'Did you see it? No, did you feel it?'
Raon called out to Wrath while observing Rensia's trembling hands.
-Indeed. I felt it.
Wrath narrowed his deep blue eyes.
-It was clearly anger.
He nodded, saying that anger had flared up in Rensia's soul.
'Anger, mixed with resentment and fear.'
Whenever Rensia met certain adults, she would tremble ever so slightly, trying not to show it. It's natural for children to fear adults, so he had just made a mental note of it. But just now, she had displayed not just simple fear, but anger and resentment as well. It meant there was definitely a problem.
'It's gone.'
The anger that had emanated from Rensia vanished in an instant, as if it had never existed.
-This is not a natural phenomenon.
Wrath shook his head with a cold gaze.
-This land has swallowed the anger.
He furrowed his brow, looking at the floor and ceiling.
'I felt it too.'
Raon bit his lip lightly.
'Now I'm certain.'
There was something in this Montiro that devoured not only human death aura and demonic energy, but even negative emotions.
'Now it's time to call that person.'
Since the Demonblade's information had been confirmed, it seemed necessary to call in the people needed for this matter and request their help.
"Are you listening to me?"
The man called Felix approached and looked down at him. His height was well over 2 meters, so Raon had to look up at him.
"I-I'm sorry!"
Rensia bowed her head to Felix, saying she had made a mistake.
"Miss Rensia, you've done nothing wrong."
Felix gently pushed Rensia away, furrowing his brow.
"Uh..."
Rensia trembled as soon as Felix's hand touched her.
"Who are you?"
Raon tilted his chin at Felix, saying he had no idea who he was.
"I am Felix, the leader of the Hochang Division."
Felix was polite in his manner, even though he was angry.
"Are you one of those five heroes or something?"
He nodded lightly with a smile.
"I'm not a hero or anything like that, just a member of this city's defense force."
Felix shook his head, saying he didn't deserve such a title.
"Let me ask you again. Why did you bring Miss Rensia here? You must know this is not a place for someone her age."
He frowned as if wondering what Raon was thinking.
"Hmm..."
Raon clicked his tongue as he listened to the cheers of people coming from the arena.
"Well, you're not wrong. I didn't pay enough attention to a teenage girl."
He flicked a silver coin to Rensia, saying he was sorry.
"Oh..."
Rensia blinked and caught the floating silver coin in one go.
"Go wait outside."
"Are you sure you'll be alright?"
She blinked rapidly, seeming worried.
"The hero here will give me a tour of the arena instead of you."
Raon chuckled and tossed a gold coin to Felix.
"...Very well."
Felix nodded calmly, probably because of what he had said earlier.
"But this is unnecessary."
He returned the gold coin he had caught and entered the arena entrance.
"Suit yourself."
Raon told Rensia to wait at the church and then followed Felix.
'He's strong, but I don't sense anything special.'
He narrowed his eyes as he looked at Felix's back.
'A Martial Artist at the pinnacle of Master level. That's all.'
Like Calob, he was strong for his age, but that was it. His tall stature was more impressive than his Martial Prowess or temperament. However, he couldn't judge solely based on appearances. Judging by Rensia's reaction, this man called Felix was likely not a normal human.
-Is it alright to leave her like that?
Wrath narrowed his eyes, seeming worried about Rensia.
'We shouldn't obsess over it here. That would only arouse more suspicion.'
While he was indeed worried about Rensia, following her out now would only invite suspicious glances. For now, it was best to show that he was enjoying himself at the arena.
"This is the arena."
Felix stood in the massive circular spectator stands and pointed to the sand pit three floors below. The sand was stained red, probably from the blood of the fighters.
"The betting counter is over there. There's likely no limit on the amount you can bet."
Felix pointed to the crowded window, explaining that one could bet as much as they wanted.
"No betting limit? I like that."
