Chapter 665

Raon shifted his gaze towards the spot where he’d sensed the demonic energy. He could see the central avenue, which had the largest amount of traffic of people and carriages.

‘It’s gone.’

However, the demonic energy had disappeared in the short time it took him to turn his eyes. It was as if it had never existed.

Tap!

Raon gently pushed the white land with his left foot. He moved to the central avenue where the demonic energy had been and spread his aura perception.

‘Where is it?’

His aura perception rode the Light Wind Style’s wind, spreading in all directions, but he couldn’t sense any trace of demonic energy from anywhere. It had completely disappeared.

He tried to find the one who had leaked the demonic energy with his eyes, but he couldn’t find anyone acting suspiciously.

“Wh-what?”

“Who is that person?”

“Zieghart?”

“I saw him with the prince earlier…”

People’s attention was getting focused on him instead because he’d suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“D-division leader, what’s the matter?” Burren put his hand on the hilt of his sword, approaching with a nervous expression. “Is there an enemy?”

“Enemy? Why would there be any enemy here?” Martha furrowed her brow, saying that it was impossible.

“It’s not because of an enemy.” Runaan calmly shook her head. “Our division leader wanted ice cream as soon as possible.”

She licked her lips, saying that she agreed with him.

“…That’s not it.”

Raon shook his head and examined the gazes of the three team leaders. It looked like none of them had noticed anything.

‘Then…’

He looked at Rimmer just in case. However, he was also just blinking dazedly, wondering what Raon was doing.

‘Even the vice division leader didn’t notice it.’

Because of his elven nature, Rimmer’s senses were better than other warriors in his realm. The fact that he’d also failed to sense the demonic energy implied that Raon was the special one.

No, even without his case, they were in the holy kingdom. It was extremely strange that he was the only one who could sense the demonic energy in a place brimming with priests and clergymen.

‘And the reason… it’s obviously because of Wrath.’

Wrath was the king of Devildom. Raon could guess that he probably became sensitive to demonic energy because he’d been living with him for pretty much his entire life.

‘Now that I think about it…’

He remembered the strange reaction that Wrath had suddenly had when they were looking at the Holy Kingdom of Schper from outside. The cotton candy was most certainly aware of it all along.

‘You knew about it, right?’

What are you talking about?

Wrath feigned ignorance while turning his head away slightly.

‘That someone in this kingdom possesses demonic energy.’

There’s no way the King of Essence wouldn’t notice. After all, he is the demon king. He rules over demonic energy.

He easily acknowledged it and nodded his head.

‘Who is it?’

Do you really believe that the King of Essence would tell you?

Wrath shook his head with a cold look in his eyes.

‘What?’

It looks like you’ve forgotten, but the King of Essence is the king of Devildom, the Monarch of Wrath. He would never sell out his fellow demons even if they weren’t his followers.

He twisted his lips, telling Raon to stop treating him like he was human.

‘Hmm…’

Wrath was right. It was a whole different story from the Demonic Monarch of the Azure Flame’s case. Since Wrath was the king of Devildom, it would’ve been funny if he sold off his fellow demons.

Raon thought about threatening him with bead ice cream, but he couldn’t bring himself to say that because he’d already promised to eat whatever he wanted for a while. Regardless of the case, it would’ve been too unsightly to threaten him with food.

‘Where are they from?’

There were two groups who were capable of using demonic energy in their era.

The first was the Black Tower, which was connected to Devildom. The second was the Demon Reception Society, a group of demon worshippers. Raon couldn’t tell which one was taking action.

It’s just that… he felt like the demonic energy he’d sensed had a slightly higher purity than the demonized humans from the Black Tower.

Hmm, to give you one clue…

Wrath’s lips twitched, thinking that he was being too unfriendly.

You must’ve seen it when you entered, but holy power is circling the ramparts of this kingdom. A weak demon wouldn’t be able to enter, and a strong one could break through it, but war would’ve broken out.

‘What about it?’

You are so brain-dead. The fact that there are no traces on the rampart implies that the demon didn’t force its way inside. Instead…

‘They allied with a human?’

Raon noticed the meaning behind Wrath’s words and answered.

