Episode 167
Chapter 56: The Sculptor of Chaos (Part 2)
In the past, once his comrades learned of the shapeshifter’s existence, they would have barged in without hesitation and forced a confession. They’d demand to know exactly how he performed his transformations and what he hoped to gain from such powers.
But things were different now. Kinzelro was far more dangerous than anyone had imagined, and as the world’s only shapeshifter, he was inevitably a key figure within Kinzelro’s ranks.
If anything happened to Bubar, there was no way it could be overlooked.
‘Thank heavens. I’d always thought that someday, at the right moment, I’d deal with Bubar—maybe even kill him…’
When Chilsakjo had brought the information that “Bubar is an executive of Kinzelro,” it had only piqued his curiosity. He never thought it would be a major obstacle to handling Bubar when the time came.
‘I almost made a fatal mistake. I nearly poked the hornet’s nest without thinking… I should thank those Dark Magic Society bastards.’
Truthfully, meeting Bubar now wouldn’t accomplish much.
Still, a light, casual contact wouldn’t hurt.
After all, even the den of the Dark Magic Society, which he visited without much expectation, had yielded some significant information.
“Master Gong? You don’t mean to capture him and deal with him like Mato Becker, do you…?”
“Of course not, Lady Alisa. I’m just planning to disguise myself as a customer and visit his sculpture workshop to see his face once. Kinzelro and the Dark Magic Society don’t seem to have very tight security. Who knows? Maybe I’ll pick up some more information.”
The reason Kinzelro and the Dark Magic Society leaked information to Jin this time wasn’t because their security was lax.
They simply failed to account for the wildcard known as the “Demon Swordmaster Jin Runkandel.”
Even looking at the operation to wipe out the remnants of the Academy’s mages, the Dark Magic Society had no trouble kidnapping students and achieving their goals during Jin’s previous life.
‘You have to take the honey while it’s sweet. Once rumors about Demon Swordmaster Jin Gray—or Jin Runkandel—start spreading, more eyes will be watching me.’
When that time came, gathering information would be far more difficult. Once the rumor that Jin Runkandel was the Demon Swordmaster spread, it would also reveal that Tikan was part of his faction.
“Well, if that’s Master Gong’s intention, there’s no harm in seeing his face again. Besides, no one in Kinzelro or the Dark Magic Society knows what he looks like yet… Will you be going alone?”
When Kashimir asked, Jin shook his head.
“No, there’s someone perfectly suited to accompany me. Oh, and Sir Kashimir, please have Chilsakjo investigate the relationship between the White Wolf Tribe and Kinzelro.”
Jin smiled slyly.
Meanwhile, the Biment Special Task Force was deep into their investigation, escorting the surviving students from the Dark Magic Society purge.
The leader of Task Force 3, Latz, along with three of his subordinates, and ‘V,’ the leader of the Special Task Force Magic Division 1, Team 3, with five subordinates, were in charge of the investigation.
“Is it true that no one can clearly remember their faces? Pascal Chip, you, Kin Maura, and Moz Orel were the ones who recruited those people locally. How can you claim ignorance?”
“We really don’t remember, sir…”
“We lost nearly twenty students destined to become the Empire’s protectors, two six-star mages, and one seven-star mage died. If you don’t tell the truth, your families could be in danger.”
When V spoke quietly, the three students closed their eyes tightly, unsure what to do.
Chip finally mustered the courage.
“But sir, we truly don’t remember. Maybe because of the mana backlash, our memories are incomplete. We’ve told you everything we recall.”
“Are you serious?”
“Besides, if it weren’t for them, none of the students in the operation would have survived. We want to find them to repay our debt…”
“Y-yes, sir. As we said, we only remember the names Jin Gray and Austin Gray. If you find them, could you please let us know?”
“It’s not just us three. Other students feel the same way. Proud students of the Academy never forget a favor…”
Latz and V exchanged a weary sigh.
All the students were like this. They clearly knew something but were all keeping silent.
For Maura, Orel, and Chip, it was a mix of wanting to repay a debt and fear of being exposed as impostors pretending to be Special Task Force members (not to mention their fear of Jin) that kept them quiet.
But the other students’ situation was different. Among those who had experienced the mana backlash, rumors were already spreading that “Kidard of the mana backlash has returned from hell.”
To mages, Kidard’s infamy rivaled even the Special Task Force. While the students might not know, many of their parents’ generation had firsthand experience with Kidard.
So their parents had issued a strict gag order.
Since the one who was supposedly Kidard’s reincarnation—or his disciple—had only killed members of the Dark Magic Society, not students, the parents knew there was no reason for the Special Task Force to pursue him relentlessly.
Better to risk disappointing the Special Task Force than to earn Kidard’s wrath.
That was their reasoning. In fact, from the parents’ perspective, the real target for the Special Task Force’s pursuit and punishment was the Dark Magic Society, not Kidard.
“Phew… His Majesty ordered that the students must never be tortured, so we can’t really press them harder. I can understand why the students are like this. The shock must have been huge. Latz, what do you think?”
