Episode 111
Chapter 36: Allies on Both Sides (Part 1)
“No way…!”
Suddenly, a conversation with an old magic master flashed through Jin’s mind.
“There’s a special mechanism in the staffs used by the tower lords of Ziphl. If you look at the top of the staff, you’ll see tiny rune inscriptions.”
“What are they for?”
“When the tower lord activates those runes, a signal is sent to the tower. It’s a spell to urgently summon the mages under their command. Naturally, it’s only used in emergencies or when facing an enemy too strong to handle alone. I can’t tell you how much trouble that caused me back in the day.”
Jin quickened his pace toward Myuron’s corpse.
If his master’s words were true, the last thing Myuron did when he swung his staff was to activate those runes.
“Kid, what’s wrong?”
“I need to check his staff!”
“Why the staff?”
Murakan had no idea that the staffs of Ziphl’s tower lords had such a function. That kind of magic hadn’t been developed back when he was active.
As Jin hesitated, trying to come up with an excuse, Kashimir seemed to recall the same thing and clapped his hands.
“Runes! I’ve heard that the staffs of Ziphl’s tower lords have runes that can call their subordinate mages.”
“What? They have something like that?”
“I only heard it as a rumor. Since Prince Jin is from Runkandel, he probably knows more about Ziphl than I do.”
“I also vaguely remember Luna mentioning something like that in passing, so I wanted to check. If those runes really exist…”
“That would be a huge problem…”
The three of them stood side by side before Myuron’s body, worry etched in their eyes.
“Hmm, Tess. The guy burned it so badly I can’t tell if it’s a staff or just a lump of charcoal. I don’t see any runes. If they’d been activated, they should be glowing.”
“I agree, Murakan. Haha, I guess it was just a needless worry.”
They forced smiles as they stared at the blackened staff.
But when Jin carefully scraped the charred top with a dagger, something appeared.
A faint green glow emanated from the runes.
His ominous premonition had been exactly right.
“Damn it.”
“Damn!”
Murakan and Kashimir both pressed their foreheads in frustration.
“Hey, kid. That artifact… Should we just tell the natives to come back for it later? He can’t even transform back to his true form. How many mages do you think will come looking for it?”
“I understand that each magic tower has at least a hundred mages stationed. Many of them are rank 7 or 8 stars, so even if only half show up, we won’t be able to handle it.”
Even if only a quarter of them came, the three of them would be overwhelmed.
“The world’s changed a lot. Back when I was at my peak, four or five 8-star mages were just a warm-up. Eh! Let them come. Even rotten fish has its worth. I’ll show them 3,000 years of experience.”
“Murakan, honestly, I’m not confident. Even if you take on all the mages alone, I don’t think I can protect Prince Jin by myself.”
Thanks to the lucky acquisition of a unicorn horn, the reflux had calmed somewhat.
But Jin’s internal injuries were far from healed. If they fought now, the reflux would flare up again, and mere rest wouldn’t be enough.
“Leaving the artifact behind would be too bleak a future, kid. You take Jin and retreat first. Even if I’m weakened, there’s no way those punks can take me down.”
“How can we leave Murakan alone!”
“Haha. Kid, you’ve got some spirit… Don’t worry, I’m not going to die just yet.”
Murakan wiped his nose with a smirk, and Kashimir nodded vigorously.
“…Understood! Then I’ll take Prince Jin and fall back first!”
“Wait. Why’s this guy giving up so fast? Shouldn’t he be saying he’ll fight to the death? It’s kind of annoying.”
“Probably just your imagination, Murakan.”
While the two exchanged pointless banter, Jin let out a quiet sigh.
“How long will it take?”
“Huh? Prince, for what?”
“For the mages from the seven Ziphl towers to arrive here.”
“Hmm. The seventh Ziphl tower is at the northernmost edge of the continent. Even using the teleportation gates, it’ll take at least two hours. It might be faster, but I can’t say for sure.”
Two hours.
“Two hours… Can we make it in time? The natives won’t leave this land until they retrieve the artifact, even if it costs them their lives.”
Tika’s gaze earlier had said as much. After centuries of enduring Ziphl’s oppression while guarding the mirror, they wouldn’t abandon their pride now.
“Two hours, two hours… We need powerful reinforcements who can get here as fast as possible.”
Runkandel was out of the question. If they called Luna again as a reserve rider, the other brothers wouldn’t just stand by this time.
They needed allies strong enough to stand against Ziphl, and who could reach Colon quickly.
There weren’t many with that kind of power.
Jin looked at Kashimir, having made his decision.
“Sir Kashimir, there’s something I need you to do.”
