Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the entrance of the lodging.
'Why are they gathered like that?'
A group of swordsmen, exuding a powerful aura, were lined up in front of the door.
He shook his head at the sight of them, like customers lining up at a restaurant.
'I want to avoid troublesome things.'
He had gained some insights through his one-on-one bet with the Demon Killing Spear.
It was a tantalizing realization of will, and he had planned to refine it through a sparring match with Rimmer, but it seemed that he would not have the leisure to do so now.
"Division leader, what is going on...?"
Raon turned around to speak to Rimmer, but then stopped.
"Where is that elf?"
The red-haired elf, who had been gawking at the gold coins in his pocket just moments ago, had disappeared without a trace.
"Is he really gone?"
Dorian was also startled, and he instinctively rubbed his belly pocket.
That pointy-eared guy disappeared when your senses were focused on those humans.
Wrath looked back over his shoulder and frowned.
'That elf is really like a ghost.'
He had only been distracted for a brief moment by the people gathered in front of the lodgingx.
To take advantage of that short gap and run away, if he had grown up as an assassin, he would have been called the God of Death
He's probably gone to gambling again. Pointy-eared elf might have become the Monarch of Gambling if he had been in the Devildom.
'Now you know it too.'
It's obvious.
Raon laughed. Rimmer's behavior patterns were apparently simple enough for even the clueless Wrath to understand.
'I'm glad I took the money out first.'
He was grateful that he had recovered most of the gold coins that Rimmer had secretly taken.
If he had left them alone, it would have been the same as spitting out the money he had just sucked out of the Five Divine Rulers.
'It's beyond addiction, his head is broken.'
Raon shook his head, remembering Rimmer's eyes rolling back in his head.
At the moment, that elf is not the priority.
Wrath frowned deeply as he looked at the people lined up in front of the door.
I'm worried.
'What are you worried about?'
Looking at those humans, the King of Essence has a feeling that he won't be able to eat dinner tonight!
'That won't happen.'
He shook his head. The lobster and pork bone restaurant that Wrath wanted to eat was right near here.
Unless there was a sudden war, there was no way he wouldn't be able to eat.
But we've never passed by so quietly until now.
'Why is the demon king so petty? Believe me.'
Grrr, you'll understand once you've been oppressed by the world.
‘That's a bit grandiose.’
Raon patted Wrath's trembling back and stepped forward.
"Let's go inside first."
"Yes!"
Encia nodded with a bright smile.
"Um, can you stop taking those pictures already?"
He shook his head, covering his face with his hand. Encia had been taking pictures non-stop since they left the casinol.
It was fascinating how so many pieces of paper could fit in a palm-sized artifact.
"How can I stop taking pictures?"
Encia lowered her camera and put her hand on her hip.
"The current sir Raon is radiating beauty under natural light! As expected, natural light is the best, surpassing any artificial lighting! Absolutely divine."
She mumbled incomprehensible words while starting to take pictures again.
‘I'm tired.’
Raon found it more difficult to have a short conversation with Encia than to deal with Heukgeumje all day or to have a one-on-one match with the Demon Killing Spear. He felt like his head was spinning.
'Is this what being oppressed is like?'
Bullshit! Are you still saying that after seeing me being oppressed by the world? This is not a joke!
'Is that so?'
Raon shook his head and headed for the lodging. The eyes of the swordsmen waiting at the door turned to him at the same time.
"What?"
"Golden hair and red eyes?"
"You're here!"
"It's Raon!"
"White Sword Dragon! We've been waiting for you!"
The swordsmen ran towards him with a clear light in their eyes. There were several groups of them with similar attire, as if they had come from the same place.
'There's a Master level in each group.'
The young people in their thirties or so were at the advanced or peak expert level, and the middle-aged men who led them had reached the Master level.
"Why are you here?"
Raon stopped and asked what he was curious about.
"I am Dumtkan from the Tven family. I came here to challenge Raon-nim."
"Me too! I've heard Raon-nim's heroic tales and I've always wanted to share a sword with you!"
"Please allow me to witness the sword that defeated two of the Black Tower's Floor Masters!”
The middle-aged men who seemed to be the representatives of the groups bowed their heads respectfully.
They were all well-known figures, with high levels of strength and most of them being family heads or similar positions.
