Chapter 277: Chapter 277
Raon finished all of the work that Rimmer had been procrastinating on before leaving the training ground.
As he was about to return to the annex building in order to get his equipment, he found Runaan, who was blankly staring at the sky.
"Hmm?"
He went next to her and looked up to see what she was looking at. He couldn't understand why she was staring at the sky, where the moon was only half visible because of all the rain clouds.
"Runaan, why are you not leaving?"
"That looks like bead ice cream."
Runaan licked her lips while pointing at the blue moon that could be seen between the clouds. She was miraculously mistaking the moon for ice cream, probably because she couldn't even eat any ice cream because of all the training recently.
"That's not true... Ah!"
Raon took out the box that he was carrying under his arm. It was the dessert that Chad had given him earlier.
"In that case, do you want to eat this instead? It's a dessert called 'macaron'."
"Macaron?"
A purple flame was ignited inside Runaan's blank eyes. She looked like she would follow him all the way to the annex building if he refused to give it to her.
"Wait a moment."
Raon chuckled and removed the package before opening the lid. There were around twenty pastries inside, with different kinds of cream stuck between two round meringue cookies—just like the sandwiches.
"Pick whichever you want."
Since Runaan had been sharing lots of food with him, he was more than willing to give snacks like those.
Ooh!
However, Wrath was reacting faster than Runaan.
The King of Essence can smell the sweet and cool fragrance. Raon Zieghart! The King of Essence is choosing that green one at the edge! It must be mint chocolate!
Wrath picked the green macaron that contained the chocolate cream. The way he was calling Raon's name signified that he was desperate.
'I don't really like mint chocolate though.'
You should do the King of Essence a favor at a time like this at least!
'Hmm.'
Raon licked his lips while meeting Wrath's pleading gaze.
'That's not wrong.'
Even a giving tree needed to be fertilized from time to time. Since it wasn't exactly a difficult task, Raon decided to grant Wrath's wish.
"Mhh?"
Raon briefly clicked his tongue and picked up the macaron that Wrath wanted, and Runaan suddenly shuddered. The way she was blankly staring at the green macaron in his hand implied that she was also about to pick that one.
'What shall we do? I think the ice cream girl also wants to eat the mint chocolate macaron.'
Ugh...
'She's your subordinate. You should show your consideration, right? Shall I give it to her? Do I give it?'
D-Damn it!
Wrath violently ground his teeth. His eyes were swaying like a pendulum from trying to make the difficult decision between his subordinate and the food.
'I'll help you make the decision.'
W-Wait...
Raon shook off Wrath, who was sticking to his wrist, before giving the macaron to Runaan.
"You can have it."
"No."
Runaan shook her head. Despite his expectations, she didn't look sad about it at all. Instead, she actually looked happy.
"We are the same."
"Huh?"
"Raon also likes mint chocolate. It's okay."
She nodded in satisfaction before taking the cookies and cream macaron next to where the mint chocolate one used to be.
"I'll take this one. Thank you."
Runaan nodded before heading to the carriage waiting in front of the training ground. She must've been waiting for the carriage to return home.
"Hmm..."
Raon licked his lips while watching the leaving carriage.
'That was the only one I wanted to try out.'
Because the color made it obvious that it was the cookies and cream macaron, it was the only one he wanted to eat among them—yet Runaan had taken it away from him. However, he was more irritated by the fact that Runaan mistakenly believed that he loved mint chocolate.
Wahahaha! You can't get everything you want all the time! Serves you right! Completely!
'I think it will crumble so easily...'
Raon forced his fingers to destroy the macaron. The thin powders started falling on the ground.
W-W-Wait! Stop it!
'Stop it?'
Kuh...
'Stop it?'
Th-The King of Essence apologizes...
Tears welled up in Wrath's eyes as he shook his head. The food must've been more important to him than the pride as a demon king.
Was he really the demon king of wrath?
No matter how Raon thought about it, his attribute was wrong. Wrath should've been either a binge eater or a bizarre eater instead.
'You should be more careful in the future.'
Raon tapped on Wrath before putting the mint chocolate macaron in his mouth.
The first taste upon biting the cookie was its sweetness. Moreover, it was such an intense sweetness that he'd never tasted before, to a point that his tongue felt slightly numb.
