"Sniff! It smells salty! Is this the sea?" The red kitten Hong looked out the open carriage window and sniffed the air.

Cale nodded his head as he received a small round item that Raon handed to him. "This is the condensed mana from the bomb?"

Raon nodded his head at Cale's question and responded. "Yes, Human. We can make a new magic bomb now."

"You're so wonderful." Cale became jovial at this confirmation and opened the carriage window wide.

The cool sea breeze entered the carriage as he looked out toward the Northeastern sea. There were many islands visible in the sea. The Northeastern sea had quite a number of these small islands.

The silver kitten On was also quite excited. "Oh! Look at that sharp cliff!"

The sharp cliff brought forth both awe and fear as they were riding across a path created on top of that cliff.

Cale looked toward the 'Cliff of Winds', the most beautiful sight in the Ubarr territory. There were many small islands next to that cliff.

Between the cliff and the islands were multiple raging whirlpools. Those whirlpools were the culprit behind why the seas of the Ubarr territory were so dangerous.

'The mage slayer ends up landing on one of those islands after being shipwrecked by the whirlpools, and ends up finding 'the Sound of the Wind'.'

The mage slayer was known for being an intelligent barbarian. He was even stronger than Lock, the Blue Wolf Tribe member and the future Wolf King, and held the title of the strongest individual in the Western Continent.

The mage slayer's name was Toonka, also known as Toonka the Tyrant.

'I just need to get it before he does. I feel like I'm a professional now.' Cale chuckled at his own thought.

"Why are you laughing, Human?" Raon asked curiously. "What's so funny?"

"Hmm, I've just felt that I've been snatching a lot of things from people."

"Is that so, Human? But snatching from bad guys is good, so they won't used whatever they have for bad things. I've learnt that."

Cale nodded his head and continued his thought. 'If things went as it did in the novel, it was still too early for Toonka to come here.'

Cale was thinking that there was no chance he would run into Toonka as he looked out to the sea with satisfaction. This journey would be smooth, as long as he avoided Toonka.

Cale, who had been looking out the window with satisfaction, could see something far in the horizon.

"Hmm?" Cale rubbed his eyes a bit, but it was still the same. "...Isn't that a whale?"

A pod of large whales were shooting water into the air as they crossed through the Northeastern Sea to head north.

Cale suddenly had an ominous feeling, and clenched the magic bomb ingredients in his hand.

The whales tended to live in the Northern sea. This was true for the Whale Tribe as well. It was only during the war with the mermaids that the Whale Tribe came down south.

'Tons of whales head north. Did it start already? It is a little earlier than the novel, right?' Cale frowned.

The Black Dragon's voice echoed inside Cale's ear. "I feel a strong presence."

That echo stabbed right into Cale's brain.

That was why Cale was frowning to the point that people thought he was in pain when they arrived at a small village just outside the Cliff of Winds.

"Young master, are you okay? did you get sick on the way?"

Cale shook his head at Hans's concerned question. "No, I just have a bad feeling."

"Ah, it is scary because of the cliffs. However, our driver is a veteran, so you have nothing to worry about."

Cale smiled a little at the chatter from Hans and reached his hand out to the person approaching him. "Nice to meet you again, young lady Amiru."

"Hello, young master Cale." Amiru had her uniquely calm smile on her face as she welcomed Cale and crew.

This was a small seaside village in the Ubarr territory. This small village, that had nothing special and allowed the residents to live in peace and quiet until now, was suddenly busy with visitors.

The village was quickly changing every day. However, they would soon face an opportunity that will allow their village to change incomparably in the near future.

Tomorrow night would be that moment. Tomorrow night, Cale was planning on blowing up a magic bomb deep inside the sea. However, something that, in Cale's point of view, should have never happened yet had happened.

This terrible situation began when one of Amiru's knights came to report to Amiru.

The knight urgently approached Amiru and quietly reported. "My lady, the person we rescued has regained consciousness."

"Oh, is that so?"

'Rescue?' That word made Cale think of a single person.

As Cale started to frown again with doubt on his mind, Amiru noticed Cale's expression and started to explain. "We were inspecting the shoreline and nearby islands for the new naval base when we rescued a shipwrecked person. It seems that he has regained consciousness."

'I have a bad feeling about this.'

"We were debating what to do when we saw him unconscious and being dragged into the whirlpool, but I remembered what you did at the plaza and decided we needed to save him." Amiru continued to speak to Cale. "Because a person's life is precious, right, young master Cale?"

'That means Toonka haven't got the Sound of the Wind yet, since he was rescued before he got a chance to. That's good.' Cale answered that question after a long moment of silence. "...Of course."

"I knew young master Cale would answer like that."

Cale could not even think about Amiru's smiling face right now. All that was on his mind right now were the details regarding the situation where Toonka get the Sound of the Wind.

Amiru, who had no way of knowing what Cale was thinking about, thought the serious expression on Cale's face was because of how caring of a person he was.

