Raon smiled faintly while wetting his whistle.
'He said that he was going to heal Cadis's arm personally. It's all going according to plan.'
Derus mentioned that he had a few ideas to fix Cadis's shoulder.
Since the best method would be to look for an excellent doctor like the Ragged Saint or an elixir, he wouldn't be able to return to House Robert for a while.
'I made sure to cut off Cadis's arm completely in order to elicit that action.'
His revenge was one of the reasons that he twisted Cadis's muscles and mana circuits when Raon cut off his arm, but the other reason was to force Derus to heal his arm so that he could enter the submarine dungeon in the meantime.
Raon quietly looked behind him. Derus was talking to people who approached him with a gentle smile on his face.
'It's a relief that you are still a snake that I knew.'
Since Raon was perfectly aware of Derus's nature whether he was wearing a mask or not, it was easy to predict his course of action.
The fact that he knew Derus's true face was bound to become his best weapon to fight him in the future as well.
The pizza is getting cold!
Raon smiled in satisfaction and Wrath pointed at the dish while flapping his hands like a crow tit.
'Ah, my bad.'
Raon nodded and started eating the pizza. The salty taste of cheese, the crunchiness of the crust, and the spicy sauce on the beef formed a perfect harmony while maintaining their characteristics.
They can make some fine pizza. It's not as good as Pineapple Girl's, but it's enough to satisfy the King of Essence.
Wrath caressed his cheeks with a grin.
'I see.'
Raon chuckled and finished off the remaining pizza in one bite.
'Since I managed to take care of Derus, I just need to figure out how to reach the submarine dungeon.'
He'd heard that they were supposed to return to Zieghart in two days because the Six Kings conference and tournament had both ended.
Since he would need to leave on his own instead of returning to the house, he had various ideas to achieve it—however, none of them were satisfactory.
'Is there anything better I can do…?'
Wow!
While Raon was contemplating the matter, Wrath suddenly exclaimed.
It's not just the cheese. The entire pizza is melting in the mouth! It was an excellent bite!
He wavered left and right like a tumbling doll while pointing at the empty dish.
Next! The meat and shrimp shall come next! Offer up the lamb chop and the grilled shrimp that the King of Essence wanted to eat all along!
'Please calm down.'
Wrath's face turned completely red from excitement, and Raon pushed it down before he stood up. He went to the buffet and brought the lamb chops and the garlic butter shrimp that Wrath wanted to eat.
Shrimp. Start with the shrimp!
Wrath pointed at the shrimp while tapping the table with his round hand.
'Is it really okay for a demon king to be so petty?'
He looked like a ten-year-old child at most whenever he was faced with food. Raon couldn't believe that he was a demon king—and the king of Wrath on top.
He's just a good-for-nothing glutton…
Raon licked his lips and peeled the shrimp, then ate it. The softness of the butter seeping into the plump meat created a nutty and sweet flavor. Moreover, the fragrance of garlic removed the greasiness. Raon felt like he couldn't get tired of it.
It's filling the mouth! This is real food!
Wrath sniffled, saying that he finally felt alive.
Lamb chops next!
'Sure, sure.'
Raon chuckled and dug into the lamb chops. The juiciness of the meat exploded and spread the nutty fragrance throughout his mouth. He didn't even need to chew much before swallowing it because of the tenderness of the meat.
It's melting in the mouth. It's pretty much like warm ice cream!
'I see.'
Raon looked around while Wrath was enjoying his bliss.
'She's still there.'
Runaan still hadn't left the ice cream sector. She only moved around in the area and ate all kinds of ice cream.
'She must've had at least an entire box.'
A rough estimation was telling him that Runaan already had an entire box at least. It looked like her passion for ice cream didn't lose to Wrath's.
'Burren is being his usual self. He's making connections just like in the house.'
Burren was in a group of Six Kings warriors who were talking to each other. It looked like they had become friends since they were patting each other's shoulders.
'What about Martha…?'
Martha was eating the meat that was filling her table to the brim. It was no different from her usual behavior, but there was one peculiar aspect to note.
'Why is the third prince there?'
Owen's third prince, Greer, was staring blankly at Martha as she gulped down her meat while sitting in front of her. He wasn't even eating or drinking anything—he was just staring at her.
"Aren't you going to eat? Why are you just staring at me? It's so annoying!"
Martha frowned and expressed her displeasure at his behavior.
"Watching you eat fills my stomach. Ah, you have food in the corner of your mouth."
