Chapter 198
Episode 64: Rumors and the Pursuers (Part 1)
Without warning, Jin and Murakan were kicked out the moment they returned home. They even had to use a teleportation gate to travel all the way to Manji Island in the West Sea.
“What’s with suddenly kicking people out like this? Enough already,” Murakan grumbled.
Quikantel shook his head. “The compass hasn’t changed. Hmm, Enya, you go this time.”
“Me? Again?”
Enya was sent away too, also to Manji Island via the teleportation gate.
As soon as Enya arrived on Manji Island, a red dot appeared on the compass map.
“Hmm… I think I get it. This compass can’t detect Solderet’s contractors. But if you’re near Jin, does that mean other contractors can’t be tracked either?”
When Enya was on Manji Island, the red dot showed up, but once she returned to Tikan, it disappeared.
“I’ll take Enya and Yuria with me and go out,” Jin said.
As Jin took them out, two red dots appeared on the compass map over Manji Island—one for Yuria and one for Enya.
Jin then ventured out alone beyond Tikan. The compass showed no red dots on either Tikan or Manji Island.
“This is strange. It’s clear the compass can’t detect Jin, but Enya and Yuria’s invisibility to the compass isn’t because of Jin’s presence.”
Afterward, Enya and Yuria traveled to several other locations besides Manji Island. Each time, the result was the same—red dots appeared wherever they went, regardless of whether Jin was there or not.
“Looks like there’s something about Tikan,” Quikantel concluded.
“A mirror…?” Jin guessed.
They ran the same experiment with the mirror. Within an hour, the group realized the mirror had the power to hide contractors from the compass.
“To sum up: Jin isn’t detected even without the mirror, but Yuria and Enya are. As long as the mirror stays in Tikan, this place is practically a safe zone from contractor detection.”
The compass couldn’t track gods with a certain level of power or their contractors.
Because the mirror bore the magical attributes of both the god of magic, Klam, and Solderet’s sealing power, it interfered with the compass’s function even more.
“Hmm, so even if the kid, the fanboy, and the ice cream weren’t moving around, they’d rarely show up on the compass. And even if they did when leaving Tikan, it wouldn’t be easy to find them immediately.”
“That probably explains why Andrei Zipple couldn’t pinpoint Yuria’s location accurately in the past—limitations of the compass’s function.”
Still, their efforts weren’t in vain.
From now on, Jin’s group could roughly track contractors worldwide and infer whether Zipple had kidnapped anyone. If red dots suddenly clustered around Lutero in the Magic Federation, a kidnapping was almost certain.
But that wasn’t all.
“If a new contractor appears—especially someone we desperately need—we can find them before or at least at the same time as Zipple.”
And since Tikan was confirmed as a safe zone, their six months of hard work hadn’t been wasted.
“We need to form a dedicated team to check the compass daily. Sir Kashimir, I’m counting on you.”
“Understood, Your Highness. Now that I know my daughter isn’t being tracked, I can finally breathe easier.”
“My lord, I have the rest of the report for you.”
“Alright, go ahead.”
“First… you should take a look at this.”
Gilly spread a news sheet on the table.
—The Velado Principality, Pirate Island. A mysterious expert wearing a magical black helmet has appeared… Is he a hero or a villain?
“Pfft. Heh heh, hero or villain? Oh, this is priceless—our little guy!”
Murakan burst out laughing, pointing at Jin as soon as he read the headline. Siris stifled a chuckle.
The article roughly said:
A mysterious expert named ‘Barmel’ uses ‘brain magic’ and is likely the new contractor of the Storm God, Feitel.
If true, this would be the first storm contractor in 288 years.
He seems unaffiliated with any major faction. Both Zipple and the Bimont royal family have officially expressed interest in contacting him.
It’s been a long time since such a figure has appeared, and the Runandel faction has yet to comment. All eyes are on his future moves.
Witnesses describe him as a flamboyant blond man with a handsome face, though it’s likely a disguise, possibly using a face-changing mask.
His reason for visiting the island is unclear—some say to purge pirates, others say to seize gambling assets. The public hopes this new supernova shaking the continent is a force for good…
By this point, Jin couldn’t help but feel his face flush. Hundreds of media outlets had already published similar stories.
‘I expected rumors about me to spread eventually, but this is kind of embarrassing.’
While Murakan sneered, Jin thought about the information ‘hidden’ in the news.
‘There’s no mention of Kinzello or the compass anywhere. No mention of Chukon Toldler or Cal Zipple, who are big players. No lines about the Runandel knights, the special forces, or the royal guards. The focus is all on me, pirate purging, and gambling dens.’
In other words, the four great powers—Runandel, Zipple, Kinzello, and Bimont—had already controlled the media narrative.
