Chapter 314
Episode 95: Those Searching for Her (4)
“I will obey.”
Mesa responded with a crisp, commanding voice.
Not long ago, she had passed the final exam to become a Guardian Knight and was assigned under the 12th cohort.
Standing beside her was her comrade, Skut Ryman, who had also passed.
“Skut.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Clean up the trash on the streets.”
Criminals—thieves, murderers, thugs—were visible everywhere, committing crimes in real time just by glancing around. Some hadn’t yet realized that Jin had arrived in Mamit.
While the lowlife scum could fight among themselves as they pleased, there were a few who appeared to be ordinary civilians caught up in the chaos.
Jin’s order was to deal with those causing trouble among the general populace.
“Understood.”
Clack, clack!
Mesa and Skut passed by Jin and began moving through the streets.
Within seconds, screams echoed from all around—lawless cries that quickly died down.
The criminals had realized the situation immediately after Skut cut down a few of them.
This wasn’t just a lone Guardian Knight on a mission; it was the cohort of Runcandel coming to this desolate land.
Suddenly, the streets fell silent.
But Skut ignored the quiet and continued silently weaving through alleys like a ghost, finishing the cleanup.
The city grew even quieter. The criminals of Mamit scattered like prey confronted by a natural enemy, scrambling back to their homes or taverns.
A cold wind swept through the empty streets.
Mamit hadn’t been this quiet in years.
“Mesa, Skut… you’ve both grown so much.”
Jin smiled softly. It still amazed him that these two had become full-fledged Guardian Knights.
“Belop should be returning soon from the southeastern snowy mountains of Mittel.”
The youngest group of seven was about to take their final exams.
“When they all become Guardians, maybe I’ll send them for hellish training together. Ideally, before they turn fifty, they should be strong enough to be drafted as Black Knights. Maybe I’ll push them to that point.”
Unaware of Jin’s thoughts, Mesa and Skut suppressed their pounding hearts and intimidated the criminals of Mamit. They were ready to give everything for the chance to stand with Jin again.
Jin’s steps slowed as he approached the Moonlight Well.
“Just as the lives of the youngest group have changed, meeting me will change the life of their master as well. Perhaps Joshua discovering the master’s alias at this time is a result of my return.”
A chill ran down his spine.
Since his return, Jin had always been aware that every action he took could alter the futures of those around him.
That’s why he tried to choose options that would have a positive impact on those he cared about.
But Valeria was a different matter.
He couldn’t tell if meeting her would be a blessing or a curse.
But now wasn’t the time to hesitate.
“I need to keep her close and provide safeguards. In my previous life, neither Runcandel nor Ziphl could capture the master, but this time, I can’t be sure what will happen.”
Valeria was undoubtedly strong—one of the few people Jin could count on one hand.
Not just in combat ability, but in sheer willpower.
Her spirit shone brightly enough to be admired.
But some things couldn’t be solved by willpower alone.
For example, a seventeen-year-old lone genius mage trying to evade two massive factions hunting her.
Unlike Jin during his apprentice days, Valeria had no siblings to hide her in Laprarosa, no comrades willing to risk their lives to protect her.
“No matter how I look at it, the master can’t avoid the pursuit of these two families forever. If I don’t help, she’ll be caught soon.”
As her disciple, it was time to repay the debt from Jin’s previous life.
The closer he got to the Moonlight Well, the more his restless heart settled.
“Have you arrived, my lord?”
As Jin reached the entrance, Mesa and Skut bowed their heads.
Behind them, five gang leaders and their underlings knelt in formation—about a hundred in total, the assembled heads of each faction.
Jin silently surveyed the criminals.
He was searching for Valeria.
“She’s not here.”
Then the next step was to find which leader knew her.
“Fortunately, there’s one familiar face left. You there—what’s your name?”
Jin locked eyes with the leader sitting at the front.
“York. Have we met before, my lord?”
York answered politely, revealing his name.
He was someone Jin had met once before.
“Kid, you’re impressive for your age, but trusting that won’t get you far here. Stirring up trouble recklessly will only cause problems.”
“Thank you for the advice, but I’m looking for someone. I won’t cause any trouble for the people here.”
“Ha, yesterday you cut down those tavern drunks in one stroke, and now you’re acting like a gentle lamb.”
