章節 189: Chapter 348
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"With the help of the Record Magic?"
"Yes. While I can't guarantee that I'll find them faster than you, I can certainly do it more discreetly."
"I am glad to hear that."
Currently, Jin couldn't afford to allocate manpower properly to find the Felinoids tribe.
There were just too many eyes on him now.
Not only his clan but also other forces, including the Zipfel, were keeping a close watch on Jin after his cosmetic business began and he fought against the Spectre corps.
People's interest in Jin had skyrocketed.
Of course, it was already the case, but recently, various forces ruling the world were sensing an unusual flow between Runcandel and Zipfel.
And at the center of that was Jin, not Chiron or Kelliark.
This was why investing too much manpower in the search for the Felinoids tribe would likely trigger Zipfel's detection network.
Above all, Jin is indebted to the Felinoids tribe.
"I told you to cooperate more actively, but seeing you act right away, it seems you've realized you need me now."
Valeria looked up at Jin.
"Just like you said, it's because we've built some trust."
She was now feeling intense curiosity about the human named Jin.
Perhaps it was because of the legacy left by her ancestors, or because he had memories from when he was one year old and had died once.
'What on earth? Does he know that he died once?'
But looking at Jin's actions so far, they were too radical.
'Jin Runcandel has been moving as if he doesn't care about his life since he was a reserve flagbearer. Only with the actions known to the outside world, he could have died dozens of times, and it wouldn't be strange.'
Is someone helping him, or is he just strong?
She hoped it's the former. Now that they had a cooperative relationship, it would be troublesome if Jin were to die early.
'If Jin Runcandel dies, I have a hunch that I will never be able to reclaim Hister's history…'
It was a strange feeling.
"Arya Aulhart."
"What?"
"Now that things have been roughly sorted out, I want to talk about the recording device again," Jin said as he placed the shadow force marble on the table.
"You were certain that this wasn't a device of Solderet. Even though you mentioned it was made of shadow force. I'd like to know the basis for that judgment."
"Where did you get this shadow force marble from?"
"I obtained it during the raid on the secret villa of the 2nd flagbearer, Joshua Runcandel."
Jin explained the events of that day to Valeria. How they had attempted to rescue the guardian dragon of his comrade but encountered an unexpected demon and ended up killing him to obtain the shadow force marble.
"Rontelgius, one of the Four Grand Dukes of the Demon World. That roughly fits the description."
"You seem to know everything. Even among my comrades, only dragons knew about it."
Valeria had checked that name from Hister's succession temple.
"I said that the device wasn't Solderet's because of its unique and malicious magic. And you might or might not be aware, but there are individuals who can use shadow force even though they are unrelated to Solderet."
-[The witch, that was her doing]
Jin recalled the words of Sarah Runcandel, the guardian of the second tomb.
Jin couldn't continue the conversation with Sarah at that time, but he clearly mentioned that Helluram could also use shadow force.
"Are you referring to the witch Helluram?"
"You seem to know everything too. Yes, the recording device is probably the witch's creation. There's no way it could contain such magic unless it's her work. Rontelgius was the closest aide to the Demon Beast King Orgal, and Orgal was Helluram's lover. So, the demon you killed was probably carrying that marble."
Witch Helluram. In Jin's past life, Valeria had personally met her.
'She said she met Helluram when she was twenty and again when she was about twenty-five.'
That's why Jin wasn't particularly surprised when Cuicantelle told everyone that Helluram was a "individual." He had already heard that from Valeria before his regression.
"We can't be certain if this device belongs to that demon or Joshua yet."
"If this recording device is something belonging to the Runcandel's 2nd flagbearer, then there's a high chance your eldest brother is connected to the witch Helluram."
The Prophet.
As Jin thought about her existence, he nodded.
'Maybe the Prophet is Helluram.'
It seemed that it wouldn't be too late to talk to Valeria about it once more solid information about the Prophet surfaced. For now, the fact that they had established a cooperative relationship was already a significant gain.
