The Skull Upon the Throne
Burren’s jaw trembled as he watched the Death Knight’s body shatter and sink. The Death Knight… in a single strike? Was that even possible?
Having crossed blades with the creature himself, he knew how strong it was. It wasn’t merely the death energy—the thing’s swordsmanship had been of a high realm. A monster that had casually flung aside the entire Light Wind Squad and even Mark Goetten, revealing the green flaming eyes that marked a Junggwi, had died in a single blow. He couldn’t believe it.
What the hell is that guy?
He knew Raon was strong. He knew it better than anyone. But to kill a Death Knight that had reached Junggwi rank—and a special one empowered by the swamp, no less—in a single strike? He’d never imagined it.
“That damn…”
Marta glared at Raon, the hand on her sword trembling. You monster!
When the Great Light Wind Formation had been on the verge of breaking under the Death Knight’s ever-growing power, Raon had stepped forward. The look in his eyes had told them to fall back, and she’d been furious—had even harbored the spiteful thought that he should get a taste of it himself. A Death Knight that grew stronger as it fought was a first. Even Raon shouldn’t have been able to take it down easily.
I figured he’d do his usual fire-and-ice circus…
Raon’s fighting style was as flashy as his face. She’d expected him to spew fire and ice again this time. Instead, he’d split the Death Knight’s very soul with a single draw of his sword. Even having seen it with her own eyes, from the closest possible range, the martial power was unbelievable.
“Whoa…”
Runaan’s eyes were even blanker than usual, her mouth a round O.
“Today Raon’s really insanely handsome.”
Encia had insisted she always stick “insanely handsome” in front of Raon’s name, so she’d been saying it without much thought until now. But today, he truly looked the part. Raon standing in the mist, the Black Dragon Robe billowing, the Heavenly Sky Sword descending on a diagonal—it was no exaggeration to call it a painting.
More than that beautiful appearance, though, what lingered in her mind was the battōjutsu that had cut the Death Knight down in a single stroke. The destructive power and precision in that sword strike still sent a chill down her spine.
“Vice-captain! If you take it down that easily, what’s the point of us even being here!”
“Was that really a Death Knight?”
“It was! We almost all died!”
“And it was a monster that kept getting stronger.”
“Then why did it drop dead in one hit?!”
The Light Wind Squad stared at Raon with wide eyes, unable to believe this absurd situation.
“Huuuh…”
“W-what did I just see?”
“Is that the White Sword Dragon’s true strength…”
“They said he puts the Continental Twelve Stars beneath his feet…”
Frika and the other rangers sat trembling in the swamp, jaws hanging open.
“Woooow! Young master!”
“Th-that was a moving battōjutsu!”
“Well done.”
Yua and Julius jumped up and down with bright smiles, while Mark Goetten quietly bowed his head.
Raon smiled at the two children, then looked at the Heavenly Sky Sword, still radiating heat. Not bad.
It was the first time he’d mixed the flames of the Cultivation of Ten Thousand Flames with Divinity Born from Darkness in a battōjutsu, and the effect had exceeded his expectations. A Junggwi-level Death Knight—one further empowered by this swamp—crumbling without even a chance to resist. He hadn’t expected that.
I’ve gained a power that can pierce even the Black Tower.
The divinity was so scarce it would be spent in a single draw, but it would be a great help in the battles to come.
“You little weasel!”
Wrath shoved his face in, grinding his teeth.
What now.
“What are you doing, finishing it yourself!”
You said it was dangerous too.
He’d even gestured that his subordinates were in danger, and now he was complaining?
“You didn’t need to step out in the open! Throwing a hidden blade from behind would have been plenty!”
Wrath wrinkled his nose, calling him a weasel who stole opportunities from children.
That’s weird.
Support from behind could have taken down the Death Knight, but it would have taken longer than this. For a personality-disordered glutton who couldn’t stand even a moment of boredom to say something like that… suspicious.
If it’s something this guy hates…
Ah!
Raon curled the corner of his mouth as he looked at Wrath. He’s throwing a fit over the rewards he’d get from killing the Death Knight.
“Hic!”
Wrath’s pupils trembled as if he’d been struck in a vital point. His cotton-ball body swayed as if caught on the wind.
“W-what nonsense! This King would never think such a thing, n-not at all!”
Looking at how flustered you are, that’s exactly it.
