Chapter 605

“I agree with her.”

Rimmer raised his left hand, still leaning his back against a pillar.

“In the past, my personal wish was slightly involved when I said Raon had the qualities of a king, but I believe Raon Zieghart in his current state is fully qualified to be a successor candidate.”

His eyes were unusually serious as he stared at Glenn.

“Huhuhu.” Roenn laughed quietly. “His back and shoulder have indeed become a lot broader than before. He seemed suitable to even carry the entire house on his back.”

He nodded, also agreeing with Aries.

“You are right,” Glenn calmly responded, as if he were simply stating a fact. “His prowess reached the Grandmaster’s realm at twenty-one years old, he has plenty of achievements from completing countless missions, and the good deeds he’s done all around the continent brought him fame. He is indeed more than just qualified.”

The corners of his lips quivered even when he complimented Raon himself.

“Moreover, his mindset has no issues either, judging from the head envoy’s testimony.”

Glenn swallowed nervously while thinking about Siyan’s story.

‘I didn’t expect him to say such a thing.’

He had believed that Raon was only attached to the Light Wind division and the annex building without having any special affection towards Zieghart as a whole.

That was why his line was completely beyond imagination.

‘Zieghart is wherever I am…’

It was something that only the ones who loved Zieghart would say.

It was heartwarming because he could feel that Raon’s thoughts towards Zieghart had changed.

‘But it’s a shame. It’s such a shame that I wasn’t there to see him when he said it.’

He wished to have witnessed when Raon declared that Zieghart was wherever he was, and the surprised reaction from the South-North Union weaklings. The fact that he wasn’t there to watch it was such a shame, to the point that he felt like he would regret it for the rest of his life.

‘…Is there anything I can do? Shall I catch a dragon?’

Since an ancient dragon proficient with magic might be able to turn back time, Glenn even thought that he should probably catch one and threaten… or, rather, request that they do it.

‘It’s extremely unlikely, but just in case…’

“Father?”

While he was contemplating which dragon to capture, Aries waved her hand.

“It’s so rare to see you focused on other thoughts during a conversation.”

“Ahem.”

Glenn cleared his throat and buried his back deep into his throne.

“Anyway, what you said means that Raon can become a successor candidate, right?”

“No.”

Glenn firmly shook his head.

“He has plenty of qualities, but he isn’t qualified.”

“Is it about being part of the direct line again? That has nothing to do with being a successor. There’s no rule stating that the successor candidate has to be a part of the direct line.”

“That’s not the issue.”

“What?”

“Raon still has to confront the Axe King in a duel to death. We can’t proceed with anything unless that issue is resolved.”

“Hmm…”

Aries simply groaned, unable to refute that part.

“Rimmer.”

“Yes.”

Rimmer stepped forward upon hearing his call.

“Did the Axe King definitely get stronger?”

“It is. He said so himself.”

Rimmer briefly sighed and nodded.

“His growth seemed to be caused by a mental enlightenment, and Raon apparently served as the ignition.”

“The duel to the death against Raon must’ve been the fire.”

Glenn licked his lips, realizing what he meant.

“Then it should be difficult for Raon to win against him in his current state.”

“Then shall I just go ahead and slay him?”

Aries casually turned her wrist, as if it were as simple as killing a chicken.

“Huhuhu, I would be better suited for that job.”

Roenn lowered his head with a gentle laugh.

“Even though he’s gotten stronger, I can still assassinate him just fine.”

He rubbed his fingers, saying that all he needed was some time.

“It’s not a bad idea, but…”

Glenn shook his head, looking at their serious eyes.

“Just as the Axe King got stronger, the duel to the death should be an opportunity for Raon to grow as well. Let’s wait and see.”

He smiled, showing that he fully trusted Raon, unlike before.

“Ah, that’s no fun.”

Aries shook her head with a furrowed brow.

“Since Raon has returned, I should leave after playing around a little…”

She sighed and was about to leave the audience chamber when a knocking sound could be heard from the door.

“Who is… Hmm? Raon?”

Aries opened the door, and Raon showed his face.

“What’s the matter?”

“I returned because I remembered I forgot to deliver something.”

“Really? Come in!”

Aries allowed Raon to enter as if it were her own room.

“Thank you.”

