The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman
Chapter 822:

Raon gently stroked the white hawk’s head once before untying the letter attached to its ankle.

‘White whale, huh….’

On the front of the letter was a drawing of a white whale—an emblem that only the Thespian Emperor Ariel, the master of the White Whale Theater, could use.

There was only one reason Ariel would send him a letter right now.

‘The Soul Stone.’

When Ariel visited Zieghart and left after being insulted, he had asked her for information on the Soul Stone. It seemed she was sending that information now.

“Phew.”

Since the contents could very well say she didn’t find the Soul Stone, he suppressed his expectations and unfolded the neatly folded letter.

-What, what does it say?

Wrath is speaking as he flew through the air, blinking rapidly as if curious.

‘It says something about seeing the sea?’

Raon crumpled the end of the letter slightly, furrowing his brows.

-The sea? What sea all of a sudden?

‘Sounds like the Soul Stone is near the sea.’

Ariel’s White Whale didn’t just handle concrete intelligence—it also dealt in information obtained through divination.

Given that the letter didn’t contain any exact information and only mentioned seeing the sea, it was likely she had divined it herself.

-You can’t possibly believe something like that, can you?

Wrath is speaking with narrowed eyes, doubtful.

‘Ariel’s readings are accurate. Not nine times out of ten—ten out of ten.’

Raon lowered the letter and shook his head.

-That… that accurate?

‘Yeah. Since it’s not actual intelligence, the details may be vague, but the content itself has never been wrong. People even say she can read the heavens.’

As far as he knew, the Thespian Emperor’s readings had never been incorrect.

Of course, the fact that she couldn’t see her own future meant putting blind faith in it wasn’t wise either.

‘First, I need to consider the possibility this information is fake.’

If the Thespian Emperor were aligned with the Five Demons rather than the Five Divine Order, she might have fabricated the info to lure him toward the sea.

‘However…’

That possibility is extremely low.

The full-scale war hadn’t even begun, so no one could grasp the true strength of either the Five Divine Order or the Five Demons.

In a situation where not even the immediate future could be predicted, it was completely against her personality to side with either group.

‘In other words, this is real intel.’

With conviction, Raon lifted his head.

‘If it’s the sea, I have a few people I can contact.’

There was Aris, captain of the pirate ship Azure Wind, naturally. He had also built connections with the people of the coastal city Aikar while hunting the Wild Dragon Kaibar.

And lastly, although he lived in a river, Garam could move freely through the sea as well—she’d be a great help in many ways.

‘First, I should thank Ariel.’

Even if their relationship was one of mutual use, basic courtesy should still be upheld. Just as he was about to write his thanks and promise a reward, his eyes narrowed.

‘This is…’

-What? What now?

‘It says an unknown faction is also looking for the Soul Stone…?’

Raon swallowed dryly as he read the final line of the letter.

-Could it be that someone leaked the rumors?

‘Maybe. Maybe not. Honestly, it’s not that surprising.’

He hadn’t just shared Soul Stone information with the Five Divine Order, but also with the vassal families and neutral factions, so an external force getting involved wasn’t all that strange.

‘What matters is…’

Who they are.

If they were trying to acquire the Soul Stone just to sell it to Zieghart, then he’d welcome it—he’d pay even a fortune for it.

But if they were looking to use it for themselves, things would not end well.

A chill ran down his spine, perhaps due to an ominous foreboding.

-Truly complicated, isn’t it?

‘It is.’

Raon clicked his tongue and wrote a reply to the Thespian Emperor, tying it to the white hawk’s leg.

“Make sure it gets delivered.”

He stroked the hawk’s wings and sent it back into the sky.

Caw!

The white hawk tilted its head arrogantly and soared upward.

Watching its silent ascent into the heavens, Raon realized—it had to be Heavenly Hawk, the divine beast most cherished by the Thespian Emperor.

“I should report this.”

He watched Heavenly Hawk until it became a white speck in the sky, then headed to the family head’s residence.

* * *

Fwooooosh!

The Heavenly Hawk spread its wings wide, flying at maximum speed to return to its master.

True to its title as the Sovereign of the Sky, it looked down upon the world as it headed for the central region of the continent—when suddenly, a tiny sparrow flew in from behind.

During missions, Heavenly Hawk neither hunted nor fed.

It was no mere beast but a divine creature. Even if prey appeared, it would resist its raptor instincts and let it go. But the sparrow behind it closed in at an unimaginable speed.

“Hey.”

The sparrow flapped its tiny wings beside Heavenly Hawk.

“Stop right there.”

From its beak came the crude voice of a human woman. Since divine creatures could understand human language, Heavenly Hawk let out a baffled breath.

What came after confusion was rage.

It was the Sovereign of the Sky. It could shred most monsters, let alone eagles, with ease—and yet this bean-sized sparrow had the nerve to tell it to stop. How irritating.

Screech!

Heavenly Hawk glared at the sparrow and twisted its beak.

It could kill the sparrow with a single swipe of its talons—but it was on a mission.

Getting back to its master as quickly as possible took priority, so it decided to hold back its fury.

