Raon narrowed his eyes while standing in front of the door to Glenn’s room.
‘Are they having a secret conversation?’
The noise had disappeared from inside the room. Raon could guess that someone had created an aura barrier to remove the sound.
‘Is it because of the person who left earlier?’
He met the eyes of an old woman who seemed to be a Black Market executive on the way to Glenn’s room, and Raon guessed that they must’ve blocked the sound to hide the conversation they had with her.
Tap.
While Raon was making sure to remember the old woman’s face, the door was opened and Roenn appeared. The gentle smile on his face was the same as always.
‘He’s completely different from back then.’
The extremely coldhearted assassin who pushed the tenth apostle back with a single rapier was no longer there. Instead, he looked like an average old man taking a walk in a village.
“How is your body?”
“I’m fine, thank you.”
Raon tried clenching his fist and nodded.
“That’s a relief. Please enter.”
Roenn stepped aside to make way.
“Thank you.”
Raon nodded and entered the room.
Rimmer was leaning his back against the wall with a frown on his face, and Sheryl was looking at him with a subtle smile on hers.
“Greeting my lord.”
He walked to the center and stood in front of Glenn. Glenn’s inhospitable expression was the exact same as when they were in the audience chamber.
No, his face was even stiffer than usual, and Raon guessed that it must’ve been because the talk with the old woman didn’t end up so well.
“What’s wrong?”
Considering his slightly hoarse voice, his internal injury must not have been healed yet.
“I came to express my gratitude.”
“Your gratitude?”
“Yes. Thank you for saving my life.”
Raon knelt and bowed to him. Since he wasn’t expecting him to come to his rescue at all, he felt even more thankful to him. Seeing Glenn reminded him of the moment death was right in front of him, making him tremble in fear even though it was already over.
“It wasn’t for your sake.”
Glenn’s eyes turned as cold as the winter.
“I only made that scum pay the price for underestimating Zieghart.”
“Argh…”
Raon couldn’t understand why, but Rimmer smacked his own forehead as soon as Glenn spoke.
“Even then, it doesn’t change the fact that I managed to survive thanks to my lord. Thank you for saving me, and my companions.”
Since Raon had somewhat expected that answer, he smiled faintly and bowed once again.
“Raon Zieghart. You are too arrogant.”
Glenn narrowed his eyes. The sharp energy wave pierced into his chest like an aura blade.
“The might you’ve achieved at your age is certainly not bad. However, there are countless people stronger than you in the world. They won’t go easy on you just because you are young and brimming with talent.”
He was right. He was too reckless because he was overconfident about his growth.
‘I ended up running head-first into danger.’
He thought he could win against an average apostle, and he did manage to slay the seventh apostle. However, the tenth apostle and Merlin’s appearance that followed were completely beyond his expectations.
It was necessary to create an escape path before he acted in order to shatter the plans of those monsters.
“I’m sorry.”
Raon accepted Glenn’s scolding and lowered his head.
“Haa…”
Sheryl gave an unusual sigh and turned around to look out the window.
“This kind of miracle is never going to happen ever again.”
Glenn frowned while resting his chin on his hand. His gaze turned even colder.
“Don’t do anything that is out of line. Interference without might is a meaningless sacrifice.”
“Haap.”
Roenn covered his mouth with his hand and closed his eyes. Raon had never seen him do that before, since he’d been treating Glenn like a god.
‘He’s right about that, too.’
He couldn’t understand why the other three were acting like that, but Glenn was right. Jumping into danger to save others without having enough might was pretty much asking to be killed together. Motivation alone could never achieve anything after all.
“I’ll carve your advice into my bones, my lord.”
Raon closed his eyes while taking Glenn’s advice from the bottom of his heart.
‘By the way, is my lord okay right now?’
He saw him bleeding before, and his expression didn’t seem so good. Raon was slightly worried about him.
“My lord, how are your internal injuries?”
“Ahem, you don’t need to worry about it.”
Glenn’s face seriously stiffened like a dried-up leaf. His internal injury seemed to still be hurting him.
“…How about you?”
“I’m not doing too bad. I should be able to return to duty in about a week.”
“Did you already forget what I told you just now?”
Dignity was weighing on him from his voice. Raon’s shoulders trembled from the intense pressure.
“I told you to stop being arrogant, not cross the line. You barely managed to escape death. You shall rest thoroughly until your body is completely recovered!”
