"Both sea salt and rock salt come in different varieties. There's red salt, blue salt, and yellow salt."
Dorian, seeming pleased with Gluttony's words, pulled more salts from his pouch. As he said, they were similar in form but different in color.
"Ooh..."
Gluttony, rarely showing such amazement, carefully examined the salt Dorian had taken out.
"Why are the salts different colors?"
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the bottle containing red salt.
"It's because of the type and amount of impurities in the salt. This black salt here turned dark because of volcanic impurities."
Dorian immediately provided an answer, showing that he not only possessed the salts but also knew everything about them.
-Is it safe to eat salt containing volcanic impurities?
Wrath cast a suspicious glance at Dorian.
-Not everyone has a stomach like lava like that glutton.
He patted his shoulder, suggesting to make sure since it might cause an upset stomach.
'Are you actually worried about me?'
Raon looked at Wrath, feeling slightly touched.
-No, if your stomach hurts, you won't be able to eat for a while! Stop talking nonsense and just ask!
Wrath tilted his head as if wondering what nonsense this was.
'Sigh...'
Raon looked at Wrath with exasperated eyes before letting out a sigh.
"Dorian. Is it okay to eat salt with volcanic impurities?"
He asked Dorian, borrowing Wrath's exact words.
"It's such a small amount that it won't harm the body, and since it's charcoal, it's fine."
Dorian nodded while personally taking some salt and eating it.
"Impurities..."
Gluttony started tasting the salt grains one by one like Dorian, searching for her preferred flavor.
"None of them are bad."
She smacked her lips, seeming to like all the salts.
"Please try this one too."
Dorian, seemingly no longer afraid of Gluttony, moved closer and took out some pink salt.
"This is rock salt from North Grave Mountain. It has a clean taste unlike typical salt!"
Dorian confidently placed the salt in Gluttony's palm.
"There's salt in North Grave Mountain? No, even if there is, how did you get it?"
Raon blinked while looking at Dorian.
"Because it's essential!"
Dorian smiled brightly while muttering his usual phrase.
-Instead of resting on his days off, isn't that guy going around looking for supplies?
'I knew that. But I didn't know he was crazy enough to go all the way to North Grave Mountain to get salt.'
Everyone in the Light Wind Palace knew that Dorian went around collecting supplies whenever he had the chance. But they didn't know his obsession was strong enough to go to North Grave Mountain for salt. That was almost at the level of compulsion.
"Hmm."
Gluttony, her fondness for Dorian seemingly increasing rapidly, nodded and ate the pink salt.
"I like this."
She waved her hand, indicating that among all the salts, she liked the rock salt from North Grave Mountain the best.
"I'll try it with this."
Gluttony sprinkled the North Grave Mountain rock salt on the bead ice cream before putting it in her mouth.
"Mmm..."
She slowly chewed with her eyes closed, as if deeply savoring the taste.
"Ah!"
Gluttony exclaimed as she opened her eyes.
"Delicious. This is a taste I've never experienced before."
Her red eyes sparkled like shooting stars, seeming genuinely impressed.
"I'm so glad!"
Dorian drew a deep smile, seeming even more satisfied than Gluttony herself.
"I want more."
Gluttony, seemingly most pleased with the current taste, started eating the bead ice cream while sprinkling the pink salt.
-Heh...
Wrath couldn't take his eyes off Gluttony's expression and the bead ice cream going into her mouth, drooling continuously.
-I, I want to eat that too! It's a flavor you can't find in ice cream shops!
He grabbed his head and shook it, expressing his immediate desire for bead ice cream.
'I'm curious too.'
Raon pushed Wrath aside while licking his lips.
'After all, this is the first bead ice cream made here.'
Having watched the creation process from the beginning, and seeing Gluttony's ecstatic expression, even he, who didn't have much of an appetite, started feeling drawn to it.
"Can I have one too?"
Raon reached out his hand to Dorian.
"Ah, yes!"
Dorian smiled brightly as he sprinkled North Grave Mountain salt on a vanilla bead ice cream and held it out.
"Thanks."
