The Hero of Habun Castle

Terian let out a low groan as he pushed himself upright.

"Am I dead?"

He remembered being crushed unconscious by the monster's aura as it closed in on the castle. Even his father had failed to stop it. Death had been the first conclusion his mind reached.

"Hah. Doesn't look like the afterlife just yet."

Beto, commander of the Wolves Mercenary Corps, pointed a trembling hand at the sky. The sun should have risen long ago, yet darkness still hung thick overhead.

"Then how the hell did we survive?"

"I have no idea. There didn't look to be a soul who could stop that thing…"

"Th-that's—!"

"Young master!"

Edquil, leader of the Snow Strike Squad, and Dorian, who had opened their eyes late, shot to their feet as they stared up at the castle wall.

"What are you two—ah!"

Following their gazes, Terian's eyes flew wide.

Beneath a sky still steeped in darkness, a swordsman stood alone. He held no blade, and yet he looked vaster than any warrior in the world.

A deep, rolling rumble filled the heavens.

The curtain of darkness that had dyed the sky receded like an ebbing tide, and the golden sun, which had been cowering in terror, revealed itself to the world once more. The auspicious light spreading outward with Raon at its center was mystery itself.

"Ra-Raon…"

"Raon!"

"No—how…"

One by one, the people coming to their senses trembled as they stared at Raon's back. The realization that he had held the wall alone while everyone else had fallen unconscious sent a shiver through them all.

Raon slowly turned his head. Fatigue and pain filled the face that wore a faint smile. His sunken eyes scanned those below, as if confirming they were safe.

"Everyone's all right."

A voice as dry as desert sand drifted down.

Raon smiled, bright and unwrinkled.

"Hey—promise?"

"What promise is he talking about?"

"All of a sudden…"

"Ah!"

Dorian clapped his hands, his lips trembling.

"Earlier—Raon told the combat troops, didn't he? Survive, all of you! He means he kept that word!"

"Ah, that…"

"So it wasn't 'survive on your own'—it was 'I'll make sure you survive'?"

"Ra-Raon…"

"Raon!"

The people bit down hard on their lips as they looked at the young man smiling so gently. If they didn't, the tears would have come.

"That thing won't be coming back, so there's no need to wor—ah."

Raon started to wave a hand and then stopped dead. His eyes closed, and he toppled straight backward. The people at the foot of the wall lunged to catch him, but the distance was far too great.

"Raon!"

"Look out!"

Just as Raon's head was about to strike the stone, a thick arm rose and caught him.

"Hah…"

It was Milland. The man who had been unconscious had risen and pulled the falling Raon in against him.

"Commander!"

Milland nodded as if to say he was fine, and braced Raon against his shoulder. Then, with labored steps, he walked to the edge of the wall.

"The battle is over."

Milland's voice, a roar that shook the air, struck the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hearts of people still dazed and uncomprehending.

"Waaaaaah!"

"Raon! Raon! Raon!"

"Hero of Habun Castle!"

His name, which he could not hear, and the cheers that carried it, rang without end across the sky over Habun Castle.

Two days had passed since the disaster called Sloth swept through.

Raon had still not woken. Milland, Terian, and the rest of the officers had taken a brief rest, then gathered in the conference room.

"Is everyone in one piece?"

Milland, seated at the center of the round table, swept his gaze over the officers. He was asking after everyone else's health, but the man with the blackest circles under his eyes looked to be in the worst shape of all.

"A little rest did me good."

Vice Commander Terian nodded first.

"I'm fine as well."

"My head's still ringing. Maybe that's what coming back from the dead feels like."

Edquil, leader of the Snow Strike Squad, dipped his head slightly, and Beto rubbed his temples.

The knight-commander who had held out the longest, and the captains of the sword units, still hadn't shaken off the mental shock. They sat pale-faced, shaking their heads.

"I fainted early, so the aftereffects weren't too bad."

"Same here. Felt like I just took a short nap and woke up. The body's another story, though."

The scout captains, who had lost consciousness first, at least looked relatively whole.

"So what in the world was that thing?"

Radin, captain of the 3rd Scout Squad, was the first to speak the words no one else had dared to voice.

"Three horns, and demonic qi strong enough to warp space. It's obvious. A demon."

Milland clenched his fist as he went on.

"And not just any demon—one of the highest rank. I crossed paths with demons a few times in my youth, but I had never seen anything like that. It was in a different class entirely."

"We weren't even in the same league, that's for certain…"

"I-if it's a highest-ranking demon, isn't that practically Demon King level?"

The officers shuddered as they recalled the overwhelming presence Sloth had brought down on them two days before.

"It may well have been a Demon King."

"What?"

"A-are you serious?"

The word Demon King from Milland's mouth made every officer in the room swallow dry.

"I am a Master, and I couldn't even endure it. To face that thing, you would need someone on the level of the heads of the Six Kings or the Five Demons."

He frowned, remembering Sloth drawing nearer, trailing darkness behind it.

