Just Twenty-Five Meters
Raon packed his belongings at the inn and made his way to the entrance of Weathers Village. Under Henderson's direction, the iron gate and walls that had been smashed apart were now repaired to a clean finish.
We can head back now.
No enemies or monsters were drawing near the village. The people had found a measure of calm, and Henderson would be staying behind. There was nothing left to keep them.
The drake's disappearance meant monsters might eventually move in to fill the vacancy, but that was a problem for much later. Once they returned, he intended to ask the Sepia Merchant Guild to dispatch martial artists.
That, at least, had been the plan.
While he waited for Dorian in front of the iron gate, Wrath's voice rose from somewhere that felt like the bottom of a pit.
"I-I should have specified specialty products, not raspberry pie and stewed chestnuts. That's what I should have done..."
How long are you going to keep this up?
Ever since Lucy, the village chief's granddaughter, had handed over raspberry macarons and candied chestnuts, Wrath had been repeating those same words like a parrot with a broken spring.
This had gone well past sulking. The little tyrant had simply taken leave of his senses.
"I should have specified specialty products, not raspberry pie and stewed chestnuts..."
Hey...
"A new product, of all times. The world clearly despises This King..."
Kh-hhk!
He had been certain he would win the wager, only to lose it to what he insisted was the world's own spite, and now his eyes were swimming with tears.
A little pitiful, actually.
Watching a creature who sang hymns to food as naturally as breathing reduced to this state, Raon felt a faint twinge of sympathy.
I can't really give him the macarons...
He supposed he would have to buy the glutton some mint chocolate once they got back.
He had promised Denning Rose he would bring the village's specialty products, which meant the macarons were off-limits. He made up his mind to buy Wrath whatever he wanted to eat after they returned to the Sepia Merchant Guild.
"Vice Leader!"
He was still giving Wrath's sniffling head a few consoling pats when Dorian burst out of the inn.
"I'm all packed!"
Dorian grinned, rubbing his belly pouch with both hands.
It was still hard to believe that an eight-horse carriage and a drake stretching nearly thirty-five meters were stuffed inside that tiny pouch.
"Then let's go."
Raon gave a short huff of a laugh and jerked his chin toward the gate.
"We're leaving without even saying goodbye?"
Dorian glanced back at the village, tilting his head.
"What, you want to make a production of it?"
"That's not it. A goodbye, at least..."
"We've already been thanked more than enough. Better to slip out quietly than put more weight on people who are still hurting."
"Yeees..."
Dorian's answer dragged out, clearly not to his liking.
Raon tapped him on the shoulder and was about to vault the wall when a cluster of presences stirred behind them.
"Benefactor!"
"I knew it!"
"You're just leaving after all!"
Villagers still wrapped in bandages poured out in a rush and came running toward Raon and Dorian.
"You truly came like the wind and leave like the wind. Thank you. There is nothing else I can say."
The village chief pressed his lips tight and bent at the waist.
"Thank you!"
The others followed their chief and bowed their heads. Even without looking at their faces, the thick tremor in their voices said everything about how they regarded him.
Raon returned the greeting with a smile.
"Please take care of yourselves and recover well."
"Nnh..."
"Benefactor..."
He had only said what he meant, without any attempt at humility, and yet the villagers seemed even more moved by it. They bit down on their lips.
"At times like this he's so clean and normal — so why does he lose his mind every now and th—"
"Hiek!"
Dorian's muttering drifted from behind. The moment Raon turned a look on him, the boy flinched and shuffled backward.
"Benefactor!"
A child's voice pulled his gaze up. Lucy, the village chief's granddaughter who had given him the raspberry macarons earlier, was running toward them with two baskets in her arms.
"H-here. Please take these."
A sweet, bright fragrance drifted up from the baskets.
"It's raspberry pie."
"Pie? Why this?"
"You seemed to like it so much when I gave you the macarons, so I got these ready."
Lucy ducked her head, shy.
Liked it, did I...
He had only covered his mouth to laugh at Wrath. Apparently she had taken that for delight.
"GRAAAAAAAH!"
Wrath shoved his face into the basket and screamed.
"Why are you giving this to us NOW?! You should have given it earlier! That girl is surely an apostle of the gods! She's mocking This King!"
Declaring that the gods' apostle had to be destroyed, he twisted his plump cotton-candy body this way and that.
"Thank you."
Raon kicked the thrashing Wrath aside and accepted the baskets of raspberry pie.
