Chapter 283: Temar’s First Grave (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 283: Temar’s First Grave (4)
In truth, the Tona brothers hadn't fully left. They were hiding behind a pillar at the end of the corridor, peeking at Jin and Dipus.
It wasn't because they were curious about the conversation.
They rarely crossed paths with Jin, so they were acting on Nanny Emma’s request to bring him to her if they had the chance. Emma was growing anxious, as Jin hadn't sought her out even once.
‘Brother Dipus looks pretty shocked, doesn’t he, Heitona?’
‘Seems like it. Let’s go back to Jin soon… Wait. Brother Dipus is coming this way!’
‘We’re screwed. Is he going to chew us out again? He’ll ask why we’re spying like rats.’
‘Just act as natural as possible.’
The Tona brothers hurriedly pulled their heads back behind the pillar.
Thump, thump. As Dipus drew closer, their hearts beat faster.
When Dipus finally passed right in front of them, the two offered awkward smiles.
He cast a single, indifferent glance their way and kept walking. He didn't harass them as Myu or Anne would have.
To put it simply, Dipus treated the Tona brothers as if they didn't exist. To him, they weren't rivals; they weren't even worth his attention.
In fact, Dipus had known they were behind the pillar from the very beginning.
Regardless, it was a relief that he had passed by without incident.
Still, the Tona brothers felt their self-esteem plummet. Outside the clan, they were the infamous "Darlings of Hell," but among their siblings, they were often treated like air.
“Let’s just go to the Youngest…”
“Yeah…”
The Tona brothers trudged along, their shoulders slumped, yet they moved with quick steps to catch up to Jin.
Jin was waiting for them at the opposite end of the corridor. Like Dipus, he had been aware they were spying.
“Youngest.”
“Ah, brothers.”
When Jin turned around naturally, the Tona brothers scratched the backs of their heads.
“What is it?”
“Ah, well. We were wondering if you’d like to…”
“Have a cup of tea with us?”
For a moment, the hesitating Tona brothers looked almost cute.
“I’m sorry, but I’m busy today.”
“R-really? Then how about tomorrow?”
“I’ll be busy preparing for the mission for a while.”
“Ah… I see.”
“Brothers.”
“Yeah?”
“It would be nice to see you act on your own will for once, not just Nanny Emma’s.”
At the mention of Emma’s name, the Tona brothers looked embarrassed.
“If you had simply wanted to talk to me, I might have made time. The other siblings ignore you because you look less like Runcandel Flagbearers and more like Emma’s puppets.”
“Is it… that bad?”
“That bad? Isn’t it just because we’re weak?”
“Honestly, you aren't at a level where anyone would call you weak.”
Both were 7-star knights at the age of twenty-one. They were certainly talented enough to be called geniuses, but the problem was that this was Runcandel. Among the Flagbearers, the Tona brothers were undeniably the weakest.
“Respect comes from your attitude. And pass a message to Emma for me.”
“Uh, yeah. What is it?”
“Tell her not to be anxious and not to summon me recklessly unless it’s a matter so important that she must report it to me immediately.”
The Tona brothers nodded with heavy expressions.
They felt ashamed to be lectured by their youngest brother, but they had no words to refute him. They knew their own standing all too well.
Jin, however, sincerely hoped for the day the Tona brothers would be recognized by everyone in the clan. In his previous life, he had loathed them to the point of disgust, but in this life, he was aware that they occasionally worried about him.
“Let’s have that tea after the Black Knight assassination mission is over. We can have alcohol, too.”
*
“Hey, kid. Do we really have to take that thing? Can’t we just fly?”
“No. How long do you think it would take to fly there? I told you, I have to be back at the clan by March 6th at the latest.”
“Ugh, I’m going to get sick, and my head’s going to throb again. How annoying.”
Murakan shook his head irritably.
Jin and Murakan were currently riding a Runcandel steel carriage toward the Kalon Express Warp Gate.
“We have arrived, Young Master.”
“Good work. You may return.”
“Salute!”
As Jin and Murakan stepped out, every eye on the street was instantly drawn to them.
In Huphester, a Runcandel Flagbearer was like a star. Merely walking down the street was enough to make people stare.
Of course, this didn't apply to Flagbearers famous for their foul tempers, like Myu and Anne. A Runcandel Flagbearer had the authority to beat someone to death simply for looking at them the wrong way.
While much of Jin’s actual personality had yet to be revealed to the world, most commoners held a fantasy about him. He had the image of a hero who stood against the Zipple alone, emerged victorious, and pursued justice. It wasn't an entirely inaccurate perception.
Whisper, whisper.
Perhaps because of this, many pedestrians felt a strange sense of familiarity and began chattering amongst themselves.
Is that Jin Runcandel? He’s so handsome. Is the person next to him that legendary guardian dragon? The cat?
“Who are you calling a cat?! Have you all lost your minds?!”
When Murakan suddenly shrieked, the pedestrians bowed their heads and scurried away.
After today, rumors would likely spread throughout Huphester that Jin’s guardian dragon was extremely ferocious.
“Ah, my ears. Why are you screaming all of a sudden?”
“I’m already annoyed about taking the warp gate, and now these people are calling me a cat. Don't they realize I can hear them even when they whisper?”
“Not everyone in the world has the hearing of an 8-star warrior. Most people assume they can’t be heard.”
