abcnovels
Chapter 473
Chapter 473
Chapter 473
Mission Day
Daybreak
Raon stood on the lake behind the annex building with his eyes closed.
Despite the violent winter wind, there wasn’t the slightest wavering on the lake’s surface. It must’ve been because Raon was dominating the space.
“Haa.”
He slowly opened his eyes and exhaled roughly while looking down at his hands.
‘It still didn’t work. I wanted to finish it before departure.’
He wanted to achieve the simultaneous activation of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier before going to the Five Divine Orders’ foundation festival, but he failed in the end.
The pain in his energy center and mana circuits had decreased, but using fire and ice at the same time was still too difficult.
You idiot.Wrath crawled out from the ice flower bracelet while stretching his limbs.
Did you believe that using two attributes in your body would be an easy task? What do you take yourself for, a magician?
He clicked his tongue, murmuring that Raon was so pathetic.
It’s still not too late. Just focus on Glacier, and you shall be able to turn a small continent like this into a frozen hell!
‘Isn’t a burning hell better than a frozen hell?’
It’s difficult for you to get both of them at your level.
‘I know, but I’m a greedy person. I don’t want to miss any of them.’
The Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation’s fire didn’t lose at all to Glacier’s power even though it was a demon king’s technique.
He would’ve been satisfied with that if he’d only learned one of them from the beginning, but he had no intention of abandoning one of them after all that happened.
‘But I still have some results.’
He’d failed to control the heat and coldness at the same time, but the proficiency of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and Glacier had increased, while the energy center and the mana circuits had been further fortified.
Most importantly, his aura control became more fluent, and he could even perfectly use the technique that the White Lotus division leader Ayad had previously used—making an aura barrier around an extremely small space to block the sound.
‘I should check it out before leaving.’
Raon raised his hand and loaded the status window that he hadn’t checked for a while.
[Status Window
Name: Raon Zieghart.
Title: ‘The Tongue that Mocks of the World.’
State: None
Trait: Wrath, Sloth, Envy, Ring of Fire (Seven-Stars), Water Resistance (Seven-Stars), Perception of the Snow Flower (Eight-Stars), Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation (Six-Stars), Glacier (Six-Stars), Fire Resistance (Five-Stars), Bleeding Curse (Four-Star), Backstab (Six-Stars), Iron Will (Five-Stars), Adaptation to Ghastly Energy (Six-Stars), Focus (Seven-Stars), Poison Resistance (Five-Stars), Evil Eye of Wrath (Two-Stars), Spiral Power (Five-Stars), Water Affinity (Three-Stars), Array Analysis (Two-Stars), Fire Affinity (Two-Stars), Snow Flower’s Veil (Three-Stars), Divinity Blooming from the Underworld (Four-Stars), Aura of Death Resistance (One-Star), Magic Armor of the Snow Flower (One-Star).
Strength: 476
Agility: 469
Stamina: 462
Energy: 479
Perception: 502
Wrath: 145
Sloth: 60
Envy: 60]
Raon’s jaw dropped as soon as he saw the status window. He came back to his senses as the cold wind of daybreak entered his throat.
Huh?
Wrath’s eyes widened as he looked at the status window.
Why is this so big?!
He couldn’t read the contents, but he noticed that the size was bigger and screamed.
‘Why else? Because there is more content now.’
‘Did I leave it unchecked for too long? The numbers are beyond imagination.’
He didn’t expect such big numbers because he didn’t pay attention too much whenever the messages appeared—instead, he simply got used to the change by using his body.
‘As I expected, using traits more often seems to increase the rank faster.’
The Divinity Blooming from the Underworld that he’d been using the most recently had become four-stars already, and the Adaptation of Ghastly Energy had also increased to six-stars thanks to the Blade of Requiem’s ability to absorb ghastly energy.
‘The stats are even more surprising than the traits.’
The numbers were huge, with his perception having reached 500 while the other stats were in the late 400s. He could even match up to a Grandmaster’s body that had gone through the reconstruction.
‘Sleeping was worthwhile.’
Since he’s been raising his stats through training when he was awake, and Sloth increased them automatically during sleep, he was pretty much a factory that ran twenty-four hours a day.
