The Black Market’s master, Roseline, narrowed her eyes while watching Raon as he considered her offer.
‘Frostfire Sword of Valor…’
Such an honorable name wasn’t always a good thing.
The warriors with honorable aliases were usually merciless against the villains while being extremely merciful to the ordinary people. Fair and just would be the best description of their personalities.
They looked cool and amazing, but they led the most uncomfortable lives.
‘Because they need to keep thinking about how the people see them.’
The honorable warriors managed to gain their aliases by showing exemplary behavior, so they were bound to pay attention to their reputations.
They had to be careful when drinking, they couldn’t entertain themselves as much as they wanted, and the situations where they could use their powers were rather limited.
Even if they had an urgent matter to attend to, they were sometimes forced to resolve the injustices in front of them instead.
That was how difficult it was to have an honorable alias, specifically because of its impressive meaning.
‘Of course, this boy is no different.’
She blatantly told him to make his request, and that had the effect of making it difficult to ask for anything.
‘It’s only natural.’
The Black Market had spent an astronomical amount of money in order to find Eden's branch.
Since Raon was obviously aware of that fact, as he was in charge of the finances of the Light Wind squad, he couldn’t easily ask for anything.
A subtle smile appeared on Roseline’s face.
‘And that’s why I told him that I’d grant any of his requests.’
The Black Market master’s promise was pretty much a vow made by the Black Market itself.
She would need to grant anything he would ask for, but she still made such a suggestion because she expected Raon to decline making any requests at all because had he gained such a great alias at a young age.
‘This move only has advantages without any drawbacks. After all, it will allow me to gain the trust of the Destructive King of the North.’
It was absolutely certain that Glenn Zieghart cherished Raon. If the rumor spread that she suggested that she would grant Raon anything that he wanted, the Destructive King of the North would also be satisfied.
‘Hmm…’
She turned her head upon noticing a piercing gaze from the side, and Denning Rose was staring at her, blaming her for being so mean.
‘It’s exactly because I’ve been living this way that I can be the master of the Black Market.’
A real pro didn’t try to meddle with the conditions, instead targeting an opponent’s psychology. She felt slightly sorry for him, but it was exactly thanks to that way of living that she had managed to expand the Black Market to its current state.
“Erm…”
Raon’s mouth slowly opened.
“Yes, please tell me.”
Roseline licked her lips slightly before smiling at him again.
‘It’s happening now.’
Since Raon was obviously going to refuse, she just needed to praise him for that and casually get it over with. She was confident in doing that because she’d always done it before.
“You can ask later if you can’t…”
“I’m going to need information about the Six Kings and the Five Demons.”
“Uhh…”
Despite her expectations, he made his request with honest eyes.
“Th-the Six Kings and the Five Demons?
“Yes. I need detailed information about them. Their members, locations, tendencies, and the level of their might. The information about every single powerful person above the realm of Master must be included, as they are the most important members.”
Raon declared his request clearly, without hesitating at all. The reason he stayed silent for a while seemed to be because he was thinking about the request.
“Please send the information to Zieghart’s annex building instead of the main building. And…”
Roseline’s lips parted.
‘He’s making another request?’
The information about the Six Kings and Five Demons was expensive enough that a single line would cost more than a gold coin. Moreover, Raon was asking for information about powerful people, and that was extremely expensive.
Actually, a lot of information couldn’t even be bought with money. She couldn’t even begin to guess about how she’d deal with his request.
“I’d like to find the location of the phoenix.”
“Ph-phoenix…”
The phoenix was a monster that actually existed, but encountering it was extremely rare—to the point that people had begun to believe that they were myths.
They were even more difficult to find than dragons in terms of rarity alone, and she couldn’t understand how she was supposed to find something like that. Her heart suddenly started to tremble.
“Uhh…”
Roseline’s chin was trembling as she met Raon’s glowing eyes.
‘I-is he really an honorable warrior?’
She realized her mistake. Raon’s eyes were glowing with greed. Rather than the Frostfire Sword of Valor, he should’ve been called the Frostfire Sword of Greed.
“And finally…”
‘Another one?’
Roseline barely managed to control her expression and turned her head.
“Ah…”
Denning Rose’s eyes were also violently trembling, as she didn’t expect that he would make so many requests either.
“I’d like to find a person and an object.”
“Wh-which person and object would that be?”
“I’ll write that down properly after I return to the house and send it to you.”
“Ah, I-I see.”
Even though her face was still smiling, she couldn’t stop her voice from trembling.
‘That must be an extraordinary request as well.’
There was no way anything he was asking could be an easy task. It shouldn’t be as bad as the information about the Six Kings and Five Demons, but it was clearly going to be a difficult task.
Sip.
Roseline drank her tea because of the burning feeling in her throat. Even though the tea had such a clear taste until just a moment ago, it tasted extremely bitter instead.
