The crimson moonlight shone through the verdant leaves in the grand garden of the Robert family.
Derus Robert, who was watching the clouds flowing like a river, had a small maid bowing behind him.
"How did it go?"
Derus turned halfway and looked at the maid.
"The situation is a bit complicated."
Contrary to her words, Kubara's gaze was serene.
"Complicated?"
"As you wished, Orgoth and the Light Wind division clashed, and Raon Zieghart joined the battle late and trapped Orgoth within a barrier. However, after that…"
Kubara closed her eyes for a moment before continuing.
"The demon king has descended."
"…The demon king?"
Derus Robert turned around. His pupils twisted as if they had been struck by a blade.
"Did you just say the demon king?"
"Yes."
"Why suddenly the demon king…."
"It is said that Orgoth's demonic energy triggered its appearance."
"What about the demon king's appearance?"
"It's said to be a beautiful being with sky-blue hair and jade-like skin, but they couldn't tell if it was male or female from a distance."
"Then it's not…."
Derus let out a deep, murky breath as he lowered his eyelids.
"What happened to Raon Zieghart?"
"They couldn't hear any sound, so they only relied on lip reading. It appears that the demon king killed only Orgoth and ignored Raon Zieghart."
"Ignored, huh…."
Lip reading is the art of reading words from the lips. The Shadows are trained in lip reading, so there shouldn't be any mistakes.
'Even without lip reading, it makes sense.'
It is unlikely that the demon king, who descended because of displeasure with Orgoth's demonic energy, would take interest in a mere Master-level human.
Ignoring Raon would not be a lie.
"What happened afterward?"
"The demon king clashed with the Leader of the White Blood Religion and the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance…."
Kubara reported everything up until the appearance of Glenn and the Dragon Lord without missing a detail.
"Hmm…."
Derus Robert looked down at Kubara, adjusting his black leather gloves. The wound on the back of his hand ached slightly.
'They said the demon king broke through the barrier.'
If so, it's possible that the twisted barrier sent Raon Zieghart somewhere on the continent.
Raon created the barrier by tearing open his own abdomen, so even if he survived, he wouldn't be able to move or would be unconscious.
"Kubara."
Derus made a decision and raised his head.
"Tell the Shadows across the continent to search every infiltrated area and find Raon Zieghart."
The chances of not finding Raon are high, but if they do, it's a great opportunity to easily kill that nuisance. It must not be missed.
"Tell them to kill him immediately upon discovery without reporting back, and to operate in pairs just in case."
Knowing Raon Zieghart, he would undoubtedly struggle even at the brink of death. They must operate in pairs to ensure they cut off his breath.
"Understood."
"Wait."
Kubara nodded without asking any questions. As she was about to step back, Derus raised his hand.
"What happened to the demon king?"
"They said it disappeared when Glenn and the Dragon Lord appeared."
"…I see. You may go."
Derus turned his back again. He smiled as he looked at the clouds beginning to obscure the moonlight.
"A demon king who killed Orgoth with ease and overwhelmed the Leader of the White Blood Religion."
This might give me another useful word to use.
Wrath reappeared in front of a bead ice cream shop within the capital.
-Ha….
Raon sighed as he watched Wrath cling to the shop window like a frog.
-Was this the place you had to go to?
"Of course!"
Wrath nodded vigorously as if it were a question not worth asking.
"I have lived for this day! I want to eat bead ice cream with my own mouth and hands!"
The blue-eyed creature glared, indicating that stopping it would be fatal.
-No, I have no intention of stopping you.
Raon pointed inside the shop with his finger. It was late, and the shopkeeper seemed to be closing up, cleaning the floor.
-If you don't go in now, they'll close.
"That cannot happen!"
Wrath jumped and rushed into the ice cream shop.
"Ah, sorry. We're closed… Ah!"
The young woman, who seemed to be the shopkeeper, paused as she was about to turn off the lights. She stared at Wrath's face and dropped the magic lamp she was holding. The glass shattered, making a mess of the cleaned floor.
"How can a person's face…"
But the shopkeeper didn't care about the shattered lamp, her eyes fixed on Wrath's face.
"It's been a while since I've felt this."
Wrath ran its fingers through its perfectly unruffled hair and smiled.
'As I said before, my beauty is the greatest in the Devildom….'
-Is this really the time? You said you didn't have much time.
"R-right! Shopkeeper, pull yourself together!"
"Sorry!"
The shopkeeper hurriedly bowed her head, but her pupils were still glued to Wrath.
"Hmm, but you said you're closed?"
"No! Choose! All of them! Everything!"
Wrath's eyebrows furrowed in disappointment, but the shopkeeper waved her hands frantically, as if willing to give away the entire shop.
"Really?"
"Of course!"
"You shall be blessed!"