Raon weakly tapped on his chest, his heart pounding in excitement.
Why are you doing this?! How many stats do you even have?
‘Close to 500.’
Huh?
‘One of them surpassed 500.’
Grr…
Wrath went limp like a deflated rubber ball as soon as he heard the number.
Th-the King of Essence’s body must’ve been thinned down by now because of you! You little thief…
He complained that his main body must’ve lost so much weight with teary eyes.
‘But you are the Monarch of Devildom.’
Huh?
‘Does 500 stats even change anything for you? When you are the great Monarch of Devildom?’
O-of course it’s not that important! However, it’s just annoying that you are getting them for free!
Wrath showed his irritation while changing his words.
‘Hmm…’
Raon furrowed his brow slightly while watching the angry Wrath.
‘Now that I think about it, the wrath is dangerously high.’
The wrath stat had significantly increased because he’d received wrath multiple times at House Arianne.
That must’ve been the reason why he also felt agitated whenever Wrath was angry.
He figured that he needed to be careful so that the wrath wouldn’t be as effective on him.
‘Let’s go now.’
Raon nonchalantly tapped on Wrath’s head and went out from the lake.
He picked up his luggage and was about to leave towards the fifth training ground when the annex building’s back door was opened and Judiel came out.
She lowered her head and handed over the food basket she was holding.
“I’ve prepared a meal for your journey.”
“Thank you.”
Hmmph!
As soon as Raon accepted the basket, Wrath, who’d been lying on his shoulder, briskly raised his head while flaring his nostrils.
This smell! It’s a pineapple sandwich and beef jerky with soy sauce! Moreover, it’s the highest quality beef jerky!
‘Are you a dog or something?’
Even though he was so dense, his sense of smell was outstanding.
“Yua and Yulius are also awake and making their preparations. Aren’t you going with them?”
“They are old enough to be independent.”
“Then, as for the madam…”
“I said goodbye to her yesterday.”
Raon casually waved his hand and left the riverside. Since he was walking fast, he passed the garden in no time and disappeared in the direction of the fifth training ground.
Creak.
The back door opened once again, and Sylvia walked out from it. She came up next to Judiel with calm steps.
“Is he gone?”
“Yes.”
Judiel stepped sideways and lowered her head.
“Saying goodbye yesterday isn’t enough! He should say it again today since he’s leaving today!”
Sylvia stamped her foot in displeasure while looking in Raon’s direction.
“Seriously, he hasn’t been affectionate anymore, not since he started calling me ‘mother’. Where did my cute Sunshine disappear to…?”
“He must just be shy.”
Judiel shook her head with a faint smile on her face.
“I know, but…”
Sylvia sighed.
“It’s just regrettable because he’s never acted like a baby.”
“He doesn’t act like a baby, but he must be thinking about his family more than anyone else.”
“Did you just compliment Raon? What happened to you?”
Sylvia approached Judiel from the side, with a warm smile on her face.
“Keep going. I never get bored of listening to compliments about my son.”
“Madam…”
* * *
* * *
Inside a clean office, even the sunlight shining from the window looked rigorous.
The White Whale’s leader, the Thespian Emperor, lifted her teacup while sitting on a sofa.
By the time she took a sip, a hard knock could be heard from the door.
“Feel free to come inside.”
The door was quietly opened, and a middle-aged man whose blue hair was smoothly tucked away made his entrance.
“Master.”
The middle-aged man bowed to the Thespian Emperor and took a step towards the table.
“Zieghart announced their participation through a letter. They didn’t state who was going to participate, but we’ve received intel that the Light Wind division is currently heading to Cameloon.”
“It’s according to my expectations.”
The Thespian Emperor put down the teacup without showing any sign of surprise.
“Of course it would be Raon Zieghart. After all, he was the one who defeated me last time.”
She didn’t even need to read the heaven’s flow. It was only natural for Zieghart to send Raon and the Light Wind division if they were going to participate.
“What should we do? We can still eliminate them since the Light Wind division is moving on its own. We can’t leave that punk who humiliated our master be.”
The middle-aged man claimed that it was the perfect chance since Raon and the Light Wind division were still in Zieghart territory.