"What will you do with that recording device? It's unrelated to Solderet, but are you going to leave it with me?"
"Yes, and by any chance, do you know how to read the demon language?"
"Are you asking because you want me to check the papers and magic tome that you obtained from Rontelgius' demon during the fight?"
"That's right."
"Unfortunately, I have no knowledge of the demon language. I'm not all-knowing, you know."
Valeria picked up her robe hanging next to the bed. Then she noticed that there was still a leftover Latrie cookie in the robe and let out a chuckle.
"I'll be going now. I have to examine the recording devices you gave me and also search for the Felinoids tribe, so I won't have a moment to spare."
"Is there still no progress with the faulty recording devices I gave you?"
"It's a time-consuming task, so please understand. I want to finish it as quickly as possible and receive the remaining half of my ancestor's magic tome."
Unlike their first meeting, this time Jin was the one to extend his hand for a handshake. Valeria didn't hesitate and shook his hand firmly.
"Take care, Arya Aulhart."
"You too."
***
August 20, 1799.
Two months had passed since Jin returned to his clan.
The cosmetics business resumed advertisements soon after the small beastmen were rescued, and as a result, Jin, Runcandel, and Hidden palace earned a fortune.
Both the high-end product and the entry-level product were selling like wildfire, quickly dominating the cosmetics market in the world.
Of course, they could no longer place advertisements in the Lutero Magic Federation.
But word of mouth had a formidable power of its own.
The nobles of the Lutero Magic Federation were willing to pay several times or even dozens of times the price to purchase high-end cosmetics in the black market.
The fact that Runcandel was making such money meant that Zipfel's coffers were leaking.
The elders could no longer look down on Jin's cosmetics business, and Tellot felt a sense of satisfaction in his judgment.
The tremendous success of Golden Peng cosmetics was causing great dissatisfaction and wounded the pride of one individual.
"Ugh, this can't be happening! This can't be!"
Bubare Gaston.
He was currently losing one of his jobs and hobbies.
"What do those cosmetics have to do with anything? Do these ignorant fools not recognize the artistic soul of Bubare? My transformation skills are being overshadowed by cosmetics, I can't accept it...!"
The special product 'Jade' of Golden Peng continued to sell out day after day along with high-end and entry-level cosmetics.
Jade's main customers were assassins, top-tier actors, and spies.
Since it had an effect of instantly transforming into someone else with just a quick application, most of Bubare's clients who had requested for his transformation skills were rapidly leaving him.
"...Please, just shut up, Bubare Gaston."
For several days now, Bishkel had been forced to listen to Bubare's whining for over five hours each day.
It felt like his sanity was slipping away.
He could hardly count the number of times he reached his limits after encountering this repulsive human, but recently, it had become particularly difficult to endure.
'I can't wait to achieve the great cause and twist this bastard's neck. No, that's not enough. I want to skin him alive..."
Bishkel's eyes twitched at his violent imagination.
"That damn Jin Runcandel! Since meeting that bastard, nothing has been going right! What's so great about those disguising cosmetics like Jade? Sir Bishkel, get me one, I must see it with my own eyes."
"...I've told you countless times that they don't sell Jade disguising cosmetics to just anyone. Kinzelo and Zipfel aren't allowed to purchase at all."
"If you send lower-ranking members whose identities are not exposed, you can get it, right!?"
"You fool! Those lower-ranking members won't even be acknowledged by them. How many times do I have to explain, Bubare?"
"Ugh! It's no use, I can't take it anymore. Don't you know? I may not care about other things, but I can't tolerate anything that hurts my artistic soul!"
"What does your artistic soul have to do with their cosmetics selling well?"
"It does! I feel like it's taking away my own creations. Ah, I'm so frustrated my head might explode. Sir Bishkel, I think I need to eat something simple. Please get me a sweet potato croquette."
In an instant, Bishkel reached for his sword.
