Rimmer calmly stood up and beat the dust off his clothes. He went down on one knee, then punched the ground with his fist while lowering his head.
âThe Light Wind squad leader is receiving my lordâs command.â
The solemn atmosphere burst from his shoulders alongside his low voice. It was difficult to believe that the powerful energy wave spreading throughout the audience chamber came from someone who had just been beaten up while joking around.
His green eyes, which always used to be mischievous, had turned serious. However, Glenn and the Gambling Monster werenât surprised at all. They were acting like it was only natural that Rimmer would do that, since he was that kind of person to begin with.
âThe mission hasnât been decided yet.â
âHaa, you shouldâve said so from the beginning! Itâs so much effort to strain my eyes!â
Rimmer sighed deeply and stood up. He scratched his head while murmuring that it was such a disappointment.
âHmmâŠâ
Glenn frowned, then flicked his finger on the armrest. He seemed to be contemplating whether he should strike him with lightning or not.
âSo, what kind of mission is it, since you mentioned before it even began?â
âDo you know Gazel River, the one connected to Rable River?â
âOf course I do. Thatâs where the Blue Lugh tribe lives.â
Rimmer nodded. Gazel River was located at the edge of Zieghartâs domain, and was the residence of the Blue Lugh tribe, which was one of the demi human races.
âIâve stayed at Doran Village next to the river before. It was a comfortable and peaceful place, just like the forest.â
Rimmer remembered that he could rest in a serene and quiet atmosphere similar to his home forest, and that the villagers were extremely kind.
âItâs a pretty good place. Watching the Blue Lughs playing around in a clean river is strangely charming.â
A faint smile also appeared on the Gambling Monsterâs face. Heâd apparently been there before as well.
âI agree. The Blue Lughs are pretty nice to watch because they kinda look like cats.â
Rimmer nodded in agreement.
âThose Blue Lughs have apparently attacked people.â
âWhaat?â
The smile disappeared from Rimmerâs face as his jaw dropped.
âTh-Thereâs no way that couldâve happenedâŠâ
The Blue Lugh tribe resided inside or near the river, and they was a timid race that tended to immediately hide upon seeing people or boats. They were a powerful race, yet they didnât try to show off, like benevolent wizardsâwhich made it difficult to believe that they had actually attacked people.
âWho did they attack?â
âThe fishermen from Doran Village, apparently.â
âHuhâŠâ
Rimmer scratched his chin. Since Doran Village was the only group in a symbiotic relationship with the Blue Lugh tribe, it was difficult to believe that they had attacked them.
âMaybe they touched the Blue Lughâs children? I have never heard of a case where they attacked others preemptively.â
The Gambling Monster also tilted his head in bewilderment.
âThe Shadow Agents are gathering information, and nothing like that happened. They were crossing the Gazel River just like always and were suddenly attacked. Their boat was destroyed.â
Glenn slowly shook his hand.
âIâve also seen the Blue Lugh before. They immediately ran away upon noticing me, and they werenât aggressive at all. They just seemed slightly curious.â
âThatâs what Iâm saying! They are extremely innocentâŠâ
âWe donât know that. Since the Blue Lughs never go far from water, we donât really know what kind of personality they have.â
âThatâs trueâŠâ
Rimmer nodded. Just like Glenn said, not much was known about the Blue Lughs. There couldâve been other aspects that he didnât see from them.
âYou have some time, since Iâll deliver the mission after the Shadow Agents gather enough information. You should get ready to leave in the meantime.â
âAlright, butâŠâ
Rimmer licked his lips as he met Glennâs gaze.
âWhat exactly is the mission about? Are we supposed to stop the Blue Lughs? Or chase them away? OrâŠâ
He purposefully didnât finish his sentence.
âYou should discover the reason the Blue Lughs have turned violent and stop them. However, you will need to get rid of them if that ends up being impossible.â
âAll of them?â
âYes.â
Glenn nodded coldly, without the slightest hesitation.
âUnderstood.â
Rimmer accepted the order without trying to argue against him, even though he had a pretty good impression of the Blue Lughs. However, his eyes had turned a lot deeper and more soulful than usual.
âRimmer.â
Glenn called Rimmerâs name to change the subject.
âAre you going to stop gambling now?â
ââŠâŠâ
Rimmer closed his eyes without responding.
âYou didnât manage to do it yourself, but your student has achieved it. It should be fine to stop now.â
âHmm.â
He smiled faintly while looking at the Gambling Monster.
âThatâs not wrong. Since I just wished to see someone complete the Promise of Three against that old geezer.â
The Gambling Monsterâs red eyes were quietly wavering like a windy lake upon hearing that.
