C229 - The Power of the Dark Dragon (2)
Quikantel thought about mentioning Murakan once again but decided against it.
She had a feeling that Murakan's condition might not be as bad after all if Misha didn't seem so concerned about him.
"I think it's been too long to give recent news, Misha. It must have been over five hundred years since the last time we saw each other."
"Didn't we meet once in the Kingdom of Mila about two hundred years ago?"
"Maybe. In any case, it has been a long time. Well, I'm doing quite well, as you can see. Thanks to this boy, I settled here and now live with the Olta Contractor."
Quikantel gestured towards Jin with her gaze.
Misha's gaze also turned towards Jin.
"He's a smart and strong boy. I saw some of the trials he underwent in the Great Desert of Mitra. I was quite surprised when he finally reached Temar and wielded his sword."
Jin's companions in Tikan also knew the story because he had told them.
Misha smiled as she remembered that time. But her seemingly innocent smile hid her long-standing sorrow.
Temar Runcandel.
'I felt it then too, but for some reason, the boy has a similar aura to Temar.'
He was the first patriarch of the Runcandel Clan and the only man she had ever loved. Since losing Temar, all that remained in Misha's life was her duty and sense of mission.
Her role was to carry out the affairs that needed to be executed and prevent as Solderet's proxy. She also took care of those to whom Solderet owed favors and the well-being of their descendants.
"So, I didn't know you were watching over me. The trials were tough, and there were many unpleasant moments. I feel embarrassed," Jin said.
"Don't worry. You did very well. Although it was quite impressive when you chewed those live scorpions."
"I have a question for you."
"You want to know how I found my way here, right?"
"Yes."
"Murakan. That idiot will never escape my reach. I placed a tracking spell on him when he was young, but he still has no idea. That fool."
"A tracking spell?"
"That's why I never had to bother investigating the intricacies of the human worlds. I was always aware of his movements."
If Murakan had been young, it meant that the tracking spell had been active for at least a few thousand years.
Jin was about to feel chills when Quikantel burst into laughter.
"You haven't changed at all, Misha. It's been a long time since I saw that guy being fooled by someone."
"Eh? Everyone believes whatever I say, no matter how ridiculous."
"Haha, I guess you're right. It's impossible for such tracking spells to exist."
Jin awkwardly laughed and shrugged.
"The only thing Murakan uses Shadow Energy for is fighting, but I can do a couple more things with it, you see. For example, something like this." Misha's right hand stroked the shadow of her left hand reflected on the table. But soon, Jin's eyes widened like those of a child being shown magic tricks for the first time.
What the hell is happening?
Misha was gripping the shadow of her left hand with her right hand, as if scooping up pudding.
The shadow didn't disappear. Everyone stared intently at the round shadow lump in Misha's right hand.
Quikantel, on the other hand, seemed to have seen this trick a long time ago.
"Whoa!" Euria exclaimed. Being the young girl she was, she even reached out her hand to touch it. Misha adored her childlike innocence for a moment, and then she blew on the shadow in her hand.
The shadow spread and flew towards Jin in thousands of small dots.
It's almost like a galaxy-sized hand heading towards me.
Jin didn't dodge Misha's shadow as it flew towards him. The shadow was absorbed by Jin upon reaching him and vanished.
Jin didn't feel any change as the shadow entered his body. The only noticeable difference was that the shadow in Misha's left hand had slightly faded.
"Yes, you're right. Such a spell doesn't exist. But with divine powers, it's possible. I can locate every being I've sprinkled my shadow on. I sprinkled my shadow on that stupid Murakan when he was young, and that's how I followed you here."
Misha then gently placed Euria on the ground. She then dispersed her body into Shadow Energy and began floating above their heads.
"And that's how I entered the mansion. It's no surprise that no one noticed."
It was a fascinating sight. The particles composing Misha could gather and disperse at will. When they were far apart, only the presence of dark dust in the area was noticeable.
Whoosh!
The Shadow Energy floating in the air gathered and stood between Jin and Quikantel. It immediately coalesced into a human form, and its color returned. Misha was there once again.
"There you go. Does this explain some things now?"
Jin was about to nod.
"But no, martial artists shouldn't expose their backs like that, you know?"
He heard Misha's voice right behind him.
He quickly turned around and saw that there was another Misha. There was one Misha in front of him and another behind him. In fact, there was another Misha sitting where she had been, and hugging Euria once again.
Quikantel was already accustomed to Misha's powers, but the rest of the room could only stare in shock. Their faces all seemed to ask, "What am I seeing here?"
Especially in Latrie's case, who had just confronted the subject of an abstract fear from her childhood. After witnessing Misha's powers, she seemed ready to faint at any moment.
"Your Guardian Dragon is a scaredy-cat, little Euria."
