Chapter 486: Sibling Unity (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 486: Sibling Unity (3)
Cough, cough!
Dipus’s bewildered coughs echoed through the tent.
“What did you just say?”
Thinking he had misheard, he immediately asked again. The answer came back without a hint of hesitation.
“I said, let’s kill the 2nd Flagbearer during this mission.”
Let’s kill Joshua.
Dipus had never heard such words in his entire life. Even Mary, back in her wildest days, had never uttered anything remotely close to that.
‘I’ve thought it before, but he really is a madman. This kid…'
And a terrifying one at that.
‘He’s not the type to speak carelessly. If he’s saying we should kill Joshua, it means he’s already planned everything out.’
Dipus couldn’t begin to fathom how the boy, who had only just arrived at the camp, could have drafted a plan to assassinate Joshua, but a chill ran down his spine nonetheless.
“You certainly have a talent for catching people off guard. Why kill him? Surely you’re not just piqued because he made fun of your new nickname, the Black Prince.”
“Of course not, though I can’t say I enjoyed it.”
“Joshua might actually think your title is cool. When he was young, ‘Black Lion’ was his favorite moniker. He said it felt like he was inheriting Mother’s legacy.”
Jin and Dipus both let out a small chuckle.
“I didn’t know the 2nd Flagbearer had such a cute side.”
“You’d have found him even cuter if you’d spent your childhood with him. Anyway, what if I refuse your proposal?” Dipus asked, his expression growing serious.
Jin simply shrugged.
“Is there any reason for you to refuse?”
“Once the infiltration of the underground shipyard begins, all enforcement knights in the Sota Desert will be returning to the main family.”
“Because unless they’re at the level of a Black Knight, retreating after infiltration is impossible.”
“Exactly. Therefore, the only personnel on this mission will be you, me, Lord Murakan, the 2nd Flagbearer you want to kill, and his two Black Knights. Every single person is precious to the success of this mission.”
At that, Jin let out a sigh.
“Brother, you speak as if you don’t already know this secret shipyard is a trap set by the Zipple.”
Dipus’s eyes narrowed.
“This mission can only ever be a partial success. Destroying the facility and returning safely—that’s the best possible outcome. Ship blueprints? Do you really think the Zipple would leave something like that behind after intentionally leaking this location? I guarantee there’s nothing of importance in Sectors 4, 11, 17, or 19 either.”
The Zipple’s motive for leaking the location of the secret shipyard in the Sota Desert—that was the problem Dipus had been agonizing over. He had come because the stakes were too high to ignore, even knowing it was a trap, but he had struggled to grasp the Zipple’s true objective.
‘Does the Youngest have an inkling of the Zipple’s goal? He’s not just talking big about killing Joshua. What is he really up to?’
Just as Dipus was about to get lost in thought, Jin spoke again.
“Stop testing me and make your choice. Will you join me in killing Joshua, or not? I’ll give you five seconds. After that, I’ll handle it myself, even if you change your mind. Five… four…”
“Hey, hey, Youngest! Wait!”
“Three… two…”
In the end, Dipus nodded before Jin could finish the countdown. It was infuriating to be dragged along like this, but a powerful intuition told him that if he didn’t make a deal with his youngest brother now, he would be sidelined and left with nothing to show for his efforts on this mission.
Above all, it was an opportunity.
An opportunity to definitively kill the 2nd Flagbearer—his older brother, whom he had wanted dead his entire life. From what Dipus had seen, the Youngest was someone who always achieved what he set out to do.
“Damn it, fine! I’m in.”
“A beautiful moment of sibling unity. You won’t regret it.”
Seeing Jin smirk, Dipus cursed inwardly. The boy was a devil in the flesh.
“On one condition.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Share all the information you have with me.”
“Such as?”
“Information about Joshua’s helper—the person called the Prophet—the Zipple’s objective as you see it, and your reason for wanting to kill Joshua.”
“Is that all?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll tell you the first one after the mission is over. As for the second and third, I’ll tell you right now. The way I see it, the Zipple’s objective is to test the capabilities of external powers.”
“The Zipple’s goal is to use this shipyard as bait to test outside forces? Isn’t that a bit of a leap? Even I can’t begin to imagine the manpower and resources that went into this facility.”
“It might seem that way. But Brother, you must have been mulling over the Zipple’s objective as well. Do you have a more plausible reason than what I just said?”
He didn’t. Dipus also subscribed to the grand premise that ‘as long as Cyron exists, there will be no full-scale war,’ which was precisely why his concerns had run so deep.
“Specifically, the Zipple likely needed to verify Joshua’s capabilities. To be precise, they want to see if Joshua and Mother possess the strength to protect the family in Father’s stead. The world’s strongest swordsmanship clan… Hasn’t an era arrived where we can no longer survive on that name alone?”
The mysterious power of the Kinzelo Leader, the chaos wielded by Bubar, the Master Artisans, the Viment Demons, the Zipple’s mass-produced bio-golems and flying ships, their spacetime devices, and their manipulation of history.
