Chapter 365: Traces (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 365: Traces (5)
Jin’s eyes grew cold as he peered into the hollow of the tree.
“Just as you said. The fairy descendants are a nasty bunch.”
Slash!
Jin spoke as he cut down the tree. With a light swing of his sword, the wood was sliced clean through. The Lulu inside was cut as well, but it was nothing more than a cruel illusion.
As the bloody phantom of Lulu vanished, a magic circle trap was revealed in its place. Had the two of them simply approached, it would have been triggered.
Giggle-giggle-giggle!
An unpleasant laugh echoed from deep within the forest. Jin and Valeria waited silently, their faces expressionless, for their opponent to appear.
[You didn’t fall for it?]
Whir, flutter, whirrr…!
From the darkness beyond the trees, a shimmering light emerged, accompanied by a rhythmic buzzing.
It was the sound of a fairy descendant’s wings. The fairy that revealed itself was beautiful, a stark contrast to the unpleasant, snickering laughter from moments ago.
It had small, glowing, dainty wings; a face so cute one felt the urge to reach out and touch it; and a lovely expression full of mischief.
Of course, the gazes Jin and Valeria fixed on the fairy were utterly chilling.
[Hehe, hello? You aren’t upset about my little prank, are you?]
The fairy descendant asked, scratching its head.
“Where are the Catfolk?”
[Why so hasty? We should at least introduce ourselves. Hello again! I am Maila, younger sister of the Fairy King.]
Jin and Valeria looked down at Maila without responding.
[…Not happy to see me? Usually, when humans stumble into this forest and meet me, every last one of them screams about how ‘mysterious’ I am.]
“I asked where the Catfolk are.”
When Jin asked again in a low voice, Maila chuckled.
[The Catfolk are being well-protected by me and my kin. They arrived in the Wantaramo Forest covered in wounds—it was so pitiful! I simply couldn’t help but assist them.]
Maila locked eyes with Jin as she continued.
[But, Jin Runcandel, youngest son of Cyron Runcandel. Don’t you think you’re being a bit rude? I’ve already given my name, yet you keep your head held so high. Shall I snap it for you? And the human next to you as well?]
“You expect courtesy after you played such a vile trick?”
[What does it matter? It’s not like I actually hurt Lulu. For someone so young, you’re quite stiff. If anything, I’m the one who treated their wounds.]
Maila pouted.
She shook her head, seemingly disappointed that her audience remained completely unresponsive to her cute appearance.
She struck a few more charming poses, but the only thought in Jin and Valeria’s minds was that if not for the Catfolk, they would have attacked the annoying creature on the spot.
[…Fine, I get it. Jeez, you look like you'd cut me down for one more little prank. I’ll take you to the Catfolk. Follow me.]
Maila began to fly slowly back into the depths of the forest.
Strangely, the forest shifted whenever Maila moved. Trees and rocks moved organically along with her, as if they were living organisms.
As they walked, Jin and Valeria couldn’t help but stay on high alert.
This was only natural, as they had zero trust in Maila. They expected a trap or an attack to be sprung at any moment.
[Hmph, don’t worry, I won’t play any more tricks on you. I’ve never seen humans as boring as you two.]
When they didn’t respond to that either, Maila remained silent until they reached their destination. The three of them trekked into the deep forest in silence for an hour.
Fortunately, there were no more traps.
[We’re here.]
They arrived at a place where thousands of trees were strangely bent and twisted, forming a single, massive cave.
[Come out, everyone.]
At Maila’s call, a sudden, dazzling light poured out from within the cave.
It was the light of thousands of fairy descendants emerging all at once. Regardless of their eccentric personalities, the sight was magnificent.
Whir, flutter, whir! In an instant, the area was filled with fairies who surrounded Jin and Valeria, giggling.
The last to exit the cave were two Catfolk and a fairy descendant with wings twice as large as Maila’s or any of the others’.
“Lulu!”
[Jin Runcandel!]
Lulu and Miru.
Two of the triplets who had stayed behind in the Catfolk’s cave, maintaining the barrier against the Wraith Squad to the very end.
The moment Jin saw them, the worry that had been weighing on his heart seemed to lift. A sudden wave of anxiety struck him, however.
“…Where is Lady Neru?”
Just as he began to worry she had fallen in battle defending the barrier, Lulu smiled.
[Neru is hiding elsewhere, leading the rest of the clan. Only Miru and I sought refuge with the fairies. We were all a bit injured, but fortunately, no one died.]
Only then did a smile touch Jin’s lips.
They had all escaped that cave.
“Thank you… for surviving.”
Jin bowed his head and took Lulu and Miru’s hands.
[Oh my, what a touching reunion. Truly, I can’t watch this without shedding a tear. Don’t you agree, my King?]
Maila spoke as she landed beside Lulu, Miru, and the fairy descendant with the largest wings.
That individual was the King of the fairy descendants, and unlike Maila, they possessed an air of great dignity.
