Chapter 270: Siblings (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 270: Siblings (1)
Glug, glug, glug…
As the fine liquor of Mount Mila filled her glass, Mary sat with a dazed expression, her expression hollow. She looked for all the world like a woman who had just been scornfully rejected.
In reality, she was currently experiencing a mental shock equivalent to heartbreak.
“No… this can’t be happening. Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited? To be rejected so coldly and have him just walk away? How is that fair? How am I supposed to accept this?”
“Is it really that big of a deal?”
When Dipus, sitting across from her, shrugged his shoulders, Mary’s eyes instantly sharpened into blades.
“I think you’re taking this way too lightly because it’s not your problem, Brother. My heart is suffering an indescribable trauma right now.”
The two were sharing drinks in Mary’s room after the Flagbearer meeting—specifically, the one that continued after everyone but the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Flagbearers had been dismissed.
“Is that really something to be so shocked about? The truly shocking news is Father announcing he’s heading back to the Black Sea the moment he returned. Do you have any idea how much of a fuss the martial houses of Huphester, who were banking on Father’s return, are going to kick up? The Flagbearers are going to be incredibly busy for a while. We’ll have to go and placate them.”
Just as Dipus said, the vassal families under Runcandel—especially the small to medium-sized ones—had placed great expectations on Cyron’s return.
It was because of the Zipple.
Since the ‘Holy Kingdom Incident,’ the cold war between Runcandel and the Zipple had been escalating toward a breaking point.
Those in Kalon, where the Garden of Swords was located, or those with significant power might be fine, but the smaller factions and families were being suffocated by the pressure of this cold war.
“They call it a cold war, but that’s only because it’s not being reported in the press. In reality, skirmishes with the Lutero Magic Federation break out all over the place, every single day… Those smaller families must have thought Father’s return would finally give them some breathing room.”
But with Cyron leaving as soon as he arrived, it was a bolt from the blue for them. Consequently, starting tomorrow, the Runcandel Flagbearers would have to run themselves ragged across the entirety of Huphester.
It was the Flagbearers' role to ease the concerns of these smaller factions on Cyron’s behalf, taking necessary measures and providing support in both spirit and resources.
“Aargh! That ungrateful brat…! How could he do this to me!”
Crack—shatter!
Mary clenched her fist in an outburst of frustration. The glass, meticulously crafted by the artisans of Kurano, was crushed in her grip and fell to the floor in shards.
“…Are you even listening to me?”
Dipus pressed a hand to his forehead as he handed Mary a handkerchief.
“No, Second Brother. Our vassal families fighting the Lutero Magic Federation isn’t some new development; it’s just daily life. It’s expected. Does that obvious fact matter more than my feelings right now?”
“Fine, let’s just stop talking.”
Snatch!
Mary grabbed the bottle from Dipus and began chugging it down. She hadn’t had a day this upsetting in recent memory.
“Anyway, Mary. About the youngest.”
“Yeah.”
“He arrived riding Murakan, the Black Dragon who was once the clan’s guardian deity. That means he’s also Solderet’s contractor. He must have been involved in the Battle of the West Sea between the Secret Palace and the Zipple.”
“Huh, you’re right! The Battle of the West Sea was a three-way fight between the Palace Master, the Zipple, and the Black Dragon.”
“The way I see it, the Palace Master likely protected the youngest during that battle. He probably stayed at the Secret Palace afterward.”
“The Zipple won that battle, so how could he have stayed at the Secret Palace?”
“There must have been a deal. Here’s what I think: the actual winner of the Battle of the West Sea wasn’t the Zipple, but the Secret Palace. And the Palace Master, instead of announcing her victory, made a deal with the Zipple to guarantee Jin’s safety for the past year.”
Mary nodded, looking intrigued.
“Oh… that sounds pretty plausible.”
Ever since Jin’s true identity was exposed during the Holy Kingdom Incident, the Zipple’s prestige had been hitting rock bottom with each passing day.
It was only natural, considering they hadn’t declared all-out war despite a mere reserve flagbearer making a fool of them, and they hadn’t been able to catch him even with a hundred-million-gold bounty on his head.
“On top of the deaths of Andrei, Myuron, and Kall, and the Holy Kingdom Incident, they also lost to the Secret Palace? That’s a blow they can’t afford. The Zipple would have wanted to prevent their crumbling prestige from falling any further at all costs—even if it meant letting Jin go.”
“I was wondering how the youngest managed to survive for a year while evading both our search and the Zipple’s. It makes sense if the Palace Master herself was protecting him. But is there a reason for her to go that far for him?”
“Don’t you remember? The youngest and the Young Lady of the Secret Palace kissed at the banquet.”
“I remember. But what about it?”
“The atmosphere at the Secret Palace is very different from our family. The Palace Master treasures her only child more than her own life. I did some digging after the banquet, and apparently, the Young Lady has never shown interest in romance before—unlike her mother. Jin was her first.”
“…So she helped him just so her daughter wouldn’t be sad if he died?”
“Exactly.”
“If what you’re saying is true, then the Palace Master is eyeing Jin as a potential son-in-law.”
“Yes. And Father’s influence likely played a part in the background of all this.”
“What?”
“Don’t you think Father acknowledged the youngest as a Flagbearer a bit too easily?”
“Too easily? You say that even after seeing him take that strike from Father with your own eyes?”
“Mary. If it’s Father, he would have known the moment he saw the boy. He knew Jin had the skill to withstand a strike imbued with his enlightenment. He did it in front of everyone on purpose—so that everyone would naturally accept Jin, just as you have now.”
Mary’s eyes widened, and Dipus continued, confident in his deduction.
“In other words, it’s highly likely that Father, like the Palace Master, views a marriage between Jin and the Young Lady of the Secret Palace positively. In the current climate, there’s no reason for Runcandel not to form an alliance with the Secret Palace through marriage.”
