"Reveal your wrongdoings at the annex building, and seek forgiveness."
Raon stepped aside so the Vice Head could make eye contact with the maids. After all, the ones he had mistreated were not me, but Sylvia and the maids.
-Is that all you're wishing for?
Wrath exhaled in disbelief, as if he couldn't understand.
-There are so many other things! Why just an apology?!
'Just watch for now.'
Raon tapped Wrath's head as he complained, then turned back to look at the Vice Head.
The Vice Head briefly smacked his lips, seemingly thinking the wish was weaker than expected, just like Wrath.
However, he seemed ashamed to reveal his own wrongdoings, clutching his severed wrist and stalling for time.
"Hmm..."
Perhaps due to the focus of everyone's attention, Sylvia groaned and opened her eyes.
"Phew."
The Vice Head exhaled heavily as if he had made up his mind, and nodded.
"I fabricated reports of witnessing illegal activities to forcibly inspect and harass the innocent annex building."
"What was the reason?"
Raon tilted his chin with a cold gaze.
"It was to keep you in check. I thought if I could grasp the weakness of the annex building, I could have a hold on you."
The Vice Head, seemingly realizing he could no longer deceive, truthfully revealed his actions and thoughts.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
He knelt down and bowed his head to Sylvia and the maids.
"Hic..."
"It's okay."
The maids bit their lips and sobbed, while Sylvia patted their backs with her weak hand.
"Ahem..."
The Vice Head cleared his throat and averted his gaze. As he was about to leave the arena with his severed wrist, Raon grabbed his ankle and pulled him back.
"W-What!"
The Vice Head glared, as if asking why Raon was doing this.
"I revealed the truth and apologized as you said!"
"I told you to reveal your wrongdoings and receive forgiveness, didn't I?"
"T-That's... what's the difference..."
"You apologize, but it's up to them to forgive."
Raon pointed his finger at Sylvia and the maids.
"Ah..."
The Vice Head seemed to understand now, turning his trembling eyes towards Sylvia.
Not just him. All eyes in the Grand Training Hall were focused on Sylvia.
"The annex..."
Sylvia bit her lip after making eye contact with Raon, the Vice Head, and Glenn standing on the platform.
"I will not accept your apology."
She slowly shook her head, indicating she would not forgive.
"Why, why..."
"If you had only harassed me, I would have forgiven you easily. I would have told Raon to let it go quietly. But you went after my children too."
Sylvia furrowed her brows deeply as she looked at the maids.
"You exploited these children's desire not to harm Raon, preventing them from eating or sleeping. If I accept your apology halfheartedly, this might happen again. To ensure this never happens again, I will not accept your apology."
She clenched her fist weakly, indicating this wasn't over today.
"I see."
Raon looked at Sylvia with a faint smile.
'You chose well.'
The original Sylvia, disliking conflict, would have accepted the Vice Head's apology and tried to end it quickly.
But today, she broke out of her shell. She declared she wouldn't accept the Vice Head's apology because she was determined to protect the annex and the maids. It meant she had grown stronger not just physically, but mentally as well.
-As expected of our mother!
'Indeed. No, wait, she's not your mother!'
Raon pushed away Wrath who was rushing towards Sylvia and looked at the Vice Head.
"Since that's the case, I'll have to state another wish."
"W-What are you talking about now!"
The Vice Head shook his head as if it made no sense.
"This isn't right!"
He looked at the referee as if asking for help.
"No. Lord Raon is correct."
The referee calmly shook his head.
"Lord Raon clearly said to receive forgiveness. Lady Sylvia did not accept the Vice Head's apology. Therefore, the wish has not been fulfilled yet."
He lowered his hand with a cold voice.
"Ugh, fine. State another wish."
The Vice Head bit his lip, seemingly resigned, telling Raon to state another wish.
"Reconstruction of the annex building and garden. Not with the Council of Elders' money, but with your own wealth."
"Haa..."
The Vice Head nodded, sighing in relief as if he had expected this wish.
"I understand. The amount is..."
"10,000 gold coins."
"Huh...?"
When Raon said 10,000 gold coins, the Vice Head's eyes bulged as if they were about to pop.
"W-What nonsense is this!"
The Vice Head bared his teeth as if it was absurd.
"Why would that tiny annex need construction costs on par with the main building! Don't talk nonsense!"
"Because I planted Sea Spirit Flower seeds in the garden of the annex you destroyed."
"L-Lies! The Sea Spirit Flower is a legendary elixir! There's no way you'd plant seeds in such a garden..."
"See for yourself."
Raon showed the remaining Sea Spirit Flower leaf to the Vice Head, who was mumbling with trembling lips.
