Chapter 420: Betrayal (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 420: Betrayal (3)
“A reward?”
“A reward, you say?”
Dante and Veradin asked simultaneously.
“Yes, Young Lord.”
“Hairan is imperial territory, so I suppose His Majesty intends to commend you for its defense.”
“It would seem so.”
Dante’s expression darkened. The Emperor’s conduct was loathsome—praising Jin to his face while pressuring Hairan behind the scenes. As an upright man and a loyal subject, Dante didn't voice his displeasure, but he was seething inside.
The knight who delivered the news also seemed to be suppressing his own misery.
“What a complete bastard. He doesn’t even recognize how kind Dante is. That prick.”
When Veradin spoke so bluntly, both Dante and the knight stared with wide eyes. They had never heard anyone refer to the Emperor in such vulgar terms. Even Ron, who was famous for not using honorifics when speaking of the Emperor, had never gone so far as to call him a “bastard” or a “prick.”
“I was thinking it was about time I saw that face for myself—the one the palace officials have the gall to call the ‘Heavenly Face.’ This works out well.”
When Jin chimed in, Dante and the knight instinctively scanned their surroundings. Though they were certain no one was listening, it was a reflexive action.
Even before this, Jin had no love for the Emperor. He had clashed with the Special Task Force several times and had recently fought the Imperial Guard in the Wantaramo Forest. Furthermore, considering the Emperor’s disdain for the Tikan Free City and the fact that he was secretly creating ‘Demons,’ there was absolutely no reason to view him in a positive light.
“Ahem, ahem. My friends, he is still the supreme ruler of the Empire, so…”
“Neither Jin nor I are citizens of Viment, so it’s fine. It’s fine.”
Dante eventually managed an awkward smile. Inwardly, their words were a refreshing relief.
“I am glad to have you both.”
“Hah, I feel the same, Dante!”
Dante and Veradin both looked at Jin at the same time. Their expressions practically demanded he say the same.
Jin, however, coolly ignored their silent plea.
“I’m curious to see what kind of gift he’ll give. Should I go now?”
“Yes, Sir Jin.”
Jin stood up, stretching his limbs.
“Since the other factions are leaving the Sword Emperor Castle today, I might as well stop by the Imperial Palace before heading back to my family’s home.”
“So suddenly?” Veradin asked, his eyes rounding in surprise.
“It’s not sudden. You just got here, but I’ve been here for fifteen days. Our business is mostly settled, so it’s only right that I return to my duties. A Runcandel Flagbearer is a busy person, you know.”
Dante was just as disappointed as Veradin, but he couldn't hold Jin back. Jin could have left whenever he wished. Had any other Flagbearer been present for the attack, Hairan wouldn't have even asked them to stay for the investigation.
Jin had dedicated his time purely to help Dante as a friend. It was now time for him to return to his own responsibilities.
“But I just got here.”
“Right. So go back and do a good job making sure Zipple puts some real pressure on Hairan. You’re a busy man, too.”
“How cold…”
Just before following the knight out of the basement, Jin looked back at his friends one last time. Veradin was visibly sulking, and Dante was patting him on the back.
“No matter what happens, as long as the three of us don’t betray each other, that’s all that matters.”
Seeing his friends nod, Jin let out a small chuckle. The thought briefly crossed his mind that if he’d been born the eldest in an ordinary family instead of the youngest in Runcandel, he might have had younger brothers like them.
“Take care of yourself, Jin. Let’s see each other again soon. Next time, we drink!”
“I wish you the best of luck, my friend.”
As he followed the knight out of the basement, the brilliant sunlight stung his eyes. Under a clear, cloudless sky, the half-destroyed and scorched Sword Emperor Castle created a jarring dissonance.
“I should pay my respects to Lord Ron. Where is he?”
“I will escort you.”
Ron was sitting alone in the nearly collapsed Great Hall. Though everything was in ruins, the throne of the Sword Emperor Castle stood strangely intact and unscathed.
To Jin, it seemed to symbolize Hairan’s current situation. Even when attacked from within and without, the great warrior Ron Hairan would ultimately protect that throne.
Or perhaps, knowing Ron’s condition was poor, he simply wanted to believe it all the more.
“I heard the Emperor summoned you?” Ron spoke as he sensed Jin’s presence, and the knight took his leave.
“That is correct.”
“Those of imperial blood have a real talent for ordering busy people around. You’ll have a hard time listening to his predictable nonsense.”
His attitude toward Jin had changed. Ron no longer saw him as merely ‘that devilish brat who bewitched my grandson.’ Since the attack, Jin had demonstrated not only his capabilities but also his loyalty and affection for Dante.
“How is your condition?”
“Not good.”
While it was true he had suffered severe internal injuries facing Kinzelo, it wasn't a fatal wound. By all rights, he should have started recovering by now.
