C377 - The Warning (1)
Valeria couldn't speak as she struggled to sort out the emotions that had been building up for a while. Although she now knew her roots, she still felt lonely.
However, it was incomparable to the days when she was alone without knowing the reason.
A new good reason had been added to the task of restoring Histor's history.
To avenge the ancient fairies, Histor, and the Grey Owls.
"I'm grateful to have met you, along with keeping Solderet's message."
"Now, Sheila-nim, what do you plan to do?"
Sheila closed her eyes at Valeria's question.
Although Myla had left, the cursed fairies still remained in the Wantaromo Forest.
"I'll continue to stay in this forest and create Royal Melodic Drinks. It's the last sense left to our cursed existences."
An intense light began to emanate from Sheila's two wings.
"I will make sure no information about you and Jin Runcandel leaks out. I'll eliminate the traitors and restore order in the forest."
After Myla's death, no one had control over the forest for a brief period of time.
But when Sheila regained her memories through Valeria, power over the forest also returned to her.
She became the queen of the cursed fairies once again. She also became stronger.
"Just a moment, Jin Runcandel."
"Before leaving the forest, I have a question for you."
"You'll probably ask about the location of the Fifth Tomb."
"That's right."
"This was the only clue I had. You must find the fifth tomb on your own."
From this point on, Jin had to start from scratch and find the tomb.
"Zipple, Vermont, Kinzelo, and others will continue to search for Temar's tomb. And now that Elder Mary has made information about the Tomb public, others in Runcandel will surely start searching too."
Once the four major factions began moving in earnest, it would be impossible for Jin to secretly search for the tomb, even if he wanted to.
Furthermore, compared to the four major factions, Jin's influence was incredibly insignificant.
If it weren't for my master, I wouldn't even have been able to compete with the four major factions.
Just as he had found the Cat Tribe, Valeria would now have to search for Temar's tomb alongside Histor's Succession Temple.
So, until Valeria and Runcandel's 'potential allies' found the tomb's location, Jin didn't need to waste his energy unnecessarily.
After organizing his thoughts, Jin nodded.
"Understood."
"You should leave now. The fact that you found this forest won't be revealed to the outside. And Lulu, Miru."
"Yes, Sheila-nim."
"Both of you have worked hard. Thank you very much."
"After all, weren't we all in the same position as Sheila-nim? We had promises for the Thousand-Year Contractor. It was just part of that."
"Please convey my greetings to Neru. I won't ask where you're heading."
Jin and Valeria exchanged a brief embrace with the members of the Cat Tribe.
"Our tribe will always bless you, Jin Runcandel. How are the little beastmen doing? It seems the cosmetics business is thriving, but still."
"They're all safe in the Hidden Palace. If you have the chance, come and visit us."
"Of course. When we return, I'll suggest creating a hideout near the Hidden Palace. Our tribe will need some time to recover."
Then Lulu looked at Valeria.
[I apologize. At first, I had thought you had no connection to Jin, so I had intended to harm you.]
"Don't worry."
[And I won't forget. We'll meet again someday. And when the time comes, we'll use the remaining artifact for something good for the world. Just as you and Jin Runcandel were born with destinies for the world.]
Born with destinies for the world.
Lulu expressed it that way for a reason.
Jin and Valeria.
Lulu foresaw that the little sparks left by Solderet and the ancient fairies would eventually ignite Zipple and reset the course of the world's history.
It was time to bid farewell.
With a firm handshake and a wave, Jin, Valeria, and the little beastmen began heading in different directions, leaving the Wantaromo Forest.
Before disappearing completely from view, Valeria turned once more and made a respectful bow to Sheila.
"...After glimpsing that there's a connection between the Fairies and Histor in your Records, I never expected to find the answers so quickly."
I want to thank you.
As Valeria continued her sentence, Jin smiled and handed her a handkerchief.
"Take it, Valeria Histor."
"...A handkerchief?"
"You still have traces of tears on your face."
"Ah."
Seeing Valeria's nervous expression was quite unusual.
Of course, she quickly regained her composure and wiped her face with the handkerchief.
"We'll soon meet this Mr. Green Rose. It might be awkward if you meet them looking like that."
"The person who stopped Zipple's reinforcement, and you said it was lucky that person was nearby. Who is it? If it weren't for that person, things could have gone wrong."
"My older sister."
"Older sister?"
Yona, her dear older sister.
Meeting her was always a charming yet worrying event.
'She wouldn't cause a ruckus wanting to kill the Mistress, right? After all, my Mistress is also Samil's benefactor...'
"Hehe, what are you saying? Little brother?"
Crack!
Jin clenched his teeth reflexively.
He was so startled that he was on the verge of wielding his sword towards where he had heard Yona's voice.
It seemed that Valeria had the same reaction; her eyes suddenly shifted to the left.
