Chapter 661: Temar’s Fifth Tomb (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 661: Temar’s Fifth Tomb (5)
From then on, the two began to wander through the subspace, much like ordinary siblings searching for something together.
Luntia’s pace was slow due to her exhausted state, but since regaining her sanity, she had become able to faintly sense an ‘other energy’ lingering within the subspace.
[I couldn't sense it at all when I was lost in madness, but now that my mind has returned, I can feel an energy distinct from the chaos in this subspace much more clearly. The fact that the subspace is fractured likely plays a part as well.]
The ‘other energy’ Luntia spoke of was mana.
Even when Jin heightened his own senses, he couldn't feel the mana as Luntia did. The energy of chaos was simply too dense.
Had he been forced to search alone without Luntia’s help, it would have been no different from looking for a needle in a desert.
“Is the Hister descendant badly injured?”
[Yes. I have nothing to say but that I am sorry.]
“You didn’t do it of your own free will, Sister. As long as she’s still breathing, we can find a way to heal her.”
[What worries me is something I said when I was out of my mind—the possibility that she accepted the chaos. If she didn't, her injuries should have been fatal. My sword pierced her chest, after all…]
“Like I said, the first magic I saw here had no trace of chaos. Even if she cast that Record Magic before you injured her, the spell would have distorted or vanished if she’d been tainted by chaos. It’s not your fault, so don't worry too much.”
[You said that even in my place, you wouldn't have been able to turn away from your nanny… but you… you surely would have made a better choice than I did.]
“No, I wouldn’t have. More importantly, if the Prophet’s goal was to get Sir Padler out of the tomb, then you weren't sent here to track the Hister descendant in the first place. I was shocked when I got those strands of her hair from the knights guarding the entrance.”
[Hister must have crossed paths with the knights several times while searching for the tomb. She likely obtained the hair then. I only took Sir Padler’s place after Ronil Zipple lost her.]
On the day Ronil lost Valeria, Luntia had not yet been consumed by chaos, nor had she replaced Padler as the master of the subspace.
From the beginning, Luntia hadn't been tracking the Hister descendant; her path had simply overlapped with Valeria’s while she was searching for Temar’s tomb.
In fact, Valeria was the one who had benefited from Luntia’s years-long search. By observing Luntia’s movements, Valeria had obtained the decisive clue that the tomb was located in the Caldran Snowy Plains.
“That means… the forces were split. One group was searching for Temar’s tomb, and the other was tracking the Hister descendant. You were part of the first group.”
[Likely so. Before coming to this subspace, I was never ordered to kill or capture the Hister descendant. Though I suspect such orders were given to the Black Knights or the first division of the Black Sword Council.]
Luntia’s attack on Valeria in the tomb was purely a result of being consumed by the madness of chaos, unable to suppress her boiling bloodlust. It was not an order she had been given.
Jin was finally beginning to understand the full picture—and why Valeria had rushed into the tomb without leaving a word for anyone in Tikan.
‘Rosa and the Prophet must have known Sister Luntia would be reluctant to track Valeria. Besides, since they planned to make her the master of the subspace anyway, they probably just had her search for the tomb to avoid creating unnecessary resentment.’
For instance, Rosa and the Prophet were well aware of the bond between Luntia and Jin.
Rosa, in particular, had observed the change in Luntia after Jin’s declaration to become the Patriarch and had judged that she could side with Jin at any moment.
Therefore, for Rosa, the best option was to use Luntia to the fullest and then bind her to the tomb.
There were very few individuals who possessed a soul pure and strong enough to replace Padler.
If Luna had been at the Garden of Swords, and if she’d had a weakness like Risham, Rosa would have used her to retrieve Padler without a second thought.
Time flowed differently in the subspace than in the human world.
Because of this, Jin grew more anxious with every passing moment, though he didn't let it show. He knew Luntia was pushing her broken body to its absolute limit.
Furthermore, once he left, Luntia would be alone here. She would have to remain in this lonely, horrific space, trapped once more in the madness of chaos.
There was no telling when Jin would be able to visit her again.
The time required for the chaos purifier to be able to resolve complete encroachment was unknown, and there was a high possibility that Rosa would strengthen the guard around the Caldran Snowy Plains after today’s events.
As they walked, Jin told his sister about everything that had happened in the meantime.
Luntia burst into laughter, looking envious and delighted when she heard about his experiences in Laprarosa, but her expression turned heavy when she heard about the incidents Jin faced after his return.
[I see. You even fought Sir Padler… I can't imagine how much you must have suffered, facing those consumed by chaos time and again. Sir Ron, Sir Padler, and now me… It must have been agonizing.]