"It's nothing. J-just eat it while it's still good."
Lucy shook her head with a smile.
"I'll come by again."
Raon looked once more through the villagers' eyes — every one of them full of gratitude — then turned his back.
"Take care! I'll definitely come back!"
Dorian offered a bright farewell of his own and fell in behind him.
"You really will come back, right?"
"Yeah."
Raon huffed a quiet laugh and nodded at Dorian.
"Hhk! I should have specified specialty products, not raspberry pie and stewed chestnuts..."
There he goes again.
Even after they left the village, Wrath's muttering went on without a pause. Judging by the state of him, this was going to last for days.
"Vice Leader."
They had left the village behind and were about to mount up when Dorian drew up beside him.
"There are two pies. How about we eat one while it's still warm?"
"R-raspberry pie and stewed chestnuts, not specialty pro—"
The instant Dorian suggested eating the pie, Wrath's wailing cut off as if a string had been snipped. The vacant gaze that had been aimed at the sky slid, ever so slightly, in their direction.
Don't tell me...
The very raspberry pie that had reduced him to this state — and now his appetite was stirring?
Raon let out a dry laugh and opened one of the baskets. He handed Dorian a pie that had been sliced into five pieces, then picked up a second slice for himself.
Gulp.
The sound of Wrath swallowing thundered in his ear like a drum.
This Demon King, honestly...
Raon shook his head and put the raspberry pie in his mouth.
The crust was still warm, shattering with a satisfying crunch, and the sweetness of juice-laden raspberries coiled around his tongue and refused to let go. Toasted almonds rounded it all off with a clean, nutty finish.
A smile rose on its own. It was the kind of taste that made it obvious why word of this specialty had traveled so far.
"Heeeeh..."
At the laugh thick with delight, Raon glanced over.
Focus had returned to those vacant eyes, and the corners of Wrath's mouth were climbing as if they meant to reach the sky.
"It's delicious."
Watching him grin with both hands wrapped around his chubby cheeks, Raon could only stare.
What even is this guy?
Is this really the Monarch of Wrath?
Rimer sauntered up to the Annex as if he had all the idle time in the world.
He gave the door a light knock, and Helen, the head maid, opened it.
"Light Wind Squad Leader?"
"Hello there."
Rimer beamed and waved.
"It's been a while. What brings you to the Annex?"
"Is Lady Sylvia in?"
"Ah — please wait a moment."
Helen bowed and disappeared down the inner corridor.
"Been a while since I last came inside."
Rimer looked around the Annex with a smile.
Hard to believe that ice-cold brat came out of a place this warm.
The moment he stepped through the door, he could feel it — of everywhere in Zieghart, this was the warmest corner of the house.
That a monster of a child like Raon had been born in a nest this gentle still struck him as faintly absurd.
"Oh? Swordsman Rimer!"
"It's the elf mister!"
Julius and Yua, passing through the corridor, stopped at the sight of him.
They had run into each other often enough on the days the two of them skipped training to go play with Roen, and a comfortable familiarity had grown between them.
"What are you doing here?"
Both children looked up at him, heads tilted.
"Well..."
"Sir Rimer."
Before he could answer, Sylvia came walking from the far end of the hall.
"Have you come because of Raon?"
"No. That's not it."
Rimer shook his head lightly.
"I see."
Sylvia lowered her gaze with an expression that could have been relief or disappointment — it was hard to tell which.
"You're calmer than I expected."
Rimer studied her settled eyes and smiled faintly.
"I thought you'd be shaking with worry."
"Of course I'm worried. He was kidnapped not long ago. How could I not be?"
Sylvia let out a low breath.
"But I can't keep him tucked under my arm forever, and my worrying doesn't change anything. The only thing I can do is believe in him, so that he can set his own heart at ease."
She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them. Those crimson irises, as if a pair of rubies had been carved into shape, shone with a quiet, unyielding light.
Rimer met that gaze and smiled.
She's changed.
Back when Raon was a trainee, she had begged through tears for someone to please just look after her boy. Now she worried — but she trusted him, fully and without flinching.
Raon had grown taller. Sylvia's heart, it seemed, had grown with him.
Looking at her like this, they're the same.
She could seem fragile, but that look in her eyes was Glenn's. It was Raon's. No matter what anyone said, they were family, and nothing could be done about it.
"Don't worry too much."
Rimer smiled at her.