If he had regained his senses just a second later, he might have drawn his sword and sliced Bubare's neck.
In that case, from Bishkel's personal perspective, it would have been a very satisfying outcome.
'Calm down, for the sake of great cause,' Bishkel's hands were trembling.
Even in the midst of trying to regain his composure, Bubare continued his incessant rambling, even spitting as he passionately delivered his monologue, not sparing Bishkel's sleek blue coat.
"I will... get you the sweet potato croquette... so calm down..."
He felt like he might go bald from the stress.
'Argh! I want to scream, but if I do, Bubare might go into a frenzy, spewing foam and starting self-harm. I can't risk that.'
"Oraboni, Mr. Bubare."
Margiella entered the room in her wheelchair.
"Margiella."
"Miss Margiella, listen to me!"
"Haha, I heard everything outside. Mr. Bubare was quite upset."
"Indeed, Miss Margiella, you truly understand my feelings!"
"Of course, Mr. Bubare is our friend after all!"
As Margiella entered, Bubare immediately softened his anger.
"Well then, would you, Miss Margiella, get me that cosmetic called Jade?"
"Mr. Bubare, I understand your strong desire to have it, but everything has its order, right? We have to take things step by step."
"But I can't bear it any longer. At this rate, I might really die."
"I know, I know. I can't just stand by and let a friend die. Let me meet Jin Runcandel and talk to him."
"Ugh, that wretched man? No, it won't do. He'll definitely vex Miss Margiella."
"But I have one debt to settle, so he won't do anything reckless. Um, Oraboni, how about we visit the Garden of Swords with mister Berakt?"
章節 190: Chapter 349
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Kalon.
The residents were watching a group of people with curious eyes as they walked down the street. The ones they were looking at were ten Beastmen and two humans.
There were Berakt and White wolf warriors, along with Bishkel and Margiella.
In Kalon, it was not uncommon to see knights in armor gathering in groups of five to hundreds, but seeing Beastmen walking around was a sight to behold.
Among them, Berakt stood out.
Just by walking, he exuded an overwhelming presence, as if a fortress was moving or a gigantic warship was sailing.
In any other city, the residents would have shuddered with anxiety and fear at the sight of Berakt, even if they hadn't committed any wrongdoing towards him.
But this was Kalon.
The heart of Huphester and the stronghold of Runcandel.
The residents of Kalon were not afraid of outsiders. It was, without a doubt, the safest city in the world.
No looters, no enemies, no monsters could cause chaos within Kalon. Drawing swords, fighting, and determining victory or defeat were only allowed for those belonging to Runcandel.
"Halt."
As the group of Berakt approached the entrance to the Garden of Swords, a guardian knight guarding the area spoke in a low voice.
From the perspective of the White wolf warriors, it was a truly disrespectful voice. How dare a mere human speak to the great warrior of White wolf tribe with such arrogance.
So, at the moment when the White wolf warriors growled, Berakt exuded a composed aura. It was an order to stay still.
"Why didn't you notify us in advance of your visit?"
"I didn't think it was necessary on my way to meet an old friend."
Berakt replied calmly to the guardian knight's question.
"We'll need to confirm if you're allowed to enter. Please wait."
The knight who maintained his composure even under overwhelming aura until the end was at 7-star level.
By general standards, it was an impressive level, but with that level he could not take on anyone Berakt brought with him, let alone Breakt.
Yet, the guardian knight's confidence stemmed from the pride of being in Runcandel.
The guardian knight had a belief that even if the opponent was such an enormous giant and kill him because of disrespect, the opponent would never leave the city alive. It applied to Kelliark Zipfel as well, not just Berakt.
A while later, the knights returned with the response and informed the guardian knight.
"You are allowed to enter."
The White wolf warriors wanted to tear him apart immediately, but Berakt appeared completely unfazed.
Instead, he was secretly praising the guardian knight.
