Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the steep castle wall in front of his eyes.
‘The kingdom of knights, Owen… It’s a perfect name.’
Just like the name implied, the relentless pressure grew more powerful as they approached the beautiful castle. It wasn’t the aura blade of an individual, but the aura of an entire army that was combined into one and spreading throughout the castle.
“They must’ve come out to greet us.”
Rimmer chuckled and pointed in front of the castle’s gate. Raon looked at where his hand was pointing, and he found a young man and a middle-aged man standing in front of a gate large enough for a giant to pass through it.
‘They are…’
He immediately remembered their names, because their faces hadn’t changed that much.
They were the ones who visited Zieghart five years prior—the third prince, Greer De Owen, and Duke Tartan.
“Greeting the Destructive King of the North!”
Prince Greer and Duke Tartan went down on one knee and lowered their heads as soon as Glenn reached the gate. It was the biggest courtesy they could show inside their own kingdom.
“It’s been a while.”
Glenn nodded and told Duke Tartan to stand up with his hand.
“Since this is the first time we’ve seen one another since we visited Zieghart, it should’ve been five years.”
“I can feel the flow of the time with how much you’ve grown.”
“N-no! I’m still a greenhorn compared to the swordsman Raon!”
The third prince blushed upon hearing the sudden compliment and pointed at Raon, who was behind Glenn.
“Ahem, I see.”
Glenn cleared his throat and patted the third prince’s shoulder. The strangely gentle and kind patting was different from Glenn’s usual appearance.
“Yes. I think he didn’t mention anything about it, but the swordsman Raon even saved my life.”
The third prince told him about the battle they had against the White Blood Religion at the hill near Cameloon. It was the battle where the Blade of Requiem had shown its first performance.
“I didn’t even know that happened.”
Glenn looked around and narrowed his eyes. It felt like he was scolding Raon for not telling him about it.
“Because he doesn’t say anything unless it’s absolutely necessary.”
“I’ve gotten the impression that the swordsman Raon is an exemplary warrior. He’s different from those who only pretend to be humble on the outside.”
“Ahem. He’s just a quiet one, but you can interpret it that way.”
Glenn cleared his throat a bit more loudly before massaging the third prince’s shoulder more strongly than before. The third prince looked extremely happy, probably because he’d always looked up to Glenn.
“Hmm…”
Raon tilted his head while watching Glenn and the third prince smiling faintly at each other.
‘They are hitting it off surprisingly well.’
It was so strange that they were getting along like old friends. It was such a mystery to Raon.
‘Rather than that, he’s clearly gotten stronger than before.’
The third prince looked almost like a completely different person from when he saw him at Cameloon because of how much he’d improved.
He was still far away from being a Master, but he had already stepped into the highest level of Sword Expert.
‘However…’
Raon turned his head to look behind him. Burren was admiring the royal castle, Runaan was blankly staring at the sky, and Martha was focused on her mental image training. Raon smiled while looking at them.
‘Their growth is even more dazzling.’
Burren, Runaan, and Martha used to be below the third prince five years ago, when they watched his fight, but their realm had surpassed him even though it was by a small margin.
‘Moreover, they aren’t planning to stop at all.’
For their own sake and the sake of their companions, Burren, Martha, and Runaan were still brimming with the desire to get stronger.
Since their passion wouldn’t fade away until they achieved the Sword Field Creation, the difference was bound to grow even further.
“I heard the Destructive King of the North was also amazing. My blood boiled when I heard the story of defeating the White Blood Religion’s leader and the Fallen on your own.”
The third prince smiled brightly while mentioning Glenn’s deed in order to continue the nice atmosphere they had.
“I see.”
However, Glenn’s expression turned placid upon hearing the compliment about him. He took his hand off the third prince’s shoulder and even averted his gaze.
“Hmm, let’s enter instead of talking here. His majesty is waiting.”
“Ah, indeed.”
Duke Tartan noticed that the atmosphere was hitting rock bottom and held the third prince’s shoulder with a faint smile on his face. The third prince realized his mistake and stepped aside.
Rumble!
The huge gate split in half, opening up and allowing the pressure from the royal castle to emerge like a raging flame.
It was the pressure of the knights standing in a line in front of the gate.
‘Powerful.’
They must’ve been guarding the royal castle for a good reason, as every single one of them was powerful enough to be called a powerhouse.
‘I’m glad I came.’
Raon figured it would be already great enough if he could have a spar against them even if he couldn’t fight the other descendants of the Six Kings.
“Swordsman Raon.”
The third prince approached him from the side while he was licking his lips in anticipation. His gaze looked more mature than before, but the smile on his face remained the same.
