Chapter 550

Raon narrowed his eyes while watching the powerful fragrance of mana emanating from the artificial energy center.

‘I don’t like that my face is engraved on it, but it has an extremely high degree of perfection.’

The artificial energy center that Encia had created was almost perfect, true to her reputation as the genius of House Yonaan. It seemed to be even superior to Rimmer’s artificial energy center.

‘No, it is actually superior.’

Rimmer’s artificial energy center contained nothing, but the artificial energy center that Encia was holding included the high-purity mana that the dragon had gathered.

Even though the dragon heart was used as a material, the energy center she’d created was even better than the original. Encia Yonaan was indeed a genius, the most skilled crafter that he’d seen so far.

“I’m planning to make this emblem my signature mark.”

Encia smiled cheerfully while pointing at Raon’s face engraved on the artificial energy center.

“What…?”

Raon blinked blankly.

“I want to use Sir Raon’s mark as my signature mark. Will you allow it?”

“B-but isn’t there already a signature mark for House Yonaan? That should be more valuable…”

Raon blabbered some excuse, trying to refuse somehow.

“That’s true, but I wanted to make a mark of my own. I’d like to use your face to symbolize a perfect artifact.”

Encia shook her head. It looked like she wanted to use a mark of her own.

“But it will reduce the sales if my face is on it. You should use something else—”

“No! It will be the symbol of trust and perfection, and the artifacts will fly off the shelves!”

“Hmm…”

Raon licked his lips while looking at his face engraved on the artificial energy center.

‘I don’t want it because it’s embarrassing, but I don’t think I can refuse.’

Encia had stayed in the same room for almost a month to create the artificial energy center for no other reason than her willingness to help him.

Since she’d already done him a favor, it was impossible for him to refuse the offer.

“Haa…”

Raon sighed briefly and nodded.

“Alright.”

“I knew you would allow it! Thank you!”

Encia smiled cheerfully, saying that she would change the face every season.

“And I’ll also send you a portion of the sales for the portrait rights, of course.”

She made the shape of a gold coin with her finger, saying that it would be quite a lot of money.

“It’s fine.”

Raon shook his head. He didn’t want to get any money from her because their relationship was a bond of trust rather than money.

“No, matters with money need to be clear!”

Encia walked up to him and furrowed her brow.

“I’ll give it to you, so take it!”

“Ah, yes…”

Raon unconsciously nodded because of her confident declaration.

Ugh…

Wrath groaned in pain while glaring at the artificial energy center.

‘What’s the matter?’

The King of Essence’s face would’ve been there instead if that face-obsessed woman had seen his appearance! What a shame!

He pounded his chest, saying that he regretted that he couldn’t wake Encia up in the Owen Kingdom’s medical ward back then.

‘You are really jealous of all kinds of things.’

Raon sighed and shook his head just as Sylvia and the maids came running from the garden.

“Wh-what happened?!”

“Young master! Are you alright?”

Their faces were pale, surprised by the black smoke covering the sky.

“It’s finally complete.”

Raon smiled while pointing at the artificial energy center that Encia was holding.

“Ah…”

Sylvia walked up to the artificial energy center with her lips tightly closed. She seemed to still be capable of sensing the intense fragrance of mana even though her energy center was destroyed and her mana circuits were hardened.

“Isn’t this Raon?”

However, she was more interested in Raon’s face rather than the artificial energy center itself. She blinked rapidly as she asked the question.

“I knew you would recognize it!”

Encia smiled brightly, happy about the fact that Raon’s face engraved on the artifact was recognized.

“Yes, it’s Sir Raon!”

“Of course I would notice since he is my son. I don’t know whose son he is, but he is so handsome.”

“Mother, call him damn handsome.”

“Ah, yes. He is so damn handsome!”

“Mom!”

Raon called her mom instead of mother, which he hadn’t done for a long time.

He felt even more embarrassed about Sylvia calling him damn handsome, even more than when Runaan and Encia did it. He could even feel the heat on his face.

