Episode 676
Chapter 173: Chasing the Sword (1)
“To think I’m actually eating a dish made by Jin himself… Ah! I just want to stay here in Tikan forever. Right, Hedo?”
“Not at all, my lady.”
“Why are you always so negative? I’m starting to dislike how you act these days.”
“If you keep that up, I might have to report your antics to the family. Then, even if an opportunity like today arises, you won’t be able to meet with the 12th generation.”
“Oh? You’re nothing but trash, you know that? Do you really think a tattletale suits someone your size?”
“That’s quite the combination. No one would suspect a tattletale just by looking at me, so I suppose I have a certain unexpected charm.”
A day had passed since Hedo and Sandra arrived in Tikan.
Their companions, much like Jin, saw them as a close father-daughter pair—though the daughter was clearly a bit of a wild card.
“Hmmm, no matter how much I rack my brain, I just can’t figure out this Zett. Why is that formidable man so powerless against Sandra Ziphl? It’s not like he’s been blackmailed or anything.”
“It’s a strange relationship, indeed.”
“Even the existence of this Hedo is strange, Lord Valkas. Our Ghost Division has no information on him, and neither does the Black King’s faction. Even our lord only learned of him after encountering him directly in the Sota Desert. How is it possible that someone of his caliber is completely unknown to us?”
“It seems Sir Shiron, Runkandel, and the highest ranks of Ziphl knew of him… but he remains shrouded in mystery.”
Tikan still knew very little about Hedo.
He was Ziphl’s Sandra’s personal butler, the second-in-command among the butlers, yet he received the highest treatment within the family.
Despite the current turmoil, he was in a position to request leave for vague ‘personal reasons.’
“The inscriptions on the sword Valeria is examining are also a mystery.”
Since yesterday, Valeria had been staying up all night, poring over the records on Hedo’s sword, ‘Veil.’
Because Veil was connected to the old Runkandel, its history had been deliberately altered, as expected.
“Lord Hedo.”
Valkas spoke on behalf of everyone and called for Hedo.
“You may simply call me the Tower Keeper, Black King.”
“I prefer to call you ‘Lord.’ I summoned you because I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“I’m curious about your relationship with Sandra Ziphl.”
“Is it strange for a butler to serve his mistress?”
“You don’t seem like an ordinary butler and mistress. Jin told me you’re loyal not to Ziphl, but to Sandra Ziphl herself. I’ll prepare some fine liquor and tobacco—if there’s a special story behind it, would you share it?”
Valkas was surprisingly personable. Hedo didn’t seem bothered by the sudden approach.
“Fine liquor and tobacco are always welcome, but there’s no special story.”
“Come now, tell me. Tikan’s work is nearly paralyzed by curiosity about you and Sandra.”
Valkas pulled out the finest Milasan tobacco from his pocket and offered it to Hedo. Hedo inhaled the aroma and smiled with satisfaction.
“This quality is so rare that the entire Milasan tobacco farm produces barely a single box a year. Very well, I’ll tell you.”
Everyone perked up their ears.
But the next moment, Hedo gave a disappointingly simple answer.
“Some people love their dogs or cats more than themselves. My service to the lady is no different. I’ve watched over her since she was a child, so now it’s just natural.”
“You’re comparing me to a pet?”
“If I had to put it that way, yes, my lady. But compared to the tobacco you gave me, it’s a humble story. I hope you’re not disappointed.”
“Then… how did you come to have an enemy in Ziphl?”
Zett cautiously interjected, pulling out a different kind of premium Milasan tobacco from his pocket and offering it to Hedo.
He had stolen it from Quaul’s drawer.
“No need to be so nervous, Zett. I joined Ziphl by chance during my wandering youth. Hmm, this scent is quite refined as well.”
“Looks like you enjoy milking Tikan dry, Tower Keeper.”
Jin shrugged.
“If you have questions, just ask—if you have something interesting, I might be tempted.”
“No need. Once you’re one of us, you’ll naturally learn everything.”
If Jin asked Sandra, he could easily uncover Hedo’s past.
But he chose not to.
There was no need to pry into a past someone wanted to keep hidden, especially if that someone could become an ally giant.
Besides, his past wasn’t that important.
What mattered was entering the sixth tomb through Veil.
“And I’m more curious about the sword’s history than yours. I don’t think I’ve told you yet, but the inscription ‘Veil’ on the blade is believed to be the name of one of the ten great knights of old Runkandel.”
