Chapter 771: Maliet Hister’s Heritage Site (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 771: Maliet Hister’s Heritage Site (1)
* * *
Luet and Yuria had both completed their vetting of Saial.
Just as with Luce, he had submitted his application with the pure intention of joining the Barmul Alliance.
Naturally, Quaul was the most excited by the possibility that the “Completed Ultra-Long-Distance Communication Device” might have been developed as early as three hundred years ago.
“If the contents of this paper are true, then this engineer named Zen must be a genius on par with me! Since our Valeria’s ancestor wouldn't have fabricated this, it’s quite intriguing. But Valeria, what does it mean that both Zen’s and your ancestor’s bodies and souls remain at the heritage site?”
They will remain at Maliet’s heritage site.
As long as the enemies do not find them, for all eternity.>
Those were the sentences written on the paper Saial had provided.
“I’m not sure either,” Valeria replied. “I don’t know if it’s just a metaphorical expression or if they actually sealed their bodies and souls through some method. I think I’ll only be able to confirm it once I go there myself.”
“If it’s the latter, perhaps I, Quaul, might get to meet Zen Rootber! And you might be able to see your ancestor in person.”
“Even if our family’s magic is special, I don’t think something like that would be possible. However, it’s certain that the heritage site remains undiscovered by the Zipple to this day, so there will surely be a great harvest of some kind.”
If the Zipple had discovered Maliet’s heritage site, the Tower Masters’ staffs wouldn't just have a simple calling function, and Saial might not even be alive.
“Right, right. The part about the heritage site being notoriously dangerous is a bit concerning… but since you’re going with Jin, I suppose I don’t need to worry? There aren't many things in this world, not even the most terrible traps, that he can't handle.”
“Don’t worry. I always managed well on my own when I traveled to dangerous heritage sites, even before I met Jin. Just make sure you have all the materials for the communication device organized by the time I get back.”
Since they would be making frequent long-distance leaps, Quaul performed a quick maintenance check on the Red Owl.
The region where Maliet’s heritage site was located was an island named ‘Honka.’ Since it was an uninhabited island in the northern part of the Empire, they didn't have to worry about any unnecessary friction with enemies.
The problem, however, was that the conditions for entering the heritage site were somewhat obscure and demanding.
“My ancestor Maliet… seems to have been a bit of an eccentric,” Valeria said as the Red Owl arrived at the sea near Honka Island.
“I’ll say,” Jin replied, summoning Shuri. “Looking at those entry conditions, I wonder if that’s even possible with magic. No, it’s definitely impossible.”
Shuri swam toward Honka Island, pushing the Red Owl as it floated on the sea.
[Mya-mya-myang.]
“Hello, Shuri. Some of the conditions are likely jokes, or perhaps tests disguised as jokes. But no matter how strange they are, they are conditions left by my ancestor, so I intend to follow them exactly.”
“Hmm.”
Upon reaching the island, Shuri shook her body dry and basked in the sunlight. Jin secured the Red Owl in a suitable spot on the beach and turned it invisible.
“Jin, are you ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s do them one by one.”
As Valeria said that, she cleared her throat awkwardly.
My master’s personality has really improved a lot lately, Jin thought with an inward smile. In the past, no matter how absurd or embarrassing it was, she would have said it with a completely straight face.
However, he felt just as embarrassed and ridiculous as she did.
“First… once we arrive on the island, we have to spin twenty times while doing the ‘elephant nose’ and then touch the ground?”
When Jin asked, Valeria nodded.
Whoever arrives at Honka Island to enter the heritage site must spin twenty times with an elephant nose and touch the ground.
That was the first condition.
The two of them scanned their surroundings for a moment before getting into position.
Then, one, two—they began to spin twenty times in sync.
“Pfft.”
“Kh-ha-ha!”
The moment they touched the ground together, laughter burst from both of them simultaneously.
The second condition was to climb a tree native to the island and mimic the cry of a monkey.
Even though they had already burst out laughing during the first condition, their hearts still sank at the thought of making monkey sounds.
“Oo… ook, ook…”
“Ook…”
Shuri tilted her head as she watched them.
This was followed by crawling on all fours and roaring like a lion, singing two folk songs they knew, and so on.
The two of them completed all the conditions, feeling increasingly bewildered with each one.
Both of their faces were flushed red.
“…Well, I think this is a very strange experience.”
“Ahem, now that we’re done, it’s time to activate the pentagram.”
On Honka Island, there were five mana devices created by Maliet.
Jin and Valeria rode Shuri, searching for the locations of the mana devices marked in the letter one by one.
Every time Valeria channeled mana into a device, a blue light flared up.
Once all five devices were activated, the lights stretched into lines, forming a pentagram that connected the entire island.
The group moved to the center of the pentagram and took their positions.
“I’m curious to see what kind of guardian will appear.”
The final hurdle was to deal with the guardian summoned by the pentagram.
