Chapter 481
“The conference of the Five Divine Orders…”
Raon smiled coldly at McCain.
“Are you copying the conference of the six kings?”
“Not at all.”
McCain calmly shook his head even though he was aware Raon was making fun of them.
“The factions of the Five Divine Orders have obviously different characteristics. To be honest, it’s difficult to understand how the five groups, including our White Whale, have come together.”
It was true. The White Whale felt like the lawful version of the Black Market, and the Demon Spear Guild that he’d seen the previous day gave off a similar feeling as the South-North Union.
It was obvious that the other three groups had different characteristics. Since those factions, which weren’t related at all, combined their forces to avoid being controlled by the Six Kings and the Five Demons, it was only natural that they needed to exchange their opinions.
“The conference is necessary to mediate the five factions’ opinions. It’s indispensable for us, unlike the Six Kings who have already reached a consensus.”
McCain furrowed his brow as he told him that they’d even started to swing their blades at each other during a conference in the past.
“So why are you calling me to such an important conference?”
Raon unclasped his hands from behind his back and turned around towards McCain.
“It’s because Sir Raon is representing Zieghart.”
“I’m not the real representative.”
“We couldn’t find Sir Rimmer at all. That’s why we had no choice but to inform you, Sir Raon.”
“Does that mean that I can send our division leader instead?”
“…Indeed.”
McCain’s response was slightly delayed compared to the other times.
‘So, the Thespian Emperor wants me to participate. Is she plotting something again?’
He obviously had no intention of sending that troublemaker Rimmer to the conference, but learning the Thespian Emperor’s intentions was a great harvest.
“Regardless of who participates in the conference, we’d like to show you that the Five Divine Orders have no hostility against the Six Kings.”
McCain bowed while saying that it was the only intention.
“Did any other Six Kings participate?”
“Owen and Balkar didn’t send any response at all.”
“That’s understandable.”
Raon nodded calmly.
‘Because they must’ve thought that the Five Divine Orders were underestimating them.’
Cameloon was located right above the Five Divine Orders’ city, Banneret, and Owen and Balker were located left and right from it.
Since their city was founded by taking advantage of that neutral area, it was obvious that those two kingdoms wouldn’t be favorable towards the Five Divine Orders.
“As for the Beast Union, hmm…”
McCain slurred the end of his words. Once Raon thought about the ferocious face of the Beast King Ogram, he could easily guess what happened to the envoy sent to the Beast Union.
“The Magic Tower has responded faster than Zieghart.”
“The Magic Tower did?”
Raon’s eyes widened.
‘I thought they wouldn’t come.’
He’d thought that the Magic Tower was even more unlikely to attend than the Beast Union, yet they had dispatched people so quickly. It was an unexpected occurrence.
“Who came from their side?”
“The Ironclad Yuria came from there.”
“Ironclad Yuria…”
Raon had heard about her from the rumors. She was a once-in-a-century genius magician who had limited external activities. That was why it was unexpected for her to come to the Five Divine Orders.
“The heads of the other neutral factions have also been invited on top of the Six Kings. We would love your presence at the conference.”
McCain bowed once again while asking for his participation.
“Are you also inviting the Black Market and House Yonaan?”
“Indeed.”
“When is the conference?”
“It’s happening tonight. It’s held at the same time as the first banquet.”
“Tonight?”
Raon furrowed his brow while looking at the sky.
“Aren’t you supposed to notify us a few days in advance when it comes to a matter like this?”
“One person was against disclosing the conference, but they finally changed their mind this morning. We are just trying to show our sincerity, so we kindly ask for your understanding.”
Refuse it!
Wrath shook his head so quickly that his eyes couldn’t even be seen anymore.
You promised the King of Essence! Tell him to fuck off!
He ground his teeth while saying that he had to refuse no matter what.
‘Hmm, I’m sorry, but…’
Raon shook his head while holding Wrath’s head.
‘I think I need to go. Let’s postpone the dinner promise a little.’
It was a rare opportunity to meet the heads of the Five Divine Orders at once. Joining the conference to figure out what they were thinking was the correct course of action.
But you already paid for the restaurant when you made the reservation!
‘The Light Wind division can have it. I’ll tell them to leave some for us.’
But it’s not tasty when it’s cold!
‘There’s no other choice.’
Argh! You damned sky! This shitty world!
Wrath’s body started to turn into strawberry cotton candy once again. There’s no other way! Hand your body over to the King of Essence!
‘What are you doing right no—?’
They stopped him from having ice cream last time, and it’s lobster and pig’s feet this time. The King of Essence is going to freeze everything that’s disturbing his meal!
Wrath was drooling from his mouth as he unleashed his wrath.
He will delicately eat them and return your body to you! Hand it over right now!
‘Delicately eat what?’
