'I can finally feel it now.'
Raon closed his eyes as he placed his hands on the hilts of the Heavenly Drive and the Wooden Ring Sword.
'The fact that I've grown stronger.'
He could feel the swordsmanship insights gained from Darkan's mental world melting into his soul. Though not a massive improvement, he felt confident he could now display a different level of swordsmanship than before.
"I was very worried when coming here..."
Rector lowered his hands as he looked at him.
"I'm glad everything worked out well."
He let out a heavy sigh, as if finally feeling relieved.
"It's all thanks to you, grandfather. Thank you."
Raon bowed his head to Rector.
"It wasn't because of me, you accomplished everything on your own."
Rector waved both hands as if dismissing his own contribution.
"I couldn't properly protect you from Darkan, nor could I properly convey my message."
He clenched and unclenched his fist, saying he had only watched from the sidelines.
"That's absolutely not true."
Raon shook his head firmly.
"If you hadn't told us about the Five Demons' conference, we would have started a war with the White Blood Religion and suffered a major defeat. Just preventing that alone makes you a benefactor not just to me, but to all Five Kings."
Though Rector couldn't hastily reveal information about the Five Demons due to his position, it wasn't an exaggeration to say his information had saved all of the Five Kings.
"Moreover, if you hadn't helped find Darkan, I wouldn't have been able to persuade him, and I wouldn't have gotten stronger."
They were able to find Darkan because the search started from the Holy Sword Alliance's Holy Ground; if they had started searching from Zieghart, they wouldn't have gotten his information until after the war.
"Hmm..."
Rector let out a soft groan, seemingly moved by Raon's words.
"And finally..."
Raon smiled gently as he looked at Rector, who was still clenching his fist.
"You were watching over me from beginning to end."
"You... knew?"
Rector's eyes widened in surprise.
"Yes. Though you tried to hide it, I could see it in your expression."
Raon nodded calmly.
"That you were preparing to check Darkan and protect me."
Since arriving in the Kingdom of Oscott, Rector had never let his guard down, ready to stop any sudden moves from Darkan. He had always been prepared to sacrifice his life for Raon.
"Huh..."
Rector let out a breath, seemingly unaware that his intentions had been noticed.
"How embarrassing."
He leaned against the old wall with a faint smile, appearing both embarrassed and drained.
-You seem to be quite popular with the elderly.
Wrath lowered his chin briefly, as if he too understood Rector's feelings.
-Thanks to this, that old man will gain something from this experience too.
'Gain something?'
-Though he might not notice it now as he's relaxed, that old man will be able to grow a bit more.
He smacked his lips, saying he could sense growth in Rector's soul and martial prowess.
'Really? That's good.'
He had felt a bit disappointed about getting stronger alone, but hearing that Rector would also grow stronger brought an unconscious smile to his face.
"We should head back now."
Rector exhaled roughly as if all his accumulated fatigue had suddenly hit him.
"Yes, you need to rest too, grandfather."
Raon nodded as he supported Rector by the shoulder.
"I certainly am getting old, aren't I."
Rector lowered his eyebrows, unable to deny it.
"Thank you, grandfather."
"Family doesn't need such words."
Rector waved his hand dismissively.
"Then..."
Raon let out a refreshing laugh as he carried Rector on his back.
"Please continue watching over me. The path I'll take."
"Yes. That's much better."
Rector nodded heavily, promising to look after him and Sia until his dying day.
"Then you'll have to live a very long time. Unlike me, my sister has so many things she wants to do."
Raon listed one by one the things Sia wanted to do as they left the weathered alley. Behind the footsteps of grandfather and grandson, clear laughter bloomed instead of dark shadows.
***
From the palace spire overlooking the Kingdom of Oscott, Darkan stood at its peak where sharp winds blew, watching Raon and Rector leave the kingdom.
"Raon Zieghart..."
From the first time he saw Raon, he knew the boy had extraordinary talent. However, Raon always transcended even that talent, producing results that exceeded his predictions.
'The first time was when he killed my disciple.'
At that time, Cloud was a Grandmaster and Raon was a Master, so he naturally thought Cloud could capture him. But what awaited him was only the death of his disciple, without even a trace left behind.
'That was just the beginning.'
Whether it was meeting him at the Holy Sword Alliance's Holy Ground, hearing about him destroying the Black Tower and slaying its master, or receiving news of him killing The Fallen alongside the Mage Tower Master - each time, Darkan was astonished by Raon's accomplishments.
'Though not as much as this time...'
When he was frustrated because his life as a beggar wasn't going as planned, Raon appeared and gave him exactly the advice he needed. At first, his pride made him reluctant to listen, but after sensing the sincerity in Raon's eyes, he decided to give it a try.
'The results were more satisfying than I expected.'
Despite being at a lower level, Raon recognized his condition and provided the most appropriate guidance. Thanks to that, he experienced more of human life and gained martial arts insights.
Moreover, it established a roadmap for how to live and act going forward. Though he passed it off lightly, it wouldn't be strange to call Raon his benefactor.