Amidst it all, Runcandel was holding on by the strength of the sword alone. At least, that was how things had appeared on the surface until now.
“Therefore, the moment we begin our infiltration, the Zipple will have already achieved part of their goal. After all, they couldn’t have created such a perfect infiltration route without the Prophet’s power.”
“I see. Then what’s the third reason? Setting aside the method for a moment, what’s the purpose? What benefit does the 2nd Flagbearer’s death bring to the family?”
Though he was asking, Dipus had already reached his own conclusion. He knew exactly how Joshua’s death would impact the family.
‘If the Youngest and I kill the 2nd Flagbearer during this mission, the family will inevitably face a schism. That’s when we must purge the old guard and reorganize.’
Scraping away the rot of Rosa and Joshua’s Runcandel. That was the reorganization Dipus envisioned. It had been his goal ever since Jin had used Mary to bring the existence of the ‘First Patriarch’s Legacy’ to the family’s attention.
The siblings—especially Dipus and Mary—no longer respected Rosa’s favoritism. The premise that ‘Rosa always makes decisions for the good of the family’ had been shattered. From that point on, Dipus saw Rosa’s favoritism as the primary cancer destroying the family.
‘Of course, Joshua and Mother’s usefulness hasn’t completely vanished. After the purge, I’ll have to settle things with Mother as well. The being called the Prophet is likely under Mother’s practical control, not Joshua’s.’
And after that? The remaining flagbearers would continue their struggle for the throne and restore the dignity of the old Runcandel by finding the First Patriarch’s legacy. They had to sever the curse shackling the family and usher in the brilliant era of the magic sword that Jin had briefly demonstrated.
Even though they were rivals for the throne, Dipus was in favor of Jin’s declaration of the Magic Sword Return.
Jin seemed to see right through the future Dipus was currently imagining. The series of thoughts certainly formed a coherent plan.
‘The path Brother Dipus envisions is the most straightforward one. The problem is that there’s no way Joshua would send his true self to such a dangerous place instead of a clone. Since Brother Dipus doesn’t know that, he sees this as a golden opportunity to change the family and has jumped at my proposal.’
Hiding a bitter smile, Jin met Dipus’s eyes.
“It feels like you’re grading my answers, Brother. You ask what benefit his death brings the family? It’s an opportunity to cut out the rotten cycle of favoritism and purify the clan. Even if Joshua dies, the Prophet will remain bound to Mother, so we can decide how to handle that person’s abilities then.”
Dipus’s eyes widened. He felt a strange sense of kinship, realizing that Jin shared his exact thoughts. He only lamented that the Youngest wasn’t a perfect ally like Mary.
“Brother Dipus, to be honest, I didn’t intend to make this proposal to you. I figured I could kill Joshua just fine on my own. But Sister Mary asked me to look out for you. She told me to make sure you and I both come back unhurt.”
“Mary said something so unlike her? That gives me the creeps. Since when were you the type to be moved by such sentimental words?”
“I’m not, usually, but I’m human too. Sometimes I feel a sense of family, and sometimes I want to return a blood relative’s goodwill. That’s why I told you my plan in advance—so you wouldn’t get hurt while I was in the process of killing Joshua. It just so happens that you and I share the same goal.”
That much, at least, was sincere.
“Is this enough of an answer?”
Dipus nodded and extended his hand to Jin.
“As you said, a beautiful moment of sibling unity. Temporary as it may be.”
As Jin took his hand, he felt a slight pang of conscience for the first time in a while.
‘Well… even if it’s just the death of a clone, I’ll make sure it results in a tangible benefit for the family. Brother Dipus will have to understand.’
And even if he didn’t, once everything was over, Dipus would only look foolish if he tried to argue.
Provided, of course, that everything went according to Jin’s plan.
“Now, tell me the plan to kill him. There will be countless variables, so let’s put our heads together and minimize the problems before we infiltrate.”
*
February 28, 1800. 2:00 AM.
The operation began as the enforcement knights struck their tents and withdrew.
Jin, Murakan, Dipus, Joshua, and two Black Knights. The six of them, clad in infiltration gear, sprinted through the tunnels beneath the Sota Desert. The tunnel, which led from the campsite to the secret shipyard, had been created in advance by Joshua using the Prophet's power.
After running in silence for a long time, they finally reached the entrance to the shipyard, where they were met with an unexpected sight.
“...It seems some rats used our tunnel first,” Joshua said, his gaze fixed on a round object lying at his feet.
It was a human head. A quick glance at the face revealed it was one of the shipyard’s managers.
“It looks like Kinzelo’s work, 2nd Flagbearer,” one of the Black Knights said.
The moment he finished speaking…
Boom—!
From deep within the shipyard, the sound of shattering and explosions began to drift toward them.
“...It seems the beasts have already started making a mess,” Joshua spat, peering down the dark tunnel.