‘This is driving me nuts.’
She couldn’t even estimate how much money she was going to lose because of the deal she made in that short timeframe.
‘And I can’t cancel it now, either.’
Since people saw her and Denning Rose entering Raon’s room, Glenn must’ve heard about it as well. If she tried to cancel her suggestion, the trust she managed to gain was bound to plummet.
‘I have to do it.’
Since it was a declaration made under the name of the Black Market’s master, instead of a mere branch manager, she had to grant his request no matter what. She felt like it was the end of the world because of the unexpected checkmate.
“I’ll be counting on you.”
Raon bowed with a smile on his face.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Roseline smiled awkwardly and racked her brain to think about how to make up for the astronomical amount of losses she just made. Obviously, there was no solution to it.
“Since I’ve heard the vice squad leader’s request, I’ll be leaving now.”
She smiled faintly and stood up. She needed to return to the main branch and make the calculations in order to come back to her senses.
“Vice squad leader, get well soon.”
Denning Rose also stood up after nodding at him. Her slightly trembling legs showed that she was also shocked by Raon’s requests.
“Black Market’s master and branch manager.”
When those two were about to leave the room, Raon’s voice could be heard.
Roseline and Denning Rose slowly turned around.
Raon’s red eyes were radiating with a dignified light from reflecting the sunlight entering through the window. While they were staring blankly at his eyes, which looked like rubies, his lips parted.
“You won’t regret it.”
“Ah…”
Raon’s voice was as quiet as Glenn Zieghart’s, and their hearts tightened upon hearing it.
“Haa…”
Roseline swept her disheveled hair up.
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
She lowered her head slightly with a faint smile on her face before leaving the room. Denning Rose must’ve also noticed something was different, as she followed her with a stiff expression on her face.
They didn’t say anything until they got on the carriage and were leaving the mansion. It was only after the carriage’s door was closed that Roseline’s lips twisted up.
“He got me good.”
Raon didn’t make that request out of sheer greed. He had perfectly understood her thought process before showing his blade that couldn’t be refused.
‘When was the last time I was thoroughly defeated like this?’
She didn’t make proper preparations because she completely underestimated him, but it was still unexpected that such a young boy would seize her by her hair. She figured that his might wasn’t the only thing she should be seeing in him. He was already a dangerous person with his might alone, and she felt the necessity to raise the rank one step higher.
“How was he in your eyes?”
Roseline narrowed her eyes while looking at Denning Rose.
“He seemed to have matured even further during that short time period, both in martial arts and in mentality. I could see a composure and nervousness that he didn’t have before.”
Denning Rose looked back at the mansion that was getting further away and narrowed her eyes.
“Are you saying that he matured even though he became nervous?”
“Yes.”
She nodded without any hesitation.
“The Raon Zieghart that I saw in the past was brimming with confidence. He believed that he could solve anything on his own. However, he looked different today.”
“How?”
“He seemed to have realized the possibility of failure, and the fact that he can’t solve everything on his own.”
“I see.”
Roseline caressed Denning Rose’s head with a faint smile on her face.
‘You’ve also matured, just like him.’
Denning Rose originally had an indecisive personality, and she often postponed her judgment or left others to decide the outcome. The incident seemed to have matured her in that aspect.
“Then how do you like him as a man?”
“What?!”
Denning Rose’s face froze.
“Appearance, might, house, personality, and insight. He isn’t lacking in any aspect, so I’ll be the matchmaker if you are interested.”
Roseline stroked Denning Rose’s hand while saying that she was serious.
“I may look otherwise, but the number of couples who got married thanks to me must be numbering over a hundred by now.”
“I-I need to serve my master. I have no intention of getting married until you retire, master.”
Denning Rose shook her head, her entire face turned red except for her black eyepatch.
“The ones who say that are usually the first ones to get married.”
Roseline chuckled and shook her hand.
“You should say that again after hiding that plum color from your face.”
“Master!”
* * *
* * *
Raon snickered while fiddling with the box containing Ubo’s panacea.
‘She couldn’t have expected that she’d take a blow here.’
He was originally planning to refuse, as it was obviously the reasonable thing to do, but he changed his mind upon seeing Roseline’s eyes.
She looked gentle and kind, but her eyes clearly said that she knew he was never going to ask anything from her. Since those were the eyes of an experienced merchant, Raon decided to take advantage of her, and it ended up in a complete success.
‘I gained way more than I thought.’
An astronomical sum of money was required to buy information about the Six Kings and the Five Demons, and a lot of top-secret information couldn’t even be bought with money alone. Although he wasn’t expecting to get all of it, he should be able to find out a decent amount about them, which was already a huge gain for him.
Hmph!
Wrath flowed from the ice flower bracelet and grinned.
Even though you are such a fiend, you still must have some consideration in you. You decided to keep your promise already.
