C1028
Kuu!
The wolf emerged from the water, its fur soaked with seawater shimmering.
Its massive body, large enough to touch the sun at its zenith, was as majestic as an island. The tips of its azure fur emanated natural mana, making it seem not like a living being, but as if it faced the World Tree protecting Sepia.
“T-that is!”
Lawaine raised a trembling finger to point at the blue wolf blocking the sun.
“That’s the wolf I told you about!”
He revealed his murderous intent towards the wolf that destroyed the village, even while being nervous about the sudden situation.
“W-what? How is it so big?! I didn’t hear it was big enough to block the sky!”
Martha swallowed nervously, overwhelmed by the imposing physique of the wolf.
“Its size isn’t everything. That energy is beyond what we can handle…”
Burren bit his lip deeply, feeling the immense mana of the wolf.
“A cool and big dog…”
Unlike the others, Runaan wasn’t afraid of the wolf, nodding her head with a calm gaze.
“Aaaaah!”
“M-monster! No, it’s beyond that level!”
“That’s not a monster, it’s on par with a dragon!”
“U-one kick from it would destroy half of this ship…”
The swordsmen and sailors of the Light Wind Palace trembled in fear, unable to look directly at the blue wolf.
“That won’t happen.”
Raon said not to worry as he moved towards the bow of the Azure Wind.
‘I wasn’t expecting to encounter him so soon.’
He had been wondering how to search for the wolf in the vast sea, but he didn’t expect to face it right after setting sail.
‘Mr. Lawaine wasn’t wrong.’
It’s definitely Transcendental level. This massive wolf possessed an overwhelming presence and mana that could match or even surpass a Transcendental, just as Lawaine had described. It really seemed to have inherited the power of this sea.
‘I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.’
He intended to help Lawaine while giving the Light Wind Palace swordsmen practical experience against pirates, but he didn’t expect the opportunity for growth to come to him first.
-Hooh.
Wrath clicked his lips with interest.
-It looks quite cute. It would be perfect for tying up in front of this king’s castle!
He licked his lips, eager to capture and take this wolf. To say such things after seeing a mysterious wolf with power beyond a Transcendental, he truly was the Demon King for a reason.
‘However…’
Raon narrowed his eyes as he pulled the Heavenly Drive from his waist.
‘Is that thing really alive?’
All living beings contain mana. The blue wolf had mana that surpassed that of a Transcendental, but something was different from the others.
‘It’s like a spirit, but it has a physical presence. It’s like a monster, but it has spiritual power.’
That blue wolf couldn’t be classified as a single species like a monster or a spirit.
‘Regardless of its identity…’
Why is it just standing there? After surfacing, the blue wolf simply stared intently in this direction. No, at him, with its sea-colored eyes.
‘Is it evaluating me?’
Seeing the sea breeze imbued with mana blowing from the blue wolf, it was clearly trying to probe his power.
‘Hmm.’
Raon shook his head after examining the blue wolf as well.
‘I can’t tell by aura perception.’
He couldn’t gauge how strong that blue wolf was just by the amount of mana. In the end, he would have to face it directly.
“Protect the ship.”
Raon instructed the Light Wind Palace swordsmen to protect the Azure Wind before descending into the sea.
“Too much thinking isn’t befitting of an animal. Let’s clash physically.”
As he was about to use footwork to leap across the sea while licking his lips, the blue wolf began to sink back into the sea as if it had lost interest in him. Its body dispersed into blue droplets as if its form had never existed in the first place.
“What is this!”
Raon frowned and ran towards where the wolf had been standing.
‘It’s…’
He extended his aura perception using Snow Flower Perception, but he couldn’t sense the mana of that massive wolf anywhere.
‘Wrath!’
Raon immediately gestured to Wrath.
-This king can’t sense it either.
Wrath shook his head, saying that it really seemed to have disappeared.
-Didn’t it come to greet you?
He muttered that he liked the wolf even more, calling it polite.
