Chapter 227: Murakan’s Benefactor (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 227: Murakan’s Benefactor (3)
“You have a strange sense of humor.”
“Quick, in here!”
Rani pointed toward a narrow gap deep in the alley. It was the same path she and the other paladins had used while pursuing the group.
The group hurried past her and into the gap. The moment Kuzan’s heels vanished into the shadows, about twenty paladins swarmed into the alley.
“Rani Salome! Where are they?!”
The paladin captain’s glare fell upon the fallen paladins lying beside Rani.
Rani still hadn’t drawn her sword, and the captain looked immensely displeased by this. The other paladins either sighed or clicked their tongues as they looked at her.
Everyone knew Rani’s ironclad rule: she never attacked anyone who wasn't a ‘heretic.’
And by Rani’s standards, heretics were strictly limited to those explicitly judged as such in a final trial presided over by Holy King Miklan, or those who openly practiced black magic.
“My apologies. I lost them. I confirmed they were heading toward District 1. Please, continue the pursuit…”
“Hmph! They’re nothing more than rats in a trap. They’ll be caught soon enough. But you, Rani Salome… you watched your comrades fall and still didn't draw your sword. Do you really think you deserve to be called a paladin of the Dawn Order of Doctrine Protection?”
Grind.
Though her eyes were cast down, Rani ground her teeth loud enough for the captain to hear.
“I will gladly accept any disciplinary action later. For now, you should pursue the intruders.”
“You disappoint me every single time. How long do you think His Majesty can keep protecting you? Hesitating even with heretics right in front of you, tsk!”
“I said, go pursue them! And how can you be so sure they are heretics, Captain? For now, they are merely intruders, are they not?” Rani suddenly snapped back.
The captain glared at her for a long moment before shaking his head in exasperation.
“Squad 3, take Rani’s squad members to the Saints, then rejoin us at District 1. As for 2nd Class Paladin Rani Salome, you are under house arrest, effective immediately. Return to the barracks, surrender your weapon and armor, and wait. If you disobey this order, I won't be responsible for what happens next. Understood?”
The paladins filed past Rani and out of the alley. The ones who stayed behind to tend to her fallen squad members threw insults her way as they worked.
“Must be nice having a father like that. Disobeying orders and talking back to the captain, yet all you get is house arrest.”
“You know what? You’re more of a heretic than the actual heretics. When you get back, just apply for a transfer and disappear. Stop dragging the Dawn Order’s name through the mud.”
Once they had all left, Rani was the only one remaining in the alley.
Jin’s group had been listening to the entire conversation from the gap nearby.
Rani Salome… I thought the name sounded familiar. Now I remember. She’s Holy King Miklan’s foster daughter.
In his previous life, he had read anecdotes about her in the newsletters once or twice.
The articles described her as a woman who, despite being the Holy King’s daughter, lived a decadent life soaked in alcohol, earning the scorn of the Holy Kingdom’s citizens. It had been a tiny blurb in the corner of a page, but her status as the 'Holy King’s daughter' had made it stick in his memory.
Soon, Rani scanned her surroundings and stepped into the gap where the group was hiding.
“The immediate danger has passed. Let’s move to a safe place to talk.”
“Hold on. Rani Salome. You seem to be helping us, but why? And how did you know we were connected to the Black Dragon?” Jin asked, meeting her gaze.
Rani didn't answer for several seconds. A thousand thoughts seemed to race through her mind.
“…I am a paladin of the Dawn Order of Doctrine Protection.”
“You said that already.”
“But before I am a paladin, I am a citizen of the Holy Kingdom of Vankella, a human being, and a daughter who spreads the word of our infinitely merciful Lord Ayula.”
It was an abrupt, almost out-of-place self-introduction. Yet, it was filled with such powerful spirit and resolve that it was impossible to dismiss as empty words.
“As such, my duty is not to blind the people, spread lies, disguise evil as good, or become corrupted by colluding with power. Fire Dragon Kadun—he is the true evil we should be pursuing. The Black Dragon was trying to stop him from burning down the city.”
Rani’s clenched fists trembled.
“Is that explanation enough for you?”
“He was trying to stop that bastard from burning the city? Tell me more, Paladin. Where is he?” Quicantel asked, grabbing Rani’s shoulder.
“…Follow me for now. We don't have much time.”
Rani led them to what used to be a bustling commercial district.
Now, however, more than half of the buildings were melted, and Kadun’s lingering embers sent up constant plumes of toxic smoke, making the area impossible to rebuild.
The Saints and mages had given up on extinguishing the fires here, and because the toxicity was so high, they hadn't even bothered to designate it as a restricted zone.
“Wait a moment. I’ll wrap you in a divine shield…”
“My friend and I are fine. Just shield him,” Quicantel said, gesturing to Kuzan.
“The toxicity here is extreme.”
“It doesn't affect us. Just hurry up and let’s go.”
“Understood.”
Rani cast shields around Kuzan and herself.
“My comrades won't come looking here for at least thirty minutes.”
“Where is the Black Dragon?”
“He is here.”
“He shouldn't be able to withstand this much toxicity in his current state.”
“Don't worry. I’ve protected him with my divine power. However, before I show him to you, I have one question. Are you truly Jin Runcandel?”
