Chapter 666
Episode 169: To the Enemy’s Sanctuary (4)

“A sword…?”

At a glance, there was no sign of the calluses typical of a swordsman on Veradin’s hand.

—The head of the So family is off-limits, Jin Runkandel.

—I’m curious why.

—That child is no longer the Veradin Ziphl you knew. Right now… he’s almost like a newborn.

—A newborn? Could you explain that more clearly, Wraith Captain?

—Literally. Veradin has lost all his memories—language, accumulated knowledge, magic, habits—everything.

This was from a conversation with Octavia during the first meeting of the temporary alliance not long ago.

All of it had been verified as truth by Yuria herself. At the time of that first meeting, Veradin was practically a shell of his former self.

“Could it be that Veradin has changed so much in such a short time?”

The image of him as a newborn was hard to imagine now. Veradin displayed a very businesslike, composed demeanor.

His measured steps carried a sharpness, and along with that, a familiar energy was detected.

“Aura…”

Though faint—barely reaching first rank—it was definitely aura. His mana was even less perceptible than his aura.

A magic swordsman.

For years, Ziphl’s experiments with bio-golems had hinted at the possibility of creating a magic swordsman.

But never did Jin expect to glimpse the potential result through Veradin at a moment like this.

“Veradin Ziphl.”

“Why do you call me?”

“I heard that until recently, you were completely wiped of memories and unable to do anything, but it seems your condition has suddenly improved.”

“It’s been about a week since I could live without others’ help.”

“Have none of your memories of me or Dante returned?”

Veradin stopped abruptly and turned around.

Jin was following slowly, holding the sealed Valeria in his arms.

He couldn’t walk faster. During the five days of continuous flight, Jin had maintained Valeria’s seal without rest, and even now, he was doing the same.

His mana wasn’t depleted, but the mental strain was immense. Sweat beaded on his brow.

“Many have asked about you and the Sword Emperor Lord.”

Veradin stood beside Jin and placed his hand on Valeria’s seal.

Without any special effort, his mana seeped effortlessly into the complex seal. Unlike Jin, who had taken extra precautions.

“I remember nothing.”

“I see.”

Thanks to Veradin’s help maintaining the seal, Jin could walk more comfortably. He didn’t ask about Veradin’s abilities.

“One thing did puzzle me. Why, when so many tried to restore my memories, did they only talk about you and the Sword Emperor Lord, not our own family?”

Their strides matched.

“Curious, isn’t it?”

“Why?”

“It’s strange. Even if you don’t know the Sword Emperor Lord, our families have been mortal enemies for a thousand years. Though we formed a temporary alliance recently, before that, we were always ready to annihilate each other at any chance.”

“Well, it was strange. Especially your personality.”

“Me? Strange?”

Veradin flinched slightly, asking back. It made Jin think some of his old self remained. Maybe Veradin was even teasing him.

But that was all. Even without Yuria’s verification, this Veradin was not the man Jin once knew.

“Yes. You were strange from the start.”

“That only makes me more curious. Care to elaborate?”

“No.”

Jin’s blunt refusal made Veradin shrug in mock disappointment.

After walking a few more minutes, Veradin briefly removed his hand from Valeria’s seal.

“If you won’t tell me, I see no reason to extend any favors.”

“What great favor? It’s just a bit inconvenient. The seal would hold fine without you.”

“Hmm.”

“Besides, your actions don’t align with the purpose of opening the sanctuary. I won’t fail to maintain the seal, but there’s always a ‘what if.’ I’m curious how your family would react then.”

“You really do have an irritating way of speaking…”

Veradin placed his hand back on the seal. Though the situation could be awkward, his expression remained unchanged.

Beyond the door, the path to the sanctuary took on a strange appearance.

The ordinary corridor of stone and metal grew hazy the deeper they went.

Like Orgal’s blurred form.

It was not a scene one would see in the mortal world.

“There was no separate entrance to the pocket dimension, but at some point, the boundary of the world began to blur.”

Like paint being washed away, the colors and textures that made up the space left only faint afterimages.

“How much farther?”

“I cannot say.”

“It wouldn’t be hard to measure time directly. Is that secret too?”

“No. The time to reach the sanctuary varies. It depends on how much the sanctuary welcomes the three of us.”

“So the grand name comes with some mysterious quirks.”

“The last time I came, it took a full fifteen days. That was before I lost my memories completely.”

“Then it makes sense we didn’t prepare extra food, even if it might take that long.”

“Yes. Since the corridor’s afterimages faded… hunger isn’t felt inside the sanctuary. In fact, the more you walk, the lighter your body feels.”

