Tomorrow, You Rest
The Light Wind Squad had spread out across the training ground, each member honing their own martial arts. Their faces looked exhausted, but a fierce light overflowed from their eyes, and not even the slightest tremor ran through the tips of their swords.
Tsk.
Just as everyone was swinging their blades in total concentration, a short click of the tongue rang out from the platform above.
"Ugh!"
"Uh..."
"Haaah!"
At that tiny sound, the swordsmen froze mid-swing and turned their heads as stiffly as wooden dolls.
Raon stood on the platform, his brow furrowed as if something had displeased him.
"Urgh..."
Dorian's jaw trembled as he stared at those lowered brows.
What is it this time?
He'd been training with complete focus. He had no idea what could possibly have rubbed Raon the wrong way.
Whenever Raon made that face, they always ended up with training that tested the limits of the human body. Cold sweat began to trickle down everyone's backs.
It hasn't even been two weeks since we had to last a hundred hours on Bukmang Mountain...
That had been hell itself. Every time they saw Raon charging after them with fire in his eyes, sword flashing, it felt like their hearts were about to burst. They never wanted to think about it again.
"Hey. What's that lunatic doing now?"
Marta sidled over, her face twisted in a scowl.
"We won the sparring matches yesterday, so why the hell does he look so pissed off? What's he about to pull this time?!"
"I-I don't know either."
"You're the closest to him!"
"W-well, that's true, but it's not just that, I... I..."
Dorian bit down on his lip. He couldn't bring himself to admit that he was being used as a pouch and a wallet.
"Things had been quiet lately. Don't tell me it's starting again..."
Burren looked up at the platform and let out a long sigh.
"No matter how much I steel myself, whenever that guy brings out a new training regimen, my whole body starts shaking."
He, too, seemed to be remembering two weeks ago. His lips pressed tight.
"New training..."
Runaan gazed into empty air with her usual vacant eyes. She looked peaceful. She was not. Her eyes were open, but she had fallen asleep — fleeing reality into a dream.
"W-we're doomed..."
"What's it gonna be this time?"
"Sh-should we run?"
"We wouldn't even last an hour before he caught us all! What do you mean, run?!"
Two months ago they had all fled in different directions, unable to endure the brutal training. Before a single hour had passed, every last one of them had been dragged back with their arms and legs pinned.
They couldn't run. They couldn't fight. All that remained was despair.
"There's no way out. It's over..."
"L-let's beg! The vice-squad leader is human too, right? He'll go easy on us!"
"You've seen everything that guy's done up till now and you can still say that?"
"Hic... I miss the days when Squad Leader Rimer was in charge."
"Damn it..."
The Light Wind Squad hung their heads with miserable faces, as if a new training session were already a done deal.
But the reason Raon had clicked his tongue had nothing to do with the Light Wind Squad. It was because of the self-proclaimed Demon King of Wrath stuck to his wrist.
Ice cream? Out of nowhere?
"It's been ages since we had any! Offer up some mint chocolate this instant!"
That stuff's not even good.
"Then we fight!"
Raon clicked his tongue as he watched the Light Wind Squad training in a halfhearted, awkward way.
Have I been pushing them too hard?
The swordsmen's faces were as pale as sheets of paper. They looked like they were past exhaustion and into actual pain.
Well, we have been running nonstop.
They'd been training without a break for the past three months, so it made sense they were this worn out.
Giving them a rest wouldn't be a bad idea.
Just tomorrow. One day.
They hadn't perfectly achieved their goals yet, but they'd made plenty of progress. A little rest seemed fine.
Having made up his mind, Raon stepped down from the platform.
"You've all worked hard. Tomorrow..."
The moment he started to say the word rest, the entire Light Wind Squad took a simultaneous step backward.
"Shit!"
"W-what now?! What's it this time?!"
"Ugh..."
Marta, Burren, and Runaan's pupils trembled like herbivores that had just spotted a predator.
