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.
章節 166: Chapter 325
[T.L: punisher87]
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Tikan.
Jin's companions were huddled together, gazing at the newly acquired shadow force marble.
"So, you got this by raiding that bastard's mansion, huh?"
Murakan scratched his chin and spoke.
It was difficult for him to understand, just like the rest of them, how Joshua ended up with Solderet's recording device.
"How the hell did that happen? Why does that guy have Solderet's recording device? And you even killed a demon and it turned out to be Rontelgius?"
Next to the shadow force marble lay Rontelgius' magic tome. Also, there was a bundle of papers dropped by the slain demon.
"Do you know the name? No, do you even know the family?"
"I know the name. Listen carefully, kid. You guys were incredibly lucky. Because surviving an encounter with Rontelgius' demon is no small feat."
"Just stabbing him in the throat killed him instantly. He seemed quite weak."
"That's why I said you were lucky. Rontelgius is a noble family of the demon race. They are one of the four grand ducal families with the greatest power just below the Demon King."
The Demon King, the four grand dukes of the Demon World.
Jin couldn't comprehend how significant that position was, how great the power and influence they held. He and others couldn't understand it quickly.
They had never experienced demons before.
"Nowadays, with the decline of the demon race, it's natural that you guys don't know their name. But there was a time when even formidable dragons avoided conflicts with Rontelgius. It wasn't just about dying or getting injured."
As seen from the curse hanging on Lampen Rontelgius's magic tome, the Rontelgius family was known for their mastery of curses among the demons.
"Curses are curses, but Rontelgius was a family close to the Demon Beast King, Orgal. Murakan may not have known because he was asleep, but Orgal had a notorious reputation even during the Holy Kingdom Protection War."
However, after the Holy Kingdom Protection War resulted in the victory of the Human alliance, Orgal withdrew from the human world. Orgal had never been particularly visible in the human world, but he completely disappeared after the war.
"Cuicantelle, it seems the demons have been quite weakened since then, right? To the point of being taken down by his single blow."
"The demon was in a weakened state, as Jin said. And if Jin wasn't Solderet's contractor, he would have been cursed without any chance to resist."
Cuicantelle spoke with a hidden meaning while looking at Jin.
"Your brother, Runcandel's Second Flagbearer. We need to find out how he managed to get involved with Rontelgius and if he knows the purpose of the shadow force marble. We should investigate."
How Joshua obtained the shadow force marble and his relationship with the demons were currently a mystery.
"Does that guy even know that the shadow force marble is a recording device?"
"Well, once I return to the clan, Joshua will approach me first."
"Young Master, Joshua has no reason to do that. When we escaped from the Ekan Kingdom, I made sure to erase all traces."
Jin smiled at Kuzan's words.
"Yes, you erased all the evidence. But even without evidence, that guy will be convinced based on intuition alone. That won't be a problem. It's just part of the power struggle, and the dragons haven't intervened."
"So, are you going to ask Joshua directly about it? What it is?"
"I'll decide based on the atmosphere. I still can't predict how he will react."
"Then, when you return, we'll look into Rontelgius. It's hard to believe that the demon died so easily. Maybe it was a discarded demon from Rontelgius, or perhaps Rontelgius itself has fallen."
"We should also find someone who can decipher the magic tomb and the bundle of papers. They seem to be important clues. And..."
Jin looked at Yulian, who was sitting quietly in one corner of the office.
"We should discuss how we can awaken Yulian's guardian dragon."
The Thunder Dragon, Caltor.
He had fallen into a state of "sleep" after enduring prolonged and brutal torture. As a result, even after his rescue, Yulian couldn't exchange a single word with the guardian dragon he longed for.
"I mentioned it earlier, kid. The dragon called Caltor has a broken heart and needs at least five hundred years to recover."
Gilly instinctively covered Murakan's mouth.
"There must be some way, Yulian. So don't be too disheartened and wait patiently."
Yulian looked at his comrades with red eyes.
"Thank you all..."
As he said that, everyone blinked their eyes.
It was because Yulian had used a respectful tone for the first time.
"The cheeky brat is using formal language. That's surprising. Gak-gak! It feels good. Well, this Murakan will somehow awaken your guardian dragon, so just wait quietly until then. Come to think of it, since he is not even a thousand years old, his heart should recover easily."
"It seems like things are roughly settled. Then Gilly, Murakan, and I will return to the clan in a couple of days. Since I have been emptying the Garden of Swords too often lately, it'll be difficult to visit the Tikan for a while, unless there's something special happening."
***
"Then, I'll see you next time."
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for always taking care of us, Arya..."
Valeria lightly bowed her head and turned around.
The elderly people of Donkey Village waved their hands, revealing their few remaining teeths, until she disappeared from their sight.
As soon as she was completely out of their sight, Valeria clenched her teeth and touched her forehead.
For the past few years, no pursuers from any faction had come close to her. They either circled around her long-abandoned hiding places or wasted their efforts by targeting completely different locations.