“I know.”

Sylvia slowly nodded and looked at the artificial energy center. Her eyes deepened like a lake reflecting the sunlight.

“I’m fully aware of how much hardship you went through and how hard Encia contemplated to make this small energy center.”

Her fingers trembled faintly, revealing her nervousness.

“That’s why I’m worried that I might not deserve to have it.”

“Haa…”

Raon sighed, and Sylvia’s lips twitched as he was about to respond.

“I would’ve said that in the past.”

“What?”

“My way of thinking has changed a little as I watched you.”

Sylvia averted her gaze from the energy center and looked at Raon.

“I just need to become someone suitable for this energy center after receiving it, right?”

She declared what Raon was about to tell her on her own.

“Yes! That will do!”

Encia smiled brightly while holding Sylvia’s hand.

Raon nodded while meeting Sylvia’s eyes. He could understand that Sylvia had become a lot more strong-willed after the various incidents.

“Thank you.”

Sylia smiled calmly while accepting the artificial energy center from Encia.

“I’ll try to become someone suitable for this energy center.”

* * *

Glenn parted his back from deep inside the throne and lowered his heated gaze.

“Did you just say that Sylvia’s energy center is complete?”

“Yes.”

Rimmer nodded, standing with a slouched posture. His red hair shifted, showing the dark bruise swelling around his left eye.

“He asked me to guard them because he was going to install the energy center in her body and connect the mana circuits soon. It was apparently completed yesterday.”

Rimmer shook his hand, saying that Raon had personally requested him.

“So, how did you respond?”

Glenn glared at Rimmer while twisting his finger. He looked like he was seriously about to kill him if he’d refused.

“O-of course I said yes! It’s a request from my cute disciple!”

Rimmer quickly shook his head, sensing the danger to his life.

“When are they going to start working on it?”

“Since a dragon’s mana is dwelling inside the artificial energy center made by Encia, they should start after they prepare Sylvia’s body for it.”

“I see…”

Glenn furrowed his brow while touching his dry lips.

‘I want to help them.’

He wanted to personally head there to check on Sylvia’s condition and help with the treatment.

However, it wasn’t an overstatement to say that he was the one who had destroyed her energy center and cut off her mana circuits. That was why he couldn’t bring himself to approach them.

“Roenn.”

Roenn came up next to Glenn upon hearing his call and lowered his head.

“Did everyone in the Obsidian Order return?”

“Yes. They’ve taken care of all the spies and are currently waiting.”

Balder had rampaged even more after he got extorted in the fifth training ground and the annex building. Thanks to the huge mess he’d created, Glenn had managed to catch twelve spies who were moving behind the scenes.

“Dispatch the entire Obsidian Order to guard the annex building’s surroundings. Protect them so that not a soul can get through.”

“At your command.”

“Well, guarding them is important, but…”

Rimmer tilted his chin while rubbing the back of his head.

“The installation of the energy center and connecting the mana circuits should be more important, don’t you think?”

“Why are you stating the obvious?”

“Then how about you help them with that important task, my lord?”

Rimmer’s green eyes were as cold as the northern wind as they met Glenn’s red eyes.

“I know better than anyone that Raon is a genius, but connecting another person’s energy center to the mana circuits isn’t an easy task. He is going to need some help.”

“......”

Glenn looked up at the high ceiling instead of yelling at him like always.

“You should be fully aware, but it’s my fault that Sylvia ended up like that.”

He continued with faintly trembling lips.

“If I didn’t fall to the demonic temptation and only focus on power and the expansion of the house, she would’ve never had to return in that state. Even my first daughter would’ve been smiling with her in that home. There’s no way I could help her after how pathetic I’ve been.”

“That’s even more of a reason to be with her!”

Rimmer pounded his chest in frustration.

“I agree with that idiot for once.”

Sheryl stepped forward and wrinkled her forehead.

“If you’ve caused an issue, it’s important to take care of the aftermath. Even though a long time has passed and lots of grudges were built, it doesn’t change what you need to do.”

