308
Jin's eyes widened.
‘What is this...?’
In the scene played by the orb, Murakan was saying something that the Murakan Jin knew would never say.
A silence followed.
Sarah's eyes were trembling in anger as she glared at Murakan. Gradually, a fierce killing intent filled her eyes, while Murakan remained expressionless.
"Give up on the patriarch... Yes, I've heard that you've been saying such things. I heard it from the Magic Swordsmen of the enforcement division. Padler also said something similar."
Sarah spat out blood and continued.
“I thought there was some misunderstanding. Since they don't know you better than me, or maybe they're just talking nonsense because they're all exhausted from the relentless battles…”
Sarah approached Murakan and grabbed his collar.
"But now, I'm hearing it directly from your mouth. Are you really saying we must kill the patriarch? Are you serious? You are the Guardian Dragon of the patriarch!"
"Sarah."
"Answer me, Murakan."
"Look around you."
Sarah turned her head and looked around.
There were corpses all around them. It was the aftermath of their recent battle. The dismembered bodies were full of Runcandel Black Swords and dragon crests of Zipfel.
“More than half of the dead mages had been killed by Temar. If we hadn't come to support, the situation would have been much more difficult. Probably, this battle ended in Zipfel's victory.”
"What are you trying to say?"
"I arrived on the battlefield before you did. Unlike you, I watched Temar fighting. The ones he killed weren't just Zipfel's mages."
"You don't mean to say that the patriarch killed our knights, do you...?"
Murakan slowly nodded his head.
Sarah, who had been holding onto his collar, released her grip. She then looked around again to check the bodies of the dead knights.
She examined the wounds and cut marks carefully, and she soon realized that many of their own knights, or rather, the majority, had been killed by Temar's sword. Anyone who died at his sword carried a noticeable mark.
"Sarah, he's losing his mind. Temar... is no longer the person we once knew." Murakan spoke after a long silence.
"No, the patriarch isn't mad..."
"Don't turn away. You already know the truth."
"Nonsense."
"How long do you think you can deceive yourself? You don't want to face the truth. I understand because I was like that too. But you witnessed Temar attacking our allies in the past battles. He tried to kill Padler and only stopped in the nick of time."
"The Patriarch is also human. That day, he momentarily lost his senses due to the relentless battles that had been going on."
"Will you continue to turn a blind eye to the dead knights?"
Sarah shook her head.
"There must have been some reason why the patriarch killed them. Murakan! What do you want us to do if we can’t trust the patriarch?"
"I know how difficult it is to accept. But we must see the truth, even if it's for his sake."
"The truth!"
Sarah shouted, her voice sounding choked with anger.
"The truth is that the patriarch is still the person we know, Murakan. There must be a reason why he killed them."
"Sarah."
"Those knights must have been manipulated by Zipfel's mind control magic. You know how they can manipulate human minds. We have to trust the patriarch."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Perhaps they were spies. They must have been spies. So, Temar killed them directly..."
Smack!
Murakan slapped Sarah's cheek.
Her eyes lost focus and she blankly stared at the sky.
"Do not disrespect the dead knights. They fought and died for Runcandel, for Temar, for you and the other clan members, to prevent the world from falling under Zipfel's control. How can you, one of the ten great knights, belittle their sacrifices?"
Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes. She regretted her words, but what was said could not be taken back.
Sarah slumped to the ground with a sigh, and embraced the bodies of dead allies. Her emotions were in turmoil, and she didn't know how to deal with them.
Murakan watched Sarah for a moment before gently embracing her.
"What could have driven the patriarch to such a state? You... you know, right? What's causing him to go mad? Tell me."
Zzzzzt!
Zzzzzzzzt...!
The grey sphere displaying the scene distorted. At the same time, the screen began to blur and sharpen rapidly.
As a result, Jin couldn't see them clearly, and the sound also became muffled.
"This is happening again..."
It wasn't unexpected, given his previous experience with the first tomb.
Jin had suspected that there might be an issue with the recording device after considering the state of the shattered subspace.
He had no choice but to wait quietly until the sphere returned to normal.
‘The shadow force marble that I obtained from the first tomb and the recording device in the tombs as well... They all feel like they are damaged.’
The recording device was like a malfunctioned pocket watch. It would show events from a thousand years ago, but then it would often glitch at crucial moments.
‘According to the recording device, Murakan was trying to kill Temar, who had gone insane. It might have something to do with why Sir Sylderay seemed to dislike Murakan.’
