Chapter 105: The Tragedy of Colon (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 105: The Tragedy of Colon (4)
The intruder froze like a statue the moment the blade touched his back.
He was a man slightly shorter than Jin, and his body was coiled with tension.
“I won’t ask twice. Identify yourself.”
Wahahaha!
The sound of Myuron Zipple’s laughter drifted from afar. Murakan and Casimir radiated an oppressive aura, their glares alternating between Myuron and the captive.
“I… I am…”
Gulp.
The man swallowed hard, his muscles clenching as he tried to suppress the tremors of fear wracking his body.
Even so, Jin thought the man had decent grit. He was clearly an ordinary person, not a warrior or a mage.
“Dino… Dino Jagrun. I’m a journalist.”
Jin’s eyes widened the moment he heard the name.
‘Dino Jagrun? That journalist?!’
Before his regression, Dino Jagrun was the only journalist who had exposed the Zipples’ depravity and the tragedy of Colon in exhaustive detail. Jin remembered the name well.
He withdrew his dagger.
“Turn around.”
Dino turned slowly, revealing a surprisingly youthful face. He looked to be in his early twenties, but his slight build made him seem even more boyish.
Looking at him, Jin couldn't help but think:
‘He’s in his early twenties, with such a frail-looking body. To think this fledgling would one day be brave enough to write those articles against the Zipple. And if he’s already investigating Colon, does that mean he’s been digging for information for nearly ten years?’
A sense of respect washed over him.
This man, Dino, who had neither wealth nor backing, had exposed the Zipple clan through nothing but a fierce sense of professional duty.
Dino couldn’t see Jin’s face, as Jin had already activated the Rune of Mul-ta to conceal his features.
Looking up at Jin with frightened eyes, Dino seemed to be searching for something. He was likely wondering if the man behind the helmet was a Zipple lackey, an artifact thief, or someone who had come for Colon’s sake—just like him.
“A journalist? Did you come here looking for a story?”
When Jin asked bluntly, Dino nodded slowly.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“What kind of story?”
“…Before I answer, may I ask which organization you belong to?”
“Ha! This kid’s got some nerve. It’s always interesting to see humans with nothing to their name act so fearless. Especially journalists.”
Murakan chuckled and strode over to Jin.
Casimir, following close behind, pulled two masks from his robes. He put one on and handed the other to Murakan.
Seeing this, Jin let out a short laugh.
“He’s already seen both your faces.”
“Still, isn’t it better to cover up now than not at all?”
“Ugh, I don’t want to wear this.”
“Put it on.”
“Tch, fine.”
At that moment, Dino immediately realized who the leader of the group was.
‘His voice still has a hint of youth… but he’s the one in charge. They aren’t ordinary bandits or mercenaries. Where on earth did they come from? They don’t seem like bad people.’
As the two rustled about putting on their masks, Jin spoke again.
“Relax, we won’t hurt you. You asked which organization we belong to? Well… let’s just say we’re passersby.”
“Passersby…?”
“It means don’t ask. Now it’s your turn to answer. Is there a scoop here? Or did you come to get some pocket money from that sixth son of the Zipple clan drinking over there?” Jin asked, glancing toward Myuron.
He intentionally posed the question to be insulting. He knew that only then would this mission-driven young man reveal his true purpose, allowing Jin to confirm they were on the same side.
Dino gave a bitter smile.
“Pocket money… Right, there are many journalists like that. Rotten pens that only write what their patrons want to hear. If you were Zipple lackeys, I’d be a dead man by now. I came here to expose that piece of trash.”
Jin smiled in satisfaction beneath his helmet.
‘What a fine fellow.’
Courage shines brightest when one lacks power.
In that sense, Jin felt a strong affinity for Dino. He also had a powerful intuition that this journalist would provide a major clue for his mission.
“Expose Myuron Zipple? A low-level journalist like you? That’s the most impressive joke I’ve heard all year.”
“So you are Zipple lackeys? Are you going to kill me now that I’ve said I’ll expose Myuron?”
By now, Dino’s fear seemed to have faded. Strangely, he felt a peculiar sense of trust in Jin’s earlier words—that they wouldn’t hurt him.
“Far from it. We came here at a friend’s request to rescue the natives. I can’t reveal our affiliation or identities, but Journalist Dino Jagrun… it seems our goals are quite similar. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Dino blinked, staring at the three of them.
A complex mix of emotions hammered at his chest. Strongest among them was the feeling that, in the midst of this long and lonely fight, he had finally found comrades.
“You… you know about the situation of the Colon natives…!”
“Not in detail. We only know that after the Zipple conquered them hundreds of years ago, they’ve been living lives worse than slaves.”
