Chapter 335: Debts and Debts and Debts (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 335: Debts and Debts and Debts (2)
Neru closed his eyes, deep in thought.
It wasn't that he didn't want to save the small beastmen. In fact, he wanted to rescue them even more than Jin did. That was why Neru and the other Catfolk had been prepared to face death.
A moment later, his decision made, Neru met Jin’s eyes.
[…Fine. But you must keep your word. If it looks like you're going to die, you have to run.]
Jin nodded and pulled out the Red Jade.
[Mya!]
Shuri appeared with a cheerful cry, rubbing her face against Jin’s cheek. Neru’s eyes widened at the sight.
[My goodness, this is… isn’t this Witch Heluram’s cat?!]
“You recognize her.”
[I heard rumors in the human world that you traveled with a Red Jade Cat, but I never imagined it was Shuri…!]
[Mya, myamyamya, myamyang? Mya!]
Although Jin couldn't understand them, Shuri clearly recognized Neru as well. The two even touched noses, appearing quite friendly.
Nyan-nyan, mya, mya, nyan…
For a moment, they chattered in a language Jin couldn't decipher. The sight was so adorable that he momentarily forgot the direness of their situation.
Neru's expression shifted constantly as he spoke with Shuri.
His face darkened at the story of how Heluram had abandoned her, afflicting her with a curse of immortality. His eyes welled with tears when he heard she had been left alone in the Black Sea for a thousand years.
Then, he smiled when she described meeting Jin and finally leaving that desolate forest.
It wasn't just Neru. Shuri’s large eyes also glistened with moisture before she began to purr contentedly.
When their conversation ended, Neru turned back to Jin, his expression much lighter.
[Shuri has also endured a terrible thousand years… Jin Runcandel, I'm beginning to think her meeting you was Solderet's will. Arranged specifically for moments like this.]
[Myaa!]
The reason for Neru’s relief was simple.
He realized that as long as Shuri was here, Jin could escape the Wraith Squad whenever he wished.
[There was no need for me to worry about you helping the small beastmen. I’d love to talk with Shuri more, but you should head to the others first.]
Jin climbed onto Shuri’s back.
“Are you staying here, Neru?”
[I cannot leave this spot, as I must maintain the barrier. As I said before, run toward that beach to find Lulu. Tell him to send you to the cave, not to a safe place.]
“Understood.”
Just as Jin was about to depart, Neru delicately took hold of Shuri’s paw. Jin and Shuri both looked back at him.
[Thank you, Jin Runcandel.]
He was offering his sincere gratitude.
“Don’t mention it.”
Thanks to Shuri’s speed, it didn't take long to find Lulu.
Lulu was his twin, so identical to Neru it was difficult to tell them apart even up close. Neru, Lulu, and Miru—the triplets were the pillars that formed the Catfolk’s barrier.
[What, Shuri!? How long has it—no, more importantly, how are you alive…?]
Lulu was just as delighted to see Shuri as Neru had been.
However, once Jin explained the situation and his intent to go to the cave, Lulu realized there was no time for a long conversation. After a very brief greeting with Shuri, he sent Jin back to the Catfolk’s cave.
[By the time you reach the cave, we'll only have about ten minutes left on the barrier, factoring in your travel time. The moment it breaks, those bastards will storm the cave. Be careful.]
*
During the two days of the Wraith Squad’s continuous assault, not a single part of the cave remained intact.
Every time the barrier took a hit, tremors shook the cave, and the interior was thrown into chaos.
The gold-plated rocks were all shattered, and the Water Tail Tribe’s tools were completely destroyed.
The small beastmen had set up makeshift nets on the ceiling and were huddled together, trembling in fear.
They looked at the returning Jin as if he were their savior.
“Jin Runcandel!”
“Jin is here!”
“He… came back. Jin.”
Top, Suni, and Dark Flame shouted at once. The eyes of all the small beastmen landed on Jin.
If there was any silver lining, it was that none of them were seriously injured yet. Thanks to the nets installed by the Water Tail Tribe, they hadn't been harmed by falling rocks.
“Is everyone alright?”
“What on earth happened? Just a few hours after you left with the Catfolk, everything suddenly went crazy… and the cave was blocked off!”
The cave being blocked wasn't due to the attack, but because of the barrier.
“Zipple is attacking the Catfolk’s barrier. It will be breached in ten minutes. Everyone needs to run. As fast as you can, take only what is absolutely necessary!”
Jin briefly explained the situation: why Zipple’s mages were attacking and how the Catfolk had been holding them back.
Naturally, he also conveyed that he was the reason for the attack, but the small beastmen didn't resent him at all.
“Okay, Jin. We… run. You… hit them.”
“Augh! You’re so frustrating! Hey, you Water Tail folk, don't say a word until we’re safe! Just get ready to run! See, everyone? I told you our cosmetics business was going to be a huge hit! I knew Zipple, Viment, or Kinzelo would come after us sooner or later!” Top said, clenching his fists.
“Knew, it all.”
“We signed a contract with you at that ridiculous ratio for times just like this. Seeing as you didn't run away and came back for us, I guess it was a good contract after all.”
