Chapter 504: Blackmail (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 504: Blackmail (3)
The group silently drew their swords. Through the hazy sandstorm, it was impossible to immediately identify the approaching figure.
The silhouette drew closer without a hint of intimidation, a fact that only filled the group with a mounting sense of anxiety.
"…It doesn't seem to be the Zipple. They haven't fired a signal flare," Joshua said in a low voice.
As he noted, had it been the Zipple, the figure would have fired a flare the moment they confirmed the Runcandels’ presence.
The distance between them gradually closed.
A person was carrying an absurdly large and crude sword on their back. It was almost too large to be called a sword, and its shape was bizarre. The Runcandels felt a flicker of recognition; they had heard of someone who used such a weapon.
It looked more like an axe than a sword. There was only one person in the world known to wield such a weapon: Luna Runcandel, their eldest sister, the White Whale.
At least, that had been the case until recently.
Not long ago, at the Black King Mountain Fortress, Jin and Murakan had encountered someone else who swung an axe-sword—Luna’s signature weapon—as if it were a mere toy.
Could it be…!
Dammit, is it that crazy dragon?
The memory of that day surfaced in both their minds simultaneously. The other Runcandels, however, had no idea who this could be, knowing it couldn't possibly be Luna.
Soon, they came face-to-face with the figure.
She had a face so pale and beautiful it seemed to glow even amidst the sandstorm, and a physique so slender it was jarring to see her carrying such a massive axe-sword.
It was the Demon Dragon, Zephyrin.
"Wow, Lord Jin, and Lord Murakan the Black Dragon. What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you here!"
Sandra was the first to react to Zephyrin’s appearance.
"Uh, who are you? Are you friends with Jin?"
"Hmm? Oh, Sandra Zipple? Why do you ask? What will you do if we are?"
"If you're close friends, I’ll treat you like an older sister. If not, I’ll treat you like a cute little sister I can boss around."
Murakan jabbed Sandra in the shoulder. Taking this as a clear sign they were not on friendly terms, Sandra, who had been wavering, began to radiate hostility.
"I almost made a mistake. Why are you acting all friendly and confusing me, you piece of trash?"
"My, what a foul mouth. Do you think your semi-immortality makes you untouchable? You might just end up in a grave, little Bio-Golem."
"Ha? Shall we see who dies first, you or me?"
"How cute. Did becoming a Bio-Golem mess with your head, too?"
Seeing Zephyrin speak with a beaming smile reminded Jin and Murakan of the grueling battle they had fought that day.
—The Kinzelo Leader. I suspect she’s his dragon.
—That unpleasant bastard? It’s possible. The authority he showed during the terror attack on the Sword Emperor Castle was godlike.
—…Lord Murakan, and 12th Flagbearer. It seems we have no hope if this fight drags on.
—No hope if it drags on? It’s worse than that. We absolutely cannot win against her.
To think they would face Zephyrin right after escaping Hedo… it was just one obstacle after another.
At any other time, there really would have been no hope.
But not now. Tucked away in Jin’s robes were the very items Zephyrin had come for.
Joshua, Dipus, and Jane still hadn't deduced Zephyrin’s identity, but they could tell she was extraordinary. They knew because Murakan, despite his usual temperament, wasn't immediately resorting to profanity or showing any desire to fight.
In truth, Murakan’s mouth was itching to let loose a torrent of curses, but he was holding back. If they fought Zephyrin now, Jin could die.
It wasn't just a matter of dealing with Zephyrin, either. If a battle broke out, the Zipple pursuit teams would inevitably join in. Kinzelo’s forces, including the Gruneil, could also give chase.
Instead of Murakan, it was Sandra who was incessantly spewing curses and insults—words so vile that even the worst thugs in a back-alley marketplace would hesitate to use them. Where on earth had she learned such things?
Meanwhile, Jin was inwardly breathing a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, this is just as I expected.
Just as the other Runcandels were reading the atmosphere from Murakan’s attitude, Jin was assessing the situation through Zephyrin’s.
It’s certain now. The ship blueprints and the machine from the 2nd Magic Tower’s vault are incredibly important to Kinzelo.
This had already been proven by the resources and manpower Kinzelo had deployed, but Zephyrin’s actions made it even clearer.
The Zephyrin Jin remembered was not someone who prioritized words when a problem arose. Her style was to stab first, without preamble or warning.
Yet here she was, narrowing her eyes and choosing to talk.
"Now, it seems long explanations won't be necessary," she said. "And I can't stand to listen to that Bio-Golem’s screeching any longer. Lord Jin, hand over the items you stole from the vault."
"And if I refuse?"
"You will all be slaughtered. By my hand. Are you really curious about something so obvious?"
At the word 'slaughtered,' the other Runcandels felt another surge of humiliation. First Hedo, and now this woman—everyone was looking down on them.
But there was nothing they could do.
That was what it meant to be weak. Since being born as pure-blooded Runcandels and becoming Flagbearers, they had never tasted such disgrace—let alone twice in one day.
While his siblings trembled with rage, the smile Jin was suppressing grew wider.
