Chapter 170: Sculptor of Chaos (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 170: Sculptor of Chaos (5)
Vishkel’s hands trembled violently as he pushed aside the bag of sweet potato croquettes.
Ah! I want to kill him.
I really, desperately, want to kill this disgusting bastard!
Vishkel felt like he would lose his mind if he didn't scream right then and there.
"Bubar."
"Yes?"
"Go outside for a moment and come back in ten minutes."
"Why?"
"Just… please… do it."
"Well… okay. Sure. Oh, is it because we’re out of milk?"
"Aaaaaagh!"
Crunch!
As Vishkel let out a primal scream and smashed a table, Bubar scurried out of the workshop. Even in his haste, he showed the remarkable presence of mind to snatch up the sweet potato croquettes that had fallen to the floor.
‘Wow, Bubar Gaston. Even considering he’s a human imbued with the energy of chaos like me, he really is an impressive lump of meat in many ways… heehee.’
Even Yona, who had been watching everything through the window, couldn't help but let out a sigh of amazement.
Vishkel ran down to the basement and spent a good while screaming like a madman. Agh! Agh! Argh! Please! Just die! While his voice, a mixture of rage and desperation, echoed through the basement, Yona wore a bright, beaming smile.
"Phew."
After venting his rage for a long time, Vishkel returned to the first floor and smoothed back his disheveled hair. Bubar peeked back into the workshop. Only one of the sweet potato croquettes he had taken remained.
Furtively glancing at Vishkel, Bubar stuffed the last croquette into his mouth. Munch, munch. Seeing that, Vishkel no longer had the energy to lose his temper.
"Are you feeling a bit better?"
"…Let’s get back to what we were discussing, Bubar."
By "what we were discussing," he meant the business conversation they would have finished long ago if Jin hadn’t visited.
"Ah, right."
"The Leader has officially declared the termination of our alliance with the Zipples."
The very first sentence was crucial information. Yona pressed her ear closer to the window.
Normally, she would have maintained her distance. Getting within a hand’s breadth of an 8-star knight was no easy feat, even for Yona.
However, Vishkel’s senses were significantly dulled as he exerted superhuman patience just to keep his composure.
"Ha! Tell him he did a great job! Those Zipples are even more wicked and vile than Jin Runcandel. The moment they secretly used and damaged the Demon God Stone, we should have ended it!"
"…It’s not an entirely favorable situation. We needed their power for our grand cause to proceed smoothly. From now on, when you manufacture sacred objects, the supply of materials won't be as seamless as before."
"Eek! So there’s that problem! But, Lord Vishkel. It’s not manufacturing, it’s sculpting. Sculpting and manufacturing are completely different. And they aren't sacred objects, they’re works of art. Honestly, how many times do I have to explain this?"
"Fine, sculpting… works of art…"
Vishkel corrected his phrasing, barely suppressing his disgust.
"Roughly how much of a disruption will there be in the material supply?"
"We’ll hardly be able to obtain the remains of dead gods. As for the remnants of ancient civilizations, we’ll only be able to get about half of what we did before the alliance was severed."
"Hah!"
"Instead, according to the termination clause, we’ve agreed to recover some of the works we’ve given to the Zipples so far."
"The Compass!"
Bubar shouted, his eyes sparkling.
"You must get the Compass back! With that, we can easily find living gods to use as materials."
"The Compass is, of course, a priority for recovery."
"Actually, if we just get that back, they can keep the rest for all I care. My masterpiece, second only to the Demon God Stone! The. Com. Pass. Ehehe. My baby, you’re finally coming back to my arms."
"Bubar, that’s not something to be entirely happy about either."
"Why?"
"When the Zipples first received the works from us, including the Demon God Stone and the Compass, what was their attitude?"
"They were extremely subservient. It looked like they were ready to lick the Leader’s toes."
"But now, when we brought up the termination clause, they seemed perfectly willing to hand them over. Do you really not understand what that implies?"
"That they’ve used them as much as they needed…?"
"No. It means they might have already finished preparations to create a Compass, or something similar, themselves."
"Eh, no way. It won't work without my authority."
"Their magic is beyond your imagination. The Zipples are a clan where it wouldn't be strange if they restored the broken Demon God Stone, let alone a Compass. Furthermore, the recovery of the works is set for the first of June next year. That means they still have time left to study them."
"Eh? Why so late? The Leader gave them that much time?"
"It’s because of the termination clause. Since we invoked the clause first, we had no grounds to refuse."
As Vishkel lit a cigarette in frustration, Bubar nodded.
"June 1st of next year… Ugh, the date won't be pushed back any further, will it?"
"The Leader personally threatened a full-scale war if they break their promise again, so that won't happen. As long as Runcandel exists, they won't be able to afford a full-scale war with us either."
"Well, that’s a relief then. June 1st of next year… Where are we supposed to receive them?"
"A southern island in the Bellado Principality—the land of pirates."
"Fortunately, it’s not a place where disgusting monsters crawl out. Please take me with you."
"Is there a reason?"
"If I’m there, I can immediately check if there are any problems with the works. We need to make sure there’s no room for excuses later."
Vishkel’s eyes widened. He couldn't believe Bubar was saying something so sensible.
"That… makes sense. I’ll inform the Leader."
"Oh, and Lord Vishkel. Have they still not found that man? The one I sculpted into a Zipple mage."
