Chapter 334 - 334

Chapter 334: Chapter 334

Raon smiled faintly while wetting his whistle.

'He said that he was going to heal Cadis's arm personally. It's all going according to plan.'

Derus mentioned that he had a few ideas to fix Cadis's shoulder.

Since the best method would be to look for an excellent doctor like the Ragged Saint or an elixir, he wouldn't be able to return to House Robert for a while.

'I made sure to cut off Cadis's arm completely in order to elicit that action.'

His revenge was one of the reasons that he twisted Cadis's muscles and mana circuits when Raon cut off his arm, but the other reason was to force Derus to heal his arm so that he could enter the submarine dungeon in the meantime.

Raon quietly looked behind him. Derus was talking to people who approached him with a gentle smile on his face.

'It's a relief that you are still a snake that I knew.'

Since Raon was perfectly aware of Derus's nature whether he was wearing a mask or not, it was easy to predict his course of action.

The fact that he knew Derus's true face was bound to become his best weapon to fight him in the future as well.

The pizza is getting cold!

Raon smiled in satisfaction and Wrath pointed at the dish while flapping his hands like a crow tit.

'Ah, my bad.'

Raon nodded and started eating the pizza. The salty taste of cheese, the crunchiness of the crust, and the spicy sauce on the beef formed a perfect harmony while maintaining their characteristics.

They can make some fine pizza. It's not as good as Pineapple Girl's, but it's enough to satisfy the King of Essence.

Wrath caressed his cheeks with a grin.

'I see.'

Raon chuckled and finished off the remaining pizza in one bite.

'Since I managed to take care of Derus, I just need to figure out how to reach the submarine dungeon.'

He'd heard that they were supposed to return to Zieghart in two days because the Six Kings conference and tournament had both ended.

Since he would need to leave on his own instead of returning to the house, he had various ideas to achieve it—however, none of them were satisfactory.

'Is there anything better I can do...?'

Wow!

While Raon was contemplating the matter, Wrath suddenly exclaimed.

It's not just the cheese. The entire pizza is melting in the mouth! It was an excellent bite!

He wavered left and right like a tumbling doll while pointing at the empty dish.

Next! The meat and shrimp shall come next! Offer up the lamb chop and the grilled shrimp that the King of Essence wanted to eat all along!

'Please calm down.'

Wrath's face turned completely red from excitement, and Raon pushed it down before he stood up. He went to the buffet and brought the lamb chops and the garlic butter shrimp that Wrath wanted to eat.

Shrimp. Start with the shrimp!

Wrath pointed at the shrimp while tapping the table with his round hand.

'Is it really okay for a demon king to be so petty?'

He looked like a ten-year-old child at most whenever he was faced with food. Raon couldn't believe that he was a demon king—and the king of Wrath on top.

He's just a good-for-nothing glutton...

Raon licked his lips and peeled the shrimp, then ate it. The softness of the butter seeping into the plump meat created a nutty and sweet flavor. Moreover, the fragrance of garlic removed the greasiness. Raon felt like he couldn't get tired of it.

It's filling the mouth! This is real food!

Wrath sniffled, saying that he finally felt alive.

Lamb chops next!

'Sure, sure.'

Raon chuckled and dug into the lamb chops. The juiciness of the meat exploded and spread the nutty fragrance throughout his mouth. He didn't even need to chew much before swallowing it because of the tenderness of the meat.

It's melting in the mouth. It's pretty much like warm ice cream!

'I see.'

Raon looked around while Wrath was enjoying his bliss.

'She's still there.'

Runaan still hadn't left the ice cream sector. She only moved around in the area and ate all kinds of ice cream.

'She must've had at least an entire box.'

A rough estimation was telling him that Runaan already had an entire box at least. It looked like her passion for ice cream didn't lose to Wrath's.

'Burren is being his usual self. He's making connections just like in the house.'

Burren was in a group of Six Kings warriors who were talking to each other. It looked like they had become friends since they were patting each other's shoulders.

'What about Martha...?'

Martha was eating the meat that was filling her table to the brim. It was no different from her usual behavior, but there was one peculiar aspect to note.

'Why is the third prince there?'

Owen's third prince, Greer, was staring blankly at Martha as she gulped down her meat while sitting in front of her. He wasn't even eating or drinking anything—he was just staring at her.

"Aren't you going to eat? Why are you just staring at me? It's so annoying!"

Martha frowned and expressed her displeasure at his behavior.

"Watching you eat fills my stomach. Ah, you have food in the corner of your mouth."

The third prince took out his handkerchief with a refreshing smile on his face. He extended his hand to wipe the sauce from around Martha's lips and Martha punched him.

"You must be insane!"

"Ack!"

Martha's fist smacked the third prince's forehead and he slammed into the ground.

"Oh my god, that was so creepy. I'm getting goosebumps!"

Martha's shoulders trembled and went to the next table to keep eating her meat.

Raon snorted while watching the faltering third prince.

'That's definitely not working on her.'

