Chapter 570

Raon chewed his lip as he watched Rektor leave.

‘I have no idea what he’s thinking.’

Rektor seemed both eager and reluctant to convey something. It sounded like madness to say so, but that’s exactly how it felt.

Considering the dry, yet eventually revealing gaze he shared, and the way he demonstrated the flow of his swordsmanship even during battle, as if he were teaching, it seemed he had come here to finish an uncompleted lesson.

‘Even I think this sounds crazy.’

The idea that Rektor, who had declared himself a part of the Holy Sword Alliance and threatened to kidnap me, had come here to teach swordsmanship was ludicrous even to my own ears.

Yet, my usually rational mind kept reaching out to that possibility.

‘Is this self-justification?’

I didn’t want to believe in Rektor’s betrayal, so it seemed like my mind was forcibly thinking in a more favorable light.

“Sigh…”

After exhaling the confusion that had filled his mind, Raon approached Aris.

“Are you okay?”

“That old man. He didn’t use his full strength.”

Aris frowned as she sheathed her sword.

“Huh?”

“The Sword Demon. He could have taken my arm if he really wanted to, but he held back.”

She too knew that Rektor hadn’t used his full strength.

“I underestimated him a bit, but as expected, the continent is vast.”

Aris glanced at the sky, regaining its blue hue, then turned her eyes toward the ruins of the family head’s house. She tapped her scabbard lightly as she noticed Merlin standing there, seemingly an ally.

“Thanks for the help, but you’re after my nephew too, right?”

“So what?”

Merlin met Aris’s gaze and nodded boldly.

“Wow, I’ve never seen a kidnapper so brazen.”

Aris chuckled incredulously.

“Of course, not now. I know it can’t happen.”

“Then why interfere with the Sword Demon?”

“Gets on my nerves when someone else takes what’s mine.”

Merlin shrugged casually, the black robe swirling around her like a mirage.

“I’ll seize the chance next time.”

“Who sent you?”

“Hold on…”

Before she could stop her, Aris drew her sword like lightning. Her strike reached Merlin before she could fully reveal the blade.

Whoosh!

However, Merlin seemed unscathed as if she was not her true body but just a blur.

“An illusion?”

“Something like that.”

Merlin taunted Aris with a flick of her tongue.

“See you around.”

She waved at Raon and vanished like a bubble.

“Damn magic.”

Aris muttered, not pleased, and sheathed her sword again.

-Don’t let your guard down!

Wrath, who had been hiding since Merlin appeared, suddenly raised his head.

-That crazy woman didn’t just leave! She must be watching us in disguise!

‘Now that I think about it…’

Wrath might be right. Merlin could still be observing us, having transformed into another animal.

“What is all this about.”

Rimmer approached, frowning.

“He didn’t seem like someone who would betray…”

He too found it hard to believe that Rektor was with the Holy Sword Alliance.

“Your arm…”

Aris finally noticed Rimmer’s severed right arm.

“No need to stare. It’s just an investment for the future.”

Rimmer chuckled, waving his left hand.

“Future?”

“Our Leader lost his arm protecting us.”

Raon touched Rimmer’s shoulder thoughtfully.

“Protecting you?”

Aris looked at him, urging an explanation.

“He entered a trance while on the battlefield.”

“It can’t be helped. No one enters a state of trance because they want to.”

“He does it on purpose.”

Rimmer shook his head, and Aris’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Raon scratched his head and nodded.

“We were facing annihilation, so it was a gamble.”

“Ha!”

Aris scoffed incredulously.

“So he went in trance in the heat of battle and then awakened to defeat the remaining enemies?”

“Something like that.”

“Grrrrr!”

Aris stretched her arms wide as if she had gulped down beer.

“That’s my nephew! Yes, that’s how a Zieghart behaves when wielding a sword!”

Proud of Raon or the result, she repeated her praises and pulled him into a hug.

“Uh, just a moment.”

Raon struggled to escape, but Aris did not let go and rubbed her cheek against him. Whether it was the cool and clear scent of the sea she carried, it calmed the tumult in his heart.