“It’ll probably be a golem.”
The letter only mentioned that a guardian would be summoned; it said nothing about its combat power or any other details.
A moment later, the ground began to vibrate.
Jin didn't feel nervous at all. Whether the guardian was a golem or something else, he was confident it could never be a match for him.
[Welcome… those who have come seeking Maliet’s heritage site.]
Puh-haak!
Suddenly, the ground in front of them split wide open, and something massive revealed itself.
A toad?
It was a creature resembling a toad.
The guardian protecting the heritage site was not a golem, but an inner core monster capable of human speech, like Ozdok or Bailam.
[My name is Honka, the master of this island. State your names.]
“I am Jin Runcandel.”
“Valeria Hister.”
[For some reason, it seems every Hister who finds me brings along a non-Hister human. Anyway, I was sensing you from beneath the ground and saw that you faithfully carried out all of Maliet’s requirements. If you had skipped even one, I would not have appeared.]
The two of them breathed a quiet sigh of relief, realizing those embarrassing acts hadn't been for nothing.
“That’s a relief. Now, is it over once we defeat you?”
At Valeria’s question, Honka was about to nod.
It was recalling the memory of punishing the two humans who had visited about three hundred and fifty years ago—Zen Rootber and the Hister who brought him.
However, Honka glanced at Jin and thought to itself:
…If I fight that human named Jin Runcandel, I won’t even have bones left.
Honka was by no means a weak being.
A monster that had lived for thousands of years and finally managed to create an inner core and form an ego could not possibly be weak.
The problem was simply that its opponent happened to be Jin.
[That is correct, but… stop, stop. I’ll just let you in, so stop.]
When Jin placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, Honka ultimately decided to forfeit the fight.
“It would be convenient if you did, but why?”
[You’re too strong… Maliet’s heritage site is supposed to be notoriously dangerous, but Valeria Hister, you have no conscience! How could you bring a monster like this? Are you trying to make things too easy for yourself?]
Jin and Valeria blinked, not answering.
They hadn't expected the guardian to react this way.
“You’ve made a wise choice,” Jin said, lowering his hand from his waist.
[In exchange, I have a condition.]
“A condition?”
[…Inside the heritage site, there are various traps and devices that Maliet installed with great effort while she was alive. Maliet considered them her works of art and was very satisfied with them.]
“From the way you speak, it seems you were very close to my ancestor, Honka.”
[Yes, Valeria Hister. It’s thanks to Maliet that I settled on this island and began using the name Honka. Maliet was certainly an eccentric, but she was my only friend. Anyway, I cannot bear to see those works of art pointlessly destroyed by the monster you brought along.]
“Is it not possible to prevent the traps from activating?”
[I don’t have that much authority.]
“Then what do you want us to do?”
[No matter what trap appears, do not break it; just pass through. For the sake of the successors who will come after you. Surely you won’t say you’re unwilling to put in even that much effort?]
The next successor.
At those words, Valeria felt something welling up in her chest.
Until just a few years ago, she had been completely alone in this world.
But now she had Jin and her comrades, she had reconnected with her roots and found family in Luet, and a monster who was her ancestor’s friend was telling her to think of her descendants.
[You two should have come here much sooner. The difficulty level Maliet set is tailored for geniuses who are still growing. That’s why the Hister who came with some engineer three hundred and fifty years ago suffered tremendously. Well… actually, I only started remembering all of this recently.]
It was only recently that Honka had remembered the Hister who came with Zen three hundred and fifty years ago, and even recalled Maliet, its only friend.
Until the effects of the Zipple's history manipulation on the Hister family began to weaken, Honka had remained on this island out of nothing more than a vague sense of duty.
“I will do so. We will enter without breaking a single thing.”
[Good. Then I shall trust you and open the heritage site.]
Honka’s massive body rolled backward twice.
Then, the motion revealed a thick steel door installed at the bottom of the burrow it had emerged from.
[Go on. And leave this Red Jade Cat behind. Let her play with me while you’re gone.]
[Mya-mya-ang.]
As soon as Jin opened the steel door, a light so bright it was hard to believe they were underground pierced their eyes.
Just as they were about to deploy a shield, Honka, who was outside the burrow, blew a powerful breath toward them.
The blast of air, like a cannonball, shot the two of them through the doorway.
The first trap, for starters, was a thousand-foot precipice.
[Tsk, this is the only prank that seems like it might work on those two. Though even that probably won’t have much effect.]
Just as Honka thought, Jin and Valeria weren't panicked at all as they fell into the depths.
After all, they only needed to create a gust of wind with a sword or use mana to offset the impact when they hit the bottom.
[Maliet, it looks like things will end rather tamely this time. Let’s look forward to the next one. Still, it feels good to see that your descendants haven't been wiped out.]
[Myaaa.]
Honka said as it stretched out alongside Shuri.