Chapter 592: Siblings, and Friends
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 592: Siblings, and Friends
“Long time no see, Jin!” Veradin shouted cheerfully.
“Darling! Our Jin!”
Beside him, Sandra—her mouth covered in cookie crumbs—waved a golden prosthetic hand. Jin flinched when he saw his own face engraved on the gleaming metal that served as her right arm.
“I got the reply to the letter I sent last time! Where did you learn such romantic words?”
“……Reply? Romantic?”
Naturally, he had no memory of sending any such thing.
However, Sandra was thoroughly convinced that Jin had sent her an answer through some sort of invisible signal.
“You said we should go hang out at Radin’s villa next time.”
“No, I never said that.”
“Ooh, Jin! Are you really dating Sister Sandra!? Then does that make you my… brother-in-law!?”
“Radin, how many times do I have to tell you? He’s not going to be your brother-in-law; he already is your brother-in-law.”
“My friend is my brother-in-law… That feels a bit…”
“Good, right?”
“Strange!”
“What do you think you’re doing, causing a scene in someone’s shop—and on a holiday, no less?”
As soon as the siblings arrived in Tikan, they had made a beeline for the Litra Tea House. When Latri informed them it was closed for a holiday, they had forced their way in, stubbornly declaring, ‘We are Zipples!’
In exchange, they had paid a sum of money so large that the Litra Tea House wouldn't have earned it even if they’d worked a full year without a single day off.
The problem was, they weren't the only uninvited guests forcing the tea house to stay open.
In the far corner, behind the central table occupied by Veradin and Sandra, sat a person with their hood pulled low.
‘…Valeria!? Why is Master here?’
It was Valeria, whom he had met at Hairan’s 2nd Castle just a few days ago. Casimir hadn't mentioned she was also at the Litra Tea House.
— We’ll be seeing each other much more often from now on, so there’s no need to feel disappointed. There’s more to share and more help to give each other now. I plan to use Tikan occasionally when I need to hide from Zipple’s pursuit.
At the time, Valeria had made it sound like she was going to stop by the vicinity of the Sword Emperor’s Land to thank Ron before heading to a heritage site. It seemed she had stopped at the Litra Tea House for a short rest instead. The chaos near the Sword Emperor’s Land had clearly taken a toll on her.
To Jin, Valeria was always a welcome sight. He had been planning to contact her anyway, since he had recently found Quaul and brought him to his side much faster than expected.
However, the current situation was more than a little awkward. He didn't want her to meet these two pure-blooded Zipples.
Fortunately, Veradin and Sandra didn't seem particularly curious about the person sitting in the corner.
“Let’s go outside and talk.”
“I like it here! It’s been my dream to have a cup of tea with Jin in a place with such a nice atmosphere.”
“There’s a… better place.”
“Where?”
“The Tikan Kingdom’s conference room.”
A brief silence fell.
“Is it because of that Hister over there?”
Jin was the only one who flinched at the remark.
“Oh, come on. What are you worried about? Even if she’s wearing a robe, she has red hair and a Silver Pine Staff. Radin and I are pure-blooded Zipples; did you think we wouldn't recognize that?”
Valeria also knew they had recognized her. Throughout Zipple’s long pursuit, her red hair and Silver Pine Staff had been exposed long ago.
Valeria remained still because she knew they couldn't catch her. And Jin wasn't worried about Valeria being caught, but the opposite.
He was worried she might kill the two of them or capture them for leverage.
To Valeria, Zipple was the sworn enemy that had destroyed her family and slaughtered the Grey Owl Mercenaries.
‘Since she heard about these two from me and my comrades, has she decided to just watch for now?’
Valeria felt a sense of curiosity toward the two, especially Veradin. She wondered if he truly was the kind of person who could lead the purification of Zipple, as the people of Tikan claimed.
Left with no other choice, Jin took a seat at their table.
Jin and Veradin’s eyes met. While an excited Sandra chattered incessantly, the two men remained silent for a while.
The last time Jin had seen Veradin was during the terrorist attack at the Sword Emperor’s Land.
That day, Jin and Dante had made a request.
They had asked him to create a situation where Zipple exerted full-scale pressure on Hairan, so that the clan could clearly distinguish friend from foe.
The result of that request had come a month ago.
It was a bitter and tragic ending that everyone now knew. The Imperial Family chose Zipple and the White Stone over Hairan, which resulted in Gliek awakening and the world becoming contaminated.
It was an event that would have happened even if Veradin hadn't accepted his friends' request, but he still carried a heavy sense of guilt, as if it were a punishment.
“How have you been?”
“So-so.”
“No, he hasn't been doing well at all! Radin, tell him. If you hadn't forced yourself into a berserk state, Uncle Kadun and Hedo would have participated in the Sword Emperor Holy War too.”
Jin had suspected on the battlefield that Veradin must have done something to help Dante.
“Berserk? You mean like during the Ventica mission?”
