Chapter 572

Whaam!

Karoon stomped the ground violently. His irritation and rage spread with the resonance to make the main building’s garden tremble.

“Damn it!”

He violently ground his teeth, still frustrated after he stomped on the ground over and over.

“Calm down a little.”

Balder sighed and went up next to Karoon.

“I feel shitty, too, but it couldn’t be helped this time. There’s no way they wouldn’t be nice to someone who became a Grandmaster and beheaded the Master of the Wise Dragon Sword at twenty-one years old.”

He furrowed his brow, saying that he should be able to understand.

“Feeling shitty, you said?”

Karoon twisted his lips while glaring at Balder.

“You spineless fool. Wipe that smile off your face and try saying that again.”

“Err, hmm…”

Balder hurriedly touched the sides of his lips.

“Have you still not learned your lesson after you got humiliated so much by that young bastard?”

“Th-that’s not true…”

“Of course, it’s a good thing that the house became more famous and we have a rising star. However!”

Karoon bit his lip tightly and continued.

“He is Raon, the collateral. He is a monkey whose bloodline we don’t know!”

“Hmm…”

“Moreover, he is already out of our reach.”

“Out of our reach?”

“We can’t keep him in our grasp and order him around. He is an enemy that we have to compete with for the position of head of house. Have you still not realized that fact?”

He tapped on his head with his finger, telling him to think about how Glenn and Aries were caring for Raon.

“Ah, that’s why…”

Balder’s lips trembled, finally understanding the sense of crisis.

“I-it’s not too late to take action…”

“It’s already too late.”

Denier came out from behind the bushes in the garden and casually shook his hand.

“What?”

“You heard the rumor that our father personally taught Raon swordsmanship, didn’t you? That was true. Moreover, he’s been teaching him for quite a long time.”

Denier leaned his back against a pillar in the garden while letting out a faint laugh.

“I warned you. Our father has already been viewing Raon as a successor candidate.”

“Wa-wait! He is far too young for that!”

Balder shook his head, saying that it didn’t make any sense.

“It’s Raon we are talking about, not Sylvia! How could we even compete with a nephew for the head position?!”

“He might like him even more precisely because he is young. He is the youngest Grandmaster in the continent, and he has built a good amount of reputation. The popularity and awareness of our house should increase quite a lot if Raon becomes the head. I don’t think it’s a bad idea.”

Denier nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

“Considering the fact that he brought up the duel to death against the Axe King, I think he is probably going to take Raon into the direct line at the beginning of next year and declare him the successor right after. What do you think about it, Karoon?”

“......”

Karoon didn’t respond to Denier’s question and simply looked at him with a frown.

“Why are you glaring at me so hard? It’s not like I’m Raon.”

Denier chuckled and turned around.

“What I'm trying to tell you is that you shouldn’t touch Raon for no reason and awaken the beehive. You know that no one can stop Aries if she starts to rampage. Let’s live quietly.”

He casually shook his hand and left the garden.

‘Denier…’

Karoon furrowed his brow while looking at Denier, who disappeared into the darkness.

‘What are you thinking?’

* * *

Raon’s fingertips trembled as he saw Glenn’s serious eyes.

‘It must’ve been hard for me, he said…’

Anyone could say that, but no one did for him. Glenn’s short sentence had melted the dark lump blocking his mind.

‘So that was what I wanted to hear all along.’

Raon finally realized why he didn’t really feel happy when he was rewarded with a golden tablet and additional rewards from Glenn in lord’s manor.

He realized that he wanted mental stability rather than a materialistic reward.

‘I’ve become weaker. No, this might be human, not weak.’

In his previous life as an assassin, he pretty much lived as a marionette controlled by strings, killing whoever he was asked to kill and kidnapping whoever he was asked to kidnap.

Since he’d been living as a hunting dog on a leash, he never had any room to feel betrayal.

Even when he was killed by Derus while preparing to run away after he removed the brainwashing using Ring of Fire, he didn’t feel betrayed because he didn’t trust him to begin with. He was just furious.

However, his new life was different. He’d encountered many people, and he’d shared his affection and his mind with them.

Rector was one of them. Raon treated him like his own grandfather and learned swordsmanship and life from him. That was why his betrayal stabbed him even more deeply and painfully.