âI think Iâll just gamble for fun now. Iâll still need to make some money, though.â
Rimmer laughed, then rotated his shoulders.
âRimmer, lingering attachments should be left to flow away. Holding on to someone elseâs attachment is both painful and foolish at the same time.â
Glennâs voice was even more void than usual.
âI have a different opinion about that.â
Rimmer shook his head.
âI think attachments are worth clinging on to. A deceased personâs lingering attachments should be realized, and itâs even more the case for someone who is still alive.â
The sad expression from before completely disappeared from his face as he smiled like a sly fox.
âI think my lordâs attachments need to be realized.â
âI have no such thing.â
âNo way! You do, since you love Raon so mucâŠGasp!â
Rimmer hurriedly used footwork to dodge the lightning sparking from Glennâs hand.
âIt looks like you can take more beatings, since you started talking again. Shall we start the real round?â
âI-Iâll take my leave now, since I need to get ready for the mission!â
He kicked the audience chamberâs door open and ran away.
âWhat was he talking about Raon just now?â
âJust ignore him, he was just spouting nonsense.â
Glenn quickly shook his head, telling him to not even think about it.
âHmm.â
The Gambling Monster narrowed his eyes while looking at Glenn before straightening his posture.
âIâm also going to leave now.â
He politely bowed, then turned around.
âHerrian.â
Glenn called his name as the Gambling Monster was about to open the audience chamberâs door to leave.
âWelcome back.â
ââŠThank you.â
The Gambling Monster nodded while smiling faintly. He looked at Glenn for a moment before leaving the audience chamber.
âHaa.â
Glenn frowned while looking at the door where Rimmer and the Gambling Monster went past.
âYou idiots. No one would blame you even if you lived comfortably nowâŠâ
* * *
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
* * *
Raon went to the main street alongside Yua and Yulius. The reason he was going to the main street instead of training was because of the tenant in his bracelet.
You donât even try to keep your promise if the King of Essence doesnât talk about it!
Wrath snorted while sitting on Raonâs right shoulder with his arms crossed.
You pretended you would do everything for the King of Essence when you made him work, yet you act like none of that ever happened once itâs over!
âI was going to buy you some anyway.â
Stop making me laugh! If the King of Essence didnât mention it, you wouldâve been standing in front of a mirror like a ghost still, practicing the illusion sword from daybreak.
âUghâŠâ
Raon groaned, since Wrath was telling the truth. He had no excuse because he kept training swordsmanship in front of a mirror after the Gambling Monster gave him advice.
âBut Iâm outside now.â
Raon came out to the main street at lunchtime in order to calm Wrathâs anger. Since Yua and Yulius also happened to be idle without any lessons, he brought them with him to cheer them up.
âItâs your first time being here, right? Iâll guide you.â
Yua cheerfully ran around the main street.
âYua!â
âWelcome, Yua! These apples just came in. Try one!â
âYua! The pork is great today! It will be delicious if you grill it!â
The merchants forming long lines on both sides of the street waved their hands at Yua. Since she usually did the grocery shopping with the maids, everyone recognized her with brilliant smiles on their faces.
âI-I know, too.â
Yulius pretended that he already knew about the place even though it was his first time being there. His pride mustâve been unable to acknowledge his ignorance.
âReally? Then what is that shop over there?â
âHuh? Th-They sell clothesâŠâ
âWrong! Itâs a bakery!â
âUghâŠâ
Yua burst into laughter, and Yuliusâs face turned red.
âThey are complete opposites.â
Raon chuckled while watching the two. Yua still just thought of Yulius as a friend, and Yulius considered Yua a rival. Since they were thinking differently about each other, their relationship was interesting.
Those kids are pretty fun to watch.
Wrath also giggled while looking at them.
âDid you like kids?â
The King of Essence originally cared for talented people. Moreover, the pineapple girl is the King of Essenceâs third maid. Itâs obvious he would take care of her regardless of her talent.
He was still calling Yua his maid. He was apparently serious about taking care of her and cherishing her, even though he didnât actually do anything for her.
âBut why are you like that towards me, then?â
You⊠You bastard! Youâve taken away everything from the King of Essence!
Wrath looked like he was about to explode as he emanated wrath and coldness. His energy swarmed through Raonâs mana circuits.
Was that a provocation? The King of Essence will never overlook this!
âSir Raon! Weâve arrived!â
Yua waved her hand at him from the bead ice cream shop.
âHmm?â
Raon didnât move in order to defend against Wrathâs attack, but his wrath and coldness dissipated from his body in an instant, like the falling tide.
What are you waiting for? Go inside already!
Wrath poked his tongue out like a puppy to urge him to eat the ice cream already. He seemed to have forgotten that he was angry.