At the sudden mention of Jin’s name, Kuzan and Quicantel’s eyes widened.
Jin didn't falter and nodded.
“I suppose he told you.”
“He did. Murakan-nim made a request. He said Jin Runcandel would come looking for him soon and asked me to protect him until then. Please show me a sign that proves you are Jin Runcandel. For all I know, you could be another one of Kadun’s minions, couldn't you?”
He had nothing on him that could serve as immediate proof. Bradamante was a Runcandel sword, but only members of the main family or warriors from Huphester would recognize it.
“Do you have nothing?”
“Hey, stop testing the Young Master. If we were the Fire Dragon’s minions, why would we have gone through the trouble of infiltrating like this?” Kuzan said in a low voice, pointing a dagger at her throat.
“Do you think I’m afraid of threats? If I were, I wouldn't have brought you here in the first place. And know this—if you harm me, Murakan-nim will surely die as well.”
“Put the blade away, Kuzan.”
Kuzan immediately bowed his head and stepped back.
Rani’s gaze was stubborn. It was clear she wouldn't show them Murakan unless Jin proved his identity.
“I have no item to prove it. Instead… I will prove that Murakan is my guardian dragon with this.”
Whoosh…
Jin looked at Rani as he gathered Spirit Energy in his palm.
“Spirit Energy—the power of Solderet. Whether I am Jin Runcandel or not, I am the sole Contractor of Shadows. Do I really need to show you more proof?”
Now was not the time to hide the fact that he was a contractor.
“No, that is enough.”
“Is he safe?”
“To be honest, he is not. He is badly injured. And…”
“Let me see him first. Now!” Jin said, barely suppressing his pounding heart.
It felt as if molten iron was boiling in his chest. A whirlwind of emotions made his vision blur for a moment.
Fire Dragon Kadun. I will make sure you meet a truly wretched end…
Clatter!
Rani pulled up a wooden plank at her feet.
The ash covering the plank scattered, and through the gaps, a warm amber light began to glow. It was the same color as the light covering Rani’s body—divine power.
That divine power was wrapped like a protective cocoon around a single black cat curled into a ball.
“Murakan…!”
The agent of Solderet. His close friend. The last descendant of the first being forged from shadows. Jin’s one and only guardian dragon.
It was him.
Rani had been hiding him here, transformed into a cat, inside this toxin-filled ruin all this time. It was a feat that could never have been accomplished without her exceptional divine power and conviction.
As Jin carefully took Murakan into his arms, Quicantel’s eyes welled with tears. Kuzan also let out a sigh of relief, clutching his chest.
“I will explain what happened.”
Rani began to describe the situation when she found Murakan.
She and the other paladins had been dispatched to Santel by order of the High Priests. The order was to assist Fire Dragon Kadun in surrounding a ‘monster’ and to ‘purify’ Santel, which was in danger of becoming a city of heretics.
But what Rani witnessed was neither a monster nor heretics.
She saw commoners dying from the Fire Dragon’s merciless breath and a Black Dragon trying desperately to stop the city from collapsing.
Among the dispatched paladins, Rani was the only one who felt the dissonance of the scene, even as the Saints incited the commoners and the paladins sealed off the city in the name of ‘purification.’
“Even though it was Kadun who was killing the commoners, it took less than two hours for all that slaughter to be blamed on Murakan-nim.”
Rani had arrived just as the battle between Kadun and Murakan was reaching its end.
Kadun had burned the entire city simply to ensure Murakan couldn't escape. Murakan, on the other hand, was cornered because he was trying to prevent civilian casualties and was running out of strength.
In the end, Murakan succeeded in escaping. Or so it seemed. He had flown into the sky, breaking through the barrier of fire Kadun had deployed.
“But it seemed he didn't have the strength to go far. Kadun immediately gave chase, and Murakan-nim… I think he took a gamble. The moment Kadun left his own barrier to begin the pursuit, Murakan-nim re-entered the city.”
The darkest place is under the lamp. Having slipped back inside the fire barrier and positioned himself over Santel, Murakan transformed into a human and plummeted to the ground.
Kadun failed to notice. He was too busy chasing the ‘shadow’ Murakan had forged from Spirit Energy in the sky.
It was nothing short of a miracle that Rani alone had witnessed this.
Rani was able to recover him immediately, but the other paladins dispatched to Santel were the problem.
“He was in a dangerous state and needed immediate treatment. But I couldn't send him to the Saints as a city refugee. His transformation was unstable, and black scales were sprouting all over his body.”
Rani had desperately used divine magic to save the Black Dragon, but it wasn't enough.
As his consciousness faded, Murakan managed to leave a message for the human trying to heal him. He told her that Jin Runcandel would come for him.
“As soon as he finished saying that, he transformed into this form and passed out. I used my divine power to hide Murakan-nim here.”
“Jin, this isn't a voluntary transformation. He was forced into this form,” Quicantel said urgently. “We can talk about the details later. Let’s get out of here first.”
“I’ll tell you the best route for escape. Go that way.”
“…Rani Salome. On the honor of Solderet and Runcandel, I will repay this debt. As soon as your house arrest is over, I will come to the Holy Kingdom to find you.”