‘Zipple and Bimont officially expressing a desire to meet me means they don’t even suspect my true identity, nor do they have the confidence to find me anytime soon.’
Otherwise, they wouldn’t bother making such statements. Their usual method was to secretly set traps to capture me, then forcibly recruit or kill me once caught.
‘And with these articles, anyone suspicious or hostile toward me now has plenty of clues.’
Those who had encountered Jin using the ‘magical black helmet’—like Kuzan and Beris, who fought in the Delki Kingdom, or Latz, the special forces squad leader who met us at Quikantel’s cabin—were prime examples.
They now had a solid lead to track me. If they ever saw me use the Multa rune and left witnesses, they’d gradually close in.
Not just them—major families and organizations, including the four great powers, wouldn’t sit still either.
Jin had become famous overnight. Not as Jin Runandel or Jin Gray, but as Barmel.
“Those who saw the Multa rune will be desperate to find articles about you. Kuzan, Beris, and special forces leader Latz will be the most relentless.”
“Kid, do you think they stand a chance against you now?”
“They’re still opponents.”
“It seems you went to the land of the Pluto race and gained new power, my lord. I haven’t seen it myself, but judging by how eager Zipple and Bimont are, it must be an incredible power.”
“You’d be shocked if you saw it, Strawberry Pie. We caught a glimpse on the way here—it was amazing. Kid, show Strawberry Pie later, along with the spirit sword.”
“Of course.”
Jin felt a bit embarrassed but Gilly was simply proud.
“Let’s wrap this up and have a drink after a long time, everyone. Seeing us all gathered here in Tikan again really warms my heart.”
That night, Siris didn’t return to the secret mansion but stayed to enjoy the party with the others. Though mostly quiet, inside she quietly felt happy.
While Jin and his companions partied through the night in Tikan, somewhere else…
In a secret villa in Huepester, a group of warriors had gathered—Joshua and his followers.
“The black helmet and the power of lightning… What do you think?”
Joshua’s gaze fell on Kuzan and Beris, who stood with their arms crossed. On the table lay the same news sheet Jin had read.
The two had recently come to terms with themselves and pledged loyalty to Joshua. They believed that unless the future head of the Runandel family led them, they couldn’t take revenge on Solderet’s contractor and the Black Dragon.
“I think he might be the one,” Kuzan answered. Beris smiled faintly at a young man sitting beside Joshua.
“Because of the black helmet?”
“Yes. Since that day, we’ve searched everywhere, but no one has ever been seen wearing such a helmet. Since he’s a magic swordsman, he could have infused his sword with lightning magic.”
Joshua exhaled smoke with a heavy expression.
“…Yes, I thought the same.”
“Do you think Barmel isn’t the contractor of Solderet we’ve been chasing?”
Kuzan asked. Joshua nodded.
“Well, I’m not sure. If we hadn’t received new information, I’d probably have come to the same conclusion as you—that he was putting on a show to hide his identity as Solderet’s contractor.”
“Could you tell us what new information you received?”
“It wasn’t a show. Although the media didn’t report it, five white wolf tribe assault captains died instantly from the brain magic Barmel used in that incident.”
Kuzan and Beris bit their lips tightly.
Since the death of Taimun Marius, they had no new leads on Solderet’s contractor.
Then, out of nowhere, a skilled fighter wearing a black helmet appeared. Naturally, everyone assumed it was him. But to find out it wasn’t spiritual energy—it was brain energy!
Kuzan and Beris couldn’t wrap their heads around it. More shocking than the fact that five White Wolf tribe assault captains had been taken down by brain energy was the possibility that Barmel might not even be their enemy.
“This is annoying. Five White Wolf assault captains? Clearly someone else. If his magic prowess was really that strong, both Kuzan and I would’ve been roasted the moment we met him. So who the hell is this Barmel? Doesn’t seem like a mage.”
Beris said this with a provocative glint in her eyes.
Then she slid over to sit next to Joshua, licking her lips as she stared at the young man who remained expressionless the entire time.
“Hey, you. Are you really Fateil’s contractor? From where I’m standing, Barmel looks more like the contractor.”
A deadly gleam flashed in the youth’s eyes. Suddenly, a crackle of brain energy sparked around him.
“Enough.”
At Joshua’s single command, the youth’s face went blank again.
“Five White Wolf assault captains in one shot… What do you think, Yulian? Could you do the same?”
“I cannot.”
Yulian answered calmly, and Joshua shook his head.
“Then it seems the time has come to strengthen your power.”
Beris smacked her lips in satisfaction. Ever since she joined Joshua’s group and met Yulian, she’d been tormenting him for her own amusement.
Under the table, Yulian’s hands trembled uncontrollably—not with anger toward Beris, but with fear of Joshua.