"Head of House..."
Sheryl carefully spoke as she followed Glenn, who was returning to the Lord's Manor.
"Are you really not going to teach Raon anything?"
She narrowed her eyes slightly as if worried about Raon.
"Hahaha."
Roenn shook his head slowly as he placed a hand on Sheryl's shoulder.
"The Head of House surely has his reasons..."
He was about to say they should trust Glenn's judgment and wait.
"Kuhup!"
Glenn brought the back of his hand to his eyes, letting out a choked breath.
"H-Head of House?"
"Are you alright?"
Sheryl let out a sharp breath in surprise, and Roenn widened his eyes that were usually crinkled in a gentle smile.
"It's so..."
Glenn raised his head, his voice thick with moisture.
"It's so touching!"
He didn't specify who he found touching, but Sheryl and Roenn immediately knew who he meant.
"R-Raon?"
"Hahaha, the Light Wind Palace Master is quite remarkable, isn't he?"
Sheryl and Roenn nodded, understanding that Glenn was talking about Raon.
"After being ignored for a month, he'd have every right to sulk and stop coming to the training ground, yet he's always the first to arrive and the last to leave."
Sheryl raised her hand in agreement, understanding why Glenn found him touching.
"That part is touching too, but I'm referring to something else."
Glenn exhaled softly.
"Something else..."
Roenn narrowed his eyes curiously.
"Raon was pushing himself too hard. Rather than preparing for the war against the Five Kings, he seemed ready to go kill Derus Robert all by himself."
Glenn let out a thin sigh as he recalled Raon's face filled with killing intent.
"Isn't having that kind of killing intent generally a good thing?"
Sheryl shook her head, saying that a swordsman without killing intent cannot become strong.
"You're right. Killing intent is an important element. But as you said, that's for normal cases. Raon's level is at the peak of Transcendence. He's approaching the level of the absolute beings from the era of the Six Kings and the Five Demons. At that position, if one becomes obsessed with power alone, their mind might become corrupted." (E/N: Not sure what the best way to translate it. Demonic Mind? Heart Demon? Anyway, this is referring to what Glenn and (in a way) Karoon went through)
Glenn's expression darkened.
"You know better than anyone how ugly a Transcendent becomes when they pursue only power."
He bit his lip deeply, embarrassed at revealing his own shortcomings.
"That's..."
"Mmm!"
Sheryl and Roenn swallowed hard, seemingly recalling when Glenn had been like this.
"Like grandfather, like grandson. Raon was trying to walk the same path I did. But since he hasn't completely climbed those steps yet, there was still time to stop him."
Glenn shook his head, explaining that was why he hadn't given Raon any guidance.
"Then why didn't you tell him that..."
Sheryl lowered her eyebrows, saying that Raon looked like he was suffering too much.
"Someone who develops a heart demon and becomes obsessed with power doesn't listen to others. It might even push them in an even worse direction."
Glenn nodded, saying he knew because he had experienced the same thing.
"That's why I didn't interfere with Raon and simply waited. But I was worried that I might be wrong, as it seemed to be getting worse recently..."
He looked back at the training ground with trembling fingertips.
"Today, for the first time, Raon stopped his sword and took a moment to relax. He's realized for himself what he needs!"
Glenn raised his fist with his face flushed red, as if deeply moved by Raon's change.
"He's a far better grandson than this ignorant old man deserves!"
His eyes reddened as he said there was nothing more touching about Raon.
"Ah!"
"So that's it!"
Sheryl and Roenn finally understood the situation between Raon and Glenn and nodded their heads.
"During this training period, I won't say anything to Raon. But..."
Glenn sniffled and nodded as if showing his belief.
"Raon will return having gained more than anyone else."
He clenched his fist with eyes full of certainty.
"Um, Head of House..."
Sheryl tilted her head as she looked at Glenn.
"Are you crying right now?"
She let out a hollow laugh as she saw tears hanging at the corners of Glenn's eyes.
"I'm not crying!"
Glenn wiped his tears with the back of his hand and shook his head.
"The Head of House doesn't cry. But as a grandfather, I can't help it."
He bit his lip, saying he couldn't help but cry when he saw Raon today.
"I think I understand how you feel."
Roenn also seemed to feel the same emotion as Glenn, chuckling while touching his reddened nose, and they nodded at each other as their eyes met.
"Hah..."
Sheryl let out an empty sigh as if dumbfounded.
"I've heard that people become more tearful with age, but to think the Head of House would cry."
Glenn had often sniffled before, but this was the first time he had actually cried. Honestly, it was both surprising and absurd.
"He would have loved to see this."
Sheryl drew a faint smile as she thought of the only person who could tease Glenn.
"Doing all sorts of strange things even after dying, but never coming to me..."
She clicked her tongue as she felt the cool breeze today.
"I'll wait. If you're really going to die, die in front of me. Damn elf!"
Sheryl waved her hand in the air and ran to Glenn and Roenn, who were walking away with their arms around each other's shoulders.
"Let's go together!"
***
'I've become stronger?'
Raon looked back at Wrath and tilted his head.
'What do you mean?'
He couldn't understand how he had become stronger when all he did was close his eyes and listen to the sounds of other swordsmen training.
-I'm saying your caliber has risen, unlike before!
Wrath frowned, saying it wasn't specific aspects like stats or aura that had grown stronger, but his martial prowess as a whole.
-See for yourself!
He waved his hand, telling Raon to stop arguing and check for himself.
'Hmm...'
Raon smacked his lips and closed his eyes again to observe his own condition.
'I was just resting, so how could I have gotten stronger... Huh?'
As he smacked his lips and released his aura perception, he felt something different. He could now detect the surrounding mana more precisely than before.
