Chapter 847

After shedding a flood of tears, Raon followed Glenn to the audience chamber.

Sylvia, Edgar, and the other executives followed behind with surprised expressions, likely not expecting Raon to have cried.

“Huu…”

Standing atop the dais of the audience chamber, Glenn let out a heavy sigh. He moved in front of the throne and extended a hand toward Raon.

“Rimmer…”

He paused and bit his lip as he looked at Rimmer’s casket beside Raon.

“I heard that Rimmer died and Aris was gravely wounded, but the exact circumstances haven’t been reported yet.”

Thinking that Raon and the Light Wind Division were too emotionally shaken, he turned to Rabawin.

“Rabawin. You—”

“Family Head. Allow me to speak.”

Raon wiped the remaining tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand and stepped forward.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I want to. No—I must.”

He nodded while glancing at Rimmer’s casket.

“…Very well. Go ahead.”

Glenn lowered his eyebrows and stepped back.

“I’ll start from the beginning. After we acquired the soul stone and were preparing to return to Zieghart, one of Lady Aris’ subordinates came to us.”

Raon deliberately omitted Paras’ name so he wouldn’t feel burdened, referring only to Aris’ subordinate.

“They had found traces of Aris’ son, Sif. After some consideration, we decided to send the soul stone ahead to Zieghart and go after Sif. When we entered the dungeon…”

Raon explained everything that had happened in the dungeon in detail, without leaving anything out.

“…Thanks to Master, whom I met in the Mental World, I was able to reach transcendence and adjust the dungeon. With that, we pursued Sif and Bardiel and exacted our revenge.”

Recalling the events inside the dungeon made Rimmer’s face resurface in his mind, and tears threatened to fall again. But he forced down the overwhelming emotion—he didn’t want to cry anymore.

“Derus Robert. That bastard!”

Balder stomped hard enough to shake the audience chamber.

“Where the hell is he hiding while pulling this shit!”

He ground his teeth, saying he wanted to drag Derus out by the hair.

“You’re in front of the Family Head. Quiet down.”

Karoon shook his head without looking away from the dais.

“You’re not angry? That bastard toyed with Zieghart—mmph!”

Balder started to shout again but closed his mouth when Karoon’s gaze turned toward him.

“I said, be silent.”

Lightning flickered blood-red over Karoon’s eyes.

A man of great pride in Zieghart, he seemed more furious than anyone else present.

“Ugh…”

Balder pouted his lips but backed down.

“……”

Even Denier, always the calm one, was trembling as he clenched his fists.

“So that’s what happened…”

Glenn looked at Rimmer’s casket, closed his eyes slowly, then opened them again.

“And that’s why you were all blaming yourselves.”

He nodded heavily, saying he now understood the looks in the Light Wind Division’s eyes.

“I-It’s all my fault!”

Dorian stepped forward, choking back tears.

“Because I couldn’t do anything, Vice Leader ended up—”

He grabbed his messy hair, saying he had only gotten in the way.

“No. It’s my fault.”

Raon stopped Dorian and shook his head.

“There were multiple chances to stop Sif’s plan. Lady Aris was stabbed because I let my guard down, and even Vice Leader was taken because of me.”

He took full responsibility, hoping the other members wouldn’t blame themselves.

But it wasn’t just emotional—it was also an honest acknowledgment of his own mistake.

‘If I had just been a little more composed, I might have saved both of them.’

If he had retained the coldness of his past life, he wouldn’t have trusted Sif to the end.

Now that he had become Raon Zieghart and learned to trust people and form bonds, he had gained a weakness.

“The Rimmer I knew might have been lighthearted, but he never spoke nonsense.”

Glenn stared at the casket and pressed his lips tightly together.

“He told you to be happy, and he smiled in Raon’s Mental World before he left. That means he had no regrets. Neither the Light Wind Division leader nor any of you in the division have any reason to blame yourselves.”

He lowered his chin, his gaze cold and piercing.

“The one who played dirty is elsewhere—so why are you beating yourselves up? If you continue to berate yourselves, it becomes an insult to Rimmer. From the moment you leave this room, you’re to forget that nonsense.”

Glenn gritted his teeth and urged them to blame Derus instead, and to focus on vengeance.

“Understood?”

“…Y-Yes, understood.”

Dorian knelt and nodded with a sob.

“Understood.”

Raon also bowed his head. Just as Glenn said, and as he himself had witnessed, Rimmer had vanished with a smile, without regrets.

As Glenn said, to tarnish his master’s final moment would be unforgivable.

“There’s one more thing I need to report.”

Raon stepped forward again and looked up at Glenn.

