Chapter 246: Villain (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 246: Villain (3)
The prayers, led by Rani, began in the evening and did not end until midnight.
The people gathered in the plaza remained immersed in their vigil, never once breaking their posture.
In the meantime, various nations that had received news of the Holy King’s passing hastily dispatched condolence delegations. News outlets released breaking reports, announcing the tragedy that had befallen the Holy Kingdom.
While the public believed the prayers were to honor the fallen Holy King, for Rani, Jin, and Murakan, this day would forever be an annual mourning for the death of a great paladin.
*
Within the Holy Kingdom, the factions aligned with Kinzelo had decided to accept their leader as a new god in place of Ayula. Those aligned with Zipple chose to revere Zipple’s power and order instead.
Runcandel had long been aware that the two powers were carving up the Holy Kingdom, but they had lacked both the opening and the justification to intervene.
Striking at the compromised leadership would have been seen as an act of aggression, and recklessly provoking Zipple and Kinzelo carried the high risk of sparking a major war.
It wasn't that they feared war. However, if a conflict broke out, the common people would see Zipple as a ‘righteous family aiding the Holy Kingdom,’ while Runcandel would be branded as nothing more than a band of mad invaders.
Attacking the Holy Kingdom under those circumstances might allow them to capture some of the saints, but they would never win the trust of the very citizens who would become the nation’s future healers.
Because of this, the Holy Kingdom had recently become a thorn in Runcandel’s side.
But now, an opportunity had arrived.
"Youngest."
It was Luna.
Naturally, the condolence delegations arriving from all over the world included representatives from Runcandel.
Given the gravity of the Holy King’s death, the 1st Flagbearer, Luna Runcandel; the 2nd Flagbearer, Joshua Runcandel; and the 3rd Flagbearer, Luntia Runcandel, had all traveled to the Holy Kingdom together.
Luna had temporarily slipped away from the delegation to meet Jin after receiving word from Casimir.
"It’s been a long time, Sister."
"You’ve grown stronger."
She recognized Jin’s growth at a single glance. There was no need to clash swords, no need to understand the nature of the Pluto Sword’s martial arts, and no need to witness the power of the Spirit Sword.
Just as one powerhouse recognizes another, she could tell simply by looking into his eyes.
The last time they met, Luna had burst into tears like a child in front of Jin. To her, Taimun’s death had felt as if a part of her world had been erased.
But now, Luna’s eyes held their former noble light.
Even without an explanation, Jin could sense how much pain and loss she had overcome to reclaim that gaze.
"You’ve grown stronger as well, Sister."
The siblings shared a brief smile.
"I was going to complain about how much I missed you, but I see you’ve gone and accomplished something monumental again. I heard the gist of the situation from Sir Casimir. So, what is it you need my help with?"
Jin pointed toward a wagon parked in the distance.
"I ask that you look after them."
Inside the wagon were Vitura Belter’s family members, disguised as corpses from the battle that had taken place the previous afternoon.
"Understood."
Luna gave a short nod. Having already heard the details regarding Vitura, she didn't ask any further questions. They would be smuggled into Huphester, blended in with the delegation on its return journey.
"Anything else?"
"Please remain in the Holy Kingdom until the trial for the Holy King’s assassination is concluded. I don't want Joshua stealing the credit for my work."
Jin believed that once the trial began, Zipple’s reputation within the Holy Kingdom would inevitably plummet.
Even now, the citizens were gnashing their teeth over Vitura’s sacrifice. Voices were already demanding an explanation from Zipple before the Holy King’s funeral had even begun.
Soon, not just the Holy Kingdom, but the entire world would learn of Zipple’s atrocities.
The fact that the Runcandel delegation remained in the Holy Kingdom even after paying their respects would serve as a powerful symbol.
A symbol that Runcandel was watching Zipple. A symbol that the only family capable of opposing Zipple was keeping a sharp eye on them, checking their massive power.
As a reserve flagbearer, Jin could not be the face of that symbol.
While those in the know—including Cyron, who would eventually learn of this through a letter—would recognize Jin’s contribution, the public credit had to go to someone else in Runcandel.
Naturally, Jin wanted that credit to go to Luna. If she stepped back as usual, disliking unnecessary attention, the credit would fall to the 2nd Flagbearer, Joshua.
"I intended to do so anyway. I can't let that fellow take the stage you worked so hard to set."
"Sister, did you know that Joshua possesses multiple bodies?"
"What do you mean by that?"
Luna’s eyes widened as Jin explained Joshua’s secret.
She had been completely unaware of the ‘Prophet’s’ existence.
"No wonder… There were times when Joshua would throw himself into dangerous missions without a second thought for his own safety. He was using fakes every time."
"Father must have known, right?"
"Almost certainly. There is nothing that happens within the clan that Father does not know."
"Then there must be a reason he didn't stop it."
"It’s likely for a reason similar to why he overlooked your spirit energy. There’s no need to overthink it. If he leaves something alone despite it being against the rules, it’s because he judged it to be beneficial to the clan."
Luna placed a hand on Jin’s shoulder, a silent acknowledgment of his hard work.
"But it’s worth looking into. I will begin a more thorough investigation into him myself. For now, focus on wrapping things up here in the Holy Kingdom."
"Yes, Sister."
*
The following day, every single knight of the Dawn Order of Doctrine Protection was detained in the underground prison.
Zipple struggled to prevent their pawns from being rounded up, but the assassination of the Holy King was too great a crime to ignore.
