Chapter 661
Episode 167: Temar’s Fifth Tomb (5)

From that point on, the two of them began wandering through the pocket dimension like any ordinary siblings searching for something together.

Luntia was still exhausted, so her pace was slow. But ever since her mind had cleared, she had started to sense the lingering “other energy” within the space.

[When I was lost in madness, I couldn’t perceive it at all. But now that I’m sane again, the chaos and that other energy inside this space feel much clearer. It might even explain why this pocket dimension shattered.]

The “other energy” Luntia referred to was magic.

No matter how much Jin heightened his senses, he couldn’t feel that magic like Luntia could. The madness clouding his perception was simply too thick.

If he had to search alone without Luntia’s help, it would have been like trying to find a needle in a desert.

“Is Hister badly injured?”

[Yes. I can only apologize.]

“It wasn’t your fault, sister. If she’s still alive, we can somehow help her recover.”

[What worries me is what I said when I was mad—if she’s accepted the chaos. If not, she wouldn’t have survived such injuries. My sword pierced her chest…]

“As I mentioned earlier, the magic I first saw had no trace of madness. Even if the recorded magic was set before she was hurt, if Hister had been tainted by chaos, the magic would have been distorted or disappeared. So don’t blame yourself too much.”

[You said you wouldn’t have abandoned the nursemaid even if you were in my place. But if it were you… you would have made a better choice than I did.]

“No, that’s not true. Besides, if the prophet’s goal was to retrieve Sir Fadler from the tomb, then your initial entry here wasn’t to track Hister. I was shocked when I got this lock of hair from the knights guarding outside.”

[Hister crossed paths with the knights several times during the tomb search. I think that’s when they got the hair. After Ronil Ziphl lost her, I took over as Fadler’s replacement.]

On the day Ronil lost Valeria, Luntia hadn’t yet been consumed by chaos, nor had she become the master of the pocket dimension in Fadler’s stead.

From the start, Luntia wasn’t pursuing Hister; she was simply searching for Temar’s tomb, and her path happened to intersect with Valeria’s.

In fact, Valeria benefited from Luntia’s years of searching.

By spying on Luntia’s exploration, she gained the crucial clue that the tomb was in the Caldren snowfields.

“So that means… the people searching for Temar’s tomb and those tracking Hister were separate groups. You were in the former.”

[Exactly. Before coming to this pocket dimension, I was never ordered to kill or capture Hister. I suspected the Black Knight or the Black Sword Society’s first squad might have had such orders.]

Luntia’s attack on Valeria in the tomb was purely because she was overwhelmed by the madness of chaos, unable to control her murderous rage. It wasn’t an order.

Jin was finally beginning to understand the situation.

Why Valeria had rushed into the tomb without leaving any message to Tikan.

“Rosa and the prophet must have thought you’d disapprove of Valeria being tracked. Besides, since they planned to make you the master of the pocket dimension anyway, they only let you search for the tomb to avoid unnecessary resentment.”

In other words, Rosa and the prophet were aware of the bond between Luntia and Jin.

Especially after Jin declared himself head of the family, Rosa saw how much Luntia had changed and judged that she could easily side with Jin.

So from Rosa’s perspective, the best choice was to use Luntia to the fullest, then trap her in the tomb.

There were few souls as pure and strong as Luntia’s, capable of replacing Fadler.

If Luna had been in the Sword Garden, and if she had a weakness like Risham, Rosa wouldn’t have hesitated to use her to retrieve Fadler.

Time flows differently in the pocket dimension and the mortal world.

Because of this, Jin grew increasingly anxious as time passed, though he kept it hidden.

He knew Luntia was doing her best despite her broken body.

And once Jin left the tomb, Luntia would be alone for a while.

Trapped in this lonely, dreadful space, consumed by the madness of chaos.

No one could say when Jin would be able to find her again.

They didn’t know how long it would take for the chaos purifier to fully cleanse the corruption, and Rosa was likely to strengthen the Caldren snowfield’s borders after today.

As they walked, Jin told his sister about everything that had happened.

Luntia laughed with envy and joy when she heard about his experiences in Lafrarosa, but her expression grew heavy when he recounted the events after his return.

[So you fought with Sir Fadler too… I can’t even imagine how much pain you must have felt facing those consumed by chaos. It must have been terrible facing Sir Ron, Sir Fadler, and now me.]

“Of course it was painful. But just like now, when I’m talking with you like siblings who get along well, I’ll restore Sir Fadler to his original self. Just like we finally overcame chaos together with the late Sir Ron.”

