Boom!
Karoon stomped his foot violently. The sound echoing with frustration and anger shook the main building's garden.
"Damn it!"
He gritted his teeth, still unsatisfied even after stomping several times.
"Try to stay calm."
Balder sighed as he approached Karoon's side.
"I know it's frustrating, but we can't do anything about this. Of course they're going to reward the guy who became a Grandmaster at 21 and took the Dragon Sword Master's head."
He frowned, as if asking why Karoon was acting like this when he knew the situation.
"Frustrating?"
Karoon glared at Balder, his lips twisting.
"You gutless bastard. Wipe that smile off your face before you say something like that."
"Ah, um..."
Balder hurriedly tried to smooth out his expression.
"Have you still not come to your senses after being so humiliated by that young brat?"
"Th-that's not..."
"Of course it's good that our family's reputation and divine power are rising. However!"
Karoon bit his lip hard before continuing.
"The subject is Raon from the branch family. A monkey-like bastard whose bloodline we don't even know!"
"Hmm..."
"On top of that, he's now out of our grasp."
"What do you mean out of our grasp?"
"It means he's no longer someone you or I can control and use, but a rival competing for the position of head of house. Is your brain still not working?"
He tapped his head with his finger, telling Balder to think again about how Glenn and Alice had taken care of Raon.
"Ah, so that's why..."
Balder's lips trembled, finally seeming to sense the danger.
"If, if we move now..."
"It's already too late."
Denier, who had emerged from behind the garden shrubbery, waved his hand lightly.
"What?"
"You've heard the rumors that father is personally teaching swordsmanship to Raon, right? That's true. And he's been teaching him for quite a while."
Denier leaned against a garden pillar with a faint smile.
"I've been warning you all along. Father has already been viewing Raon as one of the successor candidates."
"N-no! He's too young!"
Balder shook his head, saying it didn't make sense.
"It's not even Sylvia, but Raon! How can it make sense for us to compete for head of house against our nephew!"
"His youth might make him even more appealing. He's the youngest Grandmaster on the continent and has built up some achievements. If Raon becomes head of house, our family's popularity and recognition would rise considerably, wouldn't it? I don't think it's a bad thing."
Denier shrugged nonchalantly.
"Judging by how father brought up the life-and-death match story today, I think he's probably going to officially accept Raon into the direct lineage on January 1st next year and immediately declare him as a successor candidate. What do you think, brother?"
"..."
Karoon didn't answer Denier's question, only throwing a crumpled glare.
"Why are you looking at me so fiercely? I'm not Raon."
Denier turned his back with a smirk.
"What I want to say is, don't stir up a hornet's nest by messing with Raon. You know there's no one to stop our sister if she goes on a rampage, right? Let's just live quietly."
He waved his hand lightly and left the garden.
'Denier...'
Karoon narrowed his eyes as he watched Denier disappear into the darkness of the garden.
'What are you thinking?'
* * *
Raon trembled at the tips of his fingers as he looked at Glenn's sunken eyes.
'It must have been difficult...'
A short phrase that anyone could say, but no one had. The brief words Glenn uttered melted away the dark lump that had been blocking Raon's chest until just moments ago.
'So this is what I wanted to hear.'
Now he could understand why he hadn't been so happy when he received the golden tablet and reward from Glenn at the lord's competition.
It seems that right now, I was looking for mental solace rather than material compensation.
'I've gotten weak too.'
No, maybe this is what it means to be human.
His past life as an assassin was no different from the life of a puppet on strings, killing when told to kill, kidnapping when told to kidnap.
Having lived his whole life as a leashed hunting dog, there was no time to feel betrayed by anyone.
Thanks to the Ring of Fire, he had broken free of the brainwashing and was preparing to escape when Derus killed him, but he didn't feel betrayed because he hadn't trusted Derus in the first place. He had only felt anger.
But this life was different. He had met many people and shared a part of himself with all of them.
The same was true for Rector. He had regarded him as a grandfather and learned swordsmanship and life from him, so the unexpected sense of betrayal struck deeper and harder.
"You're quite fortunate when it comes to people."
Glenn calmly turned his gaze. He continued in a calm voice, looking at the lake:
"The children who bullied you when you were young have sincerely repented and become subordinates who can support you. Your master has become a superior willing to risk his life for you. Their hearts won't change no matter what you become. I don't even need to mention the people in the annex building."
"..."
