Chapter 604

Aries raised her hand, standing in front of the platform.

“Since everyone is busy, I’ll quickly explain…”

“Aries.”

Glenn looked down upon Aries coldly.

“This is an official meeting with other people around us. Keep your mouth shut.”

“Hmm…”

Aries stepped aside from the platform, glancing at the elves standing behind Raon.

“Welcome, Seipia’s envoy.”

Glenn nodded his head, looking at the elves standing behind Raon. He unexpectedly showed courtesy towards the guests before hearing the story.

“Thank you for the welcome.”

Siyan took a step forward and stood next to Raon as the leader of the envoy. She took off the hood covering her head and bowed at him.

“Greetings to the King of the North. I am Siyan, from the Blossom Branch Clan.”

“Err…”

“Haa…”

“Hmm…”

Every executive except for Glenn fell quiet upon seeing Siyan’s face.

Lots of them looked like they were completely mesmerized, unable to take their eyes off her.

“I-I’ve heard that the high elves are beautiful, but…”

“Yeah, this is beyond what I expected.”

“I could even believe that she’s a goddess.”

“Pull yourselves together. We are in the presence of our lord.”

Some of them were in a daze, but most of them quickly returned to their senses and averted their gazes.

“Hmm.”

Glenn narrowed his eyes, more concerned about her introduction than her appearance.

“Blossom Branch Clan. Isn’t that…?”

“It is.”

Siyan smiled faintly, looking back at Rimmer.

“The Light Wind division leader is my older brother.”

“Hmmh!”

Rimmer hummed, raising his chin proudly.

“I see.”

Glenn nodded calmly. He seemed to have somewhat expected that to be the case.

However, the executives were quietly whispering that they didn’t look similar, and one of them was too ugly in comparison.

“You must be tired from the long journey, but I’d like you to wait a moment.”

Glenn briefly nodded at Siyan.

“Since the people in this place don’t even know what happened in Seipia, we need to start by hearing that story.”

“Of course.”

Siyan stepped back, showing that she was perfectly fine with waiting.

“Raon Zieghart.”

Raon stepped forward upon hearing the call.

“Yes.”

“Report what happened in Seipia. Don’t leave out a single detail.”

“Understood. We originally went to Seipia to return our division leader’s sword. We managed to enter without much issue, and we also managed to meet Sir Sterin, the current protector, without much issue. However, while the elves were performing the ritual…”

Raon explained everything that had happened in Seipia and finally exhaled after he was done.

“Eden! Those crazy bastards even appeared at Seipia!”

“H-he said that he killed the one wearing the fire spirit king’s helmet.”

“How could he win against an opponent that becomes gradually stronger?”

“I’m the most shocked that he received the world tree’s fruit. I heard that even the high elves can’t get it.”

“It’s unbelievable in every single aspect.”

The executives were gasping, unable to hide their surprise.

The direct line’s faction was trying to find fault somehow, but their voices weren’t that loud because Karoon wasn’t present.

“I don’t know about the others, but the story about eating the world tree’s fruit seems to be true…”

"His aura has become even tougher. Such drastic growth is unlikely without an elixir of that caliber."

“Then did he really win against a monster that becomes stronger and stronger?”

Their lips trembled under the oppressive pressure naturally emanating from Raon.

“Ahem!”

Glenn simply cleared his throat without stopping their chatter. The corners of his lips were quivering like a leaf fluttering in the air.

“I have a question. Was the world tree’s fruit tasty?”

Aries energetically raised her hand.

“It…”

“Aries.”

Glenn furrowed his brow while looking at Aries.

“Argh, why am I getting scolded every single time?!”

Aries pouted and returned to her position.

“So what happened after that?”

Glenn shook his finger, asking him to talk about why he was late.

“We were entangled in a strange incident on our way back to Zieghart.”

“A strange incident?”

“Yes. Even though the elves were wearing hoods, a man noticed their identity and asked me to sell them to him. I thought it was strange…”

After the story in Seipia, Raon also told them about how they rescued the elves from the marine marketplace.

