Raon and Dorian stayed in Motran City to rest for the rest of the day, then they departed towards Rokan, the metropolis in the southwestern region and the location of the Sephia company.
Since Motran City was located in a remote area, they had to sleep outside on the first night of their trip. They settled on top of a rolling hill.
Raon dug into the ground to create a temporary campfire and started cooking garlic chicken stew.
His mouth was watering from the sweet and soft fragrance coming from the white soup.
Taste it! You need to taste it to see whether it’s properly seasoned!
Wrath waved his hands towards the pot. He looked like a fluffy puppy asking for food.
‘It’s not even finished cooking. Wait a moment.’
Increase the firepower! The heat inside your energy center only exists to be used for a time like this!
Wrath was frantic about the food because they’d only eaten a hard loaf of bread for lunch.
‘……’
Raon shook his head while watching the drool flowing from Wrath’s mouth.
‘He’s completely out of his mind.’
He’d inherited the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation from the first head of Zieghart, yet Wrath was saying that cooking was the reason for its existence. Insane was the only way to describe him.
Taste it already. The King of Essence can’t endure this nutty fragrance anymore!
‘Shut up.’
Uwah!
Wrath kept urging him while rolling on the ground, and Raon kicked him away before he slightly increased the campfire’s firepower.
‘This should be enough.’
Thanks to the increase in rank of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, he became capable of understanding the heat outside his body as much as the heat inside his body.
In short, he could easily set the perfect temperature for cooking.
“Hah…”
Raon laughed bitterly because it was so silly that he was feeling the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s improvement for the first time while cooking.
The stew slowly boiled, and Raon stirred it before tasting it.
The soup gently embraced his tongue with the flavor from the large chunks of chicken and the garlic’s sweet and bitter taste.
Huh!
Wrath exclaimed and briskly stood up.
Did you really make this dish during a trip? This is madness!
His eyes widened in surprise.
‘Pretty good.’
“Ugh…”
He slightly increased the firepower to cook it a bit longer, and Dorian’s groan could be heard.
Raon turned his head and saw that Dorian was watching the pork while wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. His face looked extremely serious.
“What are you doing?”
“I-I can’t tell if the meat is done or not…”
“Haa…”
‘He hasn’t changed.’
He was overcooking the meat because he couldn’t tell if the meat was done or not. It was a classic behavior considering how timid he was.
The grease was completely drained from the pork, and it had turned into dry bacon.
“That’s enough. Are you trying to turn it into chips?”
“I-I see.”
Dorian awkwardly nodded and brought the overcooked meat on a plate.
“It really turned into chips.”
Raon chuckled while looking at the pork, which looked like it would make a crispy sound.
You idiot!
Wrath ran up to Dorian and smacked him.
You are trash! How dare you ruin this high-quality meat?! You won’t be allowed in the kitchen for the next hundred years!
However, they weren’t in Devildom’s kitchen, and Wrath wasn’t a chef either. His threat was ridiculous and meaningless at the same time.
“You can eat first.”
Raon scooped the finished chicken stew for Dorian while ignoring Wrath, who was completely angry.
“Thank you for the meal. Whoa!”
Dorian nodded his head and accepted the bowl. He ate a mouthful before his eyes widened.
“Wh-what is this? How is this so delicious?”
This is real cooking! You shall watch and learn!
Wrath placed his hands on his waist and snorted, acting as if he was the one who made the stew.
“I perfectly controlled the firepower.”
Raon also took a mouthful of the stew. The refreshing harmony between the greasy chicken broth and the fresh vegetables filled his mouth.
Wow! This is delicious! The King of Essence must’ve told you before, but you are more talented at cooking than swordsmanship. Don’t you agree that you picked the wrong path?
Wrath patted his shoulder while licking his lips.
The King of Essence will hire you as his chef if you want! A weakling like you shall wield a kitchen knife in the future instead of swinging a sword.
‘Seriously, you…’
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Wrath.
‘You can only describe taste in a simple manner despite how much you love food.’
Wh-what do you mean?!
‘The people who love food are usually good at describing the taste. Yet, the only things you ever say are things like “It’s delicious! One more dish! Excellent!”.’
Th-that’s not true! The King of Essence can do it better!
Wrath completely denied his claim and asked him to try eating the stew once again.
Raon nodded and ate the stew and the pork one after the other.
Hmm…
Wrath was sitting still for a while with his eyes closed but suddenly opened his eyes.
The pork has a nice crispy taste, and the moderate greasiness of the stew is delicious!
‘……’
Wrath was standing confidently with a straight back, but Raon looked down on him as if he were watching something pathetic.
‘Is that all you can do?’
What else do you want?!
‘I’ll give you a simple example. This grilled meat’s spicy, smoky fragrance from the fire is exciting for the nose because it was directly cooked on a fire like barbecue, and draining the grease intensified its salty taste and created the crispiness of a cookie, which is entertaining to eat. You can say something like that.’