"Huh!"
"A t-transparent leaf that looks like it's made of water..."
"It's real! It's really the Sea Spirit Flower!"
The spectators screamed in unison as they saw the transparent leaf capturing sunlight.
"Ah..."
The Vice Head's lips trembled, seemingly at a loss for words upon seeing the actual Sea Spirit Flower leaf.
"On top of that, I buried a Dragon Heart to build a small magic tower behind the annex, and that was destroyed too."
"T-This is a lie! A Dragon Heart?! I didn't see anything like that!"
"Oh, really?"
Alice stood up from her chair, shaking her head.
"The Dragon Heart from Kaivar's body. I gave it to Raon."
"Ugh..."
The Vice Head's eyes started to tremble violently.
'He's completely caught now.'
Raon curled his lips as he watched the convulsing Vice Head.
'Even if he tries not to be fooled, he can't help but be deceived.'
With the Sea Spirit Flower leaf right in front of him, and Alice, who caught the light dragon together, saying she gave the Dragon Heart to Raon, the Vice Head couldn't argue even though he thought it didn't make sense.
Especially since not many people knew that Sylvia's energy center was made with a Dragon Heart, it was natural for him to be fooled.
"Sea Spirit Flower seeds and a Dragon Heart..."
"10,000 gold coins doesn't seem strange then..."
"No, isn't it rather too little? Just the Dragon Heart from the blue dragon alone would fetch that price somewhere."
"The Sea Spirit Flower would be worth that much too if it blooms properly."
The spectators shook their heads, saying 10,000 gold coins might actually be a cheap price.
"Hic..."
Balder wiped away the tears from his eyes.
"Why are you suddenly crying?"
Alice blinked in disbelief. Everyone on the platform tilted their heads looking at Balder.
"Because I was fooled too..."
"Fooled?"
"Because of him, the True Martial Palace's budget... sob!"
Balder stopped mid-sentence, his eyes reddening as he tightly pressed his lips together.
Judging by his furrowed brow, it seemed he had gone through a very difficult time.
Crunch.
The Vice Head ground his molars. Despite the absurd situation, he was at a loss due to the undeniable evidence.
"With both witnesses and evidence, there's no choice."
The referee, seeming flustered, exhaled slowly and nodded.
"10,000 gold coins seems about right."
"W-Wait! Even for someone like me, 10,000 gold coins is impossible! There's no way I have that much!"
The Vice Head's chin trembled as he said that even combining his wealth with the Council of Elders' annual budget wouldn't amount to 10,000 gold coins.
"So you're saying you can't give it after all?"
Raon curled his lips mockingly as he looked at the Vice Head.
"It's not that I can't give it, but even if I combine all my assets, it wouldn't even reach 5,000 gold coins!"
"Then let's confiscate all your assets, and move on to the next wish."
"N-Next wish?"
The Vice Head shook his head as if asking what Raon meant.
"I said from the start, didn't I? The winner of this duel can ask for anything. That means I can make not just one wish, but two."
"T-That's nonsense!"
The Vice Head waved his hand, saying it was absolutely not allowed.
"Hmm..."
The referee looked up at the platform as if he couldn't decide this on his own.
Glenn nodded briefly and raised one finger.
"The Head of House has acknowledged it. However, he says you can only state one more wish."
The referee understood Glenn's intention and raised one finger in the same manner.
"H-Head of House!"
The Vice Head screamed looking up at the platform, but Glenn said nothing. He just looked down at the arena with empty eyes.
"Just one? Can't be helped. Then I'll state one more."
Raon nodded, licking his lips.
"Killian. From now on, I'm changing your and your subordinates' affiliation from the Council of Elders to servants of the annex building."
"...Huh?"
The Vice Head looked up at Raon and swallowed hard.
"D-Do you think such a ridiculous thing can happen!"
He shook his head vigorously, saying it was absolutely impossible.
"The V-Vice Head and his martial artists as servants of the annex?"
"Is that possible? Is that really a valid wish?"
"But they did set the condition of 'anything'."
"That's true. It was a wish from the beginning..."
"Even so, isn't it too much for the Vice Head to become a servant?"
"That's for the person making the wish to decide."
The spectators raised their voices, discussing whether it was possible for the Vice Head to become a servant.
"You tell me! Does this make any sense?!"
"Hmm..."
The referee shook his head at the Vice Head's outburst. He looked up at the platform again, as if unable to decide this on his own.
"What were the conditions of the duel?"
Glenn nodded briefly and straightened his back from the golden throne.
"The loser was to grant any wish the winner desired."
