N/T: Translation made by our friend 'Irving'. A big round of applause for him :)
Chapter 627
“Ah…”
The headless body of Bulant fell like a piece of dry firewood.
“What…?”
“Aaaah!”
“L-Leader!”
“N-No…”
The Black Red Gang screamed and shrieked at the sight of Bulant’s corpse.
“Light Wind division.”
Raon met the gaze of the Light Wind swordsmen waiting behind him.
“Kill them all.”
These bandits had slaughtered innocent people and intended to burn the place down. There was no reason to let them live.
“Yes, sir.”
The Light Wind swordsmen, their eyes cold and devoid of hesitation, unsheathed their swords and advanced on the Black Red Gang.
Slash!
Having honed their skills through countless battles, the Light Wind swordsmen’s swords cut down the bandits without a moment’s hesitation.
“Spare us!”
“We’ll leave right now!”
“S-Stop! Please stop!”
The Black Red Gang begged for their lives, falling to their knees, but the Light Wind swordsmen, following Raon’s command, did not stop until the last bandit was slain.
Raon stepped over the body of the decapitated bandit leader and approached the elder who was bleeding from his abdomen.
‘Such a severe wound.’
The wound was not only large, but the elderly man was frail, and the bleeding was too severe to be treated with mere holy power.
This elder, who had tried to save his village despite the threats from the bandits, deserved to be saved.
Zzzzrrrr!
Raon summoned the holy power of Divinity Blooming from the Underworld, concentrating it in his hands.
Using the insight he gained from the Sran tribe incident, he refined the holy power into the form of a needle and thread.
“S-Swordsman!”
“Please save the village chief!”
“Please, we beg you!”
The villagers, themselves wounded and bleeding, knelt and pleaded for the chief’s life. It was clear what kind of person the chief was.
“I will do my best.”
Raon resonated with the Ring of Fire, raising his concentration to the extreme.
He infused holy power to remove the dead blood and examine the organs, but it was difficult to stop the bleeding as if all the blood vessels had burst.
‘Damn it. I need to stop the bleeding first…’
There were too many torn blood vessels.
Despite having some medical knowledge, this was the first time he had to heal such extensive organ damage, and sweat dripped from his forehead.
“Let me see.”
As he frowned and exhausted his holy power,
Martha approached him.
“This way,” she said.
She sprinkled holy water on her hand and inserted it into the village chief's abdomen, locating the severely ruptured blood vessels.
“Connect this blood vessel first. The others can wait,” she said.
“Got it.”
Raon nodded. Trusting Martha, he used the needle and thread formed from his holy power to connect the village chief's blood vessels.
As she said, once he caught the first blood vessel, the bleeding significantly reduced, allowing him to tend to the other organs. He used the remaining holy power to close the wounds and fill in the flesh.
“Ugh…”
The village chief's face, which had been deathly pale, slowly began to regain color. He slowly opened his eyelids.
“Am I... alive?”
“Chief!”
“Ah!”
The villagers, sobbing, rushed to the chief who had opened his eyes.
“I thought I was dead...”
“These swordsmen saved you!”
“It seems they are from Zieghart.”
“I see...”
As soon as the chief heard the villagers' words, he struggled to lift his limbs.
“You need to rest for now.”
Raon pressed the chief’s shoulder back down to the ground.
“Umm...”
With just his trembling eyes, the chief conveyed a deeper gratitude than a bow could express.
“Thank you so much for saving our village. I don't know how to thank you enough.”
He was more grateful for saving the villagers than his own life. Just as Raon had expected.
"We're not even affiliated with Zieghart..."
“That doesn't matter.”
As the chief said, this village was outside of Zieghart’s territory. But that was no reason not to save them.
Even if the situation was urgent, if he turned a blind eye to the innocent dying before him, he would be no different from Derus Robert.
"Just in case, please stay within Zieghart’s territory until this is over. There's a village under our protection just up the road, it won't be hard to find.”
