Let's Go Home
Raon crushed the shattered main gate underfoot as he strode into the Heavy Martial Palace. The crunch of splintered wood echoed through the night air.
"Everyone to your positions!"
"Form the Vanguard Sword Formation!"
"Hold the estate!"
"Don't let them through! We are warriors of the Heavy Martial Palace!"
"Waaaaaah!"
Whether they'd drilled for an invasion or not, the Vanguard Squad swordsmen moved to their assigned positions at their unit leaders' commands and drew their blades. A well-honed killing intent surged up as one, sharp sword aura flashing with it.
"Not bad."
Raon smiled as he felt the Vanguard Squad's aura prickling against his skin. At this level, they'd make excellent training material for the Light Wind Squad.
"Raon Zieghart!"
"Halt!"
"How dare the Light Wind Squad—!"
The Vanguard Squad swordsmen, formation already deployed, unleashed a murderous killing intent—but Raon never broke stride. He cut through their aura and kept walking.
"Attack!"
The Vanguard Squad swordsmen were about to charge as one when a rumbling roar rolled in from behind. The Light Wind Squad poured through the ruined gate at Raon's back, their eyes burning crimson with fighting spirit.
"Grrrr!"
"Grrrrr!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
The Light Wind Squad charged the Vanguard Squad with snarls that would've suited a "sic 'em" command. Their movements looked wild and chaotic, but they followed the flow of the Light Wind Formation perfectly. Each swordsman spun counterclockwise, completing the Great Light Wind Formation in an instant, then slammed head-on into the Vanguard Squad.
A massive shockwave erupted, sending multicolored ribbons of light shooting into the air.
"Hmm..."
Raon nodded as he watched the Light Wind Squad clash with the Vanguard Squad. Seeing them hold their own against opponents half a step above them, he felt the live-combat training had been worth every grueling hour.
"Acting Squad Leader! Hurry up and go!"
"Burren! Drag that guy back here!"
"We've got a mountain of training to put him through!"
"Let's start by making him pull an all-nighter on the mountain! That was the worst hell of all!"
The Light Wind Squad members shoved the Vanguard Squad swordsmen back, shouting not to rescue Burren but to drag him out so they could put him through training. Anyone overhearing would have sworn they hadn't been briefed on the situation at all.
So they enjoyed it that much?
Raon smiled at the Light Wind Squad's camaraderie—wanting to share a good experience with their comrade. Next time, he'd have to bump the training volume and intensity up by about half.
Muttering something that would've made any Light Wind Squad member faint on the spot, Raon looked past the battle line. A blue-haired swordsman, instead of joining the fight, had started running the other way.
That one's a messenger.
That wasn't a retreat. He was clearly racing to inform Gelmier, who commanded the Heavy Martial Palace, of what was happening. Which meant Gelmier was somewhere he couldn't easily sense the chaos outside.
Combining Judiel's intelligence with Tias's testimony, Burren would be locked away deep inside Hyeonjin Pavilion, somewhere aura and sound couldn't reach. If you couldn't sense anything from the outside, the reverse was also true—you couldn't sense anything from the inside either. In other words, Gelmier most likely had no idea what was unfolding right now.
Can't just let him go.
Better to secure the evidence properly.
Raon stirred Glacia's energy. Flicking his fingers the way Rimer used to wield the wind, he launched a burst of frost at the blue-haired swordsman sprinting inward. A flash of blue energy streaked forward, clung to the messenger's boots, and froze his ankles solid.
"Huuuuhk!"
The swordsman circulated his aura, trying to melt the Glacia frost encasing his ankles—but of course it wouldn't vanish that easily.
Raon was about to approach him with a faint smile when a shout cut across the courtyard.
"Halt!"
A middle-aged swordsman with a scar beneath his eye charged from the Vanguard Squad's formation.
This one...
He remembered seeing a swordsman with a scar under his eye in the booklet Judiel had prepared. Haeron, 1st Unit Leader of the Vanguard Squad.
"You're not going any farther!"
Haeron clenched his teeth and brought his sword down. Even as razor-sharp sword aura poured toward him, Raon walked forward without the slightest hesitation.
Just as the blue-white blade was about to touch Raon's forehead, a dark shadow burst out from behind him and smashed Haeron's descending sword aura downward.
"Grrr!"
Marta. So worked up she was panting gray breath, she ground her teeth and slashed at Haeron's waist.
"You little brat!"
"Kraaaang!"
