Raon raised his head to look at the platform. The hands of the leaders resembled pillars supporting the sky. Everyone on the platform had their hands raised.
The sight of all of the powerful people of the house—the ones above Master level—raising their hands to recruit him was an unforgettable spectacle, one that sent a thrill of exhilaration up his spine.
‘Though, I didn’t expect this.’
Denier was somewhat understandable, but he didn’t think Karoon or Balder would raise their hands. However, he didn’t seem to be the only one surprised. Even though countless people were inside the great training ground, for a moment there was no sound at all.
No one could close their mouth, confused by the unexpected sight.
“E-Everyone…?”
“All the division and squad leaders raised their hands!”
“Isn’t this the first time that’s happened today?”
“Not just today! It’s the first time since the selection the current head of house was a part of!”
“I-I’ve watched every Selection Ceremony, but this is the first time I’ve seen every single leader raise their hands…”
“That legend…”
The swordsmen managed to snap out of it, swallowing nervously as they looked back and forth between Raon and the division leaders.
“Legend? You’re right. It’s just like that legend!”
“The legend of the head of house has finally…”
“Does that mean he’s going to be the next head? But he’s just a collateral! He’s not even a member of the direct line!”
“But he inherited the blood of the direct line.”
“So, he is the next head…”
“That’s not a legend! It’s just a superstition!”
A few swordsmen murmured about the legend while looking at the hands of the division leaders, and the entire training ground started to talk about the legend of the head of house.
‘Legend?’
Raon narrowed his eyes. Since they were talking about legend, he remembered the superstition Judiel mentioned before.
The legend mentioned that if every leader on the platform raised their hands, the swordsman would definitely become the head of house. She’d said that Glenn also became the head of house after everyone raised their hands during his Selection Ceremony.
‘Is there any merit to that?’
It was just a superstition, not a fact. Moreover, Raon wasn’t exactly interested in becoming the head of house, since he just wanted to restore Sylvia’s status and take his revenge against Derus.
Raon turned his gaze to Glenn at the center of the platform. His usual cold expression was in place, no reaction on his face, but he looked warm for some reason—as if he were proud of him.
‘Hmm…’
He rubbed his eyes and looked at him once again, and that impression disappeared completely. It must’ve been his mistake.
‘Well, of course.’
Raon snickered and turned his head to the side. Karoon and the direct lines were staring at Rimmer in confusion, their raised hands trembling.
‘That gambling-addicted instructor must’ve done something.’
Considering the fact that they were giving him a killing glare, Rimmer must’ve influenced the situation by using the mindset of the direct lines. Raon couldn’t tell exactly what he did, but thought Rimmer was amazing in various ways.
Why does he always cry about losing gambles when he can do all that?
Wrath narrowed his eyes, unable to understand him.
‘I don’t know either.’
There’s no reason Rimmer should be losing when gambling. However, considering the way he still kept losing every day, he probably just was not suited for it—despite how much he liked it.
“Do you really believe this changes anything at all? Legend? It’s just a superstition.”
“That’s right. No one believes in a superstition like that!”
Karoon and Balder glared at Rimmer, saying that the legend of the head of house was nothing but a superstition.
“I’m sure there are plenty of people who won’t believe it, who would consider it a superstition. However, that is the impression that has been etched into the minds of the people here today.”
Rimmer stretched his arms to point at all the spectators.
“The possibility that Raon might really follow the legend to become the head of house. That alone is good enough for today. Well, I guess I didn’t lose anything anyway.”
“Argh!”
“Rimmer…”
“You won’t be able to die peacefully. I’ll make sure you can’t.”
Rimmer just smiled leisurely, making the direct line leaders—including Karoon and Balder—grind their teeth.
“Well, that’s a story for later. Host, please! Can you progress the ceremony? My arm is starting to hurt!”
“Ah, okay!”
The host, who was drooling from his mouth, slapped his own cheeks and raised his head.
“R-Raon Zieghart, please choose the organization that you want to join!”
The host said ‘please’ to a novice swordsman for the first time.
“Hmm…”
Raon examined the leaders on the platform from left to right, one after the other.
Some people desperately wanted him, like Ayad and Serena, while some neutral division leaders didn’t really care whether he joined or not. Some of the direct lines were even awkwardly holding their hands up because of Rimmer’s plot.
“Please! Please! Please!”
And Rimmer was praying for him to join, despite his previous composure.
“Hmm…”
Raon purposefully looked away from Rimmer, scratching his chin in consideration while looking at the left side, where Ayad, Serena, and Lattein were located.
“Gasp!”
Rimmer started to scream, trying to regain his attention, but Raon didn’t even turn to look at him.
[R-Raon!]
As he pretended to make a decision, Rimmer’s aura message arrived. His voice was whispering at him to keep it a secret from the division leaders next to him.
