Chapter 114: Each Side's Reinforcements (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 114: Each Side's Reinforcements (4)
"That person is…!"
"The—the Palace Master! Palace Master Talaris Endorma?!"
Among the mages of the 7th Magic Tower ranked Special-class or higher, not a single one failed to recognize the Palace Master’s face.
The mages, who had been raining spells down on Murakan, froze in unison. Midore, too, could not tear his eyes away from the white toad Talaris was riding.
You did it, Sir Casimir!
The moment Jin saw Talaris, the tension drained from his body, and he nearly collapsed. His physical form had already reached its limit due to the Mana Backflow; it was a miracle he was even standing.
As the mages ceased their fire, Murakan quickly moved to Jin’s side.
"If that toad had arrived just two seconds later, you might never have seen me again. Heh, kid. This is the first time an amphibian has ever looked so beautiful to me. Snow Toad Mort… to think there was still a human in this era who could summon that thing."
The phantom beast, Snow Toad Mort.
It was larger than even the Red Dragons the mages had arrived on, and it boasted a thick, lush white beard on its chin as if to flaunt the eons it had lived.
Mort, the mystical phantom beast that only one chosen by 'Ten Thousand Ice' could command, let out a deep, resonant croak. Talaris nodded in response.
"Yes, it was quite a distance to cover in one leap. Go back and rest until I call for you again, sweetie."
Shloop!
To the astonishment of the onlookers, the moment Talaris finished speaking, Mort’s massive body was sucked into a pure white dimensional gate.
As the gate closed, Talaris and Siris landed lightly on the ground and surveyed their surroundings.
"Now, let’s see… where is the boy who received the Secret Palace Snow Flower from my daughter? Ah, there he is."
Talaris chuckled and began walking toward Jin.
The thirty Special-class mages and the six Red Dragons watched her every move, paralyzed with tension. Even the Red Dragons, who might not have known Talaris’s infamy, refrained from attacking, their instincts screaming at them to stay back.
The atmosphere of the battlefield shifted in an instant.
The only thing that remained unchanged from before Talaris’s arrival was the natives, who continued their ritual.
Step, step.
Talaris walked past Midore with a relaxed gait, as if he weren't even there, and approached Jin. In that moment, Midore felt an unspeakable sense of humiliation, yet he did not dare strike at her back.
Had he tried, his head would have been severed before he even realized it.
"My, you’re in terrible shape. Can you hear my voice?"
"I can hear you, Lady Talaris."
"Is that so? Then, before I help you, let me ask one thing. Are you really the one who killed my 307th boyfriend?"
"Pardon?"
"Alcaro Chendler, I mean."
It was the name of the drug-addicted scion of the Chendler family whom Jin had killed during a mission in Mamit back in his cadet days.
At the sudden topic, Jin couldn't help but cough, momentarily forgetting his pain. Siris shook her head in embarrassment, though her brow furrowed with concern for Jin.
"Ah, that was…"
"I’m not blaming you. I was planning on getting rid of that junkie anyway. Just introduce me to someone better next time. Like that handsome fellow next to you."
While Jin and Siris suppressed their bewilderment, Murakan simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Heh, 'handsome fellow,' she says. You certainly have an eye for quality. Your timing was quite impeccable as well."
"In that case, you and I should have a drink—tea or liquor—sometime soon. Anyway, daughter. You stay here and play nurse to your boyfriend. I’m going to go push those things back."
"He’s not my boyfriend… Haa, fine. Good luck, Mother."
"Yes, yes. Oh, and one more thing. You’d better be grateful to my daughter. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for Siris."
Swaaaaak!
As Talaris turned around, a wall of ice suddenly surged from the ground, surrounding Jin’s group. She had manifested a barrier using her authority over 'Ten Thousand Ice' to protect them.
Though she had done it with a mere flick of her wrist, the barrier was so powerful that even Murakan couldn't help but marvel. Talaris also erected an identical barrier around the natives.
I’m saved.
Only then did the tension fully leave Jin, and his legs buckled. Siris instinctively caught him by the shoulders.
"…It’s been a while, Jin Runcandel. I expected us to cross blades the next time we met, but I never imagined it would be like this."
"Thank you, Lady Siris. I owe you a great debt."
"Don't thank me. I just didn't want you falling to someone else before I could defeat you myself."
"Ugh."
As Jin groaned and deactivated the Rune of Mul-ta, a pool of blood that had collected inside his helmet spilled onto the ground.
Good heavens, he was standing in this condition until just now? I’ve never seen blood this murky!
The blood shimmered with a dark, chaotic light, a mixture of spirit energy, mana, and aura. Siris quickly pulled out a potion bottle and laid Jin’s head on her lap.
"I'm sorr—"
"Don't speak."
As Siris calmly began to pour the elixir into Jin’s mouth, Murakan wore a satisfied smirk.
"What a lovely sight. I hope I’m not intruding on your private time. Should I step aside for a bit?"
Murakan was in an exceptionally good mood. He had been prepared to part ways with Jin forever just moments ago, so the sudden turn of events was more than welcome.