As Jin explained the plan, Kashimir’s expression hardened quickly.
“…Prince, is that really possible? If they refuse, you and Murakan will be in grave danger.”
“We have to try. And I doubt they’ll refuse, probably out of annoyance. There’s no time. It’ll be tough, but please hurry.”
Meanwhile, in the northern central continent, at the top floor of Ziphl’s seventh tower.
“The crystal orb is glowing red!”
“It seems something’s happened to the tower lord!”
“Is this another prank? Last time we went all the way there, he was just passed out drunk.”
“Even if it’s a prank, it’s our duty to respond to the tower lord’s summons, Third Elder.”
“Tch, what kind of tower lord can’t even treat his elders properly…”
“Shh, if the deputy tower lord hears that, it’ll be trouble. Anyway, we must inform him quickly. Hey! Go fetch the deputy tower lord at once!”
Though the crystal orb linked to Myuron’s rune glowed red, many elders were displeased upon hearing the news. In fact, most of them reacted coldly.
After a breathless servant arrived, the deputy tower lord appeared.
A young, capable man with refined features—Midor Elner.
He was the illegitimate son of Keliak Ziphl.
“Where is the orb pointing?”
“To the Colon ruins.”
“Effective immediately, summon all mages of the seventh tower and head to Colon. Elders, please contact the main house and other towers at once.”
“Is it really necessary to involve the other towers? Isn’t this making a big deal out of it?”
“I have a bad feeling. A sudden call this early in the morning… Something must have gone wrong. Third Elder, please open the teleportation gates.”
“Hmm, I’d like to, but…”
The Third Elder scratched his beard awkwardly and pointed outside.
“It’s been snowing heavily for about an hour, deputy tower lord. We can’t use the teleportation gates in this weather.”
Indeed, snow was pouring down.
On days with heavy snow or rain, using the teleportation gates risks the entire body being disintegrated. Snowflakes or raindrops can absorb the magic emitted by the gates and explode along with them.
“Should we wait for the snow to stop?”
“That would be too late. If something’s happened to the tower lord, we’d have no excuse when the main house later criticizes our slow response.”
After a moment’s thought, the deputy tower lord nodded.
“I’ll fly there on a dragon. We’ll fly to Chenka first, then use the teleportation gate from there to Colon.”
That meant all dragons affiliated with the seventh tower would be heading to Colon.
An hour later, dawn broke.
In the meantime, the natives, with Jin and Murakan’s help, had buried their dead, and Dino had gathered Myuron’s journal and other evidence.
“Murakan, I’ve been thinking. Maybe the mages from the seventh tower won’t make it here within two hours.”
“Why not?”
“In the northern continent’s upper reaches, January and February bring almost daily snow. And the teleportation gates can’t be used in snow.”
“Small mercy, I guess.”
“Not certain, but it’s just a hope. Two hours is way too tight.”
Fortunately, as Jin had hoped, the seventh tower’s mages couldn’t use the teleportation gates.
He hadn’t expected them to even use dragons.
Ugh!
Suddenly, Jin coughed up a thick glob of blood. The aftereffects of the reflux were beginning.
The unicorn horn had helped stave off the worst, but such reflux couldn’t be completely suppressed in a short time.
“Ugh, maybe I pushed too hard.”
“Definitely. I never thought that madman could use dark magic. And to think he had runes to call reinforcements… In my day, if you lost a fight, you just retreated cleanly. No romance these days, no romance.”
“We called Luna once with Orgal’s pendant, remember? Kashimir is out now, calling for reinforcements.”
“That’s different, huh? We were protecting the world then. If we hadn’t destroyed the demon stone, the whole world would be in chaos now. Likewise, the Colon artifact is dangerous if it falls into Ziphl’s hands.”
Jin chuckled softly.
He was thinking about his magic teacher. If it hadn’t been for his past life’s mentor, he probably wouldn’t have even known about the existence of runes.
‘Teacher… I wonder if you’re doing well. I think I’m doing fine.’
“Lord Kashimir! Why did you come back alone!?”
“Darling? Why are you alone? You look terrible—did something happen?”
Gilly and Alisa jumped up, shouting, while Enya and Quikantel, who were nearby, looked at him with puzzled expressions.
“There’s no time to explain! Gilly, where’s that flower!?”
“A flower? Why are you suddenly asking about a flower?”
“Ah! There it is!”
Kashimir shouted, pointing to a vase by Jin’s window. Inside was a single, unique flower.
Its pure white petals shimmered like snowflakes.
The Snow Palace Snowflower.
“Alisa, open a teleport gate to the closest Snow Palace location. We have to get there as fast as possible—Prince Jin’s life depends on it!”