Chapter 771
Episode 190: The Maliet Hister Legacy Site (1)
Both Luet and Yuria had completed their verification of Syair.
Like Luce, he had genuinely applied to join the Bamel Alliance.
Of course, the one most excited by the possibility that a “completed ultra-long-distance communication device” might have been developed over three hundred years ago was Quaul.
“If what’s written on this paper is true, then that engineer named Zen must have been a genius on my level. There’s no way our ancestor Valeria would have fabricated this, so it’s incredibly fascinating. But Valeria, what does it mean that both Zen and your ancestor’s body and soul remain in the legacy site?”
<All of Zen Rutber’s knowledge and achievements, his body and soul…
They remain within Maliet’s legacy site.
As long as the enemies don’t find it, it will stay there forever.>
That was the sentence written on the paper Syair had given them.
“I’m not sure either. It could be a metaphor, or maybe some method was used to actually seal both body and soul. We’ll only know once we go there ourselves.”
“If it’s the latter, then maybe Zen Rutber and this Quaul could meet. You might even get to see your ancestor in person.”
“No matter how special our family’s magic is, I doubt it’s possible. But since the legacy site has remained undiscovered by Ziphl until now, there’s bound to be something valuable.”
If Ziphl had found Maliet’s legacy site, the staffs of the tower lords wouldn’t have had just simple summoning functions like now, and Syair might still be alive.
“Yeah, yeah. That part about the legacy site being notorious makes me a bit uneasy… but since Jin’s coming with us, there’s nothing to worry about, right? There can’t be many traps in this world so terrible that even he can’t handle them.”
“Don’t worry. I managed just fine traveling alone through dangerous legacy sites before meeting Jin. And please organize all the materials related to the communication device while I’m gone.”
Since they would be making frequent long-distance jumps, Quaul quickly serviced the Red Owl.
The area where Maliet’s legacy site was located was an island called Honka. It was an uninhabited island in the northern part of the empire, so there was no need to worry about unnecessary conflicts with enemies.
The only problem was that the entry conditions for the legacy site were somewhat obscure and complicated.
“Maliet, our ancestor… seems like quite an eccentric person.”
Valeria spoke as the Red Owl arrived near the shores of Honka Island.
“Yeah. Looking at those entry conditions, I wonder if such things are even possible with magic. No, it’s definitely impossible.”
Jin summoned Shuri.
Shuri swam toward Honka Island, pushing the Red Owl floating on the sea.
[Meow meow meow.]
“Hello, Shuri. Some of these conditions are probably jokes, or tests disguised as jokes. But no matter how strange, since they were left by our ancestor, we have to follow them exactly.”
“Mm.”
When they reached the island, Shuri shook off the water and basked in the sunlight. Jin secured the Red Owl at a suitable spot on the beach and made it invisible.
“Jin, ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Then let’s start one by one.”
Valeria cleared her throat awkwardly as she spoke.
‘My teacher’s personality has really improved lately. In the past, no matter how ridiculous or embarrassing something was, he would have said it flatly.’
Jin smiled inwardly at the thought.
Still, he felt just as embarrassed and amused.
“First… after arriving on the island, we have to spin around like an elephant’s trunk twenty times and then touch the ground, right?”
Jin asked, and Valeria nodded.
Anyone who arrives at Honka Island to enter the legacy site must spin twenty times in an elephant’s trunk pose and then touch the ground.
That was the first condition.
The two glanced around for a moment before assuming the elephant’s trunk posture.
Then, in rhythm, they began spinning twenty times.
“Pfft.”
“Cough, haha!”
As soon as they touched the ground, laughter burst out from both of them without hesitation.
The second condition was to climb a tree on the island and imitate monkey cries.
Even though they had already burst out laughing during the first condition, trying to mimic monkey sounds made their hearts feel heavy.
“U-ukiki…”
“Ukki…”
Shuri tilted her head, watching them curiously.
Next came crawling on all fours and roaring like a lion, then singing two folk songs they knew.
The two completed all the conditions, feeling increasingly strange inside.
Both had flushed faces.
“…Hmm, this is a peculiar experience.”
“Ahem, now that we’re done, it’s time to connect the Five-Star Formation.”
There were five magical devices on Honka Island, created by Maliet.
Jin and Valeria rode Shuri and searched for each device marked on the letter.
Each time Valeria channeled magic into a device, a blue light flared.
When all five devices were activated, the lights connected into lines, forming a five-pointed star that spanned the entire island.
The group gathered at the center of the star and took their positions.
