The corpses were lying all around the cavern, and their wounds told him that they had died while fighting against each other.
[Oâ priest of Wrath.]
Lohengreen turned around after looking around the cavern.
[Is what you told me just now really true?]
âWhat did I say just now?â
Raon asked back, even though he knew what Lohengreen was talking about.
[Is it true that the God of Wrath wants an item to fix the energy center?]
Lohengreen spoke extremely carefully and lowered his gaze.
âOf course.â
Raon nodded while looking up at Lohengreen. He smiled gently, without a single trace of dishonesty in his expression.
âThereâs no way I would lie under his name. Itâs obviously true.â
That one just now! You are lying right now!
Wrath floundered his arms like a drunkard.
The King of Essence said nothing about it, yet you are making up everything as you please!
He started to flutter his feet while lying in the air. He was apparently going insane from the irritation.
[Hmm, I canât understand it. When I saw him back then, he was literally the god. He didnât even need an energy center since his entire body was filled with extreme power and wrath. I donât understand why he would need an item to fix the energy center.]
âAh, you misunderstood me.â
[What would be that misunderstanding�]
âHeâs not the one who needs the item.â
[What?]
âIt will be bestowed upon his servant.â
Raon closed his eyes and smiled.
You bastaaaard!
Wrath climbed up to his left ear and screamed.
Why would that shitty ears be the King of Essenceâs servant? The King of Essence doesnât have the smallest intentions of healing that guy!
âSince Sir Lohengreen has also served him before, you must be aware of this fact.â
Raon pretended to touch his ear to push Wrath back.
âThe God of Wrath is extremely considerate towards his believers.â
[Of course! He gave me so many things, yet he never wanted anything in return!]
Lohengreenâs eyes sparkled in passion as soon as they started talking about Wrath.
âI knew it.â
It was going as expected.
Raon had noticed that Wrath always helped and took care of whoever he started calling his servant.
âHe saved Dorian, and also helped Runaan.â
He warned Raon when Dorian was in danger, and he also told him when Syria tried to brainwash Runaan once again. There was also an occasion where he was considerate towards Yua at Habun Castle.
âLohengreen must also be aware of that side of him.â
Raon could tell from the way Wrath cut off the connection and told him to live his own life right after Lohengreen completed his revenge. Even though Wrath looked coldhearted, he took care of his people properly.
You damn weasel! How much of a fool are you trying to make of me? Say something at least!
He even gave up on speaking like a king and started to shout like a child. Considering the red color on his face, he was about to explode.
âHmmâŠâ
Raon ignored Wrathâs anger and looked at Lohengreen.
âThereâs another priest that follows his will. He was injured during a mission, and the God of Wrath is extremely worried about him.â
The King of Essence isnât!
Wrath violently shook his head and spread around coldness.
The King of Essence has never wanted to save that shitty ears! He wants to smack him instead!
âIâm perfectly aware.â
Just like he said, Wrath always hated how Rimmer kept idling around on the ground. However, there was nothing he could do, since no one could hear him.
âThere are two reasons for my coming here. First, to get rid of Sir Lohengreenâs lingering attachments. Second, to find a method to fix the other priestâs energy center.â
[Hmm, I see.]
Lohengreen briefly licked his lips.
âHeâs slightly suspicious of me.â
It looked like he didnât completely trust him because Raon said Wrath couldnât treat his priest despite being omnipotent in his opinion.
âI need to put an end to his doubt.â
Raon rolled up the corners of his lips while looking at Wrath instead of Lohengreen.
âWhat can you do? Your servant canât hear you at all, and Iâm the only one who can talk to him.â
KuhâŠ
Wrathâs eyes were wavering like a boat in a turbulent ocean. He was incapable of thinking straight because his head was filled with wrath.
âIf you really want to tell him something, I might convey it to him if you properly ask me by saying âesteemed Sir Raon, pleaseââŠâ
Kuaaah! I canât take it anymore! You evil fiend!
Raon made the same sly smile he always made whenever he made fun of him, and Wrath suddenly flipped out.
Rumble!
As expected of the Demon King of Wrath, who couldnât even read the situation, he exploded the coldness of wrath that pierced into Raonâs mana circuit.
âI did it.â
Raon smiled. He endured the wrath and coldness coming from Wrath without using the Ring of Fire and aura that he wouldâve normally used.
Rumble!
The combination between Wrathâs anger and the wrath inside his soul created a blue flame of wrath, bursting out from his head to toe.
[Ah!]
Lohengrin widened his mouth upon witnessing the blue wrath bursting from Raonâs body.
