C906
"Ah..."
Raon frowned as he saw the middle-aged man with black hair.
"Were you here?"
"I came here to rest and relax, but I didn't know you would be here."
The middle-aged man with black hair chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"I thought it could be someone, but it's just old laughter."
Wrath snorted as if losing interest.
'Old laughter?'
"Because he's an old man who always says 'ha, ha, ha!' That's why it's old laughter."
He shook his head as if to say, "Isn't that so?"
'I guess it's not wrong.'
Raon clicked his tongue briefly while looking at the middle-aged man.
'Anyway, I'm glad you're safe.'
The middle-aged man with black hair who suddenly spoke was Roenn in disguise. As expected from a man called the Assassin King, his acting was natural.
"How is Montiro? Isn't it relaxed but lively?"
"I just arrived today, so I'm not sure. I'm here for work, after all."
"Work? I bet you’re thinking of delegating tasks to your subordinates and just having fun."
Roenn smiled impishly as if he could see right through everything. It was surprising how he had transformed not only his face but also his expressions and behavior into that of a completely different middle-aged man.
"Isn't that so?"
Raon shook his head with a grumpy expression.
"Who is this friend of yours?"
The white-haired man next to Roenn narrowed his eyes.
'He's strong.'
He seemed to be between twenty-five and thirty years old, but his martial prowess felt beyond the pinnacle of the Master level. He was a martial artist Raon had never seen before.
"He's the son of an elder to whom I owe a favor."
Roenn smiled slightly, indicating they were somewhat familiar.
"I see. Well, continue your conversation. I'm leaving."
"Thanks for keeping me company today, Calob."
"I enjoyed it too."
The white-haired man named Calob waved his hand dismissively.
"Rensia?"
As he turned to leave the beach, he stopped in his tracks upon seeing Rensia standing behind him.
"Mr. Calob! Hello!"
Rensia smiled brightly and bowed her head as if she had just seen her own brother. Her hands, firmly gripping her backpack, trembled slightly.
"Is this your guest?"
"Yes. I started helping him from today."
"It's good to see you working hard."
Calob looked at Rensia for a moment, patted her head, and then left.
"Where did you decide to stay?"
As soon as Calob left, Roenn asked where Raon was staying.
"The one on the hill over there..."
"Balorens? Well, I guess it's the only place you would go."
He nodded, saying it was obvious Raon wanted to spend money.
"I'm also staying at Balorens. How about we have a drink together after such a long time?"
Roenn turned around, telling Raon to follow him as if he had no right to refuse.
"Haa..."
Raon let out a long sigh and called out to Rensia.
"It seems I'll have to drink with that old man today. Come back tomorrow morning."
He handed her the day's wage while telling her to return tomorrow.
"But, have I already received it?"
Rensia's eyes widened as she pulled out the silver coin she had received earlier.
"That was just a tip."
Raon tossed her a silver coin, telling her to take it when it was given to her.
"Thank you!"
Rensia quickly caught the silver coin that was thrown to her and bowed her head.
"Hurry up and come. For a young boy, you are very slow."
Roenn called him, acting as if he were actually a friend of Raon's father.
"Yes..."
"I arrived here earlier, and this place is broader than I thought. There’s a lot to see. First, the western cave..."
After sending Rensia home, Raon followed Roenn. With his eyes half-closed as if bored, he absorbed all the information about Montiro that Roenn was explaining. By the time Roenn finished talking about the western stalactite cave and began to talk about the church in the east, they had arrived at Roenn's lodging.
"Hmm. Sit there."
Roenn nodded towards a table by the window overlooking the sea.
"Yes..."
Raon reluctantly nodded and sat in the chair across from Roenn.
"Did I talk too much about myself? How have you been all this time?"
"Well, as always. Work and rest, work and rest, repeat."
He replied that he had only been working, slightly rotating his shoulder.
- Are you hiding even here?
'There's no people, but the artifacts or barriers can pick up sounds.'
Since it was certain that Montiro itself was strange, it was better to be cautious until the secret was revealed.
"Is your father well?"
"He's so well that it’s almost a problem."
While nodding, thinking of Edgar, a knock was heard at the door.
"Come in."
The person who opened the door at Roenn's words was a guide. He brought a tray with snacks and drinks to the table.
"Here are the drinks and snacks you requested."
The guide boy bowed his head, seeming accustomed to this task, and placed the drinks and snacks on the table.
"Thank you, Perin."
Roenn tipped the boy named Perin and patted his head.
"It's nothing! Enjoy, both of you!"
Perin hugged the tip he received from Roenn fondly, then closed the door and left.
"These kids are working hard."
"Indeed."
"Shouldn't you be living as diligently as they are?"
Roenn twisted his lips as if reprimanding Raon.
[It's been a long time, Master of the Light Wind Palace.]
However, while speaking, he wrote in the air with his finger.
