Chapter 515: Negotiations (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 515: Negotiations (1)
The Tower of White Night.
The tower, which had always cast a faint, ethereal glow across the desolate desert, was now a wretched sight. Its mana had been extinguished by the incident in the Sota Desert.
On the rooftop, where a massive hole had been gouged, stood three elderly figures and a dragon in human form.
Kelliark, Kadun, Octavia, and Hedo sat on chairs Kelliark had fashioned from mana, gazing out over the ravaged landscape.
The desert was still heavily scarred by the traces of battle.
The explosion of the underground shipyard had caused the ground in the center of the desert to collapse entirely, forming a hideous, massive trench. The blowing sandstorms were now permeated with embers and heat.
Pockets of flame and lightning festered across the desert floor, showing no signs of subsiding despite days of suppression efforts. Debris from fallen dragons and destroyed mass-produced ships littered the sands.
Twelve dragons had died, forty-three mass-produced ships were destroyed, and eight members of the Wraith Squad, along with nearly two hundred and fifty mages, had perished.
Furthermore, parts of the mass-produced ship blueprints and ‘the machine’ had been stolen.
“This is the first time the family has taken such a hit since the Holy Kingdom Defense War five hundred years ago,” Kelliark said in a low voice.
Kadun snorted. “That time can’t even compare to this.”
Though he spoke as if it were no big deal, Kadun was the most troubled among them. The reappearance of a Ducal House from the Demon World and the fact that Murakan seemed to have regained a significant portion of his old strength—those two factors weighed heavily on him.
In many ways, it felt like a nightmare was being resurrected.
Of course, Murakan had only recovered about fifty percent of the might he possessed in his prime, but those who had heard Hedo’s report were under a misconception. The world's misunderstanding of Murakan’s prowess, which had begun with the Black King Corps incident, continued to grow.
“Seeing as how the Runcandels managed to escape even with you there, it seems you’re not fearing Murakan for nothing,” Kelliark remarked.
“Hey, when did I ever say I was scared?”
“You did last time. Right after the Black King Corps incident, wasn’t it?”
“Do you have to bring that up in front of everyone?”
“…It wasn’t just the flagbearers and Murakan; Kinzelo and their demons were also a problem. From the circumstances, it appears the demon named Bianca Caligo was the one who wounded Sir Hedo,” Octavia added, providing a fuller explanation.
Kelliark and Kadun nodded at her words.
“Unlike Ainas Caligo, Bianca Caligo displayed martial prowess on par with a 1st-Class Superhuman. I believe the damage was limited to this extent only because Sir Hedo was present.”
“That’s right. If Hedo hadn’t been there, this place would have vanished without a trace, Kelliark. And your daughter would either be dead, an experimental subject for the enemy, or a prisoner,” Kadun added.
“That child’s decision to evacuate all forces from the Magic Tower beforehand was also excellent. If everyone had stayed, it would have been a massacre. Though it seems my subordinates have incurred a bit of Sir Hedo’s resentment because of it…”
“Your daughter occasionally makes brilliant decisions based on strange intuitions. That is the only trait Sandra shares with you,” Kelliark noted.
Hedo remained silent, his gaze fixed on the distant desert. Since he began serving Sandra, he had found himself telling lies he had never told in his life, but this was the first time it involved something so significant.
“If there is anything you desire, speak, Sir Hedo.”
“It is enough that you do not hold me responsible for failing to protect the vault.”
“That was not your fault. Don’t be like that; speak your mind.”
“…I would be grateful if you could grant me a few days of leave. Including the Young Lady, of course.”
Kelliark gave a thin smile. Hedo found it burdensome to meet his gaze, which felt as though it could pierce through anything.
“So be it. Ten days. You may depart immediately.”
“Then I shall see you upon my return, Patriarch.”
Hedo left the moment Kelliark finished speaking. While his haste was entirely due to the maddening discomfort of his repeated lies, the others watched his imposing figure walk away with admiration.
“I’ve always liked that dignified air of Sir Hedo’s.”
“That man is a treasure of the Zipple family, Kelliark. You must hold onto him tightly so he doesn’t have a change of heart.”
“Yes, I must. By the way…”
Kelliark’s gaze shifted to the area between the Romin Forest and the Central Border. It was the place where Joshua had unleashed the volcano at the end of the battle—a space that recovery crews had not even been able to properly approach yet.
“That power… it was definitely Chaos, wasn’t it, Octavia?”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Runcandel and Chaos… Between their infiltration route and the power he showed at the end, my suspicions are now confirmed. The Prophet of Disaster is with Runcandel.”
The Prophet of Disaster.
Ever since Solderet vanished, Zipple had been tracking her. As far as they knew, the last time Solderet had communicated with a human was with their former Patriarch, Riol Zipple.
While there had been contractors since then, there was no record of any of them ever communicating with Solderet. Thus, Zipple had judged that Solderet had lost his power, or perhaps had sealed himself to avoid honoring the Covenant.
That was the case until Jin appeared, and until evidence surfaced that the Prophet of Disaster was with Runcandel.
“And the fact that Joshua Runcandel used the Prophet's power so openly is proof that Cyron has reached the territory of the 5 Kings of the Black Sea.”
“Yes, Patriarch. Cyron Runcandel would never have allowed him to use power in such an unstable state. Still, it is surprising. There is no way he didn't know of the Prophet's existence… which proves he has been condoning it until now. Did even he think there was no other way?”
“No, that wouldn’t be it. That monster isn’t the type of weakling who would lean on anything other than himself.”
“Then why…?”
