"Hah..."
Raon slowly turned his gaze as if time had stopped. The man holding the blue sword had such a cold appearance that he wouldn't blink even if he killed thousands, yet his eyes were as warm as spring flowers. In contrast, the woman wielding the red sword was a beautiful lady with a gentle demeanor, yet she gave off an inexplicably chilling aura.
Adding to that, seeing the Gold Dragon taking a half-bath behind these two gave him a headache.
'What's with this peculiar combination?'
Upon seeing the frost-imbued sword technique and the flame-infused blade strike, he had expected to find the reclusive Blade Queen and Warlord here. However, he never imagined that these two would be having a marital dispute, nor that the Gold Dragon would be redirecting their aura to the Sturin Mountain.
"How many times do I have to say it! This isn't a marital dispute!"
The Blade Queen roared at the Gold Dragon with a battle cry.
"It's just a duel to fulfill our sect's wishes!"
She roughly swung her sword-wielding hand, telling him to stop talking nonsense.
"Those words are correct."
The Warlord nodded with a cold voice.
"This fight is a sacred duel containing a thousand years of history. Do not interfere."
He shook his head, indicating it had nothing to do with them being married.
"Today I shall make you kneel and take your sword and techniques!"
The Blade Queen lightly bit her red lips, determined to win at all costs.
"That's my line."
The Warlord coldly shook his head while emanating an icy aura.
'Are they really married?'
Raon's shoulders trembled as he felt the killing intent and fighting spirit rising between the Blade Queen and Warlord.
'They seem more like mortal enemies.'
The Dragon had said they were married, but judging by their intensity, they looked like sworn enemies facing each other.
"Here I come!"
"Bring it on."
Just as the Blade Queen and Warlord raised their swords to fight again—
[Um...]
The Gold Dragon's eyes fell on Raon, who had emerged from the dimensional gate.
[There's a strange human here?]
At his perplexed voice, the Blade Queen and Warlord turned their heads simultaneously.
"A handsome man!"
"A master?"
The Blade Queen's eyes sparkled as if purified by the sight, while the Warlord narrowed his eyes like blade edges in wariness. Both had been so focused on each other that they hadn't noticed Raon's arrival.
"Greetings to Senior Blade Queen and Senior Warlord."
Raon bowed his head first to the Blade Queen and Warlord.
-Huh?
Wrath widened his eyes as if he hadn't expected this at all.
-I thought you'd fight right away, why are you crawling in!
He thrust out his fist, urging to draw the sword and charge in as usual.
'I think a different approach would be better.'
Raon drew a thin smile while keeping his head bowed.
-A different approach?
'You'll understand if you keep watching.'
He waved his finger, telling him not to worry.
"You know who we are?"
The Blade Queen lowered her sword. Friendliness bloomed in her eyes.
"Senior Warlord who wields the Sword of Cold Severity and Senior Blade Queen who possesses the Blade of Scorching Heat are still idols to the martial artists of the continent."
Raon deeply bowed his waist while mentioning their titles.
"Wow, you still remember us?"
The Blade Queen opened her eyes wide in amazement.
"Even though decades have passed since we left the continent?"
She elbowed the Warlord, asking if it wasn't surprising.
"Who are you?"
The Warlord revealed an even colder gaze, not letting go of his suspicion despite Raon's flattery.
"Why are you getting angry at a child! He's young enough to be our grandson!"
The Blade Queen wrinkled her nose at the Warlord.
"He's always been like that, don't mind him. How did you come here?"
She approached Raon, telling him not to be afraid.
"Don't get close."
The Warlord raised his arm to block the Blade Queen's path.
"He could be dangerous. He possesses martial prowess impossible for his age."
He pressed his lips tightly, seemingly tense after sensing Raon's martial prowess.
"I know. But..."
The Blade Queen shook her head while pushing away the Warlord's arm.
"This peerless beauty doesn't have any ill intent toward us!"
She approached Raon again, saying it would be fine.
"What's your name?"
The Blade Queen nodded, encouraging him to speak. Despite appearing as young as herself, her voice carried a grandmother-like kindness.
"I am Raon Zieghart, Senior."
Raon honestly revealed his name.
"Raon Zieghart...? Ah! I've heard of you!"
The Blade Queen clapped her hands together.
"You're the direct lineage of Zieghart who received the title of Sword Emperor! Sword Emperor Raon Zieghart!"
She nodded vigorously as if she knew all about him.
"Golden hair and red eyes. And even the Zieghart crest matches!"
The Blade Queen burst into hearty laughter, saying it was just as she had heard.
"Though both your appearance and martial prowess far exceed the rumors?"