"Then what does that make Raon, who turned a Demon King-class monster around and sent it back?"

Edquil, who had been listening in silence, cut across the hush that had settled over the conference room.

"Every person in this room had already prepared to die. No—to be honest, the moment the Commander went down, death was a certainty. And yet not a single one of us died."

Edquil looked around at Milland and the officers as he continued.

"You all know it. The one who saved us was Raon."

Every officer in the room nodded in agreement.

"Which raises a question. How did Raon save us ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from a monster even the Commander couldn't withstand? What did he do to send that thing away?"

"That's true…"

"I'll admit, I'm still amazed I'm alive."

"What did he even do?"

The officers clicked their tongues, sharing the same doubt.

"Are you accusing him of something?"

"No."

Terian frowned at Edquil. Edquil only shook his head, unmoved.

"I say it because I believe Raon sacrificed something precious to him."

"Sacrificed?"

"There is no chance Raon defeated that demon with force. Which leaves a contract—or a bargain. In my judgment, Raon staked his own soul and body to find a way to save the people of this castle."

Edquil bit down on his lip. Blood welled from the cracked, dried skin and dripped away.

"The Raon I have seen is that kind of man. He would give himself up if it meant saving someone else."

"Hah…"

"The boy does have that in him."

"Raon…"

Terian and the officers let out a long breath, as if they too believed Edquil was right.

"While I was unconscious, I heard the word deal from Raon's mouth."

Milland leaned forward, his eyes lowering.

"A deal…"

"I-is that true?"

"It is. I couldn't make out the rest, but I heard that word clearly."

"I knew it…"

"Damn it!"

Edquil's face tightened. Terian covered his eyes with a hand.

"The usual terms of a contract between demon and human are power. The demon grants the human strength and takes the soul in return. But the deal Raon struck this time is obvious."

Milland's hand trembled on the table, clenched with frustration.

"The boy sacrificed his own soul and saved every one of our lives."

"That would be it."

"God damn it…"

They had all understood. They ground their teeth and bowed their heads.

"Commander."

Edquil let out a thin breath and called Milland's name.

"Who is Raon, exactly? I think it's time you told us."

"Fair enough. No point in hiding it anymore."

Milland nodded slowly.

"Raon Zieghart. That is his name."

"Zieghart, then."

"I thought as much…"

"It would have to be, at that level."

The officers were surprisingly unsurprised. The feats he had shown had been so immense that they had more or less expected it.

"You already knew?"

"The only places that could produce a sixteen-year-old with that kind of martial power and will are the Six Kings and the Five Demons. Raon's nature leans toward the righteous, not the demonic, so I had him pegged as one of the Six Kings."

"Now that you know he's a Zieghart, are you giving up on revenge?"

"I never thought about revenge. If anything, I want to follow him."

Edquil shook his head, perfectly calm.

"Follow him?"

"Raon?"

"He beat the hell out of you!"

The officers narrowed their eyes, wondering what on earth he was thinking.

"He did. Thoroughly. And it snapped me awake. If not for him, I would have spent the rest of my life having lost my original purpose, picking on the weak and living as a petty, miserable man."

Edquil rose with a clean light in his eyes. He stepped in front of the scout captains and bowed at a right angle.

"I was so full of my own stubbornness that I forgot what it meant to be a comrade, and I behaved shamefully. I am truly sorry."

"Huh?"

"W-why are you doing this? You already apologized!"

"Right. You've said you were sorry plenty of times, so why again…"

"I believed I needed to admit my wrong properly, in an official setting like this."

He kept his head down until the scouts waved him off, then straightened.

"Even setting today aside, I have already decided to follow Raon. Even if he will not have me, I will walk in his footsteps. Commander. Please banish this sinful man from the castle."

Edquil dropped to one knee before Milland and bowed his head.

"You're in a hurry."

Milland snorted and lifted his chin.

"Sir?"

"You're not the only one who owes him a life."

At those words, every officer in the room nodded.

"Raon has saved the lives of everyone in this castle, more than once. The right thing is for us to fill in what that boy has lost."

Milland smiled faintly and raised the kneeling Edquil to his feet.

"I will stand at his back as well."

Mm…

Raon opened his eyes slowly.

What is this?

He had expected his body to be wrecked from the clash of presence with Sloth, but his limbs felt light, as if he had simply slept well and gotten up.

"That's strange…"

He tilted his head at a physical condition so far from what he had expected, and sat up. It wasn't only his body and mind. Even his senses seemed sharper than before.

"Strange? You dare call it strange?"

Just as he was about to chalk it up to the rise in his stats, Wrath erupted from the ice-flower bracelet like a pillar of flame.

"The strangest thing here is that head of yours! You filthy swindler!"

Bloodshot veins stood out in Wrath's eyes. He was well and truly furious.

"Ah. Thank you. I lived because of you."

"What in the world is there to thank This King for!"

"You're always going on and on about the Demon Realm. I let it in one ear and out the other, but enough of it stuck that the information was easy to use."