It seemed like he needed to meet Misha as soon as possible. She might have some information about the recording devices.
Zzzz!
The grey sphere's scene cleared up again, but like in the first tomb, the perspective had shifted.
Murakan and Sarah were no longer on a battlefield filled with the corpses of Runcandel and Zipfel. Instead, they were in a desolate wasteland overrun by monsters.
The Black Sea.
He could tell at a glance; there was only one land so dark and desolate in this world, and that was the Black Sea.
However, there was something strange about this scene.
‘A tower in the Black Sea...?’
He knew it was definitely Black Sea, but there was a tall tower standing there in the distance. A tower that didn't exist in the current Black Sea.
"There really is a tower... you said that the patriarch is inside.”
The man spoke. Murakan and Sarah called him "Padler."
The three of them stood there for a long time, and looked at the distant tower. A constant stream of black smoke billowed at the top of the tower, which was none other than shadow force.
It didn't look eerie at first glance, but the shadow force billowing from the tower somehow seemed to carry an evil energy.
"Ha..."
Padler let out a deep sigh.
"Murakan, is this really the only way?"
Murakan didn't respond, so Padler continued.
“I'm honestly not confident about this.”
“Temar has become weak. I can handle him all by myself. The reason I called you was just…”
"That's not what I am trying to say. I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do. It seems too cruel to kill the patriarch with our own hands, for both the patriarch and us."
"Don't hesitate here, Padler. Do you think I want to kill him? There are no words to express how painful this situation is for me. It's torture for me as well."
Murakan looked back at Padler with bloodshot eyes.
"There was not a single day more dreadful than today in my two thousand years of life. Can you imagine what it feels like for a guardian dragon to kill his contractor? I can't even kill myself out of pain like you humans can. If only I could, I would take my life after killing him."
Murakan clenched his teeth and stopped talking.
The land of the Black Sea they were standing on was trembling. The dark energy flowing from the tower was suppressing the entire area.
Not a single demonic creature was in sight. They had fled, just like beasts instinctively hiding from disaster.
"Murakan, remember this one thing." Sarah spoke.
Murakan didn't turn his head toward her.
"If he were in your position, the patriarch, no. My orabeoni would never give up on you."
"I know that."
"You sound like it is for my orabeoni’s sake, but you, and your god too, will ultimately make the choice that benefits yourselves the most. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to follow that decision."
Sarah began to walk forward, and the two followed her. Their footprints remained on the dark ground of the Black Sea.
As they approached the tower, the Black Sea landscape turned even darker. The shadow force emanating from the tower seemed to carry a more sinister venom compared to anything else in the Black Sea.
Near the entrance, they had to muster all their strength to deploy protective shields. Murakan revealed his true form and released his shadow force.
The giant tower was hollow inside. There was a spiral staircase at the center, and the trio climbed it without exchanging a word.
Finally, they reached the top of the tower.
There, they faced Temar.
He had black spots all over his body, Temar appeared like someone afflicted with a plague. He didn't even react when the group arrived.
"Orabeoni."
Temar said nothing.
"We are... I am here, orabeoni. Why are you alone in this desolate place?"
Sarah held onto the hope that Temar might respond despite his lack of reaction. Hope that her beloved brother might not be entirely mad and that they could somehow make things better.
[Sarah...]
Sarah’s eyes widened and she nodded her head.
"Yes, it's me. Sarah. Can you recognize me? Can you?"
[Come closer... It's... so cold...]
Sarah smiled brightly and approached Temar. But at that moment, Murakan grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't get any closer to him."
"Let go."
"If you approach him recklessly, you might get attacked.”
“I said, let go."
"Damn it, Sarah. Please listen to me. Look at the shadow force swirling around Temar! Can't you see it is forming into blades? They're poised to stab you, Sarah."
Padler closed his eyes tightly.
He had recognized the blades of the shadow force when he first saw Temar.
That's why he had to admit it.
That the patriarch was insane.
The Temar that Padler knew would never retaliate, even if his younger sister stabbed him from behind.
But now, Temar was trying to deceive Sarah and kill her.
Padler drew his sword. The blade, imbued with lightning, emerged from its scabbard and illuminated the surroundings.
"I, Padler Runcandel, one of the great knights of the Runcandel. I have been honored with the name of Runcandel by the patriarch and have enjoyed infinite glory until now. I shall attack you now, patriarch, but I shall make amends for doing so, even in death."
Then a sinister smile spread across Temar's lips.
308
Jin's eyes widened.
