"Huh..."
Raon let out a dry laugh as he looked at the numerous dishes laid out on the table.
'It was true.'
Bone broth, pineapple pizza, lamb chops, steamed lobster, and even a whole roasted pig. All the foods Wrath had mentioned by smell were spread out on the table.
'Is that a demon king or a dog?'
Although Wrath currently had an appearance similar to a cat, he seemed to turn into a dog when it came to smelling. It was baffling how he had detected all these dishes.
-Slurp
Wrath smacked his lips loudly as he brought his nose close to the plate.
-I'm so hungry my eyeballs might pop out! Quickly, offer these dishes to this king!
He pounded the table with his fist, shouting to eat quickly.
'Not yet.'
Raon shook his head as he pushed away the squirming Wrath.
'Our guest hasn't arrived yet.'
It was time to wait since Olga hadn't arrived at the dining room yet.
"Raon! You have to be patient even if you're hungry!"
Sia nodded her head towards him.
"It tastes better when we eat together with our guest."
She waved her hand as if trying to soothe him, saying they should wait for Olga who wasn't in the dining room yet.
"Sister is right."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at Sia, who had lifted her chin proudly.
'Has Sia's mental age increased a bit?'
Unlike before, Sia didn't throw a tantrum about being hungry but maturely said they should wait. It seemed her mind was slowly returning to her original age.
'It's a bit disappointing though.'
While he wished for Sia to regain her original self, on the other hand, he felt sad about losing the cute older sister who was like a young sibling.
'I wonder if there's a way to maintain that cuteness even as she ages?'
As Raon was smacking his lips while looking at Sia, the entrance to the dining room opened, and Olga entered.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
Olga bowed her head as she smoothed her neatly tied hair. There was still moisture in her purple hair, creating a strange harmony with the tattoos on her body and revealing a mature beauty.
"These days, it seems they choose saints based on their looks. You're too beautiful."
Sylvia smiled brightly, seemingly captivated by Olga's face and aura.
"Sister! You've become even prettier!"
Sia, who had liked Olga from the start, continued to heap praises. Although she wasn't actually her sister, she decided to leave it at that for now.
"You didn't have to wait for me..."
Olga trailed off, as if feeling burdened that they had waited for her. It was quite different from her swaggering appearance.
"Of course we had to wait for the guest to arrive."
Edgar waved his hand, saying it was right to wait.
"Especially if that guest is a saint, I could wait until tomorrow morning."
He nodded, seeming pleased just to have met Olga.
"...Thank you."
Olga sat down in her seat, lowering her gaze as if embarrassed.
"Why are you being so coy? Before, you'd put your feet up on the table and swear. Anyone would think you're a real saint now."
Raon wiggled his finger at Olga, who had become as quiet as a well-mannered lady.
"Shut... I mean, could you please mind your language?"
Olga was about to say 'shut up' but seeing Sylvia and Sia, she used a more refined expression.
"Come to think of it, it's been a while since Raon brought a friend!"
Sylvia smiled faintly, seeing how Raon treated Olga comfortably.
"We're not friends."
"We're not friends."
Raon and Olga shook their heads simultaneously.
"Seeing how in sync you are, you must be friends! How nice! I used to be like that too. I wonder if that damn fellow is still holed up in his cave?"
Edgar raised his eyes as if recalling someone while looking at Raon and Olga.
"Let's build our friendship later and eat first. I've prepared a feast to celebrate our victory in the war."
Sylvia spread her hands, saying they should eat first.
"Start with the soup first."
She handed Olga a bowl of bone broth, saying it would warm her up.
"Thank you."
Olga received the soup bowl with both hands and placed it in front of her. After hesitating a bit, she picked up the spoon and tasted the bone broth.
"Oh?"
Olga's eyes widened. The soup seemed to taste better than she had expected.
-Stop just watching and eat something yourself!
Wrath clawed at his shoulder, begging him to eat.
'Alright, I will.'
