章節 517: CHAPTER 676
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
"To think that I ate a dish cooked by Jin... Ah! I just want to live here in Tikan forever. Don't you, Hedo?"
"Not at all, my lady."
"Why are you always so negative? I'm starting to dislike what you're doing lately."
"If you keep it up, there's a chance that news of the young lady's exploits may reach the clan. If that happens, you may not be able to meet the 12th flagbearer even if you have the opportunity, like today."
"Wow, there's no shortage of trash here, huh? Do you think a brute like you fits in with that size?"
"It seems like a good combination. No one would think I'm a brute just by looking at my appearance, so there's some unexpected charm."
A day has passed since Hedo and Sandra came to Tikan.
And the others who watched the two of them, like Jin, felt that the two of them were just like a father and a daughter who were on good terms (but the daughter is quite a troublemaker).
"Hmm, no matter how much I think about it, this Jet can't figure it out. What's the reason that this amazing guy can't even move against Sandra Zipfel? It doesn't seem like he has any weaknesses."
"It's a strange relationship indeed."
"In the first place, the existence of this person named Hedo is strange, Sir Valkas. We don't have any information about him in our Ghost mercenaries, and it's the same for the Black King mercenaries, isn't it? Our lord also only found out about his existence after meeting him in the Sota Desert. Does it make sense that we know so little about someone of that caliber?"
"I think Sir Chiron, Runcandel, as well as Zipfel's top brass, seem to know about him, but... He is definitely a person shrouded in mystery."
Tikan still knows very little about Hedo. He is Sandra Zipfel's exclusive butler and second-in-command, yet he receives the highest treatment within the clan.
Hedo has the position to request a vacation based on the vague reason of "personal matters" in these times.
"The words written on the sword that Miss Valeria is examining are also mysterious."
Since yesterday, Valeria has been staying up all night looking at the records of Hedo's sword, the 'Bale'.
Since the Bale is related to the old Runcandel, its history has been manipulated as expected.
"Sir Hedo."
Valkas called Hedo on behalf of everyone.
"You can just call me Tower Keeper, leader of the Black kings."
"It's more convenient to refer to you as sir. I called you because I had a question."
"What is it?"
"I'm curious about the relationship between Sir and Sandra Zipfel."
"What's there to be curious about a butler serving his master?"
"Because it doesn't look like an ordinary butler and master. According to what I heard from Lord Jin, sir, you are loyal to Sandra Zipfel, not Zipfel. If you have any special stories, I'll prepare good drinks and cigarettes."
Valkas was subtly good at socializing. Hedo also showed no signs of being awkward with Valkas' sudden approach.
"Good wine and cigarettes are always welcome, but there is no particular story."
"Don't do that, tell me. Curiosity about Sir and Sandra Zipfel is paralyzing Tikan."
Valkas pulled out the Mila Mountain top-grade pine smoke from his pocket and offered it to Hedo. Hedo smiled satisfactorily after enjoying the aroma once.
"This quality is so good that it might be the only box to come out of the Mila tobacco farm in one year. I'll tell you then."
The group pricked up their ears, but Hedo gave a very disappointing answer the next moment.
"There are often people who care more about their dog or cat than their own body. The reason why I attend the lady is no different from that. I have been by my lady's side since she was little, so it is only natural now."
"Compared to a pet?"
"To put it bluntly, it's the lady. Anyway, compared to the cigarettes I received, it's a trivial matter. I hope you're not disappointed."
"Then...! How did you come to Zipfel's side?"
Jet glanced over and intervened. He also took out the finest pine from Mila, a different kind from Valkas, and held it out to Hedo.
It was stolen from Qwaul's drawer.
"You don't have to be so scared, Jet. I happened to belong to Zipfel while wandering as a young man. Um, this is also a very refined scent."
"It looks like you're having a lot of fun taking the Tikan people's stocks, Tower Keeper."
Jin shrugged and spoke.
"If you have any questions, feel free to ask me if you have anything that can pique my interest."
"There's no need to do that, we will naturally know everything when you become one of us."
If Jin asks Sandra, he will be able to find out about Hedo's past.
But Jin didn't do that.
There was no need to make the giant uncomfortable by uncovering his hidden past, which was not that important anyway.
The important thing was entering the sixth tomb through Bale.
"More than your past, I'm more curious about the history of your sword. The word 'Bale' written on the sword is believed to be the name of a person of one of ten great knights of old Runcandel."
"Like the guy we saw in the snowfield? I can guess to some extent."