“I am Jin Runcandel.”
[You may call me Shilla.]
Shilla was Maila’s older sister and the Fairy King.
[Maila surely played some mischievous pranks on your way here. Allow me to apologize on her behalf.]
[Apologize? Why? My King, strictly speaking, they are intruders. There would have been no problem even if I had just killed them.]
[They came to save the Catfolk, Maila. Furthermore, the Catfolk left those traces with my permission.]
[Though they never told us the one reading those traces might be a Record Magic user.]
At Maila’s sarcastic remark, Valeria’s eyes shifted slightly to the left. The Catfolk and the fairies didn’t notice it was a habit of hers when she grew tense, but Jin saw it instantly.
And Jin, like Valeria, was also slightly taken aback.
‘How did Maila know Valeria is a Record Magic user? Did she see it when Valeria used Record Magic at the forest entrance? Besides, I never told Lulu or Miru about Valeria’s existence.’
Whir, flutter, whirrr…
At Maila’s words, Jin could sense the nearby fairy descendants whispering among themselves in a language he and Valeria couldn’t understand.
[Jin.]
“Yes, Lady Lulu.”
[While staying in the land of the fairy descendants, we left two types of traces so that you could find us…]
The two types of traces Lulu and Miru had left were designed to be found by those with Record Magic and those without.
The reason was simple.
Valeria’s tracking speed was far too fast. The Seven-Colored Bird hadn’t even been able to detect the general traces they had left, so Valeria’s tracking speed was clearly extraordinary.
Lulu and Miru believed that no one could have found them so quickly without possessing Record Magic.
Therefore, assuming the tracker was a Record Magic user, they intended to confirm one thing: whether the tracker was one of Jin’s people or not.
As Valeria had initially suspected, the Catfolk had planned to use the power of the fairy descendants to eliminate the tracker if they were not an ally.
When Lulu explained this, Jin nodded, and Valeria seemed lost in thought for a moment.
“If I wasn’t one of Jin’s people, why did you intend to kill me?”
[Because there is something here that a Record Mage unrelated to the Contractor of Solderet must not see.]
Shilla, the King of the fairy descendants, answered in Lulu’s stead.
And Jin could instinctively guess what Shilla was referring to.
‘Is Temar’s fourth tomb here? Lulu and Miru came to the Wantaramo Forest specifically to lead me to the fourth tomb while they were on the run.’
He was correct.
The fairy descendants knew the path to Temar’s fourth tomb.
A brief silence followed.
Maila’s expression soured, as if she disliked Shilla giving away such information so easily.
[Human, what is your relationship with Jin Runcandel?]
Shilla suddenly asked Valeria.
Just as Valeria was about to answer, Jin spoke first.
“She is my comrade. Someone I trust more than anyone else in the world.”
[Then I, Shilla, King of the fairy descendants, shall fulfill the ancient promise made to Solderet. Furthermore, I must express my gratitude to my old friends, the Catfolk Lulu and Miru, for helping me keep that promise.]
Flash…!
Shilla’s wings emitted an even more intense light.
It was a symbol of the highest authority in the Wantaramo Forest. All the other fairy descendants, including Maila, immediately landed on the ground and bowed their heads toward Shilla.
The scene was a powerful display of the dignity befitting the Fairy King.
[Jin Runcandel, his fellow mage, and my friends—follow me. The tomb is inside the cave. Finally, I can lay down the heavy burden I have carried for the past thousand years.]
Shilla began to flap her wings toward the cave formed by the twisted trees.
Jin and his companions followed her inside. Even as they entered, the fairy descendants gathered outside did not dare lift their heads.
Jin naturally assumed Shilla’s authority as the Fairy King was absolute.
That, however, was not the case.
[Lulu, Miru. You two probably noticed while you were staying here.]
Creeeak, crack, grind!
Suddenly, the trees began to twist and bend, sealing the entrance to the cave.
Looking back, Jin saw Maila smiling through the rapidly narrowing gap.
[Maila betrayed me long ago.]
The sealing of the cave entrance was not the result of Shilla’s power.
She was King in name only; the true power and control over the Wantaramo Forest had already passed to Maila and the other fairy descendants.
[Yes, we felt it, Lady Shilla…]
[Maila has no intention of keeping the promise to Solderet. That is why she intended to lock me away at the first opportunity. Though I doubt she expected to trap the Contractor of a thousand years along with me.]
Despite the sudden turn of events, Jin and Valeria were not panicked. Given Maila’s behavior, it was a development they could have anticipated.
[The humans Maila has sided with will likely arrive in Wantaramo soon.]
“Who did she side with?”
[Zipple. They are the only ones who could satisfy her hollow greed.]
Shilla gave a faint smile. Her wings, shining brilliantly in the darkness, looked incredibly lonely.
“Lady Shilla, it seems you have a plan, seeing as you allowed yourself to be trapped even though you knew Maila had betrayed you.”