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From then on, the two began to wander through the subspace like ordinary siblings in search of something together.
Luntia’s steps were slow due to fatigue, but after regaining her senses, she was gradually able to feel the "different energy" lingering in the subspace.
[When I was lost in madness, I couldn’t feel it at all, but now that I’ve regained my senses, I can feel the chaos and other energies in the subspace more clearly. There might be a reason why the subspace broke.]
The other energy Luntia spoke of was mana.
Even when Jin tried to sharpen his senses, he couldn’t feel that mana as Luntia could.
It was because the chaos was too dense.
If Jin had to find Valeria alone, without Luntia’s help, it would have been like finding a needle in a haystack.
"Is Histor seriously injured?"
[Yes, there’s nothing more I can say except I’m sorry.]"You didn’t do it in your right mind, Elder Sister. As long as she’s alive, she can recover somehow."
[The problem is if she accepted the chaos as I said when I was out of my mind. If not, she wouldn’t have survived. My sword pierced her chest...]
"As I said before, the magic I saw initially didn’t have the energy of chaos. Even if the Record Magic was deployed before she was injured, the magic would have to be altered or lost if Histor was tainted by chaos. It’s not your fault, so don’t worry too much."
[You said that even if it were you, you wouldn’t be able to reject the nanny, but if it were you… you would have chosen better than I did.]
"No. More than that, if the Prophet was here to recover Sir Padler from the grave, then you didn’t come here to track Histor in the first place, Elder Sister. I was surprised that the knights guarding the outside gave me her hair."
[Histor found knights several times while searching for a grave. Perhaps that’s when she got her hair. I’ve been replacing Sir Padler since Ronil Zipple lost her.]
The day Ronil lost Valeria, Luntia hadn’t yet been consumed by Chaos, nor had she become the master of the subspace in place of Padler.
From the beginning, Luntia wasn’t chasing Histor but happened to cross paths with Valeria while searching for Temar’s grave.
Instead, Valeria gained an advantage from Luntia’s years of searching.
Valeria obtained a decisive clue that the grave was in Kaldran’s snowy field by observing Luntia’s exploration.
"It seems... there were separate groups searching for Temar’s Grave and tracking Histor. You were in the former, Elder Sister."
[Yes. Before coming to the subspace, I never received orders to kill or capture Histor. I suspected those orders were given to the Black Knights and the first division of the Black Sword Association.]
Luntia’s attack on Valeria in the grave was purely because she was unable to control her bloodthirsty madness.
It wasn’t due to any order given to her.
Jin now understood the situation.
The reason Valeria hurried into the grave without leaving any contact with Tikan.
Rosa and the Prophet must have thought Elder Sister Luntia would be reluctant to pursue Valeria.
Moreover, they were planning to make my sister the master of the subspace anyway, so they let her find the grave to avoid unnecessary resentment.
In other words, Rosa and the Prophet are aware of the bond between Luntia and Jin.
In particular, Rosa judged that Luntia could become Jin’s ally at any moment since she observed the changes in Luntia after Jin’s patriarchal declaration.
Therefore, as Rosa, the best option was to use Luntia as much as possible and then tie her in the grave.
Only a few people possessed a pure and strong soul that could replace Padler.
If Luna had been in the Garden of Swords and had a weakness like Lisham, Rosa wouldn’t have hesitated to use Luna to pull out Padler.
The time in the subspace and the human world flow differently.
That’s why Jin felt more anxious as time passed, but he didn’t show it outwardly because he knew Luntia was doing her best with her broken body.
And Luntia would have to be alone for a while when Jin left the grave, trapped in this lonely and terrible space, mired in the madness of chaos.
It was uncertain when Jin would return to her.
It was also impossible to know how long it would take the Chaos Purification Device to resolve the total invasion, and there were many chances that Rosa would strengthen the borders of Kaldran’s Snow Fields after today.
While walking, Jin told his sister what had happened to him all this time.
When Luntia learned about the events in Lafrarosa, she laughed cheerfully as if she felt envy, but when she heard about the events Jin had experienced, she became very serious.
[I can’t even imagine how painful it must have been for you to fight Sir Padler and those engulfed by chaos. It must have been terrible, including Sir Ron and Sir Padler, and now me.]
"Of course, it’s painful. But just as we’re having a friendly conversation as siblings, I’ll also restore Sir Padler to his original state. Just like when I overcame chaos with the late Ron-nim."
