Chapter 571

“Kuh!”

Karoon was unable to open his mouth again. Glaring at Aries was all he could do. The way he was biting his lip suggested that he was forcing himself to suppress his frustration.

“Aries…”

Denier quickly shook his head. He put his hands together, murmuring for her to please hold back.

“Hmm!”

Balder tightly closed his mouth, only looking in front of him, afraid that her fury would reach him.

“If any of you open your mouth from now on, we’ll have a duel to the death. Get it?”

Aries looked at Karoon, Denier, and Balder one after the other and raised her chin.

“Hmm…”

Even though the palace masters were well known for their prowess, they closed their mouths, showing that they didn’t want a duel to the death against a Transcender.

Aries successfully silenced her brothers before she returned to Raon’s side.

“I’m calling my nephew ‘my nephew’. Come out if you have an issue with that. I’ll gladly take you on.”

She bobbed her finger, telling even the other executives to complain if they wanted. Obviously, no one raised their hand.

“None? Then if anyone stops him from calling me aunt in the future…”

“Eh, Lady Aries.”

Raon stopped Aries and pointed above the platform. Glenn had his hand raised in an extremely casual manner.

“Aries Zieghart.”

Glenn looked down upon Aires with empty eyes.

“You still haven’t lost your reckless demeanor even with age.”

“Haa, I knew this was going to happen.”

Aries exhaled quietly and raised her gaze.

“I’m fully aware why there’s a separation between the direct line and collateral. I do agree that it’s necessary. However, the situation has changed now.”

She confidently straightened her back, showing that she didn’t want to yield to Glenn either.

“Raon should’ve been a part of the direct line to begin with, and he’s proven that he deserved to be a member of the direct line.”

Aries took another step towards Glenn and raised her voice.

“He became a Grandmaster at twenty-one years old, he’s slain the Holy Sword Alliance master’s disciple, and he’s even killed the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. Even a person from the outside could have become a part of the direct line with those achievements. Why does Raon have to receive such a strict treatment?”

“L-Lady Aries!”

Raon extended his hand in an attempt to stop her, but she advanced even further.

“What if Raon decides to leave to a different faction? Every single faction is going to welcome him—the Six Kings, Five Demons, and the Five Divine Orders alike. Will you regret it after he is gone?”

Aries’s eyes reflected her sorrow as she glanced back at Raon.

“Of course, he isn’t going to leave Zieghart. However, he deserves to be treated according to his achievements and skills!”

She snorted lightheartedly, as if she’d said everything she wanted.

“You make a good point.”

Glenn calmly nodded at Aries.

“However, you were acting up even more than the Light Wind vice division leader, and I hadn’t heard what he’s achieved yet.”

“Hmm…”

Aries scratched the back of her head and fell back, feeling awkward about stepping up even more than the Light Wind division.

“Raon Zieghart.”

“Yes.”

“State what the Light Wind division has done.”

“Understood.”

Raon nodded and stepped forward.

“We suspected House Lakion as soon as we arrived at the Sinigan branch. A close examination of the corpses at the destroyed branch allowed us to tell that it wasn’t the White Blood Religion’s doing, and…”

He told everyone in the audience chamber about what happened after they arrived at the Sinigan branch until the moment he killed the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword.

“D-did he just say he fell into a trance in the middle of a battlefield?”

“He is insane. No, is that precisely the reason why he managed to reach that realm?”

“How could a youngster be so bold…?”

“I’m glad he didn’t join us. It would’ve been impossible to handle him.”

“The Holy Sword Alliance master’s disciple and even the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword. He’s achieved great deeds once again…”

The executives gasped while admiring every single one of Raon and the Light Wind division’s achievements.

“That’s right! I’m the only person who can handle this crazy guy.”

Rimmer smiled cheerfully, enjoying their exclamations.

“Excellent.”

Glenn nodded, covering his mouth with the hand that used to support his chin.

“Revealing the sin of House Lakion to stop their wrongdoing, slaying the Holy Sword Alliance master’s disciple and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, and becoming a Grandmaster at your young age. Every single one is a great achievement, each lacking any flaw.”

He stared at Raon while acknowledging his achievements. His hand covering his mouth looked like it was trembling intensely.

“My lord.”

Raon stepped forward and lowered his head.

“It was all thanks to this child that we managed to reveal the sin of House Lakion.”

Siollen was with Dorian, and Raon called her to come next to him.

“If Siollen hadn’t mustered the courage two whole times, House Lakion would’ve managed to hide their plans all along and attacked us from the behind in the end.”

Raon smiled faintly while patting Siollen’s back.

