The Golden Fishbowl
Before leaping down from the castle wall, Raon gestured toward the table where the Light Wind Squad sat.
"I'll be right back. Just stepping outside for a bit."
"The festival's about to start, though?"
"Where do you think you're going?"
"To see a crocodile."
He told them the truth — he was going to meet a crocodile.
"Huuuh?"
"A crocodile?"
"What kind of insane thing are you saying now?!"
Burren, Runaan, and Marta all stared at him with their eyes wide, and the other swordsmen of the Light Wind Squad demanded to know what he meant. He gave them no answer and descended the wall.
He crossed the swamp as if it were solid ground and came to a halt before the crocodile. The creature gestured as if telling him to follow, then turned and started walking.
A gesture, huh…
Crocodiles were surprisingly intelligent animals. They were said to be the brightest of all reptiles, but there was no world in which one would wave a human along and then lead the way. That was Merlin. Obviously.
"Haa."
Raon let out a sigh and followed the sway of Merlin's tail into a thicket of vines.
A low growl rolled from the crocodile's throat. It slipped into a place hidden from every watching eye, then stopped and turned around.
Huuuh!
Wrath trembled from head to toe as he stared at the crocodile, having forgotten even his hunger.
This King cannot even imagine what insane thing that madwoman has done this time…
Yeah. He wondered what she was going to say.
Merlin had told him before that Eden's executives each carried out their own missions and knew little of one another's work. She might not have known that Manghongwi would strike House Arian. It left him in an awkward place — he could neither trust her nor dismiss her outright.
"Raon."
Merlin lifted her gaze and rolled her reptilian eyes.
"How's the injury?"
"Injury?"
"The place that damn skull-faced bastard hurt. Has it healed?"
Whether she had known from the start or not, Merlin was aware that Manghongwi had attacked. She held out a front paw, asking him to tell her if anywhere still hurt.
"I'm fine now."
Raon waved her off, saying he had fully recovered.
"But you, this time…"
He had been about to ask her about Manghongwi's raid when she lowered her head first. Even in the body of a crocodile, the posture was unmistakably a bow.
"I'm truly sorry."
She said she had nothing she could say for herself about what had happened, and let out a deep breath.
"What are you sorry for?"
Raon bent his knees until his eyes were level with hers.
"I couldn't warn you in advance that Manghongwi was going to attack. I found out too late."
Tears welled and fell as she confessed that she had given him no information and had not been at his side when it mattered most.
Crocodile tears, huh…
They said you should never trust a crocodile's tears. And coincidentally, Merlin was a crocodile at the moment, so the old phrase for a hypocrite rose unbidden in his mind. Still, she had helped him too many times for him to suspect her without reservation.
"Did you know Manghongwi was going to attack?"
"No."
Merlin shook her trembling head.
"Originally, that skull-face's mission was to taint the jewel recovered from the Swamp of Death with death energy and then return. Attacking House Arian and trying to kill you was his own decision."
She raked a front paw through the marsh, insisting it had not been Tatcheon's order — it had been Manghongwi's judgment alone.
Raon studied her in silence, but a crocodile's face gave him nothing. He could not read her expression at all.
"You don't believe me."
She smacked her lips. The scrap of meat caught between her upper teeth was faintly unsettling.
"It's not that I don't believe you at all. If you really wanted to kill me, you would have used a different method."
Neither Merlin nor Manghongwi was a fool. If the two of them had meant to strike together, there would have been a far better way to do it. Her words were probably not a lie. Even so, she belonged to Eden, and he could not afford to trust her — so he meant to keep a little distance.
A wise thought! If you hang about with a madwoman like that, the only thing that will be ruined is your mind…
Wrath had been about to tell him to hurry back and eat when Merlin raised her right front paw.
"I thought you might feel that way, so I prepared a little something this time."
She tapped the swamp lightly with the raised paw. A sticky splash sounded, and the moonlit marsh turned transparent. Something began to show through the water.
"Hmm?"
