Raon burned the book Judiel prepared for him after memorizing the contents of it.
Since it would be annoying if somebody who was not from the annex building found the book, it was better to just burn it.
“Hmm…”
Raon tapped the ground with his finger, watching the book be incinerated in the air.
“I probably need to learn a new swordsmanship.”
According to Judiel’s book, the monsters in Habun castle had bulky bodies and thick skin, which was difficult to cut with a sword.
Since Zieghart’s basic swordsmanship had a 5:5 balance between attack and defense, it was not suitable for dealing with a large number of monsters, or large monsters with thick skin.
The sword technique from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation would work, but it consumed too much aura as every single one of those techniques were extremely powerful.
He was going to need offensive swordsmanship that he could use casually.
‘I guess I have practiced basic swordsmanship enough by now.’
Zieghart’s basic swordsmanship was the only thing he had been using and practicing up to that point. Since the foundation was now solid enough, it was time for him to build floors on top of it.
“Hmm…”
Raon opened the lowest drawer of the desk and took out the shining silver tablet. The burning blade engraved at the center of it was the Flame Sword emblem.
It was the silver tablet he had been rewarded for killing the Green War Demon and saving everyone during the second mission.
Rattle.
He licked his lips while fiddling with the silver tablet. He had planned to use it in order to restore Sylvia’s rank to the direct line, but when he thought about it, he actually didn’t need to do that.
‘Because it’s not a trivial matter.’
He needed gold tablets, instead of a silver tablet, to restore Sylvia’s rank from collateral to direct line. Moreover, just a few of them wouldn’t be enough. He was going to need a lot of them.
Therefore, it was more important to get stronger using any means he had. The correct decision was to invest for the future instead of saving up the tablets.
“I should go.”
Raon stood up, putting the silver tablet in his pocket. He left the room and met Judiel on his way to the lobby.
“Good morning.”
Judiel leaned forward and bowed.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all.”
Raon expressed his thanks while receiving her greeting, and Judiel shook her head without an expression on her face.
It looked like the slight smile he saw back then was her true face after all.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to use this.”
Raon took out the shining silver tablet from his pocket and showed it to her.
“I’m going to squeeze out whatever I can get.”
***
Raon went straight to the lord’s manor. The gatekeeper stopped him, but he guided him to the audience chamber once he showed him the silver tablet.
‘This is why success is important.’
He stopped him because he was a collateral, but his attitude changed completely upon seeing the tablet. Gaining achievements and becoming successful was important in order to avoid unfair treatment.
“Hmm…”
Raon felt like people were staring daggers at him on his way to the audience chamber. Every single swordsman and office worker inside the audience chamber was glancing at him.
Considering they completely ignored him without even looking at him before, they were seeing him in a slightly different light.
“We have arrived.”
The gatekeeper stopped walking as he was thinking about the way people looked at him. He raised his head and saw the audience chamber’s enormous iron door in front of him.
He explained the circumstance to the gatekeeper in front of the audience chamber, and he sent a message inside. It was answered soon enough.
“Please enter.”
The gatekeeper touched the door with his hand and the enormous iron door opened. At the same time, Glenn’s powerful energy wave could be felt. It was something he could never get used to, no matter how many times he visited the audience chamber.
Raon walked over the golden carpet covering the floor and stood at the center of the audience chamber. Glenn was looking at him with his usual gaze—he couldn’t read his intentions.
“Greeting my lord!”
“Enough.”
As he was about to kneel and bow, Glenn waved his hand. Raon was hanging in a crooked position, before slowly standing up.
“Get straight to the point.”
Seeing that arrogant appearance over and over reminds me of the King of Essence in Devildom. Countless nobles were frightened by the King of Essence’s overwhelming presence, and…
“Understood.”
Raon took out the silver tablet, ignoring the guy blabbering right next to him.
“I want to use the silver tablet I received before.”
“Using the silver tablet is up to you, but didn’t you say you wanted to achieve something with it?”
