Episode 67
Chapter 23: The Ghost Blade Kashimir (Part 2)
Kashimir was essentially the very reason Jin and his group had come to Tikan. How to approach him had been a pressing question.
And yet, here he was, showing up of his own accord—completely unexpected.
“What’s going on?”
Jin and Murakan instinctively stepped forward, positioning themselves in front of Gilly.
Leaning casually against the doorframe, Kashimir shrugged his shoulders. The long curved sword at his waist was striking—a blade that had felled hundreds of formidable foes, earning him the moniker “Ghost Blade.”
“Oh dear. Have I disturbed your rest?”
Murakan smiled wryly, clearly amused. Jin’s mind raced, trying to piece together why Kashimir had come here.
“It can’t be about what happened in Akin. The captain of the guards must have tipped him off about our location. The innkeeper probably saw the seal and contacted the captain.”
But why?
They had only just arrived in Tikan a couple of hours ago. They hadn’t caused any trouble—just quietly enjoying their vacation.
There was no reason yet for Kashimir to show any interest.
Suddenly, Yuria came to mind.
“Could it be? Did Yuria tell Alisa about Murakan’s transformation? And since Alisa knew that transformation was a dragon’s power, did she report it to Kashimir?”
Jin quickly ran through the possibilities.
“If Kashimir took the word of a mere child like Yuria seriously enough to assume we’re dragons, that means he’s desperate. The captain of the guards, as his close aide, probably knew about this.”
That wasn’t such a bad situation.
“The armed knights posted outside the hallway aren’t there to intimidate us. They’re probably a precaution in case we end up fighting a dragon.”
Otherwise, there’d be no need to station them outside. If they wanted to scare them, they’d have come inside.
Jin also figured that Kashimir evacuating everyone from the inn was part of the same cautious approach.
“Not just this inn, but likely all the nearby civilians were evacuated. If a dragon were to rage because of his presence, the whole area could be destroyed in an instant.”
It took Jin only seconds to think this through, thanks to how little time they’d spent in Tikan.
He thought Kashimir had acted reasonably. Even without being certain Murakan was a dragon, he’d mobilized knights and evacuated civilians.
But there was one glaring mistake Kashimir made.
“Hey, you bastard. Why are you talking down to me? Do you even know who I am?”
“W-what?”
Murakan growled, cursing under his breath, and Kashimir’s eyes flickered with surprise.
It’s a well-known fact that dragons tend to have bad tempers.
Kashimir surely knew this, so why speak so informally? Perhaps it was because he remembered being a pure-blooded royal of Biment, even if he was a “former crown prince.”
Either way, Murakan was especially foul-tempered, even among dragons.
“What’s your problem, barging in and ruining the mood? I’m asking you, you insignificant worm—do you know who I am? Answer me.”
“I… don’t.”
Kashimir’s handsome face twisted in shock. He seemed genuinely rattled.
And Murakan was now certain he was a dragon. Otherwise, someone like Kashimir wouldn’t have taken such an insult lying down like a scarecrow.
“Is your mouth stuffed with gold or something? Still talking down to me, you insignificant worm. Come here, come here. People like you need a good beating to come to your senses…”
Despite telling Kashimir twice to come over, Murakan was the one striding forward.
Kashimir stumbled backward in surprise—truly the highlight of this whole farce. By then, Jin couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Murakan, hold back, hold back. Hey, I said hold back.”
Jin gently stepped in to restrain Murakan. His eyes gleamed dangerously; if Jin hadn’t stopped him, Murakan would have smashed Kashimir’s jaw repeatedly.
Murakan’s anger boiled down to three things: 80% because poor Strawberry Pie felt threatened, 10% because his rest was disturbed, and 10% because of the disrespectful tone.
Kashimir, finally regaining his composure, cleared his throat.
“Ahem, ahem! My apologies. I was arrogant. I meant no offense, so I hope you will forgive me.”
“Sir Kashimir, the Ghost Blade.”
“You know me?”
“Of course. I was hoping to meet you here in Tikan.”
Jin’s tone was far softer than Murakan’s. Kashimir, relieved, avoided Murakan’s sharp gaze.
“I didn’t expect you to come all of a sudden. Hmm, probably because of the cat, right?”
Kashimir’s dazed eyes regained focus when Jin mentioned the cat first.
“Your name, sir?”
“Jin Runcandel.”
He answered without hesitation. Gilly, standing behind, instinctively covered her open mouth, and even Murakan looked a bit surprised.
It was one thing for others to recognize Runcandel’s heir, but for the heir himself to reveal his identity was taboo.
Of course, Kashimir was the most shocked.
“If you had attended our family’s recent banquet, we would have met earlier. It’s a pleasure, Sir Kashimir.”
Kashimir, momentarily stiff, gave a light smile.
