Chapter 389

Lake Bicorn was located between House Zieghart and Arianne.

It wasn't as large as Lake Porvan, but the charming silver color of the surface made it a famous tourist spot.

The Light Wind squad entered a restaurant on the edge of the lake for lunch.

"Wow…"

Burren exclaimed while watching Lake Bicorn sparkle under the sunlight.

"I heard it was a lovely sight, but I didn't expect it to be so beautiful."

He couldn't take his eyes off the lake, a gentle smile on his face.

"It's just a lake no matter how beautiful it is."

Martha seemed disinterested in the lake as she gave a menu to Burren.

"Order food before you enjoy the scenery, everyone!"

She shouted at them to start ordering already without disturbing the staff.

"Hmm…"

Runaan's lips parted as she stared blankly at the lake.

"It'd feel good if I slept over there."

She bobbed her feet while saying that she wanted to lie down at the center of the lake under the warm sunlight. Her blinking eyes showed that she was getting sleepy just thinking about it.

"It might look warm, but it must be cold in reality."

Krein shook his head, saying that the lake was still cold during the season.

"Well, we won't really fall under the surface because we've been training."

He confidently raised his chin with a grin.

"Hmm?"

Raon was checking the menu but raised his head to look at Krein.

What are you doing right now?! Ordering a meal is sacred work! Listen to Beef Girl and focus on ordering!

His posture made it look like he was a devoted priest praying to a god as he read the menu.

The King of Essence wants to eat the grilled jelly pork and the cucumber chili lamb chop!

'I have a bad feeling about those names. Grilled jelly pork and cucumber chili lamb chop…?'

Food is meant to be a new challenge. Start ordering already! The King of Essence will broaden your world!

'Haa…'

Wrath looked like he was going to keep whining if he didn't order it, so Raon ended up ordering the ones he wanted.

Three waiters took the Light Wind squad's orders, and Raon waved his hand at Krein after they returned.

"Krein."

"Yes?"

"You said just now that you won't fall under the surface, right?"

"What? I-I did say that…"

Krein nodded. His trembling lips showed that he had a bad feeling about it.

"I like your confidence."

Raon smiled in excitement and stood up. He went to Krein and grabbed his shoulder.

"Vi-vice squad leader?"

Krein bit his nails while raising his gaze.

"Since they said it would take some time until the food is ready, what about we train a bit in the meantime?"

"What?"

"If you manage to stay still on the lake for thirty seconds, we won't train anymore until we reach Arianne."

"Gasp!"

"We won't train?!"

"Re-really?"

Since the training continued like always until they reached the lake, every member of the Light Wind squad widened their eyes, including Krein.

"In return, you will all have to train in that lake until tonight if you don't manage."

Raon nodded with a smile.

"Thirty seconds…"

"That's perfectly doable!"

"You can do it!"

The Light Wind squad stared fiercely at Krein, saying that thirty seconds was a piece of cake.

"Ugh…"

Krein's shoulders were trembling, intimidated by the madness coming from their eyes.

You idiots!

Wrath poked his head out and shouted at the Light Wind squad.

This bastard is a hundred-year-old snake! Don't let him deceive you! He must be plotting something!

Raon pushed Wrath away as he kept shouting that Raon was lying and looked down on Krein.

"Are you going to do it?"

"I will, let me prepare…"

"You don't need any preparation."

Raon smiled coldly and grabbed Krein's shoulder, then flexed his arm.

"Wa-wait…"

"I'll be looking forward to it."

He picked Krein up and threw him out the window. Since his strength had surpassed human limits, Krein was sent flying like a ball and landed at the center of the lake.

"Uwaaaah!"

Krein shouted, but still managed to regain his balance and landed on the lake on his feet like a real warrior.

Splash!

However, he couldn't use the footwork to float on the water like he'd learned. He started to drown because his legs had been submerged during the landing from Raon's tremendous strength.

"Kueeeh!"

Krein floundered his arms while screaming.

"I-it's so cold! I'm going to freeze to death!"

"He failed."

Raon turned around. He looked down on the Light Wind squad with a smile even colder than the lake.

"Wa-wait, you never said that you were going to throw him!"

