Chapter 59

As soon as Raon returned, he revised his plan to train and headed for the Lord's Hall. The massive, ancient doors of the audience chamber, which he had seen many times, still sent a heavy pressure down on his shoulders. It wasn't because of the size of the doors, but rather the presence of the absolute ruler inside.

"You don't need to be nervous. Today, he will only give you good news."

Rimer, standing behind him, chuckled and patted his shoulder.

"Hmm."

Beside him, Lu Nan's usual snort could be heard. Although he had trembled when rescuing the children, he showed no sign of nervousness in front of the lord. Indeed, he was a peculiar one.

Bang.

With a sound like a giant's footsteps, the doors of the audience chamber opened. A storm-like, intense aura surged as the doors fully opened. Raon endured the relentless pressure and entered the audience chamber.

Grrrr!

Glen, as always, sat on his golden throne, looking down at them.

"I greet the Lord."

Starting with Rimer's greeting, Raon and Lu Nan knelt simultaneously.

'He said it was praise, right?'

Raon furrowed his brow. The aura he was receiving was too intense to be just for praise.

"Rise."

Glen waved his hand, his voice filled with authority.

"Raon Zighart, Lu Nan Slieron. I've heard that you performed exceptionally well on your first mission."

"We merely did our best."

"..."

Raon bowed his head again. Lu Nan followed suit.

"Though I've heard about it, tell me what you did."

"Of course. When we arrived at the base, there were four possible locations where the bandits might be hiding. The bandits in the mountains showed abilities like beasts, but I thought they might have gone somewhere other than the mountains to avoid being tracked. So..."

He recounted everything that happened during the mission to Glen, who seemed uninterested. Glen neither nodded nor showed any excitement, listening to everything with an almost embarrassing lack of reaction.

"As I heard, you handled the situation without tension on your first mission and successfully rescued the hostages. It's indeed an outstanding achievement. However—"

Glen's eyes turned cold.

"It was a rough and ready approach. If there had been any mistake, if the bandits had been stronger, or if the two of you hadn't worked well together, the children could have died, and you could have been severely injured."

His heavy voice felt like a weight on Raon's head.

"Planning is crucial. The less experienced you are, the more you need to plan meticulously."

"Yes..."

"Actually, from the beginning, you should have consulted with other trainees and given them instructions. Handling everything alone with your limited experience and strength is not wise."

"I apologize."

Raon bowed his head again.

'Is this praise?'

He had clearly heard it was praise, but it had been mostly criticism from the start.

"However, even if your method was problematic, the fact that you succeeded is undeniable."

Glen nodded to the side, and his butler, Roen, brought a golden plate and stood in front of them.

"For your excellent completion of the mission and the rescue of the hostages, I bestow upon you the bronze token."

"Thank you for your hard work."

Roen smiled gently and handed the bronze tokens to Raon and Lu Nan.

"Thank you."

Raon and Lu Nan received the tokens with both hands and bowed to Glen.

"Ah, I have one more thing to say."

"What is it?"

"What should I do with this elixir?"

Raon took out the Two-Tone Flower he had received from Seolhochaeju. The unopened flower bud was tightly curled.

Glen stared at the Two-Tone Flower for a moment, then shook his head.

"Since you found it, it's yours. Take it."

"...Yes."

Raon tilted his head slightly. It was a rare elixir, and he hadn't expected Glen to let it go so easily.

"That's all. You may leave."

He leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his hand as if he had finished speaking.

Raon and Lu Nan bowed and backed out of the audience chamber.

...

After the three of them left, a moment of silence fell in the audience chamber.

"Hah."

Rimer couldn't hold back his laughter in the quiet atmosphere.

"Why are you laughing? And why did you follow me when I didn't call you?"

"Well, if you wanted to hear how Raon performed, you should have said so honestly instead of making excuses."

Rimer grinned at Glen, who frowned.

'He's really not being honest.'

Glen already knew everything that had happened during the mission, as he had received the report.

Rimer couldn't help but laugh at Glen's pretense of scolding and advising his grandson out of concern.

"Is this your grandfather's grumpiness?"

"Shut up."

"Hah!"

Rimer quickly covered his mouth with both hands.

"It seems the Lord is now considering Raon as one of the candidates for the successor."

"What?"

