Denning Rose placed a map on top of the round table. The crisp state of the paper indicated that it must've been made for his request.
"The drake made his nest in the Jamari mountain range. It's pretty close from here."
She stretched the map out while saying it was in the Jamari mountain range, and the mountains on the map could be made out by a lot of contours. The map was enough to understand the geography around the area, as it seemed to have been thoroughly investigated.
Raon looked down on the map with a faint smile on his face.
'The Jamari mountain range. Fortunately, I know that place.'
He had to go far into the west from Rokan City, where the Sephia company was located, in order to reach the Jamari mountain range.
It was a barren mountain area that didn't have many monsters because of how infertile it was.
'Werthers Village…'
He stroked the small village on the right side on the way to the mountain with his finger.
'It looks like it still exists.'
He had visited the village on his way to a mission when he used to be an assassin, and he had warm memories where the villagers offered him a place to sleep and a meal despite him being an outsider.
"Didn't the drake attack the people from this village?"
"No one has been harmed yet, probably because it's pretty far from the mountain range and the drake usually goes towards the western sea."
Denning Rose shook her head while looking at the map.
"Still, wouldn't it be better for them to stay further away…?"
"Werthers Village's regional products are mountain berries and chestnuts. That's what allows them to live in that infertile land, and they can't easily move away even if they know of the danger."
"I see."
She was right. No matter how dangerous the monster was, it wasn't easy to leave their home.
"If you kill the drake this time, the villagers should be able to rest easy."
She smiled and asked him to defeat the drake.
"Werthers Village's mountain berry pies and braided chestnuts are rumored to be the best in the continent. You should make sure to try it out after killing the drake."
'Don't say it.'
Raon tried to stop Denning Rose from saying it, but it was already too late. The word 'best in the continent' had already gone into the gluttonous demon king's ears.
Ooh?
Wrath briskly stood up and pointed at the map.
Mountain berry pies and braided meats?
'Braided chestnuts…'
Mountain berry pies and braided chestnuts? Awesome! The King of Essence has always wanted special food like that! It will be perfect as dessert after eating the grilled drake! Let's go right away!
He started repeatedly hitting Raon's chest, urging him to depart.
'Why would you even eat the drake…?'
Since it's difficult to find dragon meat, he'll be satisfied with that instead. It's rather chewy as a meat.
'Please stop…'
Raon shook his head and looked at Denning Rose.
"Who came from the Black Tower?"
"The Black Commander Harrison and his subordinates seem to have been dispatched."
"The Black Commander…"
Fortunately, Raon had heard that name before. He was a famous powerhouse despite being from the Black Tower, and the rumors said that he was an advanced Master. Since a long time had passed since then, Raon expected him to be at the highest level of Master.
'He can be defeated. I just need to run if it gets dangerous.'
Since he had acquired the Snow Flower's Veil, he could run away when it got dangerous after coming up with a detailed plan.
Raon looked at the map once again while determining his plan in his mind.
'The area is also pretty good.'
The chaotic layout of the vast mountain range created many spots where he could hide.
'It's a perfect location to fish and play them in my favor.'
The Black Tower was trying to kill the drake, and the shadows were going to try killing him.
It was the perfect area to make them clash against each other while they tried to complete their respective missions without knowing about the other party—a chance to annihilate them all at the same time.
"The nest must be located at the peak of the mountain range."
"Yes."
Denning Rose extended her finger to point at the center of the map. Obviously, the drake had made its nest at the highest spot of the mountain range.
"Drakes often leave their nests for an extended period of time. That's why they make their nests in a dangerous location—to prevent other races from intruding."
She furrowed her brow, saying that it would be difficult to even reach it.
"According to the investigations, this drake returns to its nest with a period ranging from seven to ten days. Since it supposedly left the nest three days ago, you should be able to get there before it returns."
"I see."
Raon nodded. It was enough time to reach the mountain range before the drake returned.
And he even had enough time to take care of the Black Tower and the shadows.
"By the way, does it have any affinity?"
"A-affinity?"