“Aunt! Stop!”

“Ah! Nephew!”

Only after he called her aunt did Aris loosen her tight embrace.

“Right. Call me Aunt. After all the trouble of getting used to it, why go back to calling me Lady Aris?”

“It’s hard to use that term within the family.”

“Who’s stopping it? I’ll sort them out!”

“It’s the head of the family…”

“…”

Aris swallowed dryly and shook her head.

“That, that’s alright. He’s our father, after all.”

She referred to Glenn as father in these moments, smiling awkwardly.

“Lady Aris Zieghart.”

The Light Wind Division members bowed to Aris. Since she held no formal position within Zieghart, they addressed her by name with due respect.

“Why such a formal greeting among family?”

Aris smiled warmly and waved her hand.

“Just call me Aris. Oh, and there are two more of my nephews here, right?”

“Bu, Burren Zieghart.”

“Martha! I admire you!”

Burren came forward hesitantly, while Martha, having seen Aris’s strength, jumped forward with sparkling eyes.

“Glad to meet you, nephews!”

Aris hugged Burren and Martha, her laughter rich.

“Both of you are not far behind Raon. Both masters at your age! Much faster than I was!”

She marveled at their skills, stroking their heads.

…

Runaan stood alone, dazed, then approached Aris and initiated a hug.

“Who are you?”

Aris seemed flustered by Runaan’s action.

“I’m Runaan Sullion.”

“Ah, Lokan’s daughter!”

She laughed, recognizing the name Lokan.

“Right. Come here! Actually, everyone come!”

Aris greeted all the members of the Light Wind Division. Her characteristic friendliness and straightforward personality quickly brightened the atmosphere.

“But…”

Aris furrowed her brows and turned her gaze.

“What was your relationship with the Sword Demon?”

After exchanging greetings with everyone, she finally brought up the most sensitive question.

“Um…”

“That is…”

Everyone in the Light Wind Division, having shared close ties and received swordsmanship guidance from the Sword Demon, said nothing and only bowed their heads.

“Rektor taught us various lessons.”

Raon sighed softly before speaking.

“When I went to the Arian family…”

He briefly explained how they met the Sword Demon and what had transpired.

“I see.”

Aris nodded, understanding why the mood had turned sour.

She surprisingly offered neither comfort nor encouragement. Not having experienced it herself, she seemed to hold back her words, knowing when to step forward and when not to.

“Let’s have a talk.”

“Eh? Why me! I’m a patient!”

Aris waved to the Light Wind Division, then disappeared with Rimmer.

“The Sword Demon is with the Holy Sword Alliance, really, what’s going on?”

Burren watched Rimmer being dragged away, exhaling a murky breath.

“It’s just to tease us! He was mocking us!”

Martha, having given her heart to Rektor, bit her lip in anger.

…

Runaan said nothing and quietly looked up at the sky. Having experienced the events in Syria, this incident seemed to affect her more profoundly.

“What do you think, squad leader? Is it really a betrayal?”

Dorian, looking uneasy, pulled out snacks from his pocket and chewed as he trembled.

“I don’t know.”

Raon, unusually listless, shook his head. More bewildered than the Light Wind Division, he had nothing to say.

“But it’s clear that Rektor is an enemy. Remember that.”

“Yes…”

The Light Wind Division nodded slowly, their response lacking energy, but no reprimand followed.

“Let’s report first.”

“Yes…”

As Raon reached out his hand, Dorian handed him the report form. The guy was noticeably slower than usual, clearly exhausted.

“Thanks.”

Raon patted Dorian’s shoulder, then began to write on the report form. After pondering what to write, he recorded all the events that had taken place here, and then tore off the last part about the Sword Demon.

‘I want to tell him about this in person.’

Glenn had shown a competitive yet friendly side while giving swordsmanship instructions to Rektor.

Later, he had often seen the two of them talking, and he didn’t want to convey such news in writing.

‘Instead…’

He wrote something he usually wouldn’t on the back page and handed it back to Dorian.

“I’ll send it right away.”

Dorian handed the report to Krein after putting Sileen on his back, then prepared to send it to the family.

