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["So, the person who came here was Lokia Ganesto? Does that mean she was a traitor?"]
Although Bale was focused on the fact that Lokia was the one who found Luntia, the most important thing was what came next.
["Does my younger brother have to face our father? What the hell does that mean?"]
When Luntia spoke, Jin suddenly remembered the articles spread by the evil god right after Jin's return from Lafrarosa.
(Rosa Runcandel revealed that the patriarch of the Runcandel, Cyron Runcandel, perished in the Black Sea. The being that killed the demigod was a Black Sea King, implying that there are several more beings like Glyek from the War of Sword Emperor Castle...)
(The Black Panther, as the new patriarch of the Runcandel, declares that they will subdue the Black Sea Kings and emphasizes that unifying the entire world is the first task.)
The Black Sea Kings.
Jin speculated that the reason for Cyron's expedition to the Black Sea was related to the Black Sea Kings.
"...It’s probably a story about them. Lokia Ganesto seems to assume that our father fought with them in the Black Sea or that he might have been corrupted by the demonization of the Genesis Knight."The chaos of the Black Sea Kings and the exclusive corruption of the Genesis Knight.
Jin had already experienced both through the fallen Ron Hairan.
["What?"]
"Valeria, are these all the records? Are there no records of where Lokia came from or where she went outside the subspace?"
"I have no records of that. The records are unstable. It seems to be a problem caused by the manipulation of history applied to Lokia Ganesto."
As time passed, the phrases appearing in the record window became blurry.
"What are the other possibilities? What if the reason for the unstable records isn’t history manipulation, but intentional actions by Lokia?"
Although Jin felt a sudden surge of unease upon confirming Lokia’s words, upon further analysis, it seemed strange to him.
There was not a single record of Lokia’s whereabouts; only ominous information about Cyron was clearly revealed.
"The power that surpasses record magic... If Lokia Ganesto is the mastermind behind the scenes, secretly manipulating without raising the slightest suspicion, she might possess such abilities. Lokia Ganesto has already used history manipulation before to conceal her identity. Currently, my record magic isn’t in perfect condition."
"If we assume she hid her own movements from the records, this is undoubtedly an intentional message."
["Younger one, explain so I can understand."]
"It means it’s a trap, Elder Sister. In my opinion, Lokia Ganesto made sure that only information about Father was revealed through record magic because she wants us to go to the Black Sea."
["To find Father?"]
"Yes, and as Valeria mentioned, Lokia Ganesto is a person who operated behind the scenes even during the human days of the evil god without raising the slightest suspicion. But it’s strange that she left such obvious clues about herself. It’s not that she ignored the existence of record magicians among my companions. In fact, it’s because she is very aware of their existence that she would do something like this."
["Why would she do that?"]
"Lokia Ganesto’s goal is to resurrect the Sun God. She probably judged that I, my Family, and the Vamel alliance would hinder her plans. If this message leads the Vamel alliance to launch a large-scale search in the Black Sea, it would create a significant gap in our forces."
["I don’t think Lokia Ganesto considers you foolish enough to invest your forces in the Black Sea based solely on this message."]
"You’re right. However, if I invest our forces for a few days and some key forces, including myself, can explore the initial and middle regions of the Black Sea, it could work. Plus, we have Sir Hedo, who is practically from the Black Sea. If I were Lokia Ganesto, that would be my goal. Prepare a trap and wait."
Of course, all of this was mere speculation.
However, Jin was immersed in an intuition that seemed to grasp Lokia Ganesto's true intentions.
"Moreover, considering Lokia Ganesto’s ability to manipulate history, she may possess a power that surpasses record magic... Lokia Ganesto has concealed her own records and manipulated them, which is why the records are unstable."
"It seems Lokia Ganesto’s situation isn’t favorable. That’s probably why the War of the Evil God didn’t end according to her plans."
["Phew, it’s still quite unsettling. After all, you just finished the War not long ago, and yet these things might happen again."]
"Don’t worry too much, Elder Sister. I met with Father a little while ago."
["Father?"]
"It was when I participated in the battle of the inner world against the evil god. At that time, I met Father, and he didn’t appear before me as a monster but as a human."
It was unimaginable to think that Father would transform into a monster like the evil god.
Moreover, during the Battle against Glyek, Ron managed to overcome his corruption and protect the world.
Although Jin had helped, Luna and the expedition team were now alongside Cyron.
Just as Cyron didn’t worry about Jin after their encounter in the inner world.
Jin also trusted his Father.
"So, please, don’t worry too much. Even before Lokia Ganesto, there were prophecies and predictions of such dire consequences. You already know the results, and the power of those messages depends on how we interpret them."