"But he's nice and cute."
"That seems to be true. And he also makes fantastic cookies."
Three Mishas started eating cookies. Each one of them was real. They weren't just illusions.
'Misha clearly employs Shadow Energy in a different way than Murakan or I do. Does that mean I can do something like that too?'
But she could do something much more impactful than that.
"What?"
"Oh, my! L-Lord Jin!"
"Young master!"
Yulian, Kashimir, and Gilly looked in the same direction, covering their mouths with their hands. When Jin followed their lead and turned his gaze, he was completely stunned.
At the end of his gaze was another Jin Runcandel.
He had the same appearance, the same attire, and the same eyes. Quikantel diverted her gaze from Misha to the new Jin as if she had never seen anything like it either.
The new Jin picked up a plate and approached the real Jin.
"Why don't you try one?"
His accent and tone were identical to his real self. Even his companions, who had seen it all, were confused about who the real Jin was.
"It must be an unfamiliar experience to face oneself when there's no mirror around."
But Misha sounded as if it was no particular feat, making the whole affair even stranger.
This is madness. It's almost as if she's not a Contractor or a Dragon begotten by a God. It's as if she herself is a deity.
If Misha wasn't friendly with him and was his enemy...
Just the thought sent a cold sweat down his back.
Two Mishas and Jin holding the plate dispersed, leaving only Misha hugging Euria.
It took Jin and his companions a while to recover from the shock.
And Joshua. Does this mean he has someone with such abilities by his side?
That reminded Jin of how terrifying Joshua's body replication ability really was.
"I'm sure that idiot never told you what such things are capable of with Shadow Energy, did he?"
"No, he didn't."
Then Misha sighed in relief for some reason.
"That's a relief. If he had, I would have punched him in the face. And I would have tortured you until you forgot about it."
"What?"
"How do you feel after witnessing phenomena that go far beyond the principles of the world?"
Jin observed Misha's serious gaze for a while and replied.
"It's been horrifying. If that Jin Runcandel who gave me a cookie earlier could be active somewhere else, I would no longer be anyone special. I can't even imagine how many tedious things I would have to go through to prove that I'm the real me."
No person on Earth would want more than one copy of themselves, especially if the other self was out of their control.
Jin didn't intend anything with his words. He had simply stated what he sincerely thought about the matter. But a smile formed on Misha's face, as if his answer pleased her greatly.
She had deliberately showcased these divine powers to shock Jin, to prevent him from succumbing to such temptations in the countless battles he would face in the future.
Misha believed that the power of Shadow Energy was too dangerous for any mortal to wield—Dragons, Half-Orcs, Demons, and even Gods included, let alone Humans.
The Thousand-Year Contractor. And the shadow's hope that would surely be the last.
"I will never let you meet the same end as Temar. Fortunately, Murakan seems to be guiding you well for now. Never take an interest in such powers, not even in the future. I will always be watching over you."
Misha was about to continue when Euria tugged at her sleeve.
"The old lord will never do that."
Jin and his companions didn't understand why Euria was saying such things.
Jin chuckled at Euria's serious expression because he found it adorable.
"It's been a while since you called me an old lord, Euria. But why wouldn't I?"
"Anyway, he won't."
Misha was the only one frozen by her words, and she thought, An old lord? Moreover, she even read my thoughts. I expected it, but fate has brought this girl to Jin.
Old lord.
Those two words raised all sorts of questions in Misha's mind in that split second.
About why her God, Solderet, has remained silent until now, why he didn't communicate with his own Contractor even once, and why he didn't speak with his own Dragons.
Perhaps Jin could be a reincarnation of Temar! That's probably why Euria saw Temar's form in him... No, maybe...
She might have seen Solderet in Jin.
Az Mil and the Eye Contractor. If the Contractor was as flawless as Euria, then it was certainly possible.
But one couldn't be sure at that moment.
Misha concealed her emotions and patted Euria on the head.
"In any case, it's not so bad to go out into the world and talk to people, I suppose. Hm, you. Did you say your name was Gilly?"
"Yes, Lady Misha."
"It will take me a few days to fix that idiot of my brother. I would appreciate it if you could choose a room for me."
"I will try to find the best available room. Please give me a list of anything you might need, if you have any special requests."
"Thank you. I would like to have a drink with Quikantel in my room, so let me order some bottles of fine wine for now. Hopefully, something from Mila, aged over a century."
"Right away."
"Jin, I will talk to you more tomorrow."
Misha abruptly stopped and looked back at Gilly, as if she had just remembered something.
"And as for you. You might want to be careful."
"What?"
"You're too suitable for his tastes. If he makes any foolish moves on you, I will cut him off immediately."
Gilly couldn't come up with a response. She could only pretend to cough.
Tags:
SYS (Novel)