‘That can’t be.’
Raon pushed Wrath and wrinkled his nose.
‘What is it thinking?’
Did it retreat after seeing me while trying to attack this port? Without knowing the identity of the blue wolf, he couldn’t guess what it was thinking, which was frustrating.
“Tsk.”
Raon clicked his tongue and returned to the deck of the Azure Wind through the sea.
“Has it disappeared, sir?”
Lawaine looked around quickly, appearing worried.
“Yes. It completely erased its presence.”
Raon sighed briefly, saying he couldn’t find it.
“When you first encountered that wolf, did it disappear like that as well?”
Lawaine asked if he had experienced the same phenomenon, as he said the wolf had disappeared.
“No.”
Lawaine shook his head firmly.
“It only showed me its face briefly before fleeing across the sea.”
He said it hadn’t remained visible for as long as this time, nor had it vanished into water droplets, his eyes moving.
“I see.”
Raon raised his hand to stroke his chin.
‘Is it really evaluating people?’
For what reason?
‘Because we might interfere with its affairs?’
But it didn’t seem to have much malice. As much as he thought about it, he couldn’t decipher the blue wolf’s intentions for appearing.
“What did all of you think?”
Raon turned around and called out to the Light Wind Palace swordsmen.
“It felt like facing the forces of nature.”
Burren groaned, saying he still couldn’t get his bearings.
“I know we’re no match, but…”
Martha straightened her back with a composed posture.
“I wanted to fight it.”
She spoke with strength in her voice, saying it would have been interesting.
“Y-I couldn’t read its mind well…”
Dorian slumped his shoulders, saying he couldn’t tell what the wolf was thinking even using his Mental Eye.
“I…”
Runaan slowly opened her lips.
“It seemed worried…”
She waved her hand, saying that the wolf’s state didn’t seem good.
“Why did it seem worried?”
“I just felt it that way…”
Runaan blinked, saying she wasn’t sure herself.
‘Worried, huh…’
As Raon licked his lips, Wrath approached from the side.
-This king…
Wrath looked at the sea with a solemn gaze. His expression suggested that he had sensed something.
‘What did you see?’
-It doesn’t look tasty!
He shook his head, saying it had an unappetizing appearance for some reason.
‘…’
-But we should still try it… Hey! Where are you going!
Raon ignored Wrath, who was licking his lips, and approached Lawaine.
“Let’s leave for now. We have a long way to go…”
***
“Haa…”
Raon let out a short sigh as he entered a tavern in the port city of Kurt to fill his stomach.
‘After all, it didn’t reappear.’
He had inspected the ports and villages protected under the Pirate King’s name with Lawaine, but fortunately none had been attacked. They had reached Kurt, tucked away in a corner, in case the wolf might visit other villages or ports, but they didn’t get anything.
‘Should I consider this fortunate?’
It was fortunate that there were no deaths or cities destroyed, but he felt a little frustrated that the wolf didn’t show up.
“Let’s eat first.”
Burren said they were tired and should eat first, handing him a menu.
-What about Four-Eyes?
Wrath nodded his head largely, saying it was the first time Burren had said something he liked.
-First, since we’re by the sea, we should start with seafood…
“Order whatever you want. Focus on the seafood.”
Raon passed the menu to Martha sitting across from him.
-This king’s words haven’t finished yet. We start with seafood, but there’s much more!
‘They eat well, so they’ll order properly.’
Although Runaan ate little, Burren and Martha didn’t discriminate against food, so they were bound to order the entire menu.
“Is there even a need to look at the menu?”
“Right, we can just order everything.”
Martha and Burren shouted for them to bring all the food from the menu as if it were obvious.
‘See?’
-Hmm, but there’s a certain pleasure in ordering…
Wrath licked his lips with regret.
‘But…’
Raon narrowed his eyes looking at Wrath.
‘It really was a village that could only be called ruins.’
