章節 124: CHAPTER 283

Actually, the Tona Twins didn't return to their rooms. They hid behind the pillar at the end of the hallway to spy on Jin and Dyfus.

The twins weren't curious about their conversation, but Emma had ordered them to bring Jin since there weren't many opportunities to get to know him.

Emma was getting nervous because Jin never visited her.

"Dyfus seems very shaken by something. Don't you think so, Heitona?"

"I agree. We should start walking towards Jin and... Wait. Dyfus is coming this way." Heitona whispered back.

"No, we're doomed. What if he interrogates us again for spying on him?"

"Just act natural, as much as possible."

The Tona Twins hid behind the pillar. Their hearts beat faster as Dyfus approached. Finally, he passed by them. The twins smiled awkwardly.

Dyfus glanced at them indifferently and continued on. He didn't roast them like he did with Miu or Anne.

Dyfus acted as if the Tona Twins didn't exist because they weren't competitors, and they weren't worth paying attention to. In fact, Dyfus knew that the Tona Twins had been hiding behind the pillar from the beginning.

In any case, the twins felt relieved that nothing had happened.

But they also felt their self-esteem crumbling. Outside the clan, they were known as the Darlings of Hell, but they had no presence among their brothers.

"Let's go to Jin."

"Yes."

Their steps were somewhat dispirited, but they still walked fast enough to catch up to Jin, who was waiting for them on the other side of the hallway. Jin was also aware that the Tona Twins were observing him.

"Hello, Jin."

"Ah, it's you two." Jin turned around and greeted them.

The twins scratched their heads.

"What brings you here?"

"Ah, about that. Would you like to..."

"Have tea with us?"

The Tona Twins were endearing in their own way.

"Sorry, but I'm busy today."

"Oh, really? How about tomorrow?"

"I'll be busy for a while preparing for the mission."

"Oh. I see."

"Brothers?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe it would be good to see both of you acting on your own will occasionally, not just Emma's will."

The Tona Twins seemed embarrassed at the mention of Emma's name.

"If you had wanted to talk to me alone, I could have dedicated some time to you. The reason why other brothers look down on you is that you seem like Emma's puppets, not Runcandel Flagbearers."

"Is it that bad?"

"Does it look like that? Isn't it because we're weak?"

"Frankly, you're not exactly weak elsewhere, you know?"

Both of them were seven stars at the age of twenty-one. They would easily be called prodigies elsewhere, but this was the Runcandels. The Tona Twins were clearly the weakest among the Flagbearers.

"Respect comes from attitude, remember that. And convey a message to Emma from me."

"Oh, okay. What is it?"

"Tell her not to be anxious and not dare to call me unless it's so important that she absolutely needs to inform me."

The Tona Twins nodded with a heavy heart.

They were ashamed that their younger brother was telling them what to do, but neither of them could say anything, nor did they have a need to say anything. They knew their position in the pecking order.

As for Jin, he genuinely hoped that someday the Tona Twins would be accepted by everyone in the clan.

In his past life, Jin passionately hated the Tona Twins, but he knew in this life they genuinely cared for him.

"We can have tea after the Black Knight assassination mission is over. Or we could have a drink."

----------------------

"Hey, kid. Do we really have to ride in that thing? Can't we just fly there?" Murakan asked.

"No, we can't. It would take us centuries to fly there. Besides, I already told you. We have to be back in the clan by March 6th."

"Darn it, I'm going to vomit and get headaches again. What a hassle." Murakan shook his head.

Jin and Murakan were in the armored carriage heading towards the gate of Kalon's limited express portal.

"We have arrived, young master."

"Thank you. You may return."

"Loyalty to the Clan!"

Everyone on the street immediately turned their heads to Jin and Murakan as they stepped out of the carriage.

The Runcandel Flagbearers were the stars of Hufester, which meant people looked at them nostalgically even if all they did was walk down the street.

Of course, that didn't apply to the sulky ones like Miu and Anne. The authority of the Runcandel Flagbearers was so powerful that they could have someone killed for looking at them the wrong way.

