Roenn entered the audience chamber, a gray letter in his hand.
âMy lord, weâve received a report from the Light Wind leader.â
He walked up to Glenn, who was sitting on his throne, and handed over the gray letter.
âReportâŚâ
Glenn frowned as he looked at the letter.
âI wonder if he can even write a report.â
âCertainly, most of his reports were verbal when he was a head instructor.â
âYes. The only time he gave me a report and documents was during the survival exam.â
âHaha.â
Roenn smiled. Rimmer personally visited him to report most of the time. The only report he had prepared was the list of locations suitable for the trainees during the survival exam.
Whir!
Glenn raised his finger, and the letter floated on its own from Roennâs hand, landing in front of him.
âLetâs check it out.â
Glennâs hand trembled upon taking the letter from the envelope.
âWhat kind of report is this crazy bastardâŚâ
âD-Did anything happen?â
âYou should see it by yourself.â
Glenn handed over the document, which only contained two lines.
[Raon won against the seventh apostle. Wow!
Mission complete!]
Roenn fell speechless upon reading the contents of the letter. He was dumbstruck by the simplicity, and he felt dizzy from the ridiculous statement.
âL-Let alone the simplicity, an apostle should be at leastâŚâ
âYes, heâs a Master. Thereâs no way that ageless monster would nominate someone that didnât surpass the wall as an apostle.â
Glenn nodded, looking at Roennâs confused expression.
âThe young master should still be an Expert. How could he have defeated a Master?â
âIâm also curious about that. Moreover, I cannot grasp the situation because this damn bastardâs report is too simple. He didnât even write whether heâs safe or injuredâŚâ
âConsidering the simple expression, he shouldnât be seriously injured.â
âWho knows? That gambling addict has a different mindset from us.â
âAt the very least, it must be true that he managed to defeat the seventh apostle. Rimmer isnât the type of person to lie about something like this.â
Roenn swallowed nervously, holding the document in a trembling hand.
âIndeed.â
âHe defeated a Master while being an Expert himself. I rarely get surprised now that Iâve grown old, but Young Master Raon surprises me every time. From my knowledge, he must be the first one on the continentâŚâ
âIâve never heard of it before either. Itâs really bothersome that he doesnât lead a normal life.â
Glenn nodded. His eyes were sharp, but the corners of his mouth were drawing into a smooth curve.
âWhy did he have to defeat an apostle and make me so curious?â
âI know, right?â
âDefeating a Master as an Expert. Everyone might go crazy. Ahem!â
âHuhu.â
Roenn smiled, watching as Glenn awkwardly boasted about his grandson.
âI want to issue an order to the Shadow Agents, but it will be faster to have the boy tell me about it directly. I want to make them return quickly and listen to the story.â
âYes, Iâm also curious.â
âAnd that bastard Rimmer needs a beating.â
ââŚâŚâ
* * *
Raon went to the city hall alongside the Light Wind squad. Since the annex building was under the main street, they had to walk for a while to reach the city hall.
âW-Wait! ThatâsâŚâ
âBlonde hair and red eyes! Zieghartâs uniform!â
âThatâs him! The Light Windâs vice-leader, who defeated the seventh apostle!â
âRaon Zieghart!â
The people on the main street exclaimed upon recognizing Raon.
âI heard he was seriously injured. Why does he look perfectly fine?â
âThe superhumans have a faster recovery, you know.â
âI canât believe that such a young swordsman killed the archbishop and defeated an apostle.â
âThatâs not all. Heâs the one that discovered the location of the White Blood Religionâs Porvan branch!â
âI heard he even declared that he would kill the tenth apostle!â
âIs this what Zieghart is like?â
People were already aware of Raonâs deeds.
âWhatâs going on?â
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked around. Everyone seemed to know about him.
âThe rumor that you killed the archbishop and defeated the seventh apostle has already spread.â
âWho⌠Ah, I guess thatâs obvious.â
He didnât even need to ask. It was clearly the gambling addict squad leaderâs doing, since he had nothing else to do.
âWell, the squad leader had the biggest contribution, but the hostages that remained there talked about you a lot.â
Burren continued with a faint smile.
âPeopleâs awareness of the Light Wind squad has increased tremendously thanks to you. Although it was just our first mission, the rumor is spreading that you are the best among the young warriors of the Six Kings.â
âHmmâŚâ
Raon frowned slightly. He wasnât sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
âHe looks even more awesome when he frowns!â
âIndeed! A Zieghart needs a cold-blooded appearance like that!â
âIs he not completely recovered yet?â
âI guess. He must have a serious internal injury, since he defeated a Master while being just an Expert. He must be enduring the pain right now.â
âAnd he even declared war against the tenth apostle in that state. Heâs a born hero!â
However, people exclaimed even more loudly, captivated by the frown.
