"Why is there no answer?"
Raon twisted his lips as he stood before the Thespian Emperor.
"It's simple. Will you follow the Five Kings and survive, or follow the Five Demons and die?"
He extended his index and middle fingers, saying they could choose either option.
"Uh, um..."
Rimmer's eyes widened. He seemed taken aback, as if he hadn't expected the conversation to suddenly turn to matters of life and death.
"N-nephew?"
Balder, who had been laughing cheerfully, turned pale. He too seemed flustered, his lips trembling slightly.
"Are you threatening us right now?"
The Thespian Emperor, on the contrary, smiled deeply as if things were going well.
"For House Zieghart, renowned as the continent's strongest family, to resort to force... What a disappointing choice."
She sneered, raising her chin.
"But the White Whale and I do not yield to force. No matter what external pressure comes..."
"You're free to delude yourself, but this is too much."
Raon sighed as he cleaned his ear with his pinky finger.
"What..."
"Did you really think we were threatening the likes of White Whale?"
He shook his head, returning the sneer.
"You're underestimating Zieghart too much. As you said, we're the continent's strongest force. We wouldn't attack you in your defenseless state."
Raon lightly tapped his own temple, telling her to come to her senses.
"We'll send you back safely regardless of what choice the Five Divine Orders make. We should even provide an escort."
"T-then what you said earlier about dying..."
"After the war."
A serious light flashed in Raon's eyes, which had been filled with mockery.
"If we win the war between the Five Kings and Five Demons..."
He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.
"We'll destroy everything the Five Divine Orders have built up."
"Hmm..."
The Thespian Emperor swallowed hard, feeling Raon's storm-like intensity.
"Ah, of course, we'll have to exclude the Pirate King."
Raon smiled, extending one finger again.
"As you know better, the actual Pirate King is on our side, so we'll exclude 'him'."
He tilted his chin sideways, saying it's not the Five Divine Orders, but the Four Divine Orders.
"Let me say it again. If you stand behind the Five Demons, the name 'Four Divine Orders' will cease to exist in this world after the war ends."
Raon stared into the Thespian Emperor's trembling eyes as he spoke with killing intent dripping from his voice. Though his martial prowess was indeed much weaker than hers, what dominated this situation wasn't martial prowess, but cunning and information.
"After the war..."
The Thespian Emperor bit her lip hard enough to leave teeth marks.
"Then even if we side with the Five Demons, are you confident you can win the war? You're already losing, so how..."
"That's none of your business."
He calmly shook his head.
"There's no need to pass on important information to someone who might become an enemy. You just need to make a choice. Whether to die by Zieghart's hand, or to follow Zieghart."
Raon demanded a choice while watching the Thespian Emperor's wavering eyes.
'Your head must be spinning.'
The Thespian Emperor had come to Zieghart thinking she held the upper hand, and indeed, she had the power to change the tide of the war.
'But...'
She lacked information. Right now, the Thespian Emperor was dizzy from hearing that the Four Divine Orders, excluding the Pirate King, could all go to the Five Demons' side. Being naturally cunning and intelligent, she must have let her imagination run wild, flying to unknown places.
'That's exactly what I'm aiming for.'
Though the Thespian Emperor and White Whale act boldly, they actually move after calculating everything. Like this time, if an unknown question arises, they won't make hasty decisions.
"H-Head of House!"
The Thespian Emperor moved away from Raon and approached Glenn.
"Do you intend to entrust Zieghart to the Light Wind Division Leader's judgment like this? I acknowledge his achievements, but isn't he still too young?"
She cried out for a proper answer, her fingertips trembling.
"This is the heart of Zieghart."
Karoon flashed a chilling gaze as he placed his hand on his sword hilt.
"Lower your voice."
He raised a cold aura as if he would draw his sword if she raised her voice again.
"I don't know what comes after, but I like it! So straightforward!"
Balder nodded his head emphatically, saying he would trust Raon's words.
"Head of House..."
Unlike his two brothers, Denier looked at Glenn as if the deal with the Five Divine Orders shouldn't end like this.
"My thoughts and..."
Glenn nodded gently as he looked at Raon.
"The Light Wind Division Leader's intentions are the same."
He turned his gaze to the Thespian Emperor and flicked his fingertip.
"And wasn't it you who threatened us first, not the other way around?"
"W-when did I..."
"That's what it means when you say the Five Demons promised a big reward first. It implies you're standing in the middle to gain profit."
Glenn raised his chin with a cold gaze.
"To come with such a threat while knowing what kind of beings the Five Demons are, the Five Divine Orders are more despicable than I thought."
"Hmm..."
