Raon immediately went to the annex building after leaving the lordâs manor. Yua seemed nervous, as her hand was slightly trembling.
âIt will be fine. Sir Roenn is a nice person.â
âAh, okay.â
Roenn was one of the few people, alongside Denier Zieghart, who respected Raon and Sylvia without discrimination. Since Glenn was the one that guaranteed it, he wouldnât teach Yua assassin skills.
âBut I should still check, just in case.â
Raon decided that he would participate in Yuaâs first lesson with Roenn to check on what she would learn.
For once, I like what youâre thinking.
âWhat?â
Pineapple Girl is a precious maid of the King of Essence. Make sure to take care of her properly.
Wrath pat Yuaâs head with his icy hand, though Yua obviously didnât feel anything.
âYou still donât know your place.â
Raon clicked his tongue towards Wrath. He was calling Yua his maid even though he was the one that had been captivated by her cooking. The gluttonous demon king still hadnât realized his position.
âWhy are you following me?â
He turned his head towards Dorian, who was following him while eating his crackers.
âWhy do you say that to me, young master? I really am having a hard time today.â
Dorian crumpled his cracker bag and sighed heavily.
âNo one cares about me. They donât even realize Iâm there, and I got a free ride in the exam. Where the hell is my presence?â
âDo you want to take the exam now, then? I can ask Instructor RimmerâŠâ
Rimmer was a bit too lazy, but he earnestly cared about his trainees. If he asked him for an exam, he wasnât going to refuse.
âPff! We shouldnât do that!â
Dorian quickly shook his headâextremely quickly.
âSince graduation is already over, we shouldnât annoy him. Iâm just saying that itâs regrettable.â
He scratched his head with a smile.
âGo back and rest, then.â
âWow, thatâs so mean. Weâve traveled together for more than a year now, why are you being so cold to me?â
âIâm not really cold.â
Raon did feel slightly sorry for him, but it was obvious how annoying it would be if he were to follow him to the annex building. He needed to send him away to feel comfortable.
âAlso, I canât leave even if I wanted to.â
âWhat?â
âBack at the great training ground, the young masterâs mother asked me to come along.â
âAhâŠâ
âThatâs why we should go together! Itâs been a long time since I ate something delicious in the annex building! Letâs go, Yua!â
Dorian grabbed Yuaâs hand and started running towards the annex building.
Food! The food in the annex building is pretty good! Move faster!
Coldness flowed down from Wrathâs mouth, even though he was trying to look cool with his arms crossed.
âHaa.â
Raon could only sigh, with the drooling Wrath and running Dorian and YuaâŠ
âThere are three kids hereâŠâ
* * *
Raon arrived at the annex building with two annoying people and Yua. Since it was a sudden return, loud noises kept coming from the inside.
Listening to the familiar sounds, he opened the annex buildingâs door. Sylvia, Helen, and the maids were busily moving around in the lobby and kitchen. They jumped at him upon seeing him.
âRaon!â
âYoung master!â
âYou are so late!â
âAre you hurt anywhere?â
They checked his entire body to see if he had been hurt or had any issues somewhere. The way Sylvia and the maids were making a fuss made Raon realize once again that he was at home.
âIâm back.â
Raon smiled, looking at his familyâs glad and worried eyes.
âWelcome back.â
Sylviaâs hands, which were gathered in front of her chest, were trembling as she gave him a warm smile.
âDid mother also grow up?â
She wouldâve immediately burst into tears in the past, but it looked like Sylvia had also grown up, just like himself.
âItâs a reli⊠gasp!â
âRaon!â
Just as he thought it was a relief and was about to smile, Sylvia jumped at him.
âYou grew up so nicely! How did you become so pretty? Whose son are you?â
She started rubbing her face against him with the exact same tone as before.
âM-Mom, pleaseâŠâ
Raon bit his lip and asked Helen for a rescue, but it had the opposite effect.