“It’s not! This King doesn’t care about such things at all…”
His voice dropped to an ant’s crawl as he hid himself inside the ice-flower bracelet.
Just as expected. Wrath had been spouting nonsense about giving the Light Wind Squad a chance because he was stingy about the stats he’d get from killing the Death Knight.
Cute as ever. Not.
Raon shook his head and looked at the Death Knight’s skull. A very faint green flame still burned in the empty eye sockets.
This is the loot.
The trophy from killing a Death Knight was this skull. The flame that had burned in its eyes remaining faintly made it proof of the kill, and it sold for an extremely high price.
Just in case. Better to take more.
Raon gestured to Mark Goetten.
“Could you bring the heads of the Dullahan and the horse you took down earlier?”
“Understood.”
Mark Goetten retrieved the head from the Dullahan’s corpse, which he’d impaled on the vines floating above the swamp. Crimson eyes flashed from a grotesquely twisted face.
These two should be enough.
With the skull of a Junggwi-rank Death Knight and this massive Dullahan’s head, seizing the initiative at House Arian wouldn’t be difficult.
A rush of cold unfurled as Raon drew Glacia’s frost to its extreme and activated the Sense of Frost Flowers. He spread his perception in all directions, but no undead monster presence could be felt.
The swamp is receding too.
Perhaps because they’d eliminated the Death Knight that had caused the problem, the swamp’s water level was slowly dropping.
It’s all over.
They’d slaughtered the Death Knight and all the multiplied undead, and the swamp was receding. Everything was finished. All that remained was to go back.
Raon put the Death Knight’s skull and the Dullahan’s head into his subspace pouch and turned around.
“Light Wind Squad.”
At his call, the Light Wind Squad, who had been settling their internal injuries, formed ranks.
“Ugh…”
“Nngh.”
Sensing something ominous, they couldn’t look Raon in the eye, just swallowing dryly.
“A shame. But I saw you giving your all in the fight.”
The Light Wind Squad lifted their gazes at Raon’s unexpectedly gentle voice.
“Good work.”
“Woooooo!”
“Thank you!”
“That’s our vice-captain!”
When Raon said they’d done well instead of assigning extra training, the squad’s mood lifted like flower petals on the wind.
“However…”
Raon raised a hand just as they started getting excited.
“It’s also a fact that you failed to take down the Death Knight. I clearly told you to handle it.”
“W-we just said we tried our best.”
“That’s right! You said we gave it our all!”
The Light Wind Squad protested with trembling lips, but of course it didn’t work on Raon.
“I like doing well more than trying your best. You should have taken it down somehow.”
“How were we supposed to take that thing down? It was a Death Knight!”
“And not an ordinary one—it was a monster that kept growing!”
“Its head kept getting bigger…”
Burren, Marta, and Runaan shook their heads, insisting it had been impossible.
“That’s all because your training is insufficient. I cut it down in a single stroke, didn’t I?”
“Guh!”
“Damn it!”
“My sleep…”
Because it was Raon—who had cut down the so-called monster Death Knight in one blow—the Light Wind Squad couldn’t refute him and hung their heads.
“I’ll prepare a special menu for you once we’re back. Look forward to it.”
“Hic…”
“Goddamn it.”
“This life is…”
The Light Wind Squad let out deep sighs, thinking of what awaited them after returning to the house.
“Your personality is truly filthy.”
Wrath climbed back onto the bracelet, frowning.
“A devil so wicked he’s rare even in the Demon Realm…”
Just as he was calling Raon vicious, a message popped up.
You have slain a powerful enemy in a single strike by harmonizing opposing forces.
All stats have increased by 5 points.
Battōjutsu proficiency has increased.
The rank of Divinity Born from Darkness has increased.
It seemed to be a reward for mixing aura and divinity for the first time and taking down the Death Knight in a single strike.
But…
The timing is killer.
The way the rewards popped up the moment Wrath, who’d fled into the bracelet, came back out was enough to make him laugh.
“Th-this is why I didn’t want to come out!”
Wrath ground his teeth at the message.
“Stop tormenting those brats, and This King too, already!”
The audience chamber of House Arian.
Wigen rested a hand on a belly that jutted out like a frog’s and smacked his lips.
“It’s going properly, right?”
As if feeling uneasy, he reached out and tore into a massive beef rib whole.
“Do not worry.”
Veinder lifted his gaze and smiled.
