C262 - Departing
Five days had passed since their successful escape.
Jin walked alone through the forests on the southern borders of the Kingdom of Jian. Murakan had left him there two days ago and returned to Tikan.
The entire world was in a frenzy to capture Jin. And since the Kingdom of Jian was close to the Allied Kingdoms of Hufester, if anyone recognized him, hordes of Runcandel Guardian Knights would storm in.
Of course, Jin wouldn't be stopped by mere travelers or border defense guards, but encountering them meant he had to subdue them. That's why Jin had to be cautious.
This is getting slightly confusing now. Was it this way?
Wandering through the forest was a tedious ordeal.
Jin searched his memory to locate the secret passage used by the half-orcs with fish tails. Jin couldn't head towards established roads and was unfamiliar with the region's geography, which provided the perfect reason for getting lost.
But he wasn't anxious. There were many streams flowing through various corners of the forest, so he always had water to drink. There were also plenty of animals, so he wasn't worried about a shortage of food.
The next morning, Jin smiled as he caught the scent of roasted fish. There was only one tribe that roasted fish for food in such a remote place.
He cautiously approached the source of the smell. Before his eyes unfolded a beautiful scene that could only be found in fairy tales.
About six half-orcs with fish tails were roasting the fish they had just caught by the stream. They cheerfully sang songs among themselves, completely unaware that Jin was approaching.
"Hello."
The fish tails froze upon hearing Jin's voice.
They thought he was a hunter. Although such trade was strictly prohibited by international law, there were still people who hunted and sold dried fish tails at exorbitant prices.
"Sorry for startling you. By any chance, do you know... Ah, there it is."
Jin commented as he raised his open hands and bent his knees to match their height. Fortunately, there was a familiar face in the fish tail tribe.
"Long time no see, Dark Flame."
"Ohh, Jin Runcandel. We meet again? Surprised. Very." The fish tail spoke in their tribe's broken and peculiar native language.
The other fish tails let out a sigh of relief when Dark Flame greeted Jin.
He wasn't the only one who knew Jin. There were other fish tails who had received help from Jin after being stripped of their possessions by the crimson tigers.
Furthermore, Jin was considered a hero among the fish tails after Bamel's identity, who had faced off against the Kinzelo, was revealed.
The fact that both the Runcandel and Zipple collectively put a bounty of four hundred million gold coins on Jin's head was also a topic of discussion among the half-orcs.
"How have you been? Also, good, right? You, gold coins, four hundred million." Dark Flame approached Jin with a concerned expression.
"I'm fine. Sorry to ask you once again, but do you think I could ask for your help this time too? In fact, I've been searching for you."
"Going, again, to the great desert?"
"You know how the current situation is."
Dark Flame was the leader of the group, and they gladly decided to help Jin.
"It seems like I'm always in debt to you."
"No, jewels, last time. Still have, plenty."
The reward that Jin had given the fish tails the first time he departed for Lafrarosa was more than what their entire tribe could earn in several years, and the fish tails were still making good use of it.
"And also, helped, Big Snout, and, Big Eyes, of, Crimson Tiger. You, return, the, money. No, reason, not, to, help."
The fish tails called Big Snout and Big Eyes raised their thumbs. Jin felt flattered. He awkwardly smiled and joined them to eat the roasted fish.
After the meal, Jin followed the fish tails to their secret cave.
The cave built by the felinoids remained a mysterious labyrinth. At the end of the cave, he could see fish tails and golden mice gathered in one place, taking a nap.
"Hey, fish tails! You can't bring things like that down here. Look at that. It's Jin Runcandel."
"What? Jin Runcandel?"
All the half-orcs lying on the ground immediately stood up, their eyes as wide open as they could be.
But they didn't seem alarmed, despite the appearance of the world's most wanted criminal. They surrounded Jin as if he were a fascinating creature.
"He got caught up in the mess between the Runcandels and Zipple. What a bleak future he has now," one of the golden mice clicked its tongue and spoke.
Its name was Penny. He was the golden mouse hairdresser who had dyed Jin's hair for the Compass Interception Operation.
Jin looked into Penny's eyes. "Penny, let me propose a deal that the golden mice will love."
"You're not asking for permission to live here, are you? That's something we would have to discuss with the leaders of all the tribes, and even though most of us like you, I don't think it would work. If you ever got caught, the giant clans would kill everyone...".
Jin shrugged as he watched Penny go on and on.
"No, I'm not making any such request. It's very simple. Disguise me."
"A disguise?"
"I'm heading to the great desert. But since there will be plenty of half-men who might recognize me, I need an appropriate disguise."
"The great desert? Why? There's certainly something strange about this guy. It was the same last time. Why do you want to keep going to that desolate land that everyone else avoids? Do you really want to end your life there this time?"
"Can you do it or not?"
"Hmm, it's not a very difficult task, yes. But if you get caught and it's known that we were the ones who disguised you, the Runcandels might come after us. Right?"
Jin could swear that none of that would happen. But no one trusted him except himself.
That's why Jin reached for his waist to draw his sword.
"Aaaak!"
"Ugh! No, don't do this! Okay! We'll do it."
"Uh, ugh!"
The faces of the small half-orcs immediately paled.
But instead of unsheathing it, Jin untied one of the two swords he had at his waist and laid it on the ground.
"You've gotten on my nerves! I thought you were threatening us."
"We were also shocked."
"Yes, well. Sorry for scaring you. Your compensation for the disguise will be this sword."
Jin had left Bradamante on the ground.
"Are you giving this to us?"
