Chapter 225. Murakhan's Benefactor (1)
Before departing, Murakhan left a letter and a sheet of paper outlining his approximate travel route for Gilly.
The paper contained a list of marked areas where his companions could find him in case of trouble during his journey.
Every three days, Seven Colors Group checked Murakhan's marks, and on November 20, 1797, they heard news of a battle between a dragon and a monster near the Krashi Mountains, in a city called Santel.
The Krashi Mountains were one of the areas where Murakhan had left his mark.
"Young Master! Something strange has happened. Right after we confirmed Murakhan's mark in the Krashi Mountains, there was a big fight between a fire dragon and a monster in Santel. But the monster was all black and winged, almost dragon-like…"
"So you think the monster that fought the fire dragon could be Murakhan?"
"That's right."
"Why? Because the battle happened immediately after he left his mark?"
"That, and the city of Santel is in chaos. Even though our Seven Colors Group members tried to enter to gather more information, the entire city is locked-down and we couldn't get in. The city has turned into a sea of fire, and there isn't a single news article about it!"
That was indeed strange. Although the area around the Krashi Mountains was remote, it would be normal for an article to be published immediately if a battle had taken place that was severe enough to affect a nearby city.
Seven Colors Group was able to obtain information from locals before the city was completely blocked off, but not a single external media outlet covered the incident.
"We barely got the information that the monster resembled a dragon. If we were just two hours late, we wouldn't have met the locals. I'm sure it's Murakhan."
Media control is a privilege of major powers.
And a fire dragon at that. It didn't feel good.
"Fire dragon and media control. Young Master, it looks like Zipfel's side is involved."
"If there is a fire dragon that works with Zipfel, wouldn't it be Kadun, the guardian dragon of Kelliark?"
Enya looked at Jin worriedly. Ever since Jet started reporting, a bad feeling enveloped the companions.
"Jet."
"Yes, Ma’am Quinkantel."
"Do you have more information about the fire dragon that attacked the city? Its appearance or its combat power at the time of the battle."
"All we know is that it was significantly larger than other dragons."
Sigh...
Quinkantel sighed and put her hand on her forehead.
"It must be Kadun. Jin, it seems like he was the one who attacked. We should not have let Murakhan go alone. From the moment he first came to Bement, Zipfel was clearly targeting him."
Quinkantel suddenly stood up with anxious clearly visible in her eyes.
Kadun, the king of the fire dragons was a tricky opponent even when Murakhan was in his prime. Now, having lost his old power, he was so strong that Murakhan couldn't even compete with him.
Quinkantel was someone who knew better than anyone else that Murakhan could never handle Kadun. That's why she became extremely anxious as soon as she was sure.
"Calm down, Quinkantel. It's certain that Murakhan is not dead. I'm his contractee and I didn't feel anything."
"Darn it! If Kadun overpowered Murakhan, it's only natural that he didn't kill him. Because if he dies, we don't know what will happen to the next contractor of Solderet, or who it will be. He probably tore his wings and imprisoned him, or he might have been drugged up. Besides, they want the contract of Solderet, so they will try to find you, the contractor."
The words spat out by Andrei, who had a duel with Jin, flashed through Jin's mind.
—I commend your surprise attack. But you and your god will become the most important ingredients of the Demon's Stone......
The most important ingredient of the Demon's Stone.
This sentence revealed how much Zipfel valued 'the power of Solderet'.
Andrei died that day with Vyuretta, but there were many more moments when Zipfel could have learned that 'the black dragon is active'.
The day he became a preliminary rider and left the Garden of Swords on Murakhan, the day he went to Bement to find Quinkantel, the day he killed the graveyard giant, or the Colon ruins, etc.
Even if it wasn't in the Lutero Magic Federation, considering that Zipfel's informants are everywhere in the world, they were news items that could easily be passed on.
'As Quinkantel said, maybe they've been looking for Murakhan and me from the beginning.'
Of course, it was the result of Murakhan insisting that he had to move alone to meet Misha.
Anyway, regret did not help in finding Murakhan. What was needed now was accurate judgment and quick action.
"But Master, there's one more strange thing."
"What is it?"
"Isn't Vankella a neutral country? While the rest of us determined that Zipfel was controlling the media, it was the knights of Vankella who were blocking the city."
Santel belonged to the 'Shul Kingdom', so it was not the territory of Vankella.
"Battle was fought by Kadun and Murakhan, media control is done by Zipfel, and the city blockade is being handled by the knights?"
"Yes. The Shul Kingdom itself isn't doing anything."
That was definitely strange.
It was common for the Holy Kingdom of Vankella to dispatch knights and healers to disaster-stricken areas of various countries for city restoration and relief of the people, but it was rare for them to block an area.
