581
(About the astounding and ugly Vermont Imperial Family - White Stone, and Living Golem.
After the monster King of the Black Sea awakens, the empire is going through the darkest and most terrible spring in history.
Now, there will be no one who does not know that the white stone that Hairan had been holding was the king of the Black Sea.
The fact that Hairan had been watching the white stone awaken alone for a very long time. Hairan has been wary of someone coveting the uncontrollable monster's power and spreading a disaster to the world like now.
This was revealed to be true when patriarch of Hairan lord Dante, who recently declared regency, released the documents and records exclusive to the patriarch of Hairan, and Madame Talaris Endorma, the master of the Hidden palace, also revealed records about the white stone to empower the innocence of Hairan.
Taking this opportunity, I would like to express my great gratitude as a human to Madame Talaris who, despite being neutral, disclosed the secret information to resolve the danger that the entire world was facing, and devoted herself to subjugating Glyek.
The former emperor, Amir Vermont, who was stoned to death by the people and the imperial family.
Who would have known that the imperial family would commit what Hairan was worried about. They even went so far as to sell the empire to Zipfel in order to gain the power of the White Stone.
Why were they so obsessed with the power of the white stone?
In the meantime, the Empire has maintained a stable relationship through diplomacy with other giant forces, including Runcandel, although it is closer to friend of Zipfel.
There was no reason why the emperor had to obsess over the white stone, even giving up on the safety of the people of the empire and a move that was tantamount to gambling.
Even if the imperial family succeeded in seizing the white stone and processing its power, there was no guarantee that the empire would be able to outsmart the great clan, and the world would be on the verge of a great war.
At that time, of course, it was the people of the empire who suffered the most.
Nevertheless, Amir Vermont's obsession with the white stone is presumed to be because of the 'living golem'.
Amir Vermont was planning to use the power of the white stone to complete the living golem research secretly being researched by the imperial family and to mass-produce it.
The evidence was released today.
The person who submitted the evidence was Runcandel's 12th flagbearer, Sir Jin Runcandel.
As everyone knows, Sir Jin has a history of revealing the truth about living golems during the Holy Kingdom Incident in the past and informing the world about its harm and danger.
This time, Sir Jin proved that he was right. The imperial family's desire to mass-produce living golems is eventually contaminating the world with chaos.
Living golems are made of living creatures, including humans. Witchcraft is as cruel as black magic, which has been cut off by its horrific methods.
The living golem, which the imperial family named 'Majin', did not deviate from that method.
In addition, it was said that each of the imperial family's Majin that Sir Jin experienced directly possessed fighting power exceeding that of a 9-star knight and possessed the ability to super-regenerate.
The imperial family wanted to seize world hegemony by mass-producing thousands or tens of thousands of such Majins.
Then there is one odd thing.
If you wanted to seize hegemony, the fact that you 'sold' the empire to Zipfel for the white stone doesn't explain it.
Zipfel tried various negotiations with Sir Jin during the first battle of the sword emperor castle. Zipfel even offered to return the then-sealed Sir Dante to its original state and destroy the empire, if only Hairan handed over the white stone.
Regarding the matter, Sir Jin said in an interview.
-Perhaps the emperor borrowed the power of Zipfel to obtain the white stone, mass-produced Majins, and then tried to betray Zipfel. They would have judged that they had a chance of winning if they could mass-produce Majins even if they waged a war against Zipfel.
Above all, the emperor knew exactly what the white stone was. Unlike us Runcandel and Zipfel, he knew from the beginning that it was Glyek, the King of Chaos...…
According to Sir Jin's interview, the emperor coveted the white stone even though he knew everything, and had a plan to betray Zipfel.
This reporter expects that Sir Jin's opinion is not wrong, and once again, it is time for the entire empire, including the imperial family, to think about the value and righteousness that Hairan has kept.....)
New articles began to be written and distributed immediately with evidence that it was the body of Majin.
Members of the imperial family and imperial faction aristocrats who saw the article expressed their resentment.
"Imperial chamberlain, Sir Barkam, are the recent articles really true!? Please say something!"
"Is it true that the former emperor knew the identity of the white stone from the beginning?"
"Then did the imperial family condone the emperor's tyrannical behavior even after knowing that such a catastrophe could befall the world due to Glyek?"
Chief Chamberlain Barkam shook his head with a haggard face.
"No, His Majesty... No, the former emperor."
"His majesty? What is this madman saying now!"
"The former emperor had never shared anything with the imperial family. Even I, the chamberlain, did not know any information about Majin."
"Currently, there is a story that the living golem, Majin, presented as evidence belongs to the Imperial Guard. There were the golden epaulettes of the imperial and the blood-soaked snow-white coat among the revealed grotesque masses of flesh, not an imitation. Please tell me about this too."
"The Majin corpse is the Imperial Guard?"
The reporters and people who had flocked to the imperial palace were buzzing at those words.
It was absolutely unacceptable to use knights who had been loyal to the imperial family more than anyone else as mere test subjects.
"Uh, we're still figuring out why the imperial guards' item was mixed into that piece of flesh, but it's a fabrication...."
"Fabrication! Sir Jin Runcandel was the one who risked his life to inform us about the dangers of living golems during the Holy Kingdom Incident. Even in this war, he helped Hairan without asking anything, just out of loyalty! Why would someone like that manipulate the evidence?"
"If Sir Jin and Sir Dante want to put an end to the imperial family, they can done it with force. Sir Dante has already proved that fact by displaying his power in the square. On the other hand, what about the imperial family? It has nothing to do with the emperor, I don't know why the imperial guard's things are there. It's just words. Give me a proper explanation!"
"Hmm, hmmm! I'll just stop here for today. Instead, within three hours, the Imperial Family will issue a statement and distribute articles to explain what happened, so please leave...…."
As Barkam said, three hours later, new reports poured in, and the imperial family issued a statement.