“You are rather blessed with people.”

Glenn calmly shifted his gaze. His calm voice continued as he stared at the lake.

“The children who bullied you during your childhood repented from the bottom of their hearts and became your subordinates who can support you now, and your master became a superior who can risk his life for your sake. No matter what you become, their feelings towards you aren’t going to change. It goes without saying for the people in the annex building.”

“......”

Raon gave a small nod. As he said, the Light Wind division—including Burren and Martha—had begged for forgiveness for their immature mistakes in their childhood, and Rimmer had made a training regime appropriate for each person despite being lazy.

His family in the annex building, including Sylvia and Helen, were also going to be with him for the entire life, so it wasn’t really wrong to say that he was blessed with people.

“The reason why you are struggling right now is because you are feeling betrayed for the first time at the hand of someone that you cared about and considered yourself having a good relationship with. If such a thing ends as a betrayal, it is bound to be painful.”

Glenn nodded, showing that he could understand Raon’s feelings.

“Hmm…”

Raon licked his lips while feeling like Glenn’s back, which had always felt so far away, had gotten a bit closer.

‘This is unexpected.’

He’d thought that Glenn would simply scold him, but he was unexpectedly comforting him.

“Not everyone who approached you favorably can be good people. There aren’t many people like Balder, who shows everything he is thinking on the outside.”

It felt like Glenn’s voice was laughing faintly when he used Balder as an example.

“Follow me.”

He gestured with his finger and went over the lake towards the North Grave Mountain.

Even though he looked like he was simply walking, he was advancing as if he’d transcended space, making it impossible to catch up to him.

Glenn’s steps came to a halt at a wide open area at the entrance of the North Grave Mountain.

Snap.

He took a small branch from the bushes and gestured at Raon with his chin.

“Draw your sword.”

“What?”

“When your mind is cluttered, it’s best to move your body without any thoughts.”

Glenn raised the branch and pointed it at him like a sword.

“Show me what kind of will you embraced to reach Grandmaster.”

“Hmm…”

Raon clenched Heavenly Drive’s hilt and looked at the branch Glenn was holding. A few leaves were shaking in the night wind.

‘Is he having a spar for me?’

He’d been taught by Glenn multiple times before, but they’d never crossed blades before. It was truly a great opportunity for him.

“Since I was told to empty my thoughts, is it alright to go all out?”

“It would be meaningless if you didn’t.”

“In that case…”

Raon unsheathed Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem with trembling hands.

“I’m attacking now.”

He held the two swords in a reverse grip, slamming them on the ground to unleash his mental world.

The heat and coldness emerging from his lower energy center rose past his middle energy center and reached his upper energy center.

His vision turned white, and his mental world was unleashed towards the world, having become even sturdier and sharper than the previous sword fields.

An unfamiliar golden sun and silver moon rose from behind him.

The golden light of the sun seeped into the divine sword grasped in his right hand, and the silver moonlight dwelled upon the demonic sword surging from his left hand.

Thanks to the growth in his upper energy center that happened as he became a Grandmaster, the divine and demonic swords had gone through another change.

“It has an impressive appearance at least.”

Glenn nodded, his lips showing his composure.

“Come.”

Raon dashed toward Glenn from the front, using Glenn’s voice as the signal.

He advanced quickly enough for the grass on the ground to be rooted out and poured out the divine sword’s flame and the demonic sword’s frost.

The two swords, engulfed in principles of the twin sword technique, bent downwards, causing a powerful shockwave to occur.

Shh!

Even though the fire and ice were covering his entire vision, Glenn held out the thin branch, which looked like even a child could break it.

Whaaam!

Tremendous explosions occurred one after the other, turning the bushes and trees around them to dust, but Glenn’s branch wasn’t wavering in the slightest. It was difficult to believe even though it was unfolding right in front of his eyes.

“The power is pretty decent, at least. Keep going.”

“Yes!”

Raon stomped with his left foot and pierced towards Glenn from the left side.

‘An ordinary attack isn’t going to work.’

It was impossible to break through Glenn’s defense from the front. It was necessary to aim for a spot where he wouldn’t be able to defend.

Cring!

He used the Supreme Harmony’s Third Step. He moved to Glenn’s right from behind, as naturally as flowing water, and executed the Crimson Slash and Front Pond at the same time.

