Chapter 56: Out into the World (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 56: Out into the World (2)
The first task for reserve flagbearers leaving the Garden of Swords to build their reputation is to depart from the Huphester Alliance.
Jin and his companions had erased every trace of their Runcandel identities. The robes they wore over their clothes bore no black sword emblem, and their bags contained no family crests.
Since Jin’s face was not yet widely known, he didn’t need an elaborate disguise, but he did make a few small changes. He trimmed his black hair, which had previously reached his shoulders, into a shorter style. As for Gilly, while ‘Gilly McLoran the Warrior’ was more famous than ‘Gilly the Nanny,’ her time in the spotlight had fortunately been brief.
The names on their identification papers and travel permits were aliases as well: Jin Gray and Gilly Pitten. The forgeries were high-quality, good enough to grant them entry into the capital of the Viment Empire without issue.
Nevertheless, within the Huphester Alliance, anyone could guess they were reserve flagbearers of the Runcandel Clan. It was only natural, as Huphester was essentially Runcandel territory.
Therefore, their first step was to cross the sea to a land beyond the reach of Runcandel’s influence.
“Lady Luna will be disappointed. So will the cadets in your faction, Young Master. Are you sure it’s alright to leave without saying goodbye?”
“It’s fine. My sister is a free spirit herself, and saying goodbye to the cadets feels a little awkward. It’s not like I’m going off to die.”
However, just as they were about to pass through the main gate of the Garden of Swords, nine cadets appeared to meet them.
“What’s this? Isn’t it training time? Uncle Zed is going to have a fit.”
“Please return safely!”
“Please return safely!”
The cadets offered a sword salute in perfect unison. Jin watched them for a moment before a smile broke across his face.
“When I return, I expect you all to be stronger than I can imagine. Make sure not a single one of you dies or gets left behind. And be prepared for the punishment you’ll get for skipping training to see me off.”
After bumping fists with each of them, Jin’s group made their way toward the docks.
It feels strange. This is completely different from last time.
In his previous life, he had been stripped of his name and kicked out of this very castle at twenty-five. But now, leaving at fifteen as a reserve flagbearer, he was filled with a fresh sense of excitement.
Fifteen years since his rebirth.
It had taken that long to earn five years of freedom. The wait had felt especially long, as he’d been fully conscious since he was a one-year-old.
A hum escaped his lips.
Normally, Cyron didn’t grant reserve flagbearers a period as long as five years. The standard was to build a reputation and return to the clan within six months to two years, at most.
There’s only one reason Father gave me five years. He wants me to find the ultimate stage of spirit energy before I return.
Of course, it wasn’t as if Jin was a dutiful son who only listened to his father. His own goal was to complete his training in both magic and spiritual power.
Meanwhile, Cyron remained alone in the Mausoleum, lost in thought.
The youngest… I wonder if he will gain the power to free Runcandel from Zipple. I look forward to it.
Even though he had reached the realm of a demigod with nothing but a sword, he had been unable to break the covenant his ancestors had made with Zipple.
The youngest, the contractor of Solderet, was Runcandel’s only hope—though that hope was currently no more than a flickering candle in the wind.
* * *
A day later, the three of them were walking along a secluded forest path.
Most Runcandel reserve flagbearers chose the Mamit Lawless Zone as their first destination. It was a place crawling with villains who could be killed without a second thought, like a swarm of cockroaches.
Jin had considered going to Mamit as well.
Not to hunt villains, but because he thought his former magic teacher, who went by the name ‘Hister,’ might be there around this time.
But he couldn’t afford to waste time chasing a ghost from his past life.
He wouldn’t recognize me now anyway.
There would be time for a private reunion later.
Instead of the Mamit Lawless Zone, the first destination Jin chose was the Akin Kingdom.
The land where I died in my previous life.
There, he had been caught in an ambush by three 9-star knights and killed in his sleep. And after that, he had been granted a new life.
“Young Master, why the Akin Kingdom of all places?”
“Have you ever been to Akin, Gilly?”
“No.”
“When I was on the mission to the Colon Ruins, I overheard some mages talking. Apparently, unregistered mages have been causing quite a stir in the Akin Kingdom lately.”
“Unregistered mages?”
Unregistered mages were, as the name suggested, those who were not listed with the Magic Association. Most lived as criminals or vicious mercenaries.
“Yeah. It seems they’re teaming up with martial mercenaries and making life miserable for the people of Akin. I’m thinking of hunting them down first.”
Of course, Jin had never overheard such a thing. It was information from his past life. Anyone who had ever been to the Akin Kingdom knew it was overrun with unregistered mages and mercenaries.
The most prominent of these groups in Akin were all henchmen of an underworld organization called Tessing.
The underworld was Jin’s true objective. The underground auction house hosted by Tessing would be filled with items whose true value was not yet known to the world.
The items I need to acquire are a few magic tomes and a ring.
Most spells described in ancient magic tomes were written in archaic languages and codes, making them inferior to modern, improved magic. But occasionally, one could find legendary spells that transcended time.
And thanks to his great teacher, Jin knew the exact method to distinguish the gems from the dross.
Furthermore, there was a helmet artifact whose true value would only be revealed in five or six years, at which point it would receive an official name. That helmet, disguised as a ring, had been the dream of every martial artist in his past life.
“That’s a wonderful idea, Young Master. I always enjoyed catching villains back when I was active. I’m already getting excited!” Gilly said, clenching her fists.
Though her 7-star martial power, honed over a lifetime, had been sealed just yesterday, she was simply thrilled at the prospect of traveling the world with Jin and Murakan.
However, there was one major problem.
