Raon snickered while looking at Dorian's trembling lips. He was glancing at him with worry because he thought that he'd made a grave mistake.
'He's so special.'
Raon had only repeated what Adis had said about the exam, but he actually went ahead and even said the 'tell him that' part.
[You didn't need to say that part.]
[I-I'm sorry!]
Even his aura message was trembling.
[Well, it can't be helped since you've already done it.]
'I'll cover it up with confidence.'
Raon confidently raised his chin even though they'd found out that he was the one giving the instructions.
What the hell is wrong with you?
Wrath furrowed his brow in bewilderment.
Did the madwoman mind-control you or something when she kidnapped you?
'He already knew that I was the one giving those instructions.'
Raon could see from Borgos's eyes that he was aware of who was making the decisions in the negotiation.
The 'tell him that' had only confirmed his suspicions.
"Sit at the table if you are going to do that."
Borgos pointed at an empty seat while saying the same thing as Wrath.
"I'm just an outsider in this matter."
Raon shook his hand with a smile.
"Outsider? He looks more like an outsider in my eyes."
Borgos laughed bitterly while looking at Dorian.
"No way. Dorian is the one who is about to be the Sephia company's successor."
And that successor is in the palm of your hand!
'I was just doing it for Dorian's sake.'
Bullshit! Say that again after you remove that greed brimming from your eyes!
Raon rubbed around his eyes with his sleeve and blinked.
'I removed it.'
Ugh! He wants to beat you up to death!
Wrath's plump fist trembled violently from anger.
"Haa, I never expected it to be so difficult to deal with a young man."
Borgos sighed deeply.
"Please sit at the table."
"It would be impolite to refuse an elder's request twice."
Raon immediately sat next to Dorian.
"I'll be standing!"
Dorian also immediately stood up and smiled cheerfully. They both looked so peaceful—as if they'd returned to where they should belong.
"Yes, this is more like it."
Borgos nodded with an enervated smile.
"Alright, we can finally discuss it. White Sword Dragon, I suspect that you aren't looking for money."
There was no way someone like Raon Zieghart would simply ask for money. Borgos was certain that he must've been looking for something else.
'What could it be… Ah!'
As he thought about Raon's actions, he remembered the scabbard he'd shown him under the pretense of coincidence.
'The sword felt like Vulcan's, while the dagger felt like Kuberad's. Which means what he wants might be…'
Borgos raised his eyes to look at Raon. His suspicion was confirmed upon meeting eyes that were as deep as a lake.
'That was it.'
He smiled in satisfaction as he fiddled with the contract.
"..."
Raon remained as calm as always and licked his lip while watching Borgos.
'I wasn't though. I was looking for money…'
He couldn't tell what Borgos was thinking about, but he just wanted money.
'Because the drake is just extra.'
The only goal he had at the company was to make Dorian the successor.
He didn't exactly care about the corpse because he even managed to get the drake heart to make Sylvia's energy center thanks to the trial asking for a drake. He was going to be satisfied with being paid a decent price.
"I knew it!"
Borgos nodded wildly. He must've taken the silence as a yes.
What the hell is that shorty dirtbag saying right now?
Wrath furrowed his brow while looking at Borgos.
'I wonder…'
Who does he even think you are? You are just a punk with a money addiction!
"You must've been lifting your cape over and over to show me the two swords. The sword is from Vulcan and the dagger is made by Kuberad, am I right?"
"That's true."
Raon wasn't trying to show him the swords at all, but he simply nodded because the part about who had crafted those blades was correct.
"Can I take a look at them?"
"Yes."
Raon took out Heavenly Drive and the Blade of Requiem and gave them to him, curious about how far Borgos was about to go.
Shring!
Borgos started by drawing the Blade of Requiem. His eyes trembled upon seeing the red color of the blade.
"A possessed blade. Moreover, this possessed blade is burning with resentment by sacrificing itself as fuel. There must've been an unfortunate incident for Kuberad to forge this."
He bitterly caressed the Blade of Requiem's edge.
"He must've done his best. It should be one of the better weapons from Kuberad."
Borgos admired and returned the Blade of Requiem to its scabbard before he unsheathed Heavenly Drive.
"A clean and refined touch, it's definitely Vulcan's work. This sword grows alongside its owner. It can become a divine sword or a demonic sword depending on how it's used, and it looks like your path isn't decided yet."
He smiled while watching Heavenly Drive's blade.
"Thank you for the feast."
Borgos returned the two swords with a smile.
"White Sword Dragon, you must be looking for equipment that won't be outdone by those two swords."
He nodded with a satisfied expression that suggested that he finally understood everything.
"No, I…"
"You provoked this Borgos by showing him those two swords, not bad."
"Uhh…"
"I can't lose to Vulcan and Kuberad! Tell me what you want!"
Borgos slammed the table, telling him to say anything he wanted.
Raon gasped while watching the passionate flame in Borgos's eyes.
'Is this really happening?'
All Raon had done was to remain quiet, yet he was about to get equipment from a Continent's Blacksmith in addition to the money. The world was truly a strange place.