The words "little brat" stoked Marta's fury even higher. From her upraised blade, a sword strike erupted that made Haeron's face go white. He groaned and stumbled backward under the dense, savage sword pressure.
"Hyaaah!"
Marta wasn't about to let the opening slip. She pressed in all the way and brought her sword down on Haeron's shoulder. He barely managed to block, but his wrist trembled with pain. The shock had clearly reached his insides as well—his expression was grim.
Nice.
Marta's instinctive senses were outstanding. He'd also taught her how to use those senses efficiently with her aura perception, and now she was pressing Haeron—the stronger opponent—onto the back foot.
"Marta. I'm countin' on ya."
Raon waved a hand and slipped past her.
"Don't do that voice! You bastard!"
Marta, who'd been making nothing but beast noises, ground her teeth and looked back. Thankfully, she hadn't gone completely feral.
"Tsk!"
This time, a sharp-eyed female swordsman who'd been commanding the formation on the left clicked her tongue and charged. She closed the distance in a single burst and thrust the rapier in her hand. One blade multiplied into five, all aiming for the vital points across his body.
The 3rd Unit Leader this time.
The sharp sword aura and lean build—this woman was Kuran, 3rd Unit Leader of the Vanguard Squad.
Not a bad sword aura.
Once again, Raon didn't stop walking. He stepped into the storm of sword aura without even drawing his blade. Just as Kuran's sword aura was about to pierce his body, a wall of frost surged up before his eyes.
Runaan stepped forward, having erased every last trace of Kuran's sword aura with a silver barrier, and adjusted her grip on Snow Flower.
"I'll handle this. Bring Burren."
Runaan displayed the miraculous feat of looking furious with those vacant eyes, then kicked off the ground.
"Tch! Out of my way!"
Kuran unleashed a rapid succession of thrusts as sharp and swift as spear-strikes, but Runaan turned her blade with fluid ease, as if she'd already read every trajectory, and blocked them all. Between the two of them, the dissonant clash of sword aura and frost rang on without end.
The training paid off.
He'd cultivated Marta and Runaan's strengths and sanded down their weaknesses, and even in that short time the change was unmistakable. The other side was stronger in raw power, but this side completely dominated in presence.
Raon gave the entire Light Wind Squad a light wave and headed for the blue-haired swordsman with the frozen legs.
"Stop him even if you have to grab his legs!"
"He can't kill us anyway!"
Pinned down by Marta and Runaan, Haeron and Kuran called out to the Heavy Martial Palace's guard swordsmen, who were swallowing dry.
"The unit leaders are right!"
"He can't kill us!"
"L-Let's go!"
"Don't let him through!"
"Pile on him!"
Bolstered by their unit leaders' words, the swordsmen clenched their teeth and charged.
"They're not wrong."
Raon smirked and nodded. The purpose of the Compulsory Execution wasn't to destroy the Heavy Martial Palace—it was to search for Burren. He couldn't kill them.
"Of course, that's only..."
...if they can actually get close to me.
A vicious heat seeped up from footsteps that crushed the earth. The Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames resonated with the Ring of Fire supporting it, and a terrifying presence exploded across the battlefield.
"Hahh..."
"Kkugh..."
"H-How are we supposed to stop this monster..."
Under the magma-like blast of fiery aura, the swordsmen couldn't even think of approaching. They just stood there, breaking out in cold sweat. Raon offered the frozen swordsmen a smile, then approached Hyeonjin Pavilion.
Can't sense anything even from here.
Even this close to the building, he couldn't pick up Burren's or Gelmier's energy.
A sealed chamber after all?
A sealed chamber that erased all presence entirely was built deep underground using multiple devices, so getting in would take quite a bit of time. He'd be able to catch them in the act without even needing Burren's testimony.
"Perfect tim—"
Just as Raon was about to enter Hyeonjin Pavilion, a black shadow fell across the sky. He kicked off the ground and slid sideways. The estate floor caved in with a crash, and a red-haired middle-aged man with a frost-sharp expression appeared.
"How dare you! Do you even know where you are?!"
Killing intent bled from the sound of his grinding teeth.
"You must be Lord Gormon."
Gormon Trock, one of Karun's guardians. He'd apparently stayed behind instead of going to the battlefield.
"I'll give you one last chance! Get out. Now!"
He unleashed a savage presence, making it clear he would not let anyone through. Gormon flicked his fingers, and the frost binding the blue-haired swordsman's ankles behind him shattered without mercy.
"Go!"
"Th-Thank you!"
The blue-haired swordsman didn't even have time to bow before he bolted into Hyeonjin Pavilion.
