[T/L: punisher87]
[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
‘Unbelievable! Could it be happening right now?’
Jin and Syris instinctively reached for the swords on their waists.
On the other hand, Talaris shrugged as if it were something that had happened before, with a bitter smile spreading across her lips.
"...A human sealed a thousand years ago has surpassed the power of Myriad Ice and me. It's not surprising at all. There was even a time when the seal was broken more than half."
Despite the crack, Elona inside the ice pillar remained motionless, her eyes closed.
Talaris reached out her hand towards the crack, and the energy of Myriad Ice flowed in, repairing the fracture. Gradually, the ice pillar returned to its original state.
Even just restoring the crack seemed to have exhausted Talaris, as she wore an extremely tired expression.
"Mother, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Hmph, maybe I worried my son-in-law for nothing. Haha."
Syris continued to worry about his mother, not getting annoyed even amidst the ongoing banter about my son-in-law.
"It seems like this woman is tired of sitting in one place for a thousand years."
"…Does my father also know about Elona Zipfel's existence?"
"He does. In our youth, when he didn't know much about our circumstances, he used to make a fuss about waking her up and trying to have a fight with her."
"My father?"
When Jin asked with widened eyes, Talaris smirked.
"At that time, Chiron just hoped for a worthy opponent to appear to calm him down. The fact that waking this woman could cause a huge disturbance in the world was not at all important to your father, who was living the life of a martial artist."
Talaris became friends with Chiron around that time. They had clashed swords numerous times at the Hidden Palace, but at some point, they came to understand each other.
"Of course, now your father has regained his senses and bears responsibility for the power he possesses."
"Is that responsibility related to the Black Sea?"
"Ask that directly to Chiron. If you still don't know about Chiron's affairs, it must be because he wanted it that way."
"Understood."
"Jin."
"Yes, Madame Talaris."
"Starting today, you are also joining the task of protecting this seal."
Upon hearing Talaris' words, Syris looked at her mother in disbelief.
"Mother? Jin is an outsider... No, you can't be serious. Are you really considering him as your son-in-law?"
"If that's the case?"
"You should say something that makes sense...!"
"Hmph, no matter how much I tease my daughter, I never get tired of it. It's just a joke. I simply think Jin's abilities will be of great help in maintaining this seal. The time has come when I can't handle it alone. I can't just pass Myriad Ice to you already."
For Syris, it was an unimaginable situation. The fact that her mother might rely on Jin for something.
She felt frustrated that she couldn't be a support to her mother, but she had no choice. If that was her decision, she had to go along with it.
After organizing her thoughts for a moment, Syris reached out her hand to Jin. Jin hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand.
"I want you to know that this is not an alliance between Hidden Palace and Runcandel, but between Hidden Palace and Jin Runcandel."
"I also prefer it that way."
In truth, Syris didn't mind being close to Jin.
As the daughter of the master of Hidden Palace, she wasn't familiar with the concept of "friends." Jin was the only person close to her age whom she considered as a friend.
‘At first, it was annoying when he fooled me. But he's not a bad guy, all things considered.’
Apart from their first encounter, Syris had a favorable impression of Jin since then. Otherwise, she wouldn't have joined the mission to steal the compass.
"Ah, you guys look so good together. How about this mother giving you some alone time, daughter?"
"There's no need for that, Mother."
"Okay then. See you later, my daughter."
Vooom!
Mort opened a white dimensional gate.
Talaris left the two, or rather, the three of them—Syris, Jin, and Elona in the ice pillar—behind and rode Mort back to the outside of Hidden Palace. They could only stare blankly at the spot where Talaris had left, leaving them alone.
In an instant, an awkward tension filled the air between the two.
"...If you could understand that my mother is somewhat weird, I would appreciate it, Jin."
"Of course. Compared to my father, she seem to be on the more ordinary side."
After a brief exchange, silence fell again.
'Uncomfortable.'
'Indeed.'
A few seconds later, both of them spoke at the same time.
"Um..."
"Lady Syris, you go ahead."
