Chapter 459: People with Good Intuition, People with Bad Intuition (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 459: People with Good Intuition, People with Bad Intuition (3)
As Gilly left to prepare for Jin’s journey, Murakan paid a visit to his room.
He had crossed paths with Gilly on his way in. He’d tried to twist his face into a ridiculous grimace and roll his eyes back to make her laugh, but she had simply offered a polite bow and walked past.
“Hmm. Judging by Strawberry Pie’s reaction today, I sense twenty percent annoyance, thirty percent sadness, and fifty percent bitterness. My calculations have zero margin for error, kid. You get me?”
“What kind of nonsense are you spouting now?”
“Tsk, as if you’d know. All you know is how to work poor Strawberry Pie to the bone.”
A vein throbbed on Jin’s forehead.
“And I suppose the Great Black Dragon only knows how to spew pathetic pickup lines?”
“Pickup lines? What pickup lines?”
“Mixed with cheap jokes, no less.”
“You clearly have no idea how much Strawberry Pie laughs at my jokes.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t need jokes. Gilly smiles just from looking at my face.”
“Ha! Listen to this brat talk. Just because you’re the first Contractor in a thousand years, you think the world revolves around you, don’t you? I raised you wrong. I should’ve known the moment you started threatening to destroy my erotic picture books!”
“Is that so? Murakan, it might be in your best interest to stay on my good side right now. I’m already stressed enough as it is; why are you here now, just to get on my nerves?”
“Oh, please.”
“Because I can give you a pretext.”
At that, Murakan let out a classic, forced cough.
“Ahem, cough, cough… Hmph.”
Jin chuckled.
“Go and help Strawber—I mean, Gilly.”
That was the pretext.
Without such a justification, if Murakan offered to help, Gilly would simply reply that she was fine and that he needn’t worry.
However, if he went with a “pretext”—as in, “The Young Master sent me”—it would create a natural reason for them to work together.
“Heh, fine. Now that’s what I like to hear, kid. While you’re off looking for that Amela or Camela or whatever, I’ll be catching up on some long-overdue housework with Strawberry Pie…”
“You’re coming with me. And the housework has never been overdue.”
“Right, I’m coming with… Wait, what? Why?”
“Aren’t you my Guardian Dragon?”
“Well, yes, but even dragons need a private life now and then.”
“I’d love to respect your wishes if I could, but you absolutely have to come this time. It could get dangerous.”
“Unless someone like Zephyrin pops out, I think you’ll be fine. Wouldn’t it be better for the great Murakan to stay and protect Tikan?”
“There’s no rule saying Zephyrin won’t show up again. Besides, I need an imposing presence in the Gaifa Archipelago.”
Murakan’s brow twitched at the mention of an “imposing presence.”
“Presence? You mean you’re going to use me as a status symbol?”
“Exactly. Once we reach the Gaifa Archipelago, all four great powers will be gathered there. Each side will be represented by major figures.”
“So, you’re saying you don’t want to be looked down on.”
In truth, even if Jin went alone without Murakan, Rata, or Fey, it was unlikely anyone would dare look down on him.
Perhaps a year or two ago, many would have dismissed him as “just the 12th Flagbearer.” But now, Jin had truly entered the ranks of the heavyweights.
Before, he was a formidable rookie shaking the world with tempests of his own making. But after absorbing the Ghost Corps and the Black King Corps, he had become an undeniable force in his own right.
Thus, his prestige wouldn’t necessarily suffer without Murakan, but more was always better.
The world’s apex predators were gathering in the small cage that was the Gaifa Archipelago. This meant that even a tiny spark could ignite a frenzied brawl. In such a scenario, Jin and the Prochi siblings alone might not be enough, especially since their enemies would likely bring their own subordinates.
“That’s right. I need to be prepared for any contingency.”
“Well, I suppose I could go for a bit of a scuffle.”
“Anyway, it’s settled. Go help Gilly. While you’re at it, I’ll prepare some lines for you to use in various situations at the archipelago.”
“Lines? What lines?”
“You’ll see.”
*
The Gaifa Archipelago.
The sea was transparent and calm, warm winds blew year-round, and the islands were covered in forests overlooking the ocean. The trees were heavy with luscious fruit, and the land teemed with nameless wild animals.
And yet, it was a truly useless region.
While the waters near the islands were calm, just a short distance away lay terrifying currents and mysterious whirlpools, making it impossible to establish a normal shipping route.
The warm daily winds often carried dry sand and mist that blanketed the islands, making them unsuitable for installing teleport gates.
As for the beautiful soil, any attempt at mining yielded resources so meager they were practically nonexistent.
Furthermore, the islands were plagued by mysterious endemic diseases that broke out annually, preventing any large groups from settling there. Even the few who occasionally tried to homestead couldn't endure for long.