"When you're a trainee, it's more important to focus on personal growth than to take care of your peers. But suggesting that Raon guide his peers is a long-term plan, isn't it? Preparing for when Raon challenges the Zighart throne?"

"..."

Rimer's sharp observation left Glen speechless. He just looked at him silently.

"You really care about Raon. You didn't treat the young masters this way when raising them..."

"Be quiet."

"Now, why don't you be a bit more honest? If you say, 'Well done, grandson. Come here for a hug. Uzzu,' Raon would really like it..."

"Ri-mer."

Glen's aura intensified, causing the entire Lord's Hall to tremble.

"Hah!"

Rimer wiped the smile off his face and stepped back.

"Hmm."

Just as Glen's aura was about to explode, Roen stepped in between them with a gentle smile.

"It's a nice sight."

"What is?"

"It's been almost 30 years since I've seen the two of you play like this. It's been a long time since the Lord reacted this way."

Roen's wrinkled eyes were filled with memories of the past.

"Hmm..."

"Oh, Roen really knows what's going on."

Glen's aura subsided, and Rimer's smile returned.

"Ah, and there's something Raon didn't mention."

"The North-South Alliance?"

"Yes. The young master of the North-South Alliance heard Raon's name and approached him."

"Why didn't you stop him?"

"Raon's spirit made the other side back down first. It wasn't our territory, and since they recognized Raon, it was hard to detain him."

"Hmm."

Glen snorted, but he didn't seem too upset.

"Lastly, I hope you can be a bit more honest with your grandson."

"I'm always honest with everyone."

"No, you're not. To be honest, you should be like this."

Rimer put his hands behind his back and cleared his throat dramatically.

"Raon, I'm so proud of you for completing the mission so well. Give your grandfather a kiss. Just like this, and everyone will be happy!"

"Hmm."

Glen sighed and stood up from his chair. A terrifying aura filled the audience chamber, as if it could engulf the world.

"Well, I'll be going now. I have an important appointment, not a drink."

Rimer rubbed the back of his head and backed out of the audience chamber.

"Tsk, you're getting more and more sly."

Glen clicked his tongue and waved his hand.

"Still, it's a nice sight. It reminds me of when the two of you were scolding the continent."

Roen smiled and bowed, but his lips were slightly more curved than usual.

"Hmm."

Glen said nothing, crossed his arms, and leaned back.

"Since this is all thanks to Young Master Raon, I've grown more fond of him too."

"Feeling fond of him is fine, but you should treat the successor and the other children equally."

"You're right."

Roen smiled and bowed, then looked at Glen. Despite his words, his lips were slightly more curved than usual.

* * *

As soon as Raon left the Lord's Hall, he headed for the annex.

He thought about training immediately, but decided to reassure Silvia and the maids who were worried about him first.

'I've changed a bit.'

In his previous life, he would have ignored anyone waiting and done what needed to be done.

But after being reborn, things were different. It was right to think of the people he cared about first.

When he arrived at the annex, he heard noisy sounds coming from inside.

'This is how it should be.'

The annex was supposed to be noisy and lively. He already felt more at ease.

Raon opened the door to the annex with a bright expression.

"Huh?"

His eyes widened. There was an unexpected person inside the annex.

"Dorian?"

Dorian was standing in the lobby, surrounded by Silvia, Helen, and the maids.

"Oh, Young Master is here?"

"Why are you here?"

"Well, Lady Silvia asked me to come and tell her what happened after the mission."

"Then..."

"Yes. I told her all about Young Master Raon's heroic performance. Sniff!"

Dorian wiped away a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Young Master."

"Our Young Master Raon."

The maids were wiping their eyes with their sleeves, really believing he had told them everything.

'Oh...'

He had tried to gloss over it to avoid worrying Silvia and Helen, but he hadn't expected them to call Dorian directly.

"Raon!"

"Young Master!"

Silvia and Helen placed their hands on their hips and approached him simultaneously.

"Ah, I didn't mean to—"

"Great job!"

Before he could make an excuse, Silvia hugged him tightly and patted his back.

"Huh?"

Raon's eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected reaction.

"Did you think I would scold you for that?"

"You usually tell me to be careful."

"The first Zighart ancestor took up a sword to protect the weak. Since then, the Zigharts have protected the weak and the people of the territory."

Silvia's red eyes sparkled like rubies.

"My goal was to be a knight embodying the old Zighart spirit. I wouldn't scold someone who risked their life to save hostages."

