章節 164: Chapter 323
[T.L: punisher87]
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It was a dense and deep forest. The path was not properly paved on any side, and even monsters roamed the abandoned forest.
Not many people in the world could build a villa in such a place and maintain it. Joshua had his guardian knights and hunting dogs residing here.
Grr, Grrr….
From somewhere, unknown creatures were making low growling sounds.
However, the monsters couldn't approach Jin recklessly because they were afraid of the intimidating aura emanating from him, the aura of the Plutonian tribe.
'If elder sister Luna hadn't told me, even with the information-gathering ability of the seven colored peacock, it would have been impossible to find this place.'
In a way, this villa was located in a place that could only be found by someone who had grown up with Joshua, by his side.
-When Joshua was a teenager, there was a forest where he would go to train on days when he was severely mistreated by me. It was a forest where monsters appeared. It seems that he chose that place to follow Father's footsteps in training in the Black Sea.
Luna shared the story while revealing the location of the secret villa.
The people of the Ekan Kingdom called this place the Abandoned Forest, the Dark Forest, or the Forest of the Abyss, just like people named useless and dangerous forests in various regions.
The nearby village disappeared after being attacked by monsters, and the Ekan Kingdom had no ability to clean up the forest.
Young Joshua considered this place to be the perfect land for his training.
And he thought his father would be pleased. He hoped that if he trained alone in this forest, just as his father did in the Black Sea, he would eventually be recognized.
Only once, Chiron mentioned something about that forest to Joshua.
-You're doing well. But you can't catch up to your sister like that.
Chiron rarely praised his children.
Therefore, if he combined praise and admonishment, and it wasn't a mocking tone, it was undoubtedly closer to praise.
But at that time, Joshua, who respected his father, couldn't stand being compared to Luna, even in that moment when he was training following his father.
So he personally led his faction knights and set fire to the villa.
Since that day, the villa disappeared from Runcandel's records, and Joshua no longer sought the Ekan Kingdom.
Ten years or so passed after that, for some reason. Joshua found this place again and built a villa identical to the one he made in his youth.
-Whether it's because of his affection for Father, or simply because he liked that forest, or maybe because his sense of inferiority has diminished, I don't know the reason, but in any case, it seems to have become quite an important place.
As Jin briefly recalled Luna's story, he felt a presence and turned his head. Through the dense and dark trees, he saw people wearing masks.
It was Kashmir, Alisa, Kuzan, and Yulian. They had just arrived in the forest and now they had found Jin.
"We have erased all the traces left by the young master as we came."
Kuzan said politely, bowing his head. As Kuzan said, his companions had erased the traces Jin intentionally left behind so that they could find him.
"Thank you for your hard work."
According to the information provided by Luna, the number of residents inside the villa was approximately three guardian knights and 10 hunting dogs.
"You can kill the hunting dogs, but try to spare the guardian knights unless absolutely necessary. If you are not able to subdue them, then you can eliminate them. Especially with Kuzan and Yulian, there might be an old comrade who recognizes your abilities, so you need to change your fighting style."
The reason they wanted to spare the guardian knights if possible was that they were individuals who had pledged loyalty to Runcandel before becoming followers of Joshua. Jin wanted to avoid killing any more of the clan's guardian knights in the future. In other words, he wanted to give them a chance.
Before the full-scale confrontation with Joshua began, Jin wanted to provide an opportunity for surrender. The knights who made wise choices had the option to be recruited.
"Understood."
Jin, Kashmir, and Alisa had brought weapons different from their usual ones. Alisa had a pair of daggers instead of her usual gauntlets.
Jin shifted his gaze to Yulian.
Yulian, who was usually extremely introverted and always looked frightened whenever Joshua's name came up, seemed even more tense today.
"Yulian."
"...Yes?"
"He's definitely here."
Upon hearing those words, Yulian tightly sealed his lips. Jin lightly tapped his shoulder and continued.
