The Heavenly Sword Returns
Raon returned to the Zieghart estate carrying the precious new sword in his arms, along with Wrath, who was sulking because he hadn't been able to eat the pig trotter dish he loved.
Now that he had a master, before heading to the annex, he first stopped by the 5th Training Ground. Since it was dinner time, the swordsmen weren't around, and Rimer was lying sprawled out on the raised platform alone.
"Master. I have made the sword and returned."
"Huh? Eh."
Rimer, like a drunk person, staggered to his feet. Compared to before leaving, his face was gaunt, bandages wrapped around various places, and his red hair was scorched black as if burned.
"Is there something wrong?"
"What's wrong."
He waved his hand as if nothing had happened, but his expression clearly showed it. It seemed he had gotten into trouble in a gambling den and received a beating.
"You lost money and caused a ruckus again."
"N-no, I didn't lose! This time I won!"
"Then why do you look like this?"
"There was a bad old man..."
Rimer looked at the floor and sighed.
"A bad old man?"
"Yes. An incredibly wicked person. He doesn't show his true colors and can't stand seeing others do well... hah!"
"Ah..."
Raon listened to Wrath's words with one ear in and one ear out, like always. While making the Heavenly Sword, Rimer had spent another miserable time.
"Haa..."
Runaan was yawning, as if bored.
"Since I reported it, I'll be going back now."
"Wait!"
When he was about to salute Rimer and leave, he raised his hand.
"Have you used your sword yet?"
"I just got it and came back, so I haven't had a chance to use it."
"Then I should let you use it once."
He smiled mischievously and pointed to the Heavenly Sword hanging at Raon's waist.
"You know I have a good eye for swords, right?"
"I don't know."
"Well, anyway, I'll let you use it. Draw it."
Raon shook his head, but Runaan, wanting to show off her sword, immediately drew it.
Chiiing.
The silver blade, reflecting the yellow moonlight, illuminated the dark training ground.
"Oh ho!"
Rimer scanned Runaan's sword from head to toe and widened his eyes.
"It's a sword made with Cold Blood Iron. Proper craftsmanship."
He examined Runaan's sword closely and let out a sigh of admiration.
"It seems like the village chief from Mirtan village struck it. The pattern is just like that old man's taste."
He identified the maker in an instant, as if confirming that his eye for swords was real.
"What's the name of the sword?"
"Snow Flower."
"A good name too. The balance is perfect, so it suits your swordsmanship and aura well. Congratulations on obtaining a good sword."
Rimer smiled faintly while looking at the flower drawn in the center of the blade.
"Thank you."
Runaan hugged Snow Flower tightly, pleased with Rimer's praise.
"Now it's your turn."
Rimer gestured for Raon to draw his sword quickly.
"Understood."
Raon drew the Heavenly Sword. From the blade that was as cold as ice, a solemn aura and a cool chill rose simultaneously.
"Eh...?"
Rimer's smiling expression hardened. His eyes shook violently, as if he hadn't expected this level.
"T-that... the old man created another monster."
He swallowed hard and came down from the platform, making a sound of disbelief as he glared at the Heavenly Sword.
"The form that holds Myriad Swords carries extreme chill and heavy aura. An eerie power beyond aura amplification ability is embedded."
He shook his head, saying he hadn't seen such a sword in a long time.
"No matter how much you are, it's a tremendous sword that would be burdensome for a young swordsman to bear. What's the name?"
"Heavenly Sword."
"A sword that leads the sky. Honestly, among the swords I've seen so far, it would be in the top ten."
Rimer was currently just a lazy gambler, but previously he was an indomitable swordsman who had crossed countless battlefields. To say that, it was the highest praise.
"Hmm, it seems both of you obtained swords that suit you well. Congratulations."
Rimer clapped alternately looking at Raon and Runaan.
"Then now, let's use them?"
"Use them?"
When Raon tried to put the Heavenly Sword away, Rimer shook his head.
"The effect of amplifying aura is called a mana circuit, and all the swords you have are mana circuits. Since the effect isn't familiar yet, let's use it here once."
He gestured for them to go to the center of the training ground.
Raon and Runaan followed the gesture to the middle of the training ground.
"Mana circuits have a vein. Like mana circuits, there's a line where aura passes through the sword, and if you put aura through that line, your aura will be amplified and spew out. Try it once."
"Yes."
Runaan nodded, concentrating aura on Snow Flower. Frost like flower petals scattered over the silver blade, and her momentum began to greatly amplify.
"Wow..."
Runaan also had a sparkling light in her hazy eyes, surprised by her own momentum.
"As expected, you're skilled. Aura consumption is heavy, but you can wield a stronger sword style. Through training, make sure you know exactly how much power you can exert."