I’ve practically won.
Setting aside pure martial prowess, the situation and conditions were all turning in his favor.
Even at the Black King Mountain Fortress, Zephyrin seemed determined not to kill me. It’s likely because killing me would cause problems with obtaining Solderet’s contract.
If so, the same applied now.
Unless Kinzelo had made some extraordinary breakthrough in the meantime, Zephyrin still couldn't kill him.
Furthermore, this was the Lutero Magic Federation, specifically near Drakka. If a fight broke out, it would turn into a scramble between Kinzelo and the Zipple. In that scenario, the Zipple were far more likely to capture him, one way or another. Kinzelo would lose not only the items but Jin as well—an immeasurable loss.
"Slaughter? You say that so easily, Zephyrin."
"Do you think I can't do it?"
"Yes."
"It seems you're acting confident because you landed a lucky hit on me last time, but I’m not in a very good mood today."
At the time, Murakan had judged that they could never defeat Zephyrin. She, too, had seemed unable to use her full power for some reason, much like Murakan himself.
Ultimately, however, Zephyrin had been the one to leave the battlefield at the Black King Mountain Fortress without achieving her goal. It was because she had taken unexpected damage from Tess’s power.
She probably hasn't fully recovered from that blow.
Of course, he couldn't be certain, but his intuition screamed it. It told him that he could afford to push her.
"So what? Do you want me to get on my knees and beg?"
"So you're going to be uncooperative to the end? Ah, it must be because you believe I won't kill you unless I absolutely have to."
"Since you know that, why waste your breath on useless threats?"
"I said 'unless I absolutely have to.' And even if I leave you alive, there’s no problem at all if I kill the little sister on your back, your brothers, or that Black Knight. Wouldn't that be sad?"
"Then stop talking and try it. Go ahead."
"Yeah, do what Jin said! Don't just bark if you can't bite!" Sandra shouted.
As Jin and Sandra spoke at the same time, Zephyrin’s lips twitched. The effort to maintain her smile while her rage boiled over manifested as a slight tremor.
A chilling silence hung in the air.
The group could see that Zephyrin was exercising extreme patience. In fact, she was debating whether she should just kill everyone, orders be damned.
"You have the look of someone about to pounce, Zephyrin."
Jin handed Yona over to Murakan and slowly pulled the blueprints and the machine from his robes. Holding one in each hand, he waved them slightly.
"Since you're looking at me so terrifyingly, I got scared and had no choice but to take these out."
"…Hand them over."
"I don't think you understand yet. Whoa, whoa, don't move. If you keep threatening us, I don't know what might happen to these items that both our sides went through so much trouble to get."
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a bright red flame erupted from Jin’s left hand, the one holding the blueprints. It was a fire formed from pure mana.
Zephyrin froze like a statue, her eyes widening. The other Runcandels had the same reaction.
Just how much effort had gone into obtaining those items?
"Stop!"
"You're the one who should stop with the half-baked threats, Zephyrin. You said you're not in a good mood today? Well, neither am I. I feel like I could just destroy all of this right now. Once the blueprints are ash, I won't hesitate for a second before smashing the machine."
Crackle, sizzle…!
Though the flame contained only the mana of a 3-star mage, to everyone watching, it looked like an absolute catastrophe. Sandra, of course, was once again marveling at him.
"Jin Runcandel, you bastard…!"
"This is how you blackmail someone, isn't it? Don't you think you were being a bit arrogant for someone who came here clutching at straws, Zephyrin?"
"If anything happens to those items, you're all dead."
"I know. I'm just taking a gamble. Let's see whose hand is stronger."
The blueprints were, of course, protected by magic. However, it was only a simple spell meant to preserve a single sheet of paper. With sensitive Rune characters marked all over it, the document would be irreparably damaged within seconds.
Clutching at straws.
Jin’s words weren't wrong. Kinzelo and Zephyrin had known the situation was unfavorable the moment they set out to find him. They just hadn't expected Jin to be this firm.
To be precise, Vishkel and Margiella had anticipated it, but they had sent Zephyrin with the faint hope that Jin, pushed to his limit by the Zipple and Hedo, might let his guard down for a moment.
They were wrong. Once again, Jin remained unfazed, unhesitatingly using every tool at his disposal.
"…Put it out!"
"I can't just put it out."
"I won't attack, so put it out, now!"
Yes, you can put it out now, Youngest. Hurry! It’s burning, it’s burning!
The siblings were thinking the exact same thing as Zephyrin. Though Jin hadn't explained, they now understood the situation perfectly.
But Jin shook his head once more.
Joshua almost shouted at him to put out the fire.
"That’s not quite enough. There’s one more condition."
"Argh, dammit, you cursed, devilish bastard! What else could you possibly want!?"
Jin smirked.
"Since you and Kinzelo lost the gamble, you have to pay the price."
"Just say it already!"
"Zephyrin. Until we leave the Lutero Magic Federation, you will escort the Runcandels and protect us from the Zipple. If you agree, I’ll put out the fire."
Before Jin could even finish his sentence, Zephyrin was already nodding her head vigorously.