âYoung master!â
âYoung master Raon!â
âWelcome back!â
âYou became so handsome⊠sniff!â
âArghâŠâ
Even Helen and the other maids burst into tears, and Raon found himself stuck between them, unable to move anymore. The only people that were staying in their spots were Judiel, Dorian, and Yua.
âHaa.â
âHnnghâŠâ
âWowâŠâ
Judiel sighed faintly and went to the kitchen, Dorian covered his mouth and grinned as he enjoyed the scene, and Yua just fidgeted her fingers because she couldnât get used to it.
And WrathâŠ
Where is the food?
He was the same as always.
* * *
Raon sat at the table and looked around. Sylvia, Dorian, Yua, and even the maids were sitting at the table with him.
The maids kept refusing, but they were forced to join because Sylvia ordered them to eat together for the first time in a long time.
The sweet and salty fragrance is pressing upon the King of Essence. Raise your weapon, Raon Zieghart.
Coldness kept flowing down Wrathâs mouth like drool as he looked at the tasty looking food filling the table.
âWe should introduce ourselves before we start eating.â
Sylvia stood up. She smiled gently towards Yua, who was nervously shrinking.
âYou mustâve realized from what happened earlier, but Iâm Raonâs mother, Sylvia.â
She introduced herself first, so that Yua wouldnât feel pressured.
âAh, m-my name is Yua. Iâm from Habun Castle.â
Yua abruptly stood up and bowed at Sylvia and the maids, one after the other.
âI see, you are Yua.â
Sylvia couldnât stop smiling, as if she were watching a cute little thing.
A quick look at tinyurl.com/2p9emv8w will leave you more fulfilled.
âRaon, is she your daughter by any chance?â
âWhat nonsense are you spouting?â
âHuhu, itâs a joke.â
âUghâŠâ
Raon closed his eyes, his face turning red. He could remain self-assured even in front of Glenn, but he couldnât help being flustered by Sylvia.
âThe food is getting cold, so letâs start eating before we begin.â
âWhat are we doing?â
âObviously, we are going to listen to you and Dorianâs story about what happened over the past year. I hope you werenât planning on not telling us about that.â
âIâll tell you about it lateâŠâ
âLet me tell you about it, since Iâve done nothing today!â
Dorian instantly swallowed the pie in front of him, and briskly stood up.
âDorianâŠâ
âFirst of all, we didnât head north right away. We visited Cameloon to buy some supplies before crossing the huge mountain that is Habun CastleâŠâ
Raon tried to stop him with his gaze, but since Dorian didnât do anything all day, he vigorously started telling the story of their journey.
Sylvia and the maids exclaimed, their hands clasped together, each time he mentioned Raonâs actions. When they heard that he jumped down the castle walls twice to save the soldiers, they were deeply impressed, and their eyes welled up in tears.
Sylvia kept watching Raon happilyâuntil the part about him rescuing Yua and the manager from Edenâs attack. That was when she bit her lip and pulled Yua to hug her.
âIt mustâve been hard.â
Her words came from the bottom of her heart. Since sheâd also experienced the loss of her most precious person, she could sympathize with the circumstances that made Yua move to Zieghart.
âI-Itâs okay.â
Yua had been suppressing her tears, but they started welling up in her eyes upon receiving Sylviaâs emotional words.
âSniffâŠâ
âMaâamâŠâ
âYua.â
Since the maids were also aware of Sylviaâs story, tears started flowing from their eyes, and the table quickly turned into a sea of tears.
âI guess they will get along.â
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at Yua, Sylvia, and the maids. Just as heâd expected, his family would take good care of her.
âRaon, you did a great job. And thank you.â
Sylvia smiled at him while hugging Yua. It looked like she was thanking him for living up to Zieghartâs name, as sheâd mentioned before.
âHaap!â
Dorian was also crying even though he didnât know the full story. Raon couldnât tell if he was simple or empathetic.
But Wrath was still the same.
Arenât you going to eat?
He kept flailing his small hand, unable to take his eyes off all the food.