She squeezed his hand, and the warmth made his fatigue melt away.

"I'm really proud of you."

"Y-Yes!"

"Really!"

"I'll go to the main hall tomorrow and brag about you!"

Silvia hugged him again, and Helen and the maids nodded with tears in their eyes.

'I can't understand this.'

Raon sighed softly.

'Emotions are really complicated.'

But he didn't mind their warmth.

'And Dorian...'

He turned his head to look for Dorian, but he was nowhere to be seen.

-That coward ran away a long time ago.

'He's really quick on his feet.'

* * *

After finishing his meal at the annex, Raon changed his clothes and headed to the Fifth Training Ground. Silvia and Helen had told him to rest, but he wanted to move his body.

"Is that the boy?"

"Yes, Raon Zighart."

"He doesn't look very strong, and his aura is faint..."

"But he did defeat the bandits alone, that's a fact."

"True, Rimer might be boastful, but he wouldn't lie about something like that."

As he walked to the training ground, he could feel the knights' gazes on him. The news of his mission had clearly spread throughout the family.

'Well, that person...'

He sighed, knowing the red-haired elf would do something like this.

"Defeating 30 bandits, including a mid-level Sword User, alone is an outstanding achievement."

"He was supposed to die from illness, but luck was on his side."

Hearing praise for the first time after usually receiving insults or being ignored felt a bit awkward.

But one's heart and mood are their own to control. There was no need to care what others said.

Raon ignored the knights' murmurs and entered the Fifth Training Ground. As expected, no one was there.

He warmed up lightly and drew his sword from his waist. He slowly raised it in front of his dantian, assuming the middle stance. He maintained the basic posture and recalled the previous battle.

'I was a bit slow.'

Even though the bandits were a wall, he had had the chance to cut off Seolhochaeju's neck from the beginning. He had wasted time being concerned about the children and the bandits.

In a real battle, the key is how well you can perform at your best. This battle could be considered a failure.

'But...'

He knew what the problem was and how to solve it. If he addressed it now, he could improve.

'The aura and the body are slightly out of sync.'

The body moves as intended, but the aura lags slightly behind.

The aura and the body should move simultaneously, like the two blades of a scissor.

Whoosh.

Raon regulated his breathing and slowly raised his sword. The aura from his dantian followed the sword's movement. The air split mercilessly, even with the slow motion.

Despite the slow movement, sweat soaked his back. The slow motion required more effort.

Raon continued the slow sword movements until his Inner Power was completely depleted.

When his aura was exhausted, he went to the training room to practice, then came back and swung his sword again. The first day back was drenched in sweat.

* * *

In a small tavern tucked away in a back alley of the Zighart territory, a man's voice echoed in the usually noisy place.

"...That's how our kids rescued the children who were tied up by the bandits. The bandit leader's sword was hard to cut, but Raon split it in half!"

The red-haired elf stood on a table, recounting Raon and Lu Nan's story as if giving a speech. His face was red, clearly drunk.

"Wow!"

"Rimer, have you found your calling? You're a good teacher."

"Nah, it's just that I have good students."

"True. You're not the type to be a good teacher."

The people, who looked like ordinary residents rather than knights, chuckled.

"Both of them. Both of them! My students are the best among the Zighart trainees. No, they wouldn't lose even to the Six Great Houses!"

Rimer grinned and poured beer into his mouth. People who agreed with him and those who thought the Sixth Training Ground or other factions were formidable started arguing.

"Hey, stop fighting and pay for the story. I bet on number 5 and lost everything. I'm planning a revenge match today..."

As he frowned and put down his empty beer glass, a gold coin landed on the table.

"Huh?"

Rimer looked up from the gold coin.

A man with a fierce face, broad shoulders, and the appearance of a battlefield commander. It was Metun, the chief instructor of the Sixth Training Ground.

"Metun? It's been a while."

"Indeed."

Metun slowly nodded.

"Anyway, thanks."

"..."

"Hey, can you let go now?"

Metun had placed a gold coin on the table, but his fingers prevented Raon from picking it up.

"Can you take responsibility for what you just said?"

"What do you mean?"

"About the Fifth Training Ground being the strongest among the Zighart trainees."

"Of course, my students are the best."

"You used to like betting."

Metun's eyes burned with excitement.

"Want to make a bet with me?"