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The messenger of Kelliark, who showed the Seal of Fire to Jet, revealed his name as "Pyre". Pyre was a young dragon, barely over a hundred years old, appearing even younger than Latrie in his human form.
Furthermore, Pyre had a rather mysterious demeanor. His entire body was covered in a hood that resembled a cloak, and his face was smudged with soot.
The party observed Pyre, who greedily devoured his food. Despite his beggar-like appearance after days of starvation, Pyre's demeanor indicated more than just difficult circumstances.
Jin and his companions could sense the scent of ashes and blood emanating from him. It was an unmistakable odor of the battlefield, impossible to conceal even amidst the fresh and fragrant aroma of freshly made soup and Latrie cookies.
Something strange was going on.
Dragons of Pyre's age did not possess significant combat power. Relatively speaking, they were as vulnerable as newborns, making survival without the protection of other dragons difficult at their age.
Therefore, both Cuicantelle and Latrie were naturally concerned about Pyre. Although he was an enemy, from their perspective, he was a young dragon who should receive protection, and yet he was in the midst of carrying out a dangerous mission.
"Ah, well, thank you for the meal! I think I can finally put on some weight now...!"
As Pyre finished the last plate, he spoke.
"If you're still hungry, let me know. I can bring you more food."
Jin was treating Pyre with a non-threatening attitude, considering Cuicantelle and Latrie.
"No, thank you. It's sufficient. I didn't expect to be treated so kindly. I'm really grateful."
Pyre maintained a humble and young posture, as if intentionally trying to make the Tikan members feel sympathetic.
"Well, then let's talk about the reason you came to find us."
Euria stepped forward.
"From now on, I will use my powers to verify whether everything you say is the truth. I hope you won't take offense."
"Well, of course. First of all, I came here to negotiate with all of you, following the intentions of Lord Sheenu and Sir Kelliark's command."
An unexpected name came up from the start.
"...Sheenu?"
"Yes, Sir Jin. Lord Sheenu wishes for you to assist Sir Kelliark."
"Assist? Before I listen to what kind of assistance is needed, I need to know the circumstances. Why did Kelliark attack Veradin at the Tower of Stories?"
"It was a betrayal. Sir Kelliark was unjustly accused and persecuted for succumbing to the power of the evil god. Veradin Zipfel initiated the betrayal to swallow the clan."
A blue thread floated between Pyre and Euria. It was the truth.
"Why did Veradin initiate the betrayal?"
"Lord Sheenu and Sir Kelliark suspect it was due to the side effects of a mind manipulation experiment."
"I want to hear a more detailed story. Why did Kelliark manipulate Veradin's mind all this time and what results did he seek through it?"
Pyre didn't flinch, as if he expected that question.
"Sir Kelliark wanted to become the new god of fires through Veradin Zipfel."
"...What?"
"For some reason, Lord Sheenu is slowly disappearing. As a result, Lord Sheenu gave Sir Kelliark the mission to become the second god of fires, and all the experiments performed on Veradin Zipfel were aimed at achieving that."
The blue thread of truth continued to form.
The unexpected and shocking story brought a moment of silence.
"It must be overwhelming for you. However, it is all true. The reason why others, except for Sir Kelliark, were able to use Lord Sheenu's authority was because they were given fragments of Lord Sheenu's authority, which fragmented due to his disappearance. People like Veradin Zipfel or Midor Elner."
"How can Kelliark become a god of fires through Veradin?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know the details of the method. However, it is said that it is possible if Veradin is used as a vessel for the Demon's God's Orb..."
The vessel for Demon's God's Orb.
Upon hearing those words, Jin recalled that Veradin had made a contract with 'two gods.' It was believed to be impossible for a human to contract with two gods according to the magic academia.
During the reserve flagbearer days, Jin had become suspicious when he learned that Veradin had made a contract with two gods, but he didn't question him about it.
-By the way, you didn't ask.
-About what?
-How I made a contract with two gods.
-Your potential must have been exceptional. And why would I ask about something like that in this situation?
At that time, the situation was urgent, and Jin thought Veradin wouldn't know the reason. If Veradin knew why he was able to make a contract with two gods, he would have explained it himself.
'The Demon's God's Orb is an artifact that contains the power of all gods... And it seems that Kelliark has been conducting experiments to make Veradin the core material of the Demon's God's Orb!'
If Veradin acquired the properties of the Demon's God's Orb, it would explain how he made simultaneous contracts with Itelmion and Rikta.
"...Sheenu, Kelliark, and Zipfel. No matter how I think about it, they're all madmen. Even a young dragon like you can casually talk about such horrifying stories. Pyre, you're saying that humans used humans, fathers used their own children as experimental subjects. And yet, you don't seem to feel anything about it?"