'What is this...?'
It was strange and surprising that he had grown in martial arts when he had just closed his eyes without meditating or awakening.
-That's why I'm saying it doesn't make sense!
Wrath gritted his teeth as if asking what Raon had done.
'You saw it too. I was just quietly... Oh?'
Raon was waving his hand at the growling Wrath when his eyes suddenly widened.
'Quietly?'
Thinking about it, he couldn't remember the last time he had been still.
'I was always busy moving around and swinging my sword. It had gotten even worse recently.'
As the war with Derus Robert was rapidly approaching, he had become impatient and swung his sword without rest. However, contrary to his efforts, his swordsmanship achievements hadn't grown at all and remained stagnant.
'Lately, it felt like I wasn't wielding the sword, but the sword was wielding me.'
Though he was swinging his sword while wrapped in urgency and foreboding about the war, he often found himself unable to concentrate on martial arts.
'Was it a heart demon?'
Looking back now, he realized that fatigue had built up in his mind.
'When did it start... No, was it from the beginning?'
During Glenn's guidance, he had vowed to overcome a certain wall no matter what, but that determination seemed to have become poison instead.
'I overdid it.'
Too much medicine becomes poison. He had pushed himself so hard that the emotions and fatigue had become a deadly toxin clinging to his body and mind.
'And that heart demon has only now begun to release its hold.'
Thanks to Wrath's advice, by not swinging his sword or thinking about Derus, and instead letting his mind float like clouds in the sky, a small hole seemed to have formed in the blocked dam.
'That's right. Mental stability is crucial at my current level, but I was too fixated.'
The killing intent to become stronger and kill Derus, the desire to save more people, and the desperation to understand the enemies' plans had cornered him into mindlessly swinging his sword. Those goals were certainly important, but right now, calming his mind and understanding his own condition had to come first.
'Now I understand why grandfather left me alone.'
Glenn was the only one who didn't pay attention to him among the swordsmen in the training ground, ignoring him as if he didn't exist. He had felt disappointed by this until now, but now he seemed to understand the reason.
'To make me realize on my own that I needed rest.'
Glenn knew that he needed mental rest, so he offered no advice or teachings. However, he had failed to grasp Glenn's intention and instead pushed himself harder, heading in an even worse direction. Now he could understand why Glenn sometimes looked at him with eyes full of concern.
'I need to regain my peace of mind.'
He looked at Wrath while calming his heart that was still not entirely free of killing intent and desire.
'Wrath.'
Raon stroked Wrath's head with a faint smile.
'Thank you. You knew everything all along.'
Wrath had known that what he needed wasn't training but rest, and had advised him to just take it easy. He bowed his head involuntarily, grateful for the creature's consideration.
-Hah...
Wrath exhaled slightly as if saying "Finally, you understand."
-When I ask why you got stronger, what nonsense are you spouting!
He frowned, telling Raon to stop the nonsense and explain the actual reason he got stronger.
-You've leeched off my authority again, haven't you? You spine-sucking swordsman!
'...'
Raon let out a short breath as he looked at Wrath, who was genuinely angry.
'Of course...'
He was just an idiot after all.
***
Raon didn't draw his sword the next day either. He sat down in the middle of the training ground, closed his eyes, and just listened to the sounds of other swordsmen swinging their swords and Glenn's voice. He wasn't particularly concentrating. He was simply listening to the sounds flowing into his ears as if enjoying music.
'That Krein fellow, his swordsmanship speed has improved, but his posture is collapsing.'
'Is Martha performing swordsmanship with her upper body completely tilted like a beast? Her recklessness has become stronger. If she keeps growing like this, she might become even more frightening than the Blade Queen.'
'Runaan is sleeping again. But her growth is a bit strange? She might actually reach Transcendence,'
'Is Burren now walking a slightly different path from Karoon's sword? When thinking about the future, this is probably right.'
'Dorian's growth is also fast. It seems he's developing Gluttony after his training too.'
While simply enjoying the sounds of swordsmanship unfolding, countless pieces of information filled his mind and flowed out. It was a mysterious feeling he had never experienced before. Raon sat there without moving for a week, just listening to the sounds of the swordsmen's training. After a week, when he finally stood up, he clearly felt his own growth.
This was the first time since becoming a swordsman that he had refrained from swinging his sword for so long, yet his senses had actually improved, and his martial arts growth was deeper than when he had been honing his sword skills.
From the start of the sixth week of training, instead of keeping his eyes closed, Raon quietly followed behind Glenn.
"Burren. Maintaining proper posture is always important, but depending on the situation, you sometimes need the irregularity of deliberately breaking your sword path."
After Glenn gave advice to a swordsman and moved on, Raon would stop and wait.
"You're too fixated on noble and elegant swordsmanship. Even Karoon discarded what needed to be discarded, so look for new territory."
Raon added his own interpretation to Glenn's teachings to create new advice.
"Serena. The completion of your swordsmanship is extremely high. But if you continue like this, there won't be any further development. Try challenging yourself with new sword techniques."
"Void Sword Division Leader. When seeking new sword techniques, it's best to find ones with different principles from what you've learned so far. If you add the principle of the severing sword, the effects of the techniques you've mastered will improve."
He spent another week giving advice to swordsmen, following after Glenn. After spending the nights and days listening to the sounds of swords, observing the weaknesses in their techniques, and considering improvements, at dawn, Raon entered a new realm in the Head of House's training ground where he remained alone.
-I knew this would happen...
Wrath gritted his teeth as he looked at Raon's eyes which had entered the Void.
-Even now, you've fallen into awakening despite complaining!
There's no need to worry about a guy like this!