Chapter 609
Episode 156: Purification of Chaos (13)
“It seems thanks to Miss Valeria and the Catfolk, the purification of the small beastfolk realms is progressing smoothly,” Kashimir said, setting down his teacup.
“The Catfolk’s barrier abilities are truly impressive. They’re managing a ‘complete purification’ that even Runcandel and Ziphl are struggling with,” Quikantel nodded in agreement.
On the table before them lay a letter from Jin to Valeria, asking her to assist the Catfolk in locating the ‘Forgotten Shrine’ of the former Cat Gods.
True to the letter’s request, Valeria was currently working alongside the Catfolk to find the lost shrine—and making swift progress.
“Last time, Valeria mentioned that combining the Catfolk’s barrier powers with the authority over time could boost purification efficiency. Are you aware of that, Kashimir?”
“Yes, I’ve heard. It seems Valeria is gradually opening up to us; she’s been sharing quite a lot, even playing with the kids sometimes. Still, it’s hard to get completely comfortable around her.”
“She’s a sharp one—reminds me of Jin’s cold demeanor. Anyway, the key to enhancing the Catfolk’s barrier with time’s power lies with Enya. She needs to master the flow of time better for it to work.”
“Enya has been training fiercely every day, so she should reach that level soon. Lord Kwaul’s development is also progressing well… By the time Lord Jin returns, many things will have changed. However…”
Kashimir’s eyes narrowed.
“I do worry whether everything will continue to go smoothly. Especially the collusion between the Imperial Court and Ziphl is troubling, but for now, we can’t dig any deeper.”
The whereabouts of Temar’s left arm—the body part held by the Imperial Court—were currently untraceable, even with Valeria’s record magic.
No one knew if it remained solely under the Imperial Court’s control or if it had been shared with Ziphl for new experiments in ‘demonization.’
But judging from the political climate, Kashimir suspected it had already been shared with Ziphl.
“Ziphl’s recent efforts to purify not only the Lutero Magic Federation but also Imperial lands, despite their own struggles, can’t be just about atoning for sins.”
Ziphl’s imperial purification was focused mainly on the eastern regions near the Lutero Magic Federation.
“When the eastern purification is complete and Ziphl regains strength, the Imperial Court will likely choose to fully integrate the eastern territories into the Lutero Magic Federation. The expansion of territory itself isn’t significant, but the key is the technology of demonization.”
“If we can’t find and eliminate the Imperial leaders, this is inevitable. Our priority should be to strengthen the Catfolk’s barriers before Jin returns, and once the small beastfolk realms are purified, apply their barriers to Inse.”
“Yes, I understand. For now, we can only hope Sir Dante will retrieve more information about the demonization. We’ll wait and see.”
In the Garden of Swords, the Tona brothers sat in the courtyard, smoking.
“Ugh, this mission was tough. An eight-star martial artist-level infected… The Kenga must be devastated. They lost their heir apparent, the clan’s top swordsman.”
“We had no choice but to eliminate the infected, but we should visit Kenga soon to pay our respects.”
They had just returned from a mission to purify a contaminated area.
Over the past year and three months, Runcandel had cleared over 70% of the contaminated zones that appeared after the Sword Emperor War.
At this rate, suppressing the chaos invading Runcandel’s territory was only a matter of time. Yet, strangely, reports of ‘chaos-infected’ individuals kept increasing even as purification zones expanded.
Recently, higher-level martial artists and mages were being found infected more frequently.
So far, Runcandel had swiftly subdued them before they caused major damage.
Still, members of the Huepester Alliance felt like they were carrying ticking bombs, never knowing when the next outbreak would occur.
This time, it was Kenga’s heir apparent; last time, an elder from the Tuko family was infected and had to be eliminated.
Even Runcandel’s guardian knights had been infected several times. Despite the truce with Ziphl, the Huepester Alliance’s atmosphere was worse than before.
At least the Lutero Magic Federation was facing a similar situation.
“Man, I’m exhausted. One hour rest, then off to the next mission.”
“This time it’s the Delki Kingdom, right? At least the infected area is far from civilian homes, so fewer casualties.”
“Still, it’s good we can rest here for now.”
They usually used the backyard of the guardian knights’ quarters. Especially when Mew and Anne were on standby inside, they didn’t bother the Tona brothers as much these days.
Not only that, but as riders, Mew and Anne had been making remarkable contributions to purification missions, naturally raising their standing within the clan.
Most clan members understood that Mew and Anne were trying hard not to be purged by Jin when he returned.
Few suspected that Mew and Anne had become the Prophet’s messengers.
“Has it really been over a year since the youngest left for secluded training…?”
“I wonder how he’s doing.”
