Chapter 676: Chasing the Sword (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 676: Chasing the Sword (1)
“To think I’m eating a meal cooked by Jin himself… Ah! I just want to live here in Tikan forever. Don’t you agree, Hedo?”
“Not in the slightest, My Lady.”
“Why are you always so negative? I’m really starting to dislike your attitude lately.”
“If you continue to act like this, I may have to report your eccentricities to the family. If that happens, you won’t be able to see the 12th Flagbearer again, even if an opportunity like today arises.”
“Hmph, you’re a real piece of work. Do you really think being a tattletale suits a man of your stature?”
“I think it’s a rather decent combination. No one would ever suspect a man of my appearance of being a snitch, so it possesses a certain unpredictability and charm.”
A day had passed since Hedo and Sandra arrived in Tikan.
The companions who had observed the two felt the same way Jin did—they were like a close-knit father and daughter, albeit a daughter who was an utter brat.
“Hmm, no matter how much I rack my brain, I just don’t get it,” Jet muttered. “I can’t figure out why a man of that caliber is so helpless against Sandra Zipple. It doesn’t even look like she has some kind of leverage over him.”
“It is a peculiar relationship,” Valkas agreed.
“The very existence of this man named Hedo is strange to begin with, Sir Valkas. Our Ghost Captains have no information on him, and neither does the Black King Corps, right? Even our Lord only learned of his existence after facing him in the Sota Desert. Does it make any sense that we knew absolutely nothing about a man of his level?”
“It seems Lord Cyron and the highest echelons of Runcandel and Zipple knew of him… but it’s true that he is a man shrouded in mystery.”
Tikan still knew very little about Hedo.
They only knew that he was Sandra Zipple’s personal butler and the 2nd Head Butler of the Zipple family, yet he received the highest level of treatment within the clan. Hedo was in a position where he could request a leave of absence for the vague reason of ‘personal matters,’ even in the current state of affairs.
“And the name inscribed on the sword Miss Valeria is examining is ‘Vail,’ which also means a shroud or a veil,” Jet added.
Since the previous day, Valeria had been up all night examining the records of Hedo’s sword, ‘Vail.’ As Vail was an item related to Old Runcandel, its history had been manipulated, just as they had expected.
“Sir Hedo.”
Valkas approached Hedo on behalf of the group.
“You may simply call me Tower Keeper, Black King Commander.”
“I find it more comfortable to address you as ‘Sir.’ I’ve come to you because there’s something I’m curious about.”
“And what would that be?”
“I’m curious about the relationship between you and Sandra Zipple.”
“Is a butler serving his lady something to be curious about?”
“Because you two don’t look like an ordinary butler and lady. I heard from Jin that you pledge your loyalty to Sandra Zipple, not the Zipple family. I’ll prepare some fine liquor and tobacco, so if there’s a special story behind it, would you mind sharing?”
Valkas was a man with a subtle knack for sociability. Hedo, for his part, didn’t seem particularly bothered by the sudden approach.
“Fine liquor and tobacco are always welcome, but there is no particular story to tell.”
“Don’t be like that. Come on, tell us. Tikan’s operations are practically paralyzed because everyone is so curious about you and Sandra Zipple.”
Valkas pulled a high-quality Mila Pine Smoke from his breast pocket and offered it to Hedo. Hedo savored the aroma for a moment and gave a satisfied smile.
“This is of a quality that suggests perhaps only one pack a year comes out of all the Mila tobacco plantations combined. Very well, I shall tell you.”
The group pricked up their ears.
However, the answer Hedo gave was quite disappointing.
“People often cherish a dog or cat they’ve raised for a long time more than their own lives. My reason for serving the Young Lady is no different. I have watched over her since she was a child, so now, it is simply natural.”
“Are you comparing me to a pet?”
“I was merely using it as an analogy, My Lady. In any case, it’s a meager story compared to the tobacco I received. I hope you aren’t too disappointed.”
“Then…! How did you…! End up taking a side… with the Zipples?” Jet chimed in, cautiously testing the waters. He also pulled out a different kind of premium Mila Pine Smoke and offered it to Hedo.
It was something he had filched from Quaul’s drawer.
“There’s no need to speak with such fear, Jet. I happened to join the Zipples by chance while wandering in my youth. Hmm, this also has a very elegant scent.”
“You seem to be quite enjoying bleeding the people of Tikan dry, Tower Keeper,” Jin said with a shrug.
“You should ask if you’re curious about something as well, provided you have something that piques my interest.”
“Is there a need for that? Once you become one of us, we’ll naturally come to know everything.”
If he asked Sandra, Jin could find out as much as he wanted about Hedo’s past.
But Jin didn’t do that.
There was no need to dig up a past someone was trying to hide and make a giant who could potentially become an ally uncomfortable. Besides, his past wasn’t that important.
What mattered was entering the sixth tomb through Vail.
“And I’m more curious about the past of the sword you possess than your own,” Jin continued. “I don’t think I’ve told you yet, but the name ‘Vail’ inscribed on the blade is the name of an individual presumed to be one of the Ten Great Knights of Old Runcandel.”