Uhh…
Wrath’s eyes were sparkling more than ever as he looked at Raon.
Teach him! The King of Essence wants to learn!
‘This isn’t something I can teach. You just have to say how you felt…’
Teach him anyway! The King of Essence wants to say the same thing!
Since he was so serious about food, he wanted to learn how to describe the taste.
However, all Raon did was use words that sounded cool.
‘I don’t know either.’
Wrath charged at Raon. He simply smacked him away like a ball and averted his gaze. Dorian was staring at him while eating the stew.
“What’s up?”
“Vice squad leader, are you planning to continue with that hair color?”
He put down his stew and pointed at Raon’s hair.
“That was my plan.”
Raon nodded while fiddling with his hair, which was as red as the moon.
“I figured I wouldn’t be able to see how they treat you if I took my usual appearance.”
The name Raon Zieghart was widely spread.
Since he’d received the new nickname White Sword Dragon during the Six Kings tournament, no one was going to pick a fight against Dorian if he went with his real appearance.
That was why he decided to disguise himself as an ordinary member of the Light Wind squad instead of the White Sword Dragon—to find out how Dorian had been living and how everyone treated him.
“Hmm, but disguises don’t always work. Since you are so tall, it’s easy to tell who you are.”
“That’s why I’m bending my knees slightly and I covered myself with a robe before coming back.”
He bent his knees to make himself smaller by more than ten centimeters, then covered himself with a robe before he left Robert's domain. That was done to prevent Derus from finding out about him no matter how thoroughly he searched.
“Y-you even changed your height. I didn’t notice that part.”
Dorian gasped in surprise.
“Well, it’s not that impressive… Hmm?”
Raon shook his hand, and a small presence moved behind him when he was about to continue. It wasn’t a blade but a small creature. Raon turned around and saw that a flying squirrel was flying towards him.
Tap.
He raised his hand, and the flying squirrel landed on his hand while hugging his finger.
“Woah! That’s—!”
Dorian’s jaw dropped upon seeing the flying squirrel.
“What’s up?”
“That’s the one who bit my hand yesterday when you floated in the air in the middle of cultivation, vice squad leader.”
“Haa…”
Raon sighed while looking at the flying squirrel. He figured out the flying squirrel’s identity as soon as he heard that… Actually, he already knew who it was when it came flying at him.
‘She helped me once again.’
Dorian must’ve been trying to interrupt his cultivation because he was too surprised, and she must’ve helped him by stopping him from doing so.
It’s the mad woman! The mad woman has arrived!
Wrath was also freaking out with trembling shoulders as he noticed that Merlin was the squirrel.
“Pee.”
The flying squirrel raised its feet. A white piece of paper was tied around it.
‘Is she not here in person?’
If Merlin was there, she would have talked to him while Dorian wasn’t around. That was why he could guess that she’d used a different spell from the other times.
He took the paper from the flying squirrel’s feet and asked Dorian for some peanuts and almonds to feed it. The squirrel put the almond in its mouth and carried the peanuts in its hands before it disappeared into the forest with waddling steps.
“What was that? Are you really going to open a zoo?”
“It’s my informant.”
Raon smiled faintly and spread the paper. A single line was written on it.
“It looks like we’ll be able to see the children pretty soon.”
“The children? Are you talking about the children we met at the orphanage?”
Dorian swallowed nervously and briskly stood up.
“Are they okay now?”
Are the children alright?
The kindhearted Dorian and Wrath asked at the same time.
“Yes.”
Raon smiled while burning the paper that the flying squirrel had brought to him.
“Because he went to see the children.”
* * *
* * *
Inside a villa near Cameloon, which only allowed the Owen Kingdom’s people inside, Number 45 was blankly staring at the sky from the villa’s training ground. She was the one who used to be called Pine outside the orphanage.
“Haa…”
‘It’s suffocating.’
The sky was high and clear, yet her mind felt suffocated. She almost felt like her body was trapped inside a small box, where she couldn’t even move a single finger.
‘I can’t do anything.’
The devil who’d been torturing the kids had perished and she didn’t have to train anymore, but her emotions and her body weren’t moving according to her will. She thought she’d finally regained her freedom, but her soul was still trapped in the orphanage’s underground.
‘I wonder when I’ll be able to see him again… Ack!’
As she tried to think about the swordsman who came to the orphanage to slay all the devils and save everyone, a headsplitting pain could be felt.
“Sniff…”
‘It’s here again.’
The small devils inside her head were pointing their fingers. They were ordering her to stab the knight who was watching her from afar and kill him. It was just another attack that she’d been getting countless times every day ever since she left the orphanage.
‘I need to suppress it.’
The knights were nice people who came from far away to save the children, and she was thankful for how much they cared for them. She didn’t want to attack them no matter what.
