“Then the one who sent this…”
As Raon read the letter that arrived from the Shadow Agents, the hymn of Wrath that had been echoing in the room suddenly stopped.
"W-What kind of letter is it?"
Olga crawled out from between Yua and Rensia's 'prison' and came to his side. She seemed to have really hated singing, taking advantage of this brief opportunity.
"I explained all the meeting details to you, right?"
Raon nodded, asking if she remembered well.
"Yes. You said we'd start by messing with the Dragon's Lair to draw out the Four Demons."
Olga nodded, saying she obviously remembered.
"That's the part."
Raon smiled faintly while stroking the head of the white swallow that brought the letter.
"It seems we've found a dragon that fits what we need to look for first—one strong enough to earn the Dragon Lord's trust, yet active outside."
He turned the letter around to show Olga.
[I heard of a dragon that fits your criteria perfectly. Come to Mirtan Village as soon as you return. -Vulcan.]
While the letter itself was sent express from the Shadow Agents, the content was written by Vulcan, the continental blacksmith.
"If it's Vulcan...."
"He's Zieghart's blacksmith. The master blacksmith who made my sword."
Raon licked his lips as he gripped the Heavenly Drive, which conveyed a weighty sensation.
"I know that too."
Olga let out a low groan as she looked at the Heavenly Drive.
"He's famous even among the continental masters. Since he made the Lightning God's sword."
Olga nodded, saying he was known as the craftsman who made Glenn's Heavenly Tremor, the strongest on the continent.
"However, it doesn't seem like Master Vulcan knows the information about the dragon we're looking for himself."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he read the letter again.
"What do you mean by that?"
Yua blinked, seemingly not understanding the meaning.
“The letter says, ‘I heard of a dragon that fits your criteria perfectly.’ That means someone else knows, not Vulcan himself.”
It was clear that Vulcan had found someone who knew about the dragon, not that he knew himself.
"Ah, you're right!"
Yua nodded, saying she understood now that she read it again.
"I wonder who that person is who knows the information? It must be one of the blacksmiths."
She tilted her head curiously. As a swordswoman of the Light Wind Palace, she seemed to want to hear as much information as possible since she would have to fight dragons.
"I think I have a pretty good idea who it might be."
Raon briefly licked his lips as he folded the letter.
'It's probably Master Borgos.'
The blacksmiths of Mirtan Village were born and raised there, and under Zieghart's protection, they had no reason to encounter dragons. The person who would know about the dragon he was looking for was likely Borgos, the leader of the Gray Hammer clan who came from outside.
'I wonder what kind of lizard it is.'
He had already tracked the locations of all the dragons known in the human world through the black market. Since none of them fit the criteria, it seemed to be one that was hiding and moving around somewhere.
-A dragon, huh....
Wrath slowly opened his mouth as he stared blankly at the letter.
-What color could it be? A plump red? A tangy blue? A salty gold? Whatever it is, I'd love to eat it roasted whole!
He was already drooling as if a whole roasted dragon was being cooked right in front of him.
'Sigh....'
A sigh escaped involuntarily, as it was hard to believe that a hymn existed for such a demon king.
'No, wait, he made it himself, right...'
Whatever the case, it seemed that those under Wrath must have had a difficult life.
"T-Then we should hurry!"
Olga nodded vigorously, saying they should return to Zieghart quickly.
"No, not yet."
Raon grabbed Olga's wrist as she was about to turn away as if escaping.
"We need to resolve this first. The dragon won't suddenly run away."
He pulled Olga back to her place, telling her to get ready again.
"Damn it! Curse it all!"
Olga bit her lip, her face turning pitch black as if she'd rather die. She seemed to have gone half-mad because of the childish lyrics.
"I know it's hard, but we have no choice."
Two more days had passed since the last meeting. They needed to complete the song and erase the divine power left by Raphael as quickly as possible, as it would be difficult to keep people tied down any longer.
-If you don't like it, don't sing it!
Wrath's shoulders trembled as if he had been insulted.
-Others are dying to sing it!
'Who's dying to sing it?'
Raon tilted his head as he looked at Wrath. No matter how he thought about it, there didn't seem to be any demon who would be disappointed about not being able to sing that song.
-W-Well, there are!
Wrath shook his head, insisting there definitely were. It seemed even the Demon King lied at times like this.
"Huu...."
Olga let out a heavy sigh and raised her head.
"Fine, let's do it. We have no choice."
