The Black Marketâs master, Roseline, narrowed her eyes while watching Raon as he considered her offer.
âFrostfire Sword of ValorâŠâ
Such an honorable name wasnât always a good thing.
The warriors with honorable aliases were usually merciless against the villains while being extremely merciful to the ordinary people. Fair and just would be the best description of their personalities.
They looked cool and amazing, but they led the most uncomfortable lives.
âBecause they need to keep thinking about how the people see them.â
The honorable warriors managed to gain their aliases by showing exemplary behavior, so they were bound to pay attention to their reputations.
They had to be careful when drinking, they couldnât entertain themselves as much as they wanted, and the situations where they could use their powers were rather limited.
Even if they had an urgent matter to attend to, they were sometimes forced to resolve the injustices in front of them instead.
That was how difficult it was to have an honorable alias, specifically because of its impressive meaning.
âOf course, this boy is no different.â
She blatantly told him to make his request, and that had the effect of making it difficult to ask for anything.
âItâs only natural.â
The Black Market had spent an astronomical amount of money in order to find Eden's branch.
Since Raon was obviously aware of that fact, as he was in charge of the finances of the Light Wind squad, he couldnât easily ask for anything.
A subtle smile appeared on Roselineâs face.
âAnd thatâs why I told him that Iâd grant any of his requests.â
The Black Market masterâs promise was pretty much a vow made by the Black Market itself.
She would need to grant anything he would ask for, but she still made such a suggestion because she expected Raon to decline making any requests at all because had he gained such a great alias at a young age.
âThis move only has advantages without any drawbacks. After all, it will allow me to gain the trust of the Destructive King of the North.â
It was absolutely certain that Glenn Zieghart cherished Raon. If the rumor spread that she suggested that she would grant Raon anything that he wanted, the Destructive King of the North would also be satisfied.
âHmmâŠâ
She turned her head upon noticing a piercing gaze from the side, and Denning Rose was staring at her, blaming her for being so mean.
âItâs exactly because Iâve been living this way that I can be the master of the Black Market.â
A real pro didnât try to meddle with the conditions, instead targeting an opponentâs psychology. She felt slightly sorry for him, but it was exactly thanks to that way of living that she had managed to expand the Black Market to its current state.
âErmâŠâ
Raonâs mouth slowly opened.
âYes, please tell me.â
Roseline licked her lips slightly before smiling at him again.
âItâs happening now.â
Since Raon was obviously going to refuse, she just needed to praise him for that and casually get it over with. She was confident in doing that because sheâd always done it before.
âYou can ask later if you canâtâŠâ
âIâm going to need information about the Six Kings and the Five Demons.â
âUhhâŠâ
Despite her expectations, he made his request with honest eyes.
âTh-the Six Kings and the Five Demons?
âYes. I need detailed information about them. Their members, locations, tendencies, and the level of their might. The information about every single powerful person above the realm of Master must be included, as they are the most important members.â
Raon declared his request clearly, without hesitating at all. The reason he stayed silent for a while seemed to be because he was thinking about the request.
âPlease send the information to Zieghartâs annex building instead of the main building. AndâŠâ
Roselineâs lips parted.
âHeâs making another request?â
The information about the Six Kings and Five Demons was expensive enough that a single line would cost more than a gold coin. Moreover, Raon was asking for information about powerful people, and that was extremely expensive.
Actually, a lot of information couldnât even be bought with money. She couldnât even begin to guess about how sheâd deal with his request.
âIâd like to find the location of the phoenix.â
âPh-phoenixâŠâ
The phoenix was a monster that actually existed, but encountering it was extremely rareâto the point that people had begun to believe that they were myths.
They were even more difficult to find than dragons in terms of rarity alone, and she couldnât understand how she was supposed to find something like that. Her heart suddenly started to tremble.
âUhhâŠâ
Roselineâs chin was trembling as she met Raonâs glowing eyes.
