Chapter 472 |
‘…Mess?’
Raon slowly blinked.
‘He just told me to make a mess, didn’t he?’
His mind went blank for a moment because he’d never expected Glenn to say that.
Raon cleared his throat and looked up to Glenn.
“I believe I was asked to make a mess. Did I hear correctly?”
“Indeed.”
Glenn shook the envelope with eyes as emotionless as always.
“Do you remember how the Thespian Emperor mentioned the Five Divine Orders’ festival last year?”
The Thespian Emperor had said that she would invite them to the Five Divine Orders’ foundation festival before she’d left Zieghart.
“The official letter of invitation came from the White Whale.”
“Ah…”
Raon figured that the letter with a white whale emblem that Glenn was holding was the invitation letter in question.
“She spouted some bullshit about wanting a high-ranking officer of Zieghart to join the festival to celebrate their foundation.”
The strong grip of his finger looked like he was thinking about just burning the letter.
“Hmm…”
Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the White Whale’s emblem engraved at the center of the letter.
‘Thespian Emperor… she’s doing it again. Her nasty tendency to take advantage of others’ fame has not changed.’
The reason the Thespian Emperor sent the invitation letter was simple.
If Zieghart joined the festival, she was going to declare that the Six Kings had recognized them by taking advantage of Zieghart’s fame, and if they didn’t, she was going to secretly spread the rumors that the Six Kings were afraid of them.
It was only advantageous to the Five Divine Orders whether Zieghart participated or not.
She was using a different method, but she was still plotting to get some easy benefits with a simple method.
‘I can roughly guess the Thespian Emperor’s personality now.’
The King of Essence understands it too.
Wrath came up next to Raon and frowned.
She is literally a rat. She isn’t even trying to hunt by herself, she just picks up leftovers from others!
His frown showed that he didn’t like the Thespian Emperor either.
‘Indeed. However, she is a big rat.’
Even though the Thespian Emperor was previously humiliated in Zieghart, she’d acted right away afterward to prevent the bad rumors from spreading.
Raon had already noticed back then, but her willpower was commendable at least. He couldn’t underestimate her just because he’d defeated her once.
Raon furrowed his brow while thinking about the Thespian Emperor, and Glenn lightly tapped on the throne’s armrest.
“I was going to burn this letter up and ignore it, but I remembered you.”
“What part about me…?”
“Because you crushed the Thespian Emperor with your eloquence last time.”
Glenn took his hand off his chin and rolled his lips into a smile. Raon had never seen his smile before. He thought that Glenn must’ve liked the mess he’d made back then.
“Can you go to the Five Divine Orders’ festival and make the same mess you made here?”
“Hmm…”
Raon lowered his gaze instead of answering right away.
‘This is a different situation from back then.’
The reason he could ridicule the Thespian Emperor however he wanted was because she had come to Zieghart.
Just like the proverb, every dog is a lion at home, the only reason he’d managed to crush the Thespian Emperor was because they were in Zieghart, and Glenn was watching them.
However, he wouldn’t be able to act spoiled anymore if he went to the White Whale instead.
‘I don’t think I can do this.’
He was about to open his mouth to say no, but he suddenly remembered the Thespian Emperor’s confident face.
‘Now that I think about it… The Thespian Emperor wants the same thing as the last time.’
What she wanted was Zieghart’s fame just like the other time. It implied that it was possible to use her plan against her by shaking a bait in front of her.
‘This isn’t much different from back then. It’s still true that I’m too young for my might and position. The second round of mess…’
Raon made up his mind and lifted his gaze.
“It’s possible, but I need one thing.”
“What is it?”
Glenn’s voice sounded softer than usual.
“I need the authority to have Zieghart at my back.”
“Do you want to participate in the foundation ceremony as an executive with authority instead of a simple guest?”
“Indeed.”
“I can see what you’re thinking.”
He nodded while stroking his chin.
“Are you confident you can make a proper mess?”
“I’m currently at the end of puberty. I’m proud to say that the last ember will be hot.”
