Chapter 451

Raon turned around after he left the lord's manor. He clapped his hands while looking at the Light Wind division, who were following him while hugging the silver tablets that Glenn had given them as if they were their treasures.

"Thank you for your hard work so far."

The Light Wind division had fought against the Black Tower's demonized humans with their lives on the line and didn't even have any time to rest after that, yet they thoroughly took care of the injured Warring Steel division and hostages.

Since they'd been paying a lot more attention to them than when they were fighting, they should've been exhausted in many ways.

"You can rest for four days starting from tomorrow."

Raon gave them a holiday since even their willpower should've been at rock bottom, on top of their stamina.

"Oooh!"

"The training is crazy hard, but he's so cool about giving us some time to rest!"

"This is why I can't hate the vice division leader."

"I know, I know."

The Light Wind swordsmen started to talk about what they were going to do during their days off with faint smiles on their faces.

However, Burren, Martha, and Runaan clenched their hilts without saying anything, unlike the other times.

'Those four…'

Raon rolled his lips into a smile while reading the team leaders' pupils, which looked like a faint heat haze was burning inside of them.

'Are they planning to train instead of resting?'

They'd previously mentioned that they wanted to become Masters before Raon became a Grandmaster.

Their determination must've been genuine since they didn't look like they had any plan of resting or playing around.

'I don't know who is going to teach them, but they are serious about it.'

He was proud of them for resolving themselves on their own even though no one had called them weak.

Raon turned around since he trusted Burren, Runaan, and Martha to be fine with their training.

When he was about to return to the annex building, Trevin and the Warring Steel Swordsmen came towards him.

"We owe you our lives. We will repay this gratitude no matter what."

Trevin and the Warring Steel swordsmen thanked him from the bottom of their hearts and bowed.

"You don't need to thank me like that."

Raon shook his head while watching Trevin and the Warring Steel swordsmen straighten their backs.

"If you want to thank us, please return as fast as possible. We would be embarrassed if the Light Wind division's rivals stopped their advance."

Trevin and the Warring Steel swordsmen hardened their faces upon hearing it.

"Wasn't that what I told you before…?"

"Indeed. That's what you said when you saved us in House Arianne."

Raon smiled while looking at Trevin's trembling eyes.

"I think the same. No, I should be saying that we think the same."

Raon nodded and spoke from the bottom of his heart.

"You don't need to care about owing us your lives or whatever, since we are wielding our swords in Zieghart with the same mind. I will be satisfied if you keep wielding your swords by our side just like you've done before."

Raon bowed to Trevin before heading toward the annex building's direction.

"It was simply our turn this time."

"Return as fast as possible."

"We will be waiting, too."

Martha, Runaan, and Burren also smiled at the Warring Steel swordsmen before leaving in different directions.

"We need a rematch later on."

"You won't even see our back anymore if you return too late. Make sure to come back quickly."

"The Warring Steel division is our only rival. Actually, you are the only ones we've gotten close to…"

The Light Wind swordsmen also talked to the Warring Steel swordsmen before leaving the area near the lord's manor.

"..."

The Warring Steel swordsmen lowered their heads and stayed like that for a long time in front of the lord's manor, even after the Light Wind division had left.

"Haa…"

Trevin sighed quietly and raised his head.

"I thought it would take a long time, but we need to get back up quickly."

He clenched his fist while looking at the setting sun.

Red vitality returned to his eyes, which used to show nothing but sadness.

"Yes, we should."

"Because they are waiting for us."

"I can't let them stay ahead of us."

The Warring Steel swordsmen also looked at the sunset that Trevin was looking at with smiles on their faces.

Trevin calmly turned around.

"Let's go."

He nodded after checking out the Warring Steel swordsmen one after the other. They had already regained their motivation.

"Let's prepare to send them off."

* * *

Raon was standing in front of the annex building's entrance. It looked like they were preparing dinner, as the delicious smell of food was leaking outside the building.

Haap!

Wrath extended his waist like a rubber band to fly in front of a window.