Furthermore, even setting aside the testimonies of the bio-golem experiment survivors, the ‘list’ provided by Vitura and revealed by Rani was impossible to suppress.
—And please, compile a list categorizing those who have sold themselves to Kinzelo and Zipple. I need it so I can make it public the moment I return. Also, rally the remaining loyalists. Armed conflict may break out.
This was the list Jin had requested from Vitura before heading to Old Oterium.
Vitura had created separate lists for Kinzelo and Zipple. Rani kept the Kinzelo list private for now, while the Zipple list was released to the world.
Zipple’s true face was being exposed.
Despite this, Zipple found themselves unable to release a statement claiming, ‘The one who died was a fake Holy King, and the bio-golem experiments were conducted by Kinzelo, not us.’
"I cannot reveal the name of the hero who rescued the survivors, but he states that the bio-golem experiments were conducted in Zipple’s 4th Magic Tower. We demand an official explanation from Zipple regarding this!"
Rani and the citizens still refused to leave the plaza.
Even though Zipple’s lackeys had been imprisoned, the citizens were in no mood to allow Rani or the fake Holy King’s body into the royal castle until the full truth was revealed.
Excluding the Dawn Order, the individuals named on Vitura’s list were still brazenly preparing for the Holy King’s funeral within the castle.
While it seemed nonsensical, it wasn't surprising given the power held by high-ranking officials like High Priest Montiano. Unlike the Dawn Order, they could only be purged if there was undeniable evidence of their collusion with Zipple.
Unfortunately, Vitura’s list fell just short of being that evidence. However, Jin had anticipated this.
"Until Zipple provides an explanation, I will not proceed with my father’s funeral! Before we can soothe his wronged soul, they must confess!"
"The 4th Tower Master must come forward and explain!"
"Show yourself!"
If it were only Rani and the citizens shouting, Zipple could have ignored them.
However, condolence delegations had arrived from all over the world, and countless journalists were present.
Zipple was forced to hastily finalize an under-the-table deal with Kinzelo: they would take back custody of Karl and, in exchange, take the fall for everything.
Everything was unfolding exactly as Jin had predicted.
‘They have no choice but to take the blame. It’s better than admitting their 4th Tower Master was held captive by a third-rate terrorist group like Kinzelo.’
Both image and prestige are difficult to recover once lost. While the former could be somewhat mitigated with money, the latter would require an unimaginable amount of bloodshed to reclaim.
Ultimately, before lunch had even passed, Zipple released a statement.
—Our family intervened politically in the Holy Kingdom. In that process, with the help of officials colluding with us, bio-golem experiments were conducted on citizens.
—However, the bio-golem experiments are separate from the political intervention and were entirely the individual deviance of the 4th Tower Master, Karl Zipple. Within the day, Karl Zipple himself will arrive at the Holy Kingdom in magic restraints to offer a direct apology. Following this, Karl Zipple and all related parties will be strictly disciplined according to our family’s laws.
—We express our deepest regrets regarding the passing of the Holy King and promise the maximum possible compensation.
—However, we will also apply the family’s laws to the indiscriminate spread of rumors and malicious slander.
—Our family’s political intervention in the Holy Kingdom was strictly at the request of the Holy Kingdom’s officials and was not a result of our family’s ambition…
It was an unusually high-handed statement, even for Zipple. Though the words were polished, the underlying message was clear: they alone would handle all punishments, not the Holy Kingdom.
Naturally, as soon as the journalists brought the statement to the public, the fury of the Holy Kingdom’s citizens soared to the heavens.
‘They’re intentionally stoking the citizens’ anger so that when Karl Zipple arrives to apologize, he’ll be stoned to death by the mob.’
If Karl Zipple died on Holy Kingdom soil for any reason, Zipple could then turn around and intimidate the Holy Kingdom.
Judging coldly by the world's standards, the life of a Holy King was by no means worth more than that of Zipple’s 4th Tower Master. If the entire Holy Kingdom fought Zipple’s 4th Magic Tower, the 4th Magic Tower would undoubtedly emerge victorious.
‘So they want to escape this incident, even if it means sacrificing Karl Zipple, whom they just got back from Kinzelo. I wonder what price they paid to get him back?’
Zipple still wanted to cut off the tail.
But this was a tail-cutting that sacrificed a ‘pure-blooded Zipple.’ Unlike Myuron, who was already known to be dead during the Colon incident, this time Zipple was directly branding Karl a criminal.
If Karl died, the Holy Kingdom could no longer hold them accountable for the bio-golems. They would still be looked down upon by the world for their political interference, but that was a problem that time and money could solve.
To Jin, it wasn't a bad move—except for the fact that they had made it in a panic, before properly identifying their opponent.
Zipple still didn't know that Jin was the one behind Rani. They only vaguely guessed that one of the Runcandel flagbearers or Viment was involved.
There was no way Kinzelo would tell Zipple that the person who single-handedly crushed the Dark Magic Association’s headquarters was Barmul, and that Barmul was Jin Runcandel.
"Dino."
"Yes, Young Master."
"The moment Karl Zipple arrives in the Holy Kingdom, release all the articles related to Kinzelo. State that he was actually being held captive by Kinzelo until a few days ago because of Barmul, and that the place Barmul rescued the survivors from was Old Oterium, not the 4th Magic Tower. Make it known that Karl has nothing to do with this incident."
"Zipple is going to be busy denying it. This should be quite a sight."
If Kelliark couldn't deny it, he would become a despicable man who sold out his own son just to evade responsibility.
Jin had no intention of helping Zipple choose between their prestige and their image.
He intended to make them lose both.