Ariel glared at Raon and her red lips trembled.
‘Is that really crazy?’
I can’t speak at all.
If you try to speak first or ask a question and then try to answer it, they will cut you off and end up asking you if you should have come sooner.
It feels like talking to a rock. I felt like I was going crazy because the conversation couldn’t continue.
‘There is no answer.’
Raon had no intention of continuing the conversation. He put pressure on me by interrupting the flow of conversation in an ignorant way, and it was frustrating that there was no way to resolve it.
“… “I’m sorry for not coming earlier.”
I couldn’t remember how many times I apologized, but I had no choice but to say I was sorry.
I sent Glenn a look asking him to stop Raon, but he just watched the situation with interested eyes.
“How many times are you saying you’re sorry? “If I had come sooner, I wouldn’t have apologized.”
Raon clicked his tongue briefly as if he was pathetic.
‘He’s quick! hurry!’
I felt like I was getting neurotic at the word ‘quick’.
‘Damn it.’
This was planned before.
Late puberty and all, if he hadn’t made a plan in advance, there was no way that monkey with that handsome face would have run amok like this.
Ariel chewed her lips thinly.
‘Still, I have to endure it.’
Now, force, authority, and justification are lacking. I had to endure the anger that felt like it was going to boil my heart.
“Whoa… .”
I slowly caught my breath and cooled my head. She raised her head, thinking of herself as an emotionless stone.
“As the Stormtrooper said, we trespassed into Sieghardt’s territory and attacked first twice, so we have prepared appropriate compensation. But before that, I want to apologize.”
The comedian straightened his shoulders and back and looked at Glenn.
“The reason my subordinates caused problems was all because of my shortcomings. Ariel from Moby Dick confesses her sins to the King of the North.”
She bent her back gracefully. A polite attitude with courtesy. Even when she talked about her sins, she did not lose her confidence.
‘Even that idiot can’t help this.’
He didn’t make any excuses and immediately stated his mistake after offering compensation. No matter how Raon it is, there will be no room for criticism.
But Raon was no ordinary bastard. Just as I was trying to reassure myself, I heard that guy’s voice from behind.
“Ugh! If I had come and apologized quickly, I would have already gone home and taken a nap with my subordinates. “Isn’t that right?”
“uh? “I guess that’s right?”
Raon frowned, and Rimmer nodded hesitantly.
‘That damn bastard again!’
Ariel clenched her fists in her sleeves. It felt as if her spirit, which she had finally managed to regain, was about to collapse, as if it had turned into a sand castle.
‘That’s not just a bastard. ‘You’re a bitch!’
I shook my head slightly, thinking of Raon as a fool among fools.
I chewed my tongue, suppressed my emotions, and raised my gaze.
Wooooow!
When Ariel drew a circle in the air with her finger, subspace opened and gold bars, jewels, elixirs, and weapons poured out.
“I know that these goods won’t be of much help to Sieghart. Please accept it as the thoughts of me and my subordinates.”
She muttered that it didn’t matter if I didn’t forgive her, so I hoped she would accept it.
“Umm… .”
“You’re giving me all that?”
“The quantity is great, but the quality is equally excellent. “Does the gold coin look like a platinum coin?”
“This is more than expected.”
Sieghardt’s executives also widened their eyes, as if surprised by the quantity and quality of the goods brought out by the comedian.
‘okay. Both quality and quantity are excessive. But this is nothing.’
As long as you save your subordinates and return, you will gain a reputation and status that cannot be compared to such wealth.
Money and wealth could be obtained by selling information, so it was not a waste of money.
“Wow, how much is all that? If I had come sooner, I would have been able to pay half as much, but it must have been difficult to get that. “Isn’t that right?”
“Ugh, why is everyone rich except me…” .”
Raon sneered, and Rimmer’s chin trembled to the point where it made a crackling sound.
‘Ignore it. ignore. That’s not a person.’
Ariel shook her neck. Her expression was about to collapse because of Raon, but she came to her senses and only looked at Glenn.
“From now on, I will not enter Sieghardt’s territory, and if I do, please understand in advance… .”
“Oh, wait a minute.”
Raon waved his hand and interrupted.
“I think that might not be enough.”
“yes?”
Ariel twitched her eyelids.
‘What else is this son of a bitch going to do…? .’
A little while ago, I was so surprised that I asked, ‘How much is all that?’, but suddenly it wasn’t enough. He was truly a person I didn’t want to deal with.
“Are you saying the compensation is not enough?”
“Yes. “It feels a little ambiguous.”
“hmm… .”
Usually, I don’t say things like that out loud because I think about status, fame, and age, but that didn’t seem to apply to that idiot.
“Well, like I said, this is our sincerity… .”
“Ugh!”
When I was trying to explain calmly, Raon grabbed my shoulder and frowned.
“Pain from where Baekrangdo’s sword hit me!”
He was bent over like he was in real pain and even broke into a cold sweat.
‘That bastard…’ .’