Raon nodded and tasted the bone broth Sylvia had given him.
'This is actually quite good.'
Although oil from the beef bones floated on the soup, strangely, it wasn't greasy. Only a soft, rich flavor reminiscent of high-quality butter enveloped his tongue.
-Oooh!
Wrath let out a big exclamation like a drunkard who had just downed whiskey.
-This is it! This is why I remained in this land!
He shouted that the happiness of demons was not far off and pointed to the next dish to eat.
'The roasted pig?'
-You should eat it before it gets cold to enjoy its tenderness!
Raon brought the roasted pork to his plate as Wrath had indicated and looked around.
"Sia, you like pizza, don't you? Mom brought some."
"No! Our Sia likes shrimp the most."
Sylvia and Edgar were competing to feed Sia.
"I think Lady Sia will choose pizza today."
"No, Lady Sia's favorite is shrimp."
"Hm? She used to eat meat first before..."
Helen and the maids were smiling softly, curious to see whether Sylvia or Edgar would win Sia's choice.
"Hmm? Wow. Oh..."
Olga seemed to be enjoying the annex's cuisine, quickly moving her hands and tasting each dish one by one.
-The pork roast is cooked perfectly. The fat is crispy, and the meat is tender!
Wrath recited his usual subpar food review with his eyes closed.
'I guess...'
Raon smiled faintly as he watched the happy dinner time in the annex.
'Maybe I want to become stronger to keep seeing this scene.'
* * *
-Ugh!
Wrath let out a loud burp as he lay sprawled on the bed.
-Finally, my stomach feels better after being upset by that Gluttony bastard!
He nodded, saying it was a satisfying dinner. He seemed to have no regrets after devouring all the dishes and even enjoying two boxes of bead ice cream for dessert.
'Do you like food that much?'
Raon chuckled as he looked at Wrath, whose stomach had become bloated.
-It's not that I like food, I like delicious food!
Wrath shook his head, telling him not to confuse the two.
'Isn't that the same thing?'
-It's different! I don't want to talk to someone like you who doesn't understand gastronomy!
He turned his head away sharply, telling him not to speak to him.
'Then I guess I'll have to call another conversation partner.'
Raon grinned as he looked into the air.
-Another conversation partner? W-wait a minute!
Wrath urgently reached out his hand, as if realizing who it might be, telling him not to do it.
"Lust."
Raon called Lust's name, ignoring Wrath.
-No!!!
Wrath jumped up from the bed and screamed.
-Why are you calling that crazy stalker! I was about to sleep happily!
'I should at least tell her to relax since we've arrived home.'
Raon ignored Wrath and called for Lust again.
"Lust?"
But the stalker demon king didn't answer or show herself.
"Huh..."
Raon let out a dry laugh as he looked into the empty air.
'I thought maybe, but did she really get lost?'
He had warned Lust to follow carefully before leaving Montiro, but it seemed she had gotten lost again. She was an unbelievably bad navigator.
-Ha! Hahahahaha!
Wrath burst into laughter when he realized Lust wasn't in Zieghart.
-So your judgment can be wrong sometimes! I never thought I'd be so happy about that stalker's poor sense of direction.
He openly mocked him while holding his bloated stomach.
'I told you, I just thought maybe. I had somewhat expected this.'
He had thought that the demon king who had gone all the way to the Devildom looking for him might get lost.
'Besides, I can call Lust anytime if I want to.'
-W-what kind of creepy thing are you saying...
Wrath's jaw trembled.
'Since we're all in the human world now, if I use the power of Lust, she should appear, right? She probably can't come right away due to the distance, though.'
Lust is a demon king who came from the Devildom after sensing Wrath's and her own . Since they were still in the human world, she would start moving this way as soon as Raon used the power of Lust.
-Urgh...
Wrath lowered his eyes to the ground as if recalling the fear he felt when he saw Lust.
-Y-you're not going to call her now, are you? Don't you have a lot to do too!