"It's a very bitter story for me that the sword of a ten great knight is possessed by Zipfel's servant. Well, Tower Keeper, you are qualified enough to own a sword that is just as good if we exclude the fact that you are from Zipfel."
"I thought you would be scared."
"I'm just stating the facts. When I first met you, I thought, 'are there really monsters like this in the world?'"
"That won't change my mind."
"One of the reasons I have to show myself well to you is also related to elder sister Yona's matter."
Jin had asked for help in finding Yona as soon as Sandra and Hedo arrived.
"If that's the case, didn't the lady agree yesterday?"
"Hoho, don't worry. Honey, I'll save my sister-in-law somehow."
"I believe in Sandra. But I have a feeling you might report to higher ups."
"You're treating me like a snake in the grass twice. You can bring the Contractor of Truth and confirm it."
"I'll trust you."
"It's not that you trust me, but you'll think I won't report it even if Yona Runcandel goes wrong because lady Sandra will persuade me."
"I'm not that devious. But if the other side acts deviously first, then there's nothing we can do."
"I don't mind being kidnapped."
As the conversation continued, Valeria came out of the lab. She had the same dazed expression as always during such times, but there was one thing different.
'Her eyes are sparkling quite a bit...?'
It was a gaze that Valeria only showed when she made a particularly significant discovery. Jin smiled inwardly, thinking of his past life, as he saw her like that.
"Jin."
"Have you finished analyzing the records?"
"Yes, come with me. I'll explain it to you."
As Jin left, Sandra glared at Valeria's back as if she wanted to kill her, and Hedo let out a sigh and calmed her down.
"You seem excited. The harvest seems to be bigger than expected, right?"
"Of all the items we have found related to the old Runcandel, this one holds the most intact record."
"Didn't you say that the history of this sword was heavily manipulated?"
"Yes, I did. At first, it was actually like that. But this is the first time I've encountered something like this. As soon as my magic touched the sword, its history began to recover on its own."
"Recover its own history?"
Just like a dry forest drinking rainwater, Valeria's record magic slowly revived the records contained within the sword as soon as it touched it.
Valeria only maintained that state overnight without taking any special measures to restore the records.
"Yes. It's safe to say that this sword perfectly contains a fragment of Runcandel from a thousand years ago. It is in incomparably better condition than the records we saw in Wantaramo Forest."
Jin had never seen an 'intact record' of old Runcandel before. The records Jin had seen were always partially or mostly damaged.
"Then it'll show us more than the recording devices left by Solderet."
"Of course. And maybe...,"
Valeria paused and met Jin's gaze.
"We might even meet a living old Runcandel. Inside this sword's tomb."
"What...did you say?"
Jin's pupils dilated.
"I thought about why the manipulated history was so easily recovered. It might have weakened naturally over time, but that alone wasn't enough of an explanation. And it wasn't because my record magic was exceptional."
As Valeria casted record magic on Hedo's sword, she clearly felt that a certain living force within it began to resist the history manipulation.
"So you mean that a living ten great knight is resisting the history manipulation and reacting to your record magic inside the sword?"
"There's no guarantee that it's a one of the ten great knights, but it's highly likely that someone is still surviving inside the sword. Not as a guardian, but as a true living entity. And if their mind is intact and if they show favor to you, you can also hear stories from that time directly from them."
Jin's heartbeat quickened. The many doubts that he had harbored could have been resolved if only he could directly hear the story of the mysterious old Runcandel.
The background of Sylderay calling Solderet a traitor in the first tomb, the reality of manipulated history, the death of Temar, and the end of Runcandel at that time. And the reason why Solderet hid the fact that he had already foreseen himself as the contractor a thousand years ago.
"It is an amazing story. I didn't expect to find such a clue in the sword of Zipfel's Tower Keeper. Without that sword, we couldn't have entered the fifth tomb."
"Are you going to inform the Tower Keeper about this?"
"It might be a good idea to let him know. He's a thorough person, and he'll probably ask us to verify it through Euria when we finish the story. We've already mentioned Euria before, so if we're caught in a lie, he won't cooperate with us."
It wasn't a matter of refusal. Hedo is the master of the sword, so it would be better to be honest unless Jin is going to take it by force.
Of course, Hedo is a person of Zipfel. It was a difficult matter to inform him about the existence of 'an old Runcandel that might be alive', but there was no other way.
"Right now killing the tower keeper or taking the sword from him would be crazy, so that would be better. When are you going to enter the Tomb?"
"We should prepare now and try it outside, since we don't know what might happen during the opening process."
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
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babayaga01
babayaga01 You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
章節 518: CHAPTER 677
[T.L: punisher87]
[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]
* * *
An uninhabited island in the waters of the Tikan.
