Episode 697
Chapter 178: Deepening Worries (Part 1)
King Rani of the Holy Kingdom.
After rescuing Yona and returning, Jin unexpectedly had the chance to meet the Holy King who had come to Tikan.
It was Owl who had summoned Rani to Tikan, and the reason Rani agreed was because Mumyung had now officially joined the Bamel Alliance. Had Owl contacted her as Mumyung rather than as part of the alliance, Rani would have refused outright.
“After nearly three years away, you come back to Inse and don’t even show your face once—just send letters and leave all the hard work to others, huh?”
Rani teased, pretending to be sulky.
Since Jin’s return to Inse, she had been fully responsible for healing Talaris, who had been evacuated to the Holy Kingdom, and had also tended to Valeria, who had been attacked by Runtia. But this was the first time she had seen Jin in person.
Jin forced a small, awkward smile. Even though it was a reunion with a familiar face after so long, she couldn’t bring herself to look genuinely happy.
“Rani.”
“Ah, I was just trying to joke around since it’s been a while, but I guess this isn’t the right mood. You don’t have to explain that you’re not really upset, right?”
“Of course not.”
Rani patted Jin’s shoulder.
Though Rani herself was a Holy King and a key figure opposing chaos, Jin knew the burdens weighing on her shoulders were nothing compared to the heavy load Jin carried.
“Honestly, if it weren’t for Gyeong and Murakan, I’d be dead by now. The Holy Kingdom would have been exploited endlessly under Ziphl’s control. Even now, I’m throwing myself into the fight for the world as soon as I get back.”
“My personal quest to reclaim my family just happened to turn out that way.”
“Still, Ayula will always bless you. So don’t worry too much about Yona. I don’t know her well, but from what I’ve heard from Gyeong and the Mumyung King, she seems like a good person.”
Jin’s face remained clouded, and it was because of Yona.
“…Yeah. Yona is truly a good person.”
They were all relieved that Yona had been rescued safely.
There had been no critical damage to their side during the rescue, and Yona hadn’t undergone the physical transformations Jin had feared most. The Holy King had even come along to prepare for any problems that might arise during the chaos purification.
But Yona’s chaos hadn’t been purified.
“Although her chaos hasn’t been completely cleansed like others, at least we’ve stopped her from going berserk like before.”
That was true. The purification device hadn’t been entirely ineffective.
While full purification was impossible, Yona’s chaos had now settled into a stable state—like before, when she was actively overcoming it herself, before Gliek’s power stirred it up.
Yona’s chaos was simply too immense. Boras’s purifier had its limits when it came to dealing with it.
‘It’s probably similar to how it was with me and Lingling back then…’
If Yona’s chaos could be separated from her like Lingling’s—annoying but somewhat cute and useful—it would be better. But half of it was still in Raprarosa.
Even if Ban stepped in personally, there was no guarantee it could be separated as it was with Lingling, which was frustrating.
But Jin knew she couldn’t just keep worrying about that.
In any case, the situation with Yona was far better than before.
“Thank you, Rani. I’ve been so caught up in my own thoughts. Since the Holy King came all this way, I feel bad that I have nothing to offer Murakan.”
As soon as she arrived in Tikan, Rani had checked on Yona and then asked after Murakan.
“It’s a shame. He’s acting as a deputy’s deputy in Solderet… sounds like a grand but awkward position, fitting for Murakan.”
Murakan’s return depended on Talaris’s recovery. Because Talaris was injured, Misha was handling Elona’s seal.
“There’s something I need to tell you about the Vice Palace Lady.”
“Is it bad news?”
“Not exactly bad, but not good either. It’s not that her recovery has hit a snag. It’s just that the time I can dedicate to her care is steadily decreasing.”
“Another problem in the Holy Kingdom…”
Rani nodded.
“Yes. The demonic relic the Holy Kingdom keeps—the Eye of Zito—has recently shown troubling signs.”
“The Eye of Zito?”
The Holy Kingdom’s defense war against the demons’ invasion of Bankela five hundred years ago was legendary.
But what the saints of Bankela, Runkandel, and Ziphl protected together wasn’t just the kingdom’s people.
“You probably haven’t heard of Zito. He never operated in Inse, and even in the demon realm, few know the name. Even after becoming Holy King, I couldn’t find any records about the Eye of Zito.”
“You, the Holy King, couldn’t access records about that artifact?”
“That’s right. I only recently learned that the Eye of Zito exists in the Holy Kingdom and that it’s showing ominous signs. Ayula warned me through a dream.”
