Chapter 679

Raon swallowed nervously as he met Merlin’s blazing blue eyes.

‘This is dangerous.’

Even if it was Merlin, she wasn’t going to take it lightly since demons were involved.

The Demon King’s Advent was especially dangerous. If the fact that Raon had that ability were to spread, he would obviously become the common enemy of the continent. Even the dragon lord might start chasing after him.

Not even Zieghart would be able to protect him, leaving him with no other option than death.

“Merlin, I…”

“So cool!”

Raon was trying to carefully bring it up to avoid revealing his weakness, but Merlin’s smile deepened even more.

“Huh…?”

Raon’s eyes lost focus, turning blank. What Merlin had just said felt unreal.

“Making a demon king manifest to fight another demon king? That’s the best!”

Merlin gazed up to the air with a fascinated expression on her face. She seemed to be thinking about the battle between Wrath and Greed.

“Did you really watch all that?”

“It was suffocating because of the demonic energy, but I endured it. I’m glad that I was quite far away from the battle.”

Raon could guess that she’d consumed her lifespan again when she said she endured it.

‘I’m just speechless.’

D-did that madwoman really witness the King of Essence’s face? Uhh…

Wrath’s entire body trembled in fear despite the fact that he remained confident even against Greed.

‘Well, it’s a relief that Merlin was the witness.’

Judging from what she’d said, he could guess that he didn’t need to worry about her talking to other people about the demon king. However, it was still important to make sure—just in case.

“Merlin, the fact that I’m associated with demons…”

“I’m not telling anyone, of course. I’ll be the only one who knows about it.” Merlin stroked her body with her wings, filled with affection. “Because knowing a secret about you that no one else knows brings me an exhilarating joy.”

“Ah…”

Raon lowered his eyes, trembling violently in fear.

‘Why is everyone around me so abnormal?!’

On top of saying that the Demon King’s Advent was cool, she even wanted to monopolize the secret. A chill ran down his spine. He was well aware that magicians were eccentric, but Merlin was in a league of her own.

Cough! Why are you asking the obvious?

Wrath shook his head, asking why he was even wondering.

It’s because you are the craziest among them all that crazy people flock around you!

‘What do you mean…? Hmm…’

Raon was about to refute Wrath’s words but shut his mouth. When he calmed down and thought about it, he was indeed far from being normal as well.

Gha… Ghak!

Wrath started to cough in the middle of his laughter.

Seeing you finally shut your mouth feels so grea—Cough!

‘Say that after coughing, at least.’

Raon sighed and shifted his gaze towards Merlin again. “How is Eden doing nowadays?”

“They are peaceful.” Merlin flapped her left wing. “Part of the reason must be that I’ve strayed away from the important information, but they are just quietly gathering their troops without doing anything. It almost looks like they’re waiting for something.”

“Hmm…”

“But there’s another faction that started to strike aggressively instead of us.”

“Oh?”

“The White Blood Religion.” Merlin lifted her wing and covered her beak.

“Hmm…”

Raon slowly nodded. He’d indeed heard a rumor recently that the White Blood Religion had attacked the Khal kingdom to kill their king and plunder their relic. The White Blood Religion was clearly the most active faction among the Five Demons for the time being.

“What’s the goal of those bloody demons?” he asked.

“It must be the White Blood Religion leader’s recovery,” Merlin stated.

“Recovery?”

“Yes. The injury she received from your head of house should still be there.” Merlin nodded calmly.

“Even though so much time has passed?”

“A battle between Transcenders damages their souls, not just their bodies. The Fallen also had to suffer for a good while. Though, he got even stronger as a result.” She clicked her tongue, saying that it was an irritating development.

“So that’s why the White Blood Religion’s leader attacked the Khal kingdom and the other cities.”

Raon furrowed his brow, thinking about the White Blood Religion’s leader’s bewitching face. He could finally understand why she’s been doing that.

“She might have completely recovered by now, and she’s potentially reached a higher realm just like the Fallen. It’s possible that she will start targeting you again.”

“Targeting me?”

