After surveying House Arianne's remarkable progress with Wendy, Raon headed to the Black Market branch.
"Greetings, Light Wind Palace Master."
The middle-aged man in charge of the Black Market branch in Arianne territory bowed his head. With his bald head and lack of eyebrows, his appearance was so intimidating it was difficult to maintain eye contact.
"I am Mutiron, Branch Manager responsible for House Arianne and the surrounding areas!"
He raised his voice while stating his name, which seemed as strong as his appearance.
"Please have a seat."
Mutiron extended his hand toward the chair across from him.
-That, that guy...
Wrath swallowed hard while looking at Mutiron.
-Why does his voice sound like that!
'I don't know either...'
Raon clicked his tongue as he sat down in the chair across from Mutiron.
'His voice is so different from his appearance, I can't get used to it.'
While Mutiron's appearance and name embodied masculinity itself, his voice was thin and delicate enough to be a soprano. If one closed their eyes to listen, they would think it belonged to a petite woman.
"Would green tea be alright?"
"Ah, yes."
"The tea leaves here are quite excellent."
Mutiron poured the tea with fingers as thick as steel plates and placed it in front of him. The disconnect between his beautiful voice and rough appearance was so striking that one could almost forget why they came here.
"It's really clean-tasting."
Raon rubbed his chin after drinking the tea.
"You're here about the white-haired child with red eyes, aren't you?"
Mutiron placed both hands on the table, indicating he had received word from the Black Market headquarters.
"That's correct."
Raon nodded as he set down his teacup. Thanks to him bringing up the topic first, Raon remembered why he had come to the Black Market branch.
"I prepared everything in advance, knowing you would come, Lord Raon."
Mutiron placed a black booklet on the table. He nodded as if telling Raon to open it.
"Hmm..."
Raon looked at Mutiron before opening the booklet.
"The white-haired child with red eyes was first spotted in Pulito, a city adjacent to House Arianne's territory."
Mutiron pointed to a map on the wall as he explained the contents of the booklet.
"After consuming all the bead ice cream in Pulito, the child moved to neighboring cities and continued buying ice cream. In fact, it was easy to gather information since they always purchased in bulk."
His pleasant voice and clear pronunciation made the information easy to absorb.
"However, in other cities, they didn't finish the ice cream they bought and left some behind. The amount left increased gradually, until finally, at House Arianne's bead ice cream shop, they just had some packed and disappeared."
Mutiron slightly lowered his eyebrows as he mentioned how Gluttony hadn't finished the bead ice cream after buying it.
"I've been a Black Market agent for quite some time, but I've never seen such an unusual child. I can't figure out where they got the high-quality gold coins with ancient patterns, or how they managed to eat so much bead ice cream alone."
He tilted his head, wondering where such a child had come from.
"I see..."
Raon nodded at Mutiron's words, but his mind was elsewhere.
'Is this real?'
Gluttony left ice cream behind? After buying it all? When he first heard this story from Arianne, he thought the information must have been wrong. The Monarch of Gluttony wouldn't leave behind their beloved bead ice cream. But hearing it from the Black Market agent who had been tracking Gluttony, he had no choice but to believe it.
'What in the world happened?'
Raon frowned as he looked at Wrath.
-That damn bastard...
Wrath's fists trembled as if he knew something.
-Why did they leave the bead ice cream behind! If they were going to waste it, they should have wasted it in my mouth!
He cried out in dismay at the waste of bead ice cream left by Gluttony.
'That's what this is about?'
Raon sighed as he looked at Wrath.
'Don't you know why Gluttony left it behind?'
-How would I know that!
Wrath thrust out his chest as if it was obvious he wouldn't know.
-Ah, maybe eating some bead ice cream will help us figure it out? Should we go get some? It's been a while.
He licked his lips as he suggested they go eat the ice cream Gluttony had left behind.
'No thanks.'
Raon pushed away the clingy Wrath and looked back at Mutiron.
"Where is that child now?"
He asked for their location, intending to find Gluttony personally.
"They're at the edge of the forest. Ah, for you, Lord Raon, I should say the Swamp of Death. The place where you personally slew the Specter."
Mutiron nodded as he provided Gluttony's exact location.
