Chapter 324

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Jin reflexively picked up the marble.

Upon closer examination, it looked like Solderet's recording device. The only difference was that it was slightly heavier than the ones he had before.

'Wait, why is this here?'

The unexpected discovery left him speechless. Jin's companions seemed equally perplexed, exchanging glances with widened eyes.

'Joshua, where on earth did he get this? Could it be that he somehow accessed Temar's tomb?'

Temar's tomb was inaccessible without the proper "qualification."

And that qualification was none other than being Solderet's contractor.

Two assumptions immediately came to mind.

First, the figure known as the "Prophet" must have used some trickery to allow Joshua to enter Temar's tomb.

Second, Joshua obtained this recording device from a place other than Temar's tomb.

'Regardless of which it is, the important question is whether he knows that this marble is a recording device.'

Jin looked down at the fallen demon.

The dead have no words.

If it were possible to revive the demon, Jin might have gathered quite a bit of information. But now, it had become a lifeless corpse, spilling its dark blood from its throat.

A pity indeed.

However, it was an unexpected harvest. Compared to the near-death experiences Jin had every time he acquired a recording device, this one had practically fallen into his laps.

"Young Master, it would be wise to collect the demon's other belongings as well."

"Yes, this demon seems worth investigating."

Jin rummaged through the demon's belongings. Other than a stack of papers with unreadable ancient text, demonic symbols and a book, there seemed to be nothing worth taking.

And then, almost unconsciously, Jin opened the book.

Whoosh!

The book suddenly emitted an ominous purple glow, and from within, a peculiar voice resonated.

[You, who dared to lay hands on the grand duke of the demon world, Rontelgius' magic tome! You shall forever be cursed by Rontelgius! Even if reduced to ashes, you shall become an unbreakable statue, eternally resenting yourself even in dust!]

It was a voice different from that of the deceased demon.

As soon as the curse ended, a translucent, purple chain with a peculiar vibration shot out from the book and ensnared Jin.

"Young Master!"

"Young master Jin!"

Jin's comrades reacted in alarm, extending their swords. Naturally, the cursed chain did not yield to their blades.

And Jin, calmly raising his hand, signaled that he was alright.

"Do not be alarmed, everyone. I am immune, after all."

Solderet's contractors were completely immune to all types of curses.

Valeria, before the regression, had described this ability as "excessively deceptive." And now, Jin was experiencing that power after a long time.

The chains that had bound Jin slowly seeped into his shadow, blending with it seamlessly.

It didn't take more than five seconds for the chains to disappear completely, leaving no trace.

Jin's comrades, unknowingly, watched in silence with their mouths agape before asking,

"Young Master, are you truly alright?"

"Yes, fortunately. If it were someone else who touched this book... wouldn't they have turned into a statue? Unless Rontelgius had rigged this book with such a device just to scare us."

When the chains enveloped him, there was a chill down Jin's spine. Not because he feared the curse, but because Jin realized the terrible fate that would have befallen any other comrade who touched it.

"From now on, we should be more cautious when dealing with demons or those who wield dark magic. We were just lucky this time. We learned the name Rontelgius, presumably this demon's family."

Fssss...

The demon's body began to disintegrate. There was no trace left where the corpse once lay, not even a sign of the spilled blood.

"Despicable creatures."

"Let's continue forward."

The group resumed their journey. Perhaps due to the sudden encounter with the demon, Jin's companions were even more on edge.

However, until they reached the end of the underground facility, they didn't encounter any enemies.

Three guardians, eight hunting dogs, and the remaining members were absent.

Oddly enough, that made Jin uneasy.

If there were so few personnel, perhaps Yulian's guardian dragon had been moved elsewhere...

As that sense of unease brushed through Jin's minds, Yulian pointed trembling hands beyond the darkness of the underground.

"Cal... Caltor...! Caltor!"

As the light illuminated the area, a human figure hanging on the wall became visible.

It was none other than Caltor, Yulian's guardian dragon who had transformed into a human.

His appearance was devastatingly pitiful. His hands and feet were nailed to large spikes, and his body was covered in traces of unspeakable torture.

He barely seemed to be breathing.

"Caltor! It's me, Yulian! I'll release you soon...!"

Tears streamed incessantly from Yulian's eyes.

This time, Kuzan, seemingly feeling sorry for Yulian, silently pulled out the spikes. With each pull, Caltor's body trembled, but there was no sign of consciousness returning.

"Ah... Caltor, please answer. What have those bastards done to you?"

"He's alive, Yulian. We can return and get him treated. Young Master will surely summon the saints of Vankela for you. So calm down, lower your voice. It must be agonizing now, but Joshua no longer has any means to threaten you, right?"

Kuzan patted Yulian's back as he spoke.

Jin took off his coat and wrapped it around the skinny Caltor.

"Let's return."

Back on the surface, just before escaping the forest.

