Chapter 644

“It’s a bit embarrassing to ask, but is it really okay to let them go like this?” Serena weakly bit her lip as she watched the Sword Demon Rector’s back, far in the distance.

She seemed unsatisfied by the fact that she had to let a Holy Sword Alliance executive leave as one of Zieghart’s executives.

“It’s unfortunate, but that geezer is more powerful than me.” Aries casually shook her hand towards Serena. She admitted her lack of power honestly. “Moreover, the Transcender who attacked Raon might still be nearby. There’s no reason to further increase casualties when we already have many injured people in our ranks.”

“Haa… I’m sorry. My mind must still be too heated.”

Serena hung her head while letting out a sigh. Her gaze trembled faintly as she examined her own injuries.

“It’s alright. It happens sometimes.” Aries casually stroked Serena’s head, showing that she could understand her feelings.

“Wow, you really have changed,” Rimmer gasped deeply while looking at Aries.

“Did you really say that when you’re the worst ruffian in Zieghart?”

“Do you have a death wish?”

Aries’s face looked like a barren field as she looked at Rimmer, as if her smile was just an illusion.

“Anyway, I’m relieved that it ended without any issues,” Burren said as he sat on the ground while catching his breath. “Because I didn’t even have any strength left to stand.”

“Are you really a team leader of the Light Wind Division? How pathetic of you.” Martha gave a long click of her tongue while gazing down at Burren.

“Miss Rakshasa, your legs are shaking.” Runaan poked Martha’s leg with her finger.

“Ack! What’s wrong with you, you crazy thing?!” Martha tried to attack Runaan, but she sank to the ground because her strength left her legs.

The Light Wind Division could finally smile after a long time as they watched Runaan and Martha’s quarrel.

However, Raon was watching the direction where Rector had left instead of the Light Wind Division, his fist clenched.

‘I knew it. He has his own circumstances.’

The fact that Mustan was moving for his sake pretty much implied that Rector was also trying to help him since Mustan was his follower.

Moreover, Mustan’s reaction wasn’t the only reason he was trying to defend Rector.

Both in House Lakion and the earlier encounter, an all-out battle would’ve broken out if Rector wanted it. However, he’d withdrawn both times without any complaints.

If a battle broke out, the Holy Sword Alliance would’ve suffered huge losses, but Raon’s side would have been annihilated because of how tired they were. However, Rector had turned around without any hesitation.

It was strange behavior for the Holy Sword Alliance—part of the Five Demons—because they were supposed to be crazy for swords.

‘I finally understand everything.’

He still didn’t know the exact circumstances, but he could guess that Rector must’ve been forced to stay in the Holy Sword Alliance.

How curious it is to see you leaning on sentiment.

Wrath exhaled roughly while holding his head with his plump hand.

But you might be disappointed later if you rely on it too much.

‘I’m not leaning on sentiment. It was just the logical conclusion.’

Whatever. Let’s be logical now and go to eat already.

He started to cough while speaking in an exhausted voice. He looked extremely tired. Even his energy itself seemed to have shrunk drastically.

‘Yes, let’s eat for now.’

Oh? What happened to you?

‘Nothing.’

Raon shook his head while touching Wrath’s tail. He wanted to do what Wrath wanted for the time being because of the huge help he was given.

‘Instead, eating at home will have to wait.’

Hmm? Where are you planning to go?

‘About that…’

Just as Raon was about to respond, Rimmer came forward while clapping his hands.

“Since Caiyan is protecting the grave from inside, let’s clean things up here later and return to Zieghart for now.”

“We have somewhere else to go before then.” Raon shook his head and took out the broken sword and staff from his subspace pocket.

“Somewhere else to go? Ah…” Rimmer nodded heavily as soon as he saw the broken sword and staff. “That’s true. We need to go there first.”

* * *

After Rector sent his subordinates to the Holy Sword Alliance, he climbed the mountain on the opposite side of the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave on his own.

He was supposed to return to the Holy Sword Alliance with the others, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave until he figured out who had attacked Raon.

Rector stood on the mountainside where the attacker should’ve been and looked around.

‘It must be here.’

There were no footsteps, traces of bushes being pressed down, or any signs of distorted mana flow, yet he could still ascertain that the dark blade had been thrown from that spot.

Rector went down on one knee. He furrowed his brow while carefully examining the ground.

‘Who is it?’

