Chapter 674
Episode 171: Beneath the Imperial Castle… (3)
Thanks to the discovery and neutralization of the chaotic tunnels beneath the Imperial Castle, public sentiment toward Jin and Dante soared to unprecedented heights across the empire.
News reports about the incident flooded in day after day.
As always, there was no need for Dino Jaglun to sway public opinion—praises poured in from all corners on their own.
Even ministers who had quietly harbored complaints about Dante’s overwork found themselves more loyal than ever.
After all, if not for Dante and Jin, no one would have uncovered the upheaval threatening the empire.
The Second Imperial Star of Hailan.
Since the demolition began, the empire had been using this place as a temporary imperial palace.
After a long meeting that had just concluded, Jin, his comrades, Nameless King Owl, and the top assassin Bizen remained in Dante’s office.
“Sorry for the lengthy meeting, Lord Owl,” Jin apologized.
“No, it’s our fault for arriving too early,” Owl replied in a low voice, his hollow eyes betraying exhaustion as he chain-smoked.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on the black object resting on the table.
The remnant left after beheading the fake Yona.
Owl had seen it before.
“We assumed we must have missed Yona at some point… but I never imagined she’d have entered the Sword Garden.”
Nameless referred to the black mass before them as Yona’s “rampage residue.”
These residues had only recently begun to appear. As the name suggests, they were a kind of chaotic condensation left behind whenever Yona’s rampage ended.
Since the Gliek extermination, the chaos within Yona had reacted to these remnants, tormenting her anew.
Over time, the intervals between her rampages shortened, the danger increased, and now, even the entire Nameless organization combined couldn’t capture her.
At Owl’s signal, Bizen opened a box nearby.
Inside were six more rampage residues, similar to the one obtained beneath the Imperial Castle.
Though they had been told six more existed, seeing them firsthand unsettled the group even more.
The reason for their unease was clear.
Valeria had reviewed records of the rampage residues and discovered that the Prophet was using them to create fake Yonas—through the power of chaos.
“Lord Owl, how many rampage residues has Nameless missed?” Jin asked.
“Anywhere from fewer than three to more than five,” Owl answered.
“So that means there could be at least five more fakes out there. And in the worst case—or rather, with high probability—additional residues are still being generated. Ones we haven’t caught.”
Owl nodded gravely.
“Is there a chance Yona herself is trapped inside the Sword Garden?”
“Unlikely. When you cut down the fake, we were already tracking and fighting the real Yona.”
Owl rolled up Jin’s right sleeve, revealing a long, dark slash—a wound from a few days ago while pursuing Yona.
Because the search team consisted only of Owl and the top assassins, there were no casualties.
Had Yona targeted the assassins first instead of Owl, Bizen wouldn’t be standing here now.
“She’s suffering, you know. After nearly killing me. Right now, she’s far more dangerous than any fake you’ve faced.”
“Did she seem brainwashed by the Prophet?”
“You must have seen the immense chaos power she wields. I also heard from Sir Siron that her chaos is a very special kind. I doubt the Prophet can control it so easily.”
“So Father said.”
“Yes. Is Sir Siron’s expedition team still out of contact?”
“Yes.”
Owl closed his eyes briefly at Jin’s calm reply. He, too, doubted Sir Siron and the expedition’s survival.
“As soon as the Yona matter is settled, I’ll send people from Nameless.”
“Thank you, Lord Owl.”
“Regardless of whether the Prophet can control Yona’s chaos, even if the Sword Garden is formidable, capturing her quickly will be difficult. But unlike us, they can create fakes just by obtaining these rampage residues.”
When it came to tracking and assassination, Nameless was more skilled than even Runcandel before it was tainted by chaos.
Yet, after years, they still hadn’t caught Yona. Owl was certain the Prophet wouldn’t fare any better.
“You said the last place we lost her was Akin?”
The last place Nameless lost Yona was the Kingdom of Akin in the Lutero Magic Federation—the place where Jin had dismantled the dark organization Tesing and acquired Multa’s rune, Shuziel’s grimoire, and Jet.
“She’s probably still in Akin. The remaining search teams haven’t reported otherwise. Even if she left, it would still be within the Lutero Magic Federation.”
The farther Yona was from Huepester, the better.