“They’re on a different level from you. I know my place.”
“Good manners. Fine, I’ll allow you to stay a few more days.”
“Thank you. I won’t forget the kindness of Mamit’s kings when I return.”
This was a conversation Jin had with York and the kings of Mamit during a mid-level mission.
“York, four years ago, the friend who lectured me on manners in the Moonlight Well’s lobby had his neck cut by the Bow of the Hidden Palace. Remember now?”
“Ah…!”
York’s eyes widened, and he bowed deeply.
He couldn’t forget.
After Jin, disguised as an outsider mage, had attacked the Moonlight Well during a mid-level mission, the gang leaders of Mamit had been tormented by Siris for a long time.
Because Ryu and Hiten, two of the Seven Swords of the Hidden Palace, failed to find the mage who had summoned the lightning.
Since that day, Siris had crushed the leaders relentlessly, determined to find the culprit.
Eventually, Siris suspected the boy Jin had released might be the perpetrator.
So Siris ordered the leaders to investigate the boy’s movements in Mamit—when he arrived, his purpose, and every action he took.
For the leaders, it was like a bolt from the blue, but they had no choice but to obey.
“Lord Siris, the boy came to Mamit, killed a fish called Tonk at a tavern, and seemed to be looking for someone. Then he went to the Moonlight Well and did nothing else.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes. I don’t think he’s the culprit. It’s hard to believe a kid that young can wield magic of six or seven stars.”
“If not him, does that mean my men missed the mage?”
“No… even if he is the culprit, I doubt he intended to attack the Hidden Palace. Probably someone among us offended him or held a grudge.”
“Who was he looking for?”
“He said someone named Whizta or Fester.”
That conversation with Siris was with York, the leader now before Jin.
York had said Whizta and Fester out of annoyance, but he clearly knew the person Jin sought was named Hister.
Siris wasted time trying to find people by those names.
“I apologize for not recognizing you immediately, Lord Jin.”
“York, the rest disappear quickly from my sight.”
Jin’s low command sent the other leaders and their men scattering like cockroaches.
Within Hufester, the name Runcandel carried a weight no outlaw could bear.
“Let’s go inside and talk.”
York sensed it immediately.
Jin had come to Mamit to find the person he sought four years ago.
“Right!”
As they entered the Moonlight Well, Skut and Mesa stood guard like sentries at the inn’s entrance. The lobby was empty and quiet.
“I’m looking for someone.”
“Yes, Lord Jin. Please tell me who—name, appearance, anything. Here in Mamit, I can find anyone for you.”
“Is there a girl around seventeen living here? She has red hair and carries a silver pine staff.”
“Red hair and a staff…”
York thought hard.
As far as he knew, no girl with red hair and a silver pine staff lived in Mamit. It was unlikely a seventeen-year-old girl could survive in this harsh city.
But someone did come to mind.
“There’s no girl with red hair and a staff, but recently a young woman about that age joined our ranks as a low-level member.”
“What’s her name?”
“Aria. She has no surname. She’s from the back alleys and tough as nails.”
Thump!
Jin’s heartbeat quickened.
“Anyone else?”
“No. She’s the only young woman under twenty. Should I bring her here?”
“I’ll check.”
“Yes, Lord Jin. Please wait a moment. I’ll send someone to fetch Aria…”
Crack!
Just as York stood up—
Suddenly, the ceiling of the lobby collapsed, and a spear came crashing down—a spear crackling with electric blue magic.
It was a form of altered magic that Jin had encountered once before in the vast Mitra Desert.
The spear pierced straight through York’s crown and embedded itself deep into the floor. The sudden strike left York unable to utter even a single scream.
Jin slowly lifted his head, eyes fixed upward.
Through the jagged hole torn in the ceiling by the lightning spear, a figure stood cloaked in a hood.
Even with her face hidden, Jin recognized her instantly. The unfamiliar brown hair peeking out from beneath the hood left no doubt.
It was Valeria Hister—his mentor.
“Valeria…!”
For a moment, time seemed to freeze.
He wanted to call out to her, to say it had been so long.
A flood of indescribable emotions stabbed through his chest like wild, errant beams of light.
“…Jin?”
Valeria met his gaze and spoke softly.