He shook his head, saying nothing would get done if Raon called Lust.
'Hmm...'
Raon briefly smacked his lips at Wrath.
'What should I do?'
-Please! I'll endure whatever you do! Just don't call her!
Wrath clasped his hands together, saying he'd do anything.
'Then check once more if the aura manipulation method I'm going to use on Olga tomorrow is okay.'
-I've checked that dozens of times already!
He frowned, saying he had been checking it constantly on the way to Zieghart.
'The body of a demon and a human are different. Even checking hundreds of times isn't enough.'
Raon shook his head and opened a medical book with human anatomy diagrams.
-It's not even your business, why are you so diligent about it!
'That's exactly why. I need to be sure.'
It was natural to study more detailed and accurately because it wasn't training for his own strength, but study to save others.
'Check the aura manipulation again before I call Lust.'
Raon told him to stop talking and look at the aura manipulation, closing his eyes. The heat from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation that emerged from his fingertips drew elegant arcs in the air as if seeping into a human body.
-Now I understand.
Wrath curled his lips as he examined Raon with his eyes closed.
-Why humans cling to you.
For those at the top, charisma that makes people follow is as important as strong force. Although he said it jokingly, it seemed that the human named Raon Zieghart really had talent to be a demon king.
-But if this guy becomes a demon king...
Wrath furrowed his brow as he looked Raon up and down.
-The Devildom might be doomed.
* * *
The next evening.
Raon entered the training room of the fifth training ground with Olga.
The training room was a perfect place to treat Olga as it completely blocked out noise and vibrations.
"Are you ready?"
He stretched his wrists after seating Olga in the center of the training room.
"Um..."
Olga's hands, clasped in front of her knees, trembled slightly as if she was nervous.
"You don't need to worry too much."
Raon pointed to the half-open door of the training room with his finger.
"Did I arrive a bit late?"
The Ragged Saint, Federick, opened the half-open door and entered the training room.
"Even if you can't trust me, you can trust the saint, right?"
He had also asked Federick for help in case of any unforeseen situations. If Olga could just endure well, they should be able to complete the treatment without major issues.
"No."
Olga shook her head as she stared at him.
"I trust you more."
She clenched her trembling fingers, saying she trusted him more than Federick.
"I agree. There aren't many more trustworthy than Raon."
Federick curled his lips as he looked at Olga's calm eyes.
"Olga. Your body has deteriorated much more than when I last saw you. Though your mind seems healthier."
He narrowed his eyes, saying she didn't look good.
"Have you met Olga before, sir?"
Raon widened his eyes as he looked at Federick.
"I'm called a saint in my own right, so of course I've met a child known as a saint."
Federick lowered his hand, saying he had met Olga in the Suphren Holy Kingdom.
"She was extorting money from thugs in an alley. My image of a saintess shattered in an instant."
He shrugged, saying it was a memorable first meeting.
"Of course, now I know what kind of child Olga is."
Federick nodded, saying that's why he came all the way to this training room.
"I see."
He had sent a letter to Federick in Montiro asking for help, and only received a reply saying he understood, so he thought they had no connection, but it seemed they knew each other quite well.
'I guess that makes sense.'
Before staying in Zieghart, Federick had traveled all over the continent doing good deeds, earning the nickname 'Ragged Saint'. It wasn't strange for someone like him to go to the Holy Kingdom and meet Olga.
"You said you could live like others if you didn't use holy power, but you've been using it recklessly. You really don't have much left..."
Federick frowned as he looked at Olga's skin, which had melted from the holy power.
"It was what I wanted."
Olga shook her head as if to say she didn't regret her past, just as she had said in Montiro.
"Yes. That's why a day like today has come for someone like you."
Federick closed the door of the training room and stood next to Raon, saying today would bring good results. A gentle wind with a blue tinge arose around the training room as he clasped his hands together.
"I've inscribed a technique called 'Wind of Regeneration' using my power. It's a kind of holy magic that rapidly regenerates physical wounds."
