Chapter 171
Episode 57: A Brief Farewell (Part 1)
Scritch, scratch! Fwoosh—shhh!
As always, the man known as Khan, the Guardian Knight, wielded his blade against the monsters of the Black Sea, a sealed letter tucked close to his heart.
But this time, what he brought to Siron wasn’t just a letter from Kashimir.
“The youngest master spent two days with Miss Yona, my lord,” Khan reported, finally handing over the letter after three days of relentless slaughter.
Siron didn’t respond immediately. He unfolded the letter first. It was the first correspondence since Kashimir was summoned to the Black Sea.
(The first page details the actions and outcomes of Prince Jin. From the second page onward, the situation is described in detail based on the prince’s testimony, so you may skip it if you wish. I hope you find no fatigue in reading this…)
True to its introduction, the letter was neatly organized—not overly verbose like previous ones, nor too brief.
‘Kashimir finally sending a proper letter,’ Siron thought, his gaze deepening as he read through the cause and effect.
‘An 8th-rank mage named Rolt Joe and a White Wolf tribe warrior. The name Hapaleb hasn’t come up in a while.’
In his youth, Siron had fought the Hapaleb clan of the White Wolf tribe. When he was in his twenties, approaching the 10th rank, the clan chief challenged him.
That chief was a formidable opponent—five hours of one-on-one combat, ending predictably with Siron’s victory.
Of course, now that Siron had surpassed the 10th rank and become the unparalleled Starborn Knight, even if that chief returned, he wouldn’t stand a chance.
The warriors Siron saw that day were all above average for the White Wolf tribe.
‘The White Wolf named Goltep, defeated by the youngest master, must be the chief’s grandson’s generation. If the Hapaleb clan still boasts such strong warriors, this victory is quite significant.’
Turning to the next page, detailed descriptions began. Siron immersed himself in the letter as if reading a long-awaited novel.
(When Goltep’s hammer was split in two, Prince Jin reportedly cast the spell “Benda.” It seems to be his own style. Sometimes, when a sword can’t cut through something, faith plays a crucial role.)
This passage caught Siron’s particular interest.
‘This isn’t just a simple gesture. It’s the method of the ancient Runkandel Swordmasters. It matches almost exactly with the historical records.’
As the clan lord, Siron knew all the secrets of Runkandel.
He had access to historical texts describing the “Swordmaster Era” of Runkandel that Zipl hadn’t erased, and the techniques blessed by Solderet for wielding swords.
Only the clan lord could verify these—sealed documents inaccessible even to the elders or the knights.
Spells, swords, and spiritual energy.
When Siron first saw records of the Swordmasters’ battles as clan lord—especially the scant few lines about Temar Runkandel’s combat—he was consumed by curiosity.
Had that man reached a level greater than his own?
Unable to find an answer, the question stirred ripples in his mind.
‘The records call it a “Spirit Sword.”’
He wanted to summon the youngest master immediately and have him read it, but he restrained himself. The technique was likely incomplete, after all—an art lost for a thousand years.
Finishing his reflection, Siron folded the letter.
“Khan.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“What exactly did the youngest master and Yona do during those two days?”
“Apparently, they just spent leisure time together. Miss Yona’s senses are so sharp that constant surveillance was impossible, but it seems they truly only played.”
“Alone, just the two of them?”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Did the youngest master ask Yona for anything? Or receive any help?”
“According to the Guardian Knights of the Kon Principality, no. After receiving the Mandokju poison, you personally warned him through Gilly, so the youngest master wouldn’t dare disobey.”
Siron blinked once.
“Quite the fearless one, that boy. Reckless in many ways.”
“You mean the youngest master?”
“Yes. I never imagined Yona could get along normally with others. Even Owl, whom Yona trusted a little, faced repeated death threats. Luna herself kept her distance.”
Khan bowed his head, and Siron let out a small chuckle.
“Tell the Guardian Knights of the Kon Principality to watch Yona more leniently from now on. If they interfere with my brother’s playtime, Yona will know he’s my knight—and could easily kill them.”
“Understood.”
Jin’s companions had no choice but to hold a meeting as soon as they heard the news he brought.
The information was overwhelmingly shocking.
“It’s already surprising that Zipl and Kinzello were allies until recently, but apparently their alliance ended because the Demon God Stone was broken—and it was broken by none other than Prince Jin?”
The Demon God Stone Zipl possessed shattered during Jin’s decisive battle with Andrei Zipl on an uninhabited island in the Bimont Sea.
Strictly speaking, Luna was the one who broke it, but she only intervened because Jin had arrived there.
Thanks to that day, Jin changed the fates of Enya and Yuria, while Zipl lost his deputy lord and the Wind Dragon.
