Chapter 168: Sculptor of Chaos (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 168: Sculptor of Chaos (3)
Crackle, crunch.
With the sound of rustling leaves, a woman revealed herself.
Wearing a suit and sporting vibrant red hair, she was the same woman who had sat next to Jin at the teleport gate earlier. She darted her eyes around quickly from between the branches, then hopped down with a beaming smile.
“Little brother! Jin! Hee-hee, hee-hee-hee-hee, hee!”
Her voice was brimming with excitement.
Yona had been hovering around Jin ever since he arrived in the Con Principality yesterday. Jin, for his part, had been aware of her presence nearby using his Mind’s Eye. Though nothing had been coordinated in advance, the siblings were perfectly in sync.
“It was so hard pretending not to know you!”
“Same here. Have you been well, Sister? Why was your disguise so loud? That red hair—I was terrified at the teleport gate thinking you’d dyed it with blood.”
“Lord Oul told me that if Father ever caught us meeting, you’d be a dead man. So, I dyed it my favorite color. I even changed my face with makeup, hee-hee-hee.”
“Hmm… I’m not sure what that has to do with your favorite color, but alright.”
At her words, a warning he had been trying to push to the back of his mind resurfaced. He recalled the warning that had come along with the Black Light Armor: Do not use Yona.
However, this time, he wanted to close his eyes and utilize Yona’s abilities. It wasn’t as if he was asking her to kill Bubar; it was a simple request to eavesdrop on a conversation.
‘If Father finds out, surely he’d overlook something this minor…?’
It was fine as long as he didn’t get caught. And even if he did, perhaps he could smooth things over by offering a bust of Cyron imbued with the sculptor’s artistic soul.
‘What kind of naive thoughts am I having? If Father were the type of person to forgive a transgression for something like that, our family wouldn’t be the way it is. I must not get caught. Never.’
“Don’t worry! Lord Oul said he’d keep it a secret. And I’ve been keeping my senses sharp—no one was following us.”
“That’s a relief. I’ve been checking as I moved as well.”
“So, what brings you to me this time?”
“It’s half and half. Half of me just wanted to see you, and the other half intended to ask a small favor. Anyway, look at this.”
“What is it?”
Jin pulled a small glass bottle containing a mysterious black liquid from his robes. He popped the cap and downed it in one go.
Khhh.
“I’m making good use of the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor. When you receive a gift, you’re supposed to show it off like this.”
“Ahahaha…! You’re so funny, Jin. That’s ‘Black Moss Poison.’ It’s quite hard to come by. Did your comrades get it for you?”
“Yes.”
“I should kill them. How dare they feed my brother something like that?”
“I’m the one who asked them to find it.”
“Be quiet. I don’t like them anyway.”
Jin shook his head as he watched Yona’s eyes roll back in manic irritation. He suspected that if she found out his comrades had fed him poison immediately after he woke up from consuming the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor, she really might kill them.
“Hee, still, it’s good to see the Ten Thousand Poison Liquor has settled in well. I’m proud!”
Meeting her again after about two months, Yona’s personality remained as unpredictable as ever. However, Jin no longer disliked that side of his sister, nor did he feel pity for her anymore. Yona wouldn’t want to be pitied, regardless of what caused her bizarre personality.
“So, what’s the favor?”
“I’m about to meet a sculptor named Bubar Gaston. If you don’t mind, I’d like you to listen in on what he says. Whether he’s talking to himself or someone else.”
“That’s easy. Got it. But you have to play with me afterward.”
“I might have to watch him for a few days, but if you have the time, Sister.”
The siblings continued walking, chatting as they went. After about two hours of leisurely trekking, they spotted a detached building with a sign that read: Art is an Explosion.
It was Bubar Gaston’s sculpting workshop. Situated atop a low hill, the workshop was being bathed in the glow of the evening sunset. Perhaps due to a lack of space inside, dozens of sculptures, large and small, were scattered in front of the workshop. What was remarkable was that even from a distance, each sculpture radiated an incredible aura.
‘Shocking. Even to a layman like me, the quality is this high. No wonder other artists fall into despair.’
It was even more apparent upon closer inspection. The sculptures of living beings looked as if they might spring to life at a touch, and the sculptures of objects possessed more depth and realism than the real things.
However, the look in Yona’s eyes as she gazed at the sculptures was unusual. Instead of falling into admiration like Jin, her gaze was sharp, as if she were looking at something ominous and unpleasant.
“Sister?”
“These sculptures…”
“Are you alright?”
“Ah, I’m fine. Uh… it’s a bit startling. These were made by someone of my kind. I can tell.”
“Pardon? Someone of your kind?”
Is this related to the special power she possesses? The thought crossed his mind, but he didn’t ask.
“Interesting. Little brother, can you tell me how you found this place?”
After a moment’s thought, Jin shared the information he had obtained from Mato Backer with Yona. She was a sibling he could trust as much as Luna.
“Hmm, so that happened… A shapeshifter? This sculptor? And he was hit by you at the family banquet.”
“It’s not certain yet. That’s why I came to see if I could find anything out.”
“For now, I’ll erase my presence. You do what you have to do. Don’t think it’s strange even if you can’t feel me.”
Shudder.
As soon as she finished speaking, Yona vanished. Even with his Mind’s Eye opened to its limit, he could barely sense a trace of her.
