C344 - Record (2)
'Come to think of it, she has the characteristic white hair of a pure-blood Zipple.'
In the ice pillar, the white-haired woman appeared so young that it was hard to believe she was a Magician from the Zipple Clan of a thousand years ago.
'She could be in her thirties, perhaps? She looks so young.'
Her long, snowy hair glistened, perhaps frozen in Full Ice's absolute cold.
Her closed eyes appeared asleep, and it seemed like her bright pupils could open at any moment.
The robe she wore had no visible imperfections, but it seemed to be made of sturdy leather, and the staff she had held firmly until she was captured was an unadorned, ordinary object.
And she had an extraordinarily clear face.
With such a benevolent appearance that she seemed incapable of harming anyone, not even a small insect.
It was hard to believe that someone like her had been part of the forces of evil that once ruled the world a thousand years ago.
It was also hard to understand how she had ended up trapped in this ice pillar in such a vivid state.
The woman seemed as if she could break free from the ice pillar at any moment and move.
"Is this woman truly an ancient Zipple Magician?"
"Yes. A thousand years ago, the second master sealed this Magician using the power of Full Ice," said Talaris as she touched the ice pillar.
Jin noticed a wrinkle on her hand that wasn't there before but didn't mention it.
"Is it because of the Endorma Clan's oath you mentioned earlier?"
"Yes. You should know well. There is no power without a price."
As a Thousand Year Contractor, Jin knew better than anyone the cost and responsibilities that came with gaining a second life and power and potential beyond that of any other genius of his time.
Of course, Talaris didn't know everything about the Thousand Year Contractor.
But she believed that Jin already understood the concept of "responsibility" when she saw him trying to save the native of Colón.
"Our Endorma bloodline also obtained the power of Full Ice. We gained overwhelmingly greater power than any human could possess, but in return, we received the mission to help resolve extraordinary phenomena in the world."
It was the first time Jin had heard this story.
'I always thought the Hidden Palace's neutrality was simply due to its nature and influence. Are you saying there was such a mission?'
It was a story very few knew.
The promise made by the Endorma bloodline with 'Full Ice,' no, with the Gods, had a slightly different nature than the typical 'contract' made by Contractors.
"What kind of extraordinary phenomena are you talking about?"
"When it comes to extraordinary phenomena, the calamities brought by Witch Helluram are the most representative. Previous masters of the Hidden Palace worked hard to stop that woman, and so did my mother."
"You're revealing too much to an outsider, Mother."
"An outsider? Daughter, how can my son-in-law be considered an outsider...?"
"Why the hell do you call Jin son-in-law..."
"Anyway, most ordinary people don't know. If my mother hadn't stopped Helluram, the world's population would have been tens of millions, if not billions, less than it is now."
Ignoring Siris, Talaris continued speaking.
Siris sighed, and Jin's eyes widened.
If what she was saying was true, it seemed that the entire world, to some extent, owed a debt to the Hidden Palace.
"Five hundred years ago, the Holy Kingdom Protection War took place. Even then, the Hidden Palace's swords infiltrated demon territory and killed high-ranking demons, contributing greatly to humanity's peace."
Since the first master was chosen by Full Ice, the Hidden Palace had made countless significant contributions to the world's peace and prosperity over the last thousand years.
Talaris herself had sacrificed greatly from her youth to the present to eliminate "extraordinary phenomena" and continued to do so.
"This woman was also one of those extraordinary phenomena, from what I've heard."
Jin shifted his gaze to the woman trapped in the ice pillar.
"In my experience with numerous lovers, I've realized that you can't judge a person solely by appearances. Sometimes, someone who looks innocent can be a tough and powerful individual, and vice versa. At first glance, this woman might seem incapable of even killing a single ant."
"That's true."
"Due to foreign invasions, detailed records about her were lost, but even from the records that remain in the Hidden Palace archives, I can tell you that this woman was as wicked as Helluram."
Suddenly, the name of a woman Jin had seen in the third tomb's recording device came to mind.
-What happened? Did you manage to destroy all the enemy towers?
-No, it wasn't possible. If I told you there are more magicians like Elona, would you believe it? Silderay. It was terrible; I destroyed about fifty and gave up, and then came back.
-What, really...?
-I tricked you again, Silderay. Haha! I tricked you again. I can't help but play these kinds of pranks on you so easily.
-What? Are you saying it's a lie again?
-Yes, that's right. Who would believe there's another crazy monster like her in the world, huh? Anyway, you're so silly and cute.
Elona Zipple.
Even the ten great knights of Runcandel from that time would tremble in fear at the mention of that name, and the joke that there might be another magician like her terrified Silderay.
