C1027
"Annihilation?"
Raon frowned, placing his hand on the table.
"Even if a village was destroyed, they wouldn't use the word 'annihilation'..."
He questioned the use of such a strong term for a small village, rather than a kingdom or clan.
"I wish I didn’t have to express it that way, but I must because it was truly annihilated."
Lawaine bit his lip hard enough to leave teeth marks.
"In a village of over two hundred inhabitants, there are no survivors, and all the houses and buildings have been completely destroyed."
He sighed heavily, saying the scene could only be described as annihilation.
"Were both villages destroyed in the same way?"
Raon frowned, tapping his fingers on the table.
"Yes. Both appeared to have been decaying for decades."
"Are the two villages adjacent?"
"No, they are quite far apart."
Lawaine shook his head, explaining that several ports and cities were located between the two annihilated villages.
"So, the intermediate ports..."
"They are perfectly fine. They say nothing happened at all."
He frowned, adding that not even a large wave had occurred.
"If that’s the case..."
Raon let out a short sigh as he looked at Lawaine's grim expression.
"It means this was not a natural phenomenon."
Since the ports between the two villages were unaffected, it was definitely not a natural event.
"Correct. I thought the same, so while I was investigating..."
Lawaine’s fingers trembled as he looked at Raon.
"I encountered a sea monster."
"A monster?"
Raon swallowed, leaning his body toward Lawaine.
"To explain from the beginning, I heard rumors that the same phenomenon had occurred in a village outside our territory, so I immediately went to investigate."
Lawaine lowered his voice, gripping his trembling right hand with his left.
"There too, there were no bodies to be seen, but the entire village was soaked in seawater. As if a huge wave had swallowed everything."
He frowned, saying he witnessed the seawater rising and falling throughout the village.
"So it was natural..."
"Actually, I had been thinking it was an artificial phenomenon, so I found it strange and was searching the surrounding coast when..."
"Don’t tell me."
Raon swallowed again, watching Lawaine’s trembling eyes.
"Did you come face to face with it?"
"Yes."
Lawaine clutched his head as if recalling the moment he encountered the monster.
"Following an unusual water current that I had never seen before in the Azure Wind, that enormous monster suddenly emerged from the endless sea before me."
His voice trembled, as if he had felt an overwhelming difference in power.
"What kind of monster was it?"
"A... a wolf."
Lawaine mentioned a beast completely foreign to the sea.
"A wolf?"
"It wasn't an ordinary wolf. It was a being that contained both the physical form and the soul of the sea. So huge that I felt as if the ocean itself was looking down at me."
He let out a deep groan, saying it had a soul so vast that it made him feel insignificant.
"It disappeared as soon as it saw me, apparently uninterested, but if we had fought there..."
Lawaine grimaced as if the outcome was obvious.
"We would have been annihilated. The aura that wolf possessed was on par with a Transcendent."
He shuddered as if he were still exposed to the wolf's aura.
"Hmm..."
Raon squinted, looking at the seemingly frightened Lawaine.
'A wolf that could scare Lawaine to this extent...'
Lawaine was an experienced Grandmaster. For someone like him to be so afraid, it was definitely not an ordinary monster.
'Still, it can’t be at the Transcendent level.'
Aside from Ancient Dragons, Transcendent-level monsters barely existed. At that moment, Lawaine was likely lacking proper judgment due to tension and worry, so there was a high possibility he had made a misjudgment.
"So you returned to ask Alice for help with this?"
Raon nodded, finally understanding why Lawaine's expression had been so dark.
"That’s right. It would be too much for me, but Alice could definitely hunt that wolf. Moreover, other pirate groups are increasing in the area..."
Lawaine sighed, saying he returned to the family immediately because he thought it was a matter that needed to be addressed as soon as possible.
"However, since we don’t know when Alice's training will end..."
He lowered his eyebrows, as if he were worried about other villages and ports even at this moment.
"Then that task..."
Raon placed his hands on the table as he set down his tea cup.
"Let our Light Wind Palace take care of it."
"Excuse me?"
Lawaine looked up, as if asking what Raon meant.
"No, no. This isn’t a Zieghart matter, but rather our Pirate King’s..."
"Technically, the Pirate King isn’t allied with Zieghart but is more of a subordinate organization of our family, just like the Light Wind Palace."
