Chapter 221: News Heard, News to Find (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 221: News Heard, News to Find (2)
It wasn't difficult to meet with Prince Laika. The villa where he had once treated Jin was a private space, open only to those he trusted or had personally vetted.
The gatekeepers opened the main gates without a word of challenge.
To Jin’s relief, Prince Laika was currently resting at the villa. He had expected to wait for at least a few hours, so this was a welcome turn of events.
“Oh, look who it is! Welcome, Young Master.”
Upon seeing Jin's party, Laika dismissed his guards. It was a gesture of trust reserved for someone bearing the Runcandel name in Huphester.
“It’s been a while, Prince Laika.”
“The people with you… they look like the ones who were searching for you in eastern Delki last time.”
“I apologize for the trouble we caused then,” Casimir said with a bow.
Laika waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it; no citizens were seriously harmed. Regardless, seeing as you’ve come without notice… it seems you have quite an urgent matter, Young Master.”
“Yes. I need to find someone. Very urgently.”
“Please, tell me.”
“The person who has recently been distributing a deadly poison among the mercenaries of Delki. I need to secure him.”
Laika’s eyes gleamed.
Seeing that look, Jin fully expected Laika to propose a ‘trade,’ just as he had in the past when he secured ownership of a gold mine and the service of Guardian Knights in exchange for saving Jin's life.
Jin was prepared to accept. Finding Kuzan before Joshua did was well worth the price.
I wouldn’t mind assigning a few more Guardian Knights…
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Laika gave a thin smile.
“That won’t be a problem. In fact, I've been keeping a close eye on him myself, so I have already identified his hideout.”
Surprisingly, Laika asked for nothing in return. He even drew a rough map for them on the spot.
Laika was a man who knew exactly how to cultivate a connection as valuable as Jin.
“I won’t ask what this is about, Young Master. I will help whenever you need it. Oh, and this… perhaps you should take it, just in case.”
What Laika handed over was a token symbolizing the Delki Royal Family.
While it couldn't compare to the Runcandels' Black Sword emblem, Laika hadn't forgotten that Jin was still only a Reserve Flagbearer. He gave him the token so that if Jin ran into any trouble within Delki, he could present it to resolve the situation. It was a remarkably thoughtful gesture.
“I will be sure to repay this debt.”
After a brief farewell, they immediately left the villa.
Every time I come to this damn Delki, it’s a race against the clock.
It had been the same when he’d come searching for the Mariuses. He had run until his feet blistered, trying to save the others from being slaughtered by Kuzan and Beris.
The location on the map was a small town in southern Delki. After taking a teleport gate south, the party immediately procured horses and galloped toward their destination.
*
At the same time Jin's party arrived in the south and procured horses, other visitors arrived at Prince Laika’s villa: the Enforcement Knights of Runcandel.
“Prince Laika, there is someone we must find urgently.”
“And who might that be?”
“A deadly poison has reportedly been circulating among the mercenaries. We have orders from the 2nd Flagbearer of Runcandel to bring the culprit in.”
“Ah, if you mean that individual, I've recently issued a wanted notice for him myself. His location should be confirmed within a day or two, so I ask that you please wait.”
*
Jin mulled it over throughout the journey. If the poison seller was indeed Kuzan, he had to be in a dire situation. For someone trained as one of Joshua's hounds, he was being far too careless, exposing himself so openly.
It was as if he were practically asking to be found.
The scent of blood?
The house they found by following the map reeked of blood, the thick scent hitting them the moment they reached the entrance.
“…Kuzan Marius?”
The party encountered Kuzan as soon as they opened the door.
His hair was a disheveled mess, and a thick beard covered his gaunt face. Though he wore no disguise, he was barely recognizable.
He didn't seem particularly surprised, as if he had been expecting Jin all along.
“You look pathetic. Weren't you making good money selling that poison? Still, I never thought I'd be glad to see your face.”
Kuzan didn't answer, simply staring at Jin. Yet Jin could feel a strange desperation hidden behind those seemingly calm eyes.
“You must have had a desperate reason to expose your location so carelessly. Let's move somewhere safe to talk. You were hoping I'd find you before Joshua, weren't you?”
“……Yes.”
“Where is Beris?”
“In the back room.”
Upon entering the back room, they found the source of the blood they had smelled at the entrance.
It was from Beris. She was tied to the bed—a measure Kuzan had taken to restrain her during her seizures.
Beris was unconscious, intermittently vomiting blood. Jin recognized the symptoms all too well: the final stage of mana backflow.
Without immediate treatment, Beris would die.
“I see. You exposed your location because you had no way to save Beris.”
This wasn't an ailment that could be cured with money.
Within the entire Huphester Alliance, fewer than five healers could treat the final stages of mana backflow, and there was no way for Kuzan, a wanted man, to get near any of them.
