"Huh?"
Raon blinked at Vulcan and Kuberad, who were licking their lips.
"Are you saying you'll examine my swords first?"
"Indeed. With such fine materials gathered, it would be a waste to leave them unused."
Vulcan nodded as he surveyed the dragon bones and teeth filling the workshop.
"I'll forge you an unbreakable sword using the teeth, bones, claws, and scales."
He clenched his fist, saying he'd take this opportunity to temper the Heavenly Drive even stronger.
"I made the Heavenly Drive when you had just left the trainee ranks. It's time for an upgrade, don't you think?"
Vulcan said this was the perfect chance, his eyes shining with anticipation.
"I agree."
Kuberad nodded as he stood beside Vulcan.
"As I've said before, the Blade of Requiem wasn't originally made for combat. Since you're using it as a weapon, I'd like to refine it a bit."
He flexed his thick wrist, saying he wanted to forge it to use the Blade of Requiem's energy more efficiently.
"If you two are offering, I have no reason to refuse."
Raon clasped his hands in front, expressing his gratitude. If any other continental master had said such a thing, he would have refused outright. No matter how skilled, it's difficult for someone else to reforge a sword made by another. But Vulcan had made the Heavenly Drive, and Kuberad the Blade of Requiem. They were the original craftsmen.
Those two could surely modify the Heavenly Drive and Blade of Requiem to perfectly suit his current self.
"May I join in?"
Borgos raised his short legs to squeeze between Raon, Vulcan, and Kuberad.
"Master Borgos?"
Raon looked at Borgos with wide eyes.
"Where do you think you're butting in, dwarf? You haven't even made any of his weapons."
Vulcan waved his hand dismissively, telling him to rest.
"I have made a weapon. I forged a dagger for my benefactor."
Borgos raised his chin, seemingly referring to the Thousand Slaughter Dagger tucked inside the Black Dragon Coat.
"So you're going to modify that dagger?"
"There's something else too."
Borgos pointed to Rimmer's sword hanging at his right hip.
"No way..."
"You think those tree-hugging elves could make the Wooden Ring sword? Of course it's the work of our ancestors."
He curled his lips, claiming his ancestors had crafted Rimmer's sword.
"Wooden Ring..."
Raon grasped Rimmer's sword, biting his lip slightly.
"So that was its name."
Until now, he had called it Rimmer's sword or the Leaf Sword, but its original name was apparently the Wooden Ring. It was just like Rimmer to leave without even telling him the sword's name.
"You didn't even know its name?"
Borgos tilted his head, finding it strange.
"Well, it wasn't originally my sword."
"Ah, right. Rimmer took it when he left..."
He sighed heavily, now understanding.
"I appreciate your offer, Master Borgos, but this sword isn't mine. It might be problematic."
Raon shook his head, saying they would need Sterin's permission.
"No, it'll be fine. I was the one maintaining the Wooden Ring sword when it was in Sepia."
Borgos snorted, saying he would have modified it long ago if he'd had enough materials.
"I even told Sterin I'd modify it. If you don't believe me, I'll send him a letter right now."
He pounded his chest with his fist, asking Raon to trust him.
"You can trust him."
Vulcan smirked at Borgos.
"Dwarves don't lie when it comes to smithing."
He wiggled his finger, telling Raon to give it a try.
"That's right. If he's been maintaining that sword, he should be able to handle it without much difficulty."
Kuberad nodded slowly, suggesting Raon should trust Borgos.
"Hmm."
After briefly licking his lips, Raon unfastened all three swords from his waist.
"Then I'll leave them in your care."
Saying he was counting on them, he handed the Heavenly Drive sword to Vulcan, the Blade of Requiem to Kuberad, and finally the Wooden Ring sword to Borgos.
"Just wait a bit. I'll forge it into a sword that can more firmly protect your goals."
Vulcan patted his own shoulder, telling Raon to look forward to it.
"I plan to adjust the Blade of Requiem so the vengeful spirits inside can move more freely. You should be able to control their power now."
Kuberad's eyes shone calmly as he said the Blade of Requiem would change quite a bit.
"I'll create a devilish weapon for you. One that can cut through anyone."
Borgos pressed his lips tightly, as if intending to imbue the sword with the emotions from his defeat by the Balrog. Though the three continental masters seemed evenly matched in skill, their forging methods were vastly different.
