Chapter 517
Episode 142: Negotiations (3)
Tikan was still very much under construction. The massive equipment that had once been housed in the Black King’s Mountain Fortress was all being retrofitted and newly installed, so naturally, it was taking time.
Yet, even though the work wasn’t finished, Tikan already possessed over 80% of the old fortress’s defensive power.
That figure was based purely on the equipment brought over from the Black King’s Mountain Fortress. Considering the strength of Jin’s existing comrades and the newly allied blood pact members—though they saw themselves as subordinates—Tikan was effectively the strongest single city outside the two major powers in history.
Among the current small and medium-sized states, none could rival Tikan. Ever since the Ghost Corps and the Black King’s faction merged, Tikan had become a land worthy of being called the Fifth Power.
“Oh, the declaration of the nation is just around the corner…”
Perhaps because of this, Kashimir Alprion, the owner of Tikan, leader of the Seven-Colored Birds, and often misunderstood as a strict mystic, had been unusually tearful lately.
His tears were born from an overwhelming sense of fulfillment, a sensitivity sharpened by entering his forties, the certainty that a long-cherished dream was about to reach its conclusion and a new beginning, and deep gratitude toward his comrades. Kashimir was shedding tears of happiness.
“Oh dear, Lord Kashimir is crying again.”
“Yuria, bring your father a handkerchief. Even Prince Jin is here—what kind of spectacle is this?”
“Why are you crying, Uncle Kashimir?”
Zet, Alisa, and Amela spoke up.
It was the first time in a long while that all the comrades had gathered for a meal. Except for Strawberry Pie—no, Gilly—who had gone out for a walk thanks to Murakan’s persistence, everyone else was seated at the table.
“We’re still not ready to declare the nation,” Jin said.
He wasn’t without emotion himself, but after this mission, a familiar impatience had crept into his heart once more.
“That’s right. As you said, my lord, we’re still lacking. Ziphl and Kinzello are unlikely to strike here anytime soon, but they will try to pressure us whenever they get the chance,” Rata added, and Valkas nodded in agreement.
“The pace of installing the defensive equipment is slower than expected, my lord.”
“I heard it’s because the equipment was specialized for the mountain range where the Black King’s Fortress stood, Sir Valkas.”
“That’s right. Compatibility with Tikan isn’t bad, but it’s not perfect. And as I’ve felt since the days at the Black King’s Fortress, our equipment still has plenty of room for improvement. Thanks to Amela, a lot of upgrades have already been made.”
Amela.
As demonstrated in the Gaipa Archipelago, she was a master of war who wielded the power of chaos.
In the Gaipa Archipelago, fused with Bubar’s chaos, she displayed even greater strength, but even without that, she was the world’s top war equipment operator.
If Valkas represented brute force, Amela was considered better than the entire Black King’s faction combined when it came to ‘war’ itself.
“That’s why, even though not all the equipment is installed yet, we’re already at 80% power. Watching Amela enhance the equipment, I realized something: it can still get better. It means we can exceed twice the power of the old Black King’s faction.”
“Is that really possible?”
“Absolutely, my lord!”
Amela waved her hand outside the bushy cloak she wore.
Jin felt a bit awkward. They had fought fiercely in the Gaipa Archipelago, and after Yona’s verification was complete, Amela had passed out, so they hadn’t exchanged a single word before returning to the Sota Desert.
But now, Amela was acting very familiar, calling Jin ‘my lord’ alongside Valkas and Rata. That was because her chaos had been subdued by Yona, and at her core, she had a somewhat friendly, childlike personality. It seemed she no longer feared Jin or Murakan.
“Most of Sir Valkas’s equipment is a product of modern magical engineering. But some are relics—what people call masterpieces. Like your helmet, my lord. I don’t think Sir Valkas realized that, being a bit of a fool, our little darlings.”
Before meeting Jin, Amela had spent her life as a mercenary and explorer, wandering the world alongside chaos. Because of that, few knew more about relics and artifacts than she did.
“Heh, to be called ‘sir’ by someone my age…”
“Damn it, don’t call me ‘darling’…!”
Amela’s appearance, hidden beneath the bushes, looked younger than not only Jin but even Enya, so Valkas felt oddly wounded. Rata and Fey, however, reacted strongly to the word ‘darling.’
“Masterpiece?”
“Likely made by demons or the old Ziphl. For example, what Sir Valkas calls the Black King Cannon No. 1—I think it should be called a ‘Mana-Absorbing Injection-Type All-Weather Accelerated Shatter Cannon.’ Sir Valkas didn’t know that and was using it as a regular cannon.”
“Mana-absorbing… what? Wow, our Lady Amela can even use such complicated terms. Did you understand that, my lord?”
“Mana-Absorbing Injection-Type All-Weather Accelerated Shatter Cannon…?”
Jin, who was used to long formal names from reading academy critiques, was familiar with such terminology.
“Ha, as expected of my lord.”
“If we can restore its full function, it will be the strongest cannon in existence. Hmm… compared to what? Let’s see… Kojak! Kojak’s Mana-Input Injection-Type All-Weather Shatter Cannon. I think this one would be even stronger.”