“Ah…”

Her face was pale from her nerves, but her red complexion returned.

“Indeed.”

Glenn briefly nodded while looking at Siollen. His voice sounded slightly softer.

“E-excuse me!”

Siollen went on her knees and lowered her head.

“I have a request I’d like to ma-make!”

She slammed her head on the ground while biting her lip.

“You don’t need to act so polite. Stand up.”

Glenn casually shook his hand, and Siollen’s head was raised in a natural manner.

“What’s your request?”

“Pl-please allow me to manage House Lakion!”

Siollen repeated what she’d told Raon when she was bedridden.

“We’ll support Zieghart, and make sure this kind of thing never happens again. Please!”

Glenn didn’t respond to her and looked at Raon.

“Who managed to survive from House Lakion?”

“About two-fifths of the previous members survived. They aren’t that powerful, but they are highly loyal to the house.”

Raon emphasized the fact that they were useful people in order to support Siollen.

“Management of a house isn’t something that a child can do.”

Glenn furrowed his brow slightly while looking back at Siollen.

“Ah…”

“However.”

Siollen’s expression started to harden when Glenn’s voice continued.

“If she showed her determination even when her family was torturing her, she can’t be considered a child anymore.”

He nodded while meeting Siollen’s trembling eyes.

“We’ll be watching for a while.”

“Th-thank you! Thank you!”

Siollen slammed her forehead on the ground to the point where it made a thudding sound.

“Y-you can stand up now.”

Raon forcibly dragged Siollen back because she was still crouching like a larva.

“It’s all concluded now, right?”

Aries shook her hand with a bright smile on her face, glad about the matter being nicely concluded.

“Since the matter in House Lakion is solved, Raon will be my nephew from now on and…”

“That’s not true.”

Glenn shifted his gaze to Aries and shook his head.

“Whaat?”

Aries widened her eyes in disbelief.

“Please learn when to stop! It’s not even that important that he is a direct line or a collateral!”

“Even though he’s gained enough achievements to become a part of the direct line, the Light Wind vice division leader is currently a collateral. That title can’t be allowed until he becomes a member of the direct line.”

Glenn’s gaze darkened.

“But—!”

“Aries Zieghart. Even though you don’t hold any rank at the moment, your name is engraved at the highest position in Zieghart. What do you think other people are going to say if you break that rule when you should be setting an example?”

“Hmm…”

Aries couldn’t refute his words and simply furrowed her brow. She didn’t think he was wrong even though it was frustrating to admit.

“If you want him to call you aunt, let him do it after he becomes a part of the direct line.”

“Then you’re making him into a member of the direct line right now, aren’t you?”

“That’s not the case either.”

“Argh, why?!”

She stomped on the ground powerfully and raised her voice.

“He will become a part of the direct line at the first of the next year.”

“The first of next year?”

Aries tilted her head, unable to understand him.

“That’s right.”

Raon stood next to Aries and nodded.

“Our lord promised to restore my mother’s status as part of the direct line if I manage to win the duel to death against the Axe King next year.”

“The Axe King…”

Aries furrowed her brow while looking at Raon.

“The Axe King isn’t an easy opponent! You might really die from it!”

“I’m fully aware.”

Raon smiled calmly. He was well aware of how powerful the Axe King was because he’d crossed blades with him before.

“Even though the situation has changed, I don’t want to break the condition that I’ve decided upon already. I’d like to defeat the Axe King and bring fame to the house in order to restore my mother’s status as a member of the direct line with my own power.”

Raon’s statement about the pledge he’d made with Glenn sounded like a declaration to everyone.

“Kuh…”

“......”

Karoon furrowed his brow, showing his displeasure about that promise itself, while Denier stared at Raon with an expressionless, doll-like face.

“Ooh!”

Balder widened his eyes, taking a liking to his confident demeanor.

“Gaaah!”

Aries screamed and hugged Raon tightly.

“What should I do?! He is such a good guy! How was a man like this born from my house?”

She rubbed her cheek against Raon’s while saying that he really was Sylvia’s son.

“Ahem!”

Glenn cleared his throat loudly, as if he were telling her to get off him.

“But he is so praiseworthy!”

Aries even ignored Glenn’s frightening pressure and hugged Raon even more tightly.

“Behave yourself!”

“Argh, why are you doing this?!”

On top of frowning, Glenn even used his will to separate Raon and Aries.

Rimmer and Roenn met each other’s eyes while looking at Glenn’s disgruntled expression.

‘He is acting like that right now because he is jealous of her being called his aunt and hugging him, right?”

‘Huhuhu.’