“…That’s how the three-strike battle ended, and we returned while concealing ourselves just in case the enemies might be still chasing after us.”

“Huh!” Balder gasped in disbelief. “Did you just say you killed Siran? But he is the head elder of the South-North Union.”

“I just got lucky.”

Raon nodded calmly. It was true that he’d gotten lucky.

He could’ve been the one sinking under the river if Siran was thoroughly prepared for it.

“Th-that’s insane…”

“He became a Grandmaster only recently. So how…?”

“Siran can’t be as good as before since he’s gotten older. But even taking that into consideration, it’s still an unbelievable story.”

The executives were so surprised that they couldn’t close their mouths.

“I’m more surprised that he managed to reach the marine marketplace just from a small clue in the pub. His intellect is extraordinary.”

“The three-strike battle against the Axe King is also a big deal. Every single thing he’s done deserves to be called a great achievement.”

The direct lines shut their mouths, and only the ones favorable to Raon were letting out their surprised voices.

“Hmmh!”

Glenn lifted his left hand and covered his lips, which looked like they were spasming. His hands could be seen trembling instead of his lips.

“Is that all?”

“Indeed.”

“L-Lord of Zieghart.”

Raon said that he was done, and Siyan stepped forward from behind, her hands trembling.

“What’s the matter?”

Glenn nodded his chin, inviting her to speak.

“Our Seipia considers Sir Raon to be the benefactor of our race for saving the World Tree… or, rather, the entirety of Seipia, and for rescuing our kin in the marine marketplace.”

Siyan lowered her head, meeting Glenn’s heated gaze.

“We are also expressing our gratitude to Sir Raon’s faction, Zieghart.”

“Is that the protector’s will?”

“It’s the will of our entire tribe, not just the protector.”

She closed her eyes, saying that it was the will of the entire elven race.

“Hmmph! I understand.”

Glenn’s cheeks became flushed. He must’ve been feeling hot, but he never lowered his hand covering his mouth.

“A-and…”

Siyan put her hands together in front of her chest and stepped forward in determination.

“There’s something Sir Raon missed in his tale.”

“Hmm?”

Raon narrowed his eyes upon hearing her claim.

‘What is she talking about?’

He couldn’t really understand what he’d missed, since he wasn’t trying to hide anything.

“What is that?”

“Sir Raon became the fire spirit king’s big brother!” she declared, and the entire lord’s manor fell silent.

“Huh…?”

“Th-the fire spirit king’s big brother? Not even the contractor?”

“What did I hear just now? The fire spirit king’s big brother?”

“Big brother? That’s way too unreasonable…”

It wasn’t just the executives. Even Glenn and Roenn widened their eyes because they had received a report in advance about him becoming the fire spirit king’s contractor.

“I luckily managed to make a contract with the water spirit king thanks to Sir Raon. The water spirit king is the one who told me that Sir Raon became the fire spirit king’s big brother.”

Her serious expression and voice even silenced the suspicion of the executives.

“Ugh!”

Raon groaned and raised his head.

‘Why are you talking about that?!’

He looked at Siyan, intending to scold her, but she was twisting her body as if she wanted to be complimented for it. Raon pounded his chest in frustration.

“Light Wind vice division leader.”

“Yes…”

Raon swallowed his sigh and stepped forth.

“Is that true?”

“…I did become his big brother.”

He nodded since it wasn’t exactly wrong.

“Wait, how am I supposed to believe that…?”

“Then are you not going to believe it? It’s the high elf from Seipia who said it!”

“Moreover, she is the water spirit king’s contractor.”

“I know, but this is just impossible…”

The executives started to argue, unable to believe this one.

“There’s more.”

Siyan’s lips twitched again, enjoying their reaction as they kept bringing up Raon’s name.

“This happened in the marine marketplace. The South-North Union’s warriors threatened us while saying that the Peren River didn’t belong to Zieghart or Seipia, and Sir Raon said this to them.”

She clenched her fists, saying that it was something important.

