Raon chewed his lip while looking in the direction Rector had left.
‘I don’t understand what he’s thinking.’
Rector wanted to deliver a message but didn’t seem to want to at the same time. It just didn’t make any sense, but Raon really felt it that way.
His gaze was as dry as desert at first, but moisture appeared in the end. Considering the fact that he still showed the flow of the versatile sword like he was teaching him even during the fight against Aries, he must’ve visited in order to finish the lesson that couldn’t be concluded.
‘It sounds insane even though I came up with it.’
Rector was there to kidnap him and had revealed that he was from the Holy Sword Alliance. Saying that he was there to teach him was just so absurd.
Raon considered himself to be level-headed, but he couldn’t help thinking like that.
‘Is this what they call making excuses for myself.?’
He felt like his mind was unreasonably trying to think positively because he didn’t want to believe that Rector had betrayed him.
“Haa...”
Raon exhaled to spit out the confusion in his mind and went towards Aries.
“Are you okay?”
“That geezer, he wasn’t going all out.”
Aries furrowed her brow while returning her sword to the scabbard.
“What?”
“I’m talking about the Sword Demon. He could’ve cut an arm off at least if he wanted, but he just went easy on me and left.”
She was also aware of the fact that Rector hadn’t been going all out.
“I was underestimating him a bit, but the continent is vast.”
Aries looked up to the sky, which had regained its blue color, and shifted her gaze to the collapsed lord’s manor. She tapped on her scabbard while looking at Merlin, who was being friendly, as if she were an ally.
“I’m thankful for your help, but you are also going after my nephew, right?”
“Yes, and?”
Merlin confidently nodded while meeting Aries’s eyes.
“Wow, I’ve never seen a kidnapper act so confident before.”
Aries gasped at her ridiculous behavior.
“Of course, I’m not going to kidnap him anymore. I know it wouldn’t work.”
“Then why did you disturb the Sword Demon?”
“Because it’s annoying when someone else takes what’s yours.”
Merlin casually shook her hand as if it were an obvious answer. The black robe surrounding her was sparkling like a mirage.
“I’ll come back later when I have a chance.”
“Who told you that you could leave?”
“Wait...”
Aries drew her sword at the speed of light before Raon could even stop her. Her sword strike had already reached Merlin before the blade was even revealed completely.
Whaaap!
However, Merlin became blurry and faded away without being injured in the slightest. It was apparently not her main body.
“Is it an illusion?”
“It’s similar to that.”
Merlin poked her tongue out at Aries as if she were making fun of her.
“See you later.”
She waved her hand at Raon and turned into bubbles, disappearing.
“Tsk, that damned magic.”
Aries murmured in displeasure and returned her sword to its scabbard.
Don’t let your guard down!
Wrath suddenly raised his head even though he’d been hiding in fear ever since Merlin’s appearance.
There’s no way that mad human would’ve left just like that! She must be hiding somewhere and watching us!
‘That sounds right...’
It seemed likely. Raon had the feeling that Merlin would end up possessing another animal to watch them.
“How did this even happen?” Rimmer walked up to them with a furrowed brow. “He didn’t seem like the type of person who would betray us...”
He sighed. It looked like he couldn’t believe that Rector was a part of the Holy Sword Alliance either.
“Your arm...”
Aries finally noticed that Rimmer’s right arm was gone. Her eyes widened.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve just invested it for the future.”
Rimmer chuckled and shook his left hand.
“Future?”
“Our division leader lost his arm while protecting us.”
Raon rubbed his fingertips while looking at Rimmer’s shoulder.
“While protecting you?”
Aries let her eyes flick between them, asking for an explanation.
“This crazy bastard went into a trance in the middle of a battlefield.”
“But that can’t be helped. It’s not like you can enter a trance just because you want to.”
“He can do it on purpose.”
Rimmer shook his head, and Aries’ eyes widened.
“R-really?”