Dorian's eyes widened and he jumped at him.
"Do drakes even have an affinity?"
"They normally don't have any, but the ones that lived for a long time or the especially powerful ones have an affinity like dragons do."
"Uhhh…"
Dorian looked like he wasn't aware of that at all as his jaw dropped. His chin was trembling in fear.
"Unfortunately, it has one."
Denning Rose nodded her head heavily.
"Kuaah! Wh-what is it?"
Dorian swallowed nervously and slammed his hands on the table.
"It appears to use the ice. Traces of ice breath have been found around its nest."
Denning Rose sighed and scratched the map with her nail slightly.
"I-i-ice?"
"Ice, I see."
Their reactions were the complete opposite. While Dorian's face turned suffocatingly pale, Raon couldn't suppress his smile.
'Ice, that's great.'
His water resistance had reached seven-stars. He could expect to take no damage at all even if the drake's full-power ice breath blatantly hit him.
"No, why are you laughing now when she just said that the drake is powerful?! Aren't you worried at all when even the Black Tower is coming after it?!"
Dorian gasped at his ridiculous reaction.
"I can just take care of the Black Tower. And you have a higher chance of winning the trial from your father since the drake is so big."
The fact that the drake had an attribute implied that it was colossal. He just needed to bring a clean corpse from it, and the competition was pretty much won.
"Huh…"
"Ah…"
Dorian and Denning Rose blankly stared at him, unable to comprehend his thought process.
"Unfortunately, this information isn't complete."
"Which means…"
Raon nodded while looking into Denning Rose's eyes.
'That it wasn't given to anyone else.'
The Black Market's information always required accuracy. Being incomplete signified that they didn't give the information to anyone else.
"Our informant is standing by at the aforementioned Werthers Village, so they should be able to help you."
"Thank you."
Raon stood up and lowered his head at Denning Rose. She'd done pretty much everything she could do, which made him grateful to her.
"Th-thank you!"
Dorian also stood up and bowed at Denning Rose.
"Ah, can I make one more request?"
"What is it?"
"If someone asks about the drake's information at the Jamari mountain range tomorrow, can you simply show that you are positive about its presence?"
He didn't expect Derus to make his move from Palen's information alone. It was the last piece he needed to deceive him.
"Hmm…"
Denning Rose licked her lips and nodded.
"Since it won't be a lie, we are fine with saying that."
"Thank you. As for the payment…"
"We already said that the search for the drake would be free."
"I still need to pay extra since the Black Tower has interfered."
"It's fine. I wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for you, Sir Raon."
Denning Rose shook her head with a smile.
"…If you still insist on giving me something, please bring some mountain berry pies and chestnut braids from Werthers Village. I'd like to try them out."
She smiled, saying that it was enough for her.
Ooh!
Wrath reacted before Raon.
Which means we need to visit the village! We also need to taste it! We need to buy two just in case and eat the defective one ourselves!
Wrath licked his lips for a long time while saying strange things. He sounded full of anticipation.
'When will this gluttonous demon king stop being so dumb…?'
"Of course, I'll do that much."
Raon pushed Wrath away and nodded at Denning Rose.
"I'll bring you the most delicious pie."
Derus Robert's office.
His butler, Regel, entered the room. It felt extremely cold despite the bright sunlight entering from the window.
"My lord."
"Did you find it?"
Derus's gaze was directed at him before Regel even bowed. He was asking whether he managed to find the unknown person who destroyed the submarine dungeon.
He should've regained his composure a long time ago, but Derus was still unable to escape from his wrath because he'd lost the elixir, the mythical creature, and even Martio at the same time.
"I beg your pardon."
Regel silently lowered his head.
"We've investigated every single outsider, but we didn't manage to find anyone who set foot inside the dungeon."
Since Robert's domain had beautiful scenery, countless tourists visited it all year long. Finding a suspicious person in the midst of them was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.
"Haa…"
Derus sighed and looked at the ceiling. He lowered his gaze a long time after that, and his composure had returned.
"I have to accept it at this point."