“Are you sure? We’ve done nothing for Zieghart.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
Raon shook his head with a gentle smile.
“I’d like to give you something, but everything has burned…”
The chief struggled to lift his head, biting his lip as he looked at the charred remains of the apple trees.
“Then, after you revive the forest, send us some apples.”
Raon applied medicine to the chief's abdomen and shook his head.
“That will be enough.”
“Oh…”
The chief, not expecting them to only want apples, widened his eyes and fell silent.
“Dorian.”
Raon gestured to Dorian, who was finishing up cleaning behind him.
“Yes, sir!”
Dorian approached and bowed his head.
"Guide these people to Simon Village."
"Understood!"
He nodded and carefully carried the village chief on his back.
"Take only the valuable items and follow me!"
After placing some usable items from the burnt remains into his belly pocket, Dorian led the villagers to the north.
Raon watched the villagers following Dorian and then turned around. He nodded at Martha, who was looking at her hands.
"Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to save him."
"Not at all."
Martha lowered her blood-stained hands and shook her head calmly. Despite being alone with Raon, she still spoke formally, as if to keep her word.
"Did you continue to study medicine?"
"I went to see the Ragged Saint when I had time and learned a little bit."
It seemed she had genuinely continued her medical studies, wanting to heal everyone's injuries since Orgos’ incident.
"It's a strange feeling, using the hands that were once killed to save lives."
Martha stared at her hands for a long time. Her stern expression seemed to soften slightly.
Crunch!
Wrath let out a satisfied grunt, as if chewing on a piece of beef.
As expected of the beef girl! She is worthy of becoming my subordinate!
He nodded approvingly, seemingly pleased with Martha's mental growth.
'She doesn't even know you exist.'
It doesn't matter! A true king simply watches over his subordinates' growth.
Wrath curled up the corners of his mouth, speaking in a rare, kingly manner.
Whir!
As Raon chuckled at Wrath's wagging tail, a sound of wind came from behind.
"Division leader."
Mark Goetten approached with heavy steps like a bison and prostrated himself. The swordsmen of the Light Wind division, who came with him, also bowed their heads.
"According to the information from the Black Market, there were warriors occupying Kuven Village. We have dealt with them all and returned."
"Good work."
Raon nodded at Mark Goetten.
"It's done here as well."
This time, Rimmer walked down from the northeast. He waved his hand as if he was exhausted.
"Ugh, I don't understand why weaklings are so persistent."
"Thank you for your efforts."
Raon smiled faintly at the weary Rimmer.
'It's finally over.'
The first information he requested from Denning Rose was not the location of the Ghost Demon Swordmaster, but the locations of villages near the Zieghart territory that had suffered from warriors blinded by greed.
The mission of the Light Wind division was not the Saber Sword Sovereign’s tomb, but to patrol and protect the territory. Raon had seen too many ordinary people killed by warriors blinded by treasure, and he wanted to resolve this issue first.
"Now that we've saved five villages, is it all done?"
Burren wiped the blood off his sword and approached.
"If the Black Market's information is accurate, then yes."
Martha nodded with a calm gaze.
"......"
Runaan stared blankly at Martha.
"What! If you have something to say, say it!"
Martha frowned, clearly displeased.
"Thank you for the cold but warm treatment."
Runaan clasped her hands together as she looked at Martha.
"Kind Rakshasha girl."
"Shut up! You!"
Martha lunged at Runaan, abandoning her composed demeanor.
Screech!
Just as they were about to collide, a man in a gray robe rose from the shadows on the ground.
"Greetings, leader of the Light Wind division."
He bowed with his hand on his chest. He was a direct agent of Denning Rose who relayed information from the Black Market in real time.
"Are there any other villages that are being attacked?"
"No. The warriors have followed the Ghost Demon Swordmaster westward, and no further incidents have occurred."
The agent nodded, confirming that thanks to the Light Wind division, everything was under control.
Raon turned around. He looked at the Light Wind swordsmen with a sharp gaze and gestured with his chin.
"Now the real work begins. Are you ready?"
