C345 - Record (3)
'Incredible! Could it be happening right now?'
Jin and Siris instinctively reached for the swords at their waists.
On the other hand, Talaris shrugged as if it were something that had already happened before, a bitter smile forming on her lips.
"...A human sealed a thousand years ago has surpassed the power of Full Ice and mine. It's not surprising. There was even a time when the seal broke more than halfway."
Despite the crack, Elona, inside the ice pillar, remained motionless with her eyes closed.
Talaris reached her hand towards the crack, and the power of Full Ice flowed into it, repairing the fracture. Slowly, the ice pillar returned to its original state.
Even just restoring the crack seemed to have exhausted Talaris, who showed an expression of extreme fatigue.
"Mother, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Hmph, maybe I worried my son-in-law for nothing. Haha."
Siris continued to worry about her mother, not even bothering with the continuous jokes about my son-in-law.
"It seems this woman is tired of sitting in the same place for a thousand years."
"...Does my father also know about the existence of Elona Zipple?"
"Yes, he does. In our youth, when I didn't know much about our circumstances, he used to make a fuss to wake her up and try to fight with her."
"My father?"
When Jin asked with wide-open eyes, Talaris smiled with satisfaction.
"Back then, Cyron just hoped for a worthy opponent to come forth and calm him. The fact that awakening that woman could cause a great disturbance in the world didn't matter at all to your father, who lived the life of a Warrior."
Talaris became friends with Cyron during that time. They clashed swords numerous times in the Hidden Palace, but at some point, they came to understand each other.
"Of course, now your father has regained his sanity and is responsible for the power he possesses."
"Is that responsibility related to the Black Sea?"
"Ask Cyron that directly. If you still don't know anything about Cyron's affairs, it's because that's how he wants it."
"Understood."
"Jin."
"Yes, Madame Talaris."
"From today, you will also join the task of protecting this seal."
Upon hearing Talaris's words, Siris looked at her mother in disbelief.
"Mother? Jin is an outsider... No, you can't be serious. Are you really considering him as your son-in-law?"
"What if I am?"
"You should say something that makes sense...!"
"Hmph, no matter how much I tease my daughter, I never get tired of it. It's just a joke. I just think Jin's skills will be of great help in maintaining this seal. It has come to a point where I can't handle it alone anymore. I can't pass Full Ice to you yet."
For Siris, it was an unimaginable situation. The fact that her mother could trust Jin for something. She felt frustrated that she couldn't be a support to her mother, but she had no choice. If that was her decision, she had to accept it.
After gathering her thoughts, Siris reached out her hand to Jin. Jin hesitated for a moment before shaking it.
"I want you to know that this is not an alliance between the Hidden Palace and Runcandel, but between the Hidden Palace and Jin Runcandel."
"I prefer it that way too."
In reality, Siris didn't mind being close to Jin.
As the daughter of the Mistress of the Hidden Palace, she wasn't familiar with the concept of "friends." Jin was the only person close to her age whom she considered a friend.
'At first, it annoyed me when he tricked me. But he's not a bad guy, all things considered.'
Apart from their first encounter, Siris had a favorable impression of Jin since then. Otherwise, she wouldn't have joined the mission to steal the compass.
"Oh, how good you two look together. How about I leave you alone for a while, daughter?"
"It's not necessary, Mother."
"Alright then. Goodbye, my daughter."
Vooom!
Mort opened a white dimensional door.
Talaris left the two, or rather, the three - Siris, Jin, and Elona in the ice pillar - behind and rode with Mort back to the outside of the Hidden Palace. They could only watch in puzzlement as Talaris departed through the place she had left them alone.
In an instant, an uncomfortable tension filled the air between the two.
"...If you could understand that my mother is a bit peculiar, Jin, I would appreciate it."
"Of course. Compared to my father, she seems to be on the more ordinary side."
After a brief exchange, silence fell once again.
'Awkward.'
'Indeed.'
A few seconds later, they both spoke at the same time.
"Um..."
"Lady Siris, go ahead."
Jin gently addressed her since he didn't really have anything to say.
"I was wondering..."
"Yes?"
"Do those guys also transform?"
"Transform? Who are you talking about?"
"The little beast-men you brought. Do they transform into creepy humans like Butterfly Runc... I mean, like your Black Dragon?"
Jin was about to burst out laughing but managed to contain it as it would have embarrassed Siris.
"No, those friends are not dragons; they are true beast-men. Dragons are the only ones who can transform."
"That's a relief."
"If they were all dragons, it would have been quite intimidating."
"I still get goosebumps sometimes when I think that the cute cat I saw at the banquet is that black dragon. You know how much I pampered that cat in the banquet hall."
"Haha..."
Even thinking about it again, Siris squinted her eyes in disbelief.
"He stayed by my side throughout the entire party. Even when I went to watch your duel with Bouvard, he was curled up in my arms."