Now that Alice had returned to Zieghart, it wasn’t strange to consider her pirate forces as Zieghart's military power.
"It is completely natural for us to protect those villages, and our swordsmen need practical experience after a month of training."
Raon shook his head, telling Lawaine not to worry.
"But, but that seems like too big of an imposition..."
"It’s a good opportunity to repay what we received from Aunt. Please don’t refuse."
He bowed, saying he was asking for a favor instead of offering help.
"Well..."
Lawaine let out a surprised sigh, stunned that he was being asked for a favor instead of asking one himself.
'He’s changed again.'
The previous Raon had been straightforward but somewhat authoritarian. Now, he seemed to be maturing not just as a warrior but as a person.
"I understand. Then I will rely on you."
Lawaine bowed deeply, as if addressing Alice, expressing gratitude for the help.
***
After telling Lawaine to prepare for departure, Raon immediately went to the audience chamber to inform Glenn about Lawaine's story.
"So..."
Glenn squinted, stroking the armrest of the throne, which had been meticulously repaired.
"You’re saying you want to go to the sea this time?"
"Yes."
Raon nodded calmly.
"By now, everyone knows that Alice Zieghart is the Pirate King. In other words, it’s not an exaggeration to say that the villages protected under the name of the Pirate King are under the name of Zieghart."
He pointed to a map, saying that although it might not be the reality, that’s how others would perceive it.
"Two of those villages have already fallen, so our subordinate forces might be frightened and fearful. Normally, Alice would have rushed out, but since she is focused on her training, we want to handle it in her stead."
Raon lowered his head, saying he wanted to take care of this matter along with the Light Wind Palace.
"Hmm..."
Glenn turned his gaze toward the window, stroking his chin.
"Is there something you’re worried about?"
"As Lawaine saw it directly, that sea wolf must indeed be the culprit. However..."
He let out a low groan as he looked back at Raon.
"I’m a bit concerned that the wolf possesses an aura comparable to a Transcendent."
Glenn frowned, saying it could be dangerous if it truly was at that level.
-Well, the sea is vast, so all kinds of creatures exist.
Wrath nodded as if he agreed with Glenn's thoughts.
-If you go into the deep sea, you could encounter monsters that even you would have trouble facing.
He raised his rounded hand as if trying to intimidate.
"I think Lawaine made a mistake, but if it really is at the Transcendent level, I would welcome it."
Raon smiled, saying that was what he hoped for.
"The fight with that monster would take me to greater heights."
Training in the practice fields wasn’t helping him much now. Going out and fighting against strong opponents would be far more beneficial.
"Well, there are few who can defeat you now."
Glenn nodded as if he had no choice.
"Very well. I allow it."
He waved his hand, telling Raon to be careful.
"Understood."
Just as Raon was about to exit the audience chamber after expressing his gratitude, Glenn spoke.
"Ahem! Wait a moment."
Glenn raised his hand with an exaggerated cough.
"Send me letters too. Not just to him."
He rolled his eyes slightly, asking Raon not to send letters only to Rector but also to him.
-Wow...
Wrath let out an incredulous laugh.
-Jealous of a single letter even though he sees his grandson every day? This old man really is...
He shook his head, wondering how Raon had endured this clingy person until now.
"Understood."
Raon nodded with a smile. After promising to send regular letters to Glenn during the trip, he exited the audience chamber and returned to the fifth training ground, where the swordsmen were probably still training.
"You shouldn’t leave during training hours!"
Martha frowned, asking where he had disappeared to while she was teaching him.
"But Raon has permission..."
Runaan shook her head, saying that Raon was the owner of this place.
"Sighing, instructing the lord..."
Burren rubbed his temples, saying he didn’t know where to start teaching.
"Stop joking around and gather everyone."
Raon called the scattered swordsmen throughout the training field and climbed onto the platform.
"You all know better than anyone that your martial prowess and mental strength have grown significantly through a month of training."
He continued speaking as he observed the swordsmen emanating auras like experienced warriors.
"I believe it’s time to test the time you’ve built here."
Raon nodded, saying it was time for practical experience.
"Finally, I have a mission!"
Martha clasped her fists together as if approving.
"What kind of mission is it this time?"
The eyes of Burren sparkled intelligently as if he needed to plan first.
"I'm fine staying here..."
Runaan yawned slightly, as if she didn’t feel like going.
"This mission is..."