The golden mice's eyes gleamed as they lifted the sword to inspect it. Bradamante was a glorious sight to behold, even for those who knew little about swords. The golden mice were obsessed with money, so it was no wonder that they were now enchanted by it.
"When the rumor of my death starts spreading in the world, contact the Runcandel clan and deliver this sword to them. You will be generously rewarded. It's one of the finest swords in my clan. Tell them you found it in a remote location south of the Kingdom of Jian."
"Do you think the Runcandels will believe us?"
"They will believe you, and even if they don't, they certainly won't harm you. In any case, the clan will be grateful that you found the sword for them. It wouldn't be good for the clan's reputation if they don't offer you a huge reward. In fact, they might even protect you."
"No way. Really?"
"Of course. In return, promise me that you won't try to negotiate with any other clan just to drive up prices against the Runcandels. Once they find out that you negotiated with someone else, no matter the rewards, they'll kill all of you."
Penny and the other golden mice seemed rather disappointed.
They would receive a tremendous object in exchange for the disguise, but they were worried that the Runcandels might violently shake them up in the future.
Jin also understood their point of view. If they refused, he planned to head to the great desert without any disguise.
"It's quite tempting, but our lives may depend on that object, so... Huh?"
"Oh."
"Wow!"
The small half-orcs were startled, and everyone turned to look.
Jin turned his gaze along with them to see a half-orc he had never seen before. He was small, like the fish tails and golden mice. His height only reached Jin's waist.
He had a cat-like face, pupils of a mysterious purple color, and fur as white as snow.
He was a felinoid. Jin didn't know when he had arrived, but the felinoid was nodding towards Jin and the half-orcs.
"As freeloaders living in these caves, I suppose we have no choice if the owner approves. Well, look at that. It seems like you have a long life ahead of you. To think that a human would receive the blessings of a felinoid. My, what have I just witnessed? Four hundred million is quite something, eh."
"A blessing? He just nodded, didn't he?"
"Humans may not know about these things, but among us, the small half-orc tribes, anyone who receives the approval of the felinoids will be unconditionally welcomed by us, regardless of race or motive. I accept that deal."
Jin felt equally amused by the felinoid's sudden appearance. He wanted to express his gratitude, regardless of why the felinoid had decided to help him.
But the felinoid disappeared in an instant without leaving a trace, even when Jin searched for it in his mind's eye.
How intriguing.
But it made him feel better, as if everything would turn out well.
"And split the reward in half with the fish tails."
Penny pondered for a moment and replied, "No. Eighty-twenty."
"Fifty-fifty."
"Seventy-thirty."
"Sixty-forty. That should be enough, don't be greedy."
"Hmph, fine! When do you need the disguise?"
"Immediately."
"Wait a moment. Let me fetch the tools."
Penny and the other golden mice hurried away.
When they returned, they carried hair dyes, wigs, and all sorts of mysterious objects that Jin had no idea what they could be used for.
"We'll make sure no one recognizes you on your way to the great desert!"
They immediately got to work.
After an hour of makeup, Jin looked at himself in the mirror. He immediately chuckled. The mirror showed the face of an old man instead of his own familiar face.
"Nothing is impossible with the makeup skills of the golden mice. But don't touch it out of curiosity. You'll ruin the makeup. We tried to make you look like a retired expert mercenary who has been traveling around."
"I like it. When I become a full-fledged flagbearer of the Runcandel clan, we'll have many matters to discuss together. It's been a pleasure seeing all of you. Now, I'm off."
"Oh. Are you leaving already? Be careful. Seriously!"
After a brief farewell, Jin headed through the secret passage that led to the Yuka-yuka Market. The half-orcs looked at each other and shrugged.
"Well, what an experience. And to think that the felinoids would step forward."
"I agree, me too."
Since ancient times, the felinoids had only approved of humans for two reasons.
Either they were contracted by the cat god, or their intuition as felinoids pointed to the human as a protector of the small hybrids.
Obviously, Jin was the latter.
"In any case, the fact that the felinoids blessed Jin Runcandel means that we will be safe too. What great fortune! What will we do once we get the money?" Penny shouted, causing the golden mice and fish tails to embrace each other and laugh in celebration.
Perhaps the felinoid's blessing is real, as they mentioned. The crimson tigers patrolling noticed me on more than five occasions, yet none of them bothered to search me.
Exiting the Yuka-yuka Market, Jin arrived at the great desert of Mitra without any major issues.
The desert, ridiculously vast and ivory-colored, and the sun above it burned fiercely with the intention of roasting everyone to death.
But unlike his first visit to the desert, that desolate place no longer seemed unsettling to Jin. In fact, it felt familiar and welcoming.
It was as if he had returned home, to his own land.
And the desert also embraced Jin like a mother welcoming a child who had traveled far from home. Instead of dreadful mirages, a cool breeze flowed wherever Jin went. During the night, a soft moonlight covered his tent.
"You've arrived, Brother Jin."
After four days, Tantell revealed himself in the same manner as the first time.
"Hello, Brother Tantell."
"We were dying to see you. Have you brought any interesting stories? Lafrarosa is going to get busy once again."
Tantell brandished his sword to open the gates of Lafrarosa as he handed Jin a bottle of jewel liquor.
He then added, "Brother Jin, are you prepared for this? The Battle Goddess sister and our battle king brothers are so ready to crush you in training that you might not want to step through the gate if you know what awaits you."
"I'll make the brothers surrender first, just like last time."
Jin smiled as he took a sip of the jewel liquor.
Six months later, the golden mice went to the Runcandels to deliver Bradamante and received their reward.
Rumors of Jin's death began to spread throughout the world.