"Let's go in."
Jin and his companions quickly started moving along the forest path.
Except for Yulian, the rest of them didn't seem particularly tense. They had enough power to easily handle three guardian knights and ten hunting dogs. As long as the enforcement knight level opponent wasn't here.
The tall trees densely covered the area, making it dark, but it was still broad daylight. As they got closer to the villa, the trees gradually thinned out, and eventually, amidst the dense foliage, the villa standing in the middle became visible.
Sunlight poured onto the log cabin-like building in the middle of the forest. It was a quite picturesque scene, but it didn't seem like it could accommodate thirteen people, not even close.
The building was originally constructed by Joshua for his personal use, and it had been restored exactly as it was, so its scale was very small. It felt more like a shack than a villa.
The group approached the entrance of the villa, making sure to keep their footsteps silent.
Inside, there were two of Joshua's hunting dogs. They were playing a game of chance among themselves and only sensed the presence of intruders when the group was right in front of them.
But by then, it was already too late.
Swoosh, swoosh!
Kuzan's venomous needles pierced the throats of the two individuals through the gaps in the windows.
As they slumped onto the table, Kuzan skillfully retrieved his needles and erased any trace of injury.
Except for those two, there was no one else inside the villa. Neither the three guardian knights nor the other eight hunting dogs were visible.
They must be underground.
Given the small size of the aboveground building, finding the passage leading underground was not a difficult task. As long as they knew that there was an underground area, that is.
Alisa opened the concealed door on the floor, testing for traps. As the residents frequently moved around, there were no special traps near the entrance.
Once they descended, they found themselves in a pitch-black corridor. The group swiftly lit the magic lanterns hanging from the belt of the slain hunting dogs.
Unlike the small cabin aboveground, the underground area had a considerable scale at first glance.
"Do not scatter, Sir Kashmir. We have no knowledge of the internal structure."
"Understood, Young Master Jin."
As they descended into the underground, the group hadn't encountered any enemies for about ten minutes.
During that time, the group had realized that the underground resembled a prison-like structure. Behind iron bars, there were cells covered in bloodstains, but all the places they had seen so far were empty.
The bloodstains belonged to both humans and dragons. In the cells where dragons had been imprisoned, there were scales scattered around, allowing for differentiation.
Yulian couldn't hide his uneasiness.
The reason their group had decided to raid this mansion was that Yulian's guardian dragon was held captive here.
'The traces of dragons being held captive must belong to the guardian dragons of contractors' that Joshua brought with him.'
The number was certainly not small.
That raised a question. How could such a large number of dragons be guarded by just thirteen humans?
'That seems unlikely. There must be some other devices or means.'
The first thing that came to mind was the Demon's God's Orb. Among the items Jin knew, the only means to terrify or control dragons would be that. But Joshua didn't seem to have a Demon's God's Orb.
While lost in thought, they suddenly encountered a man in the corridor.
He didn't seem like a guardian knight or a hunting dog. His hunched back barely reached Jin's waist, and he was completely covered in a shabby robe, holding a staff.
An unknown person about which Jin did not hear anything from Luna.
No, it didn't even feel like a human.
None of the members, including Jin, could sense any energy from him.
[What? Are the materials coming in today as well?]
He spoke with a low and gloomy voice.
As Kuzan tried to subdue the suspicious man with his poison needle, Jin raised his hand to stop him.
It was because Jin realized that the man's vacant eyes were staring into empty space.
'He can't see what's in front of him. Unless he's blind, he wouldn't react like that even after seeing these suspicious masks. But who is he?'
The rest of the team also noticed that fact a beat later.
[How many of them came?]
The man's use of the word "materials" referred to humans.
"Five."
[Just a handful. I can't do anything with that number. Just throw them inside and leave.]
"I've been curious for a while, but what are these materials for?"
When Jin approached and asked, the man raised his head.
[Tsk, Sir Joshua made quite a mistake this time. To let someone like you ask such a question…]
Crack!