Nor could they flee Huphester for the Lutero Magic Federation. Though Kuzan and Beris had dozens of travel passes, Joshua had provided them all. Using them to pass through Huphester's teleport gates was impossible. Fleeing illegally was equally unfeasible without a powerful ally.
Furthermore, Beris was dying.
Kuzan had been forced to make a choice. Of the two people most likely to be searching for him, he had to gamble on Jin finding him first.
If Beris hadn't been in this state, Kuzan would have hidden for years, waiting for the right moment to meet Jin.
Thud!
Instead of answering, Kuzan dropped to his knees.
“……Save her. No, please, just save her. I will do anything for you. I will spend the rest of my life atoning for my past mistakes.”
Casimir and Alisa exchanged surprised glances. They had always thought of Kuzan and Beris as nothing more than villains, incapable of loyalty.
Quicantel’s expression, however, remained cold.
“Whether or not I take you in will be decided after you've proven your worth. For now, let's focus on saving your friend. We can talk after,” Jin said, stepping forward to examine Beris.
Looking closer, it’s even more serious. This will be difficult without the Saints of Vankella.
Beris's condition was like shattered glass. The window for emergency treatment had long since passed; there was nothing they could do for her on the spot.
The problem was that moving Beris wouldn't be easy, either.
“You’re not a mage, so you wouldn't know,” Quicantel said, “but in her state, even the jostling of a carriage would cause her body to fall apart. The slightest shock could shatter her bones and rupture her organs. It’s too late—far too late.”
Kuzan lowered his head, unable to respond. Jin found the sight strangely pitiful.
And this was despite the fact that these two had nearly killed him and his companions back in Delki.
When he thought about it, Kuzan and Beris had been used and hurt by those associated with the Runcandels from beginning to end.
They were inducted into Moon’s Sacrifice before they could even walk properly. They had revered Taimun Marius as a mother, following her every order without hesitation. After her death, they became Joshua's hounds, never knowing he was their true enemy until they met Jin.
Taimun Marius hadn't even left them a simple will. Until the very end, the only person she had loved and worried about was Luna Runcandel—Jin's sister.
And what was the result?
Beris was on the verge of death, and Kuzan was begging for her life from the man he once believed to be his arch-enemy. If Jin turned them away, the only future left for them was to be ‘disposed of’ by Joshua.
“I'll try to move her. But if we run into Joshua's men and a fight breaks out, we might have to abandon Beris. Do you understand?”
Kuzan nodded, his eyes bloodshot. He looked as if he might shed tears of blood at any moment.
“Thank you.”
The moment Jin made his decision, Alisa took off her robe.
She wrapped Beris tightly inside it, then used a rope to bind her securely, immobilizing her. The sound of bones snapping echoed in the room, but Jin knew this was the best method available.
“Back in my Special Task Force days, I ran into a similar situation on a mission with the magic division,” Alisa explained. “The section leader taught me this method. He said it was better to bind them tightly like this for transport.”
Jin and Quicantel already knew this. Breaking a few bones under the pressure of the ropes was unavoidable, but it was far better than letting her body go limp and suffer catastrophic internal damage.
Wrapped in the robe, Beris looked like a corpse ready for cremation. Even if she was miraculously revived, she would never be the same.
Jin's plan was to take Beris to Tikan first. He would summon a healer there for initial treatment, then take her to Vankella to negotiate with the Saints. It was the only way she could survive.
“We just need to reach the southern teleport gate,” Jin said. “I hope your friend holds out until then.”
“Both my travel pass and Beris's have been flagged,” Kuzan warned.
“It doesn't matter. I have a token from the Delki Royal Family. It will leave a record of our passage, but Joshua can't set foot in Tikan anyway.”
Given her condition, putting Beris on a horse was out of the question. The party would have to carry her and walk to the teleport gate as carefully as possible.
“It should take about three hours at a brisk pace,” Casimir noted. “However, Young Master, there are too many eyes on us along that route.”
Teleport gates were major regional facilities, usually located in central areas and connected to main roads. It was broad daylight, and the streets were teeming with people.
It wasn't a good time to be walking around carrying a robe dripping with blood.
“We can get past the guards or constables with the royal token, but I'm worried that word will reach Joshua's people. This is a very conspicuous situation.”
Even if they encountered Joshua’s henchmen, as long as they weren't at the level of Guardian Knights or Enforcement Knights, the party would not be in danger.
However, there was a high probability that Beris would die during the battle.
The moment they stepped onto the street, they became the center of attention. Several commoners screamed or covered their mouths at the sight of a blood-soaked bundle that was clearly shaped like a person.
They were immediately confronted by guards and constables. Fortunately, a flash of the royal token was enough to make them either salute and depart or offer an escort. Jin refused all such offers.
“As expected, this won't be an easy trip,” Jin muttered. “Sir Casimir, we have a tail.”