‘Leave! Leave already!’
However, the resonance in her head kept getting bigger and multiplied no matter how much she endured.
[Kill. Kill. Stab him and kill.]
The devil in her head kept ordering her to murder and even devised a plan to kill the knights.
[Pretend you want a hug and use a sharp stone to cut off the Achilles tendon from the knight on the left, then pierce his neck once he goes down on his knees. Once you manage to draw the knight’s sword, you should be able to finish off the knight on the right side as well. Kill!]
The murder plan was encroaching into her brain even though she didn’t want to think about it.
Number 45 bit her lips and closed her eyes. She was hoping that the order was going to subside if she couldn’t see the knights anymore.
[You can kill them.]
However, the devil rampaged even more once her vision turned dark.
[Kill. If you follow my instructions, you can kill those two knights, and even the other ones after that…]
‘Please leave!’
She grasped her head and violently shook it. However, the voice in her head never faded away.
“Uaaaaah!”
While she was barely holding out, someone’s scream could be heard. She opened her eyes and saw that her roommate, Number 86, was charging at a knight with a sharpened twig in her hand.
“No!”
Number 45 ran up to her and grabbed her arm. However, Number 86 was strong, and Number 45 couldn’t muster her strength because she was still trying to disobey the order in her head.
“Kyaaa!”
“Aaaah!”
“Die!”
Number 86’s action must’ve served as a trigger, as the other children also ran towards the knights and swung their weapons against them.
“Ugh…”
“Sniff!”
“Ah…”
The knights easily fended off their weapons.
However, that wasn’t enough to stop the children, and they swung their hands and fists instead while crying.
“……”
“Hmm…”
Their hands and fists were rather strong because they were trained for it, but the knights didn’t defend against them to avoid harming the children.
“Please stop!”
Tears dropped from Number 45’s face as she pulled at Number 86, who was trying to punch the knights.
‘Please…’
The devil in the orphanage was turning them into monsters, as if it was prepared for their rescue. They wouldn’t easily faint in that state, and the seizure happened every day, which made it hellish for the knights and the children alike.
“Arrgh!”
Number 86 slammed with her shoulder to throw Number 45 on the ground.
“Aah…”
Number 45’s chin trembled. She couldn’t muster her strength to stop Number 86 because she was barely holding on with her mental attacks.
That man came to her mind. She was thinking about the tall swordsman who disappeared after saving them in the orphanage.
Number 45 took out a piece of paper from her pocket.
[We will meet again. Follow the knights.]
Her mind cleared up a little upon reading the smooth handwriting of the swordsman. She ran to Number 86 once again to stop her.
“Number 86, I know you can endure it! Stop!”
She held onto Number 86’s shoulder, but she only got dragged around because Number 86 had already lost her sanity.
After watching that scene, Borini Kitten bit his lip and walked up to them to hug Number 86.
“Uwaaah!”
Number 86 started to bite his shoulder with her teeth, but Borini Kitten simply patted her back with his eyes closed.
“It’s okay.”
Borini Kitten shook his head with a bitter smile on his face. He seemed to be telling her to let him go since she was only going to hurt herself.
“Ugh…”
She wanted to cry, but tears weren’t coming out. She wanted to scream, but the sound wasn’t coming out.
There was nothing she could do as she wished.
‘How long? How long do I have to live like this?’
The pain in her soul felt like her body was decaying. That was when a shadow appeared from above her head. She raised her head and saw that an old man with clear eyes was right next to her. He was wearing some rags like a beggar, but he smelled rather comfortable instead of stinking.
“It’s okay now.”
The old man raised his finger and tapped Number 86’s forehead.
“Ah…”
Number 86 closed her eyes and collapsed. Her comfortable expression looked like she simply fell asleep.
“You should rest as well.”
The old man tapped her forehead, and the voice in her mind disappeared at once. It felt like it’d been such a long time since the last time she felt so clear in her mind. Actually, it was probably the first time she felt that way.
However, an unbearable amount of drowsiness engulfed her before she could enjoy that sensation. Number 45 closed her eyes and fell fast asleep.
* * *
The old man wearing rags, Saint Federick, caught the two girls to prevent them from falling and laid them down on the ground.
“N-nice to meet you, Saint!”
Borini Kitten politely bowed at Federick.
“What brought you here…?”
“Wait a moment, please. I’d like to calm the other children before we talk.”
Federick winked at him before he lightly walked away. The rampaging children turned quiet and collapsed into a sleep every time he acted.
Borini Kitten’s jaw dropped as he witnessed that sight.
‘We couldn’t even make them fall asleep recently…’
The children’s brainwashing was getting more and more serious over time. They had gotten a lot more violent than before, and it was impossible to make them sleep by pressing on their mana circuits. He couldn’t believe that Federick had made them fall asleep so easily.
