Chapter 760: People to Find, an Unexpected Clue (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 760: People to Find, an Unexpected Clue (1)
The Caldran Snowy Plains.
A heavy feeling settled in Jin’s chest the moment he arrived on the Red Owl’s back. Even if he met Luntia again, his purifier, unlike with Bailam, was not yet capable of restoring her to her former self.
His second sister would still be a monster consumed by the madness of Chaos, trapped in her solitude.
In the middle of the endless snowy plains, now returned to a pristine white after the Energy of Chaos had vanished, lay the cave leading to Luntia’s subspace.
[Myaaa…]
As they reached the entrance, Shuri licked Jin’s back in a comforting gesture.
“Thanks, Shuri.”
“Don’t I get a thank you?”
“Oh, right. You get thanks too, Vail. Start releasing your power.”
As Vail transformed, a golden aura instantly flooded the cave.
When he had first come to find Luntia, Jin had opened the door to the subspace by chance, using Shakan and spirit energy. This time, however, the portal formed in the center of the cave without him needing to expend any power at all.
A thick wave of Chaos already emanated from it. Though the Evil God and the Prophet had met their end, the Chaos afflicting Luntia had not disappeared.
[This feels ominous… Do we really have to go in? You said you don’t have a way to restore your sister yet, anyway.]
“Don’t talk nonsense. Just follow me.”
Jin sent Shuri back into the red jade and stepped through the portal.
A vast subspace immediately revealed itself. Since time flowed differently here than in the human world, he intended to check on Luntia quickly and then leave.
However, as he searched his memory, he couldn't find the path he had taken last time. Without the signposts Valeria had left behind, the subspace was nothing but an empty darkness.
“Vail, you check that way. I’ll look over—”
Just as he spoke, Jin suddenly felt the Energy of Chaos approaching from the distance. It was moving at a rapid pace, as if someone were sprinting toward them.
Is that Sister Luntia’s energy?
The Chaos was dense. That usually meant Luntia had lost what little sanity she had left.
His chest tightened again, but the Luntia who appeared a moment later instantly dispelled his grim premonition.
[Jin, my youngest brother!]
“Sister!?”
To his astonishment, Luntia was as sane as she had been when she was human.
—If I am connected to that thing, I will go mad again.
Those were the words Luntia had spoken last time.
The ‘connection points’ linking her to the subspace still existed, and her appearance remained the same, a horn still protruding from her forehead.
[You look surprised that I’m more lucid than you expected.]
“You sound like a villain when you put it that way. I am surprised, but more than that, I’m just incredibly happy.”
[Hehe. My mind started clearing up a while ago, and now I’m completely myself again. I figured it was probably because you defeated the Evil God.]
Just as she said, the restoration of Luntia’s sanity was a result of the Evil God’s death. The masterless Energy of Chaos could no longer consume her mind. Even so, it was only possible because Luntia’s own will was incredibly formidable.
“I’m so glad, Sister.”
[And the one next to you?]
“This is Vail, one of the former Ten Great Knights of Runcandel.”
[What? It is an honor to meet a great ancestor!]
As Luntia knelt on one knee to show her respect, Vail puffed out his chest, looking quite satisfied.
[Hah! At last, a descendant who knows her place. This brat only knows how to work me to the bone; he has absolutely no concept of treating an ancestor with respect! As his older sister, you should give him a good scolding!]
“He’s a bit frivolous, but he’s a fun companion. Please understand, Sister,” Jin said as he helped Luntia to her feet.
[See? There he goes again!]
[But if he’s one of the Ten Great Knights, isn’t he an ancestor deserving of the utmost respect?]
“That’s true, but he isn't exactly an ancestor who dedicated himself solely to the clan. My comrades and I almost died because of him. He’s come to his senses now, though, and is slowly becoming something closer to a proper knight.”
Jin then gave Luntia a summarized explanation of everything that had happened.
Luntia didn't show much reaction as she listened, as if she had expected most of it, but her eyes occasionally grew bitter.
When the story reached the death of Dipus, she shed tears. Unlike for the Myu sisters, Ran, or Vigo, Dipus’s death carried a completely different weight for Luntia.
[…I see. So you’ve become the successor.]
Once the story ended, Luntia showed her respect to Jin. Since she couldn't attend the investiture ceremony, she wanted to congratulate her brother now.
[You’ve worked hard, Jin. While you, our siblings, and our people fought so desperately, I did nothing. The burden must have been very heavy.]
“Don’t say that. Just the fact that you’ve regained your consciousness is a great source of strength. Once you return, there will be much for you to do for the clan as well.”
Since their last meeting, Jin had felt a deep bond with Luntia. The remaining flagbearers were now his true family.
