Episode 225
Chapter 73: Murakan’s Benefactor (Part 1)
Before leaving, Murakan had left Gilly a letter along with a roughly sketched map outlining his intended route.
It was a list of locations where he had left ‘markers’—signs so his comrades could find him if trouble arose during his journey.
The Seven-Colored Birds had been checking Murakan’s markers every three days. On November 20, 1797, they heard news of a fierce battle between a dragon and a monster near the city of Santel, located in the Krasi mountain range.
The Krasi mountains were one of the areas where Murakan had left a marker.
“My lord! Something’s off. Right after we confirmed Murakan left a marker in the Krasi mountains, reports came in of a massive fight in Santel between a fire dragon and a monster. But the monster was described as pitch black, winged, and almost dragon-like…”
“Are you saying that monster might have been Murakan?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Because the battle happened right after he left the marker?”
“That’s part of it, but the city of Santel is in chaos. Even when the Seven-Colored Birds tried to enter and gather more information, the entire area was under lockdown. The city’s been turned into a sea of flames. And yet, not a single news article has come out!”
That was definitely strange. Though the Krasi mountains were remote, if a battle severe enough to lock down a nearby city had occurred, news reports should have followed immediately.
The Seven-Colored Birds had managed to get some information from locals before the lockdown, but no external media outlets had covered the incident.
“The fact that the monster resembled a dragon is barely confirmed. If we’d been two hours later, we wouldn’t have met any locals. I’m convinced it was Murakan.”
Media blackouts were a privilege of powerful factions.
And a fire dragon? That didn’t bode well.
“Fire dragon and media blackout. Gongja, it looks like Ziple is involved.”
“If the fire dragon is working with Ziple, then it has to be Kadun, the guardian dragon of Keliak, right?”
Enya looked at Jin with concern. Since Zette’s report began, the group had been gripped by a growing sense of dread.
“Zette.”
“Yes, Quikantel.”
“Do you have any more details about the fire dragon that attacked the city? Its appearance or the fighting style it showed?”
“All we know is that it was enormous, even compared to other dragons.”
Sigh.
Quikantel rubbed his forehead.
“So it’s Kadun. Jin, it looks like he was the one attacked. It was foolish to send Murakan alone. From the moment he first came to me in Bimant, Ziple was clearly targeting him.”
Quikantel’s eyes were clouded with anxiety as he stood abruptly.
Kadun had been a formidable rival even during Murakan’s prime. Now, weakened from his former strength, Murakan was no match for the king of fire dragons.
Quikantel knew better than anyone that Murakan couldn’t handle Kadun. That’s why the moment he became certain, panic set in.
“Calm down, Quikantel. At least we know Murakan isn’t dead. As his contractor, I would have sensed it otherwise.”
“Damn it! If Kadun subdued Murakan, it makes sense he didn’t kill him. Killing him would risk the next contract with Solderet. They probably tore his wings and imprisoned him, or drugged him. And since they want Solderet’s contract, they’ll use that to find you, his contractor.”
Those words echoed in Jin’s mind from the day he fought Andrei.
—I’ll commend your ambush. But you and your god will become the most important ingredients for the Demon Stone…
The most important ingredients for the Demon Stone.
This was a clear indication of how much value Ziple placed on ‘Solderet’s power.’
Andrei had died that day alongside Buretta, but Ziple had many opportunities to learn that the Black Dragon was active.
The day Jin left the Sword Garden as a prospective rider, the day he visited Quikantel in Bimant, the time they killed the graveyard giant, the Kolon ruins—all of these were chances for Ziple’s informants to gather intel.
Even without the Lutero Magic Federation, considering Ziple’s spies were everywhere, this information could easily have been passed along.
‘Maybe, as Quikantel said, they’ve been searching for Murakan and me for a long time.’
Of course, it was Murakan’s stubborn insistence on moving alone to meet Misha that had led to this.
But regrets wouldn’t help bring Murakan back. What was needed now was clear judgment and swift action.
“There’s one more strange thing, my lord.”
“What is it?”
“Isn’t the Vankela Holy Kingdom a neutral country? My comrades and I concluded that Ziple is controlling the media, but the ones enforcing the city lockdown are the Vankela paladins.”
Santel belonged to the Shol Principality, not the Vankela Holy Kingdom.
“So the battle was between Kadun and Murakan, the media blackout is Ziple’s doing, but the city lockdown is enforced by the paladins?”
“Yes. The Shol Principality itself isn’t doing anything.”
That was definitely odd.
Vankela often sent paladins and healers to disaster or war zones to aid civilians, but locking down an area was rare.
