CHAPTER 773

[T.L: punisher87]

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Teben and Zen were smiling from ear to ear, looking at the two with a rather nervous gaze.

Their faces were filled with such anticipation that even though they looked like ghosts, Jin and Valeria could feel their heartbeat.

"...We did it, but..."

[Woohoo! See, I told you! If we didn't do that, we really couldn't have entered?]

[Ha, the golem and that darn monster didn't lie. Take it!]

It seemed that the two had made a bet on whether the descendants who came to the succession temple would fulfill the entry conditions.

Zen was the loser. Zen took out a bundle of paper-like objects from his pocket and handed it to Teben, causing the golem to sigh when he saw it.

[I said thousands of times, those are not your belongings, they belong to me... Why did you bet with someone else's belongings?]

Regardless of whether he said it or not, Teben snatched the paper from Zen and expressed his victory of 350 years.

[Hehehe!]

Zen and Teben, the two geniuses who presumably created a long-distance communication device, were in an unstable state of mind.

This was likely due to the fact that they had "recorded themselves on the succession temple" and the long period of 350 years.

Moreover, during that long period, Zen and Teben only had each other and golem.

Thinking that the style of the letter was very calm, the sight of the two people giggling and laughing made Jin feel a sense of sadness.

"It seems Teben Hister has won. Congratulations."

Rather than showing any signs of disappointment, Jin said so, trying to match the atmosphere.

It seemed better to go along with the flow.

[Haha, thank you! Your name is Jin Runcandel, right? For a Runcandel, you're quite flexible!]

"Thank you. By the way, what is that paper used for? It doesn't seem like money."

[Oh, this is a magic spell storage paper. The golem keeps insisting it's his belongings, but I wonder where he got that idea that it belongs to him or me. Anyway! I want to receive congratulations from not only an outsider but also my descendant.]

"Congratulations, Ancestor Teben."

[Yeah, yeah. We've been waiting for you for a very long time."

[Hmph, even though until recently, we forgot that we were waiting for our descendants.]

[Well, considering the history manipulation regarding the Hister clan, it's an inevitable issue, Zen. Besides, we're ghosts, so our memories are naturally weak.]

[Oh, right! Hey, what happened to my clan? Lutberh! It didn't go extinct, did it?]

"It's safe."

Valeria explained to them for a while about how they met Sael and came to the succession temple.

[...I remember more vividly now. It's really fortunate! Zen, as we expected, those guys couldn't find your clan. And my clan didn't meet its end either. Hahaha!]

[But why do you look so fine when you've come all the way here? We were wandering for days and looked like beggars.]

[That's because this time, the successor took a shortcut. They had the power to disregard the set difficulty. They had formidable abilities.]

The traps installed in Maliet's succession temple were originally set based on Honka as a benchmark. They were designed so that if one barely defeated Honka, they could reach the final point of the succession temple after enduring various hardships.

[Moreover, since they're not enemies, I also didn't apply 1st class Hostility. I only used 50% of my original combat power. It wouldn't have mattered even if I used all my abilities.]

[Hmm, it feels unfair. If it was that easy, it feels like we're giving our creation too easily, doesn't it, Teben?]

[That's right! We really worked hard for it!]

"Is that creation by any chance a communication device?"

[Yes, exactly! It's a long-distance communication device!]

[Don't you have anything like that outside now?]

"No, we don't. We can only send signals with items like Zipfel Magic Tower Master's Staff."

[Well, I can't just give it to you like that. Let's have one more test.]

[Oh, great. What kind of test?]

[Let's decide while they explore the succession temple. Get ready! If you fail to pass the test, we won't really give you the communication device.]

Zen and Teben rushed off somewhere and disappeared.

[Now, even though they're like that, they were once great mages and engineers. Don't worry too much about the test. It won't be too difficult. Even if they became fools, they haven't forgotten, duty and mission.]

The duty and mission as a record mage and a pioneering engineer.

That was to hand over their inventions to those who were qualified for them.

As Maliet's record windows floated in the air, Golem reached out his hand, causing a pleasant vibration to spread throughout the succession temple.

[Master, has foreseen a moment like this for a long time.]

"Foreseen? What does that mean?"

[But luckily, Valeria Hister, you don't seem too tired or lonely.]

Did Maliet already know about Valeria's future?

Jin watched Golem with such questions in mind.

Golem's touch activated the record windows.

[Please lie down and watch the master's records.]

As the two of them lay down, the surroundings gradually darkened.

Soon, as it became completely dark, the record windows flowing like a blue galaxy on the ceiling beautifully lit up.

[You may feel a bit hazy. Please don't resist.]

