Episode 500
Chapter 138: The White Night’s Tower Keeper (6)

Sandra fell through the air, arms wide open, a radiant smile lighting up her face.

To anyone unaware of the situation or her eccentric behavior, it would have looked like a lover greeting their long-lost partner with heartfelt joy.

“Is that… Sandra Ziphl!?”

“Did she just call Jin ‘mine’!?”

“Is there some kind of connection between the 12th cohort and Sandra Ziphl?”

Joshua, Dipus, and Jane all stared up at Sandra, eyes wide with disbelief.

Her sudden appearance and calling Jin ‘hers’ was absurd enough, but the fact that the monstrous Hedo immediately looked flustered at her words was downright shocking.

Thud!

With an agility and lightness unbefitting a mage, Sandra landed about ten steps away from Jin.

“Kya-ha-ha! I thought you’d catch me and hold me like a hero. But you just dodged so casually?”

“There are some people it’s better to avoid.”

“How do you like my outfit today? It’s a special order recommended by the Golden Phoenix Guild. Not bad, right?”

Jin’s gaze wasn’t on her black coat and shirt, reminiscent of her conquest of Runcandel, but on the golden prosthetic arm she wore. He even recognized the engraving inside—it was his own face.

Right arm… That’s just about right.

“What do you mean, ‘just right’?”

“It’s still too soon to give up everything. The right arm is neither too much nor too little. After all, it’s only the first day of our relationship.”

The memory of their conversation on the Gaipa Archipelago sent another shiver down his spine.

Everyone who had been fighting was now speechless, the only sounds left were the crashing debris and the blaring alarms echoing from above.

Jin simply nodded.

It wasn’t difficult. The prosthetic suited his taste, and more importantly, it seemed like it might help them get through this nightmare just a little bit easier.

“That’s a relief! If you’d tricked me, I was ready to wipe out those cute little rat creatures, the ‘Jwisoonis.’ I’d have sent that dumb muscle pig to do it… Damn musclehead… Damn it! Hedo! What are you going to do about this? How will you take responsibility?”

Waaahhhhhh!

The alarm blared louder and louder. Outside, Drakka’s dragons had already taken to the skies, and the warship Kojek was preparing to launch.

“You promised I’d have dinner with Jin!”

“…There have been some complications, miss.”

“Complications? Complications!? At a moment like this? Are you trying to get me killed? Do you know how long I’ve waited?”

The Runcandels couldn’t make sense of it. The way that monster was so flustered by Sandra was utterly surreal.

And at that moment, Jin realized why Hedo hadn’t ‘actively’ tried to kill him.

It was because of Sandra’s orders.

His feelings were complicated.

The fact that he might be surviving thanks to Sandra was, naturally, more humiliating than reassuring.

The enemy’s bizarre antics were somehow working to their advantage.

If not for Yona, if not for Sandra…

This mission was already a failure. They might have escaped, but the Runcandels would have suffered heavy losses without any gain.

It wasn’t just Ziphl and Hedo who were complacent. Runcandel and I also underestimated this.

But now was not the time for regrets or self-blame.

They could fix the problems later. Today’s humiliation would be repaid with a far greater vengeance.

At least the enemy didn’t account for all these variables.

So now, Jin had to be the first to read these unexpected factors perfectly.

For some reason, Hedo values Sandra Ziphl’s orders above all else. But since Sandra and I probably won’t be having dinner together after all, he’s only trying to let me live. To avoid incurring Sandra’s wrath.

“If you have anything you want to take from here, leave it behind. Then I’ll let you live—for now.”

Guessing the reason behind Hedo’s words, Jin was bothered by the phrase ‘let you live—for now.’

After recovering the blueprints, Hedo planned to kill everyone except me and Murakan.

Not just Joshua, Dipus, and Jane, but even the hapless Phantom Corps who had been playing the role of pitiable shrimp. Jin was certain.

The reason he wants to eliminate the Phantom Corps is either to erase evidence that he prioritized Sandra’s orders over his family, or simply to avoid trouble. And the reason he called the main force despite the risk of me dying is because if it becomes known that we stole the ship’s blueprints and escaped, it could harm Sandra too.

His head burned with the flood of thoughts.

Not just Murakan and me, but all of Runcandel must survive. At least until we get out of the Second Tower!

Drakka’s main force would come as reinforcements, and even after escaping the Second Tower, they’d face brutal battles.