“Like that man we saw in the snowy plains? I had suspected as much.”
“It’s a bitter pill for me to swallow that a minion of Zipple possesses a sword of the Ten Great Knights. Well, Tower Keeper, setting aside the fact that you are a Zipple man, you are a warrior more than worthy of wielding such a blade.”
“I didn’t know you were capable of flattery.”
“I’m merely stating a fact. When I first met you, I truly wondered what kind of monster you were.”
“That won’t change my mind.”
“One of the reasons I need to stay on your good side is also related to my sister, Yona.”
As soon as Sandra and Hedo had arrived, Jin had requested their help in finding Yona.
“Didn’t the Young Lady already agree to that yesterday?”
“Hoho, don’t worry, Darling. I’ll save my sister-in-law no matter what it takes.”
“I trust Sandra. But I suspect you might report this to your superiors.”
“I’m being treated like a snitch for the second time today. You may bring the Contractor of Truth to verify it if you wish.”
“I’ll leave it in your hands, then.”
“You don’t trust me. You just think that the moment something goes wrong with Yona Runcandel, you’ll try to intimidate Lady Sandra. And since I would hate to see that, you believe I won’t report it.”
“I’m not that despicable. But if the other side acts despicably first, then I’ll have no choice.”
“I’m perfectly fine with being kidnapped by you, Darling.”
Just as the conversation reached that point, Valeria emerged from the laboratory. As was always the case when she worked on such things, her face looked haggard, but there was one thing different from usual.
Her eyes are sparkling…
That was a look Valeria only had when she had made a particularly significant discovery. Jin smiled inwardly as the sight reminded him of his past life.
“Jin.”
“Is the record analysis finished?”
“Yes. Follow me. I’ll explain.”
As Jin left his seat, Sandra glared at Valeria’s retreating back as if she wanted to kill her. Hedo calmed her down with a sigh.
“You seem excited. Was the harvest greater than expected?”
“This sword contains the most intact records of Old Runcandel we’ve discovered to date.”
“Didn’t you say the sword’s history was very strongly manipulated?”
“I did, and it was. But this is a first for me as well. As soon as my magic touched it, the history of this sword began to restore itself.”
“The history is restoring itself?”
Like a dry forest soaking up rainwater, Hedo’s sword had slowly begun to revive the records contained within it the moment Valeria’s Record Magic made contact. Valeria had simply maintained that state all night; she hadn’t needed to take any special measures to restore the records further.
“Yes. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this sword perfectly contains a fragment of Runcandel from a thousand years ago. Its condition is incomparably better than the records we saw in the Wantaramo Forest.”
Until now, Jin had never seen an ‘intact record’ of Old Runcandel. The records he had seen were always partially or mostly damaged.
“Then it will show us more than even the recording devices left by Solderet.”
“Of course. And perhaps…”
Valeria paused for a moment and met Jin’s eyes.
“We might actually meet a living member of Old Runcandel. Inside the tomb within this sword.”
“What…?”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“I thought about why the manipulated history was restored so easily. Some parts might have naturally weakened over time, but that alone couldn’t explain it. Nor was it because my Record Magic is exceptional.”
As Valeria cast her Record Magic on Hedo’s sword, she had clearly felt a vivid power within it begin to resist the manipulation of history.
“Are you saying a living member of the Ten Great Knights is inside, reacting to your Record Magic and overcoming the history manipulation?”
“It doesn’t have to be one of the Ten Great Knights, but the possibility that someone is surviving inside the sword is very high. Not as a guardian, but as a truly living being. And if their mind is still intact, and if they show you favor… you could hear the stories of that era directly from them.”
Jin’s heart began to race.
If he could hear the story of the mystery-shrouded Old Runcandel directly, many of the questions he harbored could be resolved. The reason Silderay called Solderet a traitor in the first tomb, the truth behind the manipulated histories, Temar’s death, and the end of the Runcandel Clan in that era.
And the reason why Solderet had chosen him as a contractor a thousand years ago but kept that fact hidden.
“That’s incredible. I didn’t expect to find such a clue in a sword held by a Zipple Tower Keeper. We wouldn’t have been able to enter the fifth tomb without that sword, either.”
“Are you going to tell the Tower Keeper about this?”
“It would be best to inform him. He’s a meticulous man; he’ll likely ask for verification through Yuria once we’re done talking. He already mentioned her. If he finds out we lied, he’ll never cooperate with us again.”
It wasn’t a matter they could simply refuse. Hedo was the owner of the sword. Unless they were going to take it from him by force, being honest was the better option.
Of course, Hedo was a Zipple. Informing him of a ‘potentially living member of Old Runcandel’ was extremely uncomfortable, but there was no other way.
“Since killing the Tower Keeper or taking the sword from him is madness right now, that would be for the best. When will you enter the tomb?”
“I should prepare and enter now. Since we don’t know what might happen during the opening process, it would be best to attempt it outside.”