"Mato Backer."
"Yes, that was the name."
"The headquarters is still in an uproar because of what happened over there—"
Vishkel suddenly cut himself off and stopped moving.
He slowly scanned his surroundings, then stood up and began checking all the windows around the room.
‘Hee, as I thought. I was too close.’
Swish…
Yona quickly hid herself as she retreated from the window. Even as she ran across the grass, not a single blade was crushed or bent.
‘I thought I felt a faint presence, but was it just my imagination?’
Vishkel soon went outside and thoroughly searched the ground near the workshop.
The only thing he saw were the traces of Jin stepping on the grass earlier.
"What’s wrong all of a sudden, Lord Vishkel?"
Bubar, who had waddled out after him, shrugged his shoulders.
"It’s nothing."
"Lord Vishkel, you seem hypersensitive sometimes. Lady Margiella is so optimistic it makes me feel good just looking at her. How can siblings be so different? Ehehe."
"…As of tomorrow, your residence will be moved. To a place not exposed to the Zipples."
"Argh, that’s annoying!"
For a while, Vishkel simply stared at the spot where Yona had vanished, though he hadn't actually realized she was there.
And Yona was running through the forest path, giggling to herself.
‘I don't really know what that lump of chaos and the poor hypersensitive guy were talking about, but I have a feeling the youngest will love it!’
* * *
"Oh… my god."
While listening to Yona’s story, Jin’s jaw literally dropped. Yona found his reaction so amusing that she clutched her stomach and laughed repeatedly.
"Is it really that amazing? Your expression is hilarious, youngest. I didn't know you could look so stupid."
"This is the cream of the crop. To think this is information obtained in just one day—no, in just a few hours. I don't think searching through Runcandel’s top-secret documents would be more shocking than this."
"Is it that much? Tell me the details too."
"Well, the contents of what you brought… Ah, before that, a promise. Lord Oul must not know about this."
"Promise!"
Jin spent some time explaining Kinzelo and the information he had gained today, but Yona only tilted her head as if she still didn't understand.
In truth, she had been thinking about how cute her youngest brother looked while mumbling so seriously that she hadn't listened to a word.
"…Now you see why I was so shocked, right?"
"Yeah, it’s totally fun."
It wasn't as if these matters were important to Yona anyway. However, she remained conscious of the fact that Bubar Gaston was a being born with ‘Chaos.’
"But Sister, what did you mean when you said you and Bubar Gaston were of the same kind?"
It was a question that kept bothering him. That unpleasant fat man and his one and only eldest sister were of the same kind!
"Ah, that… I can't tell you yet."
"Are you really going to be like this between us?"
"The youngest has secrets too—"
Whoosh.
Jin gathered Spirit Energy in his palm and held it out toward Yona.
It was his way of saying he had no more secrets from her.
Hieee!
Yona recoiled in horror, looking like a madwoman. It was as if she had seen something she should never have laid eyes on.
"Huh?"
[Kill him!]
Upon facing the Spirit Energy directly, the voice that constantly whispered within Yona grew significantly louder.
It was a voice so intense that she might have reflexively plunged a dagger into Jin’s neck.
She had been born enveloped in a chaos far denser than someone like Bubar. Someone with Bubar’s level of chaos wouldn't show such a reaction even when facing Spirit Energy.
"Turn it off!"
Jin hurriedly extinguished the Spirit Energy. Simultaneously, the voice spreading through Yona’s mind subsided, allowing her to escape the impulse. The impulse to kill Jin.
The Spirit Energy had only been formed in Jin’s palm for about two or three seconds, but Yona was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily.
If she hadn't truly cherished Jin, she probably wouldn't have been able to resist the will of that voice.
"Sister!"
"Never, ever show that power in front of me again. And don't ask me for any details."
"What in the…"
Jin couldn't help but realize instinctively.
‘She definitely backed away to avoid attacking me. The Spirit Energy provoked her.’
A few seconds ago, Yona’s wide eyes had been filled with terror. The terror that she might end up killing her own brother.
Jin suppressed his bewilderment and shook his head.
"I don't know what it was, but I’m sorry. I didn't know it would be like this."
"I lose my reason when I see Spirit Energy. I didn't explain it to you, so you don't have to be sorry. Hee, I thought you’d hide that power from me at least until you became a Flagbearer…"
"Why would I?"
"Because I didn't think I was that much of a reliable sister to you? Or maybe because you might end up hating me?"
"You’re completely wrong about the former, and I like how honest you are about the latter. You’re right, I did think about hiding it until then. Right up until I played with you in the flower field."
He answered nonchalantly, but it would be a lie to say he wasn't troubled. If he had unleashed just a bit more Spirit Energy, Yona might have killed him.
However, Jin had no intention of making Yona sad.
"I’ll have to be careful for a while. It’s a problem that will naturally be solved once I become strong enough that you can't kill me no matter what you do, so don't worry too much."
"Hee, don't even dream of that. Now, play with me. As promised."
For the next two days, Jin traveled all over the Con Principality with Yona, playing to their hearts' content.
And in the Con Principality, there were not only Joshua’s knights, who had died while spying on Jin in the past, but also Cyron’s knights stationed there at all times.
Naturally, the news that the two were 'playing together' inevitably reached Cyron’s ears.