Chapter 366: Traces (6)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 366: Traces (6)
[There is no plan. There is only a purpose.]
The purpose Shilla spoke of was simple: to ensure Jin, Solderet's thousand-year Contractor, reached Temar’s fourth tomb safely.
[Maila… it seems she resents me for keeping my promise to Solderet. The others feel the same. They all believe the descendants of the Fairy Race are making a useless sacrifice. Or perhaps they think we are clinging to a meaningless hope.]
"Is that why Maila seized the throne from you and took control of the forest?"
[Indeed. Waiting for you was an uncertain gamble with an unclear reward… whereas others promised to give us everything we desired in exchange for a little information. From their perspective, betrayal was the logical choice.]
"What is it that the descendants of the Fairy Race want?"
[To regain our original forms.]
Shilla continued in a melancholy voice.
[…I will tell you more when the time is right. For now, our priority is to overcome this situation and lead you to Temar’s fourth tomb.]
Phiririri—!
Glowing particles spread from Shilla’s wings. The surroundings brightened instantly, revealing the gnarled surface of the tangled trees. The cave's dark interior felt like the entrails of a giant beast.
[Lulu, Miru.]
[Yes.]
[His fourth tomb does not exist in this cave.]
Shilla had long foreseen the betrayal of Maila and her kin.
That was why she had never disclosed the true location of the fourth tomb to anyone. Every other descendant of the Fairy Race, Shilla included, believed that Temar’s tomb lay at the end of this cave.
[Then where is it…?]
[The Red Lake. It is the water source of the Wantaramo Forest.]
The Red Lake was the largest source of water in the Wantaramo Forest, connecting to the Yulpi River beyond its borders. All life in the forest, including the descendants of the Fairy Race, relied on the Red Lake to survive.
[We must get there as quickly as possible. The Contractor must reach the tomb before the pursuers arrive. Summon the Red Jade Cat, Jin Runcandel.]
Shilla knew Jin was Shuri’s contractor, having heard it from the Catfolk.
Flash!
[Mya!]
The summoned Shuri took the entire group onto her back and sprinted. They had to reach the end of the cave first to move toward the Red Lake without being detected.
The cave was deeper than Jin and Valeria had imagined. Even with Shuri running at full speed, they traveled for over thirty minutes.
As they reached the end, they encountered a massive door made of mana.
It’s similar to the door in the secret library beneath Storm Castle.
Like that door, this one required an activation phrase; otherwise, it would take incredibly powerful individuals to destroy it. This door felt even more formidable than the one beneath Storm Castle.
When Shilla spoke the activation phrase in the language of the Fairy Race, the door swung open, revealing the space beyond.
[Maila believes that my crown, Temar’s fourth tomb, and the vast legacy left by our ancestors lie beyond this door, but…]
Beyond the door was nothing but an empty chamber.
Only a desolate landscape of unrefined rock walls and a chilling wind from an unknown source greeted the group.
[There is nothing here. I intended to show Maila this emptiness once she came of age. I hoped she would realize… how our people became so hollow.]
Maila was over two thousand years old, yet in Shilla’s eyes, she was no different from a newborn.
The thought of her younger sister, who had failed to mature and had chosen the wrong path, was painful enough. Knowing she might have to kill that sister was agonizing.
Rumble…!
The door closed.
[Ah, I lost myself in sentiment for a moment. Let us move. From here, I believe I will need your abilities, Lulu and Miru.]
Shilla was referring to the unique dimensional abilities of the Catfolk.
[Do you mean we should create a passage to the Red Lake?]
[Yes. And if time permits, create a path that will confuse our pursuers as well.]
[How much time do we have?]
As soon as they heard the question, Jin and Valeria had the same thought.
Where is the nearest Magic Tower to the Principality of Kiken?
Where’s the closest Zipple Magic Tower from here?
The 3rd Magic Tower.
They reached the same conclusion. Since the 3rd Magic Tower was on Lachan Island between the Lutero Magic Federation and the Viment Sea, if the Zipple received a signal and deployed personnel, they would surely come from there.
"About three hours."
"It'll probably take them about three hours. That's assuming the fairy named Maila gets word to the Zipple within an hour."
Jin and Valeria answered simultaneously and glanced at each other.
[You both calculate faster than I. I've been away from human geography for so long that my knowledge has grown muddled.]
[Three hours is more than enough time to build a maze.]
Lulu and Miru spoke confidently, but Shilla shook her head.
[However, your calculations are missing one fact. Are you familiar with the staves of the Zipple Tower Masters?]
The Tower Masters' staves.