There was nothing special to turn the situation around. All they could do was repeat, in more orderly sentences, that they had nothing to do with, and they didn't know.
It's no different that the imperial family comes out that way.
It was because the angry public sentiment was bound to fade someday. Also, above all else, the Majin corpse brought by Jin could not be conclusive evidence of the solidarity between the imperial family and the emperor.
This was because there were no documents or witnesses about those who participated in or contributed to the research on Majin.
It was argued that the epaulets and snow-white coats of the imperial guards were coincidences, or fabricated through items of imperial guards who died in this war.
With the exception of Jin and Valeria, no one had seen the Imperial Guard in Wantaramo Forest in September last year.
The imperial family is completely unaware of the existence of the 'Valeria Hister'. The fact that, as long as she was there, this type of evasion would be of no use.
In the meantime, Valeria has been using record magic on Majin's corpse, and she has known the area where the imperial family's 'Majin Research Institute' is located.
The imperial family had been boldly setting up and operating a laboratory in the capital of the empire, not in the periphery.
And as soon as the announcement of the imperial family's statement proceeded, newsletters from Jin's side immediately revealed the location of the research institute.
Of course, as soon as the war ended and the emperor died, the research institute was closed and all personnel fled.
But they didn't have time to clean up properly. It was unreasonable to blow it up because it existed in the middle of the empire, and above all, the imperial family did not have the will to completely destroy the laboratory.
Majin research is now really the last remaining rope in the imperial family. They thought no one had been able to find out the location of the research center anyway, so the imperial family had plans to reopen it once the world calmed down.
Thanks to Jin receiving the location from Valeria and revealing it, even that has now become nothing.
"I didn't know that you could find out the location of the Majin Lab through the Majin corpse. It's dark under the lamp, these crazy people. A research lab was set up in the middle of the imperial capital."
Jin said as he drank from the teacup in front of him.
Valeria was sitting in front of him. She came to Second castle of Hairan undisguised, which meant that she now had some trust in Jin's allies.
In this war, Jin and his allies fought for the protection of the world, not for personal gain. That incident conveyed some kind of vibration to Valeria's dry and cold inner side.
"I never thought the people would trust you that much, Jin Runcandel. Originally, Majin and living golems are fundamentally different, but since you said this, no one is saying that an investigation is needed about that."
"Of course the people have no choice but to do that, and the imperial family will say no, but there is no way. Now reporters, people, and even people from each faction are rushing into the lab, so they can't deny it any longer. The evidence we deliberately left behind will greet angry people."
The imperial family and their Majin researchers stole most of the important data even in the midst of an emergency, but left the laboratory with relatively trivial documents, such as the list of participants and donors, left unattended one by one.
Jin had intentionally left it for people to see, and the names of numerous members of the imperial family were written on the documents.
"Also, the imperial family's Majin is a different type from the old black magic Majin."
As Jin spoke in a bitter voice, Valeria nodded her head.
"Yes. I was able to find out by looking at the records on the Majin corpses. It's definitely Majinification that the imperial family is researching, but it's no different from living golem experiments. So, your assertion that research on Majin is actually research on living golems is not false."
Originally, the Majin and living golems are classified according to whether or not a human body and a living creature are used.
Majinification is magic, and living golems are close to magical engineering.
However, the research on Majinification that the imperial family was conducting had those two attributes at the same time.
"... It's because the first patriarch of your Runcandel, Temar Runcandel, body was used in the Majinification."
582
-Who are the other factions looking for Temar's tomb?
-Who do you think it is?
-Zipfel.
-Correct answer! But that's not all. The Imperial family of Vermont is also looking for the tomb of the first patriarch of Runcandel. Your movement has been exposed to them once.
A conversation that Jin had with Margiella when Kinzelo came to Runcandel to offer Jin to join them.
It was the first time Jin learned that Vermont was also searching for Temar's Tomb during that visit.
Someone can't use the legacy that Solderet left in Temar's tomb unless you are under the protection of the shadows. Moreover, all the legacies discovered so far were already arranged by Solderet a thousand years ago.
Therefore, Zipfel must prevent Jin and Runcandel from using the legacy, but in fact, Vermont has no reason to trace Temar's tomb.
At that time, Margiella had let him know that Vermont was tracking Temar's tomb, and that they wanted 'body', not a legacy.
Jin didn't know what they were trying to do with Temar's body. However, after experiencing the Majin in Wantaramo Forest, he speculated that they might be looking for way to complete Majin.
This ominous and dreadful speculation eventually turned out to be true.
"I don't know exactly when Vermont obtained Temar Runcandel's body. Maybe it's because it's a far-off point that I can't confirm with my record magic right now, or it might be the overwhelming influence of Zipfel manipulating Temar Runcandel's history."
Valeria's speculation was correct.
When she first obtained Majin's corpse and used record magic, almost all information was obscured. Because of Zipfel's manipulation magic, which was erasing the 'History of Temar Runcandel', even the location of the research institute that had nothing to do with Temar was not revealed.
However, the situation changed thanks to the weakening of Zipfel's 'power of story' by Glyek. Records that had not been seen before began to appear from the Majin corpse.
However, the power of the story did not completely disappear, and it was a thousand years ago that Vermont obtained a 'part' of Temar's body. With Valeria's current abilities, it was impossible to confirm that time.
"... I think they used only part of his body, not his entire body. If it was whole, the majin would have been completed by now, and there would be no reason for Vermont to continue searching for his tomb."
Crunch!
Jin's eyes darkened after hearing this.
'Crazy bastards... Were they not afraid of the consequences? Or did they judge that completing the majin is better, even if they have to bear the consequences when Runcandel finds out?'
Either way, it was a situation that made Jin's blood boil.
'Until now, it seems that even Zipfel did not know the information that the imperial family had part of Temar's body, so he must have been sure that he would never be discovered.'