“Hmm, understood.”
“But still…”
Glenn’s lowered voice sounded like it was trembling slightly.
“I’m glad you are safe.”
“Ah…”
Raon briskly raised his head. His jaw dropped, as he didn’t expect Glenn to say something like that to him at all.
However, Glenn’s expression was as cold as before. He must’ve meant it as a simple formality, but Raon’s nose was tingling because it was his first time hearing Glenn say that he was worried about him.
“Thank you.”
Raon hung his head.
“Ahem.”
Glenn cleared his throat and burrowed his back deep into the chair.
“Oh.”
“Hmm!”
“Woah.”
Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn—who’d been facing the other way around—looked at them at once and quietly exclaimed.
“If you have nothing else to say, then…”
“I have. I might be mistaken, but it looks like the White Blood Religion's leader and the Fallen managed to escape alive.”
Since there was no way Wrath was lying about it, it must’ve been true that they were still alive. It was necessary to tell Glenn about them as fast as possible.
“I know.”
Glenn nodded without showing any sign of surprise.
“Trying to kill both of them at once was my mistake. I should’ve focused on the Fallen, but I was too greedy, and I ended up giving them an opening.”
Despite Raon’s expectation, he admitted his mistake and frowned. His irritation was directed at himself rather than other people.
‘He’s really different.’
People in important positions tend to avoid admitting their mistakes.
Derus Robert was a narrow-minded man who always blamed his subordinates for his mistakes, but Glenn casually admitted his mistake despite standing above everyone.
That fact was as surprising as his prowess.
“Is that what you wanted to talk about?”
“No, there’s one more thing. It’s about Martha…”
Raon told him what Martha had told him about the White Blood Religion's leader, as well as everything he had guessed from the story.
“What the hell?!”
“Damn it…”
“Haa…”
Rimmer was grinding his teeth violently, Sheryl’s chin was trembling, and Roenn closed his eyes. Everyone seemed shocked.
“Hmm.”
Glenn’s coldhearted appearance was also gone as he groaned.
“How is Martha doing?”
“She fell asleep after eating a meal.”
Once Martha heard that there was still hope, she had eaten the food before falling asleep.
“Haa.”
He slowly sighed and looked out the window, where the sunlight was entering the room.
“When I met the White Blood Religion's leader for the first time, she was a little girl with red hair and blue eyes, and she was a blonde, purple-eyed woman in her twenties on our second encounter. Just like you guessed, the White Blood Religion's leader is capable of using a Soul Transfer sorcery to change into a different body.”
“I see…”
“However, it’s a bit different from the average Soul Transfer.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since the Soul Transfer consists of taking over another person’s body, the user normally loses most of their powers and won’t be able to use their physical abilities anymore. However, that monster’s Soul Transfer doesn’t have those drawbacks.”
Glenn’s eyes became distorted. He was apparently getting angry at the White Blood Religion's leader.
“The White Blood Religion's leader is capable of using all of her powers and sorcery immediately after settling into a new body. The limitations don’t apply at all to her.”
“Hah…”
“However, it feels like her secret has been slightly unraveled thanks to you.”
“What?”
“It’s impossible to create results without any cause. The fact that she’s wearing the same necklace as Martha must hold some kind of secret.”
He narrowed his eyes while mentioning causality, just like Wrath did. All of the powerful people were apparently aware of that law of nature.
“Is there any way to save Martha’s mother, by any chance?”
“It’s normally impossible. However…”
Glenn calmly closed his eyes.
“If one can overwhelm the White Blood Religion's leader in terms of willpower on top of prowess, it shouldn’t be completely impossible.”
“I see.”
Raon clenched his fist. Since Glenn was saying that, it definitely wasn’t impossible. However, the possibility was extremely slim because it involved defeating the White Blood Religion's leader.
“Raon Zieghart.”
“Yes.”
“Excellent.”
Glenn suddenly praised him with a big nod.
“If we manage to unravel the secret behind the White Blood Religion's leader, half of it shall be your achievement. Good job.”
“N-no, I was just trying to help…”
He only racked his brain to comfort Martha and to understand the situation. That was an excessive compliment.
“Caring for your companions is always the right thing to do. You should never forget that mindset.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.”
“Once Martha wakes up, you all should look after her. I’ll call upon her after we return to the house.”
“Yes.”