Rani shuddered, recalling the dream from a few days ago.
“What Ayula showed me was a future where Zito is resurrected through that artifact. The whole world burns, and among the dead are you, Murakan, and all the guardians of Inse.”
If anyone else had said this, Jin might have dismissed it as nonsense. But Rani was the Holy King. She wouldn’t confuse a simple nightmare with Ayula’s warning.
“Dealing with Rosa is already tough enough, and now there might be a new powerful enemy?”
“To prevent that, I’m controlling the Eye of Zito as Ayula instructed. I’m using almost all my divine power on it, which is why the Vice Palace Lady’s treatment is delayed.”
“Have you heard why the Eye of Zito started acting up? Maybe it’s affected by the remnants of chaos left by Gliek?”
“No specific details. But I have my suspicions.”
“I have a few ideas too.”
Kinzelro.
They were the only ones commanding demons in Inse now. Kinzelro had long possessed high-ranking demons like Bianca, and while Jin was in Raprarosa, they had recruited even more powerful demon lords.
“I’ve heard that Orgal, the Beast King revealed as Kinzelro’s leader, is one of the demon realm’s rulers. I’m sure he’s involved in this incident.”
“Of course. The fact that they keep gathering demons under Kinzelro means they must have established some kind of gateway to the demon realm.”
“Though the demon society supposedly collapsed after the Holy Kingdom’s defense war, it’s probably as you say. Even if not an external dimension, they could be summoning demons through rituals.”
“Summoning, huh…”
—Yeah, Ranker Halobiche. You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. According to your story, the Great Desert became a testing ground for all factions after contamination. And you just liked it here enough to use it as your playground?
—Yeah…
—The first part makes sense, but the second doesn’t. You were up to something here.
—I just… I like it here, cough that’s all.
That was the conversation Jin had with Ranker right after defeating him upon returning to Inse.
Jin had suspected then that Ranker didn’t just see the Great Desert as a playground, but after talking with Rani, her suspicions deepened.
“Kinzelro must have been searching for the Eye of Zito alongside their biological experiments during the Holy Kingdom crisis.”
“I think so too. Back then, I only focused on the biological golem experiments, but Kinzelro’s real goal was definitely the Eye of Zito.”
“Is it safe to keep using your divine power to hold the Eye of Zito in check?”
“For now, yes. But there are no precedents for this kind of problem, and Ayula’s information is too limited…”
If Murakan were here, he’d probably be complaining about Ayula’s vague warnings.
Rani chuckled softly at the thought, then paused, wondering if that was blasphemous.
“So it’s not an immediate crisis, but a ticking time bomb. Since Ayula, who usually avoids interfering in Inse, gave a direct warning, it’s likely that if it explodes, there’ll be no way to stop it.”
“It should be fine until Ayula appears again to give more guidance.”
“I actually have some business in Kinzelro. I should get your permission first.”
“Permission?”
“Would it be okay to mention the Eye of Zito when I question Orgal?”
“Of course.”
“Good. Let’s gather whatever information we can from Kinzelro about the Eye of Zito and share it.”
“They say they want Lady Veil, but do you think they’ll give up information easily?”
“If they pretend not to know or stay silent even when you mention the Eye of Zito, that alone is telling. It means the information is too sensitive to be revealed.”
“That makes sense. You seem ready to leave right now, but how about a cup of tea first? I don’t have a teleport ship like the Red Owl, so I came by regular ship.”
“Of course. I’ll arrange for teleport ships to be mass-produced and sent to the Holy Kingdom later.”
“Oh, another promise secured! Since I’m the guest, I’ll make the tea myself!”
Kinzelro Headquarters.
They had been eagerly anticipating the chance to see signs of life today…
But unfortunately, Veil had already made a contract with Sandra, so their joy was somewhat dampened.
Orgal didn’t hide his disappointment, even with Jin right in front of him.
[So she really made a contract with Sandra Ziphl… I can hardly believe it even after hearing it.]
“Hearing such a disappointed tone from you almost makes me feel sorry. What can I do, Orgal? This all happened the moment the veil was lifted. Anyway, I kept my promise. Since the agreement didn’t include any private meetings between you and the veil, it’s best if all conversations happen where I can hear them.”
[Huff… that’s fine. cough…]
“That’s a relief. There’s one thing I want to ask you.”
[What is it?]
“What do you think of the Demon King, Zito?”
At Jin’s sudden question, Orgal coughed repeatedly.
Fortunately, he seemed a bit better—there wasn’t as much blood as before.