Jin smoothly deferred to her, as he didn't really have anything to say.
"Um... I was wondering..."
"Yes?"
"Do those guys transform too?"
"Transform? Who are you talking about?"
"The small beastmen you brought. Do they transform into creepy humans like Butterfly Runc… I mean like your Black Dragon?"
Jin almost burst out laughing, but he managed to contain it as it would have embarrassed Syris.
"No, those friends are not dragons; they are truly beastmen. Dragons are the only ones who can transform."
"That's a relief."
"If they were all dragons, it would have been quite intimidating."
"I still get goosebumps sometimes when I think that the cute cat I saw at the banquet is that black dragon. You know how much I had pampered that cat in the banquet hall.”
"Haha..."
Even thinking about it again, Syris narrowed her eyes in disbelief.
“It stayed by my side throughout the entire party. Even when I went to watch your duel with Bubare, it was cuddled up in my arms."
-Oh! I think attending this banquet was a really good decision. I never expected to meet Hidden Palace's successor up close like this! Nice to meet you, Syris Endorma, right? I'm Veradin Zi..."
-Just get lost.
-Oh, okay.
-By the way, be careful with that cat. He's the one who scratched my face, haha. He's quite a feisty one.
Syris recalled the conversation she had with Veradin at the previous banquet and shared it with Jin.
Veradin, that guy, Jin wondered how he was doing now, and his heart weighed heavy with thoughts of him.
‘It’s so frustrating that there is no news from him. Even Dante seems not to have heard anything yet. Not only should I asked him to invite Veradin to the Hairan’s banquet but I should also ask him to go to the Zipfel’s banquet.'’
Amidst various thoughts, Syris continued to talk about Runcandel's banquet.
Apart from Jin, she didn't have many memories with people of her age, as she had always been trained and focused on missions.
Unaware herself, that banquet had left special memories for her.
Jin suddenly realized this and met Syris' gaze.
He, too, had spent his childhood and youth in his past life without any significant memories.
‘In contrast to my past self, Lady Syris, you have achievements in your growth. You must have been bored back then.’
She might have felt lonely at times.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just because there's nowhere else to look, Lady Syris."
"Yeah."
"Visit Tikan often. We're allies now, and you are also my companion, Lady Syris."
Jin had already considered Syris as his companion. He just hadn't expressed it aloud, thinking she might not feel the same way.
"Visiting places for leisure is not something I'm used to."
"I was the same."
"But it doesn't seem like a bad idea. When I think of it as ‘hanging out’,' it somehow excites me."
While Syris mostly appeared cold and composed in most situations, she was not a person who was dishonest.
Being born as the successor of Hidden Palace, she had always lived a life of dedication and determination, but she was still a young girl with her own desires. Naturally, there were times when she wanted to interact with others and simply have fun without any worries.
"I'm glad you're taking it positively."
But you know, isn't it time for you to drop the formal language too? It feels odd when only I keep using it.
Syris swallowed those words.
If they spoke comfortably with each other, she would naturally grow closer to Jin, and she feared that it might cause confusion in her own feelings if it happened too quickly.
"By the way, I wonder when my mother will open the portal."
"She'll probably come in today. Until then, let's chat some more."
"I never expected you to be a chatterbox."
"I enjoy it."
***
Talaris opened the portal the next morning.
Until then, the two of them had stayed up talking all night, sharing small and pleasant stories that seemed to pass quickly.
Talaris seemed slightly disappointed by that, but for Jin and Syris, it was a joyful time.
"Welcome, my lord!"
As soon as Jin left Hidden Palace, he found Tikan. The issue with the small beastmen had been resolved, so he just wanted to visit Tikan briefly before returning to the Garden of Swords.
"But how did you get in touch? Butler Petro said you were absent, and Lucas said you haven't come out of Hidden Palace yet."
"Did you contact me? Why?"
"A guest has arrived."
"Guest?"
"Yes, it's Arya Aulhart..."
"Where is she?"
"She's at Latrie's refreshment shop."
