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Valeria couldn't utter a word as she struggled to sort through the emotions that had been building up for a while.
Even though she now knew what her roots were, she still felt alone. However, it was incomparable to the days of being alone without knowing the reason.
A new good reason has been added to the task of restoring Hister's history. To avenge the ancient fairies, Hister, and the gray owls.
[I'm grateful that I was able to meet you, along with keeping Solderet's message.]
"Now, Ms. Sheila, what do you plan to do?"
Sheila closed her eyes at Valeria's question.
Although Myla was gone, the cursed fairies still remained in the forest of Wantaromo.
[I will continue to stay in this forest and make drink of regal hymn with my people. It's the last meaning we cursed ones have left.]
Intense light began to emanate from Sheila's two wings.
[I will ensure that information about you and Jin Runcandel doesn't leak out. I will eliminate the traitors and restore order to the forest.]
After Myla's death, nobody was in control of the forest for a short time.
But when Sheila regained her memories through Valeria, the power over the forest returned to her as well. She once again became the queen of the cursed fairies.
She also grew stronger. Simply by partially regaining forgotten memories through Valeria, she had become somewhat closer to a true fairy than the other cursed fairies.
"Ms. Sheila."
[Speak, Jin Runcandel.]
"Before we leave the forest, I have a question to ask."
[You're probably asking about the location of the fifth tomb.]
"Yes."
[This was the only clue I had. You must find the fifth tomb on your own.]
From this point on, Jin had to start from scratch and find the tomb.
'Zipfel, Vermont, Kinzelo, and others will also continue searching for Temar's tomb. And since elder sister Mary has made the information of the tomb public, others in Runcandel will surely start searching too.'
Once the four major factions began moving in earnest, it would be impossible for Jin to secretly search for the tomb, even if he wanted to.
Furthermore, compared to the four major factions, Jin's influence was incredibly insignificant. Even if the Seven-Colored Peacock is competent, it still couldn't match up against the well-resourced might of the major factions.
'If it wasn't for my teacher, I might not even have been able to compete with the four major factions.'
Just like how she had found the Felinoid tribe, Valeria would now have to search for Temar's tomb alongside Hister's succession temple.
So, until Valeria and the 'potential allies' from Runcandel found the tomb's location, Jin didn't need to waste his energy unnecessarily.
Jin, having organized his thoughts, nodded.
"Understood."
[You should go now. The fact that you found this forest won't be revealed to the outside. And Lulu, Miru.]
[Yes, Ms. Sheila.]
[You both have worked hard. Thank you.]
[After all, weren't we all in the same position as Ms. Sheila? We had the promises for the Thousand-Year Contractor. It was just part of that.]
[Please convey my regards to Neru. I won't ask where you're heading.]
Jin and Valeria exchanged a brief hug with the felinoid tribesmen.
[Our tribe always blesses you, Jin Runcandel. Oh, how are the small beastmen doing? It seems like the cosmetic business is thriving, but still.]
"They're all safe in the Hidden Palace. If you have the chance, come visit us."
[Sure. When we go back, I'll suggest creating a hideout near the hidden palace. Our tribe will need some time to recover.]
Then Lulu looked up at Valeria.
[I apologize. Initially, I had thought that you might not have any connection to Jin, so I had intended to harm you.]
"No need to worry."
[And I won't forget. We'll meet again someday. And when the time comes, we will use the remaining artifact for something good for the world. Just like you and Jin Runcandel were born with destinies for the world.]
Born with destinies for the world.
Lulu expressed it that way for a reason. Jin and Valeria. Lulu anticipated that the tiny sparks left by Solderet and the ancient fairies would eventually set fire to Zipfel and reset the course of the world's history.
It was time to say farewells.
With a firm handshake and a wave, Jin, Valeria, and the small beastmen started heading in different directions, leaving the forest of Wantaromo.
Before Valeria completely disappeared from sight, she turned back once and bowed respectfully to Sheila.
"...After glimpsing that there's a connection between the fairies and Hister in your records, I never expected to find the answers so quickly."
I want to say thank you.
As Valeria continued her sentence, Jin smiled and held out a handkerchief.
"Congratulations, Valeria Hister."
"...A handkerchief?"
"You still have traces of tears on your face."
"Ah."
Seeing Valeria's flustered expression was truly a rare sight. Of course, she quickly regained her composed demeanor and wiped her face with the handkerchief.
"We will meet Sir Green Rose soon. It might be awkward if you meet them while still looking like that."
"The person who stopped Zipfel's reinforcement, and you said it was fortunate that you were close. Who is it? If it wasn't for them, things might have gone awry."
"My youngest sister."
"Youngest sister?"
Yona, his beloved youngest sister. Meeting her was always a delightful event, but at the same time, it was worrisome.
'She wouldn't cause a fuss about wanting to kill the teacher, would she? After all, my teacher is also Samil's benefactor...'
"Heh, what are you thinking? My youngest brother!"
Crack!