After nodding to Runaan, Rimer looked at Raon.
"Why aren't you doing it?"
"I don't have that."
"What?"
"There's no mana circuit in the sword."
"Does that make sense? A sword with such strong aura?"
"It's true. Just holding it, the aura amplifies immediately."
Raon shrugged. It wasn't a lie. Just holding the Heavenly Sword and pulling up the aura, the aura amplified immediately.
"Amplifies immediately, so aura consumption didn't become heavy either."
"Eh? Eh?"
Rimer's eyes widened in disbelief.
"R-really?"
"It's true."
Raon nodded and poured aura into the Heavenly Sword. The flames of Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames burned brightly, wrapping around the blade. The size and heat were much larger and hotter than before.
"Insane..."
He approached while shaking his head in disbelief.
"Can I try holding it?"
"Yes."
"Thank you. Once I see... ah hot!"
The moment Rimer tried to grab the Heavenly Sword, flames shot up from the blade part.
"Y-you, even the owner?"
He pulled his hand back that was about to touch the heat and frowned.
"Is there an ego?"
"No."
Raon shook his head with a hesitant expression.
"The artisan said that the instinct left in the Gold Grain was chasing only my aura. It seems like there's an instinct that wants only the owner's aura, rather than an ego."
"You knew that!"
"I didn't know it would spew fire. Since the artisan could hold it, I didn't know."
It was true. It was the first time a person other than the owner spewed fire.
"Hah, there are all sorts of things."
Rimer smacked his lips while looking at the Heavenly Sword in his hand. He could forcibly manipulate the aura to touch it, but it seemed he didn't bother to do so much.
"The aura amplification ability embedded in the sword seems not at normal levels. Make the sword as powerful as you can."
Sword qi is one of the martial arts techniques where sword qi is thinly sliced and wrapped around the sword. It was inferior to sword qi but could exert superior power.
"Understood."
Raon poured the aura of Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames he had pulled at full power into the Heavenly Sword.
Uuuuuung!
The clear sword name echoed in the dark training ground, and clear flame aura shot up over the blade. It was at a level that could be considered materialized. The sword seemed to spew heat like the sun itself.
"M-mad..."
Rimer's jaw trembled as he looked at the burning blade.
"Is this a sword? It's almost at the level of sword qi!"
"Hmm."
Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the flames rising from the sword that were materializing. This was the first time he had contained aura at full power, but he hadn't expected it to amplify the aura to this level.
"Hold it like this for a moment."
Rimer drew the sword at his waist. Green aura with wind filled the blade, gathering. It was aura that surpassed sword qi as if it was the same as his own sword.
"I'll attack from the front, block it."
"Understood."
After nodding, Rimer swung his sword vertically down.
Chiiing!
Raon raised the Heavenly Sword towards the falling gale sword strike.
Kwaaang!
The red sword and green sword clashed head-on, spreading a terrifying heat wave across the entire training ground.
Whoooong.
Even in the heat that didn't subside easily, Raon and Rimer stared at each other's swords.
"That old man. He created a ferocious sword."
Rimer clicked his tongue while looking at Raon's sword, where the flames had slightly decreased.
"With this much, it could block sword qi several times. What kind of sword... wait!"
He opened his eyes wide at the sword and raised his hand.
"This isn't just a good sword? You got stronger in the meantime and came?"
"Somehow..."
"How did you go to make the sword, and you're coming back stronger! What did you do!"
"I caught a turtle and helped make the sword a bit."
"A t-turtle? Caught a turtle?"
Rimer muttered the word turtle blankly, as if not understanding.
"Hah..."
He shook his head while looking at the flame aura burning from the Heavenly Sword and Raon with a solemn gaze.
"What am I raising exactly?"
A monster met a monster....
Then the underground cave facility in Mount Rushain, which could be said to be the dark side of the Robert family itself.
Only 30 out of 108 children remained sitting in the cave.
However, the children's eyes were bloodshot, filled with poison unlike before, and they exhaled breaths carrying killing intent.
"Good."
Derus Robert enjoyed the killing intent the children were emitting as if it were his own, sipping wine.
"Lord."
A burly masked man with three sticks on his chest prostrated himself in front of him and lowered his head.
"As instructed, I filtered the children. Even if only the unique ones remain, it wouldn't be an exaggeration."
"How did you reduce the numbers?"
"I put three in one room and one can come out. In other words, a small isolation jar."
Isolation was a shaman technique where countless bugs were put in a jar, and after a while, the lid was opened to create one of the most vicious bugs.
After Raon's failure, Robert's shadows raised the children with even more vicious methods.
"Isolation, you had a good idea."
"Thank you!"
The masked man bowed his head to the ground at Derus's praise.