“Kid, is it okay to tell this guy all that?”
When Murakan chimed in, Casimir cautiously restrained him, covering Murakan’s mouth with one hand and pulling him back a few paces.
‘Mmph! What do you think you’re doing, you lowly creature? Have you lost your mind?’
Naturally, Murakan glared at the lowly creature—no, at Casimir—with the eyes of a predator.
‘Lord Jin seems to be trying to gain justification to punish Myuron Zipple through this journalist. Let’s just watch,’ Casimir whispered, intoxicated by a subtle sense of triumph.
Just as he said, Jin intended to use Dino to gain justification.
After Andrei’s death, if another pure-blooded Zipple were to die, there had to be a significant reason to prevent a bloodbath between the great powers.
‘Besides, if it’s Dino, he likely already has evidence of the Zipple’s oppression in Colon. He’s brave enough to seek out a Zipple restricted area even now.’
Of course, there were a few things to verify first.
“Dino, we actually arrived this afternoon and have been watching Myuron ever since. We don’t know the internal situation well, so we were looking for the right moment. Our goal isn’t Myuron’s assassination, but the rescue of the natives.”
First, he needed to know how much Dino knew. It was possible that the current Dino was all passion and no information.
However, Dino immediately satisfied Jin’s curiosity.
“Myuron is the only one inside. And I suspect the person who asked you to rescue the natives is the priestess, Laosa, who successfully escaped three years ago. Am I right?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve been investigating this place since then?”
“No, not that long. I only started investigating Colon in earnest recently. I learned the name Priestess Laosa while interviewing the natives.”
Dino’s story went like this:
After Laosa escaped, the Zipple began to abuse the remaining natives severely. Then, after a fire broke out last year, they sealed off Colon and sent only Myuron to manage it.
“All of that is to obtain Colon’s sacred object. Before, the Zipple were zealous in trying to get it, but for some reason, they’ve left only Myuron here now. Their interest has likely waned. After all, they haven’t been able to get it for over three hundred years.”
Dino pulled a notebook from his breast pocket and handed it to Jin.
It was filled with accounts of the incidents that had occurred since Myuron’s arrival.
January 3, 1796.
Three natives disappeared. It seems they were dragged into Myuron’s basement.
January 5, 1796.
The natives I was in contact with disappeared again. I was able to interview another native named ‘Latika Tika Mamutika.’ According to her, Myuron seems to be conducting some kind of experiment… I can’t forget the trembling in Tika’s eyes.
As Jin calmly looked through the notebook, the word ‘experiment’ caught his eye.
“You’ve been carrying this around? If Myuron had seen this, you wouldn’t have escaped with your life.”
“The moment he read my intentions, it would have been over anyway. This is proof that I’m doing something valuable and a responsibility I’ve placed upon myself. As you’ll see if you read on, Myuron is using the natives as experimental subjects.”
“Are you certain?”
“I’m sure of it. I’ve even heard testimony from the natives that there were bio-golem experiments here before Colon was sealed off. The natives who testified didn't even seem to know what a bio-golem was, but…”
Dino held far more information than Jin had expected.
“Myuron’s basement will be the most definitive evidence. Before he came, the number of natives exceeded two hundred. But most were dragged to the basement, and only about fifty remain.”
Dino gritted his teeth. Meanwhile, Jin continued to scan the notebook, noting that Dino had formed quite deep relationships with the Colon natives.
The basement.
If they could preserve that scene, or even sketch it to bring to public attention, they would have more than enough justification to kill Myuron.
“Recently, he hasn’t been using the natives as experimental subjects. It seems he’s kept a minimum number of people, perhaps to obtain the sacred object.”
Jin continued reading.
February 6, 1796.
I was discovered by Myuron while reporting. Fortunately, he was drunk and didn't harm me, even offering me a drink. If I use this well, I might be able to get close to him.
February 7, 1796.
I went back, half-expecting him not to remember me, but fortunately, he did. He even said he’d forgive me for coming to a Zipple restricted area if I became his drinking companion occasionally. It’s a success.
That was only two weeks ago.
“…Hah. You succeeded in getting close to Myuron?”
Dino nodded with a faint smile.
“Yes. My reason for coming today was to watch him and then gain information by being his drinking companion. Myuron always sets up a drinking table right in the center and never leaves his spot.”
By this point, even Casimir and Murakan couldn’t hide their surprise. They had been waiting since the afternoon, anxious and uncertain, but thanks to a journalist they met by chance, they had grasped the entire internal situation in an instant.
“I believe our meeting is fate. So… what do you think? I’ll distract Myuron, and you can check the basement.”
After staring at Dino for a moment, Jin shook his head.
“No, that won’t do.”