"Is that possible?"
Raon's eyes widened as he looked at Merlin.
"She must have been wearing that helmet for years, right?"
Unlike herself or Runaan, Sia would have worn the Orc
King's helmet long ago. She couldn't understand how Merlin
planned to verify her soul, especially since Sia had only
shown a monster's appearance, unlike Edgar.
"I've made helmets and masks on behalf of The Fallen
before. I know the magical and mystical arrangements, so I
can at least check the connection."
Merlin smiled confidently, saying it was entirely possible to
examine whether Sia's soul remained.
-That girl is a stalker, isn't she? She must be good at
peeping.
*Cough!*
Wrath nodded, saying no one could match Merlin's talent as
a stalker.
-If she says so, we can believe her. *Cough*
He coughed repeatedly but still acknowledged Merlin.
'That's true.'
As Wrath said, Merlin had never failed at something she
claimed she could do. She was a bit... no, very peculiar, but
a trustworthy person.
'But are you okay?'
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at Wrath. He felt even
more apologetic as the previously fine creature started dry
coughing again.
-What do you take this king for! A demon king doesn't need
human concern... Keh-lock!
Wrath waved his hand, telling Raon to focus on the task at
hand, but coughed again.
-Don't worry about me, just do what you need to do!
'Alright.'
Raon nodded briefly and turned to look at Merlin. Though he
was worried about Wrath, resolving Sia's situation took priority for now.
"So how do we do this?"
"It's simple."
As Merlin brought her hands together, a magic circle mixing
light and darkness emerged beneath her feet.
"Just place the subject on this magic circle and make
contact. Shall I open it now?"
Merlin showed a confident smile, as if she could do it right
away.
"Wait."
Glenn shook his head as he blocked Merlin's path.
"Even if it's possible, now is not the time."
As he slightly twisted the Heavenly Tremor, blood splattered
from thin air where nothing had existed, and a bisected
eyeball fell with a thud.
"Someone was watching us."
"Hmm..."
Raon frowned as he watched the eyeball scatter into white
ashes.
'Who could it be?'
It was certainly one of the Five Demons, but he couldn't tell
which one. It was magic or sorcery he didn't recognize at all.
"If it becomes known that I'm not in Zieghart right now, the
family could be attacked. We need to return as quickly as
possible with the injured."
Glenn shook the blood off his sword, saying they should go
back to the family and finish the remaining work.
"That makes sense."
Raon nodded as he looked at Glenn.
'If it becomes known that the head of house has moved,
they'll attack right away.'
Just like when he fought a life-and-death battle with the Axe
King, the Five Demons could attack the family itself, so
Glenn couldn't leave Zieghart now. Given that the Dragon
Lord and an unknown figure had discovered them, returning
as quickly as possible was the priority.
"If grandfather says so, we must follow."
Merlin nodded with a bright smile.
"No, why do you keep calling me grandfather..."
Glenn lowered his eyebrows and stepped back, seemingly
flustered by Merlin's forwardness.
"Because you are my grandfather."
Merlin winked as she approached Glenn by the same
distance he had retreated.
"Hmm..."
"Don't mind her nonsense."
Raon pushed Merlin aside and entered the Arianne family's
interior.
'Fortunately, no one died.'
Thanks to Rector minimizing the explosion of the Soul Stone
as much as possible, there seemed to be no fatalities,though there were some severely injured.
"Head of house, please return first. I will move with the
people of House Arianne."
Since Zieghart could be attacked at any time, it seemed
best to have Glenn return first, while he moved with the
injured.
"Well, that's..."
"There's no need for that."
As Glenn was about to express his refusal, Merlin lightly
waved her hand.
"I've opened a spatial transfer coordinate near Zieghart."
As Merlin snapped her fingers, a door flickering with blue
light opened in mid-air. Through that door, a mountain near
Zieghart covered in eternal snow was visible.
"When, when did you..."
Raon turned to look at Merlin and trembled his jaw. He never
imagined she had prepared something like this, as she had
only visited in animal forms before.
"Zieghart's security is tight, so I carefully created it bit by
bit."
Merlin chuckled, saying it was a difficult task but worth it.
"Uh, well..."
Glenn stared at Merlin with a blank expression, as if unsure
whether to praise this or order its immediate removal.
-Kyaaaaaah!
Wrath screamed that she was a real stalker and fled into the
bracelet, saying it was scary.
"Sigh..."
Raon shook his head with a sigh.
"Let's move first and think later."
* * *
In a church brimming with holy light and faith.
"Arghhhh!"
A well-built middle-aged man screamed while clutching his
right eye. His eyeball was split in half and dripping down,
the same color as the eyeball Glenn had cut earlier.
"Looks like we've been caught."
Derus Robert smirked and waved his hand, and Bardiel,
standing next to him, approached the middle-aged man.
"Sa-save... save me..."
"Stay still."
Bardiel grabbed the middle-aged man's head with a cold
gaze. With a crackling sound, blue light flashed from his
grip, causing the man's body to tremble as if electrocuted,
and white smoke rose from his eyes.
"Urgh..."