As Raon was curling up the corners of his mouth, there was a screech. The blood-soaked iron gate opened, and a giant man with armor-like muscles and a young man with a small but sturdy build entered the arena. Since it was a physical fight, both had suppressed their aura.
"We can't bet on this one now."
Felix shook his head, saying that betting was closed once the arena gates opened.
"Let's just watch for now."
Raon leaned his upper body over the railing, showing a bit of disappointment.
"By the way, do you gamble too, hero? It doesn't seem to suit your image."
He tilted his chin, turning his eyes to Felix.
"A friend of mine comes here often, so I've learned about it whether I wanted to or not."
Felix pointed to the smaller fighter in the arena as he mentioned his friend.
"I see what you mean."
It seemed that the smaller fighter in the arena now was also one of the Martial Artists protecting Montiro, like Felix and Calob.
"Then I'll take my leave..."
Felix bowed his head as if to say he was leaving.
"You're not going to watch your friend's fight?"
"The outcome is already decided, so there's no need to watch."
He left the arena after saying those words.
"How dull."
As Raon was snorting at Felix's back, there was a roar. Hearing the screams and cheers of the people, he looked at the arena to see the fighter Felix had called his friend raising both hands after turning his giant opponent into a pulp.
"Already?"
Raon pretended to be surprised while rolling his eyes to scan the entire arena.
'There's a bloody fight happening in the arena, and people are losing money, but...'
And yet, no death energy or demonic energy emerges.
-It doesn't make sense. As you and I have seen...
Wrath twisted his lips, looking down at the floor.
-This place is absorbing the negative energy.
He shook his head, saying it was certain.
-For a place of this scale, a massive Sacrifice must be being consumed.
Wrath lowered his eyebrows, saying it was horrifying just to imagine.
'I suppose so.'
"Kayden?"
As Raon was nodding at Wrath's words, a red-haired man with a neat appearance approached from the right. It was Burren, who had infiltrated disguised as a thug.
"Did something happen?"
He tilted his head, apparently having seen Raon with Felix.
"No, nothing special."
Raon shook his head and sent Burren an aura message using his upper dantian.
[Listen for now, and relay this to the Black Market agent. This Montiro is...]
Since the Demonblade's information had been confirmed, he told him everything he had learned so far. The arena was a noisy and crowded place, so it was impossible for even the Black Tower to eavesdrop on a Transcendent-level aura message here.
"Oh, so you just came to watch?"
Burren maintained a natural act, engaging in ordinary conversation while listening to the surprising story.
[And one more thing. There's someone we need to call. She is...]
Raon clenched his fist as he mentioned the name of the person he was requesting support from.
* * *
Raon watched the last fight in the arena, losing and winning some money, before heading out.
"Hmm."
Rensia was sitting on a chair in the church, knitting. Judging by the change in color, she seemed to be making a new garment.
"I didn't know knitting was your hobby."
Raon shook his head as he sat down next to Rensia.
"When did you arrive?"
Rensia giggled and lowered the garment she was knitting.
"Just now."
"Did you enjoy the arena?"
"I did. I got completely cleaned out."
Raon pulled out an empty pocket, saying he had lost all his money.
"Ah..."
Rensia blinked, looking flustered.
"I only lost the money I was going to use today. No need to worry. I still have money left for you."
He lowered his hand, telling her not to worry about it.
"Th-that's not it..."
Rensia's dry lips moved, saying that wasn't why she asked.
"By the way, why are your lips so dry when you haven't eaten the candy I bought you?"
"I'm saving it to eat with my siblings."
She smiled faintly, saying she was saving it to eat with her siblings when she got home.
'Come to think of it, she packed food for her siblings before too.'
When they went to the seafood restaurant, Rensia had also packed food, saying she wanted to feed her siblings. Seeing that the garment she was knitting now was also for her siblings, she seemed to care a great deal for her family.
"Hmm..."
Raon nodded as he looked into Rensia's green eyes.