"Hmm..."
Raon pulled his chin as he looked at the tops of the swordsmen's heads.
‘They came here to challenge me?’'
He wondered why these people were gathered in this remote lodging, but it seemed that they had all come here to challenge him.
Normally, at such festivals, skilled warriors and swordsmen would gather, engaging in sparring of moderate intensity.
The level of strength of the middle-aged men who had requested a spar was also far beyond that of a Master, so it was not particularly strange.
'However...'
They came all at once
After the spar, word would spread, and others might come, but the fact that they all arrived simultaneously was suspicious.
'Demon Killing Spear is not the type to put in effort for such a thing. It must be Heukgeumje.'
He laughed wryly because he seemed to know who did this.
'Does she like being trampled on?'
She should have been humbled by now, but she kept creating tricks. Continuously scheming, even in the midst of a festival, wasn't normal behavior.
"Did Heukgeumje send you?"
"You knew?"
The man who introduced himself as Dumtkan nodded.
"I went to pay my respects to Heukgeumje, and then I heard that the White Sword Dragon was here, so I came to find you."
"I'm the same."
"Heukgeumje told me that you might be bored because your lodging is in a corner, so I thought I'd just give it a shot...'
The other swordsmen also agreed with Dumtkan's words and honestly said that they were sent by Heukgeumje.
"Please wait a little longer."
Raon asked the swordsmen to wait a little longer and then went into the lodging.
The Light Wind division was gathered in a small training ground outside the lodging.
'Hmm?'
He thought they were discussing the swordsmen outside, but it turned out that wasn't the case.
They were laughing and talking, surrounding someone. They seemed to be quite close.
‘Do they have a friend among them?’
While thinking strangely, when he headed for the training ground, the person surrounded by the Light Wind members stood up first.
A purple dress with red flowers fluttered lightly. The black rose eyepatch, which contrasted with her fair skin, revealed a darker color in the sunlight.
It was Denning Rose, the successor of the Black Market Master and the branch manager.
'Denning Rose?'
Raon licked his lips as he looked at Denning Rose.
'I didn't think I'd see her here.'
Since they exchanged letters before leaving the family, he never thought she would come here.
"I have come to see the White Sword Dragon."
Denning Rose bowed her head, holding the middle of her dress.
"It's been a while."
Raon bowed his head to Denning Rose.
"We often saw each other in letters, didn't we?"
Denning Rose narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she was disappointed that it had been a while since she said it was a long time.
"It's been over a year since we met in person."
"Your expression says you didn't know I was coming."
She smiled lightly and lowered her hand.
"That's right."
Raon nodded honestly.
'It's an uncomfortable place.’
White Whale had seized control of the Black Market's businesses and territories, gaining strength and information. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them archenemies. Even as enemies, they hadn't exchanged any words before, so Raon hadn't expected her to come.
"You have to know your enemies to defeat them."
Denning Rose smiled faintly, as if she understood Raon's thoughts.
"I accepted the invitation willingly because they invited me."
She placed her hand lightly on her skirt, saying that one day the White Whale would regret this invitation.
'This side is not normal either.'
Heukgeumje who sent an invitation to the Black Market was crazy, but Denning Rose who accepted that invitation was also not normal.
It seems a bit chilly here…
Even Wrath felt the chill from the two women.
"It's nice to meet you, Encia."
Denning Rose bowed her head to Encia, who continued to take pictures next to Raon.
"Oh?"
Encia took her eyes off the camera for the first time since she entered the lodging.
"Do you know me?"
"I have to know the genius of the Yonaan family due to my profession."
"Profession?"
She tilted her head at Denning Rose.
"This person is Denning Rose, the successor of the Black Market Master."
Since Raon was in the middle, he introduced her on Denning Rose's behalf.
"Oh! So that's what you meant by profession! Nice to meet you!"
Encia extended her hand as coolly as her appearance.
"It is an honor to meet you."
Denning Rose gracefully reached out and took Encia's hand.
"But..."
She narrowed her eyes as she looked at the camera.
"If it's not too much trouble, can I ask what you've been doing since a little while ago?"
"Oh, this? It's an artifact, a camera, that I developed. It can capture pictures like this."
Encia explained the camera she made, shaking the photo of Raon as if she was bragging.
