Chapter 1037

Raon stood at the bow of the fishing boat, watching the harbor draw closer.

The harbor and the city behind it lay in ruins, as if a massive wave had swept through.

“There are more people than I expected?”

Raon narrowed his eyes, observing the people scattered throughout the devastated city.

“It’s a harbor that has lost its master, after all.”

Rabawin, disguised as a fisherman, raised his voice as if pushing back the waves.

“The apostle of the White Blood Cult who destroyed this harbor is dead, and the infamous Kusar pirates who extorted taxes are gone. People are coming in to settle down. Other harbors and villages are probably similar.”

He smiled, pleased that he and the Light Wind Palace were the reason these people were in the harbor.

“That’s fortunate, then.”

Raon smacked his lips, watching people clear debris and flatten the ground.

“It means we can move more openly without drawing attention.”

He had planned to move slowly and quietly from this harbor, but with so many people around, they could act more openly without being noticed.

“The breeze is nice, and the scenery is good.”

Evelyn approached him, brushing back her black-dyed hair.

“Should we buy some land in advance? So we can build a villa later.”

She smiled, suggesting they build a villa and come to play every summer.

“Not a bad idea.”

Roenn, disguised as a middle-aged adventurer, scanned the entire harbor and chuckled.

“If you two build a villa, I’ll go and manage it.”

His appearance and voice were altered so perfectly that even he would have trouble recognizing himself. He wasn’t called the Killing King for nothing.

“No time for that.”

Raon shook his head firmly.

“Not now, and not in the future. Who knows what will happen tomorrow.”

Having found a clue about the White Blood Cult’s main base, a full-scale war with them was inevitable.

With no way to know who might die, trivial matters like building a villa didn’t even register in his mind.

“You mustn’t think like that!”

Evelyn wagged her finger in front of his eyes.

“It’s precisely at times like these that you need to relax and think about a happy future.”

She smiled gently, saying that when she was in Eden, she always stayed positive and imagined the future.

“I always imagined you by my side, and now it’s exactly like that, isn’t it?”

Evelyn looped her arm through his, her red lips curving upward.

“Hahaha!”

Roenn burst into a hearty laugh, seemingly pleased by Evelyn’s words.

“Miss Evelyn is right. Imagining a happy future is how we can focus on the present!”

He clapped his hands, saying it was always good to have hope.

“I think so too. Good is good, after all.”

Rabawin nodded, agreeing that they should think positively since everything would work out anyway.

“I knew I got along with you two!”

Evelyn seemed delighted by Roenn and Rabawin’s words, hugging his arm even tighter.

“Ugh….”

Raon pushed Evelyn away, letting out a dry breath.

‘When did these three become so close?’

Evelyn, Roenn, and Rabawin knew of each other’s existence but hadn’t really talked much.

They had only been together for a day, yet they were as friendly as if they’d spent years together. He was the one who felt out of place.

– “Tch, she must have used magic to enhance her sociability.”

Wrath shook his head at the unbelievable Madwoman.

‘That’s not it.’

Raon frowned, looking at Evelyn’s bright smile.

‘She was popular even in the annex.’

Sylvia, Edgar, Sia, even Helen and the maids—all of them enjoyed talking to Evelyn and wanted to spend time with her. Her sociability was absurd.

‘Well, she even won over Grandfather.’

Even Glenn had said he wanted to see Evelyn again, so her sociability seemed to work on everyone.

‘She must have misunderstood Sella’s advice.’

Evelyn seemed to have taken her mother Sella’s advice to be proactive as a license to charge in headfirst.

“Well, we’ve arrived.”

Rabawin steered the fishing boat in front of the harbor, which had been split like a cliff after a landslide, and raised his hand.

“This is the sea route to the northern sea that I mentioned earlier. You should be able to go up in the direction I’m pointing.”

He nodded, saying that going out to sea from this harbor was the only way to see the place in Raon’s memories.

“Then I’ll circle around here and wait for you three.”

Rabawin said he would wait for good news and steered the boat away.

“Let’s go up.”

Raon gestured to Roenn and Evelyn with his chin and headed up into the harbor. More people than he expected were working on restoration, but the large harbor still seemed short-handed.

“This place is ours. Go somewhere else.”

People near the harbor and in prime locations in the city center waved them away, telling them to go elsewhere. They seemed to be trying to secure good spots in advance.

“Greedy bunch.”

