C368 - Trail (8)
"Help me with the hair dye."
Valeria extended the hair dye she had received from Jin earlier.
"I don't want to show this hair when I meet the people from Vermont or Zipple."
Jin shrugged.
Then he turned around and applied some of the dye to Valeria's red hair.
A shine emanated from the hair that was turning black.
Jin's fingers gently ran through it, spreading the dye.
Somehow, the members of the Cat Tribe opened their mouths wide and stared with sparkling eyes.
Their atmosphere is strange, isn't it?
"They get along really well, don't they?"
Contrary to what the Cat Tribe members thought, the two of them didn't feel anything special about each other's physical contact.
Valeria was momentarily dizzy, busy sorting her thoughts, and Jin was only concerned about whether her body had truly recovered to a decent level.
"It's done."
Jin wiped the dye off his hands with a cloth.
After briefly examining her newly dyed hair in a hand mirror, Valeria nodded in satisfaction.
The red color was perfectly concealed.
[Let's go!]
They followed Lulu and Miru into the passageway.
The interior of the passageway was misty like fog, and their vision wavered as if they were underwater, but strangely, they didn't feel any fatigue as they walked.
It felt more like they were wandering in a pleasant dream.
They emerged from the passageway before taking a hundred steps.
Originally, the distance would have required a considerable amount of time, even for a trained martial artist, but the passages of the Cat Tribe were nothing less than teleportation gates.
"They've just arrived, Lulu. Your skills are as impressive as ever."
"Still, since we had time to create the passage, I'm not sure if we can evade their pursuit."
Outside the passageway, the area was filled with strangely bent trees.
Despite their curved appearance, they were tall and thick enough to be compared to the central pillar of a castle.
The densely blooming leaves prevented even a hint of moonlight from entering.
As a result, the vast lake that stretched below looked like black oil.
"Is Temar's tomb hidden in there?"
Jin remembered Olmango, who had sealed the second tomb in the depths of the sea.
Sheila had also hidden a medium that linked to a tomb beneath the lake.
Laaa, laa~
Sheila began to sing.
Her voice was incredibly pleasant.
It seemed as if sugar crystals were causing delightful vibrations in the ears.
Even Valeria couldn't help but smile involuntarily at Sheila's singing.
Tiny particles, like crystal dust, emanated from Sheila's small mouth.
The particles floated toward the lake, and the ripples changed with them.
Soft swirls.
That was the only way to describe the phenomenon.
Small and gentle whirlpools danced on the lake's surface in response to the song.
Several minutes passed this way.
Finally, something exceptionally bright emerged from the lake's surface, like a rising star.
It was a slender bottle.
Royal Melodic Wine.
The reason why the powerful beings hadn't harmed this forest, the significance of Wantaramo's existence.
The slender bottle floated slowly to Sheila's side.
The moment she embraced the bottle with her small body, the light particles that illuminated the lake disappeared, and the forest darkened again.
"Take it, Jin Runcandel."
He courteously accepted the Royal Melodic Wine.
(Royal Melodic Wine - Sheel Damiro)
The Royal Melodic Wine bore the name of the person who seemed to have crafted the alcohol, not the manufacturer or recipient.
That's why when they crafted the Royal Melodic Wine over Shuri, it wasn't attached to the name of a fairy or Luna but to Cyron's name.
'Sheel Damiro... An individual with the same name as Lueth Damiro Yul from the records of the third tomb. A blood relative, perhaps.'
Sheel Damiro was also a name Jin had seen in the record of the third tomb.
-(March 3, 797, Runcandel records the manipulation of Zipple's history related to the Fairy Tribe. March 4, 797, among the Fairy Tribe, five individuals, including Sheel Damiro, Beka Tichke, Mulias Morn, Trika Tredos, and Zen Mainu, are forgotten...)
"In the recording device in the third tomb, I saw the name Lueth Damiro Yul. It seems to have been a request from that person's lineage to craft the alcohol."
[Lueth Damiro Yul...?]
"Do you know the name?"
Sheila closed her eyes as if trying to remember something.
[I don't remember. However, the name Yul is only reserved for the ruler of the Fairy Tribe, so that person must have been the noblest existence among the fairies.]
Myla described herself as a fairy, but Sheila had always distinguished between fairies and Descendants of the Fairy Tribe.
[Drink]
As Jin was about to pour the wine, he looked at Sheila.
"How long will it take?"
[What are you talking about?]
"They had been gone for two days when I entered and exited the third tomb. I want to know how long it will take if I drink this Royal Melodic Wine."
[I can't know that.]
"The pursuers will arrive soon. If it takes too long, it will depend on Sheila, Lulu, and Miru-nim to face them alone."
"You're worrying for nothing."
"No, it's not an unfounded concern. Lulu and Miru-nim have just exhausted their energy creating the passage, and Sheila-nim, you mentioned not knowing your own fighting ability."
"This is my forest."
"You said you lost control over the power that controls the forest."
