章節 206: Chapter 365
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Jin's gaze, peering into the depths of the forest, quickly turned cold.
"As you say, descendants of the Fairy tribe seem to be wicked."
Shahak-!
As Jin spoke, he swung his sword, slicing through the tree. The blade moved smoothly, cutting through the wood. Lulu, who was inside the tree, was also cut, but that wasn't the real Lulu; it was just a malicious illusion.
As the illusion of Lulu disappeared, a trap in the form of a magic circle was revealed in its place. If the two had approached carelessly, the trap would have been triggered.
Kik, kik, kik, kik-!
From deep within the forest, a sinister laughter echoed. Jin and Valeria stood there with expressionless faces, waiting silently for the figure to appear.
[Aren't you deceived?]
Piriring, Piriring, Piriring...!
From the darkness beyond the forest came a sparkling figure, accompanied by cheerful sounds.
It was the sound of a descendant of the Fairy tribe fluttering its wings. The Fairy that revealed themselves had a beautiful appearance that contrasted completely with the unpleasant laughter they had been emitting.
Small, radiant, adorable wings, a face so cute you'd want to reach out and touch it, a lovable expression brimming with mischief.
Of course, Jin and Valeria's gazes at the newly appeared descendant of the Fairy tribe was filled with nothing but a chilling aura.
[H-Hello? You weren't upset by the prank, were you?]
The Fairy tribe's descendant scratched their head as they spoke.
"Where are the Felinoid tribesmen?"
[Why so hasty? Shouldn't we introduce ourselves first. Hello again! I'm Myla, the younger sister of the Fairy tribe Queen.]
Jin and Valeria stared at Myla without responding.
[...Aren't you happy to see me? Humans who stumbled upon this forest and happened to meet me used to shout excitedly about encountering something mystical.]
"The Felinoid tribesmen, where are they?"
Jin asked again in a low voice, to which Myla chuckled.
[The Felinoid tribe is well protected by me and my kin. They were in such a pitiable state, coming to the Wantaramo Forest all injured. I couldn't just leave them!]
Myla continued, looking at Jin.
[But, Chiron Runcandel's youngest son, Jin Runcandel. Don't you think you lack manners? I revealed my name first, yet your neck is high to the end? Should I bend it for you? Including the human beside you.]
"You pull pranks like that and yet you expect me to be courteous?"
[Well, what about it? I didn't really hurt Lulu. Those childs are a bit too naive. Despite that, I treated them.]
Myla pouted her lips.
Then, seemingly disappointed by the lack of reaction to her cute gestures, she tilted her head.
She even made a few more charming movements, but all Jin and Valeria could think about how they would have attacked this annoying fairy immediately if it weren't for the Felinoid tribe.
[...Fine, I understand. You seem like you'd strike me down if I played pranks one more time. I'll introduce you to the Felinoid tribe. Follow me.]
Myla started to fly back into the forest, leading the way.
Interestingly, whenever Myla moved, the forest transformed. Objects like trees and rocks moved organically, as if they were living beings, following Myla's path.
As they walked, Jin and Valeria couldn't help but be on edge. It was only natural given their lack of trust in Myla. They thought that traps could suddenly appear, or an attack could commence at any moment.
[Hmph, don't worry. I won't play pranks on you anymore. It is the first time I have seen boring humans like you guys.]
When there was no response to that remark, Myla remained silent until they reached their destination. The three of them entered the deep forest in silence for about an hour.
Fortunately, there were no more traps.
[We're here.]
They arrived at a place where thousands of trees were twisted and entwined strangely, forming a massive cave.
[Come on out, kids.]
As Myla spoke, a sudden dazzling light poured out from inside the cave.
It was the light generated by the thousands of Fairy tribe's descendants exiting the cave all at once. Despite their mischievous nature, it was a magnificent sight.
Piriring, Piriring, Piriring! In an instant, the entire area was filled with Fairy tribe's descendants, giggling as they surrounded Jin and Valeria.
