Chapter 310
Episode 94: Fragments of the Past – Sara (3)
“Jin!”
“Master, are you alright?”
His companions hurried over to Jin’s side.
Jin handed the broken sword and the spirit orb to Jett, wearing a bitter smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
A slow breath escaped him.
Spiritual energy gathered in the palm of Jin’s hand. The dark energy soon took the shape of a funeral wreath. Jin placed it gently on the ground and bowed his head in silent respect. His comrades followed suit.
A tribute to Sara. Murakan and Quikantel struggled to suppress the heavy emotions weighing on them.
“Rest in peace, Lady Sara.”
Olmango still stood on the water’s surface, waiting for the group.
Using his power, Olmango created an invisible staircase, and the group retraced their steps, following him back.
[So, who was the friend inside? Jin Runkandel.]
When they reached the shore, Olmango asked.
“That was Lady Sara Runkandel.”
[Sara… Sara Runkandel…]
Olmango repeated the name several times, but no matter how long he tried, he couldn’t recall any memories of her.
[There’s a strange mix of longing and sorrow, but oddly enough, no clear memories of Sara Runkandel come to mind… It must be because Ziphl erased her from history.]
“Are you sure you knew Sara? You, the god of shells?”
Murakan asked, and Olmango nodded.
[Yes, I knew her. Otherwise, my heart wouldn’t ache this much.]
“But if Ziphl completely erased her from history, shouldn’t she be absent from your memories and Quikantel’s as well?”
Alisa spoke up.
[Ziphl’s manipulation of history isn’t perfect. If it were, we wouldn’t have met, and I wouldn’t have been able to hide Temar’s second tomb with my power.]
Murakan and Quikantel nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. It’s common for them to erase enemies from history, but there are limits. That’s why the Runkandel family’s identity as demon sword wielders was erased, yet their lineage survived.”
The same reason why Chenmi’s spellbook still exists, and why Sujiel Hister’s grimoire and Valeria remain alive.
“But even if it’s imperfect… I, too, had trouble recalling Silderey and Sara before facing the tomb’s guardians. It means my memories are somewhat affected by their magic.”
“Oh dear, this Jett finds it hard to understand. Erasing history—can magic really do that? They’re not gods or anything…”
“It’s a massive and dangerous power humans should never possess. We have to fight those who wield such forces.”
Quikantel’s explanation hung in the air, and silence followed.
The Watcher.
Sara was called that, but unlike a thousand years ago, Quikantel now fought alongside Jin.
It meant her god, Olta, no longer refused to be drawn into Jin’s battles.
Though the details were unclear, everyone understood Quikantel’s guilt toward Sara. As a guardian dragon, she lacked the “complete free will” humans have.
She had to obey her god’s will, no matter how much she hated it, and was willing to make blind sacrifices for her contractor.
That was the nature of a guardian dragon.
“…But Murakan tried to kill Temar.”
It was hard to imagine how painful that must have been for him.
“Kid.”
“Yeah?”
“So, what did you see in the recording device? Tell us.”
Jin glanced at Olmango and the others, thinking of Murakan.
“…Everyone, please give us a moment.”
Just as Olmango and the others were about to step aside without protest, Murakan waved his hand.
“Everyone here is your comrade, kid. Seems like you saw something bad about me, but there’s no need to hide it. Tell us exactly what you saw.”
[Hmm… Should I step out too?]
Olmango glanced around, but Murakan patted his shoulder with a laugh.
“You’re staying. I’m a bit disappointed Silderey didn’t leave me a word, but since you were close to my old comrades, and you’ve kept Temar’s second tomb well hidden, you should hear this too.”
Jin nodded.
“What I saw was you trying to kill Temar.”
At those words, all the companions involuntarily gasped. Murakan and Quikantel remained calm.
As Jin began to describe the footage in detail, their expressions shifted between intrigue and sorrow, caught up in the tragic tale of old.
When the story ended, Murakan sighed deeply.
“…Temar. I remember fighting a berserk beast and being stabbed in the heart, falling into a long sleep. But…”
As expected, Murakan had no memory of the “Captain Kinzelro” or the mysterious tower in the Black Sea. He didn’t even recall going to the tower with Sara and Padler that day.
“I don’t know what that strange bastard or the tower in the Black Sea was. As far as I remember, Temar was never that weak.”
What puzzled Murakan most was how easily Temar was almost subdued by him.
“Captain Kinzelro… I met that guy a thousand years ago? I thought he was just some demon I’d heard about, but it seems he’s a demon with some connection to me.”
Surprisingly, Murakan wasn’t too confused. He accepted that his memories might be flawed.
Above all, Silderey had left the recording device.
“My damn god must have left the device anticipating that my memories might fail. No, he must have been certain. If I carefully retrace everything, I’ll uncover the truth of those days.”
“But Murakan,” Quikantel spoke up.
“Why?”
“The phrase Kinzelro used in the footage—the part about orphans and such.”