* * *

Once the situation calmed down to a certain extent, Raon went in front of Glenn once again.

“There’s something I couldn’t report yet.”

“What is that?”

“When we were reorganizing ourselves after we’d slain the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, another person from the Holy Sword Alliance attacked us.”

“Who was that?”

“Haa…”

Raon sighed briefly and closed his eyes. He parted his lips, thinking about Rector’s eyes, which were as dry as the sand in a desert.

“Rector, the Master of the Bloody Sword. He is the person we’ve been calling the Sword Demon.”

Once the name of ‘Sword Demon Rector’ was mentioned, the slightly hectic atmosphere in the lord’s manor fell quiet once again.

“…He was from the Holy Sword Alliance?”

Glenn’s eyes widened for the first time that Raon had ever seen, showing that it was also unexpected for him.

“Yes, he is.”

Raon nodded while biting his lip because he was still unable to believe that fact either.

“He introduced himself as the Master of the Bloody Sword of the Holy Sword Alliance and attacked us.”

“......”

Glenn closed his eyes and buried his back into the throne upon hearing the definitive response. It looked like his face was suddenly filled with exhaustion.

“Th-the Sword Demon is from the Holy Sword Alliance!?”

“But the Sword Demon is a Transcender! Does that mean the Holy Sword Alliance has another Transcender now?!”

“What the…?”

“Why did he even join the Holy Sword Alliance?”

“He didn’t join. He said that he was with the Holy Sword Alliance from the beginning.”

“I don’t understand. Why was he doing all of those good deeds if that were true?!”

The executives also turned pale upon hearing that the Sword Demon was from the Holy Sword Alliance.

Glenn opened his eyes after a long time and asked, “What did he say to you?”

“He said that the Holy Sword Alliance master would be satisfied if he brought me with him, since the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and Cloud had died.”

“Did he try to kidnap you?”

“Yes. Lady Aries arrived at the right moment and stopped him, but he tried to take me away.”

“Hmm…”

Glenn looked at Aries for a moment and narrowed his eyes.

“Which means that the Sword Demon Rector is our enemy.”

“That’s…”

Glenn sounded somewhat ambiguous. Raon didn’t respond right away, and he thought about Rector’s eyes and the swordsmanship he’d demonstrated for him.

‘He did want to deliver some message. But… It doesn’t change the fact that he is from the Holy Sword Alliance. He might have different intentions, but it’s not something I should say here.’

The personal impression he had from Rector wasn’t something that he should be stating in an official meeting.

“Right. He is an enemy.”

Raon nodded heavily while looking at Glenn.

“And there’s one more thing. The Black Tower, the Holy Sword Alliance, and the White Blood Religion seemed to have formed an alliance.”

“Alliance?”

“Yes. According to what the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword and Rector said…”

Raon told Glenn and the executives about what Raon had predicted from the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword’s words.

“See? How could you leave him as a collateral when he brings such important information to us?”

Aries complimented his ability to gather information, saddened by the fact that he couldn’t become a part of the direct line right away.

“Good job. You’ve brought a lot for us.”

Glenn gestured with his hand while nodding his head, and Roenn went up to the platform with a large plate on his hands.

“Raon Zieghart, come up here.”

“Yes.”

Raon nodded and went up to the platform.

“For the great achievement of stopping House Lakion’s misdeeds and slaying the Holy Sword Alliance master’s disciple and the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword, a golden tablet and an additional reward will be bestowed.”

Glenn took a golden tablet and a red box from the plate Roenn was holding and handed them over.

“Thank you.”

Raon lowered his head while accepting the golden tablet and the box. However, it didn’t put him in a good mood, unlike the other times.

‘Because rewards aren’t what I want right now.’

Raon went down from the platform without showing the bitter emotion welling up in his chest.

* * *

The lord’s manor fell quiet after the Light Wind division and the executives left.

“Haa.”

Rimmer sighed briefly while leaning back against a pillar.

“You should’ve just taken it, it was a great opportunity!”

“What are you talking about?”

Glenn was lost in thoughts and slowly shifted his gaze.

“What else? It’s obviously about Raon. You should’ve just made him into a member of the direct line when Aries stepped up!”

Rimmer pounded his chest with his left hand to express his frustration.

“Even Karoon and Balder shut their mouths because they were afraid of Aries. That was a perfect opportunity.”

“I already said that I’ve already made a promise with him.”

Glenn firmly shook his head.

“Moreover, making him a member of the direct line by borrowing Aries’s power isn’t a good decision. He needs to become a part of the direct line with his own power for Sylvia and the people in the annex building to live in peace.”

