Chad, the master of Shadow Agents, ran to the highest floor of the Shadow Agents office building as soon as he left the lord’s manor.
The entirety of Zieghart’s main building could be seen from the luxurious office room, and a middle-aged woman—her long white hair tied back neatly—was reading a small book the size of her hand through her round glasses.
“Master!”
Chad shoved his face towards the white-haired woman.
“Get away from me, I’m not curious about your face.”
The middle-aged woman pushed Chad’s face away without taking her eyes off of the book.
“And you are the master now, not me. How long are you planning to call me master?”
“Th-That’s true. It just happened because I was too panicked.”
Chad blushed and hung his head.
“Let me correct myself. Lady Alissa.”
“What’s up?”
She looked at Chad for the first time as he called her by her name.
“We are in big trouble!”
“Well, I’m sure it’s a serious matter since it managed to make you panic. However…”
Alissa sighed and closed her book.
“Like I mentioned earlier, you are the master of the Shadow Agents now, not me, and you are the one who needs to make the decisions. You are never going to grow up if you keep asking me for advice and act according to it.”
She patted Chad’s shoulder like a grandmother admonishing her grandson.
“I-I know, but…”
“Then this talk is over. You should leave now, since the previous master of the Shadow Agents likes to idle around here.”
She shook her hand while saying that he should stop bothering a retired person.
“War!”
Chad shouted.
“The head of house is trying to declare a war!”
“Huh?”
Alissa dropped her book. She was apparently not expecting that.
“He’s trying to declare a war? Right now?”
“H-He’s not doing it right now, but in three years.”
“Haa, go ahead and explain.”
Alissa took off her glasses and turned around. Even though that was all she did, the atmosphere around her changed completely. The gentle middle-aged woman wasn’t there anymore. The person looking at Chad was the gallant woman who single handedly controlled the Shadow Agents running all around the continent.
“The Light Wind squad…”
Chad told her about the incidents that happened at the Gazel River and in the Lord’s manor.
“I think those three really cherish Raon Zieghart. I don’t think it’s simply because of his excellent talents, because it feels like they really consider him something special…”
“Huhu!”
Alissa smiled gently at Chad.
“I-It’s not funny! The war is really going to happen!”
“You are still too immature.”
“What?”
“You are mistaken about them.”
She shook her hand and leaned back in her chair.
“The head of house is a lot more coldhearted than he looks. His objective always takes precedence over his children. His heartless gaze and pressure were the exact same as before when I saw him last time, so I’m not sure what you’re smoking.”
“But it’s true! He’s trying to erase the entire South-North Union for Raon’s sake!”
“That’s not for Raon’s sake.”
Alissa laughed.
“But it’s true…”
“You know who I am, don’t you?”
“Yes…”
“Tell me who I am.”
“You are Alissa the white hawk, the queen of information who has always guided Zieghart to victory!”
Chad straightened his back and shouted Alissa’s nickname. It looked like he must’ve done that many times before.
“Yes, I’m Alissa. Do you not trust me?”
She wasn’t talking like a gentle old woman anymore. It was how she used to talk when she was young.
“The reason the head of house, the Heavenly Blade division leader, and Sir Roenn are angry is the same. It’s because the South-North Union scums didn’t know their place and dared to try trespassing into our domain. They were just annoyed because Zieghart’s name has been disrespected.”
“Th-That’s what I thought in the beginning, but they are giving Raon special treatment…”
“Tsk, who am I again?”
Alissa frowned and licked her lips.
“The queen of information! Alissa the white hawk!”
“Yes, I’m Alissa. Who do you think spent more time with the head of house? You or me?”
“The white hawk Alissa spent more time with him!”
“Then who is correct in this case?”
“I would’ve normally said that Lady Alissa is correct, but this is really…”
“Tsk!”
“The white hawk Alissa is correct!”
Chad closed his eyes tightly and bowed.
‘But it’s really different.’
Glenn, Sheryl, and Roenn’s anger didn’t simply come from the enemies trespassing into their domain. The terrifying atmosphere they had was exactly like the parents whose cherished child was beaten up by someone else.
They really looked like they would completely annihilate the South-North Union, but Alissa was unable to comprehend that.
