Raon licked his lips while looking at Roenn's soft smile.
'It's finally here.'
He hadn't received any messages in the three months since the first trial, the group battle against the Warring Steel division. They seemed to have finally decided on the second trial.
'It took them long enough.'
The next trial should've happened within a month, but it must've been delayed because of the Black Tower's threat and Rimmer, who went to train in seclusion.
Those were boring but happy days.
Wrath grinned while rubbing his flabby cheeks. Even his spiritual form had gotten fatter because Yua and Helen's cooking was too delicious.
"By any chance, do you know what kind of trial it will be?"
"I'm not sure."
Roenn shook his head with his usual expression on his face. Raon couldn't tell if he was telling the truth or not. His expression was the most difficult to read in the house, as expected of an assassin.
"Are the children able to follow the training?"
Roenn went to the edge of the cliff and looked down.
"They learned quickly thanks to Sir Roenn's excellent teachings."
Raon nodded and threw the dagger he was holding. The throwing dagger advanced like a ray of light towards Martha's shoulder, who was climbing from the right side.
"Damn it!"
Martha frowned and pushed the cliff with her arms and legs at the same time. She bounced away like a beast to dodge the dagger, but Raon had already predicted that move.
Smaack!
The throwing dagger nimbly changed its trajectory to smack Martha's waist as she tried to grab the cliff once again.
"Ack!"
However, Martha kept holding onto the cliff even after the dagger hit her. It was the result of her unwavering patience.
'She's gotten pretty good.'
Martha's body and willpower had become strong enough to endure a hit as a team leader. Raon was proud of her, but she was a bit frightening at the same time.
"You've gotten a lot better at dagger throwing."
Roenn came up next to him with a smile.
"I've been practicing."
"May I give you some advice?"
"I'm all ears."
Since Roenn was an assassin called the Assassin King, he must've mastered the dagger throw. Raon earnestly looked forward to his advice.
"Vice squad leader, you are mainly using your arm to throw the dagger. It could be even stronger and faster if you used everything from your shoulder to the tip of your fingers, and your entire body on top of that."
Roenn demonstrated how to throw the dagger.
"From the shoulder to the tip of my fingers…"
Raon murmured the Flawless Throw's principles while thinking about the movement of Roenn's hand.
He incorporated the same amount of aura as the last time and threw the dagger based on Roenn's advice.
The throwing dagger fell towards Martha without making any sound.
Smaack!
Martha got hit on her right arm before she could even react and started to fall towards the ground.
"Why are you suddenly raising the difficulty?! You damn bastaaaard!"
She cursed him like she always did before she disappeared.
"Ah, my bad."
Raon waved his hand at Martha and looked at Roenn.
"This is clearly different. Thank you."
"All I did was to remind you of the basics that you had temporarily forgotten."
"That's the important part. I think I can understand how those children grew so quickly."
Raon smiled while looking at Yua and Yulius, who were climbing from far below the others.
"Without mentioning Yua's talent, she simply enjoys everything. That personality itself is her greatest talent."
Yua could finish her training with a smile no matter how difficult it was, and she even brought a smile to the faces of the people around her. That was a talent in itself.
Her excellent rhythmic sense and keen observation skills made her perfect for learning an intuition sword.
Ahem! She's Pineapple Girl, the King of Essence's subordinate, for a good reason!
Raon couldn't understand why the cotton candy was bragging about it when he didn't do anything for her.
"Yulius hates to lose a lot despite his formal personality. He sees Yua as a rival, and it allows him to complete tasks that he normally can't achieve."
Yua was slightly better in terms of talent, but Yulius hated to lose so much that he always managed to catch up to her.
It was a perfect talent for the Precise Sword, which was stiff and systematic.
"They are both interesting children."
"Huhuhu."
Roenn laughed gently while stroking his beard.
"You see them correctly. I'm glad I sent them to the vice squad leader instead of Sir Rimmer."
"It's only natural for me to take responsibility since I'm the one who brought them here."
Raon was planning to take responsibility for the children who were raised as assassins, just like Yua and Yulius.
