N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
C 360
Dening Rose placed the map on the round table, and it seemed to be a meticulously crafted map for this occasion. As she unfolded the map, Raon smiled faintly upon hearing 'Zamari Mountains.'
'Zamari Mountains.'
Fortunately, he was familiar with the place. The Zamari Mountains were deep within the Rocan City, where the Sepia Merchant Association held sway. It was a barren land with a sparse population and not too many monsters.
'Wethers Village...'
He traced a small village that would appear if you turned right on the way to the mountains with his finger.
'It's still there, it seems.'
Warm memories resurfaced from his days as an assassin when he visited the village for missions, and the outsiders there had provided him with a place to sleep and meals.
"Does Dragon pose a threat to the people of this village?*
"It's quite far from the mountains, and Dragon seems to have moved towards the west coast, so no one there has been harmed yet."
Dening Rose raised her head while looking at the map.
'Still, it seems like they should move away a bit...'
"The specialty of Wethers Village is wild strawberries and chestnuts. These items help them survive in such harsh conditions, so even if they know, it won't be easy for them to leave"'
'I see.'
That makes sense. Leaving a place you've been living in, no matter how many monsters are rampaging, is not an easy task.
"If you manage to capture Dragon this time, the people there can finally breathe easy."
She smiled and made a request.
"Wethers Village is famous for having the best strawberry pie and chestnut stew on the continent. After capturing Dragon, make sure to try them and come back."
No way.
Raon tried to cover Dening Rose's mouth, but it was already too late. The words 'best on the continent' had firmly stuck in the ears of the gluttonous Demon King.
Oh oh?
Wrath stood up abruptly and pointed at the map.
Strawberry pie and stew?
Chestnut stew...
Strawberry pie and chestnut stew? Sounds good! The King always wanted such special dishes! Let's have them as dessert after eating Dragon! Depart immediately!
He impatiently gestured as if to ask why they weren't leaving right away.
'Why eat Dragon...'
Dragons are hard to come by, so we should at least eat that. It's a meat with a unique chewiness.
'Please...'
Raon trembled and looked at Dening Rose.
"Who came out from the Black Tower?"
"It seemed like Black Water Harrison and his subordinates came out."
' Black Water...'
Fortunately, that was a name he had heard before. He was known as a skilled individual even in the Black Tower, and it was said that he had reached the Advanced Master level by now. It had been quite some time, so by now, he might have even reached the Superior Master level.
'A formidable opponent. And...'
If it gets too dangerous, he can run away.
He still had the Silver Thread in case of danger. After carefully planning his moves, he could always escape when things got perilous.
Raon rolled the plan in his mind again while looking at the map.
'The terrain isn't bad either.'
The mountains sprawled randomly but were wide enough to hide in various places.
'It's a perfect location to acquire some bait.'
Black Tower would move to capture Dragon, and the Shadows would aim to kill him. It was a perfect space for luring all those ignorant individuals and wiping them out.
'The nest's location must be at the top of the mountains.'
"Right."
Dening Rose extended her finger, pointing at the center of the map. Naturally, Dragon had nest in the highest mountain range.
"Dragon often leaves the nest empty for long periods. So, it settles in dangerous places to prevent other species from approaching."
She grimaced, acknowledging that even reaching the nest would not be easy.
"According to our investigations so far, this Dragon seems to return to the nest every 7 to 10 days. It left the nest three days ago, so you should be able to establish your position before it returns."
"I see."
Raon nodded. With that timeframe, he could arrive at the mountains before Dragon did.
Not only for Dragon but also for waiting for the Black Tower or the Shadows, there was enough time.
"Does hit has an element, by any chance?"
"Element?"
Dorian widened his eyes and rushed forward.
"Dragon has an attribute?"
"By default, they are non-elemental, but those that have lived long or were born strong, like dragons, can possess attributes."
Dorian opened his mouth wide, as if he didn't know that. His jaw trembled in terror.