Even though it was morning, the refreshment shop had a long queue.
Jin used the secret passage leading to the refreshment shop (which was recently installed due to the influx of guests) and entered the kitchen directly, where he could see Valeria sitting at one side of the dining table.
Seeing her, Jin stifled a laugh inwardly.
‘She's using the Golden Peng products very well.’
Valeria had black-dyed hair and five years added to her age, making her look like a completely different person with her skillfully natural makeup.
Jin took a seat in front of Valeria.
"I didn't expect you to come here. You said it wasn't necessary, but you seem to be using the products well."
"It is not bad. You are going to make good money. Did you get the second shadow force marble?"
Valeria gets straight to the point. Jin had expected it, of course.
"Yes."
"Show it to me. Let me check what it is."
"Isn't there too many prying eyes here? Let's move."
"There are only four of us who can see inside the kitchen: you, me, Latrie and a mage. It should not matter since the dragon of Az Mil is your ally. And I think the same goes for that mage who lost her magic."
Valeria didn't want to move because she judged it safer here.
"You seem to know everything. Even if you say you read the flow of Veris’s mana, knowing that Latrie is the Dragon of Az Mil is classified information."
She had confirmed that information by checking the records.
"My existence was also classified. Show me the recording device. Let me check if it's malfunctioning again."
Jin took out the shadow force marble that he had obtained from Joshua's villa, from his pocket.
Valeria nonchalantly cast the record magic, and indeed, inside the refreshment shop, no one could see what they were doing.
Blue mana enveloped the marble.
A moment later, Jin noticed Valeria's habit of shifting her gaze slightly to the left when she was puzzled or confused.
‘Is she confused because of the marble? What's wrong?’
The blue mana of the record magic disappeared.
"Well? Is it malfunctioning again this time?"
Valeria's response was truly unexpected.
"...This doesn't seem to be a Solderet's device."
[T/L: Buy ahead chapters from here: https://ko-fi.com/s/972aad39bd ]
[T/L: punisher87]
[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
‘Unbelievable! Could it be happening right now?’
Jin and Syris instinctively reached for the swords on their waists.
On the other hand, Talaris shrugged as if it were something that had happened before, with a bitter smile spreading across her lips.
"...A human sealed a thousand years ago has surpassed the power of Myriad Ice and me. It's not surprising at all. There was even a time when the seal was broken more than half."
Despite the crack, Elona inside the ice pillar remained motionless, her eyes closed.
Talaris reached out her hand towards the crack, and the energy of Myriad Ice flowed in, repairing the fracture. Gradually, the ice pillar returned to its original state.
Even just restoring the crack seemed to have exhausted Talaris, as she wore an extremely tired expression.
"Mother, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Hmph, maybe I worried my son-in-law for nothing. Haha."
Syris continued to worry about his mother, not getting annoyed even amidst the ongoing banter about my son-in-law.
"It seems like this woman is tired of sitting in one place for a thousand years."
"…Does my father also know about Elona Zipfel's existence?"
"He does. In our youth, when he didn't know much about our circumstances, he used to make a fuss about waking her up and trying to have a fight with her."
"My father?"
When Jin asked with widened eyes, Talaris smirked.
"At that time, Chiron just hoped for a worthy opponent to appear to calm him down. The fact that waking this woman could cause a huge disturbance in the world was not at all important to your father, who was living the life of a martial artist."
Talaris became friends with Chiron around that time. They had clashed swords numerous times at the Hidden Palace, but at some point, they came to understand each other.
"Of course, now your father has regained his senses and bears responsibility for the power he possesses."
"Is that responsibility related to the Black Sea?"
"Ask that directly to Chiron. If you still don't know about Chiron's affairs, it must be because he wanted it that way."
"Understood."
"Jin."
"Yes, Madame Talaris."
"Starting today, you are also joining the task of protecting this seal."
Upon hearing Talaris' words, Syris looked at her mother in disbelief.
"Mother? Jin is an outsider... No, you can't be serious. Are you really considering him as your son-in-law?"
