Chapter 103
Episode 35: The Tragedy of Colon (Part 2)
Pan’s expression was strange.
His furrowed brows trembled slightly, as if gripped by fear, but Jin didn’t miss how Pan’s eyes followed the letters on the map.
“Can you read those characters?”
“How… How do you know I’m from Colon? Who exactly are you people?”
Pan eyed Jin and his companions warily.
He was recalling the day three years ago when he escaped his hometown—now a ‘ruin’ under Ziphl’s control—slipping past the Ziphl mages to stow away to the free city of Tikan.
“Hmm… How should I explain? I’m a retainer of Captain Alisa here, this black-haired fellow is Yong, the green-haired boy is also Yong, and this one, as you can see, is a six-year-old girl.”
As Jin spoke openly about their identities, Pan’s face darkened—but he wasn’t the only one.
“Hey, kid! How can you just spill everything like that?”
“What else can I do? I get the feeling Pan might have some important clue about this map. Right, Pan? We recognized you because…”
Jin decided honesty was best—except for the fact that Yuria was Azmil’s contractor.
“Green-haired Latri is Azmil’s Yong. While handling the map I brought, I was drawn by a lingering curse and glimpsed the past. The people I saw being exploited looked like your kind, Pan. It was just a coincidence.”
“Hmph.”
Pan was silent for a moment before speaking.
“Mind if I step out for a smoke?”
“Go ahead.”
Pan trudged toward the seafood stew restaurant’s yard, leaning against the wall as he lit his cigarette.
‘Come to think of it, Pan said he didn’t have any cigarettes earlier, but he did.’
Jin chuckled softly, and Latri looked worried.
“What if he runs off?”
“How could he? This is the land of the insignificant.”
“Oh… right. Sorry, Murakan.”
“What’s there to apologize for?”
“Uh, nothing.”
After finishing his cigarette, Pan returned with a composed expression, as if he’d sorted out his thoughts.
“Mind if I ask a few questions?”
“Of course.”
“Are you with Ziphl?”
“We’re not exactly on good terms with them.”
“Then do you know what this map means?”
“Treasure, maybe?”
“No treasure.”
“I see.”
Jin shrugged lightly, and Pan’s eyes narrowed.
“If I don’t help, will you harm me?”
“I swear. Even if you just take this seafood stew and leave, we won’t hurt or threaten you. Though if you get caught for public disturbance by the guards, that’s another story. But you’ll never have met us.”
Jin truly meant it.
‘He said he’s from Colon, so he must have endured all kinds of hardships just to get here, evading Ziphl’s watchful eyes. There’s no need to rush by tormenting him.’
Silence hung between them as Pan pondered.
Was meeting Jin and his group just a coincidence? Soon, he reached a conclusion.
That wasn’t for him to decide.
“My younger sister…”
“Yes?”
“You all… I think it’s best if you meet my sister for a moment.”
Jin nodded.
“Then let’s wait until the seafood stew is packed and go.”
Pan was a skilled liar.
He said he didn’t have cigarettes, but he did. He said he was going to see his sister—but it wasn’t really his sister.
Pan’s home was tucked deep in a shabby alley, cramped enough that the group felt there was barely any space once inside.
“It’s the first time Pan’s brought someone here. Welcome, esteemed guests of Tikan.”
The woman who greeted them was posing as Pan’s ‘sister.’
She looked much younger than Pan, but Pan bowed respectfully as soon as he saw her.
“Lady Laosa, I brought guests without permission.”
“Well done, Pan.”
The atmosphere was peculiar.
More precisely, Laosa’s aura was extraordinary—not just noble or intimidating, but almost sacred. Even Murakan, who would normally complain about such a shabby place, was cautious with his words.
Jin sensed it immediately.
‘She must be the last descendant of Colon’s noblest bloodline, or someone chosen by their faith.’
Laosa possessed a deeper insight.
“Born in the sword’s homeland, chosen by the shadow, the Black Dragon and the Dragon of Truth, the child cherished by Azmil, and the ever-caring Captain of Tikan’s guards.”
Startled, the entire group stared at Laosa.
“How do you know that?”
“Just a little trick. Sorry if I startled you. Pan, please prepare some tea.”
“Understood.”
As Pan poured water into a battered kettle, Jin felt a cold sweat break out on his back.
‘A little trick…?’
Laosa’s calm demeanor suggested she had known they would come all along.
She was unlike anyone Jin had ever met. He even wondered if she was truly human.
