Chapter 391: Unconcealable (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 391: Unconcealable (1)
October 1, 1799.
Deep within the Black Sea.
A man was running, his entire body drenched in the black blood, entrails, and shredded flesh of monsters.
It was Guardian Knight Khan. Tucked inside his armor was a letter he had received from an Enforcement Knight who had traveled as far as the outskirts of the Black Sea to deliver it.
For over ten years, Khan had been delivering letters about Jin to Cyron, yet his expression was more serious than ever before.
Though he hadn't read the letter's contents, he had heard from the Enforcement Knight about the events that had taken place at the main estate.
‘I must get there as quickly as possible. Before the Patriarch enters the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea…!’
The territory of the Five Kings.
Cyron and his knights were now prepared to move beyond the deep regions and enter the domain ruled directly by the Kings of the Black Sea.
Khan had encountered the Enforcement Knight while performing a final sweep of the outskirts before the main force pushed forward.
This cursed land had always been treacherous, but the territory of the Five Kings was a complete unknown. Once they entered, they might be entirely cut off from the outside world for some time.
Perhaps because of the impending advance, the monsters were unusually persistent today. Each one was a creature capable of becoming an Inner Core monster given enough time and the right catalyst. Even after reaching the deep region, Khan had been forced to fight for half a day straight.
Huff, huff…
It was only when he reached the limit of his endurance that Cyron’s main force finally came into view. Fortunately, they had not yet crossed into the territory of the Five Kings.
Cyron and his knights were taking a rare, brief moment of rest, using the carcasses of monsters as fuel for their fires.
“Patriarch.”
Khan bowed his head, catching his breath. The nauseating stench of burning monster corpses stung his nostrils.
“What is it, Khan?”
Cyron was floating in mid-air in a meditative posture, as he always did. His pristine appearance stood in stark contrast to the haggard, weary faces of his knights.
“An urgent letter has arrived from the main estate. It concerns the 12th Flagbearer.”
Cyron slowly opened his eyes.
“Hand it over.”
With the utmost reverence, Khan presented the letter.
Rip!
To the other knights—excluding Khan—the sight of Cyron tearing open a seal with such blatant curiosity was an incredibly rare occurrence.
Khan felt a strange sense of pride in that fact.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen the Patriarch act like this since the 1st Flagbearer.’
‘I’ve heard stories from the senior Black Knights, but it seems the Patriarch’s expectations for the 12th Flagbearer are truly extraordinary.’
While the Black Knights watched in fascination, one monster hovered nearby, tentatively gauging whether it was safe to chime in.
[Ha, haha. Oh my, it seems something good has happened, Milord!]
It was the legendary monster, Ozdok.
Naturally, Cyron did not react to Ozdok’s sycophantic meddling. Instead, the monster was met with the icy glares of the Black Knights, wordlessly telling him to shut his trap and stay quiet in the corner.
Unfortunately, Ozdok failed to read the room—even interpreting Cyron’s silence as a sign of approval—and continued to raise his voice cheerfully.
He was simply exhausted.
The endless cycle of dry, monotonous slaughter and battle, day after day without a single word of conversation, was taxing even for an Inner Core monster who had lived for two thousand years.
Whether it was a light joke or trivial gossip, Ozdok was desperate to say anything.
[If it’s the 12th Flagbearer… isn’t that your youngest son who fought me back then? The one who took a piece of my Inner Core. Ah, of course, I don’t mean to say I regret it! I’m sure it’s being used for something worthwhile… hehe. Your son was quite the impressive human. Handsome, too—Eek! D-Don’t hit me! I’m sorry!]
Finally, just as the Black Knights were about to step in and silence Ozdok themselves, Cyron lightly raised a hand to stop them.
“Leave him be.”
“Yes, Milord!”
The Black Knights withdrew their fists and bowed, while Ozdok awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
[My apologies. I only spoke up because it seemed like something pleasant had happened to you, Milord. Um, well… I’ll go fetch some tea right away!]
Just as Ozdok said, a faint smile was already playing on Cyron’s lips.
He had begun reading the letter.
(Patriarch, the 12th Flagbearer has caused an incident.)
“It’s Zed.”
Cyron knew immediately upon reading the first line. It was the handwriting of the only brother he had spared during the fierce succession war of their youth.
(The boy leaked information regarding the First Patriarch’s tomb through the 7th Flagbearer. You likely already knew of this, Patriarch, but that alone threw the family into an uproar.
While everyone was waiting for his return to verify the truth, do you know what happened?
The moment he returned, he engaged in a confrontation with Elder Council Head Jorden. As a result, the Elder Council Head severed both of the boy’s arms. The Holy King came to treat him, but they say he nearly lost the ability to wield a sword forever.)
At that passage, Cyron’s brow furrowed for a moment. Ozdok immediately dropped to his knees and offered a teacup—or rather, a monster’s skull filled with tea.
Since the fire used to brew it was fueled by monster corpses, it was a truly gruesome tea. Yet, no commoner would ever believe that this tea was one of the greatest luxuries one could enjoy in this place.
(Regardless, immediately after his treatment was finished… he declared that he would make Runcandel a clan of Magic Swordsmen once more.
He then suppressed the Elders who stood in his way and broke the 3rd Flagbearer in a head-on confrontation.)
