"...Palace Master?"
"W-what are you saying right now?"
"Why are you giving the mission to the Light Wind Division Leader..."
The direct lineage executives who had trusted Balder blinked dumbfoundedly, unable to comprehend the sudden situation.
"Didn't you all lower your hands saying you wouldn't do it?"
Balder answered gruffly, shaking his head.
"I was just trying to pass the opportunity that came to me to that guy."
He frowned, asking why they were questioning him when they had lowered their hands.
"B-but that guy... No, the Light Wind Division Leader is from a branch family!"
"Why are you trying to give the Light Wind Division Leader a chance to make achievements..."
"Palace Master! Please reconsider!"
"Truth is, I'm not particularly fond of the branch family either. However..."
Balder scanned all the executives before turning his chin sideways.
"I like those who have ability and spirit."
Balder turned his gaze to Raon and winked his left eye once again.
"Ugh..."
Raon shuddered, looking at Balder. Seeing Balder, who looked more uncouth than anyone else here, winking made goosebumps rise on his arms.
-Why is that ogre acting like that?
Wrath wrinkled his nose as if disgusted.
'I don't know either...'
Balder is someone who can't help but dislike me, even if not as much as Karoon.
Even if his son Raiden started the fight first, I beat him to the point of near disability, so we couldn't have a good relationship.
Seeing him suddenly trying to give me a mission, there must be some ulterior motive.
'However...'
I can't predict what that guy is thinking.
He's not secretly helping me, but supporting me in front of everyone, so I couldn't read his thoughts.
I was feeling hurt that I couldn't grasp the intentions of the simplest man in Zieghart.
"Ahem!"
Chad cleared his throat lightly to change the atmosphere.
"So, True Martial Palace Master, you're saying you want to pass the monster subjugation mission to the Light Wind division?"
"That's right."
Balder slapped the round table with his palm, saying that was exactly it.
"Light Wind Division Leader."
Chad nodded and turned his gaze to Raon.
"Will you accept the monster subjugation mission passed on by the True Martial Palace Master?"
He slightly lowered his left eyebrow as if saying to accept it unconditionally.
'Hmm...'
Raon didn't answer immediately, but scanned Chad's and Balder's eyes in turn.
'Will it be okay?'
As both Chad and Balder were suspicious characters, he started to worry if it was really okay to accept this mission.
However, Chad wasn't an idiot like Balder. He wouldn't play such an obvious trick. (E/N: I feel bad for Chad at this point.)
"May I ask one thing before accepting the mission?"
Raon calmly exhaled and looked at Balder.
"Go ahead."
Balder nodded his chin as if saying do as you please.
"May I know why you're passing the mission to me?"
"Didn't I say it at first? I like those who have ability and spirit."
He lightly tapped the round table with his finger and curled up his lips.
"The answer is simple. It's because I think you'll handle that mission better than anyone else here."
Balder winked his left eye again. The trembling of his eyelid was too awkward.
"You'll accept it, right?"
Balder nodded as if thinking there was no such thing as refusal.
'Hmm...'
Raon smacked his lips while looking at Balder. After hearing the explanation, he became confident.
'The possibility of him using a trick is extremely low.'
Balder had seen Karoon get beaten by Glenn right in front of him for using a clumsy trick.
No matter how foolish he was, he wouldn't pull such an obvious trick.
"I'll accept it."
Raon nodded while looking at Chad.
"Then the monster subjugation mission will be assigned to the Light Wind division."
Chad quickly finished assigning the mission before anyone could object.
"Do well and come back."
Balder raised his thumb as if trusting him and winked again.
-Isn't that a sign of magnesium deficiency?
Wrath shook his head, saying he'd never seen such an ugly wink before.
'Hmm...'
Raon bit his lip while turning his gaze away.
'It's not a trap, but why do I feel uneasy?'
It seemed he needed to prepare thoroughly.
* * *
"Balder."
After the executive meeting ended, as Balder was about to return to the True Martial Palace, Denier called out to him.
"Let's talk for a moment."