“Who knows. Perhaps he expected his children and subordinates to prove Runcandel's worth by overcoming even a prophecy of disaster through struggle.”
“He must know that once his time is up and we regain our ancient power, Runcandel will surely fall. Would he really make such a choice despite that? I believe he must have expected something from the prophecy.”
“He is different from us. He is a man of the old era.”
Suddenly, Kelliark’s appearance began to grow younger. The wrinkles on his face and the backs of his hands smoothed out, and his coarse hair regained its luster. In an instant, he took on the face of a mischievous boy—a version of Kelliark Zipple that no one would recognize.
“Regardless, we cannot start an all-out war based solely on the suspicion that Cyron has entered the territory of the 5 Kings of the Black Sea. Furthermore, as confirmed by this incident, the enemy's potential exceeds our expectations.”
Runcandel and Kinzelo.
Through this event, Zipple had reconfirmed their strength. The Prophet of Disaster, the Demon Dragon, the power of a Ducal House of the Demon World, and so on. And even that likely wasn't everything.
“Is this the price of the arrogance gained from reigning as the world's greatest family for a thousand years? It stings a bit. To think that we suffered the greatest damage even though I intentionally drew them in to test their strength.”
“Hmph, see? I told you repeatedly that this isn't the time to be idly staring into a crystal ball that shows nothing. Now that they've made off with the blueprints and the machine, those bastards will only get stronger.”
“That's why I intend to be a bit more careful from now on. I must accelerate all our plans.”
The completion of the Demon God Stone, confirming whether Cyron had entered the territory of the 5 Kings of the Black Sea, verifying the exact contents of the prophecy held by Runcandel and attempting a reinterpretation, the restoration of the ancient civilization, grasping Solderet’s true intentions, tracking Temar’s tomb, and more.
To accelerate and realize all these tasks, one person was absolutely necessary.
“Invest more personnel and resources into finding the last survivor of the Hister family.”
“Are there even any personnel left right now? When are you going to finish restoring all of this?”
“I’m telling you to look harder, Kadun.”
“Ugh, you’re driving me crazy!”
“I suppose I’ll have to get involved personally as well…”
“Really!? You're finally going to stop wasting time with that crystal ball?”
“Yes.”
Valeria Hister.
She was the key for all the Great Powers. The key to victory, the key to delaying defeat, the key to obtaining a new opportunity.
“Perhaps I might have to sit at the negotiation table with Rosa Runcandel again. Though if we meet again over the Hister matter, it will inevitably be a much worse deal for us than before.”
*
Kinzelo Main Branch.
Most of the high-ranking officials, including Vishkel and Verakt, looked back and forth with troubled faces between the tightly closed door of the Leader's office and the ship Gruneil anchored behind it.
Since the incident at the Sword Emperor Castle, the Leader had never properly woken up. Now, because Zephyrin and the ship Gruneil had used the Leader's power again, their condition was continuing to deteriorate.
Creeak, thud! Rumble…!
Even while standing still, the half-destroyed Gruneil groaned, dropping parts on its own. This only served to further fray the officials’ nerves.
“So, I'm telling you, our Vice Captain! He used me as bait so perfectly. I've never seen such a clever human in my life!”
“Khahaha! Even though Lord Vishkel looks like a cold-blooded man, he's actually quite a decent person. He even buys me sweet potato croquettes every time like this.”
“Oh, these are delicious. I should ask for them every day from now on. Anyway, if the Vice Captain hadn't used me as bait for that operation, I probably would've been caught. Those humans were stronger than I thought… ugh. Though they're still like mayflies compared to my sister.”
“A toast to Lord Vishkel!”
“Good, Bubar! A sweet potato croquette toast!”
Only two people, Bubar and Ainas, were chatting away excitedly.
Ainas had no idea that she hadn't actually been used as bait; Vishkel had simply abandoned her, feeling it was a waste to use the ship's power to save her.
In the end, it was true that this had saved Ainas. As the ship Gruneil and Bianca moved to follow Zephyrin’s signal flare, and while Zipple was pursuing them, Joshua had unleashed the volcano, causing Ainas to be quickly forgotten by everyone on the battlefield.
At the sound of the two of them laughing and chatting, Vishkel felt like his hair was literally falling out. Seeing a handful of it in his palm, he found it difficult to suppress the urge to cut their throats right then and there.
“Stop bullying the poor Vice Captain, you demons,” Zephyrin rapped Bubar and Ainas on the head.
“She's right. No matter how much you like my brother, everything should be in moderation. And the Leader is lying in there not just because of this incident, but because they spent strength recovering Mr. Bubar. Shouldn't you be a bit quiet today?” Margiella said, standing beside Zephyrin.
“I think it would be best if you two went over there and stayed out of the way. I'm already dying of anger from being toyed with by Jin Runcandel, and then Joshua Runcandel, whom we were going to take hostage, went and blew himself up… Do you understand? My mood. It's very, very bad.”
At Zephyrin’s words, Bubar and Ainas broke into a cold sweat and scurried away.
“I… I'm sorry, Grand Duke. My sister… she's still a good person.”
“I know, I know, Lady Bianca.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Bianca bowed repeatedly on Ainas’s behalf and followed her sister, disappearing quickly.
Zephyrin let out a deep sigh, forced to contemplate whether those two were truly the ones who would carry the future of the demons.
“What will you do now, Lady Zephyrin?”
When Margiella asked, Zephyrin gritted her teeth.
“I'll have to negotiate with that damn human, Jin Runcandel. If he toys with me again this time, I'll kill him no matter what it takes…”