“Not just your feathers, but your brain must be white too. If you don’t want to explode, fold your wings.”

But the sparrow, oblivious to the fact it had narrowly escaped death, only escalated its insults.

Screeeeech!

Heavenly Hawk could no longer contain itself and veered to the right. It raised its talons, ready to shred the sparrow’s body in a flash—

Vrooooooom!

An immense aura burst forth from the sparrow—less than half the size of one of Heavenly Hawk’s wings.

The raised talons halted mid-air. Its entire body trembled.

It felt as though it had encountered a predator the likes of which it had never known in its life.

“This the one?”

A pink current shimmered beside the sparrow. From the cloudy, mist-like mass came another woman’s voice—and her presence was even greater than its master’s.

“So that’s why you should listen when someone’s talking.”

The sparrow came closer and tapped Heavenly Hawk’s head lightly with its tiny wing.

Its feathers trembled—not from rage, but from fear. It felt as though it wouldn’t be the one killing, but the one getting killed.

“Hand that over.”

The sparrow furrowed its brow slightly and flicked its wing, asking for the paper tied to Heavenly Hawk’s leg.

Screech!

Heavenly Hawk shook its head violently, yelling that there was no way it would give it up.

“Geez, kids these days just don’t listen to words.”

The sparrow casually loosened its wings and clicked its tongue.

“When they know they’ll get hit once, they go and get themselves hit ten times.”

She flapped her wings like flexing a fist, glaring at Heavenly Hawk.

“Seriously. Back in my day, this would’ve been unthinkable.”

The pink current also spoke, voice sinking deep with anger.

Their combined terrifying auras caused Heavenly Hawk’s feathers to fall out on their own.

Creak…

Weighing its loyalty to its master against the fear before it, Heavenly Hawk’s wings trembled—until finally, unable to overcome the terror, it extended its ankle on its own.

“See? That wasn’t so hard. We’re not bad people.”

The sparrow patted Heavenly Hawk’s head and pulled out the letter.

Whimper…

Heavenly Hawk lowered its head and trembled from its beak. It looked like a child caught by street thugs.

“What does it say?”

The pink current moved closer and asked the sparrow.

“It says thank you. And that a reward will be given?”

The sparrow frowned while reading the letter.

“A reward? And thank you? I’ve never even heard those words. Who dares…”

The pink current let out an even stronger surge of energy, visibly angered.

“Really? I hear it all the time.”

The sparrow scoffed at the pink current and flapped its wings mockingly.

“You heard someone say thank you?”

The pink current glared coldly at the sparrow.

“Every day. Even while stargazing together.”

The sparrow laughed, singing cheerfully.

“You really are hopeless. You should die right here.”

“That’s my line!”

The sparrow and the pink current clashed, emitting a violent shockwave.

Despite no mana being used, lightning-like sparks burst out between them.

Creeeak…

Heavenly Hawk, the so-called Sovereign of the Sky, could neither run away nor retreat due to the letter held at the sparrow’s claw. It could only cry out mournfully.

Screeeeech!

* * *

Raon went to Glenn and relayed all the information he had received from the Thespian Emperor.

“Ariel’s readings are certainly reliable. But the sea…”

Glenn sighed briefly, saying the area was far too vast.

“Even so, we must search.”

Raon folded Ariel’s letter in half and raised his head.

“Please send the Light Wind Division. Even if we have to comb every coast on the continent, we must find the Soul Stone.”

There was no longer any reason to keep the Light Wind Division idle—it was best they took part in the mission together.

“Hmm…”

Glenn looked quietly at Raon, then shook his head.

“It’s too risky to rely solely on the Light Wind Division when we don’t know who else is after the Soul Stone.”

He stated that it wasn’t yet time to move, shaking his head again.

“But…”

“I didn’t say no. Just wait a bit. I’ve already sent a message to someone.”

“Who?”

“Aris.”

Glenn lowered his hand, saying he had contacted Aris again and instructed Raon to move with her once she replied.

“Hm…”

Raon closed his mouth.

‘That really is the best option.’

Aris wasn’t just strong—she had sailed all across the sea.

If she helped, the search for the Soul Stone would become far easier.

“Understood.”

Raon bowed and agreed to wait.

“You’re at a very important juncture right now. Until your next mission, focus solely on your training.”

“I will.”

Even in those short words, Raon could feel Glenn’s sincerity. He nodded deeply and left the audience chamber.

He was about to return to the 5th Training Ground for more training when he felt a familiar presence behind the family head’s residence.

‘This aura…’

He narrowed his eyes and climbed the wall of the private training hall.

The person inside was Rimmer.

Soaked in sweat, he was swinging his sword with unwavering determination in his green eyes.

It didn’t feel like mere training—it felt like he was fighting for his life.

‘I thought he was just lazing around?’

After Raon had finished his focus training, both Rimmer and The Gambling Monster were given time off. He had assumed they’d be wasting time in gambling dens, but here Rimmer was, refining his swordsmanship with such desperate eyes.

‘Come to think of it…’

The vice-division leader had been steadily improving, too.

