Raon opened his eyes with difficulty. He could see a luxurious ceiling, where the harmony between right angles and curves resembled a piece of art.
'Where am I?'
Judging from the majestic appearance of the ceiling, it definitely wasn't the clinic. He wasn't sure why, but Rimmer must've brought him there.
"Ugh…"
He tried raising his body while looking around, but every single part of his body hurt. From his fingers to his energy center, a shooting pain could be felt throughout his entire body.
'It's certainly difficult to defeat a Master.'
A Master's astral energy with killing intent was so powerful that he could barely last. The fifth clash created an internal injury, and he barely managed to suppress the blood flowing up from his throat during that last clash.
Considering the fact that he hadn't completely recovered despite a healer presumably visiting him—as well as Sloth's effect during his sleep—his body must've been in the worst possible state, to the point that he really could've died.
"Haa…"
Raon stood up while exhaling slowly. Although it still felt painful, it wasn't unbearable.
You woke up so late…
As he was about to leave the bed after putting away the blanket, Wrath popped out from the ice flower bracelet.
You are really pathetic. To be in such a state after winning against a weakling like that—what a frail body you have.
Wrath clicked his tongue, saying that it was an embarrassment.
"Is that so?"
Raon snickered, looking at Wrath, whose round eyes were staring down at him.
"Now that I think about it, I didn't properly express my gratitude."
What gratitude are you talking about?
"You helped me two whole times during the fight against the seventh apostle. Thank you."
Wrath warned him about the tenth apostle's surprise attack before Raon could even sense it, and he stopped him from picking a fight against him when Raon couldn't calmly analyze the situation. If it weren't for Rimmer and Wrath, the Light Wind—including himself—might've been annihilated.
"Even you must've judged that the tenth apostle is pretty strong. I guess that would be the case, since he must be a Grandmaster if he surpassed another wall after Master."
What madness are you spouting?
Wrath frowned, saying that it was nonsense.
Both Master and Grandmaster are insignificant ranks that you humans have created. The difference between them is as much as the difference between an ant and a winged ant for the King of Essence.
'Ah…'
Anyone that's not on the same level as your head of house is pretty much an insect that can be crushed with a finger for the King of Essence.
'Then why did you even warn me about fighting him?'
Raon thought Wrath had finally learned his lesson, since he was acting differently from before. However, he realized from what Wrath said that he was mistaken.
That's obviously because of the promise.
'Promise?'
You promised, remember? That you would eat the bead ice cream sets, and two different special dishes in this city.
'…I did.'
He did make that promise while using Wrath for gambling. However, he couldn't understand why Wrath was talking about that.
You probably didn't notice it, but your condition was really serious back then. If your internal injury had gotten any worse, you might not have been able to eat anything until we left this place—or you could've died like an idiot. Helping you was the natural course of action.
Wrath moved around Raon to check his condition.
The King of Essence's calculation wasn't wrong. You recovered a lot with Sloth's effect. You should be able to visit a restaurant in around two days.
He clenched his fist, saying that he definitely would not miss the specials this time.
"Ah, so what you are saying is that you didn't stop me because you wanted to help, but because you wanted to eat, right?"
Yes.
Wrath nodded firmly. Even his proud look seemed hateful.
'I shouldn't have expected anything from you.'
He thought Wrath had changed a bit because he was worrying about him, but he was mistaken. The demon king only stopped him because he was worried that the promised meal would be delayed or canceled.
"I'm so tired of you."
The way he could prioritize his appetite over his wrath in that situation was amazing. He was indeed the Demon King of Gluttony, and food was his highest priority.
Shut up and remember the names of these dishes. Lanchelin Stir-Fried Chicken…
Whir!
As Wrath was talking about food while shoving his head forward like a bison, the Blade of Requiem vibrated from the table.
"Blade of Requiem?"
Raon grabbed the trembling Blade of Requiem.
"Yes, you also did great."
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the Blade of Requiem allowed him to win the fight, since he wouldn't have been able to inflict as much damage on the seventh apostle without it.
"I'll slay the tenth apostle next time and find your archenemy as well."
[The Blade of Requiem offers purified bloody energy.]
Raon expressed his gratitude and caressed the hilt. Pure energy flew towards him from the Blade of Requiem, and a message appeared.
'It's incomparably bigger than the last time.'
Although the Blade of Requiem only drank the blood of two people—the archbishop and the seventh apostle—the energy flowing into his mana circuit was denser than the last time, when he killed dozens of fanatics at once.
He could guess that the amount was decided from the bloody energy's quality rather than the quantity.
Whir!
Just like pure mana, the purified bloody energy flowed throughout the mana circuits of his entire body, enhancing his muscles and bones, and it even managed to heal his damaged organs.