Ooh! Pasta, steak, and even ribs! M-moreover…

'Moreover?'

Pineapples are included in all of them! What a great day it is!

Wrath could tell what kind of food it was, and even knew that pineapples were included, just from smelling them. It was an insane sense of smell.

What are you waiting for?! Go inside already and sit at the table! The food is getting cold!

'You are so extreme.'

Despite being the Monarch of Wrath, he hadn't shown any interest during the battle—yet he was so passionate about food.

Raon was seriously curious about how he'd become a demon king, and how he became the monarch of wrath specifically.

"Haa…"

Raon shook his head and opened the annex building's door.

"Huh?"

Yua was carrying ingredients inside a large basket, and her eyes widened.

"Young master!"

Yua put down the basket and ran towards the entrance.

"Did you bring the misters from the Warring Steel division back?"

She immediately asked about their well-being. It looked like she was sad that she couldn't join the mission.

"Yes."

Some of them didn't manage to return, but Raon quietly nodded since he didn't need to mention that part.

"Ah…"

Yua removed the smile from her mouth. She must've realized the meaning behind his nod.

"Huh?"

"Is the young master back?"

"Young master Raon!"

The maids frantically ran towards the entrance since they'd heard Yua say 'young master'.

"Young master!"

"Are you okay?"

"Are you injured somewhere?"

"How did the mission go?"

Since they were aware that he was gone to save the Warring Steel division that had gone missing, the maids worriedly came to him and examined his body.

"I'm fine."

Raon smiled and shook his head.

He would've been irritated if other people had approached him like that, but he was feeling a pleasant warmth instead, probably because they were his family.

"It's extremely important to save your companions."

Sylvia smiled brightly while coming down from upstairs.

"Raon, you worked so hard."

She calmly walked towards him and hugged his shoulders tightly.

Her perfume made him comfortable, like he was lying on a freshly-dried blanket under the sunlight.

"Everyone did their best to prepare the dinner, since the external commander told us that you'd returned after completing your mission. Take a quick shower and join us."

Sylvia smiled while saying that the dinner was going to be really delicious since she'd acquired a large amount of high-quality ingredients.

"Okay."

Raon nodded while feeling the tension leaving his body.

Just as he was about to go to the restroom, Wrath was examining Sylvia from top to bottom.

'Hey, what are you waiting for? Come here alread—'

Did you prepare all of those for the King of Essence?

Wrath stuck to Sylvia's arm. He seemed to believe that the food was prepared for him.

Mom!

'...'

'Did he really go insane…?'

Raon returned to his room after eating the hearty dinner that Sylvia and the maids had prepared.

Wow!

Wrath exclaimed and jumped onto the bed.

This is home, and this is life! Lying on the bed after filling the stomach with Mom's food feels like heaven!

He smiled brightly while enjoying heaven despite being a demon king.

'This isn't your home, and she's not your mom.'

Don't care about those small details. We have a bigger problem on hand.

Wrath bobbed his head up from the bed and spoke in a low-pitched voice.

'What's the problem?'

Raon swallowed nervously because his eyes suddenly became serious.

It's impossible to pick only four flavors of bead ice cream no matter how he thinks about it! He's going nuts right now!

'…'

Raon sighed deeply, saying that he was still contemplating about that.

Can't you have just one more set? Picking four out of thirty-three is too cruel!

'No!'

Raon shook his head while slapping Wrath away with the back of his hand since he kept sticking to him.

He was going to buy him an extra set because he kept contemplating it all along, but he felt baited and didn't want to do it anymore.

You cheap bastard! It's not even that expensive…

'It's more expensive than you, at least.'

Ugh…

While Raon was arguing with Wrath, three knocks could be heard. Since it was Judiel's signal, Raon stood up and opened the door.

"..."

Judiel silently bowed and entered the room. She calmly went on her knees and raised her gaze.

"I heard there was a conflict against the White Whale. Are you okay?"

"Yes, it wasn't a big deal."

Raon nodded and briefly explained what had happened.