"I'm bored, shall we go to your house?"
"Pardon...?"
Rensia's eyes widened round, as if she hadn't even considered the possibility.
"Your house?"
"Yes. I'd like to see these siblings you care so much about."
"Why suddenly my house..."
"I lost money, so life feels a bit empty."
He told her he wanted to calm down a bit because the stimulation was too intense.
"Uh..."
Rensia stared at him intently, seeming conflicted, before nodding her head.
"Alright. Then right away..."
"No, it's dinner time, so we should buy something for the kids to eat. How many siblings do you have?"
Raon let out a small exclamation inwardly as he pulled out a gold coin from his chest pocket.
"Four."
Rensia held up four fingers.
"Four? That's more than I expected."
"Ah, they're not my biological siblings."
Rensia smiled faintly, her tone sounding even more affectionate than if they were her real siblings. It seemed her situation was a bit more complicated.
* * *
In the shantytown on the western outskirts of Montiro.
"It's here."
Rensia opened the door of a house that looked old but well-maintained and went inside.
"Big sis!"
"Big sis!"
Four children, looking to be between five and eight years old, rushed towards Rensia at the same time.
"Why are you so late...oh?"
The children's eyes widened in surprise when they saw Raon behind Rensia.
"Uh..."
"Ah..."
Despite seeing him enter with their sister, the children trembled their lips, fearing Raon more than necessary.
"He's not a bad person."
Rensia shook her head with a smile.
"He's a guest I'm currently serving. He's a good person."
It seemed the consistent tips and meals he had bought for her and her siblings had paid off, as she introduced him as a good person.
"He packed snacks for you yesterday, and today he bought dinner for you too."
Rensia smiled deeply as she put down the seafood dishes they had just bought on a table with one corner smashed.
"Wow! Shrimp and lobster!"
"There's sashimi too!"
"Looks delicious..."
Like children living by the sea, they seemed to like not only shrimp and lobster but sashimi as well. However, the children didn't touch the oysters. They seemed to dislike eating them because of the smell.
"Did this mister give us the snacks yesterday too?"
A girl who looked about five years old blinked her big eyes and grabbed Rensia's pants.
"That's right."
Rensia nodded with a smile.
"Thank you."
The child thanked him with a lisp, probably due to missing teeth.
"Th-thank you."
"We'll enjoy it."
The other three children also thanked him and bowed their heads.
"Sure. Enjoy your meal."
Raon waved his hand, accepting the children's thanks.
'Hmm...'
Sitting on a chair, he surveyed the house that was visible at a glance.
'It's old, but clean.'
The house was old, but the interior was neat, probably because Rensia had taken good care of it. As he had initially suspected, it seemed Rensia was taking care of the children alone without parents.
'Nothing unusual about the children either... Oh?'
The youngest child's top was identical to the garment Rensia had been knitting earlier. It really seemed she was making clothes for her siblings.
-What an admirable child.
Wrath seemed to have noticed it too, as he approached Rensia from behind and patted her head as she was tending to her siblings' food.
'Indeed.'
Raon nodded heavily.
'At an age when it's hard enough to take care of oneself.'
Rensia was only fifteen years old, but she was working as a guide, managing the household, taking care of the children, and even knitting clothes. She seemed more adult-like than some of the Light Wind swordsmen.
"Mister, aren't you going to eat?"
The youngest child wiggled his hand, inviting him to eat together.
"I'm full."
Raon chuckled and shook his head.
"I ate a lot of money."
"Can you eat money too?"
"You'll understand when you're older."
Seeing the children enjoying their food made him feel full even though he hadn't eaten.
"Well, you seem to be living well. I feel better now, so I'll be going."
Raon said he was feeling a bit better and stood up from the chair.
"Ah, I'll escort you!"
Rensia got up after feeding sashimi to the little ones.
"It's fine. I know the way now."
He told her to take care of the kids and opened the door to leave.
