âI didnât expect it to apply itself like this.â
Raon smiled slightly while checking his increased stats. Having all of his stats increase for sleeping for two days was literally a case of getting stronger while sleeping.
He couldnât suppress his laughter as the table was filled with steaming dishes, and exhilaration ran through his body from the increased stats.
I had a bad feeling for a reasonâŚ
Wrath glared at the message, his eyes trembling in disbelief.
How are you getting a point increase in all stats just from sleeping? What madness is this?
Just like the steaming food, coldness steamed from his head.
How could he give you that stupid ability? Sloth, you damn idiot!
As Wrath was about to use his wrath, Raon quickly picked up his spoon to put the seafood stew in his mouth.
Iâll make you unable to sleep forever! And you shall⌠Ohh!
With the seafood stewâs sweet and hot taste spreading in his mouth, Wrath suddenly stopped speaking.
Ooh!
Because it was a proper meal for the first time in a long time, Wrath stopped controlling his wrath and coldness to stand still and exclaim.
Th-This is nice. It tastes sweet at first, and hot in the end. The King of Essence loves this taste!
He pointed at the next food without even trying to hide the way the corners of his mouth were trying to reach the sky.
What are you waiting for? Take the fork and pick up the cream shrimp! Put that shrimp in your mouth immediately, as if your life depended on it!
âBut you said you lost your appetite.â
Iâm sure you donât know about this, as you will eat anything like an animal, but appetite is something that can suddenly appear or disappear.
âEven so, the change was too quickâŚâ
Shut up and eat!
âAlright, alright.â
Raon snickered and picked up the fork. Since he had even received extra stats, he could happily fill his stomach.
He listened to Wrathâs advice as he said that he should start with light food and gradually move on to the heavier ones, slowly emptying the dishes on the table.
How did you like the King of Essenceâs choices? The knowledge and experience of the person savoring the dish is as important as the foodâs taste itself.
âIâm not sure. It didnât feel any different.â
Thatâs why Iâm calling you an animal. You know nothing about delicacies.
Wrath clicked his tongue at his pathetic response.
In Devildom, restaurants are ranked by Michelin standards. A better restaurant is rated with more skulls, and the King of Essence is one of the judges that decides on the number of Michelin skullsâŚ
âThey were all decent, but the stew was the best.â
They offer a bunch of food to the King of Essence each time the Demon God Ritual is held in order to gain his favorâŚ
âRegardless of the taste, I need the soup to fill my stomach.â
Turning a deaf ear to Wrath, Raon just mumbled his impression. As a result, the conversation between them was getting nowhere.
As Raon was emptying the remaining few dishes while ignoring Wrath, people started to murmur from the table next to them.
âIs that him?â
âRaon ZieghartâŚâ
âDid he really win against Sir Holline?â
âThatâs impossible! He just became a swordsman recently.â
âHe mustâve cheated. You also saw it during the last outing, thereâs a drug to temporarily increase strength and aura.â
âThatâs totally possible.â
âBut he really fucking eats a lot, even though he doesnât even belong to the Central Martial Palace.â
Raon looked at the table the voice was coming from. They were faces that he hadnât seen before. They seemed to be the Central Martial Palace swordsmen that had returned alongside Karoon.
âHe said the damage was still insignificant.â
Since Urek said that the damage he inflicted to the Central Martial Palace wasnât that much, it would be fine if he destroyed a bit more.
âAre you satisfied now?â
This is enough, since the King of Essence doesnât eat that much nowadays.
Wrath patted his belly, which was swollen like a pot.
ââŚâŚâ
He just said that he didnât eat that much when ten empty dishes were displayed on the table. He was clearly closer to Gluttony than Wrath.
Raon sighed slightly and cleaned up the dishes before standing up.
âHe wonât last long anyway.â
âSince he has no background, he will just get used up and killed.â
âHe might not even last that long.â
The swordsmen at the table were still acting like butter wouldnât melt in their mouths.
Step.
Raon walked towards their table as they blatantly blabbered about him.
Crack!
He pressed on the tableâs center with his finger while using the King of Destructionâs power. With a creaking sound, a distorted hole was made in the center of the table.
