A Grandfather's Hidden Smile
"The South-North Alliance pretended to save the people of Doran Village from the enraged Chungru Tribe, but in truth they were manipulating the Chungru Tribe from behind the scenes to stir up the whole affair…"
Raon continued his report, rolling his eyes to study Glenn's face.
How am I even supposed to describe that look?
Glenn's neck and shoulders had drawn in slightly. His eyes were narrowed and trembling, and the corners of his mouth twitched as if an earthquake were rumbling through them.
It wasn't a smile. It wasn't weeping. It wasn't anger, either. His presence and the air around him remained as cold as ever — but that expression was utterly unreadable.
I have no idea why he's making that face.
Raon had slain Tiller, disciple of the South-North Alliance Leader, and the Fourth Apostle, disciple of the White Blood Cult Leader. He had even brought back an item that would restore Rimer. And still Glenn did not look particularly pleased.
That expression looks almost like…
He's holding in a shit.
Wrath's round head peeked up from the ice-flower bracelet.
That is the face one makes when clenching the sphincter.
He snickered, insisting that no other circumstance on earth could produce a look like that.
Ugh…
Raon swallowed a groan. Wrath was probably wrong about the bowel situation — but Glenn was clearly enduring something.
Unable even to control his own bodily functions. As expected, he is no match for This King. A mere tens of thousands of exchanges should be enough to take him down with ease.
Wrath waved a dismissive hand, as if the outcome were obvious without anyone needing to draw a blade.
Didn't you used to say thousands of exchanges?
The first time Wrath had seen Glenn, it had definitely been thousands. Somewhere along the way, the number had swollen into the tens of thousands.
Tens of thousands, easily. A truly bizarre claim, born from a creature who could not tell a lie mixed with a Demon Lord's compulsive need to bluster.
"In order to save the Light Wind Squad, I promised Roman, the Floating King, a life-and-death duel three years from now, and withdrew from the field. After that, to save our squad leader, we entered Loengrin's dungeon…"
The moment the story of Loengrin's dungeon began, the trembling in Glenn's eyes and the corners of his mouth grew even worse. It looked as if someone standing beside him were grabbing his skin and shaking it.
The one mercy was that every gaze in the hall was fixed on Raon, which meant he was the only person who could see Glenn's face. Honestly, he was tempted to send a signal telling the man to get his expression under control.
"Pff."
Rimer's muffled laugh told Raon that he had noticed it too.
He seems rather desperate. Finish it quickly.
I should.
Raon gave a slight nod and picked up the pace. As the words came faster, Glenn's strained, suppressed expression seemed to ease a little.
"…And so we were able to obtain the Artificial Dantian and the elixirs that had been inside Loengrin's dungeon."
The instant Raon stopped speaking, Glenn's face snapped back to its usual icy mask. The twitching at his mouth, the flaring of his nostrils — all of it vanished without a trace.
"He cut down both a disciple of the South-North Alliance Leader and a disciple of the White Blood Cult Leader…"
"Both of them were stronger than the Light Wind Vice-Squad Leader. How is that even possible?"
"Even if it was an ambush, it's an extraordinary feat."
"He comes back having beaten an enemy stronger than himself every single time. He must have received the fortune of a Martial God."
"Once is coincidence, twice is luck, three times is skill. The only reasonable conclusion is that the Light Wind Vice-Squad Leader has something that lets him bring down the strong."
The palace masters and squad leaders traded remarks, astonishment written across their faces.
"He cut down two officers — heirs, no less — of the Five Demons, and put an end to the South-North Alliance's crimes. A Gold Tablet wouldn't even be enough."
"Is this the first time anyone's received Gold Tablets back to back?"
"Given the scale of the achievement, it isn't strange."
"Reaching Master at eighteen, and holding two Gold Tablets besides… The future is almost frightening."
"More than that, I envy the bond within the Light Wind Squad. The moment they heard Lord Rimer was injured, they went straight into a dungeon. That's not something you do unless they're family."
"Hah. We should have found some way to bring him over to our side."
