“Squad leader.”
Raon licked his lip while throwing the rock from his hand into the air.
“Is it an urgent call?”
“No, we have some time.”
Rimmer shook his head, saying that they didn’t need to run to the lord’s manor immediately.
“In that case, I’ll finish what I was doing.”
Raon smiled faintly and clenched the rock in his hand softly.
“What are you even doing?”
Rimmer wasn’t aware of what kind of training they were doing since he’d just arrived.
“It's simple rock climbing.”
“Simple?”
He tilted his head, and Raon threw the rock towards the bottom.
Swoosh!
With the piercing sound of the wind, a Light Wind member’s scream could be heard from the cliff.
“Kweh!”
Along with the sound of a dying pig, a Light Wind member fell from the cliff.
He managed to land on the ground without a single injury thanks to Mark Goetten catching him at the bottom, but the mental shock seemed to be huge.
Raon turned around and smiled at Rimmer.
“It will be helpful to everyone since this method makes perfect sense.”
“I don’t know where you learned this crazy shit. But…”
Rimmer lowered his eyebrows while looking at the Light Wind member that fell a moment ago.
“It looks fun!”
He grinned and picked up a rock from the ground.
“Can I try it, too?”
As expected from Rimmer, he had great taste in entertainment.
“Just hitting them isn’t enough. The objective is to increase their senses and responsiveness by targeting their vitals.”
Raon wasn’t doing the training because he wanted to bully the Light Wind members.
The purpose was to nurture their aura perception and build reaction experience by aiming their vitals with the rocks.
“Huh…?”
Dorian’s jaw dropped upon hearing that.
‘I thought he was just bullying them!’
He used to think that Raon was just doing it for fun because he kept throwing his rocks and logs with a silly grin on his face, but he realized there actually was a purpose to it.
‘Now that I think about it… I could feel Krein’s weakness when I fought him earlier.’
Surprisingly, he could feel the weak part of Krein’s defense when he raised his sword to defend against him.
Dorian hit that spot with his training sword, and Krein couldn’t withstand the blow and ended up getting smacked on his forehead.
‘It had a purpose all along! As expected of the vice squad leader! I’m sorry for doubting you.’
Dorian mused in quiet admiration and bowed at Raon.
“Why are you bowing out of nowhere? Did you just insult me in your mind?”
Raon frowned because of the sudden bow.
“N-no! Absolutely not!”
Dorian violently shook his head to the point where his facial features became indistinguishable.
“Stop your weird thoughts and focus on giving the rocks to the squad leader.”
“Ah, yes…”
He sighed and gave Rimmer a rock.
“I used to be called the flying squirrel of Zieghart in the past.”
Rimmer rolled his lips into a smile while fiddling with the rock.
“Why?”
“Because I was good at running away!”
“Isn’t that completely unrelated to the current situation?”
“I just wanted to say it!”
He unraveled his twisted waist and threw the rock. The rock carried the aura of wind and shattered into pieces upon smacking Burren’s forehead.
“Kuah!”
It was his second time getting hit on his forehead, and he fell backward with a brief scream. The strength must’ve left his body, as he fell from the cliff helplessly.
“Sir Burreeeen!”
“Argh! Sir Burren is already dead!”
“Raon! You fiendish bastard!”
“We are all going to die! We are so dead!”
The third team’s members barked upon losing their team leader.
“How was it?”
Rimmer raised his arm with a refreshing smile.
“Not bad.”
Raon nodded and gave him another piece of the shattered boulder.
“Let’s get started.”
“Sure!”
While they were officially the squad leader and the vice squad leader, they were also the teacher and the disciple. And they were working in perfect harmony to throw the rocks to make the Light Wind members fall from the cliff they were trying to climb.
Rumble!
The Light Wind members were climbing the cliff like professionals thanks to their well-trained bodies, but they ended up falling one by one upon being smacked by the rain of rocks.
“Ack!”