The last to emerge from the cave were the Felinoid tribesmen and a Fairy tribe's descendant with wings about twice as large as the others.
"Lulu!"
[Jin Runcandel!]
Lulu and Miru.
In the Felinoid tribe's cave, the twins who had guarded the barrier against the Spectres until the very end.
Seeing them, Jin felt a weight lifted off his chest, but at the same time, he was overwhelmed by a sense of unease.
"...Where is Mr. Neru?"
Lulu smiled as she saw Jin worried about whether Neru had died while defending the barrier until the end.
[Neru led the rest of the tribe and hid elsewhere. Me and Miru entrusted ourselves to the Fairy tribe. At that time, everyone got hurt quite a bit, but fortunately, no one died.]
Only then did Jin smile.
Everyone had managed to escape safely from the cave.
"I am glad everyone survived."
Jin bowed and took Lulu and Miru's hands.
[Oh, what a touching reunion. I truly can't bear to watch without tears. Don't you agree? Your Majesty?]
Myla said as she sat down beside Lulu, Miru, and the Fairy tribe's descendant with the largest wings.
She is the Queen of descendants of the Fairy tribe, and unlike Myla, she exuded an air of sophistication.
"I am Jin Runcandel."
[You can call me Sheila.]
Sheila was Myla's older sister and the Fairy tribe queen.
[I'm sure Myla must have played some irritating pranks on the way here, so please accept my apology on her behalf.]
[Apology? Why apologize? In fact, strictly speaking, they are intruders. Truth be told, there wouldn't be a problem if we just killed them.]
[They came to rescue the Felinoid tribe, did they not, Myla? Furthermore, the Felinoid tribe sought my permission and left traces.]
[Although they haven't informed us that the one who can read those traces might be a Record Mage.]
Myla's taunting voice caused Valeria's eyes to shift slightly to the left.
The Fairy tribe and the Felinoid tribe hadn't noticed this behavior from Valeria, who was growing anxious due to their presence, but Jin saw right through it.
And Jin himself, like Valeria, was a bit taken aback.
'How did Myla recognize that Valeria is a Record Mage? Did she see it when Valeria used Record Magic at the forest entrance? Moreover, I never informed Lulu and Miru about Valeria's existence.'
Piriring, Piriring, Piriring...
Jin could see that descendants of the fairy tribe gathered nearby were talking about something after hearing Myla. But they were unable to understand their language.
[Jin.]
"Yes, Ms. Lulu."
[As we entrusted ourselves to the Fairy tribe descendants' land, we left two types of traces. So that you could find us...]
The two types of traces Lulu and Miru left were meant to be found by both those with and without Record Magic abilities.
Valeria's tracking speed was excessively fast. The usual traces they left behind couldn't even be touched by Seven-colored Peacock, so Valeria's tracking speed clearly far surpassed the ordinary range.
According to Lulu and Miru's thinking, Valeria couldn't have found them so quickly without possessing Record Magic.
Therefore, they assumed Valeria to be a Record Mage and tried to confirm one thing.
Whether the tracker was Jin's ally or not.
Just as Valeria had initially assumed, in the latter case, they had plans to utilize the power of the Fairy tribe descendants to eliminate the tracker.
When Lulu explained this, Jin nodded his head, and Valeria appeared to be lost in thought.
"If I'm not Jin's ally, then what could be the reason you wanted to kill me?"
[Because there are things that someone unrelated to Solderet's contractor shouldn't see when they inspect the traces.]
It was Sheila, the Fairy tribe descendant queen, who spoke in Lulu's stead.
Jin, using his intuition, could guess what Sheila meant.
'The fourth tomb of Temar is located here. Lulu and Miru naturally led me to the fourth tomb during their escape, unlike other Felinoid tribe members, and fled to the Wantaramo Forest.'
It was the correct assumption.
The Fairy tribe descendants knew the path that led to Temar's fourth tomb.
A moment of silence passed.
Myla wore a slightly displeased expression, as if she didn't like how easily Sheila was giving away such information.