"What is it?"
Balder frowned, urging him to speak quickly as if he had urgent business.
"What wind has blown your way?"
Denier approached Balder, narrowing his eyes.
"You disliked Raon so much because of what happened to Raiden, so why are you suddenly trying to help him?"
"It's an old story."
Balder shrugged while facing Denier.
"If we cool down and look at it, it's true that Raiden started the trouble with Sylvia first."
"Even so, you shouldn't have any obligation to help him, right?"
"These days, I've taken a liking to that Raon kid."
"What?"
Denier opened his eyes wide as if he had heard something unexpected.
"It was fun to see him turn the tables when the Thespian Emperor came, and his actions afterwards have been refreshing. The Sanctuary of Blades is cool just by existing."
Balder smiled as he listed the things Raon had done.
"But didn't you dislike the branch family?"
"There's something my father said when Raiden and Raon had their duel back then."
He raised his finger while looking up at the Lord's Manor.
"Responsibility. He said that the direct lineage, as the true masters of Zieghart, must take responsibility for every action and every word. The current Raon has more sense of responsibility than anyone else in Zieghart."
Balder continued while touching the sword hilt at his waist.
"He's raised Zieghart's name high and definitely crushed our enemies. That's how a Zieghart swordsman should live."
He spoke without hesitation, as if having a firm belief.
"So that's why you pushed the mission to him?"
Denier nodded as if he understood to some extent.
"Of course, that's not all."
Balder chuckled and shook his chin.
"You've heard that Raon created a top-tier martial art, right?"
"You mean the Gale Wind Style?"
"Yeah, that's it."
He turned his gaze towards the annex building.
"He gave the Radiant Light Flow to the annex and the Gale Wind Style to the Light Wind division. There are plenty of strong martial arts, but ones that suit a specific person are rare."
Balder smacked his lips longingly.
"That guy is a genius of martial arts! And he's the rarest type of genius who can create martial arts suitable for specific individuals."
His eyes gleamed fiercely.
"With such a genius right beside us, we can't just leave him alone. I should ask him to create a martial art for me too!"
Balder laughed, saying he might be able to break through the wall to reach transcendence.
"So you're saying you're going to side with Raon?"
"What nonsense are you talking about now?"
He deeply furrowed his brow.
"Why would I side with Raon! It's just mutual assistance!"
Balder shook his head, saying he's just helping so he can ask for a martial art in return.
"I haven't given up on the position of head of house yet. But..."
He frowned while facing Denier.
"You're talking as if Raon shouldn't become the head of house."
"That's not exactly what I meant, but isn't it the same for you?"
Denier met Balder's eyes with a calm gaze.
"I don't think so?"
Balder firmly shook his head.
"As I said before, even if I don't become the head of house, I'll accept it if someone who can lead the family better than me becomes the head. Whether it's you, my older brother, or Raon, it doesn't matter."
He answered with a gaze as solemn and straightforward as his physique.
"I see. So that's how it is."
Denier nodded as if he now understood.
"What about you? You pretends to be nice, but you're secretly aiming for the position of head of house, aren't you?"
"Well..."
Denier smiled gently.
"I'm a bit different from both our older brother who insists on becoming the head of house himself, and you who doesn't mind if it's given to someone else."
"What do you mean by that? Explain it in simpler terms!"
Balder frowned as if he didn't understand.
"There's no particular need for you to know."
Denier said that as he turned his back.
"And just in case..."
He raised his finger while looking back at Balder.
"Don't ask Raon to create a martial art for you just because you helped him once today. You'll be kicked out."
"Huh? I can't?"
Balder blinked as if he was about to go to the annex building right away.
"Creating a martial art isn't easy, and Raon's opinion of you is probably at rock bottom. What do you think you'll accomplish by going there now?"
Denier sighed as if he had expected this.
"Then I just need to help him one more time, right?"
Balder smiled, saying that should be fine.
"It's not about the number of times. Even if you do it five times, it won't work!"
Denier raised his voice, unable to hold back.
"I got it. Then six times!"