The third prince took out his handkerchief with a refreshing smile on his face. He extended his hand to wipe the sauce from around Martha's lips and Martha punched him.
"You must be insane!"
"Ack!"
Martha's fist smacked the third prince's forehead and he slammed into the ground.
"Oh my god, that was so creepy. I'm getting goosebumps!"
Martha's shoulders trembled and went to the next table to keep eating her meat.
Raon snorted while watching the faltering third prince.
'That's definitely not working on her.'
What he did might work on others because of his excellent background, appearance, and skills but it was a no-go for Martha.
Raon could guess that what he did would've earned Martha's hatred instead.
"L-last time it was my temple, and she hit my forehead this time."
The third prince stood up with a trembling chin. His eyes were bright even though he had just been beaten up. Actually, he looked rather happy.
"You are the first person to punch my forehead! I fell in love with y—"
"Fuck off!"
His futile efforts came to an end as Martha smacked his neck to make him faint.
'That's not going to work.'
Raon shook his head and stood up.
Are you really going over there on your own accord?
'You want desserts now, right?'
The King of Essence's education is finally bearing fruit!
Wrath smiled brightly and nodded.
If you serve the King of Essence more earnestly, he might accept you as his subordinate!
'No thanks.'
Raon went to the ice cream stands, and Runaan suddenly turned her head. Her blank eyes were brimming with happiness.
'How many is that?'
The bead ice cream was piled up like bubbles on Runaan's dish. She must've had enough mint chocolate, as all kinds of ice cream filled it.
"Raon, are you also having ice cream?"
"Yes."
"I recommend the mint chocolate."
Runaan blinked her blank eyes and pointed in the direction of the mint chocolate.
"It is even more delicious today."
Mint chocolate! That's the King of Essence's subordinate for you!
Wrath nodded in satisfaction and shoved his face against Raon's.
Follow Ice Cream Girl's recommendation and scoop the mint chocolate. No, you should take the whole box!
'You are gonna make Runaan cry.'
Ahem. In that case, just take five chunks…
'More than anything, I don't like mint chocolate.'
You have such bad taste! Look at how pitiful you are, you don't even know the greatness of mint chocolate's refreshing taste!
'I see. Since I'm so pitiful, I'm going to eat the cookies and cream that I deserve.'
Raon nodded and scooped two chunks of cookies and cream ice cream into his dish.
R-Raon?
Wrath called his name in an unusual manner and secretly approached him to stick to his shoulder.
My boy Raon, you ate too much greasy food today. Imagine the fragrance of the pine tree. Both your mouth and your stomach will feel refreshed like that if you finish today's meal with mint chocolates!
His voice became as soft as a jade marble rolling on silk.
'Maybe I should do that.'
You definitely should! Your stomach will feel great, and you will be able to sleep soundly…
'Nope, I'm going to train tonight.'
Argh, you demon!
It didn't take long before Wrath got angry, even though he was fluttering like a piece of paper because he didn't have any power left.
Raon felt slightly bad about that and walked up to the mint chocolate stand.
Heeh?
Wrath turned his head with a happy smile on his face.
Wh-what's wrong with you today? The King of Essence is so happy about this, but he's also feeling anxious!
Since Raon was usually unkind to him, Wrath managed to make an amazing expression—the left side of his face was smiling while the right side was frowning.
'Just because.'
He just wanted to make Wrath feel better while he was at it, as he suffered a lot from getting his stats taken away.
"Huh?"
Raon was about to scoop up some of the mint chocolate, but his hand stopped. Unlike the other ice cream, there was no mint chocolate. There wasn't even a half spoon left even if he gathered the leftovers.
'It's empty.'
It was probably because Runaan ate over half of it, and other people got curious because of her.
Arrrgh!
Wrath raised both his hands and started to scream.
Ice Cream Girl!
'This is how Wrath should be.'
Raon chuckled. Wrath wouldn't be himself anymore if he could eat to his heart's content. Despairing from the lack of food was more befitting to his image.
'Hmm?'
He ended up getting only cookies and cream, and a red-haired elf passed by like a shadow when he was about to return to his seat.
'What the hell has he done this time?'
Rimmer was roaming like a zombie. The scent of alcohol wafted from him, but he looked more like his spirit had left him rather than being drunk.
"Squad leader?"
"Huh?"
Raon called his name, and he turned his head around in a daze. His eyes had no focus.
"O-oh! Hello, Raon, my lucky charm!"
"What happened to you?"
"Sniff!"
Rimmer walked up to him with teary eyes and hung his head.