“I’ll personally take care of him if you just give me the order…”
“McCain.”
“Yes!”
The middle-aged man confidently raised his head upon hearing the call.
“That’s the worst move we can make. Since we were the ones who invited them, they can blame us for the smallest trouble. No, it would be a relief if that was all they did. Glenn Zieghart might even invade us with an army of swordsmen.”
The Thespian Emperor fiddled with the teacup, where a red lip mark remained.
“Moreover, the Destructive King of the North seemed to cherish Raon Zieghart quite a lot from what I’ve seen. There must be guards following them from invisible locations.”
She could tell because she’d seen him in the audience chamber. It could be because he was family, or because of his might and insight. Regardless of the reason, Glenn definitely cherished Raon. There was no way he would’ve dispatched the Light Wind division without anyone to help them despite their inexperience otherwise.
If their assault ended up failing and the information leaked, it was going to be the end of the White Whale.
“Huff.”
McCain bit his lip tightly, to the point of bleeding.
“How frustrating. The fact that we can’t do anything about that punk who humiliated our master who is acting for the great cause is so…”
He clenched his fist while saying Raon’s name with extreme malice.
“It’s fine.”
The Thespian Emperor gently shook her hand.
“Because I’ve learned a lesson and gained something from him.”
Just like in the audience chamber, she remained relaxed, with a subtle smile on her face.
“Raon Zieghart is going to meet the same end as me this time.”
“The same end…?”
“I’ll make it impossible for him to act, even if he knows what’s happening. Just like myself in the past.”
Raon Zieghart wasn’t a goddamn punk who acted without giving any thought, but a smart punk whose actions were thoroughly calculated.
It was necessary to repay the favor in the exact same way to destroy him.
‘Since he will be representing Zieghart, he can’t be as reckless as before.’
Raon could do whatever he wanted in the audience chamber since he was just the youngest member among them. However, his position was different since he was in charge of the mission alongside Rimmer.
Since Zieghart’s reputation depended on their actions and speech, it was impossible for them to behave rashly.
“Allen.”
The office door opened once again, and a young warrior who still retained his immature appearance entered the room.
“Did you happen to call me?”
His eyes were serious as he bowed despite his immature appearance.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes. Everyone’s waiting.”
Allen heavily nodded his chin.
“I know I’m repeating this, but you should never be the one to pick a fight against them. Just get on the White Sword Dragon’s nerve, little by little—like rain seeping into clothes. Make him make the first move.”
“Yes, we’ll set it up like that.”
“I’ll be counting on you.”
The Thespian Emperor smiled in satisfaction, and Allen bowed once again before leaving the office.
“Ah!”
McCain’s jaw dropped. He must’ve finally realized the Thespian Emperor’s intentions.
‘Raon Zieghart.’
A frightening smile appeared on the Thespian Emperor’s face as she watched the quietly closing door.
‘It’s my turn now.’
* * *
Raon’s gaze was directed at the back of the merchant city Cameloon, which he’d visited multiple times before.
A large city was built on the land that used to be just a golden prairie. The city had a gray color, like dry bread, implying that it was only completed recently.
‘Did they really build that city in such a short period of time?’
Raon realized that the Five Divine Orders’ power was even greater than he’d thought, considering they’d managed to build such a big city in a short period of time.
‘The Five Divine Orders combined might be able to match up to three out of the Six Kings and the Five Demons…’
Considering the manpower and financial abilities that allowed them to build such a city in addition to their main bases located elsewhere, Raon thought that the Thespian Emperor wasn’t the only dangerous person—the entire Five Divine Orders was.
“Has there always been a city like this here?”
“Wow, did they really make that in that short time?”
“The Five Divine Orders are insane…”
“Hmm…”
The Light Wind swordsmen were also surprised, and their lips parted in amazement.
Raon skimmed through the city before he turned around.
“That’s the Five Divine Orders’ city, Banneret.”
Since he’d previously heard the information about it from Denning Rose, he briefly explained Banneret to the swordsmen.
“Like I said when we departed, Zieghart’s honor is on your shoulders. You shall be careful with how you act and speak.”
“Yes!”
The swordsmen nodded heavily, showing their determination to just shut their mouths.