He stared at Rimmer with serious eyes.

“If I restored Raon’s status right now, his great achievements would be overshadowed, and more people would complain that he became a part of the direct line with Aries’s influence.”

Glenn was certain about his decision, as if he’d already imagined all kinds of futures.

“Huhuhu.”

Roenn nodded his head with a faint laugh.

“I agree. If Sir Raon became a part of the direct line today, his close relationship with Lady Aries would’ve stood out more than the fact that he became a Grandmaster.”

He smiled, saying that it was better for Raon to become a part of the direct line with his duel against the Axe King.

“Moreover…”

Glenn furiously clenched his back teeth and raised his gaze fiercely.

“The first title he should call after he becomes a part of the direct line is grandfather, not aunt!”

He glared at the spot where Aries used to stand, saying that he couldn’t yield on that.

“Hah…”

Rimmer closed his eyes and shook his head.

“You should’ve just acted like that in front of him. It would’ve been over already if you did!”

He shook his head, saying that it was such a shame.

“Huhuhu.”

Roenn smiled gently, showing that he agreed with Rimmer this time.

“What are you going to do now?”

Glenn glanced at Rimmer with a furrowed brow.

“I’m not sure.”

Rimmer licked his lips and scratched his head.

“I’m not too sure. What shall I do…?”

He shook his head, showing that he hadn’t made up his mind yet.

“But there’s something more important than that.”

“What is it?”

“How much pension and severance pay do I get? I need to know that to make my decision—”

Rimmer started to speak with a broad grin on his face, and Glenn raised his finger.

Spark!

Violent lightning burst from above Rimmer’s head.

“Wait, I was just saying that! I was kidding!”

“Haa…”

Glenn couldn’t bring himself to beat him up because he was a patient and removed the lightning with a frown on his face.

“I’m thinking about visiting my homeland for now.”

“Your homeland?”

“Yes. I should return this sword now, after all.”

Rimmer tapped on the sword hanging around his waist.

“I see.”

Glenn calmly nodded. He seemed to be ready to accept any decision Rimmer was going to make.

“Alright, have a nice stroll.”

He declared, then he stood up from the throne and went down the platform.

“Where are you going?” Rimmer asked, and Glenn calmly shook his head.

“A place I need to go.”

* * *

“…That’s what happened.”

Raon returned to the annex building and told Sylvia about everything that had happened so far.

“I see.”

Sylvia sighed quietly while looking at Raon.

“What’s your opinion about this?”

“You said that Sir Rector let you go even though he could have caught you, right?”

“That was my impression.”

“Then I think he does have a message to deliver.”

She nodded while maintaining a calm expression on her face.

“I told you before that I think he is related to your father.”

“Indeed.”

“He might have visited you there because he knows the relationship between you and your father. He might have been warning you to be careful in the future.”

“Warning…”

It was true that Rector had allowed him to know that the Holy Sword Alliance, the Black Tower, and the White Blood Religion had formed an alliance, and that all three of them were targeting him.

“However, I’m saying this because I have a good impression of him. The reality might be different, so you should be careful.”

“Yes, I should.”

Raon nodded while holding Sylvia’s hand.

“You’ve worked so hard. Go back and rest for now.”

Sylvia waved her hand with a smile even though she looked tired.

“You should rest as well, Mother.”

Raon lowered his head at Sylvia, then left her room. He returned to his room and sat on the ground.

“Haa…”

‘I’m so tired.’

He was unable to sort out his feelings because of the encounter with Rector.

He would’ve learned to be careful if he was clearly a traitor, but he couldn’t make up his mind at all because he couldn’t tell what Rector wanted.

Hmm…

Wrath furrowed his brow while watching Raon contemplate the matter.

Even the King of Essence can’t tell for sure about this, despite how humane he is.

He clicked his tongue, saying that humans were so complicated.

“I know, right?”

Raon sighed while lying down on the ground instead of going onto the bed.

“Interpersonal relationships are so complicated,” he briefly complained, and then a large shadow filled the window.

Raon raised his gaze, and Glenn was gesturing with his hand for him to come out with a ferocious look on his face.

“Gasp…”

Raon briskly stood up and went outside.

‘Is he here to give me the reward that he couldn’t give in the audience chamber?’

Glenn had visited him at night many times before to give him additional rewards to make up for the lacking rewards in the audience chamber.

However, Raon didn’t have high expectations for it as he followed Glenn because he wanted mental stability rather than material rewards like that.

He reached the annex building’s lake with slightly exhausted steps, and Glenn turned around. He gently nodded while looking at him.

“It must’ve been hard on you.”

***

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]