“Last ember, I see. I’m looking forward to it.”
Glenn snapped his fingers, and the space in front of Raon split apart before a sword emblem engulfed by golden flame emerged.
“This is the proof that your will is mine. This shall be enough.”
“Ah…”
Raon’s fingertips trembled as he accepted the sword emblem. He was thinking that Glenn would simply write a document for him, but he was giving the emblem, which signified that he was the proxy of the head of house.
“Isn’t this too precious…”
“It’s fine. Just make sure to show them the storm of your puberty.”
Glenn shook his hand and smiled faintly.
“You won’t be disappointed.”
Raon smiled in a similar manner and nodded.
“I’ll give this emblem to the Light Wind division leader as soon as I return, and…”
“What are you talking about?”
Glenn’s voice was unsettled for the first time.
“Are you seriously thinking about giving it to him?”
Raon could imagine what Rimmer was going to do as he heard Glenn’s voice.
“How much can I sell this for? Is this pure gold?”
“I have complete authority from Zieghart! You want a trade? Sure, let’s do it! So how much am I getting from it?”
“Can you remove my gambling debt in return for this? You want to know what it is? This is the emblem that gives you the complete authority of Zieghart…”
It didn’t even take one second until he figured out what Rimmer was going to do with the emblem. It was as if he was reading heaven’s flow.
The King of Essence can also see it happening.
Wrath frowned intensely.
Shitty Ears is totally going to buy the whole ice cream shop…
‘You are the only one who would do that.’
Raon sighed and shook his head. Regardless of what Wrath was thinking, Rimmer was definitely not allowed to have it.
“I’ll keep it with me.”
“You made the right decision.”
Raon bowed to Glenn and put the emblem in his clothes.
“And…”
Glenn shook his hand, and Sheryl came forward from behind the throne.
“The Heavenly Blade division will be guarding the Light Wind division from an unseen location.”
“Great to have you on the team.”
Sheryl simply waved her hand.
“Guard…?”
Raon dropped his jaw.
‘Isn’t this a case of the tail wagging the dog?’
He felt like dispatching her as a guard was a waste even though she couldn’t be the one to make a mess with her position.
“The current area around Cameloon is pretty much a ticking magic array.”
Glenn explained with serious eyes. He seemed to have noticed what Raon was thinking.
“I admit that you are strong, but it’s only true when your age is taken into account. There are still countless people on the continent who are more powerful than you. It would be unwise to act without a backup plan.”
“He’s right. I would’ve gone there alone, but I can’t just do whatever I want because I’m already past my stormy phase of adolescence.”
Sheryl massaged the back of her neck and softly smiled.
Raon nodded while looking at Glenn and Sheryl.
‘They are right. Anything can happen there.’
After the Five Divine Orders took over the empty spots in the continent, wars of various scales began to break out one after the other.
Since it was the foundation festival of such a dangerous group, anything could happen and a backup plan was necessary.
‘However, the backup plan is too powerful.’
Since Sheryl was pretty much Glenn’s personal guard, Raon felt great confidence.
“Understood.”
Raon bowed to Glenn and Sheryl.
“Since the scene is prepared for me, I’ll make this mess delivery successful.”
* * *
* * *
Glenn closed his eyes, and a small smile appeared around his mouth.
“Huhuhu.”
Roenn looked up to Glenn with warmth in his eyes.
“It looks like you are really enjoying yourself.”
“The way he said it was funny.”
Glenn raised his finger while looking at the carpet where Raon was standing.
“Mess delivery? I don’t think anyone can show that kind of confidence.”
Raon had left the audience chamber after announcing the incoming mess delivery, showing that he was ready to go all out.
His back looked so reliable that Glenn wanted to pat it.
“Indeed. He always surpasses our expectations, after all.”
Roenn nodded while agreeing with Glenn.
“Regardless of the mess, this is a great opportunity. He will gain a large amount of experience from meeting the heads of the Five Divine Orders and their successors.”
