The Swamp's Tide
Dorian looked back over his shoulder, his lips trembling.
"I didn't do anything! I swear! That skull split open all on its own!"
He waved his hands wildly, insisting he had absolutely nothing to do with the Death Knight's shattered skull.
Burren pointed at Wigen's throne, which had been crushed like scrap iron.
"Didn't it break when Raon smashed the chair earlier?"
"Ah, that's right! The vice-leader smashed it!"
Dorian nodded so fast his head might have come off.
"Back in his King of Destruction days, the vice-leader used to smash everything whenever he got mad! Looks like it got caught in that again!"
He jumped on Burren's explanation as if he had no intention of letting the chance slip away.
Marta climbed onto the dais, curiosity flickering in her eyes.
"No."
She checked the pulverized remains of the Death Knight's skull and shook her head.
"That monster's strength is brutally high, sure — but this was broken by a different power."
"She's right."
Runaan, who had somehow already made it onto the dais, gave a small nod.
"There was an explosion from the inside just now."
She poked at the powder that had once been the Death Knight's skull with a tree branch she'd picked up somewhere, and smacked her lips.
"Eeeek…"
Dorian went deathly pale at Marta and Runaan's testimony.
"Please spare me!"
He dropped straight to his knees and bowed his head to the floor.
Raon wasn't looking at Dorian. His eyes narrowed on the skull powder Runaan was prodding with the branch.
Runaan's right. The Death Aura that had flared from inside the skull had incinerated the bone down to nothing.
What he couldn't understand was why that death energy had appeared so suddenly.
Wrath.
Why are you calling This King?
Wrath drifted out of the bracelet, yawning as if the whole affair were a chore.
Do you know why Death Aura exploded from that skull?
There is nothing This King does not know.
Then why—
The moment Raon started to ask for the reason, Wrath wiggled a round little hand.
Hm?
What comes in must go out, as they say. This place is famous for grape and blueberry dishes, is it not? First, a sandwich spread with grape jam, and a pie filled with blueberries…
Wrath hummed as he listed off every local specialty. It was honestly impressive how he'd already heard of them all and committed them to memory.
I'll eat it all.
He had no real choice, so he nodded.
Twice!
Fine. Now explain.
Ahem!
Wrath cleared his throat for no reason at all and lifted his gaze.
The death energy erupted from the Death Knight's skull because the connection was severed.
The connection was severed? Then that means…
Precisely so. It means someone else summoned that Death Knight.
Ah…
Raon looked at Wrath and nodded slowly.
That does make more sense. The idea that someone had intervened was far more plausible than the Swamp of Death suddenly changing after remaining static for hundreds of years since the First Clan Head.
Who summoned the Death Knight?
This King does not know.
Then where is the summoner? Are they at that pillar we went to?
They might be there. They might not.
What?
A simple manipulation like this can be performed from a great distance. In other words, This King does not know either.
Because the connection with the Death Knight had been cut, Wrath said, the location couldn't be determined.
You just said there was nothing you didn't know.
This is the only thing This King does not know!
He puffed up a nose that didn't even exist and declared his ignorance with complete, unshakable confidence.
"Hah…"
Raon sighed and shook his head.
Starting tomorrow, meals are Nadin Bread.
W-what kind of nonsense is that! Where did the blueberry pie go!
Eat Nadin Bread. You don't know a single important thing.
He couldn't understand why Wrath had pretended to know everything when he knew neither the location nor the identity.
You already know that This King does not know well! This is a very important factor—
Be quiet.
Raon shoved the flailing Wrath aside and looked at the House Arian emblem embedded in the wall.
Come to think of it…
Hearing that someone else had summoned the Death Knight brought back the information he'd received from Judiel.
She said they fought a Lich.
Hundreds of years ago, in the Swamp of Death, the First Clan Head of Zieghart and the founding head of House Arian had joined forces to fight not a Death Knight, but an Arch Lich.
Raon turned that information over in his mind as he approached Wigen, who was crumpled in the corner.
"Wigen Arian."
"W-what is it, sir!"
Thanks to Marta's beating, the honorifics came out at once.