According to information, Raon easily suppressed Baekrangdo. He said he couldn’t even reach the knife properly, let alone hit it, so it was clearly a trick.
‘What’s even more absurd is that the directions are different!’
Raon is holding his right shoulder now, but he was clearly rubbing his left shoulder earlier when he said his shoulder was hurting.
“I touched my left shoulder earlier… .”
“Both sides hurt!”
Raon twisted his body, holding both shoulders, dripping with cold sweat.
‘I’m really going to go crazy.’
I was openly giving him shit, but I felt like I was going to explode because I had nothing to say.
“… All right.”
Ariel shook her head and opened subspace again. I even poured in the emergency funds I had brought with me in mind of any unexpected situation.
“after… .”
I looked back with an exasperated sigh, and Raon was twirling his shoulders as if asking when he had been sick.
The cold sweat that had filled his forehead a moment ago also disappeared as if it had been washed away.
“I feel better now. If you had come sooner, you wouldn’t have had to pay additional compensation, so it’s all karma. “Karma.”
Raon laughed heartily and snapped his fingers.
“Ugh… .”
Ariel’s whole body trembled from the anger welling up from her toes.
‘Let’s be patient. not now.’
No matter what you do here, you cannot kill Raon. We must endure for now and plan for the future.
“Matriarch.”
As I looked at Glenn, I pressed down on my stomach, which was burning like lava.
“I don’t ask for forgiveness to this extent. We will definitely reflect on the issues we caused, and we will never do it again… .”
As I faced Glenn’s grave gaze and was about to continue speaking, Raon’s voice came from behind me again.
“That’s not all, is it?”
“Now, just do it in moderation…” .”
When Ariel turned around, letting out a voice filled with anger, a red lightning flashed through Raon’s eyes.
“This is just the beginning, so what is appropriate?”
The harsh yet cool tone of voice sent a slight stinging sensation to my temples.
“You didn’t say the most important thing.”
* * *
“W-what are you saying…” .”
Raon snorted as he looked at the shaking eyes of the comedian.
“What we’re really angry about is not that we invaded Sieghart or that we attacked first.”
“then… .”
“hostage.”
I slowly lifted my eyelids and made eye contact with Ariel.
“Knowing that the Black Tower’s barrier was maintained by the life force of the hostages, but not moving, is not something that can be passed over as such.”
Raon wrinkled his nose as he looked at the mountain of wealth laid out by the comedian.
“The fact that the Black Tower had hostages was something we could not have predicted.”
“Hyeol Woon-gyeom knew, so does it make sense that you, who gave him the order, didn’t know?”
He twisted his chin as he brought out the information he had obtained while torturing Hyeol Woon-gyeom.
“That’s Hyeol Woon-gyeom… .”
“Hsinchu Oring is a place that planted a flag of neutrality, declaring that it would not belong to either the Six Emperors or the Oma.”
He cut off the comedian who was trying to make an excuse and continued with what he had to say.
“If I’m neutral, does that mean I have to remain silent even after seeing the hostages? “You are such amazing people that you stand still and collect information while innocent people are dying and covered in blood.”
Raon slurred his tone and gave a cold sneer.
“The only order I gave to Hyeol-gyeom was to gather information about Sieghart and the Black Tower.”
Heegeukje shook his head at Glenn as if he really didn’t think so. That isn’t a lie, but there were additional instructions.
“I really didn’t know that the Black Tower was holding hostages.”
She sighed, saying that if she had known there were hostages, she wouldn’t have made that decision.
“No, that’s not the end.”
Raon waved his hand and took a step forward.
“Didn’t Ariel give additional instructions to Hyeolwoongyeom not to come out of hiding no matter what happens?”
“hmm… .”
The comedian’s eyes were slightly curved.
“I think that’s so strange. No matter what? “Isn’t that what someone who knows there is a serious problem would say?”
“The actions of the demons of the Black Tower are unpredictable. For my part, I thought about the safety of my subordinates as much as possible… .”
“Then, when giving instructions, shouldn’t it be to say not to break hiding no matter what, but to never collide with the Black Tower? Wouldn’t that have worked better?”
Raon let out a sly smile.
“If you give an order like that, when you encounter the Demon of the Black Tower… .”
“Ah, actually, it doesn’t matter what it is.”
He stopped the comedian from making excuses. She must have prepared a lot of answers when she came here, so she must have a reasonable excuse. She didn’t need to listen.
“In conclusion, Moby Dick watched innocent people dying.”
“Well, I don’t have anything to say about that. However, Hyeolwoongyeom… .”
The Emperor of Comedy acknowledged those words and bowed his head.
“Ah, you admitted it. What a relief.”
“yes?”
“Somehow, this story also reached the ears of the hostages.”
Raon smiled slightly.
“What is that… .”
“While explaining what had happened to the hostages, it was accidentally said that I kept quiet even after seeing Baek Kyung. Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“Well, it’s our sin, so it doesn’t matter.”
Ariel nodded.
‘are you okay. I can cover it up.’