The positive interpretation made him somewhat understand why Rimmer told him to become famous.
As he was about to enter city hall with an awkward expression on his face, a group of people came out. It was Morell, Salaman, and Princess Jayna.
âHiee!â
As soon as the princess saw him, she shrieked as if she had seen a ghost, then stepped back. The others looked at her, and she lowered her reddening face.
âItâs been a while.â
Raon bowed to Morell politely.
âHow is your body?â
âBody?â
âB-But! Isnât the mission already over⌠Sir?â
Morellâs eyes widened in panic, but he still remembered to add âSirâ in the meantime.
âIndeed, the mission is over. I was just kidding.â
âUghâŚâ
Once he said it was a joke, Morell frowned and breathed out a sigh of relief.
âYou are more playful than you look.â
âIâm sorry.â
Raon smiled faintly.
âAnyway, you really did great. On top of finding the White Blood Religionâs Porvan branch and defeating the archbishop, you even won against the seventh apostle.â
His eyes, which looked cold at a glance, were still reflecting his shock.
âI admit that our Balkar completely lost against Zieghart this time.â
âThereâs no winning or losing since it was a mission.â
âNo, we did lose. Have you ever heard the Balkar name on your way here?â
âThatâsâŚâ
Morell was right. All he heard on the way was his own nameâthat of Zieghart and the Light Wind.
âThe Six Kings are allies, but also competitors at the same time. Itâs a bit embarrassing to say, but Zieghartâs stature has been raised while Balkarâs stature has been lowered from this incident.â
âAre you saying that a single mission affects the value of a name?â
âThatâs what it means to put the Six Kingâs name on the line. Moreover, everything you did was a surprise. The archbishop was one thing, but I was completely shocked when I heard you defeated the seventh apostle. I couldnât even properly extinguish the fire in the food warehouse because of that.â
Morell smiled bitterly in regret.
Tsk, it wasnât that amazing.
Wrath clicked his tongue in frustration.
Finish your business already and go to the restaurant.
There was nothing but food and the restaurant in his head.
âThe loser will leave now. Thereâs nothing else for us to do here.â
âThank you for your effort.â
âThere wasnât really any effort. Weâve just been played by your plan. I donât understand how a weirdo like Rimmer managed to raise someone like you.â
âHe still gets serious when it comes down to it.â
âBut it rarely comes down to it.â
âWell, thatâsâŚâ
âAnyway, Iâll pay back todayâs humiliation the next time we meet.â
Morell shook his hand, then went down the main street. He was speaking rather nicely, but his pride seemed to be hurt.
âSir Raon, Iâll be looking forward to the next time we meet.â
âYes, see you again next time.â
Zatice bowed at a 90-degrees as he passed by, and Raon nodded with a smile.
ââŚâŚâ
Princess Jayna walked between the magicians in order to avoid meeting his eyes.
âPrincess, am I really not even getting a thanks, despite having saved you?â
While trying to run away, Jayna flinched and stopped walking.
âTh-Thank youâŚSir.â
After saying that, she hurriedly turned around.
âI knew it.â
Raon snickered. As expected, the prideful princess didnât tell anyone about the incident.
âHey.â
He called out to Inield, who was walking at the very back.
âYes? Ah, yes!â
He straightened his back like a soldier. He mustâve realized from the rumors that Raon was on a completely different level from him.
âYou didnât get any serious injuries, right?â
âOf course not!â
He answered, but he didnât have any front teeth.
âYou should be careful in the future where you step in, since you might lose your life from recklessly interfering.â
âYes! Th-Thank you for saving me!â
Raon tapped his shoulder, and Inieldâs body trembled as he nodded.
âYou can go now.â
âYes!â
He hurriedly ran towards Morell in order to avoid being called on again.
Raon snickered, then opened the door to city hall. He could guess that the rumor was also spread inside city hall, since everyone inside widened their eyes.
Raon nonchalantly accepted their surprised gazes, heading upstairs to see the mayor.
âOoh! You woke up!â
As soon as he entered, Porvanâs mayor, Owist, quickly stood and ran up to him. His big face was filled with a smile.
âHow is your body?â
âIâve recovered thanks to your consideration.â
âThatâs a relief.â
He nodded, maintaining a big smile.
âPlease, take a seat.â
âYes.â
Raon sat on the chair the mayor pointed to.
