Chapter 310: Fragments of the Past – Sarah (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 310: Fragments of the Past – Sarah (3)
“Jin!”
“Young Master, are you alright?”
His companions rushed to his side, concern etched on their faces.
Jin handed the broken sword and the Spirit Energy Orb to Jet, a bittersweet smile playing on his lips.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
Whoosh…
Spiritual energy gathered in the palm of Jin’s hand. The dark energy soon coalesced into the shape of a single condolence flower. As Jin placed it on the ground and bowed his head in a silent prayer, his companions followed suit.
It was a moment of mourning for Sarah. Murakan and Quicantel, in particular, looked as though they were struggling to suppress a tidal wave of complicated emotions.
Rest in peace, Sir Sarah.
Olmango remained standing upon the surface of the sea, patiently waiting for the group.
With a flick of his power, Olmango manifested a set of intangible stairs rising from the water. Following his lead, the group retraced the path they had taken to arrive.
[So, who was the friend inside? Jin Runcandel.]
Olmango asked the question the moment they reached the shore.
“It was Sir Sarah Runcandel.”
[Sarah… Sarah Runcandel, you say…]
Olmango repeated the name several times, rolling it over in his mind.
However, even after a long, heavy silence, no memories of her surfaced.
[I feel a strange sense of longing and sorrow, yet it is bizarre how no memories of Sarah Runcandel come to mind… It must be because Zipple erased her from history.]
“Are you sure you even knew Sarah, Shell God?”
At Murakan’s skeptical question, Olmango nodded solemnly.
[Yes, we were acquainted. If we weren't, there would be no reason for my heart to ache like this.]
“But if Zipple completely erased her from history, shouldn’t she be missing from Lord Murakan and Lady Quicantel’s memories as well?” Alisa asked.
[Zipple’s history manipulation is not perfect. If their manipulation were flawless, I would never have met you all in the first place. It would have been impossible for me to use my authority to hide Temar’s second tomb again.]
Murakan and Quicantel exchanged a nod of agreement.
“The old man is right. It’s their standard procedure to erase the enemies they’ve defeated from history, but there are limits. That’s why Runcandel was able to maintain its lineage, even if the fact that we were a family of magic swordsmen was erased.”
This was also the reason why Chenmi’s magic tome still existed in the world, why Shuziel Hister’s magic tome remained, and why Valeria was still alive.
“But even if it’s imperfect… I also found it difficult to remember Silderay and Sarah until I actually faced the Grave Guardians. It means my memories are also being influenced by their magic to some extent.”
“Aigoo, this Jet finds it hard to wrap his head around all this. Erasing history… is that really possible with magic? It’s not like they’re gods or anything…”
“It is a massive and dangerous power that humans should never possess. And those are the people we have to fight,” Quicantel explained, leading to a brief, heavy silence.
A bystander.
Sarah had called her that, but unlike a thousand years ago, the current Quicantel was fighting alongside Jin.
This meant that her god, Olta, was not objecting to her being swept up in Jin’s struggle.
Though they hadn't heard a detailed explanation, everyone understood the guilt Quicantel felt toward Sarah. As a Guardian Dragon, she could not possess ‘complete free will’ like a human.
If it was the choice of the god she served, she had to follow it, no matter how much she disliked it. She was a being who would undergo blind sacrifice at any moment for the sake of her contractor.
That was what it meant to be a Guardian Dragon.
…But Murakan tried to kill Temar.
Jin couldn't even imagine how painful that must have been for Murakan to process.
“Kid.”
“Yeah.”
“So, what did you see in the recording device this time? Let’s hear it.”
Jin glanced at Olmango and his companions. It was a gesture of consideration for Murakan.
“……Everyone, could you give us a moment of privacy?”
Just as Olmango and the others were about to leave without a word, Murakan waved his hand dismissively.
“Everyone here is your comrade, kid. It looks like you saw something bad about me, but there’s no need to hide it. Tell us exactly what you saw, whatever it was.”
[Hmm… Then should I at least step away?]
As Olmango looked around tentatively, Murakan chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
“You stay and listen too. I’m miffed that Solderet didn’t leave a single word for me, but regardless, it seems you were close with my old comrades. You’ve done a good job hiding Temar’s second tomb all this time, after all.”
Jin nodded.
“What I saw… was you trying to kill Temar.”
At those words, the companions’ mouths hung open in shock. Murakan and Quicantel, however, remained remarkably calm.
As Jin began to describe the vision in detail, the expressions of his companions shifted constantly, captivated by the intriguing yet tragic tale of the past.
When the story ended, Murakan let out a long, weary sigh.
“……Temar. I definitely remember being stabbed in the heart and falling into a long slumber while fighting him after he went berserk. But…”
As expected, Murakan had no memory of the ‘Kinzelo Leader’ at all. Nor did he remember the mysterious tower that existed in the Black Sea. He had no memory of ever visiting that tower with Sarah and Padler that day.
“I have no idea who that weird bastard is or what that tower in the Black Sea was. And as far as I remember, Temar was never that weak.”
The part Murakan found most baffling was how easily Temar had almost been suppressed by him.
“The Kinzelo Leader… you’re saying I encountered that guy a thousand years ago? I thought he was just some demon who’d picked up a few rumors here and there, but it seems he really is a demon with some connection to me.”
Surprisingly, Murakan wasn't particularly agitated. He had decided to accept that there was something fundamentally wrong with his memories.
Above all, it was because Solderet had left the recording devices behind.
“The reason my damn god went out of his way to leave these recording devices must be because he considered the possibility of my memories being compromised. No, he was probably certain of it. If we retrace everything step by step, we’ll eventually face the truth of those days.”