"Y-you little…"

"On top of that, you thought you'd already won, so you dumped everything you knew about Sloth on me. Without you, I really would have died. You truly are The Giving Tree, Wrath."

Raon grinned brightly and gave a little wave.

"Kkgggh!"

Wrath glared at him, radiating cold in waves.

"This King shall kill you. By any means necessary, a spear of frost will be driven into your soul!"

"You can do that later."

Raon waved off Wrath, who looked ready to lunge at him that instant.

"Let me check the messages first. I think I got some rather good things."

"You devil! Since the dawn of creation, you are the first to swindle two Demon Kings!"

"Are there no swindlers in the Demon Realm?"

"If there were another one like you, the world would already have ended!"

"Is that so?"

Raon gave a short laugh and called up the messages that had gone by.

Just standing his ground had raised the rank of his soul and lifted every stat. Sloth's overwhelming strength settled against his skin all over again.

"You held out for a handful of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠minutes and it raises the rank of your soul? That cannot be right!"

"Hmm…"

Raon narrowed his eyes at Wrath, who was howling in outrage.

Which means that one is on Sloth's level—or above it.

He still couldn't quite believe that the sucker who spent every day complaining and chasing food was a being stronger than Sloth.

Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames, which had been stuck at 3-star, had risen to 4-star. Pushing it to the brink of death just to endure against Sloth had been worth it. The sphere of heat filling his dantian felt larger and more refined than before.

Then, perhaps…

He looked at the next message.

Just as he had expected.

Glacier, which he had run in tandem with Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames, had merged with the bitter cold and ascended to the 4-star realm. The sphere of frost seated beside the aura of Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames now radiated a purer energy as well.

The Ring of Fire had not increased in number, but his progress in it had soared. It felt as though another ring would be added before long.

As I thought. To grow fast, you have to fight the strong.

Just clashing with everything he had against a powerful being had smashed through the wall that had been blocking his martial progress. The old saying was right: real combat was the best training there was.

"Hhhrrp—!"

A sound like someone holding their breath came from Wrath. He seemed to be forcibly swallowing a rage that was about to boil over.

The moment they saw the third message, Raon and Wrath's eyes flew wide together.

"Th-this is insane!"

"My stats go up from sleeping?"

He reread the message, certain he had seen it wrong. It was unchanged. It said, plain as day, that his stats would rise from nothing more than sleep.

"Whoa…"

His mind went blank. It was written as a minute amount, so it would only tick up in decimal points—but so what? From now on, all twenty-four hours of the day were as good as training.

"Sloth! You halfwit! This King should have killed you years agoooo!"

Wrath screamed that not killing Sloth was the regret of his life.

"So that's why my body felt light."

Thanks to Sloth's stamina and aura recovery, he seemed to have healed completely. It was a useful ability in more ways than one.

But the messages were not finished.

"I was wondering why this one hadn't shown up."

He would have felt cheated if this message had been missing.

"Kkgggh. This King's stats have been drained again…"

Wrath sagged over the corner of the bed like laundry hung out to dry. It was the very picture of a defeated man's end.

"Then who told you to interfere?"

"Silence. How was This King supposed to endure you running a swindle in This King's name!"

He ground his teeth and lifted his head.

"To fleece two Demon Kings! Even the hypocrites of the Celestial Realm are not your equal!"

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"You were already peddling someone else's name at every turn, and now you have gone and used This King as well! Your wickedness has already gone beyond the pale!"

For a Demon King, he was talking an awful lot like a hero as he raised a fist.

"This King will stop your evil deeds, no matter what it takes!"

"Stop me or don't—I don't care. But first."

Raon smiled and wriggled four gathered fingers.

"Hand over the wager reward while you're at it."

"Th-the wager reward?"

"The bet on whether I would leave this castle or not."

"Ah…"

As if it had only just come back to him, Wrath's eyes went slack.

"The one you were counting on was Sloth, wasn't it? That fellow is going to be asleep hugging the Goblin King's mana stone, so he won't be coming here again. Let's settle the bet now."

"Khh—w-wait!"

Wrath waved his hands and hopped backward.

"Raon?"

His voice turned as soft as silk.

"Do you remember when you went to save the tavernkeeper? You did leave the castle, yet This King, in his magnanimity, let it pass, did he not?"

"I remember. You're not seriously asking me to let you off for that, are you? The King of the Demon Realm couldn't possibly be that petty."

Raon narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"Of course not. Would the Monarch of Wrath—who loves his subordinates, who is so generous and so noble—ever say such a thing?"

"Ghhh…"

Wrath, who had been about to speak, trembled down to his hands. Whatever he had meant to say seemed to have slid back down his throat.

"Well? Go on. Say what you were going to say."

Raon smiled and nodded for him to continue.

"Grrraaah! You insatiable fiend! Swallow it all and burst, why don't you!"

Wrath's eyes shimmered as if he were about to burst into tears.

The message window glittered with a beauty it had never possessed until today.