"Th-thank you!"
Rensia bowed her head, saying thank you.
"Go back inside."
He waved his hand at Rensia and turned his back.
'I don't want to disturb that place...'
Raon left the dark alley, biting his lip tightly.
'I'll have to find another way somehow.'
* * *
Tsk. Raon clicked his tongue as he watched people surfing in the emerald sea.
'In the end, we haven't found anything.'
A week had passed since they intensified their search, convinced that Montiro was the Black Tower's stronghold or factory, but so far no one had discovered the secret of this place. They still couldn't sense any demonic energy or Death Energy, and there was no sign of the Black Tower's demonized humans anywhere.
The longer the search took, the more likely they were to become suspicious themselves, so it was time to make a decision.
"Phew."
Raon let out a short sigh and turned his gaze to the right.
"Worm. It's a worm..."
Runaan, disguised as an innocent female tourist, was following a worm crawling on the beach, blinking her eyes.
"Ah, how disgusting! Stop picking up things like that!"
Martha, projecting the image of a mature woman, shouted as she slapped Runaan's back. The two had entered Montiro as friends, and they seemed to have grown even closer than before.
"Did you buy everything?"
Raon tilted his chin at Dorian sitting next to him and asked.
"Yes! Thanks to the time you gave us, Merchant Association Head, I got everything."
Dorian nodded vigorously, saying he had sold what needed to be sold and bought what needed to be bought.
"I've also completed my tasks."
Krein clasped his hands in front, saying he had finished what he needed to do.
"Uh..."
Rensia's eyes widened round, seeming to realize they were ready to leave.
"Are, are you leaving now?"
"A merchant can't stay in one place forever."
Raon smiled thinly, saying it was time to go.
"Ah..."
Perhaps because she had grown attached over time, a faint tremor appeared in Rensia's eyes.
"However, before that..."
Seeing Rensia's wavering eyes, he drew in the water energy spread across the beach to create an aura barrier that would prevent sound from escaping.
"There's something I want to ask you."
"Go ahead. I'll answer anything!"
Rensia nodded her head emphatically, as if thinking this was the last time.
"You said before that Montiro is a place full of only happiness."
"...Did I?"
She blinked her eyes at the unexpected words.
"But such a thing is not possible."
Raon shook his head calmly.
"No human or place can always be happy. That's just a dream. Or a nightmare."
"Hmm..."
Rensia silently fluttered her eyelids slightly.
"I'm quite perceptive, you know."
-Huh...?
Ignoring Wrath's questioning tone, he continued speaking.
"Every time you meet adults here, especially those of reputation, your hands tremble..."
Raon slowly turned his gaze to look at Rensia.
"Ah..."
Rensia swallowed dryly as she looked at her own hands, as if she hadn't been aware of it at all.
"Are you being bullied by the adults?"
"No, no!"
She waved her hands, saying it was absolutely not the case.
"I'm just nervous, that's all. Really..."
Deciding that if Rensia closed her mouth there would be no way, he chose to move in a direction that could evoke emotion and brought up past events.
"Though I live like an idler now, my childhood wasn't very comfortable either. I struggled quite a bit, always watching out for adults."
Raon bit his lip as he recalled his past lives, both previous and current.
"That's why I can tell just by looking at your eyes. That you're not in a good situation."
"..."
Rensia trembled her shoulders, tightly gripping the knitting needles she was holding.
"If you're experiencing something frightening here, tell me now. As I said, I have enough money to take responsibility for you and your siblings."
He took a gamble, risking his current identity, hoping that if he could get Rensia out of here, he might find answers, or at least get a clue even if she didn't leave.
"Sir Kayden..."
Rensia looked at him with dazed eyes. After a long silence, she slowly parted her dry lips.
"No! My siblings and I are really living happily. The adults help us in many ways too!"
Rensia shook her head, smiling only with her face just like when they first met.
"You were scared when you met that Felix person. I could clearly see it from behind."