"Yes!"
The Light Wind swordsmen responded, neither too loud nor too soft. After meeting their confident yet tense eyes, Raon nodded.
Raon smiled and stroked the scabbard of Heavenly Drive. Feeling the murderous and greedy atmosphere emanating from the west, he clenched his jaw.
"Please lead us to where the Ghost Demon Swordmaster is."
* * *
Advance chapters: Tinyurl.com/Albnlfff
For Indonesian: Tinyurl.com/Aldbnlff
Raon and the Light Wind swordsmen followed the Black Market agent westward.
When they left the territories of Zieghart and Balkar and arrived at a strange terrain where forests and deserts mixed, their path was blocked by a wall of people.
"What's with all these people?"
Martha frowned, looking annoyed by the crowd.
"Even though they're a bunch of rabble, they're overwhelming in number."
Burren shook his head as if he didn't expect this many people to be gathered.
"Haurrgh."
Runaan yawned briefly, showing little interest.
Raon narrowed his eyes, observing those who had stopped short of entering the desert.
'Someone is blocking their way.'
Among the warriors and magicians eyeing an opportunity in the desert, there were no exceptional experts.
The true masters seemed to be hiding their skills, watching from the corners of the forest and desert.
'On the other hand....'
The ones blocking their path were indeed masters.
The reason why this crowd couldn't get into the desert wasn't because of the lack of Alliance, but because there were guys blocking the way in front of them.
Judging by their ability to hold back such a large number of people, they seemed quite formidable.
"Tsk tsk. There are so many greedy people."
Rimmer licked his lips as he watched the people who were desperately trying to get inside.
"The most important thing in life is to let go of greed."
At his murmur, Raon and the Light Wind swordsmen turned around at the same time.
What kind of nonsense is that idiot spouting?
'No idea.'
Even Wrath showed a blank look as if wondering what nonsense he was talking about.
"Why? It's true!"
"It would be true if the vice leader wasn't the one saying it."
Martha shook her head in exasperation.
As Raon chuckled, a middle-aged man in a hood descended with a light breeze.
"Sir Raon."
"Oh, Sir Risrin."
It was Risrin, the agent of the Black Market who had guided him to the Sran tribe. He seemed to have followed them here while tracking the Ghost Demon Swordmaster.
"You recognized me even though I changed my appearance."
Risrin took off his hood and smiled awkwardly.
"It's because your presence is the same."
"Ha, it seems there's no point in hiding my energy or disguising myself in front of you, Sir Raon."
He shook his head and took a step forward.
"There's no time for pleasantries, so I'll explain the situation right away."
Risrin spoke with a sense of formality, as if he were no longer a member of the Black Market but a member of Zieghart.
"The ones blocking the path in front of that crowd are swordsmen from the Holy Sword Alliance and magicians from the Black Tower."
"The Black Tower?"
"Yes. They're subordinates of the floor master, Snow Demon Queen."
"It seems the Holy Sword Alliance and the Black Tower have allied."
Previously, when the Holy Sword Alliance leader attacked the Five Divine Orders, the Black Tower had attacked Balkar Kingdom. It seemed that the two were still maintaining an alliance.
"It seems so."
Risrin nodded, indicating he shared the same thought.
"Where are the Ghost Demon Swordmaster and the Snow Demon Queen?"
"They are fighting the Void Sword division leader of Zieghart and Balkar’s Thunder Hammer Barpil inside the desert. It looks like they are searching for the Saber Sword Sovereign's tomb while battling."
He explained the situation as if he had been observing the area closely.
"Among the guys blocking the way right now, the strongest are Luciton, the vice leader of the Ghost Demon Sword division, and Belurian, the vice floor master. Because of the overwhelming power of these two monsters, they can't even set foot in the desert."
Risrin shook his head as he looked at the people who were hesitating because the way was blocked.
"There seem to be quite a few strong people hiding as well."
"Yes. However, they don't seem to be planning to move until the tomb is discovered."