The food is getting cold!
His inability to read the mood was indeed at the level of a demon king.
* * *
[Translator â Kyangi]
[Proofreader â Harley]
* * *
Raon finished a light meal, then returned to his room. Sylvia brought Yua with her, saying that Yua would sleep with her, and a guest room was given to Dorian, who only had bad things happen to him that day.
Damn it!
Wrath was spreading a large amount of coldness because of having missed the food.
We had the annex buildingâs food after such a long time, yet you only ate after it got cold! Itâs a sin! You sinner!
âIt was still delicious despite being cold. Isnât that enough?â
It wouldâve been even better if it wasnât cold! I seriously canât agree with you.
âI can agree with that.â
Unlike Wrath, who always had to eat the best food, Raon didnât really care about the taste because he had the experience of being an assassin. Food didnât really matter as long as it filled his stomach.
As he thought about the fact that it was so annoying to be Wrath, he could feel someoneâs presence standing in front of his door. Three knocks could be heardâit was Judiel.
âEnter.â
Judiel silently opened the door and entered, kneeling on the floor.
âGreeting the master.â
Since she swore that sheâd follow him before he left for Habun Castle, she was calling him her master.
âDid the Central Martial Palace contact you yet?â
âThey sent a signal when they were at the great training ground.â
Judiel slowly nodded.
âThey ordered me to find out what master has been doing, what master has obtained, and how much stronger master has become.â
âI knew it.â
Raon snickered. Since Karoon Zieghart had been humiliated once again when he stepped up, that was exactly what he expected him to do.
âHow shall I proceed?â
âConvey Dorianâs story to them exactly as you heard it.â
That story was modified, so there was no problem with telling it to other people.
âWere there any other problems in the annex building?â
âNo. The other forces didnât try to hold us in check, probably thanks to the incident with Raden Zieghart. The Central Martial Palace didnât pay attention to us at all for a while.â
âI see.â
Raon smiled in satisfaction. Thanks to having one-sidedly beaten Raden on purpose, it looked like people were only paying attention to him instead of the annex building.
âYou mustâve worked hard in various ways. Good job.â
âI-It was nothing. It was all thanks to the master.â
Judiel swallowed, wetting her dry mouth, and shook her head.
âHe is really an amazing person.â
One year ago, he had predicted what would happen after he left and gave her directions, and what he predicted had actually happened. All she did was to follow those directions.
The prowess that neared completion at such a young age, and the strategy devised from his exceptional composure, made Raon one of the most outstanding monsters in Zieghart.
âMaster, do you know about the internship?â
âInternship?â
âSo, you didnât.â
She seemed to have expected him to not know about it, as she started to explain.
âSince you became a swordsman, you have to join one of the armed organizations in the house.â
âIndeed.â
âBefore joining one, you can pick one of them to experience a month-long internship with.â
âAhâŠâ
Now that he thought about it, some of the trainees were talking about the internship after the graduation ceremony in the great training ground.
âCan I decide to be an intern wherever I wish?â
âYes. Unlike with the Selection Ceremony, the rookie swordsman has the right to choose the internship they want.â
Judiel took a document that she had prepared beforehand from her shirt.
âI think you can read this before deciding.â
Upon accepting the document, Raon unrolled it and started reading. The information about all of Zieghartâs organizations was written inside, from the direct lineâs organizations to the collaterals, external, and even the vassal family divisions.
From the missions they usually partook in to their numbers, prowess, and even their positions inside the houseâthere was enough information to roughly understand how the house was run.
âYou mustâve worked hard on putting this together. Good job.â
Raon nodded after reading the overall document.
âIt was nothing. I just did my job.â
Judiel closed her eyes, saying that it wasn't a big deal.
âHmm.â
After reading the document, Raon put it by his pillow.
âDid you make your decision?â
âYes.â
Raon gave her a refreshing smile, looking at the upper part of the document.
