Episode 233: Lani Salome (2)
December 14, 1797.
Jin and Murakhan arrived in the Holy Kingdom to meet Lani Salome.
The Holy Kingdom of Vankella was in the midst of celebrating the festival called "Advent Festival," which commemorated the day when the Divine Princess Ayura, the patron deity of the Holy Kingdom, first arrived. It was the largest festival in the Holy Kingdom and lasted for an entire week.
Colorful flags depicting the symbol of Ayura, the "Dormant Volcano," adorned the streets.
"Dormant Volcano, whenever I see it, I can't help but appreciate how well humans choose their symbols."
Ayura, the Goddess of Peace, revered by the Holy Kingdom of Vankella. Murakhan remembered that she was usually incredibly benevolent, but when angered, she had the personality to burn everything in her path.
"It is said that no matter which deity it was, if they caused chaos among mortals, Ayura would threaten them. There was even a time when she annihilated a deity, but it was before I was born. I wonder if the other party was the god of blessings."
"Is that so?"
"There was a time when there were rumors circulating about Ayura being responsible for the disappearance of Numeus, the God of Hope, among the dragons. Anyway, she is quite a formidable figure."
The streets were filled with pleasant melodies, laughter, and cheers. Both local residents and tourists who came to enjoy the festival were present, and even journalists could be seen frequently.
And the largest gathering of people was in one place.
In the center of the capital's main square, an elderly man with a graceful appearance stood on the podium, waving his hand towards the crowd.
Wielding a golden scepter, wearing the crown of Dormant Volcano, and emanating a faint yellow aura that enveloped his entire body, King Miklan of Vankella exuded a bright smile with well-arranged teeth.
"Long live the King!"
"Long live the King!"
The love of the citizens towards Miklan was absolute. As the King who shared the privileges of the aristocracy with the common people, he had done so much for the citizens of the Holy Kingdom that it would be difficult to find another monarch like him in the history of Vankella.
Rather than praising the efforts of the nobles who established him as the king, he had instead granted even more privileges to the common people.
The two men watched him from the square for a while.
"Is that person Miklan, Lani's father, the current King?"
"Lower your voice, Murakhan. If anyone hears us, it could be troublesome."
"Hmm, it just doesn't make sense to me."
“What's the matter?"
"Lani recently caused a commotion in the temple during the blessing ceremony. But why would they insist on having Lani for an important event like the King's coronation? It doesn't add up."
"Perhaps it's about maintaining appearances? They say that she has been reading the blessing text on behalf of the King every year."
"That's one way to think about it, but it feels strangely uncomfortable. If, by any chance, Lani causes another scene during the coronation ceremony, it would be a major incident. It wouldn't be a minor accident that could be hidden like the previous incident."
Lani's trial had been postponed due to the current King. However, it wasn't because the King had used his power to prevent her punishment; it was because of the Advent festival.
During the Advent period, no criminals were judged as it was a tradition of the Holy Kingdom. However, Lani had always played an important role during the festival.
The King's coronation ceremony.
As the name suggested, it was a ritual in which the King personally blessed each and every citizen. It was considered the highlight of the Advent festival, and Lani had faithfully read the blessing text on behalf of the King every year since she was fifteen.
"Therefore, it seems that the members of the Dawn Guard temporarily released Lani. They probably thought it wouldn't look good if she suddenly disappeared. We might be able to meet Lani before the trial ends."
Before Jin and Murakhan came to the Holy Kingdom, Kashimir had provided them with this information, which turned out to be good. If the trial didn't go well, it would have been difficult for them to meet her at all.
"Well, I still can't understand no matter how much I think about it."
Just then.
Jin looked at the King while eating a candy shaped like a Dormant Volcano that he had just bought from a stall. Both of them had disguised themselves as tourists, with their hair dyed red using a high-grade hair dye called "Golden Duck Dye"
"What is it?"
"Lani recently caused a disturbance at the temple during the blessing ceremony. However, it doesn't make sense to me why they would insist on using her for such an important event like the King's coronation."
"Isn't it because of appearances? They say she has been reading the blessing text every year on behalf of the King."
"But it still feels oddly unsatisfying. Maybe Lani was just momentarily insane at that time and still maintains a good relationship with the King."
"We'll find out when we meet her."
Lani's residence was a small house located near the "Ayura Grand Temple", which was right next to the capital of the Holy Kingdom. However, due to the constant visits from devoted followers of Miklan and Lani, the house was rarely used.
Lani's actual living space was the "Ayura Eastern Temple" located in the eastern part of the capital. However, it was currently undergoing major renovations, and except for authorized personnel, access was prohibited.
Of course, Jin and Murakhan didn't care about such matters.
"Let's head to the Eastern Temple."
The two men boarded the teleportation gate to the eastern part.
"Why are you still vomiting? Shouldn't you be used to it by now?"
Murakhan vomited immediately after the teleportation was complete. He was still sensitive to teleportation gates.