"Tell me about the time the First Clan Head of Zieghart and the founding head of House Arian fought the Arch Lich."
"Pardon?"
"Tell me the history of how this family was founded."
"I-I don't really know that…"
"Ha."
Raon let out a hollow laugh.
Well. It would be weirder if he knew. A family head who didn't even know his own family's history. No wonder House Arian had fallen into this wretched state.
"I know about that."
Veinder, still kneeling behind them, raised a hand.
"You know? Didn't you say you came from outside?"
"That's exactly why I had to know even better."
Veinder nodded, rubbing his bruised eye socket.
"To summarize, young master Raon is correct. The First Clan Heads of Zieghart and Arian, together with their subordinates, fought through countless undead and defeated the Arch Lich at the far end of the Swamp of Death."
He continued in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Afterward, the First Clan Head of Zieghart asked the founding head of House Arian to guard this place so that such a thing would never happen again. And so…"
Veinder shared several more facts about House Arian's history. Surprisingly, he knew the family quite well.
"And the person who knew all that never once went on patrol?"
"Knowing and doing are different things."
Wigen, who knew nothing, and Veinder, who knew and still did nothing — both of them were thoroughly pathetic.
"This bastard still hasn't learned!"
Marta leaped down from the dais and drove a kick straight into him.
CRACK!
With a sound like armor crumpling, Veinder slammed into the wall.
"You slimy bastards!"
Leaving Marta to beat the officers all over again, Raon tapped his sword sheath.
Once things are settled here, I should go to the swamp even if I have to go alone. Given that Wrath hadn't said a word about it, the one who summoned the Death Knight probably hadn't been in the Swamp of Death at the time.
But looking at how they'd crushed the Death Knight's skull, they might return to the swamp and cause an even bigger problem.
He needed to search the swamp himself before leaving House Arian.
Before that…
Raon turned around and clapped his hands.
"Assemble."
At that single word, the Light Wind Squad members who'd been sprawled all over the place gathered with chilly looks in their eyes.
"Time to keep a promise."
"Promise?"
"What promise?"
The Light Wind Squad tilted their heads, wondering what on earth he was talking about.
"You guys didn't catch the Death Knight."
"Hey, how were we supposed to catch that!"
"It kept getting stronger — we could barely hold on!"
"Meanie…"
Burren, Marta, and Runaan all shook their heads, insisting it had been impossible from the start.
"I caught it, though. In one hit, at that."
He shrugged, and the Light Wind Squad clamped their mouths shut, their shoulders trembling.
"Don't worry. It won't be a particularly hard training."
Raon looked at the Light Wind Squad and Mark Goetten with a chilling smile.
Audience Chamber of the Lord's Manor of Zieghart.
Roen set a white teacup on the round table before the throne.
"This is tea brewed from Barens leaves."
He poured the tea, a vermilion hue blooming through the water, and offered a faint smile. A sweet fragrance unfurled with the sound of the leaves steeping.
"Barens? You changed the tea leaves?"
Glenn lowered his gaze to the tea, which was gradually deepening in color.
"Yes. Tea brewed from Barens has a calming effect on the mind."
"The previous one wasn't bad."
"You've seemed unable to sleep lately, so I thought I'd try a change."
Roen set down the teaspoon he'd been stirring with and smiled faintly.
"Hm. Is that so."
"Yes. Drinking this tea should ease your worries about the young masters who went to House Arian, even if only a little."
"Ahem!"
Glenn coughed loudly and waved a hand.
"W-what are you talking about. That's a test. I don't care what happens to them!"
"For someone who doesn't care…"
Roen shrugged and pointed at the window to the right.
"You've been staring out that window all day lately. If you're going to do that, it wouldn't hurt to go check on them yourself."
"Nngh…"
Glenn frowned as if considering it, then felt a smile creeping into Roen's eyes and slammed the armrest.
"I told you! I don't care what happens to Raon."
"Heh heh."
Roen nodded with a light chuckle.
"To be honest, I'm a little curious myself whether young master Raon will grasp the true intent of this mission."
"Hmph."
Glenn's gaze settled as he drank his tea.