âI-is he really an honorable warrior?â
She realized her mistake. Raonâs eyes were glowing with greed. Rather than the Frostfire Sword of Valor, he shouldâve been called the Frostfire Sword of Greed.
âAnd finallyâŠâ
âAnother one?â
Roseline barely managed to control her expression and turned her head.
âAhâŠâ
Denning Roseâs eyes were also violently trembling, as she didnât expect that he would make so many requests either.
âIâd like to find a person and an object.â
âWh-which person and object would that be?â
âIâll write that down properly after I return to the house and send it to you.â
âAh, I-I see.â
Even though her face was still smiling, she couldnât stop her voice from trembling.
âThat must be an extraordinary request as well.â
There was no way anything he was asking could be an easy task. It shouldnât be as bad as the information about the Six Kings and Five Demons, but it was clearly going to be a difficult task.
Sip.
Roseline drank her tea because of the burning feeling in her throat. Even though the tea had such a clear taste until just a moment ago, it tasted extremely bitter instead.
âThis is driving me nuts.â
She couldnât even estimate how much money she was going to lose because of the deal she made in that short timeframe.
âAnd I canât cancel it now, either.â
Since people saw her and Denning Rose entering Raonâs room, Glenn mustâve heard about it as well. If she tried to cancel her suggestion, the trust she managed to gain was bound to plummet.
âI have to do it.â
Since it was a declaration made under the name of the Black Marketâs master, instead of a mere branch manager, she had to grant his request no matter what. She felt like it was the end of the world because of the unexpected checkmate.
âIâll be counting on you.â
Raon bowed with a smile on his face.
âDonât worry about it.â
Roseline smiled awkwardly and racked her brain to think about how to make up for the astronomical amount of losses she just made. Obviously, there was no solution to it.
âSince Iâve heard the vice squad leaderâs request, Iâll be leaving now.â
She smiled faintly and stood up. She needed to return to the main branch and make the calculations in order to come back to her senses.
âVice squad leader, get well soon.â
Denning Rose also stood up after nodding at him. Her slightly trembling legs showed that she was also shocked by Raonâs requests.
âBlack Marketâs master and branch manager.â
When those two were about to leave the room, Raonâs voice could be heard.
Roseline and Denning Rose slowly turned around.
Raonâs red eyes were radiating with a dignified light from reflecting the sunlight entering through the window. While they were staring blankly at his eyes, which looked like rubies, his lips parted.
âYou wonât regret it.â
âAhâŠâ
Raonâs voice was as quiet as Glenn Zieghartâs, and their hearts tightened upon hearing it.
âHaaâŠâ
Roseline swept her disheveled hair up.
âIâll be looking forward to it.â
She lowered her head slightly with a faint smile on her face before leaving the room. Denning Rose mustâve also noticed something was different, as she followed her with a stiff expression on her face.
They didnât say anything until they got on the carriage and were leaving the mansion. It was only after the carriageâs door was closed that Roselineâs lips twisted up.
âHe got me good.â
Raon didnât make that request out of sheer greed. He had perfectly understood her thought process before showing his blade that couldnât be refused.
âWhen was the last time I was thoroughly defeated like this?â
She didnât make proper preparations because she completely underestimated him, but it was still unexpected that such a young boy would seize her by her hair. She figured that his might wasnât the only thing she should be seeing in him. He was already a dangerous person with his might alone, and she felt the necessity to raise the rank one step higher.
âHow was he in your eyes?â
Roseline narrowed her eyes while looking at Denning Rose.
âHe seemed to have matured even further during that short time period, both in martial arts and in mentality. I could see a composure and nervousness that he didnât have before.â
Denning Rose looked back at the mansion that was getting further away and narrowed her eyes.
âAre you saying that he matured even though he became nervous?â
âYes.â
She nodded without any hesitation.