Raon lowered his head and walked through the center of the audience chamber.

“What did you forget?”

“A wine.”

“Wine?”

“Yes. It’s the fruit wine made by the elves. I brought it back because it reminded me of how you talked about liquor, my lord,” he explained, taking a brown bottle that seemed to be made of wood from his subspace pocket.

“A-about liquor…?” Glenn asked, his lips quivering intensely.

“Yes. Because you wanted some whiskey and wine back then.”

“Do you really remember that?”

It was just a trivial comment. Well, he did want to have a drink, but it was a long time ago.

His heart almost stopped because Raon still remembered that fact, and even brought the extremely precious fruit wine of the elves.

“What? Yes, I did. It reminded me of you because it’s difficult to acquire, even though it’s not the exact liquor in question.”

Raon lowered his head and carefully offered him the bottle.

“Hmmh!”

Glenn’s chin trembled with his hand covering his mouth.

“I wasn’t really asking for this…”

He couldn’t think straight because his heart pounded too quickly. He couldn’t even tell what he was saying.

“Then do you want me to have it instead?”

Aries licked her lips and stepped forward.

“I’ll kill…”

Crimson flame emanated from his eyes. He looked at his own daughter with murderous intent but managed to stop himself with difficulty.

“I-I get it. I was just kidding. It was a joke!”

Even Aries was terrified by his gaze and stepped back, her hand trembling.

“Hmm?”

Raon tilted his head while watching the interaction between Glenn and Aries.

“Ahem, I’ll enjoy it.”

Glenn extended his still-shaking hand and accepted the bottle.

“I thought you brought it for the Gambling Monster, but was it for the head of house?” Rimmer gasped, looking at the bottle.

“I’m also going to give one to the Gambling Monster, but I gave one to our lord first.”

“Hmmph!”

Glenn clenched the bottle with a strange sound that was somewhere between a laugh and the clearing of a throat.

‘I won.’

He was happy that he was the first one to get a present even though Raon only used to give them to the Gambling Monster in the past. He wanted to run to the Gambling Monster right away and brag about it.

“My nephew, do I get anything?”

Aries put her arm around Raon’s shoulder and leaned her head towards him.

“Of course you do.”

Raon smiled faintly and gave another bottle to Aries.

“That’s my lovely nephew for you!”

Aries hugged Raon tightly and lifted the bottle towards Glenn.

“Look, I have one too!”

“Hmph.”

Glenn casually snorted. He even looked like he was belittling her.

“Wh-what does that expression even mean? It’s so unpleasant for some reason.”

Aries furrowed her brow upon seeing Glenn’s eyes, which seemed to be laughing at her.

“Raon!”

Rimmer went towards Raon and extended his hand.

“I also get one, right?”

“Hmm…”

Raon was about to give a fruit wine to Rimmer but suddenly stopped.

“Ah! My lord.”

He remembered something and called out to Glenn right away.

“There was another thing that I couldn’t say earlier.”

“What is it?”

“When I was done with the three-strike battle, my division leader gave a new name to the Axe King, calling him the Axehole…”

Raon told him about how Rimmer renamed the Axe King as the Axehole instead.

“Ahahahahahaha!”

Aries fell on her stomach and burst out in laughter, unable to hold it back.

“Axehole! He’s seriously insane!”

“......”

Unlike Aries, who was having fun, Glenn’s serious eyes looked like he wanted to kill Rimmer.

“I understand. I’ll take care of the issue, so you should return and rest.”

“Yes.”

Raon gave a bottle to Rimmer with a cheerful smile on his face and left the audience chamber without hesitation.

“I-I’m also going to leave, since I just remembered something that urgently requires my attention.”

Rimmer laughed awkwardly and tried to leave the audience chamber, but Roenn blocked his way.

“Erm, could you step aside…?”

“Huhuhu.”

“I need to leave.”

“Huhuhu.”

“I’m really going to die!”

“Huhuhu!”

Roenn never stepped aside, giving a frightening laugh.

“Uah…”

Rimmer’s chin trembled as he watched the red lightning rise into the air.

Rumble!

Glenn declared while dropping the red lightning, “I’ll pour that wine on your grave.”

* * *

Raon breathed out a sigh of relief, walking through the lord’s manor’s corridor.