Martha managed to dodge a dozen rocks with her extreme focus, but she was eventually shot down by Raon and Rimmer’s combined assault.
“You son of a biiiiitch!”
Her last scream resounded throughout the cold cliff.
“Runaan is the only one left now.”
Rimmer gasped upon spotting Runaan, who was sticking to the cliff like a cicada.
“Huh? Is she really sleeping now?”
“She was also sleeping earlier.”
“Maybe she will develop a sleeping swordsmanship at that rate.”
He shrugged his shoulders and threw a rock towards Runaan.
Whoosh!
The rock carrying the aura of wind rushed at her like lightning, but Runaan turned her shoulder with her eyes closed to dodge it.
“What?!”
Rimmer rolled up his sleeve and consecutively threw the rocks because he didn’t expect her to dodge them so easily, and Runaan crawled like a lizard with her eyes closed to dodge the rocks.
Raon rolled his lips into a smile while watching Rimmer have so much fun throwing the rocks.
‘Have fun while it lasts. After all, you will also have to climb the cliff tomorrow, squad leader.’
It was true that Rimmer had become stronger, but he needed a lot more stamina and physical strength because cultivation was all he’d been doing.
Rimmer was also going to be at the cliff the next day.
“Ah.”
While Raon was imagining what kind of scream Rimmer was going to make the next day, Runaan’s brief scream could be heard.
She must’ve gotten hit by Rimmer’s rock and fell to the ground.
“By the way, who is that man catching them at the bottom?”
Rimmer tilted his head. It looked like he finally became curious about Mark Goetten’s identity.
“He’s going to be my vassal.”
“V-vassal? But he’s a Master!”
“It just happened somehow.”
“You have a Master as your vassal? Who the heck are you?”
Rimmer’s lips trembled in surprise.
“It really was a coincidence. I’ll explain once we are with the head of house.”
Raon shook his hand at Rimmer and went to the edge of the cliff, looking down below.
“Everyone fell! Climb back up!”
He shouted towards the bottom while using his aura.
“This training is going to continue until one person reaches the top or the sun rises!”
“Uaaaah!”
As soon as he finished talking, barking sounds could be heard from the bottom.
“You son of a bitch!”
“Just you wait! I’m going to kill you once I’m up there!”
“I’ll never forgive you for this!”
“Let’s go! Let’s kill him!”
The Light Wind members started to climb the cliff once again while shouting in frustration over getting hit by the rocks.
“The Light Wind squad is so much livelier when you are around.”
Rimmer giggled while watching the Light Wind members as they quickly climbed the cliff. He was completely unaware of what fate awaited him the next day.
Raon watched Rimmer for a while before grabbing Dorian’s shoulder.
“Dorian.”
“What? Yes!”
Dorian frantically nodded with trembling lips because he’d witnessed the madness inside those two.
“You saw how to do it, right?”
“H-how to throw the rock?”
“Yes. I’m going to lord’s manor, so you are in charge of throwing this time.”
“H-how could I…”
“You can just throw however you want to since Sir Mark is waiting underneath.”
“He’s right. They will get hit even if you just throw randomly.”
Even Rimmer smiled, saying that it would be an easy task.
“I leave it to you.”
They cheerfully waved their hands and walked down the cliff through a passage on the other side.
Dorian swallowed nervously while watching the Light Wind members hurriedly climb the cliff.
“C-can I really do it?”
The Light Wind members looked scary, but he was even more afraid of Raon, the perpetrator behind their state.
“I don’t even know anymore!”
Dorian frantically shook his head, took out a thick and long log from his belly pocket, and made it roll down the cliff.
Rumble!
With a loud noise that sounded like the cliff was getting destroyed, three Light Wind members fell.
“Uaaaah!”
“Damn it!”
“Damn you, Raon Zieghaaart!”
The Light Wind members kept swearing at Raon while they fell.
“Th-this is fun.”
‘This is so fun, I didn’t think it would be!’