“Young Master… I don’t think we’ll be able to use the teleport gates to get to the Akin Kingdom. We’ll probably have to find the cheapest boat…”
They had no money.
In the Garden of Swords, one never had to worry about money. Now, the total amount in their pockets was a mere ten gold coins. With that, they couldn’t even afford a single ticket on a premium ship, let alone use a teleport gate. The wealthy life of a prestigious clan’s youngest son—where spending three thousand gold today meant you could spend five thousand tomorrow—was officially over.
Poof!
Murakan, who had been in the basket, transformed into his human form and stood on the road.
“Strawberry Pie! I knew this would happen, so I secretly brought a few volumes from my limited collection. Huhu, if we sell just one of these, a premium ship ticket will be nothing.”
“Lord Murakan, when did you… Um… wouldn’t it be a bit embarrassing to sell those?”
“Put them away, Murakan. I’m not so heartless as to make you sell your treasures,” Jin said.
“Young Master, if we grit our teeth and take them to the city peddlers, I think we could get about a hundred gold coins for them.”
“A hundred! I bought these for two thousand! I can’t sell them at that price!”
Murakan and Gilly bickered for a moment over the price of the erotic art books. Jin found them rather amusing before shaking his head.
“Both of you, stop. I have a plan for the money. Before we go to Akin, we’ll stop by the Jhan Kingdom tonight. There’s someone there I can squeeze for funds.”
“The Jhan Kingdom? What money are we going to use to get there?”
“We’ll ride Murakan. What are you waiting for? Transform.”
It had only been a day since they left the Garden of Swords, and it was still broad daylight. It was not an appropriate time for a legendary black dragon to be flying around recklessly.
“Oh, kid. Are you sure about this?”
“W-What! Young Master, you can’t! What if someone recognizes him? We haven’t even left Runcandel territory yet!”
“It’s fine. Who cares? You have to act out once in a while. Transform, quickly. We have a long way to go.”
Gilly didn’t even have time to stop them.
Whoosh!
Murakan had already revealed his true form as a black dragon and scooped the two of them into his claws.
[Hold on tight. We have to fly hard until nightfall to reach the Jhan Kingdom.]
The three of them soared across the skies of Huphester, heading toward the Jhan Kingdom.
Afterward, rumors of ‘a dragon sighting’ circulated in central Huphester for a while, but no one was able to confirm the truth.
Except for one person—Jin’s eldest sister.
“He’s a bold one, isn’t he? Flying off on a dragon as soon as he becomes a reserve flagbearer?”
Luna happened to be sitting on the balcony of her villa, drinking alone and thinking of her heartless youngest brother who had left so abruptly. She saw not only Murakan flying away but also the two figures riding on his back.
“A toast to my heartless brother. Hmph.”
* * *
“Uugh… Uuuurgh.”
Unfortunately, Gilly had a severe fear of heights. As soon as they landed on a small mountain near the capital of the Jhan Kingdom, she spent a long time trembling in terror.
“S-Strawberry Pie! Are you alright? Hey! Kid! It’s your fault Strawberry Pie is scared!”
“How is it my fault? It’s because your flying is so rough.”
“Because you told me to fly! Ah, Strawberry Pie. Yes, breathe slowly, slowly. That’s it.”
For a while, Jin and Murakan comforted Strawberry Pie—no, Gilly. She was shivering, her face pale as a sheet.
Murakan took the opportunity to pull her into a tight hug, showing remarkable spirit, and Gilly, whether she realized his intentions or not, did not push him away.
“This won’t do. I’ll look after Strawberry Pie. You go get the money, kid. Quickly.”
What the hell is this situation?
The thought crossed his mind, but Jin decided to just go along with it.
After running for two hours along mountain paths and main roads, Jin arrived at the grand estate of the Bill family. As expected of the residence of the Jhan Kingdom’s greatest merchant family, the mansion was visible from anywhere in the capital. As Jin approached the main gate, the guards blocked his path.
“What’s this? Run along, kid.”
Ha!
Hearing that cliché line made Jin feel strangely nostalgic. It was a line he had heard countless times during his past life, wandering through cities like a vagrant.
His hair was a mess from the long flight, and his travel-worn clothes lacked the black sword emblem. From the guards’ perspective, a boy showing up in the middle of the night was nothing but trouble.
“Is Sember Bill inside?”
When Jin abruptly dropped the name of the Bill family’s eldest grandson, the guards exchanged glances. His tone was commanding, that of someone used to being obeyed.
“Yes, he is. Excuse me, but who are you?”
I am Jin Runcandel.
Or, I’m an old friend. I was passing by and decided to drop in, so tell Sember to come out.
Neither was a good option. The first violated the rules a reserve flagbearer had to follow. The second would just make the guards insist on following procedure, forcing him to wait until morning.
“Thanks. And I’m sorry.”
Thwack!
Without warning, Jin struck the back of both men’s necks with his palms, knocking them unconscious. He then took out his entire fortune of ten gold coins, placed them neatly on their stomachs, and opened the gate to the Bill estate.
As luck would have it, Sember was sitting by the lake in the middle of the estate, looking melancholic. Thanks to that, Jin didn’t have to bother knocking out any other guards.
“Sember.”
“Who— Mmph, mmph!”
“Don’t scream. It’s me. Jin. The one who saved your life from Kinzelo.”
“Phew! Lord Jin! How did you get here?”
“You remember saying to let you know whenever I needed help, right?”
“Of course! How could I ever forget your grace, Lord Jin? If it weren’t for you, by now I would be…”
“Excellent. I’ll wait here. Go inside, grab some gold, and come back out.”