Episode 440.

“Ironclad missing?”

Raon lowered his Celestial Sword and approached Dorian.

“What do you mean, where did you hear that?”

“Uh, I don’t know exactly.”

Dorian chewed his lip and shook his head.

“I ran into a bunch of off-duty escort prosecutors on my way here, and they said the Ironclad was missing.”

He drew in a ragged breath as he said that as soon as he heard that the Ironclad was missing, he had rushed straight to the training grounds.

“Ugh….”

Raon bit his lip as he watched Dorian’s quivering pupils.

“If it’s from a non-ballroom escort swordsman, it must be true.

Dorian is an easy-going guy, so he has a lot of friends besides the jester. There was no way a non-banquet escorting prosecutor would lie about something as serious as a disappearance, so it must be true.

“What kind of mission did he go missing on?

The Iron Warriors had returned to the Aryan House first, claiming to have a mission for them.

He hadn’t been seen since his return, so I assumed he was on a mission, but I didn’t expect to hear that he was missing.

“You don’t know why he went missing?”

“No. I just heard that he was missing.”

“Hmm….”

Raon wiped his forehead and frowned.

“What the hell happened to him?

Trevin’s hard, caring eyes came to mind. Something must have happened, because there’s no way his stupidly manualized mind could have gotten past the report.

“Uh, what do we do?”

“First, we need to get information.”

He sheathed his sword, dusted off his clothes, and headed for the exit of the training hall.

“Where are you going?”

“To a non-banquet.”

“Directly there?”

“Yes. I have to go now.”

Raon nodded. The news of the Ironclad’s disappearance had likely arrived between night and dawn, as Dorian had said he’d heard from the escorting prosecutors on their way out.

If they went now, they would be able to get the latest information on the disappearance.

“Oh?”

“Lord?”

As I opened the door to leave the rehearsal hall, I ran into a group of clownish inspectors trying to get inside.

“Greetings!”

“I see you’re here first.”

“But where are you going?”

“Passing this morning’s training?”

The unsuspecting inspectors greeted me with bright faces.

“This morning’s drill is autonomous.”

Raon instructed the swordsmen to train autonomously and then walked in the direction of the main building.

It didn’t take long for him to arrive in front of the non-banquet building, thanks to his powered walker.

The two swordsmen stood like statues in front of the main entrance.

Their smoothly flowing aura and calm breathing made it clear that they were masters.

I straightened my clothes and approached my escorts.

“I am Raon Sieghardt, Lord of the Berserkers. I’m here to see the Lord of the Banquet.”

It was an urgent matter, but there was no point in not following protocol. I bowed first and stated my purpose.

“Do you have an appointment?”

The elderly swordsman to my right bowed and cleared his throat.

“No, sir. But it’s urgent. I need you to bring me some news.”

“Hmm….”

As the old swordsman sent a glance, the middle-aged swordsman standing on his left walked into the non-banquet hall.

-Sigh

Rath looked at the tightly closed door and curled his lip.

-Shouldn’t they just go in, both of them weaker than you?

“I can’t.

Raon shook his head slowly.

“We don’t know how things will turn out, and we need to stay organized.

I need to get information from the non-banquets, and I can’t have an event that ignores them. It’s times like these that you need to be polite.

As I nervously waited, the front door opened and a middle-aged prosecutor walked out.

“The chairman has granted permission.”

He motioned for her to follow him and went back inside.

Raon bowed slightly and followed the middle-aged swordsman into the private dining room.

“There’s only this way! There’s nowhere to go to the right!”

“You’re going to fall down there! Are you going to report the death first?”

“Shouldn’t we first get some information from the surrounding villagers before heading out?”

“Of course we should, just in case we don’t get any information.”

The non-Banquet informants were gathered around a round table, maps spread out in front of them, arguing.

From the sounds of it, they were trying to pinpoint the location of the Ironclad’s disappearance.

“Find out if there were other Oma besides that.”

“They’re neutral, so we’ll just have to locate them.”

“Haha, send them a message saying mission well done and let them know what’s going on….”

“Shut up, and give me a solid opinion today!”

Raon walked toward the back of the non-banquet hall, listening to the shouts of the informants.

“So it’s real.