Jin chose this place as the place to open the sixth tomb, the subspace of the sword.
In preparation for an emergency, Jin and Tikan's powerful warriors, as well as the sword's owner Hedo and Sandra, were seated in the middle of an uninhabited island.
"Are you going to open the subspace by spreading shadow force like last time?"
"Maybe. To be precise, I'm going to inject it into the sword."
"Hmm."
Hedo adjusted his glasses, looking unhappy.
"Didn't you say in Kaldran Snow Field that the location conditions must be met for opening Temar's tomb, 12th flagbearer? I don't think this uninhabited island is a place that meet those conditions."
"Not all tombs are the same. I only speculated about the situation at that time due to unexpected circumstances."
Hedo shrugged and handed Jin his sword. Jin smiled slyly as he received the sword from Hedo.
"It doesn't seem coincidental that you acquired this sword after a thousand years, Tower Keeper?"
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"I suddenly wondered if it's just a coincidence that you acquired this sword after a thousand years of history. The combination of a ten great knight and a Zipfel butler is not just a coincidence."
"That's a pointless belief in fate."
"I just want to appease you by mentioning useless theories of fate. What if you're a descendant of the ten great knights named Bale. That's why the sword chose you, not just by chance."
"That's a romantic story, honey."
"My lady, it's not romantic at all."
"Why does our stupid butler think that way again?"
"When the patriarch first accepted me into the clan, he checked all of my personal information. You remember, don't you?"
"Oh, those cheap guys who abandoned Hedo. I remember, I never saw their faces because they were already dead."
"Did you hear that, 12th flagbearer? My parents were poor criminals. They abandoned their children because they couldn't afford to raise him, and when they couldn't bear the guilt, they came looking for me at an orphanage, but never took me back. They were criminals who disappeared after their guilt became unbearable."
Hedo seemed unaffected by what he said.
In fact, he didn't feel any particular emotions about being abandoned by his parents from birth. He didn't miss them, nor did he hate them.
"In addition, the clan checked their roots, and it turned out to be a merchant family from the fallen Urot Kingdom. Whatever is inside the sword, it cannot be my ancestor."
"That's a bummer."
"It seems that you, not just the lady, need to learn the mysterious art of pushing and pulling. If you come to me saying you want to recruit me, your heart will be even more troubled, won't it?"
"I will keep that in mind," Jin replied, pretending to be disappointed as he smirked.
Hedo felt a twinge of distaste at his act and thought that he should have beaten him more in the Sota Desert.
Soon, Jin looked around at the people and spoke up, "I will now infuse the sword with shadow force. It would be good if the tomb opens without incident, but I don't know what variables may arise, so everyone should remain vigilant."
"Yes, my lord!"
"Understood, my lord."
As Jin released the shadow force, the area around them instantly grew dark. Even though it was daytime, it seemed like night had descended in an instant, and the bright sunlight was blocked by the black veil.
'As expected, a large amount of shadow force is needed this time too.' Jin thought, feeling tense due to the memory of the previous tomb where he had fought Luntia with difficulty while running low on shadow force.
He may also encounter a formidable opponent with no shadow force left. Above all, there was a high probability that a living member of the old Runcandel may exist within the sword.
That person could attack Jin like the guardians of the previous tombs, and if they were one of ten great knights, they couldn't be weaker than Luntia.
'A living member of the old Runcandel...'
It was possible because subspace is a 'dead world', or because they are beings like dragons or demons with a lifespan of thousands of years. It is because Jin didn't know that all of the Ten great Knights are human.
'Or it could be sealed. Like Elona Zipfel.'
Shadow force continued to spread endlessly, sometimes pouring into the sword and being absorbed. Those watching could not even fathom the size of the shadow force that Jin was handling.
'It feels like the shadow force release of Murakan in his prime. That idiot must have finally found his strength, but he couldn't even help Jin because he was doing Misha's job...… we would be reassured if he was here at times like this.'
Except for Jin, the other members of the group were rejected by the tomb in the Kaldran Snowfields. Although they had fought against the guardian Sarah together in the past, Cuicantelle hoped that they could still join Jin this time.
Time passed by like this.
'Shadow force is being injected like crazy, but I don't feel any signs of change from the sword...'
As it was before on the Kaldran Snowfield, the sword of Hedo remained motionless, without emitting any radiance or forming any door.
"Jin, does something feel different from last time? Could the redhead have brought incorrect information?"
Sandra looked at Valeria suspiciously.
Valeria remained silent, watching Jin and the sword.