He wiped the sweat from his forehead, saying it would help with today's treatment. Although he spoke as if it was nothing, it seemed to be an ability that consumed considerable mental energy.
"Thank you."
Raon bowed to Federick and then took out two small boxes from his chest.
"First, take this elixir."
He handed Olga the White Dew Pill and Spirit Water Pill he had taken from Zieghart's treasury.
"Elixir?"
Olga's eyes widened as she looked at the elixir in the box.
"This seems like a very precious elixir..."
"I received it from the Head of House. He said he hoped it would help you as much as Suphren helped us."
Raon nodded, repeating what Glenn had told him.
"...I should thank him first when this is over."
Olga let out a low groan, saying she should thank Glenn.
"Don't worry about things like thanks now, just focus on what I say."
Raon slowly raised his finger to draw Olga's attention.
"After you take the elixir, you must not make any sound. Don't move your body either. Just focus on suppressing your holy power so it doesn't run wild outside your body."
He made a gesture of covering his lips with his index finger, telling her to keep her mouth shut.
"Is that all?"
Olga tilted her head as if to say it was too simple.
"That's not all. You'll feel pain so severe you'll want to die. It'll be hard enough just to endure without losing consciousness."
He lowered his hand after telling her the points she needed to be careful about.
"I can endure any kind of pain."
Olga shook her head, saying she had endured even her skin melting away.
"It'll be much worse than that, but I believe you can endure it."
Raon said he would trust her and sat behind Olga.
"Phew..."
Olga exhaled deeply as she looked at Raon's eyes reflected in the small mirror in front of her.
'Is she scared?'
Just listening to Raon's words, she had nothing to do herself. She was a little... no, honestly, very worried, but strangely, she felt at ease because it was Raon behind her.
"If you're ready, put the elixir in your mouth."
"Alright."
Olga closed her eyes and chewed and swallowed the White Dew Pill and Spirit Water Pill in order.
"Ugh!"
Her shoulders trembled slightly as if shocked by the power of the elixir exploding inside her body.
"Then, I'll begin."
Raon bowed to Federick and then placed his hand on Olga's back. Using the heat of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, he guided the power of the elixir raging inside Olga's body along the path Wrath had taught him.
He pushed out the remnants of holy power in the mana circuits with the power of the elixir and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, forcibly straining Olga's body.
Olga's fists, resting on her knees, trembled as if she was feeling extreme pain.
"You must endure."
Raon lowered his eyebrows as he told Olga, who was shaking from the pain, to hold on.
'It seems to be going well so far.'
-After studying all night, it's not bad. But it's a bit fast.
Wrath lowered his hand, telling him to slow down the aura manipulation.
-The method I taught you is a body strengthening technique used by demons born with strong demonic energy. The human body is much weaker, so you need to adjust the strength and speed.
He nodded his chin, telling him to move the power of the elixir more slowly to suit Olga's body.
-Moreover, you're trying to reconstruct that thug saint's body as if achieving a complete body reformation, so it's right to move more meticulously.
'I understand.'
Raon gritted his molars and slowed down the speed of his aura manipulation.
'I'm getting tired faster than I thought.'
It was hard enough to control the power of the elixir raging in his own body, but trying to control the power in someone else's body consumed dozens of times more strength and mental energy.
Less than 10 minutes had passed, but cold sweat was pouring down his entire body as if he had been fighting for hours.
But he couldn't show weakness here because it was a matter of life and death for his precious benefactor, not himself.
'I must save her no matter what.'
Thanks to Olga, his precious people were able to survive the war. He had to go through with this, if only to repay that debt.
'Even if I die, I'll save you.'
* * *
'Ugh!'
Olga bit her lip until it bled.
'This is much worse than...'
The pain of skin melting from holy power is something ordinary people could never understand. She thought she could now be indifferent even in the face of death, but this was beyond the realm of pain.
'It feels like all my flesh and bones are crumbling.'