"If that's the case?"
"You should say something that makes sense...!"
"Hmph, no matter how much I tease my daughter, I never get tired of it. It's just a joke. I simply think Jin's abilities will be of great help in maintaining this seal. The time has come when I can't handle it alone. I can't just pass Myriad Ice to you already."
For Syris, it was an unimaginable situation. The fact that her mother might rely on Jin for something.
She felt frustrated that she couldn't be a support to her mother, but she had no choice. If that was her decision, she had to go along with it.
After organizing her thoughts for a moment, Syris reached out her hand to Jin. Jin hesitated for a moment before shaking her hand.
"I want you to know that this is not an alliance between Hidden Palace and Runcandel, but between Hidden Palace and Jin Runcandel."
"I also prefer it that way."
In truth, Syris didn't mind being close to Jin.
As the daughter of the master of Hidden Palace, she wasn't familiar with the concept of "friends." Jin was the only person close to her age whom she considered as a friend.
‘At first, it was annoying when he fooled me. But he's not a bad guy, all things considered.’
Apart from their first encounter, Syris had a favorable impression of Jin since then. Otherwise, she wouldn't have joined the mission to steal the compass.
"Ah, you guys look so good together. How about this mother giving you some alone time, daughter?"
"There's no need for that, Mother."
"Okay then. See you later, my daughter."
Vooom!
Mort opened a white dimensional gate.
Talaris left the two, or rather, the three of them—Syris, Jin, and Elona in the ice pillar—behind and rode Mort back to the outside of Hidden Palace. They could only stare blankly at the spot where Talaris had left, leaving them alone.
In an instant, an awkward tension filled the air between the two.
"...If you could understand that my mother is somewhat weird, I would appreciate it, Jin."
"Of course. Compared to my father, she seem to be on the more ordinary side."
After a brief exchange, silence fell again.
'Uncomfortable.'
'Indeed.'
A few seconds later, both of them spoke at the same time.
"Um..."
"Lady Syris, you go ahead."
Jin smoothly deferred to her, as he didn't really have anything to say.
"Um... I was wondering..."
"Yes?"
"Do those guys transform too?"
"Transform? Who are you talking about?"
"The small beastmen you brought. Do they transform into creepy humans like Butterfly Runc… I mean like your Black Dragon?"
Jin almost burst out laughing, but he managed to contain it as it would have embarrassed Syris.
"No, those friends are not dragons; they are truly beastmen. Dragons are the only ones who can transform."
"That's a relief."
"If they were all dragons, it would have been quite intimidating."
"I still get goosebumps sometimes when I think that the cute cat I saw at the banquet is that black dragon. You know how much I had pampered that cat in the banquet hall.”
"Haha..."
Even thinking about it again, Syris narrowed her eyes in disbelief.
“It stayed by my side throughout the entire party. Even when I went to watch your duel with Bubare, it was cuddled up in my arms."
-Oh! I think attending this banquet was a really good decision. I never expected to meet Hidden Palace's successor up close like this! Nice to meet you, Syris Endorma, right? I'm Veradin Zi..."
-Just get lost.
-Oh, okay.
-By the way, be careful with that cat. He's the one who scratched my face, haha. He's quite a feisty one.
Syris recalled the conversation she had with Veradin at the previous banquet and shared it with Jin.
Veradin, that guy, Jin wondered how he was doing now, and his heart weighed heavy with thoughts of him.
‘It’s so frustrating that there is no news from him. Even Dante seems not to have heard anything yet. Not only should I asked him to invite Veradin to the Hairan’s banquet but I should also ask him to go to the Zipfel’s banquet.'’
Amidst various thoughts, Syris continued to talk about Runcandel's banquet.
Apart from Jin, she didn't have many memories with people of her age, as she had always been trained and focused on missions.
Unaware herself, that banquet had left special memories for her.
Jin suddenly realized this and met Syris' gaze.
He, too, had spent his childhood and youth in his past life without any significant memories.
