A Club for Empty Heads
"A mission, all of a sudden? That's a little sooner than I expected."
Rimer's eyes went round, as if he hadn't seen this coming.
"Raon got Burren back on his feet."
Glenn pointed at Burren, whose stride was growing more confident with every step.
"Then what's the mission for us?"
"It was originally going to be handed off to another squad, but I think the Light Wind Squad as it stands now wouldn't do a bad job of it."
Glenn turned around. Those red eyes that seemed to see through everything looked down at Rimer.
"You know Forban, I assume?"
"Of course."
Forban was a neutral city situated between House Zieghart and the Balkar Kingdom. A beautiful lake lay within its bounds, and a great river ran through it, making the place famous as both a trade hub and a tourist destination.
"A string of disappearances has been unfolding in Forban."
"Disappearances..."
Rimer muttered the word, narrowing his eyes.
"Disappearances themselves aren't uncommon, but the numbers aren't dropping, and even the soldiers investigating—along with hired knights and mercenaries—have vanished. This is no ordinary affair."
"If even knights are going missing, that's serious."
People vanishing wasn't particularly rare in itself, but the investigators disappearing as well was bizarre.
"Could be a mass human-trafficking ring, a secret faction, or..."
"Or one of the Five Demons."
"That's what I think as well."
Rimer nodded at Glenn's words. Anyone willing to go after knights and soldiers was likely the kind of lunatic who didn't care about consequences.
"The Light Wind Squad's mission is to go to Forban, rescue the missing, and eliminate the cause of the disappearances. Can you do it?"
"I accept the order."
The playful green of Rimer's eyes sank deep, like an abyss with no bottom in sight.
"When should we leave?"
"Tomorrow."
"What? Even if Burren comes back tomorrow, we haven't finished organizing yet. That's too sudden..."
"A great deal of time has already passed since this started. The sooner we stop it, the better. And besides—springing things on people right before they leave is something you do all the time, isn't it?"
"Urgh!"
Glenn curled the corner of his mouth as he watched Rimer panic.
"I'm counting on you, Leader of the Light Wind Squad."
With those last words, he descended Bukmang Mountain.
"If you come back having shamed the house, I'll cut your head off myself."
The Leader of the Heavenly Sword Squad tossed out the blunt remark and followed Glenn down.
"Hrm..."
Rimer waved a hand at the two of them.
"When you think about it, I don't really have to do much, do I?"
He muttered something that would have brought a thunderbolt down on his head if Glenn had overheard it, and headed for the tavern.
"I'll just dump it all on my brilliant vice-leader."
The next day.
Raon finished his dawn training at the Annex and headed for the 5th Training Ground.
He was turning over how to raise the completeness of the Light Wind Sword Formation when he opened the training ground door and found the swordsmen clustered at the entrance.
"Why are you all gathered here?"
"Vice-leader! Look over there!"
Dorian, standing there looking vacant and eating snacks, came over and pointed into the training ground. In the center of the unusually tidy space, Burren was on his knees.
He got here faster than I thought.
Raon smirked at the back of Burren's head. He'd expected evening today, or maybe tomorrow—but Burren seemed to have pulled himself together sooner than expected. The kid really did have a strong will.
"He came at dawn, cleaned the entire training ground, and has been kneeling like that ever since."
Dorian whispered as if sharing a secret, but everyone around could hear him just fine.
"Looks like he came to ask to join the Light Wind Squad. What are you going to do?"
"Whether someone joins or not is the squad leader's decision. I wouldn't know."
Rimer would take him in for sure, though.
"Finally got some blood flowing to that thick skull of his. Pathetic."
Marta clicked her tongue looking at Burren. The tone was blunt, but the complete absence of cursing suggested she was actually glad to see him.
"......"
Runaan also nodded, hugging Snow Flower as if she were pleased.
"What's everyone gawking at?"
Raon walked into the training ground and looked around at the swordsmen.
"The squad leader will be here any minute and none of you have prepared for training! Move!"
"Ah, yes!"
"Understood."
The dazed swordsmen ran toward the changing rooms.
Raon paid no mind to Burren kneeling there and started warming up on the training ground. Burren didn't look his way either, staring only at the empty platform.
"You're not even going to acknowledge him?"
Wrath frowned as if that was too much.
Not acknowledging him is helping him right now.
Even if Burren had steeled himself, he'd still be embarrassed. Pretending not to notice was the kind thing to do.
"Fall in."
"Fall in."
Raon gathered the swordsmen in the training ground and waited for Rimer. A short while later, just before training time, the training ground door slammed open with a bang. That bizarre habit of kicking the door in whenever he wasn't late was still intact.
"Good morning!"
Rimer climbed onto the platform with a lazy gait.