To increase their chances of breaking through and escaping the Lutero Magic Federation, Yona, Dipus, Jane, and even Joshua had to survive.

What should I do? I need a way to negotiate with the Tower Keeper.

Just as he reached that thought, Jin spotted something familiar far beyond Hedo’s back, among the fleet filling the open sky…

The word that came to mind was simple:

Divine Providence.

The heavens are on my side. Or maybe this was destined from the moment they arrived.

Jin quickly decided how to use this new variable revealed in the sky.

He also knew he couldn’t miss the chance to learn as much as possible about Hedo.

Jin pressed a blade to Sandra Ziphl’s neck. Even with the cold steel at her throat, she seemed only pleased to be close to him.

“Clear the way, Tower Keeper.”

Hedo shrugged at Jin’s words.

“You think taking the lady hostage will work? You must know that’s meaningless. Didn’t you learn that in the Gaipa Archipelago?”

“Of course, I know Sandra Ziphl is half-immortal. But that fact hasn’t been made public yet, has it? And if it becomes known that Sandra tried to help me escape, it won’t be good for either you or her.”

“I’ve said it many times already. Return the blueprints, and I’ll spare your life.”

“I keep giving the same answer. I stole nothing. And when I say ‘clear the way,’ I mean don’t harm any of the Runcandel here. Not just me and Murakan.”

Hedo’s gaze hardened.

“Don’t you think you’re making unreasonable demands in the heart of enemy territory?”

“Even if you block me, I’m confident I can get Sandra out of here. Then, do you think you can keep that strange woman quiet? There are limits to controlling the media.”

“You’re crossing the line.”

“No matter how fierce the battle during our escape, Sandra won’t die. Her half-immortality actually works in our favor.”

“You speak confidently, but you must know it’s impossible to get out of the Lutero Magic Federation with the lady. Only you and Murakan will leave.”

Jin shook his head firmly.

“This is my final warning. Clear the way, Tower Keeper.”

Frustrated, Hedo pulled out a cigarette.

The 12th cohort’s obsession with the lady is because they need insurance. But even if I let him go, he can’t shake off the main force’s pursuit. Why is he so stubborn? I thought he wasn’t that foolish.

Whether Hedo stepped aside or not, without divine providence, all the Runcandel here were doomed.

That’s what Hedo had believed since calling the main force.

His plan to kill everyone except Jin and Murakan was purely for appearances.

So he’d have an excuse when Kelliac questioned him later. Even though he lost Jin and Murakan due to carelessness, he could claim he killed the rest.

“Hmph, darling.”

Sandra, who had been happily staring at Jin’s profile, finally spoke.

“I get why you’re doing this. You hate that damn musclehead, right? I want to tear him apart today too. How dare he put you in danger… But shouldn’t we consider Hedo’s position a little?”

Surprisingly, she had read every hidden nuance between Jin and Hedo’s conversation. She understood Jin needed insurance, and Hedo needed an excuse.

But she hadn’t noticed the change in the sky above, too absorbed in admiring Jin’s side profile.

“If we all get out safely, neither Hedo nor I will be completely safe. We’ll be questioned for sure. You don’t want that, right? Our married life hasn’t even properly started, and if I end up locked in some family dungeon torture chamber, you’d be sad too, wouldn’t you?”

“Torture chamber? You won’t end up in a place like that.”

“Hedo, shut up! I’m handling this!”

Sandra snapped fiercely, then smiled and turned her gaze back to Jin.

“So, just the three of us—me, the black dragon, and you—let’s escape quietly. That way, you’ll almost certainly survive. I’ll be the bait. No one gets hurt, and we get a little escape adventure date!”

She seemed to consider the rest of the Runcandel as less than human.

Instead of answering, Jin met Hedo’s gaze.

“The tower keeper still doesn’t understand why I’m so stubborn, does he?”

Jin pointed with his finger to the sky behind Hedo.

“Look up there, and you might start thinking my proposal isn’t such a bad idea after all.”

Hedo turned around.

In the sky floated over a hundred Ziphl flying drones, but strangely, only one among them was shining a light.

That ship wasn’t one of the Ziphl’s.

It was the Grnil.

The flagship of Kinzel, the one that had struck the Black Emperor Star.

The Grnil’s cannons were aimed at the motionless drones.

“Why don’t we let you go, and you take care of that? I can’t think of a better reason for you and your lady to do so.”

Jin smiled, while Hedo snapped his cigarette in half, his face tightening.