âYou really did something amazing. You saved my lifeâno, it wouldnât be excessive to say that you saved Porvan City.â
âWell, itâs not that muchâŚâ
âNo! Itâs true!â
The mayor shook his head violently.
âLet alone the matter with the White Blood Religion, Balkar wouldâve enveloped the entire city of Porvan in flames if the kidnapped princess couldnât be rescued. You found the branch to save the princess, and even defeated the archbishop and the apostle.â
Owist wasnât just flattering him, since it was true that the Balkarâs king treasured the princess.
âI donât know how I can repay the favor of saving me, the citizens, and the city itself.â
He stood up from his chair and bowed deeply to express his gratitude.
âIâve only completed a mission bestowed upon me.â
Raon showed humility for instance.
What are you doing? You came here to get money! Show your true nature!
Wrath yelled at him to show his true nature already instead of wasting time.
âWait a little. I canât just straight up say that.â
He casually shook his head.
âSince youâve completely removed the White Blood Religionâs branch and even defeated an apostle, Iâd like to grant any of your wishes.â
âAh, now that you mention, you said you would grant a reward once we completed the mission, right?â
âYes! I did!â
Owist confidently thumped his chest.
âWell, in that caseâŚâ
Raon stretched his hand towards Dorian on his right side.
âYes.â
Dorian put his hand in his belly pocket, taking out a contract filled with lots of small letters.
âActually, we have so many shortages because we are a new organization. Iâm really thankful that you are willing to provide us with everything.â
âWhat? I-I didnât say everything, thoughâŚâ
âFirst of all, there is too much dust in our training ground. We need to fill it with soft soil, which is best suited for training.â
Before Owist could finish the denial, Raon mentioned the first article written on the contract.
âS-Soft soilâs price isâŚâ
âNext, Iâd like to give our members a small elixir per person, because they are too exhausted from fighting this time.â
âTh-The price of elixirs is a problem, but the supplyâŚâ
âAnd weâd like sageâs fabrics to maintain our swords, as many as our members.â
âS-Sageâs fabric is more expensive than high-quality silkâŚâ
âWe also need some activity funds because we are a new organization, as I mentioned before. I think this much gold should be appropriate as compensationâŚâ
âGold on top of all those articles?â
âYes, we absolutely need them.â
Raon ignored all the denials from Owist, listing the articles written in the contract before proceeding to the gold part, where he showed the precise amount they needed.
âUawwghâŚâ
Owistâs eyes lost focus upon seeing the articles and the amount of gold.
âDo you guys need anything?â
âI want to refill the supplies that I used during this mission!â
Dorian immediately raised his hand.
âSince I used them during the mission, it should be okay, right?â
âO-Of course, thatâs fine.â
Owist nodded despite his confused state.
âReally? Then, please buy me these items!â
Dorian took out from his belly pocket a paper even longer and wider than Raonâs.
âFirst, one big club, a small club, a special contract, a normal contract, and seventeen tents and sleeping bags. I also used a smokescreen bead and a lighting beadâŚâ
âBut you still have the clubs and the tents.â
âYou know that the value depreciates after usage.â
âI-I feel like my words are getting twistedâŚâ
Owistâs face gradually turned pale. He grasped his stomach with trembling hands.
âI need equipment to maintain the training outfit. I saw a product using water magic stones and wind magic stones on the way here.â
Burren didnât miss the opportunity, mentioning an object used for maintaining clothes.
âI donât have any.â
âBead ice cream.â
Martha shook her head and said she didnât need anything, and Runaan mentioned the ice cream, as expected.
âIce cream? Sure, be my guestâŚâ
âShop.â
Owist cheered up for the first time, but his face turned yellow again once Runaan continued.
âWhat?â
âBead ice cream shop.â
ââŚâŚâ
* * *
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
* * *
Raon left city hall with the contract signed by Owist.
Because of what he said before, he had to sign the paper, grasping his stomach as if he had an ulcer. The signature was a bit messy because of that.
What a terrible guyâŚ
Wrath shook his head in revulsion. He didnât seem to believe that Raon would seriously get everything written on the contract.
âYou gotta thoroughly benefit from an opportunity.â
Since you could never anticipate when the next opportunity would occur, you had to benefit from it as much as you could when you had one. Moreover, all the money wouldâve become Rimmerâs gambling money if he missed it.
âI earned quite a lot.â
Adding Owistâs gold to what he earned from the casino, he had enough money to settle anywhere on the continent, which felt rather reassuring.
While he was tapping on his inner pocket, where he placed the gold, he could see Runaan pouting slightly.
She seemed to be sulking a little because her request for an ice cream shop wasnât granted.
