Raon spent a late night at an inn in a small village near Capoly Village.
The place served both as a restaurant and lodging, but when he woke up, the place was empty. Neither the owner nor the chef was in sight.
-Where is everyone? I'm hungry!
Wrath waved his hand, urging him to find the chef quickly.
-Serve the king his meal!
'They'll be here soon.'
Raon brushed aside Wrath, who was presenting his chubby belly, and sat at the central table.
After a while, the inn's door opened, and a man with a faint expression, almost like a mask, approached and stood across from him.
"I greet you, Sir Raon."
The man bowed with both hands clasped.
"I am Denzel from the Black Market's Shadow organization."
"I am Raon Zieghart."
Since Denzel had set up an aura barrier, Raon didn't hesitate to reveal his real name.
"You arrived quicker than I expected."
Raon smiled faintly at Denzel. Unlike himself, who already knew about the Water Demon Guest factory, the Black Market had only recently learned of it, so he didn't expect them to find it so quickly.
"It's no ordinary matter."
Denzel sighed and sat across from him.
"Just as you said, the number of missing Martial Artists has increased recently. There are more cases of injuries or bodies disappearing shortly after death."
"Hmm…"
Raon smacked his lips, observing Denzel as he naturally provided information.
'Fast and accurate.'
Denzel detailed where and how Martial Artists and bodies had disappeared. To gather such detailed information so quickly, the Black Market's intelligence and financial power seemed to exceed that of the Six Kings and the Five Demons.
"If we continue investigating the traces of the missing Martial Artists, we might be able to forcefully track the secret organization. But it will take some time. Is that alright with you?"
"It shouldn't take long."
"Excuse me? What do you mean…"
Denzel widened his eyes in surprise.
"I found the location of the factory making assassins from corpses yesterday."
"Is that really true?"
"As expected, it was located beneath the iron ore factory. The scale was larger than I thought, with many assassins and necromancers…"
Raon described the location, facilities, and personnel of the Water Demon Guest factory he had seen the previous day.
"Whoa."
Denzel couldn't close his gaping mouth, not expecting Raon to gather such valuable information in just one day.
"Shupel and Juran were there, huh. Those demons who see people as less than beasts…"
He bit his lip, expressing his disgust for the necromancers Shupel and Juran.
"With this level of information, we can move much faster. I'll prepare…"
"There's more."
Raon shook his head at Denzel, who was about to get up.
"The woman who seemed to be in charge mentioned that a new supply would arrive tomorrow."
"If it's a supply…"
"It would obviously be Martial Artists who will be made into Zombie assassins."
Raon informed him that both living Martial Artists and the bodies of the deceased would be brought to the location tomorrow.
"Ah, then!"
Denzel exclaimed in realization.
"We can claim that we tracked the Martial Artists to that location! We can strike tomorrow!"
"Correct."
There's no place on the continent where the Black Market doesn't have people.
Claiming they found the missing Martial Artists entering the lake would help avoid Derus's suspicion.
"That's an excellent plan. There's no better way given the circumstances!"
Denzel looked at Raon, his eyes filled with admiration.
'I understand now why the Black Market Master is so considerate.'
The Black Market Master had been providing Raon with invaluable information steadily.
I wondered why he was taking such a loss, but this young warrior had value that couldn't be measured with money.
Investing in a man whose future seemed even more promising was a wise decision.
"I will prepare for immediate entry tomorrow. We'll quickly gather our Martial Artists…"
"No."
Raon slowly shook his head.
"I will fight alone."
"But they are assassins. It's completely different from fighting Martial Artists…"
Denzel swallowed nervously, his concern evident.
"It's fine."
Raon slowly opened his eyes. A chilling coldness filled his gaze, sending shivers down Denzel's spine.
"I'm used to such fights."
The Robert family's grand garden.
Unlike usual, Derus Robert's quiet pathway was bustling with people.
"Congratulations."
"Congratulations."
"Young Master, happy birthday!"
People dressed in splendid suits and dresses approached Lephon Robert, the youngest son of Derus Robert, offering their congratulations.
"Thank you."
Lephon, dressed in a black suit similar to Raon's, bowed his head to the people. There was even a line formed to greet him.
The excessive courtesy shown to a boy not yet twenty highlighted the Robert family's prestige.
However, despite the numerous congratulations, Lephon's expression was not bright.
As he awkwardly exchanged greetings, the two swordsmen guarding the entrance to the garden stomped their feet.
"The head of house is entering!"
With a majestic shout from the swordsmen, Derus Robert entered the garden's entrance.
His steps were neither heavy nor light, but his presence was evident, reflecting his status.
"Head of house!"
"We greet the head of house."
Derus lightly received the greetings and stood before the fountain in the garden's center.
"Lephon, come here."
"Yes."
Lephon, the day's protagonist, approached his side.
"Thank you all for coming from afar to celebrate Lephon's birthday."
Derus placed a gentle smile on Lephon's shoulder.
"It's our honor, not at all!"
"We are delighted to be here!"
"Call us anytime!"
The guests lowered their heads, expressing their pleasure at being present.
"Thank you for saying so."
Derus Robert met each person's gaze with a gentle smile.
"Lephon, you should greet them too."
"Yes, Father."
Lephon, with a firm expression, stepped forward.
"Thank you very much for joining me on my birthday."
He bowed stiffly toward the center.
