C365 - Trail (5)
Jin's gaze, delving into the depths of the forest, quickly turned cold.
"As you say, the descendants of the Fairy Tribe seem to be malicious."
Shahak-!
As Jin spoke, he wielded his sword, slicing through the tree.
The blade moved smoothly, cutting through the wood.
Lulu, who was inside the tree, was also cut, but that wasn't the real Lulu; it was just a malicious illusion.
When Lulu's illusion disappeared, a trap in the form of a magic circle was revealed.
If the two had approached carelessly, the trap would have been activated.
Kik, kik, kik, kik-!
From deep within the forest, a sinister laughter echoed.
Jin and Valeria stood with expressionless faces, silently waiting for the figure to appear.
"Weren't you fooled?"
Ting, ting, ting...!
From the darkness beyond the forest emerged a sparkling figure, accompanied by cheerful sounds.
It was the sound of a descendant of the Fairy Tribe flapping its wings.
The Fairy that revealed itself had a beautiful appearance that contrasted completely with the unpleasant laughter it had been emitting.
Tiny, radiant, adorable wings, a face so cute you'd want to reach out and touch it, an adorable expression brimming with mischief.
Of course, Jin and Valeria's looks at the newly appeared descendant of the Fairy Tribe were filled with nothing but a chilling aura.
"Hello? You weren't bothered by the prank, were you?"
The Fairy descendant scratched her head as she spoke.
"Where are the members of the Cat Tribe?"
"Why the hurry? Shouldn't we introduce ourselves first? Hello again! I'm Myla, the younger sister of the Queen of the Fairy Tribe."
Jin and Valeria stared at Myla without responding.
"...Aren't you glad to see me? Humans who stumble into this forest and encounter me usually shout in excitement at having found something mystical."
"The members of the Cat Tribe, where are they?"
Jin asked again in a low voice, to which Myla chuckled.
"The Cat Tribe is well protected by me and mine. They were in such a pitiful state when they arrived in the Wantaramo Forest, all wounded. I couldn't just leave them!"
Myla continued, looking at Jin.
"But, Cyron Runcandel's youngest son, Jin Runcandel. Don't you think you lack manners? I revealed my name first, and yet your neck is high to the end. Should I bend it for you? Including that human by your side."
"You make jokes like that and still expect me to be polite?"
"Well, so what? I really didn't harm Lulu. Those kids are too naive. Despite that, I treated them."
Myla pouted her lips.
Then, apparently disappointed by the lack of reaction to her cute gestures, she tilted her head.
She even made some more charming movements, but Jin and Valeria could only think that they would have attacked that annoying Fairy immediately if not for the Cat Tribe.
"...Fine, I get it. It seems like I would get hit if I played another prank on you. I'll introduce you to the Cat Tribe. Follow me."
Myla started flying back into the forest, leading the way.
Interestingly, every time Myla moved, the forest transformed.
Objects like trees and rocks moved organically, as if they were living beings, following Myla's path.
As they walked, Jin and Valeria couldn't help but be nervous. It was natural, given their lack of trust in Myla.
They thought traps could suddenly appear, or an attack could start at any moment.
"Hmph, don't worry. I won't play any more pranks. It's the first time I've seen humans as boring as you."
Getting no response to that remark, Myla remained silent until they reached their destination. The three of them walked in silence deep into the forest for about an hour.
Fortunately, there were no more traps.
[We've arrived.]
They reached a place where thousands of trees twisted and intertwined strangely, forming a massive cave.
"Come out, children."
As Myla spoke, a sudden, dazzling light emerged from inside the cave.
It was the light generated by thousands of descendants of the Fairy Tribe pouring out of the cave simultaneously. Despite their mischievous nature, it was a magnificent sight.
Swish, swish!
In an instant, the entire area was filled with descendants of the Fairy Tribe, laughing as they surrounded Jin and Valeria.
The last to come out of the cave were the members of the Cat Tribe and a descendant of the Fairy Tribe with wings twice as large as the others.
"Lulu!"
"Jin Runcandel!"
Lulu and Miru.
In the Cat Tribe's cave, the twins who had guarded the barrier against the Specters to the end.
Seeing them, Jin felt a weight lift off his shoulders, but at the same time, a sense of unease crept over him.
"...Where is Neru-nim?"
Lulu smiled when she saw Jin concerned about whether Neru had died while defending the barrier to the end.
"Neru led the rest of the tribe and hid elsewhere. Miru and I entrusted ourselves to the Fairy Tribe. At that time, everyone was pretty injured, but fortunately, no one died."
Only then did Jin smile.
Everyone had managed to escape safely from the cave.
"I'm glad everyone survived."
Jin bowed and took Lulu and Miru's hands.
"Oh, what a touching reunion. I really can't bear to watch it without tears. Don't you agree, Your Majesty?"
Myla said as she sat next to Lulu, Miru, and the descendant of the Fairy Tribe with the larger wings.
She was the queen of the descendants of the Fairy Tribe and, unlike Myla, exuded an air of sophistication.
"I am Jin Runcandel."
"You can call me Sheila."
Sheila was Myla's older sister and the queen of the Fairy Tribe.
