Chapter 256: The Feat of a Reserve Flagbearer (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 256: The Feat of a Reserve Flagbearer (5)
After killing all the mages, I immediately fled the port. To confuse any pursuers, I deliberately wove through several alleys before reaching the cliff I had scouted earlier and throwing myself into the sea.
Splash!
[Mya!]
As soon as I hit the water, Shuri let out a cheerful cry. It meant there were no more pursuers nearby. I caught my breath and wiped the sweat from my forehead.
“It’s safe to come out now, Dante.”
I pulled Dante out of Shuri’s mouth.
The moment I unwrapped the robes that were tightly bound around him, I couldn't help but flinch.
What’s with all this blood…? Ah, Shuri’s teeth must have nicked him.
It wasn't just the inside of the robes; Dante’s entire body was soaked in blood. For a fleeting moment, I wondered if he had died.
“Are you… okay?”
“I am fine, haha.”
“There’s a hole in your shoulder. My apologies.”
“Ah, it is a bit deep. Well, it was the creature’s doing. I’m sure there was no malice behind it.”
I shrugged and handed him some healing resin. Dante washed the blood away with seawater and applied the resin. His entire body was a tapestry of scars from his training.
Veradin said something similar when Murakan scratched him at the Mitel Teleport Gate. These two… I thought they were completely different, but they’re actually quite alike.
“Jin.”
“Yeah.”
“What do you intend to do now?” Dante asked, his voice laced with concern.
Though he had been wrapped in robes, Dante was well aware that I had killed the mages. He also knew I had used magic. While he didn't know about the Covenant between Zipple and Runcandel, he was aware that Runcandel strictly forbade magic.
“What else? For now, we keep running. It’s too early to relax. What about you two? What were you thinking? Surely you didn't think you could set fire to the gold and escape on that little sailboat.”
“Well… that was indeed the plan.”
The sailboat Dante and Veradin had arrived on was hardly a vessel capable of outrunning a Zipple pursuit.
“If you hadn't run into me today, you both would have been in serious trouble. Veradin would have been killed by his own father, and Hairan would have suffered immense damage because of you.”
I patted Shuri’s back, and she increased her swimming speed.
“I suppose I’m in no position to ask what you intend to do. At first, I followed Veradin because I was moved by his resolve, but in hindsight, it was a foolish endeavor. Still, compared to what you’ve done, surely our actions are but a drop in the bucket?”
Pfft.
We both burst into laughter at the same time.
“I’m worried about Lord Veradin.”
Dante soon wore a bittersweet smile.
“He won’t die from that. I controlled my strength when I hit him.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Are you worried he’ll cause a scene when he returns to his family? Surely you realize why I knocked him out.”
“It’s not that either. Veradin… that friend of mine… just like me, he seemed to have absolutely no idea what the Zipples have been doing until now.”
A brief silence followed.
“Of course, no family is perfectly clean, but Zipple has crossed the line by a long shot. To be honest, I suspected him. I thought Veradin was complicit in Zipple’s atrocities to some extent.”
“Do you still think so?”
“No.”
“What do you think will happen to him now?”
I met Dante’s eyes.
“In my opinion, there are only two futures left for Veradin. Either he’s exiled for opposing his family, or his will is broken and he submits to them. Or perhaps, instead of exile, he might be murdered like Kall Zipple.”
The Veradin of my previous life.
He was a mage who reached 9-star by the age of thirty and was widely known as the next Patriarch of Zipple. He was the idol of every young mage, and his character was so excellent that he was beloved by the entire world.
But all of that was information I only knew through public newsletters.
What kind of person was the Veradin of that time, truly?
The righteous and brilliant successor of Zipple. Was that public image his true self? Or was he someone who had actually succumbed to his family but wore a beautiful mask?
I was spending my teens in a way that was completely different from my previous life. In my past life, I hadn't even achieved 1-star swordsmanship by this age and was treated like trash by the family.
But now, I was a Reserve Flagbearer wandering the world. I had caused several incidents that would shock the world if revealed—including today’s events—and I had learned the secret histories of gods, the hidden sides of various powers, and the truths about those around me.
And I had made people I could call friends. Among them, I had subconsciously tried to keep my distance from Veradin. It was because of the destiny shared by Runcandel and Zipple. I felt that while Dante might be different, Veradin and I would eventually have to point our swords at each other.
This feeling had intensified after I discovered Andrei Zipple’s use of the ‘Demon God Stone’ and the ‘biological experiments.’ Whether Veradin wanted it or not, I believed he would eventually have to become a collaborator.
But I was wrong.
Veradin set fire to the gold, saying he was ashamed of Zipple. He was prepared to die while trying to kill the mages of his own family, and the biggest motivation behind that impulsive decision was the fact that his friend—who had revealed all these truths—had been attacked.
“I can’t just leave him like that.”
At my words, Dante’s eyes widened. He had expected a more cold-blooded answer from me.
— But you know, after we’re done fighting, I think it wouldn't be bad to just become allies. We can just decide a winner and then get along…
— I never dreamed the successor of Zipple would say something so soft.
It was like that on the final night of the Arena, when the three of us were drinking.
— It seems Jin has some circumstances that are difficult to explain, Veradin. It would be best to stop asking about that matter.
