Runaan bit her lip as she looked at Syria’s eyes, which were as sticky as a poisonous snake.
‘Why did you come here?’
Syria stopped paying attention to me after being humiliated by Raon.
I thought I had given up because he didn’t come home for a while, but it wasn’t a good feeling to see that he came the moment I returned.
“What did you do that makes your hands so cold!”
Clara frowned as she touched Syria’s frozen white hand.
“It’s still cold.”
Syria smiled kindly, unfastened the sword from her waist and leaned it against the wall.
“You can protect yourself with aurors, right?”
Rokhan sighed, asking why he endured the cold with his bare body.
“It’s annoying.”
“You are the successor of this Slyon. “Treat your body more.”
“All right!”
Syria placed her hand on her forehead as if saluting and sat down next to Runaan.
“anyway.”
“They say it won’t change.”
Clara and Lorcan smiled warmly, as if they thought Syria was cute.
“… … .”
Unlike the other two, Runaan had a slight tension in her whole body so that she could move at any time.
‘It’s like the old eyes.’
Syria’s eyes were filled with blatant desire, as if they had returned to before being humiliated by Raon.
But the good news is that there is a folktale next to the table.
I brought the knife with me to clean it after the meal, and it was a relief to be able to prepare for any unexpected situation.
You may not be able to defeat Syria, but you will be able to hold out until he does something strange to your dad and mom.
‘No matter what you do, I will stop it.’
As Runan lowered her right hand down to the table and was concentrating on Syria’s movements, the door to the restaurant opened, and maids carrying new food came in.
The maids cleaned up the cold food and placed the steaming hot food on the table.
“Oh, come to think of it, I have a gift for you.”
Syria smiled slightly and took out a subspace pouch.
As Runaan placed his hand on the Tale of Swordsman, a gray box popped out of Syria’s subspace pocket. It was a box containing beaded ice cream.
“They said there was a new flavor, so I thought of you and bought it.”
Syria held out a box of ice cream and told her to take it.
“for a moment!”
Lorcan raised his open palm.
“Mine comes first! “Where are you cutting in line?”
He reached into his subspace pocket and pulled out a box of ice cream bigger than Syria.
“Runan! “Eat dad’s first!”
Lorcan waved his hand to open his own ice cream, not Syrian ice cream.
“I guess he’s rich. “It’s the same.”
Clara looked so happy at the sight of the three people that she rested her chin on her hand and smiled warmly.
“huh… .”
After letting go of the Tale of Swordsman, Runaan received a box of ice cream from Syria and Rokan.
“I’ll eat and eat.”
“Sure. “Are you going to eat what Dad brought you instead?”
Lorcan raised his finger and asked everyone to eat his ice cream first.
“huh.”
Runaan nodded and looked at Syria. He smiled mysteriously and then turned his head to Lorcan.
“I’m sad. “I also prepared a gift for my father.”
Syria put her hand into her subspace pocket again. What came out this time was an old-fashioned white wine.
“It’s Sichelle Blanc, 40 years old.”
“Oh oh! “Is this precious thing?”
Lorcan’s hands trembled as if the wine was a treasure.
“I found it at an auction by chance. “Try it right away.”
“no.”
Runaan stood up, roughly pushing the chair away. She didn’t feel well. It felt like Syria had done something to that wine.
“dad. “Don’t eat that.”
“Lu, Runan? Why?”
Clara raised her head with wide eyes.
“… “It’s a waste.”
Runaan pursed her lips awkwardly as she looked at the wine in Lorkhan’s glass. It was a ridiculous excuse, but he couldn’t think of anything in particular. At times like this, she wanted to borrow Raon’s mouth.
“It’s definitely a waste. Because this wine is not something you can buy with money. Plus, it’s a gift my son gave me after a long time.”
Lorcan looked at the wine and nodded slowly.
“Just eat it. “I’ll buy it again next time.”
Syria waved her hand and said it was okay.
“hate. This guy. You only buy Runaan’s gifts, but you don’t buy mine. “I’ll leave this for later to show off.”
Lorcan smiled heartily and left the wine with the butler behind him, ordering him to bring another high-quality wine.
Not long after, the butler brought red wine and glasses and poured it for the four people.
“It’s a 30-year-old Varesia. “It’s not as good as Sichelle, but it’s still worth eating.”
Lorcan raised his glass for the first toast as a family.
“Of course.”
Syria raised her glass without hesitation, without the slightest disappointment.
Kyaang.
Runaan clinked glasses with the three while focusing on Syria’s eyes and hands.
Syria emptied her glass in one go, and Lorcan and Clara also smiled and sipped their wine.
Percussion.
Runaan put down the glass without even touching the drink.
“You’re not going to drink Runaan?”
“huh.”
He shook his head at Clara and loosened his slightly stiff fingers.
“Father, mother, do you know anything?”
As the laughing drinking continued and the wine bottle was empty, Syria leaned in front of the table.
“What do you mean?”
“They say a monster called Baphomet has appeared in the south.”
“Baphomet!”
“hmm… .”
Lorcan frowned, and Clara tilted her head as if she didn’t know.
