C586
Jin smiled to himself.
Although Qwaul started shooting from the beginning, it was the moment when it was revealed that Qwaul was not entirely incapable of conversing.
Moreover, isn't it Jin's specialty to answer questions and align with the conditions the other party desires?
"Let's start with the question."
"How did you find out I was here?"
"I found out from Talaris-nim."
"Talaris...?"
Tingen showed a surprised expression upon hearing her name.
It was as if he heard the name for the first time.At first, both Jin and Siris wondered if Qwaul and the Tingen mentioned by Talaris were different people.
However, after a moment, he startled and said:
"Ah! Talaris. Yes, Talaris Kendorma."
"Wasn't it Endorma?"
"Endorma? Was it? Right... There was a woman like that..."
Not only Jin, but Siris also couldn't help but be amazed at Qwaul's reaction, whose eyes deepened as he recalled his old memories.
In particular, Siris felt a kind of fresh shock beyond discomfort.
He never wanted to, but Siris had firsthand dealt with quite a few of the many humans who had been lovers of Talaris.
They clung to her to the point of being pathetic.
In severe cases, they even threatened to end their lives if she didn't meet them, but Talaris never approached those former lovers.
Siris had even dealt with those who, in some severe cases, insisted on tarnishing the image of the Hidden Palace by spreading exaggerated rumors about Talaris.
Like when Jin was a cadet intermediate, Siris went to Mamit to remove Talaris's 307th boyfriend, Alcaro Chender.
Jin and Siris first met there.
'Did... he even forget my mother? What kind of human is he? No, is that possible?'
Even if they weren't lovers, once you saw Talaris, she was an unforgettable figure.
First of all, the public didn't even have the chance to see her, and her unique white-silver hair and her aura, characteristic of the Endorma bloodline, emitted an inexplicable mystique that no one else could feel.
But it seemed that Qwaul really had forgotten her.
However one looked at it, he wasn't pretending to have forgotten her.
"...No, didn't you already know? Until now, it was Full Ice energy that blocked your bullets."
Full Ice energy emitted a completely different sensation from ordinary ice-type magic.
However, Qwaul clapped as if he had just remembered.
Mort was even here.
"That's right. Now that I think about it, that friend is using the same power as Talaris Kendorma!"
"Endorma!"
Siris shouted.
Qwaul kept looking melancholic, whether he said it or not.
At that moment, Siris was about to lose her nerves.
"Oh, Mort. It's been a long time, my friend. So you must be her daughter. Nice to meet you. I'm Tingen Bauer."
"Get lost."
"And you must be her son-in-law, or a future son-in-law. Now that I think about it, I heard there are marriage talks between the Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel and the lady from the Hidden Palace. How is Talaris?"
Before Jin could choose what to respond, Qwaul shook his head.
"No, well! Forget it. I'm not interested in past love affairs."
"Hah, amazing."
Aren't your eyes too deep for that kind of thing... Jin wanted to say that, but he stayed silent, looking at Siris.
"Well, anyway, if Talaris told you about this place, it makes sense. She remembered this place."
Qwaul seemed to have many questions about Talaris, but he held back.
Siris stepped away from them, thinking that if he watched Qwaul any longer, she might draw her sword.
Jin gave Qwaul a moment to gather his thoughts.
A few minutes later, Qwaul's eyes returned to being cautious.
However, it was much milder than the first time.
"Next question. It was explained how you found out about this wooden cabin and Tingen Bauer's alias. But how do you know my real name?"
"My informants found out."
"I'm telling you beforehand. If you play a joke or tell a lie, the conversation ends there."
"You're strict."
"Do you think Runcandel's intelligence is superior to Zipple's? Moreover, you are still just a Twelfth Flagbearer, your intelligence doesn't come from Runcandel but from the collective abilities of the Vamel Alliance. It's hard to believe you found out my real name to that extent."
Qwaul's words contained information.
'Didn't even Zipple know Tingen Bauer's real name, Qwaul Ganesto?'
How did you know something even Zipple didn't know?
He seemed to ask that.
"It's true that my informants found out your real name. My Family didn't even know of your existence, let alone that I was looking for you."
Jin couldn't classify Valeria as a simple informant, but, broadly speaking, she could also be classified as an informant of the Vamel Alliance, so he wasn't lying.
Qwaul stared at Jin for a while without saying anything.
"Hmm, I don't think you're lying."