Raon replied lightly and moved to the outskirts where there were fewer people.

After entering a corner where they wouldn’t be seen, he beckoned to Roenn and Evelyn.

“During the day, we’ll pretend to be establishing a base here, and at night, we’ll conduct a search.”

Not knowing where the White Blood Cult’s eyes might be, it seemed best to create an identity and move around.

“Understood.”

Roenn simply nodded, indicating he would follow.

“Then let’s build that villa we talked about earlier!”

Evelyn smiled, suggesting they build a proper villa while they were at it.

“Do as you please….”

Raon saw Evelyn’s expression and realized he couldn’t stop her, so he nodded.

“Okay! Leave it to me!”

The moment she got his permission, Evelyn began lifting and throwing debris with her bare hands.

“Miss is good at both internal and external affairs.”

Roenn chuckled, impressed.

“Of course! There’s nothing I haven’t done.”

Evelyn seemed pleased by Roenn’s words and smiled at him.

“Sigh….”

Raon sighed, looking at the swaying sea.

‘Here she goes again.’

– “I told you not to bring her!”

Wrath sniffled, as if asking why Raon hadn’t listened to him.

– “She’s scary!”

‘I’m scared too!’

‘I just can’t say it!’

===

A white room where eight red banners curved and hung.

White smoke billowed from the ceiling, where no sunlight penetrated.

“The 9th Apostle is dead?”

A peerless beauty lying on a red platform lowered her smoking pipe, her black pearl-like eyes curving. She was the steadfast pillar of the Five Demons, the master of tens of thousands of Blood Demons, the White Blood Lord.

“Yes. His body was found in the Sicot Harbor.”

The 10th Apostle knelt before the platform, bowing his head.

“Could it be….”

The White Blood Lord recalled a name from a previous report, tapping the platform with her smoking pipe.

“Raon Zieghart?”

Just saying the name seemed to irritate her, and she frowned.

“He was involved. However….”

The 10th Apostle raised his gaze, meeting the White Blood Lord’s clear black eyes.

“The one who killed the 9th Apostle was not Raon Zieghart, but Rakshasa Division Leader Martha Zieghart.”

He lowered his eyebrows, saying that the 9th Apostle had been defeated by Martha before Raon arrived.

“Martha Zieghart? That child has grown enough to defeat the 9th Apostle already?”

The White Blood Lord seemed to remember Martha, murmuring her name and letting out a dry breath.

“It seems she had an enlightenment.”

The 10th Apostle hadn’t seen it himself, but reported that Martha seemed to have grown during her fight with the 9th Apostle.

“What happened to the Blood Spirit Ship and the Blood Wolf?”

“The Blood Spirit Ship was sunk, cut into four pieces, and the Blood Wolf….”

He bit his lip, as if ashamed to speak.

“The 9th Apostle sacrificed his Blood Energy to make it go berserk, but it seems it was annihilated by Raon Zieghart.”

“The Blood Wolf was annihilated? That spirit with upper-Transcendent power, righr?”

The White Blood Lord’s hand holding the smoking pipe trembled.

“I had a bad feeling from the moment that damned name came up….”

As her voice dropped, the red banners hanging in the room began to shake wildly, as if spilling blood.

“Ugh….”

The 10th Apostle trembled all over from the White Blood Lord’s chilling Energy Wave.

‘Her Blood Energy has become stronger again.’

After drinking Ogram’s blood, the White Blood Lord seemed to have completely broken through a wall, unleashing a different level of Energy Wave each time he faced her.

Now, it was impossible to even grasp how much she had grown.

“He cut down the Black Tower Lord, split the soul of The Fallen One with his Heart Sword, and even caught that spirit? It’s hard to believe, even if he were the reincarnation of a God of War.”

The White Blood Lord clicked her tongue, finding it hard to believe every time she heard about Raon.

“What a damned bastard.”

She seemed genuinely angry, exhaling red smoke that looked soaked in blood.

“Hoo….”

As if exhaling her anger with the smoke, the White Blood Lord looked down at the 10th Apostle with clear eyes.

“For the time being, strengthen the Formula and defenses protecting the main base. Change the surrounding terrain as well. Prohibit entry and exit from the outside.”

She tapped the ashes from her smoking pipe and gestured with her chin.

“Do you suspect they will find the main base?”

“The 9th Apostle and the other Blood Demons wouldn’t have revealed anything about this place. However, they might have checked the devices on the galleon, so it’s best to be cautious.”

