Chapter 666

Raon licked his lips briefly.

‘What a shame.’

He’d managed to confirm the presence of someone who’d made contact with a demon, but he couldn’t tell for sure who it was because they hadn’t revealed their demonic energy.

The priests and holy knights didn’t seem to have noticed what had just happened, as demonic energy hadn’t actually moved.

Wh-what?! How did you even notice that the demon was among them?!

Wrath’s chin trembled, unable to understand Raon’s behavior.

‘You gave me the hint.’

Raon chuckled at Wrath’s confusion.

What are you talking about?! When did the King of Essence ever give you a hint?!

Wrath frantically shook his head, absolutely denying it.

‘The ramparts are protected by holy power, and there was an agreement between a human and a demon.’

Raon licked his lips, telling Wrath what he’d told him before they entered the palace.

Wh-what about that…?

‘There are so many existences with holy power in this kingdom that you’re likely to trip over them. It’s not just about people—even the buildings and sculptures have holy power.’

Raon casually bobbed his finger while walking towards the center of the audience chamber.

‘The only people who can achieve the madness of making a contract with a demon in a place like this are those with a high rank, not the low-ranked citizens.’

Low-ranked priests and knights could not perfectly conceal the demonic energy because they possessed only a small amount of holy power.

Well, even if they managed to hide it, they were quickly going to be found out by the holy artifacts and priests, who were covered with holy power.

The only people who could perfectly conceal demonic energy in the Holy Kingdom of Schper were those of high rank, as the holy power in their possession overflowed like the ocean.

Ugh…

Wrath clutched his head and groaned in pain. He even pounded his chest, frustrated by the fact that he had unintentionally hinted at Raon.

‘Thank you. As always, you are the giving wrath.’

Raon smiled cheerfully at Wrath, then stood at the center of the audience chamber. He fell on one knee in front of the king on the platform after confirming that the Light Wind Division had followed him.

“I’m honored to meet the sky of Schper.”

“Don’t fall to your knee.”

Raon was about to lower his head in greeting, but the king of the Schper, Baorn, shook his head. It felt like his back was straightening on his own upon hearing his gentle voice.

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. After all, you saved our knights.” King Baorn bowed politely, putting his hands together.

“Y-you don’t need to do that.” Raon was surprised in return, shaking his hand while taking a step forward.

‘What’s going on with him?’

He’d witnessed a significant number of heads of houses and kings, his previous life and new life included, but he’d never seen anyone like Baorn. Even Derus never acted so politely.

“Are you crazy? Why are you bowing so easily as the king?!”

The purple-haired girl next to Father Firn furrowed her brow deeply.

“Gratitude transcends rank and title.” King Baorn shook his hand, saying that it was fine.

“Stand up already. You’re embarrassing me! He’s not even the head of Zieghart, so why would you do this to youngsters like them?!” The girl swung down her hand, saying that it was embarrassing.

“Saintess, please watch out for what you say. We aren’t the only ones here.” The blond holy knight on the opposite side put his finger on his lips.

“Why are you messing with me? It’s my mouth?” The girl, the saintess, wrinkled her nose.

“Saintess.” Father Firn faintly smiled at the saintess.

“Ugh…” The saintess briskly turned her head away, unable to argue against the priest.

“Anyway, the king isn’t a rice plant. You shouldn’t bow so easily, even under the heated sunlight and fiery wind.” She clicked her tongue, telling him to never do that again.

“My back isn’t an issue when the knights and the soldiers managed to survive.” King Baorn smiled, saying that he didn’t care about his trivial position.

“I care! It’s embarrassing me!” The saintess yelled, pleading for him to stop.

“Hmm…” Raon gasped, looking back and forth between the king and the saintess.

‘What a huge mess.’

It looked more like a guild of thugs on the backstreet than a holy kingdom.

However, the biggest reason it became such a mess was the woman called the saintess.

The saintess was a beauty, with a beautiful harmony between her slanted, cat-like eyes, a sharp nose, and small lips. It was difficult to believe that those pretty lips were casually hurling insults.

Moreover, her shoulders and thighs were visible under her nun outfit’s opening, and she was covered in unknown tattoos, making her look like the boss of thugs instead of a saintess.

However, her holy power was outstanding even among the present members. She possessed an overwhelming amount, even compared to the other high-rank priests.