"My lord…"
"If you didn't manage to find it, then what brought you here?"
"Palen Sephia from the Sephia company took the bait."
Regel took a document from his clothes.
"Palen Sephia…"
Derus stroked his chin, his eyes serious.
"However, her request is different from our expectations. She asked to kill her youngest brother and his swordsman companion instead of the first and the second sons."
"The youngest and his swordsman companion?"
"He's a person that you know, my lord."
Regel turned the document and placed it on Derus's desk.
"Hmm?"
Derus frowned after reading the document.
"Raon Zieghart? Why is he there?"
"The youngest son of the Sephia company, Dorian Sephia, is from the Light Wind squad. He's been using a fake family name, and that's why it wasn't known so far."
"Does that mean that they were the only ones who left Zieghart and headed to Rokan?"
"That seems to be the case."
"When?! Did you find out what they've been doing?"
He raised his chin while crushing his desk with his finger.
"They seemed to have moved in disguise because of the kidnapping incident by Eden. It's unknown when and how they moved."
"..."
Derus frowned while looking at Raon Zieghart's name on the document.
'Could it be his doing? No. It's impossible.'
Even if he assumed that Raon Zieghart had the knowledge of the assassin Raon, he couldn't possibly have information about the submarine dungeon. The dungeon was completely blocked when he was alive, and no information had leaked.
'However… I have a bad feeling about this.'
Derus was clearly getting an ominous feeling whenever he saw Raon Zieghart's name.
"What did she request exactly?"
"It appears that the Sephia president's trial consists of obtaining a drake's corpse."
"A drake…"
"Palen Sephia claimed that she wiretapped Dorian's room to figure out the drake's location and their destination. She said that she would send the information as soon as we accept."
"Hmm…"
Derus closed his eyes before opening again while bobbing his finger.
"Even though Raon Zieghart came with him, isn't it strange for her to target the youngest instead of the first and the second sons?"
"We've also investigated it, and she was apparently humiliated the day Raon arrived in the house. More specifically…"
Regel summarized what happened between Raon and Palen.
"So it's for revenge instead of competition. That makes sense."
Derus slowly nodded. He could understand why Palen was trying to get rid of Raon and Dorian instead of the others after he heard Regel's story.
'It's getting interesting.'
He was the one who threw the bait at Palen, but he didn't expect much from it since it was rather improbable that she would take it. He was planning for a different approach, but Raon ended up giving him an opportunity, which was rather surprising.
"Is Tenebre still not available?"
Derus lightly tapped on the desk.
"He's probably going to take two more weeks at least."
"In that case, send Loktan and his poisonous crew."
"Loktan…"
"It's better to use a different method than might to kill Raon Zieghart. Loktan should be able to take him down with his own life at the very least."
His cold smile looked like he could imagine the situation already.
"Understood."
Naturally, Regel simply bowed without questioning anything.
"We will make the preparations as soon as Palen contacts us again."
"Don't make your move right away. Buy information from the Black Market and compare it to make it sure."
Derus was thorough until the end, and even told him to double-check the information.
"Yes."
Regel bowed politely before leaving the room.
Whap!
Derus turned Regel's document into ash with a cold smile on his face.
'I thought you were a hindrance every single time, but you are giving me an opportunity this time. I'll grant you a painful death as a reward.'
* * *
The next day at noon, Palen Sephia walked up to the window and took a letter from the window's frame. She placed it on top of a table at the center of the room instead of reading it.
"Th-the response has arrived."
"Good job."
Raon smiled and picked up the letter before opening it.
It was written that they had accepted the assassination request, and it was asking her to send them the information about Raon and Dorian until evening.
'I knew it.'
If the Black Snake was an ordinary organization of assassins, they would've never accepted the request. However, Derus Robert was behind them.
Raon had expected them to accept the request to kill him and shackle Palen Sephia afterward, and that was exactly what happened.
Raon burned up the letter with Ten Thousand Flames Cultivation before he took out a piece of paper from his clothes.
"Please write a letter with the contents of this paper and place it in the window frame."
