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Jin and Murakan were kicked out as soon as they returned home. And that too, they had traveled all the way to an island in the western sea region using the teleportation gate.
"Suddenly being kicked out like that, what's up with that?"
Murakan said with a bitter voice, and Cuicantelle nodded.
"There is no change in the compass. Hmm, Enya. It's your turn to go out this time."
"Huh, me too?"
Similarly, Enya was also kicked out and went to an island of the Hidden Palace.
Then there was a change in the compass. As soon as Enya arrived on the island, a red dot appeared on the compass.
"Well... I kind of understand now. It seems that this compass cannot detect Solderet's contractor. But if they are near Jin, are other contractors also not tracked?"
When Enya went to the Island, a red dot appeared, but it disappeared when she returned to Tikan.
"I will take Enya and Euria with me."
When Jin took them out, two red dots appeared on the compass, indicating that Enya and Euria were the sources of the dots.
Jin went out alone from Tikan again. The compass did not show any red dot in Tikan or on the island.
"...Strange. It is certain that the compass cannot track Jin, but it doesn't mean that Enya and Euria are not exposed to tracking because of him."
Afterward, Enya and Euria visited several other locations apart from the island. The result was the same every time, whether Jin was present or not. Only when the two of them moved, the red dots appeared.
"It seems like there is something in Tikan."
Cuicantelle reached a conclusion.
"The mirror...?"
It seemed to be the only possibility Jin could think of.
Subsequently, they conducted the same experiment with the mirror. Before an hour had passed, they realized that the mirror had the ability to hide the contractors from the compass.
"To summarize, Jin is not exposed to tracking even without the mirror, but it's not the same for Enya and Euria. As long as the mirror is in Tikan, this place is like a safe zone from contractors tracking."
The compass was unable to detect the gods with a certain level of power or their contractors.
The mirror possessed traits of both Klam, the god of mana, and Solderet's seal, causing even more interference with the compass's function.
"Hmm, then if we had stayed put, the kid, the die hard fan, and the ice cream cookie would hardly have been exposed on the compass. Even if they were exposed when leaving Tikan, it wouldn't have been easy to find them immediately."
"Andrei Zipfel couldn't accurately locate Euria's position in the past, probably due to the limitations of the function."
Still, their efforts were not in vain.
From now on, Jin and his group could roughly determine the locations of contractors worldwide and infer Zipfel's kidnapping through that information. If the red dots suddenly started gathering towards the Lutero Magic Federation, it would indicate a confirmed kidnapping.
But that's not all.
‘If a new contractor, especially someone we desperately need appears, we can find them before or at the same time as Zipfel.’
Furthermore, they confirmed once again that Tikan was a safe zone, so the six months of hard work were not wasted.
"We need to organize a dedicated team to check the compass daily. Sir Kashmir, I rely on you for that."
"Understood, Young Master. Now that I have confirmed that my little girl is not exposed to tracking, I can finally breathe a sigh of relief."
"Young master, I will report the remaining information."
"Very well, go ahead."
"First... It would be good to take a look at this."
Gilly said as she unfolded the newspaper on the table.
(The island of pirates in the Feudal state of Bellado. An enigmatic skilled individual wearing a black magic helmet has appeared... A hero or a villain?)
"Pfft. Hahaha. Hero, villain, ah, I can't take it anymore. Our Kid!"
Murakan exclaimed and poked Jin, bursting into laughter, and even Syris suppressed a chuckle.
The contents of the article were roughly as follows:
(The enigmatic skilled individual named "Vamel" wields "thunderbolts" and is a potential new contractor of the God of Storm "Peitel."
If he is Peitel's contractor, it would mark the emergence of a Storm contractor after a whopping 288 years.
He doesn't seem to belong to any major faction. Both Zipfel and the Vermont Imperial Family have expressed their desire to contact him officially.
The appearance of an individual whom Zipfel and Vermont are both so interested in is truly rare. Runcandel has yet to make any statement, and his future actions are being closely watched.
According to witnesses, he appeared as a man with flamboyant golden hair and a beautiful face. However, there is a high possibility that he used disguise, and it cannot be ruled out that he used a face-changing ability.
The reason for his visit to the island is unclear. While there are theories that his goal is to eradicate pirates or to target the treasures of the gambling den, the citizens can only hope that he is a true saint... )
By now, Jin couldn't help but grimace. Already, hundreds of media outlets had written articles of this nature.
"I expected that rumors about me would spread in earnest, but somehow, this feels embarrassing."
While Murakan laughed, Jin pondered the "hidden" information in the newspaper.
‘None of them mention Kinzelo or the compass. There's no mention of the fact that figures like Chukon Tolderer or Carl Zipfel were present, nor is there a single line describing the Runcandel’s Guardian Knights or the Special Forces and Imperial Guards. The focus is entirely on me, the eradication of pirates, and the gambling den.’
In other words it meant that Runcandel, Zipfel, Kinzelo, and Vermont—the four major factions—had already established control over the media.
