Chapter 429: Elders in Crisis (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 429: Elders in Crisis (3)
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The forest was so dark that not a single ray of sunlight seemed to penetrate its canopy. Since ancient times, it had been a place rife with rumors of ghosts and demons.
[Mya!]
Jin was riding Shuri through the complex, murky forest paths. He rode alone.
The way was so convoluted it could easily be mistaken for a maze. Without Shuri, he knew he would have regretted coming here by himself.
—Young Master, this nanny earnestly begs you to take Lord Murakan with you.
—Young Lord, will you be alright? If you go alone and he happens to harbor ill intentions, securing a path of retreat won’t be easy.
—Is there a specific reason you must go alone?
Before he set out, his comrades had unanimously voiced their concerns. Their reasoning was simple: the master of this land could not yet be fully trusted.
Woooo, wooooo—.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, the gloomy, ominous wails echoing from all directions grew more intense.
‘Ghost Song Castle. A remarkably fitting name.’
Though it was his first time visiting, Shuri, as always, navigated the path with expert skill, arriving at their destination without a single wrong turn.
Black and massive.
That was the immediate impression that struck him as he faced the fortress suddenly rising at the forest’s edge. Even the thick fog could not mask the strange, eerie aura emanating from Ghost Song Castle. Just standing before it, he could feel a suffocating demonic energy.
It felt surreal to realize that the master of this terrifying castle was Rata Prochi—a man he had all but defeated.
After sending Shuri back into the red jade, Jin waited for the castle gates to open. Before long, the gates swung wide, but whoever had unbarred and pushed open the heavy iron doors was nowhere to be seen.
He wondered if a person had opened them at all. It felt as though the wind or a ghost had simply passed through. What immediately met his eyes was not the ordinary interior of a castle, but another layer of darkness. Stepping into it felt no different from leaping off a thousand-foot cliff.
However, Jin strode forward without so much as tightening his grip on the hilt at his waist. For a moment, the overlapping ghostly wails grew louder, and a chilling wind made him feel as if he were passing through a scene from a nightmare.
Suddenly, a dark, open space revealed itself.
"Twelfth Flagbearer, you've worked hard to get here."
He heard Rata Prochi’s familiar voice. Whether he had just come from battle or from torturing those imprisoned in the depths of Ghost Song Castle, Rata reeked of thick, metallic blood.
"The scent of blood is overwhelming."
"The work we do isn't exactly pleasant. But you're used to it as well, aren't you, Sir Jin?"
"Just an observation."
As Jin drew closer, the torch Rata held made his face glisten.
"I didn't expect you to actually come alone."
Rata was genuinely astonished that Jin had sought out Ghost Song Castle by himself. It wasn't just Rata; all the other members of the Ghost Corps felt the same. At least since Rata had become the Ghost Captain—no, even back when Smarion Prochi led the Ghost Corps—no one had ever visited Ghost Song Castle alone.
Even when high-ranking officials of Runcandel and Zipple held secret meetings, they always brought a certain level of military force with them. It was only natural.
Though they claimed to maintain neutrality, the Ghost Corps was a power with significant influence. Especially within their headquarters, Ghost Song Castle, they were undoubtedly among the top tier of neutral forces. Even Viment, despite the castle being located within its territory, recognized their autonomy rather than attempting to interfere.
"Since the Ghost Corps took a risk to carry out my request, I felt I should show at least this much trust."
Rata nodded, seemingly moved by those words. Jin felt a pang of embarrassment at the reaction but didn't let it show.
"As expected, you are impressive. Very well. Let us sign the contract now."
When Rata had sent the heads of the Elders, he had left a message asking Jin to visit Ghost Song Castle immediately. The reason was to sign a contract for an alliance.
The paper Rata presented was composed of the simplest sentences Jin had ever seen in a contract. The content, however, was unexpected.
[Rata Prochi and his Ghost Corps shall serve Jin Runcandel as their liege. To this, every remaining member of the Ghost Corps has given their full consent.]
It was less a contract and more an oath of fealty.
"This is not a simple alliance, but a blood alliance to bind lord and subordinate."
"…What is the meaning of this?"
Jin had initially planned to form a simple alliance with the Ghost Corps and then gradually build a stronger bond. He had never expected them to offer fealty so readily.
"Is this not to your liking?"
"No, it's not that. It's just a bit surprising."
"I came to respect you at the Sword Emperor Castle. After that, I came to fear Jin Runcandel more than Runcandel itself. That is why I killed the Elders."
On the day he met Jin in the Garden of Swords, Rata had made the decision to serve him as his lord. He was convinced it was the only way for the Ghost Corps to survive in the 'new era.'