[I think I know why Elder Sister Luna admired you so much. I wish I had gotten closer to you a little earlier.]
"I didn’t get closer to you earlier either, did I? Of course, we both liked each other in our hearts after the Patriarchal Declaration."
[This feels awkward after so long. But... Now that I think about it, didn’t you say the weapon used to enter here was the sword of a knight named Hedo?]
"Yes."
[Ilina also said an object was needed to exchange Sir Padler with me. However, unlike the sword used as a key, it seemed to be a one-time consumable item. She didn’t say there was only one, but she explained it as a consumable item.]
"Perhaps Hedo’s sword and the items the Prophet used with you and Sir Padler are related to the old Runcandel. In my case, I interacted with Hedo’s sword with Shadow Energy, and you must have interacted with the Prophet’s item and chaos."
[I don’t know why Zipple’s monster butler has something like that.]
"He also seemed unaware of the sword’s true nature. If Zipple also knew the sword’s identity, they would have handled it more specially."
[Then, did Histor also have items related to the old Runcandel? She used nothing but her mana.]
How did Valeria manage to enter this grave? That was the question that had been bothering Jin all along.
Considering my case and the Prophet’s, even if it’s related to the old Runcandel, it’s unlikely to enter the grave without being able to use Shadow Energy or chaos.
'Or maybe the recording device of Solderet I gave her became the key.'
Jin didn’t know until Valeria herself told him.
Luntia’s steps were getting faster.
She hadn’t regained her strength in the slightest, but she was trying to find Histor a second faster while Jin took care of her.
[I think we’re getting closer... the strange feeling coming through the subspace is getting stronger.]
Luntia pointed her finger towards a distant empty space.
[There it is. I did my best… but I can’t walk anymore.]
She was unable to recover her body after being disconnected from the subspace.
Luntia’s legs were now completely stiff like a statue and couldn’t move at all.
[Go, younger. I’ll wait here. Don’t reconnect me and the subspace… I’ll attack you immediately.]
"I understand, Elder Sister."
As Jin approached the point where Luntia pointed, his heart beat with anxiety.
He could now feel Valeria’s mana like Luntia.
Her mana was like a fading flame, infinitely weak and unstable.
"Valeria."
Jin called her name as he stopped walking.
There was no response or reaction.
Jin called several more times, closed his eyes, and focused his senses and Shadow Energy.
Thanks to recovering some Shadow Energy while walking, Jin could unleash the Ultimate Shadow Sword Technique only once.
He felt he had to penetrate the subspace himself to confirm it.
I have to make sure Valeria isn’t hurt when I cut through the space.
Jin measured the depth by reading the faint mana flow. He quickly closed the distance and swung his Shadow Blade without hesitation.
Slash!
The space opened.
[No!]
It wasn’t Luntia’s voice.
That voice belonged to Neru of the Cat Tribe.
"Neru...!?"
Jin never thought Neru would emerge from beyond the space.
Neru extended her short arms and bit her lips.
It was a gesture people make unconsciously to protect something.
[Jin...? Are you really Jin Runcandel?]
Jin was speechless, staring at the person Neru protected behind him, Valeria Histor, who was trapped in an ice shell. As Luntia said, a large black scar was visible in the middle of Valeria’s chest.
"Valeria!"
As Jin entered the space, Neru patted his chest.
[Jin, Valeria sealed herself. The wound was too deep, so there was no other way.]
Alive.
Although he expected it because she still had mana, something hot struck his throat when he saw Valeria with his own eyes.
"Then, Neru, have you been with Valeria all this time?"
[Yes, since the first time I came here. Luntia Runcandel doesn’t know. What about Luntia Runcandel? Perhaps the person behind you…?]
"It’s too complicated to explain. Anyway, let’s get out of here, Neru. Judging by the amount of mana, the seal won’t last long."
[Yes, I’ve already made an exit. Valeria couldn’t move, so we couldn’t leave.]
Neru pulled out the Cat God’s Claw from her arm.
While Neru immediately tried to use the claws to open the door leading out of the subspace, Jin turned to look at Luntia.
She was waving her hand as if saying, "Go quickly."
The two were reading each other’s thoughts without speaking, just as they did in their first encounter after the patriarchal declaration.
'I’ll be back soon, Elder Sister.'
'Return safely, little brother.'
The door leading out of the subspace opened, and Luntia stared for a while at the empty space where they had disappeared.
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