That prolonged eye contact was Qwaul's way of detecting lies.
It seemed there was no proof, but since they had surpassed it, it was fine for Jin.
"I also have some things I want to ask."
"Do it after I finish my questions."
"Why is Zipple's engineer, especially a crucial figure for the development of the teleportation device and mass-produced battleships, trapped in a place like this? Moreover, why isn't there any magician coming to escort him, not even to this point?"
Qwaul didn't really hate Jin's behavior, ignoring his words and asking questions.
He thought this aspect was better than the powerful ones from Zipple, who usually showed a servile appearance by carefully looking after themselves.
Perhaps this small favor was the price for helping him remember a long-forgotten past love, but Qwaul vehemently denied it.
"Even those rods you made seem to have the ability to interfere with the concentration of warriors' auras. No matter how I think about it, it's strange that an engineer of your caliber is left aside in a place like this."
"Left aside? Did you say I was left aside? Ha! You don't know me well. No one can contain me."
For some reason, at that moment, Jin thought of the Black Dragon he knew well.
'It reminds me of Murakan...'
These kinds of individuals, whether described positively as simple and unique or negatively as somewhat foolish and arrogant, sometimes showed signs of being obsessed with something.
Jin hoped Qwaul also had those kinds of elements.
"Zipple released you, is that what you're saying?"
"I was trying to be nice, but you keep talking about things that scratch my pride. Zipple? They only cared about my skills and took me in for a while. I've never been affiliated with them."
Jin had a rough idea.
It's likely that Zipple was unable to recklessly deal with this eccentric individual.
This person seemed to be someone who, even if slightly offended, would never cooperate.
So they had no choice but to play along.
Nothing was known about this arrogant engineering genius, Tingen Bauer.
If Jin hadn't obtained some mechanical device blueprints and battleship plans from the Sota Desert, and if Valeria hadn't been there, and if he hadn't had any connection with Talaris, he probably wouldn't have found this place.
Even if he had found it, it would have been much later.
Additionally, Qwaul had the ability to confront quite a few people, and Zipple suffered from a severe energy shortage after the Sword Emperor Castle War.
'But still, it's insufficient to explain why Qwaul Ganesto has been sidelined. Maybe it's because the name Ganesto is still unfamiliar to Zipple.'
Mind manipulation.
Suddenly, one of Zipple's spells came to Jin's mind.
At least from what he had seen so far, Qwaul didn't seem to be affected by mind manipulation.
His mental control was not yet perfect, so if we exclude that, things fit a little.
And why was Qwaul working with Zipple in the first place?'
Although he wasn't from an academy, and his fame wasn't widespread, it was evident that Qwaul Ganesto was a genius engineer of another caliber.
Therefore, it was very possible that Zipple took notice of him because of his exceptional abilities.
He's not someone who can be easily recruited.
If he only needed advanced engineering equipment or resource support, he probably would have turned to the academy first.
Zipple must have made an attractive offer to Qwaul.
To redeem himself, he's going to put Zipple as an enemy for a while.
Jin reached that conclusion.
"Maybe you were working with Zipple because there was something that attracted you?"
"Think what you want about that part."
Jin thought it meant yes.
Originally, upon hearing Qwaul's response, Jin would have felt a bit stuck.
Because the Vamel Alliance and Runcandel had no alternative offer against teleportation devices and mass-produced battleships.
But now, the situation was different.
There's a multi-purpose mana spraying cannon, something Amela claimed was a masterpiece of ancient artifacts, and they also have some of the battleship plans and teleportation device parts.
In particular, the parts and plans were clearly a masterpiece among masterpieces even for Qwaul.
"Let me ask you directly, Qwaul Ganesto. If I could make you an offer as attractive as Zipple's, would you consider working with me?"
"That's not possible."
"Do you want to hear my proposal? You said you would consider leaving the cabin if I answered your questions and if I fulfilled your conditions. Is that correct?"
"Although I said that, I don't really have any expectations. If you're thinking of moving me through torture or something, feel free to do so. However, by doing so, you will become the villain who will set back the progress of this world for centuries."
Jin didn't respond to that and instead pulled out a mechanical device from his pocket, presenting it to Qwaul.
"I thought you'd want to complete this thing, but it seems I was mistaken."
Then Qwaul's eyes widened as if they were about to pop out.
"What, what! Why do you have it?"
Jin couldn't help but smile once again.
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