Although Jin's true personality hadn't been revealed to the world yet, most people had fantasies about his character.

They assumed the young man fought alone against the Zipple and achieved victories against them in the name of justice. And they weren't entirely wrong.

Perhaps it was his reputation that made the two familiar in their eyes. Passersby talked about Jin and Murakan as they walked. They said things like, "Is that Jin Runcandel, he's so handsome, the man next to him is the legendary cat dragon..."

"Who said I'm a cat! Damn lunatics!" Murakan suddenly yelled, causing people to lower their heads and quickly disappear from the streets.

From today onwards, the rumor would spread that Jin's guardian dragon was quite obnoxious.

"Come on, my ears hurt. Why are you suddenly yelling?"

"I'm annoyed about having to ride the portal gate as it is, and then those people start calling me a cat! Don't they know I can hear their whispers?"

"Because not everyone in the world has the hearing of an eight-star martial artist. Most would assume you can't hear their whispers."

"Who cares! Oh, I'm so angry!"

Murakan was agitated for a reason.

Last night, he had asked Gilly out on a date and was rejected.

"Strawberry Pie, I heard there are many nice places to go in Kalon. Why don't we go to all of them, one by one, together? We won't have to hide our identities anymore, so we can comfortably explore the city and have a drink..."

"I'm sorry, Murakan. I think I should watch my actions until young master Jin is fully settled and finds his place in the clan."

This conversation had put Murakan in a bad mood.

"Become the patriarch already! I feel frustrated," he told Jin.

"Speak quieter. People can hear you. Don't go around saying things like that."

"The Great Plains of Anz were Chukon Tolderer's land, right? That means there might be remnants of the Dark Magic Guild there as well. If I see any of them there, oh, they'll get the beating of their lives. I mean it."

"We took down the Dark Magic Guild last time."

"I hope there are still some left."

"What a horrible suggestion."

There weren't many people at the limited express portal gate. The staff immediately called the portal guardian upon seeing Jin's flagbearer coat. The guardian guided Jin to the seats dedicated to the flagbearers, located in the inner area, with utmost courtesy.

"Sir Jin Runcandel, it is an honor to serve you. Please tell me your destination."

"The nearest portal to the Hola Mountain Range."

"Understood, Sir. What should I do with the portal usage records?"

Have them erased so that no one can access them."

"Yes, Sir. Wishing you a comfortable journey!"

Fwoosh!

The portal opened once the guardian left.

"Kid, but why the Hola Mountains? Aren't we supposed to go to the Great Plains of Anz? I thought we were short on time. Earlier, you said we had to hurry."

"I want to test the guardian."

Blue mana enveloped the two of them.

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves at an ancient portal near the Hola Mountains. The knights standing by the gate greeted Jin. Meanwhile, Murakan spent some time vomiting.

Disgusting!

"No need for attendants. I have come for a personal matter and don't need anyone to cater to me. Go ahead."

Jin mounted Murakan and deliberately took off flying while the knights kept a watchful eye on him. They flew towards the Hola Mountains.

Then they flew to various places in the area for several hours until they hid in a deep valley of the mountain range to disguise themselves with golden mouse hair dye and makeup.

These products could create highly convincing disguises without much trouble.

"Yes, those golden mice didn't put much effort into making these things. No wonder they became so rich. Murakan, apply some of this too. People might recognize you even if you turn into a cat nowadays."

He carefully folded his flagbearer cloak and put it in his bag. In its place, he wore an ordinary robe. Both of them dyed their hair blue.

"I thought I wouldn't have to disguise myself anymore after you became a flagbearer. Do I really have to do this?" Murakan asked.

"Better safe than sorry. I almost miss my days as a provisional flagbearer. Let's head towards the Great Plains of Anz."

Jin took out the red ruby to summon Shuri. They silently rode on the gigantic feline through the mountains.

They crossed the mountain range during the night and sailed across the sea by morning. Murakan didn't fly a single minute throughout the entire journey.

It was nighttime again when they crossed a forest. Beyond the forest lay the Great Plains of Anz.