"Eeeek!"
"H-he's coming..."
The rest of the squad swallowed dryly and leaned back in terror.
"No. Let me finish..."
"Aaaaagh!"
"Save me!"
"Oh god..."
He'd only reached out a hand to say it was fine, but the squad members recoiled as if they'd been stabbed, backing even farther away.
Raon let out a bewildered breath and scratched his cheek.
This is a little awkward.
He'd only been trying to give them a rest, and this was the reaction. It left him slightly confused.
"Awkward? If you had a conscience, that word would never leave your mouth!"
Wrath sneered as if Raon were talking nonsense.
"Even in the Demon Realm, there was no one who treated their subordinates like you do! You little devil!"
The Demon Realm sounds pretty humane, then.
He'd only given them the kind of training he'd gone through as an assassin, scaled to their level. He hadn't expected this kind of reaction.
Apparently his past life hadn't been that of a human at all. He'd lived as an actual dog.
Raon looked at the terrified Light Wind Squad and smiled faintly.
Come to think of it, this might not be so bad.
Since things had already turned out this way, maybe he should just keep training them?
They seemed to have already prepared themselves for a new training regimen. Fulfilling those expectations wouldn't be the worst idea.
"Y-you... where the hell did you even come from? What ARE you?!"
Wrath recoiled in horror, insisting there was no one like Raon in either the human world or the Demon Realm.
"Your heart is pitch-black, soaked through with darkness!"
I'm kidding.
Raon stepped in front of the Light Wind Squad. He smiled as he met their terrified gazes.
"You've worked hard. Rest tomorrow."
Even after he told them to rest, the Light Wind Squad didn't react.
"Rest...?"
"R-rest? What's that?"
"Beats me. What was that again...?"
The squad members tilted their heads with vacant eyes, just like Runaan. Their brains seemed to have stopped functioning at a word they hadn't expected.
"W-wait. Rest?"
"Rest? For real?"
Marta and Burren were the first to catch on, their mouths falling open.
"You've all suffered enough. Finish this evening's training, and then take tomorrow off. Get some proper rest."
"WOOOOOOOO!"
"Finally! My wish came true! Three months of praying actually worked!"
"Oh, thank you, God!"
The entire Light Wind Squad threw their hands in the air and cheered. They were shouting "Oh God" just like before, but the tone had flipped a hundred and eighty degrees.
"Raon! So handsome!"
Runaan lifted the corners of her mouth ever so slightly and gave a thumbs-up. It was a rare smile — the kind that appeared maybe once a year.
"Ah. Right."
It didn't mean anything at all, but Runaan still seemed to think it was incredibly effective.
"But train properly through today."
"Yes, sir!"
As Raon smiled at the squad's cheers, the training ground door opened cautiously, and a stern-faced middle-aged man stepped inside.
That man...
Chad, was it?
He remembered him. Chad, the head of the Biyeon Assembly, who had been in the Audience Chamber when reports were made to Glenn.
He had no idea why the man would come here, though.
"Good day to you."
Chad approached Raon with a gentle smile that didn't match his stern features and bowed his head.
"I believe this is the first time I've formally introduced myself. I am Chad, head of the Biyeon Assembly."
"Raon Zieghart, acting leader of the Light Wind Squad."
Raon returned the greeting, watching Chad's slightly trembling eyes.
A very polite man.
The head of the Biyeon Assembly was one of the true power brokers of the house, in charge of all its intelligence. For someone so far above him in both age and rank, he was being excessively courteous.
"I have something I need to tell you, so I took the liberty of coming here, knowing it was rather rude."
"It's no trouble. Please, this way."
Raon shook his head and led him to the squad leader's office.
"Well, it's a rather serious matter, but please look at this first."
The moment Chad sat down, he slid a document across the table.
"The Floating King, Roman, has sent a letter to the vice-leader of the Light Wind Squad. He proposes a life-and-death duel on the first of January, three years from now."
