Episode 104
Chapter 35: The Tragedy of Colon (3)
“Damn, if I’d known this would happen, I should’ve sent the Seven-Colored Bird ahead to scout.”
Kasimir shook his head awkwardly.
The reason they hadn’t dispatched the Seven-Colored Bird before coming to Colon was precisely because they feared leaving a trail that might be discovered.
Besides, Colon was little more than a quiet tourist spot, so they’d thought a prior reconnaissance unnecessary.
“Even if you’d sent your men ahead, this place would’ve been declared a restricted zone regardless.”
“That’s true, but…”
Amid their confusion, Jin recalled that before his time loop, none of this had happened.
‘Before I looped back, the Colon ruins were always open to the public. That’s how the journalist was able to expose everything… Maybe my mission here as a cadet affected things.’
Back then, Jin had eliminated the mercenaries turned living golems in the ruins and set fires in several places before returning to headquarters.
The G-PL had officially reported it as a simple fire accident, not a terrorist attack or intrusion.
Responsibility.
That word suddenly flashed through Jin’s mind.
‘Eleven years before my loop, the journalist’s exposé revealed G-PL’s atrocious crimes to the world. But now that fate has changed because of me… this needs to come out sooner, at least.’
He didn’t have any particular affection for the native people of Colon, whom he’d never even met.
But he didn’t want his return to make their lives any worse.
‘I can’t save them all, just like Laosa wished. Nor do I have to. But I don’t want to become the same kind of person as the G-PL leadership, committing these atrocities.’
Jin quietly stared at the restricted zone sign bearing G-PL’s dragon emblem.
“Kid, what’s the plan? Ignoring the sign and going in might be dangerous. We can’t confirm the situation or enemy strength inside.”
“That’s right. I heard G-PL used this place for forbidden magic experiments, so there must be some mage guards stationed here, Prince Jin.”
“Hmm… traces of forbidden magic experiments were probably all erased. They were exposed to me once, after all. But this sign… doesn’t something seem off about it?”
Kasimir and Murakan followed Jin’s gaze to the sign.
“What do you mean?”
“There’s just a wooden sign and some barbed wire—no guards, no protective magic. G-PL wouldn’t manage such an important restricted zone so carelessly.”
Indeed, for the world’s largest family’s restricted area, it was surprisingly lax.
“Now that you mention it, Prince Jin, even though the sign bears G-PL’s emblem, and no one would be foolish enough to enter recklessly… it is quite sloppy.”
“When I first came here on a mission, even the warehouse storing low-grade relics was heavily warded with protective magic. I think G-PL has just abandoned this land.”
“Laosa said G-PL was searching for the natives’ sacred relics, oppressing them for centuries because of it. If they’re neglecting this place now, maybe they’ve already found what they were after.”
“Maybe. After squeezing the natives for centuries and coming up empty, plus having their forbidden magic experiments exposed once, they might’ve just given up.”
Jin didn’t believe G-PL had already found the ‘Mirror.’ If they had, their academy would already be churning out seven-star mages by the dozen.
“Also, the sign looks even more pathetic the longer I look at it. It’s wood, not metal, crooked, and looks like some careless internal staff just hammered it in.”
“That’s possible. Maybe they got tired of travelers coming here, sent a notice to G-PL headquarters to officially designate it a restricted zone, and just turned it into a rest area. Every organization has lazy managers.”
By the time the conversation reached this point, there was no need to analyze further.
The three simply passed the sign and walked on, and the deeper they went, the more certain they became that their suspicions were correct.
‘Weeds are growing through the pavement everywhere. That means no maintenance. But there’s no sign of wild animals nearby. So there must be people inside.’
The museum, warehouses, and staff quarters all remained intact.
There were even traces of the arson Jin had committed during his mission, left untouched for years—a sure sign G-PL had abandoned this land.
“Hey, I see some humans over there. They have the same red skin as Laosa’s people.”
They spotted the natives near the end of the entrance path. The group immediately hid behind trees and observed them for a while. All looked ragged and miserable.
‘If the natives are still here, the Mirror must still be here too. But why on earth is G-PL neglecting this place like this?’
Could it be, as Kasimir suggested earlier, that after centuries of fruitless searching, they just gave up?
Just then, a man appeared among the natives.
He had long, unkempt silver hair and was shouting loudly at them, seemingly drunk.
‘A man with silver hair just like Veradin… And that looks like a bottle of liquor in his hand. Could it be?’
Someone immediately came to mind.
A mage infamous in the previous life as the “Madman of the Mage Tower.”
‘Myron G-PL?’
The sixth son of Keliak G-PL.