“I believe I’ll need the help of the Fighting God Brothers to restore you. Please wait just a little longer.”
[I know you’ll handle things well, but you have a lot on your plate, so don’t spend too much time trying to save me. Now that I’m conscious, I’ll just treat this like closed-door training. Even if you can’t get me out of here, I won’t resent you. And don’t visit too often just because you’re worried. It’s a waste of effort.]
“I will definitely get you out.”
[By the way, youngest.]
“Yes, Sister.”
[Before you arrived, someone else visited this place. I was planning to tell you about it if you came.]
“They did? Please, tell me the details.”
[It happened when I was only half-lucid, so my memory is hazy. The person was covered from head to toe in a robe, so I couldn't see their face, but the voice was a woman’s. I couldn't guess who it was at the time, but after hearing what’s been happening… I suspect it might be the traitor from a thousand years ago, Lokia Ganesto.]
Jin had the same intuition the moment he heard Luntia’s words.
This subspace was, after all, originally Temar’s fifth tomb. It was a space impossible to enter unless one was a Contractor of Solderet like Jin or possessed something deeply connected to the Runcandel of a thousand years ago.
It was presumed that even the Prophet had consumed an ancient artifact to open this place, and Valeria had used Vail’s handkerchief—which she’d obtained during her investigation—to gain entry. Jin and Hedo had also entered using spirit energy and Shakan.
Therefore, it was highly likely that the person Luntia met was Lokia. If not her, it could only be another one of the Ten Great Knights.
[Wait, what did her voice sound like? Was it clear, or did it have a bit of a husky feel?]
[It was closer to being clear, Lord Vail.]
[Lokia’s voice was a bit rough, though.]
“A voice can be changed easily enough. What did she say to you, Sister?”
[She offered me a contract. She said if I agreed, she would get me out of here immediately and make me the Patriarch of Runcandel.]
Even while still partially gripped by madness, Luntia had rejected the offer flatly.
[After I refused, she said a few more things… but I can’t remember what. From that point on, I could barely hear anything because I was struggling to suppress the madness. Damn it, if she had visited just a little later, I could have heard everything and told you.]
“The parts you can’t remember might be recoverable through Record Magic.”
[That Hister mage you mentioned?]
“Yes. As soon as Valeria finishes her current task, I’ll come back with her to look through the records. Even if you didn't hear it, the record of what she said will surely remain in this space.”
Valeria was currently unable to move, as she was maintaining the record windows of the Evil God War in the Imperial Plaza. Jin decided to bring her back to see Luntia as soon as that task was over.
[Oh, I hadn't thought of that. I told you not to visit too often, but it looks like I’ll be seeing you again soon.]
It was good to have unexpectedly found a clue about Lokia, or at least someone presumed to be her subordinate.
On the other hand, Jin was worried. The fact that she had started moving so quickly after the Evil God vanished meant Lokia was plotting something sinister again.
According to Lord Padler, Lokia Ganesto was someone who carried out her schemes so perfectly that even Rosa, in her prime as a human, never noticed.
Before her corruption, the human Rosa was undoubtedly a flawless individual—a fact even Jin had to acknowledge.
If even a woman like that hadn't known of Lokia’s intervention until the moment she perished as the Evil God, Jin knew he had to proceed with his senses on high alert.
[So, go back for today, youngest. I heard that time in a subspace flows much faster than in the human world.]
Luntia emphasized this several times, but Jin felt uneasy about nodding in agreement.
It was because there was one piece of news he hadn't shared with her yet.
“Sister.”
[You look like you’re about to talk about Nanny Risham. Your expression is heavy.]
Luntia’s nanny, Risham.
She was the one who had most strongly urged Luntia to take Padler’s place as the master of this subspace. At one time… no, even now, she was the most precious mother figure in the world to Luntia.
From the day he first met Luntia in the subspace until now, Jin had been using his people to track the whereabouts of Risham and her biological daughter.
[…Nanny Risham is no longer of this world, is she?]
“…That is correct.”
Risham was dead.
It had been revealed that the Evil God himself had killed her.
[Youngest, I hope you don’t hate Nanny Risham too much. She’s already passed away… and she was more precious to me than my own life. Even if she hadn't asked, I would have been forcibly bound to this place anyway.]
Then and now, Jin understood Luntia’s heart. If he and Gilly were in the same situation, Jin would never be able to hate Gilly.
[What happened to her daughter and grandchildren?]
“I only received word the day before yesterday. They became refugees during the war, but fortunately, they survived. They are currently living in the southern part of the Empire.”
[Until I get out, could you look after them for me?] Luntia asked without a moment’s hesitation.
Jin looked quietly into her eyes and replied, “I will.”