Raon finished opening the lid of the wooden box and picked up the throwing dagger from inside.
'It has a powerful bloodlust.'
A frightening amount of bloodlust dwelled inside the throwing dagger, which looked like a mixture of an awl and an arrowhead.
He couldn't believe it was emanating with such a powerful energy when it hadn't even killed anyone yet.
'Is this what a real throwing dagger should look like?'
A throwing dagger was normally made for killing rather than incapacitating an opponent.
A dagger throw's purpose was to stab the enemy's vitals and kill them in an instant. The weapon he was holding seemed to be the epitome of that purpose.
'It has bloodlust instead of coldness.'
Borgos must've removed the coldness from the drake's teeth and increased the sharpness and bloodlust as much as possible.
Wrath furrowed his brow while looking down on the throwing dagger.
That shorty made a grotesque item.
'Yes, it's rather extraordinary.'
Raon nodded while gripping the throwing dagger.
'I thought he would make something decent to send me, but he forged such a special throwing dagger…'
Regardless of the results, he was pretty much threatening him in the process. That was why he hadn't expected anything amazing.
However, the throwing dagger from Borgos didn't lose to Heavenly Drive or the Blade of Requiem.
'And there are two of them.'
He did ask him to send a package, but he would've been satisfied with one with how good it was.
Borgos must've overworked himself to send two of them.
That shorty doormat!
Wrath ground his teeth violently while slamming his hand on his chest.
Why would he make those weapons for you after all you did to him?! This is impossible to understand!
'It must be his pride as a blacksmith.'
Borgos was feeling competitive when he saw Heavenly Drive, made by Vulcan, and the Blade of Requiem, made by Kuberad.
Showing him those two blades must've been more effective than he thought.
This is abnormal! Why do doormats keep flocking towards you all the time?! They just keep coming to you like flies gathering around shit!
'I wonder…'
Raon chuckled while watching Wrath as he trembled furiously.
'Maybe because I have the incarnation of a doormat with me.'
Everyone around him in his previous life tried to take advantage of him, yet so many people were trying to give things away in his new life. It must've been the demon king of the doormat's influence.
'Thank you, Monarch of Doormats.'
Raon smiled at Wrath, who kept complaining while floating in the air.
"This is an amazing item."
The Gambling Monster gasped while looking at the throwing dagger.
"Yes. Sir Borgos must've worked hard on it."
"Master blacksmiths never take it easy on their work because of their pride."
He slowly nodded and gave him the paper that was inside the wooden box.
Raon accepted the paper and spread it out to read. The throwing dagger's name was written on it along with a short line of greeting.
"Heaven Slaying Dagger…"
The frightening name Borgos gave to the bloody dagger implied that it would kill the heavens.
"What a scary name."
"That dwarf has always been famous for giving his weapons nasty names."
The Gambling Monster shook his hand, saying that the dwarf had always been like that.
Raon bowed slightly at the Heaven Slaying Dagger to express his gratitude towards Borgos.
'Thank you for the weapon.'
He put the two throwing daggers in his clothes. He almost couldn't feel their weight at all—as if they were parts of his body.
Raon smiled while patting the area around his chest where the throwing daggers were located.
'There's only one thing left now.'
* * *
Raon finally returned to the annex building at daybreak after he finished training the Light Wind squad.
Knock knock knock.
He was sitting on the bed after taking a shower and was listening to Wrath's complaints about being hungry when three solid knocks could be heard.
"Enter."
As soon as he told her to enter, the door was opened and Judiel entered the room.
She placed a dish covered by a lid on top of the table, took a booklet from her skirt, and showed it to him.
"I've put together the information about House Arianne and the Swamp of Death."
Raon had only told her that he had a new mission, but she had already gathered the information and made a booklet for him.
"Thank you."
"It was nothing."
Judiel shook her head and lifted the cover off the dish that she'd placed on the table.
There were two ham, egg, and cheese sandwiches on the plate.
"I brought them because I thought you would've skipped the meal."
She told him to take his time eating them while placing the lid next to the dish.
Brilliant, Information Girl! You are always great at bringing snacks!
Wrath grinned, saying that she deserved to be his subordinate at that point.
Eat them before they get cold!
He started hitting Raon's shoulder like a drum, urging him to bring the sandwiches to his mouth.
'Stop whining.'
Raon briefly sighed and started eating the sandwich.
The harmony between the crispy bread baked with butter, ham, cheese, and the nutty scrambled egg brought a smile to his face.
Delicious! It's decided now! Information Girl will be the King of Essence's subordinate from now on!
'Sure, sure. As you wish.'
Raon ignored Wrath to play by himself and opened the booklet.
"Hmm?"
'They only have one swordsman division and their division leader is a novice Master.'
He was already aware that House Arianne wasn't that powerful, but he didn't expect that their strongest member would be a novice master with only one division in the house.
They were even weaker than he expected.
"House Arianne was originally famous for their might. Records mention that they hadn't even lost to Sullion in the past."
Judiel started to explain as if she had read Raon's thoughts.
