N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 608
"Hmm..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he alternated between looking at the front and back of the brown paper.
What are you doing?
Wrath frowned as he looked down at the paper.
Why are you wasting your time staring at a blank piece of paper! Hurry up and go eat the rest of the toast!
He turned his head away as if he had no interest in the paper.
'Unfortunately, this is not a blank piece of paper.'
You're even seeing things now. There's nothing written on it, what are you talking about!
As Wrath said, there were no words or drawings written on the brown paper, but this was due to the special properties of this paper.
'Have you already forgotten?'
Forgotten?
'You'll see it soon.'
Raon left the annex building and stood in front of the lake. He raised the brown paper towards the moon that stood in the center of the sky above midnight.
As the faint moonlight grazed the brown paper, words began to dance and appear on the empty front side.
"Ah!"
Wrath suddenly realized, clapping his hands loudly.
It was when you first met her!
'That's right.'
Raon nodded, raising the paper over his head so that it could fully receive the moonlight.
'It's the paper I saw when I found out Judiel's true identity.'
Judiel tried to float this paper on the lake to convey information about the annex building to Karoon, but she was caught by him.
Since then, she has experienced various incidents, like fake Rage Worms, and as he learned about her circumstances, he came to accept her as a subordinate.
Right now, I have trustworthy subordinates in the Light Wind, but the first person I accepted was none other than Judiel.
As long as Judiel did not betray me, I would never let go of her hand first.
Raon checked that no more words were appearing and lowered the brown paper. The refined letters looked devoid of emotion. It was a letter that seemed to reflect Judiel's personality.
[Only young master Raon can see this letter.]
Judiel seemed to have predicted this situation and wrote his name from the first line.
[However, I hope young master Raon does not find this letter.]
Hope I don't find it?
He didn't understand why she would leave a letter and say she didn't want him to find it.
[I need some personal time, but I'm sure young master Raon will understand. I'll be honest with you.]
He quickly lowered his eyes as it seemed like the following was the main point.
[I received a report that my brother was found in the Black Market.]
Raon chewed his lips while reading Judiel's plain words.
'As expected...'
Judiel's survival until now, her work under Karoon, and even her holding my hand—all were because of one remaining blood relative.
Since he heard she took leave without saying anything, he had imagined this situation from the start.
[It's not confirmed yet, so don't worry. I'll just check if he's really my brother.]
He could hear Judiel's dry voice in the sentence telling him not to worry.
[Even if it turns out to be my brother, I won't rush into anything. I'll come back and tell you first, young master.]
[Since it's quite a distance away, it may take some time, but please wait while focusing on your training. Don't you have things to do, young master Raon? Judiel.]
In the end, the short letter ended with the name Judiel without specifying the location.
"Hmm..."
Raon frowned, lowering the letter.
'I have a bad feeling about this....'
Since there was hardly any emotion in the letter, it only made him more worried.
'She might explode.'
Judiel is a person who rarely shows her emotions.
If she were to meet her brother, whom she had lived only for, she might jump in without hesitation.
Why she you go alone?
Wrath shook his head as if he didn't understand.
You could've just promised her that you would find her brother as if he were your own.
Raon sighed as he reread the letter.
'I couldn't.'
He recalled when Judiel came to his room after the welcome back party. He mentioned that he might have to focus solely on training due to his life-or-death duel with the Axe King, and she gave a masked smile similar to when they first met, cheering him on.
Crackle.
Raon clenched his fist so tightly that his palm turned red.
"Damn it!"
Judiel had left alone without mentioning anything about her brother to avoid disturbing his training.
He finally understood her awkward reaction, because she thought of me first before herself.
You idiot!
Wrath berated him for being stupid about something he didn't know about. But he couldn't argue back.
'Yeah. I'm an idiot.'
I should have gone after her.
Even after meeting the Light Wind for the first time and receiving training from Glenn, he should have gone after Judiel. Regret filled his heart.
So what are you going to do now?
Raon lowered his gaze and burned the letter he was holding in his hand to ashes.
'I have to follow her.'
No matter where Judiel went, it was the right thing to do to follow her and bring her brother back.
That was the first promise I made to myself after becoming Raon Zieghart. It was more important than training.
'But before that...'
Raon chewed his lips, facing the gentle moonlight.
'I need to gather information first.'
* * *
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Inside the majestic palace, where the skin of a king sea serpent covered the forty stairs, a dry voice burst forth, revealing fierce eyes that appeared to be alive.