“Yes.”
Raon scratched his head and nodded.
“I had to take the gamble because we were going to be annihilated otherwise.”
“Hah!” Aries gasped in surprise. “Does that mean that you awakened after entering the trance in the middle of a battlefield and defeated all the remaining ones afterwards?”
“It’s close to that.”
“Wow!” She exclaimed loudly and stretched her arms. “That’s my nephew for you! Yes, a Zieghart has to be crazy enough to do that once we wield a sword!”
Aries kept praising him and hugged him, either because Raon was the one who did it or because the results were good.
“Argh, w-wait a moment.”
Raon struggled and tried to escape, but Aries didn’t let him go and rubbed her cheek on him. The nauseous feeling subsided, probably because of the pure scent of the ocean that was unique to her.
“Auntie! Stop it!”
“Alright, nephew!”
Aries finally stopped trapping him with her arms after he called her auntie.
“Yeah, you should call me auntie. I worked so hard to get you used to saying it, so why did you return to saying Lady Aries again?”
“It’s difficult to use that title inside the house.”
“Who even stopped you? I’ll beat them all up!”
“The head of house...”
“......”
Aries swallowed nervously and shook her head.
“H-he is allowed to do that. Because he is my father.”
She smiled awkwardly while unusually referring to Glenn as her father.
“Greetings, Lady Aries Zieghart.”
The Light Wind swordsmen bowed at Aries. Since Aries didn’t hold a rank in Zieghart, they showed their courtesy while calling her by her name.
“Why are you acting so stiff between family members?”
Aries smiled cheerfully and shook her hand.
“Just take it easy and call me Aries. Ah, now that I think about it, I should have a niece and another nephew among you.”
“I-I’m Burren Zieghart.”
“I’m Martha! I respect you!”
Burren awkwardly came forth, and Martha quickly jumped out with sparkling eyes, probably because she’d witnessed her power.
“Yes, my niece and nephew. Nice to meet you!”
Aries smiled deeply while hugging Burren and Martha.
“You aren’t any less impressive than Raon. You are both Masters at your age! That’s way faster than me!”
She patted their heads, impressed about their skills.
“......”
Runaan, who was the only one left alone, stood there blankly for a while before she went towards Aries to hug her on her own.
“Wh-who are you?”
“Did you check the back of the page, by any chance?”
“The back?”
“Yes. There’s a line written on the back.”
He gave a big nod, saying that he should definitely check it out.
“Hmm...”
Glenn flipped the report. His lips trembled intensely upon reading the single line written on the back.
“Gr-Grandmaster? He became a Grandmaster?!”
Glenn briskly stood up while crushing the throne’s armrest in the process.
“Huhu...”
Roenn was also surprised, and his gentle laughter suddenly stopped.
“Damn it!”
Glenn stomped the ground so powerfully that the platform was on the verge of being destroyed.
“Hieeh!”
Chad quickly gained distance in surprise.
‘Wh-why is he reacting like that?’
He’d told him because he thought Glenn would be happy about it, yet he was unexpectedly furious.
‘Doesn’t he cherish the Light Wind vice division leader?’
He watched Glenn while thinking that it was strange when the man’s lips slowly parted.
“I thought it wasn’t time for it yet, but he already surpassed the wall! And I couldn’t even witness it!”
Glenn crushed the only armrest left on the throne into powder, venting that he’d missed the moment Raon surpassed the wall.
Crack!
Red lightning occurred on its own and surrounded the platform. It looked like a crimson storm was about to rage soon enough.
“Aries! If it wasn’t for her, I would’ve seen him surpass the wall!”
“Ah...”
Chad’s jaw dropped.
‘That’s the reason?’
It wasn’t because Glenn wasn’t happy about Raon becoming a Grandmaster—he was just extremely sad that he couldn’t witness it himself.
‘I should stop thinking. I just need to get on Raon Zieghart’s good side.’