“Like the one we saw in the snowfield? I had a rough idea.”
“It’s bitter to think that a servant of Ziphl holds the sword of one of the ten great knights. But, Tower Keeper, aside from being Ziphl’s man, you’re a warrior worthy of owning such a sword.”
“So you know how to flatter.”
“I’m just stating facts. When I first met you, I thought, ‘What kind of monster is this?’”
“That won’t change my mind.”
“One reason I need to stay on your good side is because of Sister Yona.”
Jin had already asked for help finding Yona as soon as Sandra and Hedo arrived.
“Didn’t the lady agree to that yesterday?”
“Hoho, don’t worry. I’ll do whatever it takes to save my sister-in-law.”
“I trust Sandra. But I have a feeling you might report to the higher-ups.”
“Twice now I’ve been called a tattletale. You can bring the Contractor of Truth to verify that.”
“Then I’ll trust you with it.”
“I’m not that despicable. But if the other side acts despicably first, I have no choice.”
“I don’t mind being kidnapped by you.”
Just as the conversation reached that point, Valeria emerged from the lab. As always in such moments, her face was haggard—but there was one difference.
‘Her eyes are sparkling…’
That was the look she only got when she made a major discovery. Jin smiled inwardly, reminded of a past life.
“Jin.”
“Have you finished analyzing the records?”
“Yes. Follow me. I’ll explain.”
As Jin left, Sandra glared daggers at Valeria’s retreating back, and Hedo sighed, trying to calm her.
“She seems excited. Looks like the results were better than expected.”
“This sword holds the most complete record of old Runkandel we’ve ever found.”
“I thought you said the sword’s history was heavily altered?”
“That’s true. At first, it was. But this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this. When my magic touched the sword, its history began to restore itself.”
“Restore itself?”
Like a parched forest soaking up rain, Hedo’s sword slowly revived the records within as Valeria’s magic touched it.
Valeria had only maintained the magic overnight, without taking any special measures to restore the records further.
“Yes. This sword perfectly contains a fragment of Runkandel from a thousand years ago. It’s in far better condition than the records we saw in the Wantaramo Forest.”
Jin had never seen a fully intact record of old Runkandel before. The ones he’d seen were always partially or mostly damaged.
“Then it must reveal more than the record devices left by Solderet.”
“Of course. And perhaps…”
Valeria paused, meeting Jin’s eyes.
“We might even meet a living fragment of old Runkandel. Inside the tomb within this sword.”
“What…?”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“I’ve been pondering why the altered history restored itself so easily. Time weakening it naturally is part of it, but that alone doesn’t explain it. It wasn’t because my record magic is exceptional either.”
Valeria clearly felt a vivid force within the sword resisting the historical tampering as she cast her magic.
“So you’re saying a living knight inside is reacting to your magic and fighting off the altered history?”
“Not necessarily a knight, but it’s very likely someone is alive inside the sword. Not as a guardian, but as a living being. And if their mind is intact, and if they’re inclined to favor you, you could hear the stories of that era directly from them.”
His heart raced.
If he could hear the story of old Runkandel firsthand, many lingering questions could be answered.
Why Silderei called Solderet a traitor at the first tomb, the truth behind the altered histories, Temar’s death, the final days of Runkandel.
And why Solderet had secretly made a contract with him a thousand years ago.
“Amazing. I never thought we’d find such clues in the sword of Ziphl’s Tower Keeper. Without that sword, we wouldn’t have been able to enter the fifth tomb either.”
“Will you tell the Tower Keeper about this?”
“I think it’s best to let him know. He’s a thorough man—once we finish our talk and leave, he’ll probably ask Yuria to verify everything. He’s already mentioned her, after all. If he finds out we lied, there’s no way he’ll cooperate with us.”
This wasn’t a matter that could be dismissed with a simple refusal.
Since Hedo is the sword’s rightful owner, unless we plan to forcibly take it from him, it seemed better to be honest.
Of course, Hedo is one of Ziphl’s people. Telling him about the possible existence of the old Runcandel was uncomfortable, to say the least, but there was no other choice.
“Killing the tower keeper or snatching the sword from him now would be madness, so that’s probably for the best. When are we going into the tomb?”
“We need to start preparing right away. Since we don’t know what might happen during the opening, it’s better to attempt it from outside.”