Chapter 225: Murakan’s Benefactor (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 225: Murakan’s Benefactor (1)
Before his departure, Murakan had left Gilly a letter and a sheet of paper outlining his approximate travel route.
The paper listed regions where he planned to leave “markers,” allowing his comrades to find him if any trouble arose during his journey.
The Seven-Colored Bird had been checking for Murakan’s markers every three days. Then, on November 20, 1797, they received a report: a battle between a dragon and a monster had erupted in a city called Santel, located near the Krasi Mountains.
The Krasi Mountains were one of the areas where Murakan had intended to leave a marker.
“Sir! Something is strange. Right after we confirmed Murakan’s marker in the Krasi Mountains, a massive fight broke out in Santel between a Fire Dragon and a monster. But the reports say the monster was pitch-black, had wings, and looked almost identical to a dragon…”
“Are you saying the monster that fought the Fire Dragon might be Murakan?”
“That’s what we believe, sir.”
“Why? Just because the battle happened right after he left the marker?”
“That’s part of it, but the city of Santel is in total chaos. Our Seven-Colored Bird agents tried to enter to gather more information, but they couldn’t get in. The entire place is under a strict lockdown. The city has turned into a sea of fire, yet not a single news article is being published about it!”
That was certainly strange. Even if the area around the Krasi Mountains was considered remote, a battle significant enough to lock down an entire city should have triggered immediate news reports.
The Seven-Colored Bird had only managed to gather information from locals before the city was completely sealed, but not a single external media outlet was covering the incident.
“The detail about the monster resembling a dragon was something we barely managed to scrape together. If we’d been two hours later, we wouldn’t have found any locals to talk to. I’m certain it was Lord Murakan, sir.”
Suppressing the media was a privilege reserved for the world’s great powers.
Furthermore, a Fire Dragon was involved. Jin had a bad feeling about this.
“A Fire Dragon and media suppression. Young Master, it’s obvious Zipple is involved,” Casimir remarked.
“…If it’s a Fire Dragon aligned with Zipple, it has to be Kadun, Kelliark’s guardian dragon, right?” Enya asked, looking at Jin with concern. Ever since Jet had begun his report, a sense of foreboding had washed over the group.
“Jet.”
“Yes, Lady Quicantel?”
“Is there any more information on the Fire Dragon that attacked the city? Its appearance, or the level of power it displayed?”
“We only confirmed that it was exceptionally massive, even for a dragon.”
Sigh…
Quicantel let out a long breath and pressed a hand to her forehead.
“It’s Kadun. Jin, it looks like he was ambushed. I was a fool; I shouldn’t have let him go alone. Zipple must have been targeting him ever since he came to find me in Viment.”
Quicantel stood up abruptly, her eyes shimmering with anxiety.
Even in his prime, Murakan had found Kadun to be a troublesome opponent. Now, in his weakened state, Murakan was facing the King of Fire Dragons—an enemy he couldn’t hope to defeat.
Quicantel knew better than anyone that Murakan stood no chance. The moment she reached that conclusion, her composure shattered.
“Calm down, Lady Quicantel. For now, we know Murakan isn’t dead. As his contractor, I haven’t felt anything.”
“Damn it! If Kadun subdued Murakan, of course he wouldn’t kill him! They don’t know what would happen to Solderet’s next contractor if he died. They’ve likely torn his wings off and imprisoned him, or drugged him into a stupor. Besides, they want Solderet’s contract, so they’ll try to use him to find you!”
The words Andrei Zipple had spat out during their battle flashed through Jin’s mind.
—I’ll commend you for this surprise attack. However, you and your god will become the most vital ingredients for the Demon God Stone…
The most vital ingredients for the Demon God Stone.
That phrase revealed just how much Zipple coveted Solderet’s power.
Andrei had died that day along with Buretta, but there had been many other opportunities for Zipple to learn that a Black Dragon was active.
The day Jin rode Murakan out of the Garden of Swords as a reserve flagbearer, their visit to Quicantel in Viment, the slaying of the Grave Giant, the incident at the Colon Ruins… the list went on.
Considering Zipple had informants all over the world, news could have easily reached them from well beyond the Lutero Magic Federation.
‘As Lady Quicantel said, they’ve probably been searching for Murakan and me for a long time.’
Of course, this was all a result of Murakan’s stubborn insistence on traveling alone to meet Misha.
Regardless, regret wouldn’t bring Murakan back. What he needed now was sound judgment and swift action.
“But sir, there’s one more strange thing,” Jet added.
“What is it?”
“The Holy Kingdom of Vankella is a neutral nation, isn’t it? My agents and I concluded that Zipple is suppressing the media, but for some reason, it’s Vankella’s Paladins who are blockading the city.”
Santel belonged to the Scholl Principality; it was not Vankella’s territory.
“The battle was between Kadun and Murakan, Zipple is controlling the media, and the Paladins are blockading the city?”
“Yes. Meanwhile, the Scholl Principality isn’t lifting a finger.”
That was definitely bizarre.
