"What?"
Raon blinked as he looked at Evelyn's finely trembling hands.
"You already found it? Really?"
He had trusted Evelyn, entrusted her with the book left by the Dragon Lord, and connected her with the Shadow Agents and the Black Market, but he had expected it would take at least a few months to see results.
'And for good reason. Derus Robert is no ordinary man.'
Derus Robert was the most sinister and calculating human among all beings he knew. No matter how much information-handling experts helped with full effort, and despite Evelyn's excellent search and stealth abilities, the results came far too quickly than expected. Honestly, he was flustered.
'Could it be...'
Raon bit his tongue slightly as he examined Evelyn's reddened face.
'Is it a trap?'
If it were Derus Robert, he might have noticed the Dragon Lord's death through the disappearance of the Ancient Dragons and prepared a trap to catch him in reverse. No, if it were that bastard, it was certainly possible.
'Still, it would be better to hear it out first.'
Raon slowly regulated his breathing. He resonated the Ring of Fire to calm his emotions so he could make a rational judgment.
"Tell me. What is Derus Robert plotting?"
He nodded, saying he was now ready to listen.
"Derus Robert is currently..."
Evelyn drew a cold smile and lowered her voice deeply.
"Gathering sacrifices across the entire continent."
She said that Derus was kidnapping humans and flashed her violet eyes.
"So he's trying to use the kidnapped humans as sacrifices after all."
Raon recalled what he had predicted through the records left by the Dragon Lord and frowned.
"Yes. But they're not ordinary sacrifices."
Evelyn raised her long, delicate fingers.
"Living sacrifices. It seems like he's raising people to feed them to someone."
She shook her head, saying the kidnapped people weren't simple sacrifices.
-Li, living sacrifices?
Wrath writhed in horror.
-He's really insane! To offer living humans as sacrifices just like that!
Despite being a demon king, he was terrified by the word sacrifice and trembled his tail.
"How did you find out about the living sacrifices?"
Raon tilted his chin toward Evelyn.
"Movement of supplies."
Evelyn raised her finger and pointed to the floor of the fifth training ground, which was full of footprints.
"Right now, as people are disappearing across the continent, the amount of supplies being moved has also slightly increased. This means they're not processing the kidnapped people immediately, but keeping them alive by feeding them."
She exhaled heavily, saying she had figured out that much.
"So that's why you called them living sacrifices."
Raon nodded as he looked at Evelyn's sparkling violet eyes.
'The possibility is high.'
If the number of missing people increased as Evelyn said, and the amount of supplies also increased accordingly, it was correct to interpret that Derus was kidnapping and keeping people alive.
'It's more or less as I expected.'
He had thought that Derus, upon learning of the Dragon Lord's death, might move hastily to compensate for the loss of power and his plans might be exposed, and that's exactly what happened.
'However...'
It would be good to keep in mind that it might be a trap. Derus Robert was a human whose cunning had no match on the continent. No, even across all dimensions, there were few who could follow his level of scheming. If it were that bastard, he could turn even this situation into a trap, so caution was necessary.
"Evelyn, is there any chance Derus Robert deliberately leaked this information?"
Raon asked Evelyn about his current concerns.
"There's definitely a possibility."
Evelyn nodded calmly as if reading his thoughts.
"But I don't think that's the case this time."
She narrowed her eyes, saying she didn't think Derus had deliberately released information.
"Why?"
Raon tilted his chin sideways.
"Because of this data."
Evelyn lifted the book left by the Dragon Lord.
"The Dragon Lord was a dragon as cunning as Derus Robert. He investigated very secretly so the other side couldn't notice. No matter how shrewd Derus Robert is, he couldn't have predicted all of this." (E/N: Wasn't the Dragon Lord an idiot blinded by Envy though)
She shook her head, saying that because the Dragon Lord's investigation was conducted so slowly and secretly, even Derus wouldn't have noticed.
"Certainly..."
Raon clicked his tongue as he examined the materials Evelyn brought.
"The number of missing persons and logistics movement have changed very slightly, but there's no significant difference."
Derus had realized the Dragon Lord's death, but even in his urgency, he wasn't hastily gathering sacrifices and was controlling the situation. If he had kidnapped many people from the south last week, this week he would siphon people from the central region, seemingly using his head in his own way.
Originally, the continent had many missing persons, and the flow of supplies often changed rapidly, so if one knew nothing about it, they would have thought it was no different from usual.
However, through the Dragon Lord's data, they were able to find areas where their main base might be located, and through the coordination of the Black Market and Shadow Agents, they could even grasp their movements.
"You're right."
Raon clenched his fist with conviction.
"Derus Robert doesn't know about this situation."
He knew the Dragon Lord was dead, but he certainly didn't know they were reverse-tracking him.
'This can be struck.'
Since Derus Robert had hidden himself, there had been no opportunity to ambush him, but now that chance had finally come. Anticipation naturally tensed his entire body.
-This king thinks the same.
Wrath also nodded in agreement.
-Usually there's some ominous feeling, but this time it feels like seeing a wide-open path.
He also had a good feeling about this matter and clicked his tongue long.
"Right?"
Evelyn curled up the corners of her mouth as if it were a good opportunity.
"Soon we'll be able to know what kind of people they mainly kidnap and which routes they use to move."
She nodded, saying that the Shadow Agents and Black Market were still conducting their investigation.
"After that, we'll be able to reach the land where Derus Robert and the Archangels are hiding."
Evelyn touched her red lips as if there really wasn't much time left.