Those staves were engraved with special Rune characters. Both Valeria in her past life and Jin in his current life had encountered those infuriating Runes before.
"Did the Zipple engrave Rune characters in the Wantaramo Forest to summon the mages from the Magic Tower?"
[Most likely. In the past, when Kelliark came to ask us to brew the King’s Liquor, he gifted Maila a staff. I suspect that staff is engraved with the same Rune characters as those of the Tower Masters.]
Maila’s betrayal had begun decades ago. Of course they would have prepared a device for instant summoning.
[Two hours. That is the time we have. Lulu, Miru. Can you do it within that time?]
[We’ll try.]
Lulu and Miru pulled an object that looked like a claw from their robes.
[You'd better treat us well after this, Jin Runcandel.]
Lulu gave a smirk.
However, Jin could read the regret hidden behind that smile.
"…It’s a Sacred Object."
As Jin said, it was a claw bestowed upon the Catfolk by the Cat God long ago.
[That’s right. We used another Sacred Object to protect you and the beastmen back in the Small Beastmen’s Cave. Fortunately, we have two left.]
Neru held one, and Lulu and Miru held the other.
Sacred Objects were the only means for the Catfolk to communicate with the previous Cat Gods.
The Catfolk were using most of their sacred relics for the sake of Jin and the small beastmen.
"Shilla, isn't it possible to force a path open?" Jin asked, his frustration mounting.
The cave was made of trees, nothing more. There was no way Jin’s martial prowess couldn't cut through them.
[If we destroy the cave recklessly, the trees will lead us astray. Since Maila controls the Wantaramo Forest, the trees forming this cave would run wild, and even I would lose my way. I am sorry.]
I am sorry.
Jin hated hearing those words. He couldn't understand why people who had sacrificed themselves for a thousand years were apologizing to him.
However, he knew that getting upset or throwing a tantrum would only cause more distress for those who had already sacrificed so much.
So, he suppressed the emotion rising in his chest and forced a calm expression.
He would show them a result worthy of their sacrifice, so they would never have to feel sorry again.
As Valeria watched Jin, she thought:
I was so disappointed when we first met, but the more I see him, the more he seems like a man of substance. For some reason, even when he deals with me, it doesn't feel like he's just trying to use me…
Valeria stepped beside Lulu and Miru.
"I’ll help."
[Huh? With creating a subspace and forming a dimensional gate?]
"Yes."
[We appreciate the sentiment, but this is far too complex for a human.]
"The Catfolk’s spatial ability is close to an Authority, but parts of it are woven with magic, aren't they? I'll just read the flow and assist with the magical components."
[Uh, well… It might be better if you just waited. But how did you know our ability involves mana?]
"Because I can smell the mana on you. It wouldn't be so deeply ingrained if you didn't regularly use it."
[Mana has a scent?]
"Just let me try. If you feel I’m in the way, tell me immediately, and I’ll step back quietly. Or are you worried I might discover the secret of the Catfolk’s Authority?"
[No, it’s not that…]
As Valeria sat down in a meditative posture, Lulu and Miru looked back and forth between her and each other, shrugging. Their faces clearly said, She’s definitely going to be a hindrance…
They even shot a glance at Jin as if asking him to stop her.
However, Jin wasn't in a position to command her like a subordinate, so he simply shook his head.
[Fine. But the moment we say you're in the way, you step back. We don't have time to waste.]
"Understood."
Lulu and Miru carefully rubbed the Cat God’s Claw and muttered in an unknown language.
A divine purple energy began to spread in all directions, just as it had when Neru opened the third tomb. And within that energy, just as Valeria had said, mana was indeed mixed.
I didn't know that at all. She realized at a glance that the Catfolk use mana?
Indeed, Valeria was worthy of being called 'Teacher.'
Furthermore, this must be a type of magic she’s never seen before. Is she really going to assist just by reading the flow?
For a moment, even Jin couldn't help but doubt her. It was a natural doubt; the feat seemed impossible even to him, a genius among geniuses.
However, as if mocking his concerns, Valeria began reading the flow of mana the Catfolk were manifesting with stunning accuracy.
She was already infusing her own mana into it, accelerating the formation of the dimensional gate and subspace.
[Th-This is possible?]
[Hah, what on earth are you?!]
Lulu and Miru stared at Valeria in shock.
"I told you it was possible."
Valeria, answering calmly, was sweating profusely.
She was pouring everything she had into reading the flow of mana.
Her robe was quickly becoming soaked, and the heat radiating from her body was so intense that her hair dye began to melt away.
Before long, Valeria’s red hair was revealed.
Shilla could not take her eyes off that hair, her face clouded with deep thought.