‘What is this...?’
In the scene played by the orb, Murakan was saying something that the Murakan Jin knew would never say.
A silence followed.
Sarah's eyes were trembling in anger as she glared at Murakan. Gradually, a fierce killing intent filled her eyes, while Murakan remained expressionless.
"Give up on the patriarch... Yes, I've heard that you've been saying such things. I heard it from the Magic Swordsmen of the enforcement division. Padler also said something similar."
Sarah spat out blood and continued.
“I thought there was some misunderstanding. Since they don't know you better than me, or maybe they're just talking nonsense because they're all exhausted from the relentless battles…”
Sarah approached Murakan and grabbed his collar.
"But now, I'm hearing it directly from your mouth. Are you really saying we must kill the patriarch? Are you serious? You are the Guardian Dragon of the patriarch!"
"Sarah."
"Answer me, Murakan."
"Look around you."
Sarah turned her head and looked around.
There were corpses all around them. It was the aftermath of their recent battle. The dismembered bodies were full of Runcandel Black Swords and dragon crests of Zipfel.
“More than half of the dead mages had been killed by Temar. If we hadn't come to support, the situation would have been much more difficult. Probably, this battle ended in Zipfel's victory.”
"What are you trying to say?"
"I arrived on the battlefield before you did. Unlike you, I watched Temar fighting. The ones he killed weren't just Zipfel's mages."
"You don't mean to say that the patriarch killed our knights, do you...?"
Murakan slowly nodded his head.
Sarah, who had been holding onto his collar, released her grip. She then looked around again to check the bodies of the dead knights.
She examined the wounds and cut marks carefully, and she soon realized that many of their own knights, or rather, the majority, had been killed by Temar's sword. Anyone who died at his sword carried a noticeable mark.
"Sarah, he's losing his mind. Temar... is no longer the person we once knew." Murakan spoke after a long silence.
"No, the patriarch isn't mad..."
"Don't turn away. You already know the truth."
"Nonsense."
"How long do you think you can deceive yourself? You don't want to face the truth. I understand because I was like that too. But you witnessed Temar attacking our allies in the past battles. He tried to kill Padler and only stopped in the nick of time."
"The Patriarch is also human. That day, he momentarily lost his senses due to the relentless battles that had been going on."
"Will you continue to turn a blind eye to the dead knights?"
Sarah shook her head.
"There must have been some reason why the patriarch killed them. Murakan! What do you want us to do if we can’t trust the patriarch?"
"I know how difficult it is to accept. But we must see the truth, even if it's for his sake."
"The truth!"
Sarah shouted, her voice sounding choked with anger.
"The truth is that the patriarch is still the person we know, Murakan. There must be a reason why he killed them."
"Sarah."
"Those knights must have been manipulated by Zipfel's mind control magic. You know how they can manipulate human minds. We have to trust the patriarch."
"Do you really believe that?"
"Perhaps they were spies. They must have been spies. So, Temar killed them directly..."
Smack!
Murakan slapped Sarah's cheek.
Her eyes lost focus and she blankly stared at the sky.
"Do not disrespect the dead knights. They fought and died for Runcandel, for Temar, for you and the other clan members, to prevent the world from falling under Zipfel's control. How can you, one of the ten great knights, belittle their sacrifices?"
Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes. She regretted her words, but what was said could not be taken back.
Sarah slumped to the ground with a sigh, and embraced the bodies of dead allies. Her emotions were in turmoil, and she didn't know how to deal with them.
Murakan watched Sarah for a moment before gently embracing her.
"What could have driven the patriarch to such a state? You... you know, right? What's causing him to go mad? Tell me."
Zzzzzt!
Zzzzzzzzt...!
The grey sphere displaying the scene distorted. At the same time, the screen began to blur and sharpen rapidly.
As a result, Jin couldn't see them clearly, and the sound also became muffled.
"This is happening again..."
It wasn't unexpected, given his previous experience with the first tomb.
Jin had suspected that there might be an issue with the recording device after considering the state of the shattered subspace.
He had no choice but to wait quietly until the sphere returned to normal.
‘The shadow force marble that I obtained from the first tomb and the recording device in the tombs as well... They all feel like they are damaged.’
The recording device was like a malfunctioned pocket watch. It would show events from a thousand years ago, but then it would often glitch at crucial moments.
‘According to the recording device, Murakan was trying to kill Temar, who had gone insane. It might have something to do with why Sir Sylderay seemed to dislike Murakan.’
