"Thank you."
Raon gently stroked the white falcon's head before untying the letter from its ankle.
'The White Whale, huh...'
On the front of the letter was a drawing of a white whale, a mark that only Ariel, the Thespian Emperor of the White Whale, could use. There was only one reason why Ariel would send him a letter now.
'The Soul Crystal.'
When Ariel came to Zieghart and left after being insulted, he had asked her for information about the Soul Crystal. It seemed she had now sent it.
"Hm."
Suppressing his expectations, as the contents might say they hadn't found the Soul Crystal, Raon unfolded the neatly folded letter.
-What, what does it say?
Wrath also seemed curious, flitting through the air and blinking rapidly.
'It mentions seeing the sea?'
Raon furrowed his brow as he crumpled the edge of the paper.
-The sea? What sea all of a sudden?
'It seems the Soul Crystal is somewhere near the sea.'
The White Whale deals not only in actual information but also in information obtained through divination. Since it wasn't precise content, but simply stated that the sea could be seen, it seemed she had performed the divination herself.
-Can you trust such a thing?
Wrath narrowed his eyes skeptically.
'Ariel's divinations are accurate. Not eight out of ten, but ten out of ten.'
Raon shook his head as he lowered the letter.
-That, that accurate?
'Yes. Since it's not actual information, it's not very detailed, but that much has never been wrong. They even say she can read the flow of heaven.'
As far as he knew, the Thespian Emperor's divinations had never been wrong. Of course, given that she couldn't see her own future, it wasn't good judgment to trust it unconditionally.
'First, I should consider the possibility that this information is fake.'
If the Thespian Emperor had sided with the Five Demons instead of the Five Kings, she might be trying to lure him to the sea with false information.
'However...'
This possibility is extremely low. The full-scale war hasn't even started yet, so no one knows how strong the Five Kings and Five Demons are. In a situation where no one can see even one step ahead, it would be impossible for the Thespian Emperor to take sides, given her personality.
'In other words, this is real information.'
Raon raised his head with confidence.
'If it's the sea, I know some people I can contact.'
There was Alice, who led the pirate ship Azure Wind, of course, and he had also built relationships with the people of the coastal city Aikar while hunting the dragon Kaivar. Lastly, there was Flumen, who lived in rivers but could move freely in the sea, so it seemed he could get help in various ways.
'I should first thank Ariel.'
Even if it was a relationship of mutual use, it was right to maintain a minimum level of courtesy. As he was about to write a thank you note and compensation for the information, he frowned.
'This...'
-Why? What's wrong now?
'It says an unknown force is also looking for the Soul Crystal...?'
Raon swallowed dryly as he looked at the phrase written at the end of the letter.
-Could someone have spread rumors?
'That's possible. Or it might not be. Actually, it's not a surprising development.'
Since he had released information about the Soul Crystal not only to the Five Kings but also to the vassal families and neutral forces, it wasn't strange for outside forces to get involved.
'The important thing is...'
Who they are. If they were searching for the Soul Crystal to sell it to Zieghart, that would be more than welcome. He could even pay a fortune. But if they were looking for the Soul Crystal to use it themselves, the situation didn't seem likely to end well. Perhaps due to the ominous feeling, goosebumps rose along his spine.
-This is truly difficult.
'Indeed.'
Raon clicked his tongue briefly before writing a letter to the Thespian Emperor and tying it to the white falcon's leg.
"Deliver it well."
He stroked the falcon's wings and sent it back into the sky. The white falcon tilted its head arrogantly before soaring into the sky. Watching it ascend silently into the heavens, it seemed this creature was the Thespian Emperor's most cherished spirit beast, Cheonying.
"I should report this.'
Raon watched until Cheonying became a white speck and disappeared before heading to the Lord's Manor.
* * *
Cheonying spread its long wings to return to its master as quickly as possible. As it set its direction towards the central continent, looking down on the world like the king of the sky it was nicknamed, a tiny sparrow flew up from behind. Cheonying normally neither hunted nor ate during missions.
It was trying to overcome its predatory instincts and send the sparrow away, considering itself a spirit beast rather than an animal, when the sparrow caught up behind it at an unimaginable speed.
"Hey."
The sparrow flapped its tiny wings after catching up beside it.
"Stop right there."
A flippant human woman's voice flowed from the sparrow's beak. Even Cheonying, a spirit beast, could only understand human speech, so it let out an exasperated sigh. The emotion that followed the surprise was anger.
Cheonying was the king of the sky. It could easily tear apart not only eagles but most monsters, yet this bean-sized sparrow was trying to stop it. It was irritated.
Cheonying glared at the sparrow and twisted its beak. Though it could kill the sparrow with just one swipe of its talons, it was on a mission now. Returning to its master as quickly as possible was the priority, so it decided to suppress its anger and let the sparrow go.
