Chapter 307: Temar’s Second Tomb (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 307: Temar’s Second Tomb (5)
I pulled my sword free.
The gruesome sensation of the blade grating against bone and tearing through organs traveled up my arm.
As the Guardian collapsed, the flames of Karma Fire that had been scorching the surroundings began to subside with startling speed. The inferno vanished as if it had all been a lie, replaced by small, warm embers that fluttered through the air like pollen.
The flames enveloping the Guardian’s body faded as well.
Spirit energy bled incessantly from the horrific wounds marring her body. Her breathing was ragged, but it soon grew calm, as if she had finally accepted her end.
[Sarah!]
Murakan hurriedly landed and shifted into his human form.
Though they had been forced to fight until moments ago, in Murakan’s heart, Sarah was still an old friend and a comrade-in-arms. Even if this was just a Guardian modeled after her, the soul of the real Sarah Runcandel was undoubtedly woven into its being.
Watching the end of such a Guardian was a cruel fate for Murakan, even if he had fought alongside Jin and his companions to grant her peace.
Quicantel also transformed into her human form and stood beside Murakan. She bit her lower lip, her expression a mask of complicated emotions.
[Murakan…]
“Yeah, it’s me. It’s Murakan. Dammit, is your mind finally back? Only after you’ve ended up like this?”
His voice trembled, thick with suppressed emotion. Murakan leaned down and took the Guardian’s hand. It was unbelievably cold for the hand of someone who had just wielded such magnificent fire, even with a broken body.
[You and Solderet’s new contractor…]
The Guardian paused.
The phrase ‘new contractor’ reminded her of facts she had momentarily forgotten. Temar was dead, and the glorious Runcandel of old had vanished into history.
Murakan had only just now come to find her. The people witnessing her end after a long and desperate struggle were not the Runcandel magic swordsmen, but the Silver Dragon—once a mere bystander—and a group of entirely unfamiliar faces.
[…Fortunately, he possessed enough power to defeat me in my weakened state.]
Sarah, what on earth happened?
What kind of end did Temar meet a thousand years ago? Why did Solderet turn you all into Guardians of his tombs, and what does Zipple hope to gain by desecrating his grave?
Why did Solderet entrust the stories to you all, instead of me or Misha? What was it that I didn't know back then, and why, just why…
Murakan could not bring himself to ask Sarah these questions.
He felt he had no right. Whatever the reason, the guilt of not being with his comrades until the end pierced his heart like a blade.
Above all, Murakan was no longer Temar’s guardian dragon. The Runcandel of old was no longer his to protect. According to Solderet’s arrangements, the task of uncovering the truth now belonged to Jin.
Murakan’s role now was to assist Jin as his guardian dragon.
“You’ve… suffered so much, all alone. I’m sorry.”
He expected a sharp retort, just as he had received from Silderay.
However, the Guardian looked Murakan straight in the eye and replied:
[As much as we suffered, you must have had your own pain. There is nothing for you to be sorry for.]
Murakan didn't answer; he simply squeezed Sarah’s hand tight.
[But Quicantel, it is truly unexpected to see you here. Did you and your god not decide to remain neutral? Have you had a change of heart?]
Even with her sanity restored, her sense of betrayal toward Quicantel remained.
“Just as you Runcandels view Temar’s orders as absolute, I too cannot go against Lord Olta’s will.”
[Right. You are a dragon, so you had no choice. It is not that I don't understand. However, Patriarch… do not forget that my brother was a man who would have risked his life for you at any moment.]
Jin’s eyes widened at the word ‘brother.’
Sarah Runcandel—she was Temar’s biological sister.
[I only hope that in the battles that child must face, your precious god does not remain a bystander.]
Quicantel, like Murakan, could find no words to reply.
Yet, regardless of the betrayal, Sarah did not truly hate or loathe Quicantel.
[Still, I am grateful for one thing. Thanks to you, I was spared the folly of killing Murakan and that child with my own hands.]
It was true. Without Quicantel’s authority, Jin would not have been able to strike down the Guardian.
The Guardian met Jin’s eyes.
[Jin Runcandel.]
“Yes, Lady Sarah.”
[It has been a long time since I last tasted defeat. I have shown you an unseemly side of myself, worn down by a struggle that lasted far too long.]
“You guarded this place alone for a thousand years. It wasn’t unseemly at all.”
The skeletons of the ancient mages that had filled the subspace were now nowhere to be found. They had all turned to ash and vanished when the Karma Fire erupted.
The companions, who had been maintaining the shield at the rear, approached Jin’s side. They didn't share memories with Sarah like Murakan or Quicantel, nor did they feel the same debt of a descendant as Jin did.
Nevertheless, they couldn't bring themselves to hold a grudge against the woman who had just tried to kill them. Even without an explanation, they felt they understood the kind of time she must have endured.
Furthermore, the companions felt a sense of helplessness. They realized that if they wanted to fight alongside Jin, they could no longer afford to live as complacently as they had before.