After the students left, V spoke.
“One thing is certain: Jin Gray is either Kidard’s disciple or Kidard himself. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have obtained the mana backlash spellbook stored in the Eternal Vault of Vankela.”
“I agree. When we first heard Kidard was dead, we thought he’d been assassinated. Even the news outlets reported that the mana backlash spellbook was still in Vankela’s Eternal Vault…”
“If we assume Jin Gray is Kidard himself, we can’t rule out that he had help from the shapeshifter. Maybe he faked his death and wiped his identity for some reason.”
“Oh, the mysterious shapeshifter that Special Task Force Teams 1 and 3 are tracking… Hmm, then was it Austin Gray who killed the White Wolf Tribe?”
Latz didn’t answer but instead surveyed the crime scene for a while.
‘Austin was smaller than Jin Gray, had an odd mustache, and a surprisingly rough voice. Estimated age: mid-teens to early twenties.’
That was according to other students’ testimonies besides Chip, Maura, and Orel. Even if their parents had imposed a gag order, it was hard for students to keep completely silent in front of the Special Task Force.
Though the severed corpse of Goltep had become somewhat mangled over time, the hammer he used remained intact. Latz couldn’t take his eyes off the perfectly split hammer for a long time.
‘Dante Hiran.’
A name suddenly came to Latz’s mind.
‘A boy small in stature, with a rough voice, capable of splitting the White Wolf Tribe’s hammer so cleanly… As far as I know, Dante Hiran is the only one. I should pay a visit to the Hiran family.’
But that very night, when Latz brought the broken hammer to the Hiran family, Dante himself had to tell him this:
“I’m not skilled enough to make such a clean cut yet, Sir Latz. Judging by the cut, it looks like only an eight-star knight could have done it. By the way, who did you say wiped out the Dark Magic Society? Jin Gray?”
Thanks to that, Dante had more to discuss with Veradin and more questions to ask Jin next time they met.
October 30, 1796.
On his way to meet Bubar in the Duchy of Kurano, Jin deliberately passed through the transit gate of the Principality of Kon. Before parting ways with Veradin and Dante, he stopped by the tavern where they had shared a beer and drank alone.
After spending the day like that, around noon, he bought a ticket to the Duchy of Kurano at the central transit gate of the Principality of Kon.
The midday transit gate was bustling with nobles setting off on journeys and merchants on business trips. Jin, wearing glasses and carrying no sword, hid his calloused hands with gloves, looking like an ordinary traveler.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the transit gate will open in 15 minutes. Please remain seated and wait until then…”
As attendants checked the passengers, the light tap-tap of footsteps echoed—a sound typical of the low-heeled shoes currently in fashion in the Principality of Kon.
“Could you move your bag, please? This is my seat.”
The owner of the footsteps stopped right in front of Jin. Looking up at the woman with her striking red hair and sharp suit, Jin gave a sheepish smile.
“Oh, sorry about that.”
Soon the transit gate opened, and passengers were bathed in a glow of mana.
Jin disembarked and headed straight for the street lined with various workshops.
Bubar’s sculpture workshop wasn’t in the cluster of workshops but stood alone on the outskirts of the capital—intentionally so.
Better to be cautious than risk arousing Kinzelro’s suspicion.
He wandered in and out of various workshops until evening.
Naturally, he asked the owners about the most outstanding sculptor, and to his surprise, nearly all of them mentioned Bubar’s name.
“Not sure which noble family you’re from, but it seems you’re looking for a genuine genius sculptor.”
“I’m looking to commission a bust of someone I deeply respect…”
“There’s a workshop on the west edge of town run by a man named Boubard Gaston. Go see him. If you find even Boubard lacking, it means there’s no sculptor in Kurano who can satisfy you.”
“Actually, I came here after researching some of Kurano’s renowned sculptors, but I’ve never heard that name before. Boubard Gaston? I don’t recall seeing him mentioned in the Bimont Art Journal either.”
“Fame doesn’t always mean skill. If Boubard had a decent temperament, he’d have been the official sculptor to the Duke himself. Maybe even caught the eye of the Bimont Emperor.”
“Is he really that exceptional?”
“Among those who know, they say the god of sculpture dwells within Boubard. Honestly, I don’t understand why heaven bestowed such talent on that strange man. I envy him so much it makes me want to kill him!”
“Ha, calm down. The god of sculpture, huh…”
“You’re an outsider, so you might not know, but the artisan district in Kurano used to be twice as long as it is now. After Boubard appeared, many sculptors who saw his work gave up art altogether, and the street shrank.”
“Huh.”
The Boubard I’d seen at the banquet didn’t quite fit that image, but among the sculptors here, he was clearly regarded as a genius among geniuses.
‘What connection could there possibly be between transformation magic and sculpture?’
With that question lingering, Jin set off toward Boubard’s workshop. After a long walk, he reached a dark, quiet forest path and muttered softly to himself.
“Is it safe to come out now, Sister Yona?”