Chapter 17

After finishing his washing, Raoon looked out the window at the sunlight streaming in, his eyes still damp with water.

"Is it today?"

Six months had passed, and the morning had come for the selection of trainees for the Fifth Training Ground.

Normally, this would be the time to be running and choking on dust in the training ground, but thanks to it being the day of the exam, he could enjoy a leisurely morning.

-Raoon Zighart.

While drying his wet face with a towel and changing clothes, Las spoke to him.

"Why?"

-Do you remember the bet with the king?

"Of course."

Raoon nodded, putting on his training uniform. How could he forget when the king had offered to be his prey?

-While I acknowledge that your growth as a human is fast, you haven't caught up to those two. Are you prepared to accept the king's feelings?

Las was right. Despite running for three months, he hadn't surpassed Luan and Buren.

But the exam was different. Whether it was a sparring match or showing off his physical strength, it didn't matter.

With the experience from his past life and the Ring of Fire, he was confident he could pass any exam.

"The length of time will only be known after we see it."

-Boasting like that won't do you any good. The day when the king will take over your body and soul is not far off.

'If that happens, just say so.'

-I'm looking forward to when that confidence fades.

'It won't happen.'

Raoon waved his hand.

'Living with an enemy isn't easy.'

Recently, Las was more annoying for talking a lot during training than for inciting anger.

I don't understand why a demon king would be so talkative.

'Of course, there are advantages.'

Thanks to overcoming Las's interference, he had gained quite a few abilities. Although it was painful, it was no different from a goose that lays golden eggs.

<Status Window>

Name: Raoon Zighart.

Title: None.

Condition: Curse of the Cold (eight strands), low physical strength, reduced athletic ability, reduced mana sensitivity.

Traits: Anger, Ring of Fire (3-star), Water Resistance (3-star)

Strength: 25

Agility: 24

Endurance: 23

Spirit: 15

Senses: 44

Not only had the numbers in the status window increased, but his actual physical abilities had grown significantly, allowing him to move in ways he couldn't before.

-Groan, the king's status window...

Unlike Las, who groaned, Raoon smiled contentedly and walked out to the lobby.

-They look like they're about to die.

'That's right.'

As Las said, the children in the lobby had worried faces, like soldiers being dragged to the battlefield.

'It's because of today's exam.'

Rimer hadn't explained what the exam would be, how difficult it would be, or how many would pass. He had only said that if they did their best, they would pass. It was natural for the children to be so worried.

If he hadn't been a reincarnated person or had the Ring of Fire, he would have been sitting there with a gloomy expression like them.

-It's pitiful to look like a defeated chicken before even stepping onto the battlefield.

'They're just young.'

Raoon looked around at the gloomy children and walked outside.

-Aren't you young too?

'I'm different.'

-Hmph. Humans always think they're special.

'...'

Raoon didn't respond to Las's provocation. There was no need to reveal his secret of being a reincarnated person.

Swish.

As he walked to the Fifth Training Ground, which was attached to the dormitory, he heard light footsteps behind him.

-You keep coming here, don't you get tired?

"Hmm..."

Raoon narrowed his eyes and turned around. A girl with silver hair and purple eyes was following him.

"Luan."

It was Luan Slieron. Not only did she follow him during self-training, but now she was even following him to the dormitory.

"Is there something you want to say?"

"No."

Luan shook her head with a blank expression, awkwardly shifting her eyes.

"Huh."

Raoon sighed and turned around completely. Luan was still the same. She followed him silently and mimicked his training with a blank expression.

'I wonder why she follows me.'

In terms of actual ability, Buren was better. He had flashy sword skills, excellent physical strength, and some leadership skills.

But Luan showed no interest in him and only followed Raoon. It felt like a stray cat following him after being fed.

'But I didn't feed her anything.'

He had given her a cookie, but the owner was Dorian. He hadn't done anything, so why did she follow him like a duckling following its mother?

'She's a strange one.'

Raoon shook his head and headed to the training ground. When he arrived, a green-haired man waved at him.

"Y-Young Master..."

Next to Luan, Dorian was trembling as if he had a fever.

"Why are you like this? Are you sick?"

"N-No, it's not that. It's the exam today. I'm so worried I couldn't sleep at all. Ugh."

Dorian's eyes were as dark as if he had been painted with charcoal. The word "tired" was etched under his eyes.

"You should be fine, right?"

Raoon looked Dorian up and down. He always trembled and was scared, but he had talent and perseverance, ranking in the top ten. If he performed to his ability, he wouldn't fail.

"But I don't know what the exam is, and I'm so weak! I can't do anything! Ugh!"