The palace masters and squad leaders standing to either side burst into open admiration. More than a few of them added that they envied Rimer for having chosen such subordinates.
"Tsk."
"Damn it…"
"Tiller aside, he took the Fourth Apostle in an ambush. What's so impressive about that?"
"He won't survive three years anyway. Forget him."
Karun, Master of the Heavy Martial Palace, and Balder, Master of Jinmu Hall — the two who usually picked a fight first — were both absent, so the direct-line descendants could not talk back in the open. They settled for muttering curses among themselves and ugly predictions that Raon would not last long.
"Raon Zieghart."
Glenn's low voice snuffed out every scrap of noise in the Audience Chamber. He jerked his chin, his eyes as cold as they always were.
"I have just one question."
"Yes."
"The life-and-death duel with the Floating King in three years. Are you confident?"
"Of course. I will not stain the name of Zieghart."
Raon answered without a shred of hesitation.
"Hmph. Is that so."
Glenn offered a faint smile and nodded. It was hard to tell whether he was uninterested or whether he simply believed him.
"Come up."
"Yes."
Raon climbed the stairs — stairs that seemed to radiate Glenn's own authority — and stepped onto the dais.
"You completed your mission splendidly, and you showed the courage to assault a dungeon in order to save the Light Wind Squad Leader. In recognition of that, I bestow upon you a Gold Tablet and the Hwiseok Necklace."
At Glenn's gesture, Roen approached from the side, bearing the Gold Tablet and the Hwiseok Necklace upon a white tray.
"Thank you."
Raon stepped forward and dropped to one knee.
"Good wor— ahem! Well done."
Glenn looked at Raon's face, and the hand holding the tablet and the necklace trembled. He presented them with that same peculiar expression from a moment ago.
He's acting strange…
Raon truly could not understand what had gotten into him today.
"The team leaders of the Light Wind Squad will step forward as well."
The instant the tablet and necklace left his hands, Glenn's face snapped back to normal, and he called the team leaders forward.
To the ones who had led their units and completed the mission to save Rimer, he awarded a Bronze Tablet each.
"Thank you!"
Burren, Marta, and Runaan accepted the tablets with awkward faces, as if they had never imagined receiving them.
"You have all worked hard. The Light Wind Squad will rest and stand by until the next mission."
"Yes!"
"That is all."
He waved them off as if the whole affair had become a nuisance.
"Vice-Squad Leader Raon. How about coming by our training ground sometime for a match?"
"Have a drink with me instead. I'd like to hear the full story of Loengrin's dungeon."
"An exchange of training would be fine as well. Contact us whenever you like."
The palace masters and squad leaders — especially those who had once tried to recruit him — came forward with smiles.
"Yes. I'll do that."
There was nothing to lose by building ties with the palace masters, so Raon nodded.
"He takes them down in an ambush and then soaks up every bit of the credit…"
"I can't stand to watch it."
"He'll be crushed by the Floating King in three years anyway. Leave him."
The direct-line descendants shot him venomous looks as they filed out of the Audience Chamber, muttering curses under their breath.
Raon watched them go and let a thin, cold smile touch his lips.
They won't be running their mouths for much longer.
Just as he had once dropped other swordsmen onto their backsides with sheer presence, the day he shut these people's mouths was not far off. He memorized every one of their faces and tightened his grip on the tablet.
"Why are the rest of you still here?"
Glenn tilted his head slightly, looking at Raon and the Light Wind Squad who had remained behind. Because Raon had not moved, the rest of the squad had not dared to move either.
"I have something to say."
Raon dropped to one knee again and bowed his head.
"Speak."
"The Light Wind Squad Leader intends to shatter his cracked dantian completely and use the Artificial Dantian. Gathering enough aura to fight again will take considerable time, so until then, I would like to serve as acting squad leader."
"Why so suddenly?"
Rimer, apparently flustered, crawled over on his knees and stuck himself to Raon's side.
