Chapter 46: The Banquet (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 46: The Banquet (1)
Three weeks had passed since Jin’s return to the clan.
Jin hadn't bothered to retrieve Kajin and the Has brothers from the cave where he’d left them, but fortunately for them, they were able to make their own way back to the Garden of Swords a few days later.
Upon their return, Myu and Anne completely abandoned the trio. It wasn't just them; they purged their entire faction within the intermediate class.
Kajin and the Has brothers suffered the worst of it. They weren't just ousted from the faction; they were stripped of their status as Runcandel cadets entirely.
It was a harsh punishment, especially since, on paper, they had completed the Colon Ruins mission alongside Jin.
However, the other cadets all knew the truth. Kajin and the Has brothers were being kicked out of Runcandel as the price for siding with the losing faction.
“You probably think I’m pathetic right now,” Kajin shouted at the intermediate cadets before he left. His gaze was fixed on Mesa Milkano, the leader of the Youngest’s Division.
“But you’ll all end up just like me soon enough. We aren't like the pure-bloods. No matter how hard we try, we’re just hunting dogs, and this is how it ends… Heh. Farewell.”
None of the cadets felt any sympathy for Kajin Romero.
No one had forgotten the atrocities he had committed while reigning as the tyrant of the intermediate class.
“Whatever, you moron.”
Mesa snorted and gave Kajin a dismissive wave.
*
Clang!
Ching!
Every time Jin struck the Blue-Eye Stone, a beautiful resonance filled the secret training ground.
“Stop. As of today, your Blue-Eye Stone training is complete. From tomorrow, only the Tona brothers will report here.”
Though he spoke calmly, Zed found it difficult to hide his astonishment. Jin was the first person to ever complete the Blue-Eye Stone training in less than six months.
‘On top of that, he perfectly executed the Colon Ruins mission. I can’t tell if he’s just been lucky since Mamit or if it’s truly his own capability… but Brother will no longer view him as just another cadet.’
Zed found it peculiar how major incidents seemed to coincide with Jin's missions. There was the mage’s terror attack in Mamit, and now a fire at the ruins.
However, he didn't see it as a problem. It didn't matter how a mission was completed. What mattered was a clean result, regardless of the method.
After Jin seized the relics, the Zipples announced, as expected, that a fire had broken out at the Colon Ruins.
There wasn't a single mention of stolen artifacts, nor any word regarding bio-golems or forbidden magic.
Jin, likewise, had not informed the clan of these facts.
“Jin. Youngest.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“The morning training you receive with the other cadets is no longer necessary for you. Next week, the Patriarch will have something to say to you.”
The Tona brothers’ ears perked up.
Though they were somewhat slow-witted, even they understood what Zed’s words implied.
‘Is Father going to… give Jin the status of a Reserve Flagbearer?’
‘Already?’
The minimum requirement to become a Runcandel Flagbearer was to be a 6-star knight. Jin was still 5-star, so he didn't qualify yet. However, his age was his greatest weapon. Even at 5-star, he was young enough for Cyron to personally take an interest in him.
Of course, that same age was a double-edged sword, as he was barely hanging onto the tail end of the succession race.
“You understand what this means, don't you? No matter what the Patriarch demands of you, I trust you will continue to perform well.”
If Zed was going this far, the Reserve Flagbearer status was practically guaranteed.
To build honor befitting the title before officially becoming a Flagbearer—that was the test given to Runcandel’s Reserve Flagbearers.
Honor wasn't something that could be built in an instant. Therefore, Reserve Flagbearers usually left the clan for a considerable amount of time to operate independently.
Jin was a super rookie among the cadets, but outside the clan, few would recognize him. Mary had only become a Flagbearer at nineteen, after becoming a 6-star knight and earning the alias "Mary of the Gale," the madwoman of the southern continent.
To become a Flagbearer, one had to build a reputation for martial prowess that was universally acknowledged. Naturally, there was absolutely no support from the clan during that process.
“Yes! Uncle. Thank you.”
For once, Jin didn't hide his joy.
Living in Storm Castle and the Garden of Swords had been a massive restriction. Here, he could only train his swordsmanship openly.
He had always been forced to cultivate his magic and spirit energy in secret, like a criminal. But if he had the chance to live outside Runcandel…
‘I can grow my strength as I please, without having to worry about anyone watching.’
Of course, once he proved his worth and returned to the Garden of Swords, he would have to hide his power again. But after completing the test of a Reserve Flagbearer, he would obtain the title of Flagbearer, and then the real game would begin.
From that point on, the cracks in the succession race would begin to widen in earnest.
*
June 1795.
The Garden of Swords had been in a state of extreme tension since morning. With prominent figures from all walks of life arriving for a banquet held in the youngest Runcandel's honor, every single detail had to be prepared with the utmost care.
Above all, the world’s only Creation Knight and the Patriarch of Runcandel was coming.
Cyron was returning to the Garden of Swords. As it was an official event with many eyes watching, over five hundred Guardian Knights were escorting him. Cyron had left the Black Sea two weeks ago, and instead of using a Teleport Gate, he was intentionally traveling by land.
The journey from the Black Sea to the Runcandel main house would take at least two weeks, even moving at maximum speed by sea and land.
For those two weeks, five hundred Guardian Knights had to stay by Cyron’s side, and the costs incurred were astronomical. Furthermore, the remaining Guardian Knights had to work twice as hard to cover for the five hundred who were absent.
Despite this, the reason Cyron chose to travel in person was simple.
It was to proclaim the prestige of Runcandel to the entire world.
For the past two weeks, the outside world had been buzzing with stories from those who had witnessed Cyron’s grand procession.
Whenever he and his Guardian Knights passed through a city, people instinctively bowed their heads before the radiant majesty of Runcandel.
