Chapter 227 - Murakhan's Benefactor (3)
"What an interesting joke."
"Come this way!"
Lani pointed to a gap in the alley. It was the path she and the other knights had used to follow the group.
The party passed her and headed there first. As soon as Kuzan's toes disappeared into the gap, about twenty knights flooded the alley.
"Lani Salome!? Where are they?"
The Captain Knight glared at the knights fallen next to Lani.
Lani still hadn't drawn her sword, and the Captain seemed very displeased. The other knights also sighed or clicked their tongues at her.
Everyone knew Lani's principle of never attacking anyone who wasn't a 'heretic'.
And from Lani's point of view, heretics were those who were clearly judged as such in the final trial presided over by Holy King Miklan, and those who proclaimed themselves heretics and practiced black magic.
"I'm sorry, we lost them. It seems they are heading towards Area 1, we should chase..."
"Hmph! Those rats are trapped anyway. They will soon be caught. But Lani Salome, you didn't even draw your sword when you saw your colleagues fall. Can you still call yourself a knight of the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine?"
With a stiff expression, Lani ground her teeth so that the Captain could hear.
"If I have to receive punishment, I will accept it later. For now, it would be better if you chase the intruders."
"You disappoint me every time. How long do you think he can protect you? Even in front of a heretic, tsk!"
"Just chase them! And how can the 5 Captains be so sure they're heretics? Aren't they just intruders yet?"
Furious, Lani shouted.
The Captain glared at her for a while, then shook his head with a sigh.
"Unit 3, send Lani's team members to the saints and regroup in Area 1. And Knight Lani Salome, you're on probation as of now. Return to the barracks, surrender your weapons and armor, and wait. If you defy this, I can't guarantee what will happen next. Do you understand?"
The knights left the alley leaving behind the knights of unit 3. The knights of unit 3 who were taking care of her fallen team members were constantly berating her.
"I wish my father was like yours. Disobeying orders and talking back to the Captain, and all you get is probation."
"Do you know? You seem more of a heretic than a heretic. Please request a position change when you get back, and get out of here, stop tarnishing the Dawn Guardians."
Once they left, only Lani remained in the alley.
And Jin's party had been listening to their conversation from the side gap.
'Lani Salome... It sounded familiar, and I remember now. She's the adopted daughter of Holy King Miklan.'
In his previous life, he had read an article or two about her in the newsletter.
Despite being the daughter of the Holy King, she lived a debauched life, soaked in alcohol every day, and was a character that even the citizens of the Holy Kingdom pointed fingers at. The article was very small in the corner of the page, but she was memorable because of her status as the daughter of the Holy King.
Soon, Lani looked around and entered the gap where the party was.
"We've passed the crisis for now. Let's move to a safe place and have a chat."
"But before that, wait a minute. Lani Salome. You seem to want to help us, but why? And how did you know we were related to the Black Dragon?"
When Jin asked while looking at her, Lani stood silent for a few seconds.
But it seemed like countless thoughts were passing through her mind.
"...I am a knight belonging to the Dawn Guardians of Doctrine."
"You said that earlier too."
"But before being a knight, I am a citizen of the Holy Kingdom of Vankella, a human, and a daughter who conveys the words of our infinitely merciful Lord Ayulra."(Spelling of Ayulra)
She blurted out an introduction that didn't fit the situation.
But it was filled with strong determination and resolve, so they couldn't ignore it as nonsense.
"The duty of someone like me is not to blind people's eyes, disguise evil as good, and become disgusting by colluding with power. Kadun the Fire Dragon, he is the evil we should be pursuing. The Black Dragon, on the other hand, tried to prevent him from burning down the city."
Her tightly clenched fists trembled.
"Does this explain why I'm helping you?"
"He tried to prevent him from burning down the city? Tell me more, Knight. Where is he?"
Quinkantell grabbed Lani's shoulder and asked.
"...Please follow me first, we don't have much time."
The place Lani led them to was a bustling street.
But more than half of the buildings had 'melted', and Kadun's residual fire was still there, continuously spewing toxic smoke, making it an irrecoverable downtown.
Even the saints and magicians had given up on extinguishing the fire here, and it was not designated as a controlled area because the toxicity was too strong.
"Wait a moment, I'll put up a holy shield..."
"We're alright, it’s just her."
"The toxicity here is severe."
"It doesn't matter, let’s hurry up and go."
"Understood."
Lani put a shield around herself and Quinkantel.
"We should be safe for at least 30 minutes here."
"Where's the Black Dragon?"
"He's here."
"He can't withstand this level of toxicity."
"I've protected him with my holy power, so don't worry. But before you see him, let me ask you one thing. Are you Jin Runkandel?"
Suddenly, Jin's name came up, and Kuzan and Quinkantel's eyes widened.
Jin nodded without fluster.
"It seems he told you."