Moreover, he didn’t feel guilty at all because they were insulting Raon while they fell.
Dorian smiled and discharged a large number of rectangular rocks, sharp rocks, and round rocks from his belly pocket.
“Fall, all of you!”
The way he dropped all the rocks and random junk on the Light Wind squad looked somewhat similar to the way Raon did.
“Kuhehehe!”
Wrath was extending his body to somehow stay around and shook his head while watching Dorian.
Is this human nature…?
‘Or maybe everyone goes crazy from hanging around with him.’
* * *
* * *
Raon through the doorway that Rimmer opened for him to enter the audience chamber.
‘It’s cold around here.’
He had the same feeling every single time—that the audience chamber was the coldest and chilliest place in Zieghart.
He walked across the carpet placed at the center and looked upwards.
With Roenn on the left and Sheryl on the right, Glenn was sitting on the throne above the platform. Just like always, he was looking down on the world with his emotionless eyes.
Raon quietly clicked his tongue and looked at Rimmer.
‘Is he really giving me a gift?’
The atmosphere felt like he should be glad that Glenn didn’t start punching him rather than offer him a gift.
Why is that geezer always making the same face? He looks so angry.
‘I don’t know either.’
Raon took a deep breath before he went on his knees and bowed at him.
“Greetings, my lord!”
“Stand up.”
The heavy voice told him to stand before he even finished his greeting.
“Thank you.”
Raon straightened his back and raised his head. Glenn’s gaze felt even colder than usual.
“Why didn’t you visit me right after your return?”
“I thought it would be rude because of how late it was.”
Raon planned to visit the next day since a late-night visit could leave a bad impression. However, that seemed to be the wrong choice.
“Raon Zieghart.”
Glenn supported his chin on his fist and glared arrogantly at him.
“I called for you because I have a question for you.”
“I’m listening.”
“Sephia’s president said that he would be visiting soon in order to build up the infrastructure and road network. What did you do at the company?”
His cold eyes told him that he didn’t know about what happened with the Sephia company yet.
‘I can understand why he’s so angry.’
Raon figured that Glenn was irritated by the fact that Raon had decided to expand the infrastructure without reporting in.
‘Maybe I should’ve asked him first after all.’
Even though it was profitable for the house, Glenn was the head of house. Reporting in first was the correct course of action.
“It is a long story. Is that fine?”
“Tell me.”
Glenn slowly nodded in agreement.
“When I went to the Sephia company, President Adis Sephia said that he would start the trial to decide his successor and…”
Raon told Glenn and the others about the competition to become the successor that happened at the Sephia company.
He also told them about the battle against the Black Tower, but he didn’t mention anything about the shadows, simply calling them assassins and poison users instead.
“…That’s why the president must be planning to personally visit our domain to examine our infrastructure and the road network.”
Once he said that Sephia’s president decided to side with Zieghart, and that he asked for the expansion of infrastructures and road network as his first request, the entire audience chamber fell silent.
“D-did the Sephia company really decide to support Zieghart?”
Sheryl’s jaw dropped.
‘Sephia has always been neutral…’
Countless factions had tried to maintain a close relationship with the Sephia company, but none of them managed to succeed.
The company always treated them as simple clients. That was why she couldn’t believe that they expressed that they would support Zieghart.
“…Amazing.”
Roenn gasped. He also seemed surprised by the Sephia company’s decision.
“Moreover, the Saber of the Fallen Flower became his vassal. He actually gained a Master!”
“Indeed, that was truly outstanding.”
They couldn’t hide their admiration because the matter with the Saber of the Fallen Flower was also surprising.
“Good job, you never fail to make me rich!”
Rimmer nodded while giving Raon a thumbs up. His confident expression looked like he had made a great contribution to the matter.
Raon bowed to Glenn while the three complimented him.
“I apologize for being unable to report beforehand.”
“Raon Zieghart.”
He could hear Glenn’s call when he was looking at the red carpet. He raised his eyes. Glenn’s face remained cold, unlike the others.