"I'll be glad if you can teach the children when you have some free time."
"Of course I will."
Roenn smiled while watching Yua and Yulius.
"Let's get going, then… Hmm?"
He was about to turn around, but his eyes widened upon seeing Mark Goetten, who was the closest one to the peak.
'Was it my mistake? No, he's changed.'
Mark Goetten's realm used to be rock bottom of the novice Master level, but it had increased even though it was almost unnoticeable.
"…He's gotten stronger."
"I thought you would notice."
Raon nodded confidently.
"He managed to climb, even though it's a small amount. He will reach even higher in the future."
"Amazing."
Roenn honestly admired Mark Goetten, who was getting started again even in his old age, and Raon who made that happen.
'He can change people, he said…'
He finally realized the meaning behind Adis Sephia's words when he'd described Raon to Glenn.
The man called Raon Zieghart was capable of creating a huge and positive influence on others.
Roenn had felt pity towards him at first and was proud of him recently, but he started to see him as a grown man at last. He could almost see the immense qualities he had.
'If a boy like him becomes the head of house…'
Raon went to the lord's manor after asking Roenn to help the Light Wind squad's training.
He walked through the coldness covering the audience chamber and knelt at the center of the room.
"Greetings, my lord."
"Spare the unnecessary greetings. Stand up."
Glenn shook his hand like he was chasing away a fly.
"Thank you."
Raon bowed before he stood up.
"It looks like you are still going with that crazy training."
The Ragged Saint Federick waved his hand while leaning his back against a pillar on the right.
"It's not crazy. It's just slightly difficult."
Raon smiled faintly and shook his head.
"Light Wind vice squad leader."
Glenn called with a heavy voice as if he were trying to interrupt the conversation between Raon and Federick.
"I called you because the Light Wind squad leader is still training in seclusion."
"Yes."
Raon lowered his gaze.
'He's indeed taking longer than I thought.'
Rimmer suddenly declared that he was going to train in seclusion after the match against the Warring Steel division and went into the cave behind the main building. He hadn't come back since.
Raon predicted that he would return in less than three days, but he was still there after three months had passed, which surprised everyone.
"We would normally wait for the Light Wind squad leader's return, but we cannot postpone the second trial forever."
Glenn's gaze became colder as he raised his chin.
"The Light Wind squad shall take the second trial in your current state."
"Understood."
Raon nodded without being surprised, as he expected that to happen ever since he was summoned.
"May I ask what kind of trial it is?"
"I'll give you one of the house's missions and see how you deal with it."
'I knew it.'
Raon strained his fingers. It was exactly the same as the method that the Gambling Monster had previously told him.
"Do you know about House Arianne?"
"I'm only aware that they are one of Zieghart's vassal houses."
"Arianne and Zieghart started together, and they've been defending a location called the Swamp of Death all these years."
"Swamp of Death…"
Raon remembered once Glenn mentioned the Swamp of Death. House Arianne was located at the west of Zieghart's domain, and they were in charge of defending the Swamp of Death, where low-ranking undead appeared.
Swamp of Death?
Wrath crawled up to the bracelet and licked his lips.
That's a fancy name. The King of Essence likes it.
'You won't like it anymore once you see it.'
Despite the scary name, the only monsters that appeared were low-ranking monsters like zombies and skeletons.
The same went for House Arianne. They weren't exactly famous for their might.
Boring!
Wrath lost interest and returned to the bracelet.
"And House Arianne contacted us."
"What would it be…?"
"They said that the number of undead has increased, and the water level of the swamp has become higher. They asked us to dispatch swordsmen to investigate."
Raon could guess what Glenn was going to say after that.
"The Light Wind squad's second trial is to investigate the reason behind the increase in the undead at the Swamp of Death and resolve the issue."
Glenn lowered his eyebrows while supporting his chin with his fist.
"Tell me now if you think it will be too difficult for you."
'Is he being considerate?'
Raon felt like he was being considerate by giving them a relatively easy task for the second trial because Rimmer was missing and they had a nice performance during the battle against the Warring Steel division.