"In that case, can I ask for a package of throwing daggers?"
Since it was an opportunity, he ordered the throwing daggers that he'd been wanting to have.
"Have you even learned the throwing art?"
"A little."
"Alright! There's nothing in the world that I can't forge!"
"Ah, and…"
Raon turned around and pointed at Doran who was blankly staring at them.
"His sword was broken. I'd like to get a new one for him. Is it possible?"
"Hmm, my disciple will take care of it. He looks like a wimp, but he's still the second-best blacksmith in our guild."
Borgos pointed at his disciple standing behind him. Raon could've never dreamed that such a bulky man who seemed capable of crushing an orc with muscle powers alone would be called a wimp.
"I-I don't mind it!"
Dorian bowed, saying that he was extremely thankful.
"Which means the price will be five gold ingots, one package of throwing daggers, and one sword."
Borgos modified the contract before he returned it.
"Alright. And please be more casual towards me."
Raon nodded in satisfaction and shook Borgos's hand.
Wh-what?!
Wrath's jaw dropped as he watched the handshake between Borgos and Raon.
Why is everyone volunteering as a doormat for him?! Why is the number of doormats multiplying itself?!
Raon left the central administration building with Borgos after the negotiations were concluded.
"I never expected that you would make that request in addition."
Borgos shook his head in disbelief.
"It's best to leave it to a professional."
Raon lowered his head slightly and smiled.
"You are not wrong. I just didn't think that the White Sword Dragon would have such a sly personality."
"I don't even know my own personality."
He wasn't lying. His personality and tendencies were slowly changing along with his Sword Field Creation's development.
He was about to return to the training ground where the drake was located when a bunch of merchants came running towards them.
"Young Master Dorian!"
"Nice to meet you! My name is Latrin, and I run a clothing shop named Camerin! I'm delighted to make your acquaintance!"
"It's been a while! I'm Sizern and I'm in charge of circulating the wheat!"
"Young Master Dorian! Congratulations on becoming the successor! I'm in charge of commerce with Cameloon…"
"Young master!"
"Young master, please wait a moment…"
Countless merchants came running and clung to Dorian. Some of them were even shoving gifts onto him to gain a favorable impression from the new successor.
"V-vice squad leader!"
"Good luck."
Dorian was getting buried under the merchants, but Raon ignored him and went to the training ground with Borgos.
"Aren't you going to help him?"
"He needs to get used to it since it's going to happen over and over in the future."
Raon smiled while opening the training ground's door.
"I've already had this impression earlier, but you really don't feel like a child. Your might could be explained by talent, but that experience couldn't have been acquired for no reason…"
Borgos narrowed his eyes while looking at Raon.
"I've had a difficult life."
Raon shrugged his shoulders and stood in front of the drake.
"I leave it to you."
"Haa."
Borgos licked his lips and took out a dagger from his clothes. Its blade was thin enough to be called translucent, and it was shining in a dim red color.
Whir!
He carefully cut the drake's neck with the dagger and took out a hexagonal object from inside, which was shining a brilliant blue.
Raon clenched his fist while witnessing that light.
'The drake heart.'
It wasn't as good as a dragon heart, but it was a natural storage of mana with a huge capacity.
'That should be enough.'
It had the power of ice, but it also had a high purity since it came from nature. That was why Raon assumed that it shouldn't cause any issues when into Sylvia's energy center.
"Thank you."
Raon bowed to Borgos before he accepted the drake's heart. He could've taken it out by himself, but he wanted it completely unscathed. That was why he'd asked a professional for assistance.
"If you are trying to sell the drake heart, I'll introduce you to a good one. You should be able to sell it for higher than an auction."
Borgos wanted to be helpful and told him that he could introduce him to someone.
"It's fine, I have a use for this item."
Since it was reserved for Sylvia, he had no intention of selling it no matter how much he was offered. In fact, he didn't even care about how much the drake would cost as long as he obtained the heart.
"Is that so? I see."
Borgos nodded with a smile.
"Shall I send the promised goods to Zieghart?"
"Yes, please send them to the Light Wind squad of Zieghart."
"I'll do it."
He smiled and took a piece of cloth from his inner pocket. He dropped the cloth and, once it reached the drake's body, the over thirty-five-meter-long body shrunk to five meters in size.
The blacksmiths from the Gray Hammer Guild immediately picked up the plank with the drake on it, then stood behind Borgos.
"See you later."
Borgos casually waved his hand and left the training ground.
The doormat is gone.
Wrath spat in his direction, calling him the worst of all doormats in the world.
'He's not the worst.'
Why not?! He offered all the money and equipment before you even asked!
'Because he's definitely not worse than you.'
No doormat in the world could even dare to match up to the giving Wrath.
Raon tapped on Wrath's head, and when he was thinking about returning to the central administration, a middle-aged man with tidy hair walked up to him.
"Sir Raon."
"Hmm?"
Raon's jaw dropped upon seeing him. His appearance had drastically changed, but there was no way he wouldn't recognize his impure energy. He was the Saber of the Fallen Flower, Mark Goetten, whom he'd defeated in the same training ground.