âStop talking behind my back. If you have something to say to me, say it to my face instead, dear seniors.â
Raon looked around to check their faces, then smiled cheerfully.
âYou said earlier that it was impossible, so do you want to confirm it for yourselves?â
âWhat?â
âYou can find out whether the rumors were true or not by personally sparring with me.â
âFine!â
The long-haired man sitting at the center stood up.
âIâll personally confirm whether you cheated or not to defeat the swordsmen of the Central Martial Palace!â
A powerful energy wave could be felt from him. He was around the advanced Expert level, and his confidence was as strong as his prowess.
âBe my guest.â
Raon jerked his chin towards the door.
âLetâs go outside, so that we wonât unnecessarily damage the cafeteria.â
The long-haired man wrinkled his nose and went out the door, with Raon and the other swordsmen following him. He came to a stop at the center of the small training ground that was closest to the cafeteria.
âDraw your sword.â
âWhat shall we do about aura?â
ââŚâŚâ
The long-haired man narrowed his eyes in contemplation. He seemed to be concerned about the rumor of Hollineâs defeat.
âIt is allowed, of course. Come at me with everything you have!â
âTeam leader!â
âI-Itâs dangerous!â
The other swordsmen were trying to stop him, but the long-haired man didnât listen to them and got ready to fight.
ââŚEverything I have?â
âBut you donât deserve all that.â
Raon smiled coldly and drew his sword.
âBegin the spar!â
The long-haired man glanced sideways, and another swordsman raised his hand.
âHaap!â
The long-haired swordsman kicked the ground and dashed forward. He reached the area in front of Raon in an instant, thanks to his toned muscles and proper footwork. The blow that followed it wasnât intended to kill, but was powerful enough to break a part of Raonâs body.
âSo thatâs your level.â
Raon slashed down diagonally.
Clang!
The sword flew away from the long-haired swordsmanâs hand. Raon used his confusion to punch his abdomen with his left fist.
Smack!
Along with the refreshing sound of a direct hit, the eyes of the long haired swordsman rolled back as he collapsed backwards. Foam kept coming from his mouth.
âHmm.â
Raon put his sword on his shoulder and looked around at the other swordsmen.
âUhhâŚâ
âD-Did he just send the team leaderâs sword flying in a single blow?â
âHis hand is torn. How did thatâŚâ
âW-Was the rumor about him being as strong as a troll for real?â
Their lips were trembling as they looked at the unconscious long haired swordsman.
âNext.â
It was the return of the King of Destruction after two weeks.
* * *
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
* * *
As Urek was sitting at a desk and writing a document in a hurry, Reff burst through the door and urgently ran up to him.
âGeneral Administrator!â
âIâm busy right now.â
âThis is also an emergency!â
Urek frowned and raised his head upon hearing that it was an emergency.
âSay it quickly.â
âRaon, that crazy bastard started to destroy things once again.â
Reffâs round chins were trembling in anguish.
âI went there when I heard there was an accident, and I found ten of the swordsmen that returned yesterday unconscious on the ground with their eyes rolled back.â
âHaa⌠What was the reason this time?â
âI couldnât ask them because they were unconscious, and according to that bastard Raon, he defended himself because they picked a fightâŚâ
âThat son of a bitchâŚâ
Urek violently scratched the wooden desk with his finger. It mustâve been true that they picked a fight, but there was no need for him to knock everyone unconscious like that.
Beating up one person would naturally discourage others from fighting him. He mustâve pulverized everyone on purpose.
âHow are the men?â
âTheir lives arenât in danger. However, they will have to recuperate for about two weeks, andâŚâ
âAnd?â
âThe wall and a s-slightly expensive tree were destroyed during the sparâŚâ
âTree? Wait a second! Where did the fight take place?â
âIt was at the small training ground next to the cafeteria, and the tree snapped when the wall was destroyed.â
âD-Donât tell meâŚâ
Urek stared blankly at the desk.
âYes, itâs the Sairan tree.â
âArrrgh! Raon!â
The Sairan tree was extremely expensive because its subtle fragrance had the effect of keeping people awake. Urek started to space out upon hearing that Raon actually destroyed that tree.