"We'll do it."
Raon nodded. He didn't have a choice anyway, since he had to do it in order to climb higher.
"You have to resolve the issue with the Light Wind squad's power without any support from the house."
Glenn stared at him with a fiery gaze.
"If you request any reinforcements from the house because the Light Wind squad isn't strong enough to protect House Arianne, the mission will be over for you."
"Understood."
Raon responded calmly since he was stating the obvious.
"When do we leave?"
"It's up to you."
"What?"
"A division has more freedom with their missions compared to a squad. You can depart whenever you want as long as you complete the mission."
"Hmm…"
Having more freedom wasn't always a good thing, since they would be punished more heavily if a problem occurred.
'I should be careful.'
Raon figured that he needed to think a lot harder than before and thoroughly plan his moves.
"Understood."
Raon bowed and looked at Glenn. He thought Glenn was going to tell him to return, but he kept staring at him with narrowed eyes.
"Raon Zieghart."
"Yes."
"…Do you like drinking?"
"What? Err…"
He couldn't think straight because he hadn't expected that question from Glenn.
'What does he mean?'
He couldn't understand why Glenn was asking whether he liked to drink.
'Drink…'
Raon obviously couldn't drink in his previous life and didn't exactly enjoy it in his new life.
He'd only drunk alcohol twice in the past. The first time was to win the gamble against the Gambling Monster, which made the drink he had with Rimmer the only proper occasion.
"I'm not exactly a bad drinker, but…"
"Hmm."
It felt like a warm wind was blowing to melt down the icy cold atmosphere of the audience chamber, even though Raon didn't even finish talking.
"I don't exactly enjoy drinking."
Raon nodded, thinking that a warrior should stay away from drinking.
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere became multiple times colder than before, even though it was starting to get warmer.
'What's going on?'
There was definitely a problem, but he couldn't understand why.
"..."
"..."
He was meeting Glenn's eyes without saying anything, but it was getting more and more difficult to understand.
"Then Rim—"
"What?"
"Nothing."
He shook his head, his eyes emotionless.
"You may leave."
"Yes…"
Raon bowed with a puzzled look on his face before leaving the audience chamber.
'Why did he suddenly ask about drinking?'
Raon tried to rack his brain while scratching his chin.
'Does the head of house like to drink?'
You idiot! That's not why he said that!
Wrath emerged from the bracelet and snorted.
That cold-blooded geezer suddenly asked about drinking. Isn't it obvious why he did that?
'Obvious?'
Indeed! He's asking to buy some delicious liquor and side dishes from the region!
Wrath shook his finger, calling Raon stupid for not even realizing that.
The King of Essence will find the most delicious side dish for you. We should start by visiting famous restaurants…
'Please go away.'
* * *
Glenn bit his lip tightly while looking down at the center of the audience chamber where Raon used to be.
'He doesn't like to drink?'
He accepted that Rimmer had to be his first drinking partner because he was his teacher—ignoring the drink he had with the Gambling Monster since it was a gamble. That was why he wanted to be the second drinking partner and asked that question, but he never expected Raon to say that he didn't like to drink.
'He shouldn't have drunk with Rimmer if he was going to say that…'
Glenn unconsciously clenched his fist because he felt like his precious grandson was deceived by that damn elf's temptation.
He wanted to immediately barge into 'that cave' and pull Rimmer's ears off.
Smash!
Because he couldn't control his strength, the throne's armrest was destroyed and crimson sparks appeared in the air.
"Huff…"
"Seriously."
Glenn was trying to catch his breath when Federick went up onto the platform.
"You should've said so if you wanted to drink so much."
Federick clicked his tongue while watching Glenn's frown.
"There's no way Raon would understand such a roundabout offer when you keep scolding him all the time."
Raon would've understood that Glenn wanted to drink with him if he was usually kind to him, but there was no way he would understand what he meant when he always crushed him with pressure before he suddenly asked about drinking.
"Ahem!"
Glenn cleared his throat and shook his head.
