You Won't Regret It
Roselyn narrowed her eyes as she watched Raon wrestle with the decision.
Frost-Flower Sword Hero, is it...
The character for "hero" was not entirely to her liking.
Warriors who bore that epithet showed no mercy to the wicked, yet were infinitely compassionate toward ordinary people. They were the ones to whom the word "righteous" suited best.
It might look magnificent and impressive, but in truth, no one lived a more inconvenient life.
Because they have to care about how others see them.
Heroes earned their names by serving as examples to others, so they inevitably had to be conscious of every gaze. They had to be careful even at drinking parties, couldn't freely indulge in entertainment, and found it difficult to wield their power as they pleased. Even if they had urgent business of their own, there were times they had to resolve the injustice right in front of them first.
"Hero" was an epithet as difficult to handle as the lofty meaning it carried.
This child is no different.
Raon, too, had been given a stage to name whatever demand he wished, yet he was hesitating instead of speaking properly.
Of course he would.
This time, the Black Market had spent an astronomical sum to locate Eden's branch. Raon, who managed the Light Wind Squad's household affairs, couldn't possibly be unaware of that — which was why he couldn't easily bring himself to speak.
Roselyn wore a faint smile.
That's why I said I'd grant his request.
A promise made by the Black Market Master was no different from the Black Market's oath itself. She would have to grant whatever he asked — but she had made this offer expecting that Raon, who at such a young age already bore the lofty epithet of Frost-Flower Sword Hero, would make no demand at all.
All gain, no loss.
Because she would earn the Northern Annihilation King's trust. It was certain that Glenn Zieghart cherished Raon. If word spread that she had offered to grant the boy anything he wanted, the Northern Annihilation King would be pleased as well.
Hmm...
She turned her head at the gaze boring into her from the side. Denning Rose was giving her a look that said this was going too far.
This is how I've lived, which is why I can run the Black Market.
A true master did not set conditions — they orchestrated the other party's psychology. She felt a little sorry, but it was by clinging to this way of life that she had built the Black Market to its current scale.
"Um..."
Raon's mouth slowly began to open.
"Yes. Please go ahead."
Roselyn licked her lips slightly, then smiled.
Now's the time.
Raon would surely refuse again. She just needed to praise that refusal and smoothly move the situation along. It was something she had always done, so she was confident.
"If it's too much trouble, later..."
"First, I'll need information on the Six Kings and Five Demons."
"Uh..."
Contrary to her expectations, he stated his demand with clear, unwavering eyes.
"Th-the Six Kings and Five Demons?"
"Yes. I need detailed information on them. Personnel, locations, dispositions, even their levels of martial power. I don't care about the rest, but information on anyone at Master rank or above cannot be missing a single person."
Raon spoke clearly, without the slightest hesitation. It seemed the time he had taken until now had been spent thinking of these words.
"Please send the information not to the Zieghart Main Estate, but to the Annex. And..."
Roselyn's mouth fell open.
There's more?
Information on the Six Kings and Five Demons was so expensive that a single line could cost more than a gold coin. Especially since Raon had asked for information on high-level masters, even a fortune in gold would not be enough.
No — there was plenty of information that could not be given even with money. She had no idea how she was supposed to fulfill this demand.
"I want to find the location of a phoenix."
"A p-phoenix..."
A phoenix was a monster that certainly existed, but encounters were so rare it might as well have been a legend. Leaving strength aside, it was a being so scarce that dragons were considered more common. She had no idea how she was supposed to find one. Her heart suddenly began to tremble.
"Uh..."
Roselyn's jaw trembled as she looked at Raon's gleaming eyes.
Th-this child is a hero?
She had been wrong. Looking at him now, Raon's eyes were gleaming with greed. He shouldn't be called the Frost-Flower Sword Hero — it should be the Frost-Flower Sword Greed.
"And lastly..."
Even more?
Roselyn forcibly managed her expression and turned her head.
"Ah..."
Denning Rose's eyes were shaking violently as well, apparently not having expected this many demands either.
"I'd like to find some people and some items."
"W-what kind of people and items?"
"I'll organize that properly and send it after I return to the family."
"Ah, r-right."
Her face was smiling, but her voice could not help but tremble.
That won't be an ordinary request either.
There was no way that child would assign an easy task. Even if it wasn't on the level of information on the Six Kings and Five Demons, it would certainly be difficult.
Roselyn drank her tea as if her throat were burning. The tea that had been so clear and fragrant just moments ago now tasted filthy and bitter.
This is driving me insane.
She couldn't even accurately calculate how much money would drain away in this short span of time.