She looked at Glenn with a determined gaze.

“Hmm…”

Glenn clenched the throne’s armrest tightly, still hesitating about it.

“It would be strange to go there and help when they didn’t make a request.”

Roenn smiled gently and interfered between Rimmer and Sheryl.

“However, there are other ways to help Lady Sylvia.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The young master Raon will be connecting the energy center to Lady Sylvia's mana circuits. How about giving him the knowledge about energy centers and mana circuits?”

Roenn continued with a smile.

“It shouldn’t be an issue if you give it to him as a reward for slaying the mad dragon, and compensation for the True Martial Palace master destroying the annex building.”

“That sounds pretty good.”

“I also think it’s a good idea.”

Rimmer and Sheryl gave Roenn a thumbs up to praise him.

“And you have something to tell the young master Raon, my lord.”

Rimmer raised his hand, miming an overflowing glass of liquor.

Glenn met their eyes one after the other and nodded decisively.

“…I’ll be going there today.”

* * *

“Keep running. You have a long way to go!”

Raon raised his finger and spun it in a small circle.

“Huff…”

Sylvia was running around the training ground according to his gesture, sweating profusely in monochrome training attire.

Her pale face and heavy panting revealed her exhaustion, but her feet never stopped.

“Ugh…”

“O-our vice division leader is so cruel even against his mother.”

“I know, right? I never expected that he would even make his family go through the same training…”

“I’m worried she’s going to collapse at this rate.”

The Light Wind swordsmen swallowed nervously while watching how Raon never stopped the training despite how much Sylvia was faltering.

“You must have a lot of room to spare if you are paying attention to them.”

Burren stood in front of the swordsmen with a cold smile on his face.

“Th-that’s not true…”

“We are just worried about Lady Sylvia…”

“You should worry about your own future instead. Repeat the basic techniques a thousand times each! Start it now!”

He said there was no going back anymore and ordered them to execute the four basic techniques a thousand times each.

“Argh…”

“Everywhere is hell, here and there…”

“I should’ve just minded my own business…”

The Light Wind swordsmen complained, but picked up their swords and started to repeat the basic techniques according to Burren’s order.

“......”

Martha lowered her sword and stared at Sylvia, who was running around the training ground.

It was a rare sight coming from her because she usually only focused on her training, regardless of other visitors.

“Miss Rakshasa.”

Runaan quietly watched Martha’s back and came up next to her to tap on her shoulder.

“Wh-what?!”

“Weakling.”

“You crazy bitch!”

A thick vein bulged from Martha’s forehead.

“What are you even saying right now? You were just lucky to have awakened!”

“At least I was lucky.”

Runaan shrugged her shoulders with blank eyes.

“You bastard, wait right there! I’ll catch up to you no matter what! I’m going to kill you even if I end up dying as a result!”

Martha raised her sword while yelling at her. She ground her teeth violently and mustered all her strength into her sword strike.

“Hmph.”

Runaan easily dodged Martha’s sword and quietly snorted.

Raon smiled while taking a glance at Runaan’s back.

‘She is taking care of her.’

Martha had been unable to focus on her training ever since Sylvia came to the training ground.

She seemed gloomy, probably because she reminded her of her mother, and Runaan had managed to wake her up at an appropriate time.

Runaan had matured drastically both in terms of might and mentality after the incident with Syria.

“Let’s finish after two more rounds.”

Raon focused on Sylvia once again and raised two fingers.

“Ugh…”

Sylvia barely managed to nod and moved her feet once again. She seemed too exhausted to respond. Her amazing perseverance made it obvious why people said she had one of the best talents before she’d left the house.

‘Even then… It’s going to take some time.’

Encia’s artificial energy center had a high degree of perfection and included a large amount of aura. It was an amazing result, but there were also disadvantages coming from that in Sylvia’s state.