If it wasn't for Valeria, Jin would never have figured it out. The reason Jin was able to step on the tail of the imperial family was because they did not assume the relation between Jin and survivors of the Hister.
"Are you going to attack the imperial family right away?"
Valeria asked in a calm voice, but Jin felt that she was quite concerned about the matter.
It had been just over a month since the end of the Sword Emperor Castle war and the Glyek subjugation. Once Jin reveals the atrocities of the imperial family to his clan and attacks the empire, this land will face another catastrophe.
Valeria was worried about the many ordinary people who would die for no reason. Jin found her concern both comforting and heartbreaking.
'Jin Runcandel... his expression seems to be peering into my inner thoughts again.'
While Valeria was lost in thought, Jin shook his head.
"No, this is the land for which Sir Ron and Hairan fought so hard to protect. I can't turn the empire into a battlefield again so soon."
"Is that so?"
"Besides, it's not appropriate for Runcandel to wage war right now. It is impossible to attack the empire without a justification, so my clan must have to disclose information about Temar to the public, which means that Zipfel will also know, and my clan will have to handle the empire and the Zipfel at the same time."
Even if he wanted to tear the entire imperial family to death right away, the situation wasn't favorable. Even Dante had almost no way to assist Jin if Runcandel attacked the empire. The role of the Sword Emperor was to defend the empire.
"Now is the time for me and my people to monopolize information and prevent the Imperial Family from further blaspheming and humiliating Temar."
"That's a good choice."
"Did you know how to compliment?"
"Sometimes. I was quietly worried that you might share my hard-earned information with your clan. If Runcandel learns about this, from then on the matter related to Temar's body would be under your clan's jurisdiction, not you, and it would also make it difficult for me to further examine records of the majin corpse."
"And you weren't concerned about innocent people dying in another war?"
Valeria did not answer that question and lifted her tea cup.
"Anyway, a lot has changed because of the end of the King of Chaos. I'm starting to see clues in interpreting not only the Majin corpse, but also the recording devices of the Solderet that you gave me. And it seems that you Runcandels have gained a little bit of the power of the magic sword again."
"Yes. The curse that Zipfel placed on Runcandel is fading."
"The same is true about the curse imposed on my ancestors. Even the history of Hister they erased has changed a little bit."
Valeria suddenly stood up and bowed her head to Jin.
"It seems I should express my gratitude."
Jin barely managed to conceal his bewildered expression.
"I think it's best to say that to Sir Ron, not me."
"I plan to stop by the vicinity of the Sword Emperor Castle before I leave."
"You speak as if you are leaving right now."
"Well, there's no need to be disappointed since we'll be seeing each other much more often from now on. There's more to share between us, and we have more reasons to help each other. I intend to use Tikan occasionally to evade Zipfel's pursuit in the future."
"I never gave you that permission, but you have made a good decision."
Valeria smiled at that remark. Since their past lives, Jin had found his mood lifting whenever she smiled like that.
After the Sword Emperor Castle war, there were always Runcandel's Guardian Knights near Tikan. Now, even Runcandel cannot stand by and watch what happens to Tikan. Both for Jin and for the clan.
Except for the succession temple, there was no safer place for Valeria than Tikan. In particular, since Zipfel's pursuit has become more persistent recently, most of her hiding places have been discovered or destroyed.
"If you treat me like an unwelcome guest, I'll find somewhere else."
"Come by often, even when you don't have business."
"I'll try."
"By the way, I don't think I'll be able to meet you from my side for a while. I'm planning to leave soon when I'm done with a few things that I need to solve."
"Chaos. Is it because of that?"
At Valeria's answer, Jin reflexively covered the back of his right hand.
There is the remaining black spot of chaos from Glyek's abyss. Even after Glyek's death, traces of the chaos that engulfed Jin had not completely disappeared.
It wasn't that the intense demon heart was pressing on Jin's inner side, but he felt a bit demonic nature from time to time.
And that demonic nature was growing slowly but surely. If left alone, it might eventually become as formidable as the experience from Glyek's abyss.
Jin had already met the Holy Queen Lani. Even she couldn't cure the spots left on Jin's body, which meant there was no way at the moment.
However, Jin remembered that the battle god's blood remaining in his body resisted the encroachment of chaos.
'The brethren of Laprarosa, especially the sister battle god, might be able to tell me how to do it.'
Jin planned to find a way to stop demonic nature in Laprarosa.
And it's not just Jin who fell into the encroachment of chaos. The same phenomenon was happening to Rosa and Kelliark, as well as some of the key figures of the two clans who participated in the Glyek's subjugation.
While Jin was in Laprarosa, they will find a way to stop demonicization in outside world.
"That's one thing, but now is the right time. To train in the land of my brethren. I originally intended to go, but since both clans have weakened and my clan has started to protect Tikan in earnest, I can go back with a much lighter heart."
Jin had already shared information about Laprarosa with Valeria.
It was because it seemed that her ability would be needed in future to take out his brethren from the dead world of Laprasara into the human world.
The punishment suffered by the Plutonian tribe was also intertwined with Zipfel's manipulation of history.
"I will also try to find a way to heal your chaos."
"Thank you for doing that."
"Don't expect too much. It's really difficult to look through the records of chaos. Oh, and before you go, show me that thing you mentioned earlier."
The item that Valeria was talking about was an unknown mechanical device that Jin had obtained in the Sota Desert. Jin took out a mechanical device from his pocket and held it out to Valeria. Some of the battleship's blueprints are also included.
"You're asking for battleship blueprints too? You're really pushing it."
"Is it impossible to create a complete version of the blueprint with record magic?"
"Record magic isn't omnipotent either. If the blueprint designer is here, and his memory is not intact, I can help with the restoration to some extent. But using record magic alone to uncover the entire blueprint from just a part is impossible."