"I've been thinking for a while now. Among the human race, it seems like the ones who are somewhat useful have gathered in Runcandel."
"Runcandel's knights do have some spirit, Mr. Berakt."
"Hmph! Of course, the best among them is our vice-leader."
But Berakt's humiliation didn't end there.
Even after they entered the Garden of Swords, there was no one there to greet them. As a result, they had no choice but to stand awkwardly in the courtyard for a while.
"These guys are being too much. Great warrior, even though we came here unexpectedly, do we have to just stand still and endure this treatment?"
"What else can we do if we don't stand still?"
"Let's go back. We didn't come here to have a conversation with these humans in the first place."
At that moment, Berakt raised his head, and Bishkel spoke on his behalf.
"For us, this treatment may be unpleasant, but for Runcandel, the fact that we showed up here without saying a word is already quite displeasing. Considering that, they are showing us considerable hospitality, so let's just stay put."
As Bishkel explained, Berakt seemed satisfied and gave a small smirk.
'As expected, only our vice-leader is worthy among humans.'
After a while, 30 enforcement knights and Rosa Runcandel came out to the garden.
"'Old friend', I didn't know we were on such terms, Berakt Sidricker."
"It's been a while, Rosa."
In their youth, Rosa and Berakt had many intense duels. The outcomes were evenly matched, and each time they fought, both of them sustained significant injuries.
Every time, they refrained from taking each other's lives because they hoped to avoid unnecessary conflicts between the Beastmen and Runcandel.
"You didn't come here to have a duel out of personal grudges, right? What's the matter, coming without any prior notice?"
"I have something to tell, something to receive, and an offer for your youngest child."
"Is it about my youngest?"
"Yes."
"Come in. Let's talk inside."
Rosa instructed someone to fetch refreshments.
However, she did not ask Jin to come right away.
(When it becomes clear what Berakt wants to tell you, what he wants from you, and what he's offering, and when I reach the conclusion that it benefits Runcandel to meet him face to face, then come to the reception room.)
That was the content of the note Rosa's servant brought.
'Unexpectedly visit me, with things to tell and ask, and make offers.'
What's going on?
'Moreover, according to the servant's message, Bishkel and Margiella came along too."
Bishkel, who became the new patriarch of the Ivelianos clan when Jin began his reserve flagbearer career.
Jin had always thought that Bishkel being an executive in Kinzelo was most likely for the resurgence of the Ivelianos clan, considering their martial arts heritage in Huphester.
'It wouldn't be necessary to act hostile towards Runcandel if that were the case. Coming to the Garden of Swords without even requesting a visit, accompanied by Kinzelo's giants... Bishkel's intentions have exceeded my expectations.'
Or he finished weighing between Runcandel and Kinzelo.
Regardless, it was important to know Berakt's purpose for coming immediately.
Things to tell and ask, and an offer. It wasn't too difficult to infer two out of the three.
'What they will receive from me must be a compass or a debt from the previous Spectre corps attack. There's nothing else that Kinzelo could demand from me. And what they want to offer me is…'
An alliance.
Jin concluded that Kinzelo would propose an alliance to him.
'During the Holy Kingdom incident and the recent rescue of the small Beastmen, Kinzelo has shown me constant favor. They haven't taken a single hostile action against me.'
There's no such thing as free favor. There must be a clear reason why Kinzelo kept showing goodwill to Jin.
It was because their alliance with Zipfel had broken.
The one who made the most significant contribution to breaking the alliance was indeed Jin. Destroying the Demon's God's Orb and stealing the compass shattered the trust between the two factions.
Although the alliance was bound to break someday, Jin hastened the process significantly.
During this process, while Zipfel suffered unilateral losses, Kinzelo gained some benefits.
Moreover, with Vamel's sudden appearance, Jin Runcandel kept provoking Zipfel, leading Kinzelo to naturally consider proposing an alliance.