The referee recited exactly what Raon and the Vice Head had agreed upon at the beginning.
"Any wish..."
Glenn repeated the word "wish" as he slowly closed and opened his eyes.
"Even if the Vice Head is guilty, demoting him to a servant would be impossible. However..."
His red eyes, filled with lofty pressure, turned towards the Vice Head.
"By being here, I accepted the conditions of your duel. If the condition is to grant any wish the winner desires, then stripping the Vice Head of his position and making him a servant can't be helped."
"H-Head of House!"
The Vice Head screamed, coughing up blood.
"How can you do this! Even as the Head of House, you can't interfere with the Council of Elders' personnel matters!"
"This isn't about deciding the Council of Elders' personnel matters."
Glenn calmly shook his head as he looked at the Vice Head.
"I'm merely stating the result of the duel you agreed to. Isn't that right, Head of the Council of Elders?"
"That is correct."
A middle-aged noblewoman with a subtle eye smile appeared behind Glenn.
She was covering her nose and mouth with a fan, as if she had draped herself in elegance.
"If it's a condition of the duel you decided on yourself, even the Council of Elders can't interfere."
As the noblewoman closed her fan, a graceful fragrance spread, blending kindness and allure.
"Huh?"
Raon's lips trembled as he looked at the noblewoman.
'That person is the Head of the Council of Elders...?'
The middle-aged woman Glenn called the Head of the Council of Elders was Siran, the leader of the Five Flowers Guild, who had been making uniforms for the Light Wind division since the old days. (E/N: Yep, another Siran. What can I say? It's the exact same character. Though technically she was introduced earlier, in chapter 167)
He knew she was affiliated with the Council of Elders, but he had no idea she had become its head.
"It seems a lot has happened while I was away on a visit."
"H-Head of the Council..."
As Siran smiled brightly, the Vice Head's chin trembled violently.
"T-They said it would take a year, why so quickly..."
"Thanks to someone resolving various matters well, I was able to come back a bit earlier."
She glanced this way before lightly fanning herself. Now that he thought about it, it seemed the Vice Head had targeted the annex while the Head was away.
"Let's talk about me later. Vice Head."
Siran raised her hand with a faint smile.
"It's fine that you used the power of the Council of Elders, and it's fine that you used your authority as Vice Head. However..."
A chilling glint flashed between her crescent moon-like eyes.
"If you were going to do it, you should have done it properly. Despite having such great power, you haven't accomplished a single thing properly."
Siran seemed to be scolding the Vice Head not for his misdeeds, but for failing to properly accomplish what he set out to do.
"H-Head! Please!"
"This might be the last time I call you Vice Head."
Siran waved her hand with a bright smile.
"The Council of Elders acknowledges the result of today's duel and accepts the conditions of the winner, the Light Wind Division Leader."
With those words, she stepped back.
"Head! How could you do this to me..."
Raon approached the Vice Head and slapped the back of his head with his palm.
"Gah!"
With a sound like a walnut cracking, the Vice Head's face smashed into the floor. Blood streamed from his nose.
"How dare a mere servant address the Head."
Raon grabbed Killian by the nape of his neck, lifted him up, and forced him to bow to the Head of the Council of Elders.
"I apologize. He's not fully trained yet."
"It's alright."
Siran chuckled and shook her head.
"Urgh..."
The Vice Head chewed his lips while letting out a strange groan.
"W-What is this?"
"I don't know either..."
"My head can't keep up with the situation."
"That's always been the case whenever the Light Wind Division Leader shows up..."
The spectators couldn't adapt to the suddenly changed situation and just sighed in bewilderment.
"Yeeeeah!"
Rimmer raised both arms and let out a strange cry.
"I'm rich! This time, I definitely won't lose..."
BOOM!
Before he could finish his shout, lightning struck and engulfed the entire gambling den. Everyone knew where the lightning came from, so no one dared to look in that direction.
"Sigh..."
Raon shook his head and looked down into the Vice Head's eyes.
"Who are you?"
"..."
"I'll ask again. Who are you?"
"Ugh..."
The Vice Head's hands trembled before he lowered his head deeply.
"S-Servant of the annex..."
"Servant?"
"...sir."
"Good."
Raon smirked as he placed his hand on the Vice Head's abdomen.
Bzzzzt!
He sealed off the Vice Head's energy center itself, using the flames of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation, Glacier's cold energy, and even Wrath's power.
Unless I allow it, he will never be able to use Aura again.
"Gah!"
The Vice Head collapsed, vomiting black blood. Raon wiggled his finger at him as he looked up with trembling eyes.
"Welcome to the annex."
Raon looked down at the Vice Head with a chilling smile.