The middle-aged man fell backward, vomiting black blood as
if he had endured terrible pain. It was instant death.
"Who discovered us?"
Derus tilted his chin as if urging Bardiel to speak.
"It was Glenn Zieghart."
Bardiel answered while massaging his temple.
"Glenn? Start from the beginning."
Derus approached Bardiel, seemingly intrigued.
"Yes. First, the Green King, the Twin-Headed Demon, the
Severing Sword..."
Bardiel recounted the events to Derus as if he had directly
participated in the battle.
"I see. So that's what happened?"
Derus chuckled with amusement as he sat back down.
"Losing the Twin-Headed Demon, the Severing Sword, and
even the Green King. Even if The Fallen isn't dead, Eden's
losses must be astronomical."
Kubara, standing behind him, narrowed her eyes, saying it
wasn't a good situation.
"All three are Grandmasters. The damage can't even be
measured. Well, that Heavenly Demon probably doesn't
care."
Derus smiled gently, as if he knew something about the
Heavenly Demon.
"But..."
He licked his lips while looking at the cross hanging on the
wall.
"The Fallen's words bother me. What did he mean by the
last piece?"
"Judging by his reaction, it seems he realized that Raon
Zieghart possesses the demon king's power."
Bardiel bowed his head as he turned to Derus.
"That could be. The Fallen also possesses demonic energy.
However..."
Derus held back his words as if he couldn't be certain yet.
"Either way, the plan has failed. Not only did we fail to grow
stronger, but our losses have increased."
Kubara exhaled softly, saying that the Five Demons' growth
plan seemed to have been ruined.
"Of course, Eden is finished. But we've gained a great
advantage."
Derus slowly shook his head as he looked at Kubara.
"Because Glenn Zieghart won't be able to move for a while."
He licked his lips at length as he looked at the sunlight shining on the cross.
"What do you mean by Glenn not being able to move..."
Kubara tilted her head, not understanding.
"Vitality, you see. No matter how strong one becomes,
there's a limit. Especially for a Transcendent Warrior like
Glenn who couldn't overcome age, the consumption of
vitality leads to severe damage. He won't be able to leave
Zieghart for a while."
Derus chuckled, saying a very good opportunity had opened
up.
"Now it's your turn, Beorn."
At his call, a red-haired youth walked out from the darkness
of the church.
"How was it? Did you absorb enough of Raon's power?"
"Indeed, his talent and aura were remarkable."
Beorn nodded, seemingly satisfied.
"Is he on the verge of Transcendence? I had an inkling, but
it's truly impressive."
Derus patted Beorn's shoulder, pleased with his
achievement.
"Are you ready now?"
"...Yes."
Beorn looked at Derus with unwavering eyes, as if asking
him to trust him.
"Good."
Derus placed his hand on Beorn's head. Beorn's appearance
began to change at his touch. With a resonating sound,
Derus released the restrictions placed on Beorn while
curling his lips.
"It's time for you to shatter Zieghart's prestige."
* * *
As soon as Raon returned to Zieghart, he took the patients
to find the Ragged Saint, Federick.
"Saint, please help!"
Raon bowed his head, asking Federick to quickly examine
Sia wearing the Orc's helmet, Edgar in the Death Knight's
armor, Rector who had become the Leader of the Holy
Sword Alliance, and finally Sylvia and Rimmer.
"I ask for your help as well."
Glenn told Federick to examine everyone and then left for
the Lord's Manor.
"What in the world..."
Federick exhaled sharply as he looked at the fallen patients,
then blinked in disbelief when he saw Merlin.
"Are these hostages?"
"No. I'll explain briefly for now."
Raon shook his head and quickly explained what had
happened.
"Those devilish bastards..."
Federick's lips trembled, as if he hadn't known Eden's
atrocities were this severe. He sighed deeply, seemingly
holding back tears, and examined the patients.
"As you said, Rector, Sylvia, and Edgar seem to have truly
died and come back to life. Their vitality hasn't stabilized
yet."
"Is, is that a problem?"
"No, it's just that they need time to adapt since it's not their
own vitality. It will take quite a while for them to wake up,
but once I treat their external and internal injuries, there
shouldn't be any major issues."
Federick shook his head, saying there was no need to worry
about these three.
"Hah..."
Raon exhaled a sigh of relief as he clutched his head. If
there had been problems with the family members who had
just reunited, it would have been devastating, but hearing
they were safe finally put his mind at ease.
"Rimmer will wake up soon as well. He was too focused on
building a wall rather than his own safety. I can't believe he
made such a mistake…"
Federick clicked his tongue, wondering why Rimmer, who
had been through thick and thin, had acted this way.
"That wasn't a mistake."
Raon bit his lip thinly. Rimmer hadn't made a mistake; he
had become a wall to protect him. Feeling his intentions
made Raon's heart ache even more.
"Frustratingly, he was faster than me."
Merlin growled like a puppy as she looked at Rimmer. She
seemed displeased that he had protected Raon before her.
"I see..."
He hadn't known that Rimmer, who always wore jokes and
pranks, would risk his life to protect him. It seemed his
recent words about changing and asking if Raon had
thoughts of becoming the head of house were sincere.