It hurt to realize that Trevin and the Ironclad were indeed missing, and he was heartened to know that many of the informants here were working with bloodshot eyes to find them.

As I walked away, vowing to go out and find Trevin and the Ironclad myself, a middle-aged prosecutor stopped me.

“This is the place.”

The middle-aged prosecutor gestured to the non-banqueting state office.

“Thank you.”

Raon bowed to him and stood in front of the office.

It clicked.

Two knocks on the thin door, and Chad’s voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

Raon opened the door and stepped inside. Chad, the non-entertainer, poked his head out from a large desk strewn with papers.

“Long time no see. Deputy Lord. No, you’re the Deputy Lord now.”

“It’s good to see you, Non-Banquet Lord.”

He bowed to Chad and closed the door to his office.

“I should have congratulated you on your promotion sooner, but it’s too late.”

He held his clasped hands out in front of him apologetically.

“No.”

Raon shook his head.

“What you did for me in the Realm is enough.”

Chad’s assurances about the outcome of the mission in the Realm of Reality had silenced his immediate circle, earned him the gold plaque at his leisure, and earned him the approval of others.

“It’s business.”

Chad waved a hand dismissively and laughed.

“But what brings you to the non-banquet this morning?”

“I overheard something.”

Raon rubbed the back of his hand as he looked into Chad’s calm eyes.

“They said the Ironclad was missing, is that true?”

“Oh, that’s….”

Chad’s seemingly calm face crumbled in an instant. By the look on his face, he had no intention of lying.

“My rotating bodyguards must have told you. Oh, and I’m not doing any new hires….”

He frowned, indicating that he hadn’t properly inducted the new recruits yet.

“Well, it’s something that’s going to get around.”

“Is that true?”

“Yeah. It’s true.”

Chad nodded heavily.

“The Ironclads finished their monster-slaying mission in the Hopyrn region, and on their way back, they disappeared.”

He scratched at the desk with his fingernails, noting that it had taken him a while to figure out the disappearance because there were no signs of battle.

“What do you mean no signs of combat….”

“Literally. There’s no sign of battle anywhere along their route, and it doesn’t look like they’ve been forced to cover their tracks, so we’re still wondering how they went missing.”

The words reminded me of the arguments I’d heard from my informants since I’d arrived, all of them trying to figure out where the Ironclad had gone and how they’d disappeared.

“So you don’t know about the Beastmen?”

“No, we don’t. We have our suspicions.”

“Suspicious?”

“Yes. There have been sightings of Black Tower minions on the outskirts of Hopyrn.”

“The Black Tower….”

Raon muttered the name of the Black Tower and bit his lip until it bled.

“Is this about me?

She’d heard that the Black Tower was after her for going to the Sepia Council to help Dorian, slashing the Black Chief, and taking Drake, but she hadn’t expected the grudge to be directed at the Ironclad.

“It’s not just because of the Vizier, though. The Bone Family and Omar are enemies by nature.”

Chad seemed to know what Raon was thinking and told him not to worry too much about it.

“Did the Ironclads run into the Black Tower on their mission?”

“No.”

He shook his head emphatically.

“Then it’s my fault. I killed the Black Tower, and I’m using the Iron Battalion to get even.”

“Ugh….”

Chad bit back, unable to retort.

“Who came out of the Black Tower?”

“Not exactly, but Marun and Bingxiang.”

“Marun, Bingxiang….”

Both of them were masters of the Black Tower and had gained notoriety throughout the continent.

“This must be a preemptive strike by the Black Tower to express their intention to target me.”

“That’s what I think too, so if you wait, the other overlords will….”

“No, they won’t. So I’ll go.”

Raon balled his fists so tightly they made a rumbling sound.

“I’m coming to teach you firsthand how messing with Siegfried ruins you.”

* * * https://pindangscans.com

Raon asked the non-banquet master to gather the information, then headed straight for Gazoojeon.

When he arrived in front of the alcove, he ran into Roen, who was holding a stack of papers.

“Vice Lord?”

Roen’s eyes widened as if he hadn’t expected to be here.

“What brings you here….”

“I’ve come to see my Lord.”

Raon inclined his head toward Roen, his eyes gentle but powerful.

“Well….”

Roen smiled faintly and nodded.

“Let me ask you a question.”

