"Hmm..."
Raon narrowed his eyes as he alternately examined the front and back of the brown paper.
-What are you doing?
Wrath frowned, looking down at the paper.
-Why are you putting on airs over a blank piece of paper! Hurry up and go eat the leftover toast!
He turned his head away as if uninterested in the paper.
'Unfortunately, this isn't a blank paper.'
-Now you're seeing things. There's nothing written on it, what are you talking about!
As Wrath said, there were no letters or drawings on the brown paper, but this was due to the paper's unique property.
'Have you forgotten already?'
-Forgotten what?
'You'll know when you see it.'
Raon left the annex building and stood in front of the lake. He held up the brown paper towards the moon standing at the center of the sky past midnight.
As the pale moonlight brushed across the brown paper, letters began to appear on the previously empty front side as if dancing.
-Ah!
Wrath clapped his hands loudly as if he finally understood.
-When we first met that person!
'That's right.'
Raon nodded, raising the paper above his head to ensure it received enough moonlight.
'It's the paper we saw when we discovered Judiel's identity.'
Judiel was caught by me while trying to float this paper on the lake to send information about the annex building to Karoon.
After that, we went through various incidents like the fake Rage Worm, and as I learned about her circumstances, I accepted her as my subordinate.
'She was also my first subordinate.'
Now I have reliable subordinates in the Light Wind division, but the first person I accepted was none other than Judiel.
As long as Judiel didn't betray me, I would never let go of her hand first.
Raon lowered the brown paper after confirming that no more letters were appearing. The refined handwriting, seemingly devoid of emotion, was visible. It was a letter that seemed to reflect Judiel's personality.
[I suppose only you, Lord Raon, can read this letter.]
Judiel had written my name from the first line, as if predicting this situation.
[However, I hope you haven't discovered this letter, Lord Raon.]
She hopes I haven't discovered it?
I couldn't understand why she would leave a letter and hope it wouldn't be discovered.
[Even if I say I need some time for personal reasons, you'd figure it all out, Lord Raon. I'll be honest with you.]
Sensing that the main point was coming next, I quickly lowered my gaze.
[I received a message that my younger brother might have been found in the black market.]
Raon bit his lip as he read Judiel's calm words.
'As I thought...'
The reason Judiel was still alive, working under Karoon, and had taken my hand was all because of her one remaining blood relative.
From the moment I heard she had taken a vacation without saying anything, this situation had formed in my mind.
[It's not confirmed yet, so please don't worry. I'll just go and verify if it's really my younger brother.]
I could almost hear Judiel's dry voice in the sentence telling me not to worry.
[Even if it is my younger brother, I don't intend to rush in immediately. I'll return and speak to you first, Lord Raon.]
[As it's a distant place, it will take some time, but please focus on your cultivation while waiting. Don't you have things to do, Lord Raon? Judiel.]
The short letter ended with Judiel's name, without mentioning any location.
"Hmm..."
Raon frowned as he lowered the letter.
'I have a bad feeling about this...'
The complete lack of emotion in the letter made him even more worried.
'Because she might explode.'
Judiel is someone who rarely shows her emotions normally.
If she, who had lived only for her family, were to meet her younger brother, she might rush in recklessly without considering the consequences.
-Why did she go alone?
Wrath shook his head as if he couldn't understand.
-You promised to find her younger brother no matter what, so she could have just told you.
'It's not that she didn't say anything.'
Raon sighed as he read the letter again.
-Then?
'She couldn't say it.'
He recalled when Judiel came to his room after the return party.
I said I would need to focus solely on cultivation because of the life-and-death battle with the Axe King, and she showed a masked smile like when we first met and cheered me on.
Crack.
Raon clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned red.
"Damn it!"
Judiel had left alone without mentioning her younger brother, not wanting to interfere with my cultivation.
Putting me before herself, her slightly awkward reaction now made sense.
-You stupid fool!
Wrath pointed and called him stupid, despite not knowing about it himself. However, Raon had no strength to argue back.
'Yeah, I'm stupid.'
I should have gone to see her.
Even if I met the Light Wind division after a long time and received training from Glenn, I should have gone to see Judiel. The feeling of regret filled his chest.
-So what are you going to do now?
Raon burned the letter he was holding with the Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation and calmed his gaze.
'I have to follow her.'
No matter where Judiel has gone, it's right to follow her and bring back her younger brother.
That was the first promise I made to someone after becoming Raon Zieghart. It was more important than something like cultivation.
'But before that...'
Raon bit his lip thinly as he faced the gentle moonlight.
'I need to gather information first.'
* * *
A dried-up voice burst out from beneath the skin of the King Sea Serpent, which revealed a fierce gaze as if it were alive.
"Alliance Leader!"