“Erm…”
“What now?”
“But they looked completely disinterested in what happened to Sir Rimmer. Yet, they started getting angry as soon as I told them about what happened to Raon…”
“Haa, Chad. Come on.”
Alissa sighed. She was lamenting Chad’s lack of insight.
“It’s not just the head of house. The Heavenly Blade division leader is also extremely coldhearted. Even though they got close from doing a mission together, she’s not the type of person who would say that she would take the vanguard just because of that.”
“Uhh…”
“And the case with Sir Roenn is even worse. He hasn’t assassinated anyone for decades now. And yet, you’re telling me that he volunteered for an assassination because of Raon. How do you think that makes any sense?”
“But Raon’s information has always gone straight to the lord’s manor…”
“Of course they would be interested in Raon. He is the youngest Master, after all, and he has excellent talents. However, it simply doesn’t make any sense for them to declare a war because of that boy. Just use your common sense!”
She shook her hand while saying that it was completely impossible.
“Kuh!”
Chad tried to suppress his groan.
‘Common sense.’
Indeed, common sense was telling him it was impossible.
There was no way they could declare war just because Raon was offended. However, it was actually happening, no matter how ridiculous that was.
“Do you finally understand?”
“But they are really…”
“Seriously, you bastard…”
“No! Alissa the white hawk is correct!”
Alissa glared at him, and Chad just nodded his head.
“War doesn’t break out so easily. And Zieghart is especially unlikely to move.”
“Is it because of the mediators?”
“They are one of the reasons.”
Alissa nodded.
“Anyway, war isn’t going to happen because the South-North Union is going to stay low.”
“What do you mean by them staying low…?”
“If you think about it, they should be trying to pressure us by now because of Tyler’s death, yet they haven’t done anything. They are staying silent because they are afraid of us.”
“I know that much.”
Chad nodded. Zieghart was capable of completely destroying the South-North Union if they decided to. However, they were bound to take heavy damage in return, since the South-North Union is one of the Five Demons.
“Damage? We will suffer a pretty big loss indeed. However, it’s not as bad as you think.”
“What? But…”
“I don’t think I ever told you about how powerful our upper echelon is.”
Alissa decided to take that opportunity to tell him about them and smiled faintly.
“Sir Roenn mentioned that he only needed one night to assassinate the Axe King Roman, right?”
“Yes.”
“He was exaggerating.”
“Of course. I know he wa…”
“But he can do it for sure in about four days. Lady Sheryl must’ve also been exaggerating. However, the head of house is different.”
She pointed at the ceiling, or rather the sky above it with a frightening smile on her face.
“The South-North Union will be annihilated if the head of house decides to act.”
* * *
* * *
Raon returned to Doran Village after buying whatever Rimmer would need from a city nearby. Light Wind’s second team and the villagers greeted him with a smile, which was a relief since it meant that nothing bad happened in the meantime.
“Raon.”
Runaan jumped down from the tower and ran up to him. Her unfocused eyes were even more blank than usual.
‘She must’ve worked hard.’
Considering the way her eyes were shaking like a tidal wave, she must’ve been mentally exhausted.
“Did you find it?”
“Yes. Good job on guarding this place.”
“Mhm.”
Raon praised her, and an extremely small smile appeared on her face. She started nodding, then suddenly collapsed.
“Huh?”
Raon caught Runaan and examined her condition right away. He couldn’t feel anything like an injury. She must’ve been simply exhausted from spending stamina and aura beyond her limits.
“Runaan?”
“She didn’t sleep at all.”
The second team’s vice leader, Ebby, walked up to him and sighed.
“She hasn’t slept since you left the village, she just kept guarding this place.”
“I see.”
Raon smiled while watching Runaan purr like a kitten.
‘I wasn’t asking her to strain herself so much.’
Even though he said that protecting the village was an important task, he didn’t expect her to go as far as skipping sleep to stand guard. He patted her back lightly, as he felt thankful to and sorry for her at the same time.
“How about the squad leader?”
“He hasn't woken up yet. He’s in the exact same condition as before. It didn’t get worse, nor did it get better.”
“Hmm, I’ll take Runaan to bed before I go.”
