Thud!
Raon dropped the box of bead ice cream he had been holding onto his lap.
"Ugh! There were still three left, what are you doing!" Wrath flailed his round hands, trying to grab the ice cream box.
'What did you just say?'
"I said, there were three left! What are you doing!"
"Not that, the trumpet!"
"I said it's the trumpet that summons the apocalypse!"
Wrath frowned, wondering why Raon was asking again when he had already heard correctly.
"Hurry and pick up the bead ice cream! If three seconds pass, it'll get dusty!"
"No..." Raon swallowed dryly, glancing at Wrath's reddened cheeks.
'There's a trumpet that summons the apocalypse, and you're only worried about ice cream?'
Even if this demon king was a glutton, Raon thought he would at least distinguish between public and private matters. Seeing him care only about ice cream while a trumpet could bring about the end of the world felt completely out of place.
"You fool! Do you think the end of the world can be summoned just because you want to?" Wrath snorted and raised his gaze.
"What do you mean by that?"
"First, pick up the bead ice cream!"
Raon frowned but picked up the box and placed it back on his lap.
"It's been more than three seconds, though."
"Even though the three-second rule is broken, it's fine if we clean off the dust before eating!" Wrath muttered some unknown rule and sighed in relief.
"Do you really think it's possible for the world to end just by blowing one trumpet?"
"Well..."
"Right. It doesn't make sense. For that to happen, a god would have to descend directly."
He waved his hand, signaling that a single Archangel could not bring about the end.
"Then why is it called the trumpet that summons the apocalypse?"
"As you've seen, there isn't just one trumpet." Wrath lightly tapped his head, as if telling Raon to recall.
"Three?" Raon swallowed dryly. The fire trumpets tied to Uriel's waist weren't just one—they were three.
"Not three, but seven."
Wrath slowly shook his head. "Seven Archangels blow the horn trumpets in sequence to bring about the end."
He covered the window showing the dark sky with his round hand.
"It's not as simple as just blowing them. Various locks need to be undone."
"Locks?"
"The seals of the trumpets called the apocalypse must be released, and the Archangels must complete a prayer of resolve." Wrath shook his head, explaining that the prayer of resolution differed from ordinary prayers.
"Before that, gathering all the Archangels and having them blow the trumpets in one place is difficult. They have diverse personalities, just like us demon kings."
He snorted, asking if Raon now understood how nearly impossible it was to bring about the end.
"Then, just one more question." Raon raised his index finger.
"What happens when a trumpet with its seal broken is blown?"
"The phenomenon differs for each trumpet. When the first trumpet is blown, hailstones the size of small meteorites will pour down, wrapped in flames."
"Hail engulfed in fire?" Raon let out a hollow laugh. "Isn't that already at the level of an apocalypse?"
If hail the size of small meteorites fell from the first trumpet, he couldn't imagine what would come later.
"When the second trumpet is blown, underwater volcanoes erupt, causing the sea to dry up and marine life to perish en masse."
Wrath explained the apocalypse brought by the trumpets as if he had witnessed it firsthand.
"And the last one?"
"Finally, when the seventh trumpet is blown, a dragon will descend."
"Dragon? You mean the lizards?"
"A real dragon, different from those lizards." His voice sank deeply.
"Has this dragon ever appeared in this world before?"
"It has."
"Then..."
"That's all this king can say." Wrath shook his head, not unwilling to speak but simply having nothing more to share.
Raon licked his lips as he looked at Wrath's furrowed brow. Seeing the chatterbox close his mouth, it seemed there really was nothing more to say.
"A dragon, huh..."
He wondered what kind of dragon it was to make Wrath react like that. A chill ran down his spine for no reason.
"But..." Raon raised his gaze while fiddling with the bead ice cream box. "Uriel had three trumpets, right? What's the deal with that?"
Wrath had said each Archangel had one trumpet, but Uriel had three tied to his waist.
"This king doesn't know either." Wrath shook his head. "They could be fake, or he might have taken them from other Archangels."
He half-closed his eyes, also puzzled.
Crunch. Raon clenched his teeth, applying pressure to his fingertips.