“How is your body? I was extremely worried when I heard that you were kidnapped.”
Considering the fact that the first thing he mentioned was his worry about Raon’s condition, his personality also seemed unchanged.
“I’m fine. I was lucky.”
“Luck, you say? I think others believe that, but I beg to differ.”
The third prince’s blue eyes were glowing intensely like the deep sea.
“I’m aware of how powerful and wise the swordsman Raon is, and how evil Eden and the White Blood Religion are. If luck was all there was to it, the swordsman Raon wouldn’t be standing here.”
“Hmm…”
‘It’s a bit regrettable.’
Raon furrowed his brow slightly. The third prince had an unfortunately good understanding of him.
Why is it regrettable?
Wrath tilted his head because he found it strange.
Shouldn’t you be happy that he’s acknowledging you?
‘I can’t have an all-out fight against the prince like that.’
What…?
‘He should’ve learned Owen's secret technique by now, and I won’t be able to witness it.’
The third prince already understood that he was no match for him. Because of that, he was most likely going to hide his secret technique even if they ended up sparring.
‘The best opponents to steal martial arts from are the ones who underestimate me.’
People had begun to underestimate him once again after the rumors spread from Eden's kidnapping incident, mentioning that the Frostfire Sword of Valor’s reputation was nothing but bubbles.
He was looking forward to trampling on the arrogant children of the Six Kings who picked a fight with him and stealing their martial arts, but the third prince’s gaze was telling him that it would be difficult to do that against Owen.
Did you grease your brain or something? How is it running so smoothly…?
Wrath sighed, saying that it was almost creepy.
“How have you been, your highness?”
“I’d like to say that I’ve been doing well, but I had to face many dangerous situations. The White Blood Religion is truly everywhere. What happened last time was…”
The third prince must’ve been continuously fighting against the White Blood Religion, as he said that the mere sight of bloody energy disgusted him. As they continued making the small talk, they were already arriving at the center of the castle before he realized it.
They went past the hallway with a noble red carpet covering the floor and stopped in front of an iron door decorated with a bunch of diagonal lines that looked like swords piled up on top of each other.
“This is his majesty’s audience chamber.”
Duke Tartan raised his hands to point at the door. His passionate eyes revealed how much respect he held for the king.
“Hmm…”
Raon swallowed nervously while looking up at the majestic iron door. He could feel a sharpness that felt like a blade horned for hundreds of years from beyond the door. His energy wave didn’t even lose to Glenn’s.
* * *
* * *
Rumble!
After Duke Tartan knocked on it, the audience chamber’s door was smoothly opened, and the interior was revealed.
Knights were standing in front of brown pillars that gave off a warm impression, and their power was on a completely different level from the ones they’d seen so far. They were the strongest shield, meant to protect the king—the royal guards of Owen.
Whir!
He went past the wall of knights clad in powerful energy, and a middle-aged man sitting on the throne at the center entered his sight. His blond hair and blue eyes looked similar to the third prince, but he looked sharper than him.
“Wow…”
Raon bit his lip tightly while looking at the middle-aged man.
‘This is intense.’
Even though the middle-aged man wasn’t spreading any pressure, goosebumps were appearing on his arms. The natural energy spreading out from him as he breathed was already reaching the sky.
Those with a low realm wouldn’t feel anything from him, but everyone above Master was swallowing nervously as they looked at the middle-aged man.
‘Is this Owen’s king?’
It should go without saying that the king wasn’t always the strongest person in the kingdom. In fact, the kings from most kingdoms weren’t powerful at all.
However, Owen was different. Owen’s kings had always been the strongest, and they wielded their swords at the forefront of the battlefield.
‘The Silent Sword Sovereign, Lecross.’
And the same went for the middle-aged man sitting on the throne. He was the current king of Owen, and the one holding the title of strongest knight: the Silent Sword Sovereign, Lacrosse Albert De Owen.
He doesn’t betray my expectations.
Wrath showed a toothy smile while looking at Lecross.
He’s not at your old man’s level, but he’s properly accumulated his martial art. Humans have progressed in their own way.
He nodded in admiration. The fact that even Wrath was acknowledging him signified that Lecross’s might was also reaching the sky.
“Welcome.”
Lecross stood up from the throne to come down from the platform. A king would have normally never done such a thing, but that was the respect he showed towards Glenn.
“It’s been a long time, Destructive King of the North.”
“Indeed, it’s been a really long time. This is the first time we’ve met since the war ended.”
Lecross and Glenn smiled faintly at each other. The rumors about Glenn and Lecross being the only ones to have a good relationship with each other must’ve been true.