Wrath, the demon king, even wished blessings upon her as it examined the bead ice cream behind the counter.
Wrath and the shopkeeper seemed to get along well from the start.
"Hmm…."
Since it was a shop within the capital, the variety of ice cream was greater than elsewhere. Wrath hesitated for a long time, unable to decide.
"What should I choose?"
-You were going to choose mint chocolate, right?
Raon tilted his head as he looked at Wrath. He thought Wrath would definitely insist on mint chocolate, but the hesitation was unexpected.
'This opportunity might not come again, so I can't just eat mint chocolate! Especially the flavors you would never eat!'
Wrath's eyes darted around, determined to try various flavors.
-Choosing is fine, but didn't you say you don't have time?
"B-well then, I'll choose mint chocolate, pineapple vanilla, apple mango beef jerky, and peanut apple, one set of each!"
-You're choosing all the weird ones….
Raon sighed. The names alone were peculiar.
"Understood!"
The shopkeeper nodded and started scooping the ice cream into an elegant box. Her eyes were still fixated on Wrath.
-But do you have money?
'Money? M-money!'
Wrath's eyes widened in panic.
'I don't have any! What should I do?'
The creature stomped its feet. It was natural that it had no human money since it had suddenly appeared.
-Is this really a demon king….
Raon couldn't help but laugh at the sight of the ruler of the Devildom, who had pressured three Transcendent Warriors, now flustered because it had no money to buy ice cream.
'Help me….'
Wrath clasped its hands together, begging. Raon wanted to help, but there wasn't much he could do.
-I have money in my spatial pocket, but I can't get it out, can I?
'No, you can!'
-How?
'I am rooted in your mental image. You can bring it out through imagination, just like when you summoned me.'
-Through imagination….
Raon closed his eyes. He envisioned pulling out the spatial pocket he had received from Dorian and activated his Willpower.
As he felt a floating sensation, the spatial pocket appeared in front of Wrath's eyes.
"Ooh!"
Wrath quickly snatched the pocket and took out some gold coins.
'You are no longer needed!'
-Hey….
Raon frowned at Wrath. He bit his lip, thinking about dealing with it later.
"Here's your ice cream."
The shopkeeper handed the boxed ice cream to Wrath. It seemed like there was more than double the usual amount.
"Here you go."
Wrath nodded and placed three gold coins on the counter.
"One would be enough for change…"
"Keep the change!"
The creature vehemently shook its head as it gathered the ice cream boxes.
"Pardon?"
"I liked your service. Take it!"
-That's not even your money….
"It is my money now!"
Wrath waved at the shopkeeper, wishing her well, and left the ice cream shop.
-Alright, it's your day. Do whatever you want…
Raon sighed, deciding to let Wrath have its way for today.
-Now hurry and eat.
"What's that!"
Wrath's eyes glinted as it saw a skewered food stall across from the ice cream shop.
-Hey, you said you're out of time!
"Quiet, ghost."
Wrath ignored Raon's hand trying to stop it and walked towards the skewered food stall.
"Welcome… Oh!"
The middle-aged man grilling skewers dropped his jaw upon seeing Wrath's face.
"What is this?"
"It's skewers made with green onions and chicken thighs. We also have pork and beef."
The shopkeeper showed respect as if Wrath were a female noble. Unlike the ice cream shopkeeper, he seemed to see Wrath as a woman.
"Give me all kinds!"
Wrath nodded approvingly and placed three gold coins on the counter.
-Hey. Why do you keep using three gold coins? One is enough.
'It's my money, so it's my choice!'
-But it's not even your money!
The creature seemed to enjoy tipping extravagantly.
"Here you go!"
The shopkeeper handed over skewers that were meant for other customers. He bowed his head deeply.
"Good job."
Wrath, bright as always, thanked the shopkeeper and left the skewered food stall. For a demon king, it was quite polite.
-Now eat….
"What's that over there!"
Wrath, while looking at the skewers, dashed towards a pizza place on the right.
-You gluttonous demon king! You said you're out of time!
"One more time!"
Glenn sighed as he finished inspecting the twisted barrier.
'A barrier made from blood.'
Raon had created this barrier, so it must have been made from the blood of him and the Light Wind division.
'Damn it….'
Anger surged towards Orgoth, who had caused this situation. He wanted to revive the creature torn apart by the demon king and kill it again.
'Where are you?'
If the barrier twisted and sent Raon flying, there should be a hint inside. He had to find it no matter what.
"Hmm…."
The Dragon Lord also seemed to be searching for traces of the demon king, casting various spells inside the barrier.
"The demon king was stronger than I thought…"
He seemed to feel the presence of the demon king who had influenced the space itself, biting his lip.
'Indeed….'
Glenn nodded in agreement.
'It wasn't ordinary demonic energy.'