‘I never imagined Bubar made that stone. It’s astonishing even now.’
In his past life, Jin had thought Bubar was just a mad shapeshifter who enjoyed sowing chaos. But new information revealed Bubar was at the very core of Kinzello’s inner circle.
“Moreover, he uses a special ability called ‘Fragment’ to create artifacts like the Demon God Stone or to transform others… using the remains of dead gods and relics of ancient civilizations.”
Murakan spoke with an unusually serious expression.
“Right. The remains of dead gods he uses as materials—are those things like the Tears of Numerus, or their blood?”
“That’s correct. And kid, remember when I told you I met a Graveyard Giant in the unprotected zone near the Kurano Principality while helping your faction’s cadets?”
The Graveyard Giants.
These golems guarding the tombs of dead gods vanished two thousand years ago. It was the dragons who wiped them out, and Murakan and Quikantel participated in that purge.
“I never understood why a Graveyard Giant was there, but now I get it. It was the work of that Bubar Gaston fellow. And it seems he made a pact with Wel, the god of fragments.”
“Wel, the god of fragments? I’ve never heard that name before.”
Except for Murakan and Quikantel, no one else knew. Even among common folk, only a handful knew Wel’s name.
“It’s natural you don’t know. Like Klam we met in Colon, Wel is one of the gods lost to history. He was said to have been in the tombs of dead gods.”
Wel was also the one who contributed most to the creation of the ‘Origin Stones’ by the gods.
After the Origin Stones were destroyed and many years passed, Wel lost his divine status and fell to become an ordinary human.
The place where such fallen gods gathered was called the ‘Tomb of Dead Gods,’ and the Graveyard Giants were golems Wel created to protect their dignity in the afterlife.
As Murakan explained this secret, Quikantel quietly nodded. For most dragons, the destruction of the Graveyard Giants was a bitter memory.
After all, it was an act of breaking the tombs of beings once worshipped as gods.
“So, you’re saying the dead god—or rather, the human Wel—was resurrected, regained divinity, and made a pact with Bubar? Is that even possible?”
“Absolutely impossible. But since nothing else explains it, I hypothesized it. Seeing him even transform others, I sometimes wonder if Bubar isn’t the contractor but Wel himself.”
“Ever since becoming a prospective knight, I keep getting involved with divine beings.”
“According to Murakan, Bubar Gaston is quite a mysterious figure. Why would someone like him be allied with Kinzello?”
“That probably has something to do with Kinzello’s grand plan, Strawberry Pie. First, we need to find out what this ‘great work’ they talk about is. Since he handed the Demon God Stone to Zipl, it’s obvious. He wants to become the world’s sole god.”
Thanks to memories from his past life, Jin knew what Kinzello’s ‘revolution’ aimed for.
To elevate their own king as the world’s only ruler—a goal aligned with Zipl’s attempt to become the sole god using the Demon God Stone.
“What worries me most is this compass thing. Judging from the context of the conversation between Vishkel and Bubar, that compass seems to detect the god’s contractor.”
“I think so too, kid. It finds the contractor, then absorbs them with the Demon God Stone.”
-Enya’s contract was already revealed to the Bimont authorities, but Az Mil’s contractor is still unknown.
-Then how did he approach Latri? Since they haven’t sent him back, they must know about Az Mil’s contractor. They even know the contractor is young.
-True. Hmm… Did some magic to detect contractors emerge while I was asleep for a thousand years?
-That kind of magic can’t exist. Whether a thousand years ago or now, no one can detect a contract before the contractor manifests their power.
This was the conversation Jin, Murakan, and Quikantel had when they first visited each other.
At the same time, the three nodded, recalling that moment.
“Luckily, it seems the compass isn’t working perfectly. Otherwise, it would’ve found Yuria, but instead, it led us to kidnap Latri by mistake.”
“June 1st, next year.”
When Jin spoke, everyone’s attention snapped to him.
“That’s the day Zipple is supposed to return the compass to Kinzello. The location is an island south of the Bellado Principality—the pirates’ territory.”
“A little over half a year left, then.”
“Until then, we need to gather as much intel as possible on Kinzello and Zipple, and plan to steal the compass. If we can, we should also look for ways to secure it before that date.”
Why was that necessary?
No one asked. Right now, only three contractors were here—their home and hideout.
If the compass pointed toward Tikan, hunters would come from Zipple or Kinzello.
Just recalling the showdown with Andrei was enough. He’d told Jin things like, “You’re the perfect material for the demon stone,” and boasted that fused with the demon stone, he held “the power of the twelve gods” within him.
“Fortunately, it seems they haven’t caught our scent yet, but we don’t know when we’ll become their target. Zipple and Kinzello—they’re both up to their usual dirty tricks. We can’t just stand by and watch.”