The Great Plains were much like the vast desert of Mitra, but covered in grass. The vast fields of green grass gracefully danced in the wind.

They had to ride for a full day from there to reach Vaollai, where Picon Minche said the first tomb of Temar was located.

Fortunately, Murakan's hopes were not fulfilled. There were no remnants of the Dark Magic Guild in the Great Plains. They did spot a couple of ascetic sorcerers in the distance (they were nothing more than ordinary magicians, but Jin had to put in a lot of effort to stop Murakan, who was fully convinced they were remnants of the Dark Magic Guild), although the sorcerers paid no attention to them.

When they arrived at their destination, Shuri whimpered in exhaustion, albeit quite adorably.

"You did a great job, Shuri."

The only people the Jin group encountered on their way to Vaollai were a group of nomads. But they didn't use the continental language, nor did they realize Jin was a martial artist.

Vaollai seemed like a small hill amidst the plain.

But the real reason the Vaollai area had a hill-like shape was that it used to be a gigantic burial mound.

Murakan's eyes sparkled as he recognized it. He had been quite suspicious of Picon's words, but upon arriving at Vaollai, he intuitively realized that it was indeed where Temar had been buried.

"Bring out the key, kid."

--------------------------

"Have you found anything yet?"

"No, Sir Joshua. The gate guardian clearly stated that the twelfth flagbearer was heading to the Hola Mountain Range. We searched every nook and cranny of the mountains, but found nothing noteworthy."

Jin was right.

Although the portal usage records had been erased, the guardian's memory remained intact, and he informed Joshua of Jin's destination even before he asked.

'Hola Mountains? Is there something related to Solderet in that area? Or something he obtained in his days as a provisional flagbearer? Is it a person? I need to find out what Jin is looking for there.'

Joshua felt frustrated because his guardian knights were unable to find any information.

Just then, Joshua realized that Jin couldn't have acted so carelessly. He suspected that Jin would have expected him to investigate and deliberately fed the guardian false information.

He soon convinced himself of his assumption.

"Darn it."

"Sir Joshua?"

"I was too impatient. Gather all the forces. Dismiss the guardian and give him a decent retirement package."

"Understood, Sir."

Joshua took a long drag from his cigarette.

It tasted bitter, in more ways than one.

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章節 125: CHAPTER 284

The dawn light shone upon Vaollai.

Murakan held the key, but he couldn't help but feel bitter. Remorse, sadness, longing, self-contempt, and powerlessness overwhelmed him. All these dark and heavy emotions pierced his heart.

A friend.

More precious than anyone or anything else.

That's what Temar was to Murakan. If Temar desired something, Murakan was willing to fight against all odds, and if Temar were in mortal danger, he would gladly give up his own life to save him.

But he couldn't.

If the ancient dark dragon of over three thousand years were to choose the most devastating memory of his life, it would undoubtedly be Temar's death.

Shuri licked Murakan's shoulder. He didn't respond despite Shuri's multiple licks, so Shuri let out a mournful cry and returned to the red ruby.

Murakan.

Jin couldn't say much either. It wasn't normal for Murakan to be so saddened.

Jin had also lost someone he cherished more than anyone in his past life. On the day he was banished from the Garden of Swords, Gilly was stripped of her aura and had to endure a punishment worse than death itself.

Suddenly, Jin was reminded of what he last saw of Gilly in his past life, which made him feel distressed as well.

Murakan's hand trembled as he held the key.

Then he held the key with both hands and pressed it against his chest. His massive physique suddenly seemed like a withered branch, and his back began to shake.

Was he crying in sorrow for his poor, old friend who had left after leaving him with scars?

Jin slowly approached Murakan. The dragon seemed to need comfort.

"Darn it. What the hell is wrong? Curse it all." Murakan cursed aloud.

"Huh? What? Murakan?"

"I'm referring to this key. I've infused it with tons of Shadow Energy, and yet, it won't budge. Now, everything wants to irritate the great Murakan, doesn't it? Well, let's see who wins this game, you damn little toy."

Murakan had indeed been trembling, but not because he was sobbing.

He trembled because he was infusing large amounts of Shadow Energy into the key.

