Chapter 57

Raon bit his lip. As soon as the word "kill" came out of Lector's mouth, a storm of murderous intent swept through his body.

Roar!

However, to someone who had lived his entire life as an assassin, murderous intent held little significance. He resonated the four rings of fire to push back the oppressive aura.

"Whoa!"

Lector's eyes widened. Surprised that Raon could withstand the murderous intent, he opened his mouth in a round shape.

"Is this not a sprout, but already a bud?"

He chuckled and tapped his scabbard, seemingly debating whether to draw his sword.

'I can't win.'

While he could kill Lector through assassination, defeating him with his current strength was impossible. However, Raon had a reason to believe.

Swish.

Raon drew his sword first.

"Draw your sword and come at me."

He raised his suppressed momentum and pointed the silver blade at Lector.

"If I draw this, you'll die."

"It's only natural for the weak to die."

"Huh, what kind of spirit does this kid have?"

Lector exclaimed and clapped his hands. His hand was now completely off the scabbard.

"Seeing your spirit, I've lost the will to fight. It would be a waste to kill you here."

"A warrior does not choose where to die."

"Wow, are you really a kid? Did you read a book of famous quotes?"

"..."

"Actually, it's not just that."

Lector's gaze shifted beyond Raon to the tree above.

"Even if I recover that medicinal herb, it would be meaningless if I die."

He nodded at the tree and stepped back.

'Sure enough.'

Raon smacked his lips. Behind him, the instructors were all hiding.

Limer's location was unknown, but given his character, he was definitely nearby.

Lector must have sensed Limer and the instructors and stepped back.

"If you were from the North-South Alliance, it would have been really interesting. What's your name?"

"..."

Raon didn't answer and closed his eyes. Lector's question brought back old memories.

In his past life, as an assassin, it was rare to hear such words from an enemy, and even if he did, he couldn't respond.

He always kept his mouth shut, either fleeing or charging to kill.

The thought of a powerful figure, renowned across the continent, asking for his name made his heart tremble slightly.

"Even your name you won't give..."

"My name is Raon. Raon Zighart."

Raon slowly opened his eyes and proudly stated his name.

"Raon, huh. I look forward to hearing your name echo through the Terukan Mountains and the Reifel River."

He chuckled and walked down the mountain. Though he left the possibility open, he truly disappeared.

"Huh."

Raon sighed and sheathed his sword.

'It worked well.'

Despite his boyish appearance, Lector had a manly personality.

Even knowing he was outmatched, Raon's boldness seemed to earn his respect. It matched the information from the Robert family.

'Good that it ended without a fight.'

Lector is strong. If he fought with Limer, they might win, but several instructors would die. It's best that it ended without a fight.

Raon put the medicinal herb in his pocket and placed the head of the bandit leader in a thick cloth. He had to take the head himself for the record.

"Let's go back."

He smiled and looked up at the tree.

* * *

Limer had pinpointed the bandits' location as soon as the children started their search.

Once the dense forest and high mountains were removed from the equation, it was clear where the bandits were hiding.

However, this was only possible due to his extensive experience. The trainees were different.

As expected, the trainees first moved towards the mountains and forests.

Balen and Martha were no different. They each chose a direction and started searching like wild boars.

It was so obvious that it wasn't surprising.

Only Raon and Ruan stood on the road, not moving.

They only started moving after the other trainees had already chosen their directions and begun their search.

Their direction was not the forest or the mountain, but the hills.

Those guys?

He had deliberately chosen a base in a part of the forest next to the hills that was not visible, but he didn't know how they knew to go there.

Indeed, it was Raon.

It seemed Raon's excellent judgment led him to suspect the bandits might be in the hills.

However, the bandits, being mountain dwellers, had mostly erased their traces. Even the instructors found it difficult to locate them, so it was unlikely that Raon and Ruan would detect the bandits' presence.

But Raon walked into the forest on the hill as if he had discovered something.

He slowly moved in the direction where the bandits were hiding, finding human traces one by one.

What kind of guy is this?

Limer's mouth dropped open. A kid on his first mission was tracking the bandits like a tracker. It was unbelievable.

He wasn't just walking. He lowered his posture, walking only on the balls of his feet, making no sound.

Huh, even the traps?

Raon and Ruan disarmed the traps set by the bandits and eventually reached where the bandits were hiding.

There, they found a hostage that even Limer didn't know about.

What will you do?

Limer moved near the tree where the hostage was held. He was ready to act if Raon or Ruan failed.

But there was no need to move.

Raon used Ruan as bait to divert the attention of the bandits on guard and then beheaded the bandit holding the hostage.

Gulp.

The sharp and decisive strike sent shivers down his spine. The way he silenced the bandit and dealt with the one in front was perfect.

After that, he saved one bandit to gather information. It was like watching a pro.

There was one mistake, or rather, one coincidence.

The silent, trained whistle was detected by the bandit leader.

Raon didn't panic even in that critical moment. He quickly devised a new plan and hid Ruan and the child.

He lured the bandit leader and the bandits into a false sense of security and then rushed in to save the second hostage.

After that, it was a battle.

Limer watched as Raon took the lead and Ruan the rear in the fight.

He was ready to step in during dangerous moments, but there was no need.

Ruan laid down a frost field, and as soon as Raon raised his sword, the bandits couldn't even wield their weapons properly and died.