Indeed. It implies that a demon made a contract with a human.

Wrath nodded, saying that it was the correct answer.

Demons can’t force a contract onto people unless they are monarchs like the King of Essence. They need consent from the other party. That’s why the owner of the demonic energy you’ve noticed must’ve accepted the demon of their own accord.

He shook his finger, telling him that he shouldn’t go out of his way to ruin the contract between a human and a demon.

‘Rampart and consensus…’

As Raon thought about Wrath’s words, he felt like he was getting a faint glimpse of the answer.

“S-Sir Raon, is something bothering you…?”

Hopen approached him while he was putting his thoughts together. His trembling fingers revealed his worries.

“I thought I saw an acquaintance.” Raon smiled faintly at Hopen.

“Then we’ll get people to…”

“No, it was just my imagination.” Raon shook his hand, saying that it was a different person. “Excuse me.”

Raon lowered his head slightly, apologizing for the sudden behavior.

“Not at all, it’s fine!” Hopen shook his hand and started to guide them into the holy kingdom once again.

‘Wrath.’

Raon shifted his eyes towards Wrath while following Hopen up the central avenue.

‘If they’ve made a contract with a demon for their own success, I have no intention of interfering with them, just like you wanted.’

He couldn’t impose a double standard on them because he also pretty much had a contract with Wrath, the demon king.

‘However, I’ll stop them no matter what if other people are harmed because of their wish.’

Raon thought it was his duty as the one raising a demon king.

R-raise? Did you just say that you are raising the King of Essence? He will never forgive you if you don’t take back what you just sa—

“The shop over there is the bead ice cream shop that recently opened up. It should be alright to go there after the audience is over.”

As Wrath was about to explode in anger, Hopen pointed at a two-story building on the right. The signboard was bright and splendid, the inside was clean, and the fridge storing the ice cream seemed to be at least three times as large as the one in Zieghart’s shop.

Kyaahu!

Wrath let out a high-pitched scream, as if he’d forgotten what he was talking about.

Can’t you just go there now instead of later? There are so many flavors that the King of Essence has never experienced before!

‘......’

Raon shook his head, watching Wrath sticking to the ice cream shop’s window like gum.

‘See? I’m raising you…’

* * *

The space was dark, not even a sliver of the holy sunlight able to permeate it.

The man seated at a worn, faded desk had his hands clasped together and his eyes closed. His lips moved steadily, as if he were uttering a continuous prayer.

Whir.

By the time the man finished his prayer and lowered his hands, shadows surged from under the desk like tainted water, forming the shape of a human. The one who appeared was a young man with characteristic black hair.

“I believe I already told you to never show yourself during the day.” The man furrowed his brow faintly after he was done with his prayer.

“I apologize. It’s an urgent matter…”

The black-haired young man put his hands together in front of his chest. It was a priest’s greeting.

“An urgent matter?”

“Yes, the fourth prince has returned, but he has companions with him.”

“Those companions must be the issue.” The man sitting at the desk nodded calmly.

“Raon Zieghart, the monster carrying the name of Dragon Slayer, is visiting with the Light Wind Division.” The black-haired young man raised his gaze while stating Raon’s name.

“For what reason?”

The man sitting at the desk wasn’t surprised even though he heard Raon’s name. However, the darkness welling up in his eyes was wavering violently.

“I don’t know the details, but he apparently saved the fourth prince’s life at Divarn Mountain. The king of monsters born in that place must’ve been unexpectedly powerful.”

The young man repeated what Hopen had told the residents.

“…I see.”

The man nodded indifferently even though he was just told that the fourth prince had narrowly escaped death.

“Rimmer, the Sword of Light, is also part of the Light Wind Division, in addition to Raon Zieghart. Even the team leaders are in the Master's realm. We don’t even have a week left until the great plan. It could be problematic if the Light Wind Division is still here by then.” The black-haired young man furrowed his brow deeply as he express his worries.

“Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind Division…” The man tapped on the desk with his blunt finger. A frightening sound started to resound from the desk. “This is even better.”

He stopped tapping on the desk and put his hands together.

“We’ll also use Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind Division as sacrifices.”