Just from the slightly different names, the former did sound more powerful. Whether Amela’s claim was true, Jin couldn’t say.
“If that’s true, how did such a weapon end up in the Black King’s Fortress? Back when the Black King’s faction existed independently, they often exchanged engineers with Ziphl or the royal court for equipment repairs. They wouldn’t have ignored a cannon with such mana-related capabilities.”
“Darling, that’s a cute question. Did they send their best people to the Black King’s faction? No, they only sent second-rate, leftover types, so maybe they didn’t recognize it. It’s something you can figure out with just a little thought.”
“Is that really so?”
“Yeah, darling’s an Amela fan!”
“Oh, anyway, whatever it is, it’s an incredible cannon, right? Can Lady Amela restore it?”
Enya asked, and Amela shook her head. Held by Rata, she could barely turn her neck, so only the bushes moved.
“No, uh, I can’t. Ah, my bones… I got hit! Wait! Not enough skill. And I don’t even know if there’s anyone in the world who can restore it.”
“My lord, whether Amela’s words are true or not, it seems we need to recruit a proper magical engineer. There are many pieces of equipment to improve, and above all, we need to find clues about that mechanical device we obtained in the Sota Desert.”
An item that could change the course of the upcoming war.
The prophet had described the machine Jin acquired to Rosa in those terms.
‘Mother didn’t hear the exact purpose of that item from the prophet. If she had, she would have told me—it would surely benefit our family.’
Of course, the prophet might have been lying or simply didn’t know the machine’s purpose.
But it wouldn’t have been left with the blueprints for no reason. They had to find out why.
To do that, they needed the help of a genius magical engineer, along with Hister’s record magic.
“Zet.”
“Yes, my lord!”
“If Aria contacts you, inform me immediately.”
Since leaving the Wantaramo Forest last year and spending time with Yona, Jin hadn’t met Valeria even once.
She held the corpse of the Biment Mine from the forest as evidence to pressure the royal court later.
She was analyzing the iron from Kinzello’s squad leader that Jin had obtained at the Sword Emperor Castle, along with the recording devices Jin had given her, and was tracking Temar’s tomb while restoring Hister’s magic.
The lack of contact meant either no progress or that she was in danger—one of the two.
‘Or perhaps she’s already entered the next inheritance site.’
Along with Valeria, Misha had also been out of contact, which made Jin somewhat uneasy.
“Of course, my lord. Oh dear, no news is good news. Don’t worry too much. Though the messages are sparse, what could possibly happen to such a capable young lady?”
“I hope so. Hey, Murakan. Misha-sama…”
“My lord, Murakan went out for a walk with Gilly… Ah, here they come! Huh? What’s with the giant toad? Are you riding Lord Talaris’s eye-toad mote?”
Ryu and Hiten, the Seven Archers of the Secret Palace seated at the table, jumped up and saluted.
“Greetings, Your Highness!”
“Greetings, Your Highness!”
On the eye-toad mote were not only Murakan and Gilly but also their owners.
Next to them stood Kuzan, Beris, and Julian, looking dazed as if they were attendants.
“Hmph, son-in-law. Long time no see!”
“You’re here, Lord Talaris, Lady Siris.”
“Why is it that our son-in-law never calls his mother-in-law at gatherings like this?”
“Did you not receive an invitation from Lucas Manfran?”
“Ah, I guess we missed each other. Almost felt hurt again, ha ha ha… Ha! Unbelievable. On the way here, I heard from this handsome Black Dragon brother that some strange thing has latched onto our son-in-law.”
It was about Sandra Ziphl.
At those words, Siris sighed as if she no longer had the strength to argue with her mother.
“Surely the son-in-law doesn’t have feelings for the enemy family’s daughter, does he?”
“Mother, even though he’s a Ziphl, he’s been a great help to Jin.”
“Hmph, you’re so stiff about it. Can’t you even joke around?”
“It wasn’t a casual decision.”
Of course, Siris absolutely did not care about Sandra Ziphl.
But even as her friend, she couldn’t imagine betraying the Bikyung just to help Jin. Yet somehow, knowing that Sandra had done just that left her with a strange feeling.
“If it were me before, I’d have just scoffed at how foolish and reckless she was. Seems meeting Jin has changed me a bit too.”
Talaris shrugged.
“Hmph, I’m grateful too. But that doesn’t mean you should embarrass your mother like this in front of everyone. I am still the Lady of the Bikyung, you know.”
“My apologies, Mother.”
“Heh, that was a joke. Don’t be so uptight!”
“Ugh, seriously.”
“Anyway, teasing my daughter is half the fun. But really, it’s nice to see all three of the great mercenaries gathered here, laughing and eating together. The man I chose as my son-in-law sure has his charm… So, what were you all talking about?”
“Magic absorption, injection-type, all-weather acceleration…”
Just as Jin began to answer—
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout Tikan. Devices set up by the Black King’s faction were triggering the warning.
Waaaaaahhh!
The alarm was caused by an unidentified object detected in the sky. And the one who set off the alarm was none other than the figure who had recently escorted Jin’s group through the Sota Desert—
Zeppelin.