"I like the eyes."
He curled the corners of his mouth while looking at the pupils of the children whose eyes were filled with killing intent.
"How much education have they followed?"
"The highest among the current generations. Fast ones have already learned assassination techniques at the level of instructors."
"As expected, you have to see blood directly for the instinct to come alive. Use the same method in the next generation."
"Yes!"
The masked man's voice rose as he thought he had received praise.
"There are three children who are thought to grow beyond Raon."
"Beyond Raon..."
Derus took off the black leather gloves and raised the back of his hand. The sword scar that hadn't been erased yet revealed a dark hole under the dim light.
"Those three can do this?"
His momentum became a thorn that spewed eerie energy, pressing down on the entire underground cave.
"A-ah, no..."
The masked man bit his lip. He had only said that to raise assassins to catch up to Raon, but he was the one getting angry instead.
"It can't be helped. That guy was the assassin who achieved the best record in the shadows and even wounded me."
"I don't know about that much killing intent, but I can teach assassination techniques better than that guy."
"Is that so?"
"Yes! Please believe me!"
"I see."
Derus smiled coldly and stood up. Just as he was about to turn around.
Thud.
From the sword scar on his back of the hand, blood as red as fresh blood fell. Then the pure white sword at his waist let out a low growl. As if showing its teeth to someone.
"Eh..."
The masked man was startled by the unprecedented phenomenon and backed away while trembling.
"Heretic."
"Ah, yes!"
"Have you contacted the shadows who went to investigate the north?"
"There are some unusual things, but since they haven't been sorted yet, I was going to report to the chief steward after gathering more."
"Unusual things?"
Derus tilted his chin as if telling him to speak immediately.
"The news that Rimer, who was called the spy of Zieghart, has returned."
"That useless thing is over. Once a bird with a broken wing can't fly again. What about Raon and Glenn?"
"There's nothing special yet. It seems Raon wasn't special after all, unlike the rumors."
"Hmm..."
He shook off the blood that flowed from his back of the hand and wetted the floor, looking at the sword that was still growling lowly.
"The day isn't far away."
Derus's eyes, which raised his head, sank sharply blue.
"I don't need reports on Rimer, so investigate the movements of Glenn and the direct line accurately."
Then, Raon left the Rimer who was asking to borrow money after learning about mana circuits and returned to the annex.
Perhaps because he had heard the news in advance, the inside of the annex was filled with the smell of food that made one salivate.
-Haa...
Wrath, whose belly was swollen from breathing deeply, let out an excited voice.
-This scent! Since the time I couldn't eat the pig trotter dish, this is the only day I've been waiting for, Your Majesty!
The guy was floating in the air chasing the scent like a puppy.
"Welcome back!"
"Master!"
"You have returned?"
Sylvia and the maids came out from the kitchen with bright smiles.
"I have returned."
"That sword?"
She looked at the Heavenly Sword hanging at her waist and her eyes sparkled. She smacked her lips as if wanting to see it immediately.
"Somehow I ended up receiving something too much."
Raon tapped the sword sheath lightly and smiled faintly.
"That's enough. Then show it to everyone later. Now, let's eat first."
She gestured to wash up quickly.
-Why are you standing there blankly?
Wrath hit Raon's shoulder hard.
-Hurry up and wash, run to the dining room! I can't wait any longer!
'I understand. I understand.'
Raon pushed away Wrath who was drumming on his shoulder like a drum, finished washing, and headed to the dining room.
In the much wider dining room, the maids were sitting, and the table was filled with colorful dishes. From the usual favorite stew and chicken stew, many unfamiliar foods were visible.
-Ra, Raon. Eat that pig trotter dish over there first! Hurry!
'I haven't even sat yet!'
Wrath, who had already lost his mind, hadn't sat on the chair but was urging him to eat the food first.
Raon sighed and sat in his seat.
"A sumptuous feast."
"Today is the day you first had your own sword. When else would you celebrate?"
Sylvia spread her arms wide, pointing at the foods with a bright smile.
"Helen and Yua made most of them today. Whenever the two get together, they talk about food and make delicious things. I'm going to die from eating."
"She has many ideas, but it's all useful. Yua is not just a singer, she can become a great chef."
"Hehe..."
Yua covered her face with her twin braids, embarrassed by the praise from Helen and Sylvia.
"Yua. Introduce the main dish for today."
"Ah, yes! The roasted pig in the middle here, the skin is fried in oil and the meat is boiled to enjoy crispness and softness at the same time. There is salt and sauce. You can eat as you like, and the stew next to it is made by grinding pineapple and apple into it and adding to beef...
Yua explained each of the dishes she made one by one. Most were dishes made with ingredients she often ate.