‘I should thank Lady Leiran.’

He’d only asked for two fruit wines when he tried to get some of them from Leiran, but she had given him ten of them in total, five times more than what he’d asked.

There was still going to be a lot left after giving it to the Gambling Monster. He could even have a party in the annex building with them.

Don’t even think about drinking! Just go back home already!

Wrath popped out from the bracelet and shoved his face onto him.

The King of Essence can smell it! Mom must’ve prepared delicious dishes for us!

He said with teary eyes that he missed proper dishes that weren’t just beef jerky and bread.

Raon wondered if it was really something to cry over, but he didn’t try to pry since he’d seen all kinds of weird things coming from him.

“I’ll cook you something delicious once we are back at the annex building!”

Yua was smiling cheerfully among the elves. Being able to show that bright expression towards anyone seemed to be a talent, even more important than the musical one.

“A-are you done with your business?”

Siyan walked up to her while blinking. She was stuttering again even though she hadn’t stuttered at all, speaking fluently in the audience chamber.

“Yes, I’m done. Let’s go now.”

Raon nodded and guided the elves toward the annex building.

He walked while listening to Yua and Heirin’s laughter, and they reached the annex building’s entrance in no time.

“That’s the annex building of Zieghart.”

The annex building was covered in green since spring had visited after the cold winter.

“That’s where Sir Raon was born!”

Siyan took out her notepad and started to write some incomprehensible words, drawing like crazy.

Since Raon had gotten used to it by then, he simply shook his head and walked towards the annex building.

He opened the door and was about to enter when he heard the voices of Sylvia and the maids from the lake behind him.

He went there instead and saw that every member of the annex building was cleaning the area around the lake.

“Huh? Young master!”

Helen blinked while looking at him.

“Raon?”

Sylvia ran towards him with wide eyes, implying that she hadn’t heard the news of his arrival.

“When did you even get here?!”

“I’ve arrived a moment ago.”

“You should’ve told me in adva—hmm?”

Sylvia smiled brightly but suddenly dropped her jaw upon seeing the elves behind him.

“Wh-who are they…?”

“They are Seipia’s envoy. They came with me.”

Raon stepped aside and introduced Siyan and the elves to her.

“You are Sir Raon’s mother!”

Siyan approached without hesitation and held Sylvia’s hand. That strange confidence seemed to fill her mind again, her shyness gone.

“What? Ah, yes…”

“Thank you! I’m really thankful to you!”

“Wh-what are you even thanking me for?”

Sylvia was flustered, asking her question with trembling eyelids.

“Of course! You gave birth to Sir Raon! You’ve brightened this world!”

Siyan’s blue eyes were sparkling, showing that she was serious about it.

“Ahaha…”

Sylvia made an expression towards Raon that seemed to ask, ‘What did you even do?’.

Raon shrugged his shoulders, murmuring that he didn’t know either.

“I’m sincerely grateful to you!”

Siyan gave Sylvia a ninety-degree bow. She was being even more polite than when she was facing Glenn.

Tap.

A book fell from her when she raised her head. It was Raon’s biography.

“Ah, excuse me.”

“Sir Raon!”

While Siyan picked up the book and stood up, the back door suddenly burst open and Encia rushed outside, her face smeared with black marks from her work.

“Sir Raon the damn handsome, welcome ba—huh?”

Encia ran with a bright smile on her face, but her eyes widened upon seeing Raon’s biography that Siyan was holding.

“Why is an elf here? No, why does an elf have that book?”

“Do you know this book?”

Siyan looked at Encia, smiling gladly that she recognized it.

“Of course I do. I’m the author.”

Encia pounded her chest, saying that she was the author of the book.

“I-I’m a big fan of this book!” Siyan screamed while hugging Raon’s biography. Her hand was shivering intensely.

“Then…”

Encia walked up to Siyan and twitched her lips.

“Raon?”

She sounded like she was testing her, and Siyan responded with a bright smile on her face.

“The damn handsome!”

They didn’t need any words and simply high-fived with both hands.

Clap!

Raon closed his eyes tightly as soon as he heard that sound.

‘The two people who should’ve never met are together now…’

He sighed, and Wrath grabbed his hair and started to shake him.