-Not the annex, but hell, I'd say...
Wrath shook his head, saying he never thought he'd feel sorry for that guy.
***
The next day.
Raon stood in front of the annex with Killian and the martial artists from the Vice Head's office.
Thanks to Federick's treatment, his wrist was reattached, but his face was still pale because his energy center itself was closed.
"Can you see it?"
"What do you... mean, sir?"
Thanks to overnight training, Killian was showing polite speech and a degree of respect.
"I'm talking about the garden and house you destroyed."
Raon pointed to the garden that looked like it had been bombed and the annex building whose outer parts had completely collapsed.
"I-It wasn't this bad when we were here..."
Krishon, with bandages wrapped tightly around his jaw, trembled his lips.
"Are you saying I destroyed it then?"
"N-No, sir!"
When Raon coldly smacked his lips, Killian quickly shook his head.
-You did destroy it!
Wrath shouted.
-You personally smashed it all up at night, what are you talking about!
'Shut up.'
Raon brushed off Wrath, who was stating the accurate facts, and jerked his chin at Killian and the former martial artists of the Vice Head's office.
"Starting now, fix all of that."
"Uh..."
"J-Just us?"
"Who else would do it?"
When Raon furrowed his brow, Killian and the martial artists, who were about to argue, dropped their heads.
"That guy will provide the materials and tools."
He raised a finger to point at Dorian standing to the right.
"Come on, this way please! No, come here!"
Dorian growled as he pulled out shovels and pickaxes from his belly pouch.
"They'll be watching to make sure you're working properly."
This time he pointed to Helen and the maids on the opposite side.
"Ugh..."
"Urgh..."
The martial artists from the Vice Head's office trembled as they held their shovels, seemingly flustered at being supervised by Helen and the maids they had bullied.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Raon bowed his head to the Gambling Monster, who was almost lying down in his chair.
"Ah, don't worry and go ahead."
The Gambling Monster waved his hand, telling Raon to trust him and leave it to him.
"Heh, their expressions are delicious. I want to keep ordering this appetizer."
He enjoyed Killian's distorted expression as he uncapped a bottle of alcohol with his teeth and drank directly from it.
Raon smirked and left the annex. However, he didn't leave completely, but climbed a tree to watch Killian and the martial artists.
With his energy center completely sealed and supervisors present, Killian began digging the garden soil according to the maids' instructions.
Though his expression was contorted as if he wanted to die, his hands were moving quickly.
Raon curled his lips as he watched Killian and the martial artists shoveling.
'What a sight.'
Seeing them suffer in the same way they had inflicted on others, he felt somewhat relieved now.
-Now you feel better? Even I, the demon king, can't handle your damn twisted personality!
Wrath shook his head, saying even a demon king would be fed up with such a personality.
'It's not that bad...'
As he was shaking his head in denial, a cat appeared from somewhere and approached Killian, who was shoveling.
"Get away!"
Killian waved his hand, saying it was interfering with his work, but the cat raised its tail high and clung to him as if trying to be cute.
"Hmm..."
Killian, having been harassed by people since yesterday, briefly clicked his tongue at the affectionate cat.
As he stopped shoveling and bent down, the cat suddenly leaped up, scratching his face wildly with its sharp claws and biting his barely-attached wrist.
"Aaargh!"
Killian flailed his hands as if struggling, but with his Aura blocked and being injured, the cat easily evaded his attacks before swiftly retreating.
"You damn cat!"
"Hey now!"
As Killian tried to catch the cat, Helen approached and blocked his way.
"Stop messing around and come here!"
Helen quickly tended to Killian's wounds before putting him back to work. It's hard to tell if she's being kind or cruel.
"Urgh..."
Killian gritted his teeth before returning to the garden and resuming his shoveling.
However, he was sweating profusely, perhaps due to the pain from the bite.
"What's going on now?"
Raon sighed as he watched the strange situation unfold.
'Is that not a cat, but a wildcat?'
-Wildcat?
'It looks similar to a cat. But there's a separate animal that's much fiercer and stronger.'
-That wildcat or whatever seems to be coming this way now?
'Nah, it can't be.'
As he was shaking his head, it really did seem like the wildcat was coming this way, just as Wrath said. He held his breath and stayed still to avoid being noticed.
'It's gone... Huh?'
He thought it had disappeared completely into the bushes on the other side, but suddenly he felt the wildcat's presence from below.
"I did well, didn't I!"
He raised his hand to block the sharp claws, but the wildcat leapt up onto the tree, grinning.
-Gaaah!
"Huh!"
The Grandmaster and the demon king fell from the tree.