“S-Sir...?”
Raon glanced at Glen's wrinkled eyes and let out a sigh.
“What happened?”
Glen Ziggart was the most cold-headed and rational person he knew. Even though he was worried about the communication with Montiro being cut off, he didn't expect him to react so violently.
His head, which had been spinning so wildly he felt like he might faint, cleared for a moment.
“Just seeing you here makes me realize how dangerous this war has been.”
Glenn bit his lip slightly and tightened his arms around him.
“Thank you for holding on until the end, Raon.”
He said thank you again and patted his back with trembling hands.
“Grandfather...”
Glenn's words of gratitude resonated in his heart in a strange way, and before he knew it, the word “grandfather” slipped out.
“Hey, has the old man finally lost his mind?”
Wrath took a deep breath, as if he couldn't understand Glen.
“It's not senility, he's just overcome with emotion.”
He knew that Glen cared for him more than anyone else.
But he had always shown a cold demeanor in front of others, so he didn't expect him to suddenly show his feelings in front of everyone.
“It's not just emotion, he's just exhausted.”
Glenn had been panting since he arrived here, and his eyes were filled with fatigue as if he had stayed up for several nights.
It was unlikely that he would be exhausted just from traveling here, so it seemed as if he had been through a major battle.
“It's hard to describe, but Grandpa seems a little blurry...”
Is it because I’m tired?
Glenn was emanating an even more powerful aura than when he was seated on Zighardt’s throne, but he also gave off a hazy feeling, like morning mist dispersing in the sunlight. The conflicting sensations were confusing.
“No, you saw correctly.”
Wrath narrowed his eyes, confirming that his perception was accurate.
“What do you mean...?”
Just as Raon was about to ask Wrath, they heard the sound of the ground collapsing, and people gathered around the fountain.
“Lord Glen?”
“How did Lord Glen get here?”
“Huh...?”
Beren, Marta, and Runan stared wide-eyed at Glen, who was holding them.
“Come here, all of you.”
Glen slightly raised his head and gestured to Buren, Marta, and Runan.
“Huh? Ah…”
“Us too?”
“Yes!”
Buren and Marta stood there in confusion, but Runan stepped forward without hesitation and stood next to Raon.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
Glenn gently embraced Runan, who had come forward first, just as he had done with Raon.
“I’m fine…”
Runan said he was fine and patted Glenn on the back.
“Huh!”
“Eh…?”
As soon as Buren and Marta saw Glenn hugging Runan, they broke through the floor and rushed toward Glenn.
“Thank you all for overcoming such a difficult battle.”
Glen hugged Buren, Marta, and Runan at once and nodded.
“Hmm...”
Raon let out a low groan as she watched Glen's slightly trembling voice.
'What happened?'
Not only for himself, but for everyone else as well, he expressed his emotions in such a way that he seemed like a completely different person.
“Raon. Can you tell me what kind of battle took place here?”
“Well, you already know about the operation, so I’ll start from what happened after that.”
Raon gave Glen, who was comforting the three squad leaders, a brief report on the war with the Black Tower.
“Ah, Father?”
Just as the story of the war was nearly finished, Karoon, who had been treated for his injuries, emerged from the infirmary.
He approached Glen, who was holding Buren, Marta, and Runan, and, seeming taken aback, addressed him not as “master” but as “father.”
“…What is going on here?”
“Ah, um…”
Glenn seemed to realize that he hadn't been paying enough attention to the people around him, and with a low groan, he released the children he was holding and stood up.
“How did you get here, and why are you holding the children….”
Karoon's eyes trembled like a sailboat hit by a wave, as if he couldn't believe what he had seen.
"Your role was significant. You worked hard.”
Glen walked slowly and stood in front of Karoon. He closed his eyes for a moment as if in deep thought, then opened them and gave Karoon a light hug.
“Ah, Father?”
Karoon trembled all over, unable to even move his eyes. He was more flustered than when the Black Tower Lord had broken through the ceiling.
“Father is hugging me and praising me?”
As the son of Glen Zighardt, he had achieved many accomplishments, but this was the first time his father had ever praised him like this.
Surprise and shock hit him at the same time, leaving his head spinning.
“Master.”
Raon grabbed his throbbing temples and called out to Glen.
“Communication with all of the Five Kings has been cut off. It's definitely Five Demon's doing, so we need to move quickly...”
“It's okay.”
Glen turned around and shook his head calmly.
“Owen was attacked, but the other places are safe.”
“Hmm...”
Raon frowned as he looked at the Third Prince Greer watching from afar. As expected, while they were attacking the Black Tower, Five Demons had attacked Owen.
“Could the one who attacked Owen be…”
“Yes. It’s Derus Robert.”
Glen lowered his chin, saying that he had fought Derus Robert.
“He’s become much stronger. Even among the leaders of the Five Kings and Five Demons, there are few who can match him. ”
He frowned, noting that Derus’s strength was among the highest in the Five Kings.
‘That’s why he looked so exhausted.’
Now Glen understood why he had been so tired. He must have expended a lot of energy blocking Derus at Owen and flying all the way here.