"Is your head as white as your feathers? If you don't want to burst, raise your wings."
But the sparrow spat out even harsher words, as if unaware it had barely survived. Cheonying finally couldn't hold back and turned to the right. Just as it was about to raise its talons to tear the sparrow's body apart in an instant, it happened.
An enormous energy began to burst forth from the sparrow, which wasn't even half the size of its wing.
The talons that had been advancing stopped on their own, and its whole body trembled. It felt like facing a natural predator it had never seen before in its life.
"Is this the one?"
A pinkish current rippled beside the sparrow. A different woman's voice flowed from the part that was fluffy like a cloud, and her presence was even more immense than its master's.
"That's why I said you should stop when I tell you to."
The sparrow approached and tapped Cheonying's head with its tiny wing. Its feathers trembled, feeling like it might be killed rather than kill.
"Hand that over."
The sparrow slightly furrowed its brow and flicked its wing, asking for the paper tied to Cheonying's foot.
"Ah, kids these days just don't listen when you tell them nicely."
The sparrow lightly stretched its wings and clicked its tongue.
"You know you're asking to get hit ten times instead of once, right?"
She glared at Cheonying while flapping her wings as if loosening her fists.
"Indeed. This was unimaginable in my day."
The pinkish current also lowered its voice deeply, as if angered. Under the eerie pressure from the two women, Cheonying's feathers began to fall out on their own.
"You should have done that from the start. We're not bad people."
The sparrow stroked Cheonying's head and pulled out the letter. Cheonying lowered its head and trembled its beak. It felt like watching a child caught by back alley thugs.
"What does it say?"
The pinkish current approached the sparrow and asked.
"It says thank you. And that they'll pay the price?"
The sparrow furrowed its brow while looking at the letter.
"What price? And thank you? I haven't even heard such words, who dares..."
The pinkish current emitted an even more intense aura, as if angered.
"Really? I heard it often."
The sparrow mocked the pinkish current and flapped its wings.
"You heard words of thanks?"
The pinkish current glared at the sparrow and let out a chilling voice.
"Every day. I even heard it while watching the stars together."
The sparrow sang teasingly and chuckled.
"You really can't be saved. It's right for you to die here."
"That's my line!"
The sparrow and the pinkish current began to fight, causing intense shockwaves. Sparks like lightning bolts burst forth from both sides, even though no mana was visible.
Cheonying, the king of the sky, could neither flee nor retreat because of the letter caught in the sparrow's foot, and could only let out a sorrowful cry.
* * *
Raon went to find Glenn and told him all the information he had obtained from the Thespian Emperor.
"The Thespian Emperor's divinations are certainly trustworthy. But the sea..."
Glenn sighed briefly, saying it seemed too broad a range.
"Even so, we must find it."
Raon raised his head as he folded the Thespian Emperor's letter in half.
"Please send the Light Wind division. I will find the Soul Crystal even if we have to search the entire coastline of the continent."
It was the best method to carry out the mission together, as they couldn't leave the Light Wind division idle any longer.
"Hmm..."
Glenn stared intently at Raon before shaking his head.
"It's dangerous with just the Light Wind division when we don't know who the forces looking for the Soul Crystal are."
He shook his head, saying now was not the time to move immediately.
"But..."
"I'm not saying it's impossible. Just wait for now. I've sent a message to someone."
"Who is that?"
"Alice."
Glenn lowered his hand, saying he had contacted Alice again, and to move with her when the reply came.
"Hmm..."
Raon closed his mouth.
'Indeed, there's nothing better than that.'
Alice was not only strong but also a person who had traveled the entire sea by ship. If she helped, the search for the Soul Crystal would become much easier.
"I understand."
Raon said he would wait and bowed his waist.
"You are at a very critical moment now. Until the mission comes down, focus only on your training."
"I will keep that in mind."
Glenn's sincerity could be felt in his brief words. Nodding deeply, Raon left the audience chamber.
As he was about to return to the Fifth Training Ground for training, he felt a familiar presence from behind the Lord's Manor.
'This aura is...'
Narrowing his eyes, he climbed up the wall of the training ground exclusive to the head of house. The person in the training ground was Rimmer. He was swinging his sword with his training clothes soaked in sweat, and an unwavering conviction could be felt in his green eyes. It felt like he was fighting a life-or-death battle with someone rather than training.
'I thought he was just playing around?'
After finishing the focus enhancement training, he had given Rimmer and the Gambling Monster a break. He thought they would go to the gambling den and play around for a while, but he didn't expect to see him here with such desperate eyes honing his swordsmanship.
'Come to think of it...'
The Vice Leader has been steadily growing too. Rimmer was originally a Grandmaster but had his martial prowess degraded to Master level due to an injury to his energy center, and through an artificial energy center and his own efforts, he regained the realm of Grandmaster.
'That's not something that can be done easily.'