“Zieghart is wherever I am!” she confidently declared, and everyone in the audience chamber’s jaws dropped.

“Uhah…”

Glenn leaned his back towards the throne’s armrest and pulled his head backward as if he were being bounced back by her words. His throat was trembling so intensely that it looked like his uvula was about to come out.

‘Wh-what’s the matter? Why is he reacting like that?’

Raon blinked while watching Glenn’s violent reaction, and the executives started to speak from left and right.

“Zieghart is wherever I am? Isn’t he too arrogant?”

“I know, right? He’s talking like he is the head of house…”

“Yeah, it’s not something he should be saying.”

“Not something he should be saying?”

Aries lifted her foot and stomped heavily on the audience chamber’s floor.

Whaaam!

She furrowed her brow, stepping upon the destroyed rubble.

“That is what he should be saying!”

“It’s not arrogance. It’s a mindset that every swordsman of Zieghart should have!”

She clenched her fist, saying that Raon’s confidence shouldn’t strike them as a surprise.

“Aries is right about this.”

Balder nodded even though he’d been staying quiet so far, probably because of Karoon’s absence.

“If you go outside as a Zieghart swordsman, you should act confidently—as if the entire continent is our land. Good job!”

Balder gave Raon a thumbs up.

Raon laughed bitterly while looking at Balder.

‘That man…’

He seemed to be serious about his compliment, even if he was going to insult him afterward. It was a mystery, how simple he could be.

“I agree with them.”

Denier looked at Raon with his lips curved into a faint smile.

“It wasn’t arrogance. He perfectly showed them what happens to them if they antagonize our Zieghart. In my opinion, he deserves to be praised.”

He even clapped his hands, praising him like Balder had done.

“......”

Aries watched Denier with a furrowed brow, an unpleasant look on her face.

“Hmph!”

Raon looked above the platform upon hearing the small sound of someone clearing his throat.

Glenn’s forehead and cheeks were completely red, as if they were heated up by a fire. He didn’t seem to be in good condition, as his skin was getting more and more cooked.

“There’s more. When that head elder of the South-North Union arrived…”

“Lady Siyan.”

Raon grabbed Siyan’s sleeve and shook his head.

“Please stop…”

“Wait.”

He was trying to stop her because Glenn didn’t seem to be in good condition, but the person he was worried about raised his hand.

“We need to know what you’ve done in order to prepare for the future.”

He nodded at Siyan, asking her to continue.

“You can continue.”

“Ah, yes!”

Siyan even took out her notepad and started to recite everything she’d written so far. She looked like she’d regained her long-lost confidence with Glenn’s permission.

“When Sir Raon encountered the head elder, he told him that he would send him to his grandson’s side…”

Raon closed his eyes as Siyan even increased her voice as if she were reciting a poem.

‘Since when did she become so confident…? Please save me…’

* * *

Siyan only stepped back after she told them the entire story. Raon was surprised at how much a person could change. After all, she used to be cowardly and shy.

Glenn’s head was pulled to the back for a long time, but he finally lowered his gaze again.

His eyes looked the same as always, but his hand was still covering his mouth, and the way his hand trembled gave the impression that there was an earthquake.

Glenn quietly nodded while looking at Siyan.

“Thank you for providing us with the precise facts.”

“I-it was nothing.”

Siyan finally returned to her senses. Her head was trembling, her cheeks red.

“S-since Sir Raon helped us a lot, our Seipia would like to maintain a good relationship with Zieghart.”

She took out Sterin’s letter from her inner pocket.

Whir!

Glenn lightly moved his chin, and the letter floated from Siyan’s hand, getting sucked into his hand.

“Hmm…”

Glenn nodded after reading the entire letter.

“Alliance…”

“We aren’t suggesting we have an alliance right away. We’d like to start by communicating with each other.”

“That is reasonable. We will consider it positively.”

He carefully folded the letter and put it in his clothes.

“Thank you.”

Siyan lowered her head and stepped back.

“Then…”

Glenn’s gaze was directed at Raon. His eyes looked rather unusual, appearing slightly relaxed.