'Derus Robert... what are you plotting now? An Archangel wouldn't appear without reason, nor would he possess three horn trumpets without purpose. Even if it's not the end of the world, they're clearly planning something.'
"Wrath."
"Why are you calling?"
Wrath nodded slightly without taking his eyes off the ice cream.
"Do all demon kings hate angels?"
"Of course! Like oil and water from birth, we instinctively want to kill each other. However..." He slightly narrowed his eyes as he looked Raon's way. "A few can suppress that instinct for their own desires."
Wrath wrinkled his nose, saying it was a complicated relationship.
"It's confusing." Raon shook his head with a sigh. He couldn't organize his thoughts after suddenly hearing such a huge story.
"But..."
"What's the deal with the number seven? There are seven demon kings, seven Archangels, and seven trumpets that call the end. There's something about the number seven."
"As I said, there's no need to worry yet." Wrath waved his hand, reassuring him. "Uriel hasn't broken the seal on the trumpets yet, nor has he made his resolution."
He shook his chin, saying he hadn't mentioned it on purpose because there wasn't much to worry about.
"Let's eat the remaining bead ice cream first..."
Raon closed the lid of the ice cream box and stood up.
"Hey, where are you going!"
"I have to tell them."
Ignoring Wrath's attempts to stop him, Raon ran toward the conference room.
"This is why this king wanted to finish eating first!"
"With this, all the prepared agenda items have been concluded."
Roseline, the Black Market leader, smiled faintly as she organized the documents.
"Ugh, I'm stiff." Ogram sighed, rotating his shoulders. "I hate these meetings more than fighting, I tell you."
"M-me too..." Larian collapsed onto the round table, tongue sticking out. "I want to go home now..."
"Half a year? No way! You need to work with me next month, so be prepared," Chamber frowned at Larian.
"Ugh, save me..." Larian lowered her gaze, shoulders hunched.
"Still, it's fortunate the meeting ended on a positive note." King Lecross smiled as he put down the documents.
"It's regrettable we missed Derus, but we should be able to achieve the rest according to plan."
"That's how it should be." Glenn nodded briefly, looking at King Lecross.
"Well then, let's get up."
"If you sleep late, your skin sags..." Chamber smiled and raised her hand.
Just as she was about to stand, boom! The conference room door burst open violently, and Raon entered.
"Y-Young Master?"
"Are you Rimmer? Why are you suddenly breaking down the door like that!" Roenn blinked, and Sheryl let out a hollow laugh.
"I'm sorry for the sudden intrusion."
"Raon?" Glenn narrowed his eyes at the panting Raon. "What's the matter?"
"There's something I haven't had the chance to tell you."
Raon straightened and bowed to the leaders of the Five Kings.
"Go ahead and speak." Glenn nodded, noticing Raon's unusually serious expression.
"Do you remember the trumpets tied to Uriel's waist?"
"Yes. There were three strange trumpets attached." Chamber, true to her nature as a Magician, remembered Uriel's appearance exactly.
"Those fire trumpets..."
Raon relayed to everyone present the story he had heard from Wrath.
"The trumpets of the apocalypse...?"
"Are you saying such things really exist? That goes beyond the concept of artifacts!"
"Even if it's the Light Wind Division Leader saying it, it's hard to believe..." The neutral faction leaders swallowed dryly, unable to comprehend it.
"I—I've seen it." Larian raised a trembling hand. "It was in an ancient book of unknown age. It said that when winged humans blow seven trumpets, destruction will come."
She shuddered, saying she never expected to hear directly about the passage she had once read casually.
"S-so, is it really true?"
"This is insane..."
"The end of the world just from blowing trumpets..."
"Aren't they demons rather than angels?" People's lips trembled, terrified by Larian's testimony.
"Well, that's..."
"Such a thing couldn't possibly happen easily."
As Raon was about to explain, Glenn calmly shook his head.
"In this world, there are invisible rules and powers. To bring about the end just by blowing trumpets, many conditions need to be met."
"That's certainly true." Chamber nodded, looking at Glenn's calm eyes.