"Damn it, even though I've regained 40% of my strength, I still can't fly freely."
"Hold on a bit. Once I become a rider, you should be able to fly freely over Hyufester, at least."
There was no need to search for the Ayura Eastern Temple; it was the tallest building that could be seen right after exiting the teleportation gate.
Compared to the bustling central area filled with festival atmosphere, the eastern part was quiet. During the Advent period, even the merchants would leave for the central area to set up their stalls, so it was only natural.
They climbed up the hill and arrived at the Ayura Eastern Temple. Unlike the heavily armored knights who blocked the city in Centel, the guards protecting the eastern temple were ordinary soldiers yawning and slouching.
There were no workers visible for the temple's renovation. They had also left for the central area to enjoy the festival.
Within the Holy Kingdom, there were no unauthorized individuals entering the temple, and from the perspective of tourists, there was nothing to see at the Ayura Eastern Temple. All the important relics had been moved to the central temple, so there was no need for strict security.
Jin took out a small glass bottle from his pocket and opened the lid. Inside was a sleep-inducing poison made by Kuzan.
"I'm sorry, but it's not a dangerous poison."
Jin looked at Murakhan.
Murakhan initially had a face that seemed to question why he had to go this far, but then he sighed and transformed into a cat.
"Meow."
Murakhan approached the guards with the glass bottle in his mouth. Naturally, the guards' attention turned to the glass bottle that Murakhan was holding before they could examine it closely. Before they could react, Murakhan dropped the sleep-inducing poison in front of them.
"What is this? Oh, my body..."
Thump, thump.
"Sorry."
After giving them a few gold coins, Jin and Murakhan casually passed through the gate and entered the temple. Lani's room was located at the end of the hallway on the third floor of the temple.
As they got closer, a strong smell of alcohol filled the air.
Fortunately, there were no other soldiers inside, so they were able to meet Lani without any trouble.
"Lani Salome. I didn't know you liked alcohol this much."
As Jin quietly closed the door and spoke in a low voice, Lani finally looked at him. Despite intentionally approaching without hiding their presence, she hadn't paid any attention until that moment.
It was as if she had given up on everything.
"...Jin Runkandel?"
The eyes that were filled with strong conviction and pride back in Santel were now vacant, with pupils drowned in despair.
For a while, Lani stared at Jin as if she couldn't believe it. It seemed that she hadn't expected him to find her so quickly.
"How...?"
"We made a promise, didn't we? I came to repay the debt."
Pop!
Murakhan transformed back into his human form and stood in front of Lani. Seeing him in a healthy state, Lani put down the bottle of alcohol and widened her eyes.
"It's been a while, religious fanatic. Thanks to you, I'm alive and here to find you. It seems like there's something wrong with you, but this Great Black Dragon Murakhan will take care of everything. So, how about pouring me a drink?"
Murakhan smiled and effortlessly took the glass away from her, preventing her from drinking more.
Lani, still in a daze, blinked her eyes for a while and then burst into tears. She covered her mouth to prevent her cries from being heard outside.
The two of them waited for her to stop crying for a moment.
"Alright, stop crying and tell us what happened."
"My father, my father..."
"Your father? King Miklan?"
"They've captured my father."
Jin and Murakhan looked at each other and then at Lani in turns.
"What are you talking about? Religious fanatic. We just came from the central square after seeing the King standing there perfectly fine..."
"Those guys used some kind of trickery; that's a fake. It's a body double with a striking resemblance. My actual father has been kidnapped."
"What?"
"The King...has been kidnapped?"
Fake.
As soon as they heard that word, a certain figure naturally came to mind.
Bouvar Gaston, the sculptor of Kinzelo.
In that instant, Jin understood why Lani had been assigned the role of reading the blessing text during the "King's Coronation" ceremony as always.
"She's being threatened."
The current King Miklan was being held hostage, and those who were responsible were blackmailing Lani. They told her that if she didn't behave as usual, her father, the real Miklan would die.
However, in her distress, Lani caused a disturbance during the blessing ceremony at the fake King's coronation and became trapped in a situation where she had to wait for the trial.
"Lani Salome, do you know who kidnapped the King?"
Kinzelo.
Of course, Jin had expected that name to come up since they were using Bouvar's shapeshifting technique.
But the name Lani mentioned was not Kinzelo.
"It's Zipfel. Those guys...kidnapped my father."
"Zipfel? Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. It seems like other forces are involved as well... Ha, I don't really know. I had very little I could do."
Lani held her head in her hands and trembled.
"It's okay, Lani. Have some water to drink. Calm down and tell us the whole story so we can think properly."
The alliance between Zipfel and Kinzelo had come to an end.
Could it be that they joined forces again? That moment, a question arose briefly.
Thump, thump, thump, thump!
Suddenly, a heavy footsteps could be heard from outside the door. It was undoubtedly someone who had realized that Jin and Murakhan had infiltrated and had come to find them. But for some reason, these footsteps...
They were clearly not the sound of human footsteps.