"Their extraordinary might was one thing, but they were a lot more loyal to their master than I'd thought."

The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber were surprisingly powerful, but they had never said anything about the White Whale on the way to Zieghart.

Raon had previously thought they were nothing but a sandcastle, but they seemed to be a lot more solid as an organization.

"I've further investigated the Five Divine Orders while you were outside."

Judiel stated that she'd investigated the White Whale just in case.

"As you are already aware, the White Whale's leader is the Thespian Emperor. She holds as much information as the Black Market, and…"

"Wait a moment."

Raon raised his hand. What Judiel had just said was completely unexpected to him.

"She? The Thespian Emperor is a woman?"

"Yes, she is a woman. They say that her appearance seems to be in her thirties, but she must be a lot older than that."

Judiel slowly nodded.

"To continue what I was saying, the White Whale's true power lies in their information rather than their might. The rumors say that they know everything that happens in the entire continent."

"Are they using the same method as the Black Market?"

"It's similar but slightly different."

"What's the difference?"

"There are rumors that the Thespian Emperor can read the heaven's movement."

"Heaven's movement?"

"Yes. It means that she reads the flow of the sky and predicts the future."

Judiel pointed at the night sky where the dim moonlight was dappling from.

"Lots of people think that she is a prophet because her prediction of the future is correct most of the time."

"Now that you mention it…"

The Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber had murmured that it was different from their prediction when they were fighting.

It must've been the Thespian Emperor's prediction that allowed them to know that the Black Tower was inside the frozen lake.

"It's a frightening ability if that's true."

Raon moistened his dry lips.

"On top of that ability, the Thespian Emperor's dignity and leadership made lots of famous warriors join the White Whale. There are rumors that they have at least two Grandmasters."

"And how powerful is the Thespian Emperor herself?"

"It's completely unknown."

Judiel shook her head, saying that she couldn't find out about that. However, she was definitely more powerful than a Grandmaster, since she had at least two of those as her subordinates.

"The White Whale is the most unpredictable group among the Five Divine Orders. You should be careful when you deal with them."

"I see."

Raon nodded his head.

"That is very helpful."

Since he was going to get the information out of the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber starting the next day, Judiel's information was bound to save him a lot of time.

He was so lucky to have her because she brought him important information whenever he needed it.

"I'll be taking my leave."

Judiel calmly smiled and left the room.

"Hmm…"

Raon licked his lips while looking at the door where Judiel had left.

'She didn't even talk about her brother.'

She avoided the topic about her brother, probably because she didn't want to pressure him. Raon was thankful for her consideration, but he was feeling a heavy responsibility at the same time.

'I'll need to find him no matter what.'

Finding Judiel's brother was one of his important goals.

If even the Black Market couldn't find anything about him, he was going to get the information out of the Central Martial Palace Master, Karoon Zieghart, even if he had to confront him directly.

"Yes, I'll do it no matter what…"

When Raon was resolving himself, Wrath stuck himself on Raon's head.

The King of Essence finally understands it!

'What are you talking about?'

You must be venting your anger on the King of Essence because you didn't gain anything special.

'Anything special? What?'

That's right. You worked so hard to rescue them, and all you got was a shit-colored tablet.

Wrath frowned, saying that it must've been because he was unsatisfied with the reward that he wasn't buying more ice cream for him.

'I'm not, though?'

Raon shook his head. He'd never thought that since the golden tablet was already more than he'd expected.

Stop lying! The King of Essence knows how cheap you are. There's no way you would be satisfied with that shitty rewar—

When he was shaking his head, the Blade of Requiem hanging around his waist started to vibrate violently.

Whir!

Messages appeared in his vision along with an aloof sound of sword resonance.

[The Blade of Requiem has finished absorbing the demonic energy.]

[The Blade of Requiem offers the purified demonic energy to you.]

It was the same message he'd gotten every time the Blade of Requiem had absorbed the other types of negative energies.

Ugh…

Wrath dropped his jaw because he'd never expected that the message would appear at that exact moment.