“I don't care! I’m pissed!”
There was another reason Murakan was so sensitive.
Last night, he had asked Gilly out on a date and had been flatly rejected.
—Strawberry Pie, I hear there are many places worth visiting in Kalon. How about we explore them together, one by one? You don't need to hide your identity anymore, so let's go out and have some fun…
—I’m sorry, Lord Murakan. I believe I must be careful with my conduct until the Young Master has firmly established his position.
“Hurry up and become the Patriarch! I can’t live like this; it’s too stifling.”
“Be quiet. Do you know how many ears are listening?”
“The Anz Great Plain was Chukon Tolderer’s land, right? That means there might be remnants of the Dark Magic Association there. If I see even one of those bastards when we arrive, they’re all dead. Seriously.”
“We wiped out the Dark Magic Association last time.”
“I hope some are left.”
“What a horrible thing to say.”
The Express Warp Gate was uncrowded, as usual. As soon as an attendant saw Jin’s Flagbearer coat, they called for the gatekeeper, who escorted the pair to the VIP lounge reserved for Flagbearers with the utmost courtesy.
“Sir Jin Runcandel, it is an honor to serve you. Please tell me your destination.”
“To the warp gate closest to the Hola Mountains.”
“Understood. What should we do with the gate usage record?”
“Delete it so that no one can access it.”
“Yes, sir. Then, have a pleasant journey!”
Whoosh!
As soon as the gatekeeper left, the warp gate activated.
“Kid, why the Hola Mountains? That’s nowhere near the Anz Great Plain. I thought you said we didn't have time and had to get there as fast as possible?”
“I wanted to check something. To see if it’s okay to leave that gatekeeper be.”
Blue mana enveloped them.
When they opened their eyes a moment later, they were at a worn-down warp gate near the Hola Mountains. The knights waiting there saluted as soon as they saw Jin. Beside him, Murakan spent a good while retching.
Blegh—!
“I don't need an escort. I’m here on personal business, so don't mind me and go about your duties.”
Jin intentionally flew toward the Hola Mountains while riding Murakan, making sure he was in full view of the knights.
After flying around aimlessly for a few hours, they hid deep within the mountain range and took out the cosmetics and dyes from the Gold Snow Tribe. These were the very products that could create a perfect disguise with a simple application.
“Well, it’s no wonder they’re rich if they can make things like this so effortlessly. Murakan, you put some on, too. Most people recognize you now, even when you transform into a cat.”
Jin folded his Flagbearer coat neatly into his bag and put on a plain robe. Both of them dyed their hair blue.
“I thought I wouldn't have to wear disguises anymore after you became a Flagbearer. Is this really necessary?”
“It doesn't hurt to be careful. This reminds me of my time as a reserve flagbearer. It’s kind of nice. Let’s head out. To the Anz Great Plain.”
Jin took out the red jade and summoned Shuri.
With the two of them on her back, Shuri ran through the mountains soundlessly.
They crossed one mountain range overnight and traversed the sea by sunrise. Murakan did not fly a single time during the journey.
It was night again by the time they passed through the final forest, which opened up to the Anz Great Plain.
If the Mitra Great Desert were covered in grass, it would look exactly like this. The absurdly vast green meadows billowed like waves in the wind.
They had to travel for another day to reach "Baolai," the site of Temar’s first grave that Picon Minche had told them about.
Fortunately, what Murakan had hoped for did not happen. There were no remnants of the Dark Magic Association on the great plain. Occasionally, a mage-in-training could be seen in the distance, but they were just ordinary mages. Jin had to break a sweat stopping Murakan, who insisted they were remnants and wanted to kill them. Luckily, the mages never saw their party.
[Mya, mya…]
As they neared their destination, Shuri acted spoiled, as if exhausted.
“Good work, Shuri.”
Until they reached Baolai, the only people they encountered were a group of nomadic travelers. However, they didn't speak the continental language and failed to recognize Jin as a warrior.
Baolai looked like a low-lying hill spread out in the middle of the meadow.
The ground there was slightly elevated because it was, in fact, a massive, ancient burial mound.
Recognizing this, Murakan’s eyes deepened.
He had inwardly been skeptical of Picon’s words, but as soon as he arrived at Baolai, he instinctively felt it. This was truly the land where Temar had been buried.
“…Take out the key, kid.”
*
“You still haven't found anything?”
“No, Lord Joshua. The gatekeeper clearly reported that the 12th Flagbearer moved to the Hola Mountains, but even after combing through the range, we found nothing unusual.”
Jin’s prediction had been correct.
The record of the warp gate usage had been deleted, but the memory inside the gatekeeper’s head had not. The gatekeeper had informed Joshua of Jin’s destination even before being asked.
The Hola Mountains… Is there something related to Solderet there? Or something he obtained during his time as a reserve flagbearer? A person? I must find out what the youngest went there to get.
However, it was frustrating that the Guardian Knights were failing to bring back any information.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to Joshua: Jin would never have moved so carelessly.
He realized Jin must have intentionally leaked false information, anticipating that the gatekeeper would report to him.
The thought soon became a conviction.
“Hmph.”
“Lord Joshua?”
“I was too impatient. Withdraw everyone. Fire the gatekeeper, and give him an appropriate severance package.”
“Understood.”
Joshua took a long, deep drag from his cigarette.
It tasted bitter.