It seemed like he needed to meet Misha as soon as possible. She might have some information about the recording devices.
Zzzz!
The grey sphere's scene cleared up again, but like in the first tomb, the perspective had shifted.
Murakan and Sarah were no longer on a battlefield filled with the corpses of Runcandel and Zipfel. Instead, they were in a desolate wasteland overrun by monsters.
The Black Sea.
He could tell at a glance; there was only one land so dark and desolate in this world, and that was the Black Sea.
However, there was something strange about this scene.
‘A tower in the Black Sea...?’
He knew it was definitely Black Sea, but there was a tall tower standing there in the distance. A tower that didn't exist in the current Black Sea.
"There really is a tower... you said that the patriarch is inside.”
The man spoke. Murakan and Sarah called him "Padler."
The three of them stood there for a long time, and looked at the distant tower. A constant stream of black smoke billowed at the top of the tower, which was none other than shadow force.
It didn't look eerie at first glance, but the shadow force billowing from the tower somehow seemed to carry an evil energy.
"Ha..."
Padler let out a deep sigh.
"Murakan, is this really the only way?"
Murakan didn't respond, so Padler continued.
“I'm honestly not confident about this.”
“Temar has become weak. I can handle him all by myself. The reason I called you was just…”
"That's not what I am trying to say. I'm not sure if this is the right thing to do. It seems too cruel to kill the patriarch with our own hands, for both the patriarch and us."
"Don't hesitate here, Padler. Do you think I want to kill him? There are no words to express how painful this situation is for me. It's torture for me as well."
Murakan looked back at Padler with bloodshot eyes.
"There was not a single day more dreadful than today in my two thousand years of life. Can you imagine what it feels like for a guardian dragon to kill his contractor? I can't even kill myself out of pain like you humans can. If only I could, I would take my life after killing him."
Murakan clenched his teeth and stopped talking.
The land of the Black Sea they were standing on was trembling. The dark energy flowing from the tower was suppressing the entire area.
Not a single demonic creature was in sight. They had fled, just like beasts instinctively hiding from disaster.
"Murakan, remember this one thing." Sarah spoke.
Murakan didn't turn his head toward her.
"If he were in your position, the patriarch, no. My orabeoni would never give up on you."
"I know that."
"You sound like it is for my orabeoni’s sake, but you, and your god too, will ultimately make the choice that benefits yourselves the most. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to follow that decision."
Sarah began to walk forward, and the two followed her. Their footprints remained on the dark ground of the Black Sea.
As they approached the tower, the Black Sea landscape turned even darker. The shadow force emanating from the tower seemed to carry a more sinister venom compared to anything else in the Black Sea.
Near the entrance, they had to muster all their strength to deploy protective shields. Murakan revealed his true form and released his shadow force.
The giant tower was hollow inside. There was a spiral staircase at the center, and the trio climbed it without exchanging a word.
Finally, they reached the top of the tower.
There, they faced Temar.
He had black spots all over his body, Temar appeared like someone afflicted with a plague. He didn't even react when the group arrived.
"Orabeoni."
Temar said nothing.
"We are... I am here, orabeoni. Why are you alone in this desolate place?"
Sarah held onto the hope that Temar might respond despite his lack of reaction. Hope that her beloved brother might not be entirely mad and that they could somehow make things better.
[Sarah...]
Sarah’s eyes widened and she nodded her head.
"Yes, it's me. Sarah. Can you recognize me? Can you?"
[Come closer... It's... so cold...]
Sarah smiled brightly and approached Temar. But at that moment, Murakan grabbed her shoulder.
"Don't get any closer to him."
"Let go."
"If you approach him recklessly, you might get attacked.”
“I said, let go."
"Damn it, Sarah. Please listen to me. Look at the shadow force swirling around Temar! Can't you see it is forming into blades? They're poised to stab you, Sarah."
Padler closed his eyes tightly.
He had recognized the blades of the shadow force when he first saw Temar.
That's why he had to admit it.
That the patriarch was insane.
The Temar that Padler knew would never retaliate, even if his younger sister stabbed him from behind.
But now, Temar was trying to deceive Sarah and kill her.
Padler drew his sword. The blade, imbued with lightning, emerged from its scabbard and illuminated the surroundings.
"I, Padler Runcandel, one of the great knights of the Runcandel. I have been honored with the name of Runcandel by the patriarch and have enjoyed infinite glory until now. I shall attack you now, patriarch, but I shall make amends for doing so, even in death."
Then a sinister smile spread across Temar's lips.