He’d encountered all of the famous powerhouses while he traveled around the continent, but he couldn’t think of any warrior capable of launching a sword strike like that from that distance.

‘The Five Divine Orders wouldn’t be enough.’

He was well aware that the Thespian Emperor was hiding her strength, but it seemed improbable that she could launch such a powerful attack even with the best of her abilities.

‘No one among the Six Kings and the Five Demons attacks like this.’

He belonged to the Five Demons, but he’d met all of the leaders of the Six Kings because he’d been living in a neutral position. Attacking was possible with how powerful they were, but there was no reason to, nor could they actually do it.

The same went for the Five Demons.

Even the most mysterious Fallen, the White Blood Religion’s leader with her hundreds of years of life, and the Black Tower’s master who was rumored to be the darkness itself couldn’t launch aura with a will of death.

He had never met the Heavenly Demon, but it was even more preposterous that he would’ve come all the way there to take Raon by surprise.

‘The bigger issue is that… the perpetrator was hiding his strength.’

Considering the fact that the flow of aura in that location hadn’t changed in the slightest, the one who’d attacked Raon was still reserved instead of going all-out. A cold sweat started to flow down his back.

‘Is it an entirely new person?’

He violently ground his teeth. How could they attack Raon when they should’ve been ranked the highest among the Transcenders? He was curious about why they’d decided to attack Raon, even more than their identity.

“Master.”

While Rector was clutching his head in anxiety and nervousness, Mustan came up from below.

“Did you find their traces?”

“I couldn’t find anything.” Rector sighed deeply and shook his head. “They shouldn’t be an assassin, but there’s not even a small trace left.”

“It’s someone dangerous.”

“Indeed.”

As Mustan said, the fact that all traces were gone in that short time period implied that they’d done it many times before. He could guess that the enemy might be a group of people instead of an individual.

“I’ll also try to search.” Mustan lowered his head and examined the ground and bushes, crawling like a turtle.

“Mustan.” Rector watched his disciple for a moment before a faint smile surfaced on his face. “You wanted to see Raon so much, but you still decided to stay against your wishes. Thank you.”

“This is what I should be doing—for Sir Raon’s sake.”

Mustan nodded while meeting his master’s eyes. His eyes were clear. The envy and jealousy that used to envelop him in the past was nowhere to be seen.

“He has advanced even higher than the last time I saw him. I’m satisfied enough with just seeing him.”

He smiled cheerfully, saying that it was enough for him.

“You’ve changed as much as him. Believe in your own potential.”

Rector gently patted Mustan’s shoulder.

Mustan weakly closed his eyes, expressing his gratitude.

“We’ll need to postpone the return to the Alliance. I won’t be satisfied until I find even the smallest clue about this person.”

“I’m worried. The Alliance master should be waiting for you.”

“It will be fine. If I tell him about the aura of death, it will interest him even more than the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s legacy,” Rector declared firmly, his brow furrowed. It was as if he was reading the Alliance master’s thoughts.

“Rather than that, are you really fine with it?” He briefly clicked his tongue at Mustan. “I told you before, but there’s no exit at the end of my path. It’s still not too late to…”

“No.”

Mustan firmly shook his head.

“Master, you’ve become a pillar of support for me, and Sir Raon attached a rope to allow me to reach that pillar. I don’t care what happens to me as long as it’s for the sake of the two of you.”

He smiled, saying that his mind wasn’t going to change.

“I see.”

Rector calmly nodded. His gaze was the same as before. His affection and support towards his disciple had always dwelled in it.

“Let’s go, then.”

“Yes, master.”

The master and disciple walked away side by side, their shoulders aligned.

* * *

Raon raised his gaze, standing in the Kingdom of Balkar’s capital.

‘It’s clearly different from Owen.’

The entire city exuded an air of wisdom and profound mystery, unlike the Owen Kingdom, which felt like a sharp blade.

Even the shape of the buildings was different. Most buildings were rising high like a tower and had an antiquated shape to them. The capital felt like a huge library.

The fashion there was also peculiar. People were holding thick books in their hands, and they were wearing robes of various colors. They all seemed to be magicians.

“Are all of them magicians?” Burren gasped while watching the passers-by.

“Of course. This is a kingdom of magicians.” Martha furrowed her brow while hitting Burren’s shoulder.

“It’s because we are in the capital.” Barphil the Boltweaver’s disciple, Kurman, came up next to them and shook his head.