"January first, three years from now?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. I see."
Raon looked at the document and smiled faintly.
A gesture of consideration, in his own way?
So he does have a conscience.
It wasn't three years from the day of the wager — it was three years after the new year. Roman seemed to have shown a measure of consideration.
I'll be twenty-two when we fight.
The year had already turned, so he was nineteen now. That meant the duel would take place when he turned twenty-two.
Not bad.
He had Wrath, after all.
Simply training for three years wouldn't be enough to become a Grandmaster. But with Wrath, who gave so generously, it was entirely possible.
"What are you looking at."
Nothing.
Raon waved a hand with a faint smile at Wrath, who was scowling.
"Huh..."
Chad swallowed dryly as he watched Raon smile.
He's smiling?
What kind of guts did a kid who wasn't even twenty have...?
Raon didn't know about the conversation between Glenn, Roen, and Sheryl. He was going to face the Grandmaster Floating King Roman in three years, and he was sitting there smiling. Chad could hardly believe it.
Those three don't dote on him for nothing.
He'd thought they were just covering for him because of his overflowing talent — becoming the Youngest Master and all. But that wasn't it at all.
Raon Zieghart was a star that could shine all on his own. A jewel. Chad was beginning to understand why those three looked after him.
Raon set Roman's document aside and looked back at Chad.
"Then what's the second matter?"
"How did you..."
"You said to look at this first, so I assumed there was something else."
"I see. I can't get anything past you."
Chad gave an awkward laugh and pulled a second document from his coat.
"The second is a mission assigned to the Light Wind Squad."
"A mission? Why is the assembly head delivering it personally? Our squad leader should have gone to the Lord's Palace. Don't tell me he's slacking off again..."
"Ah, no, that's not it."
Chad shook his head quickly.
"He has circumstances, so I came in his place."
He couldn't bring himself to say that Rimer was currently getting beaten up by Glenn, Sheryl, and Roen, so he glossed over it.
"In any case, this is the content of the mission assigned to the Light Wind Squad."
Chad flipped the document over and held it out to Raon.
"Gransavil. That's a city famous for its entertainment."
Raon nodded as he read the location written on the mission brief.
"You know it well. That's right. It's a bit small to call a city, but it's an entertainment district packed with liquor, gambling, and gourmet food — not to mention drugs and an arena."
As Chad said, Gransavil was one of the few places on the continent overflowing with vice and pleasure.
By day, people enjoyed boat rides on the adjacent Molv Lake. By night, the city grew even brighter than the day, and countless temptations spilled out into the streets.
"Gourmet food?"
Wrath, who had been yawning in boredom, shot to his feet.
"Accept it! Accept it this instant!"
He waved his hands wildly, as if there was nothing even to consider.
"The White Blood Cult..."
Raon shoved the clinging Wrath aside and focused on the document again. It said they suspected the White Blood Cult due to a spike in disappearances and corpses found in Molv Lake.
"It says they requested the Light Wind Squad."
"Yes. They didn't name you specifically, but they said they'd be grateful if the Light Wind Squad could come."
"Hmm..."
If it was the White Blood Cult, there was a chance the 7th Apostle might try to lure them in. They'd need to approach carefully.
"There have been so many clients requesting the Light Wind Squad these past few months that it's gotten hard to even turn them all down."
"What do you mean...?"
"Hmm? You didn't know? Ever since you completed the Gazelle River mission, the number of people seeking out the Light Wind Squad has multiplied several times over."
Chad said, without exaggeration, that a request for the Light Wind Squad came in once every three days.
"That many..."
"It's the Light Wind Squad, yes — but it's really because of you, Vice-leader."
"Me?"
"Yes. You smashed Tiller's scheme at the Gazelle River, survived the Floating King Roman, and even took the head of the 4th Apostle. Those rumors have spread across the entire continent, and requests for the Frost-Flower Sword Hero have been pouring in like a flood."