"Even if your record magic reaches the perfect level?"
"It might be possible for my clan in its prime."
A blue and transparent mana window floated in front of Valeria. The mana emanating from her spread over the mechanical device and the blueprints, inscribing characters onto the window.
Valeria's expression did not change while looking at the window where the records of the battleship's blueprint were written.
"... As expected, the blueprints cannot be restored. However, the year of production and the name of the producer are mentioned. It was made in 1775 by someone named Tingen Bauer."
"Tingen Bauer?"
It was the first time Jin heard this name. The names of the other participants also came to the window, but they were all magical engineers belonging to Zipfel.
Then Valeria, who was looking at the records of the mechanical device, showed a startled look.
"What's wrong?"
"This is the key part of the teleportation device you first saw in the Gaifa Islands. Similarly, it was made by Tingen Bauer...… Wait, it's not his real name?"
It is not that record magic cannot reveal a person's pseudonym.
But Valeria sensed that a strange repulsive power was preventing Tingen Bauer's real name from being revealed.
That means that the history of Tingen Bauer was also manipulated by Zipfel and Tingen Bauer may be a person related to Hister.
Valeria began to concentrate again. For some reason, she felt like its real name would appear if she removed the repulsive force a little.
That intuition wasn't wrong, and after about five minutes, Valeria was able to figure out what Tingen Bauer's real name was.
As soon as Jin saw the name, he couldn't help but open his eyes wide.
It was because he had seen someone with the surname 'Ganesto' in Solderet's recording device.
583
Lokia Ganesto.
One of ten great knights from a thousand years ago, and a person who was most powerful in pure magic in old Runcandel.
Jin and Valeria had seen her in the recording left behind in Temar's fourth tomb.
"... It's surprising that a key part of the teleportation device, is it Ganesto?"
It's not a common surname. At least Jin had never met anyone with the surname Ganesto, both in his previous and present lives.
The manipulation of history about the ten great knights must have been the reason why people stopped using the name Ganesto itself.
"Tingen Bauer, the man named Qwaul Ganesto is highly likely to be a descendant of Lokia Ganesto. As I looked at the records, I felt the backlash from history manipulation."
In an instant, several assumptions came to Jin's mind and it was all bad things.
Lokia Ganesto betrayed the old Runcandel, and its descendants have been using pseudonyms and contributing to Zipfel, or they have forgotten their grudge and become subordinate to Zipfel because history has been erased, or Zipfel tells her descendants the wrong history. As a result or something.
'In the recording Lokia Ganesto... was a cruel and cold character. She even seemed kind to the witch Helluram.'
-Patriarch, no! Brother. I can't do this. I will meet the witch who is in the Black Sea. Lokia said that if it's the witch, she might have a way to stop Zipfel's manipulation of history....
The words spoken by Sarah Runcandel in the video recording of the third tomb.
A thousand years ago, when the war was in full swing, and the history of the fairy tribe and Runcandel was being manipulated, Sarah listened to Lokia's opinion and wanted to meet Helluram.
Of course, it was not a matter of jumping to conclusions. Because Jin doesn't know what happened a thousand years ago.
Above all, Qwaul was only a descendant of Lokia, not one of ten great knights of Runcandel.
"I need to find and meet a person named Qwaul Ganesto. You won't be able to determine his location from the blueprints and records left on the machine, right?"
"Yes. The year of manufacture of the part is 1780. The year you were born."
The blueprint was made in 1775, and the teleportation device was made in 1780.
Jin said he would have to find and meet him, but in reality meeting Qwaul would be next to impossible.
There was no way that Zipfel would just neglect a magic engineer of that level. Undoubtedly, Qwaul is the best magic engineer at the moment.
'My mother said she had heard from the Prophet that this machine would change the tide of war.'
The Prophet was right, as the machine turned out to be part of a teleportation device.
'In addition, the Prophet had told my mother that she could immediately begin fleet production by supplementing and strengthening the ship's design...….'
If so, the Prophet may have the ability to perfect the machine as well.
For efficiency alone, he'd better get in touch with the Prophet right away to hear the details about it and proceed with negotiations.
Actually Rosa intended to do just that.
-Originally, I planned to use them through the Prophet.
-However, I changed my mind this time by suspending Joshua as flagbearer. I will suspend negotiations with the prophet. During that time, prove that you have a better way than a prophet.
Rosa didn't tell him specifically about the time period. However, Jin guessed that it would have taken longer than Rosa's original plan due to the Glyek subjugation.
Currently, Rosa was in a daunting state just to organize the clan.
Many knights of the clan died in the war. More than three hundred elite knights, including five black knights, were lost.
Runcandel has put a black helmet on the top enforcement knights whenever a black knight has been recruited or died.
However, maintaining 10 Black Knights like that has now reached its limit. It was to the point that Mon, who was demoted to an enforcement knight after the Sota Desert, was reinstated as a black knight.
'Besides, my mother will also have no choice but to be cautious because of the encroachment of chaos.'
If only the power of the clan is lost, then Rosa would have more likely advanced the negotiations with the Prophet. That's how she can quickly restore power because the Zipfel is weak now and it is a chance to attack them.
However, Rosa had no choice but to postpone the negotiations as she is now in a situation where she cannot properly exert her. For now, she has no choice but to negotiate with the Prophet on the right terms.
"Production may have started in earnest since then, but it must be only recently that the technology has developed to the point where it can be used in practice."
"Regardless of when it was available, probably Zipfel wanted to reveal the fleet and the teleportation device later. The reason they used the fleet as bait in the Sota Desert was to confirm the existence of a prophet in your clan."
Valeria returned the blueprints and the machine to Jin. She tried a few times to get new information with record magic, but there was no further gain.
"I really have to go now. Whatever it is, I'll send you a letter to Tikan if there's any further progress. Maybe sooner or later your sister will find a little clue about Temar's fifth tomb."