"May I ask when you will finish your consideration?"
'Consideration?'
Raon fell silent and thought about it, then remembered the conversation they'd previously had.
'He asked me to let him follow me.'
He had come along with Palen and begged for Raon to let him be a follower. Raon also remembered that he'd told him to wait since he had a more important matter to attend to.
It'd been a whole month since then, and he must've been waiting for the response while staying in the company.
'Is it because he's a knight?'
He was originally a knight from the Warner Kingdom. Knights had a tendency to obey their master no matter what, unlike swordsmen, and Raon figured that was the reason he'd been obeying that order.
'He must've been serious about it.'
Raon could assume that he must not have been lying about becoming a follower.
'Am I really getting a Master for free? No, it can't be. He might be serious right now, but he will probably change his mind soon enough.'
Since human nature didn't change so easily, Raon wanted to test his patience.
"Mark Goetten."
"Yes."
"Your body still doesn't seem to be in a good state."
"I'm sorry. I've been training, but…"
"Do you see the mountain over there?"
Raon pointed at a steep rocky mountain located to the west of Rokan City.
"Do four round trips to that mountain per day without using your aura. It will be extremely helpful in recovering your ruined body. If you can't, then…"
"I'll do it!"
Mark Goetten nodded and took off his clothes before immediately running towards the mountain.
"V-vice squad leader!"
Raon was watching his back when Dorian came running at him while panting.
"You left me behind, that was so mean!"
Dorian raised his head with a frown.
"I'm sorry."
Raon smiled gently at Dorian.
"Do you want to run away from those people?"
"I do. I'm not used to this, and I'm also sad that they are looking for me only after I won the trial…"
Dorian sighed briefly.
"In that case, I have the perfect solution."
"Solution?"
Don't do it!
Wrath suddenly raised his head.
It will definitely end up badly for you. Just look at his smile!
He was giving a powerful warning, but Dorian obviously couldn't hear him.
"Will you do it?"
"I will!"
Raon smiled and pointed at the rocky mountain, where Mark Goetten had run a moment ago.
"Mark Goetten should be over there. You should observe him and climb those rocks four times a day."
Rock climbing without any equipment was extremely helpful for developing the fingers and wrists, which are important for using a sword, and even helped the lower and upper body's development in addition to a sense of balance. Since Dorian's body wasn't mature yet, it was the perfect training for him.
"S-say that again?"
"Climb the mountain. Go now!"
"I-I don't want to do it after all."
Dorian frantically shook his head.
"I'd rather see those merchants instead…"
"I just remembered, you called me a psychopath before, right? Let's do focus enhancement training instead…"
"I'll be back!"
He covered his ears and hurriedly ran towards the rocky mountain.
Raon nodded in satisfaction while watching Mark Goetten run with Dorian following him.
"What a perfect sight."
Were you a loan shark in your previous life?
* * *
The next day, Raon went to Adis Sephia's office, guided by his butler, Ligwin. He was slightly nervous because it was the first time he had been called for without Dorian.
'Why is he calling for me?'
He couldn't understand why he was calling for him because the successor had already decided. Also, the negotiations were over.
The King of Essence knows the answer.
Wrath sneered, the corners of his lips curved into a long smile.
'What is it?'
It's obvious. He finally got his cowardly kid to be his successor, but he's acting like your underling. It's only natural that his father would be angry with that.
He giggled, saying that it was such a foolish move to make the successor of a large company monitor Mark Goetten.
'Hmm… That might be the case.'
Since Adis cherished Dorian despite how he looked, Raon thought it wasn't completely impossible. He couldn't exactly rebuke him because he didn't really know how other families were.
You deserve a hard time!
Wrath grinned, saying that it would be a fun sight.
A berry pie would be perfect to have while watching this.
'Seriously?'
Wrath stuck his tongue out while laughing at him, and Raon kicked him away before standing in front of Adis's office. Just like the last time, Ligwin looked like he wasn't planning to enter and quietly opened the door for him.
"Please enter."
Raon nodded at Ligwin and entered the office. Unlike the other times, Adis Sephia was sitting at a table at the center instead of at his desk.
"You called for me?"
"Thank you for coming. Please sit over there."
Adis's voice sounded colder and more unfavorable than the other times.
"You should be aware that I don't like beating around the bush. Can I get right into the topic?"
His gaze also felt sharper. Raon thought that Wrath might have guessed right.
"Yes."
Raon briefly caught his breath and nodded.
His voice already sounds so angry. Get ready to be criticized.
Wrath started dancing while wagging his finger, but his wish never came true.
"The Sephia company would like to invest in Zieghart. No, it's correct to say that we'd like to invest in Raon Zieghart."
Adis Sephia stared at Raon with serious eyes.
Heh?
Wrath bit his lip tightly while looking into Adis's clear eyes.
H-he was another doormat!
He started to squirm in the air, saying that it couldn't be happening.
You are from one of the five largest companies! Why are you volunteering to be a doormat?!
'Is it hereditary?'