The food isn’t ready! Tell them to prepare the food right now!

He was getting a headache. He just wanted to sleep.

* * *

“…That’s how we all managed to survive! I wouldn’t be here anymore if it weren’t for Sir Raon!”

Siyan was telling Sylvia and the maids about what happened so far, standing at the center of a large table in the garden.

Even though she was saying it a second time after in the audience chamber, she seemed to be getting more and more energetic instead of being tired.

“The next part will be about how Sir Raon rescued my kin, who had been kidnapped.”

“Wooow!”

Encia cheered loudly with her feet on the table. Sylvia and the other maids were also looking forward to it, as they raised their hands above their heads and sent a round of applause.

O-one more of that one…

Wrath lifted his plump finger and pointed at the meat pie that was almost finished.

‘Let’s stop now… My stomach is seriously about to burst.’

He had shoved over five meals worth of food into his stomach, granting Wrath’s requests. He wouldn’t even be able to move anymore if he ate any further.

Ugh…

Wrath licked his lips and shook his head in regret.

It can’t be helped. The King of Essence will be satisfied with just some ice cream.

‘We don’t have any.’

Why not?! Just bring it alread—ack!

Raon kicked Wrath away as he kept rambling and quietly left the table.

Even though the topic of their story was leaving, the annex building’s members were still busy talking about him.

Raon shook his head and went to his room.

‘I’m so tired.’

Reacting to Siyan and the maids and eating the food Wrath requested gave him even more of a headache than a battle. He immediately buried his back into the bed.

‘The duel to the death…’

The duel to the death against the Axe King resurfaced in his mind as his surroundings became quiet.

The Axe King was definitely more powerful than himself at the moment. His chance of victory wasn’t that big even if he’d used the Sword Field and released his wrath.

The first day of the next year was going to be the last day of his life if he didn’t do anything about it.

‘Is training the only way?’

Carrying out a mission when there is one and just training to get stronger when there wasn’t seemed to be the only way.

Since some of his martial techniques weren’t perfected yet, he needed to polish them as much as possible.

Do you want the King of Essence to help you?

Wrath yawned and shook his head.

With a single flick of his finger, an Axehole like that can be easily ruptured.

He grinned, saying that Raon just needed to give up control of his body and he would kill the Axe King for him since he was in a good mood.

‘I’ll do it myself. I need to defeat him on my own.’

He wanted to defeat him with his own power because the Axe King had given him a chance two whole times.

‘It should work out somehow if I do my best.’

Raon closed his eyes after putting his thoughts together, only for three knocks to come from the door.

“Enter.”

Raon raised himself up and looked at the door.

Judiel entered, bringing warm tea on a small tray.

“I’ve brought some tea that can help with digestion since you seemed to be overeating today.”

“Thank you.”

Raon nodded awkwardly. He’d been eating everything on the table because of Wrath, and she must’ve been watching him.

“I didn’t see Karoon today. Where did he go?”

“He is on a mission. Since he is in the South, it should take some time until he returns.”

“I see.”

Raon nodded and sipped his tea. The discomfort in the stomach subsided a little thanks to its mild fragrance.

“I’ve heard that you confronted the Axe King. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. He was being considerate.”

“How was he considerate…?”

“He overlooked me.”

Raon sighed and put down the teacup.

“I would’ve died if he’d decided to kill me.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t worry about it. There’s still half a year left. I’ll just train to the verge of death in the meantime and it should work out somehow.”

Raon shook his head while looking at Judiel’s worried expression.

“Did anything happen here in the meantime?”

“…No, nothing happened.”

Judiel shook her head, her lips curved into a faint smile.

“Yeah. Thank you for your hard work, as always.”

“It’s nothing. I’ll be taking my leave since you must be tired.”

She lowered her head and left, closing the door in the process.

“Hmm…”

Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the door after she left.

What’s the matter?

‘Her smile looked a bit strange just now.’

Was it strange?

‘Yes, it’s just like in the past…’

Raon licked his lips while thinking that she was being strange, and a small presence could be felt near the window. He turned his head around and saw that Glenn was already there.

“My lord!”

Raon briskly stood up and opened the window.

“Come outside.”

Glenn gestured with his chin, his eyes remaining composed.

“I have something to give you.”

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