"Unfortunately, it does."
Dening Rose nodded heavily.
"What, what is it?"
Dorian swallowed his saliva and slammed his fist on the table.
"It looks like ice. There were traces of using the breath of ice near the nest."
Dening Rose sighed and scratched the map lightly with her fingernails.
"Aaaaaargh, ice?"
'Ice, nice.'
Currently, his elemental resistance was at the 7th rank. Even if Dragon used his full power to unleash icy breath, he would barely be affected.
"No, why are you laughing when Dragon is strong! And we have the Black Tower too! Aren't you worried at all?"
Dorian exclaimed as if he couldn't believe it.
"The Black Tower is just a matter of dealing with it. The dragon is big. It's even easier to win in the test your father gave you."
Having an element meant that the creature had a significantly large physique. If they cleanly captured it, it would be no different from winning the challenge his father had given him.
"Ah..."
Dorian and Dening Rose stared at him as if to say, "Is this guy for real?"
"Unfortunately, this information is not yet complete."
"That means..."
Raon nodded as he looked into Dening Rose's eyes.
'It means you haven't shared it with anyone.'
Information from the Black Market always had to be accurate. Saying it wasn't complete meant that she hadn't shared this information with anyone yet.
"Our informants are waiting in Wethers Village as mentioned earlier, so feel free to seek their assistance."
"Thank you."
Raon stood up and nodded to Dening Rose. At this point, she had done everything she could for him. He was simply grateful.
"Th-thank you!"
Dorian also stood up and bowed to Dening Rose.
"Oh, can I ask for one more thing?"
"What is it?"
"After noon tomorrow, if someone asks about the dragon in the Jamari Mountains, would it be possible to say that it exists?"
Derus wouldn't immediately move even after hearing Phalen's information. This was the last piece to deceive him.
"Hmm..."
Dening Rose licked her lips and nodded.
"It's not a lie, so it's okay to tell that much information."
"Thank you. Then the price is..."
"I told you I would do it for free to find the dragon."
"Since Black Tower is involved, I have to give you something."
"It's okay. If it wasn't for Raon-nim, I wouldn't be here either."
Dening Rose shook her head with a smile.
"Even if you really want to give me something, please bring me some raspberry pie and chestnut stew from Wethers Village. I want to try it too."
She laughed, saying that would be enough.
Oh!
The first to react was not Raon, but Wrath.
Then we have to stop by the village, right? We have to taste it, right? Just in case, we should buy two for gifts and eat the broken ones ourselves, right?
Wrath was already looking forward to it, making strange noises and licking his lips for a long time.
When will this gluttonous demon king come to his senses...
"Well I should do that much."
Raon pushed Wrath away and nodded to Dening Rose.
"I'll bring you the best pie."
* * *
Derus Robert's office.
Unlike the clear sunlight pouring in, the space was cold and desolate. The butler, Regal, entered.
"Lord."
"Have you found it?"
Even before Regal could bow his head, Derus' gaze shot out. He meant, have you found the bastard who destroyed the underwater dungeon?
It was time to be calm a long time ago, but Derus was still unable to escape his anger because he had lost the elixir, the spirit animal, and Martio together.
"I'm sorry."
Regal bowed his head silently.
"I searched all the outsiders, but I couldn't find anyone who had set foot there."
Robert, a beautiful natural landscape, is visited by countless tourists all year round. Finding a suspicious person here was no different from finding a needle in a haystack.
"Huff..."
Derus sighed and looked up at the ceiling. After a long while, his eyes, which had lowered, had regained their coldness.
"I have no choice but to accept it now."
"Lord..."
"If you haven't found it, what's the matter?"
"Phalen Sepia of the Sephia Merchant Association has taken the bait."
Regal took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
"Phalen Sepia..."
Derus rubbed his chin and lowered his gaze.
"However, contrary to our expectations, she asked us to deal with the youngest brother and his accompanying member first, not the first and second."