"What are they doing there?"
"We're not quite sure. They've been gathering fruits, herbs, plants, and even collecting meat from monsters and wild animals as they move around, but we don't know the exact reason."
He shook his head, indicating that even with this information, they couldn't make sense of it.
"I understand. Thank you."
Raon bowed to Mutiron and stood up from his chair.
"If you're going to find that child, I'll assign an agent to accompany you."
Mutiron reached back as if to call someone.
"No. It'll be faster if I go alone."
Raon waved his hand dismissively.
"As long as I know the direction, it'll be easy to find them."
If Gluttony was nearby, he could use the Authority of Gluttony sleeping within his soul to call them or locate their position. Moving alone would be faster and more convenient.
"Hmm, understood."
Mutiron didn't press the matter of an escort further, as if he had been briefed beforehand.
"As for the information fee..."
Raon was extending a pouch of gold coins to Mutiron for the information.
"Please give the information fee to the Branch Manager there after you return to Zieghart. Since that's where the information originated."
Mutiron mentioned Denning Rose's name, saying he couldn't accept payment here.
"Hmm, understood."
Raon tucked the pouch of gold coins back into his clothes and left the Black Market branch.
"Denning Rose. Now I understand why that child is stuck in Zieghart."
Mutiron let out an impressed chuckle as he watched Raon leave.
"Since he let me see it once more, I should buy him a drink later." (E/N: I don't understand this sentence either)
***
After finishing his conversation with Mutiron, Raon returned to the lodgings Wendy had shown him to.
"Did the conversation go well?"
Evelyn waved her hand in welcome.
"Your reason for visiting House Arianne wasn't just about successor support, was it? You need to find that white-haired child?"
Martha narrowed her eyes as if asking if he had just received that information.
"That's right."
Raon nodded calmly.
"Finding that child is just as important as getting support for succession."
In truth, getting Gluttony's agreement to participate in the war was far more important than receiving House Arianne's support for succession. While it wouldn't matter much if he didn't become successor, if Gluttony didn't join the war, the entire war situation could collapse in an instant.
"N-no way..."
Dorian's eyes trembled as he looked at Raon.
"It's true, right? That, that child is one of them!"
Having met Sloth at Habun Castle, he seemed to have figured out Gluttony's identity and drew in a sharp breath.
"You're quick to catch on."
Raon nodded with a subtle smile.
"What is it? What are you two talking about!"
Martha frowned with curiosity.
"Hmm."
Evelyn blew on her nails with a knowing smile, as if she already understood everything.
"I said, what is it!"
Unable to contain her curiosity, Martha grabbed Dorian by the collar.
"Demon King."
Raon casually dropped the term "demon king" as if calling out to a neighborhood dog.
-Huh?
Wrath turned to look at Raon with wide eyes.
-Are you planning to tell them everything now?
'No, that would be too difficult right now. I'm only telling those who trust me.'
The Continent's prejudices about demon kings were too deeply ingrained to reveal everything now. He planned to start by explaining the relationship between demon kings and angels to those closest to him.
"Ah, demon king. D-demon king?"
Martha's jaw dropped in shock.
"Hmm, demon king."
Evelyn wore a soft smile as if she had known all along.
"R-really? A real demon king?"
Martha's eyes trembled in disbelief.
"Why are you suddenly looking for a demon king? Don't tell me you're going to fight?"
"No."
Raon firmly shook his head.
"Since Derus is using the Archangel and Angels, it makes sense for us to bring in the demon kings."
"Is, is that right? Uhh..."
Martha blinked blankly before letting out a sigh.
"I don't know. If you say so, it must be right. You did say they helped before."
She nodded as if choosing to trust him even though it defied common sense. Since she had always hated evil like the White Blood Religion, it seemed she needed more time to understand.
"I'll explain everything gradually. For now, just know that demon kings aren't necessarily evil."
Raon grinned as he brushed off his hands.
"I'll go find that demon king as I said. You all stay here to assess the level of House Arianne's swordsmen and help train them."
He gave these instructions knowing Martha and Dorian could adequately help train House Arianne's swordsmen, including Wendy.