[I am grateful you think so, Jin, my distant descendant.]
“Please, speak.”
[How is the Runcandel of today?]
“It likely cannot compare to the era I never knew.”
[Zipple must still be manipulating the world as they please.]
Jin nodded.
The chill of death crept over the Guardian as spirit energy continued to leak from her body. A faint whistling sound escaped her trembling lips.
[We have placed a heavy burden upon you.]
“Becoming Solderet’s contractor and inheriting the will of my ancestors has always felt more like an opportunity than a burden. You don’t need to think of it that way.”
It was the truth. Compared to the miserable life he had endured before his regression, this life was nothing short of a blessing. Moreover, Jin wasn't merely inheriting the will of the old Runcandel. He was simply carving out a new life for himself, by his own will.
[You have a talent for kind words. Come… come closer.]
The Guardian could no longer see Jin, though he was right in front of her. She had gone completely blind.
Gilly patted Murakan’s back as she looked at him, and Enya took Quicantel’s hand.
[From this moment, I, Sarah Runcandel of the Ten Great Knights, as the Guardian of Temar Runcandel’s tomb, shall pass on what I possess to Jin Runcandel.]
Jin bowed his head.
Suddenly, previously invisible Rune characters manifested all over the Guardian’s body.
Rune characters…?
They glowed where her missing arm should have been and over the hole in her chest. Those runes contained the Runcandel Magic Sword Secret Technique that Sarah Runcandel had perfected over her lifetime.
Karma Fire – Sarah Runcandel
This was not Solderet’s arrangement, but a legacy the Guardian was leaving of her own volition.
As if her very soul were departing, the runes flowed from Sarah’s body and seeped into Jin. With each engraved character, the memories Sarah had gained while creating Karma Fire were transferred to him—a process similar to the unique memory transfer of the Pluto Tribe that the 5th Fighting King Boras had shown him, or the Hister family’s unique inheritance magic.
[I had hoped for someone worthy of this sword to find me. It seems one small wish has come true.]
Unlike the runes Jin had engraved on his own body, the Guardian’s runes would not normally be visible. They would only glow when he unleashed the Karma Fire.
“…You are giving me an unexpectedly great gift.”
[It is nothing compared to the comfort you have given me. Thanks to you, I can finally find rest.]
Sarah’s body was dissolving into particles of spirit energy. The energy that had flowed in place of blood rose into the air like fine powder and began to slowly envelop Jin’s body.
Just as it had been with Silderay, Jin was about to enter another subspace containing the stories of the past.
“Do you have any final words, Lady Sarah?”
[I hope… that everyone isn't hurting too much.]
She said ‘everyone,’ not ‘you.’
At those words, Murakan and Quicantel flinched, gritting their teeth. They would have preferred her resentment for coming so late.
But as she departed, she offered not bitter words, but a brief reflection on her thousand-year-long, lonely battle.
[Finally… I can go to my brother and my comrades.]
Soon, the Guardian’s body completely transformed into particles of spirit energy.
As Jin and his companions observed a brief moment of silence for her, the spirit energy swirled gently, creating a soft hum.
“I will disappear into another subspace for a moment. Don’t be alarmed and wait for me, everyone.”
Zzzzt… Bzzt.
Just like before, a distant voice echoed from somewhere.
…must stop… Sarah… del.
…must… him… Sarah…
Though faint, the voice was one Jin knew better than anyone.
That’s Murakan’s voice…!
The other companions couldn't hear it. Jin whipped his head around to look at Murakan, but the dragon didn't seem to hear his own past voice either. It was audible only to Jin.
As the voice echoed, the swirling spirit energy completely embraced him.
When the particles of spirit energy finally vanished, the companions could only stare blankly at the spot where Jin and Sarah had stood.
*
When Jin opened his eyes again, he faced a void of darkness, just as he had in the first tomb.
A subspace within a subspace.
However, unlike what he had experienced in the first tomb, this subspace was clearly not intact. Hideous cracks spiderwebbed through the darkness, and the entire space trembled as if caught in an earthquake.
Furthermore, an ominous noise—the sound of the space itself collapsing—scraped incessantly at his eardrums. Just as Sarah had been wounded by her long struggle, the subspace she held within her had also been damaged.
Jin understood this instinctively and began to walk. He moved toward the voice, searching for the recording device Solderet had left behind.
After a moment, a massive sphere glowing gray came into view. As he drew closer to the sphere, Murakan’s faint voice became clear.
We must stop him…
We must stop him, Sarah Runcandel.
The sphere showed a scene from a thousand years ago: Murakan and Sarah in conversation. Both were covered in blood, as if they had just finished a battle, and their clothes and armor were torn in various places.
Sarah glared at Murakan.
[What do you mean, we must stop him? Are you suggesting… we kill the Patriarch? You, of all people, are telling us to give up on him…?!]
Murakan did not answer. He simply pressed a hand to his forehead as if utterly exhausted.