The crimson line of heat and the blue blade advanced towards Glenn from his blind spot with a delay between them.

“The fight is over the moment you stop thinking.”

Glenn smiled faintly and raised the branch vertically. With a simple swing of the branch, he fended off the Crimson Slash that was advancing first and also blocked the two blades of Frost Pond piercing through the air at him from behind.

‘I don’t even understand what he did or how he did it.’

Raon felt like the time was flowing differently for him.

Raon bit his lip and executed the Supreme Harmony Steps. He advanced by folding the space and stabbed his divine and demonic swords from right under his nose.

The flame and frost dwelling on the tips of the blades spread around like a kaleidoscope and engulfed Glenn’s body.

Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Thousand Flames.

Thirty-Six Crimson Slash

He activated the move that stabbed from thirty-six directions at once with two swords. The outrageous strike that attacked from seventy-two directions in total was rushing towards Glenn’s vitals all around his body.

“You’ve become more at ease with moving your hands. Both your speed and power have improved.”

Glenn briefly complimented the technique that he’d criticized in the past and shook his branch.

A faint yet sturdy wind spread around, and easily broke the flow of the Thirty-Six Crimson Slash.

Rumble!

Raon gritted his teeth and forced his legs to avoid being pushed back by the wind that felt like it was even pushing his soul, not just his body. The flame and frost emerging from the divine and demonic swords became more intense, as if they were responding to his will.

Claaang!

Raon entered Glenn’s frontal space once again and swung the divine and demonic swords upward toward the branch.

The two blades scratched the ground and soared to smash the two ends of the branch.

However, the branch didn’t waver in the slightest even though Raon was unleashing his full power.

“Let’s get a bit more violent.”

Glenn turned his wrist faintly. Crimson lightning emerged from the branch and pressured the divine sword’s flame and the demonic sword’s frost.

Zap!

However, the flame and frost didn’t lose their light even though they were being one-sidedly pushed back by the intense lightning energy.

“I see.”

Glenn slowly nodded while looking down at the divine and demonic swords. It felt like his eyes were sparkling faintly.

“Your choice was to never be defeated. You wanted to be a sword that never breaks.”

He noticed what kind of will Raon had utilized to become the Grandmaster after only crossing blades a few times.

“Then attack me harder so that your flame won’t be extinguished.”

“Of course!”

Raon rushed at him while letting out a loud shout of concentration. The demonic sword caught up to the trajectory of the divine sword’s advance and unleashed red and blue astral spheres.

Whaaam!

The two astral spheres spread their dazzling radiance and advanced towards Glenn. He smiled faintly, facing an intense wave of power that was violently carving the land.

“Your swordsmanship is somewhat organized now.”

Glenn casually swung down the branch like a child’s play. A red wave occurred from the tip of the slightly wavering branch and blocked the two spheres of light.

Whaaam!

The astral spheres of the divine and demonic swords couldn’t even reach Glenn and disappeared in front of the wavering leaf.

‘I knew it.’

Since Raon was expecting it to happen, he exhaled and raised his blades again. He took a step towards Glenn, activating the Flame Dragon Art with the divine sword and unleashing the Flame Spirit with the demonic sword.

Swaaaa!

The moment the blue-colored Flame Spirit blocked Glenn’s back, the Flame Dragon Art burst forth.

Glenn smiled faintly upon seeing the golden flame and extended his branch.

Whaaam!

The flame dragon’s roar disappeared in vain, unable to break through the trajectory of the leaves.

Cring!

Raon moved to Glenn’s right side, taking advantage of the Flame Dragon Art’s heat haze.

He approached him and shoved the last blade of the Divine and Demonic Harmony at him.

Raon Zieghart Style — Sixth Form

Divine and Demonic Harmony Combination Technique

Red-Blue Invincible Sword

The luminance of flame and frost cutting through the sky and land engulfed Glenn.

“It’s a nice sword.”

Glenn exclaimed faintly for the first time and raised his branch.

The crimson lightning surging from the center of the branch clashed against the Red-Blue Invincible Sword’s flow.

Claaaang!

The tremendous clash between the lightning energy against the flame and frost shook the land beneath them, but the ground where Glenn was standing wasn’t shaking in the slightest.

