Episode 102
Chapter 35: The Tragedy of Colon (Part 1)
It was an unexpected discovery.
“A spring of magical power… a mirror? Who would have thought that a map won from some pirate crew’s martial arts tournament would actually point to something like this?”
Before Jin’s time loop, an intrepid journalist had revealed this ancient artifact to the world.
That reporter had meticulously documented the mirror’s appearance and the indigenous people’s testimonies, exposing the atrocities committed by the Ziphl family.
Naturally, this was a devastating blow to Ziphl’s carefully crafted image as champions of justice and peace.
But one lone journalist was no match for such a powerful clan.
Those who raged against Ziphl’s tyranny gradually disappeared, swallowed by the family’s propaganda machine.
The anguished cries of Colon’s natives were never heard again.
And the brave reporter who dared to expose the truth vanished without a trace. It didn’t take long for people to forget that courageous soul.
So, the indigenous people of Colon returned to living as invisible shadows in the world.
“…Then this map must have been made by the natives. Like Multa’s runes, its value was unknown and it drifted through the world unnoticed.”
Perhaps the natives, oppressed by Ziphl, hoped that adventurers who found this map would recognize their plight.
Colon was a place Jin had planned to visit eventually anyway.
He needed to find the mirror before Ziphl did, to prevent them from mass-producing mages.
More importantly, he had to investigate the forbidden magic experiments conducted there.
For Jin, this was the perfect excuse.
“I don’t have the same sense of justice as that reporter to save the unfortunate natives… but if I can deal a blow to Ziphl, that won’t be bad for them either.”
There was just one problem.
“Kid, why the long face? Don’t tell me you know what Latri’s drawing is about?”
His companions didn’t know that Jin was aware of the tragedy at the Colon ruins or the mirror’s significance.
“Sometimes being a time-looper is inconvenient.”
Still, it was an easy problem to solve.
That was why they had settled in Tikan.
“No, I don’t know. But something about this feels off… Sir Kashimir, I think we need to investigate this map.”
“Yes, I agree. I’m also concerned about the past your daughter saw. And somehow… I don’t think this map just ended up in your hands by chance, Jin.”
“Right. First, we need to find someone who understands the native language. That’s the only way we’ll get any clues.”
“Sir Kashimir, this is just a hunch, but I don’t think the Seven-Colored Bird should conduct a public investigation. This artifact carries a heavy curse. Maybe the tragedy Latri saw is still unfolding.”
“That’s a good point. Hmm… And wizards who massacred natives… I hope Ziphl isn’t involved in this.”
From that day on, the Seven-Colored Bird immediately began gathering information about the map, but after two weeks, they had no real leads.
It was no surprise.
The natives of Colon were now subjects of the Paleon Kingdom, part of the Lutero Magic Federation.
Most had been slaughtered after Ziphl discovered Colon centuries ago, leaving only a handful alive.
Those few remaining were practically imprisoned on Colon, making it difficult even for the Seven-Colored Bird to find anyone who could read the native tongue.
But the breakthrough came from a place no one, not even Jin, had expected.
February 17, 1796.
That morning, Jin took a break from training and went with Yuria and Latri to visit the Tikan Central Guard, where Alisa was stationed.
“Jin oppa, won’t Mom be happy if she gets this?”
“Of course. She’ll probably scoop you up and laugh like crazy.”
Yuria wanted to give her mother a family portrait she had drawn and asked Jin to come along.
“Welcome to the Tikan Central Guard… Ah, Yuria. Hello.”
“Hi! Is Mom here?”
“There she is, my daughter! Oh, you two came too? What’s this?”
“A present!”
Yuria beamed as she held out the drawing.
Alisa’s face immediately lit up with a broad smile.
“Oh my, our little girl’s drawing is so good… Let’s see, there’s Sir Kashimir, Jin oppa, and Enya unni too?”
The small sheet of paper was filled with detailed portraits of Gilly, Murakan, Quikantel, and Latri.
After looking it over, Alisa scooped Yuria up in a big hug.
“Ha ha, you’re going to be an artist when you grow up. Now, wait here a moment, boys. I just need to finish some paperwork, then we’ll all go have lunch. How about seafood stew? I know Yuria loves it.”
“Seafood stew? Yes, please!”
Yuria started humming a strange little tune, “Seafood stew, seafood stew,” clearly delighted by Alisa’s happiness and the mention of her favorite dish.
Jin and Latri couldn’t help but smile at how cute she was.
The sound of pens scratching filled the room—guards processing paperwork and those brought in for minor offenses writing apologies.
