C363 - Trail (3)
"Perhaps if I hadn't spoken, you would have never known, elder sister."
"If that were the case, Mother..."
I would have informed you.
Because, in the end, it's a matter that concerns the clan.
Mary couldn't continue the sentence. If it had been before hearing this story, maybe she wouldn't have known, but now she wasn't entirely convinced that Rosa's decision was solely for the good of the clan.
The sandcastle of trust in Rosa had crumbled.
"...Anyway, I unexpectedly heard an extraordinary story. If I were to reveal this content at the next Flagbearers' meeting, it would surely bring chaos to the clan."
Not only Mary and Dyfus, but from now on, all the Flagbearers would seek and protect Temar's tomb.
Not only the Flagbearers but also prominent figures of the Council of Elders, especially those like Jorden, who still clung to their old ambitions.
It was an opportunity to "achieve great glory" that rarely came along.
There were those who stepped forward purely for the clan and those who did it to satisfy their desire for honor.
Those who found or protected Temar's tomb would have their names forever engraved in Runcandel.
"Chaos. Looking back, that was always my role in the clan."
"That's why the Council of Elders dislikes you so much."
Mary's voice softened even more as she said it.
"Wouldn't it be the same for you, elder sister?"
"Isn't it? Among the elders, there are many people who like me. Hm, after the chaos you caused this time, it would be nice if order were restored. See you at the meeting."
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However, Jin did not attend the next meeting.
Once again, he left the clan, using his mission as an excuse.
"It's lucky I was assigned a mission."
No matter what agenda was discussed at the meeting, the central topic would inevitably be Temar's Tomb.
Jin gained nothing from attending the meeting where Mary would detonate a bomb.
"I wonder if elder sister Mary is nervous about my absence. Nevertheless, the process of public debate should have continued, so chaos must have already erupted in the meeting room."
Although it was regrettable not to witness that scene firsthand, he didn't want to get involved in an unnecessarily exhausting situation.
Jin planned to return slowly.
Until all the right figures for the scenario had finished their preparations and begun their substantial activities.
"Ten days, perhaps two weeks. Returning afterward should be fine. This mission is quite important. Rescuing a royal captive from a maritime fortress isn't so extraordinary for a Flagbearer, is it?"
Of course, Jin wasn't the one directly handling that substantial mission.
Once again, Bellop Shmitz was tasked with rescuing royalty on behalf of Jin.
Jin felt a little worried about whether that guy would handle it well while he pondered this.
Bellop combed through all the maritime fortresses near Vermont, shouting out in frustration.
Where the hell was the captive to be rescued, he shouted, surrounded by the merciless swords of the mercenaries.
"Stay strong, Bellop."
There was someone else who needed to stay strong.
More precisely, not a person, but a dragon.
Jin had come to Tikan to witness the awakening of that dragon.
"Has Jin-nim arrived?"
"Whoa! It's Sir Jin!"
"You're here!"
Upon entering the mansion, Kashimir, Enya, and Jet greeted Jin simultaneously.
Other comrades also gathered for greetings.
Enya, as usual, bared her back and asked for an autograph, while Jin, as if with water, wrote smoothly on her shirt.
"You're always collecting meaningless autographs."
While Murakan messed up Enya's hair and spoke, Alisa giggled.
"Murakan-nim, don't you also have a hobby of collecting meaningless magazines?"
"Alisa, it's not the same. How can collecting such noble texts be meaningless? Besides, this scent. Hm, that Quikantel. She seems to be skilled in making potions."
Sniffing and wrinkling his nose, Murakan referred to the smell of Ozdock's core as a potion.
After Jin acquired the inner core, Quikantel had been up all night preparing a potion.
All with the purpose of awakening the Dragon Guardian, Caltor, from Yulian.
Although Murakan had clearly told Picon that he had no interest in potions made from the inner core, just like dragons are dragons, Murakan seemed to have unknowingly regained his appetite for the scent of potions.
"Huh, it seems her skills haven't disappeared yet. Quikantel has been exceptional at making potions for a long time. How is Caltor? Is there any improvement?"
Since being rescued, Caltor had been virtually in a corpse-like state.
His energy was barely detectable, and he hardly breathed.
The shattered bone joints had no hope of rejoining, and the chest wounds remained unhealed.
Anyone who saw that appearance would have thought he was already dead.
A dragon with a mortal wound to the heart could never rise again on its own.
Even Murakan, recognized as the strongest dragon, had fallen into a thousand-year slumber after suffering heart injuries.
Now he wouldn't have awakened if Jin hadn't found him in the Storm Castle's basement.
"There are improvements. However, Lady Quikantel mentioned that due to Caltor's weakened state, we should be extremely cautious when administering him potions."
