As Karoon was walking from the Lord's Manor to the Central Martial Palace, Denier and Balder, who had remained at Zieghart to guard the main building, approached him.
"Good work."
Denier bowed his head respectfully.
"How did the war end? Looking at the state of the kids, it seems like it was an easy victory?"
Balder rotated his right shoulder and snorted.
"It ended well enough."
True to his lofty nature, Karoon compressed the long and arduous war into a single sentence.
"Don't answer so briefly, give us a proper explanation! You all came back without any communication, so nobody knows what happened!"
Balder thumped his chest in frustration as he spoke.
"I'll explain."
Chad, the Shadow Agents' Leader who had been standing behind Karoon, stepped forward with a bow.
"In this war, the South-North Union Leader was killed, and the leaders of the other Five Demons were either killed or severely injured to the point where they won't be able to move for a while. As the Central Martial Palace Master said, it's no exaggeration to call it an overwhelming victory."
Chad raised his finger and gave a faint smile.
"So other Five Demons got involved after all."
Balder furrowed his brow deeply, saying he had expected as much.
"Which of the Five Demons came?"
"The Fallen, the Leader of the White Blood Religion, and even the leader of the Shadow wearing the Blue Dragon Helmet appeared. Finally, even the Dragon Lord got involved."
"The Dragon Lord? That damned meddler came too? Those salamander bastards seem to only interfere with us…"
He wiggled his finger, expressing his dislike for the Dragon Lord.
"You're right that they only interfere with us. From now on, all dragons are enemies of Zieghart."
"Huh? Enemies?"
"Shadow Agents' Leader, what do you mean?"
Balder and Denier widened their eyes simultaneously.
"When we invaded the South-North Union headquarters…"
Chad briefly explained to the two Palace Masters and the Zieghart swordsmen behind them what had transpired.
"I-Is that true?"
Balder's jaw trembled in disbelief.
"You're saying Raon blocked the Transcendent Warrior and saved Father?"
"Yes. It was just for a moment, but he withstood the Transcendent Warrior's sword. Even the Head of House acknowledged it."
Chad swallowed dryly, as if he still couldn't believe it himself.
"..."
Denier lowered his gaze as he listened to Chad's words. His expression darkened.
"Hah, that kid's really gone crazy, hasn't he?"
Balder let out a hollow laugh, as if he couldn't believe it.
"Defeating the Axe King and returning alive would have been praiseworthy enough, but saving Father too? What kind of kid is he!"
He laughed, exclaiming that Raon was truly one of a kind.
"Why are you so quiet? Aren't you surprised?"
Balder nudged Denier with a smile on his face.
"I was too shocked to speak. As you said, he's an incredible child. Such talent can't be found anywhere else."
Denier nodded with a faint smile.
"Denier."
Karoon, who had been standing silently, narrowed his eyes as he looked at Denier.
"You look pale. Were you injured in the previous attack?"
"No. I just felt a bit dizzy as the tension eased."
Denier waved his hand, saying it wasn't anything to worry about.
"…I see."
Karoon watched Denier massaging his temple with a dry gaze.
"It's only a matter of time before Sylvia and Raon become part of the direct lineage now."
Balder turned to Karoon with a smirk.
"Even you won't be able to stop it this time."
He raised his chin as if teasing Karoon.
"I have no intention of stopping it."
Karoon shook his head calmly without even looking at Balder.
"Hm? Really?"
Balder blinked, as if asking what he meant.
"Are you starting to like Raon now too?"
"No, I dislike him."
Karoon answered firmly, furrowing his brow.
"I dislike him so much that just seeing his face irritates me."
"Then why…"
"Raon saved the Head of House and beheaded the South-North Union Leader. To witness such achievements and not acknowledge them would be to lower Zieghart's reputation by my own hand."
He shook his head, as if disliking the damage to Zieghart's name more than his dislike for Raon.
"You always have a talent for making simple things sound complicated."
Balder snorted, muttering that he didn't understand what Karoon meant.
"I want to kill those dragons even more than the Five Demons. I never liked them anyway, so should I consider this a good thing?"