[All stats have increased by 10.]

[Trait Adaptation to Ghastly Energy has increased in rank.]

[Trait Divinity Blooming from the Underworld has increased in rank.]

On top of the stats, he got a rank up on two whole traits. He could feel the new energy welling up in his exhausted body.

[The Blade of Requiem's trait Ghastly Flow of Mana has been improved.]

And there was more. Even the Blade of Requiem's trait became better. However, the messages were still not over.

[You've consecutively defeated enemies at a higher realm than yourself.]

[All stats have increased by 10.]

[Trait Perception of the Snow Flower has increased in rank.]

[Trait Poison Resistance has increased in rank.]

The next set of messages was the system's reward, unlike the previous ones that were given by the Blade of Requiem.

Ugh…

Wrath's eyes became so distorted that they looked like they were going to burst.

What the hell is this?! Why are you giving him so much?!

He frantically shook his head while shouting that it couldn't be happening. He looked like cotton candy in the making.

"Thank you, Wrath."

Raon simply patted Wrath's violently trembling shoulder.

"Your mouth should be called the heaven's gate. Rewards pop out whenever you start to speak. Do you have anything else to say?"

Shut uuuup!

* * *

The next day, Raon was the only one in the fifth training ground. He repeatedly practiced the Fangs of Insanity and the Blizzard Sword Art from daybreak.

He finally lowered his sword when the sun started to set and nodded in satisfaction.

"I'm finally starting to get used to them."

He'd been practicing swordsmanship to get used to his body since he'd had so much improvement in stats and traits, and his movement finally became satisfactory in the evening.

Raon clenched his right fist and smiled.

'I think my body is stronger than a Grandmaster's now.'

The reformation of his body was supposed to happen upon becoming a Grandmaster to adjust the body into the perfect shape to use his martial arts. However, he felt like his body was even better than that thanks to Wrath—all without going through the reformation of the body.

'It's so overpowered…'

Argh, eat some ice cream if you are grateful for it! The King of Essence thought he was going to die from standing under the scorching sun all day long!

Wrath pointed his hand, asking him to run towards the bead ice cream shop right away.

'Well, I guess I have a promise to keep.'

Raon nodded and unsheathed Heavenly Drive.

He figured it would be perfect if he bought some ice cream for Wrath and went to torture—or, rather, interrogate the Sickle of the Bloody Cloud and the White Wolf Saber.

'So, did you manage to decide the flavors?'

About that…

Wrath carefully raised his head while rubbing his round hands against each other.

Can you add one more please? A single one is enough. It's impossible to decide no matter what! There are way too many flavors out there!

He shook his head, saying that it was a sin to ask to pick four and that choosing a single one would've been easier. Raon couldn't understand what the hell he was saying since he was a sin himself.

'I'm only going to buy one in that case. That solves the issue, right?'

You fiend!

Raon chuckled and left the training ground.

'I guess it won't hurt to buy him two more sets.'

Regardless of the reward, Wrath was extremely helpful during the mission. He was fine with buying him twenty sets of ice cream instead of two.

He left the training ground. He found a familiar face when he was walking towards the shop.

It was Dorian, who had crumbs around his mouth.

"Vice division leader!"

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Th-the White Lotus division is currently returning!"

"White Lotus division?"

"Yes. I was chatting around the main gate, and I saw them return before heading to the lord's manor."

Dorian nodded, saying that he came running as soon as he saw the White Lotus division's return.

"But they looked so depressed, almost like defeated soldiers. Their clothes were all in tatters too."

"Really?"

Raon shook his hands with a frightening smile on his face.

'In that case, this isn't time to be eating ice cream.'

Since the White Lotus was heading to the lord's manor, it was time for him to follow them and tell Glenn about how stupid and selfish they were.

Man!

Raon changed direction towards the annex building while thinking about how he should mess the White Lotus division up, and Wrath barked at him.

The ice cream shop is going to be cloooosed! Please keep your promise, you damn fiend!