“It is painful, of course. But just as I’m talking with you now like we’re close, I will return Sir Padler to his true self as well. Just as I eventually overcame the chaos alongside the late Sir Ron.”
[I think I understand why Sister Luna cherished you so much. I only wish we had become close sooner.]
“I never reached out first either, Sister. Even though we both admired each other after the Patriarchal declaration.”
[It's been a long time since I've felt this embarrassed. But… now that I think about it, didn't you say the key to enter this place was the sword of a knight named Hedo?]
“That’s correct.”
[Ilina also said a certain object was needed to swap me with Sir Padler. Unlike the sword you used as a key, it seemed to be a one-time consumable. She didn't explicitly say there was only one, but that was the impression I got.]
“Both Hedo’s sword and the object the Prophet used on you and Sir Padler are likely related to the Old Runcandel. I used Spirit Energy to interact with Hedo's sword, and the Prophet must have made you use chaos to interact with that object.”
[I don't know why Zipple’s monstrous butler would have such a thing.]
“He didn't seem to know much about the sword himself. If Zipple knew its true identity, they would have managed it far more carefully.”
[Then did the Hister descendant also have an object related to the Old Runcandel? She didn't use any power other than mana.]
How on earth had Valeria managed to enter this tomb?
Jin had been wondering about that as well.
‘Judging by my experience and the Prophet's methods, it's highly likely that even with an Old Runcandel artifact, entry is impossible without using either Spirit Energy or chaos. Or… perhaps the Solderet recording devices I gave her served as the key?’
He wouldn't know for sure until he heard it from Valeria herself.
Luntia’s pace began to quicken. It wasn't that her strength had returned; she was simply straining to find Valeria a second sooner, much like Jin was fighting his own impatience.
[I think we're close… The alien sensation I feel through the subspace is growing stronger.]
Luntia pointed toward a spot in the empty air far ahead.
[It's there. I tried to push forward… but I can't walk any farther.]
With her connection to the subspace severed, her body couldn't recover. Luntia's legs had now completely hardened, like stone statues, refusing to move an inch.
[Go on, Youngest. I'll wait here. Don't reconnect me to the subspace… I'll attack you immediately if you do.]
“I understand, Sister.”
As he approached the point Luntia had indicated, his heart began to pound. Now, Jin could also feel Valeria's mana, just as Luntia had.
Her mana was incredibly faint and unstable, like a pulse on the verge of stopping at any moment.
“Valeria.”
Jin stopped and called her name. There was no answer, no reaction.
He called her name a few more times, then closed his eyes, heightening his senses and Spirit Energy. Having recovered a bit of Spirit Energy while they walked, he could now perform the Spirit Sword 1st Form exactly once.
It seemed he would have to cut through the subspace himself to check.
‘I have to make sure Valeria isn't hurt when I cut the space.’
He gauged the depth by reading the faint mana leaking out. Before long, Jin found the right distance and swung his Spirit Sword.
Sshrk—!
The space tore open.
[No!]
It wasn't Luntia’s voice. The voice belonged to Neru of the Catfolk tribe.
“Neru-nim…!?”
He never imagined Neru would emerge from beyond the rift. Neru stood with her short arms spread wide, teeth clenched in the instinctive posture of someone protecting something precious.
[Jin…? Is it really you, Jin Runcandel?]
Jin forgot to answer, his eyes fixed on the person Neru was guarding.
It was Valeria Hister, encased in a coffin of ice.
Just as Luntia had described, a large, dark wound marred the center of Valeria's chest.
“Valeria!”
As Jin stepped through the opening, Neru let out a sigh of relief.
[Jin, Valeria sealed herself. The wound was so deep… this was the only way.]
She was alive. He had assumed as much since her mana still lingered, but seeing her with his own eyes made something hot surge in his throat.
“Then, Neru-nim, you’ve been with Valeria this whole time?”
[Yes, from the moment we entered this place. Luntia Runcandel doesn't know. Where is she? Is that person behind you…?]
“It’s a long story. For now, let’s get out of here, Neru-nim. Judging by her mana, the seal won't hold much longer.”
[Right. I already prepared a way out. I just couldn't leave because Valeria can't be moved.]
Neru pulled the Claw of the Cat God from her robes. It was the very treasure the Catfolk had come to cherish thanks to Valeria, back in the Wantaramo Forest.
As Neru immediately prepared to use the claw to open a door out of the subspace, Jin turned back to look at Luntia.
She was waving her hand, as if telling him to go quickly.
Just like their first meeting after the Patriarchal declaration, the two of them understood each other's hearts without a word.
‘I'll be back for you, Sister.’
‘Go on, Youngest.’
The gateway out of the subspace opened. Long after they had vanished through it, Luntia remained standing, staring blankly at the empty air where they had been.