She finally seemed to accept her fate as she plopped down next to Yua.
"Don't worry! I'll make sure you never forget the lyrics by imprinting them firmly!"
Yua raised her fists, saying that once she memorized the lyrics, she would make sure they never forgot them.
"I'll cheer you on!"
Rensia massaged Olga's shoulders, telling her to cheer up.
"Y-Yeah, thanks. But I really don't want to never forget...."
Olga shook her head, saying she wanted to forget as soon as this was over.
"Then let's start from the beginning! Feeling the shining shine, entering into the dark darkness, the icy ice...."
Yua recited the lyrics of Wrath's hymn, saying they should start again.
"Ugh! F-Feeling the shining shine, entering into the dark darkness...."
Olga began to memorize the lyrics of Wrath's hymn, biting her lip but not running away.
"I-I've memorized it all."
She raised her hand, having quickly memorized the lyrics as if she didn't want to hear any more.
"Now that you've memorized it, I'll teach you the melody."
Yua stood up, saying this was where it really began.
"The shining shine...."
The moment she put melody to the childish lyrics, the atmosphere in the room, which had been filled with laughter, changed. A soft blue light bloomed around Yua, enveloping her. It was as if blue forget-me-not petals were fluttering from her head to her toes.
"Huh...?"
Olga smoothed out her furrowed brow and gaped. Her expression was one of disbelief.
"Wow!"
Rensia's mouth fell open in surprise at the sight of Yua glowing with blue light.
'As expected....'
Raon clenched his fist as he listened to Yua's song, which seemed to cool his heart.
'Yua's talent is real.'
She had always been talented in music, but after receiving Roenn's education, it seemed she could now sing any song with deep emotion.
-It's not just emotion.
Wrath let out an exasperated sigh.
-The pineapple girl has grasped the true meaning behind this king's hymn!
His eyes trembled as if wondering how she could have such talent.
'It's a bit annoying that she's singing Wrath's hymn of all things, but....'
Raon clenched his fist as he watched Yua sing happily.
'This is bound to be a success, even without looking.'
* * *
The next day. Countless people had gathered in the royal capital of Balkar, staring blankly into the air. Their pupils were dilated as if filled with emptiness—all of them had fallen under Raphael's charm.
"I'm not sure if this will work."
King Lecross let out a low groan as he looked at the people gathered in the royal capital.
"When I heard the song earlier, the lyrics were a bit... strange."
He scratched his cheek, saying the lyrics were difficult to understand.
"Strange? I found them easy to understand and quite good!"
Ogram nodded vigorously, saying he liked them.
“Honestly, I didn’t like them. But anyway, they’re simple.”
Chamber briefly sighed, agreeing that the lyrics were indeed odd.
"The lyrics should be important for a song that affects the mind...."
Larian looked at the palace, smacking her lips deeply. She seemed full of interest in this matter, despite usually being lethargic.
"Let's just watch with warm eyes for now. The Light Wind Palace Master has never disappointed us."
Xanthos shook his head, saying that at this point, there wouldn't be much difference even if they acted after things went wrong.
"That's a good attitude."
Glenn patted Xanthos's shoulder, seemingly the only one pleased with his words.
"As he said, we have no choice but to trust Raon at this point. I can't cut off Raphael's charm from all their souls either."
Glenn's hand trembled inside his sleeve as he spoke of trusting Raon. Despite his words, he seemed full of worry.
"There are indeed friends who have unconditional trust in the Light Wind Palace Master."
King Lecross gestured with his chin towards Glenn's right.
"I wonder how he'll surprise us this time?"
Burren licked his lips expectantly.
"Since the angels have left, maybe he’ll suddenly call the demon king?"
Martha rubbed her hands together, suggesting that a Demon King descent might occur.
“What about the summoning a Rakshasha...?”
Runaan blinked, saying Martha could fly there herself.
"Shut up, you bastard!"
Martha lunged at Runaan, her expression sour as if she had never been in a good mood.
"Those two are at it again...."
"Yeah. They're like sisters who grew up together now."
Dorian and Krein shook their heads as they watched Martha and Runaan fighting with clenched fists.
"I wonder if he'll return right after recovering the people?"
"Maybe?"
"Another training hell will unfold."
The Light Wind Palace swordsmen, not the executives, only talked about what would happen after returning, without worrying about Raon. It meant they all trusted Raon completely.
"Seeing those children, I feel like I'm developing faith in the Light Wind Palace Master myself."
