Chapter 824

“…I see.”

After hearing the story, Aris lowered her head.

“I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

She pressed her lips together tightly as she looked at Sia lying in bed.

“I said I’d protect you all, but I guess I focused too much on my own affairs.”

Aris let out a deep sigh filled with regret.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

Raon approached Aris and shook his head.

“If this matter got out, it could’ve been used as a weakness against the Five Demons, so the head intentionally chose not to tell you.”

Since Aris seemed to be blaming herself, he explained why the news hadn’t been shared.

“That’s right, unni.”

Silvia called Aris ‘unni’ in a slightly trembling voice.

“Everyone’s safe. We’re really okay.”

She smiled softly, setting aside her worry for Sia for the moment.

“……”

Even after hearing Raon and Silvia’s words, Aris furrowed her brows, still unable to forgive herself as she stared at Sia.

“Aunt.”

Raon looked down, calling her ‘aunt’ to shift the atmosphere.

“What were you doing all that time that you couldn’t be reached? The head said he sent a letter even before I went to the Holy Sword Alliance.”

“Ah…”

Aris let out a short sigh and raised her gaze.

“I was looking for that damned son of mine.”

She tousled her hair and clicked her tongue.

“You mean Sif.”

Silvia narrowed her eyes at Aris.

“Still no contact?”

“Yeah. I went to the place someone said they’d seen Sif two years ago. Damn place turned out to be a dungeon.”

Aris gritted her teeth, saying she’d been completely fooled.

“You went into a dungeon?”

Raon looked at her and asked again.

“Yeah. It was a dungeon full of traps and monsters ready to kill. But that wasn’t the real issue…”

“What do you mean?”

“It felt like it was created just days ago, but also like it had existed for hundreds of years. Actually, that’s probably accurate. The flow of time was different.”

Aris nodded with furrowed brows.

“We were in the dungeon for a week, but when we came out, more than two months had passed.”

She shook her head, saying it was an incredibly strange place.

“Then what did you find there…?”

“Nothing. Not a trace of that damned son of mine. No treasure either.”

“Hmm…”

Raon stroked his chin as he looked at the tongue-clicking Aris.

‘She’s wound up.’

Normally, Aris would’ve welcomed a dungeon and adventure like that, but it seemed she was on edge because of the missing Sif.

“Huu.”

Aris leaned back in her chair and looked up at the ceiling.

“Honestly, I didn’t want to live like my father, so I planned to give Sif a bit of training and then let him go free…”

“He had too much talent.”

Silvia let out a short sigh, as if she understood.

“Yeah. He was the type who understood ten things when you taught him one, so I ended up getting serious without realizing it. From his perspective, I might’ve seemed no different than my own father.”

Aris clicked her tongue in self-disdain.

“I realized my mistake too late and told him to do as he pleased, but maybe I overdid it. I should’ve at least set up a way to contact him.”

She furrowed her brow, full of regret.

-Hmm….

Wrath scratched his cheek as he looked at Aris hiding her face.

-Wild as she is, she’s still a mother.

‘That’s true.’

Raon thought Aris treasured him because she missed Sif.

He’d wondered why she wasn’t actively looking for him—it was likely because of her guilt over pushing him too hard during childhood training.

He’d always thought she was full of confidence and lived freely, but just as Wrath said, Aris was still a mother.

“But didn’t Sif also enjoy training?”

Silvia tilted her head, finding it strange.

“I never saw it myself, but I heard he was very diligent.”

“He was.”

Aris nodded calmly.

“But since he was trained from such a young age, he probably didn’t even realize that wasn’t normal.”

She looked down, regretful that she never gave Sif a choice.

“He’ll be okay.”

Silvia smiled gently and shook her head.

“Children understand their parents’ hearts better than we think.”

She looked at Raon and placed her hand over Aris’s.

“Sif, and our Sia too, they’ll be okay.”

“Yeah. That’s how it should be. Sia and that damn Sif both need to live long lives.”

Aris gently nodded along with the atmosphere Silvia had created.

“Aunt.”

Taking the opportunity, Raon shifted the topic completely and brought up the Soul Stone.

“Did you really see the Soul Stone?”