“That monster… .”
“yes. It’s a monster. “It’s also a monstrous monster.”
Syria smiled and calmly nodded.
“It seems like your mother and Runaan don’t know much about it, so let me explain briefly: It’s a very strong monster. “It is a leader-level monster that can use both fighting and mana, and has intelligence greater than that of a human.”
He continued his explanation, moving his fingers as if drawing a picture on the table.
“However, unlike other monsters, Baphomet has one characteristic.”
“characteristic?”
“yes. “From the moment they are born, they try to find their mate.”
Syria slowly put her left and right index fingers together.
“It is said that Baphomet, who has a partner, becomes stronger than before. Baphomet, who is said to have appeared in the south, is probably looking for a mate right now.”
“That’s not all.”
Lorcan put down his drink and sighed.
“Baphomet is a growing monster.”
He looked down at the blood-red wine and furrowed his brows.
“They become stronger faster than humans who are called geniuses. “You have to kill it before it meets its mate and before it grows any further.”
“Your father knows very well.”
“There was a time when I fought when I was the same size as you.”
Lorcan shook his head, saying it was a terrible experience.
“Still, it’s a bit pitiful.”
Clara touched the glass with her fingers and sighed.
“I was moving to find a mate, but I was attacked… .”
“… “Her mother is sweet.”
Syria seemed to be surprised by Clara’s words and narrowed her eyes.
“Don’t say that. “Because they follow their instincts, they often attack humans for no reason.”
Rokhan shook his head, saying that it was still just a monster.
“Ah, there is one more peculiar thing about Baphomet.”
“What is that?”
“They are looking for a mate, and if that mate is a blood relative, they say they can gain unimaginable power.”
“Blood relatives? What a strange monster… ah.”
Clara dropped the glass she was holding on the floor.
“This… .”
Her whole body trembled as if she had been electrocuted, and she fell backwards along with the chair.
“Clara!”
Lorcan got up from his seat and ran to Clara.
“Why are you doing this!”
“mom!”
Runan also climbed up the table, taking the snowflake with him, and jumped down to where Clara had fallen.
“What are they doing! “Quickly get a therapist!”
Lorcan shouted at the butler and maids behind him, but no one moved.
“What the hell are you guys… .”
“Don’t scold me.”
Syria wet her mouth with red wine and smiled.
“They are just listening to my orders to stay still.”
“Poetry, Syria?”
Lorcan’s lips trembled as he looked at Syria’s eyes that changed in an instant.
“Anyway, your father is amazing. “The medicine acts on the mind regardless of inaction, so I’m a little surprised that you’ve held on until now.”
“Did you do it?”
“Then who did it?”
“Is there anyone?”
At Rokhan’s shout, the door to the restaurant opened, and the family’s swordsmen entered.
“Let’s take Clara to a therapist, and get rid of that guy…” .”
However, the swordsmen who came in were not Lorcan, but stood behind Syria and placed their hands on their swords.
“Why are you… .”
“The servants closest to my father have become mine, so isn’t it strange that prosecutors are following my father?”
“You guys!”
“Still, I put a lot of effort into it. “Because I had money, no education, dirty desires, and even weaknesses.”
Syria smiled brightly as he looked at the soldiers and employees standing behind him.
“My father was so obsessed with peace. “It became an old, fat dog that only ate the food that Sieghard threw at it.”
“this guy!”
Rokhan screamed and stood up. His eyes turned red with anger.
“Of course Sieghardt is strong. But 80% of that strength is Glenn Sieghardt. Because of that monster. “The rest are just making up their minds.”
Syria giggled and raised her head. She arched her eerie eyes at the warm lighting that seemed at odds with this atmosphere.
“Soon the world will change. “It will be the awl that strikes Sieghart’s back at the very center of our Slion family.”
“Do you think I will leave it like that? never… ah!”
Lorcan stumbled and sat down. He shook his arms and legs against his will and fell behind him.
“As expected, you’re excited, so the medicine works well.”
Syria stroked her chin in amusement.
“Lu, Runan. escape… .”
Rokhan couldn’t even say the last words properly and his body stiffened.
“Ah, Dad, Mom.”
Runaan took a deep breath as he looked at Lorcan and Clara, with only their eyes moving. The two people trembled as if asking them to run away.
“What did you do!”
She bared her teeth as she looked at Syria.
“Did you think I was drugged by alcohol? “That’s not fun.”
Syria lifted the remaining bottle of wine. When he opened his palm, the fallen bottle broke and blood-red liquor soaked the white floor.
“I didn’t do anything with this drink. What I touched… .”
Syria’s finger pointed towards the glass from which Clara and Lorcan drank.
“It’s that glass.”
“Mom, what did you do to dad?”
Runaan wrapped himself in a sword and lifted up the snowflake.
“Runan. “You made a mistake too.”
Syria smiled brightly and waved her hand.
“If you wanted to stop me and save my mother and father, you should have kept talking. I had to tell my brother that he was strange, that I thought he was crazy. Of course it wouldn’t have meant anything.”
“Syria… .”