âThe Raon Zieghart that I saw in the past was brimming with confidence. He believed that he could solve anything on his own. However, he looked different today.â
âHow?â
âHe seemed to have realized the possibility of failure, and the fact that he canât solve everything on his own.â
âI see.â
Roseline caressed Denning Roseâs head with a faint smile on her face.
âYouâve also matured, just like him.â
Denning Rose originally had an indecisive personality, and she often postponed her judgment or left others to decide the outcome. The incident seemed to have matured her in that aspect.
âThen how do you like him as a man?â
âWhat?!â
Denning Roseâs face froze.
âAppearance, might, house, personality, and insight. He isnât lacking in any aspect, so Iâll be the matchmaker if you are interested.â
Roseline stroked Denning Roseâs hand while saying that she was serious.
âI may look otherwise, but the number of couples who got married thanks to me must be numbering over a hundred by now.â
âI-I need to serve my master. I have no intention of getting married until you retire, master.â
Denning Rose shook her head, her entire face turned red except for her black eyepatch.
âThe ones who say that are usually the first ones to get married.â
Roseline chuckled and shook her hand.
âYou should say that again after hiding that plum color from your face.â
âMaster!â
* * *
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
* * *
Raon snickered while fiddling with the box containing Uboâs panacea.
âShe couldnât have expected that sheâd take a blow here.â
He was originally planning to refuse, as it was obviously the reasonable thing to do, but he changed his mind upon seeing Roselineâs eyes.
She looked gentle and kind, but her eyes clearly said that she knew he was never going to ask anything from her. Since those were the eyes of an experienced merchant, Raon decided to take advantage of her, and it ended up in a complete success.
âI gained way more than I thought.â
An astronomical sum of money was required to buy information about the Six Kings and the Five Demons, and a lot of top-secret information couldnât even be bought with money alone. Although he wasnât expecting to get all of it, he should be able to find out a decent amount about them, which was already a huge gain for him.
Hmph!
Wrath flowed from the ice flower bracelet and grinned.
Even though you are such a fiend, you still must have some consideration in you. You decided to keep your promise already.
âConsideration? What are you talking about?â
You mustâve asked that granny about the phoenixâs location in order to invigorate the King of Essenceâs body. You were trying to keep the promise that you made about feeding him something delicious.
He licked his lips while looking into the air.
Pheonix meat is tender and crispy at the same time, and it even increases your appetite. The King of Essence is looking forward to it, as he hasnât eaten anything invigorating for a while.
âHave you even eaten a phoenix before?â
But of course. I couldnât eat it that often, but it was one of my favorite special dishes. Heh!
Raonâs jaw dropped while watching the grinning Wrath. It was a dragon last time and now a phoenix. The glutton mustâve really tasted all kinds of monsters before.
âIâm sorry, but Iâm not planning to hunt down the phoenix.â
What?
âIâm looking for the phoenixâs location rather than the phoenix itself.â
What do you mean? Why would you not eat the phoenix if you manage to find one? Itâs only natural to eat food if itâs placed in front of you!
ââŠâŠâ
Even though a phoenix was nothing short of being called legendary, the crazy Wrath was treating it as food.
âDear customer, we donât sell phoenixes.â
Hey, you rascal!
Wrath shoved his face into Raonâs, and Raon shook his head while pushing him away. The reason he was looking for a phoenix was in order to get stronger instead of hunting it. He could end up killing the phoenix, but it was completely fine if he didnât.
Munch!
Raon turned his head upon hearing the munching sound of some snack. Dorian was lying sideways on the bed, eating something that he took from his belly pocket. Heâd been eating that snack, which looked like a potato chip, ever since he was a trainee, and Raon started to wonder when he was ever going to stop.
âYou won in psychological warfare against the Black Marketâs master. That was really amazing.â
âWhy are you still here?â
âThatâs so meanâŠâ
Dorian dropped the snack from his hand.
âI didnât exactly win against her.â
âBut you won everything you wanted, didnât you?â
âItâs because she underestimated me too much.â
If Roseline was fully prepared before she visited him, he wouldnât have been able to make any kind of request. The gains were only possible because she considered him inexperienced and even misjudged his personality.