“Why did you request that Sephia’s president develop Zieghart?”
The sharp glimmer from Glenn’s eyes made it feel like he was reading his mind.
“His fascination wasn’t directed at Zieghart but at yourself. Why did you ask for Zieghart’s development when you could’ve gained personal benefits out of it?”
It wasn’t a long question, but it was difficult to respond. Raon tried to rack his brain but concluded that an honest response was the best course of action.
“I honestly didn’t like Zieghart that much. I had affection for the Light Wind squad, but I didn’t think much about the house itself. However, a certain incident changed my opinion.”
Raon closed his eyes while remembering the miraculous scene of the past.
“Something changed in my mind when I saw that people who barely knew my face were swinging their swords with their lives on the line to rescue me. I began to understand what it means to be a house, and what it means to be a faction.”
He continued while staring at the red moonlight entering from the windows.
“That was when I started to occasionally think about the house rather than myself. I was angry whenever the house was looked down upon, and I wanted to step up to bring victory whenever the house lost.”
“Hmm…”
Glenn’s eyes remained unimpressed as he stroked his chin, but he didn’t interrupt Raon.
“This request was the same. Zieghart is currently located at the most barren land among the Six Kings, and even all the famous factions. It’s extremely closed because it’s cold, stormy, and brimming with monsters all year round.”
Raon pointed at the audience chamber’s floor with his finger.
“While Zieghart is closed to the outside, that is also true about the inside. The swordsmen and servants of Zieghart usually stay in their homes even during the weekends because we don’t have many places for entertainment. We do have a place, but it’s that kind of a place. That’s why they can’t be bothered to move around and instead save their money.”
“Right! He’s right! The pubs around here just aren’t that good!”
Rimmer suddenly joined and started shaking his hands.
“Even when I have to find our squad leader, I only have to check one pub and one gambling house. That’s how lacking it is.”
It was a piece of cake to find Rimmer because the old pub and the Gambling Monster’s gambling house were the only places he went to.
“Huh? W-was that how you always found me? I thought you managed to sneak a tracking artifact on me…”
Rimmer’s neck was trembling because he was always surprised at how Raon found him so easily.
“Once the infrastructure around the house is expanded, the swordsmen will go outside during holidays to spend their money and the commerce around us will develop further. The swordsmen can relieve their stress, and the merchants can earn money. Since people call for more people and money calls for more money, I figured it would lead to the expansion of the house.”
Once he finished talking, the entire audience chamber fell quiet as if no one was inside.
“So that was what you thought. You really have changed a lot.”
Sheryl smiled gently. She raised her hands and sent a round of applause.
“Many swordsmen and servants will rejoice once that happens.”
Roenn also applauded alongside Sheryl with his signature smile on his face.
“……”
Rimmer was staring at Raon without saying anything.
“Hey! What are you doing?! Why aren’t you applauding?”
Sheryl smacked Rimmer’s side with her elbow.
“Ack! I was admiring my student’s growth!”
Rimmer frowned while rubbing his side.
“Who is your student? Isn’t he the teacher here?”
“P-people say that a lot.”
He smiled faintly at Raon.
“He’d never opened his heart except for the annex building and the Light Wind squad, but he must’ve really started to care about the house now.”
Raon had possessed excellent willpower and talent ever since the first encounter, but he’d always hidden his heart.
Even the Light Wind squad took a long time to get closer to him, but the kidnapping incident seemed to have brought a huge change in his mind.
“Raon, I want one more gambling house!”
Rimmer smiled brightly and applauded like Sheryl and Roenn.
Raon looked up to Glenn while listening to their applause.
“Haa…”
Glenn sighed briefly while raising his gaze in contemplation. His chin looked like it was trembling slightly.
“I would like the people from the house to have a more comfortable and enjoyable lifestyle, and I also wish to spread our fame even higher and wider. And the expansion of the infrastructure has the highest priority for that to happen. Please accept it, my lord.”