"A squad must take on missions they judge and act on themselves. I granted them authority. If they can't handle this, it means they aren't yet vessels capable of running a squad."
"Ah, so you were worried about whether young master Raon could take charge of the squad and run it properly."
"Nngh, I said that's not it!"
He waved his hand as if he truly didn't care. He couldn't, however, hide the sweat beading on the back of that same hand.
Roen looked at Glenn's hand and smiled thinly.
"I have a feeling young master Raon will overhaul House Arian and come back…"
Just as he was saying Raon would complete the mission well and return, the arched doors of the audience chamber burst open.
A red-haired elf standing in the doorway strode into the hall as if it were his own room.
"You're both here!"
Rimer's hair was a wild mess, and his clothes were as tattered as Pedrick's rags. But his eyes were as clear and still as a mountain lake.
"Hmph…"
Glenn looked Rimer up and down in his beggar's state, tapping the throne's armrest with a finger.
He's starting to look… like himself again, perhaps.
Even having come out of that cave, the presence he gave off was on a completely different level than before. His artificial dantian had stabilized, and the young energies within it had settled into their proper places.
It was enough to recall the Rimer who had once been called the Sword of Light, and a small smile formed.
"The kids weren't at the training ground. Where'd they go?"
"Since you wouldn't come out, I issued them the second test."
"Huh?"
Rimer gasped and hopped in place.
"Really?"
"Yes. You took too long—"
"Wow, what a relief!"
He patted his chest and grinned.
"The training was actually over, but I couldn't be bothered to go on a mission! I was wondering what to do — and it's all done already!"
Rimer hummed, declaring it had been well worth dragging things out on purpose.
"Heh heh heh…"
Roen let out his characteristic laugh, as if he'd already predicted Rimer's future, and stepped back.
"My lord."
Rimer took another step toward the now-quiet Glenn.
"Honestly, Raon can handle most missions on his own. If you leave him be, he'll take care of it and come back."
He smiled, lacing his fingers behind his head.
"Hah…"
Glenn forced himself to stop the hand that had been about to leave, and let out a sigh.
"Even so, you're the squad leader. You said you wanted to become a division leader someday — so go now, even at this late hour."
"Eeeh?"
Rimer dragged the word out, clearly annoyed.
"Welleeell, House Arian is pretty far, and it's sticky, and the humidity is high, so it's not really my taste…"
Just as he shrugged, making his refusal perfectly clear, crimson lightning began to spark across the ceiling of the audience chamber.
"Uh…?"
Rimer's mouth fell open as he watched sparks tear through space.
"R-right after I came out?"
"I was wrong. You haven't changed at all."
The moment Glenn's expression froze over, the lightning filling the audience chamber's ceiling came crashing down.
BOOM!
In that instant, Rimer's eyes flashed. Wind coiled around his right hand, lightning around his left, and he thrust both hands toward the falling thunderbolt.
CRACKLE!
The moment he met the lightning, he spread his hands like a fan, splitting Glenn's thunder in two and scattering it into the earth.
HISSS!
The floor where Glenn's lightning had flowed was scorched black.
"Kyaaah!"
Rimer looked at both hands and let out a refreshing cry.
"I only ever pictured it in my head — but it actually works!"
He grinned, absorbing the remnants of Glenn's lightning still lingering in his body.
"Heh. Heh. Heh…"
Roen's laughter broke off in pieces; even he hadn't expected this.
"Hmph."
Glenn, not particularly surprised, looked at Rimer's hands and smiled faintly.
"Now you're somewhat presentable. Though honestly, it's far too la—"
"Looks like you've gotten old too, my lord. It didn't even tingle that much."
Rimer laughed heartily with his arms crossed. The arrogantly curled corner of his mouth was a bonus.
"At this rate, maybe I should take over as clan head?"
At those words, a vein popped on Glenn's forehead. He closed his mouth and raised his hand.
RUMBLE!
Lightning incomparably more intense than before began to gather on the ceiling.
"Uh…"
Rimer looked up, his jaw trembling.
"I-I was joking. I can't block that…"
He slowly backed away, then spun around. The instant he tried to flee the Lord's Manor at full speed, the lightning flashed.
KRA-KOOM!
