Chapter 476
Episode 133: Moments of Choice (3)
Tikan was still bustling with activity as the Black King’s faction worked tirelessly to move and set up their equipment.
The construction, which began when the Black King’s faction joined forces, was not only to fortify Jin and his comrades’ defenses and ensure the safety of the residents but also the final step toward their ‘national elevation.’ It was inevitably a long and careful process.
“Lower it! Lower it!”
“Hey, adjust the cannon angle just a bit! To the left, left… yes, that’s it! Hold!”
Even though the labor was so intense that even the world’s top mercenary squads would be exhausted by nightfall, the voices of the members were surprisingly bright and lively.
It was because of Amela.
Everyone had secretly worried. The legendary mercenary might outperform Jin and Murakan or refuse to surrender altogether.
Of course, regardless of what happened, Valkas’s loyalty to the new lord he chose wouldn’t waver. But if Amela ‘held out,’ somehow it felt like they themselves would be the ones losing.
Fortunately, Amela’s defiant streak lasted only a very short time. Once Jin began to show his true strength, she quickly begged for surrender.
“Heh heh, our leader really has a good eye for people. I was a bit worried we might lose face because of that mercenary, or that it might cause issues with the chain of command.”
“Was the title ‘mercenary’ a bit inflated? I overheard Murakan saying she just surrendered outright.”
“Inflated? What nonsense. Then all the officers who faced her on the battlefield must have been liars.”
“But she didn’t just surrender—she accepted being declared dead. What does that mean? It means our leader is truly remarkable.”
In any case, the Black King’s faction members were satisfied that their lord’s expedition to the Gaipa Archipelago had ended successfully. The ghost squad members dispatched to work alongside them felt the same.
On the other hand…
A certain pair of siblings at Tikan’s mansion did not share that sentiment.
“Ugh, get lost…!”
“Ugh, this is so annoying!”
Rata, Fei, and the Prochi siblings of the Ghost Squad.
While they acknowledged that Jin’s forces had grown stronger thanks to Amela, they couldn’t simply accept the situation with open arms.
“Our cuties already tired? Come play with me more! Let’s play!”
Amela waved her hand from beneath her chubby bush camouflage suit, but the Prochi siblings grimaced in disgust.
Still, to avoid causing trouble for their lord, the siblings played along to some extent. Normally, they would have drawn their blades immediately, but for now, they only cursed or fled.
‘Rata and Fei actually get along surprisingly well with Amela… maybe they don’t hate her as much as they pretend.’
Jin, watching them, misunderstood the situation. The three of them darted around the mansion like they were playing hide-and-seek.
“Having fun, huh? Tsk. Hey! Stop running around like that. You planning to run all day?”
As soon as Murakan shouted, Amela abruptly stopped in her tracks.
“Sorryyy.”
She bowed deeply toward Murakan, bits of twigs and leaves falling from her bush suit. The Prochi siblings wiped sweat from their brows and searched for a cigarette, their faces showing the bitter taste of life.
Jin stared quietly at Amela.
“Sorry to you too.”
“Why does her speech change like that? She was so confident when we first met in the archipelago.”
“That was because I was a little out of it back then…”
From what Jin had observed since the Gaipa Archipelago, Amela was a wild, somewhat cheerful ‘kid’—a bit like a beast. She was completely unaccustomed to society, lacking common sense and a sense of the times.
But, as seen in the archipelago, she didn’t show the murderous tendencies one might expect.
Occasionally, those lucky enough to survive and return would be so shocked by Amela’s presence that even her shadow would terrify them.
It’s hard to describe. It was as if she saw them as toys or playmates—talking about being bored while swinging a blade.
This matched what the Prochi siblings had explained.
In other words, Amela must be made into a loyal servant. Fighting temporarily because of different clients is one thing; becoming a clear enemy is another. If she seems likely to become an enemy, killing her should be considered.
I understand. Our top priority is to figure out what Amela truly wants. Do you have any insights?
Exploration.
Exploration?
Amela has spent her life wandering and exploring the world. After battles, when we ate together, she hinted at a strong desire to find something… though she never said exactly what.
This was somewhat different from Valkas’s description.
At Tikan, Amela wasn’t as wild when teasing the Prochi siblings, nor did she seem to have the intense yearning for ‘searching and exploring’ that Valkas mentioned.
She simply liked to play (especially with the Prochi siblings), was friendly, and was no different from a kid who found some people scary (especially Murakan and Jin).