That was the responsibility of the military in the area. If they didn't have enough military power, it was usually taken care of by whoever was controlling the media.
So Jin and his companions naturally thought that Zipfel was in control.
"Moreover, the attitude of the knights who drove out the Seven Colors Group members and other reporters who happened to smell something and ran was blatantly rude. As if dealing with pagans."
"So you're saying that the Holy Kingdom is aiding Zipfel?"
Vankella was a country that had never taken sides with anyone throughout history. It maintained neutrality even in Jin's previous life.
"I'm not sure, but for now, I and the other members think that way."
There was a moment of silence.
Without entering Santel directly, there was no clear information to find out. Gilly placed her hand on Jin's shoulder and looked into his eyes.
"Young Master, he's not one to be easily defeated. Don't worry too much and it would be best to go see for yourself. It might not be Murakhan, but a real winged monster."
Although she said this, Gilly's hand on Jin's shoulder was trembling. She was desperately suppressing her emotions so as not to upset Jin further.
To Jin and Gilly, Murakhan was more than just a friend; he was family. When something bad happens to someone like him, they'd rather it be them instead.
"Sir Kashimir, does Seven Colors Group have a line established with Vankella?"
"There are a few priests that Bran (브란이) and I personally know." [TL: Who was Bran again?]
"Then Sir, could you check with Vankella? What happened in Santel, why the Holy Kingdom is involved in Zipfel's business."
"Understood."
It was Jin, Quinkantel, and Kuzan who went directly to Santel. Since there was no direct portal to Santel, they had to ride Shuri from the Shul Kingdom, which took a whole day.
Santel, which they saw firsthand, was under stricter control than they had expected.
And it was still engulfed in blood-red flames.
"......I'm sure, that's Kadun's flame. There's no other fire dragon that can use such intense fire."
Qunkcantel stood on the cliff overlooking the city and gritted her teeth. They could also see the sights of mages and holy knights fighting the flames inside the city.
The civilians were all gathered in certain areas where the flames were contained.
It was a strange sight.
Vankella always prioritized the lives of the people in situations like disasters and wars. Naturally, since the city was still burning, it was right to first evacuate the people.
However, the holy knights in plate armor were completely blocking the entrance as if they were dealing with heretics.
They had something to hide, so they were blocking it. It was highly likely that there was information that should not be leaked, and there were too many witnesses.
"It seems like Kadun has left the city. If he was still here, mages and holy knights would have been battling or protecting the civilians instead of putting out the fire. Let's enter the city now."
Santel was a city that was situated on a plain. It wasn't easy to approach avoiding the eyes of the guards and holy knights, but fortunately, there were still some reporters nearby waiting for a chance to enter.
As soon as the group descended the cliff, they mixed with them and approached the city. That should have been enough to get inside the city.
The place they chose to penetrate was the side gate on the left of the city. The atmosphere was even more severe than the central gate, and even the reporters did not stake out there.
"Step back."
"Take off your hood and identify yourself. If you take two more steps, I'll cut you down."
As soon as the holy knights blocking the side gate saw the group, they spoke in low voices. In fact, they seemed to have driven away a few reporters before the group arrived, as there were dried bloodstains on the dirt ground.
The scales drawn on the plate armor indicated their position as holy knights. They were second-class knights of the 'Dawn Guardians of Doctrine' under the Inquisition, infamous within the Holy Kingdom.
They were not the kind of people to be stationed in such a quiet city or to block it.
'Holy knights of the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine... Both Zipfel and the Holy Kingdom. It's clear that they're taking this matter very seriously.'
But this time, it could be a matter of life and death for a family member.
As a result, no complicated move was planned while a justification was crafted. It wasn't time for actions that required time, such as deceiving or bribing.
'Kuzan.'
Sreeung-!
When Jin gave a signal, Kuzan flashed his eyes and drew his dagger. A pre-manufactured anesthetic poison was applied to the blade.
"Quiet."
In an instant!
The holy knights couldn't finish their words. Kuzan and Quinkantel, who rushed at the same time, suppressed them with a single blow.
Kuzan accurately stabbed the seams of the plate armor with his dagger to anesthetize the opponent, and Quicantel forcefully opened the helm and fed the poison that Kuzan gave him.
The holy knights were instantly paralyzed while standing. While Quinkantel and Kuzan propped up the holy knights against the wall, Jin swung his sword through the gap in the door and cut the bolt inside.
In three minutes at the earliest, and ten minutes at the latest, the fact that the side gate was open would be known.
That was enough. Within that time, they needed to meet a local, find out if the appearance of the monster exactly matched Murakhan, if he used Shadow Qi(Aura), and how the battle with Kadun ended.
Giiiik-!
However, the moment the side gate opened, the group faced two new holy knights. It just happened to be the time for a shift change.