Latrie looked worriedly toward the other door. Beyond that door was the room where Misha had once healed Murakan.
"It seems they need a bit more time."
"Yes. However, there's nothing preventing him from waking up, so I think you shouldn't worry too much."
"Worry about what..."
Although he replied that way, Murakan subtly rolled his eyes toward Yulian, who was sitting in a corner. It was a gesture that showed he cared in his own way.
For days, Yulian had been sitting there, refusing food and waiting for Caltor to wake up.
Jin was about to offer words of comfort, but he swallowed them. Whatever he said could probably wait until Caltor regained consciousness.
"By the way, I haven't seen Beris around here."
"Oh, Professor Beris is currently working. There are plans to open a Second Snack Shop for Latrie-nim soon, and it seems she'll be the head chef there. According to what Latrie-nim said, she has quite a talent..."
Enya still referred to Beris as her professor.
And Beris had now genuinely given up on deterring her, passing on her magical knowledge.
"From a fearsome Taimyun Marius hound to a cook in a snack shop..."
Instead of ordering her killed as when she was a hound and a genius altered magician, the everyday task of baking cookies was now more familiar to Beris.
Considering that she had been raised as an assassin doll since childhood, I wondered if she would be able to lead a normal life even after losing her mana. It seems she's adapting surprisingly well."
Somehow, Jin thought of Yona.
"And Kuzan?"
"Kuzan-nim went to check on tasks related to the Seven-Colored Peacocks... Oh, there he is!"
Almost instinctively, everyone's gaze turned to Kuzan, who had just entered the hallway.
He was carrying a stack of documents in both hands. Upon seeing Jin, he gave a slight nod of greeting before accidentally dropping the entire pile.
Thud!
"Hey, man! Be a bit more careful."
Jet hurriedly helped Kuzan pick up the scattered papers. Then, upon seeing Kuzan mimic clinking glasses in the air tonight, he let out a chuckle. Surprisingly, the two got along quite well.
"My lord, I actually intended to get in touch with you. It's perfect timing. A letter has arrived for you."
There was only one letter that had reached Tikan for Jin.
"Valeria!
Crack! Jin opened the letter as soon as he received it.
(I have discovered traces of the Cat Tribe. It is a forest called 'Wantaramo' to the west of the Empire's feudal state, Kiken. If this is you, you probably know that the place is no ordinary forest.
We will discuss the details in person. Come to the largest inn in the southwest of Kiken before September 19.
Besides, I've run out of cosmetics. Bring me some.)
It was a contact she had been waiting for for three whole months.
And Valeria had kept her promise to search for the Cat Tribe.
So far, even the Seven-Colored Peacocks had deployed their maximum available personnel to search for the Cat Tribe, but they hadn't been able to find even the slightest clue. That's how difficult it was to locate the Cat Tribe.
It took three months for the record magician to finally find something.
"By the way, Wantaramo...? I've never heard that name before. And what do you mean it's not an ordinary forest?"
Valeria must have thought that Jin would know, but even digging into the memories of his past life, the name Wantaramo Forest still didn't ring a bell.
"What's up, kid? Did you find the Cat Tribe?"
"She hasn't completely found them, but it seems that he has discovered some traces. It is a forest called Wantaramo in the Empire's feudal state, Kiken. Do you know anything about that place?"
"Wantaramo? Does such a forest exist?"
While everyone acted like they didn't know, one person, Kashimir, clapped as if he remembered something.
"When I was a prince, I remember my father and advisers talking about a forest called Wantaramo. I was so young then that I had forgotten, but hearing the name brings back memories. I think I was about seven or eight years old."
"Oh, insect... Right, you were a prince. It's imperial territory, so you must have heard of it."
It's not an ordinary forest.
Excluding Murakan, the companions carefully examined the excerpt from the letter that Jin had exposed.
"The emperor and the empire's advisers wouldn't have casual conversations about a forest that most people in the world don't even know about. There must be something in that forest."
Jin nodded at Kashimir's words.
If the emperor and the advisers had conversations about that place, then it wasn't an ordinary forest by any means.
"Sir Kashimir, do you recall anything else?"
"I don't think there is... Oh! Back then, the advisers mentioned that negotiations with the Wantaramo had failed. Now that I think about it again, it's strange. The empire's advisers were negotiating with an imperial forest."
There was no such thing as negotiations between the empire and an imperial forest.
Extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Although the Wantaramo Forest belonged to Vermont's territory, it was land that wasn't subject to its dominion.
"Kid, once you go there, Aria Owlheart will probably tell you what kind of place it is. Why do you think about such complicated things?"
Murakan's words were on point.
"The other party will think I know everything about it, and I'm afraid of embarrassing myself if I don't know anything."
Jin shrugged and smiled.
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