“What are you looking at?” Raon met her eyes, and the saintess raised her chin sharply, as if she were picking a fight.

Is that shit really a saintess?

‘Is that shit really a saintess?’

Raon laughed bitterly. He agreed with Wrath for once.

“She is similar to Miss Rakshasa.” Runaan raised her finger, pointing at Martha and the saintess one after the other.

“Who are you messing with, you little shit?!” Martha twisted her lips while stepping forward.

“Are you crazy, you little bitch?”

“Screw the saintess, she’s just a jerk!”

She started to go wild, like a beast that was let loose for the first time in a long time.

“Stop!”

“Stop it!”

Raon and the king shook their hands at the same time.

“Please forgive us. Our saintess speaks a bit harshly.” The king lowered his head again and apologized.

“We are also sorry. She has a nasty personality…” Raon took a glance at Martha before he bowed to the king.

“Argh…”

“Kuh…”

However, the two people in question were glaring fiercely at each other.

“Ahem, I heard that the king of monsters at the Divarn Mountain peak was a double-headed ogre. It must’ve been an extremely dangerous situation. Thank you for your help.” King Baorn thanked them again to lighten the mood.

“It’s nothing special. The holy kingdom dispatched their holy knights to such a faraway place for the sake of their residents. Thank you for your consideration.”

Raon shook his head with a faint smile on his face. He examined the priests and knights one after the other while expressing his gratitude.

‘I can’t tell who it is.’

The demonic energy wasn’t leaking at all because they were all wrapped in holy power. Raon figured he would be unable to find them unless he went to them one by one and tried shoving wrath in them.

“This isn’t the first time. You also saved our knights during the assault in Banneret.”

The king kept thanking him over and over, as if he regretted being unable to thank him before.

“Haa!”

The saintess sighed deeply in displeasure at how the king kept bowing nonstop before she averted her gaze. The holy knight captains and the royal guard captain were simply watching without saying anything, and Father Firn and the other priests were smiling faintly.

“We’d like to repay the favor, even if it’s just a small thing, since you’ve saved our knights twice."

The king picked up the wooden box placed on the golden table and personally came down from the platform.

“This is the Holy Essence Pill, created by mixing sacred herbs and holy water. I can confidently say that it’s better than any elixir at fortifying organs and muscles.”

He handed over the wooden box, asking him to accept it despite being a small gift.

“Thank you.” Raon lowered his head while accepting the wooden box containing the Holy Essence Pill.

“We’ve also prepared elixirs for the Light Wind Division’s swordsmen. Please accept them.” The king gestured with his hand, and young priests standing on the right side came forth to hand over the elixirs.

“Are you really giving them all of these? They are such precious elixirs!” The saintess screamed, unable to withstand it any further. “I’m the one who worked so hard on making all of them! We don’t even have enough to feed our people! You must be insane!”

“Saintess.”

“Ugh…”

Father Firn spoke, and the saintess bit her lip tightly.

“It’s amazing to see two Grandmasters and four Masters in a single armed division. As expected of Zieghart,” King Baorn gasped while watching the Light Wind Division accept the elixirs.

“It’s not always like this in Zieghart. We’re just a bit special.”

Raon shook his head with an embarrassed expression on his face. He wasn’t being humble—there weren’t many armed divisions capable of winning against the Light Wind Division in Zieghart.

“I can’t help but be jealous of such a huge military strength when the Five Demons are spreading their vicious acts nowadays. However…”

King Baorn’s lips curved into a dignified smile as he looked around at the knights and priests inside the audience chamber.

“Our Schper knights and priests have bravery surpassing their might. I believe they will manage to protect this land no matter who tries to invade.”

“Of course!”

The faces of the knights and the priests were filled with pride upon hearing his words. They had an ideal relationship, where the king trusted his vassals and the vassals looked up to the king.

“Your majesty, the Light Wind Division’s visit might be another decree of God. How about allowing them to participate in the sacred ceremony? It’s happening in less than a week.” The blond holy knight smiled while looking up to the ceiling, where the sunlight was waning.

“Hmm…” King Baorn stroked his chin, wondering if it was going to be a good idea.

“What is the sacred ceremony?”

“It’s an event where we offer our prayers to God. However, all we do is to pray, unlike the holy festival that is renowned to the outside. It won’t be really fun to watch…”

“Like he said, the sacred ceremony isn’t a festival but a prayer event. It’s just a sleeping pill for outsiders, so you should just leave.” The saintess shook her head, saying that they did nothing but pray all day long.