"Hmph. You are the most frivolous dragon I have ever seen."
"Huh? How did you know I was a dragon?"
"My mother never calls a man 'handsome fellow' unless he’s a dragon. And I’m not in a particularly good mood right now, so I’d appreciate it if you stopped being so cheeky."
"Hehe, I get it. I need some rest myself, so I’ll leave the kid in your hands."
Poof!
With those words, Murakan transformed into a cat and curled up next to Jin. Siris gasped.
Wait, the cat I saw at the Runcandel banquet was this dragon?!
Memories of the days she spent hugging, stroking, and doting on 'Nabi Runcandel' whenever she had a spare moment after her duel with Jin flashed through her mind. She cringed.
Jin Runcandel. I really don't like him.
And yet, Siris didn't find the feeling of Jin’s damp hair against her lap to be all that unpleasant.
Meanwhile, the mages outside the barrier were waiting for Midore’s decision.
Now that the Palace Master had intervened, would they retreat, or would they stand their ground for the honor of Zipple?
Thinking coldly, the former was the wise choice. The latter offered a chance of victory that was practically zero.
However, Midore chose the latter.
Even if the opponent is the Palace Master, I cannot let my brother’s killers escape before my eyes.
Furthermore, Midore had an ace up his sleeve.
The 7th Magic Tower alone isn't enough to face the Palace Master… but if I can just hold out for a bit, reinforcements from the other towers will arrive!
Before coming to Colon, Midore had spread the word to the other towers that something had happened to Myuron.
— As of this moment, I am mobilizing all mages of the 7th Magic Tower to Colon. Elders, please contact the main house and the other towers immediately.
— The other towers as well? Aren't you making too big a deal out of this?
— I have a bad feeling. A sudden summons at this hour…
Midore’s intuition had been spot on. Not only was Myuron dead, but the Palace Master was now involved.
If the main house and the other towers sent proper reinforcements…
There was a chance. Their opponent was Talaris Endorma, not Cyron Runcandel.
Moreover, I have the authority granted to me by the Patriarch. Perhaps a Space Explosion alone could damage the Palace Master. At the very least, I can buy time until reinforcements arrive.
Having finally made his decision, Midore stepped forward and met Talaris’s gaze.
"Palace Master. I am Midore Elner, Vice Tower Master of the 7th Magic Tower. I wish to ask why the Ruler of the West Sea is interfering in Zipple’s affairs."
As Midore finished speaking, the mages formed a battle formation. The six Red Dragons also began gathering their breath, ready to fire at any moment.
Talaris snorted in derision.
"Affairs? I’m just doing my job for the first time in a while. In that sense, you’re the ones interfering with my work. If you know your place and retreat quietly, I’ll overlook this."
"The world knows the Palace Master’s prowess is immense, but the Secret Palace cannot threaten our Zipple. Those people murdered the Patriarch’s sixth son and the Master of the 7th Magic Tower. Step aside, Palace Master."
"Oho, quite the gutsy little brat."
"I doubt the Palace Master wishes for the entirety of Zipple to explicitly designate the Secret Palace as an enemy. Furthermore, this is the Lutero Magic Federation. This is Zipple’s land."
"But you have no charm. You’re just like all those little puppies who bark about how great their family is and how they’re the boss on their own turf. I suppose even a mutt acts like a tiger in its own neighborhood."
At that, the elders behind Midore glared at her.
"Palace Master! Your words go too fa—!"
"Shut it."
Talaris simply stared directly into the eyes of the elder who had shouted.
"Urgh!"
That was all it took. Suddenly, the elder collapsed to the ground, clutching his throat as if he were suffocating.
Killing intent.
The elder had collapsed because he had taken the full brunt of Talaris’s bloodlust. The 'will' of a 10-star knight was a weapon in its own right.
"3rd Elder!"
"Deploy the barriers!"
The mages hurriedly linked their mana to form a barrier, and simultaneously, the Red Dragons unleashed their crimson breath.
Fwaaaaah!
However, there are few moments where a dragon’s breath feels so insignificant.
Talaris swatted away the breath of six Red Dragons with a mere wave of her hand. Shatter! The moment the breath touched her hand, it turned into massive chunks of ice and crumbled away. The mages instinctively backed away.
"If you spit that breath one more time, those ugly lizards of yours will become Mort’s next meal. Now, I believe I’ve made the gap in our power clear enough. Shall we continue?"
This was the last chance for the Zipple mages. The last chance to leave quietly without a single death.
But Midore had no intention of taking it.
"Even if we all die facing you! In the end, it won't be us who are erased from this world, but your name and the legend of the Secret Palace, Palace Master!"
Boom!
The moment Midore finished, he steeled his resolve and unleashed a Space Explosion aimed at Talaris’s neck.
A strange light flickered in Talaris’s eyes.
Though she reacted perfectly in the split second the explosion began and blocked it with ice crystals, she appeared slightly taken aback.
"Huh… this is Kelliark Zipple’s… power. What are you?"