Dorian bit his nails and his eyes trembled. He even made a retching sound. It wasn't just an act; he was genuinely scared.

-Among the weak, you're the weakest. Crush that head of his right now.

'You said you liked him before.'

-The king doesn't need cowards.

"You'll be fine."

Raoon walked past Dorian, not as encouragement but as a statement of fact. Despite his timid nature, Dorian had completed training even while vomiting. He could overcome any exam.

"Rimer said he would select the best. I'm just a pebble, so I'll be eliminated right away."

"Then get eliminated."

"Ugh! Young Master Raoon!"

Raoon waved his hand without turning back. After all, Dorian was just another person. There was no need to give unnecessary advice, and talking to him made him feel gloomy.

"Hmm."

As he was about to open the door to the training ground, he met Buren's eyes.

Buren glared at him, Luan, and Dorian with a fiery gaze, as if he had seen his enemies.

"Huh."

Raoon sighed heavily.

'There are no proper people around me.'

There were many crazy people in his past life, and this life was no different.

-Pluck out that guy's eyes.

'Including this one...'

* * *

"Raoon!"

"Raoon Young Master!"

When Raoon returned to the training ground and was stretching, a familiar voice came from the right.

"Mom? Helen?"

Sylvia, Helen, and the maids from the annex were running over.

"Raoon!"

Sylvia hugged him tightly as soon as she arrived, like a bird cradling its egg.

"Oh my! Your face is half the size! Are you okay? Do you have any injuries?"

Tears welled up in her narrow eyes. However, contrary to her words, he had gained muscle and hadn't lost weight.

"No, Mom, I—"

"You must have been so hard! You've suffered so much. Huh!"

Even after six months, Sylvia was still the same. She didn't listen to his words and only worried about his body.

-You're still a child in front of your mother.

'Shut up.'

Las chuckled, finding the scene amusing.

"Young Master, you've worked hard."

Helen smiled gently and bowed. The maids behind her also smiled and praised him.

"But I haven't even passed the exam yet."

Raoon scratched his face. It was embarrassing to be praised for something trivial, making his cheeks tingle.

"You've lasted for six months."

"That's amazing!"

"You're right. You've done something incredible."

Helen and the maids continued to praise him. They must have expected him to be eliminated and return, so their reaction was natural.

"How did you get here?"

Raoon pushed away Sylvia, who was rubbing his face, and turned to Helen.

"The exam today allows guardians to observe. Not just us, but others have come too."

Following Helen's hand, he looked around. As she said, children and their parents were reuniting in various parts of the training ground.

"But this child..."

Sylvia's eyes widened when she saw Luan standing behind Raoon. Luan nodded at Sylvia.

'She's really something.'

Luan didn't stop following him, even in front of Sylvia and Helen. Her personality was more surprising than her talent.

"Luan!"

While Luan and Sylvia were making eye contact, a deep voice came from the left. A middle-aged man with cold, silver hair tied back was standing there.

'Rockan Slieron.'

The head of the Slieron family and Luan's father, Rockan Slieron.

-That blank expression of hers never changes.

As Las said, Luan's eyes remained blank even after seeing her father for the first time in six months.

"Dad?"

"What are you doing here? Let's go!"

Rockan Slieron glared at him and Sylvia, grabbed Luan's hand, and led her away.

-...I've seen many humans, but this one is truly unique.

'You're right.'

Raoon chuckled at Luan's expression as she was being led away.

"Luan, you're the youngest of the Slieron family, right? You took the selection test with him."

"Right."

"Looks like you've become friends."

Sylvia smiled. She leaned in, asking how they had become friends.

"We're not friends."

Raoon shook his head firmly.

"Not friends? Then what kind of relationship is it?"

"I don't know..."

Honestly, he didn't know what kind of relationship he had with Luan. He didn't even know what being friends meant.

"Son, be friendly with the people who come to you. Don't push them away."

Sylvia pouted.

"I don't do that."

He just ignored them, whether they approached or pushed him.

"Don't do that. Bring her to the annex sometime. I'll make something delicious for you."

"We're not that close."

"Wow, really... Oh? Are you Young Master Raoon's mother?"

Just as he was about to let it go, Dorian, who had been making retching sounds, approached with wide eyes.

"Yes, who are you?"

"I-I'm Dorian! I owe a lot to Young Master! I'll bow deeply!"

Dorian bowed so low that his head almost touched the ground.

"Oh!"

"Oh, Young Master!"

Sylvia and Helen smiled widely. They seemed pleased to know that someone had received help from him.

"Young Master Raoon is so handsome because he takes after his mother. You're really beautiful!"