"No one will last if you suddenly throw them with your stupid strength!"

"Raon, so cheap."

Everyone—including Burren, Martha, and Runaan—frowned, calling it unfair.

"Are you going to call it unfair when it happened during a real battle?"

"Argh…"

"I…"

"..."

The three team leaders shut their mouths once he mentioned a real battle.

"Moreover, I never said that I wouldn't throw him."

Dorian was previously sitting next to Krein, and Raon grabbed him by his collar while saying that.

"Eeh? I-I'm not ready ye—"

"I'll count you at the count of three."

"Gasp…"

"Three."

Dorian was catching his breath in preparation, and Raon shouted three—skipping one and two—and threw him outside the window.

"Uwaaah!"

Dorian screamed, but he managed to flip around before reaching the surface. He managed to stop after his ankles were submerged, as he was a highest-level Expert despite how he looked.

"Ueeeh! I-I'm going to freeze to death!"

"You got used to the water, but it's still difficult to stay on the surface when there's an external factor."

Raon clapped his hands while listening to Dorian's scream.

"Which means you still need a lot more training. You should start training by yourself before I throw you in there."

"Please throw me!"

Mark Goetten came running at Raon, asking to be thrown like Krein and Dorian.

'This is why I like him.'

Mark Goetten had never slacked on his training since he'd decided to follow Raon. He deserved to climb even higher.

"Alright."

Raon nodded and threw Mark Goetten with his full power. Even though a tremendous amount of power was applied, he managed to control his body mid-air and landed on the lake on his feet since he was a Master.

Swoosh!

It looked like an explosion had occurred on the surface with a large amount of water splashing around, but he safely landed on the water, unlike Krein or Dorian.

"Le-let's go!"

"Uaaah!"

"Light Wind squad, damn it…"

"Shit!"

The Light Wind swordsmen ran towards the lake while screaming. They apparently didn't want to be thrown away like Mark Goetten.

"We should join them!"

"Ugh…"

Yua and Yulius jumped over the window to run towards the lake.

After the Light Wind members—who were occupying over ten tables in total—jumped into the lake, Raon was the only one left behind.

The people in the restaurant widened their eyes while watching the Light Wind members, who started to walk or run on the lake.

"Wh-what are they doing right now?!"

"They ran into the lake in this cold weather. Are they insane?"

"Who the hell are they to be so crazy…?"

"They are crazy indeed."

The middle-aged man who seemed to be the owner of the restaurant laughed bitterly and nodded at the confused patrons.

"They are the famous Mad Dog squad from Zieghart."

"Mad Dog?"

"Did Zieghart have a squad like that?"

"Ah! I remember! The Light Wind squad is called the Mad Dog squad!"

"Correct."

The owner nodded while looking at Raon's back.

"Because of the madness they showed during the tournament in the Owen Kingdom and their crazy method of training, people call them the Mad Dogs instead of the Light Wind."

"I don't know who started it, but it's a perfect name…"

"I know, right? They look exactly like mad dogs."

People nodded in agreement.

"Who the hell is calling us Mad Dogs?"

Martha shouted towards the restaurant. She must've heard them.

"Wh-which means, is she the Miss Rakshasa?"

"Yes, it's pretty obvious. I can see the madness in her eyes…"

"Ra-Rakshasa. Her name is so scary…."

"It's not Miss Rakshasa! It's the Sword of Rakshasa!"

A huge wave occurred as she stomped the lake like she was going to come running at them.

Even the people from here are calling them the Mad Dogs! Stop bullying them!

'It can't be helped.'

Raon twisted his lips while watching the Light Wind squad struggle to stay on the cold water.

'Because it has to be done.'

Since anything could happen in the Swamp of Death, making them capable of handling their bodies in all situations was the minimum measure he needed to take for their safety.

'Moreover, they aren't exactly in good condition.'

House Arianne had forgotten the glory of the past and had become lazy.

Since Raon didn't want to show any weakness to them, he wanted them to be capable of floating on a swamp at least.

Raon turned around and shook his hand at the panicking staff.

"I'm sorry, but can you bring the food in an hour?"