Raon nodded to Dorian and put the ice cream in his mouth. The initial saltiness from the salt coating the ice cream's surface was overwhelming, but soon the saltiness faded and the ice cream's sweetness spread across his entire tongue.
The harmony of salty and sweet. The two intense flavors took turns spreading their presence across his tongue, as if toying with his taste buds.
Perhaps due to the clean taste of the North Grave Mountain rock salt, there was no unpleasantness at all, only a desire welling up in his chest to keep eating. It was a fantastic taste beyond mere stimulation.
-Whoa...
Wrath seemed to feel the same thing, his blue eyes sparkling like stars as his mouth fell open.
-I, I can't believe such a taste exists!
He trembled all over, completely amazed.
-I never thought the wallet and the glutton could create such a treasure!
Wrath clapped for the two of them, seemingly genuinely moved.
"How is it?"
Dorian asked with an expression full of anticipation.
"Is it delicious?"
Gluttony looked at him with a similar gleam in her eyes.
"It's good!"
Raon raised his thumb, saying he really liked it.
"Hehe!"
"As expected."
Dorian and Gluttony nodded and smiled with similar expressions. Looking at them like this, the demon king and human seemed to have similar dispositions.
"This time, instead of salt, would you like to try it with fruit? This is a salty tomato that comes from the south."
Dorian took the initiative, suggesting they try decorating the ice cream with fruit.
"Alright."
Gluttony also grabbed the tomato and bead ice cream with an excited expression.
'Apart from Dorian possibly gaining new power...'
Raon stroked his smooth chin while watching them.
'Perhaps demons and humans can build bonds.'
A smile naturally came to his face as he seemed to see a new possibility between demons and humans.
-Stop smiling and bring more ice cream!
Wrath tapped his shoulder.
-I command you to bring me sweet and salty bead ice cream right now!
He shook his fist, demanding the salted ice cream.
'Sigh...'
Raon shook his head while watching him.
'You're hopeless.'
***
After leaving Gluttony with Dorian, Raon went with Martha to oversee the training of House Arianne's swordsmen.
"Relax the hand holding the sword. Gripping it tighter doesn't make the sword stronger."
Raon gave the most needed advice to the well-built swordsman.
"Ah, I understand."
The swordsman who received the advice nodded with eyes as if he'd just received divine revelation, then swung his sword again. As the strength in his grip relaxed, the sword moved more smoothly.
"You're not using your lower body enough. Strong swordsmanship comes from a strong lower body."
Raon told the red-haired swordsman next to him to focus on his legs, then demonstrated the proper stance.
"Yes!"
The red-haired swordsman shouted at the top of his lungs and swung his sword while putting excessive force into his lower body. Though somewhat awkward, the sword clearly carried more power than before. Just as Raon was about to move on to find another swordsman who needed advice, a thunderous crash came from the right side of the training ground, as if the floor was collapsing.
"That's not it!"
Martha shook her head after striking down the swordsman who had rushed at her with a single blow.
"Even if it's just practice, you need to fight as if your life depends on it! That's how you'll be able to use your full strength in real combat!"
She was helping improve the skills of House Arianne's swordsmen through direct sparring.
"Next!"
Martha beckoned to the person standing behind the fallen swordsman.
"I'll go!"
The next swordsman was Wendy, the head of House Arianne. She had temporarily set aside her position as head of house to participate in Martha's training as a regular swordsman. Wendy advanced like the wind and brought her sword down toward Martha's chest with a resounding clash.
Martha easily parried Wendy's sword with just a slight turn of her wrist.
"Not bad for a head of house. However..."
She pushed away Wendy's sword with a smile in her eyes.
"You still have a long way to go!"
Martha turned her head and brought her sword down towards Wendy's head. Instead of retreating, Wendy stepped forward, barely escaping Martha's slash range. Martha's sword struck the ground instead of Wendy's head, creating a powerful shockwave.
Wendy didn't miss the opening, spinning her body to slash her sword toward Martha's neck.
"Good judgment."
