Episode 230
Chapter 74: The Power of the Black Dragon (3)
After Misha and Quicantel left the room, their friends Kuzan and Beris returned to the parlor, their jaws practically hanging open. They wore expressions of disbelief mixed with dazed confusion.
“Are you two feeling any better?” Jin asked.
“…Sorry. I got a bit worked up when I heard you hit Beris. It’s just frustrating that I keep showing such a third-rate side to Lord Jin,” Kuzan said, bowing his head deeply.
Jin waved his hand dismissively. “Well, that’s human enough. It’s fine. If I were in Gilly’s shoes, I’d have lost it too.”
“I… I only asked if she was a thief… and given the situation, it wasn’t unreasonable… Ugh, damn it,” Beris muttered, scowling as she rubbed her jaw. Despite the healers’ efforts, her gums still tingled painfully.
She couldn’t shake the feeling of injustice.
It had been a month since they entered Tikan after the Bluebird Archipelago.
The first week was unbearable—submitting to Joshua, their true enemy, and losing their magic left them broken. The aftereffects of the reflux phenomenon were so severe that there was nothing else to do.
But starting the second week, Beris decided to try settling in, following Kuzan’s lead.
Though her healing wasn’t complete and her magic hadn’t returned, she threw herself into whatever she could do—cleaning, laundry—anything. Even if others said it wasn’t necessary, her stubbornness wouldn’t let her stop.
If she didn’t, she felt she’d become utterly useless.
That was why yesterday, while helping Latri prepare refreshments, she got into trouble—just for asking a strange woman who suddenly appeared if she was a thief.
“Master, shall I bring you some ice?” Enya asked, standing in front of Beris.
“Not that ‘master’ nonsense again. Are you crazy? Who’s master of whom?”
“You taught me the theory and principles of wind magic. You even passed on a five-star spell. You’re my master, right?”
“If that’s the case, then every teacher at Bimont Academy would be your master. Cut the crap and get lost…”
Losing her magic hadn’t erased Beris’s notoriously foul temper.
“I never learned that.”
“Do you think I don’t know how the academy lectures are structured? Theory is taught even in beginner classes. Don’t lie.”
“But I really never learned it. I was kind of discriminated against. Anyway, I’ll bring the ice, so please teach me another spell.”
Enya surprisingly saw a reflection of herself in Beris.
Though they looked nothing alike and had completely different personalities, Enya felt a kinship because of this shared feeling:
Maybe I’m just a burden to these people here.
Since returning from the Dark Magic Council’s cave, Enya had been desperately training and studying whenever she could.
So, to help Beris adjust, Enya persistently clung to her, teaching her magic one spell at a time.
With a quick dash, Enya ran off to get the ice, and Beris shook her head.
“Losing magic makes everyone treat me like I’m nothing.”
Still, she snatched the ice Enya brought and pressed it to her jaw.
“Alright, now that I’ve got this, you promised to teach me a new spell.”
“When did I say that?”
“I’ll be waiting at the underground training hall tonight! Well then, Lord Jin, I’m off!”
Before Beris could shout, Enya was already out the door again.
“Ah, my head hurts. Kuzan, what’s with that one? She’s such a pain. Just when I’m in a bad mood already.”
Jin chuckled softly, glancing at Beris.
“Beris, a piece of advice: watch what you say around Enya when Quicantel’s around. No matter what you really feel, she won’t care and will just beat you up. I can’t stop her, and if you get hit, Kuzan will lose it. Then Kuzan will jump in and get beaten too. It’s a vicious cycle.”
Beris wasn’t just a violent lunatic. Though she was terribly awkward at expressing it, she felt grateful to Jin and the people of Tikan.
That was why, even while complaining every time Enya found an excuse, she still learned magic from her. Jin noticed this and accepted Beris’s rough edges.
“Hmph.”
Beris spun on her heel and walked off somewhere, and Kuzan bowed his head to Jin in her place.
“Sorry, Lord Jin. I’ll make sure she understands.”
“Leave her be. She only talks like that but treats Enya well. Gilly’s been surprisingly helpful too and often praises Beris.”
In truth, Tikan was a surprisingly bright place for Kuzan and Beris.
From their hazy childhood memories, they had been raised as hunting dogs, used and abused, lost Taimun, and ended up under Joshua’s command.
Their world had been unbearably dark and damp. But now, they were slowly learning what it meant to live like a human.
Yulian was no different.
“Anything uncomfortable lately, Yulian?”
“…No.”
“I see.”
Jin didn’t press further. Yulian was still trapped by fear of Joshua and the fact that the guardian dragon was captive.