"Furthermore, I am an absolute authority within the Ghost Corps. My will is the will of the Corps. The Ghost Corps will become your most vital force."
There are many leaders in the world, but not many receive absolute support from their subordinates. Rata was an exceptional figure who was practically one with his men.
Jin pulled a dagger from his robes. He cut his palm and pressed a bloody handprint onto the paper; Rata did the same.
"I accept, Sir Rata."
"Please follow me, my Lord."
As he followed Rata into the central hall of the inner castle, the assembled members of the Ghost Corps came into view. Thousands of them, dressed in black assassin’s garb, stood in rigid, motionless rows.
Rata took his place at the front, faced Jin, and offered a sword salute. The rest of the Ghost Corps raised their swords in perfect unison.
This was the moment Jin became the new master of the Ghost Corps. It was also the moment the Ghost Corps completely abandoned its neutrality for the first time in its history.
"I will introduce the members to you in due time."
"Understood."
Jin glanced back at the sentences written on the paper. The part about 'every remaining member of the Ghost Corps has given their full consent' caught his eye.
"Looking at those lined up, their numbers don't seem much smaller than the Ghost Corps' usual size. Were there many who opposed becoming my blood allies?"
"Some of those who served my father opposed it. To put it simply, they were the Elders."
"It seems neither you nor I get along very well with Elders. What happened to them?"
"They have all left Ghost Song Castle."
"Do they know any secrets or weaknesses of the Ghost Corps?"
Rata flinched slightly at the question.
"I didn't expect you to think of that so quickly. Yes, they do. And though it is shameful to admit, we haven't been able to apprehend them yet. We are currently tracking them."
"Since a few days have already passed, it's highly likely they've surrendered to another power and requested protection."
"I apologize for showing such incompetence from the very start."
"No. Just in case, I will also use my people to look for the fugitive Elders. Tell me what secrets and weaknesses of Ghost Song Castle they know."
"That a monster is sealed in the lowest depths of the castle's basement."
"…A monster?"
When Jin expressed his doubt, Rata explained with a bitter smile.
"It is a creature we currently have no way of handling. It has been trapped underground for decades without eating anything, yet it remains alive. Every year, the seal holding it back grows weaker."
"It sounds like a monster straight out of an old fairy tale."
"You don't seem very surprised by the sudden news."
"Because I've dealt with a sealed inner core monster before."
Naturally, Jin assumed that what was sealed beneath Ghost Song Castle was another inner core monster.
"Just how strong is it that you say even you and the Ghost Corps are helpless against it?"
"I can't even fathom it. It's difficult to explain… Would you like to go and see for yourself?"
Jin followed Rata down the stairs leading to the basement. As they descended the deep, long staircase, he could feel a gloomy, sinister energy pressing down on his entire body.
‘So this was the source of the eerie aura that permeated all of Ghost Song Castle.’
It wasn't just the grim atmosphere of the castle that produced the suffocating presence.
"We've arrived."
Reaching the lowest floor, they saw a massive iron door with a red seal carved upon it. Though it was a type of seal he had never seen before, Jin could instinctively tell that humans had been used as the material for it. He could also tell it possessed immense suppressive power.
"This is…"
"I was told it was a seal passed down only to the Elders, unknown even to successive Ghost Captains. This seal was made by the other Elders—the ones who didn't flee. They used themselves as the materials."
As he approached the seal, he felt the sinister energy weighing heavily on his body.
"You say this seal is weakening every year?"
"That is correct."
At that answer, Jin realized why Rata had proposed a blood alliance so quickly.
‘If the monster beyond that seal is ever released, the Ghost Corps can't survive unless they abandon the castle.’
Of course, the possibility of the seal breaking immediately was low, and Rata hadn't proposed the alliance solely for that reason, but it was by no means a small problem.
"The reason I showed this to you first, my Lord, is because it is currently the Ghost Corps' greatest and only problem. It's shameful, but one could say this seal threatens our very existence."
Now that they were blood allies, they needed to discuss and solve this problem together. Although Rata was showing a weakness immediately after the alliance, Jin didn't find him detestable or pathetic. After all, Rata had chosen him—Jin Runcandel—not the Runcandel Clan, Zipple, the Imperial Family, or Kinzelo.
If Rata had sided with Runcandel or Zipple, resolving this seal would likely have been much easier.
"Certainly… I can feel it just from the energy leaking through the seal. What kind of monster is in there?"
At Jin's question, Rata shook his head.
"It is not a monster, my Lord."
"Not a monster?"
"The being sealed inside is my father."
Smarion Prochi.
The monster sealed in the lowest depths of Ghost Song Castle was the former Ghost Captain.