That's also why he held the key against his chest. At first, he casually infused Shadow Energy into the key with one hand, but once he realized nothing was happening, he started using both hands to infuse large amounts of Shadow Energy.

"Come on, activate already! I think it has absorbed a five-star worth of energy."

Jin felt quite perplexed but soon let out a chuckle. "Stop getting so worked up. I'll send Gilly on vacation as soon as we return, so maybe you two can go on a trip together."

Fling!

Murakan turned his head at lightning speed.

"Are you serious?"

"Of course. It won't be anything too difficult."

"Finally, it's about time you repay me for raising you, brat. Bwahaha, that's right. Give her a nice, long vacation while you're at it, so I can have a happy trip with Strawberry Pie and-"

"But Strawberry Pie, I mean, Gilly, might reject you too, you know? Have you ever considered that?"

"What?"

"You seem to think that Gilly would obviously accept a date with you if only she had a vacation. I wonder if you can handle another rejection. It's going to hurt, you know."

Murakan was almost furious, but instead, he decided to mock Jin.

"Hmph! Bwahaha, you know nothing. Well, on the other hand, you've been in Lafrarosa since late 1797. Anyway, promise me you won't back out on the offer, since she'll surely accept me."

His response left Jin mysteriously annoyed.

It didn't seem like anything was going on between him and Gilly. Why is he so confident? I mean, is it true that those two are dating? Why do I care so much about these things? Why is it so annoying?

And Murakan thought, I just gave a response because the brat was so annoying, but what if she really rejects me?

Of course, neither Jin nor Murakan could read each other's minds.

"Sure, sure. Go ahead and activate the key now, oh great dark dragon."

"Yes, just you wait. Hmm!"

Murakan began infusing his Shadow Energy into the key again. Gét latest 𝒏ovel ch𝒂pters on n𝒐v(e)lbj/n(.)c/𝒐m

But it still wouldn't move, no matter how desperately he poured his strength into it. At that moment, all the veins on Murakan's neck burst from the effort.

"Solderet, that scoundrel. Why did he make such a contraption?"

Murakan tossed the key to the ground and gasped for breath.

"Maybe he's doing it wrong? Or maybe Picon told us something wrong."

Neither of those things are true. I've told you, Solderet used to make a bunch of these things. And Picon can't be wrong either because this is indeed where Temar was buried. I can feel it."

"Then why isn't it working?"

Wroooom!

Murakan suddenly transformed into his true form. Jin instinctively looked around. They were in an open plain. There was nothing that could hide Murakan.

"Why do you think we came all the way to the Hola Mountains? If someone sees you, all the effort will be wasted. Why are you suddenly transforming?"

"I don't think this key activates with your usual dose of Shadow Energy. I've already put all the Shadow Energy I can in my human form."

Surprised, Jin looked at Murakan.

"What? How much Shadow Energy could this object possibly need?"

"It's time to find out. Stay alert. If you see any remnants of the Dark Magic Guild, eliminate them."

"I told you, such things don't exist anymore."

Surprisingly, it took eight hours until the key reacted.

Fortunately, nobody noticed Murakan sitting in the middle of Vaollai, struggling with the tiny object.

Murakan squeezed out the last of his remaining Shadow Energy.

That was when the key slowly levitated from the tip of Murakan's claw into the air.

"Yes, it's working! Ugh, everything hurts."

"Is it done? Finally?"

Murakan transformed back into his human form and stood beside Jin.

He seemed completely exhausted. No, he wasn't just exhausted. He looked pale and on the verge of collapsing at any moment.

The key floated in the air and halted its movement.

Then the two of them felt the area surrounding them suddenly darken, as if a surge of Shadow Energy was being released.

Indeed, it was the Shadow Energy from the key that had darkened the world around them.

The Shadow Energy from the key enveloped the entire Vaollai area in a dark semisphere.

What is this? And more importantly, something of this magnitude could easily expose us to the whole world.

It was also the first time Murakan had seen something like this.

Jin was starting to think that all his effort to detour through the Hola Mountains had gone to waste.