Hey, ice cream comes first…
"Please, come this way."
Raon brought Rimmer to a corner and created an aura barrier to block the sound.
"What happened to you?"
"My money! My savings for retirement! My 5000 gold is all gone!"
He slammed the ground like a deranged man.
Let's talk while eating. He's fine with cookies and cream…
"5000 gold?"
Raon figured he must've won that amount from gambling, but he couldn't understand how he lost it.
"Look at this."
Rimmer took out a blackened paper from his pocket. It looked like a gambling ticket, and more than half of it must've been burnt, considering its size.
"They said they won't exchange it for money because this stamped part over here got burnt."
He fell on his ass and started to cry, saying that his life was ruined.
"Hmm…"
Raon tried stretching the ticket and nodded.
'It's broken.'
It was normal that they wouldn't give him the money because the stamped part that was burned was what allowed them to discern real tickets from fakes.
'But… I might be able to get it.'
There was nothing to lose even if he failed. Raon decided to try and nodded.
"I'll try getting it."
"C-can you do it?"
"I'm not sure. And I don't think I'll manage to get all of it even if I succeed."
"I'm fine with that! I'm fine with a portion of it, so please!"
Rimmer bogged him down and asked him to get something out of him, even if it was just a hundred gold.
"Let's go right now!"
"Ah, let me find my wallet before then."
"Wallet?"
"Dorian!"
After Raon finished eating the ice cream, he went to the Ministry of Finance, which organized the gambling during the tournament, alongside Dorian.
Wait, gambling is organized officially by the kingdom?
Wrath sat on Raon's shoulder with mixed feelings showing on his face because he didn't manage to eat mint chocolate after the splendid meal.
'It's only natural because a huge amount of money was at stake.'
Gambling was a popular entertainment on the continent. Countless legal gambling houses existed in the world on top of those in the underworld.
Naturally, people also gambled during the tournament, and Owen Kingdom's Ministry of Finance was in charge of it because they had the absolute trust of the people that they wouldn't rob them.
"Excuse me."
Raon entered the office of the person in charge of gambling during the tournament. The officer looked like he was in his thirties, and he started to raise his head before he briskly stood up.
"Huff! The White Sword Dragon! Ah, please excuse me! Swordsman Raon!"
His eyes were full of panic as he bowed.
"It's fine."
Raon smiled faintly and stood in front of the officer's desk.
"I came for the exchange."
Raon said and showed Rimmer's gambling ticket.
"Ah, it's about this…"
The officer frowned while looking at the gambling ticket.
"I'm sorry. I've already explained this to Sir Rimmer, but it can't be exchanged for money because the stamped part was burned."
"But I'm sure no one other than our squad leader requested the 5000 gold from the bet."
"That's true. But the regulation says that a gambling ticket without the stamped part cannot be exchanged for money."
The officer took a gambling ticket from his desk. He pulled the fluttering upper part of the gambling part from both sides to split it into two.
"The gambling tickets we make can be split into two like this, and we keep one of them while the customer keeps the other one. And…"
He combined the two tickets, and a faint light in the shape of a sword appeared.
"We can confirm that it's a real ticket by combining them like this, but it's impossible in this case. That's why it can't be exchanged for money."
The officer lowered his head, saying that he was truly sorry.
"Hmm…"
Raon nodded. That was exactly what he expected him to say, but the real deal was only getting started.
"What is your name, officer?"
"I'm called Cyrus."
The officer lowered his eyes slightly while pointing at his nameplate.
"Officer, I believe you are aware that our squad leader purchased this gambling ticket. Since it was an expensive one, you must've checked his face, and I also heard that many people have witnessed him with the gambling ticket in his possession."
"Hmm, that's true."
"Which means that you recognize his identity."
"Indeed. Just like I said before, we are ready to give the gold as soon as the stamp has been confirmed."
Cyrus nodded.
'That's half of the work done.'
He recognized Rimmer's identity, and that implied that the chance of success was relatively high.
"I was in the banquet hall and came out just now."
"Ah, I see. I thought it would be the case."
Cyrus nodded while looking at Raon's flashy formal suit and the Black Dragon Coat covering it.
"I noticed that the heads of the Six Kings became even more intimate with each other. It was probably thanks to the tournament."
"It's understandable, as it also left a deep impression on me multiple times. The way the esteemed White Sword Dragon jumped into the sky in the middle of a match in order to save people was the most impressive part, and I won't be able to forget that scene for the rest of my life."
He bowed once again and thanked him for saving his life. Raon could feel his favor from his gaze.