Next up was the mint chocolate cream. The slightly cold cream spread throughout his mouth to relay the refreshing sweetness and the pungent taste.
"Haa..."
Raon sighed heavily and shook his head.
'What is wrong with this taste...?'
The combination of extremely sweet cookies and mint chocolate cream was something he never wanted to taste ever again. He almost wanted to blame Chad for giving him the macaron.
"Wrath, you don't like it eithe... Huh?"
He lowered his head to check Wrath's reaction, and he was drooling from his widened mouth.
H-How could such a dessert exist in this world...?
Wrath was moaning in excitement while covering his cheeks.
This is crazy! The sweet cookies and the mint chocolate create a perfect harmony! This is a real delicacy, and a real dessert!
He was saying that there were so many delicacies in the vast world with a big grin on his face.
Next! Try eating the next one!
'Hmm...'
Because Wrath was so excited, Raon's mouth also became watery. He picked the chocolate macaron as the next one, since it was pretty clear what it was made from.
"Kuah..."
Although it was better than the mint chocolate, the sweetness became even more intense. It was so sweet that it almost tasted bitter.
Huaah!
Wrath was wriggling on his shoulder with an ecstatic expression on his face. He looked like a cat rolling in catnip.
More! More! Let's eat a bit more! Today is going to be remembered as a new chapter in the delicacy's history...
Raon tightly closed the macaron box's lid, while listening to Wrath's shout.
Man!
'I can't eat anymore. I'm going to return and give them to Sylvia and the maids.'
Raon gave the macarons to the maids before returning to his room.
It was almost a mystery that Sylvia and the maids loved the macarons so much. Raon asked them if it wasn't too sweet, and apparently that was the part they enjoyed. Raon started thinking that his own sense of taste was the strange one and Wrath was right all along.
Kuh, how can you give away all of that good stuff...
Wrath was murmuring that he could only eat two of them with teary eyes.
"I'll buy some bead ice cream for you later. Please be satisfied with that."
Really?
"I'll eat them after returning from the mission, so please stay silent."
Of course! The King of Essence is famous for how reticent he is. Don't worry about it! By the way, back in Devildom, the King of Essence's subordinates asked him to express himself a bit more because of how silent he was...
"Haa..."
He mentioned the ice cream to make him fall silent, but he was being even louder than before.
Raon shook his head and packed the items to bring on his mission.
As he was putting the equipment and consumables in his bag, someone's presence could be felt around the window. He immediately opened the window because he was fully aware of who it was.
"It's been a while!"
Rimmer grinned and walked up to him, his eyes covered by sunglasses.
"Why are you wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night?"
"Ah, this? It's for the style."
Rimmer awkwardly shook his hand, asking how he couldn't notice how stylish he was.
"I heard you were leaving for a mission in two days."
"Yes. I'm guessing you are staying behind, right?"
The mission document from Chad mentioned that Raon was the person in charge, which meant that Rimmer was staying behind.
"I'd like to go with you, but there's not going to be anything I can do to help in my current state."
"That's true."
Raon nodded. Because Rimmer decided to gather wind aura of the highest purity, he still hadn't managed to accumulate enough aura. It was better for him to just stay at the house to cultivate instead of wasting time by moving around.
"I-It makes me a bit sad when you put it that way."
"But that's what you said, squad leader."
"Still! You should be comforting me when I'm sad! I'm your teacher and your superior! You will never become a great person with how inconsiderate you are!"
"Haa..."
Raon could only sigh, since he was the second most annoying person in the world after Wrath.
"You just thought I was being annoying!"
And he could even read his mind.
"Well, that's enough joking around."
Rimmer chuckled and leaned on his elbow on the window.
"You are going to be in charge from now on, starting from this mission. No one is going to be watching your back like before. Your decision could annihilate the entire Light Wind squad, or allow them to survive."
The light reflected in his eyes was as clear as the moonlight.
"Responsibility might feel lighter than you think, and heavier than you think."
"Are you telling me that it depends on how I look at it?"
"Yes."
Rimmer snapped his fingers.
"You should be careful to not be crushed by that heaviness, and don't let the lightness get to your head. I'm sure you will manage on your own though."
"Have you been super light all the time, squad leader?"