âThereâs a perfect place for me.â
* * *
The next day before daybreak, Raon went to the fifth training ground. He was excited to inhale the cold air of the empty training ground. Habun Castle wasnât bad either, but he felt the most comfortable there.
He breathed and used the Star Connecting Sword that he had practiced the most in the training ground. The techniqueâs wave now contained a prevalent flow, shaking the training ground.
âNo one would believe you if you told them that was basic swordsmanship.â
Once he finished one round of the Star Connecting Sword, an admiring voice could be heard from behind him.
Since Raon was already aware of the fact that someone was watching him, he nonchalantly looked around.
âI came here just in case, but of course you were here. You are still the same, even though one year has passed.â
Burren's face was slightly softer as he smiled.
âThough, your skills are in another dimension now.â
His green eyes were filled with amazement at his swordsmanship.
Shitty-eyes has changed.
âIndeed.â
It wasnât just his looks. He could feel that his power became a lot sturdier. The explosive pressure of an Expert could be felt. He mustâve overcome many trials to get stronger.
âI have multiple debts against you⊠Argh!â
âRaon!â
As Burren was about to walk towards him, the training groundâs door burst open and Runaan came running at him. Burren was bounced back because of her charge.
âRaon, itâs been a while.â
Runaan nodded with her blank eyes, which were the exact same as a year ago. However, unlike her eyes, her appearance had become more mature. She looked so cold that it would be difficult to speak to her if he had met her for the first time.
Her prowess had also increased. Sharpness and softness coexisted in her pressure, which was blooming on her shoulders.
âTake this!â
Runaan extended her hand, which was grasping a box. It was the bead ice cream box.
Raon could only smile. He realized once again that he was back home upon seeing that box.
Ooh! You are indeed the King of Essenceâs first maid, the ice cream girl! What are you doing? Start eating it already!
Wrath was rubbing his sleepy eyes, his tongue wagging.
âI also brought something.â
Raon brought the box he had left in the locker room, handing it to Runaan. It was an ice cream box that looked more sophisticated than hers.
âWhat is this?â
âItâs the new product I bought from the city.â
âIs it⊠Mine?â
âYes.â
Since he kept receiving gifts from her, he figured he should pay her back at some point, so he decided to buy it in the city.
âAhâŠâ
Runaanâs jaw dropped and wouldnât close as she accepted the box. It looked like she never thought she would get something from him, since she kept giving things to him.
âTh-Thank you.â
The thin corners of Runaanâs lips were raised. It was almost his first time seeing that smile.
âYou are still⊠Argh!â
âAre you playing house or something?â
As Burren was trying to come back after he got pushed back, he was stepped on by Martha, who jumped over the wall and fell down.
âHow old are you to be playing like that? Huh?â
Martha snorted, sweeping back her ebony hair. She looked like noble royalty, but her speech was still so vulgar.
âShe got stronger, too.â
Marthaâs prowess had increased even more than Burren and Runaanâs had. Considering the fact that she was solely focused on power, without any fluidity, her personality mustâve not changed either.
âI had this feeling from before, but you guys' heads are filled with flowersâŠâ
While Martha kept blabbering with a frown, he offered her a bead ice cream.
âWhy are youâŠ?â
âTry eating it.â
ââŠUgh.â
Martha fidgeted, her expression even worse than when she was fighting, before taking one chocolate ice cream and stepping back. Raon felt like he was feeding a wild animal.
âHow do you like it?â
âI-Itâs delici⊠No, itâs alright.â
She was turned away while eating the ice cream so that she wouldnât show her face to him, but she couldnât hide the way her earlobes turned slightly red. She apparently liked it a lot.
âMhm, mhm.â
Runaan also looked extremely happy as she put the bead ice cream in her mouth.
Stop giving it to others and eat one yourself! You also ended up eating cold food yesterday!
Wrath flailed his arms around as he spread coldness. It looked like he was going to create a tidal wave of coldness if Raon didnât do something.