"I'm living diligently my way, so don't worry about that."
Raon gave a cold response while writing in the air just like Roenn.
[I was worried, but I'm glad you're safe.]
[I trust in my disguise and my acting, but even if the Black Tower had discovered me, they wouldn't have attacked. The moment they attack me, their suspicion about this place would turn into certainty.]
Roenn shook his head, saying that it seemed they were still not under surveillance.
[But how did you know I was here?]
[Before I met you, Master of the Palace, I contacted an agent from the Black Market. Thanks to that, I was able to learn about the current operation.]
He smiled, saying it was fortunate that he had met the Black Market agent in advance.
[So, have you found anything suspicious?]
[No. I've been all over Montiro pretending to enjoy a vacation, but I haven't found anything strange.]
As Roenn scolded verbally, his fingers wrote polite words in the air.
[Rather, it’s a place where everyone is happy and there are no problems. Monsters sometimes wreak havoc, but the so-called heroes intervene immediately, so no damage occurs.]
Roenn shook his head, saying he had come here with several disguises but couldn't find anything.
[I see.]
Raon slightly bit his lip.
'Well, I guess it's to be expected.'
Not even Wrath could find anything. Before hearing that there was no death energy in this land, not even Wrath could detect anything strange. It was natural that Roenn didn't find anything odd.
[But these people called heroes...]
[Do you remember the young man with white hair who was on the beach earlier?]
[Yes. Despite his young age, he seemed strong.]
Raon nodded, recalling the young man with white hair wielding a large sword.
[He is the leader of a martial force, his name is Calob, and there are five like him. They are all at the pinnacle of the Master level, but they stay here without intending to become known on the continent.]
Roenn narrowed his eyes when mentioning Calob's name.
[Could they be with the Black Tower...]
[I also had my suspicions and kept observing them, but that’s not the case. They don’t use demonic energy at all; their aura is even purer than mine, and although their personalities are a bit rough, they really have the air of heroes.]
He emptied his glass, saying they didn’t seem to be related to the Black Tower.
[I see...]
Raon tapped the table with his finger, recalling the situation when he met Calob.
[To be honest, I find it hard to believe that the Black Tower is here, based on what I have seen so far.]
Roenn shook his head, saying that according to his observations, it made no sense for the Black Tower to exist here.
[Perhaps you have discovered something, Master of the Palace?]
[It's hard to say right now, but there are some things.]
Besides the lack of death energy and demonic energy, there was one more suspicious thing, but he was not yet at a stage where he could speak with certainty.
[I see. Then I will trust your judgment, Master of the Palace.]
Roenn smiled slightly while filling the empty glass.
[But Roenn...]
[I trust in the Young Master’s will more than in my own judgment.]
He tilted his head, saying he trusted Raon more than what he had observed himself.
[The Master of the Palace... No, the Young Master has seen much more than I have since childhood.]
Roenn drank his alcohol with a loud laugh, as if it were something natural.
[Roenn...]
Raon's hand holding the glass trembled at Roenn's sincerity. Receiving genuine trust from someone was both joyful and heavy.
[I think I need to step out for a moment. I've been in this form for too long.]
Roenn tilted his head slightly, saying he would return with a new face.
[That would be good. The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace and the Central Martial Palace are entering in divided groups now, so it shouldn't be difficult.]
[Then I should prepare quickly.]
He smiled slightly, saying he should get ready to leave immediately.
"Your face looks gloomy. Have I reprimanded you too much? Aging makes one talk too much; it’s a problem."
Roenn chuckled and shook his head.
"That's fine. You should leave now. It was nice to see you after such a long time. Say hello to your father for me."
He gestured with the hand holding his glass as if to say goodbye.
"Understood..."
Raon let out a long sigh and stood up.
"I'm leaving..."
"Don’t stray too far."
Without looking at Roenn who was gesturing with his hand, Raon opened the lodging door and stepped out.
'Trust me more than his own judgment...'
Raon clenched his fist, engraving in his heart the words that Roenn had written with his finger.
'Let's find it.'
The secret of this perfect city.
* * *
"Uf..."
Raon exhaled softly as he watched the sunset on the horizon.
'Has it already been three days?'
During the three days, the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace and the Central Martial Palace had successfully infiltrated with various disguises, and the agents of the Black Market had also entered covertly to play their roles. However, none of them had found anything strange in Montiro.
The tourists, merchants, and residents of Montiro seemed to be enjoying happy moments, and there were no signs that anyone was experiencing misfortune anywhere.
Even he had spent a lot of money getting to know many people, but regardless of age or gender, no one showed any weakness. It was starting to seem like they were searching for a Black Tower that didn't even exist.
'Lady Chamber must be angry too.'
The Light Wind Palace, the Central Martial Palace, and even the agents of the Black Market. Despite deploying so many elite units, they couldn’t find anything, so she must also be stomping the ground in frustration. Sigh. Raon emptied the bottle and directed his gaze to the right.
