Those Who Stand Behind You
Raon met the gazes of everyone around him and clenched his fist. Their eyes were clear, unwavering. Every word they had spoken about standing behind him had been genuine.
I can't even get the words out.
There was no way he could look into eyes like those and say that he was the one who had ripped off the Demon King.
"Why has that flippant mouth of yours gone silent today! Speak properly! You were the one who made a fool of the Demon King!"
Wrath hammered on Raon's shoulder like a drum, urging him to spit it out already.
And Wrath wasn't wrong. These were the kind of people who deserved at least some of the truth.
"The truth is, I…"
"I already told you, you don't need to say anything."
Just as Raon was about to speak, Terian raised a hand.
"Pardon?"
"It's common knowledge that speaking the terms of a deal with a demon only makes the contract worse for you. You don't need to tell us anything more. We already understand."
He offered a gentle smile, as if everything had already been settled.
"Guh—this King is going to lose his mind. Why are people who know nothing running their mouths even louder!"
Wrath marched over to Terian and pecked at his head like a woodpecker.
"There is no such law that talking about a demonic contract puts you at a disadvantage! The deal was this brat who came out ahead!"
He pounded his own chest in utter exasperation.
"That's not what I—"
"You really don't have to say a word."
Beto, leader of the Wolves Mercenary Corps, who had been clutching his head with interlocked fingers, flashed a grin.
"We already decided we'd stand behind you no matter what happened that day. You don't have to tell us a thing."
"Every last one of them has a hole in their skull. Their so-called thinking has clearly turned into mayonnaise!"
A faint foam began to gather at Wrath's mouth. He looked ready to pass out all over again.
"You're not even from this place."
Raon tilted his head slightly as he looked at Beto. It was strange that the leader of a mercenary company—men who followed the money—would be standing here.
"Just because we're mercenaries doesn't mean we don't know how heavy a life-debt is. If anything, because it is a debt, we make extra sure to pay it back."
Beto ran his fingers over the Wolves mercenary badge, a wolf engraved upon it.
"It's not just me. The rest of the company agreed as well. We can't follow you around forever, but we're ready to stake our lives for you."
The lightness had vanished from his eyes. Beto, too, was telling him in earnest that he would hold the line at Raon's back.
"It's not just the mercenaries. The sword units, the knight orders, and the soldiers have all agreed to stand behind you. That's why we made your name known."
Milland smiled as he looked from one officer to the next.
So that's why.
Now he understood why the gazes of the people he'd passed on the way to the conference room had felt so different. They had all already decided to follow him, and so they had treated him with even greater care.
"I'm not anyone that remarkable. I'm not even a direct descendant of House Zieghart…"
"We know that too. You may not be a direct descendant, but you carry the Northern Overlord's blood thick in your veins."
Milland waved a hand as if none of that mattered. The eyes of the people standing beside him hadn't changed in the slightest.
"You as well?"
Raon looked to Edquil, leader of the Snow Strike Squad, who stood on his right.
"Of course. Whatever you do, wherever you go, I will follow."
Edquil dropped to one knee and drove his fist into the floor.
Unlike the others, who had spoken of supporting him or standing at his back, Edquil was declaring that he would follow him outright.
"Truth is, this one was first."
Milland stepped forward and clapped a hand on Edquil's shoulder.
"He was the first to say he'd follow you—and then he asked me to banish him from Habun Castle."
He lowered his brows as if he still couldn't believe it.
"Hmm…"
Raon looked into Edquil's eyes once more. A gravity even deeper than Milland's or the other officers' lived in them. This man was genuine.
"That insufferable bastard was the first to pledge himself? Hah. This King no longer understands. He doesn't understand a thing."
Wrath cackled as if he'd given up entirely. He seemed to have let go of his sanity.
"We also locked down the story about you contracting with a demon. It won't spread anywhere, so you can rest easy."
Radin thumped his chest as if to say he could be trusted. He must have put the scouts to work suppressing the rumors.
"Haa…"
Raon drew a steadying breath and straightened his back. The thoughts and feelings of everyone in the conference room settled over his chest, and his heart felt warm and full.
"Thank you."
Now that things had come this far, there was nothing to do but accept it. Raon bowed his head to the people who looked at him with such trust.
"I'll be in your care from here on."
Milland wore a rare, broad smile.
"Then may I make my first request of you, Commander?"
"A request? Of me?"
"There's something I've wanted to ask of you for a long time."
"Let's hear it."
He nodded as if nothing would be too much.
"In four months. Would you spar with me?"