âWhat a great demon king you areâŠâ
Raon shook his head, then entered the ice cream shop.
âYou should pick whatever you want to eat.â
âYes!â
âIs it really okay for me to eat? Iâve already received so much favorâŠâ
âItâs okay. You should also choose for the annex buildingâs people.â
Raon interrupted Yuliusâs inflexible words and smiled.
âHow about you⊠Guh?â
As he was about to tell Wrath to choose his ice cream as well, the back of a head that he could see at the display window looked extremely familiar.
âRunaan?â
âMhm?â
The silver-haired woman was literally sticking her face on the window at that point. When she briskly turned her head, Raon could see that she was Runaan, as expected.
âWhy are you hereâŠ? Ah.â
He realized that was an unnecessary question. It was the same kind of story as a cat passing by a fish shop.
âI was watching.â
Runaanâs blank eyes were filled with regret.
âWatching?â
Raon tilted his head. She was rich enough to buy the entire shop if she wanted, so he couldnât understand why she was so troubled.
âMom told me to eat only one per day.â
She hung her head while saying that. It looked like tears would start dripping from her purple eyes.
âHmm, do you want to pick one as well?â
âNo, I promised MomâŠâ
Runaan shook her head. Even though she wanted to eat them so badly, she was still keeping her promise. That was just like her.
âThen letâs eat later.â
âMhmâŠâ
Raon left Runaan alone as she quietly nodded, going to the display stand.
âWhich one would you like?â
Hmm, Iâve felt this before, but there are too few types of ice cream in this shop.
âIt canât be helped.â
Zieghartâs region was cold all year long. Even though most of the residents were resistant to cold thanks to the martial arts they learned, they still preferred warm food over ice cream, so the shop was bound to be relatively small.
Iâll take a box of mint chocolates.
âAn entire box of mint chocolateâŠâ
Raon bit his lip. His head was already starting to hurt from thinking about eating an entire box of that.
Wait, shall I make it into two boxes? Let me think⊠Hmm?
Wrath narrowed his eyes while looking at the poster on the wall.
What is that?
He pointed at the poster with the drawing of ice cream between bread, like a sandwich.
âIâm not sure.â
Raon turned his head around to call the store manager.
âWhat is that?â
âItâs a new product that Iâve made.â
The manager with a mustache nodded from the counter.
âDid you make it?â
âIâve tried making it as a temporary measure because the sales were pretty bad recently.â
He awkwardly scratched his cheek.
A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.
âThere is ice cream placed between castellas that are made soft by using a lot of milk. Itâs called bead ice cream sandwich.â
âIce cream sandwichâŠâ
Raon licked his lips. Eating ice cream along with bread could be called innovative.
Hey! What are you waiting for? Order it already! Right now!
Flame was raging in Wrathâs eyes like a puppy in front of food as he pounded Raonâs arm with his fist as soft as a cotton ball.
âCan I have one of these?â
âWhich flavor would you like?â
âCookies and cream, please.â
âMe too!â
âI-Iâll take the same one as Sir Raon, please.â
Yua and Yulius also raised their hands, telling him they would also like the sandwich.
âUhâŠâ
Raon took a glance at Runaan, who was standing blankly behind him, before raising four fingers.
âGive me four.â
âYes! Order received for four cookies and cream sandwich!â
The manager went inside with a smile.
You bastard! You shouldâve picked mint chocolate!
âAh, you are right. Shall I change it now?â
Whatever. We can just add mint chocolate in the order.
Wrath licked his lips while looking at the ice cream. He seemed to be planning to try them all out.
âHere you go.â
Probably because the preparations were already made, it didnât take too long until he finished making it.
âHere you go, Runaan.â
Raon first gave Runaan the sandwich.
âMhm? But IâŠâ
âThis is a sandwich, not a bead ice cream. It should be okay, isnât it?â
âAh!â
Runaanâs lips loosened and turned into a smile. It was a smile that Raon had never seen before.
âMhm! Thank you.â
She nodded, then took the ice cream sandwich. She turned it around to look at it from different angles with a very small smile on her face.
âThis is the sandwichâŠâ
The way the cookies and cream ice cream was stuck between the thin castella bread, which was as soft as cotton, was mouth-watering. Because the round shape was so pretty, he felt like it would be a shame to just eat it up.
This is not the time to admire it! Eat it already!
âYou arenât a gourmet, no matter how I see it.â
Gourmets usually appreciated the appearance of food as well, yet Wrath never did that. He was just a glutton who only cared about the quantity.
Raon shook his head before putting the sandwich in his mouth.