“To begin with, the reason that mosquito bitch was severely injured was because she insisted on taking you away.” Merlin’s beak trembled faintly, showing that she wanted to kill the White Blood Religion’s leader. “So you should be careful.”

“Did you come to see me to tell me about that?”

“Yes.” She smiled, implying that it really was the only reason.

“Hmm…”

Raon couldn’t say anything after seeing Merlin’s reaction. She didn’t even feel like an enemy—she almost felt like a companion.

‘But I’ll still need to repay the favor one day.’

Merlin was helping him without expecting anything in return, but her help was pretty much a debt for Raon. He would have to return the one-sided help she’d been providing eventually.

“Hmm… I’ll have to leave now because I’ve exhausted a lot of my power. The bird seems to be having a hard time.” Merlin’s wings trembled faintly. “As for this one…”

“......”

Raon swallowed nervously, and Merlin continued, “It wants to eat some worms.”

“I have those!”

Raon smiled brightly and took out some fishing worms. He was glad he’d asked Dorian for them beforehand.

“Ah, that’s no good.” Merlin firmly shook her wing. “This one wants to eat living worms. It said it couldn’t eat them even though it wanted to because of its lack of hunting skills.”

“Wait, it’s not even raining right now. You can’t just ask me to find living worms…”

“I’m leaving it to you!”

Raon gasped, but Merlin shook her hand.

Chirp!

The sparrow weakly pecked the back of Raon’s hand, urging him to go find the worms.

Wahahaha!

Wrath happily burst out into laughter while covering his belly.

Cough! It’s a perfect task for an insignificant person like you!

‘Be quiet—before I activate Gluttony with worms.’

Haap!

He immediately shut his mouth, thinking that Raon might really do it.

“Haa…” Raon sighed and climbed a mountain near the kingdom.

He fed worms to the sparrow to the point of bursting, and the sun was starting to rise by the time he returned.

* * *

Two days later.

The Light Wind Division and the Holy Kingdom of Schper’s executives were facing each other, standing in front of the gate.

“It’s a shame that you are leaving so quickly.” Hopen lowered his eyebrows slightly, showing his sadness.

“I can’t stay as a freeloader forever,” Raon said.

“Freeloader? You can eat all of the food in the entire kingdom if you want!”

Hopen frantically shook his head, showing that he was serious about it. His characteristic upright gaze hadn’t changed even though he’d become the king.

“I was just kidding. I need to make my preparations now.”

“Ah…”

Hopen gave a short nod, noticing that he was talking about his preparations for the duel to the death. His complexion turned heavy and serious.

“You don’t need to worry about it so much. I’ll visit again around the middle of next year.” Raon casually shook his hand.

“We’ll need to hold a festival throughout the kingdom when that happens!” Hopen smiled cheerfully, understanding that Raon was saying he would come back after winning the duel to the death against the Axe King.

“We’ll be taking our leave.” Raon casually nodded at Hopen, but Saintess Olga was giving him a subtle glance.

‘What?’

Raon tilted his head, then prepared to leave, and Hopen gestured with his chin behind him.

“Salute to the heroes of Schper!”

The holy knights stomped the ground, and Hopen’s voice echoed throughout the ramparts at the same time.

The holy knights and priests standing behind them raised their swords upside down. Instead of putting their hands together in Schper’s way, they were performing Zieghart’s sword salute.

“Hmm…”

Raon bit his lip slightly. His heart heated up upon seeing the sword salute from Hopen and the holy knights. The others were also clenching their fists, implying that they were feeling the same emotion as him.

Shring.

He unsheathed his sword alongside the Light Wind Division. They greeted them back by raising their blades upside down.

A smile appeared on the faces of the Light Wind Division and the people of Schper, as if they shared the same heart.

Swoosh.

Neither Raon nor Hopen spoke any further. They simply turned around. No more words were needed for their farewell.

* * *

Raon was touching Heavenly Drive’s hilt, watching the softly flickering campfire.

‘It’ll happen soon now.’

The duel against the Axe King was imminent. He’d managed to find a path of progress during the incident, but he’d become weaker than when he’d left Zieghart. He figured that he would need to train as soon as he returned.