His realm itself is a bit higher than mine.
Gormon's strength looked to be at least Mid-rank Master. Raon could win, but it would take time—time that might give Gelmier a chance to hide Burren.
"Unfortunately, you're not my opponent."
"What? You insolent—"
"If you would, please."
Raon turned not to Gormon but behind him, and bowed his head. The Heavy Martial Palace's walls were ripped apart with a rumble, and Dokoe appeared—a man of such massive build that Gormon looked small beside him.
"D-Dokoe!"
"Dokoe? Insolent brat. What makes you think you have the right to call me that?"
"No. That's..."
Gormon swallowed hard, cowed by Dokoe's presence.
"Seeing you talk so big, it looks like you've gotten a bit stronger."
Dokoe grinned and brought his sword down. Gormon drew his blade in a flash and met the blow, but Dokoe's power forced him steadily backward.
"Wow. As expected, the Chief Manager is famous. I'm jealous."
"You annoying brat! Shut up and get inside already!"
Dokoe turned his head and scowled.
"I was just about to."
Raon entered Hyeonjin Pavilion with a faint smile.
"I had to give the guide a head start, after all."
"Kh..."
Burren dropped his chin, dragging in exhausted breaths.
"Well now!"
Olan looked down at him and let out a note of genuine admiration.
"Your mental fortitude is stronger than I expected. As I thought, Zieghart blood doesn't lie."
He clapped as if genuinely impressed.
"Shut up!"
Burren lifted his head, grinding his teeth.
"I'll never submit to the likes of you!"
"Submit, is it..."
Olan chuckled and twirled a finger.
"Do you happen to remember what I told you at the beginning?"
"What?"
"That my brainwashing is a little different from the usual kind. That I don't force it all at once, hard and fast."
"Why are you bringing that up now..."
"The brainwashing is already planted in you, Lord Burren. The way you never notice your clothes getting soaked in a drizzle. It has seeped gently into the recesses of your mind."
"Wh-What?!"
Burren swallowed hard. He hadn't answered a single one of Olan's questions. He'd endured every last one. So when, exactly, had the brainwashing taken hold?
"The questions themselves were meaningless. My voice, my words, even my gestures—every last action was preliminary work, planting fatigue and pain in your brain."
"Ah..."
Now that he thought about it, Olan had never allowed him to close his eyes or cover his ears. Even when Burren refused to answer, the man had kept asking questions and rambling on by himself.
"Now just about an hour of finishing work, and the basic brainwashing will be complete. There won't be any change visible from the outside—but inside Lord Burren's mind, a storm will break."
Certainty saturated Olan's voice. He smiled faintly and eased back a step.
"I'd like to wrap this up properly here and now, but there's someone who wishes to see you first, Lord Burren."
With those words, the sealed chamber's door opened, and Gelmier Zieghart walked in.
"Gelmier!"
"Not calling me 'brother' anymore? How sad."
Gelmier approached with a smile. Olan bowed his head and set a chair in front of him.
"Good work."
Gelmier waved Olan off and sat down across from Burren.
"I don't particularly enjoy doing this to my own little brother, you know. Well? Have you changed your mind at all?"
"Changed my mind about what?!"
"About taking my hand and being ready to deal with Raon Zieghart."
"Bullshit."
Burren cocked his head and snorted.
"My answer's the same. I'd rather die than betray my comrades!"
"As expected."
Gelmier chuckled as if he'd known that would be the answer and leaned back.
"Did you know? Everyone in this family has done the filthy things you find so unthinkable."
"Wh-What are you..."
"Stabbing a comrade in the back to climb higher. Cutting down a brother. Selling off a subordinate. That's what the people at the top of this family have always done."
He spread his arms wide, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"Think it's only like that here? It's not. The Six Kings and Five Demons. Every giant power on this continent on that scale grew the same way. They crushed whoever was ahead of them—or whoever got in their way—and climbed over the bodies."
"I know that! But we're family! Doing it like this—"
"Everyone has always done it like this. Me. The father you respect so much. Even the Patriarch himself. All of them climbed by planting a knife in the back of family and kin."
Gelmier's eyes glittered, a hard, icy blue.
"Zieghart. This vast land is a castle of blood, piled up that way."
"Kh..."
Burren couldn't answer. His lips trembled.
"You still don't have an epithet, do you?"
Gelmier laced his fingers over his knee and smiled, as if changing the heavy atmosphere on purpose.
"Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden..."