Raon looked down and narrowed his eyes. In a pitch-black room, someone was writhing like an insect flipped on its back, clutching their head in both hands.
"What's this?"
"The end of the one who laid a hand on you."
Merlin's mouth twisted upward. It was not the crocodile's face that made it so — the smile itself crawled over the skin.
"Don't tell me that's…"
"That's right. That rude skull-face."
She nodded, confirming it was Manghongwi.
"Huh…"
Raon studied the struggling figure more closely. A torn robe. A skull mask with a hole bored through the center of the forehead. Just as Merlin had said — it was Manghongwi, the one he had fought for his life against only days ago.
"Why is he like this?"
"I locked him in an artifact called the Golden Fishbowl."
She said it lightly, the way one might mention catching a mouse in a trap.
"You… locked him up?"
"Yes."
Merlin nodded, her eyes flooding a vivid red.
"He hurt you. And a piece of trash like that, no less."
She muttered that she had been too late to come help, so she had sealed Manghongwi away where he could never set foot in the world again.
"Won't Tatcheon find out if you do something like this?"
"He won't find out as long as I don't kill him. My real body is somewhere else right now, too."
Merlin shook her head. A chill of a smile touched her mouth as she added that she had done it with the other executives' movements in mind.
"But…"
Raon pointed at the Manghongwi reflected in the swamp. The man was shuddering from head to toe, as if the pain were more than he could bear.
"Why is he like that?"
He was only trapped in a fishbowl. Why was he suffering so much?
"I'm placing a curse on him."
"…A curse?"
"Yeah. I chant a curse imbued with will, over and over, and it inflicts mental agony. It's closer to shamanism than magic."
Merlin looked down at Manghongwi with flickering eyes.
"He won't be able to get out of the fishbowl anyway. But even if he does, the moment he sees you, he'll run."
She struck the marsh once more with her front paw, and the image changed. The viewpoint was from below, looking up out of the fishbowl, and the ceiling came into view.
That's…
Above the fishbowl loomed a gigantic Merlin, crimson light blazing from her eyes. Her red lips never stopped moving.
Aack…
Wrath stared at the eyes floating over the fishbowl, then toppled backward as if he had fainted.
Th-that woman is genuinely insane! She's gone round the bend, round again, and round once more!
He hid behind the ice flower bracelet, insisting she was even more unhinged than the stalkers of the Demon Realm.
Ugh…
Raon swallowed dryly and nodded. When Wrath had called her crazy before, it had never quite landed. Seeing her lay that curse with his own eyes, though, his heart clenched tight.
Do you know what's even more terrifying?
Wrath peeked his head up over the ice flower bracelet.
That image right now. She's linking it with that madwoman's own lifespan.
Ah…
That was right. For Merlin in that state to use magic, she had to cut away her own life. Truly, there was not a single thing about this that did not send a chill down the spine.
"You can stop now."
"Hmm? Don't you want to watch more? That's the one who tormented you! Watching all day wouldn't be enough!"
"Your lifespan is being drained."
Merlin smiled as if she were moved and tried to enlarge the image further. She really was a woman no one could handle.
"That's enough. Turn it off."
Raon sighed and touched the swamp where Manghongwi was reflected. Ripples spread, and the figure vanished.
"This much really doesn't matter."
Merlin smacked her lips as if she were the one who felt cheated, and released the magic that had been projecting the image.
"Anyway, that means Manghongwi won't be coming out again?"
"Yeah. Even if he does come out, he'll be a wreck who can't do a thing."
"I suppose so…"
Raon nodded. If a gigantic Merlin were endlessly pouring curses down from above his head, no one in the world would be able to endure it. The mere thought made his hair stand on end.
Anyway, that's a relief.
The power Manghongwi had shown this time had been terrifying. Even without that jewel orb, the man was clearly a formidable opponent. If he could no longer use that strength, Eden would feel it too.
I need to get stronger as well.