Glenn leaned forward slightly, and the audience chamber’s atmosphere grew colder.
“Indeed. I was planning to save them up in order to restore Mother to the direct line.”
“And you are using it now, despite that?”
“There’s something I understood during the difficult mission and the duel against a member of the direct line.”
Raon spoke nonchalantly.
“What did you understand?”
“I think my achievement was rather outstanding, but no one mentioned anything about the direct line. That’s when I remembered what my lord told me, that it was going to be difficult to achieve.”
Just like Glenn had said, he needed to be recognized by everyone in order to become a member of the direct line. Getting a bronze or silver tablet was nowhere close to being enough.
“Since the silver tablets won’t make any difference, I figured it’s better to use them to get stronger, which will allow me to gather gold tablets.”
“Are you using it as an investment?”
“That’s my intention.”
“Hmm.”
Glenn looked like he didn’t really care as he slowly nodded. His expression and atmosphere didn’t change at all.
“So, what do you want to exchange that silver tablet for?”
“A swordsmanship. I’m heading to Habun castle for my graduation exam, so I need an offensive technique that would allow me to kill endless waves of monsters.”
——————
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“An offensive swordsmanship, let’s see…”
Glenn nodded and stood from the throne. He browsed through the books on the side, before his gaze fixated on the black book in the middle.
“This will be suitable.”
He flicked his finger and the book floated up like a cloud, flying towards Raon.
“This is…”
Raon narrowed his eyes. He expected him to open the round library like the last time, but he personally chose a book for him instead. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, as it was completely unexpected.
‘Fangs of Insanity Swordplay.’
On the black book’s cover, Fangs of Insanity Swordplay was written in a bloody style. It was a technique that he had never heard of before.
“Are you going to take this one? Or do you prefer choosing one by yourself?”
“……”
Raon opened his right hand and touched the book. The roughness of the cover felt like he was touching a beast’s fang.
‘I can trust him with something like this.’
He was sure Glenn disliked him, but he trusted him to hand out fair rewards as the head of house of a huge family. It was unlikely that he would give some flawed or weak technique as a reward.
“I’ll take this one.”
Raon immediately nodded, since he liked the technique’s name as well.
“It will fit you perfectly.”
“Thank you. Then…”
“Wait.”
When Raon was about to leave after bowing to him, Glenn raised his hand.
* * *
* * *
“Let me ask you one thing.”
“Yes.”
“Weren’t you scared after learning that your graduation exam would take place in Habun castle?”
Glenn took a step forward. Even though he wasn’t spreading his pressure, Raon felt overwhelmed—as if a giant were looking down on him.
“You must be well aware of what kind of place Habun castle is, since you came to get a book on swordsmanship. Have you considered refusing the exam?”
“I haven’t.”
Raon shook his head. He thought it could be dangerous, but he wasn’t scared at all, nor did he consider refusing it.
‘I can’t become stronger without hardship.’
Overcoming a crisis was the fastest way of getting stronger in his previous life.
It was the same in his current life. He had achieved the largest amount of growth upon defeating the Green War Demon and surviving against the Blood Raving Demon.
If getting stronger at an average pace was all he wanted, he could just keep training in the training ground along with the others. However, he had to use crisis as his opportunity if he wanted to get stronger faster than others, to reach a higher level.
“I learned a lesson from the fight against Eden.”
“What did you learn?”
“That short fight of life and death granted me as much growth one year’s worth of training in the training ground. I’ll be glad to have a similar experience this time.”
Raon spoke his honest thoughts.
“And Instructor Rimmer would never give me a trial that was impossible to overcome. I’m sure it will be difficult, but I believe I’ll get strong enough to be grateful that I went there.”
“I see.”
Glenn’s expression didn’t change. He wasn’t even nodding, but he felt like the audience chamber’s atmosphere had become lighter somehow.
“I see, you shall leave.”
“Yes.”
Raon properly bowed, as he couldn’t finish it before, and turned around.
“Raon Zieghart.”