'When he wakes up, should I give him some money to
gamble as much as he wants?'
-This, this king too!
Wrath suddenly stood up and waved his hand.
-Give this king money too! There are mountains of things I
want to eat... Keh-lock!
He shook his head, saying he couldn't stand seeing only
Gluttony eating everything he wanted.
'Alright.'
Raon nodded with a faint smile.
-Oh?
Wrath's eyes widened.
-What's wrong with you? Will the sun rise from the west
tomorrow?
'You've done a lot for me.'
Raon waved his hand with a smirk. Though he had received
help from many people this time, Wrath's contribution was
the greatest. He intended to do whatever Wrath asked for a
while.
-Kyah... Keh-lock! Hoong!
Wrath raised his arms in joy, even while coughing.
"Lastly, your sister..."
Federick frowned as he examined Sia, who was lying down
last.
"How should I put this... Her breathing doesn't seem
human."
He clicked his tongue, saying Sia was breathing like an Orc.
"She's definitely been consumed by the helmet, but there's
something unusual that I need to check."
"Well, and it seems she's already awake..."
As Federick was shaking his head, a red light surged from
inside the black Orc helmet.
"Grrrr!"
Sia swung down at Federick's neck with her sharply raised
claws. With a thud, Raon kicked away the patient's bed to
divert Sia's attention from attacking Federick. With a crunch,
Sia crushed the patient's bed like a cookie. As she did so,
Raon stepped forward and extended his fist wrapped in
frost.
"Urgh..."
As soon as he struck Sia's solar plexus, she clutched her
chest and fell to her knees. With a whoosh, Raon didn't miss
the opportunity and struck the back of Sia's neck to knock
her out again.
"Ugh..."
Sia gritted her teeth as if she didn't want to faint, but
eventually collapsed on the spot.
"Whew..."
Federick exhaled sharply, leaning his back against the wall.
"I'll take my sister with me."
Raon shook his head as he shouldered Sia. Though he was
tired and wanted to rest, it seemed he needed to resolve
her situation quickly first.
"Alright. Then I'll look after these ones."
"Ah, that's not all."
Raon shook his head at Federick and opened the door. The
people of the Light Wind division and House Arianne who
had been injured in this war were lined up in front of
Federick's mansion.
"Uh, huh?"
"As I mentioned, there was a war, so there are quite a few
injured."
Raon bowed his head, saying he was counting on him.
"Glenn, you bastard! So this is why you disappeared right
away!"
Federick gritted his teeth, remembering Glenn who had
quietly vanished.
"If you're going to do this, at least pay me for the work!"
Despite shouting for money, he immediately beckoned the
first patient to come in. As expected, he lived up to his title
as a saint. Raon quietly exhaled and looked over his quietly
breathing family members one by one before leaving
Federick's mansion.
* * *
Raon entered the audience chamber where Glenn was
waiting, carrying Sia in his arms.
"Follow me."
Glenn opened the door to the rightmost room, saying they
should examine Sia in a quiet and safe place, and
descended the stairs leading underground.
"Yes."
Raon nodded and followed behind Glenn. Unlike the
audience chamber, the stairs were low and well-lit,
comfortable enough for even a child to climb.
After descending about two floors deep, a room in soft
pastel tones appeared.
It was quite a spacious area, but nothing extraordinary was
visible. There was a small bookshelf, comfortable-looking
chairs and tables, and paintings that seemed unfinished
scattered around.
"This is the space your grandmother used while I was
working."
Glenn briefly licked his lips as he stroked the dust-free
bookshelf and chairs.
"I built this place more solidly than anywhere else in
Zieghart, so let's proceed with that task here."
He shook his head, saying to access Sia's mind here.
"Ah..."
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked around. Come to think of
it, he had never heard stories about his grandmother.
Looking at this place, she seemed to have been a modest
person.
"Ah, grandmother..."
Merlin bit her lip as if moved.
"You're quite..."
Glenn furrowed his brow, seemingly unsure how to handle
Merlin's reaction. It seemed to be getting more and more
out of hand.
"Merlin. Let's get started quickly."
Raon gestured to Merlin after laying Sia on the floor, trying
to finish before Glenn got angry.
"Don't worry. I've prepared everything."
As Merlin spread her hands, a magic circle intertwining light
and darkness unfolded above the fallen Sia. With a
resonating sound, a pillar of blue light rose from the black
Orc helmet Sia was wearing.
"Just place your hand on this pillar of light."
Merlin smiled confidently, as if saying to reach out together
with her.
"Then I'll trust you."
"You are not well, are you sure you will be all right?"
Glenn furrowed his brow, looking concerned.
"I have experience with this. If there's a problem, I'll come
out right away."
He shook his head, saying not to worry as he had already
decided this on the way here.
"..."
Glenn looked into Raon's eyes for a moment before nodding.
"Alright. Don't overdo it."
"Yes."
Raon bowed his head and turned back to Merlin.
"When I count to three, place your hand on the helmet. One,
two, three!"
As Merlin shouted "three," she reached out towards the blue
light. With a flash, the world changed.