"Yes, Murakhan asked for a favor. He said Jin Runkandel would soon come looking for him and asked me to protect him until then. Please show me a mark that can prove you are Jin Runkandel. From my point of view, you could be another servant of Kadun."
There was no immediate object that could serve as proof of identity. Though Bradamante was Runkandel's sword, it was only identifiable by those who were from the clan or were the warriors of Hyufester.
"You don’t have it?"
"Hey, let's stop testing the gentleman. If we were servants of the Fire Dragon, why would we infiltrate so complicatedly?"
Kuzan pointed a dagger at her neck and spoke in a low voice.
"Do you think I will fear your threats? If I did, I wouldn't have brought you here. And if you harm me, know that Murakhan will surely die."
"Sheath your blade, Kuzan."
Kuzan immediately bowed his head and stepped back.
Lani had a stubborn look in her eyes. She seemed determined not to show Murakhan unless Jin could prove his identity.
"I have no objection. Instead...let this reveal that Murakhan is my guardian dragon."
Hooong...
Jin gathered spirit energy in his palm and looked at Lani.
"Spirit energy, the power of the Solderet. It’s up to you to figure out if I am Jin Runkandel or not, but I am the only contractor of the shadow. Do I need to show any more evidence?"
Now was not the time to hide the fact that he was a contractor.
"No, that's enough."
"Is he safe?"
"Honestly, he's not safe. He's been badly injured. And..."
"Let's see him for now."
Jin suppressed his pounding heart and spoke. It was clearly visible that he wanted to hurry.
It felt like molten iron was boiling in his chest. All kinds of emotions mixed together, almost blinding him.
'Fire Dragon Kadun. I will make sure you experience a terrible end...'
Creak!
Lani tore off the plank under her feet.
The ash that was covering the plank flew up in a clump, and a pumpkin-colored light flowed out from between them.
The same color as the light covering Lani's body. It was holy power.
It was like a shield protecting the black cat. Wrapped around Murakhan, the holy power glowed.
"Murakhan...!"
The representative of Solderet, his friend, the last descendant of the first existence created from the shadow, Jin's only guardian dragon.
It was him.
Lani had been hiding him transformed into a cat in this poison-filled building all along. It was something she couldn't have done without her outstanding holy power and faith.
As Jin carefully held Murakhan in his arms, tears welled up in Quinkantel's eyes. Kuzan also breathed a sigh of relief and rubbed his chest.
"I'll explain what happened."
Lani started explaining the situation when she rescued Murakhan.
She and the knights were sent to Santel on the orders of the regents.
They were ordered to assist the Fire Dragon Kadun, surround the 'monster', and 'purify' the city of Santel, which was in danger of becoming a city of heretics.
But what Lani saw here was neither a monster nor a heretic.
The commoners dying from the merciless breath of the Fire Dragon, and for some reason, the Black Dragon preventing the city from collapsing.
Among the dispatched knights, it was only Lani who felt that something was wrong.
Under the disguise of 'purification', the saints stirred up the commoners and the knights blocked the city.
"Actually, it's Kadun who's killing the commoners, and it didn't take two hours for all that slaughter to be blamed on Lord Murakhan."
When Lani arrived, the battle between Kadun and Murakhan was nearing its end.
Kadun had burned the entire city just to make it impossible for Murakhan to escape. On the other hand, Murakhan was cornered, trying to prevent damage to the commoners and losing energy.
In the end, Murakhan managed to escape. Or it seemed like he did. He broke through Kadun's fire barrier and flew into the sky.
"But it seems he didn't have the strength to go far. Kadun immediately started chasing him, and Murakhan...it seemed like he had taken a gamble. The moment Kadun broke his barrier and started flying, Murakan re-entered the city."
Out of sight, out of mind. Murakhan, who had taken a position in the sky above Santel again inside the fire barrier, fell to the ground and transformed into a human.
Kadun didn't notice because he was chasing Murakan's 'shadow' created with spirit energy in the sky.
It was a miracle that Lani alone clearly saw that sight.
Lani was immediately able to rescue him, but the problem was the other knights who had been dispatched to Santel.
"He would be in a dangerous situation if he wasn't treated immediately. But I couldn't take him to the saints as a disaster victim. His transformation was unstable and black scales were sprouting all over his body."
Lani desperately tried to save the Black Dragon with holy magic, but it was not enough.
And for some reason, while Murakhan was losing consciousness, he barely left a message to the human trying to treat him, Lani. He said Jin Runkandel would come looking for him.
"As soon as he finished speaking, he fell unconscious, transformed into this form. I used my holy power to hide Lord Murakan here."
"Jin, this isn't a transformation. He was forcibly transformed. Let's talk about the details later, let's get out of here first."
"I will show you the best route to escape, please go that way."
"...Lani Salome. I swear on the honor of Solderet and Runkandel, I will repay this debt. As soon as your punishment is over, I will go to the Holy Kingdom."