"Since it's come to this, why don't we have a bet?"
Borgos raised a finger.
"On who can create the most outstanding piece."
He shrugged, as if asking wouldn't it be fun.
"Refining a sword isn't about competing with others, but battling with oneself..."
"Not confident?"
Borgos rolled his eyes, as if taunting Kuberad.
"Who do you think you're talking to? I am Kuberad!"
Kuberad erased his calm expression and shouted. It seemed he too had been hiding a fiery side beneath his composure.
"Not bad."
Vulcan nodded approvingly.
"With the golden forge too, this should yield some interesting results."
He took out six golden forges and distributed two to each of them.
"The time limit is exactly one week. Is that alright?"
"Of course."
"That's more than enough."
The three continental masters gathered their necessary materials and dispersed to different workshops to begin their work immediately.
"...Are they really continental masters?"
Burren let out a sigh, seemingly bewildered by the childish behavior of the three masters.
"They looked like they were having fun..."
Runaan nodded, saying it was like watching children play together.
"That's all well and good, but when are they going to make our swords?"
Martha wrinkled her nose, as if wondering what would happen if all three focused on Raon's swords.
"There's no need to worry."
Palenthun shook his head.
"Now that they're competing, they'll keep trying to create better pieces."
He smiled, saying if they waited patiently, a flood of masterpiece weapons and equipment would follow.
"They'll be back out soon, so we should start sorting the materials first."
"You're right. Let's get moving quickly."
Palenthun and the village chief of Mirtan Village called for the craftsmen, saying they should start by dividing the materials. Perhaps because the leaders seemed friendly with each other, the craftsmen from Mirtan Village and the dwarves from the Gray Hammer Guild began working together to sort the materials as if they had known each other for years.
"Chief..."
Runaan approached the village chief of Mirtan Village, who was moving dragon bones and scales.
"Ah, Lady Runaan. It's been a while."
The chief bowed his head to Runaan, saying his greeting was late.
"Thank you for the sword. I've been using it well."
Runaan took out Snow Flower and showed it to him, bowing her head.
"I'm glad. You'll be able to use an even better sword soon."
The chief smiled, saying one of those three masters would surely forge her a superior sword.
"No."
Runaan shook her head.
"Pardon?"
"I want you to make it."
She said she didn't want to discard Snow Flower and asked him to modify it like Raon's swords.
"A-are you serious?"
The village chief of Mirtan Village stammered, seemingly dumbfounded.
"Those masters will forge you a legendary sword without you even asking. You want to entrust it to me?"
"Yes."
Runaan nodded without a moment's hesitation.
"...Please reconsider. I'm confident in my skills, but I'm not on their level."
The chief waved his hand, saying this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"This sword suits me perfectly. It even contains the same materials as Raon's."
Runaan shook her head, saying Snow Flower was also a pair with Raon's Heavenly Drive.
"A pair, huh..."
The chief nodded with a faint smile.
"Since the materials have been divided, I suppose we could see it that way. Alright."
He bit his lip as he looked at the dragon bone in his hand.
"I'll do my best not to fall behind those three."
The village chief of Mirtan Village nodded emphatically as he received Snow Flower from Runaan. The reddened look in his eyes revealed his determination to chase after the continental masters.
"Good. I too..."
As soon as he saw Runaan's decision, Dorian headed towards the Gray Hammer Guild craftsmen.
"Hello!"
"What is it?"
Palenthun looked up while holding a bone larger than his own body.
"I have a request for that person."
Dorian approached Borgos's disciple, who was moving dragon scales.
"M-me?"
Borgos's disciple blinked at Dorian.
"Please make my sword again this time!"
Dorian bowed deeply before Borgos's disciple.
"Ah..."
Borgos's disciple gaped, seemingly surprised by Dorian's request.
"No, I really lack the skill..."
He shook his head, saying he was far inferior to even the village chief of Mirtan Village.
"That's not true."
Dorian smiled faintly as he caressed his sword.
"I've seen and held many swords, but none fit me as well as this one."
He bowed again, asking him to make a sword that suited him this time too.
"Since you put it that way, I'll do my best."
Borgos's disciple said he was the one who should be grateful as he took Dorian's sword.
"Should I modify this sword too?"