Annihilation was also understandable. On their way here, they had also visited the village that Lawaine said was annihilated. As he said, the village was dilapidated and collapsed as if it had been abandoned for decades.
-It couldn’t have corroded like that just from seawater.
Wrath shook his head, saying it couldn’t happen through normal phenomena.
-That wolf must have used some trick.
He bit his lip, calling it a beast that didn’t know the value of human life.
‘Blue wolf…’
As Raon narrowed his eyes, thinking about the blue wolf he encountered as soon as he entered the sea, some men who looked like fishermen sat at the table behind them with drinks in hand.
“The tides are good these days, but I’m worried about the bad things happening.”
A bald fisherman frowned as he took a sip of his beer.
“I know. These days the fish come out as soon as you cast a line, but it’s scary to go out.”
A middle-aged man with a cactus-like beard sighed.
“By the way, have you heard that news?”
The bald fisherman leaned slightly as if telling a secret.
“What news?”
“About Raon Zieghart. You clearly don’t know.”
He snorted as if the other should already know.
“Y-I know too. Why wouldn’t I know about the Sword Emperor who captured the Black Tower Master?”
The middle-aged man with a cactus beard shook his head as if he didn’t want to lose.
“Tsk tsk.”
The bald fisherman clicked his tongue briefly.
“You don’t know because you only fish in here.”
He shook his head as if it were pathetic.
“Why! What else happened!”
The middle-aged man with a cactus beard slammed the table with his glass, telling him to speak.
“Ahem, it’s a bit hard to say right away since I’m hungry and thirsty…”
The bald fisherman licked his lips.
“Barkeep! Bring two beers for this bald man!”
“I’ll pay for the snacks!”
“You like free things, huh? No wonder you’re bald.”
The tavern patrons ordered drinks and snacks, saying they were even more curious, and gathered around the bald fisherman.
“Now that I’ve moistened my throat, I should start right away!”
The bald fisherman slammed the table with his palm after setting down his glass.
“First, we should start with Eden. Eden cast a celestial net to capture the traitor. Literally, not even a mouse could escape…”
He detailed the events that took place to rescue Merlin. The rumors seemed to be spreading even more detailed than before.
“R-really Raon Zieghart killed The Fallen?”
The middle-aged man with a cactus beard’s eyes widened.
“That’s what I’m saying!”
The bald fisherman nodded, saying the other had lived a quiet life.
“Of course, the Magic Tower Master took care of most of The Fallen’s martial prowess, but it was definitely the Sword Emperor who finished him off!”
He shouted that Raon was the one who brought The Fallen down in the end as he took a sip of his beer.
“I-incredible.”
“To think that a martial artist whose blood has barely dried would kill a monster like The Fallen…”
“Now that one of Eden’s pillars has fallen, will things get easier for us too?”
The tavern people murmured that the Five Demons would have to stay hidden now as they began to return to their seats.
“Hey! Where are you going!”
The bald fisherman raised his hands urgently.
“I haven’t finished talking!”
He shook his head vigorously, saying he hadn’t told everything.
“Eh?”
“Is there more?”
“What else is there after killing The Fallen?”
The people’s eyes widened, as if they didn’t expect there to be more to say.
“That’s what I’m saying. The Fallen’s death is already an old and stale rumor that has spread everywhere. What I really want to talk about is the next story.”
The bald fisherman spread his arms as he chewed on a whole fish served as a side dish.
“After capturing The Fallen, Raon Zieghart went straight to the Five Divine Orders without even resting for a few days. And there…”
He explained in detail, as if he had seen it himself, how Raon awakened the Thespian Emperor and Queen of the Sword, and received the alliance of White Whale and The Unyielding Blade.
“N-no matter how Raon Zieghart has the title of Sword Emperor, he awakened the Thespian Emperor and Queen of the Sword?”
“That doesn’t make sense! There’s barely a difference in skill!”
“I’d believe it if you said he won in a fight, but awakening them is incredible.”