“But Murakan,” Quicantel spoke up.
“What?”
“That expression the Kinzelo Leader supposedly used in the video. The part about orphans.”
“‘As a fortunate soul blessed with too much, I am merely trying to show kindness to poor orphans.’ That one?”
“Yes. Haven’t you heard that expression somewhere before?”
“I don’t know. It sounds like the kind of thing nauseating people often say to those they consider weaker than themselves.”
“It feels strangely familiar.”
“It’s not like it’s the first time a demon has been unnecessarily long-winded. It’s probably nothing, but look into it if it bothers you. Are there even any demons active right now? I heard the kid’s eldest sister cut one down a while back.”
The pendant Luna had given Jin as a birthday gift back at Storm Castle had originally belonged to the Beast Demon King Orgal; she had obtained it as a trophy after slaying a demon.
Murakan took the Spirit Energy Orbs from Jet.
“Hmm, really… I hate to do this, but I guess I need to go see Misha as soon as possible. I need to ask her what these orbs are for and if she knows anything about the video you saw. You still have some vacation time left, right?”
“About a week.”
“Good, let’s go right away. There’s enough time to stop by Picon’s and give him the fragments of Sarah’s sword. Hey, Shell God.”
[What is it?]
“Thanks. For guarding that guy’s tomb.”
When Murakan scratched his head awkwardly and offered his thanks, Olmango shrugged.
[Forget it. It was Solderet’s request, so of course I had to fulfill it.]
“Still, it couldn't have been easy. You never knew what kind of trouble you’d be in if Zipple found out.”
At that, Olmango cleared his throat and nodded.
[True, it was a difficult task. If you’re that grateful, can I ask for one favor?]
“Let’s hear it.”
Olmango glanced at Jin and his companions once more.
[Cookies…]
“What?”
[That… could you get me more of those Litra cookies? Truly, the taste was unbelievable…]
“Oh, for heaven’s sake! You’re a god, and you’re obsessed with cookies! This is why people like me think of you as a minor god! You can walk on water and handle such incredible seals, so show some dignity, will you?”
[You try living on nothing but seafood and see if you don't end up like this.]
“I will make sure to have someone send cookies to you regularly, Lord Olmango,” Jin said.
Olmango’s eyes sparkled at those words.
[Really?]
“Of course.”
[Oh, I can’t thank you enough. Jogoby, I’ll be able to feed my contractor plenty now. I felt bad because I accidentally ate almost all of them by myself.]
Jin chuckled and met Olmango’s eyes.
“By the way, Lord Olmango.”
[Yes?]
“Do you happen to know who holds the key to the third tomb?”
*
Jin and Murakan stopped by Picon’s to hand over Sarah’s broken sword—he had nothing to add regarding the video Jin saw in the second tomb—and then immediately went to find Misha.
“Please show your identification.”
A neatly dressed employee spoke with an expressionless face.
The place the two had come to find Misha was a top-tier tavern in the Mila Kingdom.
Operating under the name ‘The Veil,’ this tavern was strictly members-only and was a peculiar place where entry was impossible without a recommendation from an existing member.
Even royalty couldn't enter as they pleased.
While members of world-class powers like Runcandel, Zipple, or Viment could enter unconditionally just by showing their family crest or symbol, Jin and Murakan were currently in disguise.
“We’re here to see Ms. Grace Shields.”
Instead, they gave the name of the owner, which was known to extremely few, even among the members.
The employee’s attitude changed instantly.
“You are guests of the master. I apologize for my rudeness. I will escort you inside.”
The employee immediately led the two to a secret room and returned to his post. Inside the room, a black-haired woman sat alone, drinking during the day.
“It’s been a while, Jin. Have you been well?”
Grace Shields—that was Misha’s alias. She was the owner of the tavern, The Veil. This was one of her many hideouts.
“I’ve been well, thanks to you, Lady Misha. It’s the first time I’ve seen you since the West Sea Battle. I apologize for not visiting sooner.”
“If you’d come just to say thanks for no reason, I would have given you a sound thrashing.”
“Hmph, what a temper as always. I was going to give up if you weren't here. Just how many hideouts do you have?”
Murakan looked quite haggard, having used teleport gates over twenty times in two days to search through the hideouts she had told them about.
“You’re just begging to be hit the moment you arrive, aren't you? ‘You’? Did you just call me ‘you’? Come here, I’ll spin your jaw in six different directions.”
Thwack, thud!
After a somewhat violent greeting, Jin held out the two Spirit Energy Orbs to her.
“ Gah, cough. ”
Blood poured from Murakan’s mouth. Misha, who had been holding him by the collar, tossed him aside and fixed her gaze on the orbs.
“Where did you get these?”
“I’ve been visiting Temar’s tombs.”
“……Tell me everything.”
From the day he met Picon to his recent visit to Olmango. Throughout Jin’s explanation, Misha maintained a grave expression.
She also seemed unaware of the fact that Solderet had left the ‘arrangement’ of Temar’s tombs, just like Murakan.
“Jin.”
“Yes, Lady Misha.”
“Those orbs you brought are recording devices. I’ve only heard stories about them; this is my first time seeing the real thing.”
“These are recording devices?”
“Yes. The video you saw must have been the result of the recording device activating. The reason the footage was unstable is because the device is damaged.”
“Can it be fixed?”
To Jin’s question, Misha replied:
“It is impossible for me.”
“Hey, Misha. What are we supposed to do if you can’t fix it?”
“Jin, it seems… you’ll have to go meet Aria Owlheart.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
He hadn't expected Misha to be the first one to bring up his teacher’s name.