No matter how talented Rimmer was, he couldn't have reached that position without effort. It seemed he had been consistently training, just not showing it to anyone.
-The youngster is putting on airs.
Wrath wrinkled his nose. However, the fact that he didn't call him "Pointy Ears" showed that he was somewhat impressed.
'Indeed. It doesn't suit him.'
Raon nodded slightly with a small smile. After watching Rimmer's training for a while, he quietly left the training ground.
'I can't fall behind either.'
Although his current level was higher than Rimmer's, Rimmer was far above him in experience. It seemed he would have to keep putting in effort not to be overtaken.
'So, speaking of which...'
-No!
Wrath quickly lowered his eyebrows.
'I haven't even said anything yet?'
-You were going to suggest eating Nadine bread again today, weren't you!
He shook his head, saying it was absolutely not allowed.
'Your intuition has gotten sharper.'
Raon smirked at Wrath.
-Intuition? Intuition, you say! As I've said before, you have no right to use the word intuition!
'It's not that bad...'
-It is that bad!
Wrath hit the back of Raon's neck, telling him to come to his senses.
-Let me tell you. Originally, humans through relationships with others...
Raon returned to the annex building while listening to Wrath's nagging about the intuition needed to live as a human.
* * *
On a quiet dock. The waves riding the wind gently shook the sailing ship with the pirate flag.
"Why won't this open?"
A middle-aged man with his forehead clearly exposed frowned as he looked at the pure white envelope placed on the deck.
"Only the owner can open that."
A woman with a red eye patch covering her eye shook her head.
"The owner?"
"Probably the captain."
She shook her head, saying only the captain, Alice, could open the letter.
"Speaking of which, why is our captain taking so long? It seems like it's been over two months..."
The middle-aged man frowned as he looked up at the bright sky. More than two months ago, Alice had heard information about finding traces of her son and entered that port with most of the crew, but she still hadn't returned.
Although she was a person who did things her own way, it was unusual for her to be out of contact for this long, so he was worried.
"I don't think we need to worry."
The woman with the eye patch calmly shook her head.
"How can you not worry! It's been two months! It's not common for her to be gone this long without contact."
"No, that's not what I mean..."
"Such a cold-blooded person! Do you know how much the captain has done for you!"
The middle-aged man frowned, calling her heartless.
"No matter how strong Alice and Lawaine are, they're not invincible! There could be dangerous situations..."
Just as the middle-aged man was shaking his head, it happened.
"Ah, I'm dead tired!"
With a husky voice, Alice leaped onto the deck.
"Indeed. I didn't know it would be this hard."
Lawaine sighed as he stepped down beside her.
"Huh? Ca-Captain?"
The middle-aged man's jaw dropped as he saw Alice and Lawaine.
"Wh-When did you arrive?"
"When you were saying we weren't invincible!"
Alice frowned and slapped the middle-aged man's bald head with her palm.
"Ugh!"
The middle-aged man screamed, clutching his head where a handprint had appeared.
"I appreciate your concern, but I am invincible."
Alice smirked and shook her head.
"Urgh..."
The middle-aged man bit his lip as he looked at the woman with the eye patch.
"Why didn't you tell me!"
"That's why I said there was no need to worry."
"Ah..."
He let out a sigh as he finally recalled what the woman with the eye patch had said.
"How did your journey go?"
The woman with the eye patch approached Alice, passing by the middle-aged man.
"Ah, we were deceived."
Alice wrinkled her nose and shook her head.
"Deceived?"
"Yes. There wasn't a trace of my son at all."
"Then why did it take so long?"
"We entered a dungeon, but the time axis was different."
She chuckled, saying they had come out of the dungeon after a week, but two months had passed.
"Was everything alright here?
Alice tilted her head as she leaned against the deck.
"Nothing happened to us, but we received a message from Zieghart."
"Zieghart? Leave it. That old man is probably just saying something strange again."
"It was certainly strange content. Something about looking for a Soul Crystal..."
"Soul Crystal?"
She tilted her head, seeming not to know about the Soul Crystal either.
"What's that..."
Just as Alice was about to ask, the white envelope that had fallen to the floor floated up on its own and approached her eyes.
"Oh. It's a special delivery from the Black Market. My father seems to be in quite a hurry."
Alice smirked as she opened the envelope. After reading the contents of the envelope, she frowned.
"It's asking if I know about a Soul Crystal that takes on a rainbow color when a lost soul dwells in the nearest object when the path in the sky closes as the sun and moon come closest?"
She wrinkled her nose, as if not understanding what it meant.
"Who would look for such a thing."
"Th-That content was also in the letter we received initially."
The middle-aged man lowered his head, rubbing his reddened bald head.
"I've traveled all over the continent, but I've never seen such a thing..."
"Rainbow-colored?"
Lawaine blinked as he lifted his fake eye patch.
"I think I've seen that?"
"..."