[Wh-What an amazing wrath and coldness. It almost feels like Iâm facing the god himself!]
Raon smiled gently while enduring the pain.
âYes, he is indeed in front of you.â
Although the others couldnât see what was happening, Lohengreen was capable of feeling the tremendous amount of wrath bursting from Raonâs body because he had received the wrath and coldness from Wrath in the past.
âHe bestowed an even larger amount of wrath and coldness on me so that I can complete this task. His kindness and consideration for his believers must be peerless.â
Raon deepened his smile while enduring the pain.
[Aah! Please forgive this lowly servant!]
Lohengreen went down on his knees and lowered his head.
[I believe you, priest! Iâll give you all of the elixirs and artifacts I have!]
The trace of doubt completely disappeared from his eyes.
Raon bowed back with a faint smile on his face.
âItâs over.â
Lohengreenâs voice was filled with complete trust after facing the wrath coming from the real Wrath.
Huh?
Wrath started to blink his round eyes instead of continuing to emit his wrath. He mustâve come back to his senses upon seeing Lohengreenâs reaction.
Wh-Whatâs happeningâŠ?
âLohengreen trusts me completely now thanks to your wrath.â
Raon smiled from the bottom of his heart, waving his hand at Wrath.
âThank you, Wrath.â
Y-YouâŠ
Wrath wrinkled his forehead like a piece of paper.
You took advantage of the King of Essence again! You damned snake!
âIt just happened.â
It just happened? You planned it all along, and you claim it just happened? Argh!
He roared, and an even larger amount of wrath and coldness stormed into Raonâs body.
[The wrath is increasing even more.]
âHe must be counting on me a lot.â
C-Counting on you? Cooooounting? You mustâve meant crap! You are the definition of evil! Iâll put an end to your life right now for the sake of the world!
A quick look at bit.ly/3iBfjkV will leave you more fulfilled.
Raon controlled the Ring of Fire and Glacier to block the wrath and coldness coming from Wrath. Since heâd already gained Lohengreenâs trust, he didnât need to endure them anymore.
Iâll kill you! Iâll kill you even if itâs the last thing I do! For the sake of the world!
âItâs pointless.â
Wrath used all of the wrath and coldness that heâd been accumulating, but they were obviously incapable of breaching the Ring of Fire and Glacier.
[Youâve endured Wrathâs interruption.]
[Strength has increased by 1.]
Probably because the wrath and coldness were too intense, his stats increased even though not much time had passed.
Kuaaaah!
Wrath sank to the ground along with an ear-splitting shriek that sounded like he really was dying.
[So much wrath. It reminds me of when I first met him. Iâm almost jealous of you.]
Lohengreen smiled gently, as he couldnât hear his masterâs scream, and a tear flew down from Wrathâs round eyes.
Kill me alreadyâŠ
[Hahahaha!]
* * *
âThereâs a trap right here. Jump over it.â
âYesâŠâ
Dorian narrowed his eyes while looking at Raon, who told him the trapâs location before he advanced.
âWhatâs going on?â
He was perfectly aware of the fact that Raon was far from normal, as heâd been with him for a long time. He didnât act or speak like a child, his composure felt like he had experienced countless battles before, and his plans were capable of toying with his opponents.
Apparently, Raon had been recently using him as a wallet or a pocket, but that wasnât the important part.
Regardless of what happened in the past, Dorian was extremely terrified of Raon.
âAh, itâs the right side.â
Raon nodded while looking into the air on his right side before he started to speak.
âDorian, put your hand on the right side of the wall as you come.â
He went ahead while pushing the wall with his hand as if he were demonstrating it to him.
âRight there! Thatâs what Iâm talking about!â
âIâm so freaking scared!â
He saw it countless times during their trip. Raon kept talking to some invisible person, avoiding all of the traps of the dungeon and opening the secret passages.
âWho the hell are you even talking to?!â
Dorianâs hands were trembling violently. Because he was extremely afraid of ghosts, goosebumps appeared all over his body whenever Raon spoke to himself.
âE-Erm, young master?â
Dorian bit his lip tightly and called out to Raon. Because he was too nervous, he called him âyoung masterâ instead of âvice squad leaderâ, which was what he shouldâve said ever since he joined the squad.
âHmm?â
Raon turned his head. His face looked no different from the usual.
âE-Erm, who are you talking to right now? Can you please tell me about itâŠâ
âI told you already that itâs a nice guide.â
âI mean, who is that guideâŠ?â
âAh! I see. Wait a moment.â
He opened and closed his mouth while looking into the air. Dorian couldnât hear the sound, but he could tell that Raon was really talking to someone, judging from how his mouth was moving.
