N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 557
“Hoo-ooh……”
Krein let out a heavy sigh, strong enough to erase the dawn mist.
“I really didn’t think he’d train us until dawn. He’s a stubborn human.”
He muttered that he wanted to pass out and lightly patted his shoulder with his loosely clenched fist.
“I know, right? I thought he’d let us go in the afternoon, but I didn’t expect to be swinging swords until night.”
Burren nodded in sympathy. His face was also covered in the fatigue of training.
“Pathetic!”
Marthaa frowned at Burren and Krein.
"What will you do if you can't even endure this much training after picking up a sword to become a warrior?"
She scoffed with a mocking smile.
“You hag. Your legs are shaking.”
Runaan, who had approached at some point, poked Marthaa’s thigh with her finger.
“Aaaack!”
Martha screamed and jumped up as it was the spot where she had been hit by Raon’s sword yesterday.
“Y-you crazy bastard!”
Marthaa reached out towards Runaan like a hungry beast, brandishing her sword.
“Weeee..”
“Did you go crazy because you want to die!”
Runaan stuck out her tongue and ran away, and Marthaa chased after her with her sword drawn.
“Those two are really energetic in the morning.”
Dorian rubbed his blackened eyes and sighed.
“Are you okay?”
"Not really. But I'm getting used to it now."
“You’re used to it?”
“Yes. When I visited my family before, I did training where I could really die.”
"What kind of training could make you die?"
"He made us ride cliffs, roll rocks, even collapse cliffs themselves."
He shivered, recalling the chilling moments.
He said he really thought he was going to die and sweated on his forehead in this cold weather.
"Um..."
Mark Goetten, who was standing next to him, closed his eyes as if he was reminded of that time.
“B-but, how is it in the annex building? Is it hell there too?”
Burren ignored Dorian and Mark Goetten, who were filled with fear, and looked at Yua and Yulius.
"No! He takes good care of us!"
Yua waved her hand and shook her head.
“That’s right. In the annex building, he doesn’t say anything even if we take a break.”
"Then why do we go crazy here while it's peaceful there?"
Burren shook his head, saying it was too hard.
"If today gets chaotic again, it'll be really tiring."
“But I think he’s in a better mood after yesterday, so today will be okay. We can go quietly……”
As Dorian smiled faintly, the door to the fifth training ground opened and Raon entered.
Goooooowoooo!
He didn’t even kick the door open like Rimmer, but the members of the Light Wind couldn’t take their eyes off of Raon because of the oppressive aura emanating from him.
"That guy... He looks really unpleasant, doesn't he? Are you sure he's in a better mood?"
Burren nudged Dorian with his elbow and gulped.
"Huh? That's Raon in a berserk state... Emerg- Emergency….Emergency!"
Dorian shouted "emergency" and ran to the front of the platform. The other members also felt the dangerous atmosphere and quickly lined up in front of the platform.
"Hehe... Yawn!"
Rimmer, who was lying on the platform, yawned but quickly stood up after seeing Raon's eyes burning like flames.
"You're here... I mean, you've come?"
Rimmer almost slipped into formal speech but managed to close his mouth with a sense of dignity.
“Leader. May I lead the members today?”
Raon looked at Rimmer with fierce eyes, as if to say there was no refusal.
“Y, yes.”
Rimmer nodded like a doll and stepped back.
“Thank you.”
Raon bowed politely to Rimmer and stood in front of the platform.
“As you all know, this mission is a simple investigation. However, there is a possibility that a battle will break out during the investigation, and we might find ourselves in a situation where we have no choice but to escape with our strength, just like before."
He continued, meeting the eyes of the members standing below the platform one by one.
"Therefore, from now until we arrive at the Sinigeon, we will train with our full strength. The only time to stop is during sleep."
The Light Wind members trembled at Raon's cold yet low voice.
“What?”
“Uh-huh.”
“A, are we doing that hellish training again?”
"This is insane..."
The Light Wind members muttered in disbelief, but they all shut their mouths tightly the moment they saw Raon's dry gaze.
They looked at Rimmer with teary eyes as if asking for help.
“Ahem! Ra, Raon? How about we do the training after we finish the mission…….”
Rimmer couldn't stand the gazes of the members and reluctantly stepped forward. The moment he was about to say that they should train later, Raon's eyes flashed a menacing red.
“Didn't you say you'd leave it to me?”
“What? That's…….”
"Moreover, you mentioned that living itself is training. Wasn't it?"
“Ah, I did say that…….”
He awkwardly chuckled and returned to his position. Then, he mumbled with his mouth only.
‘I'm scared of that guy too!’
Raon confirmed Rimmer's cowering posture and then looked down at the members again.