âAlright, alright.â
Raon nodded and looked at the ice cream. As he was pondering over which one to eat among the four remaining ones, Wrath jumped on the spot and pointed at the blue ice cream.
Mint. Chocolate! Eat the mint chocolate, no matter what!
ââŠâŠâ
Raonâs head was filled with doubt that such a glutton could possibly be a demon king.
âHaaâŠâ
Raon sighed and put the mint chocolate in his mouth. It wasnât that good. It had a refreshing feel to it, but he couldnât understand why people ate it.
Hell yeah, this is lifeâŠ
On the other hand, Wrathâs eyes were trembling like a drug addictâs as he grinned.
âHmm, did you decide on your internship?â
Burren dusted off his clothes and stood up. He had been knocked down and then stepped on, but his expression didnât really change. His personality was a lot softer than before. It wasnât just his might that got stronger.
âThatâs obvious. I will join my father.â
âMe, too.â
Martha and Runaan, who were eating ice cream, replied at once.
âI knew it. Iâm also going to the Central Martial Palace. Then, where are you going?â
Hearing Burrenâs question, Runaan and Martha stopped eating the ice creams and looked around.
âIâŠâ
âRaon!â
âYouâre really here!â
âAhahaha! You havenât changed at all.â
As Raon started to open his mouth, the door opened, and the other swordsmen flocked in. As if they were trying to catch up with the year theyâd been separated, they surrounded him and kept talking to him continuously.
Raon didnât exactly like crowded places, but it actually didnât feel that bad since he could see the faces he hadnât seen in a long time, and he could feel their growth and delight.
Every swordsman of the fifth training ground was gathered, and they kept talking about various things with Raon in the middle of them.
Whoosh!
While they were having a fun time, Rimmer appeared along with a green wind, surging over the wall.
âDonât you ever get tired? I told you to rest for today.â
âI just happened to come by.â
âI had a feeling that Raon would be here.â
âAnd he was actually here.â
The trainees laughed, looking at Rimmer, who shook his head.
âHuh? All forty-three of you are here. Then, letâs finish things today. Iâm too lazy to come back tomorrow.â
After counting the trainees, Rimmer quickly nodded.
âWhat are we finishing?â
âDeciding on your internships. Thatâs my last job.â
Although he was originally heading towards the locker room, he went up on the platform.
âI thought I was supposed to hand it in as a document tomorrow.â
âItâs too sloppyâŠâ
âIs this your first time seeing me be sloppy? Itâs not even the real Selection Ceremony, so just do it. They wonât ask anything difficult of the interns, anyway.â
Rimmer waved his hand and dismissed their dissatisfaction. He was definitely the laziest elf in the world.
âIâm going to call out the names of the organizations now, so raise your hand if you want it. First of all, Operation Blade.â
He took out a crumpled paper from his back pocket and started calling out the names of Zieghartâs organizations, one by one.
âPff!â
âSeriously, he does whatever he wants.â
âWell, Iâve already decided anyway.â
Even though the trainees were complaining, they still raised their hands when the organization they wanted was called.
Just as they said before, Runaan and Martha joined the division where their fathers were leading, and Dorian picked the Zephyrâs Flow, which was in charge of supplies.
As Rimmer kept calling out the names of organizations, Raon and Burren were the only ones left.
âNext up is the Central Martial Palace.â
âYes!â
Burren raised his hand as soon as Central Martial Palace, led by Karoon Zieghart.
âHuh? Are you also joining them, Raon?â
âGasp! Why would you?â
Rimmer and Burrenâs eyes widened, since Raon was confidently raising his hand.
The guy that hates you is in the Central Martial Palace. Why are you trying to join them?
Wrath tilted his head, unable to understand his actions.
âBecause the pain that doesnât kill me will only make me stronger.â
Raonâs eyes were shining brightly.
He had decided on it as soon as he heard about the internships.
He would join the Central Martial Palace, which was managed by Karoon Zieghartâwho hated him the mostâand learn everything about their training methods.