Jin turned his head and looked at Joshua's secret villa standing alone.

'If Father had truly acknowledged him during Joshua's training days here, would he have become less of a trash than he is now?'

A sudden question crossed Jin's mind, causing him to shake his head.

'No, considering the timing when I was cursed at the age of one, it's highly likely that it coincided with the time when he became so despicable. Sometimes, I wonder what made him that vile.'

***

"We've discovered a hideout, my lord."

Among the three guardian knights, the leader reported to Joshua.

"Where is it?"

"Surprisingly, it's in a remote area of the eastern part of the Ekan Kingdom. It's called Donkey Village, with a total population of fewer than 100 people, mostly elderly."

"In a place like that? Are you certain?"

"Yes, we've confirmed it by intimidating the residents. They even built a laboratory in one part of the village. I personally inspected the laboratory, and the descriptions given by the villagers about Arya Aulhart perfectly match."

"The darkest place is under the lamp, as they say. That fits perfectly."

"Nevertheless, it would have been difficult to find without the demon's detection magic."

The three guardian knights and eight hunting dogs were supposed to be waiting at Joshua's secret villa. The reason for their absence was to track the traces of Arya Aulhart, who had been detected within the Ekan Kingdom using dark magic.

Lamphen Rontelgius.

Joshua nodded his head, recalling the horrifying appearance of the demon.

"Yes, he devoured a thousand prisoners, calling them ingredients for the detection magic. In the end, it seems to have yielded results. Was there any clue about Arya Aulhart's other hiding place in that Donkey Village?"

"Since the routes to leave Donkey Village are limited, if we trace the expected movement paths, we can narrow down the suspicious areas. One thing is certain, Arya Aulhart has another hideout in Huphester."

"How long will it take to secure another hideout?"

"We can discover at least one place within a month. By continuously narrowing down the range in that manner, we can properly corner them."

"Understood. Do your best to shorten the time as much as possible."

"We will bring back more satisfactory results soon."

"And provide more prisoners for Lamphen. It's been proven that his magic is exceptional."

Joshua smiled.

'Rontelgius Lamphen... If he can discover the true nature of that marble. I should also consider providing prisoners for my clones.'

The Marble of Shadow force.

Joshua obtained it in the Runcandel's mausoleum. It was during his early days as a cadet, on a day when he was as distracted as ever, losing to Luna as usual.

Instead of cursing himself locked in his room as usual, Joshua headed to the clan's mausoleum.

Even now, he couldn't remember why he suddenly went to the mausoleum. It was as if he was led by fate or possessed by something.

And at the deepest part of the mausoleum.

In the empty tomb where the first patriarch, Temar, should have rested, he found the Marble of Shadow force.

'When I touched the Marble of Shadow force, that dog-like creature's voice started to resonate.'

The dog-like creature, the Prophet.

At first, she only existed as a voice. A voice that comforted young Joshua and offered advice.

As Joshua grew older, the voice gradually took on a tangible form. It started as a hazy apparition like a ghost, and around the time he became a flagbearer, it transformed into a clear image of a woman, just as it is now.

'But the Prophet doesn't know that she awakened inside that marble. She doesn't even know that I have the marble.'

Even in the days when Joshua wholeheartedly trusted the Prophet, he never spoke to her about the marble.

It was his inherent instinct.

Even as a child, Joshua instinctively felt that the Marble of Shadow force could serve as a safety mechanism.

In other words, he thought it could be useful if the Prophet ever betrayed him for some reason.

'Nowadays, considering the Prophet's attitude, I have a feeling she could betray me at any moment. Whether I deal with her as soon as I become the patriarch or secure a means to control her before that, I have to choose one of the two options.'

Joshua still held onto that old intuition about the Marble of Shadow force.

That's why, coincidentally, or perhaps inevitably, he entrusted Lamphen, the demon, to find out its purpose.

"I shall take my leave now, my lord."

As the guardian knight finished the report and saluted, preparing to leave, someone rushed in, urgently calling for Joshua.

"My lord!"

It was one of the hunting dogs who entered the room and bowed his head.

"What's the matter?"

"The abandoned forest villa... it was attacked."

"What did you say?"

"Unfortunately, it happened precisely when we were heading towards the eastern part of Ekan based on the information we received from the demon."

Joshua suppressed the curse rising in his throat. The guardian knight who was about to leave also turned his gaze to the hunting dog, startled.

"...What is the extent of the damage?"

"The captured Thunder Dragon and the demon disappeared. And the two remaining individuals were found dead..."

The hunting dog couldn't determine for sure if the demon was killed or just vanished.

There were no traces left since the secret underground facility of the abandoned mansion had no remains of the demon.

"We tried to track them, but they are exceptional. There are no traces left. It's frustrating."

Phew!

Joshua took a deep breath.

In the end, he had no choice but to rely on the Prophet once again.