"The youngest and the accompanying member?"
"You know this person too, Lord."
Regal turned the document over and placed it on Derus's desk.
"Hmm?"
Derus frowned when he saw the document.
"Raon Zieghart? Why is he here?"
"The youngest son of the Sepia Merchant Association, Dorian Sepia, is a member of the Light Wind squad. He had been deceiving the family, so it wasn't known until now."
"So the two of them snuck out of Zieghart and went to Rocan?"
"That seems to be the case."
"Since when! Have you figured out their movements?"
He pressed his fingers on the desk and raised his chin.
"It seems that they moved in disguise because they were kidnapped by Eden. The exact time and how they moved are not yet known."
"……."
Derus frowned as he looked at the name Raon Zieghart written on the document.
'Could it be that bastard? No. It's impossible.'
Even if the assumption that Raon Zieghart has the knowledge of the assassin Raon is correct, it doesn't make sense for him to know about the underwater dungeon. The dungeon was tightly closed when he was alive, and no information leaked out.
'But....'
He doesn't feel good.
It was clear that he felt uneasy every time he saw the name Raon Zieghart.
"What is the exact content of the request?"
"This time, the test given by the head of the Spia Merchant Association is to bring back the corpse of a dragon."
"A dragon, huh?"
"Phalen Sepia overheard Dorian's room and fully grasped the location of the dragon and where it will go. She said she will send that information immediately if they accept the request."
"Hmmm...."
Derus tapped his fingers, closed his eyes, and then opened them.
"Even if Raon Zieghart followed them, it's a bit strange for Phalen to target the youngest son instead of the first and second son."
"I also investigated that, and it seems that he was embarrassed on the day Raon arrived. To be more specific...."
Regal briefly told him about what happened between Raon and Phalen.
"Not a check, but revenge? Then it makes sense."
Derus nodded slowly. After hearing Regal's words, he understood why Phalen was trying to eliminate Raon and Dorian.
'Things are turning out to be interesting.'
Although he threw a bait to Phalen, the probability of her taking it was not very high. It was a strange thing that an opportunity came his way thanks to Raon when he was trying to approach in another way.
"Where is Tenebrae?"
Derus lightly tapped the desk.
"It will probably take another two weeks."
"Then send Rocktan and his poisoners." (Once again, the author uses similar names, first balder's first son, garon and garona from beast alliance, now merlin's dragon rockta/rokta and derus' rocktan/luctan)
"Rocktan...."
"To eliminate Raon Zieghart, it's better to use a different method than force. Even if Rocktan doesn't succeed, at least a draw is possible."
He smiled coldly, as if he could already see the situation.
"Understood."
Regal, as expected, bowed his head without any questions.
"I will prepare as soon as I receive a call from Phalen again."
"Don't move right away, and purchase information from the black market and check it for comparison." (lol)
Derus said to be careful until the end and to check the information.
"Yes."
Regal bowed his head politely and left the room.
Derus smiled coldly as he turned the papers Regal had given him into dust.
'I thought he was just a nuisance, but he's creating opportunities for me in this way.'
I will give him a painful death in return.
* * *
The next day, noon.
Phalen Sepia approached the window and pulled out a letter that was stuck in the frame. She placed the letter on the table in the center of the room without looking at it.
"The answer has come."
"Thank you."
Raon smiled and picked up the letter that Phalen had put down and opened it.
The letter said that they would accept the assassination request and asked for information about Raon and Dorian to be compiled by tonight.
'Of course.'
If the Shadows was a normal assassination group, they would never have taken this request, but Derus Robert is behind them.
As expected, they accepted this request to kill me and put a leash on Phalen Sepia.
Raon used his flames of Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation to burn the letter, then took out a piece of paper from his pocket.
"Write a note according to this content and put it in the window."
"Oh, yes...."
Phalen Sepia trembled as she took the paper. She opened it and her eyes widened when she confirmed the contents.
