"Nephew!"
Balder unfolded his arms and raised his hand, as large as a pot lid.
"Don't keep us in suspense, tell us! We're curious!"
He stomped his foot roughly, saying he knew the result but not the process at all.
"I'm curious too."
Alice turned to look at Raon.
"What trick did you use to catch the Fallen this time, you lucky devil!"
She laughed heartily, urging Raon to tell the heroic tale of how he killed the Fallen and made the Heavenly Demon retreat.
"Light Wind Palace Master."
Heavenly Blade Division Leader Sheryl tilted her chin slightly.
"The executives gathered here are curious about your story. Please explain in detail, step by step."
She encouraged Raon while speaking formally, as it was an official occasion.
"Ho ho ho."
Roenn nodded his head with his usual jovial laughter.
"Palace Master! We're curious too!"
"Tell us what you've been up to without us!"
Burren and Martha frowned as they shouted for him to speak up. The two seemed to regret not being able to participate in this war.
"Handsome Raon."
Runaan simply gave a thumbs up as if to say he did well.
"Hmm..."
"It's a remarkable achievement."
Karoon silently stroked his chin, while Denier looked at Raon with warm eyes, as if proud of his nephew.
"Phew..."
Raon exhaled briefly and approached the platform. Denier might not know, but it seemed the people here were gathered not because of Glenn's summons, but because they genuinely wanted to hear about his battle.
"Then I'll explain. First, I was in an information exchange relationship with Merlin, who belonged to the Fallen. No, we were friends. She sent a letter hinting at Eden's location and her impending death, so to find Merlin..."
Starting with why he went to find Merlin, he explained to the executives gathered in the audience chamber about breaking through Eden's heavenly net, defeating the Demon Slaying Spear, cutting down the Fallen, and then the appearance of the Heavenly Demon and how he cut the soul of the Fallen that the Heavenly Demon was protecting. He explained everything except Evelyn's circumstances.
As it was such a large and arduous event, people listened intently to his story with eyes full of interest, even though he spoke alone for a long time.
"...After that, I lost consciousness as soon as the Heavenly Demon left."
Raon bowed his head after saying he didn't know much about what happened after the Heavenly Demon departed.
"Incredible! Not a single achievement that isn't amazing!"
Balder sent a big round of applause with both hands, saying this was indeed his nephew.
"But I wanted to catch that Demon Slaying Spear myself! I wanted to snap his spear in half!"
He frowned, saying he wished he could have faced the Demon Slaying Spear himself.
"Shut up. Even ten of you couldn't beat him."
Alice shook her head as she tapped the back of Balder's head.
"You've been through more than I thought. I've been training day and night to catch up to you, but I didn't know the gap would widen even more. A Soul Sword, it's unbelievable."
She let out a sigh, saying it was something she couldn't even imagine.
"It's not that great. I didn't use it with my power alone, it was so weak I couldn't even kill a single ordinary person."
Raon shook his head as he fingered the Blade of Requiem hanging behind his waist.
"I was only able to cut it because there was just one strand of the Fallen's soul left."
He briefly licked his lips, saying it wasn't a real Soul Sword.
"Whether you borrowed the power of equipment or are too weak to kill a single person. A Soul Sword is a Soul Sword."
Karoon spoke for the first time. He acknowledged that even his own weak sword was a Soul Sword.
"Congratulations on reaching a new level."
Karoon congratulated him on his growth with calm eyes, without any jealousy or false emotions.
"...Thank you."
Raon blinked blankly before bowing his head.
-This guy's eyes have really changed a lot.
Wrath let out a hollow laugh as if surprised.
'It's beyond explanation to say he's changed.'
It was surprising that someone who used to hate and despise him and Sylvia could now give such pure praise. Moreover, the previous Karoon would have been angry just at Evelyn being in this land, but he didn't say anything about that either.
'They say people die when they change... hmm!'
Raon raised his head and looked at Karoon before letting out a low breath.
'He didn't just compliment me.'
The emotion in Karoon's eyes was not jealousy, envy, or hatred, but confidence. He had given the compliment with the belief that he could catch up to Raon.
'Come to think of it, the aura I feel has clearly changed.'
It was clear that while he was growing, Karoon had also been training with all his might. A smile unconsciously formed on his face at the inexplicable sense of kinship.
"Even before the Soul Sword, taking down the Fallen is impressive. That monster doesn't die even when you kill him."
Heavenly Blade Division Leader Sheryl nodded as if impressed.
"I think I saw him die about three times too."
Roenn laughed, saying it was impressive to finish off the leech-like Fallen.
"That wasn't my power alone either. I was able to cut his neck because Evelyn broke the Fallen's magic."
Raon shook his head firmly. He spoke honestly because if Evelyn hadn't been there when he took down the Fallen, he would have died instead.