He struck the floor with his staff.
Immediately, ominous purple magic circles appeared on the floor, ceiling, and walls.
Intuitively, Jin and the others could sense that it was ancient dark magic.
That meant even Jin had no idea what kind of effect that magic would have.
In a brief moment, several thoughts flashed through Jin's mind.
Should he kill the man to eliminate the magic? Or should he defend against the unknown magic and then subdue him to extract information?
He was drawn to the latter option, but the risk was too high to ensure the safety of his comrades.
Swish!
Jin swiftly dashed forward and thrust his sword into the man's neck. Jin judged that severing his limbs might not stop the magic.
[Kuah!]
The man flinched and fell forward. Not even a second had passed since the activation of the magic circle.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
"I'm not sure what kind of magic it was, so I killed him. It might have been something like what Myuron did, trying to summon something from hell."
As Jin removed the fallen man's hood, the purple magic circles lost their light and disappeared.
It was a gruesome face. The features were so distorted that it was impossible to distinguish the nose from the mouth, and the body looked like someone had forcefully lumped together chunks of flesh.
Furthermore, it seemed that the man was already in a weakened state even before Jin killed him.
"Well done. Huh, who is this... a mage? No, he doesn't feel human."
"He certainly doesn't seem human, more like a demon. I've been educated about how weakened demons can end up like this during my special forces days."
Alisa added an explanation to Kashmir's question.
Jin was rummaging through the man's robe, checking his belongings. From the inner pockets of the robe, strange, worn-out pieces of paper and bone fragments, whether from animals or humans, fell out.
Plop, clatter...
And then, a familiar black marble rolled out.
"Y-Young Master Jin, this is...!"
Kashmir exclaimed in shock as he looked down at the marble.
The marble bore a striking resemblance to an item that Jin and the others were familiar with. It was made of the exact same material.
'Shadow force marble...!?'
The recording device used by Solderet.
The marble that had fallen from the man's robe was precisely that.
章節 165: Chapter 324
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Jin reflexively picked up the marble.
Upon closer examination, it looked like Solderet's recording device. The only difference was that it was slightly heavier than the ones he had before.
'Wait, why is this here?'
The unexpected discovery left him speechless. Jin's companions seemed equally perplexed, exchanging glances with widened eyes.
'Joshua, where on earth did he get this? Could it be that he somehow accessed Temar's tomb?'
Temar's tomb was inaccessible without the proper "qualification."
And that qualification was none other than being Solderet's contractor.
Two assumptions immediately came to mind.
First, the figure known as the "Prophet" must have used some trickery to allow Joshua to enter Temar's tomb.
Second, Joshua obtained this recording device from a place other than Temar's tomb.
'Regardless of which it is, the important question is whether he knows that this marble is a recording device.'
Jin looked down at the fallen demon.
The dead have no words.
If it were possible to revive the demon, Jin might have gathered quite a bit of information. But now, it had become a lifeless corpse, spilling its dark blood from its throat.
A pity indeed.
However, it was an unexpected harvest. Compared to the near-death experiences Jin had every time he acquired a recording device, this one had practically fallen into his laps.
"Young Master, it would be wise to collect the demon's other belongings as well."
"Yes, this demon seems worth investigating."
Jin rummaged through the demon's belongings. Other than a stack of papers with unreadable ancient text, demonic symbols and a book, there seemed to be nothing worth taking.
And then, almost unconsciously, Jin opened the book.
Whoosh!
The book suddenly emitted an ominous purple glow, and from within, a peculiar voice resonated.
[You, who dared to lay hands on the grand duke of the demon world, Rontelgius' magic tome! You shall forever be cursed by Rontelgius! Even if reduced to ashes, you shall become an unbreakable statue, eternally resenting yourself even in dust!]
It was a voice different from that of the deceased demon.
As soon as the curse ended, a translucent, purple chain with a peculiar vibration shot out from the book and ensnared Jin.