"Yo-you are mistaken. I was just a bit worried he might get bad habits because his drinking partners were that drunkard the Gambling Monster and that punk Rimmer. I'm not particularly interested in drinking with him!"
He quickly shook his hand, saying that it wasn't a big deal.
"Well, you aren't exactly wrong. They aren't exactly exemplary adults to drink with."
Federick agreed while stroking his beard.
"Since that's the case, do you want me to arrange for you to drink together?"
"Re-really?!"
Glenn extended his neck like a giraffe even though he'd just said he wasn't interested.
"Yes."
"Before he leaves?"
"That will be difficult since he must be busy preparing for the mission. I'll set it up as soon as he returns."
"Ahem! Th-that's true."
Glenn nodded awkwardly. He went down the platform and headed to the room where he'd previously drunk with Adis.
"Hmm…"
He started to examine the liquors while quietly humming.
"The first drink should be this one—no, this one is milder. No, the stop-shelf would be better…"
His face was slightly flushed as he chose which one to drink with Raon.
"Seriously…"
Federick gently laughed while watching him.
"I've never seen anyone who is fonder of his grandson."
* * *
Instead of immediately leaving for House Arianne, Raon taught the Light Wind squad how to walk on a swamp inside an indoor training ground with a pool.
Making preparations was the correct choice, as the Swamp of Death could be dangerous.
"Walking on a swamp is similar to walking on water. You release the aura from your feet with the same flow as the water to maintain your balance."
"Y-you make it sound easy…"
Burren frowned from the water.
"You are the only one who can walk on water's surface while being an Expert!"
Martha's fist was trembling in frustration.
"Water feels good…"
Runaan fell asleep while floating on her back instead of stepping on the water.
"Hehe!"
"Hey! You are disturbing them!"
Yua was playing around by swimming, and Yulius was busy trying to stop her.
"Attention."
Raon clapped his hands to gather the Light Wind squad's attention.
"Just like you said, you can't really walk on the water until you become a Master. However, a swamp is a mixture of water and sand, and you should be fully capable of walking on it."
Since it took longer to fall into a swamp than water, the Light Wind squad should be able to walk on it.
"Start again, everyone."
He ordered the Light Wind swordsmen to train and stayed back. They felt the energy outside their body and lasted longer than before until they fell into the water. They must've gotten better.
'They should be able to stay on a swamp after around three days of training.'
He estimated that they would be able to walk on a swamp with a bit more training.
'Sir Mark can already do it.'
Since Mark Goetten was obviously capable of walking on the water as a Master, a swamp was no different from land to him.
'We should be able to leave next week.'
Raon nodded in satisfaction and was about to give directions for the next step when the Gambling Monster entered the training ground.
"Those were delivered to you and your pocket."
He put down two wooden boxes that he brought.
"Thank you."
Raon smiled while looking at the two gray hammer symbols engraved outside the boxes.
'It's finally here.'
They were the gifts sent by the Gray Hammer Guild's blacksmith Borgos and his disciple.
"Dorian!"
Raon bobbed his hand at Dorian, who was standing upside down on the water, before he opened the first box.
The heavy shape of the sword it contained was exactly what Dorian had ordered.
"Did you call for me?"
Dorian walked up to him while panting.
"This is your sword."
Raon gave him the sword that was inside the box.
"Oh! Oooh!"
Dorian immediately drew the sword. The sharpness emanating from the blue blade that resembled the pool's water looked intense.
"It's heavy and perfect for the grip! But the sword feels a bit cold…"
"You felt it right. The drake we killed had the power of ice."
It was normal for the monster's attribute to be transferred to the weapon if it had one. A powerful amount of coldness was flowing through Dorian's sword.
"Th-thank you!"
"You should thank the Gray Hammer Guild instead of me."
"But it was thanks to the vice squad leader that I managed to get this sword!"
Dorian bowed once again to express his gratitude.
"It's fine. You should send them a message later… Hmm?"
Raon was opening the second box at the same time, but his hands came to a halt. His eyes widened as far as they could go.
'This is…'
The throwing daggers inside the box were completely different from his expectations.