Chapter 773: Mariet Hister’s Heritage Site (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 773: Mariet Hister’s Heritage Site (3)
Grin!
Teben and Zen stared at the two with smiles so wide they stretched from ear to ear, their gazes almost burdensome.
Their faces were so full of anticipation that Jin felt he could hear their heartbeats, even though they were mere ghostly forms.
“…We did.”
[Wooooo! See? What did I tell you! I told you they wouldn't have been able to get in if they hadn't done that!]
[Hah, so that golem and the inner core monster weren't lying after all. Dammit. Here, take it!]
It seemed the two had made a bet on whether the descendants who found the heritage site would follow the entry conditions.
The loser was Zen. He pulled a bundle of papers from his robes and handed them to Teben, while the golem watched them and let out a sigh.
[I have told you, thousands, of times. Those are, not your belongings, but my property… Why must you, bet with, someone else’s things?]
Ignoring the complaint, Teben snatched the papers from Zen, his entire being radiating the joy of a victory roughly 350 years in the making.
[Kyahahaha!]
Zen and Teben—the two geniuses presumed to have created the ultra-long-distance communication device—were not entirely sane.
It was likely a side effect of having ‘recorded and overlaid themselves onto the heritage site,’ combined with the passage of 350 years. During those long centuries, Zen and Teben probably had no one but each other and the golem for company.
Recalling the calm prose in their letters, Jin felt a pang of pity as he watched them laugh and cheer so excitedly.
“It seems Ancestor Teben has won. Congratulations.”
Jin spoke up, deciding it was better to play along with the mood than to let his pity show.
[Haha, thanks! Jin Runcandel, was it? You’re quite flexible for a Runcandel!]
“Thank you. By the way, what are those papers? They don’t look like money.”
[Ah, this is Magic Storage Paper. The golem keeps insisting it’s his, but really, what’s the point of ‘mine’ and ‘yours’ in a place like this? Anyway! I want to be congratulated by our descendant, not just an outsider.]
“Congratulations, Ancestor Teben,” Valeria said.
[Yes, yes. We have waited for you for a very long time.]
[Hmph, you’d forgotten you were even waiting for a descendant until just recently,] Zen grumbled.
[That couldn't be helped, Zen. There must have been history manipulation regarding our Hister family. Besides, we’re ghosts; our memories are naturally weak.]
[Ah, right! Hey, kids, what happened to our families? What about Rootber? It hasn't been wiped out, has it?]
“It is safe,” Valeria replied.
She then spent some time explaining how they had met Saial and the circumstances that had led them to the heritage site.
[…Yes, the memories are becoming clearer now. What a relief! Zen, just as we expected, those bastards couldn't find your family. And they couldn't finish off ours either. Kyakyakyak!]
[But wait, why do you two look so fine after coming all this way? We were like beggars after wandering for days.]
[That is, because, these successful candidates, used a shortcut. They possess, martial power, capable of, ignoring the, set difficulty,] the golem explained.
The traps installed in Mariet’s heritage site were originally calibrated for Honka. They were designed so that someone who could barely defeat the toad would reach the end of the site only after enduring all sorts of hardships.
[Furthermore, since they, are not enemies, I did not, apply 1st-Class Hostility. I only, exerted, fifty percent, of my combat power. Though, even if I, used all my abilities, it would have been, meaningless.]
[Hmm, that feels a bit unfair. If it was that easy, it feels like they’re getting our masterpiece too comfortably. Don’t you think so, Teben?]
[I agree! We really suffered for that!]
“Is that masterpiece perhaps the communication device?” Jin asked.
[Yes, that very communication device!]
[Ultra-long-distance communication! There’s still nothing like it out there, right?]
“No, there isn't. The limit is usually just sending signals through items like the Zipple Tower Master’s staff.”
[I can’t have that. We can’t just give it away. Let’s hold one more test.]
[Oh, I like that. What kind of test?]
[Let’s decide that while these two look through the heritage site. Stay on your toes! If you don’t pass that test, we really won’t give you the communication device.]
Zen and Teben scurried off and disappeared somewhere.
[Even if, they are like that, now, they were once, great mages, and engineers. Do not, worry too much, about the test. It will, surely, not be difficult. Even if, those two, have become fools, they have never, forgotten, their duty and mission.]
Their duty and mission as a record mage and an engineer ahead of their time. That was to pass their inventions on to someone who was truly worthy.
They reminded Jin of the Runcandel ancestors who had been resurrected by the power of chaos in the Land of the Malevolent God but had refused to fall into corruption until the very end.
Whirrrrr…
As the golem reached out toward Mariet’s record windows floating in the air, a pleasant vibration resonated throughout the heritage site.
[My master, foresaw, a moment like today, from long ago.]
“Foresaw? What do you mean by that?”
[However, fortunately, Valeria Hister. You do not, look, very exhausted, or lonely.]
Did Mariet know Valeria’s future in advance?