Chad clenched his fist, resolving to prepare a grand greeting for Raon and the Light Wind division.
* * *
Raon went to Siollen’s room upon hearing that she had woken up.
“S-Sir Raon!”
Siollen rolled from her bed but immediately stood up and ran towards him. The bruises on her thighs and forearms stood out painfully, the deep color impossible to miss.
“What happened to Daddy and my brothers?”
The girl was looking for her father and brothers even though she had just woken up after being tortured.
“Haa...”
Raon sighed quietly and went on one knee to meet Siollen’s eyes.
“I’m sorry. I did my best, but I couldn’t keep my promise.”
“......”
Siollen gulped and sank down so that she was sitting.
“Th-then...”
“The energy of their demonic sword had reached all the way to their brains, and there was no other way.”
Huan Lakion had become insane enough to absorb the lives of his subordinates, and even his own sons and daughter. Even if he could return to the past, killing him would’ve been the only choice.
“Actually...”
Siollen grasped the carpet with her small fist, her eyelids trembling in sadness.
“I knew it happened as soon as I woke up—that the result was different from my wish.”
“......”
“I still had some hope, just in case, but the bad feeling never misses.”
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you said you did your best.”
The girl forced herself to smile and shook her head.
“What is going to happen to me now?”
Siollen raised her trembling eyes. Rather than fear, sadness was deeply engraved in them.
“Since I’m the daughter of a house of traitors, am I going to be locked in Zieghart’s prison?”
“That’s not going to happen.”
Raon shook his head. Glenn in his current state was never going to do such a thing, and Raon would stop him even if he did.
“What do you want to do?”
“I...”
Siollen lowered her head to put her thoughts together for a moment before she raised it back up.
“I’d like to protect this house.”
“This house?”
“Yes. Because It’s the place I lived with my dad, mom, and brothers.”
The girl bit her lip, saying that she wanted to protect her memories with her family at least.
“Hmm...”
Raon sighed briefly.
‘Can she do it?’
About half of House Lakion’s warriors had survived, but nothing guaranteed that they were going to follow Siollen. Even if they did, it was going to be a difficult path for a child.
“It will be difficult.”
“That’s okay.”
Siollen confidently raised her head, showing that she had already made up her mind. Her straight and clear eyes showed that she had already hardened her determination.
‘Well, she was the child who tried to disclose the wrongdoings inside her house.’
She was the one who went to the Zieghart branch and exposed her family’s disgrace in order to save them. Raon could guess that she was fully capable of overcoming the difficulty of reviving her house.
“Then come to Zieghart with me.”
“To Zieghart?”
“Yes. You will have to meet the head of our house.”
“Hmm...”
“Don’t worry. He is a wise man.”
“I-I understand.”
Siollen clenched her small fist and nodded.
“We are going to leave tomorrow, so rest for now.”
Raon told Siollen to rest and left her room.
She is so praiseworthy even though she is so small!
Wrath sniffled.
There are crazy people around here like you, but there are also praiseworthy children like her. The King of Essence can’t bring himself to hate this place because of them!
It would’ve been better if he was simply complimenting her, but he was also criticizing Raon at the same time, his eyes teary.
‘Yes, children should be more unreasonable at her age.’
Raon could finally understand why Sylvia didn’t want him to mature so quickly.
Raon sighed briefly while looking up at the dark night sky.
‘I’m tired.’
The injuries weren’t that severe, but he felt mentally exhausted because of Rector’s betrayal. He missed his home and wanted to see Sylvia and the people in the annex building.
‘And him.’
Interestingly enough, he even wanted to see Glenn. He wanted to hear him say ‘good job’ with his cold voice.
“I want to see all of them.”
Raon was smiling awkwardly just as the bushes on the right side of the lodgings started to rustle and a raccoon came out, pointing at itself.
“Talking about me?”
“......”
Raon closed his eyes tightly.