“Amela noona!”
“Amela unni!”
Because of this, she got along well with others—Kou, Finte, Yuria, and even Enya, whom she seemed to follow closely like the others.
This caused confusion.
‘She’s dangerous, too.’
Though she seemed to have quickly become an ally after surrendering, Jin still couldn’t fully trust Amela.
It was natural. No one knew when or how her unstable elements might surface. There was no way a bond had already formed between Tikan’s comrades and her.
-[Tell me anything! I’m no longer Bubar and Kinzelo’s friend—I’m your friend now.]
There was also the fact that she had betrayed Kinzelo so easily. If chaos was involved, Tikan could betray just as easily.
She was someone who could neither be fully trusted nor completely rejected. Jin saw Amela that way.
“Lady Amela.”
“Yes?”
“There’s much I need to ask you about—the Gaipa Archipelago, the use of Bubar’s soul to amplify chaos, the information you’ve gathered about chaos so far…”
“Ask anything, I can answer it all.”
“But right now, I can’t trust what you say.”
“Good Amela doesn’t lie.”
“So, I’ve brought someone who might be able to see through you.”
Amela tilted her head and met Jin’s gaze, a question mark seeming to hover over her face beneath the bush suit.
“Someone who can see through me? Ah, Yuria?”
“Unfortunately, no, Amela.”
Yuria never called Amela ‘noona.’ She treated her more like a younger sister.
Yuria’s power of truth could easily expose Amela’s words.
But Tikan’s comrades had decided to avoid using Yuria’s power on Amela because of the unknown effects of chaos.
“Ta-da!”
“Eek!”
Suddenly, someone shouted right into Amela’s ear.
Startled, Amela jumped like a spring, and those nearby widened their eyes in shock.
It was Yona—the person Jin had called to check on Amela.
As always, she had slipped in unnoticed with her ghost-like stealth.
“Heh.”
Yona smiled slyly at Amela. Her first words were:
“Wanna die?”
“Me? Wha—?”
“Yeah, you.”
As Yona stepped forward, Amela backed away. Before she could take more than a few steps, she trembled and couldn’t even meet Yona’s gaze.
“Ahhh… p-please don’t.”
“Heh, shh.”
“Ugh!”
Cornered against the wall, Amela curled up, while Yona looked down at her with a deadly glare.
No one knew why Yona acted this way, but everyone sensed that trying to intervene might only make things worse.
Even Murakan said nothing.
‘Come to think of it, when Yona first saw Bubar’s shard during her cadet days, she radiated a fierce aura.’
They were of the same kind.
Back then, Yona said Bubar was like her. At the time, Jin didn’t realize she meant chaos, but now he understood.
Whoooosh—!
Crack, crack!
Suddenly, a violent wind began swirling near Yona.
Magic lamps shattered wildly, cracks appeared in the walls, and the ceiling trembled as if it might collapse at any moment.
At Jin’s signal, the Prochi siblings quickly gathered the others and left the room, while Yona’s aura intensified.
[Come out.]
Yona’s voice echoed as she hovered about a foot above the floor. In the dim light, her shadow grew large, obscuring the crouched Amela.
‘That shadow doesn’t look like Yona…!’
The massive silhouette wasn’t Yona’s but took the shape of a monstrous maw filled with fangs.
Jin and his comrades instinctively realized it was Yona’s chaos form.
And then, after a moment…
Suuuuuu…!
As Amela suddenly collapsed forward, as if fainting, a dark, soul-like essence seeped out from her. It was the chaos within her.
Unlike Yona’s, this chaos had a clearly recognizable form—a black figure resembling a human, complete with horns and a tail.
If it had been alone, Amela’s chaos would have undoubtedly radiated an overwhelming aura of intimidation. But standing beside Yona, its presence felt faint, even weaker than a single fang it bared.
“Did you really think hiding would save you?” Yona said coldly, staring down at Amela’s chaos.
“P-please, have mercy…” it stammered.
“This is your first and last warning. If you harm my sister—”
Swish! Slice!
“Graaah!”
The black mass fell to the ground.
Amela’s chaos had its arms and legs severed. Yona hadn’t swung a weapon; with just a movement of his gaze, he had cut off its limbs.
Then, Yona’s own chaos swallowed the severed parts whole.
“You’ll never taste freedom again.”
“I will obey. I will serve you and your sister as my masters!”
Despite the humiliation of losing its limbs, Amela’s chaos bowed its head submissively before Yona.