[Hey, kid! You gotta join the Light Wind! Why are you looking that way?]
He could feel the urgency from his voice.
[I made this squad for you guys! You can keep taking missions to increase your prowess and get achievements at the same time!]
It was a really attractive offer, but he still didn’t respond.
[Most of the friends that you guided as the top student are here as well. You will immediately become the vice-squad leader once you join! I’ll let you do everything you want! Don’t even look at the others! Honor and glory is right in front of you!]
He could feel Rimmer’s anxiety from his unusually quick speech. It was his time to bait out the fisherman that made a fool of everyone else.
[Instructor.]
——————
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Raon used Glacier to send an aura message to Rimmer. It was even more secretive than Rimmer’s message.
[Oh, yes! My Raon! You can finally hear what I’m saying!]
[You used me for a bet, right?]
[……]
Rimmer’s continuous rambling stopped for the first time.
[Th-There’s no way I would do that. Why would I ever gamble…?]
[I already know you did, so if you are going to be dishonest, I’ll join the White Lotus.]
[I-I did. I did! I’m sorry…]
[It’s okay if you did. But can I guess that you aren’t intending to keep all the rewards to yourself?]
[……]
His voice stopped for the second time.
[You know… I need a lot of money to run an organization. Moreover, since we are only getting started, we need to spend a lot…]
[I’m sure the head of house gave you enough money, since he accurately deals with that kind of thing. Shall I try asking him?]
[No! Don’t do that! Please don’t do that!]
Rimmer violently shook his head. Judging from what he was doing, Raon was sure that he already used some of the money Glenn gave him for the bet.
“Raon Zieghart. I understand your contemplation, but it’s about time you decide.”
The host raised his hand to hurry him up.
“One, two…”
Once he started counting, Rimmer felt anxious and raised his voice.
[R-Raon! We don’t have much time left!]
[Just give me half.]
[I-If I give the half, then it doesn’t leave much…]
[Then you can lose everything. I’m going to join the Void Sword, led by Serena.]
“Three…”
[R-Raon! I turned you into the man of legend!]
[I don’t know whether that has any significance at all, but thank you, I guess.]
Honestly, it was meaningless since he wasn’t really interested in becoming the head of house.
[It’s super important, kid! It’s a legend! LEGEND…!]
[Legend and payment are two separate matters.]
“Four…”
Raon turned his head to the right completely when the host called out the number four.
[F-Fine! Half! I’ll give you half! You nasty bastard!]
[Very well.]
“Fiv…”
“I’ve made my decision.”
Raon bowed at the people on the platform to express his gratitude, then looked at Rimmer.
“I’m going to join the Light Wind Squad.”
“Light Wind Squad! Raon Zieghart, who has been chosen by every leader on the platform, decided to join the Light Wind Squad! Please send a round of applause, everyone!”
“Woaaah!”
“Raon!”
“Young Master!”
The first cheers came from the direction of the annex building’s members. They were just happy about safely getting through the Selection Ceremony, not caring about the legend.
“Woaaah!”
“I was freaking out because I thought you weren’t going to join us!”
“Let’s get along in the future as well!”
“I’ll be counting on you!”
The swordsmen that joined the Light Wind with him also applauded and cheered for him while patting his shoulder.
“The swordsmen that have decided on their affiliation shall salute the platform with their swords!”
Raon and the novice swordsmen drew their swords. They saluted by placing the blades, reflecting the sunlight, in front of their chests.
Raon met Glenn’s eyes over the blade. He looked like he was having fun, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
‘Is he actually smiling right now?’
Because that didn’t make any sense, Raon closed his eyes and opened them again. And of course, his expression didn’t change at all from his initial cold expression. Raon couldn’t understand why he kept hallucinating.
“This concludes the Selection Ceremony. Good job, everyone.”
Raon bowed at the spectators and looked around at the previous trainees of the fifth training ground.
They were mostly happy, but Burren was the only one who looked like he lost everything, with his head hanging down.
‘Hmm…’
Raon looked on the platform once again. Despite being his father, Karoon didn’t even care about his dejected son. He just kept glaring at Raon and Rimmer. It didn’t look like he refused him because he was trying to give Burren a trial—he just seemed to seriously dislike him.
‘It might be better this way.’
It was way better for him to realize what kind of person Karoon was right now, and overcome it instead of being betrayed by him later on.
Raon stroked the golden embroidery thread Burren gave him and turned around.
He walked up to Burren, who was biting his lips, and tapped him on the shoulder. Facing his wavering eyes, he spoke in a low voice.
“As your objective, I’ll be waiting.”
* * *
* * *
The audience chamber inside the lord’s manor had an unusual atmosphere. Glenn’s mouth was curved into a light smile, and Rimmer’s scowl looked like he ate shit.
“That was fun.”
Glenn raised his chin slightly, his smile deepening.