‘This transcendent aura… I’ve felt something like this before.’
The moment he made a contract with Solderet in his past life.
Though weaker than that, Laosa’s aura was similar in nature.
“Laosa, are you a god?”
It might have seemed like a sudden question, but everyone except Yuria shared Jin’s unspoken wonder at her indescribable presence.
Laosa’s power was so overwhelming that the question naturally arose.
“No, I am a vessel. If I were a god, I wouldn’t be hiding here, barely surviving after losing my homeland.”
Only then did Murakan nod knowingly.
“An ancient god’s spirit. They say such beings retain immense insight, but soon even that power will fade.”
“That’s true, but it hurts to hear it put so bluntly, Black Dragon.”
“From what I’ve heard, this map points to Colon. You’re from Colon, and I’ve never heard that an ancient god once dwelled there. Who was it?”
“You wouldn’t understand even if I told you. More importantly, may I see the map?”
Laosa held out her hand, and Jin passed it over.
“This was made by my late grandfather. Originally, this map had two destinies… I’m glad it didn’t fall into Ziphl’s hands, but yours instead. Jin Runkandel. Perhaps my faint faith has reached you.”
“May I ask what the writing on the map means?”
“To those who win the hearts of Colon, who read these words—
Do not turn away from us.
Come here and shout out, we are but quiet people.
Quiet people.
The gods have given us a heavy mission, but not the strength to bear it.
It is a grievous injustice.”
Laosa slowly read the Colon script in the continental tongue.
“This is what it says.”
Sadness flickered in Laosa’s calm eyes. She remembered the centuries of oppression that had trampled her homeland and her already deceased grandfather.
“The mission refers to protecting the object marked here. Do you know what’s happening in Colon now?”
“It’s become a ruin. Taken over by Ziphl. When I was at my family home, I was sent there on a mission.”
“Haha… Under the pretense of excavation, Ziphl is searching for our sacred relic. Their powerful magic hasn’t found it yet, but it’s only a matter of time. We have no strength left to resist.”
The kettle hissed and boiled. Pan, handing out teacups, seemed to be holding back tears—his shoulders trembling.
When Pan brought the tea with a flushed face, Laosa smiled gently.
“My grandfather was an idealist. That’s why this map only asks that we not be ignored, without demanding anything in return… But I am not like him. How about a deal?”
“Losing your insight soon and talking about deals? Just say you want help. We were going to go to Colon anyway.”
Though he said that, Murakan seemed genuinely willing to help Laosa’s people.
Jin didn’t think a grand bargain was necessary. As Murakan said, they planned to go there anyway, and preventing Ziphl from getting the ‘mirror’ was part of the plan from the start.
“I don’t believe in charity born of pity or sympathy. Even getting this small house in Tikan, Pan and I were hurt many times by clumsy kindness.”
“Oh, Lady Laosa, you should erase those memories quickly. I’m sorry.”
“If you’re sorry, stop causing trouble when you drink, Pan. Anyway, if you save my kin in Colon, I have only one reward to offer.”
“What is it?”
“I will use all my remaining divine power to call your god once more. It’s probably been a long time since you heard Solderet’s voice.”
At that, Murakan and Jin exchanged glances.
“Heh… This place sure has its share of ancient god spirits, Azmil’s contractors, and people tied to foresight and insight. What will you do, Jin?”
“What can I say? Is there really any need to refuse? Very well, Lord Laosa. I’ll make my way to Colon soon enough. But I can’t promise that I’ll be able to ‘save’ your people.”
If it were just a matter of fighting the Ziphl wizards in Colon, securing the mirror, and escorting the natives to safety, that would be one thing.
But salvation—that was beyond his scope.
“Just heading there is enough for me. I’ll fill you in on the situation inside Colon, so it might be better if you wait a little longer before going.”
February 20, 1796.
Of the group, only three were set to depart for Colon.
Jin, Murakan, and Kashimir.
Quikantel couldn’t afford to show his face in Ziphl after the recent deaths of Andrei and Buretta. Gilly’s powers were still sealed, and Enya wasn’t yet ready for combat.
Alisa had to stay behind in Tikan, just in case something went wrong.
So, reluctantly, only the three of them went. Disguised as ordinary travelers, they had just arrived at the Colon ruins.
But right from the start, there was a problem.
“What the… They’re not letting travelers into the ruins anymore?”
Unlike when Jin had been on a mission there as a cadet, the Colon ruins had become a restricted zone, strictly off-limits to civilians even during the day.