Chapter 528

Raon lowered his eyebrows while looking at Roseline, the Black Market’s master.

“What would be that important information…?”

“Take a seat for now.”

Roseline pointed at the chair next to Kuberad, saying that he didn’t need to be so impatient.

“I understand.”

Raon sat on the chair that she’d pointed at.

Denning Rose was greeting him with her eyes from the opposite side. Her silky purple hair fluttered faintly.

“How’s your condition?”

He started by asking about her well-being, as they were separated during the Demonic Monarch of the Azure Flame’s assault.

“I’m fine thanks to you, Sir Raon.”

Denning Rose calmly parted her lips.

“Thank you for saving me once again.”

She went on one knee and expressed her gratitude.

“Please don’t do this. We helped each other.”

Raon stood up and shook his hand. He was grateful to Denning Rose and the Black Market because they’ve always provided him with information without asking for anything in return.

Since they were pretty much partners, he felt uncomfortable about such an excessive expression of gratitude.

“Would you allow this old woman to offer you some advice?”

Roseline smiled faintly and patted Denning Rose’s head.

“If you make someone indebted to you, it’s best to quickly and definitively make them repay the favor. Many people tend to forget their gratitude as the time passes.”

“Thank you for your advice. But it’s fine. I don’t think Lady Denning Rose is that type of person, and she’s already shown me plenty of consideration.”

Raon shook his head without even hesitating for an instant and told her that he didn’t need any repayment.

“I see.”

Roseline’s smile deepened. She seemed to have grown even more fond of him despite his disregard for her advice.

“I can finally understand why she always cares about you and shows so much consideration for you, Sir Raon. It’s appealing, even to me.”

“M-master!”

Denning Rose’s white skin flushed. She rapidly shook her head, pleading with her to stop.

“Your indecent conduct never changes despite your age.”

Kuberad put his beer glass down and clicked his tongue.

“That’s my biggest appeal.”

Roseline smiled faintly and shrugged her shoulders.

“Now that I think about it…”

Raon’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between Kuberad and Roseline.

“Do you know each other?”

“We’ve been acquainted for a long time.”

Roseline nodded while looking at the wrinkles laid out like a picture on the back of Kuberad’s hand.

“She’s the one who provided me with a space to set up a workshop in a corner of Cameloon.”

Kuberad picked up the roast beef at the center of the table and swallowed it at once before he raised his gaze.

“Did she really give you that secluded spot?”

"Yes. I requested a quiet spot to avoid attention from hoodlums, and she provided me with a secluded corner where no one could find me.”

He twisted his lips, showing his displeasure towards the Black Market’s master.

“Oh my, all I did was to grant your request.”

Roseline shook her hand, saying that she hadn’t done anything wrong.

“Haa, I’m going to leave. Seeing her makes me angry.”

Kuberad put down his glass and left the pub without hesitating.

“He is more considerate than he looks.”

Roseline smiled while looking at the pub door, which was still shaking. She was also aware that Kuberad had left to allow them to talk more easily.

“Let’s start the real talk.”

“Yes.”

Raon nodded heavily while looking at Roseline’s serious eyes.

“Actually, we’ve been concealing information about you, Sir Raon.”

Denning Rose was the first one to speak instead of Roseline. She placed her hands on her knees and continued.

“We’ve been hiding the fact that you were alive here because the Holy Sword Alliance or the Black Tower could potentially come to attack you. I apologize for acting on our own accord.”

“No, I’m thankful for your consideration.”

Raon shook his head. He was thankful instead of blaming her since Denning Rose had stopped the information from spreading for his sake.

“However…”

Denning Rose narrowed her only eye.

“Recently… Or, rather, after the news about the Light Wind division’s disappearance spread, a certain organization tried to look for you.”

Her voice was quiet, yet frightening. Raon almost felt like that organization was watching them as they spoke.

“A certain organization?”

“Yes. They requested information about Sir Raon’s state and whereabouts under various identities.”

“Hmm…”

Raon narrowed his eyes.

‘Which one?’

He could think of five different organizations.