"Haa."
Raon unconsciously exclaimed. His body didn't feel strained at all upon receiving the energy due to its high purity.
[The purified energy is healing your injured body.
All stats have increased by 6.]
Six points in all stats. Considering the fact that his stats were much higher than before, it was a huge increase. However, it wasn't over yet.
[Trait 'Adaptation to Ghastly Energy' has increased to Three-Stars.]
Adaptation to Ghastly Energy's rank had also increased, allowing him to better control ghastly energy. The energy coming from the Blade of Requiem felt more familiar, just like the aura inside his body.
"Haa…"
Raon raised himself up, clenching his fist. The pain had decreased a lot, and he could feel a lot more strength in his body. He could feel a clear growth in his skills.
'Nice.'
He turned his head after concluding that his body was almost fully recovered, and Wrath was floating there with a sour face.
"Why aren't you saying anything for once?"
Normally, he would've started causing a ruckus already, but he wasn't doing anything for some reason.
Back in Devildom, the King of Essence was famous for his dignity and composure. Everyone bowed at his proud nature.
Wrath wrinkled his nose, while looking at the Blade of Requiem.
There's no way the King of Essence would be surprised, since he already knew that the insignificant creature was purifying the bloody energy even before you collapsed.
'I see.'
Raon was already sighing when Wrath called himself dignified. It was amazing that he could call himself dignified despite being lighter than a feather.
If you want to surprise this Monarch of Wrath, you need something as shocking as half the continent disappearing…
Wrath tried to continue while sniffling, and new messages appeared.
[You've achieved victory in an unwinnable duel.]
[The proficiency of 'Ring of Fire' has increased greatly.]
[Trait 'Iron Will' has increased to Three-Stars.]
[Trait 'Focus' has increased to Three-Stars.]
[All stats have increased by 6.]
Wrath's jaw dropped at seeing the series of messages.
"Wow…"
He was already satisfied with the ghastly energy from the Blade of Requiem recovering his body and increasing his stats, yet he got extra stats and trait ranks increase on top of that.
Whir!
His fingertips trembled with joy at having his stats increased one more time.
His body was filled with vitality, and the overflowing energy was even stronger than before he fainted. It was difficult to believe his body was seriously injured, since he felt like he could even have a rematch against the seventh apostle right away.
Wh-What is this shit?
Wrath was stunned as he read the second set of messages.
Why are there so many increases from defeating a weakling like him? Are you trying to completely ruin the King of Essence's main body?
"He wasn't exactly a weakling, since he was a Master."
He's a weakling if the King of Essence says so! A single finger of the main body is enough to crush him.
"But you can't."
Ahem…
Wrath stopped rampaging for a moment, because Raon pointed out the sad reality.
A-Anyway, this can't be happening. This is too much of a reward for defeating an insect that surpassed a mere wall!
The dignity and composure that he was always supposed to have was completely gone as he showed his personality. That ugly side was the true face of Wrath.
I'll never accept this!
He glared at the system window in denial. However, the system remained silent, as it was already gone.
Unless a sword strikes the head of the King of Essence…
As soon as Wrath mentioned a sword striking his head, Raon smacked the back of Wrath's head with the Blade of Requiem without drawing it.
Argh! What are you doing?
"Since a sword hit you, you are fine with it now, right?"
Seriously, you asshole!
Wrath even stopped talking like a king, puffing himself up. It looked like he would start attacking at any time.
"You are the monarch of devildom. Moreover, you said you are one of the highest ranked monarchs."
Raon tilted his head, tapping on Wrath's pointy head to push him down.
Yes! The King of Essence is one of the seven monarchs of Devildom! It's a throne that everyone worships!
"Since you are such an amazing monarch, you should have a large number of stats."
Of course! It's incomparable to someone like you!
"That means you won't even feel a difference if I take a little, right?"
Of cour…se?
Wrath finally realized something was strange, and slightly raised the end of his sentence.
"In that case, it's fine if you give me a little."
E-Even so, it should only happen after serious matters, rather than trivial…
"Who made this system?"
Ugh…
Wrath pouted as he glared at Raon, unable to respond. Because of what he said, he couldn't even argue anymore.
"Don't be so angry. Since I'm completely recovered now, I'm going to keep the promise with you now."
R-Really?
"Since my internal injuries are almost healed because of the Blade of Requiem, it should be okay to eat right now."
Raon nodded. He wasn't sure how long he'd been sleeping, but his stomach was yelling at him to give it food as soon as his body was healed.
Just as even a Cerberus' dung isn't completely useless, that insignificant creature can be helpful sometimes.
Whir!
The Blade of Requiem vibrated fiercely as its pride was hurt by Wrath's words.