"However, they gradually started to overlook their martial art practice because the Swamp of Death that they are defending only has weak monsters like zombies and skeletons."
Raon started to understand as he listened to her.
"Moreover, they are cultivating the swamp grapes, which are famous for being expensive. Since they have an abundant amount of money as a result, they've been lazy for a long time."
"I understand what you mean."
Raon smiled coldly. He could tell how House Arianne functioned even though he hadn't even seen them.
"Are the zombies and skeletons the only monsters from the Swamp of Death?"
"The records are saying that undead at around the level of zombies are the only monsters from the swamp ever since the arch lich born from that place started a war and was annihilated by Zieghart and Arianne."
Judiel answered all of Raon's questions without any issues. She must've gathered all that information in a short period of time.
Raon nodded and read the booklet from the beginning to the end. He could memorize everything after reading a single time thanks to the Ring of Fire.
"Does that mean that this swordswoman called Wendy managed to reach Master level despite their situation?"
"She's pretty much carrying House Arianne. She doesn't have that much authority, but she is the most trusted person among the residents."
"I can see how I should make my move at Arianne."
Thanks to Judiel's detailed investigation, he could start to see the picture of how he should act in House Arianne.
"How are the Central Martial Palace and the True Martial Palace doing nowadays?"
Raon asked while returning the booklet to Judiel.
"They are busy trying to gain achievements."
"Achievements?"
"Yes."
Judiel nodded.
"They must've felt threatened by the achievements that the collaterals and people from outside have gained with the Light Wind squad as the lead. They are struggling to maintain their lead by quickly solving various missions."
She sneered faintly, saying that the direct lines were apparently starting to feel the pressure and the threat he posed.
"I like that part."
Raon couldn't stop his smile upon hearing that the direct lines were moving their heavy asses when they used to act as if they were the head of house.
The only direct lines he liked were Krein, Trevin, and Martha's father Denier. That was why Raon wanted them to suffer even more.
"Are there any other messages?"
"This is information from the Black Market…"
Judiel hid the booklet in her skirt and lowered her hand.
"A man called the Pirate King has appeared."
"The Pirate King?"
"He calls himself the Pirate King because he traveled all the oceans in the continent. They say that many factions acknowledge him because he is extremely powerful."
"A king, he says…"
Many people called themselves 'king', but few were acknowledged by others. Her explanation signified that he must've been rather skilled.
"He's not worthy of attention since he's far away from our location."
"All right."
"Have a good rest. I'll be leaving."
"Thank you for the information."
"It was nothing."
Judiel nodded and left the room.
"A self-proclaimed Pirate King, huh."
Raon nodded with a faint smile on his face.
"Interesting things keep happening in the continent."
It doesn't matter whether he's a Pirate King or whatever! Stop drumming in the middle of a meal and eat your sandwiches already!
Gray castle walls were built on top of the land dominated by olive-colored swamps.
The colors didn't match, but they also blended nicely in a way. Such a land was House Arianne and the Swamp of Death.
Archers were standing with bows on their backs on the castle walls, and their blurry eyes looked like they had been drinking.
The archers were yawning in boredom when people in their workwear came up the walls.
They tied the security ropes around their waists and jumped down the walls.
Thud!
The workers walked around the castle walls by using the security ropes to apply mud and insert pebbles into the destroyed part from erosion.
"This is so annoying."
"I know, right? I don't understand why we have to do this when there are only low-ranking undead around."
"The zombies can't even approach the castle walls to begin with."
"Lady Wendy is such a worrywart. That's her problem."
"Just half-ass it. It just needs to look fine on the outside."
They were apparently unsatisfied with fixing the castle walls, as they only focused on the appearance while doing a sloppy job on the inside while pouting.
Many locations needed to be fixed, but they half-assed it, so hard that they managed to finish their work pretty quickly.
The middle-aged workers climbed back up the walls. The youngest man was checking for the last time when a small resonance could be heard from the swamp.
"Hmm?"
The young man turned around and frowned.
"Zombies."
A corpse with melting flesh was slowly walking towards the castle walls.
"Altel!"
He shouted towards the top of the wall and a yawning archer's head appeared.
"Aren't you lazing around too much? A zombie is coming!"
"Ah, my bad. I was thinking about what to eat for dinner."
The archer called Altel licked his lips and attached an arrow to the bowstring. He casually pulled and released the string, then turned around without even confirming his target.
Swoosh!
The arrow flew through the wind and pierced the zombie's head before landing in the swamp.
However, the zombie simply faltered for a moment and kept walking towards the walls instead of falling.
"Wooo!"
"Altel!"
The young worker frowned and shouted above once again.
"Did you forget how to shoot an arrow? It's not dead yet!"
"Huh?"
Altel tilted his head and took up his bow once again.
"I definitely hit it though."
He couldn't understand how the zombie was alive because he couldn't have missed it with that trajectory.
He attached another arrow and pulled the bowstring taut while aiming at the center of the zombie's forehead.
Smaack!
The arrow hit the middle of the zombie's head and fell into the swamp before sinking into it.
"That was annoying."
"You should've hit it with your first shot."