“I wonder what kind of guardian will appear.”
The final trial was to face the guardian summoned in response to the five-pointed star.
“It’ll probably be a golem.”
The letter only mentioned that a guardian would be summoned, with no details about its strength or other attributes.
After a moment, the ground began to tremble.
Jin wasn’t nervous at all, confident that no guardian, golem or otherwise, could match him.
[Welcome… seekers of Maliet’s legacy site.]
Suddenly, the earth cracked open before them, revealing a massive creature.
‘A toad?’
A toad-like being.
The guardian protecting the legacy site wasn’t a golem, but an inner-core monster capable of human speech, like Ozdok or Bailram.
[My name is Honka, the master of this island. State your names.]
“Jin Runcandel.”
“Valeria Hister.”
[It seems the Histers who come to me always bring a human companion. Regardless, I sensed from beneath the earth that you faithfully completed all of Maliet’s requirements. Had you missed even one, I wouldn’t have appeared.]
Relieved that their embarrassing actions weren’t pointless, the two silently breathed easier.
“So, now we just have to defeat you, and it’s over?”
Valeria asked, and Honka was about to nod.
He recalled scolding two humans who came about 350 years ago—Zen Rutber and the Hister who brought him.
But then Honka glanced at Jin and thought to himself,
‘…If I fight that Jin Runcandel, I won’t even get up from the bones.’
Honka was by no means weak.
A monster who had lived thousands of years, developed an inner core, and formed self-awareness could not be weak.
The only problem was that his opponent was Jin.
[Well… enough, enough. I’ll let you pass, so stop.]
When Jin placed his hand on the sword at his waist, Honka finally decided to end the fight.
“That’s convenient, but why?”
[You’re too strong… Though Maliet’s legacy site is infamous for its dangers, Valeria Hister, you have no conscience. And you bring such a monster with you? Trying to take the easy way out, aren’t you?]
Jin and Valeria blinked, not knowing how to respond.
They hadn’t expected the guardian to react like this.
“A wise choice.”
Jin lowered his hand from his waist and said.
[But there’s a condition.]
“Condition?”
[…Inside the legacy site, Maliet painstakingly set up many traps and devices while alive. He considered them his works of art and was very proud of them.]
“Sounds like you were very close to my ancestor, Honka.”
[Yes, Valeria Hister. I settled on this island and took the name Honka thanks to Maliet. He was certainly eccentric, but he was my only friend. Anyway, I can’t bear to see those works destroyed by the monster you brought.]
“Is there no way to prevent the traps from activating?”
[I don’t have that authority.]
“Then what do you want us to do?”
[Whatever traps appear, don’t destroy them. Just pass through. For the sake of future seekers who will come after you. You wouldn’t refuse that small effort, would you?]
The mention of future seekers stirred something deep inside Valeria.
Until just a few years ago, she had been completely alone in this world.
But now, she had Jin and comrades, roots and family in Luet, and a monster who had been her ancestor’s friend urging her to think of those who come after.
[You should have come here much sooner. Maliet’s difficulty level was set for geniuses in their prime. That’s why the engineer and Hister who came 350 years ago struggled so much. Well… to be honest, I only started remembering all this recently.]
Honka’s memories of Zen and the Hister from 350 years ago, and even recalling his only friend Maliet, were all recent.
Until Ziphl’s historical manipulation over the Hister family weakened, Honka had stayed on this island out of vague duty.
“We’ll do as you say. We won’t break a single thing and will enter carefully.”
[Good. Then I trust you and will open the legacy site.]
Honka’s massive body rolled backward twice.
Beneath the spot where he had emerged, a thick iron door was revealed.
[Go forth. Leave this red jade cat behind. It will keep you company while you’re gone.]
[Meow meow.]
As soon as Jin opened the iron gate, a light so bright it was hard to believe they were underground stabbed into their eyes.
Just as they were about to raise their protective shields, Honka, who was outside the tunnel, blew a powerful gust of air toward them.
The blast hit them like a cannonball, pushing the two inside the gate.
The first trap was a sheer drop hundreds of feet deep.
“Tch, this seems to be the only prank that might work on those two. Though, I doubt it’ll have much effect,” Honka muttered.
True to his words, even as they fell underground, the pair showed no sign of panic.
After all, all they had to do was summon a blade wind or magic to cushion the impact when they hit the bottom.
“Marriet, looks like this will end rather anticlimactically. Let’s save the next round for another time. Still, it’s good to see your descendants haven’t died out.”
“Myaaah.”
With that, Honka stretched alongside Shuri.