‘The fact that Zipfel and Vermont have officially expressed their desire to meet with me means they have no clue about my identity, and they don't have the confidence to find me in the near future.’
Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to express such intentions.The method of Zipfel and Vermont was to set traps to capture Jin without the knowledge of the world and then either forcibly recruit or assassinate him.
‘And through these recent articles, those who have doubts or grudges against me have obtained significant clues.’
In other words, individuals who had encountered Jin in his "black magic helmet."
Notable examples were Kuzan and Veris, who fought him in the Delki Kingdom, and Latz, the leader of the Special Forces, whom he had encountered at Cuicantelle's log house.
They now had one definite clue to track Jin. If anyone witnessed him using Multa's Rune from now on, they would gradually get closer to Jin.
Not only them but also the major factions, prominent clans, and organizations couldn't stay still.
Jin became instantly famous. Not as Jin Runcandel or Jin Grey, but as Vamel.
"Those who have seen Multa's Rune will relentlessly chase the articles from now on. Kuzan, Veris, and Latz will be the most persistent."
"Kid, are they going to be your opponents now?"
"They'll be opponents, sure."
"It seems you've gained new power by going to the land of the Plutonian tribe, young master. I haven't seen it firsthand, but seeing Zipfel and Vermont being so proactive, it must be a significant power that is not easily guessed." Gilly said.
"You will be amazed if you witness it, strawberry pie. We saw it once during our mission, and it was mind-blowing. Kid, show it to the strawberry pie later, along with the shadow sword."
"Of course."
Jin felt a bit awkward, but Gilly was simply impressed.
"Now that things have settled down, let's have a drink after a long time, everyone. It's heartwarming to see us all gathered like this in Tikan again." Gilly suggested.
That day, Syris also stayed with everyone and enjoyed the party instead of returning to the Hidden Palace. While everyone laughed and chatted, Syris was mostly silent, but she was very happy inside.
***
At the same moment, when Jin and his companions were enjoying themselves in Tikan, a group of people had gathered in a secret villa of Huphester.
Joshua and those who followed him were present.
"The black helmet and the power of thunderbolts... What do you all think?"
Kuzan and Veris stood behind Joshua, acknowledging his gaze. On the table lay the same newspaper article that Jin had read.
The two of them had recently sworn allegiance to Joshua after sorting out their thoughts. They believed that unless it was him, the future patriarch of Runcandel, they wouldn't be able to seek revenge against Solderet's contractor and the Black Dragon.
"It's possible that it's him."
Kuzan responded, while Veris smiled brightly, looking at a young man sitting next to Joshua.
"Is it because of the black helmet?"
"That's right. Since that day, we've thoroughly investigated the world, but we have never witnessed anyone using such a helmet. As a Magic Swordsman, he would have been able to incorporate Lightning magic spells into his sword."
Huff...
Joshua exhaled smoke from his cigarette with a heavy expression.
"...Yes, I also thought the same."
"Do you not think that Vamel is the Solderet’s contractor that we have been chasing, sir?"
Kuzan asked, and Joshua nodded.
"Well, I'm not entirely sure. If there haven't been any new pieces of information, I probably would have come to the same conclusion as you. Maybe he put on a show to hide the fact that he is Solderet's contractor."
"If you could share the information that came in..."
"It wasn't a show. Although thunderbolts, which Vamel used, weren't discussed by the press in the articles, it is said that the five team commanders of the White Wolf tribe were instantly killed on the spot by those thunderbolts."
Both Kuzan and Veris, who had been smiling at the young man, bit their lips.
Since the death of Taimyun Marius, they had obtained no information about Solderet's contractor.
And now, a skilled individual wearing the "black helmet" appeared, which naturally led them to believe it was him. But it turned out that he used thunderbolts, not shadow force!
Kuzan and Veris couldn't comprehend it at all. It was more shocking to them that Vamel was likely not their enemy than the fact that the five team commanders of the White Wolf tribe fell victim to thunderbolts.
"Damn it, the five team commanders of the White wolf tribe? Clearly, it was someone else. If his magic achievements were at that level, when we first met him, both Kuzan and I would have been burnt to a crisp. Who the hell is this Vamel? He doesn't seem to be a mage."
As Veris spoke provocatively, she flashed a nasty gaze.
She then licked her lips while looking at the expressionless young man sitting next to Joshua.
"Hey, you. Are you really a contractor of Peitel? From what I see, it seems like Vamel is the contractor."
The killing intent flashed in the young man's eyes. Immediately, his body began to emit lightning.
"That's enough."
With Joshua's words, the young man returned to his emotionless face.
"In an instant, the five team commanders of the White wolf tribe... How about it, Yulian? Can you do the same?"
"I cannot."
The young man responded calmly, and Joshua tilted his head.
"Then it seems it's time to strengthen your power."
Veris smacked her lips in satisfaction. Since she had come under Joshua and met Yulian, tormenting him was her new source of pleasure.
Under the table, Yulian's hands trembled. However, it was not out of anger towards Veris but due to fear of Joshua.
Amazing