“Rabawin saw it, not me, so I’m not sure…”

Aris looked away and flicked her hand.

“But that guy’s not the type to lie. We can trust him.”

She clenched her fist, saying if he lied, she’d kill him herself.

“Right.”

Raon nodded. The Rabawin he saw wasn’t someone who spewed nonsense. They would definitely find it.

“Should we get going? We’ve lingered too long.”

Aris gave a faint smile as she brushed back her disheveled hair.

“I’ll make sure to bring back the Soul Stone.”

She softly caressed Sia’s forehead, then stood up.

“Then I’ll be off.”

As Aris was saying goodbye to Silvia, she locked eyes with Edgar, who had been standing blankly in the back.

“Ahem….”

Edgar cleared his throat and bowed.

“Si-sister-in-law. It’s an honor to meet you. My name is Edgar, and as you’ve heard, I’m from the Holy Sword Alliance. It’s not as bad as people say. I mean, there are bad guys, sure, but also a lot of good people. Now that we’ve opened communication with Zieghart, we’re working on improving relations—”

“You talk too damn much.”

Aris narrowed her eyes at Edgar.

“Ugh…”

Edgar clamped his mouth shut, as if struck by lightning.

“You don’t even give me a chance to greet you on our first meeting?”

Aris lightly tapped Edgar’s arm to snap him out of it. It didn’t seem like she used much strength, but it sounded like a club hitting a rock.

“I-I’m sorry. I’ve got so much on my mind I don’t even know what I’m saying. Words just keep coming out…”

Edgar stammered, his face flushing red as he mumbled incomprehensibly.

“There are good people and bad people everywhere. I know that.”

Aris nodded as if it were obvious.

“Let’s grab a drink once this is over.”

She gave Edgar a gentle pat on the shoulder before exiting the hospital room.

“Why are you stuttering so much? Were you that nervous?”

Silvia giggled as she looked at Edgar, who seemed severely tense.

“It hurt more than anything! She just tapped my arm, but I thought my bones broke!”

Edgar trembled, saying he might need to get checked immediately.

“O-of course I was nervous too. I don’t even know why, but I was more anxious than when I met my father-in-law. I think I made a bad impression…”

“Don’t worry. That was a good reaction.”

Raon smiled and lightly tapped Edgar’s shoulder the same way Aris did.

“R-really?”

“Yes. Aunt shows it on her face when she truly dislikes someone.”

He told him not to worry and resumed packing his belongings.

“Hmm, alright. Have a good trip. I don’t know why, but I feel oddly at ease now.”

Edgar smiled awkwardly, saying he suddenly felt relieved.

“Me too. Seeing unni made me feel better.”

Silvia also nodded, her expression lightening.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

Raon said goodbye to the two of them and stepped outside.

“Let’s go.”

With a brisk stride, Aris led the way, urging them to depart quickly.

“Yes.”

As they walked down the avenue behind her, Martha, standing in front of the 5th Training Ground, raised her fist.

“Hey, you bastard!”

Martha furrowed her brows, shouting that he was extremely late.

“What took you so long! The sun’s already up… huh?”

She was yelling, but her mouth fell open when she saw Aris standing beside her.

“A-Aris-nim, what are you doing here…?”

“You should call me Aunt too.”

Aris smiled brightly and ruffled Martha’s hair as if she’d never been slumped before.

“Gasp! Auntie?”

Burren’s eyes widened in shock when he saw Aris.

“Aunt…”

Runaan, who wasn’t even her niece, called her aunt and hugged Aris first.

“R-right. It’s been a while, everyone…”

For the first time, Aris blinked in surprise, clearly flustered.

-Still, it’s fortunate.

Wrath gave a small nod as he looked at Aris.

‘What is?’

-With this woman around, she’ll be of help while this king is unable to fully use his strength.

It seemed he had overexerted himself driving out the Holy Sword Alliance Lord, and he was welcoming Aris’s support in his own way.

‘Are you really in bad shape?’

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wrath.

-It’s not something a fledgling needs to worry about.

Wrath waved his hand, telling him to worry about himself.

Seeing him act as usual, it seemed he would recover with time.

“What’s going on?”

Rimmer walked up to Raon with a dazed expression.