'Of course, the most surprising thing was the Soul Sword.'
Even if he borrowed the power of artifacts, the fact that such a young novice could wield the Soul Sword was more shocking than anything else.
"How interesting."
Darkan curved his lips upward as he watched Raon leave the palace grounds.
'Now it's satisfying enough just to see the present, without needing to look to the future.'
The Raon he encountered in the mental world was a sword-obsessed monster beyond his imagination. It wouldn't be long before he reached the same level where Darkan stood.
"So this is happiness."
Glenn Zieghart waiting above, and Raon Zieghart pursuing from below. He could barely contain his joy at having two opponents capable of satisfying him.
"Ah!"
Darkan furrowed his brows while thinking of Raon and Glenn.
"Before that, there's someone I need to fight first."
Derus Robert. If he had become strong enough that Rector couldn't sense his aura, he was definitely not an opponent to be taken lightly.
'I should prepare.'
For an enjoyable fight. Though he had gained enlightenment, his body and mind were somewhat damaged from living as a beggar for so long. Since he didn't know when the duel with Derus would begin, he needed to prepare in advance.
"Derus Robert, Raon Zieghart, and Glenn Zieghart..."
Darkan muttered the three names as he strode across the darkening sky.
"Who will be the grim reaper to cut my throat?"
He curved his lips into a long smile, as if looking forward to that day.
***
Raon returned directly to Zieghart and went to find Glenn.
"Greetings, Head of House!"
As soon as he entered the audience chamber, he knelt before Glenn, who stood on the platform.
-Wow, look at how worn the floor is...
Wrath let out a breath as he noticed how deeply worn the floor was beneath Glenn's feet.
-That old man must have been pacing all day again.
He shook his head, calling him a stubborn old man.
"Well. Did everything go well?"
Glenn's voice trembled as he examined Raon's entire body with concern.
"Yes. Fortunately, I was able to complete the task without any problems."
Raon smiled brightly as he reported his success.
"You, you completed it?"
Glenn's jaw trembled as if he couldn't comprehend it no matter how much he thought about it.
"I didn't stop you because you were going with your grandfather, but Darkan is absolutely not an opponent to be taken lightly..."
He let out a breath, admitting he had honestly expected them to return in failure.
"I don't understand either. Did Darkan really agree to our request?"
Sheryl's jaw dropped in amazement.
"You really are different, Lord Raon."
Roenn laughed heartily, as if he had believed in Raon because of their recent mission together.
"He's not an easy opponent, but in a way, he's also easier to deal with than anyone else."
Raon smiled slightly, remembering Darkan as the awkward beggar.
"And he was someone we needed to persuade by any means necessary for our plan to succeed."
"Could you tell us what happened?"
Glenn clasped his hands in front of his knees, showing genuine curiosity.
"Yes. I'll tell you from the beginning. As you all know, after hearing about the Five Demons' conference from Lord Rector..."
Raon nodded and recounted everything that had happened in the Kingdom of Oscott, one by one.
"...And so, after gaining Darkan's acknowledgment and receiving his firm promise to stop Derus, I returned."
"Ha, ahahahahaha!"
Sheryl couldn't hold back, clutching her stomach as she burst into laughter.
"Not only was Darkan acting as a beggar, but he got slapped by you?"
She couldn't stop laughing for a while, seemingly picturing Darkan's face.
"Hohohoho!"
Roenn also let out an excited exclamation, his laughter two tones higher than usual.
"A beggar and a beggar's teacher, what a completely different approach than what I imagined! As expected of Lord Raon!"
He shook his head, expressing regret at not having seen it personally.
"Hmmmm..."
Glenn also covered his mouth with a rough groan, as if unable to suppress his rising laughter.
"How did you come up with such an idea?"
"It wasn't an act intended to win Darkan's heart from the start. I just couldn't stand watching him pretend to be a beggar so poorly."
Raon frowned, saying he couldn't stand it out of irritation.
"It just happened to work well. I was lucky."
"Darkan is no fool. It worked because you were sincere."
Glenn nodded heavily in approval.
"You always come up with new solutions. Well done."
He praised Raon's actions with sincere words. Just hearing those warm words and his voice was enough to relieve his fatigue.
"Moreover..."
Glenn curved his lips upward as he looked into his eyes.
"You've returned having grown as a swordsman too. It seems the day you'll be able to use the Soul Sword with your power alone isn't far off."
"Yes. Fighting within Darkan's mental world seems to have helped."
Raon looked at the Heavenly Drive as he mentioned this unexpected benefit.
"A Soul Sword that draws others' souls into one's mental world. That's just like Darkan."
Glenn narrowed his eyes, saying it was something he couldn't do.
"Raon. You might want to consider a different direction too."
He tilted his chin while looking at him.
"Instead of just following my path with a Soul Sword that kills, it might be good to think about a Soul Sword that only you can create."
Glenn advised him to try creating a Soul Sword like Darkan had.
"I understand."