True to that, Jin felt his stamina rapidly recovering after crossing the boundary. His dizzy head from maintaining the seal cleared completely.

Still, he wanted to count his steps to estimate time, but strangely, the fuller his body and mind felt, the more the concept of ‘time’ faded.

Even roughly calculating one second per step became difficult. After a few counts, he found himself starting over.

“Is it because of the time gap between the sanctuary and the mortal world, like other pocket dimensions? A strange sensation.”

Though he couldn’t tell how long they’d walked, soon they spotted a faint green light far ahead.

“Residual energy.”

The same energy glimpsed through Orgal’s steel gate. In the dim, murky landscape, only the residual energy shone brightly.

“We’re here.”

The two approached the green glow and, as if on cue, both placed their hands on it.

Suddenly, it was as if the whole world lit up; everything around them was bathed in blue-green light.

It was no different from the ‘sanctuary centuries ago’ Orgal had shown.

A sea or desert glowing green.

“Now, release Hister’s seal. Once Hister recovers, he will leave the sanctuary immediately.”

Reaching the sanctuary and preparing to break the seal, a wave of unease rose.

What if the residual energy had no effect on Valeria? What if there was no way to reseal her?

Just as these doubts threatened to overwhelm him, Jin saw Valeria stir within the seal.

Before the seal was even broken, she was already reacting to the sanctuary’s residual energy.

The pale seal was turning green.

“You worry too much, coming all this way.”

Veradin seemed to see right through Jin’s thoughts.

“As you said, our families are bitter enemies.”

“There’s a reason we opened the sanctuary to save Hister, even for you. You know that better than anyone.”

“That sounds like a threat to deal with me after reviving Hister right here.”

“Many have suggested that.”

“Octavia and Kadun?”

“No, mostly the elders.”

Jin had come alone with the wounded Valeria deep in enemy territory.

—Only I can face Rosa, so the weight feels heavy. Kinzello still has the variable of Orgal’s recovery, but Ziphl has no secret trump card?

—…There is one.

—I never thought hearing that the enemy has hidden strength would be so welcome. Tell me. This is a question you must answer. We face a common enemy.

—Historical manipulation. But it’s a method impossible without survivors of your ally Hister.

At the first meeting of the temporary alliance, Ronil said Ziphl could face Rosa through ‘historical manipulation.’

So, in truth, Jin coming here now was madness. Without Valeria or allies, he never would have chosen this.

There was no way to escape with help from the Red Owl or Mote here.

If Ziphl broke his promise, Jin would inevitably face a life-or-death crisis.

“But your father opposed it personally. Aren’t you curious why?”

“Because they want to keep using me against Rosa.”

Ziphl and Kinzello didn’t want to lose the only chaos-immune person at this point.

That’s why the highest-level forces from each faction came to support in the Caldaran snowfields.

Jin’s only trust as he entered enemy territory was in that fact—and in his own strength.

“Exactly. I thought the same. The time we have to complete historical manipulation through Hister will likely not be faster than the full awakening of the Harbinger. At this point, you’re definitely a more important card to our family than Hister.”

Whether truth or lie, Veradin now spoke openly about historical manipulation, as if there was no reason to hide it anymore.

“You say I’m the most important piece in G-PL? Doesn’t exactly sound like a compliment. If the guide had been someone else instead of you, I’d probably have taken a hit by now for that remark.”

Jin began slowly breaking Valeria’s seal. It wasn’t because he fully trusted Veradin’s words—he just figured it was best to get her back on her feet and leave as planned.

“And Jin Runkandel.”

“Why?”

“Before I lost my memory, there was one promise I made to you.”

“A promise?”

“That no matter when you showed up unannounced at our family’s doorstep, I would save you at least once.”

—Consider yourself lucky this is the banquet hall.

—Heh, aren’t you being a bit harsh? I know your father showed mercy to my uncle. Since we’re on the subject, I’ll make a promise too: if you ever crash G-PL’s banquet uninvited, I won’t harm you.

That was a conversation from the single-bridge party held just before Jin became a reserve pilot.

Veradin wasn’t recalling the conversation itself, but rather the entry in his nearly full diary.

“It even said you’d cause a terrorist incident within our family, but I’d still save you at least once. How could I not be curious about our connection?”

“You said I was strange back then, right? When we had that talk, we weren’t exactly close. Not even friends, really.”

“Looks like I was the only one who considered you a friend back then. Anyway, if I say I’m going to keep that promise now, does that ease your guard a little?”

Jin forced back a bitter expression and replied, “I’m not exactly convinced, but it’s not the worst thing I’ve heard.”