âThe total damage heâs inflicted is over 10k gold nowâŚâ
It was terrifying. Although Karoon didnât usually scold people because of money, 10k gold was enough to make him angry.
âWh-What shall we do?â
âRemove everyone.â
âWhat?â
âTell people to never pick a fight with him, and to just ignore him even if he walks up to them!â
âU-Understood!â
Reff raised his hand to salute before running outside.
Urek tapped his head and quickly finished writing his document, then went to Karoonâs office in the center of the Central Martial Palace.
âHaaâŚâ
He sighed like a sick chicken and stared at the heavy-looking black door.
âMy limbs are trembling.â
When Karoon Zieghart went to the troubled region, he literally annihilated one of the factions instead of just stopping the war.
He wouldâve returned in two weeks, if it wasnât for Glennâs additional orders. He had the power befitting one of the strongest monsters of Zieghart.
However, the monster seemed to be in a bad mood, and his uncomfortable atmosphere sent chills down his spine. The thickness of the door wasnât enough to prevent Urek from noticing his irritation.
âI guess itâs obvious.â
With the rumor about Raon destroying the equipment, beating up the swordsmen, and defeating Hollineâthe vice-leader of Striding Lightningâit was only natural that Karoon would be annoyed.
âIt also ruined the reputation of the Central Martial Palace.â
The Central Martial Palace wasnât exactly the strongest, but it was called the bravest. Even though most of its forces werenât present due to a mission, it was unavoidable that bad rumors would spread after they were thoroughly defeated by Raon, who was just a novice swordsman.
Although they gained some reputation from the perfect accomplishments during the mission, the amount Raon cheapened it mustâve been several times over.
âDamn RimmerâŚâ
At first, Reff wanted to catch the one that spread the rumor to cut their tongue off, but he didnât even need to search. That crazy red-haired elf was talking about it everywhere, not even trying to hide his identity.
Knock knock.
Resolving himself to beat Rimmer up one day, Urek tapped the door with the back of his hand.
âEnter.â
Before the second knocking sound, a solemn voice could be heard from inside, telling him to enter. Urek caught his breath and slowly opened the door.
Whir.
As soon as he opened the door, streams of threatening atmosphere assaulted him. Feeling like his skin dry up, Urek swallowed nervously and knelt.
âG-Greeting the palace master!â
Since Karoon enjoyed formalities that Glenn didnât, he waited until Urek finished his polite bow before nodding at him.
âStand up.â
âAh, yes!â
Because Karoonâs voice was filled with anger, Urek grasped his pounding chest and stood.
âReport.â
Goosebumps appeared in his skin from hearing that. Karoon was telling him to describe everything that happened without missing a single detail.
âI-I wrote up a report about it.â
âI was to hear it from your mouth.â
Karoon took a glance at Urekâs report and placed it on the desk.
âU-Understood. In the beginning, I followed the palace masterâs orders and tried to figure out Raonâs abilitiesâŚâ
Urek described what happened with Raon while bending his back like an old man to look as pitiful as possible.
He added that he followed the order from time to time, and that Reff acted on his own accord to emphasize that it was mostly not his fault.
ââŚAnd he is now resting after leaving the first cave.â
A frightening glow appeared in Karoonâs eyes upon hearing that Raon held out inside the first cave.
âF-Fortunately, I was able to complete the palace masterâs orders. His strength and agility are at the level of a troll, and he can even defeat a highest rank Expert by using aura. Although he hasn't become a Master yet, he is undoubtedly going to face the wall soon.â
Urek continued, trying to read Karoonâs mood.
âBecause of the fact that he held out inside the first cave where the mana is distorted, it can be deduced that one of the techniques he learned has a special ability. It wouldnât be wise to use formations that twist mana or cause dizziness against him.â
Karoon remained silent, his eyes shining faintly. It looked like he agreed with him.
âAnd this is the important part. He has a weakness.â
âWeakness?â
Karoon opened his mouth for the first time, despite having stayed quiet the entire time.
âYes!â
Urek figured it was his opportunity and quickly nodded.