"Elder Sister Luntia? No wonder, I heard that Elder brother Diphus was in charge of preventing chaos, not Elder Sister Luntia. She is looking for Temar's tomb. It's surprising how helpful it is to me."
"There may be information inside Runcandel that you don't know about. The 3rd flagbearer is moving based on that."
Valeria offered to shake Jin's hand.
"See you later."
"Take care of yourself."
* * *
Two days later, in an unexpected place. Jin was able to find clues about Qwaul Ganesto.
"Did you say that the pseudonym of Qwaul Ganesto was Tingen Bauer?"
Hidden palace inside the Hidden Palace.
Talaris, with a haggard face, asked Jin with her eyes wide open as soon as she heard the name.
"Do you know him?"
"Neither Qwaul Ganesto nor Tingen Bauer are common names. Especially when it comes to the magic engineer Tingen Bauer...… I'm pretty sure it's someone I know."
-He's a genius magic engineer, huh...… Among my lovers there were a few like that. Do you want me to contact them? Son-in-law.
Shortly after obtaining the machine, Jin had also spoken with Talaris about the need for an engineer.
And surprisingly, Talaris had an affair with a man named Tingen Bauer in her youth.
"He was my seventy-seventh lover. Hmm, it was a lucky number and I remember it very clearly because of his unique personality. A genius man who is the perfect definition of geek, but he was making something like this for Zipfel, right?"
"Huh, Madame Talaris. Is there any way I can contact him now?"
"I remember the house he used to live in, but the chances of him still living there are low, right? A log cabin in the outskirts of Palin Kingdom, it must have been over 30 years ago."
"Still, I would like to go once. What kind of person was he?"
A small smile crossed Talaris' lips as she recalled her memories with Qwaul.
It seems that her memories with him weren't that bad and the moment Talaris thought about it her expression crumpled.
"He was a bad boy. I didn't know there would be another human in the world who could dump me except for your father!"
"... Yes? Did you say my father?"
"Ah, you must be mistaken. It's not a relationship, it's a duel that your father dumped me. Anyway, Tingen cut off his relationship with me then, saying he was busy with some research, and I haven't heard from him since. Anyway, I'll give you Mort when my daughter comes back, so go and check it out the house where he lived."
"All right."
Booong-!
As soon as Jin answered, Mort appeared in front of Talaris and let out a cry.
There were black spots of chaos all over Mort's body. However, unlike Jin and other infected people, Mort is gradually purifying the chaos with his energy.
"Anyway, my daughter is too lazy to become a noblewoman."
"Mother."
It was the first time Jin had met Syris since the war.
"Lady Syris."
Because of this, Jin thought that she would be angry with him. It's because it doesn't seem like he's not responsible for Talaris suffering from severe internal injuries and losing most of her powers.
"Jin."
However, contrary to Jin's expectations, Syris did not show anger toward Jin. Rather, she looked at the spots left on the back of Jin's hand, and she showed a hint of concern for him.
"... Are you okay?"
"Uh, um. Yes, it's still fine."
Syris looked at the back of Jin's hand in silence for a while. Jin coughed because the situation was somehow awkward.
Syris used to be enraged whenever Talaris were often involved in affairs involving Runcandel and Zipfel and lost something because of Jin.
However, it's not that she was angry with Jin, but she hated the fact that the great forces were looking down on Hidden Palace.
She has long recognized Jin as an ally. It was only for a while that she acted harshly with a kind of hitting and strange competitive spirit.
In particular, even if it was not because of Jin, Talaris had to step in to fulfill her secret mission anyway.
Therefore, Syris understood that thanks to Jin, the hidden palace suffered only this much damage. She had been told by Talaris that without Jin, she would have to break Elona's seal.
If Elona was released from her seal, the hidden palace would have had to be cut off from the world for a long time until she disappeared.
Moreover, Jin's help did not end there.
Syris' gaze fell behind Talaris. She could see that Elona Zipfel's seal was mixed with shadow force.
Black Dragon Misha.
As soon as the subjugation was over, she was requested by Talaris and came here to help maintain the seal.
Elona could be freed if she didn't, so Misha poured all her strength into seal without ever recovering.
Because of this, Misha was in a state of being tied together by Elona's seal, the current state of Misha is no different from a statue.
Jin followed Syris and looked at Elona's seal and Misha. Before she entered the seal, Misha told Jin that she was fine, but it was only natural that they felt sorry for her.
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Syris."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help."
"Huh, are the two of you in a good mood? Daughter, go on a date with my son-in-law to the Palin Kingdom right now."
When Jin explained about Qwaul, Syris readily nodded her head.
584
***
Tower of the stories.
"There was a laboratory in the middle of the empire...."
Crunch, Octavia gritted her teeth. She wrapped her whole body in mana bandages as if she had not yet recovered from the aftermath of the war, and various maintenance devices were connected to her back.
The black spots visible through the bandages were thick. In addition to encroachment of chaos, she went through super regeneration by the Demon God's orb, so she had to use a maintenance device every day for the time being.
"The Imperial Family, the livers of those wicked bastards are bigger than I thought. Isn't the capital of the empire a place where our mages come and go every day?"
Kadun next to her was also calming his anger.
Hedo lit a cigarette with a grim face. He's just keeping his composure because he really doesn't have much of an idea, but it didn't look like that in the eyes of Octavia and Kadun.
They are mistaken as if he is displaying superhuman patience and examining the situation with a cool head.
"It's embarrassing, but it's fortunate that the imperial family still has a trump card. So calm down, Lord Kadun. And the Spectre Captain."
At Hedo's words, Kadun and Octavia cleared their throats as if embarrassed.
"... Sir Hedo is right. I have shown a shameful side."
"Yes... the odds are against them, they will reach out to us again without shame."
The change occurred in the world power structure after the Sword Emperor Castle war.