What he did might work on others because of his excellent background, appearance, and skills but it was a no-go for Martha.

Raon could guess that what he did would've earned Martha's hatred instead.

"L-last time it was my temple, and she hit my forehead this time."

The third prince stood up with a trembling chin. His eyes were bright even though he had just been beaten up. Actually, he looked rather happy.

"You are the first person to punch my forehead! I fell in love with y—"

"Fuck off!"

His futile efforts came to an end as Martha smacked his neck to make him faint.

'That's not going to work.'

Raon shook his head and stood up.

Are you really going over there on your own accord?

'You want desserts now, right?'

The King of Essence's education is finally bearing fruit!

Wrath smiled brightly and nodded.

If you serve the King of Essence more earnestly, he might accept you as his subordinate!

'No thanks.'

Raon went to the ice cream stands, and Runaan suddenly turned her head. Her blank eyes were brimming with happiness.

'How many is that?'

The bead ice cream was piled up like bubbles on Runaan's dish. She must've had enough mint chocolate, as all kinds of ice cream filled it.

"Raon, are you also having ice cream?"

"Yes."

"I recommend the mint chocolate."

Runaan blinked her blank eyes and pointed in the direction of the mint chocolate.

"It is even more delicious today."

Mint chocolate! That's the King of Essence's subordinate for you!

Wrath nodded in satisfaction and shoved his face against Raon's.

Follow Ice Cream Girl's recommendation and scoop the mint chocolate. No, you should take the whole box!

'You are gonna make Runaan cry.'

Ahem. In that case, just take five chunks...

'More than anything, I don't like mint chocolate.'

You have such bad taste! Look at how pitiful you are, you don't even know the greatness of mint chocolate's refreshing taste!

'I see. Since I'm so pitiful, I'm going to eat the cookies and cream that I deserve.'

Raon nodded and scooped two chunks of cookies and cream ice cream into his dish.

R-Raon?

Wrath called his name in an unusual manner and secretly approached him to stick to his shoulder.

My boy Raon, you ate too much greasy food today. Imagine the fragrance of the pine tree. Both your mouth and your stomach will feel refreshed like that if you finish today's meal with mint chocolates!

His voice became as soft as a jade marble rolling on silk.

'Maybe I should do that.'

You definitely should! Your stomach will feel great, and you will be able to sleep soundly...

'Nope, I'm going to train tonight.'

Argh, you demon!

It didn't take long before Wrath got angry, even though he was fluttering like a piece of paper because he didn't have any power left.

Raon felt slightly bad about that and walked up to the mint chocolate stand.

Heeh?

Wrath turned his head with a happy smile on his face.

Wh-what's wrong with you today? The King of Essence is so happy about this, but he's also feeling anxious!

Since Raon was usually unkind to him, Wrath managed to make an amazing expression—the left side of his face was smiling while the right side was frowning.

'Just because.'

He just wanted to make Wrath feel better while he was at it, as he suffered a lot from getting his stats taken away.

"Huh?"

Raon was about to scoop up some of the mint chocolate, but his hand stopped. Unlike the other ice cream, there was no mint chocolate. There wasn't even a half spoon left even if he gathered the leftovers.

'It's empty.'

It was probably because Runaan ate over half of it, and other people got curious because of her.

Arrrgh!

Wrath raised both his hands and started to scream.

Ice Cream Girl!

"Hmm..."

Cyrus couldn't take his trembling eyes off the gold pouch. He must've realized how much money it contained just from hearing the sound, as his job dealt with lots of money.

Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Cyrus's trembling chin.

'It worked perfectly.'

Despite his gentle tone, he was pretty much threatening him. He was crushing him with his position, reputation, and money.

"Ugh..."

Cyrus bit his lip tightly and put down the gold pouch. He took a round seal from the drawer and stamped it on the gambling ticket. He pulled it from both sides to divide it into the customer's ticket and the confirmation ticket.

"I-I've confirmed the gambling ticket."

He lowered his eyes slightly after pushing the gambling ticket and the confirmation receipt aside.

"Do you want to accept the gold right away?"

"That would be easier for me."

Raon gently nodded.

"Alright."

Cyrus went to the vault on the right side and opened the door. He took out ten gold pouches from inside and placed them on the desk. The desk was shaking slightly because of how heavy they were.

"There are five hundred coins in each of them."

"Confirmed."

Raon skimmed through each of the pouches and nodded.

"The exchange has been completed. Have a nice evening."

Cyrus's face returned to his original appearance. He must've accepted the reality of the situation completely.

"Thank you. Dorian."

"Ah, yes!"

Raon called Dorian, and he absentmindedly started putting the gold in his belly pocket.

What the hell? How is this even possible?

Wrath also shook his head in disbelief.

"As I already mentioned, it would be best to keep it quiet about this matter—as if nothing special happened."

"Did anything happen just now? You just came to exchange the money, didn't you?"

Cyrus tilted his head, pretending nothing happened. Raon was satisfied with his attitude.