[Human, what is your relationship with Jin Runcandel?]
As Valeria was about to answer Sheila's sudden question, Jin spoke up instead.
"She's my companion. Someone I trust more than anyone in the world."
[In that case, I, Sheila, the queen of the Fairy tribe's descendants, shall keep our long-standing promise with Solderet. Furthermore, I must express gratitude to the Felinoid tribe's Lulu and Miru, long-time friends who have helped me keep that promise.]
Whoosh...!
Sheila's wings emitted an even more intense light.
That was a symbol of the utmost authority in the Wantaramo Forest, and all other Fairy tribe descendants, including Myla, descended to the ground and respectfully lowered their heads toward Sheila.
Indeed, it was a scene that portrayed the majestic presence befitting the queen of the Fairy tribe descendants.
[Jin Runcandel and his companion mage, and my friends, follow me. The tomb is within the cave. Finally, after a thousand years, we can lay down the heavy burden that we've carried.]
Sheila started fluttering her wings towards the cave formed by twisted and entwined trees.
Jin and his companions followed her into the cave. Until they had all entered the cave, the Fairy tribe descendants outside dared not lift their heads.
Of course, Jin assumed that Sheila's authority as the Queen of the Fairy tribe's descendants would be absolute, given the sight of the Fairy tribe descendants' respect. But in reality, it wasn't the case.
[Lulu, Miru. You two probably noticed during your time here.]
Creak, creak, groan!
Suddenly, the trees twisted and intertwined, blocking the entrance of the cave.
When Jin turned around, he saw Myla smiling through the narrowing gap.
[Myla betrayed me long ago.]
The cave entrance was not blocked by Sheila.
In title, she was still the queen, but the actual power and the control over the Wantaramo Forest had already been transferred to Myla and the other Fairy tribe descendants.
[Yes, I was feeling it. Sheila...]
[Myla has no intention of keeping her promise with Solderet. That's why she planned to trap me whenever she got the chance. I didn't expect her to go so far as to trap the thousand-year contractor as well, though.]
In the abrupt change of circumstances, Jin and Valeria remained unfazed. Given Myla's behavior and attitude, it was something they could have easily anticipated.
[Soon, the humans in contact with Myla will come to Wantaramo, I suppose.]
[Who are they?]
[Zipfel, there's no force other than them that could satisfy her inflated ambitions.]
Sheila smiled faintly. Her wings, shining intensely in the darkness, appeared somewhat forlorn.
"Ms. Sheila, it seems you have a plan. To purposely keep us trapped even after knowing Myla's betrayal."
章節 207: Chapter 366
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[I have no plans. I only have a purpose.]
The purpose Sheila was talking about was to assist Jin, Solderet's thousand-year contractor, in safely reaching the fourth tomb of Temar.
[Myla. It seems that she, along with other children, disliked the idea of keeping the promise with Solderet. They think that all the descendants of the fairy race are making unnecessary sacrifices. Or they think I harbor meaningless hopes.]
"So, are they practically dethroning you and allowing Myla to take control of the forest, Ms. Sheila?"
[Yes. Waiting for you is too uncertain, and the rewards are unclear. However, there are those who are willing to provide everything we want with just a little information. In some ways, betrayal is a natural course of action.]
"What do the descendants of the fairy tribe want?"
[To reclaim our original forms.]
Sheila said with a melancholic voice.
[...We'll talk more about this later when there's a chance. For now, it's important to get over this situation and guide you to Temar's fourth tomb.]
Priing...!
Shining particles spread from Sheila's wings. The view became brighter, revealing the surface of tangled trees. The dim cave interior felt like the insides of a colossal beast.
[Lulu, Miru.]
[Yes.]
[Temar's fourth tomb doesn't exist in this cave.]
Sheila had foreseen the betrayal by Myla and the other fairies for a long time.
That's why she hadn't revealed the true location of the fourth tomb to anyone. All descendants of the fairy tribe, except for Sheila, believed that Temar's tomb existed at the end of this cave.