The bandit leader, who had come out with a show of force, seemed to realize he couldn't beat Raon and fled, abandoning his subordinates.

I'll have to catch him.

While protecting the two hostages and dealing with the bandits, there wasn't enough time to catch the bandit leader.

Since he couldn't let the bandit leader escape, Limer moved in the direction he fled.

Hostage? No, that's also a bandit.

The bandit leader started descending the cloud, holding a female bandit like a hostage.

If I catch him...

Just as he was about to ambush the bandit leader to prevent the female bandit from resisting, he heard someone running from behind.

It was Raon.

The kid charged in the direction of the bandit leader like a lion.

The bandit leader pretended to be surprised and threw the female bandit. Raon slowed down and caught her.

Damn...

Limer frowned. The woman was a snake charmer. He needed to save Raon before she could bite him.

But...

The moment the snake emerged, Raon's right hand moved.

Smack!

Without hesitation, he pierced the snake and the woman's heart with his sword, as if he knew it would happen.

"Wow."

Limer involuntarily exclaimed. To kill the snake without hesitation was something only someone who knew in advance could do.

What kind of kid is this?

It was beyond admiration; it was mind-boggling.

He had seen many talents over decades on the battlefield, but this was the first time he saw a monster like this.

After beheading the bandit leader and taking the medicinal herb, Raon turned around.

Good job.

He wanted to clap, but he held back. The other instructors were also amazed, their tongues hanging out.

Just when he thought it was over, a young, handsome man with a strong aura appeared.

A yellow hood and a powerful aura. He was a warrior from the North-South Alliance.

So, there was a connection with the North-South Alliance.

Now it made sense why the bandits were hiding; they were waiting for a warrior from the North-South Alliance.

The warrior introduced himself as Lector.

A familiar name.

A young genius swordsman who became a bandit leader within 10 years of joining the North-South Alliance.

Raon didn't back down in front of Lector. He drew his sword and challenged him to fight.

That kid.

It wasn't because he didn't know Lector's strength. It was a pledge as a Zighart warrior not to back down.

Lector was both amused and impressed by Raon's spirit.

He then stepped back.

Of course, he knew the instructors were hiding, but his respect for Raon was also a factor.

"My name is Raon. Raon Zighart."

Ah.

Seeing Raon's back, standing tall even in front of someone much stronger, sent shivers down his spine.

A scene from when he first met Glen flashed through his mind.

Limer clenched his fists tightly.

King.

Though still young and weak, it seemed the seed of a new king had finally sprouted.

* * *

Raon returned to where Ruan and the children were. The instructors, who had heard the silent whistle, had already subdued the remaining bandits.

"You're back."

"You did a great job."

"What's your real identity?"

The instructors looked at him with admiration, surprise, and awe.

"Raon."

Ruan approached, holding the two children. The children, wrapped in robes, had swollen, red eyes from crying.

"Ruan, you did really well."

It wasn't just a compliment. Thanks to her timely intervention, he was able to save the children without injury.

"Thanks."

Ruan nodded vigorously. She seemed pleased, stroking the children's heads.

"Hmm..."

Raon tried to pat the children's heads but stopped when he saw the blood on his hands.

"It's okay now."

He gave them a gentle smile. He wanted to say more, but he couldn't think of what to say.

"Uaaaaah!"

The boy burst into tears, hugging his sister tightly. It seemed he had been holding back his tears as an older brother.

"You can go down now."

The instructors pointed to the base below, which they had dug out.

"What about you?"

"We'll finish cleaning up here. The rest is up to you. You did a great job."

The instructors gave a thumbs up.

"Understood."

Raon nodded and led Ruan and the children out of the forest, filled with the stench of bandits.

-Don't you know how to comfort such kids? When I was in the Demon Realm, a great famine struck. I pitied the starving young demons and opened the gates of the Winter Castle...

'Uncle, that's enough.'

-And to think it took you so long to kill such bandits. I'm ashamed to be associated with you. You're not even using your power properly.

'How should I use it?'

-Idiot. It's the first strike. The first strike. You need to condense your power and unleash it explosively in the first strike.

'Explosively?'

-Yes. The human mana circuit is mysterious. You can amplify your mana and use it without issue...

Raon scratched Las, starting to extract more efficient mana usage techniques. As always, Las was generous.

* * *

When Raon, Ruan, and the children returned to the base, a loud argument was happening in the center.

"It's the mountain. They're definitely hiding up there."

"Shut up. The mountain is as obvious as your hairstyle. It's a stupid idea to think bandits are always in the mountains. They're definitely hiding in the dense forest to the west."

"Your approach is too impulsive. Relying on your gut without proper tracking and investigation is dangerous."

"My gut is better than your judgment, so shut up. We're definitely going to the forest to the west tomorrow."

Balen and Martha were arguing about the direction they believed the bandits were hiding.

"Here we go again."

"Those two always fight when they meet."

"But who's right?"

The trainees were at a loss, watching the two bicker.

"Hem!"

Ruan's fake cough drew everyone's attention to Raon, Ruan, and the children.

"Who are those kids?"

"Did you find runaway kids instead of bandits?"

Balen and Martha frowned at the sight of the two children.

"I don't know. Who are they?"

Raon smiled and placed the cloth containing the bandit leader's head on the ground.