The 10th Apostle lowered his head, saying that since this was the situation, they should prepare thoroughly.

“Understood.”

The 10th Apostle seemed to share the White Blood Lord’s judgment. He rose without hesitation and left the white room.

Whooooosh.

The White Blood Lord put the end of the smoking pipe to her red lips, looking at her white hand that had never seen sunlight.

She frowned at the skin rising like fish scales.

“It’s starting early.”

===

A dark night beneath a crescent moon.

Raon, Evelyn, and Roenn stood on a deserted beach, wearing night suits with blue Formulas inscribed on them.

“I’ve cast magic on these wetsuits to suppress your presence and sound. It’s my special creation, so you won’t be detected easily.”

Evelyn smiled confidently, saying that even Transcenders would have difficulty detecting them.

– “W-Well, she is special in that regard, at least….”

Wrath shook his head, admitting that even as the Monarch of Wrath, he had to acknowledge it.

“I’ve also made it so that it eliminates underwater breathing and the waves generated when swimming.”

Evelyn raised her fist, saying they would never be caught moving around.

“However, the Invisibility magic is a bit heavy, so adding it here might cause Mana to leak.”

She shook her finger, saying it would be better to move without Invisibility.

“It’s light and easy to move in, considering the magic that’s been added.”

Roenn chuckled, saying he had no trouble using his Aura.

“You worked hard in such a short time.”

Raon thanked her, stroking the wetsuit Evelyn had made.

“Hey, we’re family. No need for that.”

Evelyn slapped his back with her palm, saying such words were unnecessary.

“W-Well, let’s go, then.”

Raon told Roenn and Evelyn to follow and entered the sea first.

“Do you know where to go?”

‘Yeah. I can see it clearly.’

The moment he entered the sea, the place in his mind that the sea spirit had engraved appeared vividly.

He just needed to head north and go deeper.

[Follow me.]

Raon sent an Aura message to Roenn and Evelyn and swam slowly, following the sea spirit’s memory.

‘I could sell these wetsuits.’

The effect of the wetsuit Evelyn had made was certain. He didn’t feel uncomfortable breathing, and his body shot forward with a single kick.

[This is nice. It feels like I’m on my honeymoon with Raon.]

Evelyn laughed, brushing a finger against fish as they swam past.

[Hahaha.]

Roenn chuckled like a grandfather, pleased with Evelyn’s endless energy.

[Please be quiet….]

Raon covered Evelyn’s mouth and refocused on the search.

‘This is a place I’ve seen too.’

The sea spirit hadn’t only left a path to the White Blood Cult’s main base—it had imprinted rocks and seaweed that could serve as landmarks.

Following those memories, he could keep moving without getting confused.

[We’re getting close. We need to be careful now.]

According to the sea spirit’s memory, they would soon arrive near the White Blood Cult’s main base. There might be spells, so from now on they had to completely suppress their presence and move slowly.

‘Now, from here… Huh?’

Why isn’t it here?

According to the sea spirit’s memory, a rock shaped like a turtle shell should have been visible, but he couldn’t see anything.

The sea spirit’s memory had been accurate so far, so this was the first time he’d been caught off guard.

‘Did we come the wrong way? No. This is definitely the right way.’

Just in case, he looked around, but the surroundings didn’t match the sea spirit’s memory at all.

‘It’s going to be difficult to find our way like this….’

All he could see was sand on the seabed. He couldn’t find his way in this state.

[Please look for a rock shaped like a turtle shell in this area.]

Raon described the rock in his memory to Evelyn and Roenn and headed north.

‘The next thing after the turtle rock is a giant pink coral, but I can’t see that either.’

Having lost the turtle rock, he couldn’t find the next landmark.

‘Could we have been discovered?’

He wondered if the White Blood Cult had noticed the search and was moving.

‘No, that’s unlikely.’

If they knew they were being tracked, they wouldn’t do something so obvious.

They were probably just being cautious because of the submersible galleon.

[Be more careful from now on.]

Raon warned Roenn and Evelyn that there might be White Blood Cult activity nearby and activated the Wrath’s Eye.

Whooooosh!

Even with eyes that could see everything, he couldn’t sense any Blood Energy or artificial energy.

‘Wrath.’

Raon clicked his tongue and called Wrath.

‘Do you sense anything?’

