Chapter 338
Episode 104: Debt, Debt, and More Debt (5)
Bang! Crash! Skrrk!
With every swing of Berakt’s sword, the cave ceiling was sliced away like paper, revealing the open sky above.
The Phantom Legion mages, caught off guard by his sudden assault, scrambled desperately to defend themselves.
Amid the deafening explosions, the shattering sounds, and Berakt’s roaring fury, Margiela looked at Jin with a bright, amused smile.
“You’re not going to pretend you don’t know what’s going on, like you did back in the Holy Kingdom, are you? I don’t think you’re that heartless.”
Though they had come to Jin’s aid, and despite the madness of the Kinzelos making moments like this rare and welcome, Jin didn’t feel much gratitude toward them.
Because, in his eyes, the Kinzelos were no different from the Giple.
To Jin, they were fundamentally mad scientists conducting cruel biological experiments, with the same goal as the Giple: to become rulers of the world.
Of course, Jin himself intended to ascend the throne of Runcandel and become the world’s victor, but at least he never treated humans as mere test subjects like they did.
More importantly, the Kinzelos were ultimately rivals and enemies.
“Debt, huh? Well, this is your territory, so it’s only natural you’d show up.”
“Oh, what a hurtful thing to say. We came to save you, you know. It’s sad to see cute beastfolk die, but if you weren’t in danger, we’d have just left you be. This land isn’t that important, after all.”
“How did you know I was in danger?”
“That’s a trade secret!”
Judging by the captain’s abilities, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Kinzelos were monitoring the entire beastfolk territory like a crystal ball in their palm.
“Anyway, I’m not about to feel indebted, so save the nonsense for home. If you came just to save me, then it’s because it benefits you—that’s your choice.”
“Hmph, you make a lot of sense. But can’t you at least say it nicely? Or else Berakt might just eat Lord Jin himself if you push him too far.”
Kyaaah! Aagh, ugh!
The Phantom Legion mages’ screams continued.
Though not fatally wounded yet, Berakt was utterly overwhelming the two of them.
Jin let out a small chuckle.
“Looks like I should retreat, then. And while I don’t care much for the Kinzelos, I suppose I can overlook a minor slip-up from the Ibriano family in Runcandel this once.”
“Hey, are you planning to go rescue those escaped beastfolk?”
Jo, stroking his thin beard, slipped into the conversation.
“What’s the point?”
“I’d recommend you just leave. We’re not sending anyone after you. Don’t waste the lives we saved for you.”
“But Lord Jin wasn’t saved by Jo, he was saved by Berakt.”
“Mar… no, Miss Moruriela, don’t say that—I’d be embarrassed.”
“If Berakt heard you say that, he’d probably go berserk again, haha. I’m worried Jo might actually get killed by Berakt if this keeps up.”
Jo scratched his head awkwardly, trying to change the subject.
Despite being a notorious 9-star mage known for his cold demeanor, Jo was often the butt of jokes among the Kinzelos’ executives.
Jin didn’t respond, instead exchanging a glance with Margiela.
‘This woman… ever since the Holy Kingdom incident, I still don’t know what she’s really about. There’s not much known publicly, but she seems to have some special ability. She holds a significant position within the Kinzelos.’
It probably wasn’t just because she was the beloved younger sister of Vishkel, a Kinzelos executive.
As if reading Jin’s thoughts, Margiela only gave a meaningful smile.
“See you next time, Lord Jin. It was a pleasure.”
Whoosh!
[Meow!]
Jin pulled the red gem from his chest and summoned Shuri. Margiela gushed over how cute the scene was, while Jin swiftly left the area.
“That—what a jerk!”
Jo clicked his tongue, and Margiela shrugged.
“Well, still, it’s cool. I like that kind of style.”
Jin sprinted ahead.
Praying that the firestorm hadn’t yet reached the small beastfolk.
After running for over ten minutes without spotting any sign of the small beastfolk, unease began to grow in his heart.
‘How on earth did those little guys move so fast?’
There were few creatures on land faster than Shuri—maybe none at all.
Though the battle with the Phantom Legion hadn’t lasted long, even after ten minutes of running, they hadn’t caught up.
Then, the footprints of the small beastfolk that Shuri was tracking suddenly stopped.
‘They must have taken the river!’
They had reached the riverbank. This explained how the small beastfolk had moved so quickly.
Splash!
Shuri leapt into the water and began swimming hard.
The Watertail tribe could travel swiftly along the river with just a few large leaves from the beastfolk’s land.
Jin felt a wave of relief. If they were moving along the river, the Phantom Legion mages would have fewer ways to pursue them.
After another twenty minutes following the river, they finally spotted one of the small beastfolk—a Watertail named Darkflame.
“Darkflame!”
“Ah, Jin, it’s you.”
Darkflame was alone, carrying what looked like a pile of fireworks on a leaf boat.
“What about the others?”
“They’re all running away, everyone.”
“Why are you the only one behind?”
“If I stay, danger. I warn you.”
