"A-A relic?"
"By relic, you mean…"
"Err…"
The officers' gazes gathered to the Snowbound Blade hanging around Milland's waist, since that was the treasure passed down in Habun Castle.
"A-Are you trying to appoint Raon as the next castellan?"
"That's a bit…"
"It should require more consideration…"
The Snowbound Blade was the symbol of Habun's castellan. Granting that sword pretty much meant that he acknowledged Raon as his successor.
The officers looked at Terian with trembling eyes, but he casually sipped his tea.
"What nonsense are you spouting?"
Milland frowned, looking around at the officers.
"This sword isn't a relic, but a symbol. I'm giving Raon something else."
"Something else?"
"This."
He took out thin, snow-white armor and put it on the table. It was sparkling like a star, with a green gem embedded in the center.
"Ah!"
"Th-This was what you meant!"
"Yes. This is the inner armor made from an orc lord's magic stone, the White Spirit Armor."
Inner armor was armor that was worn inside the clothes. Soldiers usually wore one, since the thin armor was capable of defending against blades piercing it.
"For outsiders, it's a more precious item than the Snowbound Blade, which is just a symbol. However, I figured I should reward him at least this much, considering his deeds."
Milland gently caressed the White Spirit Armor.
"He seriously doesn't take care of himself. I'll only be relieved once he wears this."
"I agree."
Terian smiled light-heartedly and raised his hand.
"We don't mind it either."
"Since the castle would've been annihilated if it weren't for Raon, any amount of reward wouldn't be enough."
"The White Spirit Armor would be the best present for the boy."
Since the White Spirit Armor's present and future owner both agreed, the officers also nodded with a smile.
"Then that's decided, and I think it would be best to hold the festival for around five days. However, rather than starting it right now, we should wait for about one week…"
"Can I say something?"
The Snow Strikers leader, Edquill, raised his hand despite having remained silent.
"What is it?"
"It's about Sir Raon."
"S-Sir Raon?"
"Did he say Sir Raon?"
Because he suddenly called him Sir, the officers' eyes widened.
"Didn't you say he was a mercenary?"
"…Yes, I did."
"It's possible that such a genius exists among the mercenaries, but the martial arts he used wasn't something ordinary. It was a swordsmanship developed over a long period of time, a martial art that a normal mercenary wouldn't be able to acquire."
"Are you questioning his identity?"
"I'm saying that we should make it clear."
"Hmm…"
Milland licked his lips and looked at Edquill. Judging from his peaceful eyes, he wasn't trying to attack him but just trying to confirm.
"I'm also pretty curious about that."
The Wolf Mercenary captain Beto locked his fingers together on his hand to cover his head, then snickered.
"Because we all already know that Raon isn't a mercenary."
"Hmm…"
"Well, that's true."
"I'm fine as long as he doesn't have a nasty origin, such as the Five Demons."
"Don't say that! There's no way that Raon is from the Five Demons."
With Edquill's prompting, people started making guesses about Raon's identity one after the other.
"Silence."
Milland tapped the desk to shut everyone's mouth.
"Just as you said, Raon isn't your average mercenary. In fact, I can't hide it anymore after what he accomplished. What you know for sure is that he's always been sincere, ever since he's arrived here."
The officers straightened their backs, realizing the meaning of his firm voice.
"He will reveal his identity himself one day, so just wait until then. And I can guarantee his identity, that he isn't from the dark side. You don't need to worry about it."
Milland looked at Edquill, who mentioned it first. His clear eyes were like when he was full of dreams and passion in the past.
"I see."
Edquill smiled slightly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Even though Milland had known him for a long time, he still couldn't tell what he was thinking.
"Start the festival's preparation right away if you don't have any more questions!"
Milland vigorously hit the table and stood up.
"Let's hold a magnificent festival, enough to recover from the fatigue and pain so far!"
* * *
Inside a dim room, illuminated by a small lighting hanging down from the ceiling, two people were sitting at a grotesque table that looked like it was made from human skulls.
The man sitting on the right was covering his body with thick robe of darkness, wearing a skull mask with blue flame burning in the eyes. A blonde staff was standing next to him on its own, with a dark and wicked light hovering around it.
On the other hand, the woman with thin fingers sitting next to him was wearing a deep blue hat with a brim and an old woman's mask with a long nose. A wooden staff made of withered material was floating behind her.
"It's a failure."
The woman wearing an old woman's mask clicked her tongue.
"Are you talking about Habun Castle?"
The man in the skull mask raised his chin.
"Yes. The Blue Shamanic Demon and the Voracious Ice Demon. Those worthless scum died."
"How did they fail?"
"Do you even need to ask? They must've just charged Habun's castellan without thinking."
"The Voracious Ice Demon might've done that, but the Blue Shamanic Demon isn't such a simpleton."
The man shook his head and tapped the table made of skulls.
"Anyway, it's too late now. Since they discovered that we made our move, the Habun castellan won't move his heavy ass anymore, and the Six Kings will also send reinforcements."