“The children will handle it well on their own.”
“Still, something feels off.”
Wigen licked his grease-smeared lips and frowned.
“Even if things go wrong, it will not matter.”
“Won’t matter?”
“With the Family Head’s excellent way with words, you can wrap those brats around your finger as much as you like, can you not?”
Veinder smiled faintly and raised a finger.
“On top of that, that person stands behind us. Even the White Sword Dragon will not dare to act rashly.”
“Ahem! Well, that’s true!”
Wigen cleared his throat and nodded. I didn’t scatter bribes all this time for nothing.
The reason House Arian had been able to ignore the duty handed down from their ancestors was entirely thanks to the bribes they’d spread among Zieghart’s officers. Now it was time to harvest the fruit they’d so diligently watered with money.
“Veinder is right!”
“Now that we know what kind of personality this Raon has, we’ll be able to handle him easily.”
“How much pressure can the likes of them even apply? Do they know who’s behind us!”
The steward, the treasurer, and the supply officers all bowed their waists, fawning over Wigen.
“That person also said not to worry, so we will trust only in the Family Head.”
Veinder lowered his eyelids to hide his eyes and bowed his head.
“Right. Right. Just trust me!”
Wigen smiled and nodded at his officers’ flattery.
While the officers of House Arian laughed and enjoyed themselves among themselves, Wendy, who had been standing behind the door, clenched her fist tight. With the look of someone who had made a decision, she left the Lord’s Palace.
Raon watched the gates of House Arian slowly open and reached into his subspace pouch. He drew out the Death Knight’s skull and the Dullahan’s head and handed them to Burren and Dorian.
“Hm?”
“Eek!”
Burren caught the Death Knight’s skull lightly, while Dorian lifted the Dullahan’s head and recoiled in horror.
“Why these?”
“The people here need to know.”
Raon looked through the gates with cold eyes.
“That Wigen and his officers nearly destroyed this house.”
Just as they were about to enter through the open gates, Wendy came running out in a hurry.
“Sir Raon. You’ve retur— huh?”
She had been bowing her head, then saw the Death Knight’s skull and the Dullahan’s head in Burren’s and Dorian’s hands and her mouth fell open.
“A D-Death Knight! And a Junggwi at that?”
Wendy trembled from head to toe as if she’d lost her mind at the sight of the Death Knight’s skull.
“A D-Death Knight?”
“Look at that! I-it’s real!”
“G-green eye-flames means it’s a Junggwi!”
“Something like that was in the Swamp of Death?”
The swordsmen and residents standing behind Wendy staggered backward in shock.
“D-don’t tell me that Death Knight was in the swamp?”
“Yes. It was at the pillar raised at the far end of the swamp.”
Raon explained what had happened in the swamp. He laced aura into his voice so that not only Wendy but everyone gathered at the gates could hear.
“Frika.”
Wendy looked at Frika standing to her right. Frika nodded, as if to say it was all true.
“Kh…”
She bit her lip and lowered her head, as if feeling too many things at once. Her cheeks and earlobes flushed red.
“Hoo.”
Wendy steadied herself and raised her head. Her eyes had gone firm. She lifted a hand.
“Let us go to the audience chamber.”
Raon nodded and followed Wendy toward the Lord’s Palace.
The residents cheered as if welcoming a hero’s return and thanked the Light Wind Squad, but gradually more and more people began to look at the officers with suspicion.
“A Dullahan and a Death Knight!”
“The Swamp of Death changed that much…”
“Th-the people up top said nothing was wrong…”
“See! I told you it was strange! If nothing was wrong, why was the swamp’s water level rising!”
“The grapes had been wilting too.”
“Those officer bastards…”
“We should have thrown our weight behind Lady Wendy.”
Raon smiled as he felt the unease spreading from all sides. It’s working properly.
To change this house, he needed to change not only the pigs lying on top, but the hearts of the people crushed beneath them. The hideous Dullahan’s head was doing a great job of changing those thoughts.
Raon didn’t say a word, letting the doubt and anxiety burn hotter as he entered the Lord’s Palace.
Wendy opened the door to the audience chamber without even knocking.
Family Head Wigen and the officers of House Arian were gathered on the platform as if in a meeting. From the look of things, word had already reached them.
“Ohh…”
Wigen smiled awkwardly and raised a hand.
“You have all worked hard!”