He clenched his fist, shouting that he would cut down all the dragons in the vicinity.
"There's a white salamander living in the nearby mountains, I should tear that one apart first."
"Balder."
Karoon raised a cold gaze.
"Look for the ancient dragon's nest in the north."
"An ancient dragon? Even if it's you and me together, an ancient dragon would be tough. Unless you're a Transcendent Warrior…"
Balder waved his hand, saying it wasn't possible.
"Don't worry. I'm not far from transcendence."
"Huh…?"
"W-What did you just say…?"
Denier and Balder turned their heads so quickly it made a sound.
"I gained enlightenment from seeing the Head of House's sword. After secluding myself, I should be able to reach that realm."
Karoon nodded confidently, as if certain he could break through the wall of transcendence.
"Insane…"
Balder muttered in disbelief, his lips trembling.
"Transcendence…"
Denier also moistened his dry lips, as if he couldn't believe it.
"It won't take long, so start looking for the ancient dragon's nest in advance."
Karoon gave the order to Balder and then turned his gaze.
"Burren."
He narrowed his eyes at Burren, who had awkwardly stopped beside Chad.
"You're the weakest among the Light Wind Division squad leaders. The difference was more than one level. Is that the result you said you'd show?"
Karoon's red gaze turned icy cold.
"That's…"
Burren couldn't answer and pressed his lips tightly.
'Damn it.'
There was nothing he could say. He wanted to retort to Karoon's words, but he couldn't. As Karoon said, his martial prowess was now behind Martha's and Runaan's, and he couldn't see a way to catch up to them.
"Follow me."
Karoon turned his back and headed towards the Central Martial Palace.
"B-But I'm in the Light Wind Division…"
"Who said I was accepting you? I just want to fix your pathetic state."
He didn't even look back, as if saying leave if you don't like it.
"You should go quickly."
Chad extended his hand with a faint smile.
"Ah, yes."
Burren bowed his head to Chad, Balder, and Denier before following after Karoon.
"What's suddenly gotten into that guy?"
Balder twirled his index finger near his head.
"Did he catch some terminal illness?"
"It seems this war has brought about a change in his mindset."
Chad smiled faintly as he watched Karoon and Burren walking away in the distance.
"..."
Denier's gaze settled calmly as he watched the backs of those two.
After all the maids had fallen asleep, Raon came out to the lake behind the annex building.
—Keuheuk!
Wrath patted his plump belly with satisfaction.
—Eating out is nice, but home-cooked meals are the best! Nothing compares to this home cooking, no matter where you go!
He grinned, saying that the mango-flavored Bead Ice Cream they had for dessert was good too.
'This isn't your home, though?'
—What nonsense are you spouting! This is my house, my mother, my maids!
Wrath waved his round hands, claiming that the entire annex building belonged to him.
'Sigh, think whatever you want.'
Raon shook his head with a sigh. Since Wrath called Sylvia mother, it seemed pointless to argue with him.
—But why did you come out here? You're tired too, so you should rest…
'Because I've grown rapidly. I need to assess my current level.'
All his abilities had increased by fifty points, his mastery of the Ten Thousand Swords had greatly improved, and the ranks of various characteristics had risen.
He felt he wouldn't be able to sleep without confirming what had changed.
—Y-You're going to do that now?
'Yes.'
—You're really crazy! What kind of lunatic trains on the day they return from war!
Wrath screamed that such a person wouldn't exist in the human world, let alone the heavenly realm or Devildom.
'There's one right here.'
Raon pointed to himself and drew the Heavenly Drive. As always, he started with basic swordsmanship. The sword tip cutting through the dawn air felt as vivid as his own skin. His entire body felt lighter, as if he had transcended the limits of his physical vessel and moved beyond it.
'My physical abilities and sensory acuity have improved significantly.'
Raon smiled faintly as he flexed his fingertips.
'It's to be expected, given that fifty points increased at once.'
Even though the effectiveness of each point diminished as they increased, a sudden rise of fifty points meant there had to be a clear difference from before.
'Now, for the next part.'
