Chapter 71

Chapter 24. Twisting Two Fates (3)

When Murakan briefly explained the situation, Quikantel blinked her eyes.

[...It’s definitely a serious matter. Let’s move to a different place, Murakan. There’s an island not far from here. Follow me.]

Quikantel started flying ahead of Murakan. Murakan didn’t immediately follow but had a brief conversation with Jin.

[Sigh, we both almost died. Kid, are you okay? I didn’t expect you to open the sword so successfully.]

“My body feels like it’s going to break, but I don’t think there will be another surge of spirit energy like before. Are you okay? Getting beaten up by an ex-girlfriend isn’t a pleasant experience.”

[The dragons of Olta are known for their high self-regard. They all react this way when their pride is slightly wounded. I should have expected this, knowing her.]

“I thought you’d be a bit angrier, but you’re surprisingly calm.”

[It’s the adults who should be patient. In that sense, you won’t need to be patient for about ten more years. Anyway, it’s fortunate that our trip wasn’t in vain. We found the kidnapper right away. Viorelta...]

Murakan had already asked about the wind dragon Viorelta at the Runkandel banquet, the day Andrei Zephir was turned away.

According to Murakan, Viorelta was slightly younger than him and was the third most prestigious dragon among the dragons of the wind god Melzair.

[It might not just be Viorelta; the wind god might be involved too. It smells fishy. Let’s go and see.]

It took no time to catch up with Quikantel. She seemed to be flying at a pace that matched Murakan’s slightly exhausted speed, indicating that she hadn’t really intended to kill him from the start.

The two dragons landed on an uninhabited island near Biment. As soon as they touched the ground, they transformed into humans.

Jin couldn’t help but be startled when he saw the transformed Quikantel. The fierce dragon that had just breathed fire was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a woman of breathtaking beauty.

“This is an uninhabited island. We couldn’t talk freely in the sea, as other dragons might have overheard us.”

Quikantel didn’t seem to trust the earth dragons Labus and Untiel much, or perhaps she didn’t consider them her equals.

Murakan shrugged.

Quikantel, for some reason, didn’t say anything more and just stared at Murakan for a while. It was hard to tell if she was glaring or just looking intently.

Murakan didn’t avoid her gaze.

‘What’s going on? Do I need to step back for a moment?’

Just as Jin thought this, Murakan broke the silence.

“We didn’t come here just to stare at each other strangely. Tell me when Viorelta took Latry exactly.”

Quikantel bit her lower lip and sighed.

“Viorelta took Latry a year ago.”

This matched exactly the period when Latry went missing, as Casimir had mentioned.

“She lured him away, promising to teach him dragon speech... It’s a bad sign.”

“But Murakan, why do you think Viorelta is harming Latry? She might really be teaching him dragon speech.”

“Quikantel, the current Az Mil’s contractor is too young to control the power.”

“What? Then it’s dangerous without a guardian dragon.”

“Viorelta must know that. Even if she didn’t, Latry would have told her. He would have said, ‘I’ll learn dragon speech later, but please send me back for now.’”

“Hmm, that is strange. If she didn’t intend to kill Az Mil’s contractor, she should have sent Latry back a long time ago.”

Quikantel frowned.

Actually, the safety of Az Mil’s contractor wasn’t a significant issue for her. Her responsibility was to protect ‘Enya,’ not Az Mil’s contractor.

But Quikantel recalled that Viorelta had shown interest in Enya before.

“But how did you know Viorelta took Latry?”

“When Viorelta took Latry, she briefly visited Biment. She introduced Latry to me, but in reality, she wanted to see Enya.”

“Who is Enya?”

When Murakan pretended not to know, Quikantel surprisingly revealed that Enya was Olta’s contractor.

“Anyway, Viorelta was quite openly eager to meet Enya. I refused several times, but she was persistently annoying.”

“Would you just let her do that, given your personality? You only politely refused? What’s wrong with you, Quikantel? Are you afraid of Zephir now?”

“Huh, it’s not that I’m afraid of Zephir, but I had no choice. Enya’s status as a contractor was already known to Biment’s upper echelons, and many of them have connections with Andrei Zephir.”

In contrast, Enya’s identity was that of a magic academy scholarship student.

If Quikantel had fought with Viorelta out of annoyance, the Zephir lackeys at the academy could have caused trouble for Enya.

“...If I acted on impulse and Enya got into trouble, I would be disqualified as a guardian dragon. Anyway, hearing about Latry, it seems Viorelta had some ulterior motive when she tried to approach Enya.”

“Ha, you were just about to insult my contractor too.”

“I didn’t know a human was on your back. If I had known about Solderet’s contractor, I wouldn’t have gone that far.”