Now, the era has arrived where it is impossible to say for sure that Zipfel is the only clan that's standing at the top.
Of course, they did not completely lose their position as the No. 1 clan, but the world's great powers did not know the exact situation of their respective damages. They can only guess that it is beyond their imagination.
Therefore, the two major clans had to look out for each other and reinforce their strength as soon as possible, at any cost.
Even in Runcandel, Chiron is still alive and well.
It was a foregone fact that he had entered the realm of the 5 kings of the Black Sea, but Zipfel had to assume the possibility that he could return to the continent at any time, and the existence of the Prophet was also a concern.
In that sense, Zipfel had no choice but to covet the imperial family's Majin technology.
In any case, the imperial family could not conspire with Runcandel. It was because Jin was there, and even if Rosa ignored him and asked for an alliance first, it was an unappealing offer to the imperial family because Runcandel wouldn't have any skilled magic engineering at all.
Above all, the imperial family has maintained a closer relationship with Zipfel than with Runcandel.
Although it looked like they had hit the back of their heads once in the Sword Emperor Castle war, they were in a position where they needed each other now.
"You're right. The Imperial family's tail cutting failed due to the Runcandel's 12th flagbearer, so they have no choice but to rely on us. Any negotiations can be carried out on favorable terms. It is not something to be angry about, but rather to be welcomed."
Zipfel doesn't know exactly what the power of Majin is. It was highly likely to be an exaggeration of information that the Majin had super regenerative abilities and power beyond the 9-star knight spread by the Jin's press.
Even so, they thought that there must be a reason why the imperial family dared to deceive them. As for combat power, it's enough to look directly at samples during negotiations.
"It is not too late to punish them after their skills are taken away and the clan recovers."
"But one strange thing is, how the hell did Runcandel's 12th flagbearer know the location of the laboratory? There's no way our clan could have had less intelligence than him."
Octavia nodded at Hedo's words.
"I think it's because Hister's survivor is with the 12th flagbearer. From the moment the 12th flagbearer destroyed the great magic of the patriarch in the war, it's been confirmed that he and the record mage are together."
The Annihilating Dark Sky Flame Orb 2nd version, in the war of the Sword Emperor Castle, Jin easily dispelled the magic as if he already knew it.
Octavia's gaze landed on another maintenance device behind her.
Veradin Zipfel that tried to run wild was sealed. He has not regained consciousness even once since the beginning of the Sword Emperor Castle war.
Even Octavia and Veradin weren't the only two who were helped by the maintenance device.
Kelliark is also inside one of the maintenance devices on the top floor of the Tower of Stories.
In other words, Zipfel is facing its worst time in a thousand years.
"It was when Kelliark finally declared that he would personally find the survivors of Hister, but Misha the Black Dragon and the survivor of Hister were also damn lucky."
"First of all, we will have to wait for the imperial family to contact us. And when that child wakes up...… I'll have to ask him to meet with the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel."
"Octavia, no matter how close the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel is to the Veradin. Are you going to spit out information about Hister?"
"There is nothing wrong with trying, Lord Kadun. Anyway, the 12th flagbearer will also be curious about the condition of Veradin, so he will never avoid the meeting."
As the conversation progressed like that, Hedo was a bit perplexed. It was because before he attended this meeting, he had a favor from Sandra Zipfel.
-Auntie will definitely make Veradin meet Jin when he wakes up. Hedo tells them that I will go with him then.
- No, Young lady.
- Why?
- Young lady, you are actually doing an act of treason whenever you meet the 12th flagbearer. So far, the patriarch has turned a blind eye, but if it continues.
-Oh! I have an idea too. I heard the record mage is with him? Then Auntie wouldn't be able to send mind manipulated Radin, so she would have some anxiety. Because you don't know what Radin will say! I'm going to take that surveillance role.
-From my point of view, I think your mouth is more of a problem, young lady.
-Anyway, tell her that. End of story.
Whoa...…
Hedo let out a deep sigh along with the smoke from his cigarette. Inevitably, he finally got the rhyme.
"Wraith commander, how about sending Young Lady Sandra with the young patriarch?"
If anyone else had said it, Octavia would have considered it unworthy of listening.
"Why do you think so? Sir Hedo."
"I think we need to keep an eye on the young patriarch. What memories he regained or lost due to this lost control attempt. We can't figure it out quickly, and there is a possibility that Hister's survivor will check whether the young patriarch's mind was manipulated."
"That makes sense. But with that kind of role, it's not a bomb like Sandra, but a more reliable person...…"
"If you send the right person, it will be difficult to avoid the suspicion of the 12th flagbearer. Naturally, the scope of the conversation between the two of them will also narrow down."
Hedo felt that there was something lacking in what he said, but he thought it was better than dealing with Sandra's rampage later.
But surprisingly, Octavia and Kadun readily accepted his opinion.
"I'd rather do as you say. I heard that there is a strange atmosphere between Runkandel 12th flagbearer and Sandra. That might help again. And even if it wasn't a record mage, the 12th flagbearer had a Az-Mil contractor. Recognizing mind manipulation is not a difficult job."
The strange atmosphere was Sandra's one-sided love attack, and the 12th flagbearer would never lose his cool for such a thing, but Hedo just stayed quiet.
"Alright , Sir Hedo. As soon as Veradin wakes up, tell Sandra to get ready."
Hedo would have been more comfortable if he had been rejected.
Hedo just nodded his head with an awkward smile.
***
Of course, Talaris hadn't expected at all that her seventy-seventh lover of thirty years ago would still be living in a log cabin in the outskirts of Palin Kingdom.
Giving Mort away was just expecting her daughter and son-in-law to go on a date.
A young man and woman, a remote country, an old log cabin that may still be standing. There are few conditions that are better for love to occur.
Boong-!
The scenery that appeared when the pure white dimensional portal opened was very romantic, as Talaris expected.