"I told you I hit it! That zombie was the strange one!"
"Hmm…"
"It's true!"
Altel shook his head and put his hand on the castle wall.
"Let's stop thinking about this trivial matter. How about some beer in the evening?"
"Are you buying it?"
"I have no money because I've already spent this month's salary. You have to buy it."
"What the hell?!"
They were speaking casually when a frightening gaze appeared from the swamp where the zombie had previously sunk.
The frightening glow of the eyes looked like it was observing everything about House Arianne.
* * *
Raon left the annex building after he finished his preparations for departure.
Sylvia and the maids were standing in a circle in the garden, surrounding Yua and Yulius.
"Yua, you should make sure to eat wherever you are."
"I've made some dried jerky. You should bring it all with you."
"You got the cooking ingredients, right?"
"Make sure to greet your seniors."
The maids were packing all kinds of things for Yua since she was like a younger sister to them. Her backpack became inflated in no time, and it looked like it was about to explode.
"Thank you!"
Yua smiled cheerfully while carrying a backpack, which had grown even bigger than her, on her back. She hugged the maids one after the other to say goodbye.
"Always watch out for your surroundings."
"Since you are the youngest, you should take the initiative when it comes to working."
"You get bitten by the bugs a lot. Remember to activate the bug-repellent incense when you sleep outside."
"If a fight breaks out, you should watch how your seniors act from behind and move accordingly."
The maids also put a jacket on Yulius with teary eyes.
"I'll bring honor to the annex building!"
Yulius slammed his chest as if he'd become a knight, a confident expression on his face.
"Aww, you are so cute!"
"I think it's still too early for you to leave!"
"Stay with us for one more year! Yeah?"
The maids pouted because they were worried by the fact that the children they'd raised were going to a dangerous place.
"They said it won't be too dangerous, but you should always be careful."
Sylvia smiled while caressing Yua and Yulius's heads.
"Hide behind Raon if it becomes dangerous."
"Yes!"
"I can't hide behind my benefactor as a swordsman!"
Yua gave her a big nod while Yulius strongly declined the request.
"They are exaggerating."
Raon chuckled and went towards Yua and Yulius.
However, Sylvia, Helen, and the maids kept caring about Yua and Yulius without paying the slightest attention to him.
"It's not enough no matter how much food you tak—Hmm?"
Sylvia raised her head while checking their backpacks.
"You are here."
That was all she said before she continued to check Yua and Yulius's conditions and backpacks.
"It must be time to leave."
"Return safely."
"I said it many times before, but run away if it gets dangerous!"
The maids were the same. They kept caring about Yua and Yulius without paying any attention to Raon.
Raon was standing there awkwardly and licked his lips.
'This feels a bit…'
He usually didn't like Sylvia and the maids' attention because they made him embarrassed, but his heart felt heavy when they completely ignored him.
What a troublesome guy.
Wrath snorted, saying that his personality was weird.
"Young master!"
"We are ready!"
Yua and Yulius approached him after they finished saying goodbye to the maids.
"…Let's go."
"Raon! Take good care of Yua and Yulius!"
"Young master, I leave the children to you!"
"Make sure to feed them!"
Sylvia and the maids were only worried about Yua and Yulius even though they were leaving.
"Don't worry."
Raon nodded faintly and walked towards the training ground. The two children followed him while chatting.
Raon was thinking that they didn't even tell him goodbye when Sylvia and the maids' voices could be heard.
"Raon! You should be careful too! Don't do anything unreasonable!"
"Yua! Make sure that the young master is eating his meals!"
"Yulius, stop the young master if he wants to train forever!"
They were worried about Raon instead of the two children.
"See you later."
Raon furtively turned around to give them a way bigger nod than before, then left for the fifth training ground.
You are soooooooo troublesome…
Wrath sighed while looking at the back of Raon's head.
Raon walked towards the fifth training ground while telling Yua and Yulius what they had to be careful about during the trip.
He opened the training ground door and entered. He could see the Light Wind squad lined up in front of the platform.
He sent Yua and Yulius to the back of the line before going up onto the platform.
Raon looked down on the Light Wind squad while standing at the edge of the platform.
"You look ready."
Their gazes were as sharp as a polished blade. On top of their bodies and skills, even their mindsets were nicely refined.
"It's not supposed to be a difficult mission, but it might be different in reality. No one in the Mad Dog squad is stupid enough to let their guards. Make sure to do your best in all situations."
"Yes!"
The Light Wind squad's shout echoed throughout the training ground.
Raon nodded in satisfaction.
"By the time we return, we will be called the Mad Dog division instead of the Mad Dog squad."
"Whoaaaa!"
The Light Wind squad shouted loud and clear once again.
"Oooh! Mad Dog… Huh?"
Burren was shouting with a flushed face and suddenly stopped.
'Didn't they notice something is wrong here?'
Even though Raon said Mad Dog squad twice already, the swordsmen kept shouting.
"What the hell?!"
He raised his chin and glared at him.
"We are the Light Wind squad, not the Mad Dog squad!"
'Why do you always want to turn us into rabid dogs?!'