He didn't want to let the last great opportunity this place could offer him slip away.
"That's no trouble at all. But will four months be enough?"
"Yes. If I have that long…"
A red fighting spirit kindled in Raon's eyes.
A single bowl of porridge hadn't been enough to fill them, so Raon and Dorian left the conference hall and headed for Frost Branch.
"Oh? Lord Raon!"
The moment they opened the door, Yua, who had been wiping down a table, came rushing over in a fluster.
"Are you all right?"
"I am."
He had heard that question countless times today, but coming from Yua, it drew a smile from him all on its own.
"I'm so glad."
Yua sniffled, her twin tails swaying like rabbit ears.
"Yua kept coming by with food and snacks. That porridge you had earlier was hers too."
Dorian patted Yua's head with a look of genuine pride.
"I thought as much."
Just as he'd suspected, that delicious porridge had been Yua's handiwork.
"There weren't any snacks, though."
"Ahem. Well, I was hungry, so…"
Dorian coughed awkwardly and turned his face away.
"Honestly."
Raon snorted a quiet laugh and sat down at a table.
"Can we order now?"
"Of course. Grandpa's up too. Grandpa!"
Yua called toward the kitchen, and the manager hurried out, his complexion far better than before.
"You've come!"
He pulled the cloth from his head and bowed with deep formality.
"I wasn't in my right mind last time, so I never even managed a proper greeting. Thank you for saving us."
"Me too. Thank you for saving Grandpa and me."
Yua bent at a perfect right angle, following the manager's lead.
"You don't need to do this."
Raon shook his head and helped the manager and Yua back up. He hadn't saved them for this kind of treatment, and the whole thing only made him uncomfortable.
"I was told your first aid was so fast it saved our lives. I truly don't know how we could ever repay you…"
"You being healthy is enough."
He smiled gently and shook his head.
"Ah, this is no time for that."
The manager tapped his own forehead and set a menu down on the table.
"Order whatever you like."
"Grandpa said Lord Raon eats free for life!"
"Huh? What about me?"
Dorian pointed at himself.
"You'll have to pay, Dorian!"
Yua planted her hands on her hips and lifted her chin.
"Wow, playing favorites already? Do you know how much I sold for you people!"
"Hehehe!"
Dorian, Yua, and the manager all burst out laughing.
"All of that is well and good, but let us order first. This King shall have the apple meat pie."
Wrath climbed up onto the bracelet, his eyes rolling greedily.
"Mm, in that case…"
Raon ordered the apple meat pie Wrath wanted, along with stew, roast duck, and cheese pizza.
"Just a little while, please. I'll put everything I have into it!"
Fifteen minutes later, dishes prepared with more care than ever before were spread across the table. The aroma was wonderful, and the portions were far larger than usual.
"The presentation today is especially exquisite. Pick up your weapons at once."
The weapons Wrath meant were a spoon, a fork, and a knife. A Demon King who was at his most serious when eating—how ridiculous.
"What are you waiting for! The food is getting cold!"
Raon picked up his spoon to the sound of Wrath's salivary glands exploding.
What a troublesome Demon King.
Perhaps because it had been so long since he'd had a proper meal, the food tasted even better than usual. It wasn't just Wrath—Raon was satisfied enough that a smile found its way onto his face.
"Thank you for the meal."
"Lord Raon."
Just as Raon was settling the bill and preparing to leave, the manager raised a hand.
"You said before that you had something to tell us about Yua. Might I ask what that was?"
"Mm…"
He had been waiting for the right moment to bring it up. This was as good a time as any.
"You know who it was that came to kidnap Yua, don't you?"
"Eden, wasn't it. I don't know the reason for certain, but…"
"The reason Eden targeted Yua is simple."
Raon went on, looking at Yua, who was wringing her hands beside the manager.
"They wanted to put the Siren's Mask on this child."
"The Siren's Mask?"
"A siren is a half-human, half-fish monster that beguiles people with song and instruments."
"Song and instruments? Don't tell me—!"
The manager's eyes flew wide, as if he had grasped the meaning at once.
"Even someone like me, who does nothing but swing a sword, can tell that Yua has a gift for music. Eden was after that talent. They meant to turn her into a siren."
"Ah…"
The manager's expression hardened with every word.
"As long as Yua remains at Habun Castle, they will keep coming after her by every means they have. Those people are not in their right minds."
"I… I see."
The manager slowly turned to look at Yua. Seeing him now, it seemed he had suspected as much, at least in part.
