C225 - Murakan's Benefactor
Before departing, Murakan left a map with a rough outline of the routes, along with a letter for Gilly.
The map also contained a list of areas where he would leave traces, which his companions could follow in case of trouble.
The Seven-Colored Peacocks had been following Murakan's trail every three days. But on November 20, 1797, they received news that a Dragon fought against a demonic creature in a city called Santelle, near the Krashi mountain range.
Murakan had marked the Krashi mountain range as one of his points.
"My Lord! Something is not right. Right after confirming Murakan's trail in the Krashi mountain range, we received news of a great battle between a Fire Dragon and a demonic creature. But it was said that this demonic creature was all black, winged, and almost looked like a Dragon."
"Are you saying that the creature that fought the Fire Dragon could be Murakan?" Jin asked Jet, who had learned of the news.
"Yes, sir."
"Why do you think so, because there was a battle right after he left the trail?"
"That's one, sir, but the city of Santelle is in chaos. Everything around it is now restricted, and none of the Peacocks' agents can enter to gather more information. The whole city is in flames. But there's not a single article about it."
Indeed, it was strange. Although the area surrounding the Krashi mountain range was terribly remote, if there had been a battle fierce enough to restrict movement in the area, there should have been some articles about it.
The Peacocks' agents heard about the incident from the locals before the city was completely locked down, but none of the external news agencies covered it.
"It wasn't easy to get eyewitness accounts of the Dragon-like creature either. If we had arrived just two hours later, we wouldn't have encountered any locals there. I think it has to be Murakan."
Press control was a privilege of the major factions.
And a Fire Dragon, of all things. This wasn't good.
"A Fire Dragon and no press coverage. Lord Jin, the Zipple are clearly involved in this."
"But the only Fire Dragon on the Zipple's side is Keliac's Guardian Dragon, Kadun, right?" Enya asked Jin with a worried expression.
A sense of foreboding washed over Jin's companions since Jet began his report.
"Jet?"
"Yes, Quikantel?"
"Do you have more information about the Fire Dragon that devastated the city? Its appearance or its combat power?"
"All we know is that it was massively larger than any other Dragon."
Quikantel sighed and put her hand on her forehead.
"Then it's Kadun. Jin, I think they attacked Murakan. I was wrong. We should have never sent him alone. The Zipple must have been after him since he came to see me in Vermont." Quikantel stood up abruptly. She looked anxious.
Kadun had always been a difficult enemy to fight, even in Murakan's prime. Now that the dark Dragon had lost his former powers, Kadun was a Dragon Jin didn't dare to challenge.
He was the king of all Fire Dragons.
Quikantel knew better than anyone that Murakan wasn't capable of fighting against Kadun. This was why she became extremely anxious.
"Calm down, Quikantel. First of all, we know that Murakan is still alive. I am the Contractor, but I didn't feel any changes," Jin said.
"Damn it! If Kadun subdued Murakan, of course, they would keep him alive. They would never know what would happen with Solderet's next contract if they killed him. They would probably tear off his wings and lock him up or drug him. As they want Solderet's Contract, they will use him to find the Contractor. That is, you."
The words Andrei spoke during the battle flashed in Jin's mind.
"Allow me to congratulate you on this attack. But you and your God will serve as the most important ingredient for the Demon God's Stone, Jin Runcandel."
The most important ingredient for the Demon God's Stone. From his words, one could deduce what Solderet's powers meant to the Zipple.
Although Andrei died with Biuretta that same day, there were many occasions when the Zipple could have learned about the dark Dragon's activity.
The day Jin became a Reserve Flagbearer and left the Garden of Swords in Murakhan, the day they went to Vermont for Quikantel, the time he killed the tomb giant, the historical sites of Kollon/Colón...
And the list went on.
The Zipple clan's informants weren't limited to the Lutero Magical Federation. They had informants all over the world, and they could have easily obtained that information.
'Quikantel might be right. Maybe they were after Murakan and me all along.'
Of course, this was the result of Murakan's stubbornness in insisting on traveling alone to find Misha.
In any case, regret wouldn't help them find Murakan. What they needed at that moment was an accurate assessment of the situation and swift action.
"But, my Lord, there's something else peculiar too."
"What is it?"
"The Holy Kingdom of Vankela is a neutral nation, right? The other agents and I agree that the Zipple are behind the press control, but for some reason, the city is surrounded by the Holy Knights of Vankela."
Santelle fell under the Feudal States of Shol and didn't fall under the jurisdiction of the Holy Kingdom of Vankela.
"The battle was between Kadun and Murakan, the Zipple control the press, and the Holy Knights keep the city locked down?"
"Yes, sir. In fact, the Feudal States of Shol are doing nothing about it."
Now it was definitely strange.
Although it was quite common to see the Holy Kingdom of Vankela sending Holy Knights and Healers to rebuild cities and aid refugees in affected areas worldwide, it was rare for them to block any area.