He lowered his gaze as he mentioned Felix's name.
"It will be hard to help you if not now. I can't stay here forever either."
It wasn't just for the sake of finding the Black Tower. He genuinely wanted to help Rensia in some way, seeing how she took such good care of her siblings while working at such a young age.
"I was quite mischievous when I was young, so I got scolded a lot. That's why I'm a bit scared of adults."
Rensia scratched the back of her head, saying that was all there was to it.
"Really, nothing's wrong. Don't worry. And please don't mention this to anyone else. It might upset other people. And..."
She lowered her gaze and slowly drew out the words inside her.
"If you're going to leave, please leave this place as soon as possible. As quickly as you can."
Rensia stood up, hardening her expression as if telling him not to get involved with her any further. After dusting off the sand on her clothes, she put on that doll-like smile again, just like at the beginning. The sight made his hair stand on end.
"Rensia..."
"I'll head back first today!"
Rensia bowed her head apologetically and left the beach.
"..."
Raon bit his lip as he watched Rensia's small back.
'I messed up.'
Thinking she was a child starved for affection, he had tried to stimulate that part, but it seemed he had made a mistake.
"Sh-shouldn't we catch her?"
Krein shook his hand, looking worried.
"No. We didn't reveal anything important. It's better to let them think it's just a rich man's whim."
Since he hadn't mentioned Zieghart or the Black Tower at all, and had only broached the topic of child abuse, even if his current identity was exposed, the overall plan wouldn't be discovered.
"Let's leave this place in 3 days. Leaving right away would arouse more suspicion."
Raon swept back the hair that had fallen on his forehead after letting out a long sigh.
'Nothing about this mission has been easy...'
* * *
Two days later. Raon was looking at the darkening sea from his lodgings after preparing to leave.
'What identity should I take on next?'
He felt a bit frustrated, thinking it would be difficult to create an identity that could move around this place more freely than the Merchant Association Head Kayden.
-That's not all you're frustrated about, is it?
Wrath narrowed his eyes as if he knew everything.
'You're right. I'm worried about that child.'
Rensia hadn't come to the lodgings for two days. He was worried that she might tell others about what they had said, and he was also concerned about the child herself.
"All preparations are complete."
Krein nodded, saying he had erased all important traces.
"I've finished as well."
Dorian also licked his lips, saying he had organized all the supplies until the very end.
"Then let's leave this place as soon as the day breaks tomorrow. Load the luggage onto the carriage we brought initially..."
As Raon was giving instructions to the two, there was a soft knock at the door.
"Come in."
He told them to enter right away, having a feeling who it might be. The door creaked open, and Rensia carefully entered, wearing her blue backpack as always.
"I thought you weren't coming anymore."
Raon shook his head as he looked at Rensia. Now that it was too late, it seemed best to say something to cut ties, for her sake as well.
"...Why didn't you leave?"
Rensia shook her head, asking why he hadn't left this place immediately.
'Is this the last chance?'
Feeling that she might say something important, he created an aura barrier using the surrounding mana.
"Why should I leave as if I'm running away?"
Raon shook his head, saying he wasn't afraid of the residents here.
"I have more money than you think. I'm not afraid of anything."
He flicked the gold coin he was holding in his fingers, saying the world revolves around money.
"There are things in this world that can't be solved with money. It would be better for you, Sir Kayden, to leave as soon as possible."
Rensia bit her lip, breaking the doll-like expression she had shown on the beach.
"That makes me want to stay even more. I want to find out who's bothering you and who might try to touch me."
As Raon tilted his chin with an arrogant look, Rensia put down her blue backpack and suddenly lifted her top.
"W-wait! What are you doing... Ah!"
As he stood up from his chair to stop Rensia, his body froze in place. Something like a black heart was protruding from the right side of her waist. The moment he saw the pulsing of the black heart, a chilling sensation ran down Raon's spine