Before he could even react, the thunderbolt slammed into Rimer's abdomen.
"GYAAAAAH!"
Rimer rolled across the floor, fried by the lightning.
CRACKLE!
But Glenn's hand still hadn't fully come down.
"I suppose one strike won't do, now that I'm old."
"W-wait a second…"
Rimer's jaw chattered as he stared at the swelling sphere of lightning.
"There is no 'wait.'"
"GYAAAAAH!"
That day, thunder and screams erupted endlessly from the Lord's Manor.
Raon stood on the western wall, looking down at House Arian.
Many people were moving busily, but the faint anxiety that had hung in the air when they first arrived was gone.
It's changed a lot.
A week had passed since House Arian's family head had changed.
The first task Wendy Ariane had chosen upon taking the position of acting family head was an apology. She gathered everyone in the family, laid out everything that had happened, and formally asked for forgiveness.
Wendy had even laid bare her own faults, but the people of the family neither cursed nor slandered her. They knew how Wendy had lived until now, so they cheered her on instead.
Of course, those who'd followed Wigen and the officers had put up a fight — but they went quiet in the face of Marta's fists.
Seeing that, I knew I'd picked well. Even with all the family's officers being cursed, she alone received support. Wendy's character and sense of responsibility were the real thing.
The second task Wendy had chosen was reorganizing the family's defenses.
That was your suggestion, was it not.
Wrath snorted.
That's right.
Raon nodded. Because the one who'd summoned the Death Knight might target this place again, he'd had the family's warriors trained and the defensive equipment repaired.
Only a week had passed, so there was still a mountain of work left — but the faces of the people doing it were full of vitality.
BOOOOM!
As he watched people working, dripping with hot sweat, a thunderous roar erupted from the Swamp of Death.
Raon turned around at his leisure. On the violently churning swamp, the Light Wind Squad operating the Great Light Wind Formation and Mark Goetten, who had raised his Ganggi, were locked in combat.
CLANG! CRAAASH!
The Light Wind Squad and Mark Goetten poured sword strikes packed with everything they had at each other, as if they'd met mortal enemies.
They're fighting properly.
Of course they are, when you take the losing side and train them all night!
Wrath glared at him as if he couldn't believe it.
That's a good thing.
Good for you, maybe!
He shook his head, telling him not to talk nonsense.
Humans are not training-obsessed freaks like you!
I'm not a freak.
Raon chuckled and looked down inward. Yua and Julius were doing stamina training in the swamp.
This is the perfect place to train. Opportunities to train in a swamp were rare. Since they'd come all this way, he intended to acclimate everyone to the wetlands and build their stamina as well.
Well, that much isn't wro—
Hm?
Wrath stopped mid-sentence and looked far into the distance.
What?
Call them.
What?
Call all those frail things up here!
He didn't know why — but if Wrath was this startled, it wasn't an ordinary matter. Raon poured everything into the Sense of Frost Flowers and looked down.
"Everyone, get up here!"
"Huh?"
"Vice-leader? What did you say?"
They'd never stopped training midway before, so everyone stared blankly in his direction.
"Everyone get up to the castle… ah!"
Raon looked toward the Swamp of Death and swallowed dryly. In the distance, a massive tsunami was approaching. There wouldn't even be time to open and close the gates.
"Damn it!"
He leaped straight off the wall and scooped Yua and Julius under his arms.
"If you don't want to die, run up here now!"
With that, he kicked off the wall and climbed back up.
"W-what is it!"
"Why's he suddenly like that?"
"Just get up there!"
The Light Wind Squad, though startled, followed Raon up the wall. Less than a minute after everyone had landed on the ramparts, a colossal shadow fell across the pale mist.
"W-what is that…"
"The swamp! It's the swamp!"
"A swamp tsunami…"
A massive tidal wave, as if the entire Swamp of Death had been lifted from its bed, was bearing down on the walls. At this rate, the castle itself would be swept away and vanish.
WHOOOOSH!
Raon bit his lip and drew Glacia's energy to its absolute peak. He condensed the frost until his entire body turned white, then stretched his hand toward the oncoming mud tsunami.
If it was Wrath's technique…