Chapter 663: To the Enemy's Holy Land (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 663: To the Enemy's Holy Land (1)
Barmul Alliance, Tikan Free State, Tikan Palace.
Jin had returned safely and rescued Valeria, but the atmosphere within the Barmul Alliance and its temporary allies had hardly improved.
The most pressing issue in Tikan was Valeria’s condition.
Every healer, medical officer, and member of the Catfolk tribe in the allied camp had been mobilized, not to mention Holy King Rani, who was personally dedicated to her treatment. Yet, none of them could find a way to heal her wounds.
“Phew.”
Jin stepped out of the infirmary and took a steadying breath, his face etched with exhaustion. Every day, he poured his mana into the seal maintaining Valeria’s life. A mage of at least Octavia’s caliber was needed to sustain Valeria’s complex magic from the outside, and in Tikan, Jin was the only one capable of the task.
Even with his mana having reached the 10-star rank, the mental strain of injecting it externally was immense. This meant that as long as he was keeping Valeria alive, Jin would be unable to fight at his full capacity.
“Valeria Hister… I’ve thought this before, but she truly is an incredible person,” Siris remarked, patting Jin on the shoulder. “From what I know, an ordinary mage shouldn’t be able to maintain their magic after losing consciousness. In fact, no human should be able to do anything while unconscious.”
“Siris.”
“It’s frustrating that even the power of the Secret Palace is no help.”
“Don’t say that. The Secret Palace has always been a blessing to us.”
It was impossible to replace Valeria’s magic with the Secret Palace’s sealing techniques. Even if Talaris had been fully recovered and attempted it herself, the outcome would have been the same.
“Sigh…”
Quaul, who had been sitting vigil in front of the infirmary, let out a long sigh the moment he saw Jin. The ashtray beside him was overflowing with cigarette butts, and his face was so gaunt he looked like a man wasting away from a terminal illness.
Quaul considered Valeria a fellow genius, an inventor who would shape the future of the world alongside him. In some ways, he believed her talent even surpassed his own. He was convinced that if she failed to recover, the world’s progress would be set back by centuries.
Beyond that, Quaul was closer to Valeria than any of their other comrades. Over the past three years, it was he who had built the deepest bond with her.
“If I could, I’d give my own life to save her. How can there be no way? To think that even the abilities of the Holy King and Talaris Kendorma are useless!”
“…It’s Endorma! Endorma! How can a man who calls himself a genius get a single letter wrong every time? Are you doing it on purpose to mock me? Even in a situation like this?” Siris snapped.
“What does it matter if it’s Kendorma or Endorma right now!” Quaul shot back, his voice cracking. “Without Valeria, the research we’ve done together—the future of the world—is just darkness! Total darkness!”
“If you weren’t so competent, you would have died a hundred times over by now,” Siris muttered. “And ninety-nine of those deaths would have been by my hand.”
“Then just kill me and save her instead!”
More than the world’s progress being delayed, Jin felt a cold dread whenever he thought about facing the final battle against Rosa without Valeria. Above all, the person lying in that room was Valeria—the one who had saved him from his miserable fate in his previous life.
“We’ll find a way, Quaul. Somehow.”
“The only way is to find the Blood or Tears of Numerus, Jin… Surely one of those bastards in the temporary alliance has some? Maybe not the Tears, but at least the Blood.”
The Blood of Numerus. The legacy of the God of Hope that had once saved Jin and Dante. As of now, it was their only hope.
The Chaos energy corrupting her wound is manageable; purification can handle it, Jin thought. As long as the seal is maintained, it won’t spread further.
However, the critical damage to her heart and other vital organs could only be healed by the power of a god.
“I’m thinking the same thing. Let’s wait for Kinzelo’s response first.”
Kinzelo. The reason the atmosphere had been so sour since the Caldran Snowy Plains incident was simple.
“Who knows when that Beast Demon King Orgal fellow will wake up? Wouldn’t it be better to talk to Zipple first?” Siris asked.
As a result of the battle on the Caldran Snowy Plains, Orgal had fallen back into a deep slumber. He was in such a state that he would occasionally cough up blood even while asleep—a recurring nightmare for the members of Kinzelo.
“Kinzelo is far more cooperative than Zipple,” Jin said. “And since Rosa still hasn’t made a move outside Huphester, I’m not being forced into battle just yet. So, we’ll wait for Kinzelo.”
If Kinzelo had no solution, they would have to ask Zipple for help, but that was problematic for many reasons.
First, Zipple had committed the most manpower to the Caldran Snowy Plains. And everyone who had been on the plains at the time, except for Zipple’s forces, had escaped. Consequently, Zipple had lost over a hundred incomplete bio-golems, and both Octavia and Kadun had been severely injured again—this time by Padler Runcandel and the other Transcendent Chaos Entities.
Even if Orgal’s power had truly been exhausted, it wasn't something Zipple could easily overlook or accept.