“Marriage… Well, if they keep Jin alive and link him to the Secret Palace, Runcandel has nothing to lose. If the Zipple demands accountability later, we can shift the blame to the Secret Palace. And the fact that he tarnished the clan’s legitimacy becomes a non-issue once he becomes a member of the Secret Palace.”
“Furthermore, even if we end up in a full-scale war with the Zipple, the Secret Palace will stand on Runcandel’s side.”
“True.”
“Hmm, so there was a reason he didn’t accept my duel. It would be problematic to show him throwing away a life that the Palace Master spent a year protecting by faking a defeat, just to fight me as soon as he got back. But, Brother.”
“What?”
“What about Mother? She said she plans to give Jin the mission of catching the Black Knight spy as his first task as a Flagbearer. If your guess is right and Father intends to hand Jin over to the Secret Palace, it feels like Mother is planning to push him to the brink from the very start.”
“I’m not sure about Mother’s intentions either. Perhaps she just wants to eliminate him because he could be even a slight detriment to our eldest brother? She can’t openly defy Father’s decision, after all.”
Dipus shrugged and added, “My deduction could be wrong from the start. Regardless, we’ll have to watch how things unfold for a while.”
“Talking about all this complicated stuff just makes me more annoyed. Phew, this wasn’t the dilemma I should be focusing on.”
“Dilemma?”
“I shouldn’t be worrying about Father and Mother’s intentions; I should be worrying about how to get a match with that brat as soon as possible. You got us sidetracked, Brother.”
“That again? Honestly!”
At this point, even Dipus couldn’t help but snap.
“Brother, you seemed surprisingly smart just now. Come up with some kind of idea.”
Dipus was about to yell again but let out another sigh instead.
Right, this is my sister Mary.
Simple, loves to fight, and absolutely cannot stand losing. Mary firmly believed that fighting the strong was the most valuable thing in life.
She wasn't black-hearted like the other siblings, nor was she blinded by jealousy, intoxicated by inferiority, or lost in a sense of superiority.
That was exactly why Dipus liked her the most—and she was the only one of his blood siblings he genuinely liked.
“Sigh, fine. You really are something else. Well, it’s not like there’s absolutely no way. A way for you to have a go at the youngest.”
“Oh! What is it? Tell me!”
Mary’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed Dipus by the collar. It was a rare sight for such an act to look so affectionate.
“Let go of me first. We’re out of snacks, so go peel some fruit or something.”
“Fine, I’ll peel them! But if your plan isn’t brilliant, your neck is getting peeled along with them.”
*
Cyron left the Garden of Swords around midnight.
While there had been a grand procession upon his arrival, no one was allowed to see him off per his command. Instead, the knights offered a silent sword salute to his retreating back as he departed the estate.
Jin also stood by his window, saluting until his father’s silhouette vanished.
“Jin.”
Luna. Starting tomorrow, she was scheduled to travel across Huphester for a month to encourage the vassal forces before heading to the Black Sea.
“Yes, Sister.”
“There were so many things I wanted to do once you returned, but I didn’t expect things to turn out like this. I can’t even imagine the challenges you’ll face while I’m gone. And I can’t even give you my pendant anymore.”
“You’re worrying about strange things. Do I still look that weak in your eyes?”
“No. But Mother has openly shown her hostility toward you. The Elders don’t seem inclined to hand over the Decisive Techniques to you, either. And to think I have to leave as well… it makes my heart ache.”
“I don’t know how you’ll take this, but I think everything since I became a Flagbearer has been better than I feared.”
“Really?”
“In truth, it wouldn’t have been strange if I had been bound and thrown into the underground prison the moment I returned. But Father gave me a chance before he left, and Mother… she’s still being careless.”
“Careless?”
“It seems she’s trying to fight me too fairly. If it were me, the moment I returned to the clan, I would have insisted that I must be killed, even if it meant openly opposing Father’s decision. It’s not like there’s a lack of justification.”
“Defying the Patriarch’s authority in front of his subordinates is, in some ways, a greater blow to the clan than even betrayal.”
“From your perspective, perhaps. But which do you think is more dangerous to Joshua’s Runcandel: a single scratch on Father’s dignity, or me running wild within the clan from now on?”
Not the current Runcandel, but Joshua’s Runcandel.
Luna quickly reached a conclusion.
“The latter.”
“Exactly. Mother made a mistake from the beginning. She missed the best opportunity. Just like Joshua did.”
For a moment, Luna felt goosebumps on the back of her neck.
As always, Jin was not a child she needed to worry about. Rather, it was more appropriate for her to be careful not to cause him worry.
“Your departure for the Black Sea is also nothing but a boon for me. Please find out for certain what mission Father and the former Black Knights have been carrying out there, and why Father’s Runcandel is so obsessed with the Black Sea.”
The Black Sea.
Even Luna, the 1st Flagbearer, did not know the reason Cyron was so fixated on that land.
“The claim that it’s ‘for training’ is surely only a half-truth.”
“I understand. Since this is the first time Father is taking someone who isn’t a comrade-in-arms to the Black Sea, I’ll make sure to bring back news that satisfies you. In exchange, you must stay up all night drinking with me and tell me everything you experienced out there.”
“Sister.”
“Speak, little brother.”
“The fact that we only have one day to talk like this is probably more disappointing to me than it is to you.”
“And yet you struck my sword so hard during the investiture ceremony earlier?”
“That was just a bit of childish showing off. A way of saying that even you need to be on your toes to face me now.”
“Haha, you’re not wrong. I am curious, though—when will the day come that you can command respect from everyone with just your sword, like I do?”
“It won’t be that far off.”
The siblings continued to share their drinks until the night had fully passed.