Chapter 346
Episode 106: The Recorders (4)

“What do you mean this isn’t Solderet’s artifact?”

It was a question Jin had never even considered. If it wasn’t made by Solderet, then who else could have used spiritual energy to create such a recording device?

“I mean exactly that. This device is composed solely of spiritual energy, but it’s not something Solderet made. The device is saturated with an indescribably malevolent aura. I almost had my mind corrupted just by looking at it.”

Valeria took a deep breath.

Her momentary panic had come from the instant she peeked into the orb and felt the device’s dark energy target her.

“You almost had your mind corrupted?”

Jin couldn’t shake the weight of her words.

The Valeria he knew wasn’t the type to brush off something like this as a mere mistake.

“Damn it. I didn’t expect that just examining the recording device would affect my master.”

And on top of that, it wasn’t even Solderet’s creation.

Amid the confusion, as expected, Valeria’s eyes grew cold and sharp.

“Jin Runcandel, I have no choice but to be suspicious in this situation.”

In a past life, she would never have doubted him. But in this life, Jin and Valeria weren’t close enough yet.

“That sounds like you’re accusing me of trying to attack you with the orb.”

“You Runcandels have been trying to capture me, so it’s only natural I’d be suspicious.”

Claiming innocence wouldn’t help clear up Valeria’s misunderstanding.

‘If I lose my master’s trust now, the next time we meet might be years from now. Or worse, she might cut off all contact with me before either the Runcandels or the Ziphl catch her.’

Valeria was the kind of person who could do that.

‘Still, maybe because my master is young, or because she has some trust in me, or simply because the circumstances don’t allow it, she’s not outright accusing me yet.’

It was probably the last reason.

The orb I gave her was still with her, and she assumed I didn’t know her hideout.

“Well, I get it. Even if I say I’m not the one here, it’ll only breed more distrust between us.”

Jin shrugged.

“You understand well.”

“Of course, the attack you claim to have suffered is a rather abstract mental corruption, and I have one of my recording devices with you, and you’re someone I absolutely need. Still, it could be that I attacked you. Right? If it’s mental corruption, then it must be some lost dark magic.”

Jin’s words made Valeria shrug in response.

“Sure, I can see why you’d think that. I’ll try to understand. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let it go without confirming you’re not the culprit.”

“If you want to verify anything, go ahead. If it’s possible, I’ll cooperate.”

“No need for your cooperation, so don’t worry. I’ll handle the verification myself. Let’s move somewhere else first.”

“You said earlier you wouldn’t move because this spot was only visible from the kitchen. If you want somewhere quiet, how about Lord Kashimir’s mansion?”

“Follow me. The check won’t take long.”

Valeria stood up.

Just as Jin was about to follow, she glanced at the table as if she’d forgotten something. Two pieces of Latri’s special cookies remained.

She carefully wrapped the cookies and tucked them into the pocket of her robe.

Jin couldn’t help but suppress a chuckle.

‘Does my young master have a cute side, or are Latri’s cookies just that addictive? I’ve never seen her take care of food like this outside of a hiding situation.’

They left Latri’s tea shop together.

Valeria seemed very familiar with Tikan, knowing every alleyway.

After a long walk, a carriage ride, and more walking, they arrived at a cliff at the edge of the island.

Below, a small skiff floated on the water—the boat Valeria had arrived in.

“So you snuck into the Free City instead of entering officially?”

“Given my situation…”

“Why do you think this city is called the Free City? It’s a place that welcomes almost anyone except the worst criminals. Only a few people, like me and my comrades, would recognize you.”

Jin’s words came from a place of sympathy. It was heartbreaking that even in the so-called Free City, his young master had to sneak in and hide.

“I know that. I just find it more comfortable this way. Let’s get down to the boat.”

With a leap, Valeria jumped off the cliff. The height was enough to be deadly if she fell wrong, but Jin wasn’t surprised—he’d seen her do this several times in a past life.

Just before landing, she summoned a gust of wind with magic to soften the impact and lightly touched down on the boat. Jin followed, climbing down the cliff to the boat.

The skiff was small, and with two people aboard, it was cramped. They had no choice but to sit almost toe-to-toe.

“The upper cliff was quiet enough. Why come all the way down to such a cramped spot? How did you even navigate this boat here?”

“Safety first.”

Valeria gently moved her silver pine staff—dyed black with the gold-sealed clan’s ink—as if rowing.

Whoosh!