"But..."
He pointed at Burren and tilted his head.
"What's he doing like that?"
No one answered, and Burren raised his head.
"I apologize for being late."
Despite the apology, his eyes blazed with intense light. There was an edge to his gaze, as if he'd returned to his trainee days.
"Please accept me into the Light Wind Squad."
Burren slammed his forehead to the floor as if in a full bow. He pressed his head into the ground as though he wouldn't get up unless they took him.
"Hrm..."
Rimer scratched his chin and smacked his lips.
"Seems a bit late. What do you think, vice-leader?"
"You said you missed Burren's nagging, so why are you asking me? You even left his position vacant."
Raon muttered in a dry voice that the 3rd unit leader's seat was empty.
"Hey! Saying that out loud ruins the whole vibe!"
Rimer waved his hands in a panic.
"You're going to take him anyway, so just do it already. I've got a mountain of things to teach that guy."
"Honestly. You're no help at all."
He scratched his head vigorously and walked up to Burren.
"You came a little late, but given the years we've spent together, I can hardly refuse. I'll accept you as leader of the Light Wind Squad's 3rd unit."
Rimer grinned and grabbed Burren's shoulder.
"So, how much joining fee did you bring?"
The way he made a circle with his thumb and index finger was a perfect illustration of a gambling addict's mental state.
"Wow..."
"Is he even human?"
"He's not. He's an elf."
"Ugh, that's just ugly."
Raon and every member of the Light Wind Squad looked at Rimer with the most pitying stares they had ever given him.
"Urgh..."
Burren, forgetting even that he needed to get on Rimer's good side, made a face like he'd bitten into something foul.
"Ah, I'm kidding. Kidding!"
Rimer laughed and pulled Burren to his feet. He spread a barrier of aura and whispered a single sentence into his ear.
"You know that wasn't a joke, right? Bring an appropriate token of sincerity to the squad leader's office..."
Raon, the only one who overheard it, glared at Rimer with the coldest look he had ever given him and made a resolution.
Whatever else, when it came to gambling and money, he would never trust that elf.
Raon called Burren aside and taught him everything they had covered so far. Both the formation and the signals were complex, but the guy had memorized all of it in a matter of hours.
"Memorizing it is one thing. It'll be different when you actually run the formation. Make sure you practice."
"Understood."
True to his fastidious nature, Burren immediately switched to formal speech. His eyes were sharp, as if he'd gone back to being a trainee.
"Then may I practice the formation with the 3rd unit?"
"Go ahead."
He asked with a challenging look in his eyes. Raon smirked and nodded.
I should get some training in myself now.
"Attention!"
Just as Raon was about to start personal training, Rimer clapped from the platform.
"Everyone gather."
Gambler or not, a squad leader was a squad leader. The entire Light Wind Squad assembled in front of the platform at his call.
"Things seem reasonably settled, so I'll get to the point."
"The point?"
"What point?"
Since becoming squad leader, Rimer had loafed around even more than he had as an instructor, so every swordsman tilted their head.
"We've received our first mission."
"A mission!"
"Really?"
"Finally!"
Heat filled the Light Wind Squad members' eyes at the word mission.
"What kind of mission?"
Burren raised his hand and asked. Having that guy around really did make things easier.
"There's been a string of disappearances in Forban. Finding the missing and eliminating the culprit is our mission."
"Ohh!"
"Searching for the missing..."
"Eliminating the culprit!"
"Now this actually feels like being a Zieghart swordsman."
"I'm getting nervous..."
Unlike the low-grade monster subjugation, this was a mission that actually sounded impressive, so anticipation filled every swordsman's eyes.
"When do we leave?"
"L-leave? About that. The departure time is a bit... soon."
Rimer hemmed and hawed, unable to just spit it out.
"When?"
"This evening."
At this evening, every swordsman who'd been riding a wave of anticipation dropped their jaws. They'd thought tomorrow at the earliest. The entire Light Wind Squad was stunned.
"You—you really are something else!"
Even Burren, who'd said he'd keep quiet today, came charging out grinding his teeth.
"I understand the disappearances are urgent, but this is a mission, not training. Couldn't you have given us some time to prepare? Burren only arrived today, of all people."
"No, listen to me."
Rimer frantically waved his hands at Raon's sharp words.
"It is a rushed mission, but today is genuinely not my fault! From above! It came down from up there last night! This has nothing to do with me!"
He pointed a finger toward the Lord's Palace, but nobody looked that way.
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yes, yes. Of course it is."
"How impressive of you."
Every swordsman snorted at Rimer. This wasn't the first or second time, so nobody believed a word he said.
"Hmph! This King would sooner believe dog shit makes good medicine."