With that, he stepped through the door into the realm of the living.

A moment later, the door opened again, and Roen smiled and gestured.

“You have my permission, please come in.”

“Thank you.”

Raon bowed to Roen and entered the realm.

He walked slowly across the red carpet and stood before Glenn, who had his back to the throne.

“Greetings, my lord….”

“You are welcome, so no need for a grand greeting this morning.”

Glenn gestured for him to rise, now that the greeting was over.

“Get to the point.”

“I learned of the Ironclad’s disappearance by accident.”

Raon rose to his feet, getting straight to the point as Glenn had requested.

“Hmm.”

Glenn raised an eyebrow, not particularly puzzled or surprised.

“I’d like to join the search mission, too.”

“Arrogant.”

He cupped his chin with his knuckles and let out a faint sneer.

“The Iron Warlord has disappeared, leaving no trace, and you think your presence is going to change that?”

Glenn waved a hand in the air.

“I’ve decided to send the lily pads that were closest to the Hopyrn area, so you can stay out of the way and wait.”

“But this is because of me, and I can’t stand idly by while they seek revenge for killing the Black Marshal.”

Raon shook his head. For once, he could not back down.

“I’ve told you, it won’t change anything if you go.”

The words pierced my ears, and I could feel Glenn’s magnificent air wafting over me. A terrifying pressure. It was like the weight of the entirety of North Mengshan pressing down on my shoulders.

A thud.

Raon gritted his teeth until they cracked.

‘Thud.

I have to hold on.

Trevin and the Ironclad didn’t say, but I’m sure they would have come to the aid of House Aryan through this.

This was my fault, and I couldn’t just lie there and do nothing.

Qi Yi Ying!

Raon raised his head as he polarized his fire ring.

Boom!

He stepped forward with his left foot, pushing off Glenn’s harsh air waves. He raised his voice as he parried the growing pressure with his sword of will.

“You’re not family if you don’t help when it’s dangerous, and I want to fight for them, just as the Ironborn came to House Aryan with a single letter. I don’t need a ball, I don’t need a prize, just let me join the search!”

Now that I had shown my strength, it was time to show my sincerity. Kneeling, I bowed my head.

“I’ll stay out of harm’s way as much as possible, and focus on the search. Please let me go, even if it’s alone!”

Raon bit his lip as he shouted that he could never be still.

“If you don’t give me permission, I’ll go over the wall.

He wasn’t just bluffing. With the Black Tower as his sanctuary, he was more likely to be of use than the others.

“You want me to let you go alone? You’re willing, but you don’t realize it.”

Glenn’s mouth twisted as he removed his hand from the armrest of the throne.

“Where are your men?”

“Yes?”

He gestured without answering, and Roen opened the door to the realm again.

Koo-koo-koo-koo!

The massive doors swung open, and the men who stood before them raised their fierce eyes. Jester. All the swordsmen of the Clowning Company, except for Limer, were gathered.

“You’re not going anywhere alone!”

Marta scowled as she ran over.

“Do you really want to die?”

She raised a curled fist as if to say she was going to do it all by herself again.

“Marta’s right.”

Lunan pursed his lips in frustration.

“We should go together like mint and chocolate.”

She shook her head, refusing to go alone.

“Don’t think you’re the only one who owes the Ironclad.”

Buren stepped up beside her, holstering his sword.

“We got a lot of help, too.”

He furrowed his brow, wishing he hadn’t.

“You’re not the only one with ties to the Ironclad!”

“Don’t try to do it all by yourself.”

“If I’ve gotten help, I should be able to help you, too.”

“We’ll come with you!”

The clown swordsmen also raised their voices, saying that they would go with you no matter what.

“Ah….”

Raon clutched his forehead as he saw the conviction in the Clown Swordsmen’s eyes.

“I was thinking of myself again.

It was true what they said, the Crazies and the Iron Knights had many close friendships. I felt embarrassed that I had declared my intention to go alone, without considering the feelings of the Berserkers.

Mate.

Raon patted his own cheek and knelt before Glenn again.

“I’ll say it again.”

Red flashed in his eyes as he lifted his head.

“The Berserkers would like to join the search mission for the Ironclad.”

Only after the words were out of his mouth did a small ripple cross Glenn’s lips.