Risrin seemed to have noticed the presence of the hidden masters all over the place and clicked his tongue.
"What will you do?"
He bowed his head as if he would follow Raon's lead.
Raon looked back. The Light Wind swordsmen were looking at him with a calm gaze, as if they would follow any command.
'In the past, I would have hidden like the others.'
In his previous life, he would have hidden and waited for an opportunity like everyone else.
In this life, he had gained the name Raon Zieghart, the leader of the Light Wind division. There was no need to hide anymore.
It was the perfect time to announce the new forged name of the Light Wind Division.
"We break through."
Raon left those words behind and stepped forward first.
Thud.
The warriors, who had been staring ahead, naturally turned around and stepped back in response to the heavy steps that pressed down on the earth and the intense aura that surged up from beneath them.
“Ah...”
“What, what is this...”
“Why, why are we being pushed back!”
The warriors, jostling and bumping into each other, made way. Their expressions showed that they didn’t even understand why they were retreating.
“Huh? That’s...”
“Zieghart’s emblem?”
“If he’s got blond hair and red eyes, then could it be!”
“Yes, it’s Raon Zieghart.”
“The Mad Dog… No, the Light Wind division!”
The warriors recognized Raon and the Light Wind division, swallowing dryly and stepping back.
As they crossed the retreating crowd like receding tides, a middle-aged swordsman with a thin sword and a woman with dark circles under her eyes came into view.
“Hmm?”
“That’s...”
The two also seemed to recognize Raon and the Light Wind division, frowning their eyes.
“Raon Zieghart. The Dragon Slayer, is it.”
Luciton, the vice leader of the Ghost Demon Sword division, licked his lips as he looked at Raon.
“This area is off-limits.”
Belurian narrowed his eyes in tension and flexed his fingers.
“...”
Raon continued walking as if ignoring their words.
“Let him be.”
Luciton gestured to Belurian, who was about to charge at Raon.
“I’ve been a bit curious, honestly.”
He tilted his head with a peculiar gleam in his eyes.
“I want to see if he’s really that strong.”
“What are you talking about? He’s the Dragon Slayer!”
Belurian frowned at Luciton.
“Think about it. When he killed Cloud, Aris Zieghart was there, and when he slew the mad dragon, that monster was waiting on the side.”
“Huh? So...”
“Yeah. Aris Zieghart gave him the credit. Does it make sense for someone to have that kind of power at 21?”
Luciton smirked as if he knew Raon’s secret.
“He can’t do anything on his own.”
“Certainly...”
Belurian also seemed to trust Luciton’s words, a smile forming on his lips.
"So what are you going to do?"
Raon stopped walking and stood in front of Luciton and Belurian.
It was true that such rumors were circulating these days. He needed to clearly demonstrate his prowess here for the newly reformed Light Wind division.
"What am I going to do? I'm going to put an end to your bullshit rumors here! If you beat me, I'll spread your rumors even after I'm dead!"
Luciton, confident of victory, charged forward with a fierce aura.
As his thin blade flashed faintly, it pierced through the air and struck towards Raon's throat.
Swish!
At the same time, Belurian, coordinating with him, lunged from the left, his claws burning with a dark energy.
It seemed they were not accustomed to fighting together as their attacks were rough but still managed to harmonize.
Raon slowly lowered his hand to grasp the hilt of Heavenly Drive. Stepping lightly forward as if on a stroll, he drew his sword.
Swish!
The blue sword energy that soared up drew an elegant light between Belurian's magic and Luciton's swordsmanship.
Slash!
Luciton’s sword and Belurian’s claws were simultaneously severed, and a red line appeared on their necks.
Thud.
Before even a breath could be taken, Luciton’s and Belurian’s heads fell to the ground.
Heavenly Drive, having drawn an otherworldly, graceful trajectory, descended with a faint glow.
"There's no need to spread rumors."
Raon wiped the blood from Heavenly Drive as he stepped over their corpses.
“Rumors from trash mouths are just trash rumors.”