Raon placed Runaan on the bed inside her lodging before checking on Rimmer. Just like Ebby said, his condition was exactly the same as when he collapsed.
‘This isn't good.’
Because he was staying in the worst condition, where his energy center was at the brink of destruction and his mana circuit was narrowed down to the extreme, his lifespan must’ve been continuously decreasing.
Since it was necessary to wake him up before starting the treatment, Raon had to inject vitality to his body through aura.
Raon used the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to massage Rimmer’s body and went outside. Martha and the first team were already back.
“I thought you would be back before me.”
Martha walked up to him with a frown on her forehead.
“How did it go?”
“We couldn’t find anything. We’ve searched two cities from top to bottom, but there was no elixir that could help him.”
She sighed, saying that it was so damn rare.
“On the other hand, we managed to find an artifact that can reduce the stimulus on the energy center and mana circuits. It should be at least helpful to that loser.”
Martha took out a golden bracelet. The large amount of energy he could feel from it implied that it was an outstanding artifact. It must’ve been at least a unique grade.
Raon nodded while accepting the bracelet.
“Good job.”
Such an artifact must’ve been difficult to find. The way she was talking suggested that it wasn’t a big deal, but she must’ve worked really hard for it.
“Good job, my ass.”
Martha snorted and turned her head slightly.
“How did it go for you?”
“I managed to find it.”
“R-Really?”
“Yes.”
“Haa…”
Martha sighed deeply as she sank to the ground.
“What a welief.”
She said it with her mouth poking out slightly. Her pronunciation was a bit strange, probably because the tension left her tongue.
“We?”
“What?”
“You just said welief…”
“I-I never said that!”
“You heard her too, right?”
“Sh-Shut up!”
Martha shook her head violently in denial before running into the village.
“Are you going to the lodgwing?”
“I told you to shut up!”
Her face was completely red as she raised her fist. She ran straight to her lodging after that.
“I’ve never seen the team leader being so cute before.”
“She said welief…”
“She does speak like that sometimes.”
The first team’s members burst into laughter at Martha’s behavior. They all looked relieved that Rimmer could be saved.
You have an extreme talent for making fun of others.
Wrath licked his lips.
Won’t you try becoming the demon king of mockery? I’m sure the people in Devildom will have a blast.
He blabbered that Raon should definitely visit Devildom with him later so that the other demons could learn what a real fiend was.
* * *
That evening, Burren reached the village. His hand was cradling the elixir that the head of house gave him.
“I got this one for now, but I don’t know if it’s going to be enough.”
He sighed while giving him the elixir and the golden tablet.
“It’s okay. I’ve also managed to get the cure.”
“Y-You got the cure?”
“Did you really go to the dungeon to obtain that?”
“It was seriously amazing!”
Dorian came forward as he responded instead of Raon, opening his hands.
“We met Sir Lohengreen, who turned into a ghost, and even fought an apostle!”
“A-Apostle?”
“The apostle from White Blood Religion?”
Since Raon only said that he got the elixir as if it wasn’t a big deal, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I can tell you now since everyone’s here.”
“Let me tell them!”
Dorian was panting like a puppy in front of food. He apparently wanted to tell them about what happened in the dungeon.
“Okay.”
Raon nodded and Dorian stood in front of the Light Wind members with a bright smile on his face.
“I’ll start with how we found the dungeon. We…”
Dorian told everyone about his experience in the dungeon, not missing a single detail.
“Wow…”
“The fourth apostle… I-Isn’t he an intermediate Master?”
“I-Is it even possible to slay an apostle in three strikes?”
“Are you a Grandmaster or something?!”
“That’s crazy. Really crazy!”
The Light Wind members couldn’t close their mouths for a while after hearing that he killed the apostle in three strikes.
“…That’s how we managed to get Sir Lohengreen’s legacy, thanks to his generosity. H-He was slightly scary, but he was a kindhearted person.”
Dorian sniffled, saying that he missed him. It was funny that he could say that after never letting go of that white wood desk until the end.
“That sounds even more mysterious to me than the way he slew the apostle.”
“I know, right? How come even a ghost is helping him?”
