Chapter 206: Tiara of Life (2)
Chapter 206: Tiara of Life (2)
There was nothing unusual about Pink Bomb’s action of sending a notice to Velkian.
‘Because Velkian was the one who moved first.’
Two days after the founding anniversary celebration.
As the confusion in the royal capital subsided to some extent, Velkian went to the Blue Moon and expressed his desire to meet Pink Bomb.
Going to a thieves guild in order to meet the Rogue Master – that was the result of a fairly common sense idea.
In any case, the Blue Moon’s guild master, Suppé, was completely unharmed because they chose to quickly retreat amidst the chaotic situation, so Velkian’s request was delivered through the network of contacts that Jude had told him in advance.
‘What should we do?’
‘Tell him that we’ll contact him.’
Four days after the decisive battle in the royal capital.
Jude conveyed their intentions through Suppé, telling Velkian to get well first and wait for the merit ceremony to be over. And the morning after the merit ceremony, a notice from Pink Bomb was sent to Velkian.
“Jude, are we not there yet?”
“We’re almost there.”
Cordelia’s breath touched Jude’s ear, making him flinch. But he replied to her and ran even faster.
The place where they decided to meet with Velkian was outside the royal capital, or to be exact, it was near the hill where the last treasure of the Rogue Master was hidden.
“He’s here.”
Cordelia said as her natural eyesight was better than Jude’s.
In addition, her night vision was extraordinarily sharp that she could even discern the wild animals in the dark.
‘I’m not sure how she does it, but maybe she’s originally a beast? Like those animals that can shape-shift into a human.’
Jude had some reasonable doubts for a moment, but he soon adjusted Cordelia’s position on his back and slowed down a bit. Because he himself saw the figure of Velkian standing alone on the hill.
‘Necromancer Velkian.’
One of the five main characters in the first episode of Legend of Heroes.
He was already in his 60s at the time of the first episode, and now, he was over 70 and was close to 80 at the time of the second episode, but he looked quite healthy on the outside.
‘But you can’t see much of his body.’
His long black clothes covered his thin body, and he wore a beak mask, which was said to be the symbol of plague doctors.
‘He’s even wearing a wide-brimmed hat.’
Therefore, all that was revealed of him was his gray hair with some white hair here and there.
‘But he’s not a bad person.’
There were some undeniably ‘evil’ characters among the playable characters in the second episode of Legend of Heroes, but there were none among the characters in the first episode.
All five of them were true heroes with a noble spirit and a pure heart.
‘After all, he immediately helped at that time.’
As soon as Velkian found out the crisis in the royal capital, he jumped into the battlefield without any hesitation.
And Jude could bet.
If any of the main characters from the first episode were present at that time, they would have acted the same as Velkian.
“I think he saw us too.”
Jude nodded at Cordelia’s whisper and instead of stopping at the bottom of the hill, he moved his feet a few more times and stopped at around 10 meters away from Velkian.
“Ahem, ahem.”
Cordelia jumped off Jude’s back as soon as he stopped, and she walked forward while clearing her throat.
Because the situation itself where she appeared while riding on Jude’s back was embarrassing.
‘He should have stopped a little farther away.’
Cordelia regretted it late as they walked towards Velkian. She stopped at around 7 meters before Velkian and politely greeted him.
“Nice to meet you. I’m the Rogue Master, Pink Bomb… and this is my assistant…Black Cloak.”
What is this? What’s with this overwhelming embarrassment?
Cordelia was already used to saying the words ‘Pink Bomb’ and ‘Black Cloak,’ so she was usually fine with saying it, but when she spoke those words to Velkian, she turned red.
‘B-but he likes Pink Bomb, right?’
So it should be fine, right?
I shouldn’t be embarrassed about it, right?
But she was wrong.
They couldn’t tell his expression because he was wearing a mask, but Velkian’s awkward gestures showed that he was quite embarrassed, so he replied with a cough.
“Ehem… yes. I’m… Velkian.”
The way he said it made it seem like he was feeling uncomfortable but still endured it, as if it was the answer of a troubled adult.
Cordelia immediately felt betrayed at Velkian’s unexpected response, but she soon understood it.
‘It must have been breathtaking.’
A secret fan.
A person who hid their interest.
It was fully understandable. Because Velkian was over 70 years old.
It would have been difficult for him if he was caught reading a novel with a character named Pink Bomb.