“It’s about how Sif stole Lady Aris’ power.”

Before speaking, he scanned the room. Only the branch masters, direct line members, division leaders, and unit commanders were present—so it was safe to share this information.

“Yes. That’s what I wanted to know!”

Balder nodded enthusiastically.

“Even someone like me knows it’s impossible to reach transcendence by stealing someone else’s power!”

He gestured with his finger, urging Raon to speak.

“In our Zieghart bloodline…”

Raon placed a hand over his chest as he continued.

“…flows the blood of the Angels.”

“…Angels? You mean the ones that Derus Robert brought in?”

Karoon’s lips trembled in shock.

“Correct.”

Raon nodded at Karoon.

“Sif reached transcendence by absorbing the power of the Angel blood that resides in Lady Aris’ lineage. Martha.”

“Yeah.”

Martha stepped forward and handed Sif’s black sword to Raon.

“Sif used the curse that remained in the pit and this black sword to steal Lady Aris’ power. I believe the secret lies within this sword.”

Raon handed the black sword, still reeking of blood, to Glenn.

“…There’s no doubt. This stench is suffocating.”

Glenn narrowed his eyes, admitting he hadn’t expected such a sword to exist.

“I’ll have to contact Balkan and Ogram.”

He nodded, saying he’d summon Balkan, the renowned blacksmith, and the shamans of the Beast Union.

“Family Head, did you already know?”

Raon furrowed his brow as he watched Glenn examine the sword. The calm reaction made it seem like Glenn had already known about the Angels.

“I didn’t know Angel blood was involved. But…”

Glenn lowered the black sword and shook his head.

“Considering that only we can wield Sword Field Creation, and that our growth doesn’t stagnate even after reaching transcendence, I always thought our lineage was unique. This too must be investigated thoroughly.”

He frowned, saying even he hadn’t expected this.

“Angels, huh… I don’t know if that’s something to be happy about or not…”

Balder let out a hollow laugh, still finding it hard to believe.

“……”

Karoon stared at Rimmer’s casket, his eyes heavy, as if deep in thought.

“It’s likely…”

Denier stepped forward, eyes fixed on the black sword.

“Derus Robert is working with the White Blood Cult as well.”

“The White Blood Cult?”

Balder turned, confused.

“The ones who know human blood best on the entire continent are the White Blood Cult. Those two groups are almost certainly deeply connected.”

Denier clutched his temple, saying Derus and the White Blood Cult’s leader likely collaborated to develop a way to steal Zieghart’s power.

“That’s definitely possible.”

Glenn nodded, stating that using Aris’ blood to achieve transcendence meant the White Blood Cult’s master was likely involved.

“From what we’ve seen, it seems Zieghart blood must pass down within Zieghart for its power to be stolen. But just in case, all branch masters and division leaders are to investigate every angle.”

He ordered all executives in the audience chamber to gather information on the matter.

“From this moment on, Derus Robert and his faction are Zieghart’s primary enemies. Above all else, they take top priority. If encountered, kill them on sight. I give my permission.”

Glenn ground his teeth sharply, declaring that Derus must never be allowed to live.

“Yes!”

Zieghart’s executives bowed their heads with unwavering determination to fulfill that command, even if it cost their lives.

“Merlin.”

Glenn beckoned toward the back of the Light Wind Division, where Merlin stood.

“Yes, Grandfather!” (T/N: Damn it. What a nice way to break the sad mood. Haha)

Merlin replied in a brighter tone than usual, perhaps trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

“Mm, how long will it take to prepare to awaken Sia?”

Glenn faltered for a moment, as if flustered, before asking about Sia.

“It’ll probably take about two weeks.”

Merlin held up two fingers, saying that this was new even for her, and she’d need to prepare thoroughly.

“Even if it takes longer, that’s fine. It must not fail—so make sure it’s done as safely as possible.”

“Leave it to me!”

She smiled and tapped her arm confidently.

“Rimmer’s funeral will be held in three days. He’s from Sephia, so we should send him there, but I want to bury him here in Zieghart.”

With that, Glenn turned his back.

“You’re all tired. Go rest. I’ll take care of the rest.”

He motioned with a weary hand, signaling the meeting was over.

“…Understood.”

Raon bowed deeply and left the audience chamber with the Light Wind Division.

“We’ll take our leave as well.”

“Don’t overdo it…”

“Hmph, what a suffocating mess.”

Karoon, Denier, Balder, and the other executives bowed toward Glenn’s back and exited the chamber.

“……”

Left alone, Glenn stood before Rimmer’s casket.