Her stamina and strength were even worse than an ordinary person's because her energy center was destroyed and her mana circuits were cut off. In her given state, her body could potentially explode if the artificial energy center was installed in her right away.

It was necessary to prepare her body as much as possible before settling the energy center into her.

‘The only relief is that she’s been continuously training her stamina.’

Sylvia had been training her stamina every day after she said she wanted an energy center. Her body was in a slightly better condition thanks to her continued efforts.

“Let’s stop for now and rest for a moment.”

Raon looked up to the sky after he ordered Sylvia to rest as her face started to turn yellow.

‘And there’s another issue. It’s me.’

He was the only person available to connect Sylvia’s mana circuits to the energy center, but it wasn’t an easy task at all.

Raon bit his lip faintly as he watched Sylvia pant heavily, her hands on her knees to support herself.

‘I’m going to need to study.’

* * *

Raon returned to his room after he helped with Sylvia’s stamina training and also finished his personal training.

He sat at the desk without any rest and opened the book about mana circuits that he’d borrowed from Federick.

There were lots of difficult parts because it was a medical book, but he could understand at a slow pace by increasing the focus through the Ring of Fire.

However, the more he read the book, the more he thought it wasn’t going to be easy.

‘It’s really not going to be an easy task.’

Unlike Rimmer, Sylvia’s mana circuits hadn’t been used for over twenty years.

Reviving them at that point required him to be extremely knowledgeable about the human body, along with delicate control of aura similar to threading a needle.

He was rather confident in both aspects, but he couldn’t help being anxious because it was Sylvia that he was dealing with.

Why are you even so anxious?

Wrath bobbed his finger while lying down on the desk.

The King of Essence can’t help you because he doesn’t know about the human body, but he can at least stop any problem from occurring.

He licked his lips, saying that he was definitely going to help his mom.

‘I see.’

Raon chuckled. Wrath was usually untrustworthy, but he felt strangely relieved when he called her his mom.

Raon was trying to continue reading the book when a black shadow covered the window. Raon looked at it and saw Glenn’s red eyes.

“M-my lord?”

He stood up while making the chair fall backward. He was panicking because he didn’t expect Glenn to appear at all, and Glenn gestured with his finger for him to come outside before he disappeared.

‘What’s the matter? Is there any reason for him to come?’

Raon nervously suppressed his pounding heart and immediately went outside.

Glenn was waiting in front of the lake like always. Raon quickly walked up to him, and Glenn turned around.

“I heard Balder caused an issue in the annex building.”

He furrowed his brow while looking at the annex building, which was temporarily covered with a tarp until the renovation started.

“It’s fine. I made sure to get enough compensation for it…”

“It doesn’t change the fact that the inspector I nominated caused an issue for you.”

“Hmm…”

“I’ve been thinking that you didn’t receive enough rewards for slaying the mad dragon and defeating the Holy Sword Alliance master’s disciple anyway. That’s why I’m going to teach you a certain technique.”

Glenn’s eyes sparkled ferociously, pretty much forcing him to accept it.

“Th-thank you.”

Raon didn’t dare refuse and lowered his head.

“I’m about to teach you the Perriton Physical Combat Arts. It’s a martial art created by a warrior called the Medical Saint by the people because of his deep understanding of the human body. It should allow you to perfectly understand you and your opponent’s bodies.”

“Ah…”

Raon’s widened as he raised his chin.

‘If that’s true, then it might be helpful with connecting my mother’s mana circuits to her energy center.’

According to what Glenn told him, Raon could guess that the physical combat art would be useful for Sylvia’s treatment.

“Perriton lived two hundred years ago, but there’s still no medical book in the world that surpassed his research. He was from Webec Village, and it’s extremely famous for its white wine.”

“What?”

Raon blinked. He couldn’t understand how the topic suddenly switched to white wine. However, Glenn repeated it once more.

“Did you understand? It’s famous for its white wine.”

“Yes…”

“The white wine is called Perriton Blanc, just like the village’s name.”

“......”

‘What’s going on?’

***

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]