"Raon Zieghart has had epithets since he was fifteen. Guardian Deity of Habun Castle. Young Sword Fiend. And now he's earned that magnificent title—Frost-Flower Sword Hero. And you? What are you?"
He looked down at Burren with a sneer.
"A nameless unit leader of the Light Wind Squad. Swordsman Number One, whose only job is watching Raon Zieghart's back. That's how the world sees you."
"......"
"Raon Zieghart will be in front of you for the rest of your life. Go here, it's Raon. Go there, it's Raon. Everyone will look for the Raon running ahead of you—not for Burren."
"I..."
Burren bit down hard on his lip. His pupils trembled.
"Even if it comes to that, are you truly confident you won't be jealous? That you can be happy for a comrade's success without envy?"
Gelmier's voice slowed, each word striking Burren's chest like a fist against his heart.
"Huu..."
Burren let out a long breath, closed his eyes, and opened them again. In that brief moment, the tremor in his gaze was gone. His eyes were steady.
"What..."
Gelmier swallowed at the sight of those still, unmoving eyes.
"The last time I was jealous of that guy was when I was twelve. I thought he was just some lucky bastard born with talent."
He'd thought Raon was some damned freak who coasted through the world on raw gift alone. He couldn't have been more wrong.
He worked as hard as he was talented.
Burren had realized it looking at the worn-out shoes in Raon's locker. That guy put in more effort than even his talent could account for. If there was something that needed doing, he was the kind of obsessive freak who would swing a sword without sleeping and without eating.
How could anyone be jealous of someone like that?
For all that he worked harder and stayed busier than anyone, he was also genuinely invested in his comrades' growth. Being jealous of a guy who hadn't just saved your life, but then turned around and taught you how to get stronger—that would just be putting your own ugliness on full display.
"You're the childish one, brother. You don't even measure up to me at twelve."
Burren grinned at the flicker in Gelmier's eyes.
"Be honest. This isn't about worrying for me. You're scared. If Raon grows even a little more, you'll be overtaken. No—maybe he's already overtaken you."
"You..."
"Does pinning your own jealousy on me make it any less ugly? Pathetic."
"Shut up!"
For the first time, Gelmier's face twisted as he shouted. He kicked the chair aside, surged to his feet, and called for Olan.
"Olan!"
"Start. Right now!"
"Understood."
Olan smiled faintly, as if he'd known it would come to this from the beginning.
"Huu..."
Gelmier exhaled deeply, trying to settle his anger, and leaned his back against the wall.
"It's a shame, Lord Burren. You possess outstanding talent of your own. A few more years of training and you might even catch up to me..."
"What garbage. I could take someone like you right now."
Burren snorted and lowered his brows.
"Confidence is a fine thing."
"Confidence? It's a fact. I've watched from behind Raon, over and over, how you take down someone stronger than you."
"Is that so."
Olan let it slide smoothly, but his tone had climbed a notch higher than before. For the first time, he seemed irritated.
If I play this right...
The thought crossed Burren's mind that if he provoked the two of them enough, he might find a chance to escape.
"If you don't believe me, we can go a round right now."
He was about to needle Olan when a series of heavy thuds echoed from outside.
This room wasn't just a single layer?
Judging by the sound, this sealed chamber had been built with two layers or more. These people were genuinely insane.
After several door sounds, the iron door of the sealed chamber was wrenched open.
"S-Squad Leader!"
The blue-haired swordsman who'd opened the door bowed his head, his eyes shaking.
"What is it. If it isn't urgent, later—"
"Th-The Light Wind Squad has invaded!"
"What?"
"Huh?"
Gelmier and Olan both turned to the swordsman, their mouths falling open.
"The Light Wind Squad?"
"Why would the Light Wind Squad—"
The answer didn't come from the blue-haired swordsman. It came from the ceiling.
A roar like a mountain collapsing tore through the chamber, and the ceiling caved in. From the black cloud of dirt and dust, a pair of eerie crimson eyes flashed.
"Who are you!"
Gelmier seized his sword and unleashed his presence, but the red-eyed man didn't answer. He looked at Burren.
"You..."
Burren recognized that voice, and his jaw began to tremble.
"Raon!"
The instant he spoke the name, the dust surged upward and Raon's figure was revealed. Gold hair streaming. Crimson eyes catching the light and scattering it. The slight lift of his chin was arrogant—and it suited him far too well.
Raon gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Sky Sword and smiled, cold and sure.
"Together with the mad dogs—no, the Light Wind Squad—who've been waiting for you until their necks went stiff."