She clicked her tongue, expressing shock at Raon's appearance and martial prowess.
"...You're Sword Emperor Raon Zieghart?"
The Warlord's sharp eyes widened in surprise.
"It's an undeserved title."
Raon carefully lowered his gaze, showing respect and humility.
"No, you're more than worthy of it!"
The Blade Queen firmly shook her head.
"Honestly, I thought the continent had gone mad giving the title of Sword Emperor to a kid barely past twenty, but I was wrong. They chose perfectly!"
She clapped her hands, saying his martial prowess was undeniable.
"Don't you agree?"
The Blade Queen jerked her chin at the Warlord.
"It's already amazing that he possesses both flame and frost, but he's achieved an unbelievable mastery of both."
The Warlord furrowed his brows as if he had already assessed Raon's aura. Though his expression didn't show much, he seemed astounded.
"Your martial prowess befits your title."
He nodded quietly, his wariness seeming to fade at the name Zieghart and the title Sword Emperor.
[So this human is the Sword Emperor.]
The Gold Dragon scratched his nose while looking at Raon.
[The Lord sent a message to avoid him if possible. It makes sense now.]
He stepped back, saying it had been a while since he'd met a human who made him lose all desire to fight.
"I'm honored that you seniors knew of me."
Raon clasped his hands together, expressing his deep gratitude.
"We occasionally visit villages while traveling the continent. Most rumors were about you."
The Blade Queen laughed, saying that in every village they visited, they only heard stories about the Sword Emperor and Zieghart.
"I was getting tired of hearing that name, but now that I see you in person, I understand."
The Warlord let out a thin exclamation, still amazed by Raon's martial prowess.
"The Destructive King of the North has raised a monster greater than himself."
He muttered words that would make Glenn's legs shake enough to cause an earthquake if he heard them.
"You praise me too much. However..."
Raon slightly furrowed his brows while looking around.
"Why are you two here with the Gold Dragon?"
He was standing on a flat glacier with a small hut, and he couldn't understand why the Blade Queen and Warlord were fighting on this glacier floating in the middle of the Northern Sea.
"We have a mission."
The Blade Queen ground her teeth while looking at the Warlord.
"A mission more important than life itself—to defeat the other and steal their weapon and martial arts."
She nodded, saying it was a mission given to both her sect and the Warlord's sect.
"Why do you have such a cruel mission?"
"We were originally one sect, but became mortal enemies."
The Warlord calmly dusted his hands, saying that was all there was to it.
"Then are you two really married?"
Raon brought up the word 'married' while looking at the Blade Queen and Warlord in turn.
"That's right!"
"Correct."
The Blade Queen and Warlord answered simultaneously for the first time.
"How did mortal enemies end up married?"
"..."
The Warlord closed his eyes in embarrassment without saying a word.
"After fighting him since we were 10, I grew fond of him. I made the first move. And..."
The Blade Queen muttered about being young then while turning her gaze behind her.
"That meddlesome dragon played matchmaker."
She laughed, saying they might as well have gotten married thanks to the Gold Dragon.
"Marriage between enemies and the Gold Dragon as matchmaker..."
Raon let out a sigh while looking at the Blade Queen, Warlord, and Gold Dragon in turn.
'This makes even less sense now?'
-They really are crazy...
"Even though we became married, we kept fighting while traveling the continent because we still hadn't fulfilled our mission."
The Blade Queen shrugged her shoulders, saying she was still fighting the Warlord with all her might.
"Though we formed a marital bond, the mission is a separate matter."
The Warlord nodded as if sharing the same thought as the Blade Queen.
"It's just that this place is too narrow, so that fellow is redirecting our sword strikes to explode elsewhere."
The Blade Queen laughed, saying they could fight anywhere thanks to the Gold Dragon.
"I'm curious about many things."
Raon let out a dry laugh. He was very curious about their sects, mission, and relationship with the Gold Dragon. He was particularly interested in how the matchmaking had led mortal enemies to marriage.
"Even a week wouldn't be enough to tell our whole story."
She smiled brightly, suggesting she'd tell him later.
"How did you come here?"
The Warlord narrowed his eyes at Raon. He crossed his arms as if he wouldn't move until he heard the story.
"Haah..."
Raon didn't speak immediately, letting out a long sigh.
"This is quite difficult to explain."
He muttered that it wasn't easy to speak about and lowered his gaze.
"What's wrong? Just tell us!"
The Blade Queen approached Raon, saying she would listen to anything.
"..."
The Warlord also fixed his gaze on Raon while lowering his sword, seemingly focused.
"The truth is..."
Raon slightly bit his lip while looking at the Blade Queen and Warlord.
"I came here to catch some villains."
"Villains?"