Jin watched the golem with that question in mind. The golem’s touch was activating the record windows.
[I shall, lead you both, into my master’s, records. So please, lie down.]
As the two lay down, the surroundings began to darken bit by bit.
Once it became pitch black, the record windows flowing across the ceiling like a blue galaxy began to glow beautifully.
[You will, feel, a bit drowsy. Do not, resist it.]
Following those instructions, a moment later, the two were pulled into a story of the past, much like when they had drunk the King’s Liquor in the Wantaramo Forest.
*
Jin and Valeria became translucent observers within the images.
April 1, 1391, Honka Island.
‘I think this is the record of the day Ancestor Mariet and Honka met.’
‘It looks like the fight just ended.’
Jin and Valeria looked at Honka, who was panting heavily with his body half-frozen. This was before Honka had even been given a name.
Mariet was a woman with a truly mysterious presence.
She had a massive stature not much smaller than Honka’s, red hair that covered more than half of her body, and eyes that sparkled playfully.
Jin and Valeria stood with their mouths agape, momentarily overwhelmed by her appearance. Even Hedo wouldn't look particularly large standing next to Mariet.
“Why on earth do you live alone on this island and bully people who come near? Even after I’ve scolded you several times.”
[Hmph, there is no reason. If you’re going to kill me, just do it!]
“If you had killed even a single human, I would have. But since you only chased people away by pretending to be an ocean current from beneath the waves, I’m going easy on you because I find you cute. If you keep this up, you’ll soon be discovered by the Empire or Zipple and be subjugated. So, repent for your sins through me and find the light.”
[And if I refuse?]
“Then I’ll have no choice. I try to refrain from it as much as possible because of privacy concerns, but I’ll have to look through every detail of your records. I need to know why you’re doing this. I feel like you’ll die if I wait any longer to hear it from your own mouth.”
[What are you—ack! What is this! Why are my memories suddenly being drawn in the air!]
“Hmm, I see. Just as I thought, you developed an inner core while trying to overcome being bullied by humans and other creatures.”
[Ugh, stop it!]
“Usually, when someone gains an inner core like that, they become filled with hatred and seek out weaker beings to massacre. But instead, you chose perfect seclusion. What does that mean? It means you deserve a reward. Come here, let me give you a hug. Ah, are you too frozen to move? Then I’ll come to you.”
Honka made a horrified sound of protest, but once Mariet covered him with her massive body, he found himself intoxicated by an irresistible sense of security.
And so, Mariet and the grumpy toad monster became friends. Mariet named him Honka, after the island.
For a while, fairy-tale-like memories of Mariet and Honka played out. The two of them sitting before a campfire sharing a meal, or Mariet telling Honka stories of the outside world.
Honka never opened his heart to anyone else after that, but he never threatened anyone who passed near the island again.
“Right now, many Histers visit the heritage sites I’m building, but eventually, our family will be defeated by Zipple and fall into decline. The number of Histers who find this place will gradually dwindle.”
[Even though you are this strong, you can’t defeat Zipple? You said Hister magic is the best.]
“They are far superior to us in numbers, and they’re petty to boot, so it can’t be helped. Regardless, surely within a few hundred years… no, within a hundred years at the shortest, our family will be on the brink of extinction. I wonder how many will survive? Ten? Five? Perhaps only one will remain.”
[Why are you talking like that already, like someone who’s about to leave?]
“I don’t have much time left. Until then, I must complete the legacy that will support the successors who will come when the family has grown weak.”
[What are you talking about? Are you sick or something?]
“Not a sickness, but a curse. I got it while fighting Zipple’s Wraith Squad. It’s a curse called the Blood of Kaian. Once you’re afflicted, you’re slowly consumed by pain until you die. My progress is currently at about fifty percent. If I endure well, I’ll have about three years left.”
Honka didn't know how to react to the sudden, approaching farewell.
Mariet smiled as she looked at him.
“When I die, you should leave this place too and make new friends. Leaving the protection of the heritage site to the golem I’m making will be more than enough.”
[I don’t want to.]
“You’ll regret it when your time eventually comes. A life spent only missing me until you die is too lonely. Do I have to worry about you even after I’m dead?”
[Stop talking about dying and find a way to break the curse. If you agree to do that, I’ll leave the island with you and help.]
“Between searching for a curse-breaking method that might not even exist and completing a work for my successors… naturally, my remaining time must be spent on the latter. For the family, for myself, and for the world.”
[Even if it’s not you, many other Histers are already building heritage sites. Is that not enough?]
“Most of those folks are far too stiff-necked; they’ll only leave behind a sense of duty for successors who are already exhausted. My heritage site is intended to be a more special place of rest.”
Having said that much, Mariet suddenly turned her head toward where Jin and Valeria were.
It was an action meant to give the impression that she was speaking directly to the descendants who would peek into this record as observers.
“So, you all should enjoy watching my remaining time. I hope it brings even a little bit of comfort to the lonely and difficult lives you must have led.”