An old man with dark skin, as if he had lived his entire life under the sun, knelt at the bottom of the stairs covered with King Sea Serpent skin.
"The Head of the Elder's Council and the former Elder Lord have died! Why are you just sitting idle!"
The dark-skinned old man raised his head, shedding tears that didn't match his fierce appearance.
"Sigh."
The eyes of the South-North Union leader, sunken in the darkness of the platform, looked down at the old man.
"Kuyan. You heard it too, didn't you? The Head of the Elder's Council lost in a one-on-one life-and-death battle. What exactly are you talking about avenging?"
The South-North Union leader shook his head, tapping the ash from the tobacco he was holding in his mouth.
"No matter how much we are Water Demons and Mountain Bandits, our foundation is that of martial artists. We can't question a defeat in a one-on-one duel."
"What are you saying! Wasn't it Raon Zieghart who started the trouble first!"
The old man called Kuyan deeply furrowed his brow as if he couldn't accept those words.
"That's quite funny too."
The South-North Union leader let out a hollow laugh as if in disbelief.
"If Raon Zieghart had come alone and caused a disturbance, we could certainly have taken issue with it. But he came with an Elf. And not just any Elf, but with the next Guardian. In other words, they have the justification."
He muttered that Raon was indeed a lucky bastard while caressing the blue spear leaning against the wall.
"Kuyan. I understand your feelings. But moving now is not a good idea. Regrettably, let's end this matter here."
The South-North Union leader shook his head, indicating not to discuss this matter any further.
"Alliance Leader!"
Kuyan raised his head. His tear-streaked face twisted grotesquely like an evil spirit.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of Glenn Zieghart?"
He trembled his lips while crushing the floor with his bare hands.
"I endured it when Tiller died before. That child was like my own grandson, being the grandson of my close friend, but I didn't say anything for fear it might harm the Alliance Leader's prestige if they pushed even me, the Head of the Elder's Council! But this case is different!"
Kuyan shouted with a voice that seemed to be spitting blood, as if all his saliva had dried up.
"It's none other than the Alliance's Head of the Elder's Council! Whether it's a one-on-one battle or they have the justification, we must take action regardless! Are you trying to forget Tiller and Siran because you've found a new successor? Or are you really afraid of Glenn Zieghart?"
The South-North Union leader silently looked down at Kuyan. His gaze was as dry as ever.
"Is there anyone who isn't afraid of Glenn Zieghart? Kuyan, how about you?"
"I'm not afraid! I don't care if I die!"
"That's impressive. However, unfortunately, I am afraid."
He said he was afraid while stretching his long legs and resting them on the head of the King Sea Serpent.
"I'm not afraid of dying myself, but I'm scared of this South-North Union collapsing."
"Hmm..."
"It wouldn't be so bad if it ended with just you or me dying. But the sword of Zieghart is vicious and persistent. Even if their own arms and legs are cut off, they'll try to erase everything of the South-North Union. You know about the times of the Continental War, don't you?"
"..."
Kuyan could only stare at the South-North Union leader, unable to open his mouth anymore.
"Wait. Roman will take care of avenging Tiller, Lector, and Siran."
The South-North Union leader smiled, saying there was less than a year left now.
"You'll understand, won't you?"
"I understand. However..."
Kuyan raised his head while biting his lip.
"I can't accept it all."
"Then are you saying you'll attack Zieghart right now?"
"I'm not that stupid. I'll just wait."
He shook his head and stood up.
"Ah."
The South-North Union leader raised his hand.
"Since Siran is dead, take back the position of Head of the Elder's Council."
"..."
Kuyan bowed his head without answering and left the great hall. He immediately headed to the riverside and launched the Elder's Council's warship.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
The ship's crew sailed silently. Breaking through the dawn wind, they arrived at the Peren River where Siran and Lector had died.
"Haa."
Kuyan stood on the river where Siran had died and let out a deep sigh.
"If I had known it would come to this, I would have supported you from the beginning..."
He exhaled a long breath once again, perhaps out of regret.
"There's nothing I can do right now."
Kuyan shook his head as he looked at the dark river illuminated by the moon.
"But I won't just sit idle like this. Wait for me in hell."
He cast a golden fishing rod into the river, gazed at it for a while, then got back on the ship.
The Elder's Council's ship circled the riverbank once as if to comfort Siran's soul, then slowly disappeared.
After Kuyan left, a tall man descended onto the now darker river surface.
As the man with eyes as blue as moonlight twitched his finger, the river began to boil and split, revealing a skeleton stripped of all flesh.
"Do you want to live?"
The man spoke to the skeleton as if addressing a living person.
"I like your answer."
The skeleton didn't say anything, but the man chuckled.