Jin reflexively clenched his teeth. He was so startled that he almost swung his sword toward where he heard Yona's voice. It seemed like Valeria had the same reaction; her eyes suddenly shifted to the left.
Yona was standing behind them, the corners of her mouth lifted up into a broad grin.
"...I thought my heart was going to drop, Elder Sister."
Jin was sincere.
Jin hadn't sensed her approaching at all even though he had been prepared for Yona's arrival with his senses fully heightened.
It was quite shocking for a martial artist. Jin's martial prowess was already nearing the 9-stars. That meant that in a state where his senses were fully awakened, it would not be easy even for Samil's best executioner to find the gap.
'Certainly, an assassin of elder sister Yona's caliber in a forest like this is practically akin to the God of Death. Or rather, it is elder sister Yona, so she could approach like this from the beginning.'
While Jin was growing, Yona had also reached a new level. Yona had become an even greater assassin than Jin had imagined.
"My youngest, is it because of this girl next to you? I have been walking behind you for about 30 seconds, and you didn't notice at all! What if I suddenly stab her?"
"Don't make such terrifying jokes casually, elder sister."
"Hee hee, I'm not joking. The youngest, you may not know, but I can stab the dog next to you."
Step!
As Yona approached Valeria with slightly unfocused eyes, Jin was startled and had no choice but to stand between them.
"Elder Sister!"
"Step aside."
"She's my companion. You shouldn't...!"
Shhh-!
Before Jin could finish his sentence, Yona suddenly pulled something out from within her clothes and flung it towards Valeria's forehead.
Swish!
If Jin's strength had been even slightly lacking. He wouldn't have been able to fend off Yona's projectiles. It was fortunate he barely managed to deflect it. He couldn't quite make out what Yona had thrown accurately.
"What are you doing...!"
Blinded temporarily, Jin tried to push Yona away, but he soon saw something falling steadily towards Valeria's head.
Ping!
Yona threw two more projectiles but they were just stems of wild grass.
'Wild grass, are you kidding me?'
It was the wild grass that gently settled on Valeria's head, as though they had been intended to be there all along (which was actually the case, as Yona had meticulously calculated it).
The two stems of wild grass looked like rabbit ears on Valeria's head.
"Hehehe, it's been a while. Rylin Hezad!"
Yona addressed Valeria by one of her aliases, waving her hand cheerfully.
"...You're still the same, Lady Yona. It's been a while."
The two women were acquaintances.
"Just a moment ago, I was so envious. I wish my youngest would protect me like this when I'm in danger."
"Have you been well?"
"But how can I put myself in danger?"
"...Seems like you've been doing well."
"That's probably because I've been with my youngest. Although, it might be difficult. Rylin, you're clever, so suggest something."
Yona wasn't paying attention to Valeria's words at all. And Valeria just shrugged nonchalantly. She had experienced Yona's way of speaking before.
"Well, I wouldn't really kill the youngest's friend. He would hate me if I did. Rylin is also a benefactor of Samil, after all."
Well, there is really no one whom I can't kill, but since you'd dislike that...
For some reason, it seemed like he could hear such a statement, but Jin pretended he didn't hear it.
"I am so moved that I might cry, Elder Sister."
"Hehe, right? Wasn't I great?"
"Yes."
"Then, quickly give me some praise."
"How?"
"Um, like giving me an autograph?"
Suddenly, Jin remembered Enya, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter. She was somewhat excessive, but she was a sister he couldn't really hate.
"I heard you stopped Zipfel's reinforcements, Elder Sister."
"I did well in that too, right?"
"If it wasn't for you, I might have almost died."
"Yeah, that might be true. They were quite capable individuals. I let them go because Lord Owul might get into a tricky situation if I killed them. But come to think of it, I should have just killed them. It might have been advantageous for you."
"No. I'm really moved that you considered Sir Owul's perspective. Elder Sister, you've taken a step closer to becoming a flower shop owner just now. Your social skills are excellent."
"Well, I'm improving day by day, too!"
As Jin and Yona continued their playful banter for a while, Valeria couldn't help but think of them as a likable sibling pair.
Just like Yona, Valeria's guard against others had been slowly but surely softening since meeting Jin.
"But Elder Sister, how did you end up protecting me?"
"Since when did I start tailing you?"
"Something like that."
At Jin's question, her eyes twinkled. It seemed like she was eager to explain.
"I was on vacation because I crippled a big shot recently. So, I went to see you at the main house, and the atmosphere of our clan was quite something. Hi, youngest. You caused quite a trouble, didn't you?"
"You're talking about sister Mary."
"Yeah. The Garden of swords turned upside down because of the information you gave to Mary unnie. And Mary unnie seemed quite infatuated during the meeting, which put her in a bit of a bind. She was on a rampage, saying she'd punish you."
"I see."
"You'll need to calm her down. But by the way, do you want to hear something really interesting? Hehe, I ended up protecting you while trying to tell you this information."
"Is it something interesting?"
Yona responded with a sly smile. A deep and dark killing intent was mixed within her laughter.
"Some members of the Elder Council actually wanted to kill you, the youngest."