True to his nickname, Myron was known for his eccentric behavior and often made headlines. He was the pureblood G-PL most at odds with the family’s public image, which made him stand out even more.
“Prince, that’s definitely Myron G-PL. Silver hair is a symbol of pureblood G-PLs. And among them, only Myron would be carrying a bottle of liquor in broad daylight.”
Kasimir knew Myron as well.
“What? A pureblood G-PL? Why is someone like that stuck out here in the middle of nowhere?”
“Murakan, Myron’s behavior is so bad that he’s not well regarded within G-PL. I heard he was recently demoted from being the head of the Seven Mage Towers. Maybe he’s just enjoying a forced vacation.”
“Hmm, if there’s a pureblood G-PL here, there must be some bodyguard mages too. Let’s roughly gauge their numbers and decide whether to fight or retreat.”
“Once Myron goes back inside the building, let’s try to make contact with the natives first. Getting information from them will be the fastest and most reliable.”
The three hid behind the trees, waiting for Myron to enter.
The problem was, Myron never went back inside until nightfall.
“What the hell is this guy’s deal…? He’s been sitting in the same spot drinking for eight hours straight. Doesn’t he need to pee or anything?”
Right after appearing, Myron had plopped down and started drinking alone—and hadn’t moved since.
“I’ve heard rumors that Myron G-PL is a heavy drinker, but this is ridiculous.”
Still, watching him from hiding wasn’t entirely fruitless. Every time Myron muttered or shouted to himself, it gave them clues.
For one, he seemed to have no attendants.
Also, it looked like he was here as a form of punishment from the family.
“Ha ha ha! Those damn elders had the nerve to send me to this bug-infested hole! Heh heh, you cute little things… Bring me more booze!”
He shouted like that quite a few times.
At those moments, Myron looked completely defenseless, yet the natives didn’t dare meet his gaze.
Whenever Myron made even a small gesture, the natives flinched and bowed their heads.
“Watching him closely, it seems he has no other guards. Can’t we just take him out and escape with the natives?”
Murakan ground his teeth in frustration.
“Murakan, Myron G-PL is an eight-star mage. Plus, as a former head of the Seven Towers, he must have all kinds of artifacts.”
“So what? I may have lost some strength, but do you think I can’t handle one eight-star mage? Besides, we have the kid and you.”
“He’s not just any eight-star—he’s a pureblood G-PL, Murakan. Killing a pureblood G-PL requires careful consideration. If we’re not careful, it could escalate, especially after what happened with Andrei.”
“Do you think I don’t know that? It’s just frustrating, that’s all!”
If there were many skilled G-PL mages inside, they’d have no choice but to fight and then escape with the natives.
But Myron’s pureblood status weighed heavily on their minds.
‘This is bad timing. If we kill him now, it could spark a bloodbath.’
Since Andrei’s death, the cold war between Runkandel and G-PL had intensified.
There was no proof Runkandel killed him, so G-PL stayed quiet—but if another pureblood died, things would change.
Assassination was probably impossible too. Even if Myron was defenseless, he’d surely have protective magic wards around his sleeping quarters.
‘If we kill Myron, we need a solid justification so G-PL can’t retaliate.’
The best justification would be evidence of forbidden magic experiments. If they could secure proof of that, even Myron’s death wouldn’t let G-PL act freely.
‘But all traces of forbidden magic experiments have already been erased… huh?’
Suddenly, Jin covered his mouth, unable to hold back a gasp.
As they were deep in thought, a crucial fact they’d overlooked suddenly came to mind.
“Murakan! Didn’t Lord Raosa say there were about two hundred indigenous people left?”
“That’s right. That’s why the beast deliberately kept the sailing ship on standby.”
“…But how many indigenous people have we actually seen so far?”
“Roughly fifty… huh?”
Murakan and Kashimir both let out low sighs simultaneously.
Even counting everyone who had passed near Myuron, the total number of indigenous people they’d encountered didn’t even reach fifty.
“It doesn’t seem like the remaining natives are just resting somewhere… Could it be that they’re conducting more bio-golem experiments?”
If Myuron was experimenting on the indigenous people to create bio-golems—
Then this was no longer a matter of justification.
“Once Myuron falls asleep, let’s check the buildings.”
Startled!
No sooner had Jin finished speaking than all three of them turned toward the entrance of the ruins.
They sensed someone approaching.
Rustle, rustle… someone was slowly making their way into the ruins.
‘Their footsteps are cautious. Like us, they must have come in without permission.’
But their skill at hiding their presence wasn’t very good.
“Who’s there?”
Jin erased his own presence with spiritual energy and pressed a dagger against the back of the new intruder.