“It’s a shame. We would’ve taken over the continent if there were as many magicians in other cities.”

He cracked a small joke to lighten the tense atmosphere before heading toward the inner castle.

“......”

Raon followed him without saying anything because he was well aware of Kurman’s feelings.

Thud.

A middle-aged guardian knight guarding the gate of the inner castle stomped on the ground and raised his gaze upon seeing Kurman.

“Sir Kurman, you’ve returned.”

“It’s been a while, Sir Rukan.”

Kurman bowed with a faint smile on his face.

“Well done. But where is Lord Barphil…?”

“......”

Kurman bit his lip without saying anything. His face rapidly darkened.

“Hmm…”

The guardian knight let out a short groan upon reading the atmosphere around Kurman and the people behind him.

“I apologize for my thoughtlessness.”

“It’s fine. Rather than that, I’d like the permission to enter the inner castle.”

Kurman shook his head and pointed at the Light Wind Division behind him.

“This is the Light Wind Division from Zieghart, who saved us in the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave. We’ve brought them with us because they have something to say about this incident. I guarantee their identity with my name on the line.”

He guaranteed the Light Wind Division to allow their entrance in the inner castle.

“My name is Raon Zieghart, the leader of the Light Wind Division.” Raon came up next to Kurman and lowered his head.

“It’s been a while,” the guardian knight said, swallowing nervously as soon as he met Raon’s eyes.

“You know me?”

“I saw you before in the Owen Kingdom. Of course, you are incomparable from back then,” he gasped, showing his surprise at the huge difference.

“There shouldn’t be any issues since Sir Kurman is guaranteeing your identity and I’ve seen you before. You may enter.”

The guardian knight stepped back, and the huge gate soaring to the sky shimmered with a transparent light before it vanished.

Even the gate must’ve been made with magic.

“Thank you.”

Kurman lowered his head at the guardian knight and started to guide them again.

There were even more magicians inside the inner castle. However, they continued on their way to their destinations without sparing a glance at Raon’s party, as if engrossed in their own tasks. It was a sight that perfectly suited the kingdom of magicians.

“Hmm…”

Raon narrowed his eyes, examining the castle’s inside.

‘Even the inside is different from Owen.’

Balkar Castle almost looked like a museum, filled with plenty of unknown artifacts. Starting with everyday items like clothes, shoes, and bracelets, to unidentifiable objects, there was such a large collection that the path itself seemed narrow as a result.

Dim lighting flowed throughout the entire castle, and Raon could guess it was designed for magicians who preferred to read everywhere.

“This is the palace, the dwelling of His Majesty. I’m going to request an audience, but I’m not sure if he is here.”

Kurman briefly licked his lips, pointing at the audience chamber located deep inside the castle.

“If His Majesty is absent, I’d like to meet with Lady Chamber at least.”

Hey! She’s here!

Wrath pointed at the ceiling with his finger as soon as Raon made the request.

“Me?”

A young woman’s voice could be heard from above, right after Wrath’s voice. Raon raised his head and saw that Chamber, the Archmage of Eternal Flame, was smiling cheerfully with a witch hat on her head.

“L-Lady Chamber!”

Kurman was startled and fell to the ground.

See?

Wrath raised his nose, putting his hands on his waist.

The King of Essence wasn’t late this time! Cough! Cough!

He let out hacking coughs because he hadn’t managed to fill up the loss from causality yet.

‘…Yes, good job.’

It was completely pointless, but Raon praised him to comfort him because of how painful it looked.

“You’re Raon, right? I heard the rumors, but you became unbelievably stronger.” Chamber nodded with an admiring gleam in her eyes. “But what’s wrong with this peculiar combination? And why is that fishy woman staying quiet?”

She moved her eyes, looking at the Light Wind Division, the magicians, and Aries.

“Greetings, Archmage of Balkar.”

Aries politely lowered her head, probably because of the grave circumstances. She was well aware of how she should behave.

“Greetings, Archmage.”

Raon leaned forward from next to Aries.

“Hmph. It’s awkward for me if you act like that now.”

Chamber furrowed her brow, putting a lollipop in her mouth.

“It looks like I shouldn’t listen to your story here.”

She sighed briefly and snapped her fingers.

Whir!

The space was altered with a floating sensation. The palace’s corridor became distorted and changed into a white room. The extremely wide area had dolls and snacks piled up in multiple spots like a little girl’s room.