Dorian pulled out a flower from his pocket and handed it to Sylvia. When he was scared, he couldn't say a word, but at times like this, he spoke and acted smoothly. He was a mystery.

"Hehe, thank you."

Sylvia smiled, accepting the flower. Her eyes were crescent-shaped, showing how much she liked it.

"Go on."

"Why?"

Raoon tried to push Dorian away, but Sylvia intervened.

"Dorian, can you tell me how Raoon is doing?"

"O-Of course. Young Master Raoon rose from the lowest group to the top group, rewriting the history of the Fifth Training Ground. It was so moving..."

"Huh!"

Dorian's words didn't stop, as if he was trying to relieve the tension of the exam with chatter. Raoon was already tired, even though the exam hadn't started yet.

-This human talks too much.

Not as much as you.

"...Thanks to Young Master Raoon, the lower group and I were able to move up to the middle group. I-I'll tell you the rest later! I'm in a hurry now!"

Dorian bowed and ran towards the bathroom.

"Wow..."

"Young Master Raoon!"

Helen and the maids clasped their hands, their faces filled with admiration. They looked like they were about to cry if they had heard more.

"Helping other children is good, but are you okay? You're still sensitive to the cold. Is the dorm warm? Do you have any injuries?"

But Sylvia's eyes showed more worry than admiration. She was a truly emotional person.

"I'm fine."

Raoon chuckled and patted his chest, but Sylvia's worried gaze didn't disappear.

"Remember, if it gets too hard, you can quit anytime. Don't worry about others; follow your heart. Got it?"

"Okay."

Nodding vigorously, the worry on Sylvia's face eased. She hadn't changed. She was still a mother who only worried about her son's health.

"But Helen."

Sylvia's eyes twinkled with a hint of mischief.

"Yes, Lady Sylvia."

"Raoon, hasn't he become even cuter since I last saw him?"

"Of course. Who's his mother?"

"You're right! Raoon! Let me hug you one more time—"

"Ugh! Wait a minute!"

Just as Raoon was about to step back from the approaching Sylvia, a massive aura erupted from the entrance of the training ground.

'This aura...'

Raoon clenched his teeth and looked at the main gate of the training ground. A terrifying aura was emanating from behind the brown door.

Boom!

The door of the training ground opened wide, and a man who seemed like he would never come appeared.

"Welcome, Head of the Family!"

"Welcome, Head of the Family!"

It was Glen. Everyone who saw the master of Zighart knelt down.

'Why is he here?'

"Father?"

"Ugh!"

Sylvia and Helen also knelt and bowed their heads.

-So the aura I felt from afar was this human. To think such a person exists in this era...

Las, who had been silent, finally expressed his amazement. Even to him, Glen's martial prowess was astonishing.

-This is a different level of martial prowess. He has surpassed the peak and the mask. Time may not be on our side.

'Time? What do you mean?'

-...

Las didn't answer and only looked at Glen.

"Hmm."

Raoon turned his gaze back to Glen. He slowly looked around the children and their parents, then climbed the platform and sat in the chair where Rimer had been sitting.

"Huh?"

Rimer, who had been climbing over the wall, opened his mouth wide when he saw this.

"Why is the Head of the Family here...?"

Glen glared at Rimer, as if something was bothering him.

"This is an event to select the future of the family. Is there a place I can't come to?"

"That's not the case. You're very welcome."

Rimer awkwardly laughed and jumped over the wall. He bowed to Glen and quickly climbed the platform.

"I wanted to start leisurely, but with the Head of the Family here, there's no time for that. We'll start the trainee selection exam right away."

He scratched the back of his head and told the parents to step back. The parents encouraged their children and moved to the back.

"Raoon."

Raoon turned at Sylvia's call.

"Don't get hurt."

"Young Master, don't overdo it."

Sylvia and Helen, instead of wishing him luck, left with worries about his safety.

-You're so weak. You don't suit him.

Raoon nodded. They didn't want to see his outstanding performance; they only worried about his health.

'I still can't get used to it.'

Their attitude was so different from the trainers in his past life, who only cared about results. He still couldn't adapt.

After watching the two people walk away, he turned his head. Rimer was smiling at him.

"Then, men and women of all ages, I will reveal the content of the trainee selection exam that everyone in Zighart has been curious about."

Rimer stood on the platform and waved his hand. As usual, he looked relaxed, but a small aura that had been emanating from him spread like vast wings.

Boom!

Though not as strong as Glen Zighart, the powerful aura that enveloped the entire training ground made the parents frown and the children shrink back.

Thud!

Rimer walked to the center of the training ground with a light yet majestic step.

"Break through my aura."

He looked down at the children in front of him, his eyes cold and piercing.

"That is my exam."