"Ah, yes…"
Palen Sephia received the letter with a trembling chin. She opened the paper and her eyes widened after she checked the contents.
"E-erm…"
She swallowed nervously while holding the paper with a trembling hand.
"Ca-can I ask a question?"
"What is it?"
"Why are you baiting the assassins? The Black Snake is an organization that has never failed before. Isn't this going to be dangerous, even for you?"
"It is dangerous, but I can't leave them alone since they are making money out of human lives."
"Ugh…"
Raon coldly looked down on Palen Sephia. Her throat was trembling like a frog facing a snake.
Bullshit. There's no way you would think like that.
Wrath frowned and pointed out how absurd it was.
'You are right, however… It works against other people. The 'honorable' nickname is useful at a time like this.'
Since he was named Frostfire Sword of Valor, no one would rebuke him when he said something like that. The name was usually annoying, but it was extremely convenient to pretend he was working for a great cause.
"You just need to follow my instructions. You will be able to sleep soundly tonight if you do so."
"Yes, yes…"
Palen gave a stiff nod like a marionette upon hearing that she could sleep soundly.
'I don't know what she did to her, but she's perfectly traumatized.'
He could estimate that she needed at least a year to overcome the mental shock. In fact, it could take even longer since Palen was a prideful person with an immature mentality.
'And in the meantime… She's pretty much my underling.'
By the time Palen regained her sanity, the company would already be Dorian's.
Raon watched Palen write the information about the Jamari mountain range and the drake on a piece of paper before he stood up.
"A-are you leaving?"
"I need to get there in advance to make preparations."
Raon turned around before he left the room.
"Remember that she might be watching you at any moment."
"Ah…"
"You should behave normally."
"U-understood!"
Palen's body trembled as she nodded.
What a terrifying threat.
Wrath pinched his own arm, saying that it was giving him goosebumps.
Raon chuckled and left Palen's room after removing his presence.
* * *
Raon finished his preparations and left the central administration building. Dorian was stamping his feet in front of the door while waiting.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm aware that we need to go as fast as possible, but I'm reluctant to leave because the Black Tower is supposed to be coming…"
Dorian grasped his head, complaining that scary things had to happen every single time.
Tsk!
Wrath clicked his tongue while watching Dorian.
He was giving the impression that he'd changed, but he's still a coward.
'A human being can't change that quickly.'
Raon chuckled and tapped on his scabbard.
"Don't worry about it. We aren't the ones who are going to fight the Black Tower."
"What? What do you mean…?"
"I've called in reinforcements."
"R-really? Did you call the Light Wind squad or something?"
"It's not them, but they are really good with the sword."
'Although their sword is targeting our lives.'
Aren't you going to tell him about you calling the assassins?
'He'd start crying and refuse to leave if he knew.'
That's reasonable. He would definitely do that.
Wrath giggled at Dorian, who was breathing a sigh of relief.
"Let's go."
Raon tapped on Dorian's shoulder and went ahead.
"We need to settle there before the Black Tower arrives."
"Yes!"
Dorian nodded with a brightened expression on his face and followed him.
When they were about to leave the city while riding on a horse that they got from the company, a noblewoman who was hiding her face with a parasol came towards them.
'That woman…'
There was no way he wouldn't recognize her. He could feel Denning Rose's presence from her.
'Why is she here?'
Just like the name implied, the Black Market's officers never showed up outside. That was why her appearance was implying that an unexpected incident had occurred.
Whir.
Raon created an aura barrier to block the sound.
"A problem has occurred."
Denning Rose stepped up right next to him and raised her parasol slightly.
"The Black Tower managed to find the drake's location."
"But we've already expected that to happen, didn't we?"
Since the Black Tower was moving towards the Jamari mountain range, it could be guessed that they had already found out about the drake's nest. However, it didn't really matter since he had enough time until the drake's return.
"Yes. However, the Black Tower took a detour instead of heading straight to the mountain range."
Blood was flowing from Denning Rose's lips, which could be seen under the parasol.
"They attacked Werthers Village."