"Young Master!"
"Young master Jin!"
Jin's comrades reacted in alarm, extending their swords. Naturally, the cursed chain did not yield to their blades.
And Jin, calmly raising his hand, signaled that he was alright.
"Do not be alarmed, everyone. I am immune, after all."
Solderet's contractors were completely immune to all types of curses.
Valeria, before the regression, had described this ability as "excessively deceptive." And now, Jin was experiencing that power after a long time.
The chains that had bound Jin slowly seeped into his shadow, blending with it seamlessly.
It didn't take more than five seconds for the chains to disappear completely, leaving no trace.
Jin's comrades, unknowingly, watched in silence with their mouths agape before asking,
"Young Master, are you truly alright?"
"Yes, fortunately. If it were someone else who touched this book... wouldn't they have turned into a statue? Unless Rontelgius had rigged this book with such a device just to scare us."
When the chains enveloped him, there was a chill down Jin's spine. Not because he feared the curse, but because Jin realized the terrible fate that would have befallen any other comrade who touched it.
"From now on, we should be more cautious when dealing with demons or those who wield dark magic. We were just lucky this time. We learned the name Rontelgius, presumably this demon's family."
Fssss...
The demon's body began to disintegrate. There was no trace left where the corpse once lay, not even a sign of the spilled blood.
"Despicable creatures."
"Let's continue forward."
The group resumed their journey. Perhaps due to the sudden encounter with the demon, Jin's companions were even more on edge.
However, until they reached the end of the underground facility, they didn't encounter any enemies.
Three guardians, eight hunting dogs, and the remaining members were absent.
Oddly enough, that made Jin uneasy.
If there were so few personnel, perhaps Yulian's guardian dragon had been moved elsewhere...
As that sense of unease brushed through Jin's minds, Yulian pointed trembling hands beyond the darkness of the underground.
"Cal... Caltor...! Caltor!"
As the light illuminated the area, a human figure hanging on the wall became visible.
It was none other than Caltor, Yulian's guardian dragon who had transformed into a human.
His appearance was devastatingly pitiful. His hands and feet were nailed to large spikes, and his body was covered in traces of unspeakable torture.
He barely seemed to be breathing.
"Caltor! It's me, Yulian! I'll release you soon...!"
Tears streamed incessantly from Yulian's eyes.
This time, Kuzan, seemingly feeling sorry for Yulian, silently pulled out the spikes. With each pull, Caltor's body trembled, but there was no sign of consciousness returning.
"Ah... Caltor, please answer. What have those bastards done to you?"
"He's alive, Yulian. We can return and get him treated. Young Master will surely summon the saints of Vankela for you. So calm down, lower your voice. It must be agonizing now, but Joshua no longer has any means to threaten you, right?"
Kuzan patted Yulian's back as he spoke.
Jin took off his coat and wrapped it around the skinny Caltor.
"Let's return."
Back on the surface, just before escaping the forest.
Jin turned his head and looked at Joshua's secret villa standing alone.
'If Father had truly acknowledged him during Joshua's training days here, would he have become less of a trash than he is now?'
A sudden question crossed Jin's mind, causing him to shake his head.
'No, considering the timing when I was cursed at the age of one, it's highly likely that it coincided with the time when he became so despicable. Sometimes, I wonder what made him that vile.'
***
"We've discovered a hideout, my lord."
Among the three guardian knights, the leader reported to Joshua.
"Where is it?"
"Surprisingly, it's in a remote area of the eastern part of the Ekan Kingdom. It's called Donkey Village, with a total population of fewer than 100 people, mostly elderly."
"In a place like that? Are you certain?"
"Yes, we've confirmed it by intimidating the residents. They even built a laboratory in one part of the village. I personally inspected the laboratory, and the descriptions given by the villagers about Arya Aulhart perfectly match."
"The darkest place is under the lamp, as they say. That fits perfectly."