"Ah! This is frustrating!"
Martha frowned and jumped forward.
"Whether Merlin helped or you used the Blade of Requiem, it's your strength and your achievement! Just accept it proudly!"
She gritted her teeth, urging him to acknowledge it like a true Light Wind Palace Master.
"If it were the teacher who taught us, he would have claimed even things he didn't do as his achievements, right?"
Burren grinned as if recalling Rimmer, who created the name of their palace.
"Yeah. Have confidence. You're handsome today."
Runaan nodded, saying his slightly haggard face today was the best.
"It's not that I lack confidence. It's just..."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at Burren, Martha, and Runaan, his subordinates and friends.
"I don't want to claim I did things I didn't do."
It's not that he lacked confidence and was passing on the credit. He was just being honest about the circumstances because he didn't want to deceive the people who trusted him.
"You've worked hard."
Glenn nodded his head while covering his mouth with his hand. His entire face was flushed red as he trembled like someone in urgent need of the bathroom. A massive vibration occurred, enough to distort the audience chamber, no, the entire Zieghart.
-As expected, that doting old man.
Wrath shook his head, saying he was like a dog that drools at the sight of food.
"However, there's one more thing the Light Wind Palace Master didn't mention."
Glenn briefly licked his lips and raised his reddened finger.
"The Light Wind Palace Master was acknowledged for his talent and martial prowess by that Heavenly Demon. He said he's the closest to being the leader of the Five Demons at this point."
Glenn seemed to think it was a compliment to be acknowledged by such a massive entity as the Heavenly Demon, even if it was an enemy.
"He, he didn't say that..."
Raon tried to recall the Heavenly Demon's words, but he couldn't remember hearing anything about being close to the leader of the Five Demons.
"Um..."
He raised his hand to clear up the misunderstanding, but the audience chamber was already in an uproar, and his words couldn't get through.
"That Heavenly Demon?"
"The leader of Eden. No, it's no exaggeration to say he's the leader of the Five Demons, and that monster took notice?"
"To think he'd be acknowledged by a martial artist who even withtood the head of house's Soul Sword..."
"As expected, the Light Wind Palace Master is different..."
"The word genius isn't enough anymore. He's simply the one and only Sword Emperor!"
The executives of Zieghart looked at Raon with eyes full of envy and pride.
"There's no need to say it, everyone will acknowledge the Light Wind Palace Master's achievements, so I can't help but respond to that."
As Glenn snapped his fingers, Roenn came up to the platform with a golden tablet and two wooden boxes.
"To the Light Wind Palace Master who killed the Demon Slaying Spear and the Fallen, and brought down Eden, I bestow this golden tablet and two top-grade elixirs."
He nodded, saying they were elixirs for recovering from injuries and further growth.
"Thank you."
Raon climbed onto the platform, received the golden tablet and elixirs, then bowed his head.
"Next, Mark Goetun, protector of the Light Wind Palace, step forward."
Glenn called Mark Goetun to the platform as well, not just himself.
"For dedicating your life to open the way for your Palace Master, and protecting him to the end, I highly commend your passion and bestow upon you a golden tablet and a high-grade elixir."
He patted Mark Goetun's shoulder directly, saying he had worked hard.
"Thank you!"
Mark Goetun received the golden tablet and elixir with trembling hands, then bowed deeply to Glenn.
"I wanted to give a suitable reward to Merlin, no, Evelyn as well, but she didn't come along?"
Glenn narrowed his eyes as if disappointed.
"She was a bit tired, so I told her to rest."
Raon answered while slightly lowering his eyes.
'Because I don't know what she might say if I bring her here.'
He had left her tied up in the annex building because he couldn't handle it if she blurted out what she had said to Sylvia here.
"There's one thing I'm curious about."
Karoon raised his hand while looking at Raon.
"What kind of person is the Heavenly Demon?"
He narrowed his eyes as if that was what he was most curious about.
"To describe his appearance, he wore a red dragon helmet with ten horns protruding from the face. He was taller than me or the Head of House, and his physique was massive and solid like a rock. He had the body of a fist user, not a swordsman, and indeed he used his fists."
Raon slowly closed his eyes as he recalled the Heavenly Demon he had seen in person.
"However, what's important is not the Heavenly Demon's appearance or fists. He has such a massive presence that you can tell he's the Heavenly Demon just by looking at him. He emits a terrifying aura that makes him seem like he's standing alone even among thousands, no, tens of thousands of people."
He bit his lip as he recalled the grand soul the Heavenly Demon possessed.
"Your soul is crushed before you can even raise your sword. It felt like he wasn't even the same kind of being as us."
Raon shook his head as he exhaled a turbid breath.
"Hmm..."
"To think such a being exists..."
"It can't even be described as a monster..."
"So the name 'Demon who has ascended to heaven' is literal."
