Chapter 47: The Banquet (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 47: The Banquet (2)
Once the host appeared, the guests began to file into the Garden of Swords.
Delegations from various nations and factions filled the grounds, including the Viment Empire, the Viment Imperial Guard, the Special Task Force, the Dragon King Knights, the Ivliano family, the Tuko family, the Ken family, the Black King Corps, and the Ghost Captain’s unit.
Every single one represented a major power or a figure of renowned prestige. As they entered one by one, the Garden of Swords—though merely a collection of buildings—seemed to exude the majesty of a king. It was as if the estate itself were declaring that only those with both honor and strength could be guests of the Runcandel main house.
Thousands of swords were planted throughout the garden, and countless footsteps passed between them.
The sight alone was as brilliant and luxurious as the coronation of a Viment Emperor. The nearly one thousand guests visiting Runcandel today were the very symbols of the clan’s authority and power.
Not only the guardian knights but even the servants were intoxicated by this display of prestige, their faces filled with pride. For them, the status of the family they served—whether as knight or servant—was their own.
Excluding the Zipples, no clan could rival the Runcandels. And since the Zipples had not been sent a formal invitation, the pride of the Runcandel retainers soared to the heavens.
Jin watched the entire scene from Cyron’s side. From a balcony overlooking the central courtyard, Cyron occasionally waved to the guests, while Jin offered polite nods.
“This must be your first banquet.”
“Yes, Father.”
Thanks to his magic master in his previous life, Jin had attended a few banquets hosted by other families, but this was his first time at one held by the Runcandel main house, even including his past life.
Before his regression, he would never have been allowed to enter the hall, even if a banquet was held. He would have been forced to hide like a criminal. A pure-blooded youngest son who had barely reached 1-star by the age of twenty-five was nothing but a source of shame.
‘But now, I am here with Father… as the protagonist of this banquet. And all it took was dying once.’
He felt a sense of pride, yet it was dwarfed by a profound bitterness.
However, Jin did not let it show on his face and waited for his father’s next words.
“As you know, our family rarely holds banquets.”
“Yes.”
“We only hold them when there is something truly worth celebrating. That is how significant your achievement is.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Cyron lightly stroked Jin’s head. Jin was startled by the unexpected gesture but, again, did not let it show.
“How many guests do you think are here?”
“I would estimate about a thousand.”
“Indeed. I received a report stating exactly that. Compared to the last banquet seven years ago, the number of guests has increased by about two hundred. Do you know what that signifies?”
There was no need to deliberate on the answer.
“It means that in the seven years since the last banquet, our family’s power has grown even stronger.”
Cyron smiled, looking satisfied.
“Precisely. Other families might occasionally host a banquet with a thousand people… but the thousand gathered here are each outstanding individuals. There isn’t a single nobody among them.”
Jin nodded.
Just as Cyron said, the thousand people who visited the Garden of Swords today were the stars of the world—the thousand humans at the forefront of the billions across the globe.
And the man standing at their absolute pinnacle was Cyron Runcandel.
“For the past seven years, all I have done is train and kill monsters in the Black Sea. Yet, the clan’s prestige continues to rise simply because I am the only Creation Knight of this era.”
As Jin respectfully waited for him to continue, a bitter smile touched Cyron’s lips.
“That also means… if I were to disappear, most of those gathered here would turn their backs on Runcandel.”
Jin knew this fact better than anyone.
Without his father, Cyron Runcandel, the clan would never have attained this level of power. Though they were called one of the two great houses alongside the Zipples, without Cyron, the gap in power between them would widen drastically.
The world would fall under the Zipples’ absolute dominance. Even the Viment Empire, which acted as a balancing weight between the two families, would likely side with the Zipples.
‘I wonder what kind of answer the youngest will give.’
Cyron had shared similar conversations with his other children over the years.
If I am gone, people will turn their backs on Runcandel. What do you think? When asked this, most of his children’s answers were the same.
That will never happen, Father. Or, How could you say such a thing, Father! Some, lacking self-awareness, would even make empty boasts about becoming the next Creation Knight themselves.
“Father.”
After a long silence, Jin called out to Cyron in a low voice.
“Speak, my son.”
“If you were gone, and they truly turned their backs on Runcandel… and if the Zipples began to pressure us in earnest until the family reached an irreversible state…”
Jin paused for a moment and met Cyron’s eyes.
“I would leave the family.”
Upon hearing the answer, a sharp intensity flashed in Cyron’s eyes.
“What? You would leave?”
“Yes. If Runcandel collapses simply because you are gone, then the cause is ultimately the incompetence of the Patriarch who succeeds you. I have no intention of dying a dog’s death for an incompetent leader.”
It was a shocking, almost absurd answer. For a moment, anger flared at his youngest son’s audacity, but curiosity quickly overwhelmed it.
“Continue.”
Jin took a long, deep breath.
“Exactly how many of their weaknesses do we hold?”