"Nevertheless, it would have been difficult to find without the demon's detection magic."
The three guardian knights and eight hunting dogs were supposed to be waiting at Joshua's secret villa. The reason for their absence was to track the traces of Arya Aulhart, who had been detected within the Ekan Kingdom using dark magic.
Lamphen Rontelgius.
Joshua nodded his head, recalling the horrifying appearance of the demon.
"Yes, he devoured a thousand prisoners, calling them ingredients for the detection magic. In the end, it seems to have yielded results. Was there any clue about Arya Aulhart's other hiding place in that Donkey Village?"
"Since the routes to leave Donkey Village are limited, if we trace the expected movement paths, we can narrow down the suspicious areas. One thing is certain, Arya Aulhart has another hideout in Huphester."
"How long will it take to secure another hideout?"
"We can discover at least one place within a month. By continuously narrowing down the range in that manner, we can properly corner them."
"Understood. Do your best to shorten the time as much as possible."
"We will bring back more satisfactory results soon."
"And provide more prisoners for Lamphen. It's been proven that his magic is exceptional."
Joshua smiled.
'Rontelgius Lamphen... If he can discover the true nature of that marble. I should also consider providing prisoners for my clones.'
The Marble of Shadow force.
Joshua obtained it in the Runcandel's mausoleum. It was during his early days as a cadet, on a day when he was as distracted as ever, losing to Luna as usual.
Instead of cursing himself locked in his room as usual, Joshua headed to the clan's mausoleum.
Even now, he couldn't remember why he suddenly went to the mausoleum. It was as if he was led by fate or possessed by something.
And at the deepest part of the mausoleum.
In the empty tomb where the first patriarch, Temar, should have rested, he found the Marble of Shadow force.
'When I touched the Marble of Shadow force, that dog-like creature's voice started to resonate.'
The dog-like creature, the Prophet.
At first, she only existed as a voice. A voice that comforted young Joshua and offered advice.
As Joshua grew older, the voice gradually took on a tangible form. It started as a hazy apparition like a ghost, and around the time he became a flagbearer, it transformed into a clear image of a woman, just as it is now.
'But the Prophet doesn't know that she awakened inside that marble. She doesn't even know that I have the marble.'
Even in the days when Joshua wholeheartedly trusted the Prophet, he never spoke to her about the marble.
It was his inherent instinct.
Even as a child, Joshua instinctively felt that the Marble of Shadow force could serve as a safety mechanism.
In other words, he thought it could be useful if the Prophet ever betrayed him for some reason.
'Nowadays, considering the Prophet's attitude, I have a feeling she could betray me at any moment. Whether I deal with her as soon as I become the patriarch or secure a means to control her before that, I have to choose one of the two options.'
Joshua still held onto that old intuition about the Marble of Shadow force.
That's why, coincidentally, or perhaps inevitably, he entrusted Lamphen, the demon, to find out its purpose.
"I shall take my leave now, my lord."
As the guardian knight finished the report and saluted, preparing to leave, someone rushed in, urgently calling for Joshua.
"My lord!"
It was one of the hunting dogs who entered the room and bowed his head.
"What's the matter?"
"The abandoned forest villa... it was attacked."
"What did you say?"
"Unfortunately, it happened precisely when we were heading towards the eastern part of Ekan based on the information we received from the demon."
Joshua suppressed the curse rising in his throat. The guardian knight who was about to leave also turned his gaze to the hunting dog, startled.
"...What is the extent of the damage?"
"The captured Thunder Dragon and the demon disappeared. And the two remaining individuals were found dead..."
The hunting dog couldn't determine for sure if the demon was killed or just vanished.
There were no traces left since the secret underground facility of the abandoned mansion had no remains of the demon.
"We tried to track them, but they are exceptional. There are no traces left. It's frustrating."
Phew!
Joshua took a deep breath.
In the end, he had no choice but to rely on the Prophet once again.
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