“Why is that wild woman here?”

He tilted his head, clearly confused.

“She came to pick us up.”

Raon shrugged as he looked at Rimmer.

“Pick us up? I think your definition of that word is a little different from mine.”

Rimmer let out a baffled chuckle.

“Still, it feels reassuring right from the start of the mission.”

He smiled, saying the journey would be smooth.

“Yes.”

Raon nodded gently as he watched Aris pulling on Dorian’s cheek.

“It definitely feels reassuring.”

* * *

“You can already see the ocean. Though…”

Raon looked back from the calm coastline and let out a wry chuckle.

“Though everyone’s on the verge of death.”

Rather than traveling from Zieghart to the nearest coast, Aris had used consecutive dimensional gates to reach this point, so the Light Wind Division had to do the same to get to where Azure Wind Pirates were.

Thanks to that, the Light Wind Division swordsmen were seasick before even boarding the ship, their faces pale as corpses.

“You really did rush here.”

Raon chuckled at the chaotic mess of dimensional gates they’d traveled through.

“Yeah. As soon as I saw the letter telling me to take you, I looked for the nearest gate.”

Aris laughed heartily, looking like she had regained her energy.

“I want to be that proactive too!”

Martha nodded with eyes full of admiration.

“It’s not about being proactive. Just act on instinct when something comes to mind.”

Aris lifted a finger, giving advice to follow one’s gut.

“Yes! I’ll try that!”

Martha clenched her fist, determined to follow her example.

“Hmm…”

Runaan also nodded calmly, seemingly inspired.

“Hmm…”

Raon’s lips twitched as he watched Martha and Runaan.

‘If those two live even more instinctively…’

-They’d just be beasts….

Wrath responded immediately, seemingly agreeing with him.

“The ship’s over there.”

Aris pointed to the largest sailing ship docked at the port—it was Azure Wind, long missed.

“But…”

Raon gulped as he looked at Azure Wind’s sail.

“You still have the pirate flag up.”

This was a normal port city, on the opposite side of Aris’s domain, and she had left the pirate flag flying without a care.

“No reason to lower it.”

Aris grinned, saying she’d just crush anyone who tried to mess with them.

“Right…”

Raon let out a dry laugh and nodded. That kind of confidence always gave him strength.

“Then let’s get on board.”

Aris flicked her finger, saying everything was ready to go.

“Yes.”

Raon nodded and climbed the wooden stairs onto Azure Wind.

“Hmm? You’re back sooner than expected.”

Rabawin, who was tidying the deck, bowed his head to Aris.

“No need to waste time bringing the kids over.”

Aris laughed, saying it cost her a bit of money, but speed was everything.

“That’s true. What did the head say?”

“The head? I didn’t see him.”

She tilted her head, wondering why she’d need to see Glenn.

“Huh…?”

Raon’s mouth dropped open.

“You didn’t stop by to see the head before coming to us?”

“Come on, why would I go see that guy? I didn’t want to hear him nagging.”

Aris waved her hand, saying listening to Glenn’s nagging at dawn would ruin her whole day.

“Huu…”

“I knew it.”

Rabawin sighed, while Rimmer chuckled knowingly.

“Everyone, guide the Light Wind Division members.”

Rabawin quickly regained composure as if this was nothing new and gave orders to the crew.

“Yes! This way, please!”

The crew took their luggage and guided the Light Wind members below deck. Having fought together in the war, their gazes already held familiarity and friendliness.

“It’s been a while, Raon-nim.”

Rabawin bowed respectfully to Raon.

“You look better than before.”

Raon smiled back and returned the greeting.

“Things have calmed down a bit since a certain someone stopped raising hell.”

Rabawin glanced at Aris and lowered his voice.

“But…”

Raon took a step closer to Rabawin and opened his lips with a heavy tone.

“Did you really see the Soul Stone?”

“Yes.”

Without hesitation, Rabawin nodded.

“When the sun and moon aligned, the stone beneath my feet shone in rainbow light. My life was hanging by a thread, but it was so mesmerizing I can’t forget it.”

He explained the situation when he’d clashed with the White Blood Cult because of Aris.