The White Blood Religion, Holy Sword Alliance, Black Tower, White Whale, and Derus Robert. It wouldn’t be strange if any of them was looking for his information.

“That organization didn’t stop after asking us for the information. They went to the Thespian Emperor at the White Whale, and they also moved on their own. They seemed to be desperate to know whether you were dead or alive.”

He could eliminate the Thespian Emperor from the list since they also requested the White Whale for information. The White Blood Religion, Holy Sword Alliance, Black Tower, and Derus were left.

“Do you know who they are, by any chance?”

“I’m sorry, but we were unable to track them down.”

Denning Rose briefly sighed.

“It’s impossible to figure out their background because they are a cellular organization, and they immediately killed themselves once we managed to track them down. I almost thought they were the fanatics from the White Blood Religion.”

She furrowed her brow, saying that their blood wasn’t white.

‘I can see it now.’

Raon clenched his fist while looking down at the old table.

‘It’s Derus Robert.’

The fact that they were a cellular organization and that they killed themselves as soon as they were found out were both characteristics of the Shadows, the group of assassins raised by Derus.

‘Since he’s persistent about finding out whether I’m dead or alive, he might suspect that I’m the same Raon from my previous life.’

Other people would probably think it was nonsense, but Derus was extremely suspicious by nature. That was why it was entirely possible for him to hold such a suspicion.

‘This is dangerous. However… That is a mistake on his part.’

Raon couldn’t reveal Derus’s true nature with the information he had, but he could make the Black Market cautious about Derus in the future.

That was going to be extremely helpful for when he would fight him in the future.

“Hmm, I also have a piece of information to provide.”

Raon raised his gaze and met Denning Rose’s eyes.

“Actually, the Holy Sword Alliance master’s disciple wasn’t my only opponent at Banneret.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

“I was attacked by masked men when I was looking for the Light Wind division after defeating the Holy Sword Alliance master’s disciple.”

“Ah, we already know about that.”

Denning Rose nodded, showing that she had already found out about that battle.

“Are you also aware that they were corpses?”

“C-corpses?”

Her jaw dropped, revealing her surprise at the fact that the masked men were actually corpses.

“Corpses…”

Roseline’s eyes wavered for the first time.

“Can you tell us more details?”

“Understood.”

Raon provided the information about Deathbringer Revenants to the Black Market’s master and Denning Rose.

“Hah! They’re not even made by a corpse master. What in the world is that…?”

Roseline swallowed nervously, surprised at the fact that something like a Deathbringer Revenant existed in the world.

“This is just my opinion, but I think the ones who requested my information from the Black Market might be on the same side as those who manipulated the corpses.”

Raon made a connection between the two groups and helped the Black Market get one step closer to Derus Robert.

“Seriously…”

Roseline awkwardly scratched her cheek.

“We came here to provide some information, but we are gaining some instead.”

She gasped, saying that she didn’t expect such a connection. She’d been composed all along, but her expression hardened for once.

“In that case, could you grant me a request?”

Raon met Roseline and Denning Rose’s eyes one after the other.

“Yes, of course.”

“As long as it’s something we can do.”

Denning Rose and Roseline nodded right away, as if they’d been waiting for it.

“I’m reluctant to say this since I’m making the request, but no one should find out about this information. Is that possible?”

“I swear on the name of Black Market’s master that I’ll keep it secret.”

Roseline swore that she would keep the promise, even if she died along with Denning Rose.

“Actually, I’ve obtained a piece of information from the man who manipulated the corpses.”

“What would that be?”

“It was about the location where the zombie assassins were manufactured.”

“That’s a good deed. So why…?”

Denning Rose shook her head, unable to understand it.

“You must be trying to avoid letting them know that it’s possible to get the information out of them.”

Unlike Denning Rose, Roseline understood the situation at once and explained it.

“Moreover, you should be able to avoid the enemy’s suspicion and further danger that way.”

“Correct.”

Raon nodded slowly.

‘This is an opportunity.’

If he destroyed the Deathbringer Revenant factory at Capply Village, Derus was bound to find out that he was capable of getting information out of the Shadows.