Martha licked her lips as she drew her own sword.
"But I don't want to change it since it was a gift from Father."
She nodded, saying she wanted to keep using the gift Denier had given her personally.
"..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he watched Martha hugging her sword preciously.
'Come to think of it, Denier wasn't here today.'
Denier was away on a mission and couldn't be seen, but rather than feeling relieved, an uneasiness welled up inside him. It seemed he would continue to feel this ominous emotion until he knew for certain whether Denier was an ally or an enemy.
-Hey, you!
Wrath struck Raon's shoulder hard.
-We're not going to keep waiting here, are we?
'Of course we have to go back.'
Raon erased his uneasiness and smiled faintly.
'If we don't leave soon, my sister will hit me.'
* * *
Raon returned to Zieghart after asking them to contact him when the swords were ready.
-Damn it!
Wrath gnashed his teeth as he looked at the darkened annex building.
-After visiting that hot village, it's well past dinnertime! We've missed two proper meals!
He sniffled, saying they had missed both lunch and dinner.
-It's bedtime now, so there won't even be any leftovers...
Wrath rubbed his head furiously, saying he wanted to avoid resorting to Nadine bread.
'You don't have to eat that, you know?'
As Raon smiled and opened the door to the annex building, the aroma of various dishes that made one's mouth water wafted out.
"We heard you were coming and were preparing. You arrived at just the right time."
Helen waved her hand with a bright smile as she was moving food to the kitchen.
"Did Raon come?"
"Son, your timing is impeccable!"
Sylvia and Edgar came out of the dining room, waving their hands.
"Raon!"
Sia, who popped out from between the two, hugged him.
"Why are you so late!"
She pouted, saying her stomach had been rumbling constantly.
"I'm sorry."
Raon patted Sia's back, trying to soothe her.
"Let's go quickly! Mom and the sisters have prepared all the food!"
Led by Sia's hand into the dining room, Raon saw the table filled with steaming dishes.
-What, what, it's night, why are you just now having dinner....
Wrath opened his eyes wide, seemingly confused about why dinner was prepared at such a late hour.
'I asked Yua for a favor. I requested that dinner be prepared a bit later today.'
Raon waved to Yua, who was standing behind the table.
'Of course, I didn't expect it to be this lavish.'
-Huh...
Wrath's eyes trembled, as if he hadn't expected such preparations.
-Y-you actually made such arrangements.
"I also bought bead ice cream. Please eat it after the meal."
Helen waved her hand, saying she had selected various flavors.
-B-bead ice cream too?
'I promised, didn't I?'
-Ugh!
Wrath wiped his tears with his round back of hand and nodded.
-You've finally come to your senses!
He nodded vigorously, as if deeply moved.
-Very well! I'll now accept you as a demon!
Wrath stretched out his arms as if welcoming him.
'I don't need that at all...'
Raon let out a long sigh. It seemed Wrath was still prone to misunderstandings.
* * *
Three days later. Raon left the annex building wearing a reddish-black formal attire.
"Where are you going?"
Sia, who was swinging her sword in front of Edgar and Sylvia, tilted her head.
"I have a meeting."
"A meeting?"
"Yes. It's where important people gather."
He waved to Sia, who approached with what looked like small steps but were actually large strides.
"Is it the grand conference?"
"I wonder what's happening for a sudden meeting to be called..."
Edgar and Sylvia furrowed their brows, looking worried.
"I don't know what it's about either, but it seems important."
Two days ago, he had received a notice to attend a meeting at noon today. Since all of Zieghart's executives were gathering, it seemed to be a significant agenda.
-Tsk!
Wrath clicked his tongue as he perched on Raon's shoulder.
-We should be out exploring delicious restaurants at this hour! Sadly, we'll have to eat at the old man's place today.
Despite his words of disappointment, he licked his lips at length, as if looking forward to it. From gourmet dishes to street snacks, there wasn't a food he disliked. It's puzzling why he became the Monarch of Wrath instead of Gluttony.
"Can I come too?"
Sia tilted her head, as if wanting to go as well.
"It'll be boring. You just have to sit still."
"Ugh, then I don't want to..."
"Let's play when I get back."
Raon patted Sia's head, promising to play with her later.
"Don't worry about things here, focus on your work."