"I'm sure Myla must have played some annoying pranks on the way here, so please accept my apologies on her behalf."
"Apologies? Why apologize? In fact, strictly speaking, they are intruders. To be honest, there would be no problem if we killed them."
"They came to rescue the Cat Tribe, right, Myla? Besides, the Cat Tribe asked for my permission and left traces."
"Although they didn't inform us that the one who can read those traces might be a Magician with Record Magic abilities."
Myla's mocking voice made Valeria's eyes shift slightly to the left.
The Fairy Tribe and the Cat Tribe had not noticed this behavior from Valeria, who was becoming increasingly anxious due to her presence, but Jin noticed.
And Jin himself, like Valeria, was a little puzzled.
"How did Myla recognize that Valeria is a Magician with Record Magic? Did she see it when Valeria used Record Magic at the forest entrance? Moreover, I never informed Lulu and Miru about Valeria's existence."
Swish, swish...
Jin could see that the gathered descendants of the Fairy Tribe nearby were discussing something after hearing Myla.
But Jin was unable to understand the language.
[Jin.]
"Yes, Lulu-nim."
[As we entrusted ourselves to the land of the descendants of the Fairy Tribe, we left two types of traces. So that they could find us...]
The two types of traces they left were intended to be found by both those with Record Magic abilities and those without them.
Valeria's tracking speed was excessively fast.
The usual traces they left couldn't even be touched by the Seven-Colored Peacock, so Valeria's tracking speed clearly exceeded the ordinary range.
According to Lulu and Miru's thinking, Valeria couldn't have found them so quickly without possessing Record Magic.
Therefore, they assumed that Valeria was a Magician with Record Magic abilities and attempted to confirm one thing.
Whether the pursuer was an ally of Jin or not.
As Valeria had initially assumed, in the latter case, they had plans to use the power of the descendants of the Fairy Tribe to eliminate the tracker.
When Lulu explained this, Jin nodded, and Valeria seemed lost in thought.
"If I'm not an ally of Jin, what could be the reason you wanted to kill me?"
"This is because there may be information that a Magician not related to the Solderet Contractor shouldn't verify here," Sheila, the Queen of the Fairy Tribe descendants, spoke in place of Lulu.
Using his intuition, Jin could guess what Sheila meant.
"The Fourth Tomb of Temar is here. Lulu and Miru naturally led me to the fourth tomb during their escape, unlike other members of the Cat Tribe, and fled to the Wantaramo Forest."
It was the correct assumption.
The descendants of the Fairy Tribe knew the way to the Fourth Tomb of Temar.
There was a moment of silence.
Myla wore a slightly displeased expression, as if she didn't like how easily Sheila was revealing such information.
"Human, what is your relationship with Jin Runcandel?"
When Valeria was about to answer Sheila's sudden question, Jin spoke up.
"She's my companion. Someone I trust more than anyone else in the world."
"In that case, I, Sheila, the Queen of the Fairy Tribe Descendants, will uphold our age-old promise with Solderet. Furthermore, I must express my gratitude to Lulu and Miru of the Cat Tribe, longtime friends who have helped me keep that promise."
Whoosh...!
Sheila's wings emitted an even brighter light.
It was a symbol of the utmost authority in the Wantaramo Forest, and all the other descendants of the Fairy Tribe, including Myla, descended to the ground and respectfully lowered their heads toward Sheila.
Indeed, it was a scene that depicted the majestic presence befitting the queen of the Fairy Tribe descendants.
"Jin Runcandel and his accompanying magician, and my friends, follow me. The tomb is inside the cave. Finally, after a thousand years, we can lay down the heavy burden we've carried."
Sheila began to flutter her wings toward the cave formed by twisted, intertwined trees.
Jin and his companions followed her into the cave. Until everyone had entered the cave, the descendants of the Fairy Tribe outside didn't dare to raise their heads.
Of course, Jin assumed that Sheila's authority as the Queen of the Fairy Tribe Descendants would be absolute, given the respect they showed her. But in reality, it wasn't.
"Lulu, Miru. You two probably noticed during your time here..."
Crack!
Suddenly, the trees twisted and intertwined, blocking the entrance to the cave.
When Jin turned around, he saw Myla smiling through the narrowing gap.
"Myla betrayed me a long time ago."
The entrance to the cave was not blocked by Sheila.
In title, she remained the queen, but real power and control over the Wantaramo Forest had already been transferred to Myla and the other descendants of the Fairy Tribe.
"Yes, I was sensing it. Sheila..."
"Myla has no intention of keeping her promise with Solderet. That's why she planned to trap me when she had the chance. Although I didn't expect her to go so far as to also trap the Thousand Year Contractor."
Faced with the abrupt change in circumstances, Jin and Valeria remained unfazed.
Given Myla's behavior and attitude, it was something they could have easily foreseen.
"Soon, the humans in contact with Myla will come to Wantaramo, I suppose."
"Who are they?"
"The Zipple Clan. There is no other force besides them that can satisfy Myla's inflated ambitions."
Sheila smiled weakly.
Her wings, which shone brightly in the darkness, seemed somewhat helpless.
"Sheila-nim, it seems you have a plan. Allowing Myla to deliberately keep us trapped even after discovering her betrayal."
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