“White Blood Cult…”

Raon swallowed dryly upon hearing the explanation.

“Who was the Apostle that fought you?”

“The Second Apostle. He was stronger than me even back then—it was incredibly dangerous.”

Rabawin shook his head, saying he’d barely escaped with his life.

“Did the Second Apostle see the Soul Stone too?”

“Well, I was thrown by the blood energy and happened to land there…”

He turned his chin to the side and clicked his tongue.

“The light wasn’t that strong, but considering how powerful he is, he might’ve seen it too.”

Rabawin furrowed his brow, saying it was quite possible.

“I see…”

Then there’s a chance the White Blood Cult is also after the Soul Stone.

Glenn had released information about the Soul Stone, leading many to become aware of its existence.

Which meant even the Second Apostle, who may not have known about it before, might’ve heard the rumors—putting the White Blood Cult in the position of a potential enemy.

“In that case…”

Raon let out a heavy sigh as he looked at Rabawin.

“It would be best to depart immediately.”

* * *

Raon stood at the bow of the Azure Wind, which was slicing through the waves, biting his lip.

“You seemed in a hurry all of a sudden…”

Aris walked up beside him and tilted her head.

“Something happen?”

“I heard from a reliable source that others besides us are looking for the Soul Stone.”

Raon explained the information he’d received from the Thespian Emperor and ran his fingers along his knuckles.

“Ah, then…”

Aris widened her eyes, seeming to understand.

“Yes. Either the White Blood Cult is on the move, or someone sold the information.”

Raon nodded, saying it was best to move as quickly as possible.

“That’s definitely possible. Even I didn’t know what the Soul Stone was until now.”

Just as Aris clicked her tongue in agreement—

Whooooosh!

A massive ship, larger than the Azure Wind, emerged from the east with a strong wind.

“That’s…”

Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the ship’s flag.

“A pirate ship?”

Its flag displayed a far more intricate skull than Azure Wind’s—undeniably a pirate symbol.

“They came despite seeing the Azure Wind’s flag?”

Raon let out a dry laugh as he watched the ship draw closer.

“This isn’t our territory, after all.”

Aris nodded calmly, as if she already knew the ship was approaching.

Whooooom!

A strong light began to glow from the pirate ship’s cannons.

They looked ready to attack before even talking.

“What a nuisance.”

Aris clicked her tongue briefly and grabbed her sword handle.

“I’ll handle this.”

Raon shook his head and placed his hand on the sheath of the Heavenly Drive.

“Yeah? Then let’s see how much my nephew’s grown.”

Aris nodded and stepped back.

Kwaaaaaang!

The moment the pirate ship fired its magic cannon, Raon exhaled shortly and activated [Sword Control].

Chiiiiiing!

The Heavenly Drive flew from its sheath, wrapped in a faint flame, and shot forward like a beam of light.

Kwaaaaang!

The sharp blade of the Thousand Flames Cultivation, unleashed through [Sword Control], split the magic cannon in half.

The bisected cannon fell into the sea, raising a massive wave.

Kugugugugung!

A violent wave surged, making both the pirate ship and the Light Wind members tremble as if they would capsize.

Kwadudududuk!

Not stopping at defense, Raon continued with [Sword Control], wielding his sword to rip apart three more magic cannons made of steel.

“Light Wind Division, charge.”

After disabling the enemy’s weapons, Raon gave the order.

The swordsmen, blades already drawn, burst from the deck and leapt onto the shaking pirate ship.

“W-what is that…?”

“Insane…”

“[Sword Control]?”

The crew of the Azure Wind stared at Raon with wide eyes, their shock at [Sword Control] plain on their faces.

“Ha…”

Even Aris let out a breath of awe as she looked at Raon.

“I heard you used [Sword Control] with a dagger when you caught the Crimson Flame Demon, but this… this is the real deal…”

“I still have a long way to go.”

Raon shook his head as he returned the Heavenly Drive to its sheath.

“Still, using it in actual combat is impressive! I didn’t see that coming at all!”

Aris nodded repeatedly, praising him with enthusiasm.

“But hey…”

Her eyes suddenly gleamed with curiosity.

“Why don’t you try putting one more thing into that [Sword Control]?”