“It will be boring because swinging a sword is forbidden that day.” The royal knight, who’d been quiet so far, closed his eyes while putting his hand on his sword.

“It might be boring, but you’ll be able to face a world brimming with holy power, and it should be a rather splendid sight.” Father Firn asked them to stay, saying that it was a rare sight to behold.

“Hmm, I was planning to return if it was a festival, but I’d like to participate if it’s an event like that.” Raon smiled, saying that it should help the Light Wind Division, as they were lacking in patience.

‘A world brimming with holy power… That would be the perfect time to find the demon.’

* * *

Raon scooped up the mint chocolate ice cream with almonds on it and put it in his mouth.

The nutty flavor of the almond and the bittersweet flavor of the mint chocolate filled his mouth. Raon honestly couldn’t tell what was tasty about it.

Wooow!

On the other hand, Wrath let out a long exclamation while looking into the air.

It feels like it’s alive and breathing in the mouth! It was already the best, but the taste fell all the way down to the underground with the almond added to it!

He gestured with his finger for him to try out the next one.

‘When you said it fell all the way down to the underground, it was a compliment, right?’

Raon sighed and ate the white ice cream. Sweet and refreshing coldness seeped into his tongue.

Is this pear-flavored ice cream? Woah! It’s so cool! It’s as if we’re inside the northern sea!

Wrath grinned, saying that it was happiness and it was life.

‘Hey.’ Raon put down the spoon and called out to Wrath. ‘You know who made a contract with a demon, don’t you?’

Of course he does.

Wrath nodded, saying that there was no way he wouldn’t know.

But he has no intention of telling you.

He murmured that he wasn’t going to talk even if his ice cream was taken away.

‘I’m not planning on asking you about that. Instead…’

Instead?

‘Do you know what kind of contract the demon made with the human?’

How is the King of Essence supposed to know that?!

Wrath shook his head, saying that even the demon god wouldn’t know about the contract.

‘Then when is that contract between demon and human going to be carried out?’

Hmm, it shouldn’t take that long, considering how much demonic energy is welling up in the area…

He licked his lips, saying that it was going to happen soon.

‘I knew it.’

Raon nodded, showing that it had confirmed his suspicions.

You knew?

‘You said that the matter only concerns the human who made the contract with the demon, but I don’t think so. If a high-ranking member of the holy kingdom made a contract with a demon, there’s no way it’s only going to affect themselves.’

The goals of low-ranked people were extremely simple and clear. They wanted money, they wanted to buy a good home, they wanted to get stronger—straightforward goals like those.

However, people with position and power were different. Since they already had a lot in their possession, their wish was definitely going to be something complicated, requiring sacrifices.

‘If the demonic energy is already welled up as you said, they are most likely going to start during the upcoming sacred ceremony.’

That was why Raon was getting an outline of what he needed to do.

Raon and the Light Wind Division were powerful, and he wasn’t being arrogant about it. Letting the Light Wind Division stay during the sacred ceremony when the contract with the demon was probably going to be carried out wasn’t a good thing for the contractor.

The contractor was most likely one of the people who were against him remaining.

‘The king said it wouldn’t be fun, and the holy knight captain was the one who brought up the sacred ceremony. Father Firn practically recommended that we stay. Those who were against it were… The saintess and the royal guard captain?’

He’d thought the saintess wouldn’t be the one because she was too blatantly thug-like, but he felt like she might have been trying to erase suspicion by behaving in a completely opposite way when he thought about it further.

‘This is so difficult…’

It was difficult to figure out who it was even with the hint because information was lacking.

“Haa…”

Raon sighed briefly just as a knock could be heard from the door.

“You may enter.”

The door opened soon after, and Hopen entered the room, lowering his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?

Raon tilted his head, unable to understand what he was talking about.

“I lied to you.”

“Lied…?”

“I said that his majesty had prepared a book of martial arts and an elixir for you, Sir Raon. I’m actually the one who prepared them…”

Hopen lowered his head again while apologizing.

“My father was saddened by my third brother’s death back then, and he couldn’t afford to think about other things. It was even more painful to him because even my first and second brothers had returned to the goddess’s embrace before my brother, Biten.”