Raon nodded.
‘What a relief.’
He was worried that Glenn might have a bad opinion of Martha because she was the daughter of the White Blood Religion's leader, but he was worried about her instead. Even though he was coldhearted, he still had a heart for other people.
“You should leave now.”
Glenn shook his hand as if he were trying to chase away a fly, just like he usually did.
“Yes.”
Raon nodded and stood up.
“Thank you, and…”
He wanted to say something to Glenn for giving him sharp yet humane advice, but nothing good came to his mind. The only thing he could think of was the blood flowing out of his mouth recently.
“P-please live a long life.”
Raon spat out those words and hurriedly left the room as if he were trying to run away.
“Oh my god! Live a long life? Are you really supposed to say that right now? In my opinion, the problem also lies with him!”
Rimmer sighed while looking at the door that Raon had left through.
“I hate to admit it, but I agree with you today. This is so annoying.”
Sheryl sighed deeply.
“They should get gradually better in the future.”
Roenn patted Rimmer and Sheryl’s shoulders, saying that they should be understanding.
“Argh…”
The three of them turned their heads upon hearing the groaning sound.
Glenn was biting his lip tightly while grasping the left side of his chest.
“Gasp!”
“M-my lord?”
“Is it because of the internal injury?”
Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn were extremely surprised and started to approach Glenn, and he turned his head around. His lips were trembling violently.
“He told me to live a long life…”
He was moved to tears as he stared at the door.
“And he even cared so much for Martha. He’s such an innocent and kindhearted boy.”
“……”
The three’s gazes froze once again.
* * *
* * *
Raon took a seat and controlled the Ring of Fire after returning to his room. The resonance of the rings decreased the intense pain throughout his body and accelerated the recovery of his body.
‘This is clearly different.’
The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier were both excellent cultivation techniques, but the Ring of Fire was even more special. He could even feel the slow recovery of his ruptured blood vessels and damaged skin.
Whir!
He even forgot the flow of time as he focused on cultivation, and by the time he managed to recover four lines of his mana circuits, he could hear people approaching his room.
Knock. Knock.
After the footsteps, a knocking sound and Dorian’s voice followed.
“Vice squad leader, you are having some visitors!”
Raon opened his eyes upon hearing that someone had come to visit him. He could feel that two other people were standing behind Dorian.
‘Who could they be?’
Raon stood and opened the door.
“You look better than before.”
Dorian grinned, and two women walked up to him from behind him. The one in front of him was the old woman who previously came out from Glenn’s room, and the one standing next to her was Denning Rose, the branch manager of the Black Market in Grand Seville.
“Haa…”
Denning Rose covered her mouth, then bumped her shoulder onto the wall as she couldn’t keep her balance.
“It’s a relief. I’m really relieved…”
She bit her lip tightly while grasping her chest.
“Branch manager?”
“Don’t worry. The strength left her body from witnessing the vice squad leader’s survival.”
The old woman smiled gently while patting Denning Rose’s back.
“Hmm…”
Raon slightly nodded while looking at Denning Rose, who was breathing faintly with her eyes closed.
‘I heard she worked hard.’
He’d heard about Denning Rose when the Light Wind squad told him what happened while he was gone. She’d apparently commanded the Black Market’s agents all night long in order to find Eden's branch location, and the tension must’ve finally left her after seeing him.
“Thank you. I managed to survive thanks to you.”
Raon nodded courteously at Denning Rose.
“No.”
Denning Rose shook her head. Considering how quickly she regained her composure and her calm gaze, she was truly an extraordinary intelligence agent.
“I would’ve already died in humiliation at the seventh apostle’s hands if it wasn’t for the vice squad leader.”
She smiled faintly, saying that she was only repaying the favor.
“But who is she…?”
Raon looked at the old woman who was holding Denning Rose’s shoulder tightly. Considering the way she was treating the branch manager, she must’ve been an executive from the Black Market just like he’d previously thought.
“My name is Roseline, and I’m in charge of the Black Market. I’m glad to see you.”
“The Black Market’s master?”
She said that she was in charge of the Black Market, not a branch. It could only mean that she was the master of the Black Market, able to influence the entire continent.
“Yes, I’m currently managing the Black Market even though I’m unworthy.”
She smiled as if it wasn’t a big deal.
“Ah, I apologize for my late introduction. I’m the Light Wind’s vice squad leader, Raon Zieghart.”