Martha smiled slightly as she turned her shoulder. She easily deflected Wendy's sword strike and then extended her own sword. Although Wendy seemed to anticipate Martha's counterattack and took a defensive stance, she couldn't withstand the powerful force and was thrown backward.
"Ugh..."
Though she groaned and tried to regain her stance, Martha's sword was already at her neck.
"I lose."
Wendy sighed deeply and bowed her head.
"That wasn't bad."
Martha smiled, saying she had shown skill beyond her martial prowess.
"I still have a long way to go."
Wendy sighed, seemingly unsatisfied with her own abilities.
"No. You did well."
Raon patted Wendy's shoulder with a bright smile.
"With the right opportunity, you might be able to reach Grandmaster?"
He wasn't just saying this. Though she had only now reached the threshold of Grandmaster, with her exceptional talent, if she could achieve awakening, she could immediately break through that barrier and rise above it.
"Really?"
Wendy widened her eyes in surprise.
"Our captain doesn't lie about things like this."
Martha nodded, confirming it was true.
"Just keep putting in effort like you are now."
Raon nodded, saying he looked forward to that day.
"Th-thank you."
Wendy nodded, expressing her sincere gratitude.
"Don't thank me. It's a testament to the effort you've put in as head of house."
Raon smiled and shook his head. Wendy had continued to grow steadily, never abandoning her training even after becoming head of house. He could envision her reaching Grandmaster through her own abilities in the near future.
"Ah, right. I have something to give you!"
Wendy clapped her hands as if just remembering.
"It was completed this morning."
She took out a silver shining marsh-shaped emblem from her inner pocket.
"This is House Arianne's newly completed emblem. I want to give you the first one as a sign of our support for you as successor."
She nodded, saying she was giving him House Arianne's first emblem.
"Is it really alright?"
Raon opened his mouth in surprise as he looked at the House Arianne emblem in Wendy's hand.
"If you hadn't come, neither I nor House Arianne would exist."
Wendy closed her eyes then opened them, curling her lips slightly.
"What happened that day... no, I'll never forget it even if a lifetime passes. Please accept this."
She knelt on her left knee and held out the emblem.
"Thank you!"
The swordsmen in the training ground who were watching their head of house also knelt and bowed their heads to him.
"I gratefully accept your sentiment."
Raon carefully took the emblem from Wendy's hand, feeling the preciousness of their bond with House Arianne.
"Of course."
Wendy smiled brightly as if telling him not to feel burdened.
"I have one more request for you, Head of House."
Raon took a step toward Wendy while looking at House Arianne's emblem.
"As you know, the war with Derus Robert is approaching. Would House Arianne fight alongside us?"
He asked Wendy for House Arianne to join them in the coming war.
-Aren't these people a bit weak?
Wrath lowered his eyebrows as if suggesting it would be better to leave them out of it.
'It's more dangerous for them to stay here alone.'
Given that Derus summoned Archangels, his true goal likely wasn't just eliminating the Five Kings. Since Eden was clearly planning something on a continental scale, it would be safer to fight together.
"Of course! I'll reach Grandmaster by then!"
Wendy clenched her fist as if telling him not to worry. As Raon and Wendy smiled at each other, an eerie scratching sound came from behind them.
"Hmm?"
When Raon turned around slightly, he saw Evelyn carving some unknown mana pattern into the training ground floor with fierce eyes.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
Raon asked while nervously swallowing.
"Carving a mark. This place belongs to us now."
Evelyn drew a cold smile, saying she was leaving a mark for the future.
"Suddenly?"
"Not suddenly. I've carved it in every place we've been to so far."
She nodded, saying she had carved the same pattern at Habun Castle and Sepia.
"Wh-what kind of mark is it?"
Raon asked in a lowered voice.
"Huhu."
Evelyn just narrowed her eyes and smiled without answering.
"Ah, aah..."
Raon felt chills down his spine at Evelyn's smile as he stepped back.
-Stop, stop bringing her along!
Wrath screamed, begging to please stop bringing Evelyn along.
'I want to do that too. But it's already too late...'
"Huhuhu."
Evelyn's smile deepened as she watched Raon.
