Chapter 383: Who is the Real Runcandel? (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 383: Who is the Real Runcandel? (3)
Having just received the news, Murakan was on the verge of a rampage, but Petro desperately threw himself in the dragon’s path.
“Those lunatics… They dared to sever the arm of Solderet’s last contractor? While I, his guardian dragon, am standing right here? Ha! I was already furious they locked up Strawberry Pie, but they’re really asking for it now, aren’t they?”
“Lord Murakan, please, calm yourself. The Young Master surely has a plan.”
“Those damn bastards! I’ll tear them all apart and feed them to the wild dogs!”
“You cannot go out there, Lord Murakan! Please! If you do… it will only put the Young Master in an even more difficult position!”
Petro stood his ground before Murakan with all his might.
Naturally, it was impossible to stop Murakan with the physical strength of a mere butler. Instead, Petro repeatedly emphasized that his actions would only cause trouble for Jin.
“It’s an arm! A warrior’s arm! If it isn't reattached perfectly, he’ll never be able to swing a sword the same way again!”
The room shook under the weight of Murakan’s wrath.
Everyone in the Garden of Swords could sense his energy. Consequently, hundreds of knights were waiting outside, their nerves stretched taut.
“I am well aware. But you are his guardian dragon, are you not? Then it is only right that you make the choice that most benefits the Young Master in any situation. Please, compose yourself and wait until the surgery is over.”
“Haaa.”
“It won't be too late to unleash your anger if something truly goes wrong. Please stop, Lord Murakan. I beg of you…! Think of Gilly as well!”
Petro felt as if he were about to suffocate under Murakan’s aura. His pale lips trembled violently.
“Kuaaaaah!”
Murakan let out a monstrous roar, and Petro barely managed to cling to the dragon's pant leg.
Fortunately, Petro’s plea worked. Murakan decided to heed the butler's words for the time being.
“…Fine, you’re right. You did well to stop me, butler. Not just the kid, but Strawberry Pie could end up in trouble, too.”
“You’ve made the right choice! I’ll quickly go and prepare a drink to help you cool your head…”
Murakan brushed past Petro.
“Wh-where are you going, Lord Murakan!?”
“Even so, I am a guardian dragon; I can’t just sit still. I have to at least give them a warning. And there’s somewhere I need to go.”
Vwooom!
As Murakan stepped into the hallway and began to transform into his true form, Petro’s face turned deathly pale once again.
Crrrk! Crack!
Debris rained down as the walls and ceiling of the corridor shattered under his massive frame. Servants fled in a panic as Murakan burst through the roof and soared high into the sky.
The… the Garden of Swords has been wrecked again…
It was a first for Petro, and indeed for everyone in the clan—to see the Garden of Swords so thoroughly damaged twice in a matter of days.
Murakan looked down at the Garden of Swords, his massive form blotting out the moon. The darkness of the night sky deepened, and the knights below scrambled into defensive formations.
[If the arm of Solderet’s contractor, Jin Runcandel, is not restored to its original state…]
Murakan’s eyes glowed with a fierce light as he continued.
[From that day forward, the ruin of Runcandel begins.]
His voice reached every soul in the clan. They were not unaware that the current Murakan lacked the power to destroy Runcandel single-handedly.
They were just words.
And yet, they were a chilling curse. Perhaps because the Runcandel clan occasionally leaned toward strange superstitions, the words weighed heavily on their hearts, as if a great stone had been placed upon their chests.
With that, Murakan left the Garden of Swords and flew off into the distance.
* * *
The surgery continued through the dawn.
Healing a severed limb required extreme concentration; the clan’s healers all looked as though they were on the verge of collapse.
“Director! The reattached arm is experiencing intermittent spasms…! We can’t get them under control!”
“I have eyes and a brain, so shut your mouth and keep pouring mana into it! The person we’re stitching back together isn't some commoner; he’s a Runcandel Flagbearer!”
The arm had been reattached, but mysterious spasms continued to wrack it.
It was driving the medical staff mad. If they couldn't perfectly control the tremors, the surgery would be nothing short of a failure.
“If we fail to perfectly restore the 12th Flagbearer’s arm, consider the entire medical staff dead. Dammit, there’s no necrosis. What the hell is this cursed twitching? You! Run and get more reference materials, now!”
Creeeeak—!
When the operating room door suddenly swung open, the Medical Director leaped up and screamed.
“What crazy bastard dares to enter a live operating room?!”
Even if this was the Garden of Swords.
Inside the operating room, the Medical Director was the supreme authority. Even if the person entering were Cyron himself, the Director’s profanity would be justified.
The Runcandel clan treated their medical staff with that much respect. Whether it was injuries sustained during a mission or in wartime, one could not fight properly if the medical center didn't have their back.
Naturally, the Director assumed the intruder was a saboteur from the Elder Council.
That only made him angrier.
No matter what political strife or power struggles were happening within the clan, the authority of the medical center had to be respected. Since ancient times, it was tradition for the medical center to remain strictly neutral.
“Get out this instant! I said get the hell out of—”
The Director’s furious shout died in his throat.
