Chapter 367
Episode 111: Traces (7)

A long time had passed, and Valeria’s heat continued to radiate intensely.

Her hair no longer showed any trace of dye. Steam rose from her sweat-soaked robe, and her fiery red hair, whipped by magic, looked like a single blazing flame.

[So, you carry Hister’s bloodline. Where did you meet that child?]

“In the lawless city of Mamit.”

She didn’t go into details, but Sheila didn’t press further.

Sheila’s eyes deepened.

[Fortunately, the child is strong enough that you don’t have to protect her. But humans—and indeed all living things—must ultimately protect one another. No life can survive alone.]

It was an abrupt statement, but Jin nodded. Sheila’s words didn’t bother him.

[While my friend and your friend are struggling, we should consider the variables.]

“Besides the mages from Ziphl coming after us, is there another concern you have in mind?”

[This land belongs to Biment. It’s possible that some of my kin are colluding with them.]

“True. It’s unlikely that the shattered fragments of absolute power would all fall to just one person like Myla. Biment… that’s a plausible scenario.”

[Also, there may be kin among your Runcandel who are aligned with them.]

“I hope that’s not the case. Just facing two factions is already enough of a headache. For now, we should assume we’ll definitely encounter both Ziphl and Biment.”

Biment was searching for Temar’s body. Remembering that, Jin spoke.

‘The chance that there’s a traitor among the fairy descendants working with Biment is almost certain.’

He recalled a story Kashimir had overheard as a child—about the former emperor and his ministers negotiating with the Wantaramo Forest. Perhaps that was about a traitor.

‘Maybe Biment started searching for Temar’s body because a traitor among the fairy descendants leaked information about his tomb.’

Otherwise, it seemed impossible for Biment to find Temar’s tomb, which even most of Runcandel—except Siron, Rosa, and a few senior elders (and even that was speculation)—didn’t know existed.

“Biment will send special forces or guards. Moving a large army would just advertise that there’s something in the Wantaramo Forest.”

Jin shrugged, thinking he might run into some familiar faces.

[Special forces and guards. Are they stronger than you?]

He answered without hesitation.

“The commanders might be stronger than me, but I can handle anyone below that rank.”

He based this on his encounters with Ratz, the special forces leader, and Alisa, a former leader, during his trainee days.

[How many commanders are there?]

“Four. But they won’t all come at once.”

The four—guard captain, deputy, special forces captain, and deputy—would be a tough challenge even for Luna, let alone Jin.

“What about you, Lady Sheila? How strong are you in battle?”

It felt strange to ask the fairy descendant queen such a question, but it was necessary. Knowing your allies’ strength was essential.

‘Not only Ziphl and Biment, but we might also have to fight the guardian of the fourth tomb.’

Guardian, Ziphl, Biment.

Whoever they faced first, they had to save enough strength for the final battle.

Of course, it would be ideal if there was no guardian like with the third tomb, but it was better to prepare for the worst.

[Well, it’s been so long since I last fought that I’m not sure. Just know I’m not weak.]

“Could you be more specific?”

Sheila folded her arms and closed her eyes, seeming to ponder.

[Honestly, I don’t really know. Even when my kin kill intruders, I rarely use much force.]

“I understand.”

It seemed they’d have to fight as if Sheila wasn’t there. Jin suddenly regretted not bringing Murakan along.

There were two reasons he left him behind.

First, to have him assist Bellop’s covert mission—if Bellop’s mission was exposed right after the meeting, it could cause serious problems. Second, Valeria had never met Murakan.

Though their cooperation had improved, it was still uncomfortable to face Valeria with such a powerful ally in tow. It might rekindle her guardedness, which they had worked hard to ease.

‘If things get tough, I’ll have to create a three-way conflict.’

He had a rough plan, but there were too many variables.

Who would they encounter first? Should they deal with them before searching the tomb? What if they had to retreat after just revealing the tomb’s location?

While pondering, Sheila spoke.

[Jin Runcandel.]

“Yes?”

[One thing I must tell you: any battle must be fought without causing irreparable damage to the forest.]

The Wantaramo Forest was a “public good” for those at the pinnacle of power. They were all consumers of the Overlord Doctrine.

It wasn’t by chance that Jin and his companions had been unaware of the forest’s existence until now. The top powers had carefully concealed it to prevent any harm.