"It looked like our head of house and his majesty were the most intimate among them."
"I also noticed that they spoke to each other quite a bit."
Cyrus agreed with a smile.
"That's why, once people at the top become aware of this incident, they will order it to be taken care of quietly. In the end, our squad leader will be getting the money."
"Hmm…"
"However, no matter how quietly you tried to deal with it, bad rumors might spread if people tried to argue about it."
"That's true."
"And that's why the top brass sent me, so that we can prevent that from happening."
Raon raised his finger and pointed at the sky.
"I-I see."
Cyrus got nervous upon hearing that the top brass sent him and swallowed.
Top brass? Shitty Ears was the one who asked you though?
Wrath tilted his head in bewilderment.
'You are right. But he's probably thinking that it must've been the Heavenly Blade division leader or the head of house.'
Since Raon spoke about Glenn and King Lecross before getting to the point, Sheryl or Glenn's face must've come to the officer's mind. That was what Raon was aiming for.
Was that your goal all along when you talked about your old man? How nasty…
Wrath's lips were trembling in bewilderment.
"I'd like to quietly deal with it to avoid troubling the top brass. The money belongs to our squad leader, after all."
"B-but we need the gambling ticket…"
Cyrus pointed at the gambling ticket while sweating. Raon had a solution for that.
"Can you give me a new gambling ticket and a pen?"
"Sure, here you go."
Cyrus took out an empty gambling ticket and a pen from the drawer.
"Hmm…"
Raon took the pen and copied Rimmer's handwriting on the new gambling ticket. He even slightly crumpled the paper to make it look exactly the same as the original.
It was the documentary fabrication skill that he had acquired on his own when he was an assassin.
'It's really helpful.'
The experience from his previous life was very helpful in his new life.
"Ah…"
Cyrus's jaw dropped as he witnessed the scene. His face was telling him that he didn't even know that was possible.
"You just need to stamp here now. Dorian."
Raon extended his hand to Dorian, who was standing next to him.
"Yes."
Dorian responded like always and took out a white pouch from his belly pocket. It contained the gold coins that he'd prepared in advance.
"I'd like you to use this to wet your whistle since it must be a tiring job."
He received the gold pouch and placed it on Cyrus's desk. His shoulders flinched upon hearing the rattling sound.
"Wh-what is this…?"
"It's my token of sincerity to quietly resolve this issue."
Raon shook his hand with a smile.
"Hmm…"
Cyrus couldn't take his trembling eyes off the gold pouch. He must've realized how much money it contained just from hearing the sound, as his job dealt with lots of money.
Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Cyrus's trembling chin.
'It worked perfectly.'
Despite his gentle tone, he was pretty much threatening him. He was crushing him with his position, reputation, and money.
"Ugh…"
Cyrus bit his lip tightly and put down the gold pouch. He took a round seal from the drawer and stamped it on the gambling ticket. He pulled it from both sides to divide it into the customer's ticket and the confirmation ticket.
"I-I've confirmed the gambling ticket."
He lowered his eyes slightly after pushing the gambling ticket and the confirmation receipt aside.
"Do you want to accept the gold right away?"
"That would be easier for me."
Raon gently nodded.
"Alright."
Cyrus went to the vault on the right side and opened the door. He took out ten gold pouches from inside and placed them on the desk. The desk was shaking slightly because of how heavy they were.
"There are five hundred coins in each of them."
"Confirmed."
Raon skimmed through each of the pouches and nodded.
"The exchange has been completed. Have a nice evening."
Cyrus's face returned to his original appearance. He must've accepted the reality of the situation completely.
"Thank you. Dorian."
"Ah, yes!"
Raon called Dorian, and he absentmindedly started putting the gold in his belly pocket.
What the hell? How is this even possible?
Wrath also shook his head in disbelief.
"As I already mentioned, it would be best to keep it quiet about this matter—as if nothing special happened."
"Did anything happen just now? You just came to exchange the money, didn't you?"
Cyrus tilted his head, pretending nothing happened. Raon was satisfied with his attitude.
"Indeed."
Raon nodded and turned around. The way he simply opened the door and left looked like he really came for a normal exchange.
"Huaah…"
Dorian finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"I-it really worked!"
"That's because human beings tend to filter what they see and hear."
Raon chuckled and looked at Dorian.
"Once I give you the signal, take out only five out of the ten pouches we got."
"F-five pouches? That's only half though…"
"It's fine."
"Err…"
Raon left the Ministry of Finance alongside the confused Dorian.
