Chapter 89
Chapter 89
Arkan Winterbell’s words were like a stone thrown into a quiet lake. Rayven Helios stared straight at Arkan Winterbell without giving any reply. Arkan did the same.
“…….”
“…….”
Silence fell in an instant. The air in the room changed in the blink of an eye. A faint heat rose around Rayven, while the air surrounding Arkan grew even colder.
It felt as though the energies of fire and ice were colliding.
The one who burst into laughter first was Rayven.
“Ha ha! Even after more than twenty years have passed… that arrogant tone of yours hasn’t changed at all.”
A faint smile spread across Arkan Winterbell’s lips.
“I merely spoke the truth.”
Amid this tense atmosphere, the Chancellor lifted his wine glass again. In this special moment created by decades of rivalry, he felt as though he was witnessing a scene from history.
“Is that so…….”
Rayven Helios slowly raised his wine glass.
“Then I suppose I’ll get to see my son shut that arrogant mouth of yours.”
“…….”
The air inside the study grew even heavier. The flames in the fireplace burned more fiercely, as if responding to Rayven’s presence.
Rayven spoke with feigned nonchalance.
“I can’t even make a joke without it becoming frightening.”
“I know it isn’t a joke.”
“So you’re quick to notice as well.”
If anyone other than the Chancellor had been present here, it would not have been a mere figure of speech—they truly wouldn’t have been able to breathe properly.
The clash of aura between the two transcendents was like a natural disaster. The heat rising around Rayven had already taken on substance, distorting the air inside the study.
In contrast, an invisible chill swirled around Arkan.
The flames in the fireplace danced wildly, froze in an instant, and then ignited again, repeating the cycle.
The snowflakes visible outside the window hung motionless in midair, as if time itself had stopped.
This was the power of ‘Transcendents.’ Beings capable of twisting the laws of nature through their will alone. Rayven Helios, called the Sun of the South, and Arkan Winterbell, known as the Frost of the North. Their confrontation went beyond a mere personal dispute; it was like the collision of two opposing forces of nature.
The Chancellor quietly watched them. As the empire’s second-in-command, he had witnessed moments like this many times. Yet every time, he could not help but feel astonished. The presence of those who had surpassed the limits of humanity was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
At an appropriate moment, the Chancellor opened his mouth.
“Patriarch Arkan.”
“Speak.”
“Do you believe your second son will win again this time as well?”
Arkan Winterbell shook his head. The Chancellor’s expression subtly changed, as he had naturally assumed Arkan was referring to Lux Winterbell, the previous champion.
“No. Ran Winterbell will win.”
At that single sentence, the air in the room seemed to stop. The wine glass in Rayven’s hand trembled slightly, and the Chancellor’s eyes widened.
“Ran?”
Rayven narrowed his eyes as he asked again.
“You mean Ran Winterbell, your youngest son?”
His voice was filled with bewilderment.
A child who had been half-crippled until just two years ago.
The unfortunate youngest son who had even been called the disgrace of the Winterbell family.
Was he really talking about that child?
The Chancellor also could not hide his surprise.
“Ha… Has something happened in the meantime?”
“Something, you say. Many things have happened. To Winterbell, and to that child as well.”
Arkan smiled as he slowly swirled the wine in his glass. Since Arkan was someone who rarely showed emotion, both the Chancellor and Rayven Helios felt a sense of strangeness.
“I made a personal promise with Ran Winterbell. That is why I believe Ran Winterbell will win this friendly match.”
Rayven sprang up from his seat.
“That’s nonsense. As far as I know, wasn’t that child said to be unable to hold a sword for the rest of his life because of poison? No. If I remember correctly, he couldn’t even properly move his lower body.”
Just as he said, the Ran Winterbell of the past had been half-crippled, unable to properly move even his own body. Even within the family, he had essentially been treated as if he didn’t exist.
Not even a candidate for Patriarch—Ran Winterbell had never even shown his face at the friendly match before. So hearing that he was now a candidate to win this very competition was naturally something that made one doubt their ears.
Arkan Winterbell’s gaze deepened.
“People change.”
Half a year.
If considered long, it was long. If considered short, it was short.
Just what could have happened in that time for a half-crippled boy who couldn’t even walk to catch the Patriarch’s attention?
Rayven fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“How interesting. A boy who used to be half-crippled is now aiming to win in a place like this. And you’re personally vouching for him.”
The Chancellor cautiously continued.
“However, Patriarch….”
The corner of his lips slowly curled upward.
“The young people who came this time are all monsters. Especially the one from the Imperial Family……”
Arkan raised his head as if cutting off the Chancellor’s words.
“Yes. Leon Helios, Lutheran Caesar. And the others as well—all individuals with remarkable talent. I do not deny it. Even so, my opinion will not change. The winner of this friendly match will be Ran Winterbell.”
His tone was filled with certainty.
A heavy silence fell over the room.
It was the first time the Patriarch of Winterbell had spoken with such conviction. If his words were true, then the friendly match beginning tomorrow would become an event capable of shaking the entire empire.
Rayven emptied his wine glass as if lost in thought.
His gaze sharpened.