Raon watched the unconscious Sileen, her expression still tense, and sighed softly.

‘I can somewhat understand how hard it is for you.’

Chad, the Vice Lord of the Biyeon Clan, hurriedly knocked on the audience chamber’s door.

“Head of the family!”

Before the knocking sound could even echo, the door opened, and Roenn’s face appeared with a faint smile.

“Please come in.”

“Thank you.”

Chad bowed to Roenn and entered the audience chamber.

Sitting on the throne, Glenn seemed displeased, frowning and tapping his foot. It seemed as if the vibrations from his leg were shaking the entire head of the family’s house.

“What is it?”

Glenn raised his vacant eyes, urging him to speak quickly.

“A report from the vice commander of the Light Wind Division.”

“What?”

As Chad pulled out an envelope, a vibrant gleam filled Glenn’s eyes. He leaned forward from the throne, making a brisk gesture with his hand.

“Are the children alright?”

“Yes. There are serious injuries, but no fatalities. However, there was a problem in between…”

“Problem?”

“Yes. The head of the Holy Sword Alliance and his disciple Cloud arrived sooner than expected. A battle ensued immediately…”

“Hmm…”

Glenn frowned, not pleased with the speed at which Chad was reading the report.

“Can’t you read a bit faster?”

“Ah, I’ll read it quickly!”

Chad, now nervous, wiped his forehead, accidentally dropping sweat on the report.

“Oh no!”

Glenn stretched out his hand in surprise, and the report in Chad’s grasp was pulled into his hand.

“Ahem…”

Glenn evaporated the sweat imprinted on the report and glared sharply at Chad.

‘To sweat on such a precious thing!’

It was rare for Raon, rather than Rimmer, to write a report. Chad felt rage boiling over as he dared to drop sweat on an item that should be preserved for a lifetime.

However, unable to show his anger directly, he only scowled and read the report.

Raon’s writing was calm yet cold.

He had tried to preemptively stop the betrayal of the Rakion family, but due to Juan’s resistance, he had executed a large number of warriors. The details of his encounters with the disciple of the Holy Sword Alliance and the head were written in a detached tone.

‘The rotten sprouts that I had to prune, the child has cut down for me.’

It had been decades since Zieghart’s advancement halted. It was natural for problems to arise both internally and externally. Having sorted out the internal issues, he had planned to scrutinize each of the external vassal families, but Raon seemed to handle it himself without needing to. The praise felt vastly insufficient.

“Remarkable achievement.”

Chad cautiously raised his head.

“If the Rakion family had hidden their schemes, they would have stabbed us in the back at some point. Stopping them beforehand is commendable.”

“The same goes for the Sullion family. If it weren’t for Sir Raon, the family might have fallen into Syria’s hands by now.”

Roenn added a comment to his words.

“Ahem…”

Glenn nodded, his expression ambiguously displeased.

“At least Rimmer must feel a bit relieved now.”

He nodded briefly, thinking more of Rimmer’s revenge coming to an end than of Raon.

“That he must.”

Roenn also smiled faintly and nodded.

“Then will that guy return to how he was before?”

“Hmm, I don’t know about that. He’s fallen further than expected…”

“Uh, um…”

Chad raised his pale hand.

“Did you perhaps miss the back page?”

“Back page?”

“Yes. There’s one more piece on the back.”

He nodded vigorously, insisting it was crucial.

“Hmm…”

Glenn flipped the report over. The moment he read just one line, his lips trembled violently.

“The, the Grand Master? The child has ascended to Grand Master?”

Glenn crushed the armrest of the throne and stood up abruptly.

“Hehe…”

Roenn too was startled, his laughter breaking off abruptly.

“Damn!”

Glenn stomped so hard it seemed the platform might collapse.

“Eek!”

Chad, flustered, jumped back.

‘Why, why is he reacting like this?’

He had thought it was good news and expected happiness, but he hadn’t anticipated such anger.

‘Wasn’t he fond of the Light Wind Division’s vice commander?’

It was strange, and he watched Glenn, puzzled, as his lips slowly parted.