"Wow, that hurts. Why are people's tongues so sharp nowadays?"
He pretended to be in pain while grasping his chest before he raised his chin.
"You are wearing the pyroxene necklace, right?"
"This one?"
Raon raised the pyroxene necklace that was hanging inside his clothes from his neck. He'd been equipping it at all times ever since Roenn told him about its effects.
"Yes, that one."
"I'm sorry, but I can't give you this. I'm sure you are just going to sell it to fund your gambling..."
"I'm not about to extort from my subordinate no matter how bad I am!"
He violently shook his head in denial.
"Who do you even think I am?"
"A gambling addict, scammer, lazybone, thief?"
"Ugh..."
Rimmer grasped his chest once again and faltered.
"I can't deny that."
He chuckled and leaned his back against the window.
"Raon. I entrust the Light Wind squad to you."
His serious voice was filled with worry. He must've been serious when he said he wanted to go with them.
"I'll bring everyone back safely."
"I'll be waiting for your return."
Rimmer casually waved his hand before he left.
Raon sighed quietly while watching his back.
'Responsibility...'
Even though he thought he's always been shouldering most of Rimmer's responsibilities, realizing that he was now the only person responsible for the Light Wind squad placed a heavy burden on his heart.
After all, Rimmer had always been watching everyone from the back, despite how he pretended to be playing around and sleeping.
Raon bowed in the direction Rimmer had left in.
'I'll be looking forward to the day we can be together once again.'
* * *
Chad went to the fifth training ground when the Light Wind squad was supposed to leave.
"...The squad leader isn't going with us this time. Since we need to handle everything on our own, you should brace yourselves to maintain your composure in all situations."
Raon's voice could be heard from the training ground. He seemed to be encouraging everyone since they were leaving on the mission without their squad leader.
'He even knows how to lead his people.'
The way he was trying to restrain the squad members instead of trying to gain achievements from his first mission as a leader showed his qualities as a leader.
"Let's go."
The training ground's door opened following the quiet voice, and the Light Wind members came out in a line.
Chad waited on the side, then went to Raon as soon as he came out.
"Vice squad leader."
"The Shadow Agents' leader?"
His eyes turned round. He apparently didn't expect him to be there at all.
"What brought you here...?"
"We've got some information about Grand Seville and the White Blood Religion, and I brought it to you since it would be a waste to not do anything with it. I hope it can be helpful."
Chad smiled faintly, giving him a booklet containing the information they had gathered.
"I was on my way back home after working overnight yesterday. Please don't feel pressured."
"Ah, thank you."
Raon awkwardly accepted the booklet.
"I wish you good fortune in your upcoming battles."
Chad smiled faintly and turned around as if that was all he came to do.
'Perfect!'
In fact, he'd compiled the booklet the day before, and he woke up early in the morning to wait for them instead of heading back, but he was just giving some believable excuses in order to avoid pressuring Raon.
It was the perfect method to leave a good impression without pressuring him.
'I shall prepare for the next task now.'
Chad praised himself for his excellent performance as he returned to the Shadow Agents.
* * *
Raon burned Chad's booklet after reading all the contents. He narrowed his eyes while looking at the ashes fluttering into the air.
'The information is way too detailed.'
It was high quality information, not only about the Grand Seville but also about the White Blood Religion's recent activities and methods.
'Chad, the leader of Shadow Agents...'
He was getting more and more suspicious.
It was extremely strange that such an important person from the house was visiting the training ground so early in the morning to give him such information, especially because the leaders of information agencies tended to be overbearing and disliked moving around themselves.
Even though Chad was relatively young, it wasn't normal for him to take care of him so much.
'The White Blood Religion might not be our enemies.'
Unlike what the mission stated, he had the strong impression that the White Blood Religion wouldn't be their enemies during the mission—instead, assassins from the Central Martial Palace or the True Martial Palace would be coming for them.
'This is slightly dangerous.'
It could turn into a bad situation, as they were aware of their war potential, unlike the White Blood Religion.
'There's a method I can use in a situation like this.'
It was an extremely simple method.
He just needed to increase the Light Wind squad's prowess before reaching Grand Seville to surpass the information they had.
'Moreover.'
Raon looked at Martha, who was leaning her back against a tree, separate from the group.