“Patriarch, we will arrive at the Garden of Swords in two hours.”
“This late-born son of mine keeps interrupting my meditation. I intended to stay buried in the Black Sea for ten years, yet how many times has he called me out already?”
Though he spoke as if he were annoyed, a smile played at the corners of Cyron’s mouth.
“I felt Young Master Jin was extraordinary since his time at Storm Castle… but honestly, I didn't expect him to be this impressive. His actions at the Garden of Swords have been quite shocking, to say the least.”
“Fighting spirit. That boy has an unusual amount of it. Even when he was just a little thing, the first time I visited Storm Castle, his eyes were filled with a deep-seated grudge. He tried his best to hide it, in his own way… Haha.”
Jin Runcandel, his thirteenth child. Even in Cyron’s eyes, the youngest was distinctly different from his other children.
The fact that he could handle a bit of spirit energy after receiving Solderet’s favor wasn't the core issue. The reason Cyron kept his eye on Jin was that fighting spirit.
Though no one could have taught him, the youngest instinctively knew how to crush and break an opponent.
Trampling over the Tona brothers at Storm Castle might have been thanks to his spirit energy. However, Cyron felt he would never forget the sight of Jin provoking his siblings the moment he arrived at the Garden of Swords.
“I have more than a few children who are all talk. I was curious when I saw the youngest provoking his siblings as soon as he arrived. But look at him. He returned alive every time they sent him into a death trap, and he’s already reached 5-star.”
“I find the result of the first mission you assigned him even more fascinating than the Mamit or Colon Ruins incidents. Mesa Milkano being kidnapped was unexpected, yet the Young Master fought a White Wolf one-on-one and defeated him.”
“That was a strange one. I sent him expecting him to use his subordinates as shields to kill the White Wolf, but I didn't expect him to take it down alone. He even rescued the kidnapped cadet. He proved the weight of his convictions.”
Recalling that time, Cyron nodded with satisfaction.
“Do you truly believe the Young Master handled the White Wolf alone?”
“I do. Ah, strictly speaking, it probably wasn't alone. Regardless, he’s an interesting fellow. I’ll have to ask him about it when I see him this time.”
Cyron suspected that Jin had used spirit energy when he defeated the White Wolf.
The procession arrived at the Garden of Swords at noon.
All the Guardian Knights in the Garden of Swords had been lined up in formation for three hours before Cyron’s arrival.
The Guardian Knights, clad in shimmering ceremonial armor, raised their swords in unison.
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
Cyron halted his horse for a moment, looked down at them slowly, and nodded. Hundreds of swords returned to their scabbards at once.
Next, Rosa and the clan’s Flagbearers walked out from between the lined-up knights, followed by the pure-bloods who had yet to become Flagbearers.
Since Jin was the youngest, even including his cousins, he was positioned at the very back.
“We have been waiting, Patriarch.”
“Rosa. You must have gone through much trouble.”
“Not at all. Our grown children prepared everything themselves, so I had nothing to do.”
As she replied, Rosa’s gaze drifted subtly toward Joshua.
She firmly believed that struggle and competition were essential virtues of a Runcandel. Furthermore, she had developed a certain level of expectation for her youngest, who had recently begun to distinguish himself. Nevertheless, she hoped that Joshua would be the next Patriarch. What she expected from her second daughter Luntia, second son Dipus, third daughter Mary, and youngest son Jin was for them to be the Patriarchs of the generation after Joshua.
Cyron saw right through Rosa’s inner thoughts but didn't show it.
However, the dignified expression of his eldest son, who firmly believed he would inevitably become the successor, grated on him.
This was because ever since Luna withdrew from the power struggle, Joshua acted as if the succession was his for the taking.
Honestly, Cyron felt that his second son Dipus or third daughter Mary were more suited for the position than Joshua—though even they didn't fully satisfy him.
“If my grown children were doing so well on their own, I wouldn't have needed to leave the Black Sea. The guests visiting Runcandel today are wary of me, not our children.”
Cyron spoke, emphasizing the word "children."
“That is true. Please, come inside. I have personally prepared the food you like, for the first time in a long while.”
“Now that must have been a lot of trouble. I shall look forward to it.”
Cyron didn't give Joshua a single glance as he passed him. He didn't particularly look at his other children either, but for Joshua, it felt like a humiliation in front of the entire clan.
As he passed his children, Cyron did say one thing.
“Ran, Vigo.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Did you perhaps give the swords I allowed you to take to the youngest as gifts?”
Cyron pointed to the two swords strapped to Jin’s waist.
His tone was slightly rebuking. It carried the meaning that if they had dared to give away what he had personally granted them, they should abandon any hope of receiving anything from the clan in the future.
Ran and Vigo were in agony.
If they had gifted them, they could at least try to appease his anger later. But if they answered that they had been "stripped" of them, their futures were surely over.
But what could they do? They had no choice but to speak the truth.
“……The youngest took them from us.”
“What? Did you two actually lose to the youngest?”
“Ah, no, it wasn't that. We agreed to hand them over if the youngest succeeded in the Colon Ruins mission…”
Ran and Vigo felt like they were dying. The humiliation was one thing, but they feared their father would withdraw all the expectations he held for them.
“Bwahahaha!”
However, Cyron merely slapped his two sons on the shoulder and burst into laughter.
“Right, right. Take them back next time. Isn't the youngest quite the crafty one? Sometimes I wonder if he’s really my child. Haha.”
Ran and Vigo breathed a sigh of relief. They were grateful that a thunderous scolding hadn't fallen upon them, and since he even followed up with a joke, they felt they didn't need to worry.
However, they didn't realize one thing.
When Cyron said, "Sometimes I wonder if he’s really my child," he wasn't referring to Jin, but to Ran and Vigo.