Chapter 483

The conference of the Five Divine Orders had begun.

They started with an explanation about each faction.

The Thespian Emperor’s explanation was calm, the Demon Slaying Spear was energetic, the Demonblade was gloomy, and the Queen of Swords was dry. Each of them stated how their group came to be and what objectives they had.

After that, the reports about what they’d been doing recently followed. Of course, none of it was about their evil deeds. Instead, they spoke about their fights against the five demons or their good deeds.

Raon stayed one step back from the conference without finding fault with them in order to figure out what intentions the heads of the Five Divine Orders had.

The Thespian Emperor was, of course, the one to lead the conference, and the other three only blabbered on with flexible responses to avoid ruining the atmosphere.

What they were saying was simple.

The Five Divine Orders had no intention at all of antagonizing the Six Kings and the neutral factions, and they were fully ready to fight against the Five Demons in order to protect the continent.

In short, they were saying that they weren’t enemies, and they wanted to get along and cooperate.

“What we’ve said so far is our sincere opinion.”

The Thespian Emperor bowed, saying that she wanted to get along with all factions in the continent.

“The same goes for us!”

“That’s what we’d like to request!”

“Most of the good deeds we’ve been hearing recently were about the Five Divine Orders! We gladly accept that offer!”

“I also agree. I’m just thankful that you took the initiative to invite us.”

The heads of the neutral factions sent a round of applause to celebrate the foundation of Five Divine Orders. Since none of them were refusing their offer, the atmosphere inside the conference room became friendly.

It was a natural outcome in a way, as those natural factions were relatively important, but they were still incomparable to the Five Divine Orders. That was why they must’ve felt like they were being treated nicely.

However, Raon smiled coldly, not joining the warmth of the friendly conference room.

‘All of them are naive.’

Raon was well aware because he’d clashed with the Thespian Emperor from the onset. The Five Divine Orders’ true objective wasn’t to get on good terms with the neutral factions.

He couldn’t be certain what their true objective was, but one thing he could tell was that they were trying to take advantage of the neutral factions.

“Thank you.”

The Thespian Emperor lowered her head once again and leaned towards the table.

“I’m planning to hold a fighting competition where only the warriors below the age of forty can participate so that the youngsters can get acquainted with each other as well. There will be a special reward, so please encourage them to participate.”

She smiled, saying since the people inside the conference room agreed, she wanted to allow the youngsters to do the same.

“That’s a great idea! After all, there wasn’t really any reason for the youngsters to meet!”

“The reward that Lady Ariel branded as special is worthy of anticipation!”

“I’ll make all my crew participate!”

“Forty? It’s a shame, but I won’t be able to join.”

“What are you even talking about when you are way past fifty?!”

The heads of the neutral faction nodded at each other, saying that it would be interesting.

“Ah, even if you are under forty, you aren’t allowed to participate if you are representing your house.”

The Thespian Emperor’s gaze slowly shifted towards Raon. She seemed to be telling him that he couldn’t join because he was a representative.

“May I have a word?”

She started walking towards the center of the conference table and lifted her hand. She must’ve figured that it was the right atmosphere for it.

“I’d like to make a suggestion since we are getting along a lot better than I’d expected.”

The noisy conference room fell quiet. The Thespian Emperor was dominating the mood.

“How about we make a temporary alliance between the people present in this place?”

“A-alliance?”

“This is a bit sudden for an alliance…”

“Aren’t you being too hasty?”

The heads of the neutral faction widened their eyes upon hearing the sudden mention of an alliance.

“I’m sure everyone is aware, but the current situation in the continent isn’t that good.”

The Thespian Emperor came to a halt at the center of the rectangular table. The moonlight falling through the window was adding a divine feeling to her presence.

“The Black Tower, White Blood Religion, and the South-North Union have started to actively reveal their power, and Eden is raising their demons in their hiding. Moreover, we’ve received information that the Holy Sword Alliance’s Master of Sword has recently appeared.”

Her heavy voice was pressuring the previously peaceful conference room.

“Th-the Five Demons?”

“Are the sword demons from the Holy Sword Alliance returning to the world…?”

“Is Eden making a new demon? What are they trying to do this time?!”

“I-I heard about it too. Yurt City was attacked by the White Blood Religion, and not even ashes remained as a result.”

The heads of the neutral factions’s shoulders trembled upon hearing that the Five Demons had resumed their activities.

“Their appearance isn’t the only problem. Those monsters used to be bound together in name only, but they are now cooperating with each other.”

The Thespian Emperor closed her eyes before opening them again. A frightening light was glowing from her red eyes. The warriors from the neutral factions swallowed nervously upon meeting her eyes.