“You were made a fool of by Raon after making fun of all the leaders on the platform. I couldn’t suppress my laughter.”
He was aware of everything that happened. He apparently heard the aura messages between Raon and Rimmer.
“How could that bastard repay a favor like this…?”
“I already had this impression, but he has no desire to become the head of house.”
“What? How is that possible?”
“It’s true. He really doesn’t want to become the head. The only objective he has is to restore Sylvia’s rank to the direct line.”
Glenn slowly closed his eyes in satisfaction. He could remember the way Raon confidently declared that he would restore Sylvia’s position. A smile automatically appeared on his face.
“Then why does he do this to me, despite being such a kind-hearted boy?”
“It’s only natural, since you used him for your gambling. You should be glad that he only took half.”
“He’s so perceptive. How did he even find out about my bet?”
“It’s too obvious. The same way a dung fly wouldn’t fly past dung.”
“D-Dung fly? How could you treat the leader of the Light Wind like that?””
“It would be fun if the squad leader of Light Wind got beaten up like the wind.”
“Please, no. I’m a dung fly!”
As soon as Glenn raised his hand, Rimmer bowed deeply and rubbed his hands like a fly.
“By the way… What shall we do about Burren?”
Rimmer’s eyes sank into darkness, as if they had been covered in mud. Despite Burren’s impudence, he was still his precious student. Rimmer couldn’t help but worry about him, since he was the only one that didn’t decide on an affiliation.
The reason he made fun of Karoon more than he needed was because he saw Burren’s depressed appearance.
“I didn’t expect Karoon to flat out refuse him when he grew up in terms of might, willpower, and personality.”
“He became narrow-minded, probably because he was influenced a lot by me back in the days I was crazy. However, the selection of swordsmen is his own right. I can’t really control that.”
He was right. Even though he was the head of house, he couldn’t force an undesired swordsman under the division leaders. And even if he could, that would only make Burren seem more pathetic.
“Then…”
“You shall bring Burren with you. I’m sure he will properly fit into the Light Wind with his changed personality.”
“But I’m not really a babysitter…”
“Tsk.”
“Yes! I’ll do my best to cure Burren’s wounds!”
As soon as Glenn clicked his tongue, Rimmer nodded in agreement.
“By the way, you were apparently serious about making Raon into the head of house.”
“Of course. I’m sure everyone more or less got the impression that Raon could become the head. This will be more helpful for him in the future, more than any status or achievement.”
“It should. However, more people will try to keep him in check, just like they did with me.”
Glenn’s thoughtful eyes turned cold. Just like Raon, he was also chosen by all the leaders, and his life was endangered countless times because of the people trying to keep him in check after that.
“He isn’t qualified to become the head if he can’t survive through that. And…”
Rimmer’s eyes lit up in anticipation.
“He is extremely skilled at getting past crises. I’m sure he won’t disappoint us.”
“Hmm, we will see about that.”
Glenn replied bluntly, but his voice contained as much kindness as Rimmer’s.
“I’m leaving, then.”
“So, you are going to the gambling house. You are getting money there to head over to the casino next.”
“Th-There’s no way I would do that. I’m going to rest for a bit since I’m too tired from preparing for the Selection Ceremony.”
Rimmer bowed and turned around with an indifferent expression on his face. He wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead and breathed out a sigh of relief.
‘Both the grandfather and grandson are too perceptive!’
* * *
After the Selection Ceremony, Raon didn’t return to the annex building. Instead, he went to Main Street, in Zieghart’s southern district. He settled in the old but largest pub and hid his presence to an ordinary person’s level.
“Did you hear that news? Raon Zieghart apparently recreated the legend in the Selection Ceremony!”
“I didn’t just hear about it, I saw it myself! It was a great sight to behold when all the leaders raised their hands to recruit him. I won’t be able to forget it for the rest of my life.”
“Aww, I should’ve been there!”
“Does that mean Raon’s going to be the next head of house?”
“Well, that’s just a legend. We never know what’s actually going to happen.”
“I guess he is a lot younger than the other head candidates.”
“But he is overflowing with potential. He is Zieghart’s unprecedented Zieghart, who became the highest rank Expert at the age of seventeen!”
“There are rumors that he will become a Master soon, so the legend might become reality. A collateral becoming the head of House Zieghart, that’s such a nice story.”
Having everyone inside the pub talk about him in anticipation didn’t feel that bad. Honestly, it was a pleasant feeling.
“But what happened to the bet? Did anyone manage to predict that Raon would join the Light Wind?”
“There’s one person that predicted he would join a third-party organization, although he didn’t specifically mention the Light Wind.”
“Who was it?”
“He’s a middle-aged man that loses money from time to time, but he hit a huge jackpot this time. The ratings are huge.”
Once they mentioned the bet, Raon realized that he came to the right place.
Hmm? Isn’t that a mistake? That shitty-ears has red hair.