I was told that all the hostages were inside Sieghardt. If we gave them carrots and sticks, we could prevent the spread of rumors.
“I would like to meet them in person and ask for their forgiveness, but could you give me the opportunity?”
“Ah, that’s unfortunate, but it’s impossible.”
Raon slowly shook his head.
“They have already left the family.”
“yes?”
When I heard that the hostage had moved, my eyes widened.
“Uh, when… .”
“I sent it to you when Ariel came here. By now he might have met up with the people who followed him to the captain’s game?”
“ah… .”
Ariel swallowed dry saliva as she looked at Raon’s sunken eyes.
‘Is this what you were aiming for?’
Since he was trapped inside now, he could not give orders regarding hostage disposal.
Although there are Moby Dick warriors among the followers, they will not be able to move because Sieghart is right in front of them.
‘You damn bastard…’ .’
If the rumor spreads that Moby Dick ignored the hostages even after seeing them, he would have to worry that his reputation and status would fall below that of before, rather than increase.
The reason for coming here disappears.
‘Damn… .’
I couldn’t manage my facial expressions in a completely unexpected situation. My eyes naturally frowned.
“So I have something to tell you.”
Raon touched the back of his neck and narrowed his eyes.
“I have a strong sense of responsibility, so I plan to keep checking to see if they went home safely. “If they get hurt or disappear, the first suspect would be Moby Dick. Do you admit that?”
Others said things they would not say out of respect for the other person.
This is a threat. It was an oppression that would not keep quiet if they touched the hostages.
Rather than harming the hostages by crying and eating mustard, Moby Dick should protect them.
“… … .”
The Emperor of Comedy didn’t say anything and just glared at us with his burning red eyes.
I felt relieved because it was similar to how she tried to use Sieghart.
“hmm… .”
Glenn’s mouth was also slightly raised, as if he was feeling refreshed.
“That won’t happen…” .”
“Then that’s a relief.”
Raon smiled and nodded.
‘Actually, I don’t need your help.’
I contacted the black market in advance and asked for two requests. One is to protect the hostages, and the second is to spread the hostages’ stories across the continent.
The fame and status that the comedy festival had hoped to gain would have disappeared into the darkness by now.
“Did you say Ariel?”
Ariel’s gaze returned to Glenn’s call. Even during this time, he was forced to maintain his facial expression, and it seemed like he had honed his mental strength as well as his brute force.
“yes.”
“This is the end of it. “If you do something similar next time, I will erase the name Moby Dick from the continent.”
“… “I will keep that in mind.”
A cool feeling appeared in the Emperor’s eyes. She nodded her head with venomous eyes, as if she had no intention of hiding the emotions already revealed.
“and.”
Heegeukje took out a white envelope from his arms and held it out in front of him.
“Next year, a festival will be held to commemorate the establishment of the five Hsinchu Oring organizations. “Please attend if you have the opportunity.”
“I’ll think about it.”
When Glenn nodded, the letter in the Emperor’s hand floated like a cloud and landed in front of the armrest of the throne.
“Roen.”
“yes.”
Loen went down the stage and approached the comedian.
“I will guide you to where the others are.”
“Please do me a favor.”
The Emperor nodded and turned his back to follow Roen.
She walked slowly and glared at Raon. Her eyes were like hellfire, burning with anger and malice.
Raon met the comedian’s gaze and swallowed dry saliva.
‘One threat is great.’
Even though I haven’t activated any aura or force, cold sweat runs down my back. A tremendous expert. As expected, if it weren’t for this position, I wouldn’t have been able to survive properly.
‘but… .’
This is our master bedroom.
It was also a place where I had received permission from the owner to lie down, so I was able to go further.
“Mr. Ariel.”
When I called his name with a faint smile, the comedian stopped.
“Would you like a shoe?”
“shoes? What is that… .”
“You look like you have a lot to think about, but you should walk when you go back. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have new shoes if you want to play alley when you go?”
It was a sarcasm that used the excuse she used when explaining why she was late.
“… … .”
The Comedy Festival revealed this. The eyes, filled with more malicious intent than before, were curved like a half moon.
“Khahahaha!”
Rimmer finally couldn’t hold back anymore and started laughing, holding his stomach.
“You’re so crazy!”
He chuckled, saying it was his first time seeing a tortoise.
“be quiet. “I know where this is.”
“Oh, yes.”
Rimmer nodded absentmindedly.
‘No, wait!’
This is so weird.
Ji wanted to talk shit all day and ask, ‘Why are you doing this to me?’, but he was scared of Glenn, so he held back for now.
“I think so.”
The Emperor smiled and nodded. Of course, that smile was creepy enough to make her hair stand on end.
‘Now is the time.’
I clenched my fists. The question had to be asked now that the comedy emperor’s immobility had been completely broken.
“Dragon Helmet.”
At those words, the comedian stopped walking.
“There is a story about meeting someone wearing a dragon helmet.”
Raon continued speaking as he faced the comical emperor’s creepy eyes.
“What is your relationship with Eden?”