Especially now, thanks to the temporary alliance, they could rely on Ziphl’s help.
But unlike with Valeria, Jin didn’t want the “entire Ziphl” involved if he could avoid it.
“Yona is different from her master…”
Valeria was indispensable to Ziphl.
That’s why, in exchange for traces of magic, she accepted Jin’s unreasonable demands.
But Yona was not.
“Ziphl would probably want to eliminate Yona if they had the chance.”
Though Nameless couldn’t control her now due to her rampages, it was obvious that once she recovered, Yona would side with Jin.
So Ziphl had no reason to capture her alive.
Even if Jin requested it, they had plenty of excuses to refuse—claiming civilian casualties from her rampages or that capturing her was impossible due to her abilities.
They might even threaten to break the alliance if Yona were killed.
But that would be nothing more than throwing a tantrum with the fate of the world at stake.
Owl shared the same concerns.
“We need Ziphl’s help, but I worry. Unlike us, they have no reason to save Yona. Yet if we don’t inform them, civilian casualties or vulnerabilities to Ziphl are inevitable. It’s frustrating.”
“Has Yona ever caused civilian casualties during her rampages?”
Jin’s heavy question met Owl’s steady gaze.
“No.”
“Really?”
“Swear to it. Yona seems to have focused all her indiscriminate murderous urges on me and the Nameless assassins.”
Owl exhaled a cloud of smoke.
“That’s because she cares about you, the Twelfth Rider.”
Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
Since meeting Jin, Yona hadn’t killed anyone without reason.
She had always been wary of chaos, and that effort remained intact.
“What do you suggest we do?”
Owl asked, his heart heavy.
He felt a deep shame asking Jin about Nameless’s affairs, no matter how strong Jin was.
“She hasn’t undergone physical transformation yet, and she seems to resist the chaos. The purifier can’t be used indefinitely—we need to find her as soon as possible.”
“So you mean it’s better to accept Ziphl’s help, even if it risks Yona’s elimination?”
“Yes. But I don’t intend to speak with Ziphl’s leaders.”
Owl’s eyes narrowed.
“Then?”
“I’ll only seek help from Tower Keeper Hedo and Sandra Ziphl. They’ll probably assist in finding her without alerting the rest of Ziphl.”
They had already sent requests to meet Hedo and Sandra—to examine Hedo’s sword, believed to be the entrance to the sixth tomb, and to fully bring them into the Balmel Alliance.
Whether they could trust them, or if Sandra had that much authority, Owl didn’t say.
He sensed something in Jin reminiscent of a young Sir Siron.
Jin’s words carried weight.
“Understood. Then Nameless will resume searching Akin immediately.”
“Also, could you infiltrate Huepester with personnel not assigned to Yona’s search?”
“I will. In these times, we can’t maintain neutrality. Nameless will officially join the Balmel Alliance today. Since it’s an alliance matter, it’s only right we step up. Once you hand over the rescue list, I’ll send people.”
“Thank you, Lord Owl. I’ll have the Red Owls and comrades on standby. Please contact Tikan immediately upon finding Yona.”
Owl stood and shook Jin’s hand.
“That reckless kid from years ago has grown enough to tower over me. Your father couldn’t achieve what you have—be proud.”
“Nameless is just part of the Balmel Alliance, not under me. Still, I trust you’ll overlook the return of the Man-Dokju we promised earlier.”
“I’ll do anything to save her. Honestly, I can say that now…”
Owl cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Yona is actually our youngest daughter, our princess, and our greatest treasure. Not just me, but everyone cherishes her. Even your family, perhaps more than you. Even if she loses her self-sacrificial power, that will never change.”
Though it was a special confession, Owl and the Nameless members had always shown endless weakness toward Yona.
So no one found his words surprising, yet Owl kept clearing his throat.
Yona wasn’t aware of it, but deep down, her subconscious also regarded Mumyung as ‘family.’
That’s why, even as chaos consumed her, she only sought to harm her family. Because if it wasn’t family, once she came back to her senses, no one would ever forgive her.
“Sometimes, there are people who feel more like blood than actual relatives. For me, it was my comrades and the Pluto clan brothers. For you, Yona, that’s Mumyung. When you come back, I hope we can all welcome you together.”