She'd been like that ever since she heard that they were most likely going to fight the White Blood Religion. Even the first team was unable to approach her because of the murderous aura and wrath around her, on top of how she had become even more powerful.
'In order to snap her out of it, it is even more necessary to do so.'
Raon smiled coldly at the Light Wind squad, who were finally getting some rest after half a day's travel.
"Get up, everyone."
"Already?"
"We didn't even rest for ten minutes though."
The Light Wind squad was whining that they wanted to rest a bit more.
"Then you should stay on the ground and listen."
He nodded and met the Light Wind squad's gazes.
"I told you this when we left, but this mission might be a trap laid by our enemies. This means that we might end up fighting people that know who we are. What do you think we need to do in that case?"
"Hmm..."
"Let's see..."
They only tilted their heads, unable to find the answer.
"You must be aware that it will take a pretty long time for us to reach Grand Seville. Do you think we should just waste all that time?"
"Uuh...?"
"D-Don't tell me..."
The Light Wind squad felt that something was going wrong and swallowed nervously.
"You guessed right. We are going to train while moving."
"N-No!"
"You crazy bastard!"
"Can you please stop?"
The Light Wind members slammed the ground in despair.
"W-Wait! What if we exhaust ourselves from training? We might have to fight as soon as we arrive, or we might get ambushed during the journey!"
Burren raised his hand and shouted.
"Don't worry. We will take a shortcut to avoid their ambush, and I'll adjust the schedule so that you will be at your best by the time we reach Grand Seville."
Since he'd been to Grand Seville many times in his previous life, he knew multiple shortcuts and hideouts along the way. He could completely avoid encountering assassins on their way.
"Kuh..."
"D-Damn it..."
"Why does he even know that kind of stuff?"
Burren and the Light Wind members sprawled hopelessly on the ground, as they couldn't argue against him.
"I-It's okay!"
Krein tapped his wrist and ankle with a smile on his face.
"We don't have the Black Converters. We can endure the training as long as we don't have those..."
"And you don't need to worry about that. Dorian."
Raon bobbed his hand, and Dorian came up with a depressed expression on his face. He bit his lip tightly, putting his hand in his belly pocket and taking out a bunch of Black Converters.
"I asked Dorian to bring them just in case."
Raon smiled faintly and waved his hand.
"Everyone, equip them and get ready to run."
"NOOOOOO!"
The Light Wind squad's scream of despair echoed throughout the mountain.
* * *
The fancy and colorful buildings had so much variety that each of them felt unique, and that was the case for all of the buildings filling the hexagram-shaped domain. Moreover, the lake behind them was shining brightly as it reflected the afternoon's sunlight, as if it contained molten gold instead of water.
The size was far smaller than the other kingdoms and cities he had visited before, but Grand Seville's splendor didn't lose to them at all.
Raon nodded after looking around Grand Seville over the low rampart.
'This place is the same as before.'
Entertainment sectors tended to be extremely attractive. It was the best place for assassination, and he'd done countless missions in that city.
'But my feelings are different.'
That was because, unlike how he visited the city to kill people in his previous life, he was there in his current life in order to save people. It gave him a completely different feeling.
"Wow..."
"Is this Grand Seville?"
"I-It's as flashy as the rumors."
The Light Wind members' jaws dropped as they stared at Grand Seville and Molve Lake's flashy appearance.
"..."
Martha, on the other hand, was glaring at Grand Seville. Her pressure was even sharper than before. She still must've been thinking about the White Blood Religion.
"Let's go."
Raon pointed at the city with his chin before taking the lead, and the Light Wind squad caught their breath before following him.
Raon showed the mercenary nameplate that he got from the house to the guard in front of the gate, and he bobbed his hand for them to enter without even checking properly.
'And this is also the same as before.'
If Cameloon had a good balance between shadow and light, Grand Seville was far more shady than there, which was why the inspection was nothing but a formality.
Once Raon got the nameplate back, he passed through the low gate and entered Grand Seville.
Whir.
An intense vibration could be felt from the Blade of Requiem as soon as his feet landed on Grand Seville's soil.
'Look at this.'
Raon grasped the wailing Blade of Requiem's hilt tightly. His mouth curved into a cold smile as he looked down on the splendid city.
There were as many of them as cockroaches.
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