Raon nodded slightly. As Glenn said, Burren, Martha, and the other Light Wind members had apologized for their childish mistakes, and Rimmer, despite his laziness, had trained the swordsmen in ways suited to each of them.
Sylvia, Helen, and the others from the annex building were people he could spend his whole life with, so it wasn't wrong to say he was fortunate with people.
"The reason you're struggling now is because you're experiencing betrayal for the first time from someone you gave your affection to and thought was a good connection. Anything for the first time is difficult. Especially if it's betrayal, it can only be more painful."
Glenn nodded as if he understood that feeling.
"Um..."
Raon smacked his lips, feeling as if Glenn's back, which had seemed so distant, had come a little closer.
'This is unexpected.'
He thought Glenn would only shout at him, but he didn't expect him to comfort him with words like this.
"Not everyone who approaches you with goodwill can always be good. Guys like Balder who show their true colors openly are rare."
There seemed to be a faint laugh in Glenn's voice as he used Balder as an example.
"Follow me."
He beckoned with his finger and walked towards North Grave Mountain across the lake.
Though he seemed to be walking normally, he moved as if transcending space, so even using footwork techniques couldn't keep up with him.
Glenn stopped at a wide clearing at the entrance to North Grave Mountain.
Crack.
He broke off a small branch from the bushes and nodded at Raon.
"Draw your sword."
"Pardon?"
"When your mind is cluttered, it's good to move your body without thinking."
Glenn held up the branch like a sword.
"Show me what intentions you had when you became a Grandmaster."
"Hmm..."
Raon gripped the hilt of the Heavenly Drive sword tightly, looking at the branch Glenn had raised. A few leaves trembled in the night breeze.
'Is he offering to spar?'
He had received Glenn's teachings several times, but he had never crossed swords with him. It was truly a rare opportunity.
"You told me to clear my mind, so may I go all out?"
"It would be meaningless otherwise."
"Then..."
Raon drew the Heavenly Drive and Requiem swords with trembling hands.
"I'll come at you right away."
He thrust both swords into the ground in a reverse grip, opening his mental world.
The heat and cold rising from his lower dantian shot up to his middle dantian in an instant and reached his upper dantian.
As his field of vision turned pure white, an mental image stronger and sharper than any previous sword realm stretched out towards the world.
Behind his back, an alien golden sun and silver moon rose.
The sunlight of the sun seeped into the divine sword gripped in his right hand, while the moonlight of the moon ripened in the demonic sword surging in his left hand.
Thanks to the upper dantian that had grown as he reached Grandmaster, new changes had also taken root in the divine and demonic swords.
"It looks impressive."
Glenn nodded calmly as he looked at Raon.
"Come."
Raon used Glenn's words as a spark and leapt towards Glenn's front.
He advanced at a speed that tore up the grass underfoot, pouring out the flames of the divine sword and the frost of the demonic sword.
The two swords entwined with the subtleties of dual-wielding created powerful shockwaves as they fell and struck.
Swoosh!
Glenn extended the thin branch that even a child could snap towards the flames and frost filling his vision.
Boom!
Although tremendous explosions chain-reacted, shaking the surrounding bushes and trees, the branch Glenn held did not waver at all. It was a sight hard to believe even with his own eyes.
"The power is quite admirable. Keep going."
"Yes!"
Raon stomped his left foot and dove into Glenn's left side.
'Normal attacks won't work.'
It was unreasonable to break through Glenn's defense head-on. He had to aim for a place Glenn couldn't defend.
Ching!
He stepped with the Supreme Harmony Steps. Moving like flowing water, he extended the Crimson Slash and Frost Snap simultaneously towards Glenn's right rear.
The red beam and blue blade advanced with a time difference, aiming for Glenn's blind spot.
"The moment you stop thinking is when the fight ends."
Glenn smiled faintly and turned the branch sideways. The branch he lightly swept knocked away the Crimson Slash that had advanced first, then blocked the two blades of the Frost Snap that followed.
'I don't even know how he did that.'
It was as if time flowed differently for him alone.
Raon bit his lip and used the Supreme Harmony Steps. He advanced by folding space and thrust the divine and demonic swords at Glenn's face.
The flames and frost entwined on the sword tips spread out like a kaleidoscope, enveloping Glenn's entire body.
Ten Thousand Flames Kaleidoscope.
Thirty-six Crimson Flash Strikes.