“What?” The young man widened his eyes in bewilderment. “B-but…”

“They can’t use their original strength anyway inside the boundary.”

“That’s not the issue here! Zieghart might take action if they lose contact with the Light Wind Division.”

“It’s fine.”

The man turned around, licking his lips as he looked at the dark flame blazing from the dim wall.

“That’s not going to happen.”

* * *

Raon rubbed the callus on his finger, sitting on the bed inside the room that Hopen had prepared for him.

‘I won’t be able to get the answer without any experiments, after all.’

Raon had managed to get a rough idea thanks to Wrath’s hint, but he needed more clues to be sure.

What answer are you even looking for?!

Wrath shook his head, telling him to stop saying nonsense.

Stop saying stupid shit! Let’s go eat ice cream already! You aren’t going to say that you’re backing out now, are you?

He licked his lips, his pupils trembling anxiously.

‘I’m not that cheap.’

Th-then let’s go right now…

‘We need to greet the master of this land first.’

The King of Essence is the master of this land since he set foot on it!

Wrath bobbed his finger, telling Raon to just greet him instead.

‘......’

Raon shook his head because he couldn’t even be bothered to speak anymore.

This is the annoying thing about humans! You have to greet the king, greet the nobles as well. Since we are in a holy kingdom or whatever, you even have to visit the pope!

‘We don’t need to.’ Raon steadily shook his head. ‘Schper is a theocracy. The king is the pontiff.’

The kingdom of Schper had no pope. The king worked as a pontiff while ruling and prayed to God himself.

Oh, that’s pretty good.

Wrath nodded, praising them for knowing what was convenient despite being meager humans.

Knock knock.

Raon chuckled, and a knock could be heard from the door.

“You may enter.”

The door carefully opened and Hopen entered the room, lowering his head. “We’ve received permission for an audience. Let’s go.”

“I see.” Raon put on the Black Dragon Coat again and left the room. The Light Wind Division was already waiting outside.

“I wonder what kind of person the king of a holy kingdom is?” Martha curiously licked her lips.

“I heard he is extremely kind-hearted.” Burren’s eyes sparkled in anticipation, saying that the king’s name was famous for his good deeds.

“Yes, he is kind-hearted.” Runaan nodded her head.

“Huh?”

“Do you know about Schper’s king?”

“You, of all people?”

Everyone in the Light Wind Division turned their heads and blinked while looking at Runaan.

“I don’t.” Runaan shook her head without the slightest hesitation.

“Then why did you call him kind-hearted?”

“Because they have a big bead ice cream shop.” She raised her blank eyes confidently.

“Haa…”

“I should’ve known better.”

The Light Wind Division sighed, saying that they were surprised for no reason.

But she’s right! How could those fools dare make fun of my Ice Cream Girl!

Wrath frantically shook his hand, saying that he agreed with Runaan’s opinion.

“Stop the useless chatter.” Raon furrowed his brow, standing in front of the Light Wind Division. “Make sure to show proper courtesy when you see the king.”

“Don’t worry… Sir.”

“Who do you think we are?”

Martha and Krein lifted their fists.

‘I’m worried about the two of you most of all.’

Raon secretly sighed and looked at Hopen. “Let’s go.”

“Understood.” Hopen smiled faintly and headed towards the palace.

A huge diamond-shaped temple could be seen under a spire, high enough to pierce the sky.

The building, which stood out even when they looked at the city, from the outside was the palace. The bright gray color of the walls amplified the holy impression.

Probably because they were notified of their visit, the front gate of the palace was open and the holy knights guarding the gate bowed quietly.

Raon nodded back at the holy knights before heading into the palace.

The interior was a warm white color, unlike the exterior, and the golden ornaments gave off a luxurious impression.

“Your Highness!”

They were walking on the glimmering blue carpet, heading towards the audience chamber, when an old priest with a golden scarf covering his neck came towards Hopen.

“I’m glad you’ve returned safely!” The old priest lowered his head, saying that it was a divine blessing.

“Ah, Father Firn!” Hopen greeted the man with a gentle smile on his face. “I was able to return safely thanks to them.”

“Who are these people…?”