However, the walls were filled with an innumerable amount of difficult books.

Raon guessed it was Chamber’s personal space. No one else was around them. He seemed to have been the only person who was teleported.

“It’s related to the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave, right?”

Chamber’s voice suddenly became serious. She seemed to know what Raon was going to tell her.

“I’m listening.”

“This incident is also related to the Owen Kingdom. I just came to Balker first because the location was closer…”

“Are you going to Owen afterwards?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s just get it done at once.”

She swirled the lollipop and snapped her fingers.

Snap!

With the clear sound of breaking a nut, a blue dimension opened up in the air.

The graceful figure of a blond-haired and blue-eyed middle-aged man lying down could be seen inside the wavering gap of the dimension like a painted masterpiece. He was reading a pink book with a grin on his face.

“Huh…?”

Raon’s jaw dropped upon seeing the middle-aged man.

‘Sir Lecross?’

He was Lecross, the King of Owen, also called the Silent Sword Sovereign.

“Chamber! How many times do I have to tell you to stop suddenly opening dimensional rifts—Huff! Raon?”

Lecross flinched and shuddered upon noticing Raon’s gaze as he tried to look their way.

“Ahem!”

He cleared his throat and stood up from his seat, straightening his back.

“R-Raon Zieghart. No, I should call you the leader of the Light Wind Division now. It’s been a while.”

Lecross suddenly became dignified, but Raon couldn’t feel any dignity in him because his first appearance was too impactful.

D-did you see the name of the book he was reading? The King of Essence feels like he witnessed something that shouldn’t exist!

Wrath’s lips trembled in surprise.

“…Greetings, Silent Sword Sovereign.”

Raon ignored Wrath for the moment and lowered his head at Lecross.

“Y-yes. What brought you here?”

 “He apparently has something to tell us.”

Chamber shook her head while weakly biting her candy. The atmosphere around them was different from during the conference of the Six Kings. Raon could tell that they must’ve been closer than the public was aware.

“Something to tell us?”

“Yes. I have something to tell you both. After I entered the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave…”

Raon desperately regained his composure and recounted everything that had happened in the Sword and Saber Sovereign’s grave to Chamber and Lecross.

“…That’s how I managed to survive, all thanks to the Cohman knight captain and the Boltweaver.”

He handed over the broken sword and staff as he spoke. His hands were shaking.

“So that’s how it went.” Lecross calmly nodded despite the sudden news. “As he said, a knight is a lord’s face. However, he didn’t seem to realize that sullying that face is better than having the face disappear.”

He lowered his head and bit his lip.

“The name of Boltweaver signifies robust lightning. I’m the one who named him that way.” Chamber furrowed her brow while removing the candy from her mouth. “Since he acted more like a knight despite being a magician, I gave him that while hoping that he would become softer, but he remained that way until his final moment. What an annoying man.”

She clicked her tongue while taking Barphil’s staff.

“But I’m sure he doesn’t regret it. Thank you for bringing his keepsake to me.”

Chamber nodded with a faint smile on her face. She looked her age for the first time.

“The same goes for me.”

Owen’s king smiled faintly while examining the sword that Chamber had transferred through space.

“Kuzan must have been proud to have fought alongside you. You have my gratitude.”

They delivered the same intention with different smiles.

“I’m more thankful to them.”

Raon lowered his head once again, deeply moved by Lecross and Chamber’s feelings.

“By the way, I’m rather surprised to learn that the area originally belonged to Zieghart.” Lecross narrowed his eyes while stroking his chin. “I acknowledge Zieghart’s possession of that land.”

"Who are you to give your approval?" Chamber furrowed her brow, putting the candy back into her mouth. “Owen is completely unrelated to that place!”

“Ahem, you could’ve just gone along with the mood…”

Lecross bitterly shook his head.

“However, even if we acknowledge that fact, people’s acknowledgment will be a different story. It will take a long time,” he continued with a heavy voice, still trying to regain his dignity.

“I don’t think so.” Chamber firmly shook her head while looking at Lecross.

“What do you mean by that?”

“The rumors are spreading like crazy right now.”

She pointed at her ears as if she were listening to other people’s conversations.

“The forest is called the Blade’s Rest, Zieghart’s sanctuary, where anyone who sets foot inside has to drop their swords.”

***

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]