“Since a disaster can happen at any time on the continent, we’d like your cooperation.”

She returned to the edge of the table and turned around.

“Hmm?”

“C-cooperation…?”

“You said alliance at first. What did you mean by that?”

The heads’ lips parted upon hearing the Thespian Emperor’s request for help.

“Our Five Divine Orders have only recently appeared in the world. We are confident in our might, but we don’t have enough of a footing yet. We’d like you to fill that part for us.”

Once the Thespian Emperor changed the alliance into a request for help, small smiles started to appear from the mouths of the leaders. Her voice was dominating the conference room while changing in different colors like a rainbow.

‘It would be beneficial for everyone indeed. It’s like a give-and-take… Hmm?’

Raon was putting his thoughts together and furrowed his brow.

‘Why was I thinking just now…? Of course it wouldn’t be beneficial for everyone.’

It was simply obvious that if they accepted the alliance, the Five Divine Orders were going to keep all of the reputation for themselves while the neutral factions became the cannon fodders. It definitely wouldn’t be beneficial for them.

‘But why was I thinking like that just now?’

Raon was continuously thinking about how to criticize her, but his head suddenly became blank and a strange thought entered his mind. It was clearly not a normal situation.

‘Don’t tell me…’

Raon slightly bit his tongue.

‘Was that the Thespian Emperor’s doing?’

Even though she wasn’t using any aura in her voice, he could clearly hear her as if she were speaking right next to his ears. There must’ve been something behind it.

Whir!

Raon immediately activated the Ring of Fire. The seven rings resonated with each other, and he could see the energy inside the conference room.

‘As expected, she wasn’t using any aura.’

The Thespian Emperor wasn’t using the slightest amount of aura. However, the air inside the conference room was jolting whenever she spoke. It was clear that there was something in her voice.

Did you finally realize it?

Wrath muttered as if he were looking at someone pathetic.

‘What is that?’

What else? It’s her will.

He frowned while looking at the Thespian Emperor.

Will is the technique used through the power of your soul that can be increased by gaining achievements. That’s why the will is the power of the soul. She’s incorporating her will in her voice to convince those idiots.

‘Is that even possible?’

It can result in the opposite effect if it’s excessive, but she is doing it so smoothly. She must’ve done it many times before.

‘What an extraordinary way of using it.’

Raon had never thought that the will could be used like that since he’d believed that it could only be used for martial arts. The Thespian Emperor couldn’t be underestimated after all.

By the way, that woman is really no good. She must’ve been acting when she came to save her subordinates.

‘Did you finally realize that?’

He wanted to believe in her.

Wrath shook his head, saying that he didn’t want anyone who loved their subordinates to be a villain. Raon had the impression many times before, but the demon king was so gentle towards his subordinates.

‘Anyway, she’s using her will, right?’

Indeed. However, breaking it won’t be an easy task.

‘Let me try.’

Raon clenched his fist while looking at the Thespian Emperor, who kept using her will in her voice.

“I agree.”

“I second it.”

“I’m honored to be on the same boat as the Five Divine Orders!”

The heads of the neutral factions raised their voices, saying that they wanted to seal the alliance right away. Since her will didn’t have anything malicious, they didn’t seem to realize what was happening to them. The perfect result was created by the combination of reasonable pretext, the Thespian Emperor’s eloquence, and her will.

“I’m just thankful that we are understood.”

The heads of the neutral factions stood up from their seats and raised their hands. The Thespian Emperor bowed at them while meeting their eyes one after the other.

“Since we happen to have guests from Zieghart and the Magic Tower, would you do the honor of becoming the witnesses of this alliance?”

A sweet smile appeared around her mouth, as she looked at Raon. She seemed to have regained her confidence.

‘Thespian Emperor…’

Raon touched his fingertip while meeting the Thespian Emperor’s eyes.

‘Was this her objective all along?’

She was trying to seal the alliance with the neutral factions and make them unable to cancel it by having the Six Kings as witnesses.

The Five Divine Orders were certainly powerful, but they were still lacking in numbers and fame. They must’ve been filling that opening with the neutral factions.

Raon could guess that they were trying to expand their influence even further, without being satisfied with their state.

Raon licked his lips while watching Dumptkan and Biten shouting in anticipation of the alliance.

‘I don’t really care what happens to strangers, but…I won’t let them play along the Thespian Emperor’s ploy. After all, I’m here to turn this into a mess.’

It was time for action since he wasn’t there to be a sitting duck.