"R-Raon!"
Rimmer was gobbling down alcohol while waiting around the garden. He ran up to Raon on all fours as soon as he noticed him.
"They said no, didn't they? Those damn bastards! My money is gone! Sniff…"
He threw away the empty bottle and grasped his head.
"It was indeed unfortunate…"
"Damn it!"
"That I only managed to get half of the sum."
"Huh? Really?"
Rimmer's eyes widened upon hearing the answer. It looked like his eyes were about to pop out.
"Dorian."
"Yes…"
Dorian took five gold pouches from his belly pocket and placed them down with a trembling chin.
"H-how did you do this…?"
"I negotiated with them. It was difficult because they also wanted to keep the money, as it could be used as the kingdom's budget, but I barely managed to get half of it."
"That's good enough! I thought I wasn't going to get any of it!"
Rimmer sniffled while looking at the gold pouch, saying that he was fine with that.
"In return, you shouldn't talk about this to anyone…"
"Of course, I won't! You really are the only one who cares about me!"
He suddenly stood up and hugged Raon.
"You are the light and salt of my life. You are also my hope and the god of fortune! I really appreciate what you did!"
"You are welcome."
Raon patted Rimmer's shoulder and his mouth curved into a smile.
'I'm the one who should be thanking you. I'm so thankful for your continued donations.'
Raon snickered. When he looked aside, he met Dorian and Wrath's terrified trembling eyes.
"Aah…"
Th-the King of Essence is afraid of you now…
* * *
Raon left Rimmer alone in his uncontrollable happiness and returned to the lodging area alongside Dorian.
He opened the door at the entrance, and he was about to enter when a middle-aged man walked up to him from the right side.
"Huh?"
Dorian seemed to have recognized him since his eyes turned round.
"Nice to meet you, White Sword Dragon."
The middle-aged man bowed politely.
"My name is Tetkal, I am from the Yeonam company."
"Ah, I'm Raon Zieghart."
Raon greeted him back, but he didn't recognize him at all.
"I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but may I borrow this man for a moment?"
Tetkal pointed at Dorian. Raon judged from their reactions that they were acquaintances.
"Ah, he's my father's friend."
"Ah!"
"I'll be back soon after talking with him."
"Alright."
Raon nodded, and Dorian went to the garden next to the lodgings alongside Tetkal.
Moments later, Tetkal was the first one to leave. Dorian walked out of the garden a long time after that. His steps were completely depressed.
"Hmm…"
Raon licked his lips. Not only the steps but even his face looked gloomy.
"What happened?"
"It was nothing special…"
He shook his hand, saying that it wasn't a big deal.
"Your face is telling me that it was special, though."
"Uhh…"
Dorian rubbed his belly pocket. Raon recognized that it was Dorian's habit whenever he was nervous.
"Well, I won't pry any further if it's a secret."
"Erm…"
Dorian hesitated for a moment before he raised his head.
"He told me that my father asked me to visit the company…"
"You did tell me that you were from a merchant house."
Dorian had mentioned that he was from a company in the southwest.
'He's going to the company… This sounds pretty good.'
Raon licked his lips. He was looking for an excuse to visit the submarine dungeon at House Robert, and bringing Dorian to his home seemed to be the perfect excuse.
'This should work.'
Since he would be escorting a cherished squad member as the vice squad leader, Raon figured that Rimmer would obviously allow it, and even the head of house would.
"In that case, you should go."
Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face.
"You didn't even visit them after you got kidnapped, so let's go there while we are nearby. I'll notify our superiors about it."
"Yes…"
Dorian nodded reluctantly even though he seemed to hate the idea.
'He seems to have his own reasons.'
Raon previously thought that Dorian wasn't returning to his house because he couldn't be bothered, but his expression told him that there must've been circumstances around it.
"Your family name is Aihpes, right?"
Raon tried to remember if he knew any company or merchant house called Aihpes, but nothing came to his mind. It must've been a small house, just like he'd thought in the past.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this earlier. That's a fake name…"
Dorian slowly shook his head.
"My family name isn't Aihpes. I had it reversed, my real name is Sephia…"
"Sephia?"
Raon murmured "Sephia" for a moment before his eyes widened.
"Are you really from that Sephia company?"
"You know about them?"
"Of course I do!"
Sephia was one of the five biggest companies of the continent, and it was a huge organization that branched out from the southwest to the entire continent.
"Wait, you…"
Raon's voice turned gentle for the first time.
"Have you been a young master all along?"