I can't take it back now.
There were people who had seen her and Denning Rose enter Raon's room, so word would have reached Glenn as well. If she canceled the offer now, the trust she had so painstakingly built would crash to the ground.
I can't refuse it either.
She hadn't declared this at the branch-manager level — she had declared it in the name of the Black Market Master herself, so she had to grant it no matter what. Her vision went dark at this unexpected checkmate.
"Then I'll leave it in your hands."
Raon smiled faintly and bowed his head.
"Please don't worry."
Roselyn smiled awkwardly, turning over in her mind how to recoup this astronomical loss. Of course, no answer came.
"Since I've heard the Vice Squad Leader's request, I should be going."
She rose with a faint smile. She felt she needed to return to headquarters quickly and run the numbers before she could collect herself.
"Vice Squad Leader. Please take care of yourself."
Denning Rose also bowed and stood. She, too, seemed shocked by Raon's demands; her legs trembled slightly.
"Black Market Master. Branch Manager."
Raon's voice came as the two were about to leave the room.
Roselyn and Denning Rose slowly turned around.
Bathed in the sunlight pouring through the window, Raon's red eyes gleamed with a grave light. As they stared blankly at those ruby-like pupils, his lips parted.
"Ah..."
Raon's voice, as deep and settled as Glenn Zieghart's, clenched tight around their hearts.
"Haa..."
Roselyn swept back her disheveled bangs.
"I'll look forward to it."
She offered a faint smile, bowed her head slightly, and left the room. Denning Rose, her face stiffened as if she had felt something as well, followed behind.
The two said nothing until they left the mansion and boarded the carriage. Only after the carriage door closed did Roselyn twist her lips into a wry curl.
"We got thoroughly played."
Raon hadn't made those requests simply because he was greedy. He had completely grasped their psychology and drawn a blade they could not refuse.
How long has it been since I was so one-sidedly outmaneuvered?
She hadn't made any special preparations because she had thought of him as far below her, but she never expected to have her hair grabbed by a child like that. She shouldn't regard him as merely a strong martial artist. He was already quite dangerous — but it seemed she needed to raise his threat level by one more stage.
"What did you make of him?"
Roselyn narrowed her eyes at Denning Rose.
"In this short time, he seems to have grown another level both martially and mentally. I can see a composure and a tension that weren't there before."
Denning Rose narrowed her eyes, looking back at the receding mansion.
"You see tension, yet you say he's grown?"
"Yes."
She nodded without hesitation.
"The Raon Zieghart I saw before overflowed with confidence. He believed he could resolve anything that happened on his own. But the one I saw today was different."
"How so?"
"He seems to have realized that he himself can fail, and that he cannot always resolve everything alone."
"Is that so."
Roselyn smiled faintly and stroked Denning Rose's head.
You've grown as well.
Originally, Denning Rose had often been indecisive, passing off or postponing judgments — but after going through this incident, she too seemed to have grown a little.
"Then what about him as a man?"
"Pardon?"
Denning Rose's face went cold and stiff.
"Looks, martial power, family, personality, even cunning. He lacks nothing. If you have feelings for him, I'll play matchmaker."
Roselyn caressed Denning Rose's hand, saying she was serious.
"I may not look it, but I've arranged over a hundred marriages."
"I-I have to serve Master. I have no intention of marrying until Master retires."
Denning Rose shook her head, her face flushed red except for the black eyepatch.
"The ones who say that are always the first to go."
Roselyn snorted a laugh and waved her hand.
"At least hide that plum-colored face of yours before you talk."
"Master!"
Raon chuckled as he fidgeted with the box containing Ubo's Hundred Medicines.
She never expected to get hit like that.
At first, he had naturally intended to refuse out of conscience, but he had changed his mind after seeing Roselyn's eyes.
Those eyes that looked kind and benevolent, yet knew perfectly well that he wouldn't be able to make a demand. They were the eyes of a seasoned merchant, so he had decided to use them — and succeeded perfectly.
Income beyond imagination.
Buying information on the Six Kings and Five Demons would cost an astronomical sum, and there were plenty of secret pieces of information that money couldn't buy. Even if he couldn't obtain all of it, he would be able to learn a decent amount — so it was an enormous gain.
Heh heh!
Wrath slipped out from the Ice Flower Bracelet and grinned.
So even a devil like you has a shred of consideration. To think you'd try to keep your promise right away.
Mercy? What are you talking about all of a sudden?
The phoenix's location you asked that old hag to find — that was for This King's recuperation, was it not? To keep your promise to feed This King something delicious.