âHuh!â
He unconsciously exclaimed. The castellas surrounding the ice cream from top and bottom gently melted like soaked paper to create a spongy texture, and the ice cream placed between them engulfed the tongue with sweet and crispy flavors. He could only smile because of the unexpected harmony in the taste.
I-Itâs hereâŠ
Wrath raised his eyes sharply.
The King of Essence has been living for thousands of years without knowing about such a taste. His entire life was a waste!
He murmured some strange things and called the demon god. He was the definition of a lunatic.
The two ingredients are tasty by themselves, but they are making the drawbacks disappear. This is the perfect food!
Wrathâs body was trembling as if he were about to faint.
âDrawbacks?â
The castellaâs brittle texture is fixed by the ice cream, and the ice creamâs cold and hard texture is being softened by the castellaâs softness. This is the perfect food!
âHarmony and softeningâŠâ
Raon blankly stared at the half-eaten sandwich he was holding.
All ingredients have strengths and weaknesses. This is the best food because it manages to kill the weaknesses by using the strengths. The King of Essence would like to keep eating this for the rest of his life!
âSo the strengths from each one can offset the weaknesses.â
If you finally understand, you should stop mumbling about it and finish eating it! The King of Essence canât wait any longer!
Wrath started dancing by shaking his body.
Raon nodded, then put the rest of the ice cream sandwich in his mouth. After hearing Wrathâs explanation, he could clearly notice that the strengths of the ingredients were killing the weaknesses.
Kuuu! This is great! Order the mint chocolate sandwich now! The King of Essenceâs hand is trembling in excitement!
Wrathâs body was really trembling in anticipation.
âHarmonyâŠâ
However, Raon wasnât listening to Wrath. He kept murmuring about harmony while staring at the flier about ice cream sandwiches.
âMaybe I can create a harmony between swordsmanships just like thisâŠâ
What are you doing?
âIf I can utilize the impact from the sound sword to make up for the illusion swordâs slow activationâŠâ
Raon Zieghart?
Hey! You bastard!
Raon didnât react, even though Wrath smacked his forearm and shoulder.
What kind of torture is this? Are you really going into a trance now after eating a single serving of this delicious food?
Wrath screamed, but Raonâs pupils softly lost focus.
You demonic bastard!
* * *
âThis placeâŠâ
Raon blinked his eyes.
âWhat happened?â
He was in his room in the annex building. The last thing he remembered was eating an ice cream sandwich in the shop, yet he had returned to his room before he knew it.
âWhat happened?â my ass! You are just crazy!
Wrathâs angry voice could be heard from the top of his shoulder.
âHuh?â
You went into a trance while eating a stupid ice cream sandwich! You must have a hole in your brain!
âAh!â
Raon chuckled. He remembered that he started thinking about how to achieve harmony between the principles of two different swordsmanships while eating the sandwich.
Are you laughing? Are you really laughing right now?
Wrath shoved his face into him while grinding his teeth. His round eyes were bubbling like boiling water.
You said that you would buy everything I wanted when we went there, yet the King of Essence only managed to eat one of them! Moreover, it was cookies and cream instead of mint chocolate! Seriously, cookies and cream!
âIt was still delicious, though. Wasnât it?â
Thatâs true⊠But!
Wrath briskly rolled his eyes.
Anyway, you didnât keep your promise to buy me the ice cream set! Youâd better remember it, so you wonât say otherwise later on!
âYes, yes.â
Raon slowly nodded.
âDid I make the payment?â
Despite your state, you paid for the ice cream girl and the kids, and even bought the maidsâ portions! The King of Essence is the only one you didnât care for! Kuh!
Wrath furiously pounded his chest.
I seriously canât come to like you at all! The King of Essence really wanted to try out the mint chocolate sandwich!
âIâm sorry. Letâs go there again tomorrow.â
Raon smiled faintly, patting Wrath on the back.
Are you taking the King of Essence for an idiot? He wonât be fooled by your sweet words anymore!
Wrath briskly turned his head away. He seemed determined to not trust him anymore.
âItâs true this time.â
HmmâŠ
Wrath started rolling his round eyes. He looked like he had already forgotten about what he said a second ago. It was a mystery at that point that a demon king could be so innocent in front of food.
I canât trust you.
âI managed to save lots of time thanks to your hint.â
Raon tapped on his scabbard and smiled.
Hint? The King of Essence only remembers insulting you, though. I called you a crazy bastard, blockhead, and hoped you would get stabbed to deathâŠ
Wrath tilted his head in bewilderment while repeating the insults he said before.
âWhat you said before that helped me. The thing about offsetting the weaknesses.â
Raon stood in front of the full-length mirror he had brought for training purposes. He grinned while facing the reflected sparkling red eyes.
âI had an idea about a new swordsmanship thanks to you.â