“Ah…”

Raon swallowed nervously. He mourned for him briefly because he wasn’t expecting that three out of four princes had already perished.

“Both my father and the others were absorbed in sadness from the loss of my brother. That’s why I had to personally prepare it.”

Hopen handed over a wooden box and a book of martial arts. The wooden box contained the Holy Essence Pill, the same elixir that King Baorn had given him, and the book was titled Brown Swordsmanship.

“It’s an advanced swordsmanship focused on defense. I learned it as well. It should be helpful.”

Raon looked at Hopen without taking the wooden box and the book. “You must’ve had a hard time too. Why…?”

“My brother didn’t perish without achieving anything. He managed to push me and the other knights away from the White Blood Religion’s leader’s grasp. He entrusted our father to me even as he died, so I need to do my job,” Hopen explained, handing over the book of martial arts and the wooden box.

“......”

Raon was going to refuse, but once he saw the calm look in Hopen’s eyes, he extended his hand and accepted his gifts.

“Thank you for accepting them.” Hopen smiled as if he’d noticed Raon’s intention.

‘He is such a warm person.’

Both Hopen and his brother, Biten, who he’d seen before, were people that he’d grown fond of the more he saw them. They were true knights, fitting for the holy kingdom.

‘However… I can’t completely remove the suspicion.’

“Sir Hopen, excuse me for the sudden request, but may I check your wrist for a moment?”

Raon raised his finger and pointed at Hopen’s right wrist.

“Wrist?”

“I’d like to confirm something, as Sir Hopen’s energy is rather peculiar.”

“Sure.”

Since prominent mana circuits were inside the wrist, most warriors didn’t entrust their wrists to another person. However, Hopen immediately gave his wrist to Raon, showing how much he trusted him.

“Thank you…”

Raon nodded faintly and grabbed Hopen’s wrist. He shoved the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and wrath into the mana circuit.

“Hmm…”

Hopen let out a small groan because the energy incorporated a demon king’s personality even though it wasn’t actual demonic energy.

‘He doesn’t have any, as expected.’

Raon searched thoroughly but couldn't find anything like demonic energy or any trace of a demon.

It was a relief, as he was going to grow distrustful of everyone for a while if a demon was dwelling in Hopen.

“Did you manage to confirm the peculiar part?”

“No.” Raon shook his head while looking at Hopen. “Sir Hopen, your energy isn’t peculiar.”

“What? What do you mean…?”

“I can tell you honestly now.” Raon’s eyes became serious as he looked into Hopen’s surprised eyes. “Actually, I sensed demonic energy as soon as I entered Schper. It was at the entrance…”

He told Hopen everything that had happened so far.

“W-wait, how come…?” Hopen’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “I-impossible! It might be possible in the capital, but we had my father, the saintess, holy knights, and priests in the audience chamber. Just how…?”

“Because it wasn’t exactly demonic energy but just a faint breath, proving the demon’s existence. It’s normal to be unable to recognize it.”

Raon calmly shook his head and unleashed the Divinity Blooming from the Underworld.

“H-holy power?” Hopen’s lips trembled as he observed the holy power blazing from Raon’s hand. “It’s definitely a holy power, but why is it a dark energy…?”

“This is a holy power extracted from demonic energy. This ability allows me to be proficient at noticing the presence of demons.” Raon continued while looking at Hopen’s wavering eyes, “The demon will show itself before long. I’m guessing that it will do it during the next sacred ceremony.”

“Pl-please give me some time to think.” Hopen closed his eyes and caught his breath. He slowly raised his eyebrows about a minute later.

“......”

Raon quietly waited for Hopen’s answer.

“I’m going to believe you for now, Sir Raon. I don’t think there’s anything to lose from doing so, because it would be a good thing if the demon didn’t exist in the end, and it would be better to make preparations if the demon really exists.”

Hopen nodded while sighing. He seemed to have made a reasonable decision in that short period of time.

“What do I need to do?”

“For now, tell me information about the high-ranking officials that were present in the audience chamber.”

Raon lowered his head, asking him to tell him about the high-ranking people in the audience chamber.

“Haa…” Hopen raised his finger while catching his breath. “I’ll start with Father Firn, the one we encountered on the way there. He is the proxy of the pontiff, the highest-ranked priest among the twelve high priests. He became a priest during childhood and reached his current position while doing countless good deeds in the process. He is the most admired person by all the priests and knights.”