‘Consideration? What are you talking about?’
You must’ve asked that granny about the phoenix’s location in order to invigorate the King of Essence’s body. You were trying to keep the promise that you made about feeding him something delicious.
He licked his lips while looking into the air.
Pheonix meat is tender and crispy at the same time, and it even increases your appetite. The King of Essence is looking forward to it, as he hasn’t eaten anything invigorating for a while.
‘Have you even eaten a phoenix before?’
But of course. I couldn’t eat it that often, but it was one of my favorite special dishes. Heh!
Raon’s jaw dropped while watching the grinning Wrath. It was a dragon last time and now a phoenix. The glutton must’ve really tasted all kinds of monsters before.
‘I’m sorry, but I’m not planning to hunt down the phoenix.’
What?
‘I’m looking for the phoenix’s location rather than the phoenix itself.’
What do you mean? Why would you not eat the phoenix if you manage to find one? It’s only natural to eat food if it’s placed in front of you!
‘……’
Even though a phoenix was nothing short of being called legendary, the crazy Wrath was treating it as food.
‘Dear customer, we don’t sell phoenixes.’
Hey, you rascal!
Wrath shoved his face into Raon’s, and Raon shook his head while pushing him away. The reason he was looking for a phoenix was in order to get stronger instead of hunting it. He could end up killing the phoenix, but it was completely fine if he didn’t.
Munch!
Raon turned his head upon hearing the munching sound of some snack. Dorian was lying sideways on the bed, eating something that he took from his belly pocket. He’d been eating that snack, which looked like a potato chip, ever since he was a trainee, and Raon started to wonder when he was ever going to stop.
“You won in psychological warfare against the Black Market’s master. That was really amazing.”
“Why are you still here?”
“That’s so mean…”
Dorian dropped the snack from his hand.
“I didn’t exactly win against her.”
“But you won everything you wanted, didn’t you?”
“It’s because she underestimated me too much.”
If Roseline was fully prepared before she visited him, he wouldn’t have been able to make any kind of request. The gains were only possible because she considered him inexperienced and even misjudged his personality.
“Rather than that, aren’t you going back home?”
“What?”
“You almost died this time. How about taking a vacation and visiting your home?”
Raon tried asking him because he remembered how Roseline called him extraordinary after seeing Dorian’s belly pocket.
“I-I’m not sure. I don’t think I really need to return…”
Dorian suddenly stood up while smiling awkwardly.
“I’ll go there later, I guess.”
He scratched his head and quickly left the room.
‘Does he have some circumstances?’
It was still difficult for Raon to maintain the correct distance from the others. Since family situations needed to be dealt with using extreme caution, he couldn’t stop Dorian from leaving.
“Hmm…”
Raon licked his lips while looking at Ubo’s panacea in his hand.
“What should I do with this?”
He didn’t really need to take the panacea because the Ring of Fire’s recovery ability was enough.
What else? You are planning to eat it anyway because you are such a greedy guy. How does it taste, by the way?
‘……’
Wrath became an even bigger glutton after he exhausted his power from manifesting into his main body. It almost felt like his gluttony was driving him mad.
‘Yes, I guess I should do that.’
He suddenly had the urge to act against him because Wrath called him greedy. He went back upstairs with Ubo’s panacea in his hand and knocked on the door to Glenn’s room.
Knock. Knock.
Roenn opened the door even before the knocking sound ended, unlike the last time.
“You are back.”
“I have a gift for the head of house.”
“Please enter.”
His face was brimming with joy when he noticed the wooden box in his hand as he stepped aside.
“What are you giving him?”
“Is it something good?”
Sheryl and Rimmer were also full of anticipation for some reason as they stared at him.
Raon walked ahead with the gazes of the three on him.
“What is it?”
Glenn looked down on him. He looked annoyed at his repeated visit.
“If I understood correctly, your internal injury hasn’t been completely healed.”
Raon offered Ubo's panacea.
“This is Ubo’s panacea that the Black Market’s master gave to me. I brought it for you because I figured it would be better for the head of house to take it rather than myself.”
Even though he was extremely strong, his internal injury must not have been healed yet. Since Glenn had helped him, it was only natural to return the favor. Raon decided to give the panacea to Glenn.
‘I have the Ring of Fire and Sloth anyway.’
He could heal himself through the Ring of Fire during the day, and Sloth’s healing effect would automatically activate at night. Since one week was going to be enough to mostly recover his injuries, Ubo’s panacea wasn’t even needed.
“Ooh!”
“Raon!”
“Huhu.”
Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn smiled brightly and gave him a thumbs-up to compliment him.
Rumble!
However, Glenn’s expression didn’t look good at all even though Raon offered him the panacea. He bit his lip tightly, his cold eyes brimming with anger.
‘Hmm…’
Raon swallowed nervously.