Sheryl’s cheeks were slightly flushed. She seemed to be looking forward to what Raon was going to show her at the festival.
“That is true.”
Glenn nodded.
“In fact, that’s the most important part.”
He did dislike the Thespian Emperor, but he could simply ignore her.
The reason he was sending Raon to the foundation festival was because he wanted Raon to bear the burden of Zieghart’s name and gain some experience.
‘And that should make him want to become a successor a bit more.’
Raon still wasn’t that interested in becoming a successor. He just didn’t want anyone inappropriate to inherit the position.
That was why Glenn wanted Raon to learn about the responsibility and importance of Zieghart’s name from his mission.
Glenn closed his eyes while burying his back deep into the throne.
‘I’m looking forward to how much he will have changed by the time he returns.’
* * *
Raon returned to the fifth training ground after leaving the lord’s manor. He stopped the training and called everyone in front of the platform.
“What’s the matter?”
Dorian was rubbing his belly pocket. He must’ve already gotten a bad feeling about it.
“You came at a bad time.”
“We had a perfect opportunity!”
“It’s a shame.”
Burren, Martha, and Runaan frowned, saying that they were about to defeat Mark Goetten.
“I still had a wildcard left.”
Mark Goetten shook his head, saying that they wouldn’t have been able to win.
“Attention.”
Raon raised his hand, and the Light Wind division stopped chatting and came to attention in a proper line.
“We’ve got a new mission.”
“Mission?”
“It’s about time, I guess.”
“We’ve been doing nothing but training ever since the end of last year.”
The Light Wind swordsmen welcomed the mission with excited smiles.
“What kind of mission is it?”
Krein was the first to raise his hand. He was the fastest when it came to asking questions and being eliminated.
“The Five Divine Orders are holding a festival to celebrate their foundation, and the Thespian Emperor of the White Whale has invited our house.”
Raon furrowed his brow and continued.
“…Is the official statement, and she’s actually trying to take advantage of Zieghart’s name once again.”
A frightening light started to radiate from the Light Wind division’s eyes.
“She’s doing it again.”
Burren frowned and tapped his scabbard.
“Do they think they are missing an arm or a leg or something? Why the hell are they trying to use our name over and over?”
Martha ground her teeth. She looked like she wanted to attack them right away.
“A shark sucker.”
Runaan shook her head at their pathetic mindset.
“They are seriously pathetic.”
“Does nothing scare them because their reputation is too low?”
“Dirty bastards.”
The other swordsmen disliked the Five Divine Orders’ festival and frowned.
“Then is the mission…?”
“Yes, the Light Wind division will be participating in that festival as the Zieghart representative.”
“Representative?”
“Hmm.”
The look in the Light Wind division’s eyes suddenly changed upon hearing that they were the representatives.
Some of them were proud of it while some felt pressured by it, but none of their eyes were showing any sign of wavering.
“Every single move we make will represent Zieghart. Think carefully about what you should do and what you should avoid. We will leave in two days. Dismissed.”
“Yes!”
The Light Wind division bowed and left the training ground upon hearing Raon’s shout.
Raon felt like he didn’t need to worry about them as he watched the stern pressure on their backs.
“A mission? So annoying.”
Raon turned his head upon hearing a small voice coming from behind him. Rimmer was back and was crawling out from his sleeping bag.
“You still need to come even if it’s annoying.”
Raon simply shook his head since he’d already noticed Rimmer’s approach.
“It would be simple if we just needed to fight them, but that’s not the case.”
“That’s true.”
“By the way…”
Rimmer narrowed his eyes.
“Did the head of house give anything to you?”
Even though he was usually so dense, he was so perceptive in that aspect.
“What are you talking about?”
Raon calmly pretended to remove Rimmer’s suspicion.
“Judging from his personality, he must’ve given something to you if he’s dispatching us as the representatives.”
“There’s no such thing.”
Raon shook his head without averting his gaze.
“But we are still the representatives. He should’ve given some kind of proof.”
Rimmer rubbed his fingers.