"Leader!"
An old man with dark skin that looked like he had lived his whole life under the sun knelt before the stairs covered in king sea serpent’s skin.
“The head of the senators and the former eternal commander have died! Why are we just sitting here!"
The old man with dark skin raised his head, shedding chicken poop-like tears that didn't match his fierce expression.
"Huh."
The eyes of the South-North Union’s leader, which had been buried in the darkness of contemplation, turned toward the old man.
"Kuyan. You also heard it, didn't you? The head of the senators lost in a one-on-one duel. What revenge are you talking about?"
The South-North Union’s leader shook his head, flicking the ash from the cigarette he was holding in his mouth.
"No matter how many of us there are, no matter how much of a bandit we may be, we are still warriors at heart. We cannot question the outcome of a one-on-one duel."
"What are you talking about! It was Raon Zieghart who started the conflict!"
The old man called Kuyan furrowed his brow deeply as if he couldn't accept what he was hearing.
"That's also quite funny."
The South-North Union’s leader chuckled incredulously.
"If Raon Zieghart had come alone and caused trouble, we could have certainly questioned him. But he came with the elves. And that too, with the next Protector of Seipia. That means the justification is on their side."
He mumbled that he was really lucky and touched the blue spear leaning against the wall.
"Kuyan. I know how you feel. But it's not a good idea to move now. Unfortunately, let's just end this here."
The South-North Union’s leader shook his head, telling him not to talk about this anymore.
"Leader!"
Kuyan raised his head. His face, which was covered in tears, distorted grotesquely like a scar.
"Are you afraid of Glenn Zieghart?"
He pounded the ground bare-handed, trembling his lips.
"When Tyler died before, I endured it. He was the grandson of my close friend, so he was like my grandson, but I didn't say anything because I was afraid it would harm your reputation, as he could have pressured me, as the head of the senators back then, to help him. But this is a different case!"
Kuyan shouted with a voice as if spewing blood with dried saliva.
"It’s none other than the head of the senators of the Union! Whether it's a one-on-one duel or not, regardless of the justification, we must act! Are you trying to forget Tyler and Siran’s revenge just because you found a new successor? Or are you really afraid of Glenn Zieghart?"
The South-North Union’s leader looked down at Kuyan silently. His gaze was as dry as ever.
"Is there anyone who is not afraid of Glenn Zieghart? Kuyan. What about you?"
"I'm not scared! I don't care if I die!"
"That's great. But unfortunately, I'm scared."
He admitted his fear, stretching his long legs and leaning them against the head of king sea serpent.
"I'm not afraid of dying, but I'm afraid of the collapse of the South-North Union."
"…..."
Kuyan couldn't open his mouth anymore, just looking at the South-North Union’s leader.
"Wait. Roman will take care of Tyler, Raptor, and Siran's revenge, so wait patiently."
The South-North Union’s leader smiled, saying there was less than a year left.
"Do you understand?"
"I understand. But..."
Kuyan chewed his lips and raised his head.
"I can't accept everything."
"Then are you going to attack Zieghart right now?"
"I'm not that stupid. But I'll wait."
He shook his head and stood up.
"Ah."
The South-North Union’s leader raised his hand.
"Since Siran is dead, take back the seat of the head of the senators."
"…."
Kuyan bowed his head without answering and left. He headed straight for the river and raised the flag of the senators.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
The crew of the ship sailed the ship without a word. Cutting through the dawn wind, they arrived at the Peren River where Siran and Raptor had died.
"Phew."
Kuyan took a deep breath as he stood on the river where Siran had died.
"If I had known, I would have supported you from the beginning..."
He sighed again, either out of regret or sorrow.
"There's nothing I can do right now."
Kuyan shook his head as he looked at the dark river bathed in moonlight.
"But I won't just sit still. Wait for me in hell."
He threw a golden fishing rod into the river and watched it for a while before returning to the ship
The senators’ ship sailed around the riverbank as if to comfort Siran's spirit, and then slowly disappeared.
After Kuyaan left, a tall man descended onto the river that had grown even darker.
As the man with eyes as blue as moonlight snapped his fingers, the river bubbled and boiled, splitting apart to reveal a skeleton with all its flesh stripped away.
"Do you want to live?"
The man spoke to the skeleton as if it were a living person.
"That's a response I like."
The skeleton said nothing, but the man chuckled.
"That's right. One cannot bring back the dead. If you had said you wanted to live, I would have crushed your bones, but I like that you only want revenge."
