Quikantel slowly blinked as Murakan thoroughly explained the situation.
[…It certainly is a serious problem. But first, let us relocate. There is a small island a few minutes from here. Follow me.]
Quikantel flew past Murakan. Before following her, Murakan talked with Jin.
[Whew, we could've died today. You okay, kiddo? I didn't think you could successfully unleash your sword.]
"There wasn't any spiritual energy congestion like last time, but my entire body feels like it's gonna shatter. More than that, are you okay? Getting beat up by your ex doesn't sound really fun."
[Olta's dragons know they're hotshots, so a small scratch to their pride will make them turn into monsters. I mean, I came to see her despite knowing that, so it was my fault. I mean, I knew she would get kinda mad, but not this much. The bigger man is supposed to be patient. On that note, you don't need to wait ten years to cast spells. Anyways, good thing we're making progress. As soon as we came, we found out who the kidnapper was. Vyuretta…]
Jin had already asked Murakan about Vyuretta at the Runcandel banquet; the day when Andrei Zipfel got kicked out.
According to Murakan, Vyuretta was a little younger than him. The third strongest dragon amongst those under Melzeyer, the God of Wind.
[It's possible that it doesn't only involve Vyuretta, but also the God of Wind. It's starting to smell a little fishy. Alright, let's go.]
They instantly caught up to Quikantel. She slowed down to match Murakan's speed, considerate of his exhausted state. It seemed she lost her violent tendencies.
They approached a no-man's island in the middle of the Vermont Empire's waters. Once they successfully landed, the two dragons changed into their human forms.
Jin was startled by Quikantel's transformation. The hysterical breath-shooting dragon was gone, and there stood a beautiful woman, which was weird to him.
"No one's here. It is possible, however, that other dragons can hear our conversation."
She didn't seem to trust Earth Dragons Labus and Untiel, as if not regarding them as her allies.
Murakan shrugged.
Quikantel remained silent for a while, staring at the black dragon. Though, it was hard to tell if it truly was just staring or glaring.
Murakan couldn't ignore her gaze.
'Am I supposed to leave them alone, or…?'
Before Jin had the chance to leave, Murakan broke the silence.
"We didn't come here to just exchange weird glances. Tell me exactly when Vyuretta took Lathry."
Quikantel bit her lower lip and sighed.
"Over a year ago."
Exactly when Kashimir said the dragon went missing.
"Tricking Lathry about learning Draconic Magic… That's pretty nasty."
"But Murakan, why do you think that Vyuretta kidnapped Lathry for malicious intent? Maybe it really is to teach them Draconic Magic."
"Quikantel, Az Mil's current contractor is really young. She can't control her powers."
"What? That's when it's most dangerous without a guardian dragon."
"Vyuretta definitely knows about that. And even if he didn't, Lathry would've told him. Doesn't matter. Tell him that Lathry will learn the Draconic stuff later and to return them to their contractor now."
"Hm, definitely peculiar. If they didn't intend to kill Az Mil's contractor, Lathry would've been returned ages ago."
Quikantel furrowed her eyebrows.
To her, the life of Az Mil's contractor was not important. After all, she had to protect Enya, not a contractor of a different god.
However, Quikantel just remembered that Vyuretta showed some interest towards Enya.
"How did you know that Vyuretta took Lathry?"
"Vyuretta stopped by the empire when it happened. Apparently, he was going to introduce Lathry to me, but in reality, it was to see Enya."
"Who's Enya?"
Murakan played it dumb, and Quikantel, unexpectedly, revealed that she was Olta's contractor.
"Anyways, Vyuretta really wanted to meet Enya for some reason. Even though I rejected his requests many times, that creep keeps trying to latch on."
"With your personality, you just let him latch on to ya? You calmly denied it, I see. What's this? You're scared of the Zipfels now?"
Quikantel sighed.
"It wasn't because I was scared of the Zipfels. There was nothing I could do. The higher-ups of the Vermont Empire already knew that Enya was the contractor, and the information was probably already passed down to Andrei Zipfel."
And Enya was one of Vermont Magic Academy's scholars.
If Quikantel fought with Vyuretta for any reason, the academy's Zipfel thugs would do some undesirable things towards Enya.
"…If I dealt with it my way, it's a loss for me as a guardian dragon. Anyways, hearing about Lathry, I think that Vyuretta's approach towards Enya may have some shady goal."
"Huh, you're one to talk. You were trying to harm my contractor a while ago."
"I didn't know you had a human on your back. If I knew Solderet had a contractor, I wouldn't have gone that far."
"Sure, you wouldn't."
Silence.
"Murakan."
"What, kid?"
"For Enya's case, the higher-ups of the Vermont Empire already know who and where she is, but not Az Mil's contractor."