âI canât buy you a shop, but Iâll buy all kinds of ice cream instead. Letâs eat for now.â
âMhm.â
Once Raon said he would buy her all the ice cream she wanted, she stopped pouting and nodded.
âWhere was the restaurant you wanted to go to again?â
Raon tapped Wrath, who had his arms crossed in displeasure.
Are we finally going?
âI promised, so Iâm keeping it.â
Fine! Thatâs what a human should do! The name is the Eastern Cockscomb! Itâs famous for dishes made of chicken!
âHow did you even find out about that place?â
While you were investigating those fanatics, the King of Essence investigated the restaurants.
âThatâs amazingâŚâ
It looked like he had gathered information about restaurants with his hearing. His passion was worthy of admiration.
âSince the mission is over, letâs go eat together. Today, Iâll buy.â
Raon gathered the swordsmen and invited them to eat together.
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
âOhhh!â
âReally?â
âHow generous! I knew you were different from the squad leader!â
âI heard the Eastern Cockscomb is nice. Does anyone know its location?â
âI do!â
Dorian immediately raised his hand. He really knew everything, Raon thought.
âLetâs go there since they apparently make delicious chicken.â
âYes!â
While Dorian guided them to the Eastern Cockscomb, a red-haired elf walked towards them from the front, his shoulders drooping.
âSquad leader?â
âRaon? You woke up!â
Rimmer removed his frown and smiled brightly as he approached them.
âYou have a healthy complexion. Though, werenât your wounds more severe than this?â
âItâs all thanks to your quick measures.â
âWhat? Ah, yes. I did really well back then.â
Rimmer agreed with a grin.
âBut you look like you lost everything.â
âI-I didnât really loseâŚâ
Judging from his dubious voice, he mustâve lost down to the ground in the gambling house.
âWhich casino did you gamble at?â
âCatâs Jelly.â
ââŚâŚâ
Raon felt like he heard that name before, and it sounded like a den of swindlers.
âSince we are having a meal together, how about joining us?â
âMeal? Of course! Iâll join! But this squad leader has something left to do. Iâll join you later.â
âAlright, come to the Eastern Cockscomb.â
Raon bowed, before heading towards the road on the right side.
âOkay, okay.â
Rimmer waved his hand, then went to city hall. A smile secretly appeared in his awkward expression.
âHe finally woke up. I can go there now.â
His conscience didnât allow him to discuss monetary rewards while Raon was still unconscious. That was why he postponed the meeting with the mayor, and he decided that it was fine now.
âHuhuhu, you are all dead!â
Gambling was all about how much one could stake. Rimmer was already smiling, looking forward to gambling with the huge amount of reward that the mayor would give him.
âHnngh!â
Rimmer went to the mayorâs room, humming in anticipation.
âWelcome, Sword of Light!â
Owist was grasping his stomach, his face pale. He looked like he wasnât feeling too well.
âAre you okay? You donât look healthy.â
âAh, I just have a sore stomachâŚâ
âYou should be careful with your body.â
Rimmer worriedly examined Owist from top to bottom.
âI-Iâm alright.â
Owist personally made some tea and placed it in front of Rimmer.
âBut whatâs the purposeâŚâ
âYou remember what we talked about before, that you would give us additional rewards after this missionâŚâ
âI see, you came to confirm. Haa, your subordinates are really amazing.â
âSorry?â
Rimmer opened his hand to get the money, but his eyes widened.
âEverything they requested was of high quality, but I couldnât even refuse because it was still possible to acquire it in Porvan. Iâm sure he thoroughly prepared beforehand.â
Owist sighed, while placing the contract on the table.
âTh-This isâŚâ
Rimmer realized what was happening after reading the words and the names on the contract. Raon and the Light Wind had beaten him to the punch.
âGetting extorted to this extent was a first in my career as the mayor. I realized once again that I have to be careful of what I say. I shouldâve said that I would grant something like five requests.â
Owist tightly grasped his sour stomach once again.
âYou mustâve been worried about whether the Light Wind managed to negotiate properly, but thereâs no need. Starting from Sir Raon, all of them are amazing fellows. Haha!â
âB-By the way, how about the additional goldâŚâ
âThey took it, of course.â
He pointed at the empty coffer behind him.
âThey didnât only take the articles, but also the activity funds. Iâll have to spend my own money on top of the cityâs budget.â
âAhaha! S-So, they even took the goldâŚâ
Rimmer nodded like a fool. He couldnât bring himself to ask for more money when Owist mentioned he would spend his personal money on top of the cityâs budget.
âS-Since Iâve confirmed, Iâll get goingâŚâ
A sorrowful tear dropped from the gambling addictâs left eye as he turned around.