“Oh, by the way, when I was young, I told my father and mother that I was strange, right? Why didn’t that work? “Why didn’t you two believe what you said?”
Syria let out a bright yellow smile as he pointed to the soldiers and employees standing behind him.
“Even back then, many of them stood behind me and reported in my favor, so there is no way it would work. “Your father and mother took pity on you, thinking you were delusional.”
“you… .”
Runaan gritted his teeth and pulled out all the auras on his dantian. The blue river, wrapped in cold air, burned on the blade of the snowflake.
“That’s great! “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this day!”
Syria’s curled up mouth trembled as she looked at the sword aimed at her neck.
“I feel rewarded for saving that guy.”
As he lightly clapped his hands, the warriors and servants approached the fallen Lorcan and Clara.
“Do not come! “I’m going to kill them all!”
Runan screamed and aimed the snowflake at the warriors.
“Rebellion is always beautiful. but… .”
Syria pointed at Lorcan and Clara and licked her red lips.
“If I leave my father and mother like that, they will stop breathing and die. Are you okay?”
Runaan’s fingertips trembled at his question.
“… … .”
The strength that blooms from the blade of the snowflake melts like spring snow.
Kyaang!
Eventually, Runaan’s sword fell to the ground.
“It’s a wise choice.”
After Syria’s laughter, the lights in the restaurant turned off.
* * *
Raon stood in the center of the 5th training camp and pulled out his sword. He held his breath as he aimed his pure white blade at the sky where the sun had not yet risen.
I struck down my sword, recalling the advice Glenn gave me two days ago.
Whoa!
The bitter sword wind cut through the cold early morning air and drew a thin line on the floor of the training ground.
Whoa!
Without even looking at the line, Raon raised the Jecheon Sword again and drew it down in the same posture.
A second sword wind poured down, but the sword marks on the floor of the training ground did not increase.
Even though 100 slashes were made, only the first mark was left on the floor.
Paaaa!
Raon nodded with satisfaction and raised the Jecheon Sword to its upper position again and struck it down.
The accuracy and sharpness inherent in the 100 sword strikes changed to speed and heaviness, and a trajectory as if struck by a mace was carved on the floor of the training hall.
He performed basic swordsmanship on the spot, incorporating the martial arts techniques he had learned so far one by one.
I concentrated all of my mind on each sword strike, so when I finished one round of training, the rising sun was moving towards the center of the sky.
‘This time with the Wind Wind Sword… .’
-Hey!
When Raon was trying to train his martial arts skills with the Wind Wind Sword, Ras jumped up in front of him.
-Isn’t it time for an appointment? Why don’t you go quickly!
Lars pointed to the sky, saying that it was time for a dinner date with everyone.
“hmm… .”
Raon lowered his sword and raised his head. As Lars said, the appointment time was fast approaching.
‘I’m a little disappointed.’
-What a shame! You continued to practice after that old man left!
‘My training is going well these days. At times like this, time is a waste.’
Although I didn’t feel like I was definitely growing, I felt satisfied every time I practiced because I felt like my messy martial arts skills were being sorted out.
-This is my first time seeing an uneducated and crazy person like you!
Lars shook his head, saying he was fed up.
‘Then a little more?’
-Shut up and go to the ice cream shop quickly! I’ve been holding on to the beaded ice cream for today!
‘I get it. okay.’
Raon sighed. He quickly washed up and headed to the mall.
Perhaps because we arrived almost at 10 o’clock, most of the Gwangpungdae had gathered.
“Why is the guy who told me to come here now?”
Marta said it was late and frowned.
“I saw you coming with a sword, so I guess I came from training.”
Burren looked at the Jecheon Sword and shook his head.
“It’s really gross. “I’m sorry.”
He sighed, saying he couldn’t keep up.
“What kind of training are you going to make us do?” .”
Dorian trembled his shoulders, as if he was already afraid of training.
“Sir.”
Mark Goeton quietly bowed his head as if he were respectful.
“hmm?”
Raon tilted his head as he approached Gwangpungdae. By this time, I couldn’t see the guy who was supposed to be muttering in a sleepy voice that he was Raon.
“Where is Runaan?”
“It hasn’t arrived yet.”
Burren waved his hand.
“It’s no big deal, right? “He’s late for all his ice cream appointments.”
Marta tilted her head, saying it was strange.
“… … .”
Raon raised his gaze and looked at the clock erected in the square.
Tick.
Even though it was 10 o’clock, Runaan did not show up.
-hey!
‘know.’
Raon nodded and looked at the Gwangpungdae.
“If I don’t return after an hour, tell the Slion family that something has happened. Dorian and Martha are following me!”
“what?”
“What do you mean… .”
Without listening to the others’ answers, I ran west.
-It’s strange that the ice cream girl doesn’t keep her promise!
‘okay. ‘I don’t know anything else, but I’ve never broken my ice cream promise.’
Runaan may seem lazy, but she never breaks two promises.
Water lily and ice cream. In particular, if you promise to buy him ice cream, he comes more than an hour early and waits first.
‘Something must have happened.’
Raon headed to the Slyon family with confidence.