"Hmm."
Rensia was humming while weaving.
'That girl was also ordinary.'
He had also been watching Rensia, thinking that a demonized human could be disguised, but she was just a typical cheerful girl of her age. There was something strange about her, but it wasn't necessarily related.
"Rensia."
"Ah, yes!"
Rensia dropped her thread and needle and looked up. After treating her well for three days, she now showed a somewhat familiar face.
"Everyone here seems happy."
"As you've seen, Mr. Kayden, only good things happen here."
Rensia nodded with a bright smile.
"The weather is nice, the sea is clear, and everyone is kind. Sometimes monsters appear, but the heroes take care of all of them."
She clasped her hands, saying that nothing bad could happen here.
"That's right..."
Raon clicked his tongue briefly while shaking the bottle.
'Unfortunately, the world is not made up of only happy things.'
Even in the seemingly perfect annex building, negative energy sometimes surfaced. There were times when the maids fought among themselves, Sylvia shed tears worrying about Sia's condition, and Edgar, unable to forget his sins, knelt to pray.
Past life and present life. Living two lives, he realized that there is no perfect life or perfect happiness. As long as people live with other people, unconditional happiness does not exist.
"The sun has set. Shall we go now?"
Raon set down the empty bottle and raised his chin. Today was the day the underground arena opened. He had wanted to go earlier, but since it only opened once a week, he had to wait until now.
"Yes! I will guide you!"
Rensia packed her weaving materials into a blue bag and stood up.
"The entrance is quite expensive. Is that okay?"
Having seen him spend money extravagantly, she asked as if it was obviously okay.
"You don't need to ask that."
"Then let’s go!"
Rensia smiled brightly and walked down the main street, as if telling him to follow her. At first, he had been afraid of her, but now she seemed to realize that he was just a rich slacker and was treating him with familiarity.
"This way."
She led him to a small church behind the Balorens hotel.
"A church? Is the arena here?"
"Yes. Isn’t it interesting? I guess the people here don’t believe in God."
Rensia spoke as if she didn’t believe in God either while entering the church.
"Welcome."
A bronzed man who seemed over 2 meters tall approached, dressed as a pastor.
"Hello!"
As always, Rensia cheerfully greeted the adult as soon as she saw him.
"You can give the entrance to the pastor."
She gestured for him to give the entrance to the person who could be a pastor or a thug. In reality, her fingers trembled as if she were afraid.
"Hmm."
Raon frowned slightly as he tossed a gold coin.
"May God’s blessing be with you."
As the muscular pastor waved his hand, the ground with the statue of the angel opened, revealing stairs that descended.
"Let’s go."
Following Rensia down the stairs, a space more brilliant and luxurious than the lobby of the Balorens hotel was revealed. Under bright lights, numerous people were enjoying the game.
"This is the underground gambling den. The odds are 2 to 10 times higher than the gambling halls you’ve seen outside."
Rensia nodded, suggesting it would be better not to play here if possible.
"When you say things like that..."
"Yes. You will probably play more. I'm sorry..."
She slightly bit her tongue as if realizing she made a mistake.
"..."
Raon squinted his eyes while looking at the people in the gambling den.
'I can't feel any death energy here either.'
Montiro, being a tourist destination, had quite a few gambling dens. But even in the gambling dens where people were falling into ruin, no death energy could be felt, and it was the same here.
- There’s no demonic energy either.
Wrath frowned as if he couldn’t believe it.
'It really doesn’t make sense.'
It was incomprehensible that no negative energy emanated even among people who were despairing over lost money or rejoicing over winnings.
"Where is the arena?"
"It’s below here."
Rensia said they needed to go to the next floor, cross the wide gambling hall, and go down to the second basement. Perhaps due to the high ceiling, they had to descend many more stairs than when entering the gambling den.
Wow! Arriving at the entrance where dim lights glowed, they could hear the crowd cheering. It was a sound that boiled the blood and stimulated the mind. It seemed that the arena had already opened and the fights had begun.
"It seems to have started!"
Rensia waved her hand, urging them to go quickly.
"Go slowly."
As Raon calmly descended the stairs, Rensia stopped at the entrance, her mouth agape.
"How did you get this far?"
A young man with a blue spear slung over both shoulders blocked Rensia's path, frowning.
"Ah, Mr. Félix! I was guiding a guest to the arena!"
Rensia seemed to know the young man wielding the spear and bowed her head with a bright smile.
"Guest?"
The young man with blue hair named Félix frowned as he looked at Raon.
"It's fine to have fun, but isn't it a bit excessive to bring a child to a place like this?"
He exhaled uncomfortably, suggesting she was going too far.
"..."
Raon clicked his tongue, not looking at the man named Félix but at Rensia, who was smiling brightly but trembling while holding her bag.
'It seems...'
Could he have found a weak spot?
-
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