Normally, this task should fall to the forces of that region. If the region didn't have such forces, it was usually done by the faction that controlled the press.
Therefore, Jin and his companions naturally thought that the Zipple were behind the blockade.
"The most peculiar thing was the extremely hostile behavior they showed when they pushed away the agents of the Seven-Colored Peacocks and other reporters who sensed a scoop. It was as if they were expelling heretics."
"Are you saying that the Holy Kingdom works for the Zipple?"
Vankela had never allied with any faction throughout its history. It had also remained neutral in Jin's past life.
"We can't be sure, but that's the conclusion the other agents and I have reached."
A brief silence followed.
There was no solid information they could find without entering Santelle themselves. Gilly put her hand on Jin's shoulder and looked into his eyes.
"Young master, he's not someone who easily gets defeated. Maybe you should worry less and head there immediately. Who knows? It might just be a winged demonic creature, not Murakan."
Despite her words, Gilly's hand trembled on his shoulder. She was desperately suppressing her own emotions so that Jin wouldn't falter.
For Jin and Gilly, Murakan wasn't just a companion. He was family. If someone had to die among them, they all preferred it to be themselves rather than anyone else in the group.
"Sir Kashimir, do the Peacocks have any connections in Vankela?"
"Bran and I personally know some monks."
"Then please investigate in Vankela for us. About what happened in Santelle and why the Holy Kingdom is involved in Zipple's affairs."
"Understood."
--------------------------
Jin, Quikantel, and Kuzan went to Santelle.
Since there were no portals connecting to Santelle, they had to travel to the Feudal States of Shol.
Shuri took a whole day to reach Santelle from there.
When they arrived in Santelle, they realized that the air surrounding the city was much stronger than they expected. The city was still engulfed in red flames.
"It's true. These are definitely Kadun's flames. He's the only Fire Dragon who can breathe such dense flames." Quikantel clenched her teeth as she looked at the city from a cliff.
They could see the city's Wizards and Holy Knights trying to extinguish the flames.
The civilians were all gathered in safe areas.
It was a strange sight.
The Vankela always prioritized the lives of civilians, regardless of whether there was a calamity or a war. Since the city was still on fire, the logical choice would be to send the civilians out of the city.
But the heavily armored Holy Knights closed the gates and prevented people from entering or leaving the city.
They didn't need to deduce further.
They were sealing off the city because they had something to hide. It was very likely that there was information they couldn't risk leaking, but they had too many witnesses.
"It doesn't seem like Kadun is in the city because if he was, the Wizards and Holy Knights wouldn't be putting out his fires. Let's head inside the city."
Santelle was situated in the middle of a plain. Approaching unnoticed by their guards and Holy Knights was no easy task, but luckily there were still some journalists in the area seeking any opportunity to infiltrate the city.
The three joined those journalists after descending from the cliff. The group decided to penetrate through a small side gate to the left of the city. Things were much tougher on that side, and none of the journalists were in that area.
"Step back."
"Take off your hoods and reveal your identities. Take two steps forward and you'll be stabbed."
The Holy Knights guarding the side gate growled in a deep voice when they saw the three. It seemed that they had already stabbed a few journalists, as there was dried blood on the ground.
The balance shield on their heavy armor marked the affiliation of the Holy Knights. They were second-class Knights of the only infamous group of Knights in the Holy Kingdom, the Creed Guardians Society, a group dedicated to eradicating heretics.
Certainly, they weren't the type of people entrusted with the task of guarding remote cities like Santelle.
'Creed Guardians Society Knights? Both the Zipple and the Holy Kingdom, they're definitely sensitive about this incident, that's for sure.'
But for him, his family's lives were at stake.
This time, he wouldn't waste time inventing complicated strategies and false justifications. It wasn't the moment to claim false identities or try to buy their way in.
Kuzan.
Jin signaled to his companion with a glance. Kuzan's eyes gleamed as he unsheathed his dagger. Its blade was already coated with a paralyzing poison.
"You..."
Truder!
The Knights couldn't finish their sentence. Kuzan and Quikantel charged simultaneously and subdued both with a single move.
Kuzan accurately pierced the gap in the heavy armor with the dagger to paralyze his target, while Quikantel used brute force to open the Knight's helmet and forcefully made him swallow Kuzan's poison.
It barely took a second until the Holy Knights stood paralyzed like rocks in their standing positions.
Quikantel and Kuzan moved the Knights and propped them against the city wall. Jin inserted his sword into the gate and cut the latch in one stroke.
Word would spread about the intrusion. If they were lucky, they had ten minutes. If not, they would be discovered in three.
But it was more than enough.
They just had to meet with the locals to check if the description of the demonic creature matched Murakan's, if he had used Shadow Energy, and how the battle against Kadun ended.
But when the side gate opened, they were met with another pair of Holy Knights. Jin and his companions had entered just as the Knights were changing shifts.
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SYS (Novel)