âDo you really want to know?â
Raon turned his head with a faint smile on his face. He apparently finished talking to that unknown person.
âWhat?â
âIâm asking if you really want to know.â
âE-ErmâŠâ
âHe said that he can show himself for a moment if you really want to see him. But you should consider it carefully.â
âUghâŠâ
Because of the way he put it, he wanted to puke from the nausea, and he kept swallowing a crazy amount of saliva.
âTh-Thatâs okay. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. Haha!â
Dorian smiled awkwardly and violently shook his head. He had the feeling that he wouldnât be able to sleep that night if he saw it.
âOkay?â
Raon chuckled, talking to thin air once again before he advanced.
âArgh, itâs a ghost! Iâm sure itâs the ghost of someone who died here!â
That was the only way!
Dorian took a desk made from a holy white tree that supposedly has the power to chase away ghosts from his pocket.
He raised the desk on top of his head to wave it like a fan as he followed behind Raon.
âGo away!â
âGo away, ghosts!â
* * *
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
* * *
Martha frowned, opening the restaurantâs door. The first team of the Light Wind was gathered around a large table at the deepest part of the room. She examined the expressions on the faces of the swordsmen as soon as she sat at the table.
âIt looks like no one managed to find it.â
âYesâŠâ
âThere were elixirs to increase the amount of aura, but no one had even heard of an elixir that could fix the energy center.â
âThere were no books of martial arts to fix the broken energy center either.â
âThe artifact shop didnât have anything either. They said that it must be extremely rare, if something like that even existsâŠâ
The swordsmen sighed and shook their heads.
âI knew it.â
Martha snorted coldly.
âWe canât get something so rare even if we look for it.â
They ran to the aquapolis Dudan without even sleeping, but they couldnât find anything that could help Rimmer recover.
She was aware that it was a difficult task, but she started to feel sick from anxiety because she couldnât even find a clue.
âHaa!â
âDamn itâŠâ
The other swordsmen mustâve been thinking the same thing as they groaned.
âStill.â
Martha hit the table with her hand. It was a light gesture, but everyoneâs hearts pounded upon hearing it.
âWe will find it.â
A clear light was glowing from her black eyes like a black pearl.
âRaon must be currently breaking through the dungeon with all his might. You know how he is, but he must be solely focused on getting the elixir, unaware of his own injuries.â
âHmmâŠâ
âHe would totally do that.â
The swordsmen closed their mouths tightly and nodded.
âCompared to what heâs doing, our task is easier than breathing. We will find it at all costs, even if it means we have to turn this entire city upside down, or even search the entire continent.â
âYes!â
The swordsmen grasped the hilts of their swords and nodded.
âAh, ermâŠâ
The teamâs vice leader, Yeddi, raised her hand slightly.
âWhatâs up?â
âI heard that an auction is going to be held tomorrowâŠâ
âAn auction?â
âYes. But the problem is that there are going to be extremely classified and valuable items in the auction, and they are only going to allow the important people from each organization to participate.â
âImportant peopleâŠâ
Martha frowned.
âAre you implying that the title of Light Windâs team leader is not going to be enough?â
âIt might be enough, but itâs also possible that they will refuse, considering the people who participated in the previous auction.â
âThen can I participate as the youngest daughter of the Wisdom Palace Master, Denier Zieghart?â
âAhâŠâ
Yeddi swallowed nervously before she nodded.
âTh-That should work. ButâŠâ
Martha had an extreme hatred for borrowing the name of her house or organization, but she especially hated borrowing the name of her father, Denier. Since sheâd always been stating her own name and nothing else, her statement was completely unexpected.
âEveryoneâs working so hard, so my pride doesnât matter at this point.â
Martha smiled coldly as she stood up.
âYou should prepare. We are going to participate in that auction tomorrow evening.â
She clenched her fist.
âWe have to find it at all costs.â
* * *
[We are about to reach the sixth cavern. Thatâs the last cavern, and my laboratory is located beneath it.]
Lohengreen turned his head in the middle of climbing down a secret passage.
[The ones who came before you are currently fighting each other in that cavern.]
âI can feel it.â
Raon nodded while looking down. Powerful energies were clashing against each other right under the passage.
[Since we came this way, we have to pass through the cavern.]
Lohengreen lowered his head, saying that there was no other way.
âItâs okay.â
Raon smiled faintly and shook his head.