Cyron’s eyes widened. Ozdok and the Black Knights couldn't help but flinch at the sight.
The 3rd Flagbearer, Luntia.
If she had lost to Jin, it must have been because she let her guard down. Even so, the fact that Luntia had been defeated by Jin came as a fresh shock to Cyron.
However, whether it was due to carelessness or because Jin had reached a new realm, a loss was a loss.
(The sparring ground where the incident occurred has vanished without a trace, and the central courtyard and inner chambers were nearly destroyed as well.
A magic sword wielding flames, followed by a frenzy of lightning striking down from the sky… it is difficult to describe. You should have seen it for yourself.
I knew that crazy brat would turn the family upside down one day, but I never imagined he would cause an incident of this magnitude.
Below is a summary of the damage sustained by the Garden of Swords while dealing with the 12th Flagbearer.
Acting Patriarch: Seriously injured.
2nd Flagbearer: Lightly injured. 4th Flagbearer: Lightly injured. 5th Flagbearer: Lightly injured. 6th Flagbearer: Lightly injured. 7th Flagbearer: Lightly injured. 8th Flagbearer: Lightly injured. 9th Flagbearer: Lightly injured. 10th Flagbearer: Lightly injured. 11th Flagbearer: Lightly injured.
3rd Flagbearer: Seriously injured.
12th Flagbearer: Critical condition.
Head of the Black Sword Council, Guardian Association President, Chairman Homin: Lightly injured.
Over 50% of the Elder Council: Seriously or lightly injured.
Over 40% of the 1st Division of Guardian Knights: Seriously or lightly injured.
12 Enforcement Knights: Seriously injured. 54 Enforcement Knights: Lightly injured.
Numerous other casualties.
Zero fatalities among combat personnel.
Zero casualties among non-combat personnel.
At the request of the main estate, a Level 2 Emergency State has been declared in the Huphester Royal Territory. All teleport gates in the Huphester Alliance are closed, and the media is being suppressed.
The Garden of Swords has recalled all dispatched knights and is maintaining a wartime footing.
…A precise list of casualties is detailed on the final page.
The Acting Patriarch suffered deep internal injuries because she refused to dodge the boy’s final, desperate strike.
The medical team says she must remain in a state of absolute rest for the time being.
Can you believe it? This wasn't a sudden raid by the Zipple main force, nor an invasion by Viment, nor a rebellion.
All of this was caused by the individual strength of the 12th Flagbearer. By the might of that audacious brat, who isn't even twenty years old yet!
Brother.
If possible, it would be good for you to return for a short while. It would be a great source of strength for the family.
And I’m sure it would be a pleasure for you to see how much the boy has grown with your own eyes.)
“Khahahaha…!”
Cyron suddenly burst into laughter.
Ozdok tried to follow suit with a cautious laugh, but when his eyes accidentally met Cyron’s, he had to clamp his mouth shut.
Cyron’s laughter had vanished in an instant.
By this point, the knights were dying of curiosity about the letter’s contents.
They nudged Khan, signaling him to speak up, since he had been in charge of the correspondence regarding the 12th Flagbearer for years.
“Patriarch, is the situation at the main estate not as bad as I heard?”
“What did you hear?”
“I heard from Enforcement Knight Kron that all of Huphester has been locked down and placed on a wartime footing.”
“The letter says the same. It seems everyone was quite shocked, though such measures won't be enough to hide what happened.”
“To be honest, I am worried about the 12th Flagbearer.”
“What we should be worried about is the land beyond.”
Khan and the knights nodded gravely. Cyron’s gaze was fixed on the horizon beyond the deep region, where the Kings of the Black Sea lay in wait.
The territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea—a region they would reach in just a few days. A day’s journey ahead, Luna, Vanessa, and Tuben were currently scouting.
In that land, there would be many days where even Cyron would have to fight with everything he had.
Slide. Cyron flipped back to the first page of the letter. He wanted to re-read the part that had been bothering him since he first saw it.
12th Flagbearer: Critical condition.
There was a distinct difference between 'seriously injured' and 'critical condition.' Since his 'Magic Swordsman Declaration,' Jin had remained unconscious and unable to leave his sickbed.
The reason Zed had written at the end of the letter, practically begging Cyron to return, was simple.
He wanted Cyron to take direct action so that the 12th Flagbearer’s flame would not be extinguished like this. It was a plea for Cyron to lend the boy his strength.
In his entire life, Cyron had never experienced Zed asking him for a favor in such a manner.
“It would be a breach of etiquette to fret over household gossip when a battle with the Kings of the Black Sea is imminent.”
Despite Zed’s request, Cyron had no intention of returning to check on things personally.
“However, before the moment passes, I must grant him a fitting reward.”
The reward Cyron spoke of was not for the incident Jin had just caused.
—I will report to the Lord that the 12th Flagbearer was the first to discover this monster. If the Lord deems the monster valuable, there will be a reward accordingly.
Those were the words Tuben had left with Jin when he took Ozdok away.
Since joining Cyron’s expedition, Ozdok had proven his worth more than enough.
Though he had fumbled a bit due to his hazy memory, he had made a monumental contribution to locating the territory of the Kings of the Black Sea. He was a monster who would continue to be useful even after they entered the Kings' domain.
“Khan.”
“Yes, Patriarch.”
“Contact the main estate immediately and take measures so that Jin can use it.”