N-no, he will delicately use your body and return it!
‘Wipe your drool and try lying again…’
* * *
* * *
Raon put on the black formal outfit and pulled on the Black Dragon Coat before leaving his room.
Encia and Denning Rose were standing inside the lobby, and their colors were the complete opposite.
Denning Rose’s dress was even darker than the day before, as if she were at a funeral, while Encia was wearing a bright shirt and pants that felt like it was midway between a work suit and a dress. She didn’t seem to care about the conference at all.
“Are you ready?”
“I am.”
“…I’m screwed.”
While Denning Rose responded calmly, Encia’s shoulders drooped.
“Did something happen?”
“It’s about the photos.”
Encia bit her lip while lifting the camera.
“The photos in my subspace pocket disappeared while I was asleep!”
“I noticed it was a huge amount. Aren’t they somewhere else, or…?”
“There’s no way! Because only the A-ranks have disappeared!”
“A-rank?”
“She means the best photos.”
Denning Rose explained the term A-rank instead. Raon looked at her, and she blushed in embarrassment.
“Considering the fact that they took away the best ones among the A-ranks, they must know a lot about Sir Raon!”
Encia ground her teeth just as the mansion’s door opened and Rimmer made his entrance.
“Huh? Why are you wearing such nice clothes? Are you going somewhere?”
Rimmer tilted his head, a liquor bottle in his hand.
“I’ve been invited to the Five Divine Orders’ conference as Zieghart’s representative. Do you want to go there in my stead, division leader?”
Raon had no intention of letting Rimmer go instead, but he asked just in case.
“Nah, I can’t be bothered.”
Rimmer shook his liquor bottle while giving the expected response.
“You know I trust you, my vice division leader. You can take care of it!”
He smiled cheerfully and patted Raon’s shoulder.
“Wow…”
“Is he seriously our division leader…?”
“He is just a drunkard.”
“This is seriously driving me nuts.”
The Light Wind swordsmen sighed while looking at Rimmer, who was completely drunk.
“I wanna beat him up…”
Martha’s fist was trembling from the urge to jump at him and start beating him up.
However, Rimmer didn’t stink of alcohol despite what they were thinking.
“Division leader.”
Raon narrowed his eyes while watching Rimmer, who was faltering.
“Did something bad happen?”
“What do you mean?”
“I think you are angry.”
Rimmer was different from usual. Raon couldn’t explain why he felt like that, but he had a feeling that Rimmer’s emotions were boiling like magma.
“Why would I be angry? I’m in a great mood right now.”
Rimmer shook his head and denied his claim. Raon became even more suspicious upon seeing his face.
You are right.
Wrath nodded while looking at Rimmer.
He can feel the wrath from Shitty Ears.
‘Wrath?’
This is the reason why the King of Essence didn’t like him from the first time he saw him.
‘What do you mean?’
Shitty Ears never revealed the intense wrath dwelling at the bottom of his soul. He’s an annoying guy.
Wrath frowned while calling Rimmer an idiot who couldn’t be honest about his emotions.
‘Does that mean that I could feel the difference because of his wrath?’
Raon figured he must’ve noticed that Rimmer was being strange because he was angry.
‘But why is he angry all of the sudden?’
What else? It must be because he lost all his money!
Wrath tapped on Raon’s head while asking him how he couldn’t realize such an obvious fact.
‘I don’t think so, though.’ Rimmer never got angry from the bottom of his heart no matter how much money he’d lost. He even sometimes felt like he was losing on purpose.
“Ah, yeah. I’m angry indeed.”
Rimmer walked up to Raon and grabbed him by his collar.
“It’s because you took all the money from the casinos that they are raking in all of the shitters’ money like crazy! I also lost everything I had!”
He recited the tale of his desperate battle in the casino before heading to his room.
‘It’s not because of gambling.’
Raon furrowed his brow while looking at Rimmer’s faltering back.
‘I need to find out later.’
* * *
Raon headed towards the Five Divine Orders’ conference room located at the center of Banneret alongside Encia and Denning Rose, following McCain.
The road towards the conference room was brimming with people, probably because the festival was about to start. There were warriors, merchants, travelers, and even spectators, which made it difficult to step in.
If the White Whale hadn’t made a path for them, he would’ve had some trouble bringing Denning Rose and Encia to the conference room.
“This is the Banneret’s conference room.”
After leading the way, McCain calmly bowed to Raon and pointed at the high-rise building reaching the sky in front of them.
The conference room was as huge and majestic as Owen’s royal castle, probably because they were trying to raise awareness of the Five Divine Orders. It could’ve been mistaken for a royal castle or a temple if he didn’t know it was a conference room.
“Please enter.”
“Thank you.”
Raon nodded at McCain and opened the door.