[Then where...?]
[The Red Lake. It's the source of water in the Wantaramo Forest.]
The Red Lake was the largest water source in the Wantaramo Forest, connecting to the external Yulphi River. All life in the forest, including the descendants of the fairy tribe, relied on the Red Lake for survival.
[We need to get there as soon as possible. The contractor must reach Temar's tomb before the trackers arrive. Summon the Ruby cat, Jin Runcandel.]
Sheila had learned that Jin was Shuri's contractor from the Felinoid Tribe.
Whoosh!
[Meow!]
After being summoned, Shuri carried the group on her back and ran. They had to move to the cave's end first to avoid detection and then head to the Red Lake.
The cave was much deeper than Jin and Valeria had imagined. They had been riding Shuri at maximum speed for over 30 minutes.
By the time they reached the end, they could see a massive door made of magic.
'It's similar to the door of the secret library beneath the storm castle.'
Like that door, this one required activation words to open but this door will be destroyed without fairy language. It was even more powerful than the door of the Secret Library in the Storm Castle.
As Sheila spoke the activation words in the fairy language, the door opened, revealing the interior.
[Myla believes that beyond this door lies my crown, Temar's fourth tomb, and the incredible legacy left by our ancestors…]
However, beyond the door was simply an empty space.
Undressed rocks substituted for walls, and only a faint breeze rustled from an unknown source, welcoming the group.
[There's nothing here. Someday, when Myla becomes an adult, I thought of showing her this empty landscape. I hoped she would come to understand why we became such a hollow race.]
Despite Myla's age exceeding two thousand, according to Sheila, she wasn't much different from newly-born fairy descendants.
Seeing a younger sibling who couldn't grow and might have made wrong choices, and the fact that she might have to kill that sibling, was naturally a painful experience for Sheila.
Swoosh...!
The door closed.
[Oh, I got lost in thought for a moment. Keep moving. From here on, Lulu and Miru, your abilities might be needed.]
Sheila referred to the dimension abilities unique to the Felinoid Tribe.
[Do we have to create a passage leading to the Red Lake?]
[Yes. If time permits, it would be great to create a way to confuse the trackers.]
[How much time do we have left?]
Upon hearing those words, Jin and Valeria both thought of the same thing.
'Where's the closest Magic tower to the Kiken?'
'Where was the nearest Zipfel's Magic Tower?'
3rd Magic Tower.
They reached the same conclusion. The 3rd Magic tower was on Rachan Island, situated between the Lutero Magic Federation and the Vermont Sea territory. If Zipfel received the signal and deployed their forces, it undoubtedly came from there.
"About three hours."
"Probably around three hours. Assuming Myla can inform Zipfel within an hour."
Jin and Valeria both answered at the same time, looking at each other.
[Both of you are quicker at calculations than I am. It has been a long time since I have been outside of Kiken, so I got confused.]
[We can definitely create a maze in three hours.]
While Lulu and Miru said this confidently, Sheila shook her head.
[But there's one thing that both of you missed. Do you know about the Zipfel Magic Tower Masters' staff?"
The staff of the Magic Tower Master.
Those staffs were inscribed with special runic symbols. The annoying rune text that Valeria had experienced in both previous and current life.
"Did Zipfel inscribe runic symbols for summoning Magic Tower mages in the Wantaramo Forest?"
[Most likely. In the past, when Kelliark came to ask for the Drink of regal hymn, he gifted a staff to Myla. I suspected that the staff would have runic symbols similar to those of the Magic tower masters.]
Myla's betrayal had already happened decades ago. Naturally, they must have had a means for immediate summoning.
[Two hours. That's the time we have left. Lulu, Miru, do you think you can do it?]
[We'll give it a shot.]
Lulu and Miru pulled out an item that looked like a claw from their pockets.
[Jin Runcandel, you'll have to treat us well in the future.]
Lulu grinned mischievously.