After basic swordsmanship, Raon demonstrated the Fangs of Insanity, Blizzard Sword Art, and Azure Sky Sword before lowering the Heavenly Drive.
'My swordsmanship achievement has also reached a different level.'
The various techniques of the Ten Thousand Swords—Quick Sword, Heavy Sword, Variable Sword, Phantom Sword, and others—seemed to move on their own. If he could achieve this level with his internal injuries not fully healed, he felt he could display even higher-level swordsmanship once fully recovered.
"Whew."
Raon nodded, exhaling with satisfaction.
'It wouldn't be strange to call this explosive growth.'
Thanks to this war, he seemed to have leaped past a level that would normally take years of training to achieve. It was growth so rapid it was almost ridiculous. However, there was something that made him feel even better than that.
'Derus Robert's twisted expression was truly delicious.'
Seeing Derus's plan to kill Glenn crumble and the wavering look in his eyes was several times more joyful than becoming stronger himself.
—Ugh! You nasty guy.
Wrath shook his head in disgust.
—If you're done, let's go back inside. This king is sleepy.
He yawned long and entered the ice flower bracelet.
"There's one last thing I need to check."
Raon held the Heavenly Drive upright and activated the newly acquired characteristic . A pure white aura blossomed along the cold blade. Though faint like mist, a mysterious power blazed and flickered.
'Just you wait, Derus Robert.'
Raon curled his lips as he felt the new power quietly surging within him.
'The time to cut your throat is not far off.'
Derus Robert silently left his office. Despite the early dawn hour before sunrise, his appearance was impeccable. His hair was neatly settled, and his blue robe was stiff as if freshly pressed.
"Father!"
As Derus was about to ascend to the upper floor with calm steps, Lephon Robert came running with rough footwork.
"Did you hear? They say the Six Kings won!"
Lephon Robert burst out in excitement, seemingly having heard the news from the intelligence department.
"And it wasn't just a simple victory…"
He spread his arms like bird wings and recounted everything that had happened at the South-North Union headquarters.
"Lord Raon saved Glenn Zieghart and beheaded the South-North Union Leader. It's no exaggeration to say that he ended this war!"
Lephon raised his clenched fists to the sky.
"Though exaggerated, it's not wrong."
Derus Robert smiled kindly, as if finding his excited youngest son endearing.
"It's such a shame we had to stay on standby. I should have seen with my own eyes how Lord Raon blocked the surprise attack from the Dragon Helmet Demon!"
Lephon bit his lip, as if angry that he couldn't go to the battlefield.
"Lephon. I understand your disappointment, but our role was just as important as those who participated in the war. We had to be a barrier against the other Five Demons."
"I know. I'm just feeling regretful!"
He smiled, saying he understood the importance of the task assigned to House Robert.
"As long as you understand."
Derus patted Lephon's head with a faint smile.
"Shouldn't we change Lord Raon's title now? Dragon Slayer doesn't seem enough to capture his essence…"
Lephon stroked his chin, saying Raon needed a new title.
"It seems you still admire the Light Wind Division Leader."
"Of course. It's not just me—nobody dislikes him."
He raised his hand, saying Raon's reputation was soaring to the heavens.
"Hmm, why don't you try coming up with one? Titles are usually created by fans, after all."
"Would it really be alright for me to do that?"
Lephon crossed his arms, seeming embarrassed.
"If you come up with a good name, the Light Wind Division Leader would like it too."
"T-Then, you have to take me to the next Six Kings Conference, okay?"
"Alright, now go and rest. You've been on standby at the intelligence department all night, haven't you?"
"Yes, sir!"
He bowed to Derus and returned to his quarters with energetic steps. Even as he walked, he kept mumbling various words, seemingly thinking about Raon's new title.
Derus watched Lephon with warm eyes before heading to the Head of House's study on the upper floor. He paused briefly in front of the study, then slowly opened the door.
Under the soft dawn moonlight, a man wearing a blue dragon helmet was leaning against the wall, coughing up blood.
Derus Robert's silver eyes calmly met the silver eyes inside the blue dragon helmet.