Chapter 766: Reuniting with Ruet
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 766: Reuniting with Ruet
“Ruet!”
“It really is you, Ruet! To think you were here all along, and we had forgotten you…!”
Large, glistening tears welled in the eyes of the Catfolk.
— Please tell the friend inside. Tell them they’ve worked hard, and that Neru, on behalf of the Catfolk, offers thanks for a thousand years of lonely labor. No matter how hard I try, I can no longer remember who he was…
Those were the words Neru had spoken when Jin first visited the Third Tomb.
The Catfolk were now overwhelmed with emotion, their hearts nearly bursting at the thought of finally reuniting with the old friend they had only just managed to remember.
Was the millennium of solitude finally over?
Ruet remained motionless for a long time, her gaze fixed on Jin and his companions.
Though she had been communicating with Valeria throughout the process, seeing the door actually open felt surreal.
"Yes. I have come to keep my promise, Head Butler," Jin said, extending his hand toward the threshold.
Ruet’s eyes lingered on his hand before scanning her surroundings, both the space around her and the world behind her.
It was a recreation of the Storm Castle from a thousand years ago.
Once, it had been a place where her beloved and her comrades had always stood together. After they had all fallen, it became a place filled only with deep sorrow and loneliness.
That scenery was now vibrating, its form blurring. It was a phenomenon caused by the forced opening of the subspace.
It was time to leave this place and walk toward the light left behind by those from her era.
Ruet slowly stepped forward and took Jin’s hand.
The warmth of another person, a sensation she hadn't felt in so long, made her eyes sting.
“Oh dear, I’m showing a lapse in composure the moment we meet again.”
"I don't see it that way at all, so please don't worry," Jin replied.
“Ruueeet! It’s me, me, Neru! Do you recognize us?”
“You must have been so lonely in there.”
“Neru, Lulu, Miru… You are all safe as well.”
“Head Butler, aren't you going to show me some hospitality too?”
Ruet’s brow furrowed as she turned to look at Vail.
Vail winced at her less-than-welcoming gaze and let out a dry cough.
“…Sir Vail. Though you were a disappointment a thousand years ago, it seems you have reclaimed your duty as one of the Ten Great Knights by following Sir Jin. I assume it was also Sir Jin who released you from your seal.”
It was the Ten Great Knights of that era who had sealed Vail. Ruet remembered how Vail had gone on a rampage, destroying the world day after day following Sarah’s death.
“Uh, well. That… seems to be the case, I suppose.”
“It is not that I don’t understand your grief, Sir Knight. But have you ever considered the feelings of your comrades—of us—who were forced to seal you while you were lost in that mad frenzy?”
When he first awoke from his seal in the Sea of Swords, Vail had spoken as if he and Ruet were on casual terms, but the reality was quite different. He quickly lost his nerve at the tone of her voice and mumbled.
“I, uh… I’m sorry.”
“Keep this in mind: such a thing must never happen again. Sir Jin just called me ‘Head Butler,’ likely because I must perform that role now just as I did then. Therefore, as the Head Butler of the clan, I shall be watching you. Do you understand?”
Given his usual behavior, one might have expected Vail to snap back at being lectured the moment she arrived. Instead, he gave a solemn nod, cautiously watching her reaction.
Even in the past, Ruet had been the one to maintain discipline among the Ten Great Knights, including Vail.
As Vail hung his head, looking suddenly dejected, Ruet smiled and patted his shoulder.
“Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not happy to see you. Thank you for coming back, even if it's late.”
“Yeah! Hehe, I’ve come to my senses now, really.”
They’re like a seasoned teacher and a soft-hearted troublemaker, Jin thought to himself, stifling a laugh.
Ruet’s gaze then shifted to Valeria.
Valeria had been gripping her Silver Pine Staff tightly ever since Ruet stepped out of the subspace.
“Miss Valeria Hister. You are the Record Mage Sir Jin spoke of. One who uses a power similar to us Fairies…”
Ruet and Valeria had been communicating through resonance until just moments ago, but their conversation had focused almost entirely on the method to open the subspace. Ruet did not yet know that the name ‘Hister’ had originated from the will of the Fairies.
Nevertheless, the moment Ruet saw Valeria in person, she felt an inexplicable sense of kinship. In truth, she had felt it since they first resonated.
There was no need for the others to explain.
As Ruet gently waved her hand, a brilliant blue Record Window manifested, and a recording began to play within it.
The footage showed a woman who resembled both Ruet and Valeria, standing with Shilla.
“Until the very, very end, the Fairies who fought against Zipple have all been forgotten.”
“Human, what are you talking about so suddenly?”
“However, their souls—their final records—seeped into the nature of this world and became seeds. Those seeds flowed through the world with great difficulty for four hundred years, and the human born when they finally sprouted… is me, Minka Hister. You must know this, King of the Cursed Fairy Descendants.”
It was the very day Minka Hister, the progenitor of the Hister clan, had sought out Shilla.
For a long time, Ruet and Valeria could not take their eyes off the Minka in the recording.
For Ruet, it was the moment she confirmed the existence of a descendant she never knew she had. For Valeria, it was the moment she beheld the founder of her clan.