If Kinzelo formed a partial alliance with Jin, an individual, and later Jin ascended to his clan's throne, then Kinzelo could proceed to form a complete alliance with the powerful force called Runcandel.
They concluded that their great cause would be easily accomplished.
'What he wants to tell me... What could it be? Information about Zipfel?'
One thought immediately came to mind, but there was no way to guess what kind of information it might be.
When Kinzelo's purpose becomes clear, and when it is concluded that your meeting with Berakt is beneficial for Runcandel... come to the reception room...
Jin reviewed the contents of the note again.
It didn't take him long to calculate everything.
"Murakan."
"Yeah."
"Let's go to the reception room."
"Huh? Me too?"
While Jin was deep in thought about Rosa' note, Murakan had been chatting with Gilly without much concern.
"Yes, I think Kinzelo might propose an alliance to me, so it's better if you come along."
"Why? Are you afraid that Berakt will cause trouble?"
"I don't think that'll happen. It's just that I need to let my mother know that the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel and the contractor of Solderet are different entities."
"In that case, I'll pretend to be a cat. I don't want to bother talking to those folks more than necessary if I'm in my human form. It's too much trouble."
"Sure, do that."
Poof, Meow! Transformed into a cat, Murakan climbed onto Jin's shoulder.
"It's the 12th flagbearer."
"Come in."
As they entered the reception room, they saw Rosa, the knights, and Berakt's group.
Rosa and Berakt appeared composed, but there was a tense atmosphere among the knights and Beastmen. Their energy was so intense that Jin felt his face would go numb.
In that tense atmosphere, Margiella, with a cheerful smile, stood out the most.
"I heard you've come to find me. Sir Berakt Sidricker, the Great Warrior of White Wolf Tribe."
"That's right. We know each other, right?"
"It's my first time seeing you."
Jin nonchalantly replied, and Berakt let out a small chuckle.
"I would like to talk to you alone, but my old friend doesn't seem to permit that, so let's just be straightforward."
"Yes. You said there's something to tell me, something to receive, and something to offer."
"Let's start with the offer. Join Kinzelo."
Shiing, shiing!
The enforcement knights drew their swords menacingly as soon as Berakt finished speaking.
The White wolf warriors couldn't draw their weapons in return. Their blood boiled, but they knew that openly defying the Runcandel knights would lead to immediate annihilation.
Attack.
If Rosa said just one word, Berakt and the Kinzelo warriors would be wiped out on the spot.
In the silence that followed, Jin shrugged his shoulders.
"Alright."
At Jin's words, the enforcement knights' eyebrows twitched, and Jin continued right away.
"If you offer me the position of leader, I will join Kinzelo."
"Hahaha!"
Berakt burst into laughter, and a strong vibration filled the reception room.
"A black panther's child is black panther, indeed. It's certain that you were born from the womb of Rosa Runcandel."
"I'll take it as a compliment."
"But why did you answer that? Were you really considering giving up your position as the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel and joining Kinzelo?"
"Personally, it's not the most satisfactory outcome, but for the sake of my clan, it doesn't seem like a bad choice. If Kinzelo has risen to a powerful force rather than a third-rate terror organization, then combining forces with Runcandel could be enough to annihilate Zipfel."
Of course, it was a lie. Jin had no intention of joining Kinzelo, regardless of any proposal they might make.
"That's a shame. I can offer you the position of vice-leader, so if you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime."
Jin could read one clear intention from Berakt's words.
'This is a warning to my mother. If Runcandel tries to overly restrain me, it means that Kinzelo is ready to extract me with a drastic condition.'
For Jin, it was like getting insurance without any intention of using it. But Rosa would have to think about how to deal with Jin a little more carefully.
"What you have to tell me?"
At that moment, Jin could see Margiella using lip language, just like during the Holy Kingdom incident, saying something with a wink.
'That's something I will tell you, Sir Jin.'
With Rosa and dozens of enforcement knights watching, Margiella was probably the only one who could express her thoughts with lip language.
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