"Hmm…"
"What are you thinking about so hard? The magic stone of the green king has also appeared in the west, so it shouldn't matter that much."
"I wanted the siren's vessel more than the magic stone, since such a talent isn't common even on a continental scale."
The talent of powerful might and overflowing mana could be obtained anywhere. However, the quality of the siren's embodiment that controlled people's bodies and minds couldn't be found so easily.
"It's an ability that can realize genocide and mass brainwashing. We have to obtain it at all costs."
"But it can't be helped. Now isn't the time…"
"No. Because we are in our current situation, we have to make our move."
The man in the skull mask flicked his finger. Along with the thudding sound of bone hitting bone, a wriggling liquid similar to slime soared up onto the table. Its insides couldn't be seen because it had a cloudy gray color.
"Doppelganger? What are you planning to do with that idiot? Unless there's someone that can wear the doppelganger's helmet…"
"I modified it myself."
The man narrowed his eyes, looking at the doppelganger that was trying to swallow one of the table's skulls.
"This once can perfectly reproduce the words and actions of the human it swallows. Even family wouldn't be able to tell the difference."
"Hoo."
The eyes behind the old woman mask sparkled with a blue light.
"Is it absorbing the human's characteristics upon digestion? It looks like you've gone as far as modifying the cells."
"There's a time limit, but this one should be able to bring us the siren's vessel."
"What's the possibility of Milland noticing it?"
"None."
The skull masked man shook his head with a confident gaze.
"Unless it's a monster that can read into the human's temperament itself, no one will be able to discover it."
* * *
A festival was held at Habun Castle.
Simple festivals that lasted for one day after a wave had happened multiple times before, but because it was the first time a festival was held for five days in a row, the castle's mood was heated enough to melt the perpetual snow.
The festival became more and more heated over time, and it reached its peak on the fifth day, when the awarding ceremony was held.
"Dorian and Edquill, who jumped down the castle to fight against the ice troll lord, step forward!"
"Yes!"
Dorian and Edquill walked up the platform, answering the call from Terian, who was conducting the ceremony.
"These two people, who put their lives on the line to defend Habun Castle against the ice troll lord and the monsters, will be granted Habun Castle's excellent blade and some gold."
"Thank you!"
"Thank you."
Milland was standing on the platform to personally award them the sword and gold.
"Dorian, you've completely changed from when you arrived here for the first time. I hope you keep getting better in the future."
"Yes!"
"Edquill, I don't know what changed in your mind, but it doesn't seem to be a bad change. Keep refining yourself."
"Yes."
The two bowed to Milland and turned around to bow at the spectators.
"Woaaah!"
"The pride of our third scouting party!"
"Dorian! Dorian!"
"Leader! You are the best!"
The scouts and the swordsmen shouted Dorian and Edquill's names and cheered.
"Next is the final one."
Terian cleared his throat and looked at Raon, who was sitting at the right end.
"The invincible swordsman that saved thirty people's lives during the wave, then killed Eden's demons and the ice troll lord on his own! Raon, step forward!"
"Woaaaah!"
"Raon! Raon! Raon!"
"The Sword Demon of Habun Castle!"
"Troll lord slayer!"
As soon as he called Raon's name, all the soldiers surrounding the festival stood up to applaud and burst into a roar.
"Haa."
Raon bowed slightly at the people cheering for him, then walked up on the platform.
"Thanks to your brave and gallant actions, we've managed to minimize our losses. I express my gratitude as Habun's castellan."
Milland smiled widely for the first time and bowed to him.
"Commander!"
Since Raon didn't expect him to do that while everyone was watching, he grew flustered and bowed in return.
"You don't need to bow back!"
"That's right! You deserve more than the castellan's bow!"
"Raon! Stand there proudly!"
The others were smiling light-heartedly, as if they knew it was going to happen.
"The hero that saved Habun Castle twice from the crisis will be granted Habun Castle's relic, the White Spirit Armor, and some gold."
Milland presented the white armor. It was sparkling like gold, and a hexagonal green gem was embedded at the center of the chest.
"You tend to disregard your own body too much. Since this White Spirit Armor can be worn inside your clothes, you shall wear it all the time."
"Thank you."
Raon could tell that it was a precious treasure at a glance. Since he also realized why he was given the armor, warmth could be felt in his chest.
"Woaaah!"
"Raon! Raon! Raon!"
"Please keep defending Habun Castle in the future!"
Once he turned around, the crowd burst in a roar that shook the entire castle. It was loud enough to make the approaching monsters run away.
"Thank you."
Raon expressed his gratitude to the crowds before walking down the platform.
"Since we might never have another day like today, make sure to enjoy it thoroughly until the end! Next up is…"
Raon checked the White Spirit Armor, listening to Terian announcing the next event.
'Hmm, I feel like I've seen this somewhere.'
It wasn't about the clothes, but the emerald-like green gem embedded at the center that felt familiar to him for some reason.
'Ah!'
He finally remembered. He could feel a similar energy as the goblin king's magic stone that he still had in his chest.
How pathetic of you to realize it only now, with such an intense stench of orc coming from it.
Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that he was so insensitive.
'Orc?'
Yes. This is the magic stone of an orc lord.
'I see.'
Unlike the goblin king's magic stone, which was hot enough to burn his hand, the orc lord's magic stone was imbued with a rock-solid energy. That difference was the reason he didn't realize it was a magic stone at first glance.
'I guess they were aiming for this.'
He was wondering why Eden had attacked Habun Castle, but it seemed they were probably aiming for that magic stone. Its energy didn't lose at all when compared to the goblin king's magic stone.
'Hmm.'
Raon put his hand on the magic stone in order to examine the energy it contained more closely.
Swirl!
The Ring of Fire started to rotate like crazy, and covering his vision in white.
The world was changing.
He could see a snow field covered in blood.
The corpses of humans and orcs were piled up like a mountain, and on top of that hill of death, a blonde swordsman was clashing his sword against the axe of an orc bigger than an ogre.
Flame burst up in a spiral from the swordsman's blade, and brutal combative energy was overflowing from the orc's axe. The clash between the two monsters split the heaven and collapsed the ground.
After hundreds or thousands of clashes, the blade of flame finally sliced through the axe and beheaded the orc.
The orc was smiling, and the swordsman gave a bitter smile.
The swordsman turned around to look at Raon. Everything except for his red eyes was covered in darkness. The golden flame emanating from his eyes covered his vision.
The world changed once again, and Raon could see the festival full of smiles and life once again.
[You already have the Ring of Fire (Five-Stars).]
You already have the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation (Three-Stars).
Not enough accomplishments.]
The message he saw at the first judgment ceremony appeared once again.
Raon swallowed hard.
'Did Zieghart's ancestor fight the orc lord here?'
He couldn't see it properly, but the flame imbued in his sword and his unkempt blond hair looked exactly like the man he saw during the judgment ceremony.
Where did you go just now and what did you see?
Wrath's flustered eyes were trembling.
'What?'
Your soul left your body just now.
'It left?'
Yes. Your body was an empty shell just now.
Was it not just an illusion?
As Raon's eyes widened in confusion, the second set of messages appeared.
[You have faced ???.]
[The proficiency of the Ring of Fire has increased drastically.]
[The proficiency of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation has increased drastically.]
* * *
"Tsk."
Raon licked his lips, watching Dorian sing a strange song on the platform. He was seriously bad at it, but that wasn't what he was thinking about.
'So, Zieghart's ancestor could also use the Ring of Fire…'
There was no way that he got the message about the Ring of Fire for no reason. It was certain that the blonde man could use not only the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, but also the Ring of Fire.
'I never heard that Zieghart had the Ring of Fire.'
Where he learned the Ring of Fire in his previous life was completely unrelated to Zieghart.
'Something must've happened.'
There was no way the hallucination had appeared for no reason. There must've been a story behind it.
He had a premonition that he needed to find the end of that hallucination in order to reach the extremity of the Ring of Fire and the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
'That's one more thing I need to do.'
He already had so many tasks piled up, yet the task of looking for his ancestor's secret had been added. He wanted to ignore it, but he couldn't do that because it seemed to contain the secret of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the Ring of Fire.
'But what I need to do first remains the same.'
Restoring Sylvia's status to the direct line. While the revenge against Derus was something he needed to do at all costs, restoring her status was the most urgent one to achieve.
'I need to become an official swordsman first, then…'
While Raon was planning ahead, Dorian was chased out from singing and Yua walked up the platform while fluttering her twin tails.
"Hello!"
Yua waved her hands and smiled brightly.
"Woaaaah!"
"It's Yua! Yua!"
"Finally, please soothe our ears!"
Hearing her sweet voice contrasting with the surroundings, the soldiers cheered even more loudly than during a battle.
"It's a new song, so please listen carefully."
Yua looked back to signal the soldiers holding guitars and violins, and they started playing the music.
Tap tap.
Unlike the last time's cheerful music, a majestic flow calmed down the festival's atmosphere.
"The winter comes so suddenly. The cold winter is difficult to endure for the brave ones, the strong ones and the wise ones alike."
The music and lyrics were unexpected, but Yua's clear voice captivated the ears.
"A young swordsman visits the stagnant winter castle. He is powerful yet humble, brave yet kind, and was capable of learning despite being wise."
His chest wavered. Her voice throbbed his entire body, resounding like a drum from a high mountain.
"The aurora of dawn dwells inside the blade of the young swordsman, standing alone under the destroyed castle walls. The aloof and beautiful light made the monsters of the northern mountain disappear, leaving only their footprints behind."
It was Raon's story.
The heroic tale described by Yua's pleasant voice was the story he started in Habun Castle.
"Even the demons that hid their true intentions with masks and helmets disappeared, unable to break the young swordsman's resolve…"
Hearing her delighted voice, the previous battle was presented inside his head.
A message appeared in front of Raon's eyes, who was grasping his throbbing chest.
[The first song of triumph has been created to sing your accomplishments.]
The hero's road has been opened.]
____