"He's not the type to go around getting himself beaten. You heard he thrashed Garona and Cadis, didn't you? He's prepared for another kidnapping besides. You can set your mind at rest."
"Hearing you say that does put me a little more at ease."
Sylvia smiled softly and nodded.
"If it isn't about Raon, then why have you come to the Annex?"
"Ah. Because of these two."
Rimer pointed down at Yua and Julius, who were still standing there in a daze.
"I intend to scout these little ones into the Light Wind Squad."
"Scout?"
"The Light Wind Squad?"
Yua tilted her head. Julius's eyes caught fire at the name.
"That's right. You'd be joining the Light Wind Squad — the one with Raon, who saved you. Well? Sound good?"
"Wow! I want to go!"
"Please let me join!"
Yua's hand shot into the air. Julius seized Rimer's sleeve and shook it.
"Heh heh heh! That's it, that's it. First let's get your seals on the contract."
Wearing an expression that anyone alive would have called a swindler's, Rimer clamped down on Yua's and Julius's hands.
"W-wait a moment!"
Sylvia cut in in a hurry, putting herself between Rimer and the children.
That look in his eyes was far too strange.
It was the face of a man who had lost his mind to gambling. Before she knew it, she had stepped in front of the children.
"J-just what are you planning to do with them?"
"I wanted a little help, first of all."
Rimer shrugged, glancing at Yua and Julius.
"The old man in rags will be bringing some children soon."
"You mean the Saint?"
"Yes. The children coming with him are badly hurt — in the heart, more than anything. I was hoping Yua and Julius might help them."
He looked at Julius and Yua with a gaze that had gone somewhat bitter.
"I see. But then why bring up the Light Wind Squad with Yua and Julius...?"
"Ah. That part's real too."
Rimer ruffled Yua's and Julius's hair, grinning.
"The moment Raon gets back, the Light Wind Squad will be promoted to the Light Wind Division."
A bone-chilling roar tore through the underground cavern of House Robert, where the shadows were raised — a sound as if the continent itself were splitting apart.
It was Derus Robert stamping his foot, his face flushed a deep and violent red. He had merely pressed the ground beneath his heel, and yet a vast hole of unfathomable depth had opened in the floor.
"Huu..."
Even that was not enough to bleed the rage out of him. Derus clenched his fists until they split. The red that welled from the backs of his hands and from his palms dripped into the black pit below.
"My lord."
As Derus drew his foot back to stamp again, Rezel stepped from the darkness and dropped to one knee.
"Did you find out?"
"Yes."
Rezel nodded and lifted his gaze. A red current of killing intent seethed in Derus's eyes.
That look alone could kill a man.
The recent losses had been catastrophic. It was not only Loctan and the Poison Men — even the informants sent to gather intelligence had vanished without a trace. Derus's fury was no mystery. No: it was because he was Derus that he was holding it in at all. Anyone else would already have exploded.
"It was not Raon who was there. It was the freaks of the Black Tower."
"The Black Tower?"
"Yes. They appear to have been after the drake. The Black Water Chief's corpse and traces of the rest have been confirmed."
"Hah..."
Derus let out a hollow laugh, his gaze dropping.
"So they failed to catch Raon Zieghart as ordered, and picked a war with the Black Tower instead?"
"So it would seem."
Rezel nodded, his lips trembling. He had served Derus for a long time, but it had been a very long while since the man had put out killing intent of this weight.
"And Raon Zieghart?"
"He arrived late and finished off the exhausted Black Water Chief and Loctan. He saved the people, and even took the drake's corpse besides..."
"Huuuuu..."
Derus tipped his head back toward the blackened ceiling and let out a long, deep breath.
"Khahahahaha!"
He dragged a blood-slick hand up his forehead and burst into wild laughter.
"I cannot tell whether he is lucky, or whether he is toying with the world itself. I still cannot form a proper judgment of that one."
Derus Robert lowered his head. The eyes that had been packed with rage and murder cooled, sudden as a sheet of ice.
"My lord?"
"Do not clash with Raon Zieghart for a while. Gather information instead. Use the northern line. Collect everything on him, from the day he was born until now."
"Understood."
Rezel swallowed a dry throat and nodded.
A faint smile touched Derus's mouth as he flicked the blood running from the wound on his hand down into the black hole.
Before returning to the Sepia Merchant Guild, Raon headed first for the black market in Lokan. Following the path he had been shown the first time, he came to a small room where Denning Rose was waiting.
"You've worked hard. And..."