"Ah, sure!"

The staff quickly nodded and went to the kitchen.

I-in an hour?

Wrath jumped at Raon with a trembling chin.

Stop bullying the King of Essence too!

Thanks to the continued training, the Light Wind squad finished learning the footwork to float on the water before they arrived at House Arianne.

They still couldn't stand still yet, but they could last for a relatively long time while using footwork.

Raon furrowed his brow while looking at a road, which was already muddy like a swamp even before they had reached House Arianne.

'So, the water level has also increased here.'

When he heard that the water level of the Swamp of Death had increased, he guessed that it would be the same in nearby locations. He was right.

"Wh-what?! There's no road here!"

Burren's jaw dropped as he looked at the swamp where the road should have been.

"I don't think it's already supposed to be a swamp here."

Martha also seemed surprised as she narrowed her eyes.

"I wonder if it's fluffy."

Runaan tilted her head. She must've been considering the swamp as a possible bed.

"Do we have to walk through this swamp now?"

"There's no other choice since there's no more road."

"Mhm."

Since they'd already gotten used to using the water walking footwork, they casually stood on the swamp.

"It's easy here."

"Indeed."

"A swamp is easy peasy since we practiced on water."

"Wow, it was worth training all along. Is this the sense of fulfillment?"

The Light Wind members also stepped on the swamp after Burren, Martha, and Runaan. They smiled in admiration for their own ability to walk on the swamp without too many issues.

"It's still difficult for me."

"Ugh…"

Yua and Yulius barely managed to stand on the swamp thanks to Mark Goetten's help.

Raon went to the front and turned around. He rolled his lips into a smile while meeting the Light Wind squad's eyes.

"You should remember who allowed you to stand on the swamp. I told you it was going to be useful."

Yellow madness burst from the Light Wind squad's eyes upon hearing his declaration.

"Argh!"

"We suffered so much…"

"This is frustrating. Even more frustrating because I can't argue against him!"

"This cheeky bastard…"

The Light Wind members bit their lips while remembering how much they'd suffered because of Raon, but they had to swallow their anger because he wasn't wrong.

"Let's go."

Raon snickered and pointed to the west.

"House Arianne is going to send someone to fetch us, but there's no reason to wait for them."

The Light Wind squad followed the direction he pointed and started to move towards House Arianne.

Despite their frustration towards Raon, their smooth steps looked like they were walking through a plain.

* * *

In the lord's manor of House Arianne, a swordswoman wearing a yellow uniform walked into a red room that was even more extravagant than at Zieghart and went on her knees.

"My lord, the reinforcements from Zieghart have entered the house's domain."

The swordswoman's gaze was glowing sharply towards the platform.

"Please allow me to send the rangers to meet them."

"..."

There was no response from the platform. A cold gaze piercing her was the only response.

"Since you called them on your own accord, why won't you decide that on your own?"

"My lord…"

"An increase in water level and the number of monsters has always been a common occurrence! Why did you have to call Zieghart to make this annoying?"

An extremely irritated voice could be heard from the platform.

"It would be a good thing if it wasn't a big deal, but if trouble occurred because of this, the people would be harmed. I just wanted to prevent that trouble from happening."

"I know this house and the swamp better than anyone! You only need to swing your sword outside, but I'm the one who has to greet them! I have to kiss the arse of some brat now, do you realize how hard this is?"

"…I beg your pardon."

"Tsk."

The man on the platform clicked his tongue and shook his hand.

"I didn't start this issue, but I shall put an end to it. Bring the rangers and carriages to receive the Zieghart swordsmen."

"Thank you."

The swordswoman bowed. She stood up right after and started leaving the audience chamber. She could hear small voices from behind her.

"I seriously don't understand why she's causing all those issues."

"I know, right? The Call of Swords is already annoying enough…"

"She doesn't even know that much about the swamp."

"Wendy has always loved to make a fuss about everything."

The swordswoman bit her lip and pretended she couldn't hear them as she left the lord's manor. Two rangers were waiting for her once she came out.

"Prica."

"Yes."

A red-haired ranger bowed at her upon hearing the call.

"I leave it to you. Bring them here carefully and politely."