But it was at that moment.
“Ah, I can’t stand this.”
Velkian suddenly muttered and looked straight at Cordelia, saying in a low tone.
“I know this is meddlesome, but… can I call you by another name? Of course, it’s your preference, so I want to respect it, but still, the Rogue Master using the name Pink Bomb is a bit…”
Because he felt strange when he said it.
Furthermore, there was also the Rogue Master’s prestige.
At Velkian’s sincere words, Cordelia unconsciously tilted her head.
She couldn’t help it.
“Wait…wait, wait, wait.”
Cordelia quickly said without realizing it, and then continued with wide open eyes.
“Didn’t you like Pink Bomb?”
“Who? Do you mean me?”
When Cordelia nodded, Velkian spoke in disgust as he stepped back.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve only met you for the first time today. In the first place, I didn’t know the name of Pink Bomb until I found the letter that day.”
His voice was seriously sincere.
But there was a problem with his words.
Velkian was not talking about the main character of a novel, but the Pink Bomb in front of him, which was Rogue Master Pink Bomb.
As if he was completely unaware of the existence of a novel with a character named Pink Bomb.
What’s going on?
What exactly is going on?
“Jude?”
Cordelia stared at Jude coldly, and he had a melancholic smile before he spoke with a sad expression.
“This day has finally come. But I don’t regret it.”
Because I enjoyed it every day.
The embarrassed Cordelia whenever she uses the name Pink Bomb was the best.
Jude looked away while feeling proud, and Cordelia grabbed him by the collar and shook him.
“Hey! You think I’ll let you off if you speak sadly? Huh?!”
I knew it was weird!
What Pink Bomb? What Pink Bomb!
Velkian isn’t a pervert who’ll like someone with that name!
Do you know how embarrassing it had been for me every time?!
“Umm… should I let you two talk in private for a moment? It seems like there’s a misunderstanding between you two.”
Cordelia came to her senses at Velkian’s words, and she let out a groan with a tearful face before she spoke.
“Eueueue… No, it’s okay.”
Talking to Velkian now was a priority.
Cordelia glared at Jude again before she threw off her mask and greeted him again.
“I’m Cordelia August Chase.”
“I’m Jude August Bayer.”
The moment Cordelia and Jude revealed their real names, Velkian nodded and spoke as if it was not a big deal for him.
“Yes, I already knew it because I saw you two at the merit ceremony.”
Velkian did not just look at people’s faces.
He could see the overall shape of the body and also the flow of one’s life force, so it was impossible to deceive him by covering one’s face.
It was the true reason why Velkian couldn’t stand it and asked about Pink Bomb.
Because the new heroes of the kingdom who seemed to be sane during the merit ceremony were now acting as a Rogue Master and her assistant while using embarrassing names.
“Eueueue… this is all because of Jude.”
She wasn’t really trying to convince him, but what she said was true.
And at Cordelia’s words, Jude changed the topic like usual instead of denying it.
“May the muscles always be with you. I greet you again as the disciple of Iron Man Landius.”
“Oh, the Cheonmujiche boy.”
Velkian was surprised by Landius’ unique greeting, and he quickly nodded.
It seemed like he also knew about the Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors.
“I think I’m starting to understand. The legitimate successor of Ninth Heaven’s Nine Doors that Landius finally found used the Tiara of Life to call me out. Is that it?”
Velkian would not have come to the royal capital in the first place if there had been no letter in the box where the Tiara of Life was kept.
And he would have not been involved in the fight on the royal capital either.
“Was that your goal?”
“Not completely. It was only half.”
“Half?”
“Yes, half. First of all, we left a letter in the box that contained the Tiara of Life, but we did not leave that letter with Velkian-nim in mind. We didn’t know on who would find that letter.”
It was true.
In the letter Jude left in the box, it only conveyed that Pink Bomb took the Tiara of Life and did not contain any specific words that mentioned Velkian.
“That’s a little strange. What would you do if it wasn’t me who found the letter… or if that person was an enemy?”
“Of course, that’s possible, but I thought that it wouldn’t happen.”
“Why do you think so?”
“Because there was a prophecy.”
With a small smile, Jude continued to speak smoothly.
“It was foretold that we would get someone who would help us greatly through the Tiara of Life. That’s why we left a letter.”
“Whose prophecy is it?”