‘Is this what it’s like when she truly hides her presence? She must be hiding among the sculptures. More importantly… her reaction was strange in many ways. She and Bubar are of the same kind?’
Clang, clang!
First, Jin vigorously rang the bell attached to the door. Sculptors in Kurano often worked in basement workshops, so they rarely noticed visitors if the door was merely tapped. After ringing it for a long time, heavy thumping footsteps echoed from inside. It was the sound of Bubar dragging his massive body up the stairs in irritation.
Creek!
“What kind of bast—”
“—ard are you.”
Unable to finish his sentence, Bubar could only stare blankly at Jin for a long moment.
“Bubar Gaston, it’s been a while…”
“Eeeek! How dare you show your face here!”
Bubar suddenly pulled a handful of salt from his pocket and threw it. From his perspective, most people who visited his workshop were ‘unlucky and filthy’ customers, so he always kept salt ready. In Bubar’s eyes, Jin was the unluckiest person of them all.
Shwaaa!
Swish!
Of course, Jin didn’t let a single grain of salt touch him, lightly pivoting to dodge.
“That’s a bit much for a greeting. I came as a customer today.”
“Customer, my foot! I don’t take customers like you!”
“Do you really have to be like this? I’m practically your savior.”
“S-Savior? Savioooor!?”
“If any of my other siblings or the Guardian Knights had heard the nonsense you spouted at the banquet, you would have been torn limb from limb. You wouldn’t even be able to dream of making such beautiful sculptures after that day.”
“Shut up and die!”
Thwack!
Bubar’s fist struck Jin right under the nose.
“Sigh. Stop it. Even if I am a Reserve Flagbearer, this is going too far…”
Crack!
After taking two hits, a sensation of something snapping arose. It was the feeling of the threads of his patience breaking one by one.
‘Right, maybe beating this guy up will actually draw less suspicion. But seriously, is he fearless, or is he just incapable of learning?’
Just as the third fist was about to fly, Boom! Jin brought his fist down on Bubar’s head like a hammer.
“Gwak!”
It was different from the banquet, where he had staged a somewhat plausible fight. Jin had grown remarkably since then, while Bubar was still a clumsy 6-star. As Bubar’s legs buckled and he began to collapse, Jin grabbed his wrist and forced him back into a standing position.
Then, someone else emerged from the back of the workshop.
“Bubar, why is it so noisy… Young Master Jin?”
“Sir Vishkel…?”
He hadn’t expected Vishkel to be at ‘Art is an Explosion’ today of all days.
“What brings Young Master Jin here? Aren’t you currently carrying out your Reserve Flagbearer mission?”
“Well, you see.”
“V-Sir Vishkel! This guy humiliated me at the banquet, and now he’s come here to cause more trouble…! Aaaah! Please kill him for me!”
Vishkel’s gaze fell upon the salt scattered on the floor. He also saw Jin’s slightly swollen nose and forehead.
‘This disgusting fat pig. I don’t even need to ask to know what happened.’
Swallowing those words, Vishkel let out a low sigh.
“…Go inside for now, Bubar. And apologize. Kill him? Who do you think you’re talking about?”
“Why should I?!”
“If you weren’t the one who struck first, I would demand an apology from Young Master Jin. Do you have anything to say for yourself?”
Internally, Vishkel was cheering at the sight of Bubar’s dented forehead. He had always been stressed by Bubar, but lately, it had become nearly unbearable.
“Ugh. Still… I won’t apologize!”
“Oh, fine. I’ll just apologize first. Sorry for hitting you, Bubar.”
Jin pushed past Bubar dismissively and walked inside, shaking hands with Vishkel.
‘This refined and cold-looking man is also part of Kinzelo…? The Seven-Colored Bird said Bubar seemed to outrank Vishkel, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.’
Furthermore, Vishkel seemed unaware that Yona was hiding nearby.
‘Since Vishkel is an 8-star, he likely possesses a Mind’s Eye superior to mine. Sister must be suppressing her presence perfectly.’
Releasing the handshake, Vishkel shrugged.
“I apologize for that, Young Master Jin.”
“No, I expected as much when I came here. I should have been more patient. I’m sorry for putting you in an awkward position, Sir Vishkel.”
“Not at all. But, what brings you here…?”
“I was looking to have a bust of my father commissioned, and every sculptor in the district recommended Bubar. I hesitated until the very last moment before coming here.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“We have a bit of a history, but since it’s for my father’s bust, I decided to come. Seeing the sculptures at the entrance, I feel I made the right choice. Bubar’s works are truly admirable.”
Vishkel’s eyes narrowed.
“Young Master Jin.”
“Yes.”
“I know better than anyone that Bubar’s sculpting skills are exceptional. However, I find it hard to believe that the youngest Young Master of Runcandel would humble himself so much for just that.”
“Ah… do you suspect I have some ulterior motive?”
“I do. The Young Master I saw at the banquet was not someone who would swallow his pride for such a thing. Besides, if you needed a bust of Sir Cyron, you could have sent someone else in your stead.”
Jin nodded as if conceding.
“You have a sharp eye. Yes, in truth, I do have a bit of an ulterior motive. Because the person I really wanted to meet wasn’t Bubar, but you, Sir Vishkel.”
Jin looked at Vishkel, his eyes quietly smoldering with feigned intensity.