***
Raon returned to the quarters where Dorian and Gluttony were, avoiding Evelyn's bizarre gaze. A grinding sound like a water wheel came from in front of Dorian's room. Tilting his head at the unfamiliar sound, he opened the door. Inside Dorian's room was an object he had never seen before.
A cylindrical object was spinning rapidly, creating round-shaped ice cream, and when Dorian sprinkled fruit over it, the ice cream's color began to change.
"Strawberries go well with ice cream. But these strawberries are different from others. They're black and more salty than sour. In other words, we can make ice cream that maximizes saltiness while staying sweet."
Dorian smiled as if asking wasn't it exciting.
"Good! Very good!"
Gluttony sang while watching the rotating bead ice cream as if enchanted.
"Oh? You're back?"
Dorian bowed his head toward Raon standing at the door.
"No..."
Raon's jaw trembled as he watched the bead ice cream slowly taking shape.
"Why are you making the bead ice cream itself? Weren't you just adding toppings?"
Before going to the training ground, they were just putting things on top of bead ice cream, so he didn't understand why they were suddenly making ice cream.
"Lady Gluttony said she wanted to try making the ice cream itself. We're using the finest ingredients."
Dorian chuckled while saying her name, seeming to have become quite close with Gluttony.
"You even had equipment for making bead ice cream?"
His mouth fell open, as he hadn't even imagined such equipment existed.
"It's essential, isn't it?"
Dorian nodded as if it were perfectly natural to carry such a thing around.
-How is that essential!
Even Wrath, who couldn't resist bead ice cream, shouted that it made no sense.
"I like this one."
Gluttony looked at Dorian with a rare smile on her face.
"Can't you give him to me?"
She pointed at Dorian as if wanting to make him her subordinate. This seemed like it might actually work.
"Gluttony. I have a favor to ask you."
Raon lowered himself to meet Gluttony's eyes.
"A favor? Tell me."
Gluttony nodded as if willing to grant most requests.
"Soon there will be a war with an Archangel in this land. Could you fight alongside us?"
Raon took a small breath before revealing his purpose for seeking out Gluttony.
"Yes. I'll do it. However..."
Gluttony gave a positive answer without any hesitation.
"Due to causality, I can't use all of my power."
She shook her head, saying she might not be of much help, like Sloth.
"Then I'll grant you one request."
Raon nodded while looking directly at Gluttony.
"A request that can fulfill your greatest desire."
"A request..."
Gluttony narrowed her eyes while looking at the nearly complete strawberry ice cream.
"Then let me experience a new taste. The most delicious and novel taste I've ever had."
She nodded, saying that for such a taste, she would break causality and use all her power in the war.
"Alright. I'll find a way."
Raon smiled as he stood up.
"And one more thing. Could you transfer a small portion of your Gluttony Authority to him?"
Raon raised his finger to point at Dorian.
"A-Authority? But I don't even have much of an appetite?"
Dorian waved his hands, saying he wasn't worthy of receiving the Authority of Gluttony.
"True. That human has no talent for gluttony. However..."
Gluttony's gaze swept down Dorian's body before stopping at his pouch.
"He has something similar."
"Something similar?"
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Gluttony.
"That human has a compulsion to fill his pouch with space, just as I fill my hunger. In other words..."
Gluttony nodded while looking at Dorian's trembling eyes.
"He has a talent for compulsion."
"C-compulsion...?"
Dorian shook his head vigorously.
"It's not compulsion! I just prepare everything in case it might be needed!"
He started pulling out various items from his pouch, insisting it wasn't true.
"Since you never know where you might sleep, everyone carries portable houses, beds, and bathtubs! And this ice cream machine is necessary when you want homemade ice cream!"
Dorian shook the bathtub and ice cream machine, claiming these were items anyone would carry.
"Normal people don't carry bathtubs when they travel..."
Raon shook his head while watching the sweating Dorian.
-They don't pack ice cream machines either...
Even Wrath, who loved ice cream, scoffed, saying he couldn't accept that.
"It is compulsion."
-It really is compulsion.
"It's not!"