"Wow!"
"Congratulations again, Young Master!"
"Wishing you good health."
Despite knowing Lephon's expression, people clapped loudly, looking at Derus behind him.
"Lephon, you'll soon reach adulthood. Do you have any goals?"
The head of the Lafatan family, the Robert family's vassal, smiled and asked from the front row.
"I want to become a swordsman like Sir Raon."
Lephon declared his goal without hesitation.
"Raon Zieghart?"
"Ah, the White Sword Dragon…"
"I see…"
The people smacked their lips, understanding why Lephon's expression was sour.
"Lephon's goal has always been Sir Raon. Please understand, considering the current situation."
Derus held Lephon's trembling hand with a kind smile.
"Although there's no official announcement that Sir Raon is gone, trust and wait. He didn't seem like someone who would die easily."
"Yes, Father!"
Lephon nodded, moved by Derus's words.
"Sorry for spoiling the mood on a good day."
He composed himself and began to greet the guests again.
People smiled, touched by Derus's kindness, who even considered the rival family's warrior.
Derus watched Lephon interacting with the guests proudly before moving to an empty space on the left.
"What's the matter?"
He asked as he turned, and Kubara appeared from the shadows with a tray, bowing deeply.
"The supply you ordered has arrived at the factory's entrance."
"The numbers?"
"Sixty-two living and one hundred thirty deceased."
"Who escorted them?"
"Valmeil."
"A good choice."
Derus nodded in satisfaction.
"Valmeil, with his sharp senses, must have handled it well. Good, let them in."
"Yes."
Kubara handed Derus the drink on the tray and quietly disappeared.
"Won't die easily…"
Derus sipped the drink Kubara left and looked at Lephon.
His eyes turned cold as he watched his smiling son.
"There's no such thing in this world."
Bayonne Lake, touching Haro Mountain, silently split open.
As Lesia, standing before the lake, gestured shortly, the flow of mana twisted, creating the illusion of the serene lake as if it had never split.
"It's done."
As Lesia nodded behind her, masked figures in black robes appeared.
"Follow only where I step."
"..."
The masked figures didn't respond, quietly following her.
Lesia led them through the muddy, moss-covered path to a turtle-shaped rock in the lake's center.
As she touched the rock with mana-infused fingers, a passage opened, allowing entry.
"..."
Although it was a spectacular sight, the masked figures showed no reaction.
"Please enter."
Lesia entered the passage first, expecting their lack of response.
As soon as the masked figures were all inside, she touched the wall. The ceiling closed, and the lake returned to its original state.
"This way."
Lesia led them through the passage.
Her pace was swift, hard to match even for most Martial Artists, but none of the masked figures fell behind.
Thunk!
Lesia stopped and turned at the sight of dozens of iron cages holding dead Martial Artists.
"Thank you for coming all this way, Sir Valmeil."
Lesia bowed to the masked figure at the front.
"Lesia."
The tall figure with fierce eyes nodded slowly.
"You know how interested he is in this place, right?"
"Of course."
Lesia bowed cautiously.
"Is the improvement of the Water Demon Guests proceeding well?"
"With the materials you brought, Sir Valmeil, we can certainly improve them."
She looked at Valmeil with a confident gaze.
"Hmm."
As Valmeil gestured, the masked figures placed their hands on the floor.
With a dark surge, nearly two hundred people were expelled from the shadows around their hands.
Sixty-two on the right were breathing faintly, while those on the left were already dead.
"Sixty-two living, one hundred thirty deceased. All are at least Experts, with three Masters among them."
Valmeil pointed out the Masters with his finger.
"Even Masters!"
Lesia nodded deeply, confirming the Masters' condition.
"Let's go up together. They'll welcome you warmly."
"No. Seeing those old men disgusts me."
Valmeil waved dismissively.
"…Understood."
As Lesia gestured lightly, assassins hidden around the cages emerged, locking the people Valmeil brought into the iron cages.
The rough handling caused the living to wake up one by one.
"What, what is this…"
"Where are we…"
"Who are you!"
The Martial Artists shouted from their cages, but Lesia and Valmeil ignored them.
"I can break this…"
"What, my energy center…"
"My aura is blocked!"
"Damn it!"
They trembled as they realized they couldn't use their aura.
"I'll report now."
Lesia climbed the stairs at the end of the passage after locking up all the Martial Artists.
"Get me out now! Do you know who I am?"
A middle-aged Martial Artist, who had woken up late, shouted, shaking his cage.
"I am a Master of the Shikeron family…"
"Shikeron, huh."
Hearing the family name, Valmeil moved for the first time. He approached the man who shouted Shikeron and smiled menacingly.
"Shikeron, Zieghart, it means nothing to me."
"Wait…"
The man backed away in fear of Valmeil's smile.
"Where do you think you're going, Master of the Shikeron family?"
Valmeil twisted his lips and gouged out the man's right eye.
"Argh!"
As the man screamed and collapsed, everyone else fell silent, trembling.
"It's nice and quiet."
At that moment, several daggers flew from behind Valmeil, piercing the hearts of the assassins and masked figures hidden in the cages.
"What… kuh!"
Valmeil tried to move before turning around, but a blue blade had already pierced his heart.
"You… Zieghart doesn't matter?"
Raon, disguised with black hair and eyes, covered Valmeil's mouth with a chilling smile.
"That doesn't seem to be the case."