Chapter 262
Episode 82: Departure
Five days had passed since Jin’s successful escape.
He was walking alone through the forest near the southern border of the Jian Kingdom. Murakan had dropped him off here two days ago and returned to Tikan.
The whole world seemed hell-bent on capturing him. Especially since the Jian Kingdom was closely allied with the Hupester Confederation, if anyone spotted him, the Runkandel Guardians would come crashing down immediately.
Of course, Jin wasn’t worried about being caught by ordinary travelers or border patrols. But even a chance encounter meant he’d have to subdue innocent people, so he was being cautious.
“This is a bit confusing. Was it this way?”
Wandering through the forest paths was tedious.
Jin was trying to recall the secret passage used by the Watertail tribe, the beastmen who lived here.
Since he couldn’t use the main roads and wasn’t familiar with the terrain, getting lost was inevitable.
Still, he wasn’t anxious. Small streams trickled throughout the forest, so he wouldn’t run out of drinking water. And wild animals were common, so food wasn’t a concern either.
The next morning, Jin caught the scent of grilled fish and smiled. In such a remote place, there was only one group who would be cooking fish for their meal.
He quietly approached and saw a charming scene straight out of a fairy tale.
Babbling brooks… crackling fires… soft murmurs.
Half a dozen Watertail beastmen were grilling freshly caught fish by the water’s edge. They were happily singing to themselves, completely unaware of Jin’s presence.
“Hey.”
The moment Jin spoke, the Watertail tribe froze in unison.
They naturally assumed he was a hunter. Although strictly forbidden by international law, there were unscrupulous humans who traded in Watertail taxidermy for high prices.
“Sorry to startle you. Is one of you… Ah, there you are.”
Jin raised both hands to meet their eye level. Luckily, among the group was a familiar face.
“Long time no see, Darkflame.”
“Hey, Jin! Runkandel, again? Meeting you here? Wow, you scared me.”
As Darkflame greeted him, the others sighed in relief.
Not only Darkflame, but some of the Watertail had helped Jin when he was robbed by the Redclaw tribe.
Thanks to that story and the recent revelation of ‘Barmel’—who had given Kinzel a hard time—Jin had become a hero among the Watertail.
Also, the fact that Runkandel and Ziphl had put a 400 million gold bounty on Jin’s head was a hot topic among the beastmen.
“How have you been? More importantly, are you okay? That bounty… 400 million gold.”
Darkflame approached Jin with a worried look.
“I’m fine. Sorry to ask again, but could you help me once more? Actually, I’ve been looking for you.”
“Again? The Great Desert?”
“Things are complicated.”
Darkflame was the leader of the group and readily agreed to help Jin.
“I keep owing you favors.”
“No, the gems you gave us back then—we’re still well off because of them.”
The reward Jin had given the Watertail when he first headed to Laprarosa was wealth that would have taken their entire tribe years to earn, and they were still making good use of it.
“And Wangko and Wangnun helped us against the Redclaw tribe. They even returned the money. No reason not to help.”
The Watertail called Wangko and Wangnun gave a thumbs-up.
Jin smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit shy, and ate the grilled fish with them.
After the meal, they led him to their secret cave.
The cave, said to have been made by the Catfolk, was still a mysterious labyrinth. At the end, Jin saw Watertail and Goldfur tribes napping together.
“Hey, Watertail! How could you bring someone like this here… Oh, what? Jin Runkandel?”
“What? Jin Runkandel?”
The beastmen lying around all jumped up, eyes wide.
But despite the appearance of a top-tier wanted criminal, there was no hostility. They simply surrounded Jin, fascinated by this strange creature.
“Being hunted by Runkandel and Ziphl, your chances don’t look good…”
A Goldfur clicked his tongue worriedly.
His name was Pengyi, the Goldfur dyer who had dyed Jin’s hair during the compass heist. Jin met his gaze.
“Pengyi, I have a deal that your Goldfur tribe will really like.”
“You’re not asking to live here, are you? That would require approval from all the tribe leaders. Most of us like you, but I doubt it’d be easy. If you get caught, the big families will wipe us out too…”
Pengyi rambled nervously, and Jin shrugged.
“No, nothing like that. It’s simple. I need a disguise.”
“A disguise?”
“I’m heading to the Great Desert. But many beastmen will recognize me, so I need a proper disguise.”
“Why the Great Desert? You’ve been acting strange lately. Why keep going to that harsh, avoided land? Are you finally planning to end your life there?”
“Can you do it?”
“Hmm, it’s not hard. But if it gets out that we disguised you when you were caught, Runkandel might annihilate us…”
Jin could promise that would never happen.
But only he could truly believe that.
He then reached for his waist, as if to draw his sword.
“Eek!”
“Ah! Why, why are you doing that? Just do it already!”
“Y-yeah!”
The small beastmen turned pale in an instant.
But instead of drawing a sword, Jin untied one of the two swords at his waist and placed it on the ground.
“You scared us! We thought you were threatening us!”
“We were startled too.”
“Sorry for the scare. This sword is payment for the disguise.”
The sword he placed down was Bradamante.
“You’re giving us this?”
The Goldfur’s eyes sparkled as they examined the sword. Even those unfamiliar with swords could tell it was extraordinary. The Goldfur, who were obsessed with money, were stunned.