‘In contrast to my past self, Lady Syris, you have achievements in your growth. You must have been bored back then.’
She might have felt lonely at times.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Just because there's nowhere else to look, Lady Syris."
"Yeah."
"Visit Tikan often. We're allies now, and you are also my companion, Lady Syris."
Jin had already considered Syris as his companion. He just hadn't expressed it aloud, thinking she might not feel the same way.
"Visiting places for leisure is not something I'm used to."
"I was the same."
"But it doesn't seem like a bad idea. When I think of it as ‘hanging out’,' it somehow excites me."
While Syris mostly appeared cold and composed in most situations, she was not a person who was dishonest.
Being born as the successor of Hidden Palace, she had always lived a life of dedication and determination, but she was still a young girl with her own desires. Naturally, there were times when she wanted to interact with others and simply have fun without any worries.
"I'm glad you're taking it positively."
But you know, isn't it time for you to drop the formal language too? It feels odd when only I keep using it.
Syris swallowed those words.
If they spoke comfortably with each other, she would naturally grow closer to Jin, and she feared that it might cause confusion in her own feelings if it happened too quickly.
"By the way, I wonder when my mother will open the portal."
"She'll probably come in today. Until then, let's chat some more."
"I never expected you to be a chatterbox."
"I enjoy it."
***
Talaris opened the portal the next morning.
Until then, the two of them had stayed up talking all night, sharing small and pleasant stories that seemed to pass quickly.
Talaris seemed slightly disappointed by that, but for Jin and Syris, it was a joyful time.
"Welcome, my lord!"
As soon as Jin left Hidden Palace, he found Tikan. The issue with the small beastmen had been resolved, so he just wanted to visit Tikan briefly before returning to the Garden of Swords.
"But how did you get in touch? Butler Petro said you were absent, and Lucas said you haven't come out of Hidden Palace yet."
"Did you contact me? Why?"
"A guest has arrived."
"Guest?"
"Yes, it's Arya Aulhart..."
"Where is she?"
"She's at Latrie's refreshment shop."
Even though it was morning, the refreshment shop had a long queue.
Jin used the secret passage leading to the refreshment shop (which was recently installed due to the influx of guests) and entered the kitchen directly, where he could see Valeria sitting at one side of the dining table.
Seeing her, Jin stifled a laugh inwardly.
‘She's using the Golden Peng products very well.’
Valeria had black-dyed hair and five years added to her age, making her look like a completely different person with her skillfully natural makeup.
Jin took a seat in front of Valeria.
"I didn't expect you to come here. You said it wasn't necessary, but you seem to be using the products well."
"It is not bad. You are going to make good money. Did you get the second shadow force marble?"
Valeria gets straight to the point. Jin had expected it, of course.
"Yes."
"Show it to me. Let me check what it is."
"Isn't there too many prying eyes here? Let's move."
"There are only four of us who can see inside the kitchen: you, me, Latrie and a mage. It should not matter since the dragon of Az Mil is your ally. And I think the same goes for that mage who lost her magic."
Valeria didn't want to move because she judged it safer here.
"You seem to know everything. Even if you say you read the flow of Veris’s mana, knowing that Latrie is the Dragon of Az Mil is classified information."
She had confirmed that information by checking the records.
"My existence was also classified. Show me the recording device. Let me check if it's malfunctioning again."
Jin took out the shadow force marble that he had obtained from Joshua's villa, from his pocket.
Valeria nonchalantly cast the record magic, and indeed, inside the refreshment shop, no one could see what they were doing.
Blue mana enveloped the marble.
A moment later, Jin noticed Valeria's habit of shifting her gaze slightly to the left when she was puzzled or confused.
‘Is she confused because of the marble? What's wrong?’
The blue mana of the record magic disappeared.
"Well? Is it malfunctioning again this time?"
Valeria's response was truly unexpected.
"...This doesn't seem to be a Solderet's device."
[T/L: Buy ahead chapters from here: https://ko-fi.com/s/972aad39bd ]