Unlike when they had first arrived, he pressed his hands together and spoke with elevated courtesy, as if granting them proper treatment.
“Y-you’ve worked hard!”
“To think you took down a Death Knight—the Light Wind Squad’s valor is just as the rumors said!”
“Thank you for lending your strength to House Arian.”
The officers rubbed their hands together like flies, wearing twisted smiles. It was a completely different sight from the cold looks they’d given before.
“Dorian.”
Raon smiled faintly and reached to the right. Dorian handed over the Dullahan’s head he’d been holding with just his fingers.
Raon took the Dullahan’s head and threw it straight onto the platform.
The blood still remaining inside the Dullahan’s skull sprayed over the heads of the pigs who had been wearing false smiles on the dais.
“Aaaagh!”
“W-what are you doing!”
“Eek! Is this thing still alive!”
The officers who met the eyes of the Dullahan—its crimson gaze still gleaming even in death—screamed and collapsed where they stood.
Raon crushed the red carpet at the center of the audience chamber underfoot as he climbed onto the platform. A dry, oppressive aura, thick with discomfort, seeped from his shoulders.
“Hhk!”
“Ghh…”
“Urgh!”
Crushed by that chilling presence, the officers stopped their frenzy and trembled with the faces of men about to die.
Raon didn’t even glance at them as he climbed to the top of the platform. He held out the Death Knight’s skull to Wigen, who was flailing in his chair. The green fire that had yet to die flashed.
“Gyaaaaah!”
The throne, unable to bear Wigen’s heavy weight in his panic, toppled backward.
“A Death Knight born at the far end of the Swamp of Death.”
Raon pulled over the throne Wigen had been sitting on and set the Death Knight’s helmeted skull upon it.
“If the Golden Hall Lord hadn’t summoned us, this head would have sat on this throne after trampling your corpses.”
As if to prove those words, the Death Knight’s skull stirred the green flame that had yet to go out.
“W-Wendy could have handled something like that!”
Wigen trembled at the lips, unable even to look properly at the Death Knight’s skull standing on the chair.
A sneer bloomed at the corner of Raon’s mouth.
“Doesn’t even know his own level.”
To say something like that even after seeing the green eyes blooming in the Death Knight’s empty sockets—it seemed he’d emptied out his head as well.
“…I could not have won.”
Wendy stood behind him and bowed her head. Her face was filled with shame for her family.
“F-Frika! You tell them! That Death Knight is…”
“That is a Junggwi-rank Death Knight. On top of that, there were two Dullahans. If they had invaded as they were, we would have been annihilated…”
Frika relayed everything he had seen, without a shred of omission or embellishment.
“Ah…”
“Urgh!”
At the truth the rangers delivered, the officers couldn’t offer a single reply and hung their heads.
Raon let out a cold laugh and laid a hand on the throne Wigen had been sitting on.
Unable to withstand the power in his hand, the massive iron throne crumpled and crushed like scrap metal.
“W-what is that supposed to mean!”
Wigen’s shoulders shook as he pushed himself up. The chin fat and belly fat that had piled on in the meantime rolled and sloshed.
“I am the head of this house! By what right do you—”
He ground his teeth, insisting it was absurd.
“Right? You—”
“Rights my ass!”
Just as Raon snorted and was about to speak, Marta stepped forward. Her eyes burned hotter than they ever had as she climbed onto the platform.
“This pig bastard still hasn’t come to his senses!”
“P-pig? You little girl!”
“Because of you, everyone in this house almost died, and you still have more to say?”
“What would you know…”
“I know, you pig bastard!”
Marta kicked off the ground and drove her fist into Wigen’s face.
Wigen couldn’t even defend properly. The punch caught him square and slammed him into the floor.
“SQUEEEAL!”
He let out a sound exactly like a pig having its throat cut and rolled off the platform.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Marta’s back, packed full of rage. Is she remembering the past?
He didn’t know the exact details, but her village had been destroyed by the White Blood Cult, so she seemed to feel a greater rage than the others.
“Y-you think you’ll get away with this!”
Wigen jabbed a finger, showing the teeth that had been knocked out.
“Do you know who’s behind me…”
“Who.”
Raon’s eyes gleamed with a killing frost as he walked down from the platform. An overlord’s aura unfurled as naturally as breathing, and a bone-chilling cold bloomed through the entire audience chamber.