“I heard you’ve slain the White Blood Religion's leader and the Fallen at the same time, and I can see it was true. You seem to have reached a height that I can’t even catch up to.”
Lecross’s appearance and voice gave off a gentle impression despite his extremely sharp energy wave. Raon was feeling comfortable as he watched him.
“I’m flattered. The Silent Sword Sovereign is also incomparable to before.”
Glenn gave a heavy nod to the Silent Sword Sovereign. It meant that he was impressed from the bottom of his heart.
“I’m the one who is flattered. My sword is working on its own because I’ve gotten too old.”
“That’s a new way of boasting about reaching another realm.”
“The head of house is the only one who can understand something like this, after all.”
Lecross shook his head before looking behind Glenn. The first one his eyes got fixated on was Raon, instead of Sheryl, Roenn, or Rimmer.
“Huh…”
Lecross’s blue eyes curved.
“Are you Raon Zieghart?”
“Pardon my late greetings. My name is Raon Zieghart, the Light Wind’s vice squad leader, Your Majesty.”
Raon placed his hand on his chest and politely bowed.
“I heard you were one year younger than my third son. Does that mean you are nineteen years old right now?”
“Indeed.”
“I heard the rumors about the Frostfire Sword of Valor, but I can’t believe you’ve already reached the level of intermediate Master at the age of nineteen. No, that’s not all you have. Your might could be even greater if you put your mind to it.”
Lecross was filled with amazement at the ridiculous sight he was witnessing.
“I was wondering how you managed to survive in Eden’s den, and there was a good reason behind it.”
“Huh!”
“A-an intermediate Master?”
“A nineteen-year-old intermediate Master, how is that even possible…?”
Even the royal guards standing in front of the pillars let out quiet groans, their straight faces broken from the surprise.
“I thought my third son wouldn’t lose to anyone, but he’s pretty much cheating at this point.”
Lecross gasped while looking at Glenn once again.
“It must be reassuring to have such a grandson.”
An envious smile appeared on his face.
“He’s not that great. He’s just a hardworking boy.”
Glenn shook his hand, brushing it off as nothing special. His voice had turned as gentle as when he first met the third prince.
“This is on a whole different level. Even the balance between the Six Kings and the Five Demons is going to break if he grows up at this rate.”
Reaching the level of intermediate Master at the age of nineteen must’ve surprised even the Silent Sword Sovereign, as he was unable to close his widened mouth. His cheerful gaze didn’t contain any jealousy or envy. The way he rejoiced at how powerful he was despite being from a different faction showed his broad-minded personality, just like the rumors.
“Ahem! You should be aware that only a few of those future prospects actually get to shine. It’s still a story of the far future for him.”
Glenn brought his fist to his mouth to clear his throat before he narrowed his eyes. Judging from his slightly trembling voice, he must’ve disliked the compliment about Raon.
“You are as strict as before. That’s probably why you managed to raise a boy like him.”
Lecross looked at Raon with a gentle smile on his face, contrary to Glenn.
“You should keep devoting yourself to martial arts. Meeting an excellent warrior brings me great joy, after all.”
“Thank you.”
Raon bowed once again.
“Do you want some tea? I’ve gotten some excellent tea leaves imported from the West.”
“Alright.”
Glenn nodded gently to Lecross’s suggestion.
“Greer.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Show our Zieghart visitors the castle.”
“Understood!”
The third prince turned around to look at the Zieghart party.
“Please come this way.”
Before Raon followed the third prince, he turned around to look at Glenn and Lecross smiling at each other. He was curious because it was his first time seeing Glenn smile like that.
Hmm…
They went down the hallway and when they were about to leave, Wrath suddenly frowned.
‘What’s the matter?’
Another one is coming.
He licked his lips while looking outside.
He has a dreary nature despite his bright appearance. He’s even stronger than the previous guy…
‘Hmm?’
Raon was about to respond but suddenly stopped.
His heart started pounding violently. Cold sweat was flowing down from his forehead, and a chill ran down his spine.
Step.
A single footstep was the only thing that could be heard despite the large traffic in the hallway. The sound resounding in his ears was an extremely familiar one—one that he never wanted to hear.
“Uhh…”
His chin trembled violently and his teeth frantically clattered. He clenched his fist to the brim, and blood started to drip from it.
Raon gritted his teeth and raised his head. A single man was approaching in the midst of swordsmen wearing blue uniforms.
With silver hair that looked like combed ice, he was a man with extremely cold blue eyes and snow-white skin that looked like it had never been exposed to sunlight and steep and straight facial features.
Derus Robert.
The face he had never forgotten, even after his death and revival, was approaching him.