âIf the laboratory is right underneath it, it would be better to properly take care of them before we go.â
Even if they could secretly pass through the cavern, they were most likely going to be disturbed since the laboratory was located right underneath it.
Since he needed to solve the problem with Lohengreenâs lingering attachment on top of getting the items, it was better to properly drive out the enemies before he went.
âBy any chance, is it possible to see who is inside the cavern before we go?â
[Hmm⊠I donât have much power remaining for me, but that much should be doable.]
Lohengreen drew a circle in the air, and a round crystal ball appeared to show them the inside.
Raon came up right next to Lohengreen and checked what was going on inside the cavern. The rotating crystal ball allowed him to see in all directions.
âSo it was them after all.â
He could see familiar faces. They were the Balkar Kingdomâs magicians that he met in the neutral city Porvan. He could see Salaman's squad leader Morell and his disciple Inield, who was previously beaten up by himself.
âItâs only natural.â
Balkarâs main force consisted of magicians instead of knights. Since it was one of the two forces most interested in magic among the Six Kings, Raon expected them to be there.
âAnd the bitch princess is also there.â
It was his third encounter with Princess Jayna, and Zatice was also there. He was the knight that was the only one Raon took a liking to.
âAnd the ones next to them are from small and medium sized groups.â
The warriors gathered in a circle next to the magicians seemed to be a part of a union of different groups. It didnât look like they were fighting against the people from Balkar.
âAnd on the opposite sideâŠâ
A tall and slant-eyed middle-aged man was standing in a tilted posture on the opposite side of Balkar. The four balls engraved on his snow white coat signified that he was the fourth apostle of White Blood Religion.
âI knew an apostle would be there.â
Since a bishop was guarding the first cavern, finding an apostle further below was to be expected.
âIs he an archbishop?â
An old woman with gray hair was leaning on her cane next to the apostle, and she had an outstanding pressure around her. Raon could feel that her prowess was no less than the archbishop he met in Provan.
âAndâŠâ
Raon turned the crystal ball to the side of White Blood Religion for the last time. Assassins clad in black leather armor with a mask on their faces could be found.
âI didnât expect to see them here again.â
Shadows.
Raon gasped as soon as he saw the emotionless eyes of the masked men. Derus Robert, that greedy bastard, mustâve sent the shadows from the closest branch as soon as he learned about the dungeon.
âA 2vs2 situation.â
It looked like Balkar was working with the union of smaller groups, and the White Blood Religion and the shadows were temporarily cooperating with each other.
âItâs not exactly balanced, though.â
Although the apostle and Morell were equal in strength, there were way more White Blood Fanatics and shadows, which put the Balkar side at an overall disadvantage.
In fact, while he was observing the situation, the union of smaller groups was losing their members one by oneâtilting the balance into the White Blood Religionâs favor.
Whir!
The Blade of Requiem resonated violently upon feeling the apostleâs pressure surging from below.
âAre you asking me to keep my promise?â
Raon remembered that he told it before that heâd let it taste an apostleâs blood next time.
âI might be able to do it nowâŠâ
Raon slowly warmed his hand up. Glacierâs coldness was covering the entire dungeon.
If he hid his presence with that energy and hid his murderous intent behind the enemyâs, it would be possible to assassinate them.
âHowever, before thatâŠâ
There was one thing he needed to confirm.
âIs there any way to keep those people inside the cavern?â
Raon pointed at the crystal ball that was showing the cavern.
[Since I have a pretty decent trap installed in there, it just needs to be activated. However, I donât currently have the power to control that trap. Maintaining this is all I can do. Iâm sorry.]
âIn that case, Iâll give it to you.â
[A-Are you giving your coldness to me?]
âWe are pretty much brothers, since we worship the same god.â
Raon looked at the confused Lohengreen kindly.
God? Did you just say god?
Wrath suddenly stood up even though he was lying down once he got tired of shouting.
You donât even treat the King of Essence as a human being! God? Say that again after you stop treating him like a dog! Divine punishment shall befall upon you!
He shouted with a hoarse voice.
[Haha, Iâm really thankful for your consideration.]
Lohengreen rejoiced that he could finally feel the coldness coming from his god that he hadnât had for such a long time, unaware of Wrathâs feelings.
Argh! Four eyes! Donât let him deceive you! That bastard is a leech who is taking advantage of the King of Essence!
âShut up please.â
Raonâs eyes turned serious as he listened to the loud screams coming from Wrath. A dark light seeped into his bright red eyes, like a rain cloud covering the sun.
âI shall return to my original occupation for the first time in a long time.â