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"Perhaps if I hadn't spoken, you would have never known, elder sister."
"If that were the case, Mother..."
Would have informed me. Because ultimately, it's a matter concerning the clan.
Mary couldn't continue the sentence. If it had been before hearing this story, she might not have known, but now she wasn't entirely convinced that Rosa's decision was solely for the clan's sake.
The sandcastle of trust towards Rosa had crumbled.
"...Anyway, I unexpectedly heard an extraordinary story. If I were to reveal this content in the next flagbearer meeting, it would surely bring chaos to the clan."
Not only Mary and Diphus, but from now on, all the flagbearers would search for and protect Temar's tomb. Not only the flagbearers, but also prominent figures in the elder council, especially those like Jorden who still clung to their long-standing ambitions.
It was an opportunity to "achieve a great achievement" that rarely came.
There were those who would step forward purely for the clan and those who would do so to fulfill their desire for honor.
Those who found or protected Temar's tomb would forever have their names engraved in Runcandel.
"Chaos. Looking back, that was always my role in the clan."
"That's why the Elder council dislikes you so much."
Mary's voice saying so had softened even more.
"Wouldn't that be the same for you, elder sister?"
"Would it not? Among the elders, there are many people who like me. Hm, after the chaos caused by you this time, it would be nice if some order could be restored. See you at the meeting."
***
However, Jin didn't attend the next meeting. Once again, he left the clan using his mission as an excuse.
'It's fortunate that I had a mission assigned to me.'
No matter what agenda was discussed in the meeting, the central topic would inevitably be Temar's tomb.
Jin had nothing to gain from attending the meeting where Mary will explode a bomb.
'I wonder if elder sister Mary is flustered by my absence. Nevertheless, the process of public debate would have continued, so chaos must have broken out in the meeting room by now.'
Although it was regrettable not to witness that scene firsthand, he didn't want to get involved in a needlessly tiring situation.
Jin planned to return slowly. Until the figures suitable for the stage had all finished their preparations and began their substantial activities.
'Ten days, maybe two weeks. Returning after that should be good. This mission is quite substantial. Oh, rescuing a royal captive from a maritime fortress isn't all that extraordinary for a flagbearer, no?'
Of course, Jin wasn't the one directly solving that substantial mission.
Bellop Schmitz, once again, was scheduled to rescue the royality in Jin's stead.
Jin felt a bit worried whether that guy would manage it well, while Jin was thinking about this.
Bellop was scouring all the maritime fortresses near Vermont, shouting in frustration. Where the heck was the captive for rescue, he was yelling, surrounded by the relentless blades of mercenaries.
'Stay strong, Bellop.'
There was another person who needed to stay strong.
More precisely, not a person but a dragon.
Jin had come to Tikan to witness the awakening of that dragon.
"Have you arrived, Lord Jin?"
"Woah! It's Lord Jin!"
"You're here!"
As he entered the mansion, Kashmir, Enya, and Jet all greeted Jin simultaneously. Other companions also gathered to exchange greetings.
Enya, as usual, showed her back and asked for an autograph, while Jin, as if with water, smoothly wrote on her shirt.
"You're always collecting these meaningless autographs."
As Murakan ruffled Enya's hair and spoke, Alisa chuckled.
"Lord Murakan, don't you also have a hobby of collecting meaningless magazines?"
"Alisa, that's not it. How can collecting such noble texts be meaningless? Besides, this smell. Hm, that Cuicantelle. Seems like she's skilled at making potions."
Sniffing and wrinkling his nose, Murakan had referred to the smell of Ozdock's core as a potion.
After Jin secured the inner core, Cuicantelle had been staying up all night, brewing potion. All for the purpose of awakening the guardian dragon, Caltor, of Yulian.
Although Murakan had clearly said to Picon that he had no interest in potions concocted from the inner core, much like dragons being dragons, Murakan seemed to have unknowingly regained his appetite for potions' fragrance.
"Huh, looks like her skills haven't died out yet. Cuicantelle has been exceptional at brewing potions for a long time. So, how's that Caltor? Is there any improvement?"
Since being rescued, Caltor was practically in a state of being like a corpse.
His energy was barely discernible, and he was hardly breathing.
The shattered bone joints had no hope of reattaching, and the wounds on his chest were still there, unhealed.
Anyone who had seen that appearance would have thought he was already dead. A dragon with a fatal wound to the heart could never rise again on its own.
Even Murakan, who had been acknowledged as the strongest dragon, had fallen into a thousand-year slumber after suffering heart injuries.
He wouldn't have woken up now if Jin hadn't found him in the basement of Storm Castle.
"There are improvements. However, Ms. Cuicantelle mentioned that due to Caltor's weakened state, we should be extremely cautious when administering potions."
Latrie looked worriedly towards the door on the other side. Beyond that door was the room where Misha had once healed Murakan.