“Just as Runcandel left behind a spark in Sir Jin, my kin left behind a light in Miss Valeria. Now I understand what Sir Jin said to me back then. My people… were your roots.”
Ruet gently embraced Valeria.
“I heard you are the last survivor of the Histers. Your life must have been filled with trials and sorrow. I hope my return can bring you even a small measure of comfort.”
Valeria fought back her tears. She refused to show weakness in front of Ruet.
Instead of offering more words of comfort to Valeria, who was suppressing her surging emotions, Ruet simply nodded as if proud of her.
I didn't feel it during our last meeting, but she has quite a gallant air about her. Then again, seeing how Vail can't even squeak, she must have been a very strict Head Butler.
Jin felt a profound sense of reliability from Ruet.
“That is a good attitude, Miss Valeria. It is best to endure when you can. While comfort is necessary, this is a time when fighting spirit and a sense of duty are more important. We are not yet whole. I do not have all my memories from a thousand years ago, and my authority has weakened significantly. Your magic is likely incomplete as well.”
“That is correct, Lady Ruet.”
“From now on, let us reclaim what we have lost together. I, too, wish to use the name Ruet Hister from now on, rather than Ruet Damiro Yul. For that is the name my kin left behind. Will you grant me your permission?”
Valeria nodded repeatedly.
She looked like a young girl facing a respected elder, and Jin couldn't help but smile. It was a side of her he had never seen, not even in his previous life.
“Sir Jin.”
“Yes.”
“What is your current position within the clan?”
“I am the 12th Flagbearer and the Young Lord.”
“And the current Patriarch?”
“He is currently absent. I will explain the details later.”
“In that case, until the Patriarch returns, am I to understand that no one stands above me except for you?”
“There will be much for you to do.”
“Understood. I shall offer my formal greetings once more, Young Lord. I am Ruet Hister, the Head Butler who will henceforth handle the affairs of Runcandel under your command.”
When Ruet knelt on one knee and offered her deepest respects, Jin couldn't help but feel momentarily flustered. It was always like this when ancestors from the distant past, like the former Patriarchs, treated him with such deference.
However, Ruet soon rebuked him in a calm, quiet voice.
“Even if Temar were kneeling before you, or even if a god were to kneel, you must not be flustered. You must remain dignified and composed, Young Lord.”
Jin pondered how to respond before nodding with a solemn expression.
“I understand. Please rise. I will take you to meet the other members of the clan and our allies in the Barmul Alliance.”
“Yes, Young Lord. I look forward to it greatly.”
Before taking Ruet to Runcandel and Tikan, they first had to stop by the Wantaramo Forest.
The Catfolk, who had already developed a significant fondness for Shilla, felt a sense of unease as they witnessed Ruet’s strong and stubborn personality, a part of her they had forgotten.
To Ruet, Shilla might simply be a foolish traitor.
When they reached the Wantaramo Forest again through the Catfolk's dimensional gate, Shilla greeted the group, folding her wings.
“…Sister.”
Shilla looked up at Ruet with an anxious gaze, while Ruet looked down at her with eyes that were difficult to read.
Though this was the sister Shilla had missed so dearly, now that they were face to face, she found it hard to know what to say.
“Shil Damiro.”
Ruet called Shilla by her old name.
Seeing Shilla’s timid attitude, the other Fairy descendants also shrank back, seemingly afraid of Ruet. Those whose memories of her had returned felt a deep sense of shame.
“Sister, I…”
“After meeting again for the first time in a thousand years, are you seriously intending to make excuses?”
Shilla bit her lower lip hard and shook her head.
“No. I only wish to apologize. To you, and to our kin who were forgotten and vanished. Even if it is nothing more than a meaningless apology.”
“Yes, you know it well. Belated regret and apologies carry no value. A thousand years ago, you were disappointed in me, claiming I was leading our tribe into danger. But look at the result. Those of us who fought to the end, including myself, left behind descendants called the Histers. You, who turned away from your duty, were cursed by the Witch.”
Shilla could not answer and lowered her head.
“However, I believe you all have paid a sufficient price by now.”
“…Sister?”
“So from now on, do not make the same mistake again. When it is time to fight, when those who seek to save the world need your strength, step forward and risk your lives.”
Shilla’s eyes widened.
“If I promise to do so… will you forgive me?”
“What you need is not my forgiveness, but your own. Therefore, there is no need to seek it from me. I have never hated you.”
At those words, Shilla pressed her forehead to the ground and burst into tears. Ruet helped her up and spoke.
“Yul. From now on, I give you the name that only a Fairy King can possess. I shall be watching to see what role you play in the decisive moments to come. If you turn away again, I will strip that name from you once more.”
“That will never, ever happen!”
“Is that so? Then you are now a member of the Barmul Alliance as well. If you are needed, contact the clan or the Alliance. We shall take our leave now. Do not forget this resolve, and fare well, my sister.”
With those final words, Ruet immediately began walking toward the edge of the forest.
Shilla—no, Shil Damiro Yul—could not take her eyes off her sister’s receding back until she disappeared from sight.