"Even if that's the case, do you think I can't handle a few humans like you?"
If Jin had to judge whether Sheila was strong or not, he could easily choose the latter.
It was clear she had the dignity of a queen, and yet she emitted none of the dangerous aura characteristic of the strong.
If the members of the Cat Tribe weren't tired, Jin would have trusted in their abilities and comfortably drunk the Royal Melodic Wine.
"If you're so worried, can't you leave that girl here and go?"
"That's not possible. I made a promise."
"Are you saying you'll wait for the pursuers? If the Royal Melodic Wine is damaged, it will be a big problem. You could inadvertently reveal the location of the Royal Melodic Wine to the enemies and might have to withdraw."
"Taking the Royal Melodic Wine outside at all and drinking it is impossible, right?"
"As soon as the Royal Melodic Wine leaves the forest, the stories contained in the wine disappear. If that were possible, would I have told you to drink it immediately?"
Jin nodded. "That's what I thought. Still, I believe it would be more reassuring in many ways to deal with the enemies and then leave."
"In the worst case, it would be difficult for us even to save our lives."
"No, it's impossible."
"Why are you so sure?"
"Didn't you say just now? The fight should only take place without causing irreparable damage to the forest. It will be an overwhelmingly advantageous fight for me."
"I can hide quite well with the Cat Tribe."
"Look at this. At first, you definitely said you could easily handle a few humans like me, but now you're talking about hiding. Sheila-nim, you don't have the strength to face them."
"...Even if they capture me, they won't kill me immediately."
"In that case, if Sheila-nim and the Cat Tribe members are captured, I'll be caught in a hostage situation. Is that really a good outcome for me?"
He no longer wanted to sacrifice the Cat Tribe members or Sheila.
And he had the confidence that, except for the Commanders, he could suppress anyone who came, whether they were imperial guards or special forces.
"Even if a Commander comes, with my Master, it's a battle worth trying. No, it will definitely flow as an overwhelmingly favorable battle."
Sheila had nothing more to say.
[Lulu, Miru. Try to convince him.]
[Hmm...]
While Lulu and Miru thought about what to say...
They felt a presence from the other side of the lake.
"It seems my judgment was correct after all."
Swoosh...
Jin calmly drew Bradamante and spoke.
Valeria also tightly gripped her staff, scanning behind the lake.
"...Have the pursuers arrived yet?"
It would still be some time before Zipple's expected arrival.
As Sheila had foreseen, the traitor was not just Myla. Vermont had arrived even before them.
Naturally, the Wantaramo Forest was Vermont territory, so it was to be expected.
'In any case, things are in order on this side. It's better to eliminate them all and enter the tomb before any additional support arrives.'
If they didn't take out all of the pursuers and entered, they would be too distracted inside the tomb to concentrate.
"Step back."
[Sheila, it's best to heed Jin's words. Since things have come to this point, we should act in a way that causes minimal burden.]
Sheila let out a sigh.
[Understood.]
Jin handed the Royal Melodic Wine back to Sheila, making sure not to damage it during the battle.
'Open armor.'
Uttering the activation words, Shadow Energy emanated from Bradamante, enveloping Jin's body.
He removed his cloak and handed it to Sheila and the Cat Tribe members.
A function Picón had added for moments like this.
[Be careful.]
"Don't worry."
As Sheila and the Cat Tribe members stepped back, the light that had been illuminating them disappeared.
The spot where the group had stood returned to darkness.
Everything was silent.
Not a single sound could be heard, only the whisper of the cool breeze among the bushes. However, amidst all of this, Jin and the enemies sensed faint traces of each other's energy.
With their senses sharpened to the extreme, Jin came to a conclusion.
'There are no commanders.'
At that moment, the greatest concern vanished.
A smile formed on Jin's lips, and the fierce Shadow Energy surrounding his body and sword began to flicker aggressively.
However, due to the darkness of the forest, the visual effect wasn't apparent.
'Aria.'
Jin whispered, calling Valeria.
What?
'Don't step forward; refine your mana even further.'
It seemed better for her to conserve her strength for the battle against Zipple.
Valeria nodded.
The distance between Jin and the enemies was gradually decreasing.
The Vermonts believed they had not yet entered each other's attack range.
Since they had already learned of the presence of 'Jin Runcandel' in the forest through the traitor descendant of the Fairy Tribe, the Vermouths believed that the Jin Runcandel they knew wouldn't be able to launch effective attacks from this distance.
But that was a significant mistake.
'Six of them.'
"Argh!"
Blood suddenly spurted among the Vermont Imperial Guards.
The sound of a black sword imbued with shadow force cutting through throats and the air, and even the sound of Jin's footsteps, were absent.
All that could be heard was the chilling sound of a head hitting the cold ground.
'Now five.'
As the Imperial Guards instinctively dispersed, their aura-infused swords gleamed, and Jin stood behind his second target, driving Bradamante into the throat.
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