“Jin Runcandel… so he’s already hinted that he’s a dragon and yet boldly states his real name. Has Runcandel ever been known to associate with dragons?”
Not in Kashimir’s memory. Dragons had traditionally only dealt with wizards who made pacts with gods or those with special abilities.
“That reckless man is definitely a dragon. His rough, street-thug manner of speech aside, the aura he gives off is overwhelming.”
Kashimir’s gaze naturally shifted to Gilly.
“And that woman—isn’t she Gilly McLoran?”
Before becoming the former crown prince, Kashimir had seen the McLoran family visit the Biment palace.
Though Gilly didn’t remember, Kashimir never forgot the terrifying power she displayed with her claws during sparring as a child.
There was no doubt: the little girl before him was Runcandel. What puzzled him was why Jin was with a dragon.
“This looks like it’s going to be a long conversation, Sir Kashimir. Please, have a seat.”
Kashimir dismissed the troops he had stationed in the hallway. A risky move, but a necessary one to make amends for his earlier rudeness.
Murakan looked displeased but said nothing.
Gilly, respecting Jin’s judgment, placed a fresh glass on the table. Murakan followed suit.
Clink.
Jin poured wine into Kashimir’s glass.
“Lord Jin, does your family know you’re allied with a dragon? I never imagined Runcandel would be associated with one.”
“They don’t.”
“You speak of such a life-threatening secret so casually.”
“Well, Sir Kashimir just withdrew his troops. If things go south, we can always bury you based on today’s conversation.”
Jin joked, and Kashimir gave an awkward smile.
“Looks like the ice cream I gave Yuria wasn’t enough. If I’d known, I’d have bought something better. Both Alisa and Sir Kashimir seem to trust Yuria a great deal, judging by how closely you listen to her.”
“…Since Lord Jin has shared a difficult secret, I will too. That girl is my daughter. There’s no reason not to believe me.”
Kashimir was a big man, but compared to Alisa, he was no match. Still, imagining it, they seemed to fit together surprisingly well…
No, that wasn’t the point. Jin nodded lightly and continued.
He’d never heard Kashimir mention having a daughter in his previous life.
Moreover—
“And my daughter is a contract holder of Az Mil.”
“Az Mil?”
“Yes, the ‘God of the Eye,’ Az Mil.”
Suddenly, it all made sense why Alisa and Kashimir trusted the girl’s testimony so much.
A contract holder of the God of the Eye could never misinterpret what they saw. Illusions were impossible.
“Now your secret about associating with dragons seems to be on par with mine.”
Being a contract holder of Az Mil was a tremendous burden. They possessed not only the ‘Absolute Eye’ that saw all things clearly but also the ‘Foresight Eye.’
All the world’s powers hunted for Az Mil’s contract holders, driven by the hope and desire to dispel future uncertainties.
Perhaps that’s why many contract holders ended up exploited and met unhappy ends.
Especially the royal families of Ziphl and Biment were notorious. It was an open secret that they tried to keep Az Mil’s contract holders close by any means necessary.
“Wait a minute, you little pest. If that kid earlier is Azmil’s contractor, then where’s the dragon? There’s no sign or trace of any dragon energy around here. Azmil’s dragons are notorious for cherishing their contractors above all else.”
Murakan, now intrigued, relaxed his aura and took a seat at the table. Jin instinctively understood why Kashimir had come here.
He pictured Yuria clutching that dragon doll.
“For some reason, Yuria’s guardian dragon has gone missing, which is why he’s come in such a hurry.”
A shadow crossed Kashimir’s face.
“Yuria’s guardian dragon disappeared suddenly about a year ago. I suspect it was kidnapped by Bimant or Ziphl, but that’s just a hunch.”
“Kidnapped? What foolish dragon would fall for that nonsense…”
Murakan’s words cut off as his pupils dilated.
“Wait. You said it’s been a year? Your daughter… she’s about five now, right?”
“Yes.”
Kashimir hung his head low. The thought of his precious friend lost, and his daughter holding only a doll made in that friend’s image, was heartbreaking.
But this was a far bigger problem than Kashimir realized.
“That means your daughter has been seeing the future all this time! A contractor that young can’t control their powers without the dragon’s guidance. Damn it, the fact that she saw my transformation must have been part of that future.”
“What? You’re saying Yuria’s been seeing the future all along?”
“Humans don’t really understand, but the mental strain of witnessing the future is overwhelming even for dragons. Right now, your daughter’s so young she can’t even tell dreams from reality, so she doesn’t feel it yet.”
“W-what does that mean?”
“At this rate, your daughter will go insane and become a shell of herself. In a year or two, she’ll start feeling the fatigue, and after that, it’s a snowball effect. It’ll spiral out of control. We have to find that dragon—fast.”