“I guess everything goes well for him.”
The Light Wind members gasped, surprised at how he managed to obtain all of Lohengreen’s legacy.
“So it’s possible to save the squad leader with the elixir you obtained there, right?”
Burren was unable to breathe when he heard Raon slew the apostle, but he finally managed to recover and asked his question.
“Yes. It should return him to his previous state, at least.”
“Haa, I finally feel relieved.”
Burren let out a sigh of relief, a small smile on his face.
It was when Raon was about to talk about the artificial energy center that Martha, who had been staying by Rimmer’s side, shouted.
“He woke up!”
“Did the squad leader wake up?”
Everyone immediately ran into the lodging.
“Umm…”
When they entered the room, Rimmer was raising himself up while faltering. His pale face and rough breathing were completely different from how he usually looked.
“Why do you look so serious? Did I wake up a little bit late?”
He smiled faintly, trying to pretend it was nothing once again—but he couldn’t stop his eyebrows from trembling because of the pain.
“Everyone knows.”
Raon sat in front of Rimmer and shook his head.
“You don’t need to lie anymore.”
“What lie? It’s not that bad. I’ll be better once I return and have a good slee…”
“I told you, everyone knows.”
Raon held Rimmer’s trembling shoulders.
“Haa…”
Rimmer sighed, lying down once again.
“Damn it! I wanted to be a perfect and handsome squad leader for you guys! But what’s this poor state I’m in now?”
He kicked and screamed like a kid, saying that he didn’t want them to see him in such an ugly state.
“But you’ve always behaved in an unsightly manner in front of us…”
“That’s right. The only thing I learned from him is that I shouldn’t live like him.”
“Mhm.”
Burren, Martha, and Runaan tilted their heads at Rimmer’s nonsense.
“You are killing me a second time with your words. You are hurting my feelings, and it’s even worse than my body. Kuh!”
Rimmer stood up while grasping his chest.
“Anyway, I’m fine! I’ll recover once I sleep to my heart’s content after we return.”
He was trying to scoff it off as nothing, and Raon placed the golden bracelet that Martha brought, the Tear of Shetty that Burren got from the head of house, and the Elixir of Eternal Flow that Raon had obtained in the dungeon in front of Rimmer one after the other.
“What are those things?”
“We’ve found these for you.”
Raon briefly explained what happened up to that point.
“So you went to the branch without even resting, searched two whole cities, and guarded me without sleeping? And…”
Rimmer looked at Burren, Martha, and Runaan, then finally reached Raon.
“You even defeated an apostle to bring back Lohengreen’s legacy…”
He lowered his head while biting his lip. It looked like he was getting overwhelmed with emotions.
“It’s really embarrassing. I’ve never felt this way before in my life. I’m happy but embarrassed at the same time. Even though my heart feels so warm, I can’t raise my head.”
Rimmer’s voice was quivering. His emotions seemed to be going out of control.
“Since you’ve always helped us, it’s not strange for us to help you in return.”
Raon smiled faintly while watching Rimmer act embarrassed.
‘He really helped me countless times.’
Rimmer gave him countless pieces of advice and helped him when he was learning basic techniques, the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, and various swordsmanships and footworks.
Since he had even saved his life multiple times in the past and even taught him about human emotions, Raon felt like what he’d done for him was far from being enough to repay the favor.
“Squad leader. You have to decide now.”
“Decide?”
“If you take the Tear of Shetty and the Elixir of Eternal Flow, they should recover your mana circuits and you should be able to return to your previous condition. However, something like this is going to happen again if you overexert yourself like when you fought against Roman.”
“I guess so.”
“However…”
Raon took the artificial energy center from his inner pocket and placed it in front of Rimmer.
“If you destroy your own energy center and use this artificial energy center instead, you should be able to return to how you used to be when you were Zieghart’s Sword of Light, before your energy center was damaged. It will take lots of practice, though, and you will have to gather your aura all over again.”
“A-Artificial energy center…”
“You should decide for yourself which one you want.”
Raon pushed the elixir and artificial energy center towards Rimmer.
Rimmer clenched his fist after looking at the artificial energy center and the elixir one after the other with trembling eyes.
“I…”
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