Rimmer had once been a Grandmaster, only to fall to Master rank after injuring his energy center. Yet through an artificial energy center and tireless effort, he had regained the Grandmaster level.

‘That’s not something anyone can just do.’

No matter how talented Rimmer was, he couldn’t have reached that level without effort.

He must have been training consistently behind the scenes, unseen by anyone.

-The brat’s just showing off.

Wrath is speaking with a sneer. But the fact he didn’t call him “ears” meant he didn’t completely disapprove.

‘True. Doesn’t suit him at all.’

Raon smiled faintly and nodded. After watching Rimmer’s training for a long while, he quietly left the arena.

‘I can’t afford to fall behind either.’

Although his realm was currently above Rimmer’s, the elf had far more experience.

To avoid being overtaken, he’d need to keep pushing himself.

‘Which means…’

-Forget it!

Wrath is speaking with furrowed brows.

‘I haven’t even said anything yet?’

-You were going to ask for Nadine Bread again today, weren’t you!

He shook his head emphatically, absolutely refusing.

‘You’ve gotten sharper.’

Raon chuckled as he looked at Wrath.

-Sharp? Sharp!? I’ve said it before, but you’re the last person who should be using the word “sharp,” you fool!

‘It’s not that bad…’

-It is that bad!

Wrath is speaking as he smacked the back of Raon’s neck to knock some sense into him.

-Let this Monarch tell you something. Humans originally live through connections with others…

Raon returned to the annex while getting lectured by Wrath about social awareness and how to survive as a human.

* * *

A quiet pier.

Waves carried by the wind gently rocked the sailing ship flying the pirate flag.

“Why won’t this thing open?”

A middle-aged man with his forehead exposed furrowed his brow while staring at a pure-white envelope on the deck.

“That can only be opened by the owner.”

A woman with a red eyepatch shook her head.

“The owner?”

“Probably the captain.”

She explained that only the captain, Aris, would be able to open that letter, shaking her head again.

“Now that you mention it, why hasn’t our captain come back? It’s been over two months, hasn’t it…?”

The middle-aged man looked up at the blazing sky, his expression tightening. Aris had taken most of the crew and headed into a port after hearing a lead on her son’s whereabouts—but she still hadn’t returned.

She was always one to do as she pleased, but this kind of silence for such a long time was rare, and it worried him.

“No need to worry.”

The eyepatch-wearing woman calmly shook her head.

“How can I not worry! Two months! It’s not normal to go this long without a word.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“You heartless ice queen! After everything the captain’s done for you!”

The middle-aged man frowned, calling her cold-blooded.

“Even if Lady Aris and Rabawin are strong, they’re not invincible! They could be in danger…”

Just as the man was shaking his head—

“Aaah, I’m exhausted!”

With a gruff voice, Aris jumped up onto the deck.

“Seriously, I didn’t expect it to be this tough.”

Rabawin dropped down beside her with a sigh.

“C-Captain?”

The middle-aged man’s jaw dropped at the sight of Aris and Rabawin.

“Wh-When did you get here?”

“When you were saying we’re not invincible!”

Aris frowned and smacked the man’s bald head with her palm.

“Oww!”

He screamed, clutching the red handprint on his scalp.

“I appreciate the concern, but I am invincible.”

Aris chuckled and shook her head.

“Ugh…”

The man bit his lip and looked at the woman with the eyepatch.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I told you there was no need to worry.”

“Ah…”

Only now did he recall her words and exhaled a shaky breath.

“How did your mission go?”

The eyepatched woman passed the middle-aged man and approached Aris.

“I got played.”

Aris furrowed her brow and shook her head.

“Played?”

“Yeah. There wasn’t even a trace of my son.”

“Then why did it take you so long to come back?”

“We went into a dungeon, and the time axis was all messed up.”

She let out a dry laugh, explaining that while they were only in there for a week, two whole months had passed outside.

“Nothing happened here, right?”

Aris leaned back against the deck and tipped her head slightly.

“Nothing happened to us, but there was a message from Zieghart.”

“Zieghart? Forget it. That old man’s probably just saying something weird again.”

“Well, it was something weird. He said they’re searching for the Soul Stone…”

“Soul Stone?”

She tilted her head, unfamiliar with the term.

“What’s that…”

Just as Aris was about to ask, the white envelope lying on the floor floated up on its own and approached her.

“Oh. A special delivery from the black market. My old man must really be in a rush.”

Aris chuckled as she opened the envelope. After reading its contents, her eyes narrowed.

“It says, ‘When the sun and moon touch at their closest point, the path to the sky will close, and a wandering soul will inhabit the nearest object, becoming a Soul Stone that shines with a rainbow glow.’ Ever heard of that?”

She scrunched her nose, clearly not understanding the meaning.

“Who’d go looking for something like this?”

“U-Um, the letter we received earlier said the same thing.”

The middle-aged man rubbed his now-red scalp and lowered his head.

“I’ve been all over the continent, and I’ve never even heard of…”

“Rainbow glow?”

Rabawin blinked as she lifted his fake eyepatch.

“I’ve seen that before.”

“……”

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