"Yes. Just do that. But you have to approach very slowly. Derus Robert is the most suspicious bastard on the continent."
Raon frowned as he recalled Derus Robert, who suspected every moment and every situation.
"Of course! Both the Shadow Agents and Black Market are only moving people who live in those regions. And at the end..."
Evelyn pointed her finger at herself.
"I'll move personally. Don't worry."
She smiled softly, saying she would possess an animal and go directly.
-That's certain. Even this King can't tell the difference.
Wrath let out a shuddering breath, as if still unnerved.
"I understand. Then I'll ask you to... no, wait."
Raon stopped abruptly while nodding to Evelyn.
"I have something to say about that part. Surely Derus..."
***
"What, what is it?"
Krein rolled his eyes left and right while hiding behind a large rock.
"It seemed like he'd chase right after us and swing his sword like a club, so why is it quiet?"
He swallowed dry saliva, saying it was rather scary that Raon wasn't appearing.
"The Palace Master wasn't particularly angry though?"
Dorian approached from the side and shook his head.
"Rather, he thought we were training well while he was away."
He smiled lightly, saying he had read Raon's thoughts through his Mind's Eye.
"Really?"
Krein's eyes widened, as if he hadn't considered that possibility.
"Yeah. Today's training won't be that hard either."
Dorian nodded, saying Raon was quite satisfied with the current Light Wind Palace, so he would surely play around moderately before returning.
"I agree too."
A low voice came from the tree rising above the two men's heads.
"Ugh!"
"Gasp!"
Burren jumped down in front of the startled Dorian and Krein.
"Today Raon emitted cold energy, but inwardly he seemed to be in a good mood."
Burren nodded as if reading his mind through his expressions, having assisted Raon for a long time.
"That's right, isn't it?"
Dorian laughed happily that Burren believed his words.
"Ah, that's a relief. Then..."
Krein was breathing a sigh of relief and stroking his chest.
"Aaaaaargh!"
Someone's tearing scream came from below. It wasn't just a simple collapse, but a horrific cry as if experiencing every pain in this world.
"What, what's..."
Krein swallowed dry saliva and stepped back.
"Uuuuuuugh!"
This time, a different kind of scream from the first person's cry echoed through North Grave Mountain.
"Aaaaaargh!"
Before the second person even collapsed, a third scream rang out in succession. All were terror-stricken voices as if their throats were being squeezed.
"No, no..."
Krein turned around with trembling eyes.
"You said you'd go easy! What is this!"
He panted, saying it seemed like Raon was going crazy and rampaging again.
"This, this isn't right?"
"What happened?"
Dorian and Burren trembled their lips, seemingly flustered by the unexpected situation.
"I won't hide! Let's fight!"
While the three were holding their breath, Martha's angry voice came from nearby.
"Kyaaaaargh!"
Martha couldn't hold out for long either, and fell away screaming a feminine cry that didn't suit her.
"Even Martha was defeated! Now what do we... huh?"
Krein turned his gaze to find a solution and gaped.
"Where, where did both of them go?"
Dorian and Burren, who had been telling him to relax just moments ago, had disappeared without a trace.
"Did they run away by themselves? These damn bastards!"
Krein tried to retreat while lowering his breathing, but a black shadow fell over his head.
"Ah..."
When Krein raised his trembling eyes, he saw Raon with blood droplets splattered on his face. He was looking down at him with a chilling smile.
"But, but I heard you'd go easy because you were in a good mood..."
Krein still couldn't abandon the hope Dorian had mentioned and sniffled.
"I was."
Raon nodded while maintaining his eerie smile.
"I was going to go easy since it showed you'd been training hard on your own."
"But why..."
"But something very joyful happened, so I can't help but put more strength into it?"
He said he couldn't help it and raised the blood-soaked sheath of Heavenly Drive.
"Why do you put more strength when something joyful happens!"
Krein trembled his lips as if truly terrified.
"I don't know. Besides..."
Raon raised the corners of his mouth while flashing red eyes brighter than the moon.
"I think it would be good to make you all stronger."
He muttered that things had turned out that way and descended like red lightning.
"Uaaaaargh!"
That night, the swordsmen's screams burst out endlessly from North Grave Mountain... Until the sun rose.
***
Light pattering sounds came from the dense forest where even warm sunlight could barely penetrate, as if something was lightly tapping the ground while running. The owner of that sound was a baby squirrel with impressive black fur sprouting from its forehead. It dashed through the forest while swishing its thick tail as if showing off its fluffy fur.
The baby squirrel sniffed around while examining various parts of the forest as if searching for something. As if possessing special abilities, it freely roamed above and below trees, leisurely avoiding the beasts and monsters that existed in the forest.
The baby squirrel, which had been running excitedly as if it were the owner of this forest, stopped and froze in front of a giant pine tree with thinly spread leaves. It remained still for a long time as if bewitched by something, then nodded and turned around.
The baby squirrel ran away with light steps like when it first appeared in the forest, drawing a subtle smile.
'There really is a barrier that can detect even Animal Possession Magic!'
Evelyn. The only magician who could perfectly possess animals, she laughed in the form of a squirrel and nodded.
'Raon was right.'
Evelyn was surprised that Raon's warning to be careful even in animal form was accurate, and clenched her small hands tightly.
'I can't go any further, but that's fine. The fact that there's a barrier means...'
She narrowed her eyes thinly while thinking of Raon's face, who would be pleased.
'It means there's something there!'