Episode 110
Chapter 35: The Tragedy of Colon (9)
Whoosh.
Myuron’s staff sliced through the air weakly, empty of any magical energy. It looked as if he had swung it without any real force.
‘Is it over…!?’
The Hell Gate, slashed by Yeonggi’s blade, emitted a strange grinding sound as it began to wither away. Jin collapsed, still holding his sword in the same stance.
Thud!
Bradamante reverted to her true form. Jin’s face was soaked in blood, but there were no fatal wounds.
“Kid!”
“Prince Jin! Are you alright?”
Murakan and Kashmir hurried over to Jin, while Tess withdrew her blue flames. She glanced at Jin with concern before gradually fading away.
Jin’s magic had been completely drained, causing the summoning to end.
“Myu…ron?”
“He burned to death standing up. Well done, kid.”
Murakan pointed to where Myuron lay dead, unable to complete his spell. He had died in Tess’s flames, still standing, a faint smile lingering on his face.
‘Among all the enemies we’ve faced, he’s the creepiest. Was that last swing of his staff unconscious?’
A lingering unease remained, but there was no time to dwell on it. Jin was so drained he barely had the strength to hold onto consciousness.
Dino, Tika, and the surviving natives began gathering around Jin’s group one by one.
They were still trembling all over, some even having seizures from sheer terror. It was because of Myuron’s corpse, frozen stiff like a statue.
“Ugh, Murakan. Are you okay? And Lord Kashmir…?”
“Everyone except you is fine, so don’t say a word. There are three different forces raging inside your body right now. Damn it, if this backlash doesn’t settle soon…”
“Am I going to die?”
“Yeah, you’re going to die.”
“Really?”
“No, just kidding. You’re a tough one! I knew you’d pull through. But if we don’t act now, you’ll be bedridden for at least half a year. Hey! You little pest! Get all the medicine you brought out.”
“Here it is!”
Kashmir quickly pulled out the medicines he had prepared in advance.
He had brought a good amount of rare herbs for battle, but unfortunately, none of them would help Jin now.
“Damn it, who told you to bring only useless stuff? Why didn’t you bring powdered unicorn horn? You have plenty of elixirs in your storage, don’t you? Nothing else? At least some Qing Bluefish Inner Core or something.”
“Those two aren’t in my herb storage, sorry. I was told to focus on herbs that promote rapid healing…”
“Hah! This is bad. Kid, you’re going to need at least half a year to recover… Hey, hey! Jin! Don’t lose your mind, man!”
“Um…”
Murakan suddenly turned his head. It was Tika.
“What is it?”
“Maybe there are herbs in Myuron’s basement. He mentioned, while drunk recently, that he caught a few unicorns for the family.”
A wizard’s lab is usually filled with all sorts of ingredients for potions. Especially since Myuron was a pureblood Ziphl, there might be exactly what they needed.
“Lead the way.”
“…That’s where my dead kin are.”
Murakan dashed over and began clearing away the corpses. Soon, several drawers were revealed. With all his strength, he pried open the locks.
“Oh.”
To their surprise, they found a sizable unicorn horn. Murakan immediately crushed it into powder and poured it into Jin’s mouth. Jin suddenly sat up.
“Ugh!”
Jin coughed up a mouthful of black blood.
Unicorn horn was the best antidote before magical backlash fully set in.
Of course, it was useless if the user’s magic exceeded seven stars.
“Ah, I feel a bit better. My spiritual energy and aura are still tangled, but… where did you get the unicorn horn?”
“From Myuron’s lab,” Murakan answered, but before he could finish, Tika burst into tears and bowed deeply to Jin.
“My name is Latika Tika Mamutica. As the acting priestess, I want to express infinite gratitude to the savior of Colon. I will never forget this kindness, even in death.”
The other natives followed Tika’s example and bowed as well. Dino, caught off guard, followed along.
“Ah… please stand. I am a messenger sent by Priestess Raosa.”
“I know. Jin Runkandel, the one who saved our Colon. Without you, we would have been mercilessly trampled, unable to fulfill our duties.”
Including Tika, fewer than thirty natives remained.
About twenty had died from Myuron’s ice attacks, and over 150 had been dragged to the basement and experimented on before Jin’s arrival.
It was a tragedy.
After finishing their bows, the natives clutched the corpses in the basement, silently sobbing.
“The priestess probably asked you to ‘save’ us, didn’t she?”
“Yes, that’s true, but…”
Jin smiled bitterly and swallowed the rest of his words.
“This doesn’t mean bringing all of us back alive. It means helping us restore Colon’s sacred relic.”