The two seemed to have become close as they quickly started talking without any wrinkles because they were of similar age.
"So, you're the sole creator of this artifact..."
"Yes. I made it just to take pictures of the handsome sir Raon."
"Handsome?"
"Yes he's so handsome!"
"Ah..."
Denning Rose's eyes, which were always calm, shook slightly.
"Doesn't he look like a sculpture? There's not a single flaw!"
Encia proudly showed Raon's photos.
"Hmm, definitely..."
Even the perplexed Denning Rose calmly nodded in acknowledgment.
"By any chance, is it possible to purchase this camera?"
"This is a prototype, so it will take some time to finalize the production process. There is also a lack of materials."
"Then, what about these photos?"
"Are you interested?"
Encia approached Denning Rose with a grin.
"If you say one thing, I'll just give it to you."
"One word?"
"Yes!"
"What kind of..."
"It's simple. Just shout 'Handsome Raon'."
"Uh..."
Denning Rose's lips trembled.
"Haa..."
Raon sighed and turned his back. He couldn't hear any more, so he approached the Light Wind members.
"When did the swordsmen outside come?"
"They came not long after you left."
Burren replied, leaning against a tree.
"They arrived almost at the same time, as if it was planned."
He said they came in a row.
"They haven't eaten lunch yet."
Runaan, who was eating a small ice cream from somewhere, nodded.
"Shall I chase them away?"
Martha frowned viciously.
"It seems like someone is playing a trick."
Even the usually simple-minded Martha thought there was a problem and began to loosen her fist.
"Hmmm..."
Raon scratched his chin, looking at the door of the lodging.
‘I can see Heukgeumje’s thoughts.’
If he refused the swordsmen who had been waiting without having lunch, rumors would spread that he either narrow-minded or was scared. If he accepted the spar, she could observe and extract information about Zieghart's martial skills.
'I now understand why she chose this place as a lodging.'
The inn where the swordsmen of Zieghart are staying now is spacious and luxurious, but the wall is low enough to see inside if you want to.
It seemed that she had originally assigned this inn with this intention.
‘Now I might understand what kind of person Heukgeumje is.’
She prefers giving two options, both of which create favorable situations for herself. It was always the most annoying case.
‘But…’
She made a mistake again this time.
He had gained a small understanding of will through his bet with Demon Killing Spear.
He was trying to refine it through a light sparring session, but the opponents came to him on their own. He felt like he should thank Heukgeumje.
‘Besides, it doesn't matter if they see my martial arts.’
His martial arts were constantly growing through the Ring of Fire, so his level today was different from his level tomorrow.
If anyone judged his strength based on what he had shown today, they would be in for a big surprise.
Raon looked at the Light Wind members, savoring the situation.
‘Should I ask them to do it too?’
The swordsmen who had requested a sparring match were of a level that was just right for the Light Wind division.
‘If I fight the skilled one or the executives, and the Light Wind members fights the others, it would be perfect.’
Both he and the Light Wind members had the opportunity to accumulate experience and martial skills.
‘For her to help us so much, should I send her a gift?’
While Heukgeumje may have planned various schemes for revenge, her tricks were inadvertently helping the Light Wind division.
This is driving me crazy. Why does every person you meet try to deceive you?
Wrath, unable to comprehend, punched the air, seemingly thinking of the Heukgeumje's face.
‘As you said, this city seems like a city of suckers.’
Raon chuckled, turning away.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea to accept.”
Just as he was about to convey his acceptance of the spar, Denning Rose's voice reached her.
"It wouldn't be a bad idea to accept. The people outside are all highly skilled martial artists. If you spar with them, you will learn something, even if it is small.”
She seemed to have grasped his thoughts and offered advice.
"You don't have to worry since they are not affiliated with the White Whale. However, if you're concerned about revealing your martial arts during the sparring..."
Denning Rose took out a few needles from under her dress and smiled.
"I'll set up a barrier for you. They won't be able to see anything from the outside."
She smiled quietly, thinking that she should play a little prank. However, the dress she took the needle out of had a few photos taken by Encia tucked inside.
‘I see... she said the words…’
Raon sighed, looking at the ground.
It seems Encia's followers are increasing steadily.
Aren't you a follower too?
‘Shut up.’