Yona was behind them, with a wide smile at the corner of her lips.
"...I thought my heart was going to fall out, Older Sister."
Jin was sincere.
Jin hadn't felt at all that she was approaching, even though he had been prepared for Yona's arrival with his senses fully sharpened.
Jin's martial skill was already approaching nine stars.
That meant that in a state where his senses were fully awake, it wouldn't be easy for even the best assassin in Samil to find a gap.
'Certainly, an assassin of Sister Yona's caliber in a forest like this is practically akin to the God of Death. Or rather, it's Sister Yona, so she could approach like this from the beginning.'
As Jin grew, Yona had also reached a new level. Yona had become an even better assassin than Jin had imagined.
"My little brother, is it because of this girl you have by your side? I've been walking behind you for about 30 seconds, and you didn't notice at all! What if I suddenly stab her?"
"Don't make such terrifying jokes casually, Older Sister."
"Hehe, I'm not joking. Little brother, you may not know, but I can stab that one next to you."
Step!
When Yona approached Valeria with slightly unfocused eyes, Jin was startled and had no choice but to stand between them.
"Older Sister!"
"Step aside."
"She's my companion. You shouldn't...!"
Shhh-!
Before Jin could finish his sentence, Yona suddenly pulled something from her clothes and threw it toward Valeria's forehead.
Swish!
If Jin's strength had been even slightly weaker, he wouldn't have been able to deflect Yona's projectiles.
It was lucky that he barely managed to do so.
He couldn't discern precisely what Yona had thrown.
"What are you doing...!"
Temporarily blinded, Jin tried to push Yona away, but soon he saw something falling forcefully towards Valeria's head.
Ping!
Yona threw two more projectiles, but they were nothing more than wild grass stems.
Wild grass, are you kidding me?
It was the wild grass that gently settled on Valeria's head, as if it had been there all along (which was actually the case, as Yona had meticulously calculated).
The two wild grass stems looked like rabbit ears on Valeria's head.
"Hehehe, long time no see, Riley Hazzard!"
Yona addressed Valeria by one of her aliases, waving her hand cheerfully.
"...You're still the same, Lady Yona. It's been a while."
The two women were acquaintances.
"A moment ago, I felt so envious. I wish my little brother would protect me like this when I'm in danger."
"Have you been well?"
"How could I not be?"
"...It seems like you've been doing well."
"That's probably because I've been with my little brother. Although, it can be tough. Riley, you're clever, so suggest something."
Yona wasn't paying any attention to Valeria's words at all.
And Valeria simply shrugged indifferently.
She had experienced Yona's way of speaking before.
"Well, I wouldn't actually kill my little brother's friend. I'd hate myself if I did. Riley is also a benefactor of Samil, after all."
Well, there's actually no one I couldn't kill, but since that would upset you...
For some reason, it seemed like he could hear such a statement, but Jin pretended not to.
"I'm so touched I could cry, Older Sister."
"Hehe, right? Aren't I great?"
"Yes."
"Then, praise me quickly."
"How?"
"Um, like giving me an autograph?"
Suddenly, Jin remembered Enya and couldn't help but burst into laughter.
It was a bit over the top, but she was a sister he really couldn't hate.
"I heard you stopped Zipple's reinforcements, Older Sister."
"I did well in that too, didn't I?"
"If it weren't for you, I would have almost died."
"Yeah, that might be true. They were very capable individuals. I let them go because Lord Owal might be in a tricky situation if I killed them. But now that I think about it, I should have killed them. It could have been advantageous for you."
"No. I'm genuinely moved that you considered Lord Owal's perspective. Older Sister, you're taking another step towards becoming a florist owner. Your social skills are improving."
"Well, I'm improving day by day too!"
As Jin and Yona continued to banter for a while, Valeria couldn't help but think they were a very likable pair of siblings.
Like Yona, Valeria's guard against others had gradually softened since she met Jin.
"But sister, how did you come to protect me?"
"Are you asking me since when I started following you?"
"Something like that."
In response to Jin's question, Yona's eyes sparkled.
She seemed eager to explain herself.
"I was on vacation because I recently disabled a big fish. So I went to see you at the main house, and our family's atmosphere was quite special. Hey, little brother. You caused quite a stir, didn't you?"
"You're talking about Sister Mary."
"Yes. The Garden of Swords was turned upside down by the information you gave Sister Mary. And she seemed quite infatuated during the meeting, which put her in a tight spot. She got furious, saying she would scold you."
"I see."
"You'll have to calm her down. Hehe, and because of the circumstances, I ended up protecting you while trying to tell you this information, but do you want to hear something more interesting?"
"Something more interesting?"
Yona responded with a sly smile.
A deep and dark murderous intent mixed within her laughter.
"Some members of the Elder Council are actually conspiring to kill you, little brother."
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