“It’s over.”
Federick dusted his hands off while walking towards him after he put all the children to sleep.
“They mentioned someone was going to come to treat the children. Is that…?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
He nodded and confirmed his suspicion.
“Who is that person? How did they even find out about this to give us those instructions?”
Borini Kitten swallowed nervously and shoved his face onto him.
“I don’t know either. I just came here because they asked me to save the children.”
Federick shook his head. He really seemed unaware of the matter.
“I-I see. What about the children? Can you save them?”
Even though he couldn’t find out about that person’s identity, he wasn’t disappointed and immediately asked about the children.
“I need some further examinations, but the brainwashing was fortunately interrupted right before it was completed. The reason the children became violent is because their minds are begging for the brainwashing to be completed.”
“Ah, in that case…”
“Yes. I think I can save them.”
Federick smiled while caressing Number 45’s hair.
“Haa…”
Borini Kitten held his hands together and breathed out a sigh of relief.
‘What a relief.’
He had all kinds of experiences as a knight, but it was the first time he felt so sad and powerless. He wanted to save the children no matter what, and the opportunity presented itself, which made him so relieved.
“The Saint’s abilities are so amazing! Thank you.”
“No, I’m not the amazing one here.”
Federick slowly shook his head.
‘That boy Raon is the amazing one.’
It was all thanks to Raon that he could save the children. If he hadn’t asked him to research the brainwashed maid at House Yonaan, he probably wouldn’t have been able to save the poor children—that, or they would have suffered a lot longer.
“I need to start by bringing the children to the north.”
Federick nodded while watching the sleeping children.
“Why are you bringing them to the north…?”
“The cold wind from nature is effective at removing brainwashing.”
“Hmm, I see. But someone might try to ambush the children…”
“Don’t worry. My friend is running a small house in the north.”
“Small house? D-don’t tell me…”
“You guessed right.”
He nodded at Borini Kitten, whose eyes had widened.
“I’m planning to bring them to Zieghart. I believe he won’t refuse poor children like them.”
Federick smiled while thinking about Raon’s eyes. The young man always seemed to be looking further into the future, as if he knew everything that was going to happen.
‘I’ll treat the children and bring them to Zieghart, just like you wanted.’
* * *
After the short journey that felt like a long time, Raon and Dorian arrived at the metropolis Rokan, where the Sephia company was located.
‘It’s slightly different from Cameloon.’
Unlike Cameloon, which mostly had luxurious and sophisticated buildings, Rokan’s buildings were mostly higher but felt stiffer and dryer at the same time.
Unlike Cameloon’s guards, who weren’t exactly strict with their inspection, Rokan’s guards were a lot more numerous. They carefully inspected every single person.
The guards weren’t the only ones who were strict. Even the people’s clothes were moderate, and it gave the impression that the entire city was rather strict.
However, there were also some similarities.
Countless people were passing by since it was a large city, and the marketplace inside the city was extremely lively. The sounds of clients and the merchants bargaining against each other sounded like a harmony coming from all directions.
“Haa…”
Dorian sighed after he looked around the city. He seemed nervous since they had finally arrived near their destination.
“Take it easy.”
Raon smiled while tapping on Dorian’s shoulder.
“You aren’t the boy who secretly ran away from the house anymore. You are a Zieghart swordsman now.”
The slight trembling of Dorian’s eyes came to a stop upon hearing that.
“Indeed.”
Dorian nodded with a smile on his face. Raon’s words had calmed the pounding of his heart. He felt like everything would go well as long as Raon was next to him.
“Let’s go. I’ll guide you.”
Dorian regained his confidence and advanced.
“Alright.”
Raon followed Dorian with a smile. It didn’t take long before he stopped walking.
“What’s the matter now? Are you still nervous?”
“No.”
Dorian shook his head and pointed in front of him.
“It’s here.”
“Hmm? But this is just a shopping district.”
Raon tilted his head while looking at the countless buildings.
“From here to all the way there.”
Dorian turned his finger to point at all the buildings and licked his lips.
“They all belong to the Sephia company.”
“Uhh…”
Raon’s jaw dropped.
‘All of them?’
Countless people were visiting the various buildings, and all kinds of objects were going in and out. More than a quarter of the city belonged to the Sephia company, and they really seemed to deal with all kinds of items.
“Dorian.”
Raon grabbed Dorian’s shoulder and smiled brightly.
“Thank you.”
“What? Why are you saying that now…?”
Dorian’s lips parted since he couldn’t understand why he was saying that.
‘So this is the Sephia company. It’s even bigger than I thought.’
Raon’s eyes sparkled just like when he was fighting.
‘So, all of them are going to be mine—I mean, Dorian’s in the future. Right?’
You must be insane.
Wrath gasped upon hearing his ridiculous statement.
Even Greed would kneel in the face of your insanity!