âRather than that, arenât you going back home?â
âWhat?â
âYou almost died this time. How about taking a vacation and visiting your home?â
Raon tried asking him because he remembered how Roseline called him extraordinary after seeing Dorianâs belly pocket.
âI-Iâm not sure. I donât think I really need to returnâŠâ
Dorian suddenly stood up while smiling awkwardly.
âIâll go there later, I guess.â
He scratched his head and quickly left the room.
âDoes he have some circumstances?â
It was still difficult for Raon to maintain the correct distance from the others. Since family situations needed to be dealt with using extreme caution, he couldnât stop Dorian from leaving.
âHmmâŠâ
Raon licked his lips while looking at Uboâs panacea in his hand.
âWhat should I do with this?â
He didnât really need to take the panacea because the Ring of Fireâs recovery ability was enough.
What else? You are planning to eat it anyway because you are such a greedy guy. How does it taste, by the way?
ââŠâŠâ
Wrath became an even bigger glutton after he exhausted his power from manifesting into his main body. It almost felt like his gluttony was driving him mad.
âYes, I guess I should do that.â
He suddenly had the urge to act against him because Wrath called him greedy. He went back upstairs with Uboâs panacea in his hand and knocked on the door to Glennâs room.
Knock. Knock.
Roenn opened the door even before the knocking sound ended, unlike the last time.
âYou are back.â
âI have a gift for the head of house.â
âPlease enter.â
His face was brimming with joy when he noticed the wooden box in his hand as he stepped aside.
It can be hard to make great work when its stolen from "pawread.com".
âWhat are you giving him?â
âIs it something good?â
Sheryl and Rimmer were also full of anticipation for some reason as they stared at him.
Raon walked ahead with the gazes of the three on him.
âWhat is it?â
Glenn looked down on him. He looked annoyed at his repeated visit.
âIf I understood correctly, your internal injury hasnât been completely healed.â
Raon offered Ubo's panacea.
âThis is Uboâs panacea that the Black Marketâs master gave to me. I brought it for you because I figured it would be better for the head of house to take it rather than myself.â
Even though he was extremely strong, his internal injury must not have been healed yet. Since Glenn had helped him, it was only natural to return the favor. Raon decided to give the panacea to Glenn.
âI have the Ring of Fire and Sloth anyway.â
He could heal himself through the Ring of Fire during the day, and Slothâs healing effect would automatically activate at night. Since one week was going to be enough to mostly recover his injuries, Uboâs panacea wasnât even needed.
âOoh!â
âRaon!â
âHuhu.â
Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn smiled brightly and gave him a thumbs-up to compliment him.
Rumble!
However, Glennâs expression didnât look good at all even though Raon offered him the panacea. He bit his lip tightly, his cold eyes brimming with anger.
âHmmâŠâ
Raon swallowed nervously.
âI have a bad feeling about this.â
He thought he would accept it because he felt rather nice during the previous visit, but it mustâve been his mistake. The atmosphere turned colder and colder.
âDidnât I just tell you to stop being arrogant?â
âThatâsâŠâ
âYou arrogant brat. You still donât know your place. My internal injury? You are a hundred years too early to worry about it.â
âThatâs not what I meant. I can recover from my injuries, but my lordâsâŠâ
âI donât need it.â
Glenn shook his head with a cold gaze.
âYou should put that panacea in your mouth right after you leave this room. Iâll be punishing you the day we return to the house in one week if your recovery doesnât meet my standards.â
ââŠUnderstood.â
Raon took Uboâs panacea and stood up. He bowed to him before leaving the room.
Step.
As soon as Raonâs footsteps faded away, the three people standing in front of the door briskly turned around.
âYou damn geezer! How can you send him off like that?â
âHeâs right! You should pretend to accept it at least, or say thank you!â
âThis is seriously annoying.â
Rimmer, Sheryl, and Roenn screamed at Glenn one after the other.