"Simply holding the squad leader's post eats up time and weighs on a person. Squad Leader, for a while you should focus entirely on recovering your body."
"Khh, Raon!"
Rimer let out a groan of emotion, as if he had just downed a beer.
"…He has a point. I permit it."
Glenn narrowed his eyes and nodded. He had given permission, but his face suggested something about it did not sit well with him.
"There is one more thing."
Raon did not rise. He looked up at Glenn from where he knelt.
"Since I was young I suffered from a constitution called the Curse of Bitter Cold, which froze every one of my mana circuits. I have overcome it now. The Squad Leader's symptoms are similar, so I would like to take charge of his rehabilitation myself."
"Hrm…"
Glenn scratched his chin. He frowned even more deeply than before, as if he liked this even less — but in the end, he nodded.
"Very well. Do so."
"Thank you."
Raon bowed his head to Glenn.
"Raon! You're the only one who ever thinks of me!"
Rimer sniffled, overcome — but it was far too early to be happy. Raon would help him, yes. It would just be quite hard. No — hard enough to kill him.
Go ahead and laugh while you can.
…Are you a loan shark?
Even after the entire Light Wind Squad had filed out, Rimer remained in the Audience Chamber.
"Instead of helping the children, you end up being the one who needs help. Pathetic."
Glenn looked down at Rimer and snorted.
"From now on, do not use that epithet of yours — Zieghart's Sword of Light — wherever you go."
"Aigoo. Why don't you worry about yourself, my lord."
Rimer let Glenn's mockery roll off him and heaved a deep sigh.
"You— you little—!"
"Your face!"
Rimer shot to his feet and clapped his hands to his own mouth and the corners of his eyes.
"My lord. When you were listening to Raon's story, you couldn't hold back a smile, and your eyes and lips were trembling like a fly's wings. You do realize that, don't you?"
"Wh—"
"It was exactly like this."
Rimer arranged his features into the expression Glenn had worn while looking at Raon, and presented it to him.
"I— I would never make such an ugly face!"
"It was actually worse! I thought you were holding in a shit!"
He scrunched up his face, saying the same thing Wrath had said.
"Do you know why that expression came out? Because you hit your limit."
"My limit?"
"The love you have for your grandson had risen all the way to the top of your head, and you were forcing it down. That's how you end up with a face that grotesque. Raon must have been horrified. Be honest. When you gave him the Gold Tablet, you wanted to hug him and tell him he'd done well, didn't you?"
"Wh—"
Glenn's eyes flew wide, as if the remark had struck a nerve, and his lips trembled.
"I've been telling you this the whole time. If you keep holding it in, you'll make yourself sick. You can just say it outright now. 'Aigoo, our grandson is here! Our little pup! Come sit on Grandpa's lap!' That would be perfectly fine."
Rimer pulled Glenn's bizarre expression back onto his own face and grinned.
"Rimer…"
"Ahaha! M-maybe I went a little too far?"
Rimer scratched the back of his head, watching sparks leap from Glenn's clenched fist.
"Anyway, stop looking after him only from behind the scenes. Show it to his face."
He sighed and looked at Roen.
"That Hwiseok Necklace you gave Raon. It isn't an ordinary item, is it?"
The Hwiseok Necklace did have the effect of firmly protecting the body — but there was no chance Glenn would have given Raon something so commonplace. It was something special about it.
"Who can say."
Roen glanced at Glenn and shrugged. That reaction was answer enough. Something extraordinary was hidden in Raon's necklace.
"I knew it! Stop taking care of him from the shadows and just do it out in the open! Give him the successor's seat! Eat meals with him! Look after him in every way you can! Let's start with the words, at least! Repeat after me! Our little pup is he—"
"Huu…"
With Glenn's low breath, the armrest of the jade throne he sat upon crumpled inward of its own accord.
"Uh…"
Rimer swallowed dryly as red sparks began to crawl across the Audience Chamber.
"M-my lord? I'm a patient right now, so…"
"Do not worry. A method that inflicts only pain, without stimulating your mana circuits or your dantian, is a simple matter."