"Huh..."
As soon as he heard Balder's cheeky answer, he drooped his shoulders as if giving up completely.
"...Do as you please."
"Now this feels like old times."
Balder chuckled as he looked at the exhausted Denier.
"You've been putting on airs lately. But you're still the same."
"Sigh..."
Denier shook his head.
"Simplicity is one of your weapons. Keep walking that path."
With those final words, he left for the Wise Martial Palace.
"I told you to speak simply."
Balder watched Denier leave and snorted.
* * *
The next day.
Raon finished preparing for the mission and climbed onto the platform of the Fifth Training Ground.
With his hands behind his back, he looked down at all the members of the Light Wind division.
Although not much time had passed since he had passed down the Gale Wind Style, the swordsmen's aura had reached an even higher level. It was evident they had been training day and night.
He stood at the edge of the platform with a look of pride on his face.
"This mission is to subjugate the monster king born in Devarn Mountain."
Raon explained the mission once again while looking at the Light Wind division, who showed anticipation rather than tension.
"There are strong monsters like Etin, and the number of monsters is said to be endlessly increasing, so it's just the right opponent to test the Gale Wind Style."
"In such cases, isn't the usual advice to be careful, not that they are suitable?"
Dorian's jaw trembled as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Our Division Leader isn't a normal person, is he? He's crazy. No, a little insane. No, elegantly insane...?"
Krein stumbled over his words as if his mind got tangled while trying to describe Raon.
"Unless it's the king and his royal guard, you don't need to fear ordinary monsters."
"That's true!"
"We've grown a lot too!"
"If it's not the Five Demons, mere monsters are nothing!"
"Right. If we lose to monsters, we might as well bite our tongues and die!"
The Light Wind division nodded confidently, seemingly having turned their daily training into self-assurance.
"Good confidence. So..."
Raon smiled as if pleased.
"If you get even a small wound from mere monsters, or if the subjugation takes longer than expected, there will be a punishment that will make you think biting your tongue and dying would be better."
His red eyes gleamed with a bloody light.
"Ah..."
"Oh no..."
"We fell for it again!"
"Krein! Please shut your mouth!"
The Light Wind division screamed as they realized they had fallen for Raon's bait.
Slap!
Raon clapped his hands loudly to silence the swordsmen.
"Of course, there will be training on the way there."
He said this while pointing at their feet with his finger.
"You've become accustomed to incorporating the Gale Wind Style into your swordsmanship, but there are still many shortcomings in your footwork..."
"N-no way..."
"Your guess is correct. Practice incorporating the Gale Wind Style into your footwork throughout the entire journey. Even with super sense, if you consciously evoke it, you can achieve greater effectiveness."
The Light Wind division's faces turned pale at Raon's instructions.
"Then let's start now. The one running at the very back will have their head..."
As soon as he mentioned "head," the Light Wind division rushed out of the training ground, stirring up the wind of the Gale Wind Style.
"Um..."
Rimmer awkwardly smiled while gauging the situation.
"I-I don't have to do it, right? I've almost mastered it."
"..."
Raon smiled brightly while picking up his scabbard, without answering.
"Aish! What are the demons doing! Why aren't they taking him away!"
Rimmer ran out with a tearful face, wondering where there's a disciple who threatens their master.
-What nonsense!
Wrath yelled while looking at Rimmer's back.
-If they take this guy, even the Devildom will be ruined!
* * *
"Ugh..."
Hoppen, the 5th Holy Knight Commander of the Suphren Holy Kingdom, swallowed dryly as he looked at the endless wall of monsters.
'This is no joke, is it?'
There was no need to spread out his aura perception. The stench and fighting spirit of the monsters covered the entire mountain. There were too many to count.
'It hasn't been long since we heard about the king's appearance, and it's already this bad...'
It wasn't just the numbers. The mountain was filled not with lowly kobolds or goblins, but with mid to high-level monsters.
'At this rate, we'll be annihilated.'
If the medium and large monsters had this much numbers and power, they wouldn't even be able to approach the king and his royal guard.