‘But he’s gotten stronger?’
Did he receive the power of the Celestial Clan?
The time since Derus disappeared wasn't that long. It was hard to understand how he could have grown strong enough for Glen to acknowledge in such a short period.
“Um, then what about our father…?”
The third prince, Greer, couldn't hold back any longer and rushed out to stand before Glen.
“He was injured, but he's safe. He's a strong person, so there's no need to worry.”
Glenn nodded, indicating that he would recover sufficiently.
“Haa...”
The third prince sat down where he was, his tension suddenly released.
‘That's a relief.’
Raon sighed in relief as she looked at the third prince.
'We can't afford to lose even one more person now.'
To win the war against Five Kings, their forces must not be reduced any further.
Upon hearing that Lecros had survived and the other Five Kings were also safe, his wavering heart settled slightly.
“Hmm, but this is strange. Why did they only attack Owen and leave the other areas untouched…?”
Raon frowned, recalling Derus Robert’s repulsive face.
“If they had moved after hearing news of our surprise attack, they could have easily attacked the Magic Tower, Balkar, and the Beast Alliance as well.”
Of course, other preparations had been made, but if the White Blood Sect and Eden had joined the attack, the entire continent would have become a battlefield. It was suspicious that they hadn’t taken advantage of that opportunity.
“Just in case, we should conduct further investigations…”
“Without information, it’s impossible to discern their intentions. For now…”
Glenn slowly shook his head and embraced Raon again.
“Rest.”
“Huh? But… Ah.”
As he stroked his back, the fatigue of the past days washed over him like a wave, draining him of all strength.
Haaah.
Glenn’s gentle touch brought back warm memories of his childhood, when he would fall asleep while practicing the ring of fire.
“Not yet…”
Raon fell asleep without realizing it, just like when he used to sleep next to Silvia a long time ago.
***
Squeak.
Glen opened the cracked door of the hospital room and stepped inside. He stood before the cute-looking girl with a candy in her mouth and nodded.
“Glad you’re awake.”
“Someone caused a big commotion outside, so it was noisy. That’s why I woke up.”
Chamber bit into the candy and narrowed her eyes.
“What's gotten into that ice-cold guy who never even smiled at his family? Hugging the kids in front of everyone like that.”
She shook her head as if she didn't understand.
“Are you okay?”
“Thanks to the saint of Schper, all my wounds have healed.”
Chamber nodded, saying that Saint Olga had taken care of her injuries in an amazing way.
“However, my upper dantian is not in good condition.”
She tapped her forehead and said it was dangerous.
“Your upper dantian...”
Glen ran his hand over Chamber’s head and let out a low groan. Even without looking closely, he could tell that the shock to her brain had been severe.
“I have to treat this wound myself. It’ll take quite some time.”
Chamber sighed briefly, thinking it would be a tedious process.
“Don’t worry. You’ll definitely recover.”
She waved her hand holding a candy, saying she would be able to participate in the next war.
“Of course I believe you.”
Glen nodded calmly.
“What's up? Why are you being so affectionate today?”
Chamber muttered strangely, rubbing her goosebump-covered arm.
“Didn't you ask me earlier why I hugged the kids?”
Glenn looked into Chamber’s narrowed eyes and opened his mouth.
“I met Derus Robert before coming here.”
“What…?”
Chamber widened her eyes as if she hadn’t heard that part.
“He finally came! Where was it?”
“Owen. The king Lecros was attacked.”
“No, he’s not dead, is he?”
She threw off the blanket and sat up at the news that Lecros had been attacked.
“He’s much better than you, so don’t worry. He has severe external and internal injuries, but his dantian is fine.”
Glen told him to worry about herself and laid Chamber back down on the bed.
“Haa…”
Chamber exhaled deeply, relieved to hear that Lecros was safe.
“Wait! So Lecros was attacked by Derus? That worthless fool!”
“He was strong.”
Glenn shook his head at the angry Chamber.
“Even if you and Lecros had attacked together, it wouldn’t have been easy.”
“…That bad?”
“Yes.”
He nodded firmly, as if to confirm his belief.
“Wait, so you used the Heart Sword again?”
Chamber furrowed his brow, finally noticing the change in Glen.
“Yes.”
Glen exhaled briefly as he looked out the window.
“When contact with Montiro was lost and we couldn’t receive any news, Derus Robert said that Raon and Karoon were dead.”
“Hmm...”
Chamber clenched her teeth as she looked at Glen's downcast eyes.
“As you know, the Heart Sword is a weapon that transcends even the boundaries of transcendence. It could have killed Derus or the angel beside him. But when I heard that Raon and Karoon had died, I couldn't bring myself to swing that sword to the end.”
Glen shook his wrinkled hands as if he were still troubled.
“But thanks to that, I realized how much I cherish Raon, Karoon, and the children of my family. Isn't it funny? That I only realized it because of the enemy's lies?”
He twisted his lips as if mocking himself.
“Ascension is the dream and ideal of all warriors. It was also the path I longed for in my dreams, but now I don’t want to leave. I want to stay on this land and watch Raon and the others grow up.”