Raon exhaled roughly and stood up from his seat. He smiled while coldly looking at the Thespian Emperor.

“Did you want us to be the witnesses?”

“Yes. I believe they wouldn’t make any false promises, but I’d like to ask for you since we are sharing the joy of this day.”

“By the way, what is the purpose of this alliance?”

He used the Ring of Fire to incorporate his will in his voice in a similar manner as the Thespian Emperor. He couldn’t do it as smoothly as her, but he tried to copy it at least.

“Like I said before, it’s in order to prepare for the disasters in this dangerous time…”

“And how are you planning to make that preparation? Who will take the lead when a war breaks out? What’s the price for the help? Who gets the spoils of war, and how are the casualties compensated? Aren’t you just asking them to gather under the Five Divine Orders’ name instead of asking for an alliance?”

He spoke in a brusque manner and incorporated his powerful will to enlighten the people from the Thespian Emperor’s bewitchery. In fact, he’d used too much power even without trying because he wasn’t used to controlling the will yet.

Zap!

The warm atmosphere the Thespian Emperor had created shattered at once along with an incongruous sparking sound.

“Hmm…”

“I-indeed. We need to make sure to decide that before sealing the alliance.”

“Yes. An alliance is an extremely important matter. Why was I so excited for it…?”

“It wasn’t time to get in the mood.”

The heads of the neutral factions finally came back to their senses and returned to their seats while saying that it was necessary to come to an agreement before the alliance.

Wow…

Wrath widened his eyes while watching that scene.

‘It was thanks to your hint.’

The King of Essence’s hint?

‘You said it had the opposite effect if it was excessive. That’s what I used.’

Since Wrath had said that being excessive caused the opposite effect, Raon had used an excessive amount of power on purpose to snap the chain of will from the Thespian Emperor. Judging from the outcome, it must’ve worked perfectly.

You are so cheap! You always steal his information and never feed him!

‘…I’m sorry.’

Raon shut his mouth because he had no excuse for that.

“Ah…”

The Thespian Emperor's eyes curved like the moonlight reflected on the window. Raon had never seen that look in her eyes before. She seemed to be flustered from the bottom of her heart.

“Indeed, we need to start by deciding that.”

She regained her composure in an instant despite her astonishment. It was proving once again that the Thespian Emperor’s true power was her willpower instead of her might.

“The Five Divine Orders seem to be always looking for a gap.”

Raon pressed the table with his palm and tilted his chin.

“What do you mean…?”

“When you raised your reputation, you shoved yourselves into the gap between the Six Kings and the Five Demons, and the same goes for now. You were trying to achieve the alliance in such a conniving manner to have the other factions on your back.”

“That’s not true, it was mutually beneficial…”

“Aren’t you confident in your own power?”

Raon snorted and shook his hand.

“Zieghart has reached our current position by scattering our flesh and blood to the continent.”

Red lightning sparked in Raon’s eyes and cleaved through the darkness.

“You will never be able to move up from your position if all you want to do is to steal the blood, blades, and achievements of others.”

The heads of the Five Divine Orders and the neutral factions closed their mouths tightly upon feeling the presence coming from the man called Raon.

“I’ll stop here for today.”

Raon’s cold gaze brushed past everyone before he turned around.

“I’ll be taking my leave as well.”

Denning Rose immediately stood up after him, and Encia stood up in order to get the right focus for her camera. He could still hear the clicking sound. She really was the same type of person as Merlin.

“Wahahahaha!”

The Demon Slaying Spear grasped his head and burst into laughter as he walked forward.

“I seriously like you. If you don’t wanna join the Demon Spear Guild, won’t you be my sworn brother?”

“But our ages are too far apart.”

“Sworn brothers don’t care about such a trivial matter!”

He giggled, saying that he’d never seen anyone crush the Thespian Emperor like that.

“Ah, and make sure to come to the competition in two days. I’ve prepared something great.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Raon nodded and left the conference room. The noisy conference room showed that they’d started to argue.

“Are you two okay?”

“Yes. It felt nice to watch.”

Denning Rose nodded, saying that her mood had improved. Her complexion was brighter than usual, showing that she was telling the truth.

“Did something happen?”

Encia tilted her head while taking photos with her camera. She apparently didn’t really care what happened as long as she could take photos.

“Hah…”

Raon blinked in bewilderment just as the conference room’s door was opened and Yuria walked out. He shut his mouth tightly and directed his powerful gaze at Raon.

“Do you have a business with me?”

Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at Yuria’s body, which was as large as a bear.

“……”

Yuria exhaled roughly without saying anything. He looked like a bison about to start its charge.