As he opened the door and was about to leave, Glenn called his name.
“There are multiple ways of using swordsmanship. Widen the range of your thoughts.”
“…I see.”
It seemed to be advice, but he couldn’t grasp its meaning. He just nodded.
Glenn waved his hand, signaling for him to leave. Raon bowed for the last time and left the audience chamber.
***
“Hmm hmm hmm.”
A pleased sound was heard from behind the pillar next to Glenn’s throne.
“Did it make you that happy?”
“Of course it did, since my student appreciates his teacher’s consideration.”
Rimmer stepped out from behind the pillar, not hiding his smile.
“You saw that he is perfectly aware of my intentions. He really is a sweet and smart boy. He is different from the preaching Burren or swearing Martha. I can’t help looking after him.”
“I don’t think you deserve him either since you are talking behind your students’ back.”
Glenn sneered, displeased with Rimmer’s broad smile.
“What do you mean, talking behind their backs? I’m just joking, they are all cute little ones for me. I care for all trainees equally.”
Rimmer giggled.
“Anyway, Raon is also aware of the fact that the fight of life and death is extremely helpful for his growth.”
“Many people do know that. Most people just can’t overcome their fear, even with that knowledge.”
Glenn looked down at the center of the audience chamber, where Raon had been standing until a moment ago.
‘He was completely fearless.’
There was no fear in Raon’s eyes. Despite what he said, he wasn’t thirsty for fame. All he had shown was composure. The calmness to do what he could after grasping the situation.
‘How can he be like that?’
He had never seen anyone with such a mindset at that age in his long life. And the fact that he was his grandson made him overjoyed.
“It looks like the head of house also likes Raon. Your mouth is twitching.”
As he was happily thinking about Raon, Rimmer’s smirking voice could be heard.
“Just shut up for a moment.”
Glenn frowned. That stupid elf seriously couldn’t read the atmosphere.
“Anyway, you gave him the Fangs of Insanity.”
Rimmer smiled, looking at the library in the inner area.
“You made a new library that didn’t exist before in order to give him a book of swordsmanship worthy of a golden tablet. I see you cherish your grandson very much.”
“You are such a blabbermouth.”
“I always have been. I think I’ve been less talkative nowadays, though.”
“Haa…”
Glenn didn’t want to deal with him anymore and shook his head.
“The ‘Fangs of Insanity’ is an excellent technique, but it’s extremely violent. I wonder whether Raon can control it properly.”
“I’ve done my part. Whether he manages to control it or throws it away because he can’t learn it, that’s all up to him.”
“Oh…”
Rimmer clapped his hand in admiration.
“Even if you say that, you gave him proper advice back then. I guess the grandfather loves his grandson the most…”
“You leave me no choice.”
Glenn clicked his tongue and raised his hand.
“Uh!”
Rimmer, who had been grinning, was dragged towards Glenn as if he was attached by a thread.
“I’ve been tolerating you because you are injured, but you don’t know when to stop.”
“W-wait! My lord!”
“Since you got a bit healthier, it should be fine to beat you up now.”
Rimmer struggled, but he couldn’t resist the pulling force.
“Sir Roenn! Where is that old man?! Please save m… keuh!”
The sound of Rimmer getting beaten up echoed in the audience chamber for the first time in around thirty years.
***
Raon returned to the annex building with the book of swordsmanship. Without even visiting his room, he sat down at the open area behind the building.
‘Let’s see…’
Upon opening the book, there was a sentence supposedly written by the author.
Become a swordsman who consumes their sword.
He couldn’t understand what it meant, but it felt similar to Glenn’s advice from before.
Since it was a waste of time to keep reading something he couldn’t understand, he flipped to the next page where an explanation about the swordsmanship could be found, complete with words and illustrations.
‘Let’s try reading it.’
He read the book of swordsmanship while using the Ring of Fire. He raised his head after five hours had passed, his eyes full of admiration.
‘…Did he really give me such a technique?’