“We encountered them during this mission…”

He briefly explained what had happened in the mountain, accustomed to the situation.

“Huh! So that’s what happened!” The priest, Father Firn, put his hands together as he faced the Light Wind Division. “Thank you for saving our prince!”

“Don’t mention it. By the way…” Raon blinked while looking at Hopen. “What’s this about the prince…?”

“Ah, did he not tell you?” Father Firn blinked while looking at Hopen. “He is the fourth prince of Schper.”

“The fourth prince?” Raon’s jaw dropped as he looked at Hopen.

“H-Hopen was a prince all along?”

“I didn’t know at all…”

“Wait, how come a prince is so humble?!”

“I thought he’d succeeded on his own!”

The Light Wind Division gasped because they hadn’t expected it at all either after having spoken with Hopen.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to deceive you. Like I said before, status isn’t that important to us.” Hopen awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

“Hmm…” Raon nodded while looking at Hopen.

‘That’s true.’

Hopen had always behaved the same way, during their encounters in Banneret and mountain alike. He’d always lived as a holy knight, never acting or speaking like a prince. He was more faithful to the teachings than anyone else.

‘That must be why we immediately received permission for an audience.’

It was unusual that an audience was granted so quickly despite lack of prior notification, and it must’ve been thanks to Hopen’s status.

“Ah, this old man must’ve kept you with me for too long. Let’s go.”

Father Firn went ahead, saying that he was also invited to the audience chamber.

Raon and Hopen nodded their heads and followed Firn toward the audience chamber.

“I would like to tell you something now that you’ve learned that I’m a prince…” Hopen lowered his eyes slightly while looking at Raon.

“Sir Biten, who you met in Banneret, was my older brother.”

“Ah…”

Raon nodded, turning around to look at Hopen. He didn’t know at all that Biten was a prince, nor that he was Hopen’s brother. Raon was rather confident that he hadn’t been borrowing the family’s fame, but they were even better.

‘What an interesting family.’

Raon kept walking despite his surprise, and he arrived at the audience chamber in no time.

Father Firn lowered his head in front of the audience chamber, and the holy knights stepped aside. The white door quietly opened, revealing a warm light.

Whir!

The elegant shapes of God that were engraved on the windows were shining down with the sunlight. The holiness of the place made it seem like God could manifest at any moment.

High ranking priests were standing with their hands put together in front of the spotless pillars. Interestingly, half of them were young men and women. Their natures were as varied as their distinctive appearances.

However, one thing they had in common was that they were surrounded by a huge amount of holy power. It almost felt like he was looking at the ocean.

“I’ll be heading there, too.”

Father Firn turned around and lowered his head before heading to the furthest spot, standing with his hands put together.

An old knight wearing silver armor was standing on the opposite side from him, and an intensely powerful and noble aura was emanating from him, unlike the others. He was a knight in the Grandmaster realm.

A young blond knight was standing next to him, leaning his straight back against the pillar. He was a holy knight with even more holy power than Hopen.

Lastly, Raon saw the man who was standing on the very low platform at the center. The middle-aged man had faint blue hair just like Hopen, and his pure, wide eyes made it look like he was about to start crying at any moment.

He seemed to be Baorn, the king of the Holy Kingdom of Schper.

Step.

Raon activated the Ring of Fire and stepped upon the blue carpet covering the audience chamber. The level of his soul ascended sharply, adding destructive dignity to his quiet steps.

The moment everyone’s eyes were focused on him, Schper’s king, royal knights, and the high priests all alike, Raon unleashed the wrath. The emotion of the demon king, different in nature from demonic energy, twisted the audience chamber that was brimming with holy power.

Thud!

In that instant, a very small wave occurred inside the audience chamber, reacting to the wrath. Raon couldn’t locate it precisely, but it was an instinctive wave from a demon, different from demonic energy.

What are you doing right now…?

Wrath widened his eyes, asking what he was doing.

‘Just as I expected.’

Raon curled his lips into a smile, standing at the center of the audience chamber.

‘The man who made a contract with a demon is among them.’

The traitor who’d made a contract with a demon was hiding in the room, full of high priests, royal knights, holy knight captains, and even the king.

Footnotes:

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