‘That man would never lie. If Arkan Winterbell is this certain, then there must be a reason for it. Still, it’s strange. He was poisoned with a deadly toxin and declared unable to ever move his body again—so how did he recover his health?’
If Ran Winterbell had truly become that strong, he would certainly become a threat to Leon as well.
But.
A smile formed on Rayven’s lips.
‘Interesting. Yes. That’s how Winterbell should be.’
Variables like this were what truly made things entertaining.
The Chancellor looked out at the falling snow beyond the window. Suddenly, he had a feeling that this friendly match might go beyond a simple contest between young people—it might even change the future of the empire.
Rayven suddenly raised his wine glass.
“Let’s wait and see just how strong your youngest has become. By the way…….”
Then he showed a sly smile.
“Do you remember? When we fought that high-ranking demon who introduced himself as a legion commander in the territory of the Demon Race?”
Arkan looked at him with an indifferent gaze.
“…….”
Rayven’s eyes sank into reminiscence.
“That demon bastard with three pairs of black wings. He was ridiculously tough. Even when his body was shredded by sword aura imbued with the aura of fire, he didn’t budge. I almost died back then.”
Arkan Winterbell added a remark.
“Stop exaggerating. You nearly died to something like a mere demon? That’s ridiculous.”
The only man acknowledged by Arkan Winterbell, who was also a Deus, was Rayven Helios.
Normally he was cheerful and loved to joke around, but the power he possessed was real.
No one knew better than Arkan Winterbell that a man he acknowledged would never struggle against something like a mere demon legion commander.
The Chancellor widened his eyes and interjected.
“Ah! Are you referring to the famous ‘Legion Commander of the Black Wings’? One of the most powerful demons in the history of the Empire. When it was first observed, it was just one among ordinary demons, but over time it rapidly grew stronger, didn’t it?”
“That’s right. The demonic energy pouring out from that bastard’s wings was truly dreadful. It was so strong that even my flames couldn’t burn it away.”
“Your flames couldn’t burn it? You probably just held back because you wanted to toy with it. If you had used Makina, it would have been burned to ashes long ago.”
Rayven chuckled and emptied his wine glass before continuing. His face still carried a playful expression.
“And not long ago, I even encountered a primordial giant. That cursed thing that had been sleeping underground for thousands of years… The poisonous miasma flowing from its body was so vile that every living creature nearby withered and died. Whew. It was quite a close call.”
The Chancellor played along.
“My goodness. Such a powerful monster existed? That must have been a truly dangerous moment. If the great Patriarch of the Helios Family, known as the Red Sun, says so himself, then that giant must have been nothing short of a calamity.”
“As expected of the Chancellor. You understand quickly. Do you know how long I spent trying to kill that giant? Five whole days. For five entire days, without resting even once, I fought a bloody battle before finally killing that monster.”
Unable to listen any longer, Arkan drank a cup of wine and then cut him off with an irritated expression.
“Rayven. Do thorns grow in your mouth if you don’t spout nonsense every single day? And Chancellor. Why are you encouraging that nonsense?”
The Chancellor burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Encouraging it? I merely praised the achievements of Duke Rayven, the Patriarch of the Helios Family. As the Chancellor of the Empire, how could I stay silent when such great accomplishments have been made?”
Hearing that, Rayven also burst into laughter.
“Hahaha! Exactly. That’s the spirit. Aren’t you being a bit too sensitive?”
Arkan frowned and swept his long hair back over his head.
“I can understand that idiot, but… Chancellor, you also have quite a nasty side.”
“Ha ha. What do you mea—”
At that moment.
The cup the Chancellor was holding froze instantly.
Crack.
Naturally, the Baekseolju inside it also froze perfectly solid. The Chancellor’s face stiffened, especially since he had been looking forward to this drink more than anyone.
He looked like a child who had just had his favorite toy taken away.
“Um… Patriarch?”
“What is it, Chancellor?”
“Now that I think about it, Duke Rayven seems to exaggerate a bit too much. With Patriarch Rayven’s strength, those monsters you mentioned would surely have been dealt with quite easily.”
Only then did Arkan snap his fingers as if satisfied.
Immediately, the Chancellor’s frozen wine cup melted as if snow had thawed under the sun. The Chancellor smiled and drank the wine.
“Ahh. This is the taste.”
Seeing this, Rayven Helios burst into genuine laughter.
“Wahahahaha! Chancellor. It seems you don’t want Breath of the Sun?”
“Be quiet. Stop rambling and open it already.”
“Oh? Were you also missing Breath of the Sun?”
“…It wasn’t bad.”
Listening to the conversation between these two transcendents, the Chancellor felt a deep sense of reflection. The battles they mentioned were all legendary moments that would remain in the Empire’s history. Yet to them, they were nothing more than pages from their everyday past.
“Haha! You really are honest when it comes to alcohol.”
“Shut up.”
Watching the two transcendents, the Chancellor smiled. He felt grateful that some things remained unchanged even as time passed. Just the fact that the Empire’s two greatest sword saints could peacefully share drinks like this meant the future of the Empire would surely remain safe.