"If we fail like this, do we have to investigate how to open the door of the sword again through the record magic? Like the location conditions."
"I think redhead is a complete sham, Hedo. It's strange that the old Runcandel is still alive inside the sword in the first place."
"I am also suspicious."
"Uh, but if everything the redhead said is true and the door suddenly opens. What if that old Runcandel attacks Jin? Just like in the Kaldran snowfield."
"Isn't the problem that the lady should be worried about if the old Runcandel becomes an ally of the 12th flagbearer?"
"I hope that will happen, Hedo. That would be a good thing for Jin. How could I worry about that?"
"I have lost my roots and family to you guys, and have been hunted for a long time."
Valeria spoke in a low voice, not even looking at Sandra.
"What did the redhead say?"
"It means to shut up and focus on your work because I feel like tearing you to death. We all gathered here to work anyway."
Valeria still didn't look at Sandra, but the faint bloodlust in her low voice made Sandra blink.
And then, just as Sandra was about to scream, Hedo's sword suddenly began to vibrate and trigger its first change.
"Is the subspace about to open?"
"Fortunately, it doesn't seem like any problem will occur..."
Cuicantelle interrupted. It was because of Jin's expression.
"Jin, are you okay?"
"Honey!?"
Jin's face, which had been expressionless, was now full of confusion.
The reason for this was simple.
'The Tower Keeper's sword seems like it's about to break free...!'
As someone who was directly injecting shadow force, Jin was more aware of the changes occurring in the sword than anyone else.
And based on his intuition, it seemed that Hedo's sword had chosen to 'move' instead of opening a gate, just like before.
Before three seconds had passed, Jin was sure that the sword was about to be launched somewhere.
Although he tried to stop the flow of shadow force into the sword, it had already gained enough momentum to move.
Zzzzap! Swoosh!
Like a mana cannon being fired. The sword suddenly shot up into the sky, tearing through the black veil that covered it and shooting straight up like Runcandel's light speed thrust.
The speed at which the sword shot up distorted space, causing everyone on the island to look up at the sky.
"Oh, Hedo's sword just shot up like a firework...!"
Hedo jumped up, unable to hold onto his own sword, and landed on the ground with a bewildered expression.
Meanwhile, the sword had already changed direction and was flying off into the distance.
"Catch it!"
Cuicantelle shouted. However, the sword that had risen in a straight line had already turned and was flying somewhere.
Jin's shadow force absorbed by the sword even left long traces in the sky like the tail of a comet. In the blink of an eye, the sword was more than 500m away from them.
Intuitively, Jin assumed that the sword was flying in search of a space to open up its subspace.
If so, the opening of the tomb was a success, but it was not a very good situation. It means that there is no means to pursue that sword immediately.
The red owl was put on standby in the nameless location, while Mort was injured and even if they were both present, it would be difficult to chase after the sword in that state. The sword was not moving through space, but rather pure high-speed flight, faster than anyone had ever seen.
"Miss Cuicantelle!" Jin called her. Because he has to chase the sword.
"Understood!"
Cuicantelle quickly manifested the power of time and transformed into her true form. But the sword had already flown off into the distance, narrowly avoiding the effects of her time powers.
Those who had gathered in perfect order climbed onto Cuicantelle's back.
Cuicantelle immediately started flying at full speed, but it was impossible to catch up with the sword.
[I'll follow the traces of the shadow force left by the sword!]
Fortunately, Hedo's sword moved forward leaving a long trace of shadow force in sky.
It had already flown so far away that it was no longer visible, but if they followed the traces, they could still reach the sword's destination.
The problem was the fact that the destination was unknown and the sword's flight was prolonged.
'The situation has completely exceeded our expectations. We thought that if there were any problems with opening the tomb, it would be a battle against the tomb's guardian, not chasing after a flying sword like this!' Cuicantelle thought to herself.
Moreover, the sword had flown through the sky for such a long time, leaving so many traces of its shadow force. This meant that any other forces could easily discover what was happening, not just Tikan.
If all forces such as the Garden of Swords, Zipfel, Kinzelo, and the Imperial Family were to gather at the sword's destination, it could create a major problem.
'The temporary alliance may hesitate to act, but not the Garden of Swords...!'
There could be a situation where all the great forces gather in Temar's 6th tomb.
Hedo's murderous gaze fell on Jin's back.
"Looks like it's a completely unexpected problem for you too. If I lose my sword due to this situation, it won't be much fun. 12th flagbearer...."
[T/L: You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
創作者的想法
babayaga01
babayaga01
You can read more chapters and support me here: https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 & https://bmc.link/punisher87
Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!
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