âSeriously, our head of house⊠Hmm?â
They were about to scold him even more, but their eyes turned round upon noticing that Glenn was grasping his forehead.
âWow, how can he possibly be so kindheartedâŠ?â
Glenn gritted his teeth, unable to control his overwhelming emotions. The energy wave spreading around him made the objects inside the room float into the air and vibrate.
âHe is worried about me even though his own condition is worse. He really is an angel!â
âI mean, if you know he is, then you shouldâŠâ
âI need to do something.â
He raised his finger. Golden light spread out from his hand. The room and even the entire building started to tremble.
âGasp! Y-you shouldnât open the treasury here!â
Roenn hurriedly ran up to him and held Glennâs arm.
âMy lord, the building is going to collapse! Moreover, it will cause issues for the treasuryâs security!â
Sheryl also used footwork to stop Glennâs finger.
âUnhand me. I have to give Raon a gift right nowâŠâ
âYou know better than anyone that opening the treasury from outside the house will cause issues!â
Zieghartâs treasury was a magical storage designed in a way that it could only be opened from the domain. Opening it from another place could mess with the coordinates and cause security issues.
âItâs fine. I just need to kill anyone who tries to steal from the treasury. Raon is more important right nowâŠâ
Glenn stretched his hand, saying that it didnât matter.
âHaaâŠâ
Rimmer sighed deeply while witnessing that scene.
âI donât even know anymore.â
He locked his fingers together to support the back of his head and left the room.
âIâm going to the gambling house since itâs been a while.â
âHey! You should be stopping him!â
* * *
One week later.
Raon went outside the mansion. On top of the Light Wind squad, the Heavenly Blade division and the Void Sword division were lined up, as they hadnât returned to the house yet.
He met Glennâs eyes, as the man was standing in front of them. He stared at Raon for a while before briskly turning his head.
âHaa⊠I guess I passed. What a relief.â
He quietly breathed out a sigh of relief. Heâd been using the Ring of Fire like crazy and slept a lot in order to save Uboâs panacea, and his body had significantly recovered thanks to that.
A fight against a warrior at a higher realm would have still been difficult, but his condition was good enough to easily deal with an average Master.
âLetâs return.â
Glenn shook his hand and the mansionâs gate opened. As the Zieghart swordsmen went outside, loud cheers burst out from the surroundings.
âWoaaah!â
âZieghart!â
âRaon! Raon! Raon!â
âLight Wind squad! Light Wind squad!â
âSir Raon! Thank you for saving us!â
âLight Wind squad! Iâll be cheering for you for the rest of my life!â
The people gathered around the mansion yelled out a cheer upon seeing Raon and the Light Wind squad.
Raon narrowed his eyes. He thought they were merchants trying to get on Zieghartâs good side, but that wasnât the case. They were the people who were kept as hostages in Grand Seville and by the White Blood Religion inside the barrier.
They managed to survive thanks to himself and the Light Wind squad, and they had come all the way to Cameloon to shout their heads off.
âWowâŠâ
âOh, man.â
âI didnât do anything special.â
The Light Wind swordsmen looked awkward, but still happy about it as they waved their hands with grins on their faces.
âHmmâŠâ
Raon also realized he was clenching his fist. Heâd never known in his previous life that the expression of gratitude could tug on his heartstrings so hard.
âMother was right.â
A swordsman who made people follow from the heart.
It was thanks to her advice about living a life befitting a Zieghart swordsman that he could become who he was. He was truly thankful to her for guiding him to the correct decision.
Raon raised his head to look forward.
âWoooow!â
âDestructive King of the North! Destructive King of the North!â
âGlenn Zieghart!â
The cheers directed at Glenn were louder than anyone else, but he was simply riding the horse without responding to them.
Raon clenched Heavenly Driveâs hilt while watching Glennâs back.