"I hope you all understand that this is meant for the improvement of your abilities."
“Yes….”
The Light Wind members raised their voices as high as possible while holding back tears.
It's not the enemies that he's crushing, it's his subordinates….
Wrath applauded as if impressed.
As expected, you are not a talent who should be here! Come with me to Devildom!
‘You go there by yourself.’
Even if the King of Essence wants to go, he cannot!
* * *
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Raon looked back while assisting Yua and Yulius to run faster.
"Ugh!"
"He really won't stop...."
"...I think I'm going to die."
The Light Wind members let out short breaths as they ran across the frozen lake. It was only natural, since the forced march of footwork that had started at dawn was continuing until evening.
"A-Are we really not going to eat anything? even a meal?"
"That crazy bastard......"
"Raon's being a real jerk today."
While not as exhausted as Burren, Marthaa, and Runaan, the other members were still exhaling tired breaths.
Raon smiled broadly and waved at the members behind him.
"Can you endure?"
"I-I might die."
Dorian shook his head, wiping away the sweat dripping down his face.
"If it's hard, chew on some jerky while you run. It'll help a little."
Raon told them to eat on their own and turned his gaze.
"Ugh......"
"That devilish human...."
"That's only possible for you!"
"How can you eat jerky while running at this speed? I'll bite my tongue!"
The members quietly cursed at Raon's back.
"Hoo......"
Rimmer, who was running at the back, let out a sigh of relief.
‘I'm lucky I'm older than that bastard.’
He shook his head nervously as he looked at Raon's back. If he had been in the position of the members, he would have struck him immediately. He never thought he would be happy to be old.
'Still, it's not a useless training.'
Raon wasn't just pushing the Light Wind members.
As he said, they had focused on swordsmanship training so far, so using the path they were taking to train their footwork was a great way to save time and make up for their shortcomings.
As Rimmer smiled coolly and looked at Raon and the Light Wind members, a refreshing breeze swept through the sky.
He looked up and saw a blue falcon dive down like lightning, as if it had spotted its prey.
Whoosh!
Rimmer stretched out his arm without any surprise. The falcon gracefully slowed down in mid-air, like performing acrobatics, and gently perched on his forearm.
"A falcon from the Shadow Agents?"
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the falcon perched on Rimmer's arm. It seemed like something had happened to Sinigeon, judging by the fact that they had received a message from the Shadow Agents less than a day after leaving.
"Hmm......"
Rimmer stroked the falcon's head and then pulled out a piece of paper from its leg and read it. His leisurely expression hardened in an instant.
"What's wrong?"
Raon exhaled the stagnant air in his lungs and approached Rimmer.
"Read it yourself."
Raon opened the paper that Rimmer had thrown to him. It was a simple message, but its contents were incomparably heavy.
"The Sinigeon branch has been annihilated?"
The letter stated that all members of the Sinigeon branch had been wiped out and urged them to head there as quickly as possible.
"Annihilated?"
"Why all of a sudden?"
"Did the South-North Union attack?"
Even though it was a branch, since they were under the same Zieghart affiliation, a yellowish rage flashed in the eyes of the Light Wind members.
"We're changing our approach."
Raon burned the letter and stood in front of the Light Wind members.
"From now on, slow down the pace and focus on the recovery of the your body and aura. Adjust to maintain the best condition for battle at any time."
"Yes!"
The Light Wind members no longer exchanged small talk nor complained anymore. They responded firmly and chose their breaths solemnly, as if preparing for battle.
Raon, seemingly pleased with the Light Wind members’ reaction, nodded decisively and took the lead.
"No rest until we reach Sinigeon. Let's go!"
* * *
The ground was cracked as if by an earthquake, and blood filled the air.
Raon furrowed his brows as he witnessed the transformation of Sinigeon village, which once represented warmth, into a hellish nightmare.
'It wasn't just the branch that was destroyed.'
Not only the Sinigeon branch but the entire village of Sinigeon had destroyed.
There were no bodies to be seen, but blood flowed from every corner of the shattered houses and walls. It was like a war zone.
"This is terrible……."
Burren trembled as he looked at the blood-soaked well. The other members were unable to continue speaking in the face of the serious situation and simply bit their lips.
"Haaaa……."
Raon sighed and blew away the smell of blood as he walked inside.
People who seemed to have lost their families were gathered around the village, but the warriors with fierce eyes were blocking their way and preventing them from entering.
"Who are they?"
Martha frowned as she looked at the warriors blocking the way.
"They are the warriors of house Rakion."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he observed the red lion emblem engraved on the warriors' chests.
"Since the Sinigeon branch and house Rakion are not far apart, they probably came to provide support as soon as they heard about the situation."