She then continued to speak. "Based on his outfit and physique, he seemed to be someone from the Whipper Kingdom."

'It was definitely Toonka.' Cale's face turned paler after hearing Amiru's words. 'I wanted to avoid that guy. Since he could somehow sense strong opponents, I hope he wouldn't find out about Raon. My Raon must has the aura of strong opponent for Toonka. What a headache.'

The non-mage faction that was fighting against the mages in the Whipper Kingdom were ignored as barbarians by the mages. However, there were no barbarians in this world.

All humans had the same brain. It was just that, as time went on and history was created, they all grew and developed in the way that was most suitable for them.

The non-mages of the Whipper Kingdom were all strong individuals who managed to take control of the Whipper Kingdom's harsh mountains and shores without using any magic. They were people who focused on strengthening the human body rather than relying on other factors, such as magic.

They were rebelling because they wanted to destroy the current Whipper Kingdom that was made only for mages to have easy lives and return it to its original form.

The citizens of the Whipper Kingdom were on the side of these non-mages. Foreigners may think that the barbarians were trying to take over the kingdom, but they were not barbarians to the Whipper Kingdom's citizens. They were just free people. They used instinct to take down this kingdom of logic.

'The problem is that Toonka is extremely stupid.'

An intelligent barbarian? There were some who said that, but, in Cale's opinion, Toonka was just a simple and stupid person who just happened to be very strong.

And stupid people were the scariest type of people. This was because you could not talk sense with them.

"Young master Cale, you do not have to worry about that person. He seemed to recover very quickly."

Cale laughed it off after hearing Amiru's words. "I'm not worried at all. In fact, I'd prefer it if he continued to get treatment for a long time."

Cale's hope was that Toonka would remain in recovery until he left. Amiru, as well as the knights who were with her in the capital, all looked toward Cale with warm gazes.

Cale did not want to pay attention to such gazes. He had bad memories about getting such gazes from strangers who met him for the first time.

He had enough of a headache trying to figure out why Toonka arrived here so early. He doesn't need bad Records to pop up in his mind as well.

(Tsuki: before people realize that anyone that Kim Roksoo close to would get accidents, they gave him warm gazes... then they ended up being the first one to abandoned him.)

"Young lady Amiru, could you please show us to our rooms?" He wanted to avoid those gazes as soon as possible.

"Of course. You are still not at full strength yet, right?"

"Yes. I am still having headaches once in a while." Cale lied without blinking.

"...Oh no, let's hurry then."

Cale only had a quick thought in his head as Amiru started to walk quickly with a serious expression on her face before slowing back down to match Cale's speed.

'Billos may be a Flynn and is extremely talented, but how was he so sure about the Civil War? How did he find out so early?'

It was because Cale had read the novel that he knew about Billos's abilities. However, Billos was still ostracized as a bastard son right now. There had to be a limit to his information gathering.

The fact that Billos knew about it meant that the story was changing. 'The Civil War must be happening earlier than in the novel.'

If Cale thought about it that way, everything made sense. But what would have brought forth the Civil War?

However, Cale did not think long about this question. The fact that Toonka was shipwrecked meant that his ship was destroyed by the mages' attacks and that he had returned from the north after gaining strength.

That meant that, even if it was moved up, the story itself did not change. He could still used that information to his benefits.

The strength that instilled fear in the mages. The peak of human potential when it came to physical strength. Toonka survived through the sea, mountain, desert, jungle, volcano, and glaciers with just his physical strength alone.

Toonka had survived through nature and its harshest elements. There was no way that mages, who use mana, a power that is drawn from nature, could defeat such a person.

'Maybe a Dragon can kill him.' A Dragon could probably still kill Toonka with a single hit. 'But I'm not going to risk my Raon on that gamble.'

Cale said that he needed to rest as soon as he arrived at the residence and sent everybody out of his room before looking up at the ceiling and starting to speak. "Hey, Raon?"

"What is it, Human?" The Black Dragon revealed itself.

Cale started to seriously speak to the

dragon. "Remember to stay by my side without going anywhere from now on, okay?"

'So I could do something quickly in case we meet Toonka.' He needed to prepare for that moment.

"I will do whatever you want." The young Dragon's wings were fluttering let Cale know that this child was happy about it.

Cale smiled. "Thank you for listening."

"Of course. I'm a great and mighty Dragon, I'm good at listening."

Cale felt much better after telling that to Raon. Cale then looked around his room. It was a residence that the head of the Ubarr family had built a while ago in this small village.

'It doesn't really fit with the rest of the village.'

This luxurious room did not fit with the village they were in. That meant that Amiru's mother, the head of the Ubarr territory, already had plans to develop this area when she originally started the construction of this residence. That vision was finally becoming a reality 10 years later.

'It probably took a while to draw in Gilbert's family and get the protection of the Wheelsman family.'

