sword and saber.

Mark Goetten was unable to withstand the tremendous power of Heavenly Drive and was pushed back while leaving a thick trace on the ground.

“I’m not done yet!”

Mark Goetten gritted his teeth and kicked the ground. His saber soared to pierce the sky and then fell while distorting the space.

The way the saber strike split horizontally to amplify its speed and power made it look like a lightning strike.

“Not bad.”

Raon smiled faintly and slashed upwards from the ground.

The flower bud of frost bloomed from the tip of his sword and unleashed a curved radiance like the crescent moon.

Whaack!

Mark Goetten’s saber strike was destroyed by Frost Pond, and his black uniform, exposed to the coldness, crumbled away like a dry leaf.

“Huff.”

He breathed roughly and fell to his knee. It must’ve been quite a blow for him.

“…I lost.”

He admitted his defeat and raised his head once again, yet his expression was bright. No sign of regret could be seen.

Raon smiled softly while looking into Mark Goetten’s eyes, which had changed as much as his might.

‘He’s going to surpass the wall towards the intermediate soon.’

It was the wall that had always blocked Mark Goetten’s path like a curse, but it had become thin enough to be shattered.

Raon could guess that he just needed a small opportunity to advance to the level of intermediate Master.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

It brought a smile to his face to think about what kind of expression Mark Goetten was going to make when he reached a new realm despite how he’d been stuck at the novice level for dozens of years.

“Thank you for your efforts.”

Raon showed the courtesy of a duel towards Mark Goetten and looked to his right. Burren was wiping his sweat from his forehead while sitting on the ground.

“How about you?”

“This is enough for me. I’ve vented it enough.”

Burren shook his head while saying that he’d gotten enough.

He seemed to have vented all the frustration for being unable to fight from sparring until past midnight.

“Young master! Spar with me too!”

Yua raised her hand while running towards him.

“M-me too!”

Yulius came next to Yua while being careful about his attitude.

Raon leaned forward to meet their eyes.

“Yua, did you see anything from the spar just now?”

“Hmm, I couldn’t see anything because the sword was too fast, but I heard it instead.”

Yua nodded while placing her finger on her chin.

“You heard it?”

“Yes. You were swinging your sword each time Mister Mark Goetten’s pace was thrown off. No, maybe you were throwing him off.”

She blinked, saying that she could hear his breath being interrupted nonstop.

“Huh…”

Raon’s jaw dropped at Yua’s confident declaration.

‘So this is Yua’s talent after all.’

Yua was also talented in martial arts, but her real talent seemed to be her voice and hearing ability. He had never thought she’d hear the interruption of breath.

“Yulius.”

“Yes!”

Yulius straightened his back and came to attention.

“What did you see?”

“I-I…”

He took a glance at Yua before his lips parted once again.

“I’m not sure, but it felt like the vice division leader was swinging his sword in a similar way to the third team leader and Sir Mark.”

“In a similar way?”

“Yes. It felt like you were using the same principles to teach them during the spar.”

“I see.”

Raon smiled while watching Yulius’s shoulders tremble nervously.

‘He’s gotten better at seeing things, too.’

Yulius was right. Raon wasn’t simply pushing Burren and Mark Goetten in the previous spars—he was showing them their most used principles to accelerate their growth.

Yulius had watched without missing that aspect.

‘I’m looking forward to his future, too.’

Both Yua and Yulius were nurturing their talents on top of their martial arts, which made Raon look forward to their futures.

He could understand why Eden was trying so hard to take them away.

‘The Light Wind division is going to become even more powerful in the future.’

It wasn’t just Mark Goetten, Yua, and Yulius. The original members were also improving every day.

Raon couldn’t wait for the day when the Light Wind division’s fame would soar even higher into the sky.

“Good job, both of you. But let’s wait until you grow up a bit more before we start sparring.”

Raon patted Yua and Yulius’s heads with a smile.

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

They smiled happily at the compliment before they went away.

“Stop.”

Raon gestured with his hand towards the Light Wind division behind Yua and Yulius.

“Huaaah!”

“Aww!”

“I-I’m dying…”

The Light Wind swordsmen gathered in the training ground while gasping for breath because they’d been practicing the same techniques over and over at full power.

“What did you see?”

“Huh?”

“S-see what?”

Krein and Dorian widened their eyes in bewilderment.

The other swordsmen also shook their heads, unable to comprehend his question.

Raon furrowed his brow while pointing at Yua and Yulius.

“I’m asking you the same question that I’ve asked Yua and Yulius. What did you feel while watching my spar against Burren and Sir Mark?”

“How were we even supposed to watch that?!”

“That’s right! We were fully focused on swinging our swords!”

“We had no room to spare to watch your spar!”

The Light Wind swordsmen shook their heads, telling Raon to stop saying nonsense.

“This vice division leader is disappointed in you.”

Raon briefly clicked his tongue while standing in front of the Light Wind division.

“As long as you have the will to improve, you should’ve found what you could learn from those spars even during your practice.”

“What? That's nonsense…”

“Am I wrong? Nothing is impossible as long as you have the will.”

“Ugh…”

“Argh!”

The Light Wind swordsmen couldn’t argue against him, simply biting their lips because they’d witnessed Raon defeating three highest-level Masters on his own that same day.

“We should just acknowledge it.”

Krein sighed and nodded.

“You are right, our omnipotent vice division lead—Cough!”

Krein started to make a sarcastic declaration, but Raon kicked him away and looked at the Light Wind division once again.

“I’m sorry!”

“M-me too! I’m sorry I couldn’t watch it properly!”

“I won’t miss it ever again!”

The Light Wind swordsmen immediately bowed as they witnessed Krein getting beaten up.

“Since everyone acknowledged it, let’s proceed with a temporary focus enhancement training.”