To the east of the Sinigeon branch is house Rakion, the vassal of house Zieghart. It seemed that they had come as soon as they learned of the situation.
"Let's go in."
Raon gestured to the Light Wind members and entered the village.
"You are the Light Wind Division, aren't you?"
The warriors from house Rakion, seemingly informed by the Shadow Agents, bowed their heads upon seeing the Zieghart emblem.
"What on earth happened?"
"We haven't heard the exact details yet either. Please come inside for now. I will guide you to the Lord."
With a respectful and polite manner, the warrior raised his hand.
Raon nodded and followed the warrior into the branch office, resembling a site that had been bombed. Many people were inside, but the most striking figure was the middle-aged man standing in the center. A tremendous aura emanated from him.
"Oh, you've here!"
The black-haired young man standing next to the middle-aged person approached with a troubled expression.
"Greetings, the vice leader of Light Wind Division! Ah, and the leader of Light Wind Division as well!"
The black-haired young man bowed his head to Rimmer and Raon in turn.
"I am Gep, the information agent of the Sinigeon branch!"
He introduced himself as Gep and bowed his head once more.
"So you're alive."
Raon sighed in relief. If they were all dead, it would have taken time to investigate. It was fortunate that at least one of them had survived.
"What on earth happened?"
"To be honest, I don't know either."
Gep swallowed hard and shook his head.
"What?"
"I was following the branch leader's orders to deliver a letter to the head of house Rakion, but the branch... was in this state."
He trembled as he admitted that he couldn't understand the exact situation.
"Then this person is......."
Raon turned his gaze towards the middle-aged man standing beside Gep. The man approached and bowed his head.
"I am Bels of Rakion. It's shameful that we couldn't prevent such a situation even though we are nearby."
He couldn't lift his head as if expressing genuine remorse.
'Bels Rakion, huh.'
Raon recognized the name. He was a figure he had heard about. Already taking the position as the successor of house Rakion, he was a formidable warrior with no equal around him.
"For now, please explain what you know."
Raon urged the two men to stand up and suggested they organize the situation.
"It's not exact, but it seems that the group we thought were bandits were the White Blood Religion."
"White Blood Religion?"
The first to react to Gep's words was Martha. She stepped forward and thrust her face into Gep's.
"What are you talking about! Why the White Blood Religion suddenly appear?"
"I figured it out after seeing the traces here."
Gep shook his head vigorously and stepped back.
"Everyone in this branch and the village that makes up the branch has disappeared, but only half of the bodies are left!"
He continued to speak, his lips trembling.
"And many of the remaining bodies had bite marks or died in a cruel way. It's almost identical to the White Blood Religion's blood festival."
"Ugh......."
Martha grimaced as she looked at the collapsed branch buildings and villages.
Raon nodded slightly, looking at the collapsed wall inside the office and the blood splattered around it like a fountain.
'White Blood Religion....'
It could be.
Upon arriving here and seeing the collapsed buildings and scattered blood, he considered that it might be an attack by the White Blood Religion, not the South-Noth Alliance.
However, to confirm that, he needed to see the remaining bodies.
"May we see the corpses?"
"Of course. Please come this way."
Gep nodded and walked out of the branch office.
Raon followed Gep towards the training ground located outside the branch office, patting Martha's shoulder who was trembling with anger.
A black cloth was covering the floor, and it seemed like a corpse was hidden underneath, judging by the slightly raised part.
As Raon's gaze fell on it, Krein and Dorian who were standing behind stepped forward and pulled the cloth away.
"Ugh!"
"What the hell is this...."
"Damn bloodsuckers!"
The Light Wind members clenched their teeth as they saw the corpses hidden under the cloth.
The members who had experienced many real battles found it diffiReligion to look at the corpses, which were severely mutilated to an extent that was hard to bear. Some members turned their heads away, unable to witness the sight.
On the contrary, Raon approached and calmly examined the corpses.
'It certainly looks like the work of the White Blood Religion.'
There were almost no intact corpses. It was common for flesh to be ripped off, and there were many corpses with limbs cut off or even necks or waists pulled out.
It seemed like they had performed a blood festival, ripping off flesh and blood to offer to the Blood God.
Crunch!
Chewing on his molars, Raon examined the nearest corpse.
It was the corpse of a young woman, her waist was split open with a sharp object, and her neck was torn out like she was bitten by a wolf.
She seemed to have died in surprise, unable to even close her eyes from the sudden attack.
Raon looked at the back of the neck of the corpse and tilted his head. Doubt appeared in his gaze as he turned to look up at Gep and Bels.
"Isn't this corpse strange?"