"Eden's methods will only grow rougher. Next time it may not be Yua alone—other people could be caught up in it as well. That's why I wanted to ask you to come with me when I return to my house."
"To House Zieghart, you mean?"
"Yes. I couldn't separate the two of you."
Raon nodded at once. House Zieghart stood at the opposite pole from the Five Demons. If he explained the circumstances, they would surely take them in.
"Mm. Lord Raon."
The manager pressed his hands against the counter and looked at him.
"This may sound like a strange question, but… why have you been so good to us?"
"That's…"
At the manager's question, Raon's gaze turned toward the past.
Kidnapped in a childhood he could barely remember, he had spent his entire life as a hunting dog and an assassin against his will. Infiltration, murder, plunder, theft, the twisting of information—he had never done a single thing he wanted. He had only ever carried out the orders that rang through his skull from Derus.
If Yua were forced to wear the Siren's Mask, she would suffer something even more vicious than what he had endured in his previous life. The blood on her hands would never have a chance to dry.
He had lived that hell himself. He would not let another person's blood stain the hands of an ordinary little girl who loved cooking and singing.
That was all there was to it.
"Because that's what I have to do."
Raon hid that feeling behind a smile that came out a little awkward.
"I see."
The answer seemed to sit well with the manager. He looked at Yua with a kind smile.
"Um, Lord Raon!"
Yua shot her hand into the air as if she had a question.
"Hm?"
"Can I become strong like you? Can I protect Grandpa and teach those bad people a lesson?"
"Ah…"
Raon's eyes widened at a question he hadn't seen coming.
I had it wrong…
He had only thought of taking Yua with him to protect her. But this child wanted to become strong herself. She seemed determined to leave behind the terror of watching her only family be eaten by a monster, and to move forward.
"That child's talent is the real thing. Even if she walks a path other than the sword, if you let her talent unfold, she will grow strong."
Wrath was right. If she had talent, and if she wanted to fight of her own will, then showing her the way was the right thing to do. Just as Rimer had shown him.
"Of course! I was a coward too before I joined Zieghart!"
Dorian jumped in before Raon could even open his mouth.
"You still are a coward."
Raon snorted a laugh and set a hand on Dorian's shoulder.
"A c-coward? I just have a bit of a hand tremor!"
"Among cowards, he's the very worst kind."
Wrath clicked his tongue.
"You want to protect yourself and your grandfather with your own strength, is that it?"
Raon bent down so that his eyes met Yua's.
"Yes!"
"If that's what you want, you'll be able to do it."
"Then I'll go!"
Yua smiled brightly and clenched her small fist.
"If she says she's going, I can hardly stop her now. If it's you, Lord Raon, I feel I could trust anything you said. We'll be in your care."
"You don't need to do that."
The manager started to drop to his knees as if to bow to the floor. Raon hurriedly stopped him.
"But if you're sending Yua…"
"I'm not going."
"What?"
"Grandpa!"
Yua darted over and caught the manager's sleeve.
"W-what are you talking about! We have to go together!"
"I've lived here my whole life. Go where, exactly?"
"I've lived here my whole life too!"
"If I leave as well, this tavern is finished. I don't have many years left anyway. As long as you live happily, that's enough for me."
The manager was already set in his decision, a faint smile on his face.
"Then I'm not going either!"
"Not going? After all that complaining every day about how cold it is and how cramped it is?"
"I don't care how much I like it—I'm not going without you, Grandpa!"
Grandfather and granddaughter clutched at each other's clothes, their voices rising.
"Let's go."
Raon left the two of them to their argument and stepped out of the tavern.
"Are you sure it's all right to leave them like that?"
"Yeah."
He glanced back at Frost Branch, where the loud voices were still going, and nodded.
"That's for the two of them to decide."
Raon returned to his quarters a little after evening and changed his clothes. It was the opposite of his usual habit of training late into the night.
"You've finally gone mad, haven't you."
Wrath poked his head out over the bracelet and snickered.
That's not it.
Raon shook his head as he lay down on the bed.
"What?"
I need to find out how strong the effect of Sloth really is—the one that raises my stats just from sleeping.
The effect of Sloth, which he had gained this time, was the ability to grow stronger even while he slept.
I need to know how much my stats go up so I can plan for the fight with the Commander in four months.
He couldn't afford to waste a once-in-a-lifetime chance to spar with a Master. He had to clash with Milland in peak condition, at his very best, which meant he needed a firm grasp of the ability he had obtained.
Let's see, then. How much stronger can I get just by sleeping.
Raon pulled the blanket over himself with an eager smile.