âHe got frostbite during the spar against Holline, although he was only exposed to a small amount of ice. Since his hand was still red when I saw him in the cave, he must be extremely weak against ice.â
âIce, huhâŚ?â
âEveryone forgot about it by now, but Raonâs mana circuit was originally blocked by ice. We can use this as a deadly dagger against him for sure.â
Since Karoon was interested, Urek took a step towards him and clenched his fist.
âWe should be able to get rid of him with a small cost by using ice.â
âIndeed.â
The uncomfortable murderous intent stopped coming from Karoon. Urek could feel that his back was drenched in sweat, but he realized he managed to survive.
âWhat shall we do about him now?â
âLet him be without doing anything.â
Karoon lightly shook his hand.
âSince he defeated Holline, we need at least a Master to neutralize him. But if we do send a Master to him, people will only end up insulting us and claiming that we are using power against a seventeen-year-old boy. Just let him be, since thereâs not much time left. Heâs not going to live a long life anyway.â
âAn excellent decision.â
Urek had reached the same conclusion, but he still praised Karoon. He was actually impressed that Karoon made a calm judgment despite his anger.
âHowever, you should still make preparations.â
âBy preparations, you meanâŚâ
âWe are going to need a scapegoat to take the blame after he becomes crippled.â
âAh!â
âEdenâno, Balder might be a good candidate.â
A frightening glow appeared in Karoonâs eyes. It seemed he would even sacrifice his younger brother for his plan.
âI-Iâll try making the plan.â
Goosebumps appeared on Urekâs limbs in his terror as he bowed.
âAh, and the last young master went to the fifth caveâŚâ
âDonât speak about him.â
Karoon firmly shook his hand.
âI thought he got a bit stronger, but his eyes were completely ruined.â
âUhâŚâ
Urek shuddered, as he didnât expect him to say that.
âI couldnât see any spite or evil in him. I was planning to raise him, since he was slightly talented, but a weak guy like that with a meek mind isnât worth my attention.â
âTh-Then, during the Selection CeremonyâŚâ
âYes, I have no intention of choosing him. Get rid of him, just like the third and the fourth.â
ââŚâŚâ
âJust like the third and the fourthâ meant that there was no place for Burren in the Central Martial Palace. Urek couldnât understand his decision, but Karoon was the god in that place, and he had no choice but to follow his orders.
âTake care of the idiots that yielded to Raonâs sloppy provocation as well.â
âUnderstood.â
Urek politely bowed, then left the office.
âHe is so cold-hearted that itâs scaryâŚâ
But that also meant that he was worthy of his devotion.
* * *
Raon wanted to become the King of Destruction once again, but outside of the first day, he was unsuccessful. No one was trying to pick a fight with him anymore, and they didnât yield to his provocations, either.
Urek and Reff stopped him from âaccidentallyâ destroying equipment, but the powerhouses like the division leader, the vice-division leader, and the squad leader were nowhere to be seen.
He wasted his time by destroying some property while pretending to train, and five days passed in no timeâputting an end to his internship.
âYouâve worked hard for the last month, and in the futureâŚâ
Raon narrowed his eyes, looking at Reff as he gave some lame speech from the platform.
âHeâs smart.â
Karoon mustâve realized that there was no point in fighting him and ordered the swordsmen of the Central Martial Palace to completely ignore him.
âThatâs a nice way of handling it.â
A Master level warrior such as the division leader, division vice-leader, or squad leader were necessary to deal with him, and they would only be humiliated upon defeat while having nothing to gain from victory. The way Karoon stopped everyone from making anything happen was a good method.
âWell, I did everything I wanted to do.â
The damage he inflicted to the Central Martial Palace could be roughly estimated to 15,000gold, and he managed to beat up more than twenty swordsmenâa lot more. He had no regrets, as he had inflicted enough damage and gained enough of a reputation.
Raon was curious about the face Karoon was making, but he didnât show up until the end. What a narrow-minded guy.
You mustâve enjoyed blowing off the steam by destroying as much as you pleased.
Wrath shook his head, murmuring that it was such an awful thing to do.