Raon bowed his head to Glenn, saying he would think about it.
"However..."
Evelyn furrowed her brows as she looked behind the communication device.
"Is the magicians' conference over?"
"Yes. They reached an agreement quite dramatically."
Glenn's lips trembled as if it had been frightening to be in the audience chamber during the conference.
"Th-then when will the magic be completed?"
His tongue trembled unconsciously because the completion of the magic was the most important thing.
"They say it will take two months for completion, improvement, and practical application. In other words, in two months..."
Glenn raised two straight fingers as his eyes flashed coldly.
"We strike the White Blood Religion."
***
As soon as Raon heard it would take two months for the magic to be completed, he headed straight to the fifth training ground. Since it was just past noon, all the Light Wind Palace swordsmen were gathered there.
-Hmm.
Wrath let out a small exclamation as he looked at the swordsmen from above the wall.
-Even though they just had lunch, their concentration isn't bad.
'Indeed. They're training more properly than I expected.'
Despite having just eaten lunch when maintaining focus would be difficult, the swordsmen were engaged in group training without the slightest wavering. Seeing them in such a state even though he had been gone for over ten days, it seemed there might be no need to interfere with their training.
-Really? Are you really not going to touch them?
Wrath widened his eyes in surprise.
'Yes. Is what I'd like to say but...'
Raon shook his head with a cold smile.
'This time is an exception.' (E/N: Every time is an exception)
With the war against the White Blood Religion coming in two months, he needed to thoroughly crush them through training to save as many lives as possible.
-C-crush them...
Wrath rolled his eyes as if questioning whether that word was appropriate for his subordinates.
'Ah, my mistake. Not crush them, but kill them - that's how they'll stay alert in real battle. Of course, I won't say this to their faces.' (E/N: that's better?)
He planned to treat them calmly in person, since they might run away if he pressed them too hard during these two months.
'Well then, shall we go?'
Raon gently opened the door and entered the fifth training ground.
"Huh? Palace Master!"
"When did you arrive?"
"Raon...!"
Burren, Martha, and Runaan were the first to notice his presence, their eyes widening in surprise.
"P-Palace Master! We missed you!"
"You're early- no, you're late!"
Krein and Dorian's cheeks trembled as soon as they saw him, as if thinking about the training to come.
"You've come."
"You're late. I was looking forward to your training."
Mark Goetun and Trevin nodded calmly, as if they had genuinely been waiting.
"Greetings, Palace Master!"
"Everyone to the platform."
Raon gestured to the greeting Light Wind Palace swordsmen and climbed onto the platform.
"While I was away on my personal mission, there were changes internally as well."
Raon rubbed his chin as he looked down at the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"The date for war has been set."
He clenched his fist as he announced that the war with the White Blood Religion would soon begin.
"Finally..."
Martha gripped her sword until her hand bled, saying she had been waiting only for this moment.
"Hmm..."
"Miss Rakshasa..."
Burren and Runaan bit their lips as if sensing Martha's determination right beside them.
"This war is likely to take the form of a siege where we must attack the White Blood Religion Headquarters first. Since it's dangerous in our current state, I hope you'll give your all to training during the remaining two months."
Raon struck his chest with his right hand as he made this request.
"Hmm..."
"Um, I'm more scared of the training than the war?"
"Me too. What kind of treatment awaits us this time..."
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen nervously swallowed hard, seemingly intimidated by his presence.
"Don't worry too much. I know better than anyone that you wouldn't survive if I trained you too hard for two months."
Raon gave a subtle smile as he looked at the worried Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
'As expected, some might run away if I say I'm going to kill them with training, so I should be careful with my words.'
If he announced two months of hell training, not just one, it would cause more chaos than the war itself, so it seemed better to speak softly as he had planned before entering.
'It would be better to say "let's do our best."'
-The poor kids...
Wrath shook his head repeatedly, saying he could see the future of the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
"For the next two months..."
Raon nodded as he looked at the Light Wind Palace with a serious gaze.
'Let's do our best together.'
"I'll kill you all."
He curved his lips upward and tilted his chin.
"What?"
"Uh..."
"Hick!"
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen couldn't even think of speaking as they stared with wide eyes.
"Hmm?"
Raon tilted his head as he looked at the now-silent Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
-Hey...
Wrath's jaw trembled in disbelief.
-You crazy fool! You just said out loud what you were supposed to keep in your head!
He slapped his forehead as if wondering if Raon had really lost his mind.
"Ah..."
Raon finally realized why the Light Wind Palace swordsmen's expressions had frozen and blinked his eyes.
"Well, nothing to be done now. Since it's come to this..."
-Oh? Can you fix this situation?
Wrath let out a breath, as if looking forward to his solution.
"Let's just die!"
Raon bared his white teeth as he roughly stirred up the fighting spirit he had been hiding inside.
"No, I'll kill you!"
-You...
Wrath shook his chin as he looked at Raon with cold eyes.
-You've been infected by that sword-obsessed maniac!
Why have you become such a brute!