Jin intentionally did not mention Euria's name. He didn't trust Quikantel with such classified information.
"With that in mind, how did Vyuretta approach Lathry in the first place? Seeing that Vyuretta hasn't returned Lathry yet, I'm pretty sure he knew of the existence of Az Mil's contractor. On top of that, the fact that the contractor is young…"
"For sure. Hmm… For the thousand years I was asleep, was there a spell that could detect contractors?"
Quikantel shook her head.
"There's no way something like that could be developed, whether it was a thousand years ago or today. No one could tell who the contractor was until the contractor discovered their own powers."
"We never know. Those Zipfel bastards. I don't want to admit it, but they're a pretty impressive bunch."
"Okay, but even if that kind of magic exists, what good would they get from finding the contractors?"
"They can benefit in two ways. Any contractor outside of their control is considered a threat, so they can simply eliminate them. Also, if the contractor dies, the Zipfel Clan has an opportunity to form a contract with the then-vacant god."
Jin answered, attracting Quikantel's attention.
"Just for that…? Don't they already have immense national power? One or two contractors won't be of any threat."
"I don't know about dragons, but humans' thirst for power never ends. Also, if a few contractors were to get together, they would definitely be a force to be reckoned with."
Quikantel had a hard time understanding the child's words. Considering that the Zipfels were a clan that was already at the top of the world, she didn't think that they needed to take drastic actions for such trivial matters.
However, Murakan nodded in agreement.
"Definitely a possibility. I know best about the Zipfels' greed. Let's just put it this way. First, they have a method to track down contractors. Second, if they find any non-Zipfel contractors, they'll eliminate them."
"Hold on. Do we really need to assume that? We can just ask Vyuretta."
"You serious? Stop talking bullshit, Quikantel. If you were a kidnapper, would you just spill everything? Get your shit together. From what I can see, your Enya kid might be in danger."
It wasn't that Enya 'might be' in danger; she was definitely in danger.
A few years later, Enya would be assassinated by the Zipfels, and not a single word about it would appear on the news. Instead, a new pureblood Zipfel would become Olta's contractor and be known around the world.
As a regressor, Jin was certain of this theory. He remembered the different events and occurrences in his past life very clearly.
"I have my eyes wide open, and Enya is not in danger. Until that child fully grows, nobody can harm her."
'Please stop denying it, and think straight. Leaving her alone will lead to her death.'
These words were about to come out of Jin's mouth, but Murakan said it a little louder.
"Quikantel, there's nothing wrong with being very cautious. But it's impossible for you to be beside Enya 24/7 for 365 days and more. Just get the hell outta the Vermont Empire. The academy relays Enya's every move to the Zipfels."
"That child has never left the empire since birth. In fact, her entire family is there. Are you telling me to change their life because of an unknown and uncertain threat?"
"Life is only enjoyable if you're still breathing. Look, this is only a suggestion. The choice is yours anyways."
"Hmmm… Ms. Quikantel, please listen to what I have to say."
Quikantel turned towards Jin.
"Murakan and I will search for Lathry. We will do whatever it takes. But if Lathry is discovered imprisoned or injured, and we tell you about it, what will you do?"
"I would…"
Quikantel clenched her teeth.
"…relocate Enya."
"Then I would do that now. If Lathry is already imprisoned or injured as we speak, no matter how fast you are, it will be too late. I humbly request that you make a wise decision."
"The kid's right, Quikantel. Move Olta's contractor and her family to a safer place. We'll determine whether Vyuretta is full of shit or not, and then we'll meet once more."
Quikantel could no longer stand her ground. There wasn't a single flaw in their argument, and she was genuinely concerned about Enya's future.
'They are more worried for Enya's safety than I am… I have a lot to learn from them.'
Phew.
Quikantel heaved a deep sigh and nodded.
"Alright, let's do that. I will assist you two."
"Oh, no need. It's fine. We'll deal with it ourselves. Sure, my darkness got a little weaker, but you don't need to help me deal with a measly wind dragon. That Vyuretta bitch is washed up."
"…And how will you meet him?"
"What do you mean, how will I meet Vyuretta? Just like how I called you—with my energy."
"Are you saying this even after knowing how many dragons are with the Zipfels? On top of that, you're going to take the Runcandel kid and head to the Zipfels' mainland?"
Jin and Murakan faced Quikantel with a look of surprise.
"What are you startled by? The kid has an aura like that Temar runt. You think I wouldn't notice that energy?"
"Hmmm… Quikantel, can I entrust you with these secrets?"
"I still hold Temar in high regard. Being with one of his successors reminds me of the old days."
Temar Runcandel, Murakan, and Quikantel were close friends. When Murakan and Quikantel were together, that is.
"Anyways, I will call Vyuretta. He'll react to my call like a horny teenager. You guys can deal with him after that."
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