"Her name is Elona Zipple, a pure-blood Zipple, but she had never been the matriarch. Apart from her name, not a single piece of information is known about her. Strangely, there are no records about her. However, based on the clues left by the second master through Full Ice..."
They say she was a magician capable of laying waste to an entire continent.
Talaris continued her explanation as she infused the ice pillar with the power of Full Ice.
Suddenly, the pillar emitted light, and several 'screens' appeared around it.
Recording devices? Videos!?
Jin examined the pillar in surprise.
Unlike the recording device left by Solderet, the images appearing from the ice pillar were not videos but still images like paintings.
Within these images were scenes of Elona Zipple in combat or the aftermath of the battlefields she had laid waste to.
Though they were only still images and not videos, Jin was overwhelmed just by looking at Elona's appearance.
Elona with her staff raised, ruined mountains, and thousands of humans gathered to confront her...
In the next moment shown in the images, there was no one left alive, only countless drops of blood forming rivers and bones. Elona's clothes weren't even slightly damaged.
"Maybe not even the second master could kill this woman. It seems he barely managed to seal her using the power of Full Ice."
"So, is this Elona Zipple still alive?"
"Some records were lost, but there has never been any record of her being killed. It is said her time is frozen."
Suddenly, a chill ran down Jin's spine, and goosebumps appeared on his back and waist.
'What a monster... She has been sealed for a thousand years, but she's still alive.'
Even now, they couldn't kill her.
If it were possible, the masters of the previous generation of the Hidden Palace, including Talaris, wouldn't have left Elona unattended. And there was a part that was hard to accept.
'Why are there so few records of such a caliber magician? Even in other historical texts, her name is likely to be absent, and only traces remain in the Hidden Palace records.'
From the expressions of the ten great knights in the recording device and the traces left by the second master of the Hidden Palace while sealing Elona, it was beyond doubt that Elona Zipple was the strongest magician in Zipple's history. Even if she wasn't, her name should have been mentioned whenever the subject of the strongest magicians was brought up.
However, Jin had never heard the name Elona even when he was deeply immersed in the study of magic in his past life.
When people talked about the strongest magicians in history, the name Riol Zipple was mentioned, not Elona's.
In a way, she was a forgotten person, like Tzenmi or the countless people erased by Zipple.
"Was it Zipple who erased her?"
The first thought that came to mind was, of course, Zipple's manipulation of history.
But why? Elona Zipple was Zipple's greatest force at that time. Expressions like 'on par with the patriarch' and 'half of Zipple's entire power' found in Solderet's recording device proved that.
'Was it necessary to erase the traces of the calamities caused by Elona Zipple? Or was her power too overwhelming and uncontrollable? Seeing that she attempted to manipulate Temar's history, it doesn't seem to be the case.'
Or perhaps something went wrong, and Zipple himself suffered significant damage when defeating the Runcandel at that time.
Amidst all sorts of speculations, Talaris spoke.
"For a thousand years, the Hidden Palace has been hiding this woman from Zipple."
Talaris had just revealed one of the Hidden Palace's greatest secrets to Jin.
The reason they concealed Elona's existence from Zipple was no other than this.
"If they find out, it means this woman could become active again."
"A future I don't want to imagine. If a monster like her is added to Zipple, which is already dominant, the balance will cease to exist."
Indeed, that was the case.
Runcandel, despite having the Genesis Knight (Divine Star Knight), Cyron, couldn't surpass Zipple. Other forces like Vermont, Kinzelo, and the Hidden Palace would naturally be absorbed or face destruction if the balance between them collapsed.
Of course, Elona might no longer fight for Zipple's cause. But that was an illusion, and an extremely unlikely scenario.
"I revealed the Hidden Palace's secret to you because you're investigating the tombs of Runcandel's first patriarch and glimpsing into the past."
Talaris believed that Jin might find clues that could "kill" Elona during that process.
It was also possible to find ways to restrain Zipple's extraordinary phenomenon by manipulating history.
Furthermore, Talaris was anxious.
Jin could sense that emotion in her.
"Lately, the Full Ice seal has been weakening."
Upon hearing that, Jin looked at Talaris's palm again.
It had wrinkles it didn't have before. Given her age, having wrinkles was natural, but like many warriors who gained enlightenment, she had been significantly suppressing aging until now.
Moreover, the Endorma bloodline was especially immune to the effects of aging due to the power of Full Ice.
The appearance of wrinkles on her palm indicated that the power of Full Ice, which was suppressing Elona, was reaching its limits.
For her, maintaining her body at its peak had become an increasingly challenging task.
"So, how much time do we have left...?"
At the moment Jin said that.
Crack...!
A crack appeared in the middle of the ice pillar.
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