[I think I understand why Luna cared so much about you. I wish I had gotten closer to you sooner.]

“I haven’t exactly been the first to approach you either. Of course, after the headship declaration, we both secretly liked each other.”

[It’s been a while since I felt this awkward. But… come to think of it, didn’t you say the way into here was through a sword belonging to a knight named Hedo?]

“That’s right.”

[Ilina also said she needed a certain item to swap me with Sir Fadler. But unlike the sword you used like a key, it seemed to be a one-time consumable. She didn’t say there was only one, but that was the impression I got.]

“Probably both Hedo’s sword and the item the prophet used on you and Sir Fadler are connected to the old Runcandel. In my case, my spirit energy interacted with Hedo’s sword, and for you, the prophet must have made the item interact with chaos.”

[I don’t understand why Ziphl’s monstrous butler has such an item.]

“He didn’t seem to know much about the sword himself. If Ziphl had known its true nature, he would have managed it more carefully.”

[Then did Hister also have an item related to the old Runcandel? She didn’t use any power besides magic.]

How on earth had Valeria entered this tomb?

Jin had been wondering the same.

“Judging from my and the prophet’s cases, even if an item is related to old Runcandel, if you can’t use spirit energy or chaos, it’s probably impossible to enter the tomb. Maybe the recording devices I gave Solderet were the key.”

He wouldn’t know until he heard it directly from Valeria.

Luntia’s pace was quickening.

Not because she had regained some strength, but because, just as Jin was considerate of her, she was desperately trying to find Hister even a second faster.

[We’re close… The strange sensation coming through the pocket dimension is growing stronger.]

Luntia pointed at a distant empty space.

[There. I’ve pushed myself, but… I can’t walk any further.]

Without being connected to the pocket dimension, she couldn’t recover her body.

Her legs had stiffened completely, like stone statues, unable to move.

[Go on ahead, youngest. I’ll wait here. Don’t reconnect me to the pocket dimension… I’ll attack you the moment you do.]

“Understood, sister.”

The closer Jin got to the spot Luntia indicated, the faster his heart pounded.

Now, Jin could feel Valeria’s magic just like Luntia.

Her magic was faint and unstable, like a flickering flame about to go out.

“Valeria.”

Jin stopped and called her name.

No answer, no response.

He called her several more times, then closed his eyes and raised his senses and spirit energy.

Thanks to the energy he’d regained while walking, he could summon his spirit sword technique once.

He felt he had to cut through the pocket dimension directly to check.

‘I have to be careful not to hurt Valeria when slicing through the space.’

Reading the faint magic flowing out, he gauged the depth.

Soon, he found the right distance and swung his spirit sword.

Swoosh!

The space opened.

“No!”

It wasn’t Luntia’s voice.

It was Neru, the gravekeeper of the Myoin tribe.

“Neru…!?”

Jin hadn’t expected Neru to appear from beyond the space.

Neru stood with her short arms spread wide, gritting her teeth.

She was unconsciously adopting a stance to protect something.

[Jin…? Is that really you, Jin Runcandel?]

Jin forgot to answer and looked past Neru to the person she was guarding.

Valeria Hister, trapped inside a coffin of ice.

As Luntia had said, a large black wound was visible in the center of Valeria’s chest.

“Valeria!”

As Jin stepped inside the space, Neru exhaled deeply.

[Jin, Valeria sealed herself. The wound was too deep; this was the only way.]

She was alive.

Jin had assumed so since her magic remained, but seeing Valeria with his own eyes made something hot rise in his throat.

“So, Neru, have you been with Valeria all this time?”

[Yes, from the moment I entered here. Luntia Runcandel doesn’t know this. Luntia Runcandel…? Could the person behind you be…?]

“It’s a long story to explain. For now, let’s get moving, Neru. Judging by the magic, the seal won’t hold much longer.”

[Yeah, I’ve already made a way out. Valeria can’t move, so she’s been stuck inside.]

Neru pulled the Cat God’s claw from his pocket.

It was a treasured item the Myoin tribe had kept safe thanks to Valeria back in the Vantaramo Forest.

As Neru prepared to use the claw to open a portal out of the pocket dimension, Jin glanced back at Runtia.

She waved her hand, urging them to hurry.

Like their first meeting after the declaration of the Gaju, the two communicated silently, reading each other’s thoughts.

“I’ll be back soon, sister.”

“Take care, little one.”

The portal to the outside opened, and Runtia stood there for a long moment, staring blankly at the spot where they had vanished.