‘Instructor Rimmer is involved with the contents of the bet. Of course he wouldn’t use his original appearance when he placed his bet. He disguised himself.’
Rimmer was the squad leader, who was pretty much the main party involved in the bet. Many people would have complained if he had directly participated in the bet, so he must’ve disguised himself beforehand.
That’s really perceptive of you.
‘I have been with Instructor Rimmer for a while now, after all.’
Raon snickered and waited for Rimmer’s appearance. After wasting about thirty minutes, the door opened from the inside of the pub and a blue-haired middle-aged man entered the room, carrying a large bag.
“Woaaah!”
“Congratulations!”
“How much did you even win?”
“When am I ever going to make that much money? I’m so jealous.”
“Have a nice life, see you never!”
The people inside the pub sent up a round of applause and cheered for the blue-haired middle-aged man.
“Since I’m in a good mood, I’ll buy liquor for everyone!”
The middle-aged man responded to the cheers by placing a pile of gold coins on the counter before leaving.
“Hell yeaaaah!”
“He knows how to spend money!”
“See you later!”
“Buy a round again next time!”
Since it was Zieghart’s domain, with good public order, no one was trying to steal the money. Everyone was just enjoying the free liquor and side dishes.
Except for one person.
Raon smiled slightly and followed the middle-aged man.
“Hum hum!”
The blue-haired middle-aged man was walking towards the center of the main street while humming pleasantly. Judging from the direction, it looked like he was going to the casino.
Whir.
Raon controlled the density of his aura to maintain his assassin technique, changing his presence to keep following him. He kept stalking him for a while, and the middle-aged man finally stopped, annoyed at being chased.
“Some stupid people are still trying to steal. It’s annoying, so come out and fight… gasp!”
When he turned around, Raon removed the hood he was wearing.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“I-I’m not…”
“Do you know me?”
“I don’t!”
The middle-aged man whistled and rolled his eyes. He couldn’t hide his expression at all.
That’s why he kept losing money while gambling…
“Let’s stop joking around, Instructor. I mean, squad leader.”
“Argh, how did you even find out? Or rather, how did you even follow me?”
The middle-aged man ground his teeth and placed his hand on his face. The face of an average middle-aged man disappeared, and Rimmer’s astonished face appeared.
“You told me before that you make bets over there.”
Raon pointed at the pub that was now far away. When they ate with the sixth training ground trainees in the past, Rimmer told him that he sometimes gambled at that place.
“That’s why I was waiting for you, since I’d obviously be noticed if I followed you from the house.”
“Damn it! It’s my stupid mouth’s fault!”
Rimmer screamed and slapped his own lips.
Shitty ears, the King of Essence understands your feelings. This bastard never forgets what he hears. He’s a monster, a real monster!
Wrath ground his teeth at him in compassion.
“H-How did you discover my disguise? Are you a tracking dog or something?”
“It was plain obvious, since the squad leader was the only person that bet on a new organization. And…”
Raon pointed at Rimmer’s energy center.
“You can’t hide the sensation of a refreshing wind moving inside you.”
“D-Did you actually notice that? But it should hardly be noticeable, even for Masters!”
Rimmer’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I have pretty good senses, you know.”
“Damn it, those supernatural senses again!”
He screamed while pulling his hair.
“I got it, but why are you here then? I told you I’d give you half. You could’ve just waited for me!”
“Over there.”
Raon pointed at the casino that Rimmer was heading towards.
“I figured you might try some stupid stuff like increasing the amount over there before handing it over. That’s why I came to find you.”
“N-No one would be crazy enough to do that!”
Rimmer laughed in an unusually awkward manner.
‘He’s too quick on his toes!’
The grandfather and grandson alike, they were reading his mind too easily! He felt like he would go bald because of them.
“Please, give me half right now.”
“Err, if I used it to win before giving it to you, it would be magically duplicated, then duplicated, and duplicated again…”
“Half. Right now.”
“Ugh…”
Rimmer gulped down his tears and gave him half of the gold inside the bag.
“I’m not going to keep it for myself. I’ll use it as a public fund for the Light Wind, since I think there’s more than the squad leader’s money in this.”
Raon sighed while looking at the gold. Judging from the number of coins, he must’ve used the funds he received to establish the squad. If he’d left everything to Rimmer, he would’ve spent it all in a single day.
“Haha…”
Rimmer sighed blankly. It looked like he had given up. He’d believed Raon was just an excellent swordsman, but he was actually even more sly and meticulous than Glenn.
“I-It looks like I made a great choice by appointing you as the vice-squad leader. I feel so reassured!”
“I’ll pay extra attention in the future when serving the squad leader, so that he won’t do anything stupid.”
Chills ran down Rimmer’s spine at the sight of Raon’s cold smile.
‘I feel like I dug my own grave…’