Suddenly, the seawater around the boat surged and froze into a hemispherical dome. The thick ice completely enveloped the boat, blocking out all sunlight.

A soft blue magical glow flickered from Valeria’s hand like a lantern.

Regardless of the situation, the bright light inside the ice-covered skiff, with the two of them inside, looked like a carefully painted picture.

“Jin Runcandel, I’m going to read your records now.”

Of course, Jin had expected this, though he showed no outward reaction.

“Reading my records? That sounds pretty dangerous. Care to explain?”

“It’s easier to say I’m going to look through your memories. Strictly speaking, it’s a bit different, but similar enough.”

“So you mean you’re going to read my memories to see if I tried to harm you?”

“Exactly.”

“Alright. But I have two conditions.”

“Go ahead.”

“First, I don’t know how far you can read, but please respect my privacy.”

“Believe it or not, directly reading someone else’s records is extremely difficult. It’s a different matter from reading traces or objects they’ve left behind. It’s hard to find unnecessary records, too.”

Jin knew this well. Even his twenty-five-year-old master couldn’t read all of his records.

“Second, if it turns out I didn’t target you, then you need to cooperate with me more from now on. Honestly, I think if you back off this much, some trust should be built.”

Surprisingly, Valeria nodded without hesitation.

“Fine. Then, put out your hand.”

Jin complied.

With her eyes closed, Valeria placed her hand, glowing with the characteristic blue magic of record spells, on top of his.

At that moment, she was completely vulnerable.

‘This is when my master is most defenseless.’

When unleashing record magic at full power, Valeria couldn’t do anything else.

‘Does she show this weakness because she thinks I don’t know? Or maybe she already trusts me a little.’

Slowly, the records of Jin Runcandel began to seep into Valeria’s mind.

Jin watched her quietly, waiting for the magic to finish.

< Jin Runcandel recently visited Tikan and met Valeria Hister. >

< His purpose was to check the condition of the spiritual energy recording device. >

‘Nothing unusual so far. Since he was checking the device’s condition, it doesn’t seem like he intended to harm me.’

Valeria thought, sweat beading on her forehead.

< Young Jin Runcandel laughed when the guardian dragon Murakan called his nanny Gilly McLoran “Strawberry Pie.” >

‘Young Jin Runcandel? What period is this record from? Focus on the last few days only.’

Peering into someone else’s records was hard to control. She couldn’t avoid glimpsing some irrelevant memories.

< One-year-old Jin Runcandel was very embarrassed when his nanny Gilly McLoran changed his diaper. >

‘What is this? Wait… feeling embarrassed at one year old?’

That was odd.

Could anyone really feel embarrassment at that age? No one would be ashamed of someone changing their diaper.

‘It’s hard to say he was extraordinary from birth. Let’s keep watching. But who is this woman? Luet Damiro Yul…?’

< Jin Runcandel recently examined Solderet’s records held by Luet Damiro Yul, the former head butler of the Runcandel family. >

< Luet Damiro Yul is the king of the fairy race. >

< Luet Damiro Yul has been forgotten. >

This was a recent memory.

It was a vivid one. Valeria felt a strange pull when she saw Luet’s rare red hair, the same unusual color as her own.

‘A forgotten… fairy?’

Her magical energy was nearing its limit. Valeria breathed heavily, and Jin looked at her with concern.

< Jin Runcandel did not tell his family that he met Valeria Hister to protect her. >

That was enough.

There was no need to look any further. Just as Jin was about to stop the record magic—

Valeria caught sight of a type of record she had never seen before.

<The moment Jin Runkandel was born, he was cursed with the Madness of Blades. This curse was placed by the Archmage Kidad Hall under the orders of Joshua Runkandel, but in truth… it was… fate’s…>

Unlike the other ordinary records I had just reviewed, this one carried an indescribably alien sensation.

A sharp pain stabbed through my head, as if a blade had been driven into my skull.

At the same time, an unbearable curiosity surged within me—if not now, when else would I have the chance to uncover more about Jin through such records?

“Aria Owlheart, are you alright?”

Blood trickled from Valeria’s mouth and nose.

She was never the type of mage to suffer from mana reflux, but reading these records was an immense strain.

Especially at a moment when we should have stopped, pushing forward like this was dangerous even for someone like Valeria.

‘Just a little more, just a little…!’

Now blood was streaming from her eyes and ears as well. At this rate, she was on the verge of entering the final stage of reflux.

“Aria!”

With a thud, Valeria collapsed forward, coughing up blood.