The medical staff’s eyes nearly popped out of their heads when they saw the face of the intruder who had just pulled back her hood.
“The… the Holy Queen… The Holy Queen of Vankella!” the Director stammered involuntarily.
Holy Queen Rani Salome.
She had just arrived at the Garden of Swords. Murakan had flown straight to the Holy Kingdom and practically kidnapped her from her bed while she was sleeping.
In this world, the only ones who could summon a sleeping Holy Queen for personal business were Jin and Murakan.
“I went through all the trouble of bringing this holy fanatic—no, the Holy Queen—here, and you’re losing your mind? Use the proper title, will you? Huh?”
As Murakan growled from behind Rani, the medical staff bowed their heads low.
“We greet Her Majesty the Holy Queen!”
“We greet Her Majesty the Holy Queen!”
To the medical staff, it felt as though a literal savior had arrived.
“I have come today not as the monarch of the Holy Kingdom, but as Jin’s friend, so you need not be so formal,” Rani said as she knelt beside Jin.
“The situation?”
“The reattachment is complete, but there are spasms of unknown origin.”
Rani nodded as if she understood.
“I will take a look.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
As soon as Rani stepped forward, the medical staff naturally began to assist her, centering the treatment around her.
Though they were the finest medical team in Huphester, no medical professional in the world could surpass the Holy Queen.
Vwooooom!
As Rani began to release her aura, the operating room was instantly bathed in brilliant, golden divine power.
Even after becoming the Holy Queen, her divine power continued to deepen day by day.
“Ayula shall protect my friend.”
* * *
It was morning when Jin woke from the anesthesia.
The moment he saw Rani sitting beside him, a smile touched his lips. It was as if he had known she would come.
“You’re awake.”
“Rani.”
He didn't need to ask if the surgery was a success; her expression told him everything.
“Thank you.”
“You really do treat me like your personal healer, don't you?”
Rani had also visited Tikan a few months ago to treat Valeria, who had fallen into a mana backflow.
“When I saw a black cat at my window at dawn, I thought of Lord Murakan. But I didn't think it would actually be him.”
Jin’s expression turned serious at those words.
“Is the security around the Holy Queen's bedchamber really that lax? Should I send you some of my swordsmen?”
“Hmm, I’ll think about it. I’m already receiving quite a lot of money from you, Sir Jin, so I’d feel a bit guilty receiving even more support.”
Jin had been consistently sponsoring the Holy Kingdom’s national funds. Ever since the success of the cosmetics business, astronomical sums of money had been flowing into the Holy Kingdom every month.
The Holy Kingdom's financial crisis, which had begun due to the Zipple Clan’s threats and bribes, was rapidly coming to an end thanks to those funds.
“The value of my arm is worth at least that much. In fact, it feels even better than before it was cut off.”
Jin swung his arm; it felt incredibly light.
“The fate of the Holy Kingdom, which you and Lord Murakan saved, was worth far more. So don't worry about it; it’s a bit late for that anyway.”
“Hey, Preacher! You worked hard, kid.”
Murakan, who had just entered the room with a drink prepared by Petro, spoke as he casually ruffled Rani’s hair.
“I'd love to send you off with a proper drink instead of just juice, but the situation doesn't allow for it. There’s a mountain of bastards I need to beat to death. Next time, I’ll visit without any business, so keep some good liquor in your room.”
Murakan treated Rani with the ease of a close older cousin.
“…Murakan. No matter how comfortable you are with her, how can you think of drinking in the Holy Queen’s bedchamber?”
“I don't mind. You should come too, Sir Jin. Don't just call for me all the time.”
“I’d like that, too. Why are you being so uptight, kid?”
As the two of them chuckled, Jin let out a small laugh as well. To Rani, these two were more precious friends than anyone else.
“I should head back now.”
“Right. I don't think I can see you out.”
“I understand. Even for the famously brutal Garden of Swords, this place is practically overflowing with murderous intent right now.”
Rani had heard a general summary of the situation from Murakan before Jin woke up.
“Surely I won't have to come back here at dawn tomorrow to treat you again, will I, Sir Jin?”
“That won't happen. Though our medical staff might be a bit busy again today.”
“Don't you feel sorry for your arm? It was just reattached.”
Rani could only pray for the Runcandel medical staff, who were likely collapsed from exhaustion after treating Jin all night.
“I have to give the arm a chance to prove itself.”
Rani shook her head.
“You aren't planning to start a rebellion, are you?”
“Do I look that foolish to you, Rani?”
“Not really. Anyway, I hope I don't get summoned again today. See you later. And try to take care of yourself once in a while.”
The moment Rani left, as if on cue, a murderous glint flared in the eyes of both Jin and Murakan.
“You showed great restraint, Murakan.”
“I’m still restraining myself. If I had my way, I’d swallow those fearless little shits in the Elder Council whole right now. So, you must have some kind of plan in that head of yours. What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to make a declaration.”
“A declaration? What kind?”
Jin’s answer was immediate.
“A declaration that I will return Runcandel to its roots as a clan of magic swordsmen.”
In the war for the clan’s throne, Jin intended to present an achievement that only he, among all of Runcandel, could accomplish.