However, Ron’s internal injuries showed no signs of improving. On the contrary, they were gradually worsening, to the point where even the Steel Body of a 10-star warrior seemed useless.
“This is a serious matter.”
Dante was unaware of Ron’s true condition. Only five of Ron’s closest confidants and Jin knew the truth.
“It’s a serious matter indeed when Ron Hairan has to borrow your hand to protect his own grandson.”
His tone was nonchalant, born not of bravado but of the confidence that even with such an injury, he could handle most threats. However, if word got out that his injury was far more serious than reported, it was only a matter of time before events unfolded that Hairan, in its current state, could not handle.
“I don’t know if that red sword energy was the problem or if some other factor is at play. I always thought that if I ever suffered an internal injury I couldn’t manage, it would be from trading blows with your father… To think it was from the leader of a group known until recently as a third-rate terrorist organization. It’s truly absurd.”
“His identity may be hidden, but he’s likely a formidable Demon.”
“I suppose so. He was at that level even when it was clear he couldn't use his full power. When he is whole, he will surely be a figure on par with your father.”
Jin didn’t take Ron’s assessment as an insult to his father. He felt the same way.
Sigh.
Ron let out a deep breath, not because of his injuries, but because his chest felt tight at the thought of his grandson having to one day fight such an existence.
I expected the second generation of the great powers to compete fiercely among themselves, with Dante eventually standing at the pinnacle… but this is no time for such rosy daydreams.
To face a Demon like that, even the combined forces of the next generation would hardly be enough. And that applied not just to the Demons, but to Zipple as well.
“What do you think of Veradin Zipple?”
—Grandfather. If magic could manipulate a person’s mind and memories at will, would you believe it?
Those were the words his grandson had spoken to him at the banquet. Since then, the thought of mind manipulation had continued to worry Ron.
“He seems fine on the surface. There’s no way to confirm whether his mind has been manipulated right now.”
“A Demon hiding his identity, mind manipulation… Just thinking about it, these are foul and difficult times. When I was young, you could pacify the world with a single sword.”
“Those were simpler, more romantic times.”
“Though the one who realized that romance was your father, not me.”
Ron shrugged and looked up at the sky through the gaping hole in the ceiling. Bitterness seemed to seep from the deep wrinkles around his eyes.
“Once we’ve sorted friend from foe and things here have settled, I will help you seize the Runcandel throne more easily.”
Ron didn't say he would make the impossible possible. He was merely offering to help Jin more comfortably obtain what was already destined to be his. He had no doubt that Jin would become the king of the Runcandel Sword Ghosts; he simply couldn't imagine the other Flagbearers handling this lad, who was as shrewd as a steel serpent.
“Your words alone are enough, Lord Ron.”
“You may go now.”
“Yes.”
“Ah, and one more thing.”
As Jin turned back, Ron wore a grin that carried a sinister energy.
“Tell the Emperor.”
“What should I convey?”
“That in many ways, he would do well to make the right choices.”
“Understood.”
*
In the capital of Viment, the Imperial Palace was visible from every corner.
The massive spires glowed yellow, soaring as if to touch the clouds. Palaces sprawled beneath them, encircled by four river branches, with broad, snow-white roads stretching between them.
The people of the Empire took immense pride in Viment's greatest architectural feat, delighting in calling it the ‘Heavenly Palace’ rather than the Imperial Palace. Any other palace in existence would look like a humble pile of stones if placed beside it.
The Imperial Palace… the feeling is completely different from seeing it from afar before my regression. I heard it was incomparably luxurious and grand, but…
He hadn't expected it to be on such a magnificent scale. Furthermore, just how many servants maintained it? Not a single speck of dust could be seen on the white roads, which were easily hundreds of paces wide.
Clop, clop…
As the imperial carriage carrying Jin came to a smooth halt, the Imperial Guards lined up in two rows and offered a sword salute. Jin accepted the salute naturally as the Emperor watched from a high floor of a spire, surrounded by his eunuchs.
“What do you think? Do you believe Jin Runcandel will accept my proposal?”
The eunuchs did not answer, merely bowing their heads.
“Well, if I could know that in advance, there would be no need to meet him. I asked a pointless question.”
Again, the eunuchs only bowed their heads. In truth, the eunuchs the Emperor had brought to the spire had all lost their voices long ago; they couldn't have answered even if they wanted to.
“Instead, I will use you to confirm the basic disposition of the man named Jin Runcandel with my own eyes.”
Clang!
Suddenly, the Emperor flung the window wide open and grabbed the scruff of the neck of the eunuch bowing closest to him. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he casually lifted the eunuch and threw him out the window.
The eunuch could not scream, but Jin did not miss the sight of him plummeting toward the ground.