If the forest were damaged, those powers would hold the responsible party accountable and demand appropriate compensation.

Jin smiled.

‘Whether it’s picking them off one by one or a three-way fight, I have the overwhelming advantage.’

A chaotic battle with restrictions on destruction.

Given the nature of spiritual energy, there was no scenario where Jin wouldn’t shine.

“Understood. That actually works better for me.”

[Good. Even after a thousand years, your ancestors’ influence still shakes the world.]

“You seem to know my ancestors well.”

[I don’t remember much. You’ve probably seen the previous tombs, so you know, but Runcandel of that era is almost forgotten. Still, I clearly recall how every action of Temar had a vast impact on the world.]

Sheila met Jin’s gaze.

[Now it’s your turn to cast his shadow. Or to cast a new shadow as Jin Runcandel.]

It was then that the Myoin tribe finished their work.

[Hooah!]

[It’s done…!]

An hour and a half.

The Myoin could hardly believe they had created a passage leading to the Red Lake inside, complete with trap corridors to confuse Ziphl.

Dozens of violet entrances shimmered on the cave walls. Only one led to the Red Lake; the rest were false paths leading into the forest.

[The entrances shift randomly each time they’re used. Unless Ziphl’s mages are incredibly lucky or stupid, they won’t find the right one on the first try.]

With a dozen doors to choose from, splitting up was the obvious strategy—unless they were dealing with fools, as Lulu said.

Clap!

Jin handed Valeria a water flask. She looked parched and immediately gulped it down.

“Jin Runcandel, take a moment to steady your magic before we move. We’ve got a little breathing room.”

Watching Valeria sit and calm her magic, Lulu and Miru gave thumbs-up.

[Thanks to her, we saved some divine essence.]

[We even have half left!]

They smiled, showing the half-used claw of the cat god.

Valeria staggered as she stood, and Jin caught her.

“You okay?”

“Just a little dizzy.”

She didn’t add that she’d pushed herself harder than expected to protect half of the Myoin’s divine essence.

Even she couldn’t explain her own actions.

At first, she’d stepped up to help for efficiency’s sake, but using more power than necessary was pure impulse.

“You can rest for ten more minutes.”

“No need. I know my body. Keep the promises you made on the way here.”

Her tone was sharper than when she first volunteered to help the Myoin.

Valeria was afraid of how strangely dulled she’d become since meeting Jin.

-Last time, you said you got the recording device from the fairy’s hideout… but it was actually the tomb of Runcandel’s first head?

-The tomb was in the fairy’s hideout.

-That’s just wordplay.

-We’re still getting to know each other. We both have secrets. You probably hide far more than I do. Now that I’ve told you about Temar’s tomb, I’ve almost run out of secrets.

-Well, fine. I don’t think you lied. Hearing it’s Temar’s tomb, I understand why you were so shocked when you found the spiritual orb of Helluram at Joshua Runcandel’s villa.

-I was more shocked when you examined that orb and misunderstood me.

-Anyway, you said we need clues from the Myoin about Temar’s fourth tomb… If we find it later, let me examine it too. Is that possible?

-You have my word.

Valeria recalled the conversation she had with Jin as they entered the Wantaramo Forest. The promise meant they would enter Temar’s tomb together.

“It’s only been a few hours since I spoke with Jin Runkandel, yet here we are, already on the trail of the fourth tomb. I thought it would take months—rescuing the Myoin tribe, gathering clues from them—but it’s happening so fast.”

Could there really be new traces left by our ancestors in that tomb?

Alone. Completely alone.

Tracking the messages left by the ancestors and reclaiming Hister’s magic was an unbearably lonely task.

At some point, I stopped even recognizing it as loneliness. Waking up, training magic, searching for the ancestors’ messages and legacies, wandering the world—that was the life of a woman named Valeria.

But to have new discoveries about Hister come not from myself, but from someone else… to actually encounter the ancestors’ traces so easily—

Would all those dark, bitter days of struggle have been for nothing?

That thought sharpened my tone without me realizing it.

“…I was a little on edge.”

“You must have been exhausted. Don’t worry, I didn’t take it personally, so no need to apologize.”

Valeria’s brow twitched slightly.

“We need to enter the passage now. Until we reach the Red Lake, I don’t mind if you support me a bit. If that bothers you, just say so.”

Jin took the water flask from Valeria’s hand and spoke.