"That's right. We'll take care of Sia."
Sylvia waved her hand with a smile, and Edgar chuckled while scratching his head. Just watching them warmed his heart. Now it felt like a perfectly happy family without any wrinkles.
"Then I'll be going."
Raon left the annex building with a gentle smile and headed towards the main building. On the way to the Lord's Manor, he encountered many swordsmen, all of whom bowed their heads with tense expressions.
-Hmm...
Wrath nodded briefly as he watched the swordsmen bowing deeply.
-You used to only receive curses, but you've grown a lot. You've finally developed the spirit befitting this king's vessel.
He nodded, saying he was pleased.
'You still haven't given up?'
Raon tilted his head as he looked at Wrath, who wore a serious expression.
-This king knows no surrender! Someday, at some point, I will devour your flesh!
Wrath shook his head, saying he couldn't just leave the ability points and traits he had invested in his body.
'For someone who says that, you haven't been picking fights or pouncing on me lately.'
-S-silence! This king is simply biding his time! Like a cheetah. Yes, like a cheetah that catches up even when chasing from behind...
'I see. If you say so.'
Raon teased Wrath as he entered the Lord's Manor. The iron doors of the audience chamber, which were intimidating just to look at, were wide open, and inside, the executives were lined up in their positions.
"Hey! Nephew!"
Balder, who was leaning against a pillar, raised his voice as if shouting.
"..."
Karoon had his eyes closed with his arms folded, as if uninterested.
"Come over here!"
Balder wiggled his finger, gesturing for Raon to stand next to him.
"I'm sorry, but that's not my place yet."
Raon shook his head, saying he couldn't go to the Palace Master's position.
"Hmm, I don't think that's the case anymore?"
Balder licked his lips, saying it should be fine to come over a bit early.
"It's still far off."
After politely declining, he stood in his usual spot and waited for Glenn to appear. When all the executives, except those away on missions, had entered the audience chamber, the inner room opened and Glenn, Roenn, and Sheryl emerged.
"We greet the Head of House!"
Following Karoon's greeting, all the executives in the audience chamber knelt and bowed their heads.
"..."
Unlike usual, Glenn ascended the dais with heavy steps without telling them to rise. He didn't sit on the throne but stood at the edge of the dais and jerked his chin.
"Rise."
"Yes!"
Only after hearing the quiet command to rise did the executives in the audience chamber lift their heads and straighten their backs. Their faces showed a tension different from usual.
Glenn spread an aura that seemed to weigh down on their shoulders as he looked down at Zieghart's executives. It felt like they had returned to the time 20 years ago when he only exuded coldness.
"The agenda for this grand conference is..."
Glenn's dry gaze turned to Raon, who was standing on the right.
"The promotion of the Light Wind division."
He lowered his chin, saying that was the most important agenda for this grand conference.
"Pardon...?"
Raon stared at Glenn with wide eyes. He had thought it was an important matter, but he hadn't considered at all that it would be about himself.
"I will speak from here on."
Chad, the Shadow Agents' Leader standing below Glenn, bowed his head.
"Since reaching Transcendence, the Light Wind Division Leader has thwarted Derus Robert's schemes, rescued Alice Zieghart, and prevented the attack of ancient dragons in Sepia..."
Chad recited one by one the achievements that Raon and the Light Wind division had accomplished.
"...Therefore, the Shadow Agents recognize that the Light Wind division has accumulated sufficient achievements to be promoted to the Light Wind Palace."
He nodded calmly, saying it was an accomplishment that anyone would have to acknowledge.
"If anyone has any objections, please raise your hand."
Chad jerked his chin, telling those who opposed to raise their hands.
"Hmm."
"It seems a bit early, but..."
"There's no reason to object."
"Looking at the achievements, it might even be overdue."
None of the executives raised their hands. Most of them had expressions that suggested this was expected.
"Since there are no objections, we will proceed as..."
"I object."
At the cold voice, everyone's gaze turned to the far right. Karoon's hand was raised as he stood by the pillar closest to the dais.
"Karoon...?"
Glenn lowered his eyebrows deeply, as if dumbfounded.
"Have you finally gone mad? You're the one who called for this meeting!"
Balder furrowed his brow deeply as he twirled his finger at Karoon's forehead.
"Did you suddenly develop dementia!"