What are you waiting for? Let's go feast on some ice cream already.
"Patience."
Raon calmed Wrath down since he started dancing in the air. As Raon stood up and was about to go outside, footsteps approached from afar, and the door opened.
"Raon."
"Oh! Vice-squad leader! You woke up!"
It was Runaan and Dorian. The two ran up to the bed, shoving their faces towards him.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm okay."
"I'm sorry…"
Runaan's shoulders drooped. She seemed to be apologizing for not being next to him at the most important moment.
"You don't need to be sorry."
Raon waved his hand dismissively while smiling. It was better that she wasn't with him back then, since the incident with the Blood Raving Demon could've repeated itself otherwise.
"Where is this place?"
"They said it's an annex building reserved for special guests. It's even more luxurious than the city hall."
Dorian smiled happily, looking around the room.
"Ah, I shouldn't be doing this. I'm going to announce this to the others!"
He waved his hand and left the room before Raon could stop him.
Stop wasting time! Let's go right away! We need to head straight to the restaurant. The King of Essence knows a good one.
'Let me take care of something first.'
Take care? What are you doing this time…?
'This won't take long.'
Raon nodded.
"There's someone that needs a scolding."
Martha was just sitting there, looking up at the sky.
"Haa…"
The dim gray sky reminded her of the incident three days ago, the moment when she was unable to do anything during her long-desired encounter with her archenemy.
"Damn it."
The tenth apostle was the exact same as ten years ago, when he intruded into the village to kill people like bugs. No, he was even stronger than back then.
The huge difference between herself and him was making her feel like all her training up to that point was meaningless.
And the most pathetic part was that the one that declared she would fight him wasn't herself, but Raon, who had no grudge against him.
"He really is crazy."
Raon's internal injuries were much more serious than hers. In fact, he was still bedridden, unable to regain consciousness.
Despite his critical state, he still wanted to fight against the tenth apostle, and declared that she would kill him in the future. 'Insane' was the only way to describe him.
At that point, Martha was so shocked that she could only admire him rather than being amazed.
'Is this what people call being 'born different'…?'
Might, willpower, and even his fighting spirit—there was too much of a difference between Raon and herself, who was nothing but talk. She never thought someone one year younger than she was could make her feel so ashamed.
However, she felt more grateful than anything else, since she would've died before she could say anything to the tenth apostle if it weren't for him.
And the first team would've been annihilated as well, as they couldn't maintain the formation because of her.
She was just grateful to Raon in many ways.
"Haa…"
"The vice-squad leader woke up! Sir Raon is up!"
As Martha bit her lips and tried to stand, Dorian's voice could be heard from behind her.
After hesitating for a moment, she swallowed nervously and slowly walked towards Raon's room.
* * *
The Light Wind members flocked to Raon's room upon hearing the news from Dorian.
"Raon!"
"Are you okay?"
"Does it hurt anywhere?"
"Hey! You should call him Sir! He's the vice-squad leader!"
"But the mission is over. Can't we just act casually now?"
"Huh? I-I'm not sure."
Raon smiled faintly, looking at the Light Wind members filling the room.
'They are pretty much my family now.'
Although they were antagonistic towards him and laughed at him the first time they met him, the only feelings reflected in their eyes now were worry and relief. Raon could feel their heartwarming emotions on his skin.
"How about the wounded?"
Raon asked Burren, who was standing in the center.
"Martha still has some internal injuries remaining, but most are completely healed because they had minor injuries, Sir."
Burren seemed to consider the mission still in progress, as he spoke respectfully.
"How about the hostages?"
"They are all safe."
Runaan nodded, sitting next to the bed.
"Anything else?"
"Just as you suspected, the White Blood fanatics hidden inside Porvan City made their move as soon as their branch collapsed. Salaman immediately reacted to subdue them, but they set fires while running away, burning down a few food warehouses as a result, Sir."
"How about casualties?"
"None, Sir"
"That's a relief."
Raon nodded, listening to Burren's report.
"Where's the squad leader?"
"He left after seeing the healer treating the vice-squad leader and hasn't returned yet. He's probably…"
Burren sighed deeply and frowned.
"At the gambling house."
Raon nodded. Since Raon's injuries weren't fatal despite being serious, and the mission was over, Rimmer must've gladly gone to the gambling house.
Shitty-ears' actions are really consistent.
'For real.'
Wrath exclaimed in admiration. Rimmer was truly an amazing elf, enough to be acknowledged by the demon king.
"Good job, everyone. We managed to finish the mission without any fatalities thanks to everyone doing their part."
Raon nodded, looking around at the Light Wind members. Holding a debrief after the mission was normally the squad leader's job, but since he was gone, it was his job now.
"Eeh?"