"You're right. The dead can't be brought back to life. If you had said you wanted to live, I would have crushed your bones. But you only desire revenge. I like that."
As the man nodded lightly, the skeleton compressed and was sucked into his palm.
"I came just in case, but this will be an interesting material."
He tossed the skeleton into the air like a toy, caught it, and then disappeared into the darkness.
* * *
Shiiiiing!
The blade of the Heavenly Drive, riding the wind, fell to the ground of the training ground.
The sword tip trembled slightly, creating a small crack in the ground where only a single line had been drawn before.
"Hmm..."
Raon frowned as he observed the sword strike that had deviated from its form.
'I've become impatient.'
Worry about Judiel was interfering with his training. His mind was so disturbed that he felt his martial arts were regressing.
'Not yet, huh.'
It had been almost two days since he requested information from the black market, but there was still no response. Negative thoughts began to creep into his mind.
'No. I need to focus.'
I need to do what I can right now.
As Raon tried to regain his focus and raise his sword again, a small mountain bird flew down from the sky.
-Hiiik!
Wrath immediately panicked and collapsed upon seeing the bird.
-It's that crazy woman! She's come again!
He trembled his lips as if thinking Merlin had come.
'No, it's not.'
Raon shook his head and extended his hand, and the mountain bird landed on his palm.
'This is a messenger sent from the black market.'
There was a small folded paper tied to the bird's leg. It wasn't from Merlin, but a bird sent by the black market.
'How pathetic.'
Raon smirked as he sent the bird back.
'What kind of demon king gets scared by a little bird?'
-I-I wasn't scared! I just thought it was that crazy woman.
'Sure. Scaredy-cat demon king.'
-I'm not!
Ignoring the angry Wrath, Raon unfolded the letter. The contents were simple. It said they would be waiting at a branch in the Zieghart downtown area.
Raon burned the paper and immediately headed to the location written in the letter.
As he entered a small store tucked in a corner of the market, the scent of wood hit his nostrils. Looking around, he saw the interior filled with large and small wooden carvings.
Raon walked deeper into the store, admiring the carvings. He sensed a familiar presence from the owner behind the counter.
"It's been a while."
With a thin voice, the owner removed the hood covering her head. It was Denning Rose, the woman with the impressive dizzying eye more striking than her rose-patterned eye patch.
"You came in person?"
Raon's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Denning Rose. He had expected her to send an informant, not come herself.
"Of course I had to come myself."
Denning Rose shook her head, saying it was nothing special. She took out a green teacup and filled it with water that had been boiling inside. A calm scent that seemed to soothe a racing heart wafted out.
"Please, have some."
"Thank you."
He took a sip of the steaming tea. A nutty yet smooth flavor lingered in his mouth before cleanly fading away. It seemed Denning Rose had deliberately prepared a tea that helped regulate emotions.
"Since you seem to be in a hurry, let's get straight to the point. The person who was in contact with us has disappeared, correct?"
"Yes. It seems she moved immediately after receiving news about finding her younger brother."
"Actually, we've contacted her a few times about finding someone similar to her brother, but they were all false leads. This time, it seems to be the real thing."
Denning Rose said that she had given Judiel information about her brother before, but was told they were all wrong.
"But for her to move alone..."
"It seems she went alone, probably not wanting to take up my time."
"I see."
She nodded as if immediately understanding the situation.
"First, let me show you the information we gave her."
Denning Rose handed over an envelope from a drawer. Raon immediately took it and checked its contents.
[Mid-twenties in age. A young man with brown hair, blue eyes, and a scar on his forehead discovered near the Siran Tribe village.]
(E/N: Yes, it is same as the elder name in the same chapter. But yes, it uses the exact same characters apparently...so...)
Raon narrowed his eyes as he examined the paper.
'If it's to this extent, it might be him...'
Judiel had told him that her brother's name was Jubel, he was currently around 24-25 years old, had brown hair and blue eyes, and a scar on his forehead.
Based on that information, the possibility of this being her brother seemed quite high.
"But if it's the Siran Tribe village..."
"That's right. The Beast Union."
Denning Rose nodded as she mentioned the Beast Union.
"It's a village that belongs to them."
"I thought so."
He had heard of this tribe before, and as expected, it was part of the Beast Union.
'But why is he there?'
As far as I knew, both Judiel and her brother were under Karoon's control.
I could understand Judiel's situation, but I couldn't figure out why her brother would be in a place associated with the Beast Union.
"That village is a bit unusual, but they say the person who seems to be Judiel's brother doesn't look ordinary either."
"What do you mean by that..."
"This is what we found out after your request, Lord Raon..."
A chilling coldness flickered in Denning Rose's single eye.
"That person called Jubel. It seems he's living as an assassin."