Chapter 394: That Which Cannot Be Hidden (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 394: That Which Cannot Be Hidden (4)
* * *
Amid the suffocating tension, the entire Runcandel clan was abuzz over the "Magic Swordsman Declaration."
The Flagbearers, the Elders, and the knights who served them spoke of Jin whenever they gathered.
Would Jin ever wake up? If he did, what punishment would he face? How many of the Sword Ghosts would actually side with him?
Of these questions, there was only one the Runcandels could somewhat predict: that roughly ten percent of the clan’s knights would likely support Jin. Because of this, most believed that while the balance of power might shift, a complete upheaval was unlikely.
“…That’s the current atmosphere. So, Sister, I think it would be best if you started moving a bit more proactively.”
Myu and Anne had come to visit Luntia and had been pressing this argument for some time.
They had been explaining at length for over thirty minutes, but the gist was simple: now that their youngest brother had bared his fangs, Luntia should throw her full weight behind Joshua so he wouldn’t be troubled.
This wasn’t something Joshua had ordered. Rather, they were using this opportunity to reaffirm their loyalty to the next Patriarch.
‘Once Brother Joshua becomes the Patriarch, the governance of the Eastern 5 Regions will be ours.’
‘Even if we can’t find that human named Hister.’
Ever since they had thrown their lot in with Joshua long ago, they had never dreamed of becoming the Patriarch themselves. They only desired survival and the right to rule a territory like the Eastern 5 Regions through him. They fully expected that once Joshua became Patriarch, he would purge most of their other siblings.
“Sister Luntia?”
Luntia stared blankly at the milky-white ceiling.
Due to the nature of the Steel Body she had achieved, she would need more time for a full recovery, but the critical treatments had been completed a few days ago.
“Are you listening to us?”
Luntia hadn’t responded once while the two were talking.
Did I lose…?
Since her treatment had ended, that single thought had been circling endlessly in her head. For the past twelve days, she hadn’t spoken a word to anyone who visited. She simply remained dazed, like someone who had lost their mind or the ability to speak.
“…Sister, I understand it’s shocking that you were so heavily wounded by the youngest.”
“But staying like this will only make you look pathetic.”
Myu and Anne carefully avoided the word “defeat,” instead using the phrase “heavily wounded.”
In truth, they didn’t believe Luntia had actually lost to Jin. They were convinced her collapse was merely an accident and that a rematch would surely yield a different result.
It wasn’t just Myu and Anne; almost everyone in Runcandel thought the same.
But Luntia herself did not.
She wasn’t lying in bed simply because she was in shock.
She was reviewing the fight. For twelve days, she had been replaying her battle with Jin in her mind, without resting for a single minute.
Even if they fought again, even if she didn’t let her guard down in the slightest and unleashed her full power from the start—Luntia still wasn’t certain she could change the outcome.
While there was much she hadn’t shown, Jin likely had just as many hidden cards he hadn’t played.
A strange heat began to smolder in Luntia’s hollow eyes. It was a fire that Myu and Anne, at their current level, could not perceive.
The two sisters exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“Sigh… Anyway, think about what we said. You already assumed Brother Joshua would become the Patriarch, didn’t you?”
“It would be a huge help if you stepped in at a time like this. We’ll be waiting, so contact us when you feel better.”
As Myu and Anne left, an elderly woman entered the room. It was Luntia’s nanny, Risham.
“My Lady.”
Luntia turned her head slightly to face her.
“It seems the youngest young master woke up just a moment ago.”
Luntia shot up from the bed.
Risham smiled as she saw the sudden movement. It had been nearly twenty years since she had seen Luntia react with such life.
“How is he? Can he hold a sword again?”
Runcandel did not yet know that Jin had used the blood of Numerus. It was only natural for Luntia to ask such a question first.
“They say he is surprisingly fine. Well enough to reenact that battle this very moment, in fact.”
“My sword and my Flagbearer coat…”
“I knew you would ask for them.”
Risham handed over Luntia’s beloved sword, Charles, which she had prepared in advance, along with her neatly folded Flagbearer uniform.
Watching Luntia hurriedly dress, Risham recalled her lady’s girlhood—the young Luntia who used to claim that becoming the strongest in the family was her favorite pastime.
‘Looking back, ever since the 1st Flagbearer gave up on everything, My Lady has lived like someone who’s lost their reason for living…'
Risham’s eyes grew misty.
Like all the other nannies in the clan, she, too, had once had a dream: to see her lady stand at the pinnacle of Runcandel and command the world.
But Luntia had lost her goal far too early. Reaching the top to face that giant star named Luna and proving she could shine brighter—that was the only thing that had ever truly stimulated her.
After that giant star disappeared, an oppressive ennui had set in. A life filled only with silence and a hollow, meaningless peace had begun.
And Risham had an intuition.
The moment the 12th Flagbearer’s sword slashed across Luntia’s chest, the moment her lady—more precious to her than life itself—finally fell before that pale blade…
A new star had finally risen in her lady’s heart.
“Where is the youngest? Is he going to see Mother?”