Wrath clicked his tongue at the stupid excuse. Rimer's credibility was so rock-bottom that even Wrath didn't believe him.
"I'm telling the truth!"
"Squad leader. Nobody's going to believe you anyway, so we'll start preparing. Light Wind Squad, finish mission preparations within two hours and reconvene here. Forban is near the center of the continent, so don't pack too many heavy clothes."
"Yes!"
The swordsmen who'd received Raon's orders hurried out of the training ground.
"It really is true, though..."
Left alone, Rimer stood there blankly and let out a sigh.
So this is how the boy who cried wolf feels...
Because it was an urgent matter of serial disappearances, the Light Wind Squad finished preparing as fast as possible and set out for Forban immediately.
Raon and the swordsmen rode at full gallop, using rest stops along the way to keep refining the new sword formation they had named the Light Wind Formation.
By the time Burren had adapted to the Light Wind Formation and could command the 3rd unit, they arrived at Forban.
Forban was a neutral city situated between Zieghart in the north, the Owen Kingdom in the center of the continent, and the Balkar Kingdom. With the beautiful Lake Sertie and the Rable River running through it, the city was famous for tourism and trade—and it was a peaceful place.
"We'll start by going to the mayor and getting a briefing on the situation."
The journey had taken considerable time, so Raon and the swordsmen had no chance to sightsee. They rode up the city's central boulevard toward city hall.
Just as they were about to enter the lofty, castle-like city hall, the doors opened and people in robes and armor poured out. Four orbs were engraved on the left side of their chests—the emblem of the Balkar Kingdom.
"Huh?"
Rimer, who'd been slacking off in the back the whole time, raised a finger at the red-haired middle-aged man at the front.
"Morell?"
"Rimer?"
The middle-aged man called Morell also seemed to recognize Rimer, furrowing his brow.
Morell Kazan, is it...
Raon narrowed his eyes at the somewhat short, red-haired middle-aged man.
I thought that energy of his felt unusual.
Morell Kazan was a renowned mage of Balkar who freely wielded a vast array of fire-attribute magic. He commanded a mage corps called Salaman, and the people behind him appeared to be Salaman members.
"What's Zieghart doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"We're here on a mission."
"So are we. If you're done, get out of the way."
"You! You—!"
As Rimer gestured for them to move aside from the entrance, a woman with purple hair burst out from among the Balkar Kingdom's mages and planted herself in front of Raon.
"Raon Zieghart! You con artist!"
She glared as if she were about to lunge at him that instant.
"Hm? And you are...?"
Raon met her rage-filled eyes with a calm gaze.
"Y-young master. That's the princess from back then."
Dorian cautiously approached and whispered in his ear.
"The brat we met at the Camelun auction house."
His voice was quiet, but there wasn't a single person here who wasn't a master, so everyone heard the word brat.
"Ah. That princess."
Raon smirked. Of course he knew the mage in front of him was Princess Jayna of the Balkar Kingdom. He'd pretended to forget on purpose, and thanks to Dorian, he'd managed to piss Jayna off even more.
"A con artist, and now you're insulting me again."
Jayna raised her mana as if she were about to unleash magic any second. Blue and red energy shimmered around her like a heat haze.
"Insult? What insult did I give you?"
"You lied and said you were a direct descendant of Zieghart!"
"I never once said with my own mouth that I was a direct descendant."
"Th-that's..."
Jayna seemed to know that as well, because she couldn't find the words and bit her lip.
"Y-you steered the atmosphere that way..."
"Atmosphere? If someone gets fooled by atmosphere, isn't that person the strange one? I never lied. What exactly do you want me to do about it?"
"Grr! Shut up! You used a trick and now you're acting all righteous!"
"I didn't use a trick. You jumped to conclusions all by yourself, and I have no idea why you're taking it out on me."
"Grrrr!"
Raon shrugged, and Jayna's face flushed as if it were about to explode.
"Don't you dare speak that way to Her Highness!"
Just as Raon was considering whether to needle the princess a bit more, a tall blond man stepped out from behind her.
He wore a strange outfit—red martial clothes with a robe draped over his shoulders like a cape—and the oil slathered thickly through his hair made him look extremely greasy.
A battle mage, is he?
His appearance aside, the outfit was the battle-mage uniform Balkar was so proud of. This man seemed to be a battle mage Morell had raised.
"You mock Her Highness Jayna knowing she's a princess of Balkar! Do you have two lives to spare?!"
He spread his robe with his hands and stepped to the center. He seemed to be going for a cool look, but it was genuinely pathetic.
"What's he on about. A bunch of rats eavesdropping on a whisper."
Marta snorted with her arms crossed.
"Hm."
"......"
"Ugh, I-I'm doomed!"