"Indeed."

Raon nodded and turned around. The way he simply opened the door and left looked like he really came for a normal exchange.

"Huaah..."

Dorian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I-it really worked!"

"That's because human beings tend to filter what they see and hear."

Raon chuckled and looked at Dorian.

"Once I give you the signal, take out only five out of the ten pouches we got."

"F-five pouches? That's only half though..."

"It's fine."

"Err..."

Raon left the Ministry of Finance alongside the confused Dorian.

"R-Raon!"

Rimmer was gobbling down alcohol while waiting around the garden. He ran up to Raon on all fours as soon as he noticed him.

"They said no, didn't they? Those damn bastards! My money is gone! Sniff..."

He threw away the empty bottle and grasped his head.

"It was indeed unfortunate..."

"Damn it!"

"That I only managed to get half of the sum."

"Huh? Really?"

Rimmer's eyes widened upon hearing the answer. It looked like his eyes were about to pop out.

"Dorian."

"Yes..."

Dorian took five gold pouches from his belly pocket and placed them down with a trembling chin.

"H-how did you do this...?"

"I negotiated with them. It was difficult because they also wanted to keep the money, as it could be used as the kingdom's budget, but I barely managed to get half of it."

"That's good enough! I thought I wasn't going to get any of it!"

Rimmer sniffled while looking at the gold pouch, saying that he was fine with that.

"In return, you shouldn't talk about this to anyone..."

"Of course, I won't! You really are the only one who cares about me!"

He suddenly stood up and hugged Raon.

"You are the light and salt of my life. You are also my hope and the god of fortune! I really appreciate what you did!"

"You are welcome."

Raon patted Rimmer's shoulder and his mouth curved into a smile.

'I'm the one who should be thanking you. I'm so thankful for your continued donations.'

Raon snickered. When he looked aside, he met Dorian and Wrath's terrified trembling eyes.

"Aah..."

Th-the King of Essence is afraid of you now...

* * *

Raon left Rimmer alone in his uncontrollable happiness and returned to the lodging area alongside Dorian.

He opened the door at the entrance, and he was about to enter when a middle-aged man walked up to him from the right side.

"Huh?"

Dorian seemed to have recognized him since his eyes turned round.

"Nice to meet you, White Sword Dragon."

The middle-aged man bowed politely.

"My name is Tetkal, I am from the Yeonam company."

"Ah, I'm Raon Zieghart."

Raon greeted him back, but he didn't recognize him at all.

"I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but may I borrow this man for a moment?"

Tetkal pointed at Dorian. Raon judged from their reactions that they were acquaintances.

"Ah, he's my father's friend."

"Ah!"

"I'll be back soon after talking with him."

"Alright."

Raon nodded, and Dorian went to the garden next to the lodgings alongside Tetkal.

Moments later, Tetkal was the first one to leave. Dorian walked out of the garden a long time after that. His steps were completely depressed.

"Hmm..."

Raon licked his lips. Not only the steps but even his face looked gloomy.

"What happened?"

"It was nothing special..."

He shook his hand, saying that it wasn't a big deal.

"Your face is telling me that it was special, though."

"Uhh..."

Dorian rubbed his belly pocket. Raon recognized that it was Dorian's habit whenever he was nervous.

"Well, I won't pry any further if it's a secret."

"Erm..."

Dorian hesitated for a moment before he raised his head.

"He told me that my father asked me to visit the company..."

"You did tell me that you were from a merchant house."

Dorian had mentioned that he was from a company in the southwest.

'He's going to the company... This sounds pretty good.'

Raon licked his lips. He was looking for an excuse to visit the submarine dungeon at House Robert, and bringing Dorian to his home seemed to be the perfect excuse.

'This should work.'

Since he would be escorting a cherished squad member as the vice squad leader, Raon figured that Rimmer would obviously allow it, and even the head of house would.

"In that case, you should go."

Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face.

"You didn't even visit them after you got kidnapped, so let's go there while we are nearby. I'll notify our superiors about it."

"Yes..."

Dorian nodded reluctantly even though he seemed to hate the idea.

'He seems to have his own reasons.'

Raon previously thought that Dorian wasn't returning to his house because he couldn't be bothered, but his expression told him that there must've been circumstances around it.

"Your family name is Aihpes, right?"

Raon tried to remember if he knew any company or merchant house called Aihpes, but nothing came to his mind. It must've been a small house, just like he'd thought in the past.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this earlier. That's a fake name..."

Dorian slowly shook his head.

"My family name isn't Aihpes. I had it reversed, my real name is Sephia..."

"Sephia?"

Raon murmured "Sephia" for a moment before his eyes widened.

"Are you really from that Sephia company?"

"You know about them?"

"Of course I do!"

Sephia was one of the five biggest companies of the continent, and it was a huge organization that branched out from the southwest to the entire continent.

"Wait, you..."

Raon's voice turned gentle for the first time.

"Have you been a young master all along?"