Chapter 223
Episode 72: The News That Came Through, The News We Must Find (4)
Crunch.
As he took a bite of his sandwich, Kuzan spoke up before Yulian could.
“It’s not loyalty.”
“What?”
“Unlike the other hounds, Yulian doesn’t follow Joshua out of loyalty. He’s terrified of him. Just hearing that guy’s voice makes his hands tremble.”
Yulian clenched his teeth at Kuzan’s words.
“Shut your mouth, Kuzan…!”
“Am I wrong? Beris and I followed Joshua out of revenge, and you out of fear. But none of that matters anymore.”
“I said shut up!”
“If you want to stay alive, you’d better cooperate with the Duke.”
A twitch ran through Yulian’s eyes—anyone could see he was struggling to hold back his humiliation.
“Well, being afraid of your master isn’t exactly shameful.”
Jin loosened Yulian’s restraints.
“Just so you know, don’t think that being untied means you can cause trouble. If you don’t want to find out there are people scarier than Joshua in this world. Now, eat something first.”
Growl…!
Both Yulian and Kuzan’s stomachs growled in unison.
They ate their sandwiches in silence for a while. Yulian kept glancing nervously at Jin and Alisa, especially Jin.
He still had fragmented memories from when Jin transformed into his avatar, so he knew just how monstrous Jin was.
And unfortunately, those memories were filled with images of Jin overpowering Feitel. At that time, Yulian’s consciousness only surfaced during extreme mental shocks, so it made sense.
‘So it’s not loyalty, but fear. Maybe I can bring this guy over.’
Handling someone gripped by fear is simple.
You either remove the source of their fear, make them face an even greater terror, or help them become strong enough to overcome it themselves.
The first option was impossible right now, and the third required time and care—which Jin had no intention of giving Yulian. So he decided to go with the second.
“Looks like you’ve eaten enough. Let’s get to the point. Yulian, I’m Jin Runcandel. I’m the youngest brother of the trash you serve, and I’ve made a contract with Solderet. This place is Tikan Free City—our land.”
“Cough, cough!”
The moment Yulian heard the name Jin Runcandel, he choked on his sandwich. He hadn’t heard Jin reveal his real name during the fight with Murakan in the Qingse Archipelago.
But Yulian knew exactly what the name ‘Jin Runcandel’ meant to Joshua.
Jin handed him a glass of water and continued.
“The reason I’m telling you all this is simple. I want us to be honest with each other. If not, you’ll die here quickly. That’s your warning. Understand?”
Yulian nodded—though not by choice. Alisa grabbed the back of his neck and forced the nod.
“Good. I like that. First question: why were you all gathered in the Qingse Archipelago back then?”
Unlike Kuzan, Yulian still hadn’t let go of his attachment to Joshua. He kept staring at the ground, so Kuzan spoke up instead.
“At that time, we were there under Joshua’s orders to strengthen Yulian’s power. Joshua felt competitive toward a man named Bamel. I only learned then that Bamel was the Duke.”
“So there’s a way to use Gram’s tomb to enhance Feitel’s power. Did Feitel communicate that to Yulian?”
“No. Yulian was under Joshua’s command longer than we were. He often strengthened his power there since he was very young. Joshua taught him the method.”
“Were there secret family documents about Feitel? Anyway, Joshua knew how to enhance Feitel’s power.”
“Sorry, I don’t know that much. You’ll have to ask Yulian.”
Jin looked down at Yulian.
“I have news for you. Back then, in the Qingse Archipelago… your master died.”
“…Sir Joshua is dead?”
Yulian’s anxious eyes instantly turned to shock.
“Yes. He tried to kill me using Runcandel’s self-destruct device, and you almost died in the blast too. He didn’t care if someone like you lived or died. I took care of you because I had questions to ask.”
A brief silence followed.
Then Yulian let out a bitter laugh.
With what Jin just said, everything suddenly made sense.
“Why are you laughing? Because you’re sure Joshua isn’t dead?”
Thunk.
Jin tossed a news sheet in front of Yulian. It detailed Joshua’s attendance at the Suchen Knight’s induction ceremony.
“I saw with my own eyes his whole body engulfed in flames from the self-destruct device. But the next day, he was fine and active… You must know something.”
Yulian checked the article and date, then met Jin’s gaze.
“So I was just a spare toy to Sir Joshua.”
“What do you mean?”
Jin’s eyes gleamed.
“Faced with an unexpected situation, he got the contract with Solderet he wanted so badly. He didn’t care about me.”