Beyond her skin melting away, she felt pain as if her entire body was burning in a hot furnace. The pain was so extreme that she wanted to faint right now.
Moreover, her holy power was raging as if about to explode, so controlling it was also consuming a lot of mental energy. It seemed she couldn't endure even one more minute in this state.
'How am I supposed to endure this... Ah.'
Just as Olga was about to say she couldn't bear it anymore, she felt a violent tremor from Raon's hand on her back.
'Hmm...'
She forced her eyes open and looked in the small mirror in front of her. Raon seemed to be feeling the same pain as her, biting his lip and sweating profusely. An expression she hadn't seen even during the war. He seemed to be in as difficult a situation as she was.
'There's no benefit for him in saving me.'
If Raon hadn't promised to cure this condition., they could have just passed it off as mutual help, yet it was strange that he was enduring such pain to save her.
'He's an incomprehensible guy. But...'
I understand I have to endure. Olga clenched her molars so hard they might break and suppressed her raging holy power.
'If that guy is enduring, I can't give up.'
She bit her tongue with her teeth to stay conscious and focused. If she couldn't bear it, she was prepared to die right here. Just when she felt like the time spent in this training room was longer than her entire life, a massive explosion occurred inside her body and soul.
A refreshing sensation that instantly blew away all the pain she had felt until now washed over her.
It felt as refreshing as diving into a cool mountain stream after walking under the scorching sun for half a day.
'I feel like I'm losing my mind.'
After enduring terrible pain that felt like her whole body was on fire, suddenly feeling this cool sensation made her head spin, and she felt like she might collapse right here.
'I still need to endure...'
Olga forced her eyes open. In the small mirror, she saw Raon's face, looking even more exhausted than herself.
"Good job. You can rest now."
Seeing Raon smile and tell her to rest, all the fatigue she had been holding back rushed in at once, and her eyes closed.
"Thank..."
Olga fell into a deep sleep before she could finish her words of gratitude.
* * *
"Haah..."
Raon let out a deep sigh as he looked at Olga, who had fallen asleep with her head resting on his knee.
'It was successful.'
Olga's skin, which had been marred by melting traces and tattoos, had changed to a bright milky white like a newborn baby's. She now exuded an elegant beauty, quite different from the worn-out look she had before. However, that wasn't the most important thing.
'The strength of her body.'
Currently, Olga's body had been reconstructed by the highest grade elixir and his aura, reaching a strength beyond that of a Grandmaster. She had even developed resistance to holy power, so now she wouldn't suffer skin melting or pain even if she poured out all the vast holy power she possessed.
'It worked out well, but this isn't something I can do twice.'
He had to endure Olga's pain together and guide the power of the elixir along the exact path without any error. It was so painful and difficult that it felt like he had fought another war. He vowed never to perform a complete body reformation for someone else again as he brushed back his sweat-soaked hair.
"Saint."
Raon bowed his head to the saint, his eyelids fluttering.
"Thank you for your help."
"What are you thanking me for when you did everything?"
Federick waved his hand, saying he just watched.
"You steadied me every time I wavered. I survived thanks to you, sir."
Federick had helped him regain focus whenever his concentration wavered and also helped Olga control her holy power. It would have been many times more difficult without him.
-What about me! I taught you everything!
'Right. You did well too.'
Raon chuckled as he patted Wrath's head.
-Then offer me a sumptuous feast today too! Of course, there must be dessert!
Wrath lifted his chin, making the exact demand Raon had expected.
'Yes, sir. Coming right up.'
Raon nodded readily.
"Now you can rest for a while too."
Federick massaged his own shoulder, saying Raon could take a good rest for some time.
"No. I have something else I need to do."
He shook his head as he listened to Olga's soft snoring.
"Something else to do?"
"Yes."
Raon smacked his lips as he looked towards the distant Lord's Manor.
"I'm going to ask the Head of House for one gift, then enter a cave."
And a very special cave at that.