The final nail in the coffin for this wretched environment was the monsters. The Gaifa Archipelago was an unprotected zone. While not classified as a top-tier danger zone, monsters like orcs would wander the islands once or twice a week.
Consequently, the Gaifa Archipelago could not be used as a tourist destination, a residential area, or even a retreat for the wealthy.
Occasionally, people had braved these conditions to attempt an investment or establish a private space. However, even those attempts ceased thirty years ago, after the Great Mercenary Amela took up residence in this vast, useless archipelago.
Splash, ripple…
Oars gently cut through the misty sea.
The one explaining these details was Rata Prochi, who had been rowing alone the entire way to the archipelago.
“There have been many rumors about why, My Lord.”
“Regarding why people stopped approaching the Gaifa Archipelago after Amela arrived?”
“The rumor was that Amela hid something in the archipelago and killed everyone who came looking for it. That she was hiding a lover, or that she kidnapped children—things like that.”
“I assume there were stories about hidden treasure as well.”
“Yes. Because of that, quite a few mercenaries and pirates visited the Gaifa Archipelago. They were all fools… and none of them were ever seen again.”
If one or two had vanished, it might be a mystery. But when entire groups disappeared, it could only be Amela’s doing.
“The very few who were lucky enough to return alive were out of their minds. They showed signs of sheer terror at the mere mention of Amela’s name.”
The wild rumors—that Amela wore human skins or was a cannibal—had started from those incidents.
“One thing is certain, then. Amela hates having guests on her islands.”
As they emerged from the mist, the silhouette of the Gaifa Archipelago began to reveal itself.
“Indeed.”
And now, more guests than ever before had gathered at the Gaifa Archipelago.
Rata was certain that Amela would not welcome them. If she did meet them, it would be for war, not hospitality.
“By the way, I heard a rumor that Amela… well, that she has a certain fondness for Sir Rata and Fey.”
“Sir Valkas may have said that, but please do not worry about our feelings, Sir Jin,” Fey said. She had heard the same thing from Valkas before they departed.
She then added, “And as for ‘fondness’… I’m not sure if that’s the right word. Sir Valkas likely said that because we all happened to share a meal on the battlefield once. But my brother and I have seen Amela on other occasions.”
“If not fondness, then what?”
“It’s difficult to put into words. It felt more like she viewed us as toys or playmates. She would say she was bored while her hands were busy swinging her blade.”
“It’s embarrassing to admit, but I once had my forehead grazed during one of those surprise attacks,” Rata added.
At that moment, listening to the stories about Amela, Jin realized what that strange sense of déjà vu was.
The blurred line between good and evil, the tendency to perform actions that could kill someone while treating it like a joke.
There was someone Jin loved who shared those exact traits.
‘Sister Yona.’
From everything he had heard so far, Amela had a great deal in common with Yona Runcandel.
And naturally, one word came to mind.
Chaos.
‘Perhaps Amela, like Sister Yona, is possessed by Chaos.’
Of course, she could simply be a person with a twisted personality, but other circumstances fit the theory well.
The fact that she could single-handedly overwhelm the entire Black King Corps during the war also pointed to this possibility. Valkas had assessed that Amela didn't necessarily possess transcendent martial prowess beyond the late 10-star rank, but rather a specialized ability.
—Amela has spent her life wandering and exploring the world. When I asked her tentatively while we were eating after a battle, she seemed to be searching for something with an incredible fervor… though she wouldn't tell me exactly what it was.
Jin recalled Valkas’s words.
A sharp intuition pierced his mind.
‘What Amela is looking for is something related to Chaos.’
The source of the Chaos within her, the reason for it, or perhaps a way to control or remove it.
‘If that is what she’s looking for, what can I offer her?’
Jin didn't know much about “Chaos” yet. What Talaris had told him recently was practically the extent of his knowledge.
On the other hand, how much did his enemies know?
The Imperial Family aside, Kinzelo and Zipple likely possessed more information than he did. Especially since the Leader of Kinzelo was suspected to be a god-level entity.
‘If Amela’s goal really is information on Chaos, I’m at a significant disadvantage. I’ve also arrived at the archipelago later than the others.’
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a familiar sight came into view. Up ahead, in the very center of the Gaifa Archipelago, black smoke and flames began to billow into the sky.
It was smoke that signaled, without a doubt, that a battle had broken out. And it was escalating with visible speed.
“My Lord.”
“What shall we do?”
When Rata and Fey asked, Jin reached a conclusion immediately.
If only one major power had come to the Gaifa Archipelago, he would have rushed there at once. That would have meant a fight between Amela and that power.
But that wasn't the case now.
It could be a fight between the major powers, a fight involving Amela, or a fight between Amela and some of the major powers.
And since they all wanted Amela…
Unless the four great powers decided to join forces to take her down, Amela was actually the safest person in any situation. Everyone would be trying to “save” her for themselves.
“Let’s slow our approach. If possible, let’s find a good place to hide and see how they’re tearing into each other.”