During the mission to assassinate the Black Knight Barton Vichena, Veradin had lost his reason and attacked Jin.
“Similar.”
“The mana you showed then was impressive, but not to the point where Kadun and Hedo would be needed to suppress you.”
“My mana had reached a level completely incomparable to the Ventica incident. This shouldn't be surprising by now, right? Until yesterday, I couldn't even move inside a maintenance device. Well, thanks to that, the family won't be able to manipulate my mind for the time being.”
Until now, Zipple had manipulated Veradin’s mind through special methods, including dark magic and Demon God Stones.
However, now that the Demon God Stones were destroyed, Kelliark was confined to a maintenance device, and Veradin’s own body and mind were damaged from going berserk, they were unable to do so.
In the past, when Veradin first confessed to being mentally manipulated, Jin had thought the reason was simply that Zipple wanted to raise an heir who suited their tastes.
Now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
“In that case, it seems you’ve lost all that mana.”
Jin couldn't feel any mana from Veradin at all. The man before him had a body that could hardly be called a mage’s.
“It’s not just the mana; I’ve also had some issues with my memory. I can’t really remember my siblings' names, and I’ve forgotten a huge amount of magic. It’s a side effect of going berserk. The mana will definitely return, but I can’t be sure about the memories. As for the magic… well, I can just learn it again.”
The current Veradin had lost far more memories than Jin imagined.
Even so, the conversations he’d had with the two people he cherished most—Jin and Dante—remained vivid.
“Just what is Zipple trying to do by manipulating your mind and enhancing your mana?”
“Well, the only thing I’m sure of is that Sister Sandra and I are some kind of experimental subjects. As you know, my sister is on the bio-golem side, and I… I don't have a clue yet. It’s probably not to raise me as an heir, like you thought before. My father is getting closer and closer to eternal life, after all.”
Everyone who participated in the Sword Emperor Holy War had seen Kelliark growing younger through the power of the Demon God Stone. It didn't seem likely that such a man would hand over the position of Patriarch to Veradin.
Suddenly, a hypothesis formed in Jin’s mind.
‘Sandra Zipple’s physical abilities in the Gaifa Archipelago far exceeded those of a normal mage. And Veradin is undergoing simultaneous mana enhancement and mental manipulation…’
A powerful body with super-regeneration and artificially enhanced mana.
What if Zipple’s goal was to combine those two traits to create a living weapon? Something like the ultimate magic swordsmen of the old Runcandel…
Furthermore, Veradin was currently contracted to more than one god. That, too, was likely a result of an experiment rather than him simply being a blessed mage.
He didn't voice the thought. A wave of nausea washed over him from the sheer disgust of it.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. You and Dante suffered so much because of my family.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I am a Zipple. Given the way the world is turning, my very origin feels like an original sin.”
“Cut the gloomy talk. It doesn't suit you. Dante still has no intention of fighting you, and he doesn't think it’s your fault either.”
“Darling, are you going to abandon our Radin?”
“I think that’s something I need to give some thought to.”
“That’s right, just abandon Radin and live happily ever after with only me.”
Jin let out a short laugh at her words.
“Veradin, do you remember what I said during the attack on the Sword Emperor’s Land?”
—No matter what happens, as long as the three of us don't betray each other, we’ll be fine.
He remembered it clearly.
While he was unconscious in the maintenance device, those words had been the only signpost in the depths of his subconscious—just as Ron, Dante, and Jin had reflected one another during the Sword Emperor Holy War, ultimately keeping each other from losing their way in the chaos.
“Of course. I wouldn't have come here if it weren't for those words.”
“Then that’s enough.”
“I don't know what you’re talking about, but let me in on it too,” Sandra chimed in.
“We’re talking about betraying Zipple.”
“If you swear to have an official wedding with me, I’m all for it.”
In fact, Sandra had never actually done anything to harm Jin. And she had already made up her mind to join Veradin in purifying Zipple.
Solely because she thought Jin would like that. Naturally, Jin didn't trust Sandra to that extent, but he knew she would likely never intentionally harm him for the rest of her life.
“I’ll call Dante, so have a drink and then head back. When you return, tell them there was a Hister survivor here. That way, the Zipple leadership won't think they gained nothing. You’ll have turned a suspicion into a certainty for them.”
“No, no. Jin, you have to go on a date with me. You promised, didn't you?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d think of it as the four of us going on a date, Sandra Zipple. And for the record, I never promised.”
An hour later, Dante arrived at the Litra Tea House. The moment he saw Veradin, he pulled him into a silent hug that lasted for a long time.
And when the drinking session ended and the tea house became quiet once more, Jin remained with Valeria to look over the Record Windows.
“I can’t confirm with record magic whether Veradin Zipple’s words about his mind not being manipulated were true or false,” Valeria said.
Instead, the Record Window clearly revealed one record left at the Litra Tea House today.
<Veradin Zipple’s resolve not to betray Jin Runcandel and Dante Hairan has become even firmer here.>