Episode 515
Chapter 142: Negotiations (Part 1)
The Tower of White Night.
Even in the barren heart of the desert, the Tower of White Night had always emitted a soft, steady glow. But after the Sota Desert Incident, it had lost its magic and now stood in a pitiful state.
On the rooftop, shattered by a massive hole, stood three elderly men and a dragon who had taken human form.
Kelliak, Kadun, Octavia, and Hedo. Kelliak sat in a chair shaped by his magic, all of them gazing out over the Sota Desert.
The desert still bore the scars of battle.
An underground drying facility had exploded, causing the ground to collapse and form a grotesque, vast chasm. The blowing sandstorms carried embers and heat.
Flames and electrical discharges erupted like tumors across the desert, and despite days of firefighting efforts, there was no sign of them dying down. The remains of fallen dragons and destroyed auxiliary ships littered the area.
Twelve dragons had died, forty-three auxiliary ships were destroyed, and eight squads of phantoms along with 250 mages had perished.
Additionally, some auxiliary ship blueprints and “machines” had been seized.
“Since the Holy Kingdom’s defense war 500 years ago, this is the first time our family has suffered such a blow,” Kelliak said quietly.
Kadun scoffed. “That was nothing compared to this.”
Though he spoke casually, Kadun was the most troubled among them.
The reemergence of the demon realm’s Duke family and Murakan, who seemed to have regained much of his old power, weighed heavily on him.
It felt like a nightmare coming back to life.
Of course, Murakan had only recovered about half of his prime strength, but those who heard Hedo’s report were mistaken.
The world’s misunderstanding of Murakan’s powerlessness, which began with the Black King Incident, was only growing.
“Even though you were there, Runkandel managed to escape. So Kadun’s fear of Murakan isn’t unfounded.”
“I never said I was afraid.”
“You did, right after the Black King Incident.”
“Do you have to say that where everyone can hear?”
“…Not only the riders and Murakan, but Kinzello and their demons were a problem too. From the circumstances, it seems that a demon named Bianca Caligo wounded Lord Hedo.”
Octavia’s additional explanation made Kelliak and Kadun nod.
“Unlike Ainas Caligo, Bianca Caligo displayed strength on the level of a first-class superhuman. It’s thanks to Lord Hedo that the damage was limited.”
“Right. Without Hedo, this place would have been wiped off the map, Kelliak. And your daughter would either be dead or captured as an enemy test subject or prisoner.”
“The girl’s decision to evacuate all the tower’s forces beforehand was excellent. If everyone had been here, it would have been a massacre. Because of that, some of my subordinates seem to have earned Lord Hedo’s dislike…”
“Your daughter sometimes makes brilliant decisions based on strange instincts. That’s the only thing Sandra inherited from you.”
Hedo said nothing, his gaze fixed on the distant desert.
Since serving Sandra, he had taken to lying more than ever in his life, but this was the first time it felt so serious.
“If there’s anything you wish for, say it, Lord Hedo.”
“Just not holding me responsible for failing to guard the treasury is enough.”
“That’s not your fault. Don’t be shy—tell me.”
“…A few days’ leave would be appreciated. Including the young lady.”
Kelliak smiled faintly. Hedo found it uncomfortable to meet the gaze of someone who seemed to see through everything.
“Consider it done. Ten days. You may leave immediately.”
“Then I will report back after I return, Master.”
Hedo left immediately after Kelliak finished speaking.
It was mainly because lying repeatedly made him unbearably uncomfortable, but the others admired his broad back as he walked away.
“I like how confident Lord Hedo looks.”
“That man is definitely a treasure of Ziphl, Kelliak. You better hold on tight so he doesn’t get any ideas.”
“Indeed, I must. But anyway…”
Kelliak’s gaze shifted between the Lomin Forest and the central border.
The place where Joshua had unleashed the volcano at the end of the battle was still inaccessible to restoration crews.
“That power was definitely from Chaos, wasn’t it, Octavia?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Runkandel and Chaos… both in the infiltration and the power he showed at the end. This confirms my suspicion. The Prophet of Calamity is with Runkandel.”
The Prophet of Calamity.
Since Solderet disappeared, Ziphl had been relentlessly tracking her.
As far as Ziphl knew, the last human to communicate with Solderet was their former master, Riol Ziphl.
There had been other contractors since, but none were recorded to have communicated with Solderet.
So Ziphl had assumed Solderet had lost her power—or had sealed herself to avoid breaking the pact.
That was until Jin appeared, and until evidence surfaced that the Prophet of Calamity was with Runkandel.
“And Joshua Runkandel openly using the Prophet’s power like this could be proof that Siron has reached the Black Sea’s Five Kings’ territory.”
“Yes, Master. Siron Runkandel would never have allowed such an unstable power to be used. Still, it’s surprising. He must have known about the Prophet’s existence… so this proves he tolerated it. Maybe he thought there was no other way.”
“No, that’s not it. That monster isn’t weak enough to rely on anything but himself.”
“Then why…?”
“Well, maybe he hoped his children and followers would overcome even the Prophet of Calamity through Runkandel’s values and struggle.”