The creature smacked its lips, looking up at the empty air.
Phoenix meat is tender yet crispy, and it even has the effect of whetting the appetite. Just thinking of a proper meal after so long already has This King excited.
You've eaten phoenix too?
Of course. This King hasn't had it often, but it was a favorite delicacy. Hah!
Raon's mouth fell open as he looked at the grinning Wrath. Dragons, and now phoenixes. This glutton really seemed never to have met a monster he hadn't eaten.
I'm sorry, but I have no intention of hunting a phoenix.
What?
It's not so much finding a phoenix as finding the place where a phoenix is.
What is that supposed to mean! To see a phoenix and not eat the phoenix! If a meal is laid out before your eyes, eating it is only natural!
......
Wrath was making the insane claim that a legendary monster beyond even the highest grade was a meal set on the table.
Customer. We do not serve phoenix here.
Hey, you!
Raon pushed away Wrath, who was shoving his face in, and shook his head. The reason he was looking for a phoenix wasn't to hunt the thing, but to grow stronger. Whether he caught the phoenix or not was neither here nor there.
Crunch.
He turned his head at the sound of snacks being chewed. Dorian was lying on his side on the bed, eating something he'd pulled from his belly pouch. He'd been eating those potato-chip-like things since his trainee days — Raon had no idea when they'd ever run out.
"To win a psychological battle against the Black Market Master... you're really amazing."
"You still haven't left?"
"That's so mean..."
Dorian dropped the snack he was holding.
"I didn't win."
"Didn't you get everything you wanted?"
"This time, they underestimated me too much."
If Roselyn had come with real intent, he wouldn't even have been able to put a proper demand into words. He'd obtained this gain because she'd thought of him as far below her, and because she had also misread his personality.
"Anyway, aren't you going home?"
"Huh?"
"You nearly died and came back. You got leave, so why not go visit even briefly?"
He'd said it because he remembered Roselyn looking at Dorian's belly pouch and calling him an impressive person.
"W-well. I don't think I particularly need to go..."
Dorian laughed awkwardly and sprang to his feet.
"I'll go later, I guess."
He scratched his head and quickly slipped out of the room.
He has his reasons, I suppose.
Keeping distance from others was still difficult. Family relationships in particular had to be handled carefully, so he couldn't press.
"Hmm..."
Raon smacked his lips as he looked at Ubo's Hundred Medicines in his hand.
"What to do with this."
With the Ring of Fire's recovery, he didn't need to take this elixir as well.
What do you mean, what to do! A greedy thing like you is going to eat it anyway. But what does it taste like?
......
Ever since Wrath had manifested in his true form and expended all his power, his gluttony had grown even stronger. He seemed to be going mad with appetite.
Yeah. That sounds good.
When Wrath called him greedy, a slight spirit of defiance rose. Holding Ubo's Hundred Medicines, he went back upstairs and knocked on Glenn's door.
Knock knock.
This time, Roen opened the door before the sound had even fully echoed.
"You've come again."
"I have something to give the Family Head."
"Please come in."
He looked at the wooden box in Raon's hand and stepped aside with a pleased expression.
"What are you giving him?"
"Is it something good?"
Sheryl and Rimer also looked at him with strangely expectant eyes.
Receiving the three of their gazes, Raon walked forward.
"What is it?"
Glenn looked down at him with an annoyed gaze, as if asking why he'd come again.
"I understand your internal injuries have not yet healed."
Raon held out Ubo's Hundred Medicines.
"This is Ubo's Hundred Medicines that the Black Market Master left. I thought it would be better for the Family Head to take it than me, so I brought it."
Glenn had withstood the martial power of the White Blood Cult Leader and Tatcheon alone. He hadn't even dodged, enduring it with his body so as not to affect those behind him.
No matter how strong he was, it wasn't yet time for his internal injuries to have healed. If one had received, one should give in kind. He'd decided to pass this elixir to him.
I have the Ring of Fire and Sloth, after all.
During the day he could heal using the Ring of Fire, and at night Sloth's recovery effect would naturally activate. He'd recover most of it in a week, so Ubo's Hundred Medicines wasn't necessary for him right now.
"Ohhh!"
"Raon!"
"Huhu."
Rimer, Sheryl, and Roen beamed and gave him a thumbs-up as if he'd done well.
A low rumble shook the air.
But the expression of Glenn, the one actually given the elixir, was not good. He bit his lip, his eyes ice-cold as if enraged.
Hmm...
Raon swallowed dryly.
This feels like I walked into the wrong one.