Cale was scheduled to meet with Amiru's mother before leaving the Ubarr territory. She was going to come from the city with the Ubarr family's main estate around that time.

Cale thought about that meeting for a bit before moving to stand in front of the window. He could see the entire village through the large window, as well as the Cliff of Winds.

The Cliff of Winds.

For hundreds of years, the water in front of the cliff was ravaged by a whirlpool, causing headaches for the Ubarr citizens trying to head out into the sea.

But there was a reason Amiru's family still considered this area to be important.

There were two other villages that were by the sea, but this village was at the center of the three. The shoreline that was in the shape of a crescent moon had this village in the center with two cliffs on either side, making this the only village that made it easy for boats to set out.

Furthermore, islands of different sizes were visible from the village, making it a pretty sight as well. It would be a great location for a military base.

Cale was scheduled to go to the smallest island tomorrow morning. The Sound of the Wind, that was the source of all of these whirlpools was located right next to that island.

Toonka had said the following about the Sound of the Wind in the novel.

It was exactly what Cale was looking for. A power that would allow him to quickly and quietly run away after causing chaos for the strong.

Cale started to slightly smile in anticipation of tomorrow morning. That slight smile soon changed to a full-on smile that was full of satisfaction.

"Young master-nim! Uncle Beacrox made this seafood just for you!"

"Uncle is very excited about the sea!"

"Right! Young master-nim, please eat a lot!"

Cale looked at the ten wolf children bringing food to his room with satisfaction.

He somehow got used to their enthusiasm. He patted each of them on their head, whenever they come to deliver the meal Beacrox prepared.

He had told the others that they were Lock's cousins and that they all lived in the same village when their families were killed by bandits.

Cale's smile faltered a little. Cale's eyes were focusing on Beacrox, who was bringing trays of food behind the children.

Ron's son, a chef, and his brother figure. That was Beacrox.

He usually wore clothes without any wrinkles nor even a speck of dust. It was the same right now. However, he had serious bags under his eyes.

"Please eat, young master."

"Thanks for your hard work, Beacrox. Are you okay though?"

"I am still okay. Thanks for the concern."

'He said that but his eyes was saying that it's my fault.' Cale could only laughed awkwardly.

Cale remembered it when the Wolf children came to him asking for something to do.

"Young master-nim, we want to work. Lock Hyung told us we cannot leech off of you."

The wolf children, with Maes in the lead, had rushed into his carriage during their journey and asked him to put them to work.

That was when Cale had them start assisting Beacrox.

"Mm, we think it will be better if we train with the knights, but we will still do our best." The 12-year-old Maes was confident and calm, unlike Lock.

He was also very aware of the strengths of the Wolf Tribe. That was why Cale was even more adamant about their helping Beacrox in the kitchen.

"You are still children. It is still too early to do something dangerous like training with the knights. Help Beacrox with the kitchen stuff."

"You really are like Lock Hyung mentioned. Yes, we will do our best."

The children who said that they will work hard really did work hard. Maybe that was why, but Cale couldn't help but worry for Beacrox, who seemed to get more tired each and every day. He felt guilty for pushing his problem to Beacrox.

Beacrox just stood there while the wolf children set up the table and then headed out.

"Uncle, are you not coming?"

The wolf children were bright and pure. They called Beacrox uncle and treated him like family.

"...I'm coming in a bit."

The children headed out first after hearing his comment. All of them were dressed cleanly and had their hair well kept, as if they never lived in a remote village before. It was inevitable with Beacrox's style.

"Young master, you don't have to blame yourself. I could handle those kids. Just enjoy the food I've worked hard to prepare for you."

Cale was avoiding Beacrox's gaze. And Beacrox noticed right away that this young man was blaming himself, like he always did as a child whenever someone got in troubled situation.

Cale picked up the fork and knife and addressed Beacrox who was leaving.

"Okay. Thanks for always giving me a delicious meal, and taking care of me, Beacrox." Cale looked straight at Beacrox this time and sincerely said his thanks.

"...Yes sir. It's my pleasure." Beacrox smiled.

Click. Beacrox left the room and closed the door behind him.

Cale looked at the door and started to speak. "I felt like he is trying to do Ron's job on top of his own while Ron is away."

There was no reason for Beacrox to bring the food to him. However, Beacrox was slowly doing Ron's work at any chance he got. This made him a little concern.

There's nothing Cale could do now, as knew how stubborn the Molan father and son could be when they decided something.

Thankfully, The wolf children also showed up sometimes to take Ron's spot, instead of Beacrox.

Cale looked toward the corner of the room next and continued speaking. "Come eat."

Cale's meal buddies, On, Hong, and Raon, rushed to the table and started to eat. Cale looked out at the sunset over the ocean as he ate his dinner.

***********************************

Tsuki: I've taken 's suggestion into consideration for the title this time. Thanks and Enjoy!

To honor Beacrox's sacrifice for the children...