While it was common for the Holy Kingdom of Vankella to dispatch Paladins and healers to disaster zones for reconstruction and relief, it was unheard of for them to enforce a blockade.
That was usually the responsibility of the local military. If the local forces lacked the power, the party controlling the media would typically take charge.
Therefore, Jin and his comrades had naturally assumed Zipple would be the one enforcing the lockdown.
“Furthermore, the Paladins were incredibly aggressive when turning away our Seven-Colored Bird agents and other reporters who caught wind of the story. They treated them as if they were dealing with heretics.”
“Are you saying the Holy Kingdom is doing Zipple a favor?”
Throughout history, Vankella had never taken a side. They had maintained their neutrality even in Jin’s previous life.
“We can’t be certain, but that’s the conclusion my agents and I have reached for now.”
A brief silence followed.
Without entering Santel themselves, there was no way to get clear information. Gilly placed a hand on Jin’s shoulder and met his eyes.
“Young Master, Lord Murakan isn’t one to be defeated so easily. Don’t worry too much. Go quickly. Perhaps it really was just a winged monster and not Lord Murakan.”
She spoke the words, but the hand on his shoulder was trembling. She was desperately suppressing her own emotions to avoid adding to his distress.
To Jin and Gilly, Murakan was more than a companion; he was family. They would rather suffer themselves than see him harmed.
“Sir Casimir, does the Seven-Colored Bird have any connections within Vankella?”
“Bran and I personally know a few priests.”
“Then please investigate Vankella. Find out what happened in Santel and why the Holy Kingdom is involving itself in Zipple’s business.”
“Understood.”
*
Jin, Quicantel, and Kuzan.
The three of them headed for Santel. Since there was no direct Warp Gate to the city, they traveled from the Scholl Principality on Shuri’s back, a journey that took a full day.
Upon arrival, they found Santel under a lockdown far more stringent than they had expected.
The city still appeared to be engulfed in flames, glowing as red as fresh blood.
“…It’s certain. Those are Kadun’s flames. He’s the only Fire Dragon capable of producing fire that intense.”
Quicantel stood on a cliff overlooking the city, gritting her teeth. They could see mages and Paladins inside, working to contain the fire.
The commoners were all huddled in specific districts where the flames had already been extinguished.
It was a bizarre sight.
Vankella always prioritized civilian lives during disasters or wars. Since the city was still burning, the logical move would have been to evacuate the people.
Instead, Paladins in heavy armor were tightly sealing the exits, completely blockading all movement.
There was only one explanation.
They were blockading the city because they had something to hide. It was highly likely there were too many witnesses to something that could not be allowed to leak.
“It doesn’t look like Kadun is still in the city. If he were, the mages and Paladins wouldn’t be the ones putting out the fire. Let’s head inside.”
Santel was a city sitting isolated on a plain. Approaching without being spotted by sentries and Paladins was no easy task, but fortunately, several reporters still lingered nearby, waiting for a chance to slip in.
The group descended the cliff and blended in with them to approach the city. This would be enough to get them close.
They chose to break through a small side gate on the left side of the city. The atmosphere there was even grimmer than at the main gate; so much so that not even the reporters had dared to set up camp nearby.
“Stand back.”
“Remove your hoods and identify yourselves. Take two more steps, and we will cut you down.”
The Paladins guarding the side gate spoke in low voices the moment they saw the group. Dried bloodstains marred the dirt ground, suggesting they had already cut down a few reporters who had tried their luck.
The scales of justice engraved on their heavy armor indicated their rank. They were 2nd-class knights of the “Dawn Order of Doctrine Protection,” a unit belonging to the Heretic Inquisition—the only group in the Holy Kingdom with a notorious reputation.
These were not the kind of people who would normally be assigned to blockade a quiet city.
‘Knights of the Dawn Order… Both Zipple and the Holy Kingdom are clearly taking this very seriously.’
However, his family’s life was at stake.
This time, Jin had no intention of being subtle or creating a clever justification. This was not the time for time-consuming tasks like forging identities or offering bribes.
‘Kuzan.’
Shring!
At Jin’s signal, Kuzan’s eyes flashed as he drew his daggers, their blades already coated in a paralytic poison.
“In—!”
Thwack!
The Paladins couldn’t finish their sentence. Kuzan and Quicantel lunged simultaneously, subduing them in a single, brutal strike.
Kuzan’s daggers accurately pierced the gaps in their heavy armor to deliver the anesthetic, while Quicantel used her raw strength to wrench open their helmets and force the poison Kuzan had provided down their throats.
The Paladins were instantly paralyzed where they stood. While Quicantel and Kuzan propped the knights against the wall to make them look like they were still on guard, Jin swung his sword through the gap in the door, severing the inner bolt.
The breach would be discovered in three minutes at the earliest, ten at the latest.
That was enough time. Within that window, they just needed to find a local and confirm if the monster’s appearance matched Murakan’s, if he had used spirit energy, and how the battle with Kadun had ended.
Creeeeeak!
However, the moment the side gate swung open, the group was confronted by two new Paladins. It just so happened to be the exact time for the changing of the guard.