“Sure, sure.”

A moment of silence passed.

“Murakan.”

“Speak, kid.”

“While Enya’s status as a contractor is already known to Biment’s upper echelons, Az Mil’s contractor is still unknown to the world.”

Jin deliberately didn’t mention Yuria’s name, as he didn’t fully trust Quikantel yet.

“If so, how did she approach Latry in the first place? Given that she hasn’t sent him back, it seems she definitely knew about Az Mil’s contractor, even that the contractor was young.”

“That’s true. Hmm... Did they develop a spell to detect contractors during my thousand-year sleep?”

Quikantel shook her head.

“There’s no way such a spell could exist. A thousand years ago or now, no one can detect a contractor until they manifest their power.”

“Maybe. The Zephirs, though I don’t like to admit it, are a formidable bunch.”

“Even if such a spell exists, what benefit would the Zephirs gain from finding a contractor?”

“There are two major benefits. A contractor outside their control is a threat, so they can eliminate it in advance. Also, if a contractor dies, they get the chance to contract with the corresponding god.”

Jin answered, and Quikantel turned her head.

“...Just for that? The Zephirs already have immense power. A few contractors wouldn’t be a significant threat.”

“Dragons might be different, but human greed has no limits. And if a few contractors gather, they could become a significant threat.”

Quikantel found this hard to understand. A family already at the pinnacle of the world didn’t seem to need to go to such lengths.

But Murakan nodded in agreement.

“It’s possible. I know Zephir’s greed best. Let’s assume: first, they have a way to detect contractors. Second, they are trying to eliminate non-Zephir contractors.”

“Hold on. Is it necessary to think so extremely? We can just meet Viorelta and ask her.”

“Stop being naive, Quikantel. If you were the kidnapper, would you willingly talk? Get your head straight. From what I see, that kid Enya is also in danger.”

Enya wasn’t just in a dangerous situation; she was definitely in danger.

A few years later, Enya would be killed by the Zephirs, and her death wouldn’t even make the news. Instead, a pure-blooded Zephir would become the new Olta’s contractor, dominating the headlines.

As a regressive, Jin was certain of this. He had experienced this history in his previous life.

“I’m keeping a close eye on things, so Enya is not in danger. No one will harm her until she grows up.”

Stop talking nonsense and get your head straight! If you do nothing, Enya will die.

Just as Jin was about to say this, Murakan spoke up for him.

“Quikantel, it’s better to be cautious. You can’t be with Enya 24/7. Just leave Biment. If she stays at the academy, every move she makes will be reported to the Zephirs.”

“That child has never left Biment since birth. Her family is all in Biment. Are you suggesting I uproot her life for an uncertain and remote danger?”

“Life is only worth living if you have a life to live. This is just advice out of old affection. The choice is yours, of course.”

“Hmm... Quikantel-sama, please listen to me for a moment.”

Quikantel turned her gaze to Jin.

“Murakan and I are going to find Latry. We’ll do whatever it takes. But if we find Latry in captivity or injured, and I inform you, what will you do?”

“At that time...”

Quikantel clenched her teeth.

“I’ll have to hide Enya.”

“Then hide her now. Once the incident happens, it will be too late no matter how quickly you act. Please make a wise decision.”

“The kid is right, Quikantel. Move Olta’s contractor and her family to a different area. We’ll meet Viorelta and let you know if she’s a threat or not.”

Quikantel couldn’t maintain her pride any longer. Their words were entirely correct, and she could even sense their genuine concern for Enya.

‘They seem more sensitive to Enya’s safety than I am as her guardian... I need to reflect on this.’

Sigh.

Quikantel sighed and nodded.

“Alright, I’ll do that. And I’ll help you too.”

“Ah, no need, no need. We can handle it. Do you think I’m so weak that I can’t deal with a mere wind dragon? Viorelta, that brat is finished.”

“...How do you plan to meet Viorelta?”

“Just like I called you, I’ll emit my energy to call her.”

“Do you know how many dragons the Zephirs have? And you’re planning to go to their headquarters with the Runkandel kid?”

Jin and Murakan were startled and looked at Quikantel.

“What’s the matter? I sensed a similar energy from the kid as from Temar. Did you think I wouldn’t recognize that?”

“Hmm... Quikantel, you’re still quite reserved, aren’t you?”

“I still have a sense of duty to Temar. Being with his distant descendant brings back old memories.”

Temar, Murakan, and Quikantel used to hang out together, especially during the time when Murakan and Quikantel were dating.

“Anyway, I’ll call Viorelta. She’ll respond to my call for Enya’s sake. After that, you two figure out how to deal with her.”