Like a statue, he didn’t move—even as night passed and dawn approached. His gaze remained fixed on Rimmer alone.

Thud!

Just as Glenn clutched his head and hunched over in dizziness, the doors of the audience chamber burst open, and Sheryl flew in as if throwing her body forward.

“Huff…!”

Blood, still wet, stained her cheeks and uniform—she must have sprinted here the moment her mission ended.

“Family Head! Where is that bastard—Ah!”

She was about to ask where Rimmer was when she spotted the casket below the dais. Her lips trembled.

Step.

Glenn descended from the dais with heavy footsteps and stood before Rimmer’s casket.

His trembling hands rose and fell multiple times before he finally made up his mind and opened the lid.

Amid the beautiful frost-like flowers, Rimmer’s face came into view. He was smiling.

It felt like he might spring up any second and say, “Finally hugged Raon, huh? Took you long enough!” with his usual cheeky grin.

“……”

Unable to keep looking at Rimmer’s face, Glenn lifted his gaze toward the ceiling. His vision blurred, as if mist had filled his eyes.

“May you rest in peace…”

Roenn bowed his head, hand over his heart. Even his aged eyes welled with tears.

“You idiot. You stupid fool…”

Sheryl knelt and pounded the floor. Her tears fell, soaking her hair.

“You told me to wait, you lazy gambler bastard!”

She screamed at Rimmer, asking why he hadn’t kept his promise.

“You died exactly like you lived.”

Glenn grasped Rimmer’s scarred hand and bit his lip.

“I’m glad you had no regrets… but I wish I could’ve had more time with you. Comrade—no, my dear friend.”

—

“Haaah…”

Raon stared at the ceiling of his room and sighed.

‘I can’t sleep.’

He had returned to the annex, washed up, and laid down—but even after a long time, sleep wouldn’t come.

Despite being more physically and mentally exhausted than ever, his mind remained sharp.

‘No, not sharp exactly…’

His emotions and mental state were simply too heightened for sleep.

-Then move your body instead.

Wrath let out a short yawn and shook his head.

-Move your body a little, and you’ll feel better.

Unlike usual, he motioned with his chin for Raon to go warm up.

‘…Thank you.’

Upon returning to the house, Raon hadn’t been able to keep his promise of celebrating with a feast. Despite not having eaten anything delicious for a while, Wrath hadn’t complained and had endured it silently.

Knowing full well what kind of personality Wrath normally had, Raon couldn’t help but feel grateful.

-Don’t talk nonsense. I’m just bored.

Wrath snorted and told him to hurry up and get going.

‘Yeah.’

Raon gave a faint smile and walked toward the door—but then he paused. A naturally blooming sense spread out, letting him feel the presence of Sylvia, Edgar, and Helen in the dining room.

Sylvia and Helen were weeping, mourning Rimmer, while Edgar was quietly consoling the two.

‘……’

Raon turned away and slipped out through the window instead.

To avoid waking anyone, he made his way behind the lake and drew the Heavenly Drive.

Wooooong—

Just gripping the sword caused the mana inside his body and the mana of nature to resonate together.

[Heavenly Connection]. The aura of a transcendent, one who has touched the sky, rose from his shoulders.

Sssss—

As he slowly brought the sword down, the lake parted without a sound. The path drawn by the aura of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation was traced by nature’s mana, carving a wall through the water.

‘…I’ve grown stronger.’

More than ever before, he could feel the difference within himself.

Even though he had finally reached the long-awaited realm of transcendence, he felt no joy. Perhaps it was because the one person who would have celebrated with him the most was no longer there.

‘Still, I have to keep moving forward.’

None of his goals had been fulfilled yet. Even if it cost his life—no matter what happened—Derus had to die.

As he poured that heavy resolve into his sword, the aura-soaked blade twisted and split the air.

The realm of transcendence allowed one to turn ideals into reality, even with faint aura.

Fiiiing.

After finishing his basic sword drills, Raon was about to unfold the [Fangs of Insanity] when he sensed a presence to his right.

There was no need to extend his perception. The flow of mana told him who it was. He finally understood why Wrath always noticed people before they approached.

Step.

With heavy footsteps, someone stepped onto the lake’s surface. It was Sheryl. She must have come in a rush; wet strands of hair clung to her tear-streaked face.

“Division Leader…”

Raon lowered his head, unable to look directly at her.

“I’m sorry.”

He had nothing to say. She and Rimmer were not just friends—but something more.

“Enough of that. Just take this.”

Sheryl pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her chest.

“This is…”

“What that damn idiot left for you…”

She paused, biting her lip hard.

“It’s his will.”