Top was intentionally acting nonchalant.
He did it to keep the other small beastmen from panicking. In reality, Top sensed that the situation was more serious than anyone else among them.
“Once the barrier collapses, Zipple’s mages will enter the cave. I’ll buy you time while you all escape.”
There were about a hundred and fifty beastmen in the cave.
He wanted to save every single one of them.
There was no time to agonize over how he would do it. The reason the Wraith Squad was attacking this place and their ultimate goal were still unknown.
To respond correctly, he first had to understand what the enemy wanted.
‘It’s much more likely their goal is to ruin my business than them having caught the scent of Temar’s tomb. Besides, I was a wanted man with a one-hundred-million-coin bounty in the Lutero Magic Federation until last year. Zipple must have been furious that someone like me had the gall to advertise cosmetics in their territory.’
It was beyond mere fury. Since the advertisements began, most of Zipple’s elders had been so consumed by rage that they were losing sleep.
That was the background behind Zipple dispatching the Wraith Squad, their most elite secret mage unit.
Recently, Zipple’s elders held a particular grudge against the Runcandels.
Not only had the family made Jin—a wanted criminal of the Lutero Magic Federation—a flagbearer, but the sight of him advertising cosmetics in Zipple’s own lands had made their blood boil.
From Zipple's perspective, the raid was more than justified.
‘If I play this right, I might even be able to exploit this situation. If I can just rescue the beastmen safely… I might be able to use the family as a shield for my business in the future.’
Kzzzt! Crack!
While the small beastmen were busily packing their belongings, a sharp cracking sound erupted.
It was the sound of the Catfolk's invisible barrier shattering.
Following the rupture, a rift tore open in midair. A powerful flow of mana pulsed from it.
It was the mana of the Wraith Squad.
“Hey, Jin! Our partner! You have to get out too after you save us!”
Shring!
Jin unsheathed Sigmund.
“Who are you worrying about? Run for the entrance as soon as the barrier breaks. Judging by the mana flow, it looks like they'll teleport right into the cave the moment it's gone. Go, hurry! Run to the entrance! Once you’re out, request protection from the Runcandels through the Jhan Kingdom. Tell them it’s an order from the 12th Flagbearer.”
Once the barrier broke completely, the sealed cave entrance would open.
“Got it. Promise you’ll come back alive, okay? And don't you dare think we’re suffering because of you. It’s not entirely wrong, but we chose to take this kind of risk when we decided to work with you.”
“Jin, not hurt. We all… thank you!”
“It’s ‘thank you all,’ not ‘all thank’! Argh, stop with the goodbyes and let’s go, you Water Tail rascals! We’ll only be a hindrance to our partner if we stay.”
“Orry.”
“It’s ‘sorry,’ not ‘orry’… Forget it, let’s go, let’s go!”
The Gold Snow Tribe pushed the Water Tail Tribe members along.
Jin allowed himself a small smirk.
Even though they had every right to resent him, seeing them refuse to blame him made him think: he was glad he came back.
The small beastmen looked back several times as they fled, leaving Jin behind.
Even they, who were completely ignorant of magic, could feel the sheer immensity of the mana pouring into the cave as the barrier shattered.
‘To think the mana felt from beyond the barrier was this immense… I expected this, but I stand no chance in a direct confrontation.’
Three members of the Wraith Squad.
The enemy would be no less formidable than three of the Runcandel family’s Black Knights. Facing three Black Knights at once would be no easy task even for Luna.
For the current Jin, it was impossible.
Nevertheless, Jin believed there might be a single opportunity.
Not just to stall for time, but to inflict massive damage on the Wraith Squad mages—or perhaps even a chance to kill them.
‘They don’t know I’m here.’
No matter how elite the Wraith Squad was, they couldn't have anticipated that Jin would be inside the cave.
Of course, the Wraith Squad was more than capable of responding to any unexpected variable… provided their opponent was conventionally strong.
Whooooosh…!
Spirit Energy surged from Jin’s body. It expanded to fill the cave in an instant, enveloping him like a veil.
He deployed the Spirit Energy to erase his presence. Concealed by it, Jin looked like just another shadow stretching across the cave wall.
He recalled the day he had terrorized the Moonlight Well in Mamit during his cadet days.
The attack Jin was attempting now was the exact same method: completely concealing his presence and energy with Spirit Energy, then detonating it at a moment the opponent would never expect.
Back then, he had needed hours in a tavern to gather enough Spirit Energy, but now, a few moments were all he needed.
Especially in a confined, narrow space like this.
Kzzzt, crackle…!
The barrier began to collapse completely.
Fwoosh!
And within the veil of Spirit Energy, a small spark ignited.
That spark was the very reason Jin had erased his presence.
Even the Wraith Squad would be unable to read the mana of that tiny spark from beyond the barrier and through the veil of Spirit Energy.
Nor could they sense that it was the ignition point for the Runcandel Magic Sword Secret Technique: Karma Fire.
‘I’ll end this the moment they arrive. If they’re hit directly by a surprise Karma Fire, even the Wraith Squad won’t escape unscathed.’