"Then why are we only getting a mission now...?"
"Squad Leader Rimer cut them all off in the middle. He said this was a time to build up your inner strength."
"Ah..."
Raon leaned back, bracing a hand behind him, and let out a light breath.
Honestly.
He just couldn't bring himself to hate the man.
Watching the things Rimer did made him want to punch him, but then he'd show that occasional seriousness, and it became impossible to dislike him.
"I see."
Raon nodded after reading through the entire document.
This should be fine.
Whether it was the White Blood Cult, the Black Tower, or a human-trafficking ring, giving the Light Wind Squad some real combat experience after so long wouldn't be a bad thing.
"We'll accept the mission."
"WOOOOOOOO!"
"A mission! A mission!"
"We're finally free from hell!"
"We're going outside!"
The Light Wind Squad members threw their arms in the air and erupted in cheers at the thought that they wouldn't have to train anymore.
"Y-your squad members are certainly energetic."
Chad swallowed dryly as he watched the excited Light Wind Squad.
"It's been a while since their last mission. They seem thrilled."
Raon smiled faintly as he looked at them.
"Ah, this is a gift."
Chad held out a box wrapped in luxurious paper.
"This is..."
"Please don't feel burdened. It's just a dessert that's popular in the southern regions."
"A dessert?"
"Yes. A cookie made of meringue with cream sandwiched in between. They're called macarons."
In truth, this dessert had been sent to Alisa, the former head of the Biyeon Assembly — but Chad had stolen it to get on Raon's good side.
"Ah, thank you. I should give you something in return..."
"No need!"
Chad waved his hands when Raon started looking around as if searching for a reciprocal gift.
"I only brought it as a greeting, since this is our first meeting. There's no need for that."
"Even so..."
"It's truly fine. Then I'll take my leave."
He bowed to the protesting Raon and left the Fifth Training Ground.
"Whew..."
Chad turned back to look at the door of the Fifth Training Ground and let out a low sigh.
That should have made a decent first impression, right?
He'd been polite, hadn't talked down to him, given a thorough explanation, and even brought a gift. It wasn't perfect, but it shouldn't have left any negative impression at all.
I need to keep building a relationship of trust going forward.
He was certain. The person he needed to get on the best terms with in this house wasn't any of the palace masters or squad leaders. It was the vice-leader of this small Light Wind Squad.
"Heh heh."
Chad patted his own shoulders in satisfaction and headed back to the Biyeon Assembly. For some reason, he felt like things were going to go well today.
Raon narrowed his eyes as he looked at the gift Chad had left behind.
Chad, head of the Biyeon Assembly...
Someone to be careful of.
The Biyeon Assembly was the backbone of Zieghart's power — a group of true power brokers. If its leader was treating a mere vice-leader of a combat unit this cautiously, he clearly had an ulterior motive.
There's also a chance he was sent by the Heavy Martial Palace or Jinmu Hall.
The people who hated him most in Zieghart were Karun and Balder. It occurred to him that Chad might have been given a secret order by one of those two and assigned this mission accordingly.
I absolutely cannot let my guard down.
The people you had to be most careful of were the ones who approached you with a smile. Until he knew Chad's true intentions, he would have to stay on his guard.
Cancel the rest day. Tomorrow we train again...
"Hey!"
Wrath grabbed his sleeve, scowling.
"Forget the training and take out that dessert first! The matang!"
They're macarons.
"Whatever! Just show me. This King wishes to know what they look like!"
You just want to eat them, that's why you're asking to see them.
Raon shook his head. The inside of that guy's head was an open book.
"Urgh. If you're not going to eat ice cream, then at least eat something like this! This King has the right to eat delicious things too! Don't you know about human rights?!"
A Demon King talking about human rights. Go back to your own neighborhood.
Raon snorted a laugh as he watched Wrath grind his teeth.
"That's racial discrimination!"