His wide shoulders trembled, and he eventually shook his head and left the conference room.

Raon shook his head while watching Yuria’s back.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

* * * 

Raon went to the restaurant in front of the lodgings alongside Denning Rose and Encia. He was guessing that the shop was already closed because the Thespian Emperor was talking too much, but he still decided to check it out because Wrath was urging him so much.

“Hmm?”

‘The light is on.’

He thought it was obviously going to be closed, but he could feel many presences from inside.

H-hurry up! Get in there already!

Raon opened the door and entered the restaurant, and the Light Wind division was drinking beers with some simple side dishes.

“Huh? You are finally back.”

“You are so late!”

Krein and Dorian were sitting at the table right in front of the entrance and waved their hands at him.

“How did the conference go?”

Burren was sitting deeper inside and asked about the conference with a smile.

“Why did the conference take so long?!”

Martha frowned, saying that it was so late at night already.

“Sit down already.”

Runaan hit the seat next to her and pointed at it to ask for Raon to sit.

“Hmm…”

Raon narrowed his eyes while looking at the Light Wind division. He couldn’t smell any food, and there was nothing other than dry side dishes and beers on the tables.

“Did you not have your dinner yet?”

“How could we have it when you weren’t here yet?”

Martha clicked her tongue, saying that it was only obvious.

“Yeah, we didn’t have our treat person.”

Burren chuckled and nodded.

“Everyone has been waiting.”

Runaan hit the chair even faster, telling him to sit down already.

“You’ve finally arrived!”

A middle-aged woman came from the kitchen and bowed at him. She was the manager that he’d met when he was making the reservation.

“It looks like my crew forced you to wait. I apologize for this.”

“It’s fine.”

“The people from the Light Wind division paid an extra fee and said that they wanted to wait until your arrival.”

The manager smiled brightly while saying that they’d already paid enough.

“I’ll prepare the meal right now.”

The manager returned to the kitchen, saying that the ingredients and personnel were ready. The kitchen started to become noisy.

“You didn’t need to wait. Why would you do that?”

Raon wrinkled his nose while looking at the Light Wind swordsmen.

“You should’ve just had your meal and returned.”

He was being blunt, but he felt warm in his heart for some reason.

The Light Wind division waiting for him with smiles on their faces made him feel like he’d returned to the annex building after a long mission.

“He’s being shy, so damn handsome…”

“Huhu.”

Encia was in front of him before he knew it and was pressing the button on her camera. Denning Rose was smiling while covering her mouth with her hand, as if she were enjoying the scene.

Hmph!

Raon looked to the right upon hearing the snorting sound. Wrath was flushed with teary eyes.

You all!

The wetness around his eyes showed that he was moved by the Light Wind division’s actions.

Alright! The King of Essence will take care of all of you! You are still so young, but you already know the importance of a bond!

Wrath nodded, saying that he loved the Light Wind division. He was so easy.

Raon chuckled and sat on the chair that Runaan had been hitting.

“Come here, everyone.”

Since it looked like it was going to take some time until the food was ready, he explained to them what happened at the conference.

“It shouldn’t be a simple alliance.”

“It looks like the Five Divine Orders are trying to absorb the neutral factions…”

“They are making their moves so quickly.”

The Light Wind swordsmen nodded while murmuring that the situation was no good.

“I have one more piece of news.”

Raon lifted his index finger.

“They are holding a fighting competition in two days. Since they said that any warrior under the age of forty is allowed to participate, all of you shall join.”

“Don’t we need to register?”

“It’s not necessary since they set it up so that we can participate without any registration.”

Denning Rose responded in his stead, telling them that they could simply participate.

“If the age limit is forty, there should be some Masters.”

“I wanted to test out my current ability. That’s great.”

“I’m definitely going to participate!”

“Me too!”

The smile on the Light Wind swordsmen looked like they were looking forward to the matches.

“I’m glad to hear that you like the idea. But if Zieghart doesn’t win…”

He clenched his fist to the point where it made a cracking sound.

“You are all going to die.”

“Err…”

“Th-that’s a bit unreasonable…”

“There should be some Masters among participants, though.”

“A-are you asking us to win?”

“I don’t care about that.”

A frightening smile appeared on Raon’s face as he looked at the Light Wind division.

“If the winner isn’t among the Light Wind division, we are going to do the focus enhancement training for an entire month after we return to the house.”

The Light Wind division’s laughter and warm atmosphere suddenly disappeared upon hearing his cold and frightening voice.

You punk!

Wrath yelled while smacking the back of Raon’s head.

Why are you messing your subordinates up now?!

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]