Retreating was the only option now.
"Retreat! Everyone retreat!"
Hoppen stepped forward to buy time for the knights and soldiers to fall back.
'We can't lose any more lives.'
Knight Commander Byten and many knights had died in Barene where the Five Divine Orders' festival was held. They couldn't lose more knights here.
"T-there are monsters behind us too!"
"It seems they've surrounded us from the base of the mountain!"
The holy knights who had moved to clear a path returned with the troops, their lips trembling.
"Damn it..."
Hoppen bit his lip as he felt the killing intent of the monsters coming from behind.
'The king should be at the top of the mountain, is there another leader?'
Ordinary monsters couldn't possibly deploy such an encirclement. There must be someone else giving orders.
'So that's why we lost contact with the vanguard.'
They must all be dead.
Among the reconnaissance team that went up first, there was even a knight who had reached the early stages of Master.
He thought it was strange that they couldn't be contacted, but now it was clear they had been wiped out.
'There's no choice.'
Giving up on saving everyone, he changed his plan to save as many as possible.
"From now on, I'll take the lead! Release the formation and switch to breakthrough formation!"
Hoppen extended his astral energy towards the path with the fewest monsters. The blade enveloped in holy light split the wall of monsters in half.
"Charge!"
As soon as the path opened, he gave the order and rushed down the mountain. He continuously extended his astral energy to prevent the monsters from filling the gap again.
Kihihi.
Just as they could see the base of the mountain, a bizarre laugh rang out and the ground suddenly collapsed.
Kuuung!
He stopped his steps, stepped back and turned his head to see a troll shaman waving a staff made of human bones.
"You bastard!"
As Hoppen moved to cut down the shaman, monsters began blocking the path again.
Kuuung!
The troll shaman, seemingly aware of the range of astral energy, cast spells from a distance, crushing knights and soldiers with boulders.
"Stop!"
Hoppen sharpened his astral energy and launched a long-range slash, but the troll shaman simply stepped back and continued attacking with magic.
Judging by how well it measured the distance, it must be quite intelligent.
'So it was that guy...'
It seems that creature was the one who deployed the encirclement of monsters to pressure them. Now that he looked closely, even its skin color was different. It wasn't an ordinary troll shaman.
'If I use all my power on that guy, we won't be able to descend...'
If he used all his strength, he could kill the troll shaman, but it would be dangerous for him too. The battle had been going on for a while, so he didn't have much energy left.
'There's no way out!'
Hoppen bit his lip. As befitting a commander of the Holy Knight Order, he had to save his subordinates even if it meant sacrificing himself. He summoned all his remaining energy to raise a dense astral barrier.
Chwaaaaang!
Just as he was about to break through the encirclement in one go and behead the troll shaman.
Wooooong.
The troll shaman's body became blurry and disappeared like an illusion. It was a magic spell that created a phantom. He had been completely fooled.
Kihihihi!
The troll shaman that appeared next to the soldiers giggled. Burning rocks shot from its hands and began falling on the heads of the knights and soldiers.
'Damn it!'
Hoppen's jaw trembled. The urgent situation made it impossible to make proper judgments.
"No!"
He screamed and reached out his hand, but the distance was too far.
Just as his heart was tightening at the sense of his subordinates' deaths.
Whoooooosh!
A blue wind that seemed to erase the darkness of the mountain blew in, and the head of the troll shaman who had been mocking the humans fell off with a thud.
Behind it, swordsmen wrapped in a clear aura sprang out and began slaughtering the monsters.
"Die!"
"All of you, perish!"
However, they swung their swords not like knights bringing salvation, but like vengeful demons exacting revenge.
"W-what..."
Hoppen's eyes trembled as he saw the swordsman walking up last. Golden hair, red eyes. A man wrapped in a radiance brighter than the sun, an unforgettable martial artist even though he had only seen him once.
"Raon Zieghart!"
"Mad Dog Division."
Raon, looking even more noble than when seen in Barene, elegantly moved his lips.
"Tear them all apart."
"..."