The Blade Queen's eyes widened as if she hadn't expected that.
"Yes. I've crossed dimensions with firm resolve to cut down the villains who have endlessly tormented my friend and caused suffering to countless people."
Raon clenched his fist, his eyes filled with desperate determination.
"Who are these villains?"
The Warlord placed his hand on his sword as if ready to cut down these villains himself.
"..."
Raon silently stared at the Blade Queen and Warlord.
"Hm? Why aren't you speaking?"
"..."
The Blade Queen and Warlord blinked at each other in confusion.
[In my opinion...]
The Gold Dragon squinted while looking down at the Blade Queen and Warlord.
[He seems to be talking about you two? And me as well.]
He nodded while pointing at himself with his thick finger.
"I-is that right? It's really us?"
"We're the villains?"
The Blade Queen and Warlord gaped as if it made no sense.
"Though I've killed many people, they were all villains! I've never killed a good person!"
The Blade Queen beat her chest with her fist, confident in this point.
"Same here. I've beheaded many villains, but I've never committed an evil act."
The Warlord shook his head, saying he'd never done anything he would regret.
"It would be faster to show you rather than tell you."
Raon let out a heavy sigh and turned to look at the dimensional gate.
"Evelyn. Show them the situation there."
[Got it!]
With Evelyn's clear voice, the dimensional gate split wide open and began showing scenes from elsewhere. In the screen flickering with blue light, the view of Sturin Mountain collapsing under the Blade Queen and Warlord's aura appeared.
"When your sword strikes exploded there and shook Sturin Mountain, the monsters living in the mountain fled in terror to Habun Castle."
The moment Raon mentioned Habun Castle, the screen began showing the castle.
"Ugh!"
"T-this is too hard..."
"These monsters are endless..."
Scenes appeared showing injured knights and rangers of Habun Castle groaning in pain, burning monster corpses, and burying human bodies.
"As the grueling battles continued for a long time, casualties increased, and the castle lord was wracked with worry."
Raon clutched his head, erasing Milland's words about enjoying the fight after so long, and instead saying how much he had aged from the strain.
"I-I had no idea this was happening..."
"Hmm..."
The Blade Queen and Warlord's jaws trembled as if they hadn't imagined this at all.
"You may not know, but Habun Castle was peaceful for a while. It was all thanks to my friend."
Raon continued speaking with a low groan.
"My friend took on the difficult and lonely role of controlling the monsters while staying at the cold peak of Sturin Mountain. But being in such a cold place meant they were always short on sleep. And now my friend..."
He pressed his lips so hard they nearly bled.
"Because of your auras, they can't even sleep properly and are still struggling."
Raon grabbed the bridge of his nose, saying it was truly sad.
"Hey! That's too much! Sturin Mountain is right in front of the Northern Sea! Who could live there..."
The Blade Queen waved her hand, saying it was too exaggerated to be true.
"Evelyn."
As Raon snapped his fingers, the screen changed to show the peak of Sturin Mountain.
"Hauuu..."
Sloth was sleeping with just his face peeking out from under the blanket, breathing faintly. His face was pale with dark circles reaching his cheeks, showing how exhausted he was.
"Kuuuu..."
Though Dorian was actually trembling in fear of Sloth, in this scene he appeared to be crying while trying to endure the cold and sleepiness.
"You see? What butterfly effect your battle has caused."
Raon let out a heavy sigh while looking at the Blade Queen and Warlord.
"That's why I came here to catch the villains responsible for this. Of course, I didn't know it would be you two..."
He ground his molars, saying he didn't know what to do.
"No, th-that..."
"We have nothing to say."
Both the straightforward Blade Queen and the thoughtful Warlord could only hang their heads, unable to continue speaking.
"I came prepared to fight anyone here with my life on the line, but against such respected seniors! I don't have the confidence to raise my sword against the Blade Queen and Warlord who have carved their names in history through good deeds and great achievements."
Raon lowered his hand holding the Heavenly Drive, saying he couldn't fight those he respected.
"However, I don't know how to resolve this situation."
He hung his head low, muttering that there really seemed to be no solution.
"No! I'll resolve it! I'll do anything!"
"We caused this, so we'll take responsibility!"
The emotional Blade Queen roared while stamping her feet, and even the cool-headed Warlord rushed toward him with a reddened face.
"Really..."
Raon slightly raised his head and looked into the eyes of the Blade Queen and Warlord.
"You can do anything?"
"Of course!"
"Of course."
The couple nodded simultaneously, true to their married nature.
-Moving things along again...
Wrath's jaw trembled as he watched Raon hiding a smile behind his expressionless face.
-The greatest silver tongue across dimensions!