"Oh! I think attending this banquet was actually a good decision. I never expected to get so close to the successor of the Hidden Palace! Nice to meet you, Siris Endorma, right? I'm Beradin Zi..."
"Just get lost."
"Oh, alright."
"By the way, be careful with that cat. It's the one that scratched my face, haha. It's quite feisty."
Siris recalled the conversation she had with Beradin at the previous banquet and shared it with Jin.
Beradin, that guy, Jin wondered how he was doing now, and his heart weighed on him at the thought of him.
'It's so frustrating that there's no news from him. Even Dante seems not to have heard anything yet. Not only should I ask him to invite Beradin to the Hairan banquet, but I should also ask him to go to the Zipple banquet.'
Amid various thoughts, Siris continued to talk about the Runcandel banquet.
Apart from Jin, she didn't have many memories with people her age, as she had always been trained and focused on missions.
Unbeknownst to her, that banquet had left her with special memories.
Jin suddenly realized it and met Siris's gaze.
He too had spent his childhood and youth in his past life without significant memories.
'Unlike my past self, Lady Siris, you have achievements in your growth. She must have been bored then.'
She might have felt lonely at times.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just because there's nowhere else to look, Lady Siris."
"Yes."
"Visit Tikan often. We're allies now, and you're also my companion, Lady Siris."
Jin had already regarded Siris as his companion. He just hadn't expressed it out loud, thinking that she might not feel the same way.
"Visiting places for leisure is not something I'm accustomed to."
"I was the same."
"But it doesn't sound like a bad idea. When I think of it as 'hanging out,' it somehow excites me."
Although Siris mostly appeared cool and composed in most situations, she wasn't a dishonest person.
Born as the successor of the Hidden Palace, she had always lived a life of dedication and determination, but she was still a young woman with her own desires. Naturally, there were times when she wanted to connect with others and simply have fun without worries.
"I'm glad you're taking it positively."
But isn't it time for you to drop the formal language too?
It feels weird when it's just me still using it.
Siris swallowed those words.
If they spoke comfortably with each other, she would naturally get closer to Jin, and she feared that could cause confusion in her own feelings if it happened too quickly.
"By the way, I wonder when my mother will open the portal."
"She'll probably come today. Until then, let's chat a bit more."
"I never expected you to be a chatterbox."
"I enjoy it."
----------------
Talaris opened the portal the next morning.
Until then, the two had been talking all night, sharing small and pleasant stories that seemed to pass quickly.
Talaris seemed slightly disappointed by this, but for Jin and Siris, it was a moment of joy.
"Welcome, my lord!"
As Jin stepped out of the Hidden Palace, he found himself in Tikan. The matter with the small beast-men had been resolved, so he only wanted to briefly visit Tikan before returning to the Garden of Swords.
"But how did you get in touch? Butler Petro said you were absent, and Lucas said you hadn't left the Hidden Palace yet."
"You got in touch with me? Why?"
"A guest has arrived."
"Guest?"
"Yes, it's Aria Owlheart..."
"Where is she?"
"She's at Latrie's snack shop."
Although it was morning, the snack shop had a long line.
Jin used the secret passage leading to the snack shop (newly installed due to the influx of guests) and entered directly into the kitchen, where he could see Valeria sitting on one side of the dining table.
Seeing her, Jin suppressed a laugh inwardly.
'She's making good use of Clan Peng's products.'
Valeria had dyed her hair black and added five years to her age, making her look like a completely different person with her skillfully natural makeup.
Jin took a seat in front of Valeria.
"I didn't expect you to come. You said it wasn't necessary, but it looks like you're making good use of the products."
"Not bad. You're going to make a lot of money. Did you get the second Shadow Energy Pearl?"
Valeria got straight to the point. Jin expected it, of course.
"Yes."
"Show it to me. Let me check what it is."
"Aren't there too many prying eyes here? Let's go."
"There are only four of us who can see inside the kitchen: you, me, Latrie, and a magician. It shouldn't matter since Az Mil's dragon is your ally. And I think the same goes for that mage who lost her magic."
Valeria didn't want to move because she judged it safer here.
"It seems like you know everything. Although you say you read the mana flow from Beris, knowing that Latrie is Az Mil's Dragon is classified information."
She had confirmed that information by checking the records.
"My existence was classified too. Show me the recording device. Let me check if it's malfunctioning again."
Jin took out from his pocket the Shadow Energy Pearl he had obtained in Joshua's village.
Valeria nonchalantly cast the recording magic, and indeed, inside the snack shop, no one could see what they were doing.
A blue mana enveloped the marble.
A moment later, Jin noticed that Valeria had the habit of slightly shifting her gaze to the left when she was perplexed or confused.
Is she confused because of the pearl? What's going on with her?
The blue mana of the recording magic disappeared.
"So? Does it malfunction again this time?"
Valeria's response was truly unexpected.
"...This doesn't seem to be a Solderet device."
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