"W-wait! There's no such— GYAAAAAH!"
Rimer's scream, bursting out with a bolt of red lightning, rang through the Lord's Palace for the first time in a long while.
Raon assembled the Light Wind Squad in formation before the Lord's Palace. Meeting the expectant eyes of his swordsmen, he opened his mouth slowly.
"As you all heard, from today I am the acting squad leader. From now on, I will be the one directing both your rest and your training."
At those words, every member of the Light Wind Squad swallowed hard.
"You've worked hard, so you'll rest for today. Report to the training ground by dawn tomorrow."
"O-one day? That's it? One day?"
"You bastard! Are you trying to kill us?!"
"Ah…"
Burren clutched his chest with a trembling hand. Marta grabbed Raon by the collar. Runaan stared up at empty air with eyes that had gone transparent.
"One day is way too much!"
"Even Lord Rimer wasn't this bad!"
"H-he's actually lost it!"
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Squad trembled at the lips, looking as if they had plunged into despair.
"R-right now the sun is already going down, so it isn't even a full day! At this rate we're really going to die!"
Dorian shook his head, rubbing his belly pouch in anxiety.
"He's right! You have to give us time to recover from the fatigue!"
"I feel like I'm about to collapse on the spot…"
"J-just one more day. Please."
"Fine. I'll be generous this time."
Raon heard Burren's plea for one more day and nodded.
"Since you want it so badly, I'll give you one more day."
"Wooooaaaah!"
"We get another day off!"
"Our opinion actually landed for once!"
It was only a single extra day of rest, and yet the Light Wind Squad cheered as if they had won a war.
"Then report to the training ground by the day after tomorrow. Dismissed."
Raon turned his back on their roaring cheers.
Went exactly as planned.
He had intended to give them two days from the start.
Long, brutal training demanded rest in equal measure. If he had said two days outright, they would have wanted more, so he had opened with one — and, just as expected, it had become two, and the reaction had been excellent.
What a vicious creature.
Wrath climbed up onto the ice-flower bracelet, eyes narrowed.
Of all the humans This King has ever seen, you are the most despicable. You are a demon of the mortal world itself!
Is that a compliment?
It is not!
Everyone's happy, so it's fine. They were going to get the time off anyway. If they're glad about it, that's good for me and good for them.
Raon turned around with a grin. Everyone was scattering in different directions — except Burren, who was still standing in front of the Lord's Palace, talking with someone.
That man…
He had been in the Audience Chamber.
A man who had stood among the direct-line palace masters without saying a single word. Looking at him now, he resembled Burren a great deal.
Brothers, then.
The deep blue hair, the faintly fierce set of the eyes, and the ceremonial sword at his waist made it certain.
It was Gelmier — leader of the Demon Severing Squad, and Burren's second elder brother.
Burren was smiling faintly, so it did not look as if they were fighting or as if he were being spoken to unkindly.
So he gets along with his brother, at least.
Unlike that piece of trash Karun, Burren seemed to be on good terms with Gelmier.
Raon watched the two of them for a moment, then turned toward the Annex.
Raon smiled as he passed through the Annex garden. Walking through this place eased his heart in a way he could never quite explain. All the fatigue he had accumulated seemed to melt away at once.
They used to say that just coming home was enough to make you happy.
In his previous life, he had never understood those words. He understood them now. If you had a home that truly mattered, a smile rose on your face the moment you returned to it.
Hmm-hmm-hmm!
Wrath seemed just as pleased. He started humming and bouncing his shoulders.
What are you so happy about?
We have come home, have we not? From the scent wafting all the way out here, that pineapple girl has clearly prepared a delicious meal.
Home, huh…
Is this even your house?
A Demon Lord calling the Annex home was enough to draw a hollow laugh out of him.
He's practically human at this point.
Raon shook his head and opened the door to the Annex. And then he froze where he stood.
"Huh?"
Standing in the lobby, dressed in a maid's uniform, was someone who had no business being there.
Huh?
"Why are you here…?"