“I get it. Joshua planned to take your contract if he couldn’t get me. Am I wrong?”
Yulian didn’t answer. His tightly clenched fists trembled.
As Jin guessed, Yulian was a kind of ‘backup’—a contingency if Jin’s contract was taken.
Joshua had several such contractors in his secret villas.
That’s why he didn’t bother much with Yulian in the Qingse Archipelago. He saw it as a perfect chance to secure Jin safely.
But with Garmund’s appearance, Joshua was cornered and chose self-destruction. He didn’t care if Yulian got caught in the blast.
For Joshua, unleashing Jin’s full power was more important than saving Yulian.
“How does that guy transfer contracts? And how is he still alive and active after the Qingse Archipelago incident? He must be using some strange and unpleasant trick. I hope you can ease this mess.”
“If I tell you everything I know, will you protect me?”
Yulian spoke as if making a decision.
He didn’t ask if Jin would spare his life, but if he would protect him. Jin nodded, understanding the difference.
“If you give me valuable information, absolutely.”
“There’s a woman called the Prophet.”
Kuzan had never heard of her.
“The Prophet?”
“She’s Joshua’s closest aide. I’ve only met her twice, but it seems almost every decision Joshua makes is influenced by her. She’s the one who told us about Gram’s tomb in the Qingse Archipelago and how to use it to strengthen my power.”
“What kind of person is she?”
“A monster who obeys Joshua absolutely.”
“A monster? You mean she’s that strong?”
“No, I’m not sure. I call her a monster because she doesn’t seem human. You said Joshua died in the Qingse Archipelago? That was definitely a clone made by her.”
Jin smiled with satisfaction.
They’d hit a major lead right away, confirming the theory they’d formed with their comrades.
Hearing that Joshua was a ‘clone’ was shocking.
“Do you know how she clones Joshua?”
“All I know is it requires many humans.”
“…What?”
“She seems to use death row inmates from Huepester. When they’re sent to the Prophet, a new body is created… Joshua mainly used those bodies to control people like me. To suppress his backup contractors when they went berserk.”
That explained why Joshua suddenly went to the Qingse Archipelago that day.
He sent Yulian there and waited nearby.
When a thunderstorm formed, he mistook it for a berserk avatar and went out himself—only to run into Jin.
‘Crazy bastard. He couldn’t send the family knights when a contractor went berserk, so he used clones instead.’
Jin shook his head and rubbed his forehead.
Even though they were death row inmates, the thought of using humans as raw material to make clones made his stomach churn.
“Still, he probably didn’t use the clones only for that. Do you know how many clones he has?”
“I don’t know. But I do know he lost one while suppressing a berserk water contractor.”
That meant there could be several clones created at once.
The Prophet was truly a monster, just as Yulian said.
“We need to find out if this Prophet is even human. She probably taught Joshua how to transfer contracts too.”
In reality, the Prophet was still gathering materials to ‘fulfill contracts,’ but neither Jin nor Yulian knew that.
Jin pondered for a moment, then looked at Yulian with a puzzled expression.
“But you seem to know that if Joshua failed to catch me, he’d take your contract. Why have you stayed under his thumb? Are you just too scared?”
“Do you think it’s possible to escape Joshua’s grasp in Huepester?”
“It’s not impossible. You’re not an ordinary person—you’re a contractor. If you’d asked G-PL for help, they would’ve come running to get you. If that had happened, Joshua wouldn’t have dared to touch you.”
Since Yulian wasn’t officially part of Runcandel’s forces, if he went to G-PL, Joshua would have no grounds to take him back.
“Is your family being held captive?”
“My guardian dragon is. I don’t have a family. Joshua killed them all—the entire village where I lived.”
And yet, he still stubbornly followed Joshua’s orders? Without pride or even a thirst for revenge?
Jin didn’t press further.
He knew, having been born into Runcandel and riding a wave of success in this life, just how far removed he was from the feeling of ‘fear.’
Most humans can’t overcome fear.
But thanks to his miserable past life, he understood that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“You must think I’m a joke. Veris, that woman, always picked fights with me for the same reason. But Jin Runcandel, this should be valuable enough information. Keep your promise.”
“Protecting you won’t be difficult. Just live here in Tikan, buried like you’re dead, and no one will bother you. But I take it you don’t mean that.”
“That’s right. Help me get my guardian dragon back from Joshua. Without him, my miserable life has no meaning.”
Jin shook his head as if there was no question about it.
“I’ll give you the chance. Someday, go and reclaim it yourself.”