Chapter 43: Unexpected Variable (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 43: Unexpected Variable (1)
Three cadets were assigned to the Colon Ruins mission alongside Jin.
Kajin Romero, Mile Haas, and Lima Haas. All belonged to Myu and Anne’s faction. While the Haas brothers were slightly inferior to Kajin, they were still 5-star knights.
“Young Master. I wish to seek your forgiveness for my past mistakes. From this mission forward, I will not show you such a lacking side of myself.”
“It is an honor to be deployed with you, Young Master.”
The day before their departure, Kajin and the Haas brothers visited Jin.
Their attitudes had completely shifted. The brazen sarcasm they once directed at him was gone; instead, they maintained a humble, submissive posture.
Jin gave a wide, seemingly satisfied smile.
“Very well. Let’s forget the past. I look forward to working with you.”
“Thank you, Young Master.”
“Thank you!”
Once the three had left, Murakan hopped onto Jin’s lap.
“They were abandoned by your sisters because they only know how to pull shallow stunts like that. Sending them to the Colon Ruins means all three of them are crossing the point of no return… Stabbing you in the back is likely their final act of desperation.”
Jin was certain of it.
Myu and Anne—those “adorable” sisters of his—must have ordered their lackeys to strike him down. They had undoubtedly promised to take good care of the men’s families if they managed to kill Jin and die “heroically” in the process.
Even in his previous life, Jin had watched Myu and Anne manipulate people in this exact manner several times.
“Meow.”
Murakan, perched on his lap, let out a soft chuckle.
* * *
Reaching the Colon Ruins required travel via teleport gates, followed by a journey over land.
The Colon Ruins were originally home to a few thousand natives who lived in tribal villages. However, after the Zipple Clan discovered the area several hundred years ago, it became their territory and was annexed into the Pailon Kingdom.
In the aftermath, most of the natives were either slaughtered or enslaved. The descendants who remained were respected on the surface, but they harbored a deep-seated loathing for the Zipple Clan.
Yet, there was nothing they could do.
Though they appeared to be treated with respect, they were effectively slaves. The lives and rights of the Colon natives were of little concern to the rest of the world.
The Zipple Clan kept them alive solely to maintain the natural environment of Colon—and to put on a show of compensating for their past oppression.
Jin frowned as he recalled these facts.
It is the way of the world for the weak to be trampled, but the Zipple Clan of the past went too far.
Normally, the Zipples didn't operate in such a reckless style. They pursued rational governance and sought to foster natural loyalty from those they ruled, which was why their public image was far superior to Runcandel’s.
That was the Path of the Overlord—a method more suited to Runcandel.
So, why had the Zipple Clan of the past oppressed the Colon natives so brutally?
Jin knew the reason.
It must be because of that mirror-shaped artifact the natives hid. The Zipples had a vague inkling of the mirror’s existence from the moment they discovered the island. They trampled the natives to find it.
Currently, the existence of the “Mirror” was a top-secret matter for the Zipple Clan.
In his previous life, however, everyone in the world knew about the mirror by the time Jin was twenty-seven. It was the result of a brave journalist publishing an exposé on the ancient artifact the Zipples had found.
The journalist had also recorded the excavation site in detail. The natives, harboring deep grudges, had explained to the journalist exactly how the Zipple Clan had plundered their sacred object.
Later, people named that mirror the Well of Mana.
The mirror artifact—the Well of Mana—possessed a simple yet terrifying effect.
Just by staring at it, one’s mana would increase. Of course, there were extreme side effects, but even considering those, its utility was immense.
The limit to which one could raise their mana using the Well of Mana was 7-star.
Thanks to this, the Zipple Clan began mass-producing 7-star mages. After the emergence of these so-called “factory-made mages,” countless magic students lost their will to continue their studies.
The Zipple Clan, already powerful, solidified their monopoly and began to pressure Runcandel with increasing intensity.
I won’t let it fall into the hands of those Zipple bastards this time.
Of course, he had no intention of trampling the natives to find it as the Zipples had. He did, however, plan to prevent the Zipple Clan from being rewarded for centuries of oppression.
There was no need to rush. If events unfolded as they had in his previous life, the Zipples still needed more than ten years to find the mirror. He only had to resolve the matter within that timeframe.
“We will arrive shortly, Young Master.”
Jin stopped walking. They were currently traversing a mountain path in stealth gear.
“This side is the dormitory for the Zipple mages, and this side is for external mages. The relics we need to find are here, in Warehouse 3.”
Kajin unfolded a blueprint of the Colon Ruins and pointed with his finger.
“Are you certain the relics are in Warehouse 3?”
“We have to hope so. If they aren't there, this mission has zero chance of success.”
There were four relics in total they needed to retrieve: three palm-sized stone tablets and one bronze bowl. They were worthless to ordinary people, but to a historian, they were worth more than gold.
The three of them were to raid the warehouse, seize the relics, and return to the clan.
Raiding the warehouse wasn't a difficult task. Since Warehouse 3 wasn't used to store important artifacts, its security was lax. During the day, it was even open to tourists.
The problem, however, was the return journey.
No matter how unimportant the warehouse is, it’s bound to be covered in all sorts of boundary magic. It’s impossible for this group to get the relics out without being detected.
The Zipple mages were no fools. If Warehouse 3 was raided, they would surely mobilize within five minutes to eliminate the intruders.
“Thanks to some wealthy and curious scholars, the four of us might meet our end in the early hours of this morning,” Kajin said.