Glenn bowed his head heavily, saying he wanted to stay on this continent even if it meant growing weaker.
“So that’s why you hugged Raon and the others in the square. I understand now.”
Chamber smiled faintly, saying she finally understood.
“You’ve grown old, sir. In your youth, you disregarded even your own flesh and blood and stirred up a bloodbath, but in your old age, you’ve just become a kind-hearted old man.”
“Hmm, I don’t know what to say…”
Glen lowered his eyebrows as if regretting his younger days.
“But I think you might live long enough to see Raon’s grandchildren.”
Chamber shook her head as if to say not to worry.
“What do you mean?”
“When you ascend, you have to shed all human desires and emotions, right? You have to become a different being from humans, but you’ve developed human emotions, so won’t you be different?”
She waved her hand as if to suggest to think about it.
“Hmm...”
“And don't just do this today, but continue to treat the children kindly in the future.”
Chamber smiled brightly, urging him not to change just for one day, but to keep his current mindset.
“Children need constant praise.”
***
“Ugh...”
Raon opened his eyes with difficulty. Looking out the window at the sea, it seemed he was still in Montiro.
‘Well, that's probably for the best.’
Saint Olga's medical skills and divine power were not far behind those of the ragged saint, Pedrick.
Since she was staying in Montiro, it would be better to continue receiving treatment here.
“You’re finally awake.”
Wrath snorted in disdain.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Two days.”
He frowned as he pointed to the darkened window outside.
“Even after reaching that level, you slept for two days! The king is twelve meals behind schedule!”
“…Why twelve meals?”
Raon looked at Wrath with a bewildered expression.
“Three basic meals and three snacks for the king. That's six meals a day, isn't it?”
“...”.
He used to say four meals a day, but now it's six meals a day. I'm starting to wonder if he's a demon king Wrath or gluttony.
“Still, it's a relief.”
Raon smiled wryly at Wrath, who was complaining about being hungry.
-Relief? What do you mean?
‘Every time we fought such a dangerous war, you either descended or exerted your power to the point of exhaustion, but now you don’t do that anymore.’
Thanks to Wrath stepping in every time they encountered the Transcendent or the Demon King, they had survived, but he had ignored the law of causality and used his power, causing his soul to suffer a great shock each time.
However, this time, he and Chamber had fought to the end and captured the Black Tower Lord, and with the help of Lust and Gluttony, they had also managed to push back Greed.
Seeing Wrath looking perfectly fine even after the great battle had ended, he felt relieved.
-Uh, um...
Wrath let out a low groan, as if he hadn't expected anyone to think of him that way.
-I am the ruler of the demon realm! You have no need to worry about me!
He turned his head sharply, his face flushed, telling him not to worry about him. He spoke in a displeased tone, but it seemed like he was embarrassed.
“Yeah. Yeah.”
Raon smiled and lightly tapped Wrath's head.
“Where are Lust and Gluttony now?”
“Lust is...”
Wrath trembled all over and looked up at the sky.
“She's still watching over you, transformed into fog. It's so scary and boring that I really want to die...”
He couldn't even look up at the ceiling and sniffed.
“Ah, I see...”
Raon sighed as he looked at the faint pink glow in the air. He could feel Lust watching him.
“Gluttony is wandering around this village eating all the food! If you don't get up, we'll run out of food!”
“So she had money after all.”
Gluttony said she came because she ran out of money, but as expected, it seemed she came to help him.
He continued to feel that the Celestial Tribe and the Demon Tribe were very different from the myths passed down on this continent.
“You were worried until you fainted, but are you okay now?”
“Derus? Of course I'm worried.”
I’m still worried about why Derus targeted Owen and why the other Five Demons didn’t move.
He must have had a reason.
But whether I know the reason or not, the only thing I can do now is recover my body and get stronger.
“I have to get stronger.”
As Raon clenched his fist, determined to climb higher, the hospital room door opened, and Olga entered with bandages and medicine.
“You’re already up? Your body isn’t made of iron, you know.”
Unlike Wrath, Olga was surprised that he had gotten up in just two days and shook her head.
“My injuries weren’t that severe, were they?”
Raon looked at his bandaged body and shook his head.
“The physical wounds weren’t that bad, but the mental shock was huge. Not as bad as Chamber’s, but your upper dantian was on the verge of collapse.”
Olga frowned, wondering what he had done.
“I just fought hard. How’s the situation outside?”
Raon changed the subject and nodded to Olga.
“Things have settled down somewhat. Owen’s knights have already left, and the remaining people are preparing to return after entrusting this place to the rear guard. Now that you’ve woken up, Zieghart will leave too.”
Olga shook her head, saying he was the last to wake up.
“What about you?”
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Olga’s deeper tattoos.
“We have to return too. The king can't leave the kingdom empty for long, can he?"
Olga lowered her hand, saying she would stay a little longer before returning.
“Then send the king away, and you come with me.”
“What? What do you mean...?”
“Your constitution.”
Raon looked at the black tattoos covering Olga's arms and legs and nodded calmly.
“Now I can fix it.”