Without the support of the four forces, Milland among them, and without Rimer's surprise attack, they might have taken far worse losses — and far more people might have died. He could not be satisfied just because he stood a little higher than before. He had to keep climbing.
He told himself that once they returned to the house, he would put the Light Wind Squad through hellish training, and lowered his gaze. Merlin was quietly looking up at him.
"Are you really okay?"
"About what?"
"What are you going to do if Tatcheon finds out?"
"Wow. That's the second time you've worried about me today. My love is finally seeping in."
"Cut the nonsense."
"There's no chance of being found out. But even if I am, I can just leave."
Merlin whispered that she no longer had any lingering attachment to Eden — that she was here for him.
"Haa…"
A shiver ran through Raon's shoulders. There was not a single word, not a single gesture, that did not give him the creeps.
"Time's almost up."
Merlin smiled brightly and waved a paw.
"I'll be going now. See you next time."
She smiled as if everything were finished.
"Thanks for thinking of me."
"Ah…"
Merlin's eyes went round, as if she had never expected him to say that. The corners of her mouth rose, thin and pleased.
"As expected. My choice was right."
"Don't say weird things. That crocodile's wish is food, right?"
Raon glanced at the crocodile's teeth and smiled faintly.
That's simple enough. If he just went back over the castle wall, delicious meat was laid out in rows. A few chunks would do it.
"No."
Merlin shook her head calmly.
"Huh…?"
"It wants its back scratched."
"I-its back? Scratch its back?"
"Yeah. About thirty minutes of scratching should do it. See you later."
She told him to scratch the entire back until it felt good, then waved and was gone.
A long growl rolled out of the crocodile's throat. Merlin's presence vanished, and wild instinct seemed to kindle in those elongated eyes.
Growl!
The crocodile shoved its back at him as if telling him to keep the promise, and quickly.
"Haa…"
Raon set his hand on the crocodile's bumpy hide and let out a sigh.
"You really do have me doing the strangest things."
I-is she gone?
Muston narrowed his eyes as he looked at his master's back.
What's with him today?
His master, who had said he wanted to see Raon Zieghart's swordsmanship, had gone rigid the instant he actually laid eyes on the young man. Far from asking about the sword, he had not said a word. He had simply left, and then spent the entire day staring out the window.
Muston had served him as a master for a long time, but he had never seen him like this.
What on earth happened… Could it be?
His master had marveled at the sword marks Raon had left behind, and when he saw the man himself, he had not even been able to speak. There was only one reason the Sword Demon — a man said to be mad for the blade — would react that way.
Talent?
His master was clearly like this because he had been astonished by Raon Zieghart's gift.
Damn it…
It grated on him that a master who never showed expression or feeling even to his own disciple had been changed by a young warrior who had barely come of age.
I didn't like him from the start.
Both epithets — Little Sword Demon and White Sword Dragon — should have gone to him, the disciple of the Sword Demon. When he thought of Raon, who had claimed them both despite being even younger, strength gathered in his fist. And because his own relationship with his master was so far from an ordinary bond of teacher and student, the inferiority swelled even worse.
Muston exhaled the turbid energy pressing down on his chest and approached Rektar.
"Master."
"What is it."
Rektar's voice was sunken. He did not even turn his gaze.
"Master. Are you all right?"
"Don't concern yourself. Go out and enjoy the festival."
He waved a hand as if shooing a fly. The look in his master's eyes, reflected in the window, was a color Muston had never seen before.
Is that boy really that great?
An ugly thought stirred — that his master had accepted him as a disciple only because he had no other choice, and was now regretting it.
"Is Raon Zieghart that remarkable?"
"What?"
Rektar turned his head toward Muston for the first time. A fierce light rose in his eyes.
"When you saw him, and the sword marks he left behind, the look in your eyes was a light you have never once shown me."
"……"
Rektar lifted his chin and looked down at Muston, slow and steady.
"What is it you want to say."
"I want to spar with the White Sword Dragon."
"Spar?"