“Division leader.”
“Yes, Sir~”
Rimmer was lying on the back of his horse, and he leisurely lifted his head while showing his annoyance.
“I’ll be just going around the gambling houses. Do it without me.”
He shook his hand, telling him to not mind him.
‘That might be actually better.’
Raon figured it would be better for him to stay away from the beginning, rather than causing trouble. Of course, he still needed to be present when he was going to ridicule the Thespian Emperor.
“Understood.”
Raon nodded and looked at the Light Wind division once again.
You bastard.
Wrath came up next to him and tapped Raon’s shoulder with his round hand.
Did you prepare to deal with her?
‘With the Thespian Emperor?’
Indeed. She’s not an ordinary human, considering the way she managed to maintain her sanity after how much you made fun of her.
‘That’s true. But I think I’ve already figured out what she prepared for me.’
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the people lined up in front of Banneret’s entrance.
You figured her out?
‘Yes. She is an extremely proud person. That’s why she suppressed her anger until the very end back then, since she thought getting angry would be her loss. People like that usually want to repay the humiliation the exact same way.’
That’s indeed correct…
Wrath nodded, saying that there were the same kind of demons in Devildom.
‘She’s probably going to try to humiliate me in a similar manner.’
Judging from the moves that the Thespian Emperor had made so far, Raon could roughly predict what kind of trap she was about to spring.
Raon smiled while looking back to the Light Wind division.
“I might stand out a little in Banneret, so you should try to understand on your own and assist me.”
“Stand out?”
“But you always stand out.”
“I know, right?”
Burren, Martha, and Runaan furrowed their brows, saying that Raon stood out just from idling there.
“That’s not what I meant.”
An ominous smile appeared on Raon’s face as he looked at Banneret.
“I’m going to be as playful as our division leader.”
* * *
The crowd was welcoming the people entering into Banneret, and Allen was rolling his eyes while hiding between them.
‘They are finally here.’
He could see the Light Wind division approaching from afar with the Zieghart emblem around them.
‘She said I shouldn’t provoke them too hard.’
The Thespian Emperor had told him to start with an extremely small provocation instead of big, in a way that Raon couldn’t do anything reckless.
‘That’s my specialty.’
Every single warrior of the White Whale was educated to fight with psychological warfare. Provoking the opponent was a piece of cake for him.
‘Moreover, I’m more than glad to do it since he’s the target.’
The Thespian Emperor was pretty much a goddess to the warriors of the White Whale. He was brimming with motivation in anticipation of provoking Raon, who had picked a fight with her and ridiculed her.
‘I’ll repay the humiliation she received many times over.’
His companions were also within the crowd. There was no room for any kind of trouble since they’d agreed on what they were going to say in advance.
Allen slowly caught his breath and waited for the Light Wind division’s approach.
Rumble!
Unlike the others, the Light Wind division was spreading their pressure, as ferocious as a sword, as they approached the gate.
The man at the forefront was a young man with blond hair and red eyes, and no pressure could be felt from him even though his handsome appearance was mind-blowing.
‘Is he Raon Zieghart?’
The atmosphere around him was a lot softer than the other swordsman. He must’ve been properly controlling his energy. Allen thought that his task would be a lot easier than he’d expected.
He came to a consensus with the other companions through signals, before a ferocious glow appeared in his eyes.
It wasn’t bloodlust. It was an observing gaze that was bound to make the target feel discomfort.
“Is he Raon Zieghart?’
The companion next to him started the talk.
“It looks like it.”
Allen nodded and twisted his lips.
“He looks like a wimp, unlike the rum—”
Raon’s gaze turned towards him as he spoke.
“Who do you think you are staring at with your dead fish eyes?”
Raon glared at him while blatantly murmuring vulgar words.
‘I did it!’
Allen celebrated in his mind.
‘What an idiot!’
He hadn’t expected Raon to fall for the trap just from the gaze. He was way more stupid than he’d thought.
“What did you just say?! How could you say such a thing!”
Allen frowned while stating the line that he’d prepared in advance. It was the others’ turn to criticize Raon while agreeing with him.
However, no one around him was doing anything. They were staring at him like he was a madman instead.
“Huh…?”