C1029
“There!”
Lawaine raised his hand, pointing towards the land where the light had disappeared.
“It’s hard to believe, but that port is Belder!”
He bit his lip deeply as he observed the port shrouded in darkness.
“Port of Belder…”
Raon narrowed his eyes as he climbed to the edge of the ship.
‘Has it already fallen?’
The port of Belder was darker than a moonless night sky. If Lawaine hadn’t mentioned it, they would have passed by without noticing its existence.
‘There are no signs of people.’
Extending his aura perception, Raon couldn’t sense even the faintest trace of life in the port of Belder. It seemed as if all the humans there had perished.
‘But the mana of the ocean is flowing.’
Unlike the absence of human presence, a thick current of mana with the scent of the sea flowed within the port. If he could examine that energy, he could definitely identify the attacker.
“Follow me.”
Raon nodded to the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace and jumped from the edge of the Azure Wind into the sea.
“Yes!”
“Understood!”
Guided by Burren, who was right behind him, the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace jumped off the ship after him. With a thunderous sound, Raon walked over the sea using his Supreme Harmony Steps, entering the lifeless port of Belder. As he set foot in the gloomy port, an unsettling chill ran down his spine.
‘Is this really the port of Belder?’
Lawaine had said that Belder was quite a large port with over 300 residents, but not only were there no people, there wasn’t even a trace of the life they once had.
He could see seawater flowing beneath his feet. No, the water flowed throughout the city. It seemed as if a massive wave had swept through, taking everything in the port away.
‘Are they really all dead?’
Any hope he had deflated like a popped balloon. It seemed they had arrived too late, despite leaving as soon as they received the news.
-There’s nothing here.
Wrath shook his head, also unable to sense any human presence.
-It seems we’ve entered a cold and deep sea.
He frowned, looking deeply irritated.
‘To me, it looks like a dead city.’
The port facilities for docking ships were completely destroyed, houses and buildings were mere rubble, and not a single light remained to illuminate the surroundings. The port city, now enveloped in darkness, resembled a kingdom that had fallen centuries ago.
“Eh…”
“Is this really the port of Belder?”
“Is it completely destroyed?”
The swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace who arrived later stood agape at the sight of the ruined port and the blue currents flowing into the sea.
“Are they really all dead...?”
Burren exhaled in disbelief as he gazed into the darkness.
“There’s nothing left, not even people.”
Martha frowned, noting that not only humans were absent, but even dogs and insects were nowhere to be seen.
“Hmmm…”
Runaan touched the water flowing into the sea with her palm, frowning deeply.
“It’s seawater. Very cold.”
She nodded, saying it was much colder than the outside sea.
“Hmmm…”
Raon squinted as he looked at the water flowing into the sea.
‘It’s cold seawater, as Runaan said, but...’
The mana of the ocean was deeply embedded in it, as intense as its coldness. A thick current of mana with the scent of the sea flowed throughout the port. While this could be expected from a port city near the sea, the concentration far exceeded normal levels.
‘Wrath. This energy...’
Raon called to Wrath as he shook the seawater from his fingers.
‘It’s similar to the mana that wolf possessed, right?’
The ocean mana flowing through this city was very similar to the energy of the blue wolf they encountered upon entering the sea.
-It indeed is.
Wrath nodded as he looked at the dark sea.
-In fact, it’s not just similar; it’s almost identical.
He wrinkled his nose, saying that although there were subtle differences, the flow, aroma, and color were the same.
‘Did that wolf really attack this port?’
He had tried not to assume unconditionally that the blue wolf was the culprit, but seeing the state of this port, he couldn’t help but suspect it.
‘But I don’t know what it did.’
He couldn’t understand what kind of technique it had used to kill people without leaving a single trace.
‘Did it not kill them, but instead dragged them into the sea?’
Just in case, he extended his aura perception towards the sea, but all he could sense were sea creatures and monsters.
“I’m scared…”
Dorian trembled, apparently frightened by the prospect of entering a city where all the people had disappeared.
“There’s no need to be afraid! That wolf fled because it was scared of us!”
Krein shook his head, saying there was no need to be afraid, but even he seemed somewhat fearful, taking small steps instead of walking confidently.
“Everything has been swept away by the seawater; there’s nothing to see.”
Burren sighed, saying it would be difficult to find any clues.
“It’s a port city, I suppose. Even the debris from the buildings is all rotten…”
Martha clicked her tongue as she shook the rust off her hands.