“Light Wind vice division leader.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“You’ve gone through a lot.”

“…It’s fine.”

Raon shook his head with a faint smile. Hearing such words from the person he admired most instantly erased all his fatigue.

“I seem to say this to you every time, but it’s not good to be excessively humble.”

Glenn shook his head.

“You should accept an appropriate value for your great achievement.”

Not even the direct lines were refuting his words. Saving Seipia and rescuing the kidnapped elves was a great achievement indeed.

“Light Wind vice division leader, come onto the platform.”

“Yes.”

Raon caught his breath, then went onto the platform in front of Glenn.

“For the great achievement of protecting the World Tree and saving the elves, the Light Wind vice division leader will be bestowed with a golden tablet, a highest-class artifact, and an elixir.”

Glenn took the golden tablet, high-quality leather gloves, and a wooden box containing an elixir from the plate Roenn was holding and handed them to Raon.

“Thank you.”

Raon deeply bowed at Glenn after accepting his rewards.

“Next up is Dorian Sephia.”

“Y-yes!”

Dorian bit his tongue because he hadn’t expected to be called and went onto the platform.

“I heard you also contributed to protecting Seipia.”

“I-I really didn’t do anything special.”

“You will be bestowed with a silver tablet, a book of martial arts, and an elixir.”

“Th-thank you! Argh!”

Dorian blushed because his voice suddenly became hoarse when he was saying thank you.

Yua was the next one to be called.

“You fully deserve to be rewarded since you fought without being afraid of death despite your lack of skills. You will be bestowed with a fine sword and an elixir.”

“Thank you!” Yua shouted cheerfully, unlike Dorian.

Glenn watched Yua step away from the platform and shifted his gaze towards Siyan.

“Since you must be tired of the long journey, we should talk about the future relationship between Zieghart and Seipia in two days.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Siyan lowered her head in a rather disciplined manner.

“Everyone shall leave.”

Glenn shook his hand, announcing the end of the conference. The audience chamber’s door opened, and the executives started to leave.

“Wait a moment!”

Rimmer stepped forward while blinking.

“What about me?! Why am I not getting anything even though I did everything I could?!”

He shouted, claiming that he also deserved a reward, but no one even cared about him because they’d heard too many shocking things.

“Listen to me! I contributed a lot, too!”

* * *

Right after the executives were gone, Glenn lowered the hand covering his mouth. The corners of his lips were soaring to the sky, as if they wanted to see how high the stratosphere was. The sharp angle made it look like he was going to have a muscle spasm while smiling.

“Did you hear that, everyone?”

“Yes, of course.”

Roenn took out a notepad from his inner pocket. He started to read it, a broad smile on his face.

“Zieghart is wherever I am!”

“Hmmph!”

Glenn laughed in joy, unable to suppress it anymore.

“I was also surprised when I heard that.”

Rimmer chuckled, thinking about the scene in the auction house.

“It was the worst situation, but I was encouraged the moment I heard it from Raon.”

He clenched his fist, saying that he was deeply moved.

“Even his mentality must’ve grown, in addition to his vessel as a warrior.”

Roenn smiled gently, showing that he was proud of Raon.

“I agree. Zieghart must hold a significant meaning to him now.”

Rimmer nodded with a faint smile.

“I’m more surprised by how he confronted the Axe King.”

Aries parted her back from the pillar with a faint smile on her face.

“‘You will lose your head if your axe isn’t heavy enough.’ Is it even possible to possess that kind of spirit at his age?”

Her smile looked like she was proud of Raon from the bottom of her heart.

“Father.”

Aries licked her lips and raised her gaze towards Glenn.

“Even his mind seems to be qualified now, in addition to his might. What do you think?”

“What are you talking about?”

“You already know what I’m talking about. Why are you asking?”

She smiled while winking at him.

“The successor.”

Aries touched her chin while looking at Glenn.

“Do you have any intention of making Raon a successor candidate?”

Glenn calmly closed his eyes and opened them again while looking at Aries. His lips twitched quietly.

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