In the dense forest without sunlight, the bent trees formed a hemisphere-shaped space, and in the middle, an old log house stands in a picturesque way.
"It seems to be remote. To think that the log cabin that Madame Talaris was talking about actually exists."
"Huh, Mort. My mother's affairs are no small part of your responsibility. If my mother didn't have the ability to move through dimensions, her lover count would have been cut by half."
[Booh, boooong....]
"Anyway, I can't see anything particularly damaged here, so we can take a look and go back soon."
"Yes, Lady Syris."
Contrary to Talaris' expectations, the two looked like people who came to do 'work', looking straight ahead.
'If I knew it would be this easy to get clues about Qwaul Ganesto, I would have asked Valeria to accompany me all the way here.'
If there was record magic, he would have been able to easily look at the records that Qwaul left here without having to search every nook and cranny of this outback.
If he couldn't find any other information, Jin thought it would be a good idea to come back with Valeria later.
However, as soon as the two entered the log cabin, they could find traces of people living there.
There was a strong smell of cigarettes in addition to the faint smell of food, as if they had eaten a few hours ago.
There were so many cigarette butts and empty bottles on the floor that there was no room to step on.
"... Are people living here? Surely, it's not the person called Qwaul Ganesto."
"It should be good if it's Qwaul Ganesto, but I think it's rather uneasy because it worked out so well."
"Not long ago, no. Perhaps he is a person who is still working as an engineer for Zipfel, so there's no way he's living in a place like this. Without an escort."
"But let's wait and see who it is."
"Mort, take a look around you. Hide and move...."
Syris, who was talking to Mort through the window, suddenly stopped talking. It was because she could see a person walking from the back of the Mort, over there.
He had a shaggy beard, his hair was shaggy, and had the typical bandit-like appearance, but upon seeing it, Syris abandoned any expectation that he is Qwaul. It was because her mother's taste was nowhere to be seen in his appearance.
But the next moment, he shouted at the two of them and took something out of his arms.
'... A small mana cannon?'
Kikik, Kiririk-!
The mana cannon he took out looked small at first, but as the parts moved, it quickly transformed into a medium-sized or larger size.
"Who are you guys?"
585
Usually, after aiming a weapon, if you ask someone who they are, then you will wait for an answer.
Pew-!
However, the man before them belonged to the category of individuals who denied such a stereotyped form of intimidation, and instead, he was seen firing a pre-loaded hand cannon.
However, what was even more shocking to Jin than the fact that he was being attacked by a hand cannon, and that it displayed a power far beyond his expectations, was the target the man had aimed at. It wasn't just Jin and Syris, but the cabin that held the memories persistently existing in this remote place, where he had been cooking and eating for over 30 years.
Pew-pew!
Syris reacted first before Jin and stepped forward to deflect the bullets. A wall of ice extending from grasp covered the front of the cabin, blocking the bullets.
Syris clenched her teeth as she watched the powerful explosion beating on the transparent ice wall. Her eyes quickly became dark with killing intent.
"You trash man."
"Um, Lady Syris? You can't kill him. I think he is Qwaul Ganesto. At least he has something to do with him. I haven't heard of a portable hand cannon of this level before."
Bang, bang, bang! The hand cannon continued to fire as Jin spoke. In just a few seconds, the entire scene was obscured by black smoke.
"Then let me cut off both of his arms."
"That sounds more suitable for Elder sister Yona than you, Lady Syris. Whether we make him surrender, kill him, or forgive him, let's subdue him first and decide later."
Jin threw himself outside the ice wall. Creating a sword wind as he swept away the nearby smoke, Jin was faced with an unexpected sight.
'Have these weapons already been installed?'
Unidentified blue rods protruded between the strangely bent trees. In between, there were objects that looked like muzzles and barrels.
The ground, once filled with weeds, had turned into a flat metal surface. The intricate lines on the floor gave off a vibe that hinted it could transform into traps similar to the fortress's defensive equipment.
All of this has changed in less than 10 seconds.
'As surprising as when I first met Lady Amela.'
Back then, Amela's murky energy of chaos was amplified, but the changes caused by the man were solely the result of pure magical engineering.
As expected, the trap was triggered as soon as Jin stepped onto the metal floor. Lines spread, and sharp hooks protruded from within, grabbing onto his ankles.
Of course, it cannot be denied that the engineering was impressive. Probably an ordinary martial artist, no. Even a 7 stars or higher martial artist would not have been able to withstand a few of the man's traps.
But the opponents were Jin and Syris.
The hooks broke without even leaving a scratch on Jin's shadow force armor. It wasn't to the extent that he couldn't avoid it, but he deliberately opened the armor to see the power.
'It's not bad to feel that my ankles are getting heavy. It would be quite effective if installed in Tikan.'
To Jin, who had opened his shadow force armor, it was a substantial level, and it had a cutting force that could easily sever even the ankles of well-trained knights like cutting through butter.
Next, a cannonball grazed Jin's back. Similarly, Jin was satisfied with the slightly sore feeling in his lower back. The shining net that attacked him next was also unavoidable.
'The net is so tough that it's hard to cut even with an 8-star level strike... This would be useful too.'
Rip! Jin smiled as he tore the net with his hands.
In a sense, Jin had already decided to recruit the man.
Whether he was Qwaul or not, regardless of his personality or intentions. There was no need to worry about those things because he had the ability. It was unacceptable for such a person to belong to the enemy. Especially in times like these.
If the man was human trash, he would force him to work, if he was a man with whom he can communicate, he would be generous, and if he was loyal to Zipfel, he would break his spirit.
'He is absolutely not a person to be in Zipfel.'
And all of a sudden, a thought crossed Jin's mind: What if the man could easily mass-produce such items? If so, wouldn't the era of knights have come to an end?
In the next moment, Jin felt that bittersweet feeling even stronger.