“The witch of the western forest.”
Velkian was momentarily surprised at Jude’s words before he nodded.
“I heard from the ghosts that her soul had been freed… were you the ones who released her?”
“Yes, we met her by chance half a year ago and freed her.”
“So by chance.”
Velkian smiled before he straightened his posture and said.
“Okay, if the witch of the western forest gave you a prophecy in return for freeing her, I can believe that. Although she has fallen because of her contract with the demons, she’s on the side of us humans.”
Obviously, the witch of the western forest had never made such a prediction, but what mattered now was convincing Velkian.
‘And he seems to be quite convinced.’
Jude shouted ‘Bingo!’ in his mind and sent a glance to Cordelia. She then took out the Tiara of Life and offered it to Velkian.
“Thanks to Velkian-nim, the lives of countless people in the royal capital were saved. Please accept this Tiara of Life as our way of saying thank you.”
When Cordelia said that and carefully held out the Tiara of Life, Velkian frowned behind his mask instead of accepting it right away.
“I… just did what was natural.”
How can I just watch when people are dying in front of me?
Cordelia warmly smiled at Velkian’s words and said.
“It’s not just that. You saved my brother-in-law, Ga?l, and because of that, you also saved my sister.”
If Ga?l had died back then.
What would have happened to unnie? What would have happened to unnie’s heart?
“That’s… that’s because of the strong spirit of that guy named Ga?l. After all, I left him unattended afterwards.”
“But if it weren’t for the medicine that Velkian-nim gave him, he wouldn’t have recovered at all.”
Her words weren’t just some idle talk since it was true.
And that was why Jude and Cordelia were sincerely grateful to Velkian.
“Oh… it can’t be helped then. But I won’t just take it. I’ll borrow it for a while… and return it to you when my work is done.”
His answer was something that Jude had expected.
Due to Velkian’s personality, there was no way that he would freely receive a divine relic called the Tiara of Life.
And one more reason.
‘Did he have a special goal?’
Considering the situation, Velkian did not accidentally obtain the Tiara of Life. He found it after searching for it.
And that meant that Velkian was preparing for something that needed the Tiara of Life.
‘There’s also the fact that he’ll borrow and return it when his work is done.’
What is it then?
What is Velkian trying to use the Tiara of Life for?
And does that have something to do with his death?
There were two reasons why Jude originally called Velkian in the royal capital.
One was the vague expectation that if the timing was right, Velkian would help them in the decisive battle on the royal capital, and the other was to twist history and prevent Velkian’s death.
In the game’s storyline, Velkian was not in the royal capital at this time.
They didn’t know where he was, but he was definitely not in the royal capital then.
But he was now in the royal capital.
It was a completely different situation from the original, so it was possible that his death could be prevented.
‘Of course, I can’t be satisfied with just this.’
In the original, when, where, and how Velkian died was shrouded in mystery.
Therefore, Jude couldn’t come up with an absolute way to prevent Velkian’s death, but he was still able to come up with some minimal safety measures.
‘If I consider Velkian’s personality…’
If he put together all of Velkian’s actions in the first episode, Velkian wasn’t the kind of person who would just receive the Tiara of Life and leave a promise to return it later.
Prior to becoming a necromancer, Velkian was a wizard, and most wizards didn’t do things without a definite plan.
“In exchange for that, take this.”
Having received the Tiara of Life, Velkian offered Cordelia a trinket with a clear gem embedded on it.
“It’s a magic tool that can summon me.”
“Eh? Uh, wait. A magic tool that can summon Velkian-nim?”
“That’s right, you can summon me only once if you use that magic tool.”
Velkian replied to Cordelia and pointed to the trinket as he continued.
“From tomorrow onwards, I’ll begin working on some kind of work using the Tiara of Life. And when I’m done, this gem will glow gold.”
“So from then on… we can summon you?”
“Yes, you understood it quickly like a wizard.”
Cordelia awkwardly smiled at Velkian’s compliment before she glanced at Jude.
‘It worked out as we had expected, right?’
‘Yes, if we have this, we can summon Velkian and save his life.’
The life of Velkian and not Jude or Cordelia.
Obviously, it was impossible to summon him when he was still doing some kind of work with the Tiara of Life, so if something happened in that time, they wouldn’t be able to do anything, but at least, they would still have a way to offset his death to some extent.