What mattered weren’t the prophecies or predictions but the strength and will to overcome a great destiny and doom when it stood before them.
Through the War of the Evil God, Jin had learned this truth more than anyone else.
"Anyway, as Sir Padler said, now that Lokia Ganesto’s existence has been confirmed, we need to pay a little more attention to finding her."
As she listened to Jin’s words, Luntia felt her anxious heart inexplicably calm down.
Although it was all mere speculation, she believed in Jin.
["I’m glad you’re here, younger one. Now, return soon. I’ve already told you before, but only come to me when you’re confident enough to get me out of here. Your time is precious."]
"I understand, Elder Sister. I look forward to seeing you in a much stronger state next time."
["Here, there’s no place more suitable for closed-door training in the world. In fact, since your last visit, I’ve already overcome a wall."]
"I look forward to it, Elder Sister. By the way, please don’t challenge me to duels every three months like Elder Sister Mary used to."
["You never know. It’s always nice to face a knight stronger than me. And once I finish my training, there probably won’t be many people left, including you, to challenge me."]
"Oh... You seem very confident."
["If I hadn’t lost interest in the sword and life, you would have competed with me. Haha, when you return, say hello to brothers Tona and Mary for me."]
"I will, Elder Sister."
There was no longer sadness or bitterness in the farewell.
Just as Cyron had no reason to worry, there was no reason why they wouldn’t see each other again.
They exchanged greetings, and the door leading out of the subspace opened. Luntia waved and smiled brightly at her younger brother and his companions.
"Jin, your sister has an impressive mental strength. It must not have been easy to overcome loneliness in that dreadful space."
"Her physical strength is just as resilient, which is why I was surprised at first. By the way, thank you, Valeria. You may not have positive feelings toward my sister after what she did."
"What hurt me wasn’t her own will. Let’s leave the unpleasantness behind and go."
The next destination was Kinzelo’s headquarters, before meeting with Leuth. They planned to make a brief stop there. Originally, they intended to visit to thwart their enemies involved in steel trade (something Kashimir had deliberately failed at), but it seemed like a good opportunity to openly investigate Lokia Ganesto as well.
"I think the place where we parked the warship was around here," Jin said, looking ahead.
Only a vast expanse of snow-covered white landscape was visible, but in reality, the red owl was hidden somewhere.
-The arrival and return coordinates are set at Ghost Castle and Tikan. Once the launch platform is opened, just press the button in the center of the cabin. In the blink of an eye, you’ll be in front of Ghost Castle. And keep in mind that invisibility is still under development, so when you arrive, prioritize avoiding exposure to the outside.
-Invisibility?
-I don’t know when it will be developed. Anyway, bear in mind that if, by chance, the Red Owl gets damaged, both Valeria and I will do whatever it takes to kill you.
The advanced technology called "invisibility," which Qwaul mentioned in the past, was finally applied to the Red Owl just the day before yesterday.
The group wandered for a while looking for the red owl. It wasn’t easy to find it, as it wasn’t snowing. In the end, Valeria sighed and deployed record magic to locate the red owl.
The two found the situation amusing and chuckled, while Bale grumbled in annoyance.
Even after finding the red owl, it was difficult to locate the boarding gate due to its high level of transparency. Bale bumped his head into something several times before managing to board. Only then did the invisibility automatically deactivate.
"Well, it needs some improvements."
"Don’t complain when Dr. Qwaul is already working on it. You have no idea how busy I am."
[People sitting up high always act the same way, don’t they? Understand, Valeria.]
When they set the coordinates, the red owl instantly teleported the group to the main entrance of Kinzelo's headquarters.
"Oh, oh! Look at those guys!"
"They’re members of the Vamel Alliance!"
Bouvard and Ainas Kaligo, who happened to be sitting in front of the entrance watching ants, greeted the group.
"What the hell are you doing, barging in like this? You bastard! Do you still think we’re allies? Is this an ambush?"
"It’s an ambush! Unnie, leader! Jin Runcandel has infiltrated!"
Without responding to the provocations, the group continued walking toward the entrance.
Making loud noises, the two individuals crouched and closed their eyes tightly as Jin approached.
The Red Tiger Tribe members standing guard briefly aimed their weapons, but all trembled and lowered their arms.
"Step aside."
With Jin’s words, the Red Tiger Tribe members finally stepped back, bowing their heads.
"And someone go fetch your leader. I’ll be in the guest room."
Bouvard and Ainas watched as Jin and his group headed toward the guest room, muttering obscenities under their breath, displaying passive aggression.
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KO-FI:
https://tinyurl.com/SHADOWK
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( Up to '120' more ch4pt3rs)
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