He was definitely going to stop the information leak afterward, even if he had to modify the human brain, so that would be a huge loss.

However, if the Black Market found the factory instead, his attention was going to be directed at the Black Market instead of Raon.

That would allow him to conceal the information about himself in the future, which was why it was such an important task.

“I understand.”

The Black Market’s master closed her eyes before opening them again, smiling faintly.

“Which means the information will say that Sir Raon will be staying here, even if he were to go to Capply Village.”

Denning Rose calmly nodded. She must’ve reached the same line of thought. She was still far from the Black Market’s master in terms of skill, but she was gifted enough.

“Indeed.”

Raon smiled while meeting their eyes. That was the best course of action to get rid of the Deathbringer Revenant factory while avoiding Derus’s suspicion.

“Alright, let’s do it like that.”

The Black Market’s master smiled confidently, saying that she was going to create a situation where they would reach Capply Village with their own investigation.

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. Since you entrusted us with this great piece of information, we will thoroughly prepare to answer that trust.”

She raised her clenched fist, telling him to believe in her.

“Ah, I have something else to tell you.”

Raon thought the talk was over, but Denning Rose leaned forward.

“A rumor started to spread that you summoned the blue demon king, Sir Raon.”

“What?”

Raon’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean…?”

He could hear his heart pounding because of how fast it started beating upon hearing the unexpected news.

‘Do they know the relationship between Wrath and me? No, that’s impossible.’

Not even Glenn, the Holy Sword Alliance master, or Derus knew about Wrath’s existence. Someone must’ve been spreading a baseless rumor.

“They spread the information with malicious intent. We tried to trace it, but they haven’t been found either. However…”

Denning Rose smiled faintly and shook her finger.

“People are going to find out that it’s a groundless rumor soon, even if we don’t do anything about it.”

“What do you mean…?”

“The mad dragon Kaibar’s rampage was a serious matter, to the point where the entire continent was aware of it. Since you’ve slain such a notorious mad dragon and gained the title of a Dragon Slayer, the rumor about the blue demon king is bound to subside.”

“Ah, that’s true. Hmm? Dragon Slayer?”

“So you haven’t heard about it yet. The Sword Dragon has gained a new name after slaying the mad dragon.”

Denning Rose smiled faintly while looking at Raon. Her eyes were giving him a ferocious impression, but they softened beautifully.

“Raon Zieghart the Dragon Slayer. It’s your new nickname.”

* * *

Raon went to the restaurant where he’d talked with Aries after he sent off the Black Market’s master and Denning Rose. It was where Wrath’s fish soup was snatched by a seagull.

“That’s how I was called auntie by Raon! I honestly didn’t expect much, but it pulled on my heartstrings! It was the first time I’ve felt this way since I was called Mama!”

He could hear Aries’s voice echoing throughout the interior. Raon blushed and opened the door.

“Wow, you succeeded.”

“I’m so jealous. You are called auntie by the White Sword Dragon. No, I should call him the Dragon Slayer now.”

“He was shy when he called you auntie? Sir Raon is still so young. He looked even more mature than us when he was fighting against the mad dragon though.”

“Hell yeah, that’s the cool part about him.”

The crew were chatting with each other with smiles on their faces while listening to Aries boasting about Raon.

“Auntie! Doesn’t this sound beautiful? Has anyone called you that before? Auntie?”

“Of course not, I’m a man…”

Aries went around the tables, bragging that she was the first one to be called auntie by him.

The way she was so nonchalant with the sailors made it difficult to believe that she was a Zieghart, but it was such a nice scene to watch.

“Haa…”

Raon sighed quietly and shook his head. He couldn’t enter or leave because Aries was talking too loudly, and her gaze was suddenly directed at him.

“Huh? My nephew!”

Aries spread her arms wide and walked up to him in an attempt to hug him. Her face had flushed to match her hair, implying that she had drunk too much.

“Ugh.”

Raon turned his shoulders around to dodge her attempt to hug him and stepped backward.

“Huh? Did you just dodge?”