Raon was still unable to tell what Glenn was thinking. He was speaking from the bottom of his heart, but he couldn’t tell whether it managed to reach him or not.
Glenn covered his mouth with his hand and closed his eyes. His slightly trembling voice sounded like he was contemplating it.
Raon remained quiet and bowed to give him enough time to think about it.
“Ahem. I didn’t know you had thought that far ahead. Indeed, the house can’t remain stagnant forever.”
Glenn cleared his throat and nodded. He looked like he was reluctantly granting his wish.
“Thank you.”
Raon placed his hand on his chest and bowed politely.
“Ahem!”
Rimmer laughed bitterly as Glenn kept pressing on his mouth while consecutively clearing his throat.
‘He’s getting started again.’
He was using the muscles all around his body and aura to suppress his gesture, but the corners of his lips were ascending to the sky because he couldn’t do it in the end.
The bright smile of a puppy was visible, once the hand covering his mouth was removed.
‘I guess it’s commendable that he managed to stop himself from fainting.’
On top of getting one of the five biggest companies on their side, his grandson even requested it for the sake of the house. There was no way it wouldn’t blow the grandfather’s mind.
Rimmer noticed that the focus was almost gone from Glenn’s eyes. It was the first time he had ever seen him like that.
‘I can’t miss this opportunity.’
Rimmer jumped onto the platform. He could clearly see how Glenn was trying to suppress his smile once he watched him from the side.
The corners of his lips were moving as frantically as a squirrel eating an acorn.
“Hmm! Why did you come up here?”
“My lord, you should know better than myself how amazing his achievement is.”
Rimmer secretly raised his hand and continued.
“We can’t possibly leave Raon unrewarded with how much benefit he brought to the house. How about giving him something?”
He looked at Sheryl and Roenn to ask for help.
“He’s right for once. I agree that he deserves plenty of rewards this time.”
Sheryl looked at Raon with a smile.
“I also agree.”
Roenn also nodded along with a gentle laugh.
“Ahem! You leave me no other choice since all three of you are saying the same thing.”
Glenn immediately straightened his back and raised his chin.
“I’ll bestow a golden tablet to Raon Zieghart, who attained the trade with the Sephia company for the sake of the house.”
Roenn went on the platform as soon as he said it. He was already carrying a board supporting a golden tablet in his hands.
“Raon, go up there.”
“Vice squad leader, please come this way.”
Sheryl and Roenn pointed to the platform with their hands to tell Raon to go up there.
Because the situation was unfolding extremely quickly, Raon couldn’t get used to it and tilted his head while walking towards the platform.
‘What’s going on…? Why is this happening so fast?’
The reward was normally given after enough discussion when it came to a mission’s completion or an achievement, but it was happening way too quickly.
‘Well, I guess it’s fine.’
Glenn was rigorous when it came to giving rewards and punishments. That was why the fact that he was given a golden tablet signified that he did indeed deserve it.
Raon decided to be happy about it since it brought him one step closer to returning Sylvia to the direct line.
Glenn’s gaze was as cold as always, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of canceling his reward.
“I understand what you think about the house. I’ll be hoping that you will think the same way in the future.”
“Thank you.”
Raon raised his hands to accept the golden tablet. He almost dropped the golden tablet, and he couldn’t tell whether it was because his hands were trembling or Glenn’s hands were trembling.
“I’d also like to express my gratitude to the three of you.”
“Where are you going?”
Raon thanked Sheryl, Roenn, and Rimmer, who helped him get the golden tablet as a reward, and he heard Glenn’s voice when he was about to leave.
“What?”
He turned around in surprise, and Glenn was staring at him with slightly excited eyes.
“I don’t exactly want to give any more, but they are going to start insulting me if I only give you a single golden tablet. Tell me what you want.”
He bobbed his finger, saying that he was fine with any request.
“I…”
“You can make two requests.”
‘It keeps increasing?’