“If rumors start that I’m dead, contact Runkandel and hand over this sword. You’ll get a reward beyond imagination. It’s one of the finest swords in our family. Say you found it in the remote south of the Jian Kingdom.”
“Will Runkandel believe that?”
“He will. And even if he doesn’t, he won’t harm you. Our family will be grateful just to have the sword back. If we don’t pay a huge reward, it’ll be a disgrace. They might even protect you.”
“No way. Really?”
“Yeah. But don’t negotiate with any family other than Runkandel. If they find out, you won’t get a reward—you’ll all be killed.”
Pengyi and the Goldfur hesitated.
Though they were getting an incredible item for the disguise, they worried about violent retaliation from Runkandel later.
Jin understood completely. If they refused, he’d just head to the Great Desert.
“I want it, but it’s a dangerous thing to have… huh?”
“Whoa.”
“Eh!?”
The small beastmen suddenly gasped and looked toward something.
Jin followed their gaze and saw a beastman he’d never seen before. Like the Watertail and Goldfur, this one was small enough to barely reach his waist.
A cat-like face, mysterious violet eyes, and pure white fur.
A Catfolk.
He didn’t know when the Catfolk had appeared, but it nodded at Jin and the others.
“…As someone who’s just tagging along, I can’t refuse when the cave’s owner tribe shows up like this. Hah, you really aren’t meant to die, huh? A human blessed by the Catfolk… What on earth have I seen? A 400 million gold human is truly something else.”
“Blessing? I just nodded.”
“Humans might not understand, but among us small beastmen, anyone favored by the Catfolk is welcomed unconditionally, regardless of reason or tribe. You should accept that deal.”
Jin was just as surprised by the Catfolk’s sudden appearance.
He didn’t know why they were helping him, but he felt he should at least say thank you.
Before he could, the Catfolk vanished without a trace. Even with his keen sight, there was no sign of their presence.
“Interesting.”
For some reason, Jin felt optimistic, as if everything was about to go smoothly.
“And split the reward with the Watertail.”
After a moment’s thought, Pengyi replied.
“No way. Four to six.”
“Five to five.”
“Seven to three.”
“Six to four. That’s plenty, so stop being greedy.”
“Hmm, fine! When can you do the disguise?”
“Right now.”
“Then wait a moment. I’ll get the supplies.”
Pengyi and a few Goldfur dashed off somewhere.
When they returned, they carried dyes, wigs, and all sorts of strange tools Jin couldn’t identify.
“We’ll make sure no one recognizes you on your way to the Great Desert!”
They immediately got to work.
About an hour later, once the disguise was complete and Jin caught his reflection in the mirror, he couldn’t help but let out a small, amused chuckle. The face staring back at him wasn’t the one he knew—it was that of an old man.
“There’s nothing the Geumseol tribe’s makeup skills can’t do. Don’t go touching your face just because it looks amazing, or the makeup will smudge. I went with the idea of a retired elite mercenary traveling incognito.”
“I like it. Once I become the Rider of Runkandel, we’ll get down to serious business. For now, it’s been great seeing you all. I’m off.”
“Wait, you’re leaving already? B-be careful! Take care of yourself!”
Jin gave a brief farewell and slipped through the secret passage leading to Yukayuka Market. The remaining beastfolk exchanged glances and shrugged their shoulders.
“Man, it’s still incredible when I think about it. The Myoin tribe stepping in like that.”
“Yeah, I agree.”
Since ancient times, the Myoin tribe only showed favor to humans in two cases: either the human had made a pact with the ‘Cat God,’ or the Myoin’s unique intuition identified that human as a caretaker for the smaller beastfolk.
Naturally, Jin was the latter.
“Anyway, the Myoin tribe blessing Jin Runkandel means we’re safe too… We hit the jackpot! So, what should we do with the reward money!?”
At Paeng’s shout, the Geumseol and Mulkkori tribe beastfolk embraced each other, bursting into laughter.
“Is there really something to this Myoin tribe’s blessing, like they said? I’ve been spotted by the Redclaw patrols over five times now, but never once stopped for inspection.”
After leaving Yukayuka Market, Jin managed to reach the Mitra Desert without getting caught up in any trouble.
The endless, shimmering sand stretched out like a sea of silk, the sun blazing fiercely as if it could burn anything to dust.
Unlike his first visit, Jin felt no burden from the harsh landscape. Instead, it felt familiar, even welcoming.
Like coming home—like returning to his own land.
True to that feeling, the desert seemed to greet him like a long-lost child. Instead of cruel mirages, a cool breeze followed him wherever he went, and at night, gentle moonlight draped over his tent.
“You’ve arrived, Brother Jin.”
After four days, Tantal appeared again, just as he had the first time.
“Brother Tantal.”
“We’ve all been waiting for you with bated breath. So, did you bring any interesting stories? Looks like Laprarosa will be bustling again after a long while!”
Tantal swung his sword to open the door to Laprarosa and handed Jin a jewel cup.
Then he added with a grin, “Brother Jin, you’re ready, right? You should know how fiercely Brother Tushin and Brother Tuwang have planned to train you. Once you hear it all, you might not want to go in.”
“This time, I’ll make sure the brothers get tired of me first.”
Jin grinned as he downed the jewel cup.
Six months later, after the Geumseol tribe delivered Bradamante to Runkandel and collected their reward, rumors spread wildly across the land that Jin had died.