Aries frowned and weakly stomped the ground, and her arm was already in front of him.

“I got you.”

“Ah…”

Raon’s chin trembled as he got hugged by Aries before he could try anything.

“W-was that an application of the space sword?”

“My nephew is so perceptive.”

Aries raised her swaying head and nodded.

“The principles of swordsmanship and footwork are similar. The only difference is that one is used with arms while the other is with legs. You need to apply your martial arts to your everyday life to get stronger.”

She grinned. It was difficult to tell whether she was trying to teach or if she was just being a drunkard.

“I have something to discuss.”

Raon declared with serious eyes as he forcibly took Aries off him since she was hugging his shoulders tightly.

“Are you going to leave?”

As soon as they entered a quiet alley, she made a smile that implied that she already knew what he wanted to talk about.

“Did you already know about it?”

“I heard about the Black Market master’s visit. You must’ve gotten some kind of information from her.”

She nodded with eyes brimming with intelligence, like she wasn’t drunk at all. She wasn’t asking any questions even though she knew he was up to something. Raon felt like he was seeing a different side of her all the time.

‘I want to tell her, but I shouldn’t…’

He still didn’t know what Derus Robert was hiding. He couldn’t reveal the story to Aries because even a transcender like her could end up dying from being involved.

“Since we’ve slain the mad dragon, it’s about time you returned. You need to make Sylvia’s energy center too, after all.”

“Yes, indeed.”

Raon nodded awkwardly.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“You’ve already helped me plenty enough.”

Aries had stopped the hole in his upper energy center from spreading, helped him fill up the hole by gaining the achievement of slaying a dragon, and even gave him the dragon heart, which was the biggest treasure looted from the hunt.

No, rather than anything else, she’d taught him that Sylvia wasn’t the only family he had. He felt immense gratitude, so much so that a lifetime wouldn't be enough to repay it.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done so far.”

Raon’s steps came to a halt. He bowed to her while thanking her from the bottom of his heart.

“You are such a serious guy.”

Aries smiled faintly and patted Raon’s head.

“You aren’t supposed to say that between family members.”

“Hmm…”

Raon raised his slightly flushed face.

“Return carefully, and see you next time.”

“Yes, I’ll come back to visit after I make my mother’s energy center.”

“No.”

Aries’s eyes were filled with mischief, and she smiled once again.

“We will see each other at a different location next time.”

* * *

Raon used the Black Market’s dimensional door that Roseline had told him about to move near Capply Village.

He was walking towards the village, his hair and eyes changed black, and his body covered with a worn robe like a traveler.

Ugh…

Wrath let out a small groan while looking around the area that had nothing but mountains and forest.

This is the countryside! There’s nothing to eat around here!

He frowned, asking him when he was going to eat the bead ice cream.

‘I’ll hold a party with ice cream after we get back home. Please be patient.’

He patted Wrath’s flabby stomach as if he were trying to appease a child and continued to walk down the mountain road.

“Hmm…”

Raon looked around and furrowed his brow. He was feeling more and more nauseous as he kept walking through the old path that seemed to have been carved dozens of years ago.

He felt like he had already walked through that path before because of how natural it felt.

‘I’m sure I have never been here before, though.’

He obviously had never been there in his new life, and the same went for his previous life. However, the scenery around him felt familiar for some reason.

‘My head hurts for some reason, too.’

Raon kept walking while covering his head, which had started to ache.

Since Capply Village was relatively far from the dimensional door, he only managed to arrive by sunset.

‘So this is the entrance… Ah?’

He stood at the entrance marked with stone stacks and watched the village and the mountain ridge above it, which looked like it was trying to protect it, and a faint scenery was overlapping in his head like a dream.

Unknown children’s laughter, gentle smiles of adults, and warm smoke rising from the chimneys emerged like a wildfire.

“Huff!”

Raon gasped roughly and pressed down hard on his temple.

‘I understand now.’

He felt like he understood why Capply Village felt so familiar even though he’d never been to or heard about it before.

‘This village is…’

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Writing Ant, 글개미]

[Translator – Kyangi]

[Proofreader – Harley]