The Thespian Emperor bit her lip as if she had nothing to say.
"Die or follow. That's all I can say too. However, forcing an immediate choice isn't a good method either."
Glenn shook his head as he sank back into his throne.
"Return to White Whale, think deeply, and then send your answer. However..."
He revealed dry eyes even as he said he would give time.
"It would be better to send it before the war accelerates. Bats are not welcomed anywhere."
Glenn dusted off his hands as if he had finished saying what he needed to say.
"Tsk tsk."
Raon clicked his tongue briefly as he looked at the Thespian Emperor.
"If you had come saying you'd help, we would have taken good care of you. This is why people who only use their heads are called stupid."
He shook his head disapprovingly. He seemed like a completely different person from the one who had shown a serious gaze just moments ago.
"In gambling dens too, those who think they're smart are usually the first to lose money. The person who runs errands at our place used to be an expert at this."
Rimmer snorted, calling them fools.
"Our place?"
"Ah, our gambling den? I've been going there so often, it feels familiar..."
He laughed, saying he sometimes gambles there too.
"Kuk..."
The Thespian Emperor could only bite her lip, unable to refute Raon and Rimmer's mocking jokes.
"...Then I'll take my leave."
She carefully bowed to Glenn before stepping back.
"I won't see you out."
Glenn waved his hand as if telling her to go.
"Yes."
The Thespian Emperor nodded slightly and turned around. She left the audience chamber with her subordinates who couldn't hide their confusion.
"Hahaha!"
Balder burst into laughter loud enough to shake the ceiling even before the Thespian Emperor had completely left.
"How can you be so gutsy!"
He gave Raon a thumbs up as if he had done well.
"Balder. Your laughter is too loud."
Karoon frowned at Balder. However, he too seemed to agree that Raon had done well, nodding his head at him.
"As the Light Wind Division Leader said..."
Glenn stood up from his throne and looked down at the executives in the audience chamber.
"Zieghart will not yield to any threats. We will not give even a single coin to bats who weigh rewards. Remember this, all of you."
"Yes!"
The swordsmen's eyes flashed like blades, seemingly moved by his grand declaration.
"Head of House. Since the conference is over, may I leave first?"
Raon bowed his head as if he had an urgent matter.
"Let's end here for today."
As Glenn waved his hand, the doors of the audience chamber opened, and Raon stepped out first.
"..."
Denier remained motionless, following Raon's back with eyes that seemed to have lost all moisture.
* * *
"M-Master."
Sakan followed behind the Thespian Emperor and swallowed hard.
"Do we really have to leave like this? At this rate, our plan..."
He trembled, as if he couldn't believe this situation.
"For now... Kuk!"
Ariel, the Thespian Emperor, tried to answer but spat out red blood.
'Damn it...'
She thought she had the upper hand this time, but she suffered internal injuries again from an unexpected counterattack. It felt like a terrible nightmare.
'I still can't get my head straight.'
She thought she had finished preparing for Raon Zieghart, but her expectations were completely shattered. It seemed his tongue had grown as much as his martial prowess.
"Master!"
Sakan screamed as he saw the blood falling from the Thespian Emperor's hand.
"It's fine."
Ariel shook her head as she wiped the blood with a handkerchief.
"I just bit my tongue."
She muttered that she had bitten her tongue, not wanting to reveal that she had suffered internal injuries because of someone much younger than her.
"Let's just side with the Five Demons."
Beriol raised his fist with some anger in his eyes.
"They must be bluffing. We should join the Five Demons and make them regret..."
"No."
Ariel shook her head as she wiped the blood from her lips.
"We can't move until we know whether it's a bluff or not."
Neither Raon Zieghart nor Glenn Zieghart were foolish enough to tell lies that would be easily exposed. They clearly had confidence that they could win, or at least not lose, even if four of the Five Divine Orders, excluding the Pirate King, sided with the Five Demons.
'What on earth is it?'
Even compiling all the currently spread information, nothing came to mind. Rather, she could only think of unfavorable aspects for Zieghart and the Five Kings due to the appearance of dragons or angels.
"As soon as we return, update all information about the Five Kings and Five Demons. Especially bring everything about Zieghart."
Ariel bit her lip, saying she would personally check all the information about Zieghart from top to bottom.
"There must be something..."
As she put the blood-soaked handkerchief in her pocket, she heard soft footsteps from behind. Turning around, she saw Raon Zieghart approaching.
"What is it now?"
Ariel tried to maintain a calm expression, but she couldn't hide the thick veins that popped up on her forehead.
"I have a request."
Raon extended his hand with a calm gaze. She wanted to break his arm and waist right there, but she bit her lip and endured.