"To bring about destruction, there must be conditions that need to be cleared. And it won't be just one or two." She fiddled with her fingers, noting the process would take immense time and power.
"Moreover, the fact that the book the Mage Tower Master saw still exists proves that even if the trumpets were blown, this world didn't end."
"That would be evidence that this world did not end even after the trumpets were blown," Glenn said calmly to Larian.
"Y-yes. It was old, but it was certainly a book from this world." Larian blinked rapidly, agreeing.
"Whether there are trumpets calling the end or demon kings descending, our task remains unchanged." Glenn placed his hand on the round table and raised his voice.
"The core of Derus and the Five Demons can't move for a while. Build up your strength before they crawl out again. Both individual power and the power of our factions!"
He emphasized the need to grow stronger, making eye contact with each faction leader in turn.
"Please leave the information gathering and search to us in the meantime." Roseline placed her hand on her chest, asking them to trust the Black Market.
Raon clenched his fist as he watched the people steeling their resolve.
'Now I too...'
After the meeting, the Five Kings returned to their domains. Raon had things to do but first stopped by the annex building to reassure Sylvia and the maids.
"Raon."
"Young Master!" Sylvia and the maids rushed out to surround him.
"We heard that Derus Robert was a vicious man!"
"Was it also his doing, brainwashing the children?"
"That bastard! He's so dirty even trash would be disgusted!"
The maids, having directly cared for the brainwashed children, showed intense anger.
"Raon. I heard you revealed Derus's true identity..."
Sylvia frowned as she examined Raon from head to toe. "Why did you take on such a dangerous task!"
"It was the only way." Raon rubbed his neck and smiled awkwardly. In the past, such concerns would have been annoying, but now he felt rather good about it. He could listen to them as much as they wanted.
"Yua. You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
"Julius too!" The maids checked on Yua and Julius, expressing concern.
"We're fine!"
"We didn't really do anything." The two children bowed their heads, saying they had returned safely.
"I'm glad everyone's safe." Sylvia sighed in relief. "When we heard you were coming back, we prepared a very lavish dinner for tonight. You can look forward to it."
She clapped her hands loudly, pleased that everyone was safe.
"Please wait just a moment." Helen smiled brightly and entered the annex building with the maids to prepare dinner.
Wrath danced like a snake in the air, letting out an exclamation.
"-It's a welcome party for this king!" He grinned broadly, thinking too positively for a demon king.
"I'll be back shortly from the main building." Raon slightly bowed as he looked at Sylvia.
"Why the main building?"
"I have something to say to the Head of House."
"Hmm, alright. Come back quickly." Sylvia waved, telling him to go.
"-
F-food. They said they prepared a lavish meal, where are you going!" Wrath looked at the smoking chimney with anxious eyes.
'I'll be back soon. Don't worry.' Raon waved his hand and headed to the main building.
He walked down the now-familiar corridor of the Lord's Manor and stood before the audience chamber.
"Lord Raon?" Roenn's eyes widened, surprised that Raon had come directly after returning.
"I have something to say to the Head of House." Raon bowed his head.
"He's currently receiving reports, so..."
"Tell him to come in." Glenn's voice came from inside the room, as if he had been listening all along.
Roenn chuckled and opened the door. Raon took a short, deep breath and entered the audience chamber.
As Roenn had said, Chad was standing below the platform, reporting on recent events.
"I'm sorry to disturb you when you must be tired." Raon stood in the center of the chamber and bowed.
"It's fine." Glenn waved lightly, his eyes warmly calm, as if continuing from the previous night at the shore. It was an atmosphere ready to listen to anything.
"Head of House, you granted me permission to enter the Room of Self." Raon looked up at Glenn. "I'd like to use that entry pass now." He bowed his head as he made his request.
Glenn's eyes were gentle, the atmosphere welcoming, so it seemed he would definitely agree.
"It's not possible."
"Pardon...?" Raon's jaw dropped. The response was so unexpected he didn't know how to react.
"I'm not saying no without reason." Glenn looked down at Raon, briefly licking his lips.
"There's a guest in the Room of Self."