Since Alisa became captain, crime in Tikan had plummeted.
Most of those arrested were caught picking flowers in public gardens or causing minor drunken disturbances, and were often released after writing apologies.
‘The city isn’t that big, but to have it this well-managed… Alisa really is amazing. Even in the Hupester Union, where Runkandel directly oversees things, serious crimes happen fairly often.’
While Jin admired the scene, Latri watched the offenders with interest.
“Humans are such mysterious creatures. They know breaking the law means punishment, yet they keep making the same mistakes.”
“Do dragons do that too?”
“Hmm… No, actually, dragons can be foolish as well. Haha, that was a silly thing to say. But please don’t tell Murakan I said that.”
“You seem to care about Murakan a lot. Did he bully you?”
“No, it’s just that my parents drilled this into me: ‘Beware of black dragons when you go outside. Especially the Murakan and Misha siblings…’”
Latri had clearly been so wary of black dragons that she fell for the charms of the wind dragon Buretta.
“And among dragons my age, Murakan is legendary. Both in good and bad ways… Huh?”
Suddenly, Latri stopped talking and fixed her gaze on someone.
It was the back of a man sitting over there, being questioned by a guard.
Jin’s eyes naturally followed.
The man was mumbling a clumsy defense.
“Yesterday… drank… too much… sorry…”
“Hey, what’s with that tone? You’re not even sorry. If you’re drunk, you should go to bed quietly. Why did you sing in the middle of the night and wake everyone up?”
“Was sad… sorry.”
“And how many times has this been? If you keep this up, the taverns won’t serve you anymore. Do you know how many times I’ve begged the local owners not to kick you out?”
“Thanks… hey, want a smoke?”
“Ha! Damn it, you’re the reason I can’t quit. Fine, one smoke, but you better behave from now on. Please.”
“Okay. But I don’t have a cigarette.”
“Seriously?”
He seemed like an ordinary drunk who frequented the guard station.
He hadn’t caused any major trouble and had built a casual rapport with the guards over time.
His skin was very red—a red-skinned human.
‘A red-skinned? Even among them, he’s unusually red.’
Tikan was a free city with many races mixed together, so this wasn’t unusual.
But Latri’s expression watching him was serious.
“Jin… that man looks almost like the natives I saw when I resonated with Yuria.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and that clumsy way of speaking means he’s not a native speaker of the continent’s common language.”
It wouldn’t hurt to ask.
“Show me the map. Let’s go have that seafood stew.”
When the man and the guard stepped outside for a smoke, Jin followed.
The man lit a cigarette with practiced ease, while the guard muttered a few affectionate curses before returning to his post.
“Hey.”
“Who are you, kid?”
“Let’s go have some hangover soup. I drank a lot last night too.”
“Sounds good. But I don’t have any money.”
“I’ll pay.”
Drip, drip.
Sitting together at the seafood stew restaurant, Jin kept a close eye on the red-skinned man, whose name was Aropan Tupan Meipan—just “Pan” for short.
“Kid… why didn’t you tell me there was a guard captain? She’s scary.”
Alisa wasn’t giving Pan any grief. She had already heard the gist of the situation from Jin and Latri.
“Eat up, Pan. Don’t get yourself caught so often, okay?”
“I see this guy a lot too. He’s always here when I come to see Mom.”
“Always? Not really.”
Steam rose from the delicious seafood stew as Yuria and Pan’s eyes sparkled in unison.
“Let’s eat!” Pan said eagerly.
The boy who had been so cautious just moments ago was now devouring the seafood stew like a man possessed. It was clear that money was usually tight for him.
After about an hour of this fiery feast, it was over.
“Um… kid.”
“Yes?”
“Can I take some of this home? My little brother’s hungry.”
“Sure, take as much as you want. But first… oh, here he is.”
Jin waved at a man who had just stomped into the seafood restaurant, looking a bit out of breath.
It was Murakan, who had rushed over after receiving a telegram telling him to bring a map.
“Seriously… now you’re making me do this too? I’m Murakan, Murakan! You could have asked some lowly creature to do this!”
“Lord Kashmir is swamped with work every day, Gili has tons to do, Enya has to study, and you’re the only one who has time to spare. You might as well do this.”
“What about Quikantel!?”
“He’s excused.”
Latri shot Jin a look full of admiration, and Jin carefully pulled out the map Murakan had handed him and showed it to Pan.
“Pan, do you… by any chance know what this is?”
The moment Pan saw the map, his expression changed drastically.
“W-where did you get this?” he stammered, clearly flustered.