“He was a lucky man trying to show kindness to poor orphans, right?”
“Yeah. That phrase sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
“I’m not sure, but it’s the kind of thing self-righteous people say to the weak.”
“It feels oddly familiar.”
“Demons have a habit of speaking in long-winded ways. Probably nothing, but if it bothers you, check if any demons are active now. I heard the kid’s eldest sister once killed one.”
The pendant Luna gave Jin for his birthday during the Stormy Age was originally the property of the Demon Beast King Orgal, a trophy she claimed after slaying a demon.
Murakan took the spirit orb from Jett.
“Hmm, really… I hate to admit it, but I should meet Misha soon. I need to ask what this orb is for and if she knows anything about the footage you saw. You still have some vacation left, right?”
“About a week.”
“Good. Let’s go right away. We’ll stop by Picon too; there’s enough time to hand over Sara’s sword fragment. Hey, god of shells.”
[Yes?]
“Thank you for guarding that tomb.”
Murakan scratched his head awkwardly as he thanked Olmango, who shrugged.
[It was Silderey’s request, so of course I had to help.]
“Still, it couldn’t have been easy. If Ziphl had found out, who knows what trouble you’d have faced.”
Olmango cleared his throat and nodded.
[Right, it was difficult. Since I’m so grateful, can I ask you for a favor?]
“Go ahead.”
Olmango glanced cautiously at Jin and the others.
[Cookies…]
“What?”
[Could you get me more Littra cookies? Honestly, I can’t believe how bad they taste…]
“Are you crazy? You’re a god, and you’re obsessed with cookies! No wonder people think you’re a deity. Walking on water, handling incredible seals, and yet—show some dignity!”
[Try living on seafood alone. See how that goes.]
“I’ll have someone send cookies regularly from now on, Olmango.”
At that, Olmango’s eyes sparkled.
[Really?]
“Of course.”
[Oh, thank you so much. Now I can feed my contractee plenty. I felt bad before, eating almost all of them myself.]
Jin chuckled and exchanged a glance with Olmango.
“But, Olmango.”
[Yes?]
“Do you know who holds the key to the third tomb?”
Jin and Murakan stopped by Picon to hand over Sara’s broken sword (he had nothing more to add about the footage from the second tomb) and then headed straight to find Misha.
“Please show your ID.”
A sharply dressed attendant said with a blank expression.
The place they came to see Misha was a top-tier tavern in the Kingdom of Mila.
Operating under the name “The Veil,” this tavern was strictly members-only, and entry was impossible without a recommendation from an existing member.
Even royalty couldn’t enter at will.
Members of world-class powers like Runkandel, Ziphl, or Biment could enter freely by showing their family crest or symbol, but Jin and Murakan were currently in disguise.
“I’m here to see Grace Shields.”
Instead, they gave the name of the owner, someone few members knew.
Immediately, the servant’s attitude shifted.
“So you’re the guest of the master. My apologies for the rudeness. Please, come inside.”
The servant promptly led the two into a secret room, then returned to his post. Inside, a woman with jet-black hair sat alone, quietly sipping her afternoon drink.
“Long time no see, Jin. How have you been?”
Grace Shields—that was Misha’s alias. She was the owner of this tavern’s hidden chamber, one of many safe havens she maintained.
“Thanks to you, Misha, I’ve been well. It’s the first time we’ve met since the West Sea battle. I’m sorry I couldn’t visit sooner.”
“If you’d come just to offer thanks without a purpose, I’d have given you a good beating.”
“Hmph, you and your temper. Honestly, if you hadn’t been here, I was ready to give up. How many hideouts do you have, anyway?”
Jin had spent two days hopping through more than twenty teleportation gates, searching through the hideouts Misha had told her about. No wonder Murakan looked so pale.
“Right off the bat, you’re writhing to get hit. You? Did you just say ‘you’? Come here, I’ll twist your jaw six ways from Sunday.”
Smack! Thwack!
After a somewhat rough greeting, Jin handed her two spirit orbs.
“Ugh, cough, hack.”
Blood gushed from Murakan’s mouth. Misha, still gripping his collar, threw him aside and fixed her gaze on the orbs.
“Where did you get these?”
“I visited the tombs of Temar.”
“…Tell me everything in detail.”
From the day Jin met Pikon to the recent search for Olmango, Misha listened with a grave expression.
She seemed just as unaware as Murakan that Solderet had left an ‘arrangement’ marking Temar’s tomb.
“Jin.”
“Yes, Misha.”
“These orbs you brought—they’re recording devices. I’ve only heard about them before; this is the first time I’ve seen one.”
“Recording devices?”
“Yes. The images you saw were probably the result of those devices being activated. The unstable footage was because the devices were damaged.”
“Can they be repaired?”
Misha’s answer was blunt.
“That’s beyond me.”
“Hey, Misha. If you can’t fix them, then what?”
“Jin, I think… you need to meet Aria Owlheart.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
She hadn’t expected Misha to bring up her mentor’s name first.