“Will you be staying at the royal capital?”
“I think so for now. So perhaps you won’t need to use that magic tool too.”
“I see.”
Jude responded with a soft smile before he glanced at Cordelia, and she nodded quietly.
It was still a question on what kind of work Velkian was trying to do, but if he was staying in the royal capital and being supported by the royal family, he would be much safer than wandering around somewhere they didn’t know, at least, until his work was finished.
“Anyway, take care of that item. Once you call me, I’ll be like a minion and do my best to help with anything.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
Jude smiled at Velkian’s slightly playful answer before he turned to Cordelia with a satisfied face.
Since Jude originally didn’t have any intentions of making a deal with Velkian who had saved Ga?l and the royal capital, it was a good deal.
‘It’s good, right?’
‘Yes, yes.’
Cordelia nodded and smiled in agreement.
‘Then… should we say goodbye to him now?’
Since Velkian had decided on staying in the royal capital, they would still have a few more chances to meet him before they leave for the south.
Now that they had achieved their goal, they thought that it was time for them to separate now.
‘Let’s go.’
Cordelia replied with her eyes before she looked back at Velkian and said.
“Then, Velkian-nim, we’ll be going back.”
When Cordelia politely bade farewell, Velkian touched his chin as if he was thinking of something for a moment before he immediately smiled.
“There is one more thing I want to give you before we separate. Please do not hesitate to accept it.”
“Eh?”
As Cordelia tilted her head and asked in return, Velkian chuckled and slightly moved his hand.
Two large Phantom Steeds suddenly appeared and stood next to Velkian.
“These are Phantom Steeds that I made myself. They can fly in the sky, they are fast, and they don’t get tired.”
“Wow.”
Cordelia’s eyes sparkled as she recalled an earlier conversation she had with Jude about the endurance of horses, and Velkian happily said to them.
“I’ll give them to you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. It’s nice to see you being carried around but… I think this would be more efficient.”
The smiling Velkian handed Cordelia a ring that could summon the Phantom Steeds.
“Both of you can ride one each.”
It was the heartfelt consideration of Velkian, who was truly like an elderly person.
The Phantom Steeds Velkian had given them were much stronger than normal Phantom Steeds, to the point that they were incomparable.
But Jude somehow felt sad.
If they used those Phantom Steeds, he would no longer have to carry Cordelia on his back.
‘Uh… it can’t be helped.’
Rather, it was strange that he carried her on his back all the time.
Moreover, in terms of mobility and tactics, it was much better to ride on the Phantom Steed than to carry her on his back, so it was a change that he accepted.
‘But I’m a little disappointed.’
Unlike Jude, Cordelia was really happy.
‘Well, she had been happy with the big horse we had a long time ago.’
If Cordelia is happy with it, then so be it.
Having cleared away his thoughts, Jude gladly accepted the ring, and Velkian climbed on his own Phantom Steed as if to demonstrate, before he flew straight into the night sky of the royal capital.
“Uh… is he going to leave just like that?”
Without looking back once?
At Cordelia’s words, Jude shrugged and replied.
“But in a sense, he’s a better man than Master Landius.”
“Well… that’s true.”
Cordelia nodded her head a few times and then turned to the Phantom Steeds instead of gazing at the night sky where Velkian had disappeared.
The Phantom Steed had green eyes that glowed, and a black mane and hair.
“It looks like you.”
“Where?”
“The black hair and eye color?”
Jude narrowed his brows once at Cordelia’s answer, but he soon climbed onto his own Phantom Steed and said.
“Let’s go then.”
“Okay, but Jude.”
“Yes?”
Cordelia squirmed her lips a few times at Jude’s question before she unsummoned her Phantom Steed back into the ring. She then twisted her finger into a lock of her hair and said.
“Because maintaining a Phantom Steed will require mana… it’s not necessary to use both of them, right?”
What she had meant with those words.
Cordelia didn’t directly say it, but Jude understood and slyly smiled as he said.
“This servant will do his best to serve you. Which one do you prefer? The front or the back?”
“The back?”
“That’s an excellent choice.”
Jude stretched out his hand like always to help Cordelia get on the Phantom Steed. After that, he adjusted the reins and said.
“Let’s go then.”
Cordelia tightly hugged Jude’s waist instead of responding, and Jude eventually broke into a small smile.
He drove the Phantom Steed to the royal capital.