Of course, Hedo and Sandra had escaped with Jin. However, to hide that fact, the two had stayed in Tikan for a while before returning to Zipple, just as Hedo had advised. In other words, Zipple was unaware that Hedo and Sandra had escaped alongside Jin.
“How frustrating. Those Zipple bastards… When you work together, someone is bound to take a loss. They’re being so petty,” Siris grumbled.
Indeed, Zipple was making its displeasure known by ignoring the letters sent by Tikan and Kinzelo after the incident.
“The temporary alliance won’t break over this, but a certain amount of tension is unavoidable,” Jin explained. “The reason they haven’t responded isn’t just because they’re angry; they’re likely formulating their demands for compensation.”
“If they offer a sacred object of Numerus but demand we fulfill several uncomfortable requests in return, what will you do?” Siris asked.
“That depends on the nature of the request. What kind of question is that? Are you just asking because you’re a fool who can’t even get a name right?” Quaul retorted.
“Accept any request,” he continued, turning to Jin. “Even if they ask for the Spacetime Device back. Valeria is more important.”
“Lord Quaul, come have a smoke with me over there,” Jet said, tactfully stepping in. “Good grief, you know how wise the Young Master is. He’ll squeeze everything he can out of the temporary allies this time, so stop with the gloomy talk. Come on, let’s go. I managed to get my hands on some top-grade Mila Pine Smoke cigarettes.”
Jet led the distraught Quaul away, leaving Jin to his thoughts. He had been like this ever since rescuing Valeria, but no brilliant solution had come to mind.
“Young Master, please get some rest. You look terrible,” Casimir said, approaching with Enya.
“He’s right, Young Master. Surely Zipple wouldn’t make such unreasonable demands,” she added.
Just as Jin stepped into the front courtyard of Tikan Palace to clear his head, a report came in from the Seven-Colored Bird.
“Your Majesty! Sir Jin! Kinzelo’s 1st Flagship, the Gruneil, is approaching Tikan!”
Jin and the others turned to see the silhouette of the Gruneil in the distance.
“Grant them entry immediately and bring them here!” Casimir ordered.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Jin and his comrades naturally assumed that executives like Vishkel or Verakt had come, likely to report on their leader’s condition and discuss how to improve relations with Zipple.
To their astonishment, however, Orgal himself was disembarking from the Gruneil, accompanied by Zephyrin, Vishkel, Margiella, Bubar, and Lanke.
His translucent body was glowing even more faintly than before.
“Orgal, have you recovered?” Jin asked.
“Not exactly…” Orgal rasped, breaking into a fit of coughs.
“Master! Here, water. Tissues,” Zephyrin said, rushing to his side.
“Thank you… Zephyrin.”
Far from recovered, Orgal looked as if he might collapse at any moment. Zephyrin wiped the blood from his mouth with an annoyed expression.
“I told you I should just send a letter or summon Jin Runcandel to us.”
“Cough, wheeze…”
“Ugh, seriously…”
For a while, Orgal coughed like a frail old man. Once the fit subsided, and after a brief exchange of formalities, he got straight to the point.
“The reason I came here,” he said, his voice strained, “is to give you an answer regarding the Hister, Jin Runcandel.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“Your expression changed instantly. This is quite fun—cough, cough—ahem. I’d like to enjoy this more, but I can’t.”
“If you came here personally, did you bring a sacred object of Numerus?”
“If we had one, would we give it to you?!” Bubar shouted.
“Yeah, would we?!” Ainas echoed.
“First of all, the Blood of Numerus is meaningless,” Orgal stated. “Unless it’s the Tears, no sacred object of Numerus can save the Hister.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“How many drops of that blood do you think I’ve used throughout my long existence?”
“Then what is this method you came all this way to tell me about? Especially in your condition.”
“Because I need to personally examine the Hister. As Zephyrin said, I could have summoned you, but if you were absent when Zipple visited Tikan, it would look strange. It would have seemed like we were meeting separately… Someone from Zipple will be arriving soon as well.”
Orgal had contacted Zipple on his way to Tikan, suggesting they all meet to discuss the events on the Caldran Snowy Plains.
“Seeing my condition, Zipple will have no choice but to admit we didn’t orchestrate this. More importantly, I must examine the Hister before they arrive.”
It wasn’t a situation where Orgal would try anything foolish. Jin guided him to Valeria’s room.
“What is it you want to confirm?”
“The level of development of her Complete Mana Body. If her body is well-developed, there is a way to save her even without the Tears of Numerus.”
Orgal closed his eyes and placed a hand over Valeria’s seal. After a few minutes, he nodded.
“She far exceeds my expectations,” he said, a weak cough rattling his form. This time, Jin wiped the blood from his lips. “At this level, she can be treated without any significant cost.”
“What do I need to do?” Jin asked.
To Jin’s question, Orgal replied:
“Take the Hister to the Zipple Holy Land. A short stay there is all she needs to make a full recovery.”