“I thought it wasn’t time yet, but he’s already crossed the barrier! To think I didn’t see it!”

Glenn regretted not witnessing Raon overcoming the wall, grinding what was left of the throne’s armrest into powder.

Crackle!

A red aura spontaneously rose, surrounding the platform. A fierce red storm seemed imminent.

“Aris. If it weren’t for that damned one, I would have seen the child surpass the barrier myself!”

“Ah…”

Chad’s mouth fell open.

‘Was that it?’

Glenn wasn’t upset about Raon becoming the Grand Master, but he was deeply regretful for not seeing it himself.

‘Don’t think about it.’

All he had to do was make a good impression on Raon Zieghart and the Light Wind Division.

Chad clenched his fist, vowing to welcome Raon and the Light Wind Division more grandly than ever before.

Raon heard that Sileen had awakened and headed to her room.

“Ra, Sir Raon!”

Sileen rolled off the bed but immediately got up and rushed over. The bruises on her thighs and forearms, now darker, painfully filled her eyes.

“What about Dad and my brothers?”

The child had been tortured by her family, but as soon as she got up, she asked about her father and brothers.

“Sigh…”

Raon sighed deeply and knelt on one knee to meet Sileen’s eyes.

“I’m sorry. I did my best, but I couldn’t keep my promise.”

…

Sileen swallowed hard and then sat back.

“Then…”

“There was no other way. The demonic energy had penetrated to the marrow. Even if we turned back time, killing him was the only option.”

“Actually…”

Sileen’s eyelids trembled as she clenched her small fist and grasped the carpet.

“I knew as soon as I woke up. My wish and the result were different.”

“…”

“Still, I hoped otherwise, but bad premonitions never fail.”

“I’m sorry.”

“No. You did your best, didn’t you?”

The child forced a smile and shook her head.

“What happens to me now?”

Sileen raised her trembling eyes, more filled with sorrow than fear.

“Being the daughter of a betraying family, will I be imprisoned in Zieghart?”

“That won’t happen.”

Raon shook his head. The current Glenn would never do such a thing, and even if he did, Raon would stop him.

“What do you want to do?”

“I want…”

Sileen lowered her head to gather her thoughts before raising it again.

“I want to keep this house.”

“The house?”

“Yes. It’s where I lived with Dad, Mom, and my brothers.”

The child wanted to preserve the memories she had with her family, biting her lip.

“Hmm…”

Raon exhaled shortly.

‘Can she do it?’

About half of the Rakion family’s warriors had survived, but there was no guarantee they would follow Sileen. Even if they did, it would be a difficult path for a young child.

“It will be hard.”

“It’s okay.”

Sileen had already made up her mind, lifting her head with determination. In this short moment, her eyes were clear and steadfast.

‘After all, she’s the child who tried to expose her family’s evils.’

This child had gone to the Zieghart branch herself to reveal her family’s dark secrets, hoping to save her lineage. She would likely overcome the difficulties of reviving the family.

“Then come with me to Zieghart.”

“To Zieghart?”

“Yes. You need to meet the head of the family.”

“Hmm…”

“Don’t worry. The head of the family is a wise man.”

“Okay.”

Sileen clenched her small fist and nodded.

“We’ll leave tomorrow. Rest now.”

Raon told Sileen to rest before leaving her room.

-That young one is admirable!

Wrath sniffled.

-This place has its share of crazies, but also such commendable children that I can’t hate it!

He praised while also teasing Raon, his eyes moistening.

‘Exactly. She should be a bit more immature at this age.’

Raon now understood why Sylvia had hoped he would mature a bit later.

‘I’m tired.’

Though not severely injured, the betrayal by Rektor had left him feeling mentally exhausted. He longed for home, for Sylvia, and for the people at the annex.

‘And him too.’

Surprisingly, even Glenn’s face came to mind. He wanted to hear him say in his cool voice that he had done well.

“I miss everyone.”

As Raon awkwardly smiled, the bushes to the right of his lodging rustled, and a raccoon popped out, pointing at itself.

“Me?”

“…”

Raon closed his eyes tightly.