Chapter 223: News Heard, News to Find (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 223: News Heard, News to Find (4)
Chomp.
As Julian took a bite of his sandwich, Kuzan spoke up first.
“It’s not loyalty.”
“What?”
“Unlike the other hounds, Julian never moved out of loyalty to Joshua. He fears him. He trembles at the mere sound of that man’s voice.”
Julian gritted his teeth at Kuzan’s explanation.
“Shut your mouth, Kuzan…!”
“Did I say something wrong? Beris and I followed Joshua for revenge, and you followed him out of fear. None of that matters now.”
“I told you to shut up!”
“If you want to live, you’d better cooperate with the Young Master.”
A tremor ran through Julian’s eyes. Anyone could see he was struggling to endure the humiliation.
“Well, fearing one’s master isn’t something to be ashamed of.”
Jin undid Julian’s restraints.
“I’m telling you now, don’t get any ideas just because these are off. Not unless you want to find out the hard way that there are plenty of people in this world far scarier than Joshua. Now, eat up.”
Gurgle…!
The same sound erupted from both Julian’s and Kuzan’s stomachs.
For a while, they devoured their sandwiches in silence. Throughout the meal, Julian kept glancing at Jin and Alisa, though he seemed particularly conscious of Jin.
Since fragments of his memory from his time as an avatar remained, he knew exactly what kind of monster Jin was.
As it happened, those memories were filled with images of Jin overwhelming Paitel. This was only natural, as Julian’s own consciousness only ever surfaced during moments of extreme mental shock.
So it’s fear, not loyalty. If I play my cards right, I might be able to recruit this guy, too.
Dealing with a person consumed by fear was simple.
Either remove the source of the fear, make them fear something even greater, or help them become strong enough to overcome the fear themselves.
The first option was difficult to execute immediately, and the third required significant time and effort. Since Jin had no reason to harbor such affection for Julian, he decided to go with the second method.
“Looks like you’re about done. Let’s get to the point. Julian, I am Jin Runcandel. I’m the youngest brother of that piece of trash you serve, and I am the contractor of Solderet. This is Tikan Free City, the land belonging to me and my comrades.”
“Cough, hack!”
Jin Runcandel.
The moment Julian heard the name, he was so startled that a piece of sandwich lodged in his throat. Back at the Blue Bird Archipelago, he hadn’t heard Jin reveal his name, as he had been too busy fighting Murakan.
He knew exactly what the name ‘Jin Runcandel’ meant to Joshua.
Jin calmly handed him a glass of water as he continued.
“The reason I’m giving you all this information is simple. I want us to be sincere with each other. It’s also a warning that if you fail to do so, your short life will end right here. Understand?”
Nod, nod.
Julian didn’t nod of his own volition. Alisa, who had been watching from the side, grabbed the back of his neck and forced his head down.
“Good, I like that. First question. Why were you all gathered at the Blue Bird Archipelago?”
Unlike Kuzan, Julian hadn’t quite let go of his lingering attachment to Joshua. He stared at the floor, and Kuzan, unable to watch any longer, spoke in his stead.
“We went to the Blue Bird Archipelago on Joshua’s orders to strengthen Julian’s power. It was because Joshua felt a sense of rivalry toward the individual known as Barmul. I only realized Barmul was the Young Master at that time as well.”
“I suppose there’s a way to use Gram’s Tomb to strengthen Paitel’s authority. Did Paitel communicate that information to Julian?”
“No, Julian has been under that man’s thumb for much longer than we have. I heard he’s been periodically strengthening his power there since he was very young. Joshua was the one who told him how.”
“Was there information about Paitel in the family’s secret archives? In any case, it seems Joshua even knew how to strengthen Paitel’s authority.”
“I apologize, but I don’t know that much. You’ll have to hear the details from Julian.”
Jin looked down at Julian.
“I have some news for you. Back then, at the Blue Bird Archipelago… your master died.”
“…Lord Joshua is dead?”
Julian’s anxious gaze instantly turned to one of shock.
“Yes. He used a Runcandel self-destruction technique to try and finish me off, and you were almost killed in the aftermath. It seems he didn't care whether someone like you lived or died. I only saved you because I had questions for you.”
A brief silence followed.
Soon, Julian let out a hollow, self-mocking laugh.
With Jin’s words, Julian was able to understand the entire situation in an instant.
“Why are you laughing? Ah, is it because you’re certain Joshua isn't dead?”
Thud.
Jin tossed a newsletter he had brought with the sandwiches onto the table in front of Julian. It contained an article about Joshua attending a knight investiture ceremony in Schuteron.
“I clearly saw him burn to death with my own eyes after that self-destruction technique. And yet, he was out and about the very next day as if nothing happened… I suspect you know something.”
After checking the article and the date, Julian met Jin’s eyes.
“So in the end, I was nothing more than Lord Joshua’s spare toy.”
“What do you mean by that?” Jin asked, his eyes gleaming.
“In an unexpected turn of events, he had the chance to obtain the contractor of Solderet he so desperately wanted. So someone like me didn't matter anymore.”