The demon king had not only fended off the attacks of two Transcendent Warriors but had also remained wary of this side. If it stayed on this continent, it could cause great trouble.
But the demon king was not the priority now. Finding the location and state of Raon and the Light Wind division was the most important task.
As Glenn continued to search the barrier, Roenn approached.
"Head of house."
Roenn spoke with his hand on his chest.
"We've received word from the main house. The Light Wind division is recovering in a treatment facility within the Owen Kingdom."
He mentioned that the entire division was receiving treatment there, his lips trembling slightly.
"It seems the vice division leader used that ring to send them all."
"That makes sense…."
Glenn nodded. Sending them to Owen due to the lack of mana was a wise decision given the current situation.
"What about Raon…."
"They said the vice division leader is not there."
Roenn lowered his head to hide his trembling pupils.
"I see…."
"Destructive King of the North."
The Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance squinted his eyes, resting a black sword on his shoulder.
"What are you doing now? The old you would have clashed swords with me regardless of whether your subordinates lived or died."
"Shut up."
"Shouldn't you move before I kill those kids myself? Don't disappoint me any further."
Black shadows burning with a blood-red hue flickered at his feet.
"Darkan."
Glenn turned around. His gaze was so dry that it seemed to suffocate.
"You don't need to urge me. I'll kill you."
"Yes. That expression. I've been waiting for…"
"Owen!"
As he twisted his lips, Merlin screamed, clutching her head.
"Yes. It's Owen! I smell it from Owen!"
Merlin mumbled that she could smell Raon from Owen and flew out of the barrier. She soared into the sky, heading straight for Owen.
Glenn tightened his lips, still pointing his sword at the Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance.
'That woman….'
Though she was a lunatic who had kidnapped Raon to Eden's branch and still showed an abnormal obsession, she was the first to recognize Raon's barrier.
"Roenn. Take the Heavenly Blade Division Leader and the vice division leader of the Light Wind division and head to Owen."
"Understood."
As soon as Roenn nodded, Glenn stepped on the Supreme Harmony Steps, following the direction Merlin had flown. His figure disappeared in an instant.
"You madman! Where do you think you're going! Glenn Zieghart!"
The Leader of the Holy Sword Alliance gritted his teeth and chased after Glenn.
"What is going on here…."
The Demon Slaying Spear sighed, throwing down his spear.
"It's a mess."
The Dark Sword Queen sighed, letting go of her sword.
"...."
The Thespian Emperor massaged her temples, looking in the direction Glenn had disappeared.
'Raon Zieghart and the demon king.'
She recalled the moment she had seen Raon Zieghart's heaven's flow a while ago.
The demonic figure etched in the book overlapped with the face of the demon king who had killed Orgoth.
'Could it be…?'
Wrath appeared in a deserted alley in the capital, holding ice cream and various foods in both arms.
"Time will change soon. Let's eat here and then you should regain your form."
-You're right, but you should eat quickly.
Raon sighed as he looked at the food Wrath was holding.
"I know!"
Wrath nodded and spread a cloth on the ground, placing the ice cream and food on it.
"What should I eat first?"
-You should eat the food first. Ice cream is for dessert.
"You don't know how to eat. In such cases, you should start with ice cream!"
-Then why did you ask….
Raon frowned at Wrath, who was smirking.
Haaah!
Wrath's trembling hand opened the lid of the ice cream box. As the white mist rose, its eyes twinkled.
"At last, I'm going to eat this art with my own hands and mouth. I've waited so long… Oh?"
But as Wrath reached for the ice cream, the blue aura around its arm began to dissipate.
"What, what's this? There should still be time left?"
-You said earlier that it takes more power to fight and heal. Didn't you take on my burden as well?
"Aaagh!"
Wrath's mouth opened wide in shock.
"No, this can't be! Just one bite! It's too sad to buy everything and not eat it!"
The creature desperately reached out.
"Damn this sky! Stop this trickery!"
Just as Wrath's hand grasped the mint chocolate ice cream, the blue frost enveloping it exploded into light, revealing Raon's form.
Chiik!
Blood didn't flow from the wound made by the Heavenly Drive, but his face was pale.
"Today, it's not trickery but your greed causing this."
Raon shook his head, feeling the cold of the ice cream in his hand.
"You should've…."
But soon he, too, like Wrath, lost his strength and collapsed to the side.
Kyaang.
In the darkening vision, he saw the Heavenly Drive and the ice cream scattered on the ground.
As the mint chocolate ice cream slowly melted on the ground, an old man and a woman's voice echoed through the alley.
"What is supposed to be here?"
"I sensed a strange energy."
"Are drunks fighting… huh?"
The old man stopped as soon as he entered the alley. He looked at Raon's face and the Heavenly Drive, his eyes widening.
"Raon Zieghart?"