ââŚPlease become a respectful swordsman of Zieghart using what you learned here.â
Reff finally finished his boring speech, and the few swordsmen present applauded. Of course, the round of applause was directed at Buren instead of Raon.
âAre you returning immediately?â
Burren turned his head and asked his question.
âYes. Thereâs nothing left to do here.â
âThen letâs talk for a bit.â
He pointed at the small training ground, gesturing for him to follow. Raon nodded and followed him.
âI know that you hate my father.â
Burren turned around and leaned his back against the wall at the end of the training ground.
âItâs natural that youâd be angry at my father, since he started it first.â
His eyes were extremely clear, despite his rough appearance.
âSo, what are you trying to tell me? Do you want me to stop fighting him?â
Raon nonchalantly met Burrenâs eyes.
âNo, itâs only right for you to see it to the end, since you arenât the one who started it. HoweverâŚâ
While Raon was thinking that it was rather unexpected for him to say that, Burren continued.
âHe is my father. I still remember him personally giving me a training sword and teaching me swordsmanship when I was five years old.â
ââŚâŚâ
âMy goal has always been to be recognized by my father. I haven't managed it yet, but Iâll make him look back at me one day.â
âI see.â
Raon just nodded. Just like him, who defended Sylvia when she was condemned by everyone in the house, Burren also seemed to consider the narrow-minded and petty Karoon an excellent father.
Everyone was different. Raon wouldâve been unable to understand that fact in his previous life, but since he had a lot more experience now, he could somewhat understand his feelings.
âThatâs why Iâll stop you if you pick a fight with my father. And Iâll do the same if it happens the other way around.â
âOther way around? Do you mean that you are going to stop your father if he tries to kill me?â
âYes.â
Burren nodded resolutely.
âI donât know what you think about me, but you are my rival and my benefactor.â
âYou can forget about how I saved your life, though.â
âYou did save my life, but Iâm calling you my benefactor because you made me realize my stubbornness. Please donât ask me about that anymore, itâs embarrassing.â
Burren lowered his head. The completely red earlobes showed his embarrassment. Raon didnât feel too bad about being called a benefactor, probably because he shared similarities with him.
âAnyway, Iâll stop the fight between you two. Mark my words, and properly prepare for the Selection Ceremony! Many people will try to scout you!â
After saying that, he even used footwork to quickly leave the training ground.
Those shitty eyes don't look that great without spite.
Wrath snorted in displeasure. He used to dislike him for being arrogant, but now he didnât like him for not being arrogant anymore. It was truly difficult to satisfy a demon kingâs tastes.
Raon licked his lips as he watched Burren get further away. It was too bad for Burren, but he had no intention of leaving Karoon alone.
In fact, even if he left him alone, Karoon would be the first one to strike. Their relationship was bound to come to an end one day.
With Karoonâs death.
* * *
Apple meat pie, pineapple cookie, pineappleâŚ
Raon was returning to the annex building with Wrath, who was singing about what he wanted to eat.
âHmm?â
A tall, middle-aged man was standing on the central road, which used to be empty until just a moment ago.
With broad shoulders, his angular chin gave him a manly impression. And the pressure emanating from him was imposing enough to send chills down the spine.
He was a Master, and heâd reached that level a long time ago. Such a powerful warrior walked towards him with shining blue eyes.
âIâm Ayad, the leader of the White Lotus Division. Iâll get straight to the point, Raon Zieghart. Join the White Lotus Division and become my sword.â
âI donât want to.â
Raon immediately shook his head.
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ââŚHuh?â
Although Ayad looked like he would never be surprised, he lost his composure in an instant.
âAsking me to become your sword as soon as we meet is too sudden.â
âB-But I heard you like getting straight to the point?â
He slightly tilted his chin in confusion.
âI like being straightforward towards others, but I donât like others being straightforward with me.â
Raon shrugged, gesturing that it was obvious.
âHuhâŚâ
Since Ayad didnât expect such a decisive refusal, his eyes lost focus for a moment.
Itâs normal to be bewildered if you arenât aware of it.
Wrath snickered, his head popping out of the bracelet.