“No matter the situation, the three of us will lay down our lives to protect you, Young Master.”
As Kajin spoke with a firm gaze, the Haas brothers also put on faces full of resolve.
Their acting is clumsy, Jin sneered inwardly as he pulled some jerky from his robe.
“Laying down your lives to protect me… That’s a nice sentiment. Let’s chew on some jerky and rest for a bit. We’ll execute the raid in one hour.”
“Yes, understood.”
The three took the jerky and began chewing without hesitation.
Chomp, chomp. Gulp, gulp.
As soon as Jin confirmed they had swallowed, he spat out the piece he had been chewing.
“Young Master? Uh, ugh…?”
The three of them realized something was wrong at the same time, but it was already too late.
The jerky Jin had handed them was coated with a sedative strong enough to instantly knock out even a 7-star knight. Kajin and the Haas brothers were already glassy-eyed, barely able to steady themselves as they looked at Jin.
“Don’t worry. It’s not poison.”
“Wh-what is thiiiis…”
“N-no…”
Thud. Thud.
The three collapsed. Jin dug a rough trench, pushed the sleeping cadets inside, and covered them with leaves.
They likely wouldn't wake for a full twenty-four hours. By the time they did, the mission would be over.
“‘No,’ you say? You might as well have just told me you were planning to kill me. Sleep tight. I can’t exactly head into enemy territory with men who might stab me in the back at any moment.”
If they hadn't acted so submissive, Jin might have suspected them less.
However, throughout the journey, the three cadets had worked tirelessly to win Jin’s favor. Their plan was to make Jin lower his guard and then slit his throat the moment an opportunity arose.
Jin had seen through it all.
It wasn't that he couldn't understand the three sleeping men. It was natural for a dog to follow its master’s orders, especially when on the verge of being discarded for repeated failures.
But they had picked the wrong opponent. Jin, living his second life in Runcandel, wasn't about to fall for his sisters’ amateurish machinations.
Besides, I can’t use magic if these guys are watching.
He knew full well that the warehouse was filled with boundary magic. Trying to break through without magic was suicide.
If four people moved together, they would inevitably be detected by the spells, but if Jin moved alone, it was a different story.
Well then, shall we get started?
Jin adjusted his mask and began to descend the mountain path. The night air flowing through the leaves was cool.
The Colon Ruins were shaped like a massive oval. The primary excavation site was at the center, while Warehouse 3, his target, was located on the outer edge. Since the ruins closed after six in the evening, the streets were quiet.
Lying prone in the bushes overlooking Warehouse 3, he watched for a long time. He occasionally saw people—mages from the research team, none of them above 5-star.
And, just as he had anticipated, the guards stationed at the front and back gates of the warehouse were not mages. They appeared to be warriors who were 1st or 2nd-star at best.
It was only natural. There was no way the Zipples would waste high-level personnel guarding such a remote warehouse.
The guards seemed bored, yawning repeatedly to pass the time and chuckling as they exchanged jokes. As soon as the nearby mages were far enough away, Jin dashed toward the front gate.
“So, last night, with that lady I met…”
“How far did you go? Huh? How far!”
“Ah, well. You’ll be so jealous when you hear—”
Thwack.
One mercenary was knocked unconscious by a punch to the jaw from Jin. The other, who had been waiting for the rest of the story with a flushed face, reflexively thrust his spear.
Jin lightly tilted his head to dodge the spearhead and used the momentum to strike the man’s Adam’s apple with his elbow. The mercenary’s eyes immediately rolled back as he slumped to the ground.
Maybe I should have listened to the rest of the story before knocking them out?
Jin chuckled and propped the two men against the wall. By wedging their spears between their legs, they looked, from a distance, as if they were still on guard.
He retrieved the front gate key by searching their pockets. It was an ordinary lock, with no significant boundary magic. This showed just how little the Zipple Clan cared about Warehouse 3.
That’s probably why those scholars had the guts to commission Runcandel.
Creeeeeak!
There was no way to hide the grinding of the iron door. He considered using magic to dampen the sound but decided against it in case any nearby mages sensed the mana.
Before stepping inside, he carefully examined the surroundings and found a familiar magic circle drawn on the floor.
This is the Magic Circle of Blood and Boundary, isn't it?
It was the exact same magic circle Jin had seen years ago in the secret space in Storm Castle. The boundary would deactivate with just a few drops of human blood.
How ridiculous would the world find it if the boundary magic for a warehouse the Zipples didn't even care about was the same as the magic for a secret space only Runcandel flagbearers could enter?
The Magic Circle of Blood and Boundary activated by distinguishing between human blood, monster blood, and the blood of a diseased person. As long as it was healthy human blood, it didn't matter whose it was.
Jin approached the mercenaries he had propped up. He lightly nicked the tip of one man’s finger with a dagger, caught a few drops in his palm, and scattered them over the magic circle.
He used the mercenary’s blood to ensure he could complete the mission without getting caught. Later, when the Zipple Clan investigated, they might mistakenly believe the magic circle had been triggered by the mercenaries' own mistake.
The first boundary is simple enough. Now to find the relics—
VREEEEEEE!
Suddenly, the magic circle that had absorbed the mercenary’s blood glowed red and emitted a piercing shriek. Barely suppressing his panic, Jin stared at the bloodstain on his palm.
It was from the unconscious mercenary. It was definitely human blood.
However, if the Magic Circle of Blood and Boundary had triggered, it meant the owner of this blood was either diseased or…
“Grrr.”
…he wasn't human.