"It seems they need a bit more time."
"Yes. However, there's nothing that would prevent him from waking up, so I think you shouldn't worry too much."
"Worry about what..."
Although he replied like that, Murakan subtly rolled his eyes towards Yulian sitting in the corner. It was a gesture that showed he cared in his own way.
For days, Yulian had been sitting there, rejecting food and waiting for Caltor to wake up.
Jin was about to offer words of comfort, but he swallowed them. Whatever he said could probably wait until Caltor's consciousness returned.
"By the way, I haven't seen Veris around."
"Oh, teacher Veris is currently working. There are plans to open a Second Refreshment Shop for Mr. Latrie soon, and it seems she'll be the head chef there. According to what Mr. Latrie said, she's quite talented..."
Enya still referred to Veris as her teacher.
And Veris had now given up pushing her away, genuinely passing on her magic knowledge.
'From a fearsome hound of Taimyun Marius to a chef at a refreshment shop…'
Rather than commanding her to kill as she did when she was a hound and an altered genius mage, the everyday task of baking cookies was now more familiar to Veris.
'Considering she was raised as a killing doll from a young age, I wondered if she would be able to live a normal life even after losing her mana. It seems she's adapting surprisingly well.'
Somehow, Jin thought of Yona. Along with the wish that his younger sister would eventually be able to live a normal life too.
"What about Kuzan?"
"Mister Kuzan went to check on the tasks related to the seven-colored peacock... Oh, there he is!"
Almost instinctively, everyone's gaze turned towards Kuzan, who had just entered the corridor.
He was holding a pile of documents in both hands. Upon seeing Jin, he gave a slight nod of greeting before accidentally dropping the entire stack.
Clatter!
"Heh, hey! Be a little careful, man."
Jet rushed over to help Kuzan pick up the scattered papers. Then, seeing Kuzan mimicking the gesture of clinking glasses in the air tonight, a laughter leaked out. Surprisingly, the two of them got along quite well.
"My lord, I was actually planning to contact you. Your timing is perfect. A letter has arrived for you."
There was only one letter that come to Tikan for Jin
'Valeria!'
Rip! Jin tore open the letter as soon as he received it.
(I've discovered traces of the Felinoids tribe. It's a forest named 'Wantaramo' to the west of the feudal state of the Empire, Kiken. If it's you, you probably know that the place isn't an ordinary forest.
We'll talk about the details in person. Come to the largest inn in the southwestern part of Kiken by September 19th.
Also, I've run out of cosmetics. Bring me some.)
It was a contact he had waited for three whole months.
And Valeria had kept her promise to search for the Felinoids tribe.
Until now, even the Seven-Colored Peacock had deployed their maximum personnel within their available scope to search for the Felinoids tribe, yet they hadn't been able to find even the smallest clue. That's how difficult it was to locate the Felinoids tribe. It took three months for the record mage to finally find something.
'By the way, Wantaramo...? I've never heard of that name before. And what does she mean it's not an ordinary forest?'
Valeria must have thought Jin would know, but even digging into his past life's memories, the name Wantaramo Forest remained unfamiliar.
"What's up, kid? Did she find the Felinoids tribe?"
"She hasn't completely found them, but it seems she has discovered some traces. It's a forest named Wantaramo in the feudal state of the Empire, Kiken. Do you know anything about that place?"
"Wantaramo? Such a forest exists?"
As everyone pretended to be oblivious, one person, Kashmir, clapped his hands as if recalling something.
"When I was a prince, I remember my father and advisors talking about a forest called Wantaramo. I was so young back then that I forgot about it, but hearing the name brings back memories. I think I was around seven or eight."
"Oh, creature... Right, you were the prince. It's the territory of the empire, so you must have heard of it."
It's not an ordinary forest.
Excluding Murakan, the companions were carefully examining the excerpt from the letter Jin had laid down.
"The emperor and the advisors of the empire would not have had a casual conversation about a forest that most people of the world did not even know about. There must be something about that forest."
Jin nodded in agreement with Kashmir's words.
If the emperor and advisors had discussions about this place, then it wasn't an ordinary forest by any means.
"Sir Kashmir, is there anything else that's coming to mind?"
"I don't think there's... Oh! Back then, the advisors mentioned that negotiations with the Wantaramo had failed. Now that I think about it again, it's strange. The advisors of the empire are negotiating with a forest in the Empire."
There was no such thing as negotiations between the empire and a forest in the Empire.
Extraterritorial jurisdiction.
Although Wantaramo Forest belonged to the territory of Vermont, it was a land that wasn't subject to their rule.
"Kid, once you go there, Arya Aulhart will probably tell you what kind of place it is. Why are you thinking about these complicated things?"
Murakan's words were accurate.
"The other party will think I know everything about it, so I don't want to appear clueless."
Jin shrugged and smiled.