As the man nodded lightly, the skeleton was compressed into a small size and sucked into his palm.
"I came here on a whim, but it looks like I found some interesting material."
He tossed the skeleton into the air like a toy, caught it, and disappeared into the darkness.
* * *
Clang!
The blade of Heavenly Drive, carried by the wind, falls to the ground.
The sword trembled slightly, creating a small crack in the ground where only a single line had been drawn.
"Hmm..."
Raon frowned as he saw the sword strike that was out of his control.
‘I've become impatient..'
His worries about Judiel had disrupted his training. His mind was unsettled, and he even felt like his skills were regressing.
'Is it not yet.'
It had been two days since he requested information from the Black Market, yet there had been no response. Unpleasant thoughts began to surface in his mind.
'No. Let's focus.'
I need to focus on what I can do now.
As Raon tried to regain his focus and lift the sword again, a small mountain bird flew down from the sky.
"Squawk!"
As soon as Wrath saw the bird, he cowered in fear.
Ma-ma-ma-mad woman! She's here again!
He trembled his lips.
'No.'
Raon shook his head and stretched out his hand, and the bird landed on his palm.
'This bird is a messenger from the Black Market.'
A small piece of paper was folded around the bird's leg. It was a bird from the Black Market, not Merlin.
'Pathetic.'
Raon snickered as he sent the bird away.
'What kind of demon king is afraid of a mountain bird?'
N-No way! I just thought she was the mad woman.
'Yeah. A cowardly demon king.'
No, I'm not afraid!
Ignoring Wrath, who was getting angry, he opened the letter. The contents were simple. It said that someone was waiting at a location in Zieghart commercial district.
Raon burned the paper and headed straight to the place written in the letter.
As he entered a small shop in the corner of a shopping arcade, the scent of wood filled his nostrils. Looking around, he saw large and small wood carvings filling the interior.
Raon admired the sculptures and went deeper into the shop. He felt a familiar presence from the owner behind the counter.
"It's been a while."
With a thin voice, the owner removed her hood, revealing Denning Rose, whose striking green eyes were more impressive than the rose-patterned blindfold she usually wore.
"You came here yourself?"
Raon's eyes widened as he looked at Denning Rose. He expected her to send an informant, not to come herself.
"Of course, I had to."
Denning Rose shook her head, dismissing it as nothing special. She took out a green teacup and filled it with water that had been boiling inside. A calming scent that seemed to calm his racing heart wafted through the air.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
He took a sip of the steaming tea. The rich yet smooth taste lingered in his mouth before fading cleanly. Denning Rose seemed to have deliberately prepared a tea that would help him control his emotions.
"Since you seem in a hurry, let's get started. The person (Judiel) we were exchanging messages with disappeared, right?"
"Yes. Upon receiving news of her brother, she immediately moved."
"Actually, I contacted her a few times saying that I found someone who looked like her brother, but they were all wrong. But this time, it seems like the real deal."
Denning Rose said that she had given Judiel information about her brother before, but they were all wrong.
"But she moved alone..."
"I guess she didn't want to waste my time, so she went looking for him herself."
"I see."
She nodded as if she understood the situation in an instant.
"For now, I'll show you the information we gave Lady Judiel."
Denning Rose took out an envelope of documents from a drawer. He took the envelope and checked the contents.
[A young man in his mid-20s with brown hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his forehead was found near the village of the Sran tribe.]
Raon narrowed his eyes as he examined the paper.
‘This might be it….’
Judiel had informed him that her brother's name was Juvel, and at the time she told him, he was around 21 years old, which would make him 24-25 years old now. Juvel was described as having brown hair, blue eyes, and a small scar on his forehead.
Based on that information, there was a high probability that it was her brother.
"But if it's the Sran tribe village..."
"Yes. Beast Union."
Denning Rose nodded, saying the name of the Beast Union.
"It's a village that belongs to them."
"As expected."
He had heard of the tribe before, so he had a hunch, and as expected, it belonged to the Beast Union.
'But why is he there?'
As far as he knew, Judiel and her brother were both sold to Karoon's Central Martial Palace.
He couldn't understand why her brother would be in a place like the Beast Union now.
"That village is a bit peculiar as well, but the person who appears to be her brother doesn't seem ordinary either."
"What do you mean?"
"This is what we have found out..."
A cold chill emanated from Denning Rose's one eye.
"This Juvel person seems to be living as an assassin."