“No, I heard he is heading toward the Mausoleum.”
Just as Luntia was about to leave the room, Risham spoke.
“My Lady.”
“Yes.”
“I wish you luck. As I always have, and as I always will.”
Luntia paused and glanced back at Risham for a moment.
Then, she began to walk with vigorous strides, her gait that of a general marching to war.
The heavy ennui that had clouded her eyes was gone. The desire that Myu and Anne had failed to notice now shone brighter and brighter.
*
Many Flagbearers, Elders, and their attendant knights had already gathered at the Mausoleum to confirm Jin’s awakening for themselves. It was the first time in years that so many people had visited the Mausoleum at once.
Yet, among the crowd filling the hallowed space, Luntia could only see Jin. A smile involuntarily formed on her lips as she saw her youngest brother standing tall, surrounded by the clan’s most powerful figures.
“You look perfectly fine, as if your coma was just a lie.”
“How on earth did you wake up?”
“If you’re awake, you should have visited the Acting Patriarch first. Why did you come to the Mausoleum, 12th Flagbearer?”
Jin ignored the Elders’ questions, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.
Then, his eyes locked onto Joshua.
“I hear you went to great lengths to clean up the mess, 2nd Flagbearer. Mobilizing the knights in advance… quite impressive.”
When Jin’s arms had been severed, Joshua had used the knights he’d positioned beforehand to quickly stabilize the Garden of Swords in the aftermath of the Magic Swordsman Declaration. He had acted like a true successor.
If Joshua hadn't anticipated the situation and kept the knights on standby, the chaos would have lasted for days. In the worst-case scenario, external forces might have sensed the internal strife and invaded. With most of the clan’s top combatants—including a heavily wounded Rosa and Luntia—injured to varying degrees, it would have been the perfect time for Runcandel’s enemies to strike.
Even though the 12th Flagbearer was speaking as if he were evaluating the 2nd Flagbearer, no one dared rebuke him. Even Joshua, the target of the comment, showed no sign of displeasure.
“A Flagbearer exists not to throw the family into chaos, but to organize and lead it. I simply did what was necessary.”
He spoke humbly, but his meaning was clear to everyone: I did what was necessary, while you put the family in danger.
“I merely carved a path through stagnant, rotting water. Isn’t that why the Acting Patriarch isn’t punishing me?”
“The reason Mother isn’t punishing you is because she deems you useful. It’s also related to why you came to the Mausoleum as soon as you woke up.”
Temar and the legacy of Old Runcandel.
Everyone had clearly witnessed that power—the power with which Jin, a mere 12th Flagbearer, had single-handedly overturned the Garden of Swords.
Greedy eyes fixed on Jin. They all held the same expectation: if they could once again enshrine the knights of Old Runcandel in the Mausoleum, Jin wouldn’t be the only one able to use that power.
Therefore, there was only one thing the Elders wanted to hear from Jin right now.
Did he have a way to make them all ‘Magic Swordsmen’ immediately?
This was a watershed moment for Jin. The instant he offered to share the secret with those who followed him, a significant number of Elders would flock to his side.
“You must have a plan for how to bring the First Patriarch and the ancestors to this Mausoleum,” Joshua said.
Suddenly, Jin’s expression crumpled in disgust.
“It seems this place is filled with nothing but fools.”
He sneered.
“If you want to know, then run outside. Challenge me. Struggle, and seize it for yourselves. Imitate what I showed you that day. If you don’t, you will all disappear without carving a single line of your names into history before you die.”
“Don’t mistakenly think that you are the only one who can use that power, 12th Flagbearer,” an Elder warned.
“And don’t you dare think you’re on the same level as me, 2nd Flagbearer, while you commit all sorts of grotesque acts through a being called a Prophet.”
The Prophet.
Even though Jin mentioned her directly, Joshua showed no flicker of surprise. The same was true for the few Elders who already knew of the Prophet’s existence.
From their reactions, Jin could guess that Joshua had already finalized his own plans to bring the Prophet to the forefront soon.
‘He’ll need to prove he also has a power that can rival the legacy of Old Runcandel and the forces of Zipple. Kinzelo and Viment will also start weaponizing their golems in earnest before long. Joshua likely knows at least that much.’
In his previous life, when Zipple began deploying their ‘mass-produced mages,’ the global balance of power had tilted drastically. However, the Masterpieces and Demons being produced by Kinzelo and Viment possessed power incomparable to mere mages.
Once they revealed their true strength, Runcandel would not be able to face them through conventional means.
Whoosh—.
After lighting a small spark with his mana in the center of the Mausoleum, Jin walked past Joshua. Just as he was about to exit, Luntia blocked his path.
Jin and Luntia stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
“I, too, shall become the Patriarch.”
The moment Luntia uttered those words, everyone gathered in the Mausoleum doubted their ears. Even Joshua’s eyes widened, as if he found it difficult to hide his shock this time.
A smirk spread across Jin’s face, and he burst into laughter.
“I thought this place was full of fools, but it seems there was a genuine one here after all. We’ll see how that goes, Sister.”