But this time was different.
'Donkey Village's hiding place has been exposed... and the movements of the pursuers have become more sophisticated.'
Zzing-!
As Arya infused mana into the staff, a blue mana radiated from it.
The mana soon formed a translucent, rectangular shape "window," and surprisingly, words began to appear on it.
<A 29-year-old woman with the surname Clever visited Donkey Village and harassed the elderly. No further records available.>
<A 34-year-old man with the surname McRolan visited Donkey Village, persuading the elderly and inquiring about Arya Aulhart's whereabouts. No further records…>
Clever and McRolan. Surnames of the prestigious Huphester's Knight Clans.
Based on those names, Valeria could infer that the faction that had found her was the Runcandel's Guardian knights.
-My mother and older brother are looking for you. They discovered what name you're currently using. Arya Aulhart, right?
-I have more than just that alias. And I've been erasing my tracks well.
-Anka Rofman, Riley Hazzard, Lucille Scop, Hartia Ben. Are those not your aliases? And if you say you've been erasing your tracks well, aren't you and I having this good conversation?
A conversation she had with Jin in Mamit came to mind.
'...It seems I underestimated the major clans too much. The movements of the pursuers have changed.'
The fortunate thing from Valeria's perspective was that it wasn't Zipfel who discovered Donkey Village but Runcandel.
Whoosh!
Valeria released the record magic and looked back towards Donkey Village.
'The elderly will contact Runcandel soon.'
Just a few days ago...
Those people who followed her like saviors. The elderly of Donkey Village were mostly abandoned by their children and had no hope, clinging to life without any prospects.
And yet, those elderly people revealed everything about her to Runcandel. There wasn't much they knew, but they told everything they could.
Valeria never expected loyalty from those elderly people.
No, Valeria didn't expect loyalty from anyone.
However, an indescribable bittersweet feeling arose from deep within her heart, and there was nothing she could do about it.
'At least no one was exterminated because of me. I should move on. Towards the hiding place in the Lutero Magic Federation.'
She traveled diligently until nightfall.
Using land and sea routes, she used more than five different identities while passing through checkpoints. Along the way, she stopped by "Samil" and received letters and goods Jin sent to her.
She safely arrived at the "Palin Kingdom" of the Lutero Magic Federation. And as soon as she arrived there...
In the middle of the entrance to the checkpoint, she saw Jin Runcandel's face.
(Jin Runcandel guarantees your beauty. Golden Peng cosmetics.)
Huh!
Unknowingly, Valeria swallowed a gasp and looked up at the advertisement.
'A cosmetics advertisement...? What on earth is this guy thinking?'
Valeria stood there, unable to tear her gaze away from the billboard for a while before she finally moved her steps.
When she arrived at the hiding place in the Palin Kingdom, it was dawn. Only then could Valeria check the letters and goods she found in Samil.
(It's the first letter. These are cosmetics tools that can create a convincing disguise when applied haphazardly. You should be grateful that these items will fix your clumsy disguises. If you think you might be caught, contact Tikan. That's all for now.)
Valeria raised her head as she examined the goods.
There was one more letter.
(I didn't expect to send a second letter so soon. The reason being, there's another recording device. I hope we can meet as soon as possible. Contact Tikan so we can arrange a meeting place.)
'He obtained another Shadow force marble!?'
Ha! With a burst of energy, Valeria let out a sigh.
Obtaining a recording device that she couldn't find no matter how much she searched all over the world was something that Jin Runcandel seemed to do effortlessly.
Even for the sake of research, Valeria thought it was necessary to meet Jin Runcandel once again.
'Anyway, it's a gain for me. Jin Runcandel, I will make good use of you.'
***
As soon as he returned to Huphester, Jin's butler, Petro, urgently sought him out.
"Young Master!"
"What's the matter, Petro?"
"Something big has happened. The Council of Elders has issued a disciplinary action against you!"
"A disciplinary action? For what reason? Calm down and tell me slowly. What is the content of the disciplinary action?"
Although he asked, to some extent, Jin had anticipated this.
The involvement with the Golden Snow tribe and the cosmetics business they started. It was undoubtedly the reason behind it.
'Most likely, a detention or a disciplinary unit order was issued. Being subjected to a disciplinary unit may be better than being confined to the Garden of the Sword.'
After experiencing the life of a flagbearer, Jin thought that being stuck in a disciplinary unit for about a year wouldn't be so bad.
There were too many prying eyes in the Garden of Swords. Therefore, as a contractor of Solderet, there were too many things to be concerned about whenever he had to fulfill his duties, such as visiting Temar's Tomb or managing Solderet's affairs.
'Anyway, even if I go to the disciplinary unit, it's an easy task to achieve results and create a justification for returning to the main family. It might actually work out…'
Just as he was thinking that, the disciplinary measure that came out of Petro's mouth was something Jin had never expected.
"The content of the disciplinary action is a ban on external activities. The duration is three years..."
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