Raon recounted the story he had heard from Lawaine to the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"A Transcendent-level monster?"
"Does such a thing exist?"
"No, no, it’s not that far off, is it?"
"Can you even call that a monster if it’s real?"
"Whether real or not, it’s not an ordinary beast if it can destroy entire villages..."
The eyes of the swordsmen trembled with tension at the mention of a Transcendent-level monster. However, they were not just scared; they seemed to be licking their lips, eager to test their skills in this mission.
-It seems the kids are finally breaking out of their shells.
Wrath nodded in approval at the reactions of the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
-In fact. They’ve changed a lot.
The desire to confirm their abilities despite knowing the danger was the very essence of the swordsmen of Zieghart.
'Although some are not like that...'
Raon let out a brief sigh as he directed his gaze to the right.
"The Transcendent is a bit too much, right? If we fall into the sea, we’ll die before we can even use our swords..."
"That’s true. I’m not really interested..."
Krein and Dorian murmured to each other, seemingly uninterested.
"Stop talking nonsense and get ready."
Martha smiled coldly, putting her arms around the shoulders of Krein and Dorian as if threatening to take them out if they tried to withdraw.
"N-no, that’s not what we meant!"
"Of course, we have no intention of backing down!"
Dorian and Krein forced smiles, saying they had no intention of retreating.
"Then gather here at dawn tomorrow after finishing your preparations."
Raon raised his chin, looking down at the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"Tomorrow at dawn?"
"That’s only a few hours away!"
The swordsmen opened their eyes, saying it was too soon.
"We don’t know when another village or port might be attacked, so we need to leave as soon as possible."
Raon shook his head, saying he actually wanted to leave immediately.
"That’s right!"
Martha nodded, saying she had thought it through.
"Just ten hours of sleep..."
Runaan turned first, saying she needed to hurry back.
"Understood."
Burren said he would prepare well and began explaining precautions to the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace.
"I’m going to check the supplies! They might be insufficient!"
Dorian went down to the storage area, saying he would check the supplies as if the Azure Wind were his own ship. He really had an admirable work ethic.
"I, I’ll rest a bit..."
Krein blinked, as if he were tired and headed toward the cabin.
"No."
Raon raised his hand to block Krein’s path.
"The one who lacks the most is you. Do aura training alongside me."
"Ugh..."
Krein rolled his eyes as if he were thinking of escaping, but then sighed and sat down, realizing there was no way out. As Raon began the torturous training method of pushing heat and cold into Krein's back, Martha approached.
"I want to as well, please."
Martha nodded, asking for the same torturous training method.
"You..."
"I want to get a bit stronger before that day comes."
She bit her lip, saying she wanted to improve her skills as much as possible before fighting the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
'Her determination has become even firmer.'
Since breaking through the barrier of the intermediate Grandmaster, Martha had been longing for power even more. Knowing her circumstances, Raon couldn’t easily reject her.
"Haa."
Raon let out a short sigh and placed his hand on Martha's back.
"It’s going to hurt a lot."
He pushed the heat from the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and the cold from Glacier with increased intensity, proportional to her growth.
"..."
Despite feeling pain as if her entire body were being torn apart, Martha did not let out a single groan and began her aura training as she sat there.
-She’s tough.
Wrath looked at Martha with bitter eyes, contrary to his words about her being tough.
'She is tough. But I would have done the same.'
If he were in Martha’s situation, he would have pushed himself even more harshly.
'I can’t stay like this either.'
Raon licked his lips briefly and leaned against the deck.
'To help her, I need to become stronger.'
Only Martha could rescue her mother from the Leader of the White Blood Religion. It would take him and another first-level Transcendent to barely face the Leader of the White Blood Religion.
'Whether to kill the Leader of the White Blood Religion or to save the body...'
The important thing was to achieve the Soul Sword. Without advancing in the Soul Sword, they would never be able to rescue Martha’s mother.
'Focus...'
As Raon was about to open the realm of his soul to enter the domain of the Soul Sword feeling the sea breeze, a chilling aura enveloped him, as if someone were watching him from the far end of the sea. It was not a human gaze. It was a disturbing sensation, as if nature itself were watching him.
"This is..."
Raon quickly turned around to look toward the coast where the sun was shining. At the unfathomable edge of the sea, the face of a huge wolf appeared, with waves as its mane.
-
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