“Weaknesses?”
“Yes. Take Duke Bern over there. As the head of the Bern family, he stole imperial treasures by deceiving the Emperor, yet he attends this banquet as if nothing happened. That is only because he is indebted to our family.”
“And the man smoking in the left courtyard is Lantz Clever, correct? I was unsure because I’ve only seen his portrait. In any case, Lantz, the greatest warrior of the Clevers, once commissioned us to kill three Zipple mages.”
“Over there, Lady Charlotte Herald has a severe gambling addiction. She secretly sold off her family heirlooms, and we were the ones who recovered them. The Herald family still hasn't paid off the commission fee.”
“And the woman behind Lady Charlotte is the mistress of Marquis Bellado. She was originally a secondary daughter of the Viment Imperial family, but she was exiled because the pure-bloods felt threatened by her genius as a mage. Marquis Bellado has been paying for our protection for years.”
“Also, that person over there is—”
“Enough.”
Cyron waved his hand gently.
“It seems you’ve looked through the family’s commission contracts. That is something normally permitted only to Flagbearers. Did Luna show them to you? Tell me the truth; I won’t scold you.”
“No. I asked for them when I returned the sword I took from Brother Vigo. It was a sword I didn't need.”
“Hahaha, you truly are something else.”
“Even with just a brief glance, I found this many of Runcandel’s weapons that aren't forged from steel. There must be even more in the confidential contracts that only you and Mother can access.”
“So, you’re saying that even if I am gone, the family can be protected using those secrets?”
“That would depend on the next Patriarch's talent for negotiation. In your case, Father, you are the strongest, so there is no need to negotiate. But if a Patriarch who is not a Creation Knight leads Runcandel, the story changes.”
Cyron nodded slowly, a grin spreading across his face.
“You are right. However, my youngest, we aren't the only ones holding weaknesses. The Zipples likely hold just as many as we do.”
“Probably. But the Zipples lack the justification to wield those weaknesses so recklessly.”
“They lack justification. Why?”
“Because the role of the villain belongs to Runcandel. In any case, if the next Patriarch cannot properly utilize such a vast arsenal, I will leave without looking back. And I will prepare for revenge. No matter how long it takes.”
Whether they were conducting forbidden magic experiments at the Colon Ruins, mass-producing 7-star mages like a factory, or committing whatever other dirty deeds behind the scenes, to the public, the Zipples were a family that symbolized justice. They couldn't act like villains as openly as the Runcandels.
“Haha, revenge… Yes, one must be alive to seek revenge. I understand your thoughts well. They aren't bad.”
Jin nodded silently. He felt a bit disappointed that his father’s evaluation was harsher than he’d expected.
‘Well, I suppose this is a success. Father was always a harsh judge.’
Not bad.
Though he expressed it that way, Cyron was inwardly quite pleased. In his view, the youngest had provided a realistic yet effective solution.
It wasn't that his other children hadn't thought of such things.
It was that they lacked the courage to even entertain the premise that ‘Runcandel might fall’ in front of Cyron. Jin, however, had stated his conviction plainly and confidently.
He didn't spout nonsense beyond his station, and his attitude was closer to cold-headedness than mere calculation. That was what Cyron valued highly.
‘It is a shame I had this child only in my later years. He is like a blend of Luna’s talent, Mary’s wildness, and Dipus’s combativeness.’
Ten years at the shortest, fifteen at the longest.
Cyron estimated that was about how much longer he could hold the position of Patriarch.
It would be interesting to see if the youngest could overturn the succession hierarchy within that time.
“It seems most of the guests have arrived. Let us head inside.”
Under the dark night sky, countless lights flickered beyond the gates of the Garden of Swords. They were the lights from the camps set up on the outer plains by the attendants who had followed the banquet guests. They would have to wait in their tents for the entire three-day banquet.
“Yes, Father.”
“Ah. And once the banquet is over, I have something important to tell you. Wait until you are summoned.”
The status of a Reserve Flagbearer!
It had to be about that. He had already heard it from his uncle and had been expecting it, but hearing it directly from his father’s mouth felt entirely different.
‘Once the banquet ends, I’ll be leaving the family for a while.’
What one needed before becoming a Flagbearer was honor.
Immediately after the banquet, Jin would wander the world to earn it.
During that period, he would be free from any family restrictions, allowing him to train his swordsmanship, magic, and spiritual energy to his heart’s content. Based on his memories from before his regression, he could also seek out all sorts of fortuitous encounters and sacred objects.
‘These three days are going to feel very long.’
As they left the balcony and headed toward the central hall, the bright light from a massive chandelier illuminated Cyron and Jin’s faces.
Just as Cyron was about to begin greeting the guests from the second floor, three head butlers approached him with hurried steps.
“Lord Patriarch. Unannounced guests have arrived. How should we proceed?”
Unannounced guests.
It meant the Zipples.