King Lecross smiled deeply, saying he felt a trust deeper than life itself.
"It's all good, but how long do we have to wait?"
Just as Ogram yawned hugely out of boredom, Olga, Yua, and Raon climbed up to the top of the tower erected in the center of the royal palace.
"They're here!"
"The Light Wind Palace Master has climbed up!"
"So it begins."
"I wonder what the Sword Emperor has prepared."
People looked up at the top of the tower where Raon stood, their eyes a mix of expectation and doubt.
* * *
"Let's begin."
As Raon nodded with a smile, Yua and Olga moved to the edge of the tower.
"I'll only trust you."
Olga looked at Yua with warm eyes, saying she would follow without a shred of doubt.
"I'll trust you too, sister!"
Yua lightly shook her clenched fist, saying she was counting on her.
"Then."
"Yes."
Yua and Olga closed their eyes with their hands clasped as if praying to a god.
[Aaaaah.]
Olga started first. She spread a sacred melody with a voice imbued with holy power, as if praising a deity.
[Aaaaah!]
Following her was Yua's husky voice. Her voice, normally more beautiful than anyone's, now stretched out wrapped in fierceness like soldiers on a battlefield. The devout hymn that sounded like a choir and the intense hymn that seemed to raise morale harmonized as if they were originally one song.
[Feeling the shining shine, entering into the dark darkness, the icy ice....]
Yua's high notes soared as if to pierce the sky, while Olga's heavy middle tones supported from below, raising the song's quality to the extreme.
'Now it's my turn.'
Raon briefly exhaled as he raised the Ring of Fire, Glacier, and the authority of . The emotion of anger blooming through Glacier's frost seeped between Olga and Yua's melodies, creating a deep blue light.
Eight wings made of frosty feathers bloomed behind Olga and Yua.
A brilliant light, no less than Raphael’s, spread over their shoulders, drawing the image of an archangel. Olga and Yua’s voices, more alluring than ever, spread not just through the palace but throughout the entire capital of Balkar.
The Demon King's hymn exploded like the sound of drums in high mountains, right in the same place where Archangel Raphael had enchanted people.
[The wind of Wind touches the sky of Sky....]
Thanks to Yua and Olga's beautiful harmony and his own production, even the childish lyrics resonated in people's hearts like the most profound poem in the world.
-I-Is this really this king's song?
Wrath widened his eyes as if he couldn't believe it himself.
-Really? Is this possible? Is this happening?
His mouth dropped open, as if in disbelief, even for the creator of the song.
'Hmm.'
Raon stood blankly for a moment before shaking his head.
'I almost got lost in the song too.'
Yua and Olga's aria was so captivating that even he, who had provided support, almost fell for it. If he stayed absentminded, he might end up praising Wrath without realizing it.
'Let's focus a bit more.'
Thanks to Yua and Olga maintaining perfect harmony, the quality of the song had improved even further. It seemed he could achieve results beyond expectations if he just kept his mind clear now. Raon supported Olga and Yua's song by employing a deeper Wrath and Glacier.
Their song fell onto people's heads like a light imbued with magic beyond transcendence, cool yet affectionate.
As the Demon King's hymn was completed at the center of the human world, a blue light began to flicker in the blank eyes of those who had been enchanted by Raphael.
-I-It really worked!
Wrath clenched his fists as he watched people shaking their heads as if coming to their senses.
-Finally, my song is spreading in the human world! It will surely become popular!
He curled up the corners of his mouth as if pleased.
'I don't like it much, but I guess there's no... Huh?'
Raon frowned as he was about to sigh while looking at the excited Wrath.
'What's this?'
People parted their lips simultaneously, as if they had really heard Wrath's words.
[Feeling the shining shine, entering into the dark darkness, the icy ice....]
The entire crowd began to sing along with Wrath's hymn. However, since everyone opened their mouths together, unlike when Olga and Yua sang, it sounded more like a military song, fiercely shaking the earth and sky rather than a hymn.
-This is it!
Wrath raised both fists, panting.
-Yes! Let it resound more! My song should be sung with such vigor....
Just as Wrath was waving his fists with a smile, it happened.
[The Demon King's hymn has spread across the continent.]
[All abilities increase by 20 points.]
[The military song has been created.]
[The trait....]
Reward messages for spreading Wrath's hymn immediately appeared.
-Uh....
Wrath blinked his eyes as if dumbfounded, then screamed.
-Don't raise that!