“He must know that when his time ends and we regain our old power, Runkandel will surely be destroyed. Would he really make that choice? I think he must have had some hope in the prophecy.”
“He’s different from us. He’s an old-fashioned man.”
Suddenly, Kelliak’s appearance began to grow younger.
His wrinkled face and hands smoothed out, his rough hair regained its shine. In an instant, the mischievous face of a boy appeared—no one would recognize him as Kelliak Ziphl.
“Anyway, we can’t start an all-out war just on the suspicion that Siron has entered the Black Sea’s Five Kings’ territory. Moreover, the enemy’s strength, newly confirmed by this incident, exceeds our expectations.”
Runkandel and Kinzello.
This incident reaffirmed Ziphl’s understanding of their power—the Prophet of Calamity, the demon dragon, the demon realm’s Duke family, and more.
And that’s probably not all.
“Is this the price of arrogance earned from reigning as the world’s strongest for a thousand years? My bones ache a little. We deliberately drew them out to confirm their strength, yet we suffered the greatest damage.”
“Hmph, see? I told you it wasn’t the time to be idly staring into crystal balls. They even stole blueprints and machines. They’ll only grow stronger.”
“So from now on, we need to be more cautious. We have to speed up all our plans.”
The completion of the Demon God Stone, confirming whether Siron has entered the Black Sea’s Five Kings’ territory, verifying and reinterpreting Runkandel’s prophecy, restoring ancient civilization, uncovering Solderet’s true intentions, tracking Temar’s tomb—all these must accelerate and come to fruition.
For that, one person was absolutely necessary.
“We’ll allocate more manpower and resources to find the last survivor of the Hister family.”
“Do we even have the manpower left? When will all this be repaired?”
“That’s a hint for you to work harder, Kadun.”
“Ah, that’s frustrating!”
“I should get moving too…”
“Really!? You’re finally going to stop wasting time staring into crystal balls?”
“Yes.”
Valeria Hister.
She was the key to all the great powers. The key to victory, the key to delaying defeat, the key to new opportunities.
“Maybe we’ll have to sit at the negotiating table with Rosa Runkandel again. If we meet over the Hister matter, it’ll be a much worse deal than before, though.”
Kinzello Headquarters.
High-ranking officers, including Vishkel and Berakt, wore troubled expressions as they alternated their gaze between the tightly closed commander’s office and the ship Grnil docked behind it.
Since the Black King Incident, the commander had never fully awakened. And now, with Zephyrin and the ship Grnil using his power again, his condition was worsening.
Creak! Bang! Kuddudududu…!
The half-destroyed Grnil groaned and dropped parts even when left standing still, adding to the officers’ complicated feelings.
“So, our deputy commander! He used me as bait perfectly. I’ve never seen someone so clever.”
“Ha ha ha, even though Vishkel looks cold-blooded, he’s a good guy. He even buys us sweet potato croquettes every time.”
“Yeah, these are delicious. I’ll have to ask for them every day from now on. Anyway, if the deputy commander hadn’t used me as bait, I’d probably be captured. Those humans are stronger than I thought… ugh. But compared to our sister, they’re just mayflies.”
“To Vishkel! A toast!”
“Alright, Bubar! Sweet potato croquettes, cheers!”
Only two people, Bubar and Ainas, were excitedly chatting away.
Ainas had no idea that she had never been used as bait, and that Vishkel had only been reluctant to use the ship’s power to rescue her because he thought it was a waste.
In the end, though, it was true that she had been saved.
Following Zephyrin’s signal flare, the ships Grnil and Bianca moved away, with Ziphl in pursuit. Meanwhile, Joshua triggered the volcano’s eruption, and Ainas quickly faded from everyone’s minds on the battlefield.
Hearing the two of them cackling and chortling nearby, Vishkel was genuinely losing his hair.
Holding a handful of fallen strands in his palm, he struggled to suppress the urge to throttle them on the spot.
“Cut it out, you demons. Stop tormenting the poor vice-captain.”
Zephyrin smacked Bubar and Ainas on the head.
“That’s right. No matter how much you love your brother, there’s a limit to everything. And the captain isn’t just dealing with this incident—he’s lying over there trying to nurse Mr. Bubar back to health. Maybe you should keep it down for once?”
Margiela stood beside Zephyrin and added, “Honestly, I think you two should just go sulk over there. I’m furious enough that we got played by Jin Runkandel, but now Joshua Runkandel, who they tried to take hostage, blew himself up… Do you get how I feel? I’m really, really pissed off.”
At Zephyrin’s words, Bubar and Ainas broke into nervous, cold sweats and hurried off somewhere with quick, shuffling steps.
“Uh… sorry, Captain. My little brother… he’s still a good kid.”
“I know, I know, Princess Bianca.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Bianca bowed repeatedly on Ainas’s behalf and quickly followed her brother away.
Zephyrin let out a deep sigh, unable to help but wonder if these really were the ones destined to carry the future of the demon race.
“So, what will you do now, Zephyrin?” Margiela asked.
Zephyrin gritted his teeth. “Jin Runkandel… that damn man. I’ll have to negotiate with him. But if he tries to toy with me again, I swear, I’ll find a way to kill him no matter what…”