Burren watched the situation quietly. Runaan just hugged Snow Flower as if she couldn't care less. And Dorian, who'd caused this whole mess, hid behind Raon and only poked his head out.
"Rats? You said it out loud! What whisper?!"
"Who told you to listen?"
"Ignorant swordsmen from the frozen wastes!"
"Frail mages who'll snap if you poke them!"
The Light Wind Squad and Salaman glared at each other, raising their auras as if they were about to fight any second.
"A missing-persons search mission, is it."
Even on the verge of a brawl, Morell looked only at Rimer, perfectly at ease.
"The fact that you're asking means you're here for the same thing."
"We'll finish the missing-persons search. Don't waste your time. Go home."
Morell waved his hand as if shooing a fly.
"What do you expect to accomplish dragging around a bunch of kids who aren't even fully grown."
He swept his gaze over the Light Wind Squad members one by one, a sneer on his lips.
"That's something you only know once you try."
Rimer let out the same sly smile he used when teasing Burren.
"Then how about this?"
Morell looked at Princess Jayna, who was still biting her lip, and smiled coldly.
"The kids have a light spar, and the losing side follows the winning side's lead. How about it?"
Knowing Salaman had the edge in age and experience over the Light Wind Squad, he proposed a spar as if to seize the initiative.
"A spar? All of a sudden?"
Rimer furrowed his brow. He looked like he lacked confidence, but Raon immediately saw through the awkward acting.
That's why he keeps losing at gambling.
But it seemed to have worked on Morell. His smile deepened.
"If you don't have the guts, you can just back off now."
"We've received a mission. We can't go back without even drawing our swords. Fine!"
Rimer smacked his lips, looked over the Light Wind Squad, and pointed at Raon standing in the center.
"Raon. You're it!"
"Haa..."
Raon sighed and stepped forward.
"Squad leader! I'll go!"
The blond battle mage who'd been showing off earlier stepped forward. From his expression, he was desperate to look good in front of the princess.
"Inild. You'll be enough. I trust you."
"Yes! I will not disappoint you!"
Morell nodded at the young man.
"I am Inild, battle mage of the Balkar Kingdom and disciple of Morell, the Serpent of Blazing Flame! I will repay the insult Her Highness suffered at your hands!"
Inild pointed a finger at Raon with the coolest expression and pose he could muster.
"Sorry, but."
Raon shook his head with a cold smile.
"That's not what we're fighting over right now. I think you've got the wrong venue."
"Th-that's..."
Inild bit his lip, his face flushing red.
"And besides—that brat. Wait, the princess. Do you even know what she did, and you're still defending her?"
"Her Highness could not possibly have been in the wrong!"
He said it while glancing at the princess for her reaction.
"A mage who lives without thinking."
Raon let out a hollow laugh. Whether it was her looks or her status, the guy was clearly infatuated with the princess.
"I can endure any insult directed at me, but I will not tolerate an insult to Her Highness!"
"Just now I was insulting you, not the princess?"
"Shut up!"
Inild glanced not only at the princess but at Runaan and Marta as well. Apparently any pretty woman's attention was welcome.
"I'll crush you right here, and then I'll use all of you as servants on this mission!"
"Servants, huh..."
Raon smiled and nodded.
"I like that."
"State your name. As a battle mage, I will defeat you in a fair and honorable contest and..."
"The guy who came out to fight has a tongue that just won't quit. Are kids with their mouths hanging open always like that?"
Marta jeered at Inild.
"Urgh..."
"..."
The princess wasn't even looking at Inild, just grinding her teeth at Raon, and Runaan had been completely uninterested from the start.
"Ugh..."
Inild's face turned bright red. He'd come out to show off in front of the women, and nothing was going his way, so he was flustered.
"Th-this is a contest representing our respective forces. State who you are and what you intend to do! I will face you with the battle magic of Balkar!"
Even after being mocked by Marta, Inild wouldn't give up on striking a pose. He slicked back his greasy hair and pointed a finger.
"He sure talks a lot."
Raon clicked his tongue briefly. This guy was going to need a beating before he came to his senses.
"Dorian."
"Yes!"
Dorian shot over like lightning at Raon's call.
"Club."
"Yes!"
Dorian pulled a club from his belly pouch—the kind of massive club an orc might carry.
"Huh?"
"Wh-what!"
"Why is a club coming out of that pouch!"
"Hah..."
The onlookers dropped their jaws at the sight of a giant club emerging from an ordinary-looking pouch.
"You told me to state who I am and what I'm going to do, right?"
Raon took the club from Dorian and slung it over his shoulder.
He curled the corner of his mouth and crooked a finger.
For those with nothing but shit in their heads, a club had always been the best medicine.