Just then, he felt the dark force semisphere covering Vaollai gradually shrinking.

It was as if a giant hand outside the sphere was squeezing it downward. It became so small that the edge of the semisphere was about to touch Jin and Murakan.

Finally, the semisphere turned into a tiny dot and disappeared completely.

At that moment, Vaollai was a hill of green grass as usual, but Jin and Murakan, who had been standing there, were no longer visible.

They had been absorbed into the ethereal plane formed by the Shadow Energy.

"Well, I knew I was absorbing too much Shadow Energy. Was it an ethereal plane?"

Murakan laughed. Jin looked around, scared and suspicious of the sudden spatial change.

It was dark and completely devoid of everything. At the same time, it was so vast that he could barely guess the size of the place.

This desolate place was Temar Runcandel's first tomb.

"Solderet did so much to conceal it, and yet those Zipple bastards came here and plundered it."

Murakan shook his head, barely controlling his anger. "Create a flower with your Shadow Energy, kid."

Jin had never tried anything like that before.

But it wasn't too difficult since all he had to do was shape the Shadow Energy into a flower. Jin created an artificial flower with Shadow Energy and placed it on the ground.

"His body is no longer here, but we still need to leave a flower."

Jin left the flower on the ground. They stood in silence for a minute.

Both paid their respects, Murakan as a friend and Jin as a descendant.

"Kid?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you."

A wind blew from a direction after they paid their respects. The wind gently carried away the flower and passed by indifferently.

"The rookie god of blacksmiths, Picon Minche, said that you would meet here with those whom Temar trusted, right?"

"That's right. He also said that he needed something from this place to strengthen Bradamante."

"I've been thinking a lot on the way here, about what Temar's first tomb would be like and what you still had to gain from this place after it was completely plundered. Well, you know, things like that. But I didn't come up with much."

"And?"

"But now that I see this ethereal plane, I've realized something."

Murakan suddenly stopped because he had a bad feeling.

Meanwhile, Jin recalled the conversation he had with Picon Minche.

"There's an area called Vaollai in the great Anz plains, in the central area of the plains. Go there and infuse Shadow Energy into this key. Then it will reveal his first tomb to you."

"Is there anything I should be aware of?"

"No matter what happens there, don't panic. That's what Solderet wanted me to tell you."

"Is there anything else?"

"Nothing. I wish you luck in your battles, Jin Runcandel."

For some reason, the phrase about wishing him luck had disturbed Jin. Why was he being wished luck in battle when he was going to meet someone Temar had trusted? It was hard to understand.

"Kid, I think there's a guardian. A guardian still resides in this tomb."

"A guardian?"

"Yes. The protector of the tomb. And the reason Solderet bothered to create a key that would only activate with so much Shadow Energy was because he wanted you to have enough Shadow Energy when you used the key to come here."

Picon hadn't told him about these things. And neither had Solderet.

In any case, the key would never have worked if he didn't have enough Shadow Energy anyway.

But there was a problem. The person who activated the key wasn't Jin. It was Murakan.

And indeed, Murakan was completely depleted of Shadow Energy because of it.

"Murakan, do you think I would have been able to activate the key with my Shadow Energy?"

"No way. The great Murakan himself needed eight hours and every last drop of his Shadow Energy to activate it. There's no way you could have done it with your seven-star Shadow Energy."

"So, that means I don't actually qualify to be here, do I? And you won't be able to fight if that guardian thing appears since you've also run out of Shadow Energy, right?"

"That's right. But well. I doubt anything will happen. Who knows? Maybe there are no guardians to begin with. We'll find out soon enough."

Murakan had just finished his sentence when a sublime voice resonated from afar.

"Has the Contractor of Solderet come to pay respects to Temar?"

Upon hearing the voice, Murakan recognized who it was and slapped his hand on his forehead. He used to hear this voice every day a thousand years ago.

"This is Silderay's voice!"

Silderay Jizek was one of the biggest contributors to Temar founding the Runcandel clan.

The great knight whose legend and records were erased by the Zipples.

The guardian of this tomb was the will of Silderay Jizek himself.

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