"A request?"
"White Whale's information network is as famous as the black market, isn't it? I'm making this request based on that information."
He smiled, saying it was just a simple request.
"We're quite expensive, you know?"
Ariel answered, slightly furrowing her brow.
"What I'm looking for is an item called a Soul Crystal."
Raon brought up the name of the Soul Crystal, ignoring her comment about the price.
"S-Soul Crystal? How do you know about..."
Ariel swallowed hard. It was shocking that the word came out of Raon's mouth, as the very existence of Soul Crystals was known to extremely few people.
"If you bring it directly or tell me its location, I'll give you a suitable reward. Probably what you want."
Raon smiled leisurely as if testing White Whale while making the request.
"Well then."
He waved his hand as if telling them to handle it and left the Lord's Manor without any lingering attachment.
"..."
Ariel bit her lip as she watched Raon's retreating back.
'How does he know about Soul Crystals? And why is he looking for them?'
She couldn't tell if he was really looking for them because they were important, or if he was testing them. Her head was so complicated that she wanted to beat that little brat.
"Damn it..."
Ariel stood there for a long time before moving with heavy steps.
* * *
-You stupid fool!
As Raon was returning to the annex building, Wrath thrust his face forward.
-How could you openly reveal that you're looking for Soul Crystals! You should have mentioned other items together to deceive them!
Wrath frowned, saying it was pathetic.
'If I had done that, it would have revealed that I desperately need Soul Crystals.'
Raon shook his head as he grabbed Wrath's tail.
-What?
'The Thespian Emperor is smart. She's especially good at reading people's minds. If I had mentioned several items there, she would have quickly figured out that Soul Crystals are what I really want.'
The Thespian Emperor is a giant leading the second largest information organization on the continent. With her cunning, she would surely have realized that Soul Crystals were the real necessary item if he had thrown out several items.
But if he openly mentioned Soul Crystals in a state where her composure was shaken, as it was today, she wouldn't be able to make a proper judgment on whether Soul Crystals were really necessary or if he was testing her, or if he had some completely different thought.
'That's why I even used the Ring of Fire.'
He had calmed his emotions by resonating with the Ring of Fire just before. Because he performed such perfect acting, even the Thespian Emperor wouldn't be able to tell that he desperately needed Soul Crystals.
-Damn smart-ass...
Wrath wrinkled his nose as he looked down at Raon.
-You're lucky! Being smart, you must want to eat a lot of things! In that sense, this king wants to eat bread!
He ended up talking about food again today, licking his lips.
'Nadine bread?'
-No!
As he was teasing Wrath, he arrived in front of the annex building and saw Rector standing by the lake. Like Glenn, it seemed old swordsmen all liked lakes.
"You came quickly."
As Raon approached, Rector smiled and turned his back.
"Is it all done?"
"Yes. It went as expected."
Raon told Rector everything that had happened in the Lord's Manor.
"Hahaha!"
Rector threw his head back and burst into laughter.
"Right. As you said, her head must be spinning so much she doesn't know what to do."
He curled his lips, saying it was a shame he couldn't see the Thespian Emperor's ruined expression.
"The Five Divine Orders won't be able to move easily, and we've gained another information organization to search for Soul Crystals. It's a great gain."
"Yes. It seems the plan worked well, luckily."
"It's not luck."
Rector shook his head with a warm gaze.
"It's your plan that worked well. The saying that one should be more wary of Raon Zieghart's tongue than his sword was true."
He gently grabbed Raon's shoulder as if proud of his grandson.
"Now that it's all done, tell me. What do you want to ask of me?"
"The Light Wind Division squad leaders are about to break their shells. Can I take them to the Holy Sword Alliance?"
Raon bowed his head to Rector. He wanted to create an opportunity for Burren, Martha, and Runaan to become stronger.
"You're still close, I see."
Rector smiled faintly as he looked at Raon.
"Honestly, they're more like friends than subordinates."
"Then that's fine."
Rector nodded without hesitation.
"As a grandfather, I can't refuse my grandson's friends."
He laughed, saying there was no need for permission.
"In the first place, for them to agree to go to the Holy Sword Alliance, they surely must be full of fighting spirit."
"Huh? It's not like they agreed though?"
Raon tilted his head as he looked at Rector.
"What...?"
Rector blinked.
"If they didn't agree, did they refuse?"
"No. I didn't even ask them."
Raon curled his lips, revealing a chilling gaze.
"If I say go, they go. There's no need to ask for their opinion."
"Hmm..."
Rector swallowed hard as he saw his grandson's cold gaze.
'Is that really friendship...?'