However, a single leaf dropped to the ground while swaying left and right from the branch he was holding.

“Hah…”

Raon laughed bitterly and sank to the ground.

‘I only got a single leaf.’

He could only laugh because a single leaf was all he managed to take off with his best efforts.

It’s not only a single leaf.

‘What do you mean by that?

It means that you’ve managed to do it in your own way.

‘Hmm?’

Unexpectedly, Wrath didn’t laugh at him, murmuring something that Raon couldn’t understand exactly.

“Hmm…”

Glenn stared at the fallen leaf before he went to the bushes. He returned the branch he’d broken to the spot it was originally and rubbed his fingers, reattaching the branch as if it was never broken to begin with.

“Th-that’s…”

Raon’s lips parted before he knew it because he’d never expected that the broken branch would be reattached.

“If there are swords that can kill, there are also swords that can save. I’ve only recently been enlightened on how to do it, so don’t be so surprised.”

Glenn lightly tapped on the branch that had returned to the original and looked at Raon.

“So, are you feeling better now?”

“What? Ah, yes…”

Raon nodded blankly.

‘I’d completely forgotten about it.’

He forgot about Rector while he was sparring against Glenn, and he felt refreshed, as if his frustrated mind had returned to normal.

“You think too much. You need to empty your head from time to time.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

“I’m saying this because you manage to sort out your feelings.”

Glenn briefly clicked his tongue and looked up to the night sky.

“About Rector, I didn’t see him either as the type of person who would betray people.”

Glenn shook his head, saying that it was a bit regrettable.

“Hey…”

Raon briefly raised his hand while looking at Glenn.

“I have something I’d like to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“Actually…”

Raon told him about what Rector had done and the situation back then.

“I see.”

Glenn didn’t brush it off as nonsense and nodded peacefully instead.

“I’ve taken notice. However, it doesn’t change the fact that he is our enemy.”

“I know.”

“In that case, that’s fine.”

He nodded and turned around.

“I’m taking my leave now.”

“Th-thank you for today.”

Raon bowed at Glenn sincerely.

“I was just rewarding you for your achievements from this mission.”

Glenn left towards the main building, leaving behind a slightly coldhearted voice.

“Haa…”

As soon as Glenn couldn’t be seen anymore, Raon lay down on the ground and exhaled in a refreshed manner. The ground was harder than his room, but his mind was at ease.

“This is nice.”

* * *

Glenn didn’t immediately return to the lord’s manor. He was watching Raon while leaning his back against a tree rising midway up in the North Grave Mountain.

“It must be painful.”

Raon didn’t even understand why he was having such a hard and painful time.

He pretended to be coldhearted, but he’d grown up while sharing affection with people. That was why Rector’s betrayal must’ve affected him even more strongly and deeply.

‘Not everyone is a good person. And not everyone is evil either.’

Glenn had prepared that meeting in order to prevent Raon from distancing himself from the others. He was glad to see that Raon had somewhat vented out his emotions.

‘You should be able to overcome it.’

Glenn narrowed his eyes while looking at a fallen leaf near Raon’s feet.

‘By the way… The sword field he created is really outrageous.’

Raon’s sword field was beyond his expectations.

The power, durability, and sustainability were extremely high, and the biggest advantage was that it was still incomplete.

‘No, rather than incomplete, it should be said that it can grow.’

Raon’s sword field perfectly incorporated his mental world. That implied that his sword field was going to grow according to the growth of his upper energy center. Raon’s sword field truly had infinite potential.

In fact, Raon’s sword field had improved during the spar itself.

The proof was the fact that the branch had lost a leaf even though Glenn had been maintaining its shape with his will matching Raon’s estimated output.

‘And…’

Glenn closed his eyes.

‘That golden flame.’

The flame from Raon’s sword had a faint golden radiance in the midst of the red glow. It was the golden flame that had only appeared once even in the long history of Zieghart. The flame of the founding head was seeping into Raon’s soul.

“The path of domination isn’t the one that suits you.”

Glenn slowly raised his eyebrows.

“I’ll take all of the malice and disgrace with me. So, Raon, you…”

He smiled, gazing at Raon with his red eyes where his tender affection was showing up

“…shall walk the righteous path.”

***

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]