Raon smiled while thanking them for their voluntary participation.

“H-how is this happening?”

“…I just witnessed a demon.”

“No, we witnessed a demon king…”

The Light Wind swordsmen’s chins trembled, their faces pale.

“He is damn handsome even when he is being a bully…”

Encia smiled happily while rapidly pressing the camera’s button to the point where her finger couldn’t be seen. It looked like she was fine with whatever Raon was doing.

“Hmm…”

Raon scratched his cheek while listening to the sound of the camera clicking away.

“Aren’t you going to your room, Lady Encia?”

“Of course I won’t! This is the perfect opportunity to take pictures all night long!”

Encia shook her head, saying that there weren’t many opportunities to take a large amount of A-rank pictures.

“You all, make the preparations for the training.”

Raon sighed and walked up to Runaan, who was lying next to Encia. She was still sound asleep.

“Runaan.”

“……”

“Runaan?”

“……”

She wasn’t reacting. It looked like she was still unconscious.

“I bought some ice cream for you earlier.”

Runaan suddenly opened her eyes as soon as he said it.

“Ah…”

Her pupils shivered upon noticing that Raon had nothing in his hands.

“You lied to me…”

Runaan pouted with a frown, which was a rare thing for her to do. She then looked around as if she’d remembered something.

“How is Martha?”

She was worried about Martha as soon as she woke up. It was a reaction that she would’ve never made in the past.

“She is still asleep. Don’t worry about her—she is putting her enlightenment together.”

“Mhm.”

Runaan was finally relieved and nodded.

“I’ll let you pass for today.”

Raon tapped on Runaan’s forehead and shook his hand to gesture for her to return to her room and sleep.

“Now then…”

Ice cream!

Wrath, who’d been sleeping on his head,  suddenly stood up and shook his fat belly.

Where is the ice cream?!

‘……’

* * *

At the spire located at the center of Banneret, the Five Divine Orders’ city.

Sheryl sighed briefly while looking at the Thespian Emperor’s mansion while hiding in the night’s darkness.

‘Thespian Emperor… What are you planning?’

The Thespian Emperor has been continuously humiliated by Raon ever since she visited Zieghart.

The fame she wanted to have had become Raon’s, leaving the Five Divine Orders with nothing but disinterest and mockery.

However, she wasn’t making any moves even though her plan had been destroyed completely and it was as clear as the sky who was the perpetrator.

‘I thought she would have an outburst this time…’

Sheryl was expecting the Thespian Emperor’s patience to finally run out when Raon defeated all four disciples of the Five Divine Orders and even received the elixirs for himself from winning the contest.

Even though she had reached transcendence, she was bound to start losing her mind after so many humiliations.

That was why Sheryl was ready to jump into action while staying near Raon.

‘But she suppressed her urge. Not only that, but she even stopped the Demonblade.’

The Thespian Emperor couldn’t hide her emotions, but she still endured it until the very end and even stopped the Demonblade from rampaging. Sheryl couldn’t understand why she’d reacted that way.

The Thespian Emperor had wanted the reputation of the Six Kings ever since she’d visited Zieghart. Sheryl couldn’t understand what she was waiting for when all her plans had gone awry.

‘There must be an objective.’

There was no way she would remain that patient unless there was something extremely important to achieve.

It was clear that she had a goal, but Sheryl couldn’t figure out what that goal was.

‘We will have to keep a close watch on her even after the festival.’

Someone who was simply powerful posed no threat, but someone who wasn’t using their power despite being powerful was. She figured she should increase the danger level of the Thespian Emperor by a lot.

Sheryl silently watched the Thespian Emperor’s mansion while letting the report for Zieghart fly into the wind.

‘Haa, I should return…’

Just as she was about to return to her lodgings, She noticed a small movement in the bushes next to the Zieghart mansion. She lowered her posture and prepared to jump in when a young kangaroo leaped out from the bushes.

“Hah…”

Sheryl laughed bitterly as she straightened her back.

“A kangaroo, huh?”

* * *

Ariel returned to her office, leaned back on the sofa, and nearly reclined. She remained in place with her eyes closed for a while before she raised her head and quietly sighed.

“Nothing goes well whenever he is involved.”

Whenever things were going according to her plan, Raon suddenly appeared to ruin everything. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the loss she’d suffered because of him was astronomical.

‘I feel suffocated—like I have an upset stomach.’

The long-awaited day was near. The losses were going to be tremendous if Raon became a hindrance once again, and she wanted to stop that from happening no matter what.

Ariel came to a decision and tucked up her coat. She took out a booklet from her thigh and placed it on the table. The cover featured a drawing of a sun and a moon, each changing color depending on the angle of view.

‘This is too valuable, but it can’t be helped.’

If a problem occurred on that day, it would be monumental, making the losses so far seem insignificant by comparison. Since she couldn’t tell how and where Raon was going to interfere, she figured she needed to properly check the heaven’s flow.

“Haa…”

She calmly caught her breath and bit her finger. The blood flowing from the small cut dripped onto a white page.

Drip.

The page was as white as a snow field, but a faint wave occurred from it as if it had become a lake. The blood slowly started to spread throughout the blank page.

Ariel closed her eyes and opened her upper energy center. The white circuit, the mana circuit connecting heaven to humans, opened up, and the world’s flow approached her until it was close enough to be grasped.

She ignored the sun and moon, and the countless humans that existed between them, and accelerated the throbbing of her upper energy center while remaining focused solely on Raon Zieghart.

The unleashed power of her soul and the booklet gradually turning dark resonated with each other, and the blood filling the paper started to dance by itself.

Ariel raised her eyebrows while removing Raon Zieghart from her mental world. She lowered her gaze to check the booklet, and her eyes wavered like a sailboat on a turbulent ocean.

“What is this…?”

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]