“I see.”

Raon was reminded of how the madwoman—or, rather, the saintess was calmed only by Father Firn.

“The knight who was on the opposite side of him was Sir Danief, the royal guard captain. He is our best knight, having reached the Grandmaster realm. He is a man of few words, but he is my father’s reliable friend and guard who protects his back.”

Hopen said that those two had been with the king ever since their childhood, shaking his head and saying that they definitely couldn’t be the ones.

“The one next to Sir Danief was Sir Kinnear, my direct superior. He kept training without becoming arrogant despite being blessed by God and managed to become a paladin, the dream of all holy knights, at a young age. And the saintess…”

He swallowed nervously, showing that she was a difficult person to deal with.

“Sh-she has a rough way of speaking, but she is extremely kind-hearted inside. She’s gone to all kinds of battlefields to save people.”

“I see…” Raon’s head trembled, unable to believe it.

“She went to Banneret when it was attacked by the White Blood Religion’s leader and the Holy Sword Alliance master, and she also went to Balkar to save people during their war against the Black Tower.”

“Hmm…” Raon scratched his head, unable to believe it.

“I understand that you can’t believe it.” Hopen smiled faintly and also explained about the other priests and knights.

“Haa…” Hopen sighed deeply after he finished talking about them all. “The more I think about it, the more I’m certain that none of them could be an issue. It’s frustrating because, at the same time, there’s no way that you would lie.”

“I understand. However, we still need to find them.”

Raon sighed deeply just as the room opened and the three team leaders, Rimmer, and Mark Goetten made their entrance.

“Why did you call us at this hour… Sir?”

Martha furrowed her brow, unraveling the towel covering her wet hair. She was going to speak casually but switched to respectful speech once she noticed that Hopen was around.

“We aren’t in an official meeting right now. You don’t need to awkwardly add in respect.”

“Really? I’m glad to hear that because I’ve been irritated ever since I saw that jerk earlier.” Martha sighed while sitting on the bed.

“Miss Rakshasa and Jerk,” Runaan giggled while covering her mouth.

“You shut up!” Martha yelled at Runaan.

“Why did you call for us?” Rimmer sat on a chair and bobbed his finger. “Make it quick if you have something to tell us. I need to look for a gambling house.”

“I have an important matter to discuss,” Raon told everyone what he’d told Hopen before.

“Demonic energy in a holy kingdom…?”

“A-are you serious?”

“Demon…”

Burren, Martha, and Runaan swallowed nervously.

“It’s certain.” Raon nodded. “And that demon in question is most likely going to take action during the upcoming sacred ceremony.”

“That sounds likely. Since the priests, holy knights, and all the residents are supposed to pray all day long, they’ll have quite a lot of free time.” Rimmer nodded, saying that he would’ve done the same if it were him.

“So that’s why you said we were going to stay.” Burren nodded, saying that he could finally understand it. “I thought it was strange.”

“Well, it’s true that it was a strange decision coming from him, a training madman,” Martha agreed with him while chuckling.

“No, this is another type of training for us.” Raon calmly shook his head. “Fighting against a demon or monsters should allow us to gain a lot more than training on our own.”

“Ugh…”

“You monster…”

The two of them shook their heads, annoyed by his consistency.

“Moreover, think of how good the rewards are going to be if we manage to save the holy kingdom from the demons.” Raon licked his lips.

“You must be kidding me.” Martha shook her head while chuckling. “You aren’t like this elf over here. There’s no way you were hoping for such a thing.”

She shook her head while pointing at Rimmer, who was just sitting there.

“She’s right. You don’t really care about that.” Burren shook his head, telling him that he didn’t need to pretend.

“You are different from the snake.” Runaan nodded.

“Why are you all criticizing me when I didn’t do anything?!” Rimmer frantically shook his head.

Hopen smiled without saying anything.

“Anyway, we need to figure out who made the contract with a demon, starting tomorrow. We’ll stay next to the high-ranking officials, pretending that we are observing the kingdom.”

Raon nodded, giving out directions to the three team leaders, Rimmer, and Mark Goetten.

“I’m also going to help.” Hopen clenched his fist, saying that he would get assistance from his most trustworthy people.

“Yes, let’s do it.”

Raon nodded while meeting everyone’s eyes.

***

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

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Harley]