The middle-aged man with a cactus beard and the residents shook their heads, saying it was hard to believe.
“I understand it’s hard to believe, but this is an undeniable fact. Because…”
The bald fisherman raised one finger with a smile.
“All of these rumors come from White Whale.”
He curled his lips upward, saying it came from none other than the White Whale of the Thespian Emperor.
“I-is that true?”
The middle-aged man with a cactus beard shook his head in disbelief.
“That’s what I’m saying! Why would White Whale underestimate his own master, the Thespian Emperor? It means it’s all true!”
The bald fisherman shook his fist, saying this rumor was spreading throughout the continent right now.
“How does it feel?”
Martha asked as she tapped the table with her finger.
“When your name spreads throughout the continent like that?”
She licked her lips, saying she was curious about the feeling.
“I’m curious too.”
Burren spread his arms, saying he had the same thought.
“Sometimes we’re included in your rumors, but we’ve never been the protagonists.”
He asked how it felt to be the continent’s protagonist, his eyes shining.
“Well, it feels pretty good, but also…”
Raon smiled slightly as he watched the people talk enthusiastically about his name and title.
“Pretty embarrassing.”
“Our Palace Master is such a shy person!”
Martha slapped him hard on the shoulder, saying he should be more confident.
“What’s there to be embarrassed about when you’re so capable!”
She frowned, saying the rumors were deficient in every way.
“Yes. You’re great at everything…”
Runaan nodded in agreement with Martha’s words.
“Thanks for saying that.”
Raon waved his hand with an awkward smile.
‘Is White Whale spreading rumors?’
I can guess what the Thespian Emperor is thinking. He was deliberately spreading detailed rumors to increase his awareness and reputation. He would clearly use that accumulated awareness and reputation to carry out other plans.
-Why?! This king’s name isn’t mentioned!
Wrath frowned, saying it was all thanks to his skills.
-All those feats were achieved through this king’s traits, so why is only your name praised!
He seemed annoyed that his name wasn’t mentioned even once despite lending his skills.
‘What name? Let’s just eat.’
Eating is what matters. Raon pointed to the dishes being served on the table as he tried to calm Wrath, who was about to vent his anger.
-Ahem, shall we begin?
Wrath smiled as if he had never been angry and looked at the dishes.
‘What should we eat first?’
-This king will start with the freshly cooked shrimp, head and all…
As he was about to reach for the salt-baked shrimp, the tavern door swung open and Lawaine entered.
“Sir Raon! The port of Belder has been attacked!”
He raised his hand, saying it was information he had just received.
“R-Raon?”
“C-could it be Raon Zieghart?”
“No way…”
“No! It is! That man is Lawaine, the right-hand man of the Pirate King… no, of Alice!”
The tavern people collapsed in shock, realizing that the Raon they had been talking about was in the same place.
“Are you ready to set sail?”
Raon approached Lawaine, ignoring the people’s stares.
“Yes! We can leave right away!”
Lawaine nodded, saying all preparations were complete.
“Then let’s go.”
Raon paid for the uneaten food and walked out of the tavern. The Light Wind Palace executives followed Raon with disciplined and vigorous postures, as if they had never relaxed in the first place.
“I-is that Raon Zieghart?”
“I didn’t even know he was here, but now that he’s revealed his presence, I can barely breathe…”
“It seems that even the title of Sword Emperor can’t keep up with him now…”
The people shook their heads in awe at seeing Sword Emperor Raon in person. However, unlike the excited people, there was a Demon King holding back tears and biting his lip.
-This king knew this would happen…
Wrath’s neck veins bulged as he looked at the numerous steaming dishes.
-Why do such unfortunate things only happen to this king! Even dogs aren’t bothered when they eat!
‘Dogs bite if you bother them.’
-This madman… This king also has teeth…
‘I’m sorry, but we have to hurry.’
Raon shook his head as he pulled on Wrath’s tail.
‘We don’t need any more sacrifices.’
-
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