"Consider it done."

The ranger called Prica smiled faintly and nodded.

"Wellis, don't play any pranks."

"There's no way I'd play a prank on the great people of Zieghart. Some of them might fall into nature's welcoming party though."

The black-haired ranger called Wellis grinned at her.

"That's what I'm talking about."

"But they are going to fall anyway even if I don't do anything."

"Prica, I'm counting on you."

"Don't worry about it."

Prica bowed and went towards the eastern gate with Wellis and the rangers.

A horse with webbed feet followed them from behind.

"Let's go!"

The rangers loaded the baggage on the carriage led by the horse before leaving House Arianne.

"Haa…"

The swordswoman sighed briefly while watching the rangers leave.

Whenever Wellis made that face, a few of them ended up covered in mud.

Considering their faces, she could tell that they were planning to play a prank for the welcoming party.

'I hope they won't go too hard.'

* * *

Prica scowled while looking at the swamp on the ground.

"The water level has also increased here."

"They must be stuck over there."

Wellis nodded and shook his hand to the back. The rangers riding the horses accelerated their pace.

"Who are you expecting?"

Prica looked aside while pushing the bushes that reached his forehead.

"I'm not sure. Since we shouldn't matter too much for Zieghart, one of the squads should be coming."

Even though Arianne was a vassal house of Zieghart, they rarely interacted with each other and the issue wasn't a big deal, either. That was why he guessed that some unimportant people would be dispatched.

"But they should be sending some decent people since we are paying so much tribute to them. Maybe that famous Light Wind squad is going to come. They are the hottest topic among people recently."

"They aren't going to send such valuable people to us since we aren't a big deal. It should be some average squad."

"We never know. Well, it won't change the fact that they will have a hard time regardless of who they are."

Wellis smiled while scratching his cheek.

"That's true."

Prica nodded.

'Because this place is different from inside the continent.'

House Arianne was surrounded by swamps in all directions. Moreover, with the increase in water level, even the rangers who'd lived there for a long time could hardly move without the swamp boots.

It was literally the welcoming party of nature. Even though the warriors came from Zieghart, it was practically impossible for them to traverse the swamp in that state.

"Let's go faster. We will leave the eastern swamp today."

"Yes!"

Prica issued orders, and the rangers—including Wellis—kept running towards the east without any rest.

The afternoon came to an end, and by the time it was evening, multiple people could be seen from afar.

"Halt!"

Wellis at the lead raised his hand to stop everyone.

"What's happening?"

Prica narrowed his eyes while looking at the front.

'Was there other scouts besides us? No, there's no way.'

There were only three scouting parties in House Arianne. Since the other two scouting parties never left the house, the people in front of them couldn't be the scouts.

"They aren't merchants either."

Wellis shook his head, saying that none of the merchants would be traveling in that situation.

"Stay alert."

Prica took the bow from her back and caught her breath.

At first, he thought that they might be the swordsmen from Zieghart, but they must've known about the area when you considered how easily they were walking on the swamp.

The rangers lowered their bodies and stayed alert. The fog eventually dissipated and revealed their appearance.

The man leading the group was extremely handsome with blond hair and red eyes. He couldn't feel any presence from him—as if he wasn't even human.

He lowered his gaze while thinking he must've been a ghost and noticed the burning sword emblem engraved on his chest.

'Zieghart? Which means, they are…'

He immediately remembered who he was. He must've been one of the most famous young warriors of the continent, the White Sword Dragon Raon Zieghart, and the Light Wind squad.

'Bu-but how…?'

Since Raon Zieghart was a Master, it was understandable that he could walk on a swamp without any issue, but the other swordsmen behind him were also casually walking on the swamp like it was dry land.

The two little children looked like they were having a hard time, but everyone in the Light Wind squad—including them—was still having an easier time than Prica's group, which was wearing specialized boots.

"Err…"

"Wh-what's happening?"

"How are they walking on the swamp so easily?"

"What the hell…?"

Wellis and the rangers were also surprised and their jaws dropped.

"Huh!"

Prica lowered his bow and swallowed nervously.

'What the hell is wrong with those people…?'