However, he would be able to climb even higher if he could make good use of his time because he’d obtained Gluttony and even experienced being in Wrath’s body.

While Raon was thinking about what kind of training he was going to do, a rustling sound could be heard from the tent located deeper inside. Raon tilted his head because it wasn’t time for the night watch shift yet, and Rimmer walked out from the tent while yawning.

“Vice Division leader?”

Raon’s eyes widened. He was slightly shocked because Rimmer was the type of person who wouldn’t even wake up during his night watch shift, yet he was approaching on his own accord.

“Are you not going to sleep?” Raon asked.

“I just woke up for a moment.” Rimmer shook his hand, his eyes half open.

“Then keep sleeping. There’s still some time until sunrise.”

“I’ll sleep.” He sat in front of the campfire, saying that he was going to sleep.

“Raon.” Rimmer remained quiet for a while, then called his name while tapping on the campfire. “I asked you this question before—if you had any intention of becoming the head of house.”

“Yes, you did.”

Raon nodded. Glenn had also asked that question before, and his answer was the same for both of them.

‘I responded that I still wasn’t sure.’

His mind was fully occupied with getting stronger, taking care of the Light Wind Division and the annex building, and taking his revenge against Derus Robert. That was why he wasn’t really interested in becoming the head of Zieghart.

“What do you think about it now?”

“…I’m still not sure.”

He’d contemplated it afterward, but the conclusion was still the same. He wasn’t sure.

“I see.” Rimmer chuckled, having expected that answer. “You know, I want you to become the head of house.”

“What?”

Raon’s eyes widened, not expecting Rimmer to suddenly tell him that he wanted him to become the head.

“It’s not just for you. It’s for Zieghart’s sake,” Rimmer continued.

“What do you mean by that…?”

“The only reason Zieghart is currently maintaining our position in the Six Kings is thanks to our head of house. He is crushing the entire continent with his overwhelming might and dignity. However…” A faint light appeared in Rimmer’s green eyes. “In return for obtaining absolute power, he also gained an irreversible past.”

“......”

Raon could somewhat understand what he meant when he mentioned the past.

“Our head of house voluntarily set foot into the demonic side in order to get stronger, and he’d only been interested in power and conquering the continent for an extremely long time. Now, he regrets that time.”

Rimmer briefly licked his lips.

“That’s the reason he doesn’t control the house perfectly. He thinks that it would be embarrassing for him to reign with power after being indifferent about the house for so long.”

He twisted his lips, saying it was laughable.

“As a result, his first daughter became a pirate when her wanderlust struck, his second son grew up to be just like his younger self when he desired authority and power, his third son wanders around as a sly fox whose thoughts are shrouded in mystery, the fourth son is just an idiot, and you should know about his youngest daughter best.”

Rimmer shook his finger while watching the campfire.

“It would be a relief if the head of house decided to rest after resigning from his position, but if he ends up leaving the house, Zieghart will change a lot—extremely so. We’d still be able to maintain the current state if Aries could behave herself, but she’ll never want to become the head of house.”

“Hmm…”

Just like he said, Aries Zieghart didn’t seem interested in becoming the head of Zieghart at all.

“In my opinion, you are the only one who can stand at the peak of the house, clearing up all the issues we have.” Rimmer's quiet voice sounded like a lullaby, soothing the flame to rest. “I’d like you to seriously consider it.”

He dragged out his voice, as if he’d been joking all along, making it feel even more sincere.

“…I understand.” Raon nodded heavily.

“And…” Rimmer raised his hand and grabbed his shoulder. “I’d like you to tell me your secret one day.”

“What do you mean?”

“......”

He simply smiled without answering.

Raon swallowed nervously, watching Rimmer’s smile. He could guess that Rimmer had noticed that he was lying about the demons fighting each other and disappearing, as he hadn’t had a good expression on his face ever since he’d told him about it.

“How did you find out?” Raon asked.

“Because you weren’t looking too good, guilty about deceiving us.”