– “It is certain that a small change occurred in this area not long ago. However, it is not the power of spells or magic.”

Wrath shook his head, saying there had been a change, but he didn’t know exactly what it was.

‘If you can’t find it either, then there’s nothing nearby….’

Raon sighed inwardly and moved north again.

‘I need to search again.’

He let his body drift with the sea currents and continued scanning, but nothing appeared—only gray sand and seawater.

Paaaaang!

In the end, Raon returned to the harbor before sunrise without finding anything.

“Hoo, let’s stop here for today.”

He shook seawater from his hair and looked back at Evelyn and Roenn.

“It’s getting bright. Can’t be helped.”

Evelyn nodded calmly.

“Don’t be too disappointed. You have to take your time with these things.”

Roenn gestured with his chin, telling him not to be impatient.

“If the terrain that the Young Master knows has changed, it means the White Blood Cult is definitely nearby.”

He put his hands together, saying that the White Blood Cult was definitely hiding, so they needed to stay calm.

“I think so too. We didn’t see any marine monsters or fish from the place where we got lost.”

“Come to think of it….”

Raon’s eyes widened at Evelyn’s words. As she said, they hadn’t seen a single fish or monster in that area.

“That’s right. There’s something there.”

Evelyn shrugged, saying that it was definitely the White Blood Cult’s handiwork, even if she didn’t know what it was.

“Okay. Let’s narrow down the area little by little.”

Raon smiled gently at Roenn and Evelyn, who were giving him hope.

“Then shall we start building our villa now?”

Evelyn sidled up to him, suggesting they build a love nest.

“Hoo.”

Raon sighed heavily, looking at Evelyn as she laughed.

‘This might be more tiring.’

===

Paaaaang.

Raon frowned as he rose to the surface of the water.

‘I still can’t find it.’

For ten days since the first search, he had gone out to sea every night to find the White Blood Cult’s location, but he couldn’t find any trace anywhere.

‘The memory is fading….’

Since it wasn’t his own memory, the memory the sea spirit had engraved in his mind was fading.

He had to find the White Blood Cult’s main base quickly, before the scenes were completely erased.

“Are you alright?”

Evelyn looked at him with worried eyes.

“Would you like to rest for a bit before we continue?”

Roenn lowered his eyebrows, suggesting a break.

“No. There’s still some time before dawn, so let’s search a little more.”

Raon was waving his hand, telling them to go back into the sea, when—

Pooh-oong!

A small water droplet sprang up between him and Evelyn, then landed as a young wolf. It was the Sea Spirit he had saved.

“You….”

Raon’s eyes widened as he looked at the Sea Spirit again.

“Kyarung.”

The Sea Spirit narrowed its eyes as if glad to see him, and rubbed its cheek against his hand.

“Is this the spirit you were talking about? It’s so cute!”

Evelyn stroked the Sea Spirit’s head, saying it was cuter than she had thought.

“Kyarung!”

The Sea Spirit looked at him and scratched the sea with its small front paw. It seemed to be telling him to go down together.

“Could it be….”

Raon swallowed hard as he looked into the Sea Spirit’s transparent eyes.

“Are you going to guide us yourself?”

“Kyarung!”

The Sea Spirit nodded as if that was right.

“You must be scared….”

The Sea Spirit had been captured by the White Blood Lord and had Spell injected directly into it, so it would feel fear just by going near there.

He could feel the trembling gaze in the memories this kid had shown him, so he was worried that it was offering to guide them.

“Are you really okay?”

Raon bit his lip as he held the spirit’s paw.

“Kyao!”

The Sea Spirit cried softly as if to say it was okay, but its paws trembled slightly, as if it couldn’t completely overcome its fear, but it seemed to trust him.

“Then I’ll ask you for your help. I’ll protect you no matter what.”

Raon nodded, stroking the Sea Spirit’s downy mane.

“Kyang!”

The Sea Spirit smiled as if it trusted him and went into the sea.

“Let’s go.”

Raon nodded to Evelyn and Roenn, signaling them to follow.

“We should be able to find the way this time.”

Raon gestured for the two to follow him and went into the sea.

Whooooosh.

Following the Sea Spirit’s guidance, which emitted a subtle light as if melting the cold seawater, they descended into the dark seabed.

Raon clenched his fist, engraving in his mind the Sea Spirit’s back as it trembled with fear of the White Blood Cult.

‘This time, for sure.’