The mirror.
‘Restore it? So it’s broken? I’ve never heard of this in my past life.’
Jin knew about the mirror, but Murakan did not.
“Hey, Tika, what exactly is this sacred relic you speak of? You said Myuron’s magic was amplified tremendously, but that wasn’t because he used the relic directly—just because he knew the activation incantation, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. And you probably noticed Myuron’s magic had no flow or energy. That’s also the power of the relic.”
“I’ve actually lived over 3,000 years as a dragon, but I’ve never heard of such an object. Who is the god you worship?”
“He goes by the name Kram.”
“Hmm… unfamiliar. Alright, I get it. Let’s pack up the relic and head back. I’ve got a ship waiting nearby. It’s a shame about the dead, but the living have to survive.”
Murakan said this casually, but he felt deep sympathy for the natives.
Anyone who saw them weeping like that would feel the same—unless they were a madman like Myuron.
“…That’s right. I understand how dangerous this situation is. But Dragon, restoring the relic will take until noon tomorrow, even if we start right away.”
“Noon tomorrow? Why so long?”
“We have to perform a ritual and open the sealed land. For that, we need the power of the sun. Sorry to burden you, our saviors…”
“Prince Jin, Murakan, waiting until noon is impossible. This is the Lutero Magic Federation, and we just killed a pureblood Ziphl.”
Kashmir pointed at Myuron’s frozen corpse.
“Although recovering the relic was part of Lady Raosa’s request, if we wait until noon, everyone here will be wiped out.”
He had a point.
But aside from the natives and Dino, there were no witnesses. Maybe they could hold out until noon.
Besides, this was a restricted Ziphl zone, so no one new would come even after dawn.
“Hmm, as always, the choice is yours, kid. What will it be? Wait until noon for the relic, or escape with the survivors?”
Tika’s gaze wavered.
For her and the Colon people, the relic was more important than life itself.
“Tika, are there any other Ziphl groups that regularly come here? Or any of Myuron’s subordinates?”
Jin spoke after a moment’s thought.
“Almost no one comes. In the past month, only Dino has visited. Before that, a few subordinates came occasionally, but Myuron didn’t seem to welcome them.”
“Probably because he thought they were watchers. If no one comes regularly, it’s best to wait until noon, grab the relic, and leave.”
“Prince, are you sure? It’s too dangerous.”
“Lord Kashmir, you’ve fought eight-star magicians before, right?”
“About three times.”
“You must have felt it too—Myuron wielded magic close to nine stars. We couldn’t read his flow at all. But that wasn’t even the relic’s true power. If that thing falls into the Ziphl’s hands…”
There was no answer.
Jin had experienced firsthand what happened when the Ziphl got the mirror in his past life.
‘They created dozens of seven-star magicians every day. Most were barely worthy of the name magician, but after that, the world was under the Ziphl’s sole control.’
That was why the mirror had to be recovered at all costs.
Preventing them from getting it was the main reason Jin had come here.
“The kid’s right, little pest. That guy wasn’t stupid. Everyone knows the best move is to get out of here immediately. But if the Ziphl grab that incredible artifact? We can’t handle it.”
“Phew. I see. I was short-sighted.”
“And Tika probably wouldn’t have left even if I told her to. Right?”
Tika nodded, looking a little startled.
“Our sole purpose and duty as Colonists is to uphold Klam’s will. We can only offer our deepest apologies to our benefactors.”
“That’s why, despite centuries of Zipl’s oppression, you never surrendered the sacred relics. There’s no need to apologize—we’re simply doing our job for the agreed price. Now, Tika, you should go on.”
Jin nodded toward the basement—the place where people mourned and grieved.
With tear-filled eyes, Tika bowed slightly and turned away.
“Um…”
This time, Dino stepped forward toward Jin.
“I’m Dino Jaglun, a reporter.”
“I never would have guessed you were Jin Runkandel.”
“Let’s figure out together how to write this story so it makes Zipl most uncomfortable. Of course, you’ll leave out my name and my comrades’ names from the exposé on Zipl’s atrocities, right?”
“As a journalist, I swear on my honor—I will never reveal your names. I’m not the kind of scum who betrays those who saved my friends.”
“You seem trustworthy, Dino. I have some things to think over, so you focus on your work. Gather solid evidence by noon—enough so Zipl can’t deny it later.”
“Yes, sir.”
After Dino left, Jin’s gaze fell on Myuron’s lifeless body.
“The staff… Was his last swing really just a reflex, an unconscious reaction?”
Jin’s pupils dilated as his thoughts deepened.