Following those words, after a while, the two of them were able to immerse themselves in the stories of the past, just like when they consumed the Drink of regal hymn in the Wantaramo Forest.

***

Jin and Valeria became translucent observers within the video.

April 1, 1391, Honka Island.

'It seems to be a record of the day when Ancestor Maliet and Honka met.'

'It looks like the fight has just ended.'

Jin and Valeria watched Honka, gasping for breath and half-frozen, in front of them.

It was before Honka even had a name.

Maliet was a woman of extraordinary beauty.

She had a massive physique, not much smaller than Honka's, with fiery red hair that covered more than half of her body and mischievously twinkling eyes.

Jin and Valeria were momentarily overwhelmed by her appearance, their mouths agape. It was the first time either of them had seen someone so large.

Even Hedo would not appear as big standing next to Maliet.

"Why are you tormenting people who come near this island and making their lives miserable? I've already lost count of how many times I've scolded you."

[Hmph, there's no reason. If you want to kill me, go ahead!]

"If you had killed even one person, I would have done so. But you only pretended to be a current in the sea and chased people away. I find it endearing, so I'm being lenient with you. If you keep doing this, soon enough the Empire or Zipfel will come and subjugate you. So, confess your sins through me and regain enlightenment."

[And if I refuse?]

"Then there's nothing I can do. There are some issues of privacy invasion, so I try to refrain from doing it as much as possible, but I can only examine your records one by one. I need to understand why you're doing this. If I wait too long for you to listen directly, you might end up dead."

[What is this... Huh? What's happening? Suddenly, why are my memories being projected into the air?]

"Well, yeah. As I expected, when you sought enlightenment to overcome the torment inflicted upon you by humans and other creatures, that was the moment you gained your inner core."

[Ugh, stop it!]

"But usually, when someone gains power, they become filled with hatred and seek to slaughter weaker beings. But instead, you chose perfect seclusion. What does that mean? It means you deserve a reward, that's what it means. Come here, let me give you a hug. Oh, are you frozen and can't move? Then I'll hold you. How about that?"

Honka screamed in protest, but once Maliet's massive body enveloped him, he couldn't resist the comforting sensation.

That's how Maliet and the inner core toad monster became friends. Maliet named him Honka, derived from the island's name.

For a moment, memories of Maliet and Honka's heartwarming tale played out.

The two of them sat by the bonfire, sharing a meal together, or Maliet would tell Honka stories of the outside world.

Honka never opened his heart to anyone except Maliet, but there were no more threats to anyone passing near the island.

"Right now, many Histers are coming to this place I'm creating, but eventually, my clan will decline and be defeated by Zipfel. The number of Histers coming to this island will gradually decrease."

[Even though you're so strong, can't you defeat Zipfel? You said Hister's magic is the best.]

"They have far greater power than us and are despicable to boot. There's nothing I can do. In any case, within a few hundred years... No, even shorter, within a hundred years, my clan will be on the brink of extinction. I wonder how many people will survive, ten? Five? Maybe just one."

[Why are you talking about it as if it's already happening, like someone who's about to leave?]

"I don't have much time left. By that time, I need to complete a succession temple that will provide strength to the Histers who will come when my clan weakens."

[What are you talking about? Are you seriously ill or something?]

"It's not an illness, it's a curse. I was hit by it during the battle with the Spectres of Zipfel. It's a curse called Kian's blood, and if you're cursed, you gradually suffer and die in agony. My progress is currently at about 50%. If I manage to endure, I have about three years left."

Honka couldn't know how to react to the sudden impending separation.

Maliet smiled as she looked at Honka.

"When I die, you should leave this place and make friends with new people. I can entrust the protection of the succession to the golem I'm currently creating."

[I don't want to.]

"Someday, when it's your time to go, you'll regret it. It's too lonely to live a life where you only miss me. Do I have to keep worrying about you even after I die?"

[Stop talking about dying all the time and find a way to lift the curse. If you do that, I'll leave the island with you and help you.]

"Finding a curse-breaking method that may not even exist or completing a work for the future. Naturally, the remaining time should be devoted to the latter. For the sake of the clan, for my sake, and for the world's sake."

[Even without you, many Histers are already creating the succession temples. Isn't that enough?]

"Most of those fellows are too naive, leaving only a sense of duty for exhausted future generations. My succession temple will be a more special sanctuary than that."

Having said that, Maliet suddenly turned her head toward Jin and Valeria.

It was an action to give the feeling of speaking directly to the future generations who would peek into this record as observers.

"So, enjoy the remaining time I have. I hope it brings you some comfort in your lonely and difficult lives."

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