"It wasn't, though."
"We didn't do anything…"
"That's right. The vice leader did everything."
"You defeated an apostle…"
Although Raon only defeated two White Blood fanatics, the Light Wind members waved their hands in denial because he defeated the archbishop and the seventh apostle,
"That doesn't mean everything was perfect. First of all, the second team."
"Mhh?"
Runaan's eyes widened, since she was the second team's leader.
"You did a good job at evacuating the hostages and defending our position, but you failed to take care of the few hostages remaining inside the mansion."
"Uh…"
"Next time, you should count the number of hostages, and evacuate everyone—without missing anyone."
"Mhm. I mean, yes."
Runaan answered and nodded.
"Next up is the third team."
"Yes."
Burren straightened his neck and back. He was blinking nervously.
"You did excellently."
"Huh?"
"You were late, or rather, couldn't participate in the training at all, but you still displayed perfect control of the Light Wind formation thanks to staying up all night to study the formation and strategy. It's thanks to you, Burren, that the third team has the least number of casualties. Good job."
"Ah…"
Since he didn't expect to be praised, his throat visibly bobbed. The way he was tightly biting his lips showed that he was suppressing his turbulent emotion.
"But we couldn't participate in the battle against the apostle."
"Your mission was to attack from behind and stop their reinforcements. Stopping the fanatics from entering from behind was good enough."
Although they had fewer enemies, there were more priests and bishops. Since the third team managed to stop them, it was nothing short of a perfect completion of the mission.
"Lastly, the first team."
Martha and the first team shuddered upon being called.
"You were the worst."
A cold gaze was directed at them from Raon's eyes.
"The team leader was overwhelmed by anger and went on a rampage alone, meanwhile the members were limping around like flies while trying to follow her. If it had been a frontal clash instead of a surprise attack, people would most certainly have died."
"I-It was our fault. We weren't good enough to follow the team leader…"
When the first team's vice leader tried to step up, Raon raised his hand.
"Of course, there were some problems with you. However, it was mostly the team leader's fault, as she went berserk without caring about the members. Martha."
Martha bit her lip and stepped forward, heeding Raon's call.
"I know you hold resentment against the White Blood Religion. However, this is a mission. The lives of your team members and the hostages should've taken priority over your resentment."
"..."
As Raon reprimanded her, Martha silently listened, not saying anything.
"The fact that the second team that went to the center missed some hostages was also partly your fault. They would've been able to rescue all of the hostages if the first team had properly created a space by setting up the formation. What do you think, first team leader?"
"…I'm sorry."
Martha bowed at a 90-degree angle, admitting all her mistakes. Considering the way her shoulders and neck weren't trembling at all, she wasn't doing that against her will.
"Hmm?"
"Err…"
Since it was their first time seeing her bow so deeply, every member of the Light Wind widened their eyes.
"The first team's members must've been confused by my arbitrary actions. Since I didn't even communicate with them, it's entirely my fault."
Once she raised her head, her eyes were reflecting an indescribable light. Sorrow, pain, anger, or gratitude. Various emotions seemed to be mixed inside.
"Are you admitting your mistake?"
"Yes."
"You said Aleng Village, right?"
Raon mentioned the name of the village Martha had shouted at the tenth apostle, meeting her eyes directly.
"..."
"I can't say that your revenge is ours, but the Light Wind is already in the same boat. We will definitely encounter the White Blood Religion again."
He continued, looking at other Light Wind members—including her.
"I'd like you to tell us your story one day, once your heart is ready."
"Alright."
Martha slowly closed then opened her eyes before nodding.
"Gasp!"
"Wh-What is happening?"
"Wow…"
The Light Wind members dropped their jaws from hearing another unexpected answer.
"And there's one good thing you did."
"What?"
"You charged ahead in order to save your team members when the tenth apostle appeared."
"Huh?"
"Really?"
"Th-That's not true! I just wanted to startle him!"
The first team's members looked at her, and Martha shook her head as her face turned red.
"Well, anyway—the debrief is over."
Raon ignored Martha's excuses, standing up to clap his hands like Rimmer.
"Did the squad leader visit the mayor?"
"He went to deliver the report with me after the incident. He shouldn't have been there after that, since the mayor was extremely busy dealing with the aftermath."
Burren murmured that Rimmer also must've been busy from playing around.
"Perfect."
Raon smiled faintly and took off the hospital gown.
"You haven't recovered yet. Where are you going?"
"I'll visit the mayor before the squad leader returns."
The mayor said he would do anything as long as the case was solved. Since he already received plenty of stats and abilities, it was time to get the material rewards.
Before the gambling addict returned.
Nooo! We were supposed to eat!
Raon ignored the whining Wrath.