— He’s always drawing lines between us!
— Have you never considered that you two are the strange ones for not drawing enough lines?
It was the same when we spent a couple of days together after leaving the Nameless City, Samil.
But now, I was saying I ‘couldn't just leave Veradin alone.’
“Why are you so surprised?”
“No… Hmph! It’s nothing. It’s just that hearing you say you must save Lord Veradin feels somewhat… unfamiliar.”
“I need to hear what Veradin thinks first, so let’s head there.”
“There?”
“The hideout. Shuri, speed up. By the way, why did you need money? I was a bit horrified when gold bars fell out of your pocket earlier. Does the successor of Hairan really need to scavenge for gold bars?”
“Ah, that…”
Dante hesitated before continuing.
“A while ago, I accidentally broke a ceramic vase that my grandfather cherishes. He treasures his ceramics as much as his own body… I had to restore it before he found out. The cost of hiring a master restoration mage was quite substantial.”
“…What?”
Ron Hairan’s love for ceramics was famous among warriors. There were even rumors that if you wanted to win Hairan’s favor, you had to first win over the ceramic artisans of the Mila Kingdom.
“It is an embarrassing story. So, that is why I am asking, but perhaps…”
I could guess the rest. As the successor, he couldn't just pull family funds however he liked, and spending such a large sum suddenly would result in a report to Ron.
“You want to borrow money?”
Dante nodded.
“Fine.”
“I knew I could count on you!”
We pushed forward through the sea for six hours. Fortunately, no pursuers spotted us. The sea, now devoid of sunlight, was dark without a single lighthouse, and only Dante’s eyes were shining brightly.
* * *
January 1, 1798.
The new year had dawned.
Usually, the first day of the year is a time for loved ones to gather and bless each other’s year, to greet the first sunrise with a partner, or at the very least, to sleep in since it’s a holiday…
But this man, Guardian Knight Khan, was covered in the blood, entrails, and bone fragments of monsters, just as he had been on the first day of 1796.
The speed at which he cut down the monsters was extraordinary. He had been racing through the Black Sea region for three days and nights without a single break, all while wearing an anxious expression.
“Patriarch!”
Cyron had sensed Khan’s approach for some time, but he only slowly opened his closed eyes after Khan spoke in a breathless voice.
“You look hurried. What is it?”
“The Youngest Young Master has finally caused a massive incident!”
Surprisingly, Cyron nodded calmly, as if he had expected it.
What Khan pulled from his breast pocket and offered respectfully was not a letter from Casimir, but a bundle of newsletters.
[Runcandel’s Reserve Flagbearer Topples Zipple’s Golden Castle!]
[Who is Jin Runcandel? The Mysterious Runcandel Mutant Who Wields Both Magic and Lightning!]
[The Youngest Runcandel Walks the Path of Justice, Exposing the Great Evil of Zipple!]
[Zipple and Kinzelo’s Bio-Golem Experiments: Clear Preparations for War!]
[The First Runcandel of the 1700s to Violate the Laws of the Reserve Flagbearer: Will the Demigod Tolerate This?]
[Rani Salome Mentions ‘Friend’ Jin Runcandel Three Times During Her Coronation…]
[Her Resolve for Isolation Remains Firm, Yet She Will Send the Saint’s Order to Runcandel—A Triumph for the Reserve Flagbearer!]
The newsletters were plastered with such articles. Cyron, quietly scanning them, wore an enigmatic expression.
“He certainly caused quite a scene.”
“Madam Rosa has urgently summoned the Flagbearers. She said she would wait for your judgment, but the atmosphere suggests she is ready to release the Flagbearers immediately to capture the Youngest Young Master.”
The newsletters from the Lutero Magic Federation, which Khan handed over next, had a completely different tone.
[Kelliark Zipple Declares He Will Hold Runcandel Accountable.]
[Zipple Halts Supply of Lifestyle Magic to Huphester Alliance; Policy in Effect Until Jin Runcandel is Handed Over.]
[Worldwide Bounty on Jin Runcandel: Zipple Offers 100 Million Gold Coins and Lifelong Protection!]
[Kinzelo is Responsible for Biological Experiments, Not Zipple; Alliance Rumors are Groundless, Malicious Propaganda by Runcandel!]
[Tower Masters Ready for All-Out War with Runcandel; The Runcandel Reserve Flagbearer Threatens World Peace!]
A faint smile touched Cyron’s lips after he finished reading the newsletters from the Lutero Magic Federation.
“It is a feat.”
Khan bowed his head and waited for the next words.
“I sent him out to build a reputation, and he has not only elevated his own but also Runcandel’s, while dragging Zipple’s honor through the mud. It is worthy of being called a feat.”
Khan let out a silent sigh of relief. He hadn't thought Cyron would cover up such a massive incident, no matter how much he cherished Jin.
However, Cyron’s next words left Khan deeply troubled.
“But regardless of that, the youngest has always been one to take responsibility. Khan.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Issue a top-tier wanted notice for the youngest. As of this hour, searching for him is a standing mission for all Flagbearers, all Guardian Knights, and all cadets. Announce that if an outsider brings him in, we promise three hundred million gold coins and Runcandel’s absolute protection. And tell them… it does not matter if he is a corpse.”