As the leader of the Watertail village, he was sacrificing himself for the others.
“The Phantom Legion in the cave have all been dealt with.”
“Oh, thank goodness.”
“But two other Phantom Legion mages are looking for you. You shouldn’t stay here; you need to gather everyone quickly.”
Darkflame’s eyes widened, and he nodded.
“Understood. Follow me. Let’s go.”
Huuuuup!
Darkflame took a deep breath. It was almost unbelievable that such a small body could hold so much air—he looked like a huge sack about to burst.
Paaaah! Splash, splash, splash!
As he exhaled, a shockwave of wind spread out, and the leaf boat sped up remarkably.
Using his broad Watertail tribe tail to paddle, he surged forward so fast that even Shuri struggled to keep up.
[Meow meow meow!]
Racing down the river at incredible speed, they soon caught up with the rest of the small beastfolk. The Goldscale tribe were all aboard the Watertail leaf boats.
“Oh! Our partners! You came back alive—you kept your promise!”
Spinning energetically, Paengyi waved his hand and shouted.
“Wow!”
“Yeah!”
The small beastfolk embraced each other, cheering loudly. Jin felt a surge of pride at the sight, but the situation was far from over.
“W-what’s that?”
“What is that?!”
The Watertail pointed behind Jin and Darkflame.
“Mad mages! Everyone, speed up again!”
“Human mages are chasing us!”
Turning around, Jin saw two mages in cursed gray robes.
They were using wind and ice magic to pursue the beastfolk along the other side of the river.
Like Barton in the past, who had fired countless sword slashes to gain momentum for flight, these mages were recklessly casting spells to catch up.
“Everyone, duck down and get to shore!”
Jin drew his sword and shouted.
The Phantom Legion mages were already aiming their attack spells at them. No matter how fast they moved on the river, they couldn’t dodge the attacks or hide underwater.
“Ugh, ahh!”
“Save the Goldscale tribe!”
The Watertail frantically steered their leaf boats toward shore. The Goldscale threw all their gold coins and nuggets into the river.
Ziiing!
As the attacks began, Jin leapt forward, slashing through the magic beams.
‘Damn it, I suppressed some of the mana backlash on the way here, but I’m still not at full fighting strength…!’
He needed to unleash the Blacklight Invocation.
But there was no time. The relentless magic beams kept coming, and Jin had to focus on deflecting them, leaving no energy for other techniques.
‘I just need to buy time until the small beastfolk escape. Then I’ll call the Pluto siblings to finish this!’
It was another battle of endurance—who would tire first, the beastfolk or Jin?
“Darkflame!”
“Y-yes!”
“Listen carefully. When you get to shore, don’t run into the forest—head for the plains. If you run into the forest, they’ll set the whole thing on fire. Got it?”
“Got it!”
Fortunately, the river was narrow, so the small beastfolk reached land quickly.
The Phantom Legion mages also crossed the two rivers swiftly, repositioning themselves toward Jin and the beastfolk.
But even while moving, they kept firing magic beams nonstop.
‘They’re using multiple spells at once to cross the river, so they can’t fully attack yet. But once we’re on land, I won’t be able to block all their beams.’
And that wasn’t all. Once their movement magic ended, one would fire beams while the other prepared a powerful spell.
Given the circumstances, they had no choice but to unleash the Blacklight Call, even if it meant sacrificing some of the smaller beastfolk.
How many would have to die… these innocent, gentle creatures.
As that thought tightened around his heart, a subtle vibration began to ripple from the direction of the forest where the smaller beastfolk were fleeing.
It felt like a faint tremor, as if a minor earthquake had struck.
‘What is that? It almost feels like the ground is shaking from some massive creature running wild…’
Just as Jin reached that conclusion, he realized the true source of the tremor.
“Wizards spotted!”
“We’ve confirmed the presence of the 12th Cavalry!”
The vibrations were caused by the pounding footsteps of roughly fifty RuneKandel knights sprinting at full speed.
They were running all out, which explained the intensity of the tremors.
Leading them, unsurprisingly, were Jin’s own brothers.
“What’s this? Our youngest? You were actually fighting those things alone to protect the beastfolk?”
Mary RuneKandel, the third daughter of the 7th Cavalry, spoke with a mix of surprise and admiration.
“Draw swords! The 12th Cavalry, protect the beastfolk at all costs. Squads 4 and 5, each take a group of beastfolk and escort them to safety.”
Dipus RuneKandel, the second son of the 4th Cavalry, barked the orders.
They had been on standby at the family estate when news came in from the Jan Kingdom about a massive surge of magical energy, prompting them to rush here immediately.
“They look like elite troops, charging in without a shred of fear. Honestly, our youngest really does look impressive like this.”
The arrival of the new RuneKandel cavalry caused the spectral wizards to falter, regrouping their stance.
“With this, the debt from the last Black Knight assassination mission is settled, Jin.”
Dipus took his place beside Jin, his greatsword Volgar and Mary’s chain sword Viper glowing brightly with auras of power.