Denning Rose rose from her seat and bowed. It was a posture that held courtesy and self-respect in equal measure.
"Thank you for avenging Ferenc."
It was a name he was hearing for the first time, but he knew at once who she meant. The agent who, even after being struck by dark mana, had held on to the end and delivered the intelligence on the Black Tower.
"He will be able to rest in peace now."
A deep grief lived under the calm of her voice. The man called Ferenc had clearly been someone she cherished.
"I only met him once, and briefly at that, but he was a man worthy of respect."
Raon lowered his eyes as he spoke. It was not courtesy. Enduring with the Carbon Cultivation Method while afflicted by dark mana was a feat he was not certain even he could manage now.
"It happened because of us. We're sorry."
"I-I'm sorry."
Raon and Dorian both bowed their heads.
"Please don't. He took a commission, and he did his work. In the end the people were saved as well. He would have been satisfied."
Denning Rose smiled faintly, telling them not to say such things. The composure that settled over her in an instant was exactly what one would expect of the Black Market Master's successor.
"Please, sit."
At her gesture, they took the chairs across from her.
"We intend to protect Weathers Village for a while. The drake that reigned over that mountain range like a king is gone, which means monsters may well try to fill the gap."
"I see."
Denning Rose had arrived at the same thought he had.
That makes it easier to leave.
True to an organization built by people crushed to the bottom of society, the black market seemed to put people first. Of course, they might take the distribution rights to the village's raspberries and chestnuts in return — but that would be a gain for both sides.
"Dorian."
Raon called his name and tipped his head.
"Yes."
Dorian understood at once. He reached into his belly pouch and set a basket and a box on the table.
"This is..."
"What I promised. And..."
Raon smiled faintly and opened the lids. The raspberry macarons and raspberry pie they had received in Weathers Village came into view.
"These are what we were able to protect, thanks to the Branch Manager and her agents."
"Is that so."
Denning Rose smiled and put a slice of pie in her mouth. Her eyes went as round as moons. She had clearly not expected it to taste like this.
"I-it's delicious. The crust is still crisp, and the sweet fruit is overflowing!"
"Try a macaron as well. They said it's a new product that hasn't been released yet."
"A new product..."
The pie had clearly agreed with her; her eyes sparkled as they found the macarons. She reached for one without delay and bit into it.
"Th-this is delicious too. No — honestly, this is more my taste. The macarons they make these days are cloyingly sweet, but this isn't a harsh sweetness. The bright fruit and the bread-soft macaron are in such harmony it feels completely fresh. It's far better than anything a pâtissier in a city like Camelun or Lokan could—"
She broke off with a small choke. Color flooded her face as she found Raon and Dorian staring at her with their mouths open.
"You seem to be fond of desserts."
Raon smiled, watching the macaron tremble in her fingers.
So she isn't completely without openings.
He had taken her for someone forged of iron, too sharp and too composed. Watching her blush and try to put the taste of a dessert into words, she finally looked her age.
"This King likes it too. Just one—"
You stay out of this.
He gave a light shove to Wrath, who had latched on demanding a macaron.
"I-I like them a little."
Denning Rose answered with her head down. The tips of her ears had gone red.
"Th-the other heirs of the Sepia Merchant Guild are each returning with what they found as well!"
The change of subject could not have been more obvious, but Raon huffed a laugh and let it pass.
"Do you know what they brought?"
"Yes. Of course."
Denning Rose nodded and set the half-eaten macaron aside. Her gaze kept drifting; she was clearly holding herself back from finishing it.
"Th-there's some left, isn't there. This King also..."
Wrath whining at his side and Denning Rose unable to tear her eyes from the dessert would, he thought, have gotten along rather well.
"The third child, Phalen Sefia, obtained top-grade claws, fangs, and a horn. The second, Dialun Sefia, is bringing back an entire taxidermied drake. And the first, Jeser Sepia..."
Denning Rose's gaze shifted to Dorian. She swallowed once and went on.
"He's capturing a drake. A special one, he said, and bringing it back."
"A special drake? Like the one we took?"
"Yes. A wind-attribute drake, I was told. I didn't hear the exact size of the one in the Zamari Mountain Range, but it's supposed to be enormous. I wasn't sure whether he could even win..."
"How big?"
"I heard it was over twenty-five meters. A drake that size is truly uncommon."
Raon and Dorian looked at each other. The corners of both mouths curled up.
"Twenty-five meters?"
"Twenty-five meters, huh..."
That was all?