“He’s probably fine. Who knows how strong he’ll be when he comes back.”
“Mother said she’d make him clan head when he returns, didn’t she?”
“She didn’t say it outright, but it was pretty much implied.”
Secluded training.
Though the truce held, the Huepester Alliance was more chaotic than ever, and Jin had left alone to train.
Yet no one in the clan blamed or looked down on him. They saw it as the final test before ascending the throne.
Jin’s past achievements were the reason. Without him, the Huepester Alliance—and the world—would be in a far worse state.
Besides, Rosa had personally sent him off, so most in Runcandel shared the Tona brothers’ belief: when he returns, Jin will become clan head.
“I still remember how we bullied the youngest for choosing Barisada in the selection ceremony without a second thought.”
“Lucky we survived that.”
“Good thing it was during the Storm Star era; otherwise, we’d have been finished.”
“But even then, we started getting closer to him. Mew and Anne, those crazy… (At this point, Daytona glanced around just in case) girls not bothering us might be because they’re wary of the youngest.”
“If the youngest ever purges those mad dogs (Heytona also looked around nervously), we’ll be the first to back him up! Heh heh, they’re dead meat.”
Bang! Crack!
Suddenly, a loud explosion echoed from the inner courtyard, the main hall.
The Tona brothers’ hearts dropped. They thought Mew and Anne had overheard their gossip and were furious.
“Ah, s-sorry, sisters!”
But the explosion wasn’t caused by Mew and Anne.
“Wait, this isn’t those mad dogs. It’s coming from the main hall! Mew and Anne don’t have that kind of power…!”
Rumble…
The entire Garden of Swords shook as if an earthquake had struck.
Like prey facing a beast, the Tona brothers froze, even knowing it wasn’t Mew and Anne.
Only two people in the clan could radiate such overwhelming energy.
The Black Knight Captain Stam.
And their mother, Rosa Runcandel.
Thud!
“What the… a h-head!?”
A severed head and debris from a destroyed building fell before the Tona brothers.
It was an elder’s head. Seeing it, they sprinted madly toward the main hall, spotting riders and knights running alongside them.
“Me-Merry, sister! What happened!?”
“Daytona, Heytona! You two, don’t go to the main hall. Control the nearby area!”
“Diphus, sir?”
“Riders 10 and 11, control the area! This is an emergency! No information can leak outside! Understood? Take all the guardian knights below senior rank and prepare media control! From now until the situation is resolved, this is the top priority.”
“Y-Yes!”
The Tona brothers disappeared to lead the guardian knights, while Mew and Anne continued running toward the main hall.
The main hall was already devastated, strewn with corpses and injured from those inside.
“…Black Knights and riders below senior rank are forbidden to enter. Everyone else, wait outside!” Stam shouted, guarding the entrance.
Stam, the Black Knights, and senior riders steadied their nerves and entered the ruined main hall.
In the center, a woman engulfed in chaos roared, gripping a sword.
Rosa Runcandel—she had gone berserk.
Diphus and Merry clenched their teeth at the sight.
‘Why now, of all times, would Mother lose control?!’
There was no time to ponder why Rosa had gone berserk. It was an accident no one had anticipated.
Just thirty minutes earlier, Diphus and Merry had held a meeting with her, and she was perfectly fine.
If Rosa didn’t stop rampaging, Runcandel would fall into ruin today. Though the riders and Black Knights were ready to subdue her, managing the aftermath would be impossible.
Rosa was Runcandel’s most vital asset in Sir Shiron’s absence—and the acting clan head.
The moment it became known outside that she was in trouble, Ziphl would light up with fury and come charging.
The ceasefire agreement could only hold as long as Runkandel and Ziphl both felt too burdened to strike each other down completely.
Fortunately—
Rosa stopped roaring the instant she saw the Rider and the Black Knights.
“Acting Governor, are you conscious?”
“Sir Stam…”
“That’s a relief. If you’re able to think clearly, give your orders.”
Thud!
At those words, Rosa plunged her hand into her own chest in a frenzy. Her mind remained in control, but her body refused to obey.
A rapid regeneration was underway where the sword pierced her chest.
Despite her will, her body fought fiercely against the sword trying to pull itself free—until the excessive regeneration drained all her strength.
Before losing consciousness, she managed to issue a command to Stam.
“Make sure… no one speaks of today… to anyone…”
Stam nodded silently.
“I will.”
As Rosa collapsed, Stam carefully withdrew the sword from her chest. Slowly, the chaos that had spread around seeped back into the wound, healing it.
Meanwhile, outside, Mew and Anne spoke calmly.
“Now Mother understands. That if she continues to defy his will, disaster is inevitable.”