However, Jin could read the regret hidden behind that smile.
"...divine artifact."
As Jin said, it was a long time ago when the god of the Felinoid tribe gave their claws as a gift.
[Yes. I used this divine artifact to protect you and the small beastmen even in the cave. Fortunately, two of them are left.]
One was with Neru, and the other with Lulu and Miru.
Divine artifacts were the only means through which the felinoid tribe could communicate with their previous gods.
The felinoid tribe used most of it for Jin and the small beastmen.
"Ms. Sheila, is it impossible to force our way through with strength?"
Jin spoke with frustration.
The cave was made up of trees at most. There was no way he couldn't cut through them with his strength.
[If we rashly clear the cave, we'll lose our way due to the rampaging trees. Since Myla holds control over the Wantaramo Forest, if the trees within the cave start going wild, even I might lose my sense of direction. I'm sorry.]
I am sorry.
Every time situations like this arose, Jin hated hearing those words. He couldn't understand why people who had sacrificed for a thousand years were apologizing to him.
However, he knew that venting his anger or displaying his annoyance unnecessarily would only distress the people who had made such great sacrifices for him.
So, he suppressed whatever was gnawing at his heart, putting on a composed expression.
His intention was to show them results deserving of their sacrifices without making them feel sorry.
And Valeria looked at Jin and thought:
'At our first meeting, I was quite disappointed, but the more I see, the more he seems like a human with a somewhat deep side. When he faces me, it doesn't seem like he's filled only with intentions of using me…'
Valeria moved beside Lulu and Miru.
"I'll help."
[Huh? In creating a subspace and forming a dimensional portal?]
"Yes."
[Although I'm grateful, it's too complex a task for humans.]
"Even though the Felinoid tribe' spatial abilities are close to omnipotence, parts of it still contain mana, right? I'll only read the flow of mana and assist where magic is required."
[Uh, well. It's just better to wait quietly. But how did you know that our abilities include mana?]
"Because I can sense the scent of mana from you. People who don't use mana often can't have it so strongly."
[Mana has a scent?]
"Just let me know if it becomes a hindrance. I'll quietly step back. Or are you worried that I might discover the secret of the Felinoid tribe' abilities?"
[No, it's not that…]
Valeria sat down and as soon as she did, Lulu and Miru alternately looked at her and then shrugged their shoulders. Clearly, you might become a hindrance... that's the face they had on.
It was as if they were sending Jin a look that said, "Stop her."
However, since Jin wasn't in a position to command her, he just shook his head helplessly.
[Can't be helped, I guess. Alright, but if we say you are causing a hindrance, you'll have to leave immediately. We don't have time.]
"Understood."
Lulu and Miru cautiously touched the divine claw of the god of felinoids and mumbled in an unknown language.
Then, just like when Neru had opened the third tomb, a mystical purple energy began to spread in all directions. Clearly, as Valeria had said, mana was mixed in.
'Could she have instantly recognized that the Felinoid tribe also uses mana, something I had no idea about?'
Indeed, Valeria was a person who could be called a 'teacher.'
'Moreover, she's saying she can assist by just observing the flow of a mana she's never seen before?'
This time, even Jin couldn't help but doubt Valeria.
It was something that felt utterly impossible even for him, a genius among geniuses. It was a natural response.
However, Valeria seemed to dismiss those concerns with a laugh, and she was reading the flow of mana that the Felinoid tribe were unfolding with such ease.
Within it, she was already infusing her own mana, accelerating the formation of the dimensional portal and the subspace.
[Th-This is possible?]
[W-What on earth are you!?]
Lulu and Miru stared at Valeria in shock.
"I said it would be possible."
Valeria calmly replied, but she was sweating like rain was pouring down.
She was giving her all to read the flow of mana.
Her robe was quickly becoming soaked, and the heat radiating from her body was so intense that it melted away her hair dye.
Eventually, Valeria's red hair became visible.
Sheila couldn't take her eyes off Valeria's hair and had a thoughtful expression on her face.
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