Raon bowed to Roseline.
‘Unworthy, huh… There’s no way that is true.’
The Black Market’s current master was the one who expanded the Black Market to its current state, and that was the woman standing in front of him. She was simply acting humble because she held all of the power of the Black Market.
“Please enter for now.”
Since he couldn’t keep them standing in front of the door, he brought them inside and let them sit in front of a table.
“Dorian, I’m sorry, but can you bring some te—”
“Yes.”
Dorian answered but didn’t leave the room.
“Ah, it’s here.”
He took three teacups and a teapot from his belly pocket. He put red tea leaves inside the pot, and the pot suddenly started to boil, steam coming from it.
Pssh!
The heavy yet clear fragrance of tea emerged from the pot and warmed up the room.
‘Seriously.’
Raon chuckled. His pocket and tools were always such a mystery, and they managed to surprise him once again.
“This is Benzar green tea. It should have a nice fragrance since it was dried properly.”
Dorian poured the tea into the three teacups with a smile on his face, as if he were a butler.
“The mister over here was also from an extraordinary house.”
Roseline was looking at Dorian’s belly pocket with a subtle smile. She took a sip of the tea before placing a wooden box on the table.
“Is this…?”
“It’s Ubo’s panacea.”
“Ubo’s panacea? Why is it…”
“This is my gift for the vice squad leader.”
Raon’s jaw dropped. Ubo was a master elixir craftsman, and people called him the Medicine Saint. They said that his panacea was even capable of reviving the dead, and Raon didn’t expect her to give him such a precious item as a gift at all.
“Why would you give this to me…?”
“We were partly responsible for the vice squad leader’s kidnapping. We should’ve been helping you, but we only ended up being helped instead. That’s why this much is necessary to show our gratitude.”
She pushed the panacea’s wooden box towards him.
‘Hmm…’
Raon was looking at Roseline instead of the panacea. Her peaceful eyes were clear enough, without a speck of ulterior motive, but he couldn’t exactly trust that.
He secretly flicked his eyes over to look at Denning Rose. She wasn’t reacting at all despite seeing the panacea, as if it were only obvious that it would be given to him.
‘Their reactions are slightly different.’
Roseline felt like he was giving Ubo’s panacea because of the head of house instead of himself, while Denning Rose felt like she was giving it to him out of pure worry.
However, they seemed to agree that it was an appropriate gift for him.
“Thank you.”
Raon lowered his head, picked up the wooden box, and brought it in front of him. It was light, but the warmth coming from inside felt rather heavy.
“This much is obvious.”
Roseline simply shook her hand and took a sip of the tea.
“This tea is nice.”
“Thank you!”
Dorian smiled while holding the teapot.
So, is it delicious? You should try it too!
Wrath couldn’t read the atmosphere and suddenly interfered to point at the teacup.
‘You aren’t going to like it.’
That’s up to the King of Essence to decide!
‘Haa…’
Raon sighed and took a sip of the tea.
Tsk! This is so bland.
Wrath clicked his tongue and returned to the ice flower bracelet. Raon was dumbfounded at his behavior—it almost felt like he was raising a child.
“Then let’s proceed to the next topic.”
Roseline placed the teacup on the table and smiled.
“The next topic?”
“You didn’t tell her which rewards you wanted after completing the mission. I should actually say that you didn’t have any opportunity for that. Since she said she’d do anything for you, we will keep that promise.”
“Ah…”
She did say that before, and Raon had a list of things to ask from her. However, he couldn’t actually say that.
“It’s fine.”
Raon slowly shook his head.
“I heard that the entire Black Market worked hard on my rescue. I was already helped in return, so any further reward would be excessive.”
It was true. Too much greed would come back to bite him. Since everyone had survived, that was enough for him.
‘It would be shameless to accept that reward.’
He would’ve taken the promised rewards and information if the incident ended after defeating the seventh apostle at Grand Seville, but the situation went so wrong afterward, and the Black Market had helped him in return. Getting the original reward for the mission was fine, but making additional requests would’ve been unreasonable.
“This girl is the Black Market’s branch manager, and one of my successors.”
Roseline caressed Denning Rose’s head.
“Even though our history isn’t as long as Zieghart, we can’t exactly break a successor’s promise.”
She stared at Raon with a faint smile on her face.
“Please tell me what you want.”