“There’s nothing like that.”
“No, I’m pretty sure…”
“There’s nothing.”
Raon frowned, and Rimmer quietly took a step back.
“Well, I guess there’s nothing. Why are you even getting angry?”
He turned around, murmuring that Raon must’ve been turning into a real punk.
Raon shook his head while feeling the warmth of the emblem in his clothes.
‘That man is too sharp. I mean, elf.’
* * *
House Robert
Lord’s Office
Derus Robert put down his pen after he finished signing the document that he was reading. His hand that was tapping the desk picked up a letter on the left.
The letter had the White Whale’s symbol engraved on it, just like the one Glenn was holding.
“The White Whale.”
Derus smiled faintly while touching the white whale drawing on the envelope.
“Sirith.”
A man in dark armor emerged from the bookshelf’s shadow upon hearing his call.
“Have I been summoned?”
The plain young man called Sirith lowered his head.
“How is the White Whale doing?”
“They aren’t doing good, nor bad. The fame that the Thespian Emperor tried to obtain ended up scattering like a fog, but they managed to stop their reputation from plummeting. It was still a loss for them since the value of their name had decreased overall.”
He clicked his tongue while murmuring that the Thespian Emperor was foolish.
“Foolish, you say…”
Derus licked his lips and put down the White Whale’s letter of invitation.
“I don’t think so.”
“Sorry?”
“The Thespian Emperor’s plan was rather excellent. It was easy to figure out, but difficult to counteract. However…”
He touched his hand surrounded by a glove.
“She encountered an unexpected variable. Raon Zieghart. She took a blow from a man who shouldn’t have had more than a simple conversation with her, so she should be praised for managing to maintain her sanity in the end.”
“That’s the part I can hardly believe. There were plenty of Zieghart executives, including Glenn. How is it even possible that a mere vice division leader like him could act up like that?”
Sirith shook his head, saying that he couldn’t understand it.
“I admit that Raon Zieghart is a genius swordsman, but he doesn’t seem that smart. Aren’t you overestimating him?”
“Overestimating him? No, he’s still alive precisely because I underestimated him.”
Derus firmly shook his head.
“Raon Zieghart can’t simply be judged by his knowledge of intelligence. His ability to understand a difficult situation and his capability to carry out the solution right away are the most important aspects. He was born with a rare talent.”
When he’d seen Raon Zieghart, Derus could see that he possessed an astounding insight and capability for action. He was fully capable of carrying out his plan from the rumors.
“Even without knowledge nor intelligence, his instinct alone is that of a monster.”
“Hmm…”
Sirith swallowed nervously.
“If Zieghart sends someone to this foundation festival, Raon is most likely going to be dispatched.”
“It would be the case if they decided to participate. Since he succeeded last time, they must want him to show Zieghart’s presence at the festival as well. However, I don’t think they are going to participate at all.”
“That’s true.”
Derus nodded.
“Hmm…”
He licked his lips in contemplation while looking at the letter.
“Are you thinking about participating?”
“Because it’s better to eliminate him as fast as possible.”
“Wait, but killing him would be simple.”
Sirith shrugged his shoulders.
“I was thinking about how to do it. This is actually the best situation to carry out the ‘defeat the enemy with the enemy’ strategy I mentioned previously.”
“Then why…?”
“It will go awry if another poison interferes.”
Derus narrowed his eyes while looking at the glove he was wearing.
“Even two poisons might interfere. It’s completely unpredictable.”
He frowned, saying that he couldn’t predict which factions among the Six Kings and the Five Demons would participate in the Five Divine Orders’ festival.
“In that case, please allow me to go.”
Sirith lowered his head.
“You?”
“Yes. If the enemy fails to defeat the enemy, then the blade should be used instead. Since those children have been completed, this is a good opportunity to test them out.”
“Hmm…”
Derus bobbed his finger, and a blue dimension opened up in the sky where a box the size of a human face came out.
He tapped on the box, and the sound of something solid bumping against each other could be heard.
“What shall I do?”