“It’s true that the exteriors of buildings corrode more quickly near the sea due to salt and moisture, but…”
Raon approached the side of Martha and examined the debris of the building she was looking at.
“They don’t corrode that quickly on the inside. This is a recent phenomenon.”
It is true that buildings near the coast deteriorate faster than structures inland due to salt, wind, and moisture. However, it is rare for corrosion to affect not just the exterior but also the interior.
‘Could it be…?’
Raon entered the building to his right and examined the walls and the floor.
‘It’s the same here.’
Not only the area that Martha had examined, but many other buildings and house sites were also decaying due to salt.
‘This means it wasn’t just swept away by rising waves.’
Whether it was magic or sorcery, it was clear that some special power had been used.
‘We need to look for other clues… Hm?’
Just as Raon was about to look elsewhere, frowning, a massive wave of mana surged like a wildfire from the depths of the sea, pressing down on his shoulders.
“What the hell…!”
Turning around, he saw a massive wave rising as if it were going to touch the sky, and within it, the face of the blue wolf appeared.
‘What is this…?’
Raon’s fingers trembled as he looked into the eyes of the blue wolf.
‘Has it changed in this time?’
The blue wolf had grown larger and contained stronger mana than before. But there was an even greater change beyond that.
‘Its malevolence has intensified.’
If the blue wolf he had seen before was somewhere between a spirit and a monster, the wolf that appeared now was closer to a monster. Judging by the smell of blood, it seemed to be strengthening by consuming humans.
“Doggie…”
Runaan bit her thin lip as she looked at the blue wolf.
“It seems like it wants to cry…”
Despite feeling the chilling energy arriving here, she felt pity for the wolf.
“No, I can’t read the wolf’s mind…”
Dorian intertwined his trembling hands.
“But it seems like it’s sad.”
He tugged at his hair as if struggling to believe his own senses.
“What nonsense! It’s looking at us with the intent to kill!”
Krein shook his head vigorously, saying he couldn’t even look the wolf in the eyes.
“Anyway…”
Raon unsheathed his Heavenly Drive and advanced towards the sea.
“We can’t leave it like this.”
As he jumped into the sea using his Supreme Harmony Steps, the wolf disappeared into foam and bubbles, just like during their first encounter.
-Is it fleeing again?
Wrath blinked, not understanding why it was retreating.
-What is that dog thinking!
‘I don’t know either.’
Raon frowned as he watched the foam and the trails of water that had turned redder than before.
‘Did it judge that it couldn’t defeat me? Or…’
Did it have something to say to me?
***
Raon let out a heavy sigh as he sat at the bow of the Azure Wind, riding the blue waves.
‘I thought we could resolve this quickly…’
But there was no response. For ten days after the fall of the port of Belder, they had searched the surrounding coasts, but the wolf had not reappeared, and no other port or village had been attacked.
‘This doesn’t mean it’s resolved.’
Lawaine and the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace said that the blue wolf seemed to have fled scared of him. If that hypothesis was true, it was obvious that it would reappear as soon as he left, so the problem remained unresolved.
-That’s right.
Wrath nodded calmly.
-The moment you disappear, that dog will start hunting again.
He curled his lips, appearing to think that the wolf had fled because it couldn’t defeat him yet.
‘We’ll organize the information we have.’
Raon leaned against the railing, looking up at the clear sky.
-Is there anything to organize? The villages attacked by the blue wolf are left with nothing, and that wolf becomes stronger the more people it eats. That’s all.
Wrath waved his hand, saying it was simple.
-The fact that it has become more wicked is proof of that.
‘It might not be so.’
Raon shook his head calmly.
‘We didn’t actually see the wolf attack.’
At first, he had also suspected the creature when he felt the energy of the blue wolf in the ruined port of Belder and it appeared behind them as if it had been waiting. But the words of Runaan and Dorian, who were known for their sharp perceptions even among the Light Wind Palace, and the wolf’s disappearance without fighting made him think it was too soon to be sure.
-So you’re going to let it go again?
Wrath clicked his tongue as if he thought it was foolish.
‘That’s not it. I won’t kill it immediately, but next time I will definitely confront it,’
Raon said he wouldn’t let it escape next time, then shook his head.
‘But the wolf needs to appear for us to do something… Hm?’
His aura perception, extended to search for the wolf, caught the presence of many people.
‘To the west?’
Focusing his vision to the west, he saw four large sailing ships approaching. Judging by the skull flags waving on their sails, they seemed to be pirates.
“Pirates! The pirates are coming from the west!”
Not long after he sensed them, the lookout in the crow’s nest lowered his telescope and shouted that pirates had appeared.