He wielded the sword technique that stabbed thirty-six points in one strike with two swords. A monstrous sword strike aiming at seventy-two vital points of Glenn's entire body stretched out at once.
"Good sword."
Glenn let out a faint exclamation for the first time and raised his branch.
Red lightning surging from the center of the branch clashed head-on with the flow of the Thirty-six Crimson Flash Strikes.
Clash!
The terrifying lightning, flames, and frost competed and shook the earth's axis, but the ground where Glenn stood did not waver at all.
However, a single leaf fluttered and fell to the ground from the branch he was holding.
"Ha..."
Raon let out a hollow laugh as he sat down.
'Just one leaf?'
He could only laugh at the fact that his best effort had only resulted in a single leaf falling from the branch.
-It's not just one leaf.
'What do you mean?'
-It means you've accomplished something in your own way.
'Huh?'
Wrath muttered words whose exact meaning was unclear, surprisingly without mockery.
"Hmm..."
Glenn stared intently at the fallen leaf before heading towards the bushes. He took the branch he had broken to where it originally was and rubbed his fingers, and the branch reattached as if it had never been broken.
"Th-that..."
Raon's mouth fell open, having never expected the broken branch to reattach.
"If there's a sword that can kill, there's also a sword that can save. I only realized it recently myself, so there's no need to be so surprised."
Glenn lightly tapped the restored branch and looked at Raon.
"So, do you feel better now?"
"Huh? Ah, yes..."
Raon nodded blankly.
'I had completely forgotten.'
During the sparring with Glenn, he had forgotten about Rector, and his chest that had felt so stuffy seemed to have returned to normal.
"You think too much. Sometimes you need to empty your mind."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"Since you say you've sorted things out, I'll say this."
He clicked his tongue briefly and looked up at the night sky.
"Even to me, Rector didn't seem like someone who would betray others."
Glenn shook his head, seeming somewhat regretful.
"Um..."
Raon raised his hand briefly as he looked at Glenn.
"There's something I'd like to tell you."
"What is it?"
"Actually..."
He explained what Rector had done and the situation.
"I see."
Glenn nodded calmly, not dismissing it as nonsense.
"I'll keep that in mind for now. But the fact that he's our enemy hasn't changed."
"I understand."
"That's good then."
He nodded and turned his back.
"I'll be going now."
"Th-thank you for today."
Raon bowed his head sincerely to Glenn.
"It's just a reward for what you achieved in this mission."
Glenn let out a somewhat cold voice and left towards the direction of the main building.
"Haaa..."
As soon as Glenn's figure disappeared, Raon lay down on the ground and let out a refreshing breath. It was harder than lying in his room, but his heart felt at ease.
"This feels nice."
* * *
Glenn didn't return straight to the lord's manor. He was watching Raon while leaning against a tree that had sprung up on the mid-slope of North Grave Mountain.
"It must be hard."
Raon didn't even know well why he was struggling and in pain.
That child had grown up sharing a lot of affection with people while pretending to be cold, so the sense of betrayal from Rector must have struck deeper and harder.
'Not all people are good. And not all are evil either.'
He had set up this meeting because he was worried Raon might distance himself from others due to the sense of betrayal, but it seemed he had vented well enough.
'You'll be able to overcome this.'
Glenn narrowed his eyes as he looked at the single leaf that had fallen at Raon's feet.
'That aside...'
He's created quite an impressive sword realm.
Raon's sword realm was beyond expectations.
Its power, durability, and sustainability were excellent, and the biggest advantage was that it was still incomplete.
'No, rather than incomplete, it's growing.'
Raon's sword realm perfectly embodied his mental image. It meant that as his upper dantian grew, his sword realm would grow with it. Raon's sword realm held limitless potential.
In fact, Raon's sword realm had grown even during their sparring.
The proof was that a leaf had fallen from the branch that he had maintained with just enough willpower to predict Raon's strength.
'And...'
Glenn closed his eyes.
'That golden flame.'
The flame reflected in Raon's sword contained a faint golden color within the red. The golden flame that had only appeared once in the long history of the Zieghart family. The flame of the first patriarch had seeped into Raon's soul.
"The path suited for you is not the path of tyranny."
Glenn slowly opened his eyelids.
"I'll take on the malice and the five defilements of the world. Raon, you..."
He smiled, capturing Raon in his red gaze filled with affection.
"Walk the righteous path."