The executives pressed their lips tightly as if crushed by the name Heavenly Demon. He hadn't meant to frighten them, but explaining what he saw led to this result.
"But..."
As Raon was about to open his mouth again to lighten the heavy atmosphere, a trembling shout came from behind him.
"There's no need to worry!"
Dorian stepped forward and raised his head.
"According to the Palace Master's words, our Head of House is stronger than the Heavenly Demon! We don't need to fear someone like the Heavenly Demon because we have our Head of House!"
He nodded his head vigorously as if telling himself, not others, that it was okay.
"That's right!"
Krein grabbed Dorian's shoulder and swallowed hard.
"With the Sword God before us, what is there to worry about! The Palace Master even killed the Fallen!"
He raised his fist, saying now all that's left is to win the war.
"That's right. We have our Head of House!"
"The Heavenly Demon is nothing but a commoner before the Sword God!"
"When I think about it that way, I'm looking forward to the war with Eden."
"With the Sword God and Sword Emperor together, there's nothing to fear."
A faint smile bloomed on the executives' lips, as if they had gained courage from Dorian and Krein's words.
"Hmm."
Raon briefly licked his lips and looked up at the platform.
"..."
Glenn smiled without a wrinkle, as if there was no need to worry, just as Dorian had said. However, to Raon, that smile seemed somewhat bitter and regretful.
"As those children said, you don't need to worry about the Heavenly Demon."
He waved his hand, saying to leave the Heavenly Demon to him and focus on their own training.
"As expected!"
"Head of House!"
"We'll trust in you!"
The executives bowed their heads to Glenn, raising their fists to their chests as if swearing eternal loyalty.
"The Light Wind division's injuries haven't all healed yet, so let's end it here for today."
Glenn closed his eyes, saying to go back now.
"Understood."
The executives bowed their heads happily and stepped back. Just as they were about to leave the audience chamber, a maid with purple hair fluttering burst through the half-open door.
"Huh?"
Raon took a deep breath as he saw the maid's face.
'Evelyn?'
Evelyn, whom he had left tied up in the annex building, had somehow escaped and arrived here.
"Wait a moment!"
Evelyn shook her head as she stretched out her hand.
"There's something I haven't said yet! I and Raon, calling each other's names at night..."
"No!"
Raon rushed over in panic and covered Evelyn's mouth.
"Mmph!"
"It's true, but it's not true!"
He shook his head vigorously, shouting that Sella’s advice about assertiveness wasn’t meant for this.
"Please, stop!"
***
"Phew..."
Raon sat on the bed, clutching his fully stuffed stomach.
"Even eating isn't easy."
He felt like his stomach was about to burst from eating all the dishes Wrath wanted. If he hadn't adjusted with aura in between, he might have fainted while eating.
-You're exaggerating over just one meal! This king could eat ten meals without even sleeping!
Wrath clicked his tongue, saying kids these days are weak.
-Anyway, bring out the bead ice cream now!
'Exaggerating? I ate for 4 hours straight!'
Raon grabbed Wrath's tail and shook it up and down. He had rewarded Wrath with a 4-hour meal for helping in this war, but hearing such words made his stomach turn.
'Should I make you eat Nadine bread for the rest of your life? Huh?'
-No, that's...
Wrath shuddered at the threat of Nadine bread and shook his head.
'Then be quiet.'
Raon flicked Wrath's forehead and opened the bead ice cream box.
'I'm too full to eat it all, so choose just one.'
He showed the four types of ice cream to Wrath, telling him to pick one.
-Nngh...
The creature narrowed his eyes deeply as if he had met Pride, letting out a low groan.
-I, I want to eat them all, but I have no choice. This king chooses mint chocolate!
"..."
-I said mint chocolate!
Although Wrath kept calling out, Raon stared out the window with his eyes wide open.
"Grandfather?"
Glenn, whom he had seen in the Lord's Manor in the afternoon, was standing outside the window of the annex building, looking at him.
"What brings you here?"
Raon put down the ice cream box and opened the window.
"I remembered something I didn't give you at the Lord's Manor. Can you come out for a moment?"
Glenn nodded with calm eyes.
"Alright."
"When you come out..."
As Raon was about to turn around, Glenn's words continued.
"Bring the Blade of Requiem."
Glenn pointed his finger down at the Blade of Requiem lying on the table.
"I want to see your Soul Sword properly."
"Ah..."
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at Glenn's serene eyes.
'Is he going to teach me?'
It was clear that Glenn intended to teach him about the Soul Sword.
"Understood."
Raon grabbed the Blade of Requiem and immediately went outside, feeling his heart start to race roughly.
-Hey, you! Where are you going!
Wrath screamed as he looked at the open ice cream box.
-At least eat one before you go! Or at least close the lid! It's all going to melt!