“So they were pirates after all…”
Raon let out a short sigh.
“They are called the Kusar Pirates, and they are the strongest and most brutal among the pirates in this area.”
Lawaine nodded as he watched the four pirate ships that had appeared.
“It seems they are about to attack the port before we do when they encountered us.”
He frowned, saying that these pirates had been continuously invading their territory in Alice’s absence. From what he heard, they were villains who wouldn’t be missed if they were killed.
“Then we should take revenge.”
Raon nodded with a cold smile.
“Prepare for battle now…”
“There’s no need. We have some friends over there who are eager to fight.”
Raon cut the magical cannon fired by the Kusar Pirates with his Heavenly Drive and shook his head.
“Go. Bring the captain back alive.”
Raon told the Light Wind Palace to eliminate them all while pointing his sword at the four pirate ships.
“We obey your order!”
Guided by the Vice Master of the Palace, Burren, the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace jumped from the deck of the Azure Wind into the sea. They walked over the waves as if they were on solid ground and jumped onto the pirate ships.
‘This should be a good opportunity for them to gain experience and achievements.’
The pirates were martial artists specialized in naval combat, and there were even several Masters among them, so it seemed like a good opportunity for the swordsmen of the Light Wind Palace to gain experience. However, he had made a significant miscalculation.
With a thunderous roar, Martha, who had become irritable after ten days at sea, split a pirate ship in half. Trevin sliced the second ship into dozens of pieces as if he were practicing his sword technique, and Runaan completely froze the third ship behind him.
“What, what is this...?”
The captain left on the last pirate ship stared agape at the incredible sight.
“Retreat! Fall back!”
But the swordsmen, who hadn’t even drawn their swords, jumped onto the last pirate ship like madmen, not wanting to lose their prey.
“Eh…”
Lawaine blinked blankly, as if he knew that the Light Wind Palace was strong but didn’t expect such overwhelming strength. Raon clicked his lips briefly as he felt the explosions and blasts coming from the fourth pirate ship.
“It’s hard to even give the kids experience now.”
He had thought the pirates would be sufficient, but the swordsmen had become too strong for that to be significant.
-Kids?
Wrath pointed at the fourth pirate ship, which was beginning to sink, in disbelief.
-How are those kids?! They’re just rabid dogs!
He shook his head, saying they were becoming more and more like rabid beasts.
***
“This is the one we’re looking for.”
Martha threw a middle-aged man with an eye patch wearing a red uniform in front of Raon.
“He says he’s the captain.”
She frowned, saying he was too weak to be a captain.
“Yes. It was too easy…”
Runaan also nodded, saying it wasn’t fun.
“That’s why I told you to hold back!”
Burren stomped the ground with his foot, saying that the other swordsmen couldn’t even move their swords well because of her. He seemed to be the only one who understood Raon’s intention.
“What’s your name?”
Raon stepped on the shoulder of the middle-aged man with one eye and shook his head.
“It’s, it’s Paros.”
The middle-aged man with one eye trembled, apparently scared by the overwhelming power of Martha and Runaan.
“What did you come here to do?”
Raon asked, bringing his Heavenly Drive to Paros's neck.
“We, we didn’t come here because we wanted to…”
Paros shook his head, swallowing hard.
“What do you mean by that?”
“The, the ports and villages in our territory have been destroyed. We needed to make a living somehow, so we had no choice but to…”
He clasped his hands, saying they came searching for the territory where the Pirate King had disappeared because all the villages and ports they had been protecting were destroyed.
“Don’t tell me…?”
Raon frowned as he looked at Paros.
“Your side was also destroyed? Without a single person left?”
“That’s right. Four ports that we were protecting were completely destroyed. Not a single person was left, and all the buildings were ruined…”
Paros nodded, saying that they could no longer make a living.
“It’s the same.”
Raon met Lawaine’s eyes as he listened to Paros. What Paros had experienced was exactly what had happened at the port of Belder.
“Did you see the blue wolf as well?”
Raon squinted as he looked at Paros.
“I saw it. It appeared after that ship passed, and the port was destroyed.”
Paros nodded vigorously, as if he had seen everything.
“I see… Huh?”
Raon looked at Paros with wide eyes.
“After that ship passed? Wasn’t it the wolf who destroyed the port?”
“What? No. The wolf appears after the village is destroyed. The one who destroys the port is…”
Paros trembled as if even mentioning the name scared him.
“The, the Ghost Ship.”
-
More Ch4pters on KoreanPlayer
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
Thanks for the support