Cuicantelle spoke with indignation. It pained her to see an innocent-looking young dragon speaking of such dreadful things with an expressionless face.
"I don't know what I'm supposed to feel... Is that the problem?"
"This is driving me crazy."
"Anyway, Pyre, from what you've said, this seems to be the gist of it. Sheenu and Kelliark intended to create the Demon's God's Orb and a new god of fires through Veradin, but at some point, Veradin stopped being obedient and instead began to persecute Kelliark."
"That's correct."
"According to your words, Sheenu and Kelliark suspect Veradin's betrayal to be either a side effect of the experiment or personal revenge. But Sanna's story is missing."
"Ah, you mean the Sun God's Shrine Maiden."
"When Kelliark was in danger of dying at the Tower of Stories, was it Sheenu who saved him?"
In the manipulated records, it was recorded that Lokia Ganesto saved Kelliark.
Pyre nodded.
"Yes, it was Lord Sheenu who saved him."
Jin didn't inform Pyre about Sanna's manipulation of the records. It was because there was still a possibility that Sanna had a cooperative relationship with Sheenu and Kelliark.
"When did Sanna start working with Zipfel? She seemed to be cooperating with Veradin now, but did she betray Sheenu and Kelliark? As you mentioned before, Sanna claimed that Kelliark succumbed to the power of the evil god."
"As you've seen, it is true. I heard that the Shrine Maiden of Sun began cooperating with the Zipfel clan after the evil god War ended. The shrine maiden approached the clan, claiming that she could heal Kelliark."
"And did Sheenu and Kelliark simply believe her words and accept?"
"I don't know the exact details. I assume they had no choice given the circumstances. In any case, the shrine maiden stood by and watched when Veradin attacked Kelliark. Perhaps Veradin's betrayal was a result instigated by the shrine maiden."
Since Jin didn't have direct conversations with Sheenu or Kelliark, the information Pyre could provide was limited.
Moreover, even if Pyre's story was verified by Euria's power of truth, it didn't mean they could believe everything. Euria's verification only determined the falsehood of Pyre's words, not the accuracy of the information Sheenu and Kelliark provided to Pyre.
'Pyre is speaking based on what he knows. However, among the information given to Pyre by Sheenu and Kelliark, there may be some false information.'
The content about Veradin falsely accusing Kelliark and Sheenu's disappearance seemed highly likely to be true.
Otherwise, there would be no reason for Pyre to come to Tikan for negotiations. It would be excessive to incite Kelliark's rampage and persecution as a mere play to deceive the Vamel alliance.
Furthermore, Jin had a gut feeling that Sheenu and Kelliark were in dire straits.
"Now, tell me what Sheenu and Kelliark want from me."
"Yes, Sir Jin. They hope that you will heal Sir Kelliark."
"And what is the price?"
"Lord Sheenu mentioned that he would reveal various secrets about Zipfel that might interest you. He also said he would remove the oath made between Zipfel and Runcandel a thousand years ago."
Jin chuckled at those words.
"They're throwing a lot out there. I don't think I ever gave the impression that I would accept such a proposal seriously. Don't you think so? Besides, his chaos is beyond what I can handle with my purifying device."
"Lord Sheenu believes that if the purifying device is improved, it could be possible."
"Even if that's the case, I have no reason to heal Kelliark. The situation doesn't seem favorable enough for him to come to Tikan and propose such negotiations. If I leave him alone, Kelliark will meet his end."
"But breaking the oath and learning Zipfel's secrets would undoubtedly be a great help to Sir Jin..."
"The oath is already being dealt with on its own, and I'm not interested in Zipfel's secrets. I would be more interested in information about Sanna, the Sun God, or Lokia Ganesto."
Pyre fell silent, unable to say anything more.
"To be more precise, I have no intention of helping Kelliark, no matter what is offered. I think Sheenu and Kelliark probably expected my answer. Where is he now?"
"He is in the Land of Fire, in Lord Sheenu's domain."
"Then bring Sheenu or Kelliark directly in front of me, or make arrangements for us to go there. We will resume the conversation then. But if they are just sending you as a scapegoat to test me, let them know that I won't even listen to their words. I'm leaving now."
"W-Wait, Sir Jin. Ah!"
In Pyre's urgent call, his eyes suddenly flickered with flames.
And Jin's companions felt an unexpected surge of immense power spreading throughout the hall. It was not just the aura of a 'strong' being but the presence of a transcendental entity.
Startled, Jin's companions took a step back, and Jin looked up with a smirk at Pyre, who appeared floating in the air.
"As expected. So, you were listening all along, Sheenu. If you had something you wanted from me, you should have come in person sooner."
It was Sheenu, the god of fire, manifesting through Pyre.
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