'Something is obstructing the concentration of aura...!'
It wasn't at a critical level.
Originally, a hundred aura are gathered even if he uses his energy as naturally as he breathes, but now, it was condensed to about ninety five.
However, this was only when it was based on the general standard of martial artist. Because Jin's aura affinity far exceeds the general standard.
Even this would be fatal to an ordinary martial artist, and if we assume that Jin was also dealing with a person equivalent to a superhuman, it was a sufficiently dangerous phenomenon.
Syris, too, had a stiff expression as if sensing the same thing. There wouldn't be a problem in subduing the man, but as a martial artist, it was inevitable that she would be shocked.
She quickly rolled her eyes to find the suspected element causing this.
The rods emerging through the gaps in the trees were the cause. The strange energy emanating from the rods was disrupting the flow of aura.
The rods affected only the aura. The mana and shadow force that Jin tested, were not hindered by this flow.
For a moment, a chill ran down his spine.
If the man was Qwaul Ganesto, then the reason he was making that rod artifact would be to make it easier for Zipfel to deal with Runcandel. Like the blueprints for the production ship and the teleportation device.
Verification of the man's magical engineering artifacts was complete.
Jin exploded his aura in an instant, deflecting the traps and projectiles that were about to envelop him.
As he rushed forward, the ground he was standing on exploded and sent debris flying. It wasn't the traps that exploded, but the explosion occurred due to the discharge of his aura.
Sigmund's blue lightning energy bounced ferociously against the man's artifacts.
Most of the artifacts were instantly disabled or destroyed, but the rod stood firm, seemingly on a completely different level among his creations.
Jin had no intention of breaking the rods anyway. It was foolish to damage something so precious.
"Tingen Bauer."
Before Tingen could even blink, Jin's voice, which had been in front of him, resonated from behind.
As a matter of course, he was a person with the ability to fortify the entire space in an instant, so the man was also wearing a lot of defensive artifacts to protect himself.
But Jin's figure was visible from the front, his voice was heard from behind, and before the words were even finished, a sword pierced through the left side of the man.
Moreover, as soon as the shield on the left side was broken, the same thing happened on the right side.
The lightning energy that spread like light was knocking on all sides of him before he knew it.
"Who are you! How do you know me and find this place?"
As soon as the man admitted he was Tingen, Jin smiled again inwardly.
The anxious feeling that things were going too well had now completely disappeared. There was only the thought that he had struck gold in the midst of a jackpot, and he must not miss it.
"Some kind of headhunter?"
When the shields exploded all at once, Tingen's body was thrown back.
Usually, with such a shock, the impact would reach the human inside the shield.
'He told me not to kill him, but he is treating him more violently...… Wait, he completely eliminated only the shields?'
However, Jin's attacks surprisingly completely destroyed only the shield, and it was only because of the wind spell that Tingen's body floated and avoided damage.
Jin gently supported Tingen before he hit the hard metal floor.
Syris watched it and inwardly clicked her tongue, because she felt the gap once more.
'Jin Runcandel is always far ahead every time we meet...'
Syris no longer felt resentful about Jin's achievements being significantly faster than hers.
She genuinely cared for Jin, and above all, she knew how he gained this power and what paths he had walked. Somehow, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
"I can't afford to injure your precious body. Tingen Bauer. No, Qwaul Ganesto."
This time, Tingen felt a chill down his spine at the mention of his name.
As far as Tingen knew, there was not a single person in the world, except himself, who knew that name. Not even the patriarch of the Zipfel clan, where he had worked until recently.
"What did you say…?"
"Qwaul Ganesto, a descendant of Lokia Ganesto, one of the ten great knights of the ancient Runcandel. Judging by the reaction, I'm pretty sure it's you."
Pee-!
A flash of light flashed from Qwaul's grip. It was an artifact similar to Chenmi's flash cannon that obscured the opponent's vision.
Jin raised a handful of shadow force and swallowed the light of the artifact entirely. It's already been a long time since he has passed the level where such tricks work against him.
"I am Jin Runcandel, current Runcandel's 12th flagbearer and ancient Runcandel's legitimate heir."
"What kind of bullshit are you talking about all of a sudden?"
"That's what I want to ask. Why is the descendant of the Ten Great Knights working for Zipfel?"
There was no fear on Tingen's face even in the face of overwhelming force that rendered his artifact useless.
He was only surprised that Jin knew his real name.
"I don't think I need to answer."
"Even after a thousand years, the ten great knights are ten great knights, and so will their descendants. It means that you have already committed treason just by working for Zipfel."
Jin honestly didn't think so.
To be honest, if the clan that they originally dedicated themselves to did not protect them or remember them after a thousand years ago, there would be no choice but to betray for survival.
"Hey, do you think that makes sense? Even a passing dog or a blade of grass would laugh at that statement."
"Without delving into events from a thousand years ago, you've made numerous contributions to Zipfel. That alone should be more than enough reason for you to die by Runcandel's sword. Like you said, I'm a headhunter. Whether that becomes a reason for recruitment or a real beheading is up to you."
"Hah, in that case, it's a refusal. Kill me if you can."
"You give up too easily."
"You just attacked me a moment ago. How many skills do you think you need to confirm from me? How interested person do you think I am? You can never kill me. Didn't you just say a moment ago not to harm my precious body?"
"That's right. So I'm thinking about how we can work together a little better. Isn't forced labor always painful? Judging by the way you live, it seems that there is something wrong between you and Zipfel. As the saying goes, all that glitters is not gold."
"Do you want to have a conversation with me?"
Jin nodded.
"Unlike you, who attacked me out of the blue with a mana cannon."
"Let me burn some cigarettes and we'll talk again."
"As much as you want."
After smoking five cigarettes in a row, Tingen said:
"I'll consider leaving this cabin if you answer a few questions and meet the conditions I propose."