“Hmm…”

He did feel guilty about it, but he didn’t expect it to show on his face.

“At the very least, I stand behind you no matter what your answer is going to be. No, it’s not just me. The team leaders should’ve somewhat noticed it as well. They are most likely just waiting because they believe in you.”

Rimmer smiled while looking at the place where the Light Wind Division was sleeping.

Raon lowered his head and clenched his fist. He kept his eyes closed for a while before he lifted his eyelids.

“…One day.” His lips parted as he looked into Rimmer’s eyes, brimming with trust. “I’ll tell you one day.”

“Alright.” Rimmer nodded nonchalantly. “I’ll be waiting, no matter how long it takes.”

He shook his hand, showing that he was serious about it.

“By the way, vice division leader.” Raon frowned, looking at the faint smile on Rimmer’s face.

“Hmm?”

“Why have you been acting so differently?”

He shook his hand, saying that people died when they changed too much.

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of dying.” Rimmer firmly shook his head. “I still have a lot of things to do, and I have something that I want to see no matter what.”

He looked up to the night sky as he spoke.

Raon lowered his gaze instead, looking at the campfire. The master and disciple remained silent for a long time, their gazes fixated on two different things.

* * *

Glenn kept restlessly walking up and down from the platform with his arms crossed. A dark shadow was cast over his face.

“Why is our lord acting like that?” Sheryl narrowed her eyes, watching Glenn being so restless.

“Of course, it’s because of the young master Raon.” Roenn smiled gently, coming up next to Sheryl.

“Raon?” Sheryl blinked while looking at Roenn. “But they’re making a huge ruckus, calling him the hero who saved the Holy Kingdom of Schper.”

She tilted her head, unable to understand why Glenn would be restless because of Raon.

“He defeated the king, the pontiff’s proxy, and the royal guard captain, who were devoured by demonic energy, and even exterminated the demon behind the incident and became the hero of the country. Just why…?”

“That’s exactly why.” Roenn shook his head while smiling faintly. “Because his proud grandson who he cherishes so much isn’t coming back.” He pointed at Glenn with his chin, telling her that it should be obvious.

“Aah, that’s true.” Sheryl smiled, finally understanding the reason.

“Wh-what are you talking about?!” Glenn furrowed his brow while gazing down at them. “Demonic energy can inflict a serious injury when it comes to fighting a demon. I was just worried about them because it can be harmful to youngsters in their growth phase!”

His beard trembled as he claimed that fully-fledged swordsmen over the age of twenty were still growing.

“They are in the holy kingdom. They’d be able to treat their wounds even better than we’d be able to.” Sheryl shrugged her shoulders with a faint smile on her face, intrigued by the phrase ‘growth phase’ that Glenn had used.

“Huhuhu.” Roenn was also entertained by the situation and laughed gently.

"Anyway, he really has a knack for surprising us no matter where he goes."

“I heard that Sir Raon was the first to notice the demon’s presence. Many people were saved thanks to that.”

“He was born with great senses. When I went on a mission with him last time, he immediately found the Saint’s location.” Sheryl furtively looked around, talking about when she’d gone on a mission with Raon.

“He must have been born with a heroic disposition in addition to his talent in martial arts.” Roenn also raised his gaze above the platform while complimenting Raon.

“Ahem!”

Glenn was clearing his throat, standing on straight legs that used to be trembling nonstop. However, he wasn’t smiling nor twitching his lips, as if he’d gained some immunity.

“Huh?”

“Hmm…”

Sheryl and Roenn were surprised at his unexpected behavior, just for the audience chamber’s door to open and for Chad, the leader of Shadow Agents, to make his entrance.

“My lord, the Light Wind Division has arrived in front of the gates.”

The moment he heard those words, Glenn’s lips, which had been still, curved upward to soar into the sky. It almost looked like a dormant volcano erupting at once.

Sheryl and Roenn chuckled while meeting each other’s eyes.

‘I knew it.’

‘This is what we expected.’

Glenn nodded with a bright smile on his face, unaware that they were laughing at him.

“Tell them to come to the lord’s manor right away!”

***

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]