“I think I get the gist. Joshua intended to take your contract if he failed to secure mine. Am I wrong?”
Julian didn’t answer. He simply sat there for a long time, his clenched fists trembling.
Just as Jin deduced, he was a sort of ‘replacement’—a backup in case Joshua couldn't steal Jin’s contract.
There were several other such contractors in Joshua’s secret villas.
That was why Joshua hadn't felt the need to look after Julian at the Blue Bird Archipelago. He had judged it to be the perfect opportunity to capture Jin without any complications.
However, when Garmund’s appearance put him in a crisis, Joshua chose self-destruction. It didn't matter if Julian was swept up in it.
To Joshua, reducing Jin’s combat power was more important than saving Julian.
“Just how on earth is he transferring contracts? Not to mention the fact that he’s alive and well after the Blue Bird Archipelago. He’s definitely using some bizarre, twisted trick. I’d appreciate it if you could clear this up for me.”
“…If I tell you everything I know, will you protect me?” Julian asked, as if he had made up his mind.
He didn't ask if Jin would let him live; he asked if Jin would protect him. Recognizing the distinction, Jin nodded.
“If you provide valuable information, gladly.”
“There is a woman called the Prophet.”
This was someone Kuzan knew nothing about.
“A Prophet?”
“She is Lord Joshua’s closest confidante. I’ve only met her twice, but it seems her influence is behind almost every choice the Lord makes. She was the one who told him that Gram’s Tomb was in the Blue Bird Archipelago and that my power could be strengthened there.”
“What kind of person is she?”
“A monster who is absolutely obedient to Lord Joshua.”
“A monster? You mean she’s that strong?”
“No, I’m not sure about that. I called her a monster because she doesn't seem human. You said you killed Lord Joshua at the Blue Bird Archipelago? That was surely a clone of the Lord, created by that woman.”
Jin smiled, satisfied.
Major information had come out right from the start, and the hypothesis he had built with his comrades was now a certainty.
Still, hearing that the man he fought was a ‘clone’ was shocking.
“Do you know how she clones Joshua?”
“I only know that it requires a great many humans.”
“…What?”
“It seems she uses death row inmates from Huphester. When they are sent to the Prophet, a new body is created… The Lord mainly used those bodies for tasks like handling people like me—to personally suppress his reserve contractors if they went on a rampage while being strengthened.”
The reason Joshua had suddenly appeared at the Blue Bird Archipelago that day was finally revealed.
Joshua had sent Julian to the archipelago and was waiting nearby.
Then, seeing the thunderstorm forming over the islands, he had mistaken it for a rampage rather than an incarnation and had stepped in personally, only to run into Jin.
The madman. Since he couldn't send the clan’s knights when a contractor went berserk, he used clones instead.
Jin shook his head and pressed a hand to his forehead.
Even if they were death row inmates, the thought that Joshua was casually using human lives as materials to create clones of himself was enough to make Jin’s stomach churn.
“Sigh. I doubt he used his clones only for that. Do you know how many he has?”
“I don’t know that much. But I do know that he once lost a clone while suppressing a rampaging contractor of water.”
This meant that not just one, but several could have been cloned at once.
Indeed, as Julian described, the Prophet was a figure worthy of being called a monster.
“I’ll need to find out if this Prophet person is even human. The method for transferring contracts must have come from her as well.”
In reality, the Prophet was still in the stage of gathering materials to ‘fulfill the contract,’ but neither Jin nor Julian could have known that.
After a moment of thought, Jin looked at Julian with a curious gaze.
“By the way, you seem to have known that Joshua would take your contract if he failed to get mine. Why couldn’t you leave him? Were you just that afraid of him?”
“Do you think it’s possible to escape Lord Joshua’s grasp from within Huphester?”
“It’s not impossible. You’re a contractor, not an ordinary person. If you had requested asylum from the Zipple, they would have welcomed you with open arms. If that happened, even Joshua wouldn't have been able to touch you easily.”
Since Julian wasn't part of Runcandel’s official forces, Joshua would have had no justification to retrieve him if he defected to the Zipple.
“Is your family being held hostage?”
“My guardian dragon is. I have no family. They were all murdered by Joshua’s hand. My entire village.”
And yet you’ve been stubbornly following his orders? Without pride or a desire for revenge?
Jin didn't voice such questions.
He knew his own life—born a Runcandel, always walking a path of success—was far removed from the raw emotion of ‘fear.’
Most humans cannot overcome fear.
However, thanks to his miserable previous life, he knew that wasn't something to be judged.
“I must look pathetic to you. That woman, Beris, used to pick fights with me all the time for that very reason. But Jin Runcandel, this should be valuable enough information. Keep your promise.”
“Protecting you isn't difficult. If you live here in Tikan as if you were dead, there won't be any problems. But I don’t think that’s what you meant.”
“That’s right. Reclaim my guardian dragon from Joshua. Without him, my wretched life has no meaning.”
As if there was nothing to consider, Jin shook his head.
“I will create the opportunity for you. Reclaim him yourself.”