By nature, he was extremely introverted and quiet. Jin wondered how he had survived under Joshua’s brutal knights.
‘The power of Gram, the Thunder God. If there’s a way to fully channel it into Sigmund, then maybe I should take him back to the Bluebird Archipelago.’
Strengthening Yulian’s powers, just like Joshua had done, wouldn’t hurt—if Yulian fully became Jin’s man.
In Jin’s mind, Yulian was more of a guest than a subordinate, while Kuzan and Beris were closer to subordinates than comrades.
“Sir Kashimir.”
“Yes, Lord Jin.”
“Has there been any news regarding the Holy Kingdom while I was away?”
“After you left, I met with the priests alongside Bran. They seemed reluctant to speak. We made sure to say it was only about potential disruptions to Tikan’s trade. Fortunately, a few trade ships still pass through Santel.”
“Thank you for your efforts. Do you sense something off?”
“Yes. In my opinion, the Holy Kingdom of Vankela can no longer be considered neutral. This incident clearly shows they aided Ziphl. No official knights have come forward yet.”
“The blockade of Santel was carried out by the Inquisition Paladins of the Doctrine Protection Dawn. Inside the city, they were even brainwashing civilians through persuasion magic.”
“They must have hidden the incident against King Miklan’s orders. Or perhaps King Miklan was already siding with Ziphl…”
That was the worst-case scenario.
If the Holy Kingdom had fully fallen to Ziphl, it would spell trouble when Jin’s family launched their succession war.
Many guardian knights would die or be injured, and they wouldn’t receive the kingdom’s superior healers’ support—or if they did, it would come at an exorbitant cost.
This wasn’t just a problem for Jin but for all of Runkandel and even the entire Hupester warrior clans. The kingdom’s healing powers and medicines were unmatched.
“That’s possible, but hopefully not. Also, I met Rani Salome, the king’s adopted daughter.”
“Miklan is known as a doting father within the kingdom. I’ve heard stories about him. But sending his own daughter to aid Ziphl… that would mean the kingdom is already compromised.”
“No, Rani was different from the other knights and saints there. Without her, Murakan would have been captured or killed by Ziphl.”
Jin explained the situation in detail—how they met Rani and rescued Murakan, and the battle between Kadun and Murakan.
“Rani said the kingdom is corrupt, colluding with power, and hiding the truth. That’s why she decided to help us. It wasn’t Murakan who massacred civilians, but Kadun.”
“That’s… a great help, Lord Jin.”
“Yes. I’ve been thinking—maybe the king assigned Rani to the Doctrine Protection Dawn to keep an eye on them.”
“So, not the entire kingdom but certain factions like the Dawn have sided with Ziphl?”
“Exactly.”
“That seems more likely. Looking at recent policies, most would upset the internal elites. Banning persuasion magic was part of that.”
King Miklan banned persuasion magic twenty years ago. Jin, in both his past and present lives, was too young to remember the fierce backlash within the kingdom then.
But Kashimir, being royal, recalled the endless meetings and articles at Bimont Academy about it.
It was the most powerful and easiest method of conversion and proselytizing, so banning it made sense.
“But it’s not very convincing that the kingdom’s elites sided with Ziphl just out of spite. Especially with a force like Ziphl, there’s a high risk of being used as pawns.”
“Exactly, Lord Jin. If that were the case, they might as well have conspired to overthrow the king. Hmm, we need to investigate thoroughly. I have a feeling the situation is more complicated than it seems.”
“First, find out more about Rani Salome. I heard one of the five leaders of the Dawn mention disciplinary action. If King Miklan didn’t stop it, she might be under investigation.”
“Understood. Since Murakan is such an important benefactor, I’ll also come up with a way to compensate him comfortably, without causing any inconvenience.”
The next morning, Murakan’s condition had improved noticeably.
The fever that had burned like a fire was completely gone, and he was now wandering the Tikan corridor with his tail held high, just like any cheerful cat.
The healers hadn’t even needed to intervene—the fever had broken naturally.
[Miya, Miyaa.]
“Meow.”
Shuri was often seen flipping Murakan onto the floor and rolling him around like a ball, playing with him.
“You know, maybe we don’t need to flip him back. He looks pretty happy that way. How about we just let him live like that, Jin? Might even save some air.”
“Misha.”
“Just kidding. It would’ve been nice if he’d been even half as cute as that while he was still mentally sound. Hmm… From now on, you might hear some loud noises, including screams. Just bear with it, alright?”
Misha’s shadow fell over the sprawled-out Murakan.
Looking down at him, she grinned—a wicked, mischievous smile.