"Then let's eat before the tableware!"
"Enjoy your meal!"
Raon just lip-synced to the maids' meal greeting and picked up the spoon.
-Eat the pig roast first! The skin fried to be crispy is the pig trotter dish I couldn't eat, Your Majesty!
'First, warm up the belly with soup and stew.'
-This idiot! You don't even know the word 'gourmet'! The truth is to eat delicious things first...
'I am an idiot. Today, I'll fill my belly with only soup and stew.'
Raon frowned and poured a large amount of stew into his personal bowl. As if to fill his belly with only stew, he ate it greedily.
-W-wait! Wait!
Wrath, paler than when he was angry, grabbed Raon's wrist.
-Your Majesty...
'Your Majesty?'
-Your Majesty, w-w...
'W?'
-Let me sleep a bit...
'Then go sleep.'
-Kueuk! I was wrong! So eat that pig roast first!
The guy was rubbing his hands, saying he hadn't been able to eat delicious food for a long time.
'I should have done that earlier.'
Raon gestured to back off and dipped the thick pig roast in salt and put it in his mouth.
"Oh."
A sigh of admiration immediately came out. The outside was crispy, the inside was moist. Then a rich butter flavor filled his mouth. Even himself who didn't usually care about gourmet things thought he wanted to keep eating.
-Haa...
Wrath, moved by the taste of the pig roast, fainted standing up and shook his mouth.
-Divine. Divine. Your Majesty has just received a divine blessing. What are you doing! Don't eat anymore so I can pay respects to the divine!
The guy made nonsensical sounds and urged him to eat more.
'It's getting worse.'
Raon frowned slightly and ate the pig roast dipped in sauce.
'This is good too.'
The moist inside and crispy outside pork with spicy sauce had another taste. Personally, the sauce was his favorite.
-The sauce is okay too, but Your Majesty thinks pure salt is better.
'I like sauce.'
-This is why the uneducated can't do it. You have to enjoy the pure taste in cooking...
'I won't eat anymore.'
-Aah, b-b, Your Majesty...
Raon enjoyed the meal time with Wrath and everyone together. This was the only place where he could be most comfortable.
-Hah, satisfied.
Wrath, perhaps enjoying it, patted his bulging belly.
-If Your Majesty obtains a body, I will definitely take care of the pineapple girl and the ice cream girl.
The guy smiled happily while looking at Yua.
"There was also beef in front of me today. Later, tell Marta thank you."
Sylvia wiped her mouth and pointed to the stew with beef.
"And don't just leave it, tell her to eat and go."
Now she seems to have noticed that Marta left the meat. She strongly urged her to bring it.
-Hmm? The beef girl came?
Wrath opened his eyes wide, alternating between the delicious beef skewers and stew.
-No choice. I'll take care of the beef girl too. Your Majesty's three maids, I will protect them even if the world perishes.
The guy muttered as if he had spent his favor, saying he would save the three for sure.
What nonsense. The words rose to his throat, but he held back because Wrath might have another outburst.
"Now, let's look at Raon's sword."
The maids' gazes all turned to Raon's waist at Sylvia's gesture.
"It's embarrassing to be looked at like that..."
Raon slowly stood up and drew the Heavenly Sword. The straight blade received the orange light of the dining room and created another beauty.
"Waaaaah!"
"Amazing..."
"Congratulations! Master!"
The maids clapped and cheered, saying the sword was cool.
"N-new, it seems I obtained a sword even more amazing than I thought."
Sylvia had surprised eyes, reading the value of the Heavenly Sword.
"Yua."
"Ah, yes."
Yua came to Helen's call and handed over a white box. When opened, there was a silk with gold and red lines connected.
"We all made it."
"Ah..."
The number of strings connected to the silk was the same as the number of people in the dining room. It seemed everyone made one.
"...Thank you."
Raon scratched his chin, a bit embarrassed, and bowed to everyone.
"The greetings are over, let's tie it."
"Yes. I want to see how well it suits."
Raon nodded and tied the silk to the sword sheath. The sword sheath with gold and dark red combined with the silk made by everyone created a rough yet noble elegance.
"I made it while hoping you would walk your own path."
"Path..."
"There's no need to think about the family or us. Walk the path you think is right."
Sylvia came and hugged him tightly. Although she was now shorter than him, her embrace was still warm.
"And..."
Just as she was about to continue, a knock sounded from the entrance.
"Hey! Sending a heartwarming time with family after a long time, who is it!"
"Ah, I'll go check!"
Yua, who was near the door, ran out. After a while, she returned with a look of panic and swallowed hard.
"T-there..."
"Why? Who?"
Yua pointed to the entrance and her voice trembled.
"A person from the Heavy Martial Division came."