"Yes. I will defeat Raon Zieghart and prove that I am the one most worthy of being your disciple!"
Muston gripped his sword hilt as if there were no room for doubt.
"A spar, is it…"
Rektar closed his cold eyes. His thoughts were unreadable.
"Are you confident?"
"Of course!"
Muston nodded as if the answer were obvious.
"Very well."
Rektar nodded and rose from the sofa for the first time.
"Do as you please."
"I will not disappoint you!"
Muston inclined his head and went out the door.
"Haa…"
Rektar followed after him and let out a low sigh.
"It must have been a misunderstanding."
After scratching the crocodile's back for about thirty minutes, Raon climbed back up onto the castle. The festival had begun in earnest, and laughter and cheers bright with excitement burst out on every side.
Dealing with that madwoman is exhausting. Let us eat first, and quickly!
Let me wash up first.
Every time the crocodile had thrashed while he scratched, mud had gone flying. He was filthy from head to toe. He needed to at least wash his hands and face.
"Ugh."
Raon sighed and went back down from the wall.
"Did you play in the mud? Why do your clothes look like that?"
Burren let out a hollow laugh at the mud-caked fabric.
"Did you actually go play with a crocodile?"
Runaan's eyes went round, as if asking whether it had been fun. She looked like she had wanted to go herself.
"You're the vice-captain. Playing in the mud at your age — act your age."
Marta shook her head as if the whole thing were pathetic.
"It's not like that."
If he admitted he had been scratching a crocodile's back, he would only look even more unhinged. He waved them off and headed for a nearby well.
He was about to scoop water to wash his hands and face when a young man in fluttering white robes came toward him.
That one…
The young man who had called the Sword Demon his master. He had been memorable from the first glance, radiating a fierce aura even then. The Sword Demon himself — tall enough that the eye was drawn to him whether one wished it or not — was following behind.
Did they come out to enjoy the festival?
His reaction that morning had been a little strange, but Raon had received help from them. It was only right to greet him first. He had been about to approach the Sword Demon when the disciple stepped into his path.
"Hmm?"
He turned, meaning to ask what this was about, and the man bowed first.
"A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Muston, disciple of Lord Rektar."
"I am Raon Zieghart of the Light Wind Squad."
Muston's eyes were fierce, but he had observed a measure of courtesy, so Raon returned the greeting in kind.
"Pardon me, but I have a request. Would you hear it?"
"A request?"
Muston glanced at the Sword Demon approaching from behind, then tapped his scabbard.
"I wish to feel the martial prowess of the White Sword Dragon, whose fame has spread across the entire continent. Would you spar with me?"
He bowed his head again, framing it as a request.
The Sword Demon's disciple…
A powerhouse, without question. The aura rolling off him, befitting a student of the Sword Demon, was immense. He had the bearing of a master who had melted countless martial arts into his sword.
Not a bad idea.
Sparring with him, win or lose, would yield a great deal.
However…
Raon glanced up at the Sword Demon standing behind Muston and clicked his tongue softly.
If I fought the master rather than the disciple, I would gain even more.
This was a powerhouse Wrath himself had acknowledged. Even if Raon were shattered in a single stroke, he would learn more than he ever could from sparring with Muston. For someone who needed to grow stronger even faster than he already was, this chance was a blessing that had rolled in on its own.
"Very well."
Raon nodded to Muston, then turned his gaze to the Sword Demon.
"Instead, may I make a request as well?"
"A request?"
The Sword Demon parted his lips for the first time.
"If I still have energy left after facing your disciple, I would like the opportunity to cross swords with you, Lord Rektar."
To cross swords, in that phrasing, was less a spar than a plea to be taught a single move.
"What did you just say?!"
Muston bared his teeth as if his pride had been cut open, and a savage aura flared around him.
"An opportunity, is it…"
The Sword Demon's gaze sank, sharp and cold.
"Are you confident?"
Raon ran his fingers along the hilt of the Heavenly Sky Sword and smiled faintly. A crimson haze rose over his eyes.