The iron door was big enough for an ogre to enter, but it was pushed inward without making any noise. At the same time, beautiful moonlight shone down from the glass ceiling.
The corridor, where the elegant moonlight was peeking in, almost looked like the manifestation of Malten’s stairway—the supposed path toward the god.
‘It’s so luxurious that it almost feels divine.’
Weak animals had a tendency to hide themselves behind a flashy appearance. Raon could feel that the Five Divine Orders didn’t have true authority despite their might.
Raon exhaled faintly and stepped on the red carpet. His steps were powerful despite being composed as he advanced towards the center of the conference room, which was where the rectangular table was located.
Even though he’d arrived on time, there weren’t that many empty seats. Judging from the atmosphere, the others seemed to have arrived a long time ago.
Raon looked in a different location. He could see Dumptkan from House Tven and Biten, the holy knight captain of the Holy Kingdom of Schper. In addition to them, multiple heads of houses and division leaders from renowned factions were also taking their seats. They weren’t lying about calling many people to the conference.
The Thespian Emperor greeted him with her eyes from the upper seat. A man and a woman that he’d never seen before were sitting next to her, and Raon’s fingertips trembled upon feeling the pressures naturally emerging from them.
‘Are they the heads of the other Five Divine Orders?’
The blond woman on the left was hugging a sword with her arms crossed, and he could barely look at her because of her ferocious gaze. She felt as frightening as a polished blade. She must’ve been Brigit, the Queen of Swords.
An old man with gray hair was sitting on the Thespian Emperor’s right side, and his narrow eyes made him look like he was smiling. He had a gentle atmosphere around him, unlike Brigit, but he felt even more uncomfortable than her. He must’ve been the Demonblade, Derek.
The presence of three out of the five heads of the Five Divine Orders was making the huge conference room feel as narrow as a small room.
“Please take a seat.”
Raon finished observing them and let Denning Rose and Encia take a seat. Just as he was about to sit down after them, the conference room’s door opened again.
“I knew you would be here!”
The Demon Slaying Spear entered while scratching his head and waved his hand at Raon.
“How are you going to entertain me today?”
He grinned, asking him to do something interesting once again.
“I’m not here to please you.”
Raon shook his head while watching the Demon Slaying Spear head to the upper seats.
“Gasp!”
“Err…”
“Th-the White Sword Dragon was being rude to the Demon Slaying Spear just now, wasn’t he?”
“Is he insane?”
“Wh-what is he even thinking…?”
The heads of the neutral factions sitting at the table started to freak out with trembling eyes.
“That’s true, but I’m having fun just from watching you.”
On the other hand, the Demon Slaying Spear wasn’t getting angry at all. Instead, his smile deepened despite the rudeness.
“S-Sir Raon.”
The Thespian Emperor bit her lip tightly while calling Raon’s name. She seemed to be asking him for some moderation, but Raon could tell at a glance that she was just acting like it.
“Huhuhu.”
Just as Raon was about to sit down after watching the Thespian Emperor, quiet laughter could be heard from the upper seats. The way he was laughing was similar to Roenn, but he could feel the evil in the voice.
“Zieghart’s representative has no manners. It must be because he became so famous at a young age.”
It was the Demonblade. His narrow eyes widened slightly and revealed his snake eyes.
“……”
Raon looked down on the Demonblade with a straight back.
“Why are you glaring at me? Did I say anything wrong?”
Alongside his furious voice, ferocious pressure stormed at him. It was difficult to even open his mouth. The torrent of will created by the Demonblade was surrounding him.
“You shall be more polite in the future towards everyone.”
Raon closed his eyes while the Demonblade blabbered some bullshit.
‘Defend the will with the will.’
Just like he’d blocked the Demon Slaying Spear’s attack, he unleashed his aura and will at the same time.
His mental image further enhanced by his enlightenment created an energy wave as elegant as a blade.
Crack!
Raon destroyed the Demonblade’s rope of will and walked towards the upper seats.
“Who did you ask for?”
“What…?”
The Demonblade’s lips were trembling, since he hadn’t expected his will to be breached.
“Did you ask for the White Sword Dragon, Raon Zieghart?”
Raon looked down on the heads of the Five Divine Orders emotionlessly, including the Demonblade.
“The one you invited wasn’t the White Sword Dragon, Raon Zieghart, but an executive from Zieghart. My presence here is as a representative of Zieghart.”
Crimson flame burst from him alongside his powerful will. Scales sprouted from the Black Dragon Coat, and a dark wave sloshed around.
The supreme emblem of the divine sword engraved on the left side of his chest was spreading an auspicious light through the head of the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation.
“You are the ones who are being rude.”
Crimson light sparkled from Raon’s eyes as he crushed the conference room on his own.
“You shall treat me with the highest respect from now on.”