When he'd visited a little while ago the atmosphere hadn't been that bad, so he'd thought Glenn would accept it — but he seemed to have been wrong. The air was growing steadily colder.
"Did I not tell you not to be arrogant?"
"That's..."
"Insolent brat. You still don't know your place. Internal injuries? For you to worry about me, you're a hundred years too early."
"That's not it. I can recover, but the Family Head..."
"I don't need it."
Glenn shook his head with a cold gaze.
"The moment you leave this room, put that medicine in your mouth. The day we return to the family in a week — if your recovery does not meet my standards, I will punish you."
"...Understood."
Raon gathered Ubo's elixir again and stood. He bowed his head and left the room.
The moment Raon's footsteps faded, the three people in front of the door whipped around.
"You old geezer! How can you send him off like that!"
"That's right! At least pretend to accept it! Or say thank you!"
"This is truly frustrating."
Rimer, Sheryl, and Roen shouted at Glenn in turn.
"Really, Family Head, you... hm?"
They were about to press further when they saw Glenn clutching his forehead, and their eyes went round.
"Khh... how can there be a child so kind..."
Glenn clenched his teeth, unable to contain his emotions. His aura spread, and the objects in the room floated into the air, vibrating.
"To worry about me when his own condition is worse than anyone's — is he not an angel!"
"No, so if you know that, then maybe..."
"I can't just sit here like this."
He raised a finger. Golden light erupted from his grip, and the room — no, the building — began to shake.
"Hiek! Y-you can't open the Treasury here!"
Roen urgently ran over and grabbed Glenn's arm.
"Family Head, the building will collapse! And there will be problems with the Treasury's security as well!"
Sheryl also stepped in with her footwork and blocked Glenn's finger.
"Let go. If I don't give Raon a gift now, then when..."
"You know better than anyone that opening the Treasury from outside causes problems!"
The Zieghart Treasury was a magical vault designed to be opened only from within the territory. If it was opened carelessly elsewhere, the coordinates could tangle and cause security issues.
"It's fine. I'll just kill anyone who comes after it. More importantly, for Raon..."
Glenn reached out as if it didn't matter.
"Sigh..."
Rimer let out a deep sigh at the sight.
"I give up."
He clasped his hands behind his head and left the room.
"Guess I'll hit the gambling den for the first time in a while."
"Hey! Stop him!"
One week later.
Raon stepped out of the mansion. Not only the Light Wind Squad, but the Heavenly Sword Squad and Hollow Sword Squad who had not yet returned to the family were lined up in formation.
He met eyes with Glenn, who stood at the very front. Glenn stared at him steadily, then whipped his head away.
Whew... looks like I passed.
A sigh of relief escaped inwardly. By operating the Ring of Fire like a madman and getting proper sleep in order to save Ubo's Hundred Medicines, his condition had recovered considerably in a week.
Fighting a martial artist of a higher realm would still be too much, but his body had returned to a state where he could easily handle a mediocre Master.
"Then we return."
At Glenn's gesture, the mansion's front gate opened. The moment the Zieghart swordsmen stepped outside, a thunderous cheer erupted from the surroundings.
"Wooooaaaaah!"
"Zieghart!"
"Raon! Raon! Raon!"
"Light Wind Squad! Light Wind Squad!"
"Lord Raon! Thank you for saving us!"
"Light Wind Squad! We'll support you for the rest of our lives!"
The people gathered around the mansion burst into cheers as they looked at Raon and the Light Wind Squad.
Raon narrowed his eyes. He'd thought it would be merchants waiting to curry favor with Zieghart, but it wasn't. They were the hostages who had been captured by the White Blood Cult in Gransavil and inside the barrier.
The people who had survived thanks to him and the Light Wind Squad had come all the way here and were shouting themselves hoarse.
"Whoa..."
"Ah, well."
"It wasn't that big a deal."
The Light Wind Squad swordsmen looked awkward, but they couldn't help feeling good, waving their hands with grins.
"Mm..."
Raon, too, felt his fist clench. It was only in this life that he'd learned how much the words "thank you" could stir the heart.
Mother was right.
A swordsman who makes others follow with their hearts.
Thanks to her words to live as a Zieghart swordsman should, the person he was now could exist. He felt nothing but gratitude toward her for enabling him to make the right choices.
Raon raised his head and looked ahead.
"Yaaaaaah!"
"Northern Annihilation King! Northern Annihilation King!"
"Glenn Zieghart!"
Glenn received cheers greater than anyone's, but he drove his horse without answering those voices.
Raon looked at Glenn's back and tightly gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Sky Sword.
Someday...