‘I have a bad feeling about this.’
He thought he would accept it because he felt rather nice during the previous visit, but it must’ve been his mistake. The atmosphere turned colder and colder.
“Didn’t I just tell you to stop being arrogant?”
“That’s…”
“You arrogant brat. You still don’t know your place. My internal injury? You are a hundred years too early to worry about it.”
“That’s not what I meant. I can recover from my injuries, but my lord’s…”
“I don’t need it.”
Glenn shook his head with a cold gaze.
“You should put that panacea in your mouth right after you leave this room. I’ll be punishing you the day we return to the house in one week if your recovery doesn’t meet my standards.”
“…Understood.”
Raon took Ubo’s panacea and stood up. He bowed to him before leaving the room.
Step.
As soon as Raon’s footsteps faded away, the three people standing in front of the door briskly turned around.
“You damn geezer! How can you send him off like that?”
“He’s right! You should pretend to accept it at least, or say thank you!”
“This is seriously annoying.”
Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn screamed at Glenn one after the other.
“Seriously, our head of house… Hmm?”
They were about to scold him even more, but their eyes turned round upon noticing that Glenn was grasping his forehead.
“Wow, how can he possibly be so kindhearted…?”
Glenn gritted his teeth, unable to control his overwhelming emotions. The energy wave spreading around him made the objects inside the room float into the air and vibrate.
“He is worried about me even though his own condition is worse. He really is an angel!”
“I mean, if you know he is, then you should…”
“I need to do something.”
He raised his finger. Golden light spread out from his hand. The room and even the entire building started to tremble.
“Gasp! Y-you shouldn’t open the treasury here!”
Roenn hurriedly ran up to him and held Glenn’s arm.
“My lord, the building is going to collapse! Moreover, it will cause issues for the treasury’s security!”
Sheryl also used footwork to stop Glenn’s finger.
“Unhand me. I have to give Raon a gift right now…”
“You know better than anyone that opening the treasury from outside the house will cause issues!”
Zieghart’s treasury was a magical storage designed in a way that it could only be opened from the domain. Opening it from another place could mess with the coordinates and cause security issues.
“It’s fine. I just need to kill anyone who tries to steal from the treasury. Raon is more important right now…”
Glenn stretched his hand, saying that it didn’t matter.
“Haa…”
Rimmer sighed deeply while witnessing that scene.
“I don’t even know anymore.”
He locked his fingers together to support the back of his head and left the room.
“I’m going to the gambling house since it’s been a while.”
“Hey! You should be stopping him!”
* * *
One week later.
Raon went outside the mansion. On top of the Light Wind squad, the Heavenly Blade division and the Void Sword division were lined up, as they hadn’t returned to the house yet.
He met Glenn’s eyes, as the man was standing in front of them. He stared at Raon for a while before briskly turning his head.
‘Haa… I guess I passed. What a relief.’
He quietly breathed out a sigh of relief. He’d been using the Ring of Fire like crazy and slept a lot in order to save Ubo’s panacea, and his body had significantly recovered thanks to that.
A fight against a warrior at a higher realm would have still been difficult, but his condition was good enough to easily deal with an average Master.
“Let’s return.”
Glenn shook his hand and the mansion’s gate opened. As the Zieghart swordsmen went outside, loud cheers burst out from the surroundings.
“Woaaah!”
“Zieghart!”
“Raon! Raon! Raon!”
“Light Wind squad! Light Wind squad!”
“Sir Raon! Thank you for saving us!”
“Light Wind squad! I’ll be cheering for you for the rest of my life!”
The people gathered around the mansion yelled out a cheer upon seeing Raon and the Light Wind squad.
Raon narrowed his eyes. He thought they were merchants trying to get on Zieghart’s good side, but that wasn’t the case. They were the people who were kept as hostages in Grand Seville and by the White Blood Religion inside the barrier.
They managed to survive thanks to himself and the Light Wind squad, and they had come all the way to Cameloon to shout their heads off.
“Wow…”
“Oh, man.”
“I didn’t do anything special.”
The Light Wind swordsmen looked awkward, but still happy about it as they waved their hands with grins on their faces.
“Hmm…”
Raon also realized he was clenching his fist. He’d never known in his previous life that the expression of gratitude could tug on his heartstrings so hard.
‘Mother was right.’
A swordsman who made people follow from the heart.
It was thanks to her advice about living a life befitting a Zieghart swordsman that he could become who he was. He was truly thankful to her for guiding him to the correct decision.
Raon raised his head to look forward.
“Woooow!”
“Destructive King of the North! Destructive King of the North!”
“Glenn Zieghart!”
The cheers directed at Glenn were louder than anyone else, but he was simply riding the horse without responding to them.
Raon clenched Heavenly Drive’s hilt while watching Glenn’s back.
‘One day…’