"Um, there... one thing...,"
She swallowed her saliva as she shook the hand holding the paper.
"Can I ask you, just one question?"
"What is it?"
"Why are you attracting assassins? Shadows is an assassination group that has never failed, but isn't it dangerous even for you?"
"Even if it's dangerous, I can't let those who trade human lives go unpunished."
"Ugh..."
Raon stared at Phalen Sepia with a cold gaze. She trembled like a frog in front of a snake.
Bullshit! There's no way you'd think that!
Wrath frowned in disbelief.
'That's right. However....'
It works on other people.
'The title of "Alliance" is convenient for this kind of situation.'
Thanks to his nickname, the Legendary Sword Alliance (I don't know which nickname of Raon this should refer to, his nickname that I still remember are Frostfire Sword of Valor and the new one White Sword Dragon), no one picks on him when he says this. It's usually inconvenient, but it's so easy when pretending to be for a cause like this.
"You just need to follow my instructions as they are. Then you will be able to sleep comfortably tonight."
"Yes, yes...."
Phalen nodded stiffly at the mention of sleeping comfortably.
'I don't know what she did, but the trauma is definitely there.'
It looked like it would take at least a year to overcome that mental shock. No, Phalen was a person who was immature and full of pride, so it might take even longer.
'In the meantime....'
In other words, he was nothing more than a servant on his side.
By the time Phalen comes to her senses, this Merchant Association will already be in Dorian's hands.
After confirming that Phalen had written the information about the Jamari Mountains and the dragon in her own handwriting on the contact note, he stood up.
"Are you leaving?"
"I have to go and prepare first."
Raon turned around as he was about to leave the door.
"Remember that she can always watch you."
"Ah..."
"Act as usual."
"Ah, I understand!"
Phalen nodded, shaking her whole body.
That's a pretty threatening threat.
Wrath pinched his arm, saying that he was getting goosebumps.
Raon smiled and left Phalen's room with his aura suppressed.
* * *
After completing his preparations, Raon left the Sepia Merchant Association mansion. Dorian was waiting outside the door, fidgeting.
"What are you doing?"
"I know we need to go quickly, but I'm scared because I heard that Black Tower is involved."
Dorian clutched his head, wondering why scary things always happen.
Tsk!
Wrath looked at Dorian and clicked his tongue.
- thought he had changed a little, but he's still a coward.
'People die if they change too quickly.'
Raon smiled and tapped his sword sheath.
"There's no need to worry. We won't be fighting Black Tower."
"Huh? What do you mean...?"
"I called for reinforcements."
"Really? Did you call the Light Wind squad?"
"No, but they're good with swords."
Of course, they're the ones who are going to raise their swords to kill us.
You're not telling him that you called assassins?
'If he knew, he would cry and not go.'
That's right. It's obvious.
Ras giggled as he watched Dorian sigh in relief.
"Let's go."
Raon tapped Dorian on the shoulder and walked ahead.
"We need to get there before Black Tower."
"Yesss!"
Dorian nodded, his spirits lifted, and followed behind.
As they were riding the horses they had received from the guild and leaving the city, a noblewoman with a parasol over her face approached them.
'This woman....'
I couldn't help but know. It was the aura of Dening Rose, whom I met yesterday.
'Why did she come?'
The executives of the black market, as their name suggests, do not reveal their true faces in public. Her appearance meant that something unexpected had happened.
Woowoong.
Raon spread his cloak to prevent the sound from escaping.
"There's a problem."
Dening Rose leaned in and lifted her parasol slightly.
"Black Tower has found the location of the dragon."
"That was to be expected to some extent."
Since Black Tower was moving to the Jamari Mountains, it was expected that they would find the dragon's nest. In any case, it didn't matter much, as there was still time before the dragon returned.
"Yes. But Black Tower didn't go straight to the mountains, but took a detour."
Blood dripped from Dening Rose's lips, which were visible under the parasol.
"They attacked the Wethers Village."