'Since there's probably no one suitable to receive Gluttony's power.'
Runaan and Sloth shared the trait of Sloth, making it easy to inherit that Authority. But among those around him, only Wrath matched Gluttony's gluttony. Since the Demon King of Wrath couldn't receive the Authority of Gluttony, passing on the power wouldn't be easy.
"Yes! Understood."
"I'll do that. Moving around will help clear my head too."
Dorian and Martha nodded in agreement.
"Have a safe trip. I'll wait here."
Evelyn waved lightly, saying she'd see him later. A chill ran down his spine when she said she'd wait.
-That's definitely a lie!
Wrath shook his head vigorously, saying she wasn't the type to sit still.
-She'll be watching you from somewhere!
'I know...'
Even without Wrath saying it, he had naturally sensed it as soon as Evelyn spoke.
"Umm..."
Raon awkwardly nodded to Evelyn before leaving the lodgings and heading straight for the forest that was once the Swamp of Death. The swamp that had once been full of undead and death energy had become a lush forest bursting with greenery. Once again, he felt the worth of having risked his life in battle.
'They said they were where I killed the Specter? Then I'll have to go all the way there.'
Raon moved across the well-packed ground using the Supreme Harmony Steps. Running at full speed, his surroundings blurred and an untouched dense forest appeared before him.
'My speed has increased.'
Perhaps because his past and present life souls were gradually merging, his footwork had become noticeably faster than before even without training. His vision narrowed from the extreme speed, making him wonder if something was wrong with his eyes. With a whoosh, Raon arrived at the edge of what was once the Swamp of Death, where he had slain the Specter, much faster than expected.
Some swamp remained here, but almost all the death energy had dissipated, making it look like ordinary mud.
'I can't sense Gluttony's aura.'
This land had been exposed to death energy for so long that it was difficult to sense others' auras around here. He would need to release his own aura to search.
'Where...'
Raon released his aura and activated the Authority of Gluttony residing in his soul. His entire body felt like it had transformed into a stomach as hunger arose and began rapidly absorbing the surrounding mana.
'Gluttony's location is...'
Could it be there? He sensed the faint rippling of gluttonous energy from the forest to the right. It had to be Gluttony.
-Hmm?
Wrath also seemed to sense Gluttony's energy as he turned his gaze to the right.
-Am I imagining things? Why does that glutton seem stronger?
He narrowed his eyes, saying Gluttony's power seemed to have increased.
-Hurry and go see! I want to know what they're doing!
'Alright.'
Raon deliberately made his footsteps loud as he entered the forest where Gluttony was, to avoid startling them. As he went deeper into the forest, he saw the back of a white-haired child crouched in front of a rock.
"Gluttony."
Raon called Gluttony's name as he approached.
'What is she doing?'
Gluttony was placing bead ice cream on the ground and experimenting with different food toppings, adding and removing fruits, herbs, and raw meat.
"What are you doing?"
Raon called out to Gluttony again with furrowed brows.
"I'm tired of bead ice cream..."
Gluttony slowly raised her head.
"I want to make my own bead ice cream. Something really delicious..."
A strange heat could be seen rising in her red eyes.
"Huh...?"
Raon's jaw trembled as he looked at the clearly changed Gluttony.
"Help me..."
Gluttony bowed her head, saying she wanted to make and eat her own bead ice cream.
"W-why suddenly decide to make ice cream..."
Raon stammered in confusion.
-Hehehehe! Why else would it be! It's all because of you!
Wrath clutched his stomach and started laughing, saying he understood now.
-Gluttony used to not care about taste and just stuff things in her mouth, but you've changed her nature!
He clapped loudly, saying that because of him, Gluttony's gluttony had transformed into becoming a gourmet instead.
'Ah...'
Hearing Wrath's words, Raon understood Gluttony's words and the look in her eyes.
-You'll have to take responsibility! Now instead of just eating tons of food, she'll only eat tons of delicious food!
Wrath cackled, saying an easy task had become very difficult.
'Making homemade ice cream...'
Raon squeezed his eyes shut as he looked at Gluttony asking for help.
'Wouldn't it be better if she just attacked like Sloth did?'
This was truly a disaster, wasn't it?