That was usually the responsibility of the local military. If they lacked the strength, the faction controlling the media would typically take charge.
So Jin and his comrades had naturally assumed Ziple was in control.
“Even the Seven-Colored Birds who tried to enter, and other reporters who caught wind and rushed over, were driven away with extreme hostility. It was like dealing with heretics.”
“Are you saying the Holy Kingdom is aiding Ziple’s interests?”
Vankela had never taken sides throughout history. Even in Jin’s past life, they maintained neutrality.
“It’s not certain, but that’s the conclusion my comrades and I have reached.”
A heavy silence fell.
Without entering Santel, there was no clear way to verify anything. Gilly placed a hand on Jin’s shoulder and met his gaze.
“Master, you’re not someone who would be taken down so easily. Don’t worry too much—go quickly. Maybe it really was a winged monster, not Murakan.”
Though she said that, Gilly’s hand trembled. She was desperately suppressing her emotions so Jin wouldn’t become more unsettled.
To Jin and Gilly, Murakan was more than a comrade—he was family. If something happened to him, they’d rather it be themselves.
“Sir Kashimir, do the Seven-Colored Birds have any contacts within Vankela?”
“Bran and I personally know a few priests there.”
“Then please investigate Vankela’s side. Find out what happened in Santel, and why the Holy Kingdom is involved in Ziple’s affairs.”
“Understood.”
Jin, Quikantel, and Kuzan were the only ones to go directly to Santel.
Since the teleportation gate didn’t connect directly to Santel, they had to ride a shuri from the Shol Principality, taking a full day.
Santel was under tighter control than expected.
The city was still engulfed in flames as red as fresh blood.
“…I’m sure that’s Kadun’s fire. No other fire dragon can produce flames that intense.”
Quikantel clenched his teeth, standing on a cliff overlooking the city. Inside, mages and paladins were battling the blaze.
Civilians were gathered in the few areas where the fire was contained.
It was a strange sight.
Vankela always prioritized civilian lives during disasters or wars. Naturally, with the city still burning, they should have evacuated the civilians first.
But heavily armored paladins were blocking all entrances, completely sealing off access.
There was no other explanation.
They were hiding something. There must be information that can’t be leaked, and too many witnesses.
“It doesn’t look like Kadun is still in the city. If he were, the mages and paladins wouldn’t be putting out the fire. Let’s try to get inside.”
Santel was a lone city on the plains. Avoiding the watchful eyes of guards and paladins wasn’t easy, but fortunately, some reporters were still nearby, waiting for a chance to enter.
The group slipped down the cliff and blended in with them, moving toward the city.
They chose to break in through a side gate on the city’s left. The atmosphere there was even more hostile than the main gate, and no reporters had set up there.
“Step back.”
“Remove your hoods and identify yourselves. Take two more steps and we’ll cut you down.”
The paladins blocking the gate spoke in low voices as soon as they saw the group. Bloodstains on the dirt showed they had already killed a few reporters.
The scales emblazoned on their heavy armor marked them as second-class knights of the ‘Doctrine Guardians of the Dawn,’ the Holy Kingdom’s notoriously ruthless heretic hunters.
They weren’t the kind of people to be assigned to a quiet city lockdown.
‘Doctrine Guardians of the Dawn knights… Ziple and the Holy Kingdom are taking this very seriously.’
But this was a matter of family survival.
This time, Jin wasn’t going to waste time with formalities or bribery.
‘Kuzan.’
A sharp sound rang out—
At Jin’s subtle signal, Kuzan’s eyes flashed sharply as he drew a dagger. The blade was coated with a specially prepared anesthetic poison.
“A sting.”
It was instantaneous!
The paladins were left speechless. In a single swift strike, Kuzan and Quicantel overwhelmed them.
Kuzan precisely stabbed the seams of their heavy armor with the dagger, injecting the anesthetic, while Quicantel used brute strength to pry open their helmets and force the poison down their throats.
The paladins froze stiff, anesthetized while still standing, in the blink of an eye. As Quicantel and Kuzan propped the unconscious knights against the wall, Jin slipped through the door crack, swinging his sword to sever the inner latch.
Word that the side door had been breached would spread in no less than three minutes, and no more than ten.
That was more than enough time. Inside, they just needed to meet a local, confirm that the monster’s appearance matched Murakan’s exactly, verify whether he had used spiritual energy, and find out how the battle with Kadun had ended.
Creak—!
But the moment the side door swung open, the group was confronted by two new paladins—just as their shift change was taking place.