Chapter 675: Recruitment Attempt
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 675: Recruitment Attempt
Tikan, Litra Tea House.
“Jin, did you know? I’ve been in a great mood lately.”
Crunch!
Sandra spoke as she bit into a Litra Cookie.
Sitting beside her, Hedo expressionlessly wiped the crumbs from the corners of her mouth. Jin couldn’t help but think the two of them looked more like a father and daughter than a butler and his lady.
“Usually, in a situation like this, it’s polite to ask why I’m so happy, you know?”
“To think the word ‘polite’ could even come out of your mouth, My Lady… It is truly…”
“Truly what?”
“Moving. I hope you continue to contemplate the meaning of politeness and dignity in the future.”
“Whatever. You’re the impolite one, just by existing. Those unnecessarily bulky muscles of yours—they intimidate normal people, you know?”
“Please stop spilling cookie crumbs. Why is it that you still can’t eat without making a mess, just like when you were five?”
“Why should I bother when you always clean up after me, Hedo?”
“Then I suppose I should stop helping you, starting today.”
“Then I’ll tear you limb from limb!”
Jin felt like he was watching a comedy routine. A smirk crept onto his face as he listened to their banter.
“So, why are you in such a good mood, Sandra Zipple?”
“Because I get to see you so often these days! Why ask something so obvious? Haha.”
“Hmm… I see.”
He was about to ask a pure-blooded Zipple and a mysterious, superhuman Tower Keeper to betray their family.
Aside from Veradin, Jin had never imagined a day would come when he would say such things to another Zipple.
‘The one holding the key isn’t Sandra. It’s Hedo.’
On the surface, Hedo was absolutely obedient to Sandra, but Jin believed that the one with the real power in their relationship was Hedo.
Of course, Hedo followed Sandra’s orders even when they made little sense.
However, there was a clear line. If Sandra made a demand that crossed it, Hedo would never comply. Sandra might curse or nag, but that was as far as it went.
The final decision-making power rested with Hedo.
“Because you always show your feelings so openly, My Lady, the 12th Flagbearer thinks he can summon us whenever he pleases. In a romance, you need the mystery of a good ‘push and pull.’ At this rate, Jin Runcandel will never find you charming.”
“Hmm… I suppose that’s worth considering. But as far as I know, you’ve never been in a relationship, Hedo. How do you know so much?”
“There are twenty-four hours in a day, My Lady. On average, I am not with you for about five of them.”
“So you’ve been using those five hours to date? Tower Keeper,” Jin asked.
He was genuinely curious. Hedo was the Second Head Butler and Tower Keeper in name only; in reality, he performed the duties of a top-tier Zipple executive.
If that were the case, his workload during the five hours he wasn’t with Sandra should have been substantial. Jin wondered if dating was even possible in that time.
“…Yes. Is that strange?”
“It’s a bit surprising. It seems the position of a top Zipple executive isn’t as busy as I thought.”
“Oh my god, Jin! I can’t believe you’re more interested in Hedo than me! Are you crazy, Hedo?! Are you trying to seduce him?”
“I am not a top executive, 12th Flagbearer. I am merely a butler.”
“Merely a butler, you say…?”
Jin’s eyes narrowed.
“In that case, I’d like to make you a job offer.”
There was no need to beat around the bush.
“I love it!”
Sandra’s eyes sparkled as she nodded immediately, but Hedo’s gaze turned sharp.
“A job offer?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you realize what you’re saying right now?”
“I know exactly what I’m saying.”
“Then I will act as if I didn’t hear it.”
“Hedo, why are you being like this again?!”
“This isn’t a matter of ‘again,’ My Lady. The 12th Flagbearer is asking us to betray our family.”
“What’s wrong with that? I’ve been telling you we should do that for a while now.”
“You can say such things because your mind is a bit… scattered, My Lady. But these are words the 12th Flagbearer should not be uttering. An alliance is only temporary. In the end, Zipple and Runcandel are incompatible.”
—It was only a few years ago that you almost killed him in the Sota Desert. Back then, you overwhelmed Jin and his entire party. How about now?
—What are you referring to?
—Do you think you could win?
—I don’t think so. I expected as much after he tore through the Garden of Swords alone, but seeing him up close is a different feeling entirely.
—See! With Jin, there’s definitely a chance. I didn’t think so at first either, so it’s not your fault, Hedo. So, how about we do what I said last time… Ah, you startled me!
This was a conversation Sandra and Hedo had shared on the Caldran Snowy Plains.
In truth, Sandra had been trying to convince Hedo to side with Jin for some time. Hedo, however, stubbornly refused.
“Is it simply because of the long-standing grudge between Zipple and Runcandel?”
“Yes.”
“You aren’t a pure-blooded Zipple. It doesn’t seem like you have any particular personal grudge against Runcandel or the Barmul Alliance.”
“Exactly! You’re not pure-blooded. I’m the pure-blooded one, and I’m saying I’ll betray them, so why the hell are you stopping me?!”
“I have no personal grudge. But I feel one starting to form. Don’t you think you are exploiting My Lady’s affection far too much?”
“Exploiting me? So what? Even if he is, what’s wrong with that? I like it!”
“It might look that way. But I’m not saying this just for my own benefit, or for the Alliance, or for Runcandel. I’m saying this for both of your sakes.”
Jin was being sincere.
Of course, he couldn’t fathom Sandra’s feelings for him and found her very existence to be an enigma.
However, after weathering several incidents with her over the years, he had developed a sense of camaraderie and even pity for her.
Because of that, Jin was certain that as long as Sandra remained with the Zipples, her future would inevitably be tragic.
“Sandra, could you give us a moment?”
“I don’t want to.”
“Just stay here, My Lady.”
“I’ll make you dinner later. Just give us thirty minutes.”
“Fine. I’ll go have tea with Enya. I’ll be back!”
Once Sandra disappeared, only Jin and Hedo remained in the tea house. Hedo, looking displeased, took off his glasses to wipe them before pulling out a cigarette.
“This is a non-smoking area.”
Hedo’s muscles bulged, and a button popped off his shirt, flying toward Jin. Flick. He lit the cigarette and consumed it in a single, long drag.
Gray smoke briefly obscured the space between the two men.
“Since you’ve crossed the line, I see no reason to maintain my manners.”
“I can understand that. Tower Keeper, from what I can see, your loyalty isn’t to the Zipple clan, but to Sandra Zipple.”
To Sandra Zipple, not the Zipple family.
That was something Jin had sensed from the moment he first met Hedo. He didn’t know the origin of that absolute loyalty, but he was certain that if Hedo had to choose between the Zipple family and Sandra, he would choose the latter without hesitation.
“Am I wrong?”
Instead of answering, Hedo pulled out another cigarette and lit it.
“I’ll take that as a yes. That’s why I find this even harder to understand. If Sandra Zipple remains with her family, how do you think it will end for her?”
“It will be the same as it is now.”
“I met Veradin not long ago. He’d lost his memories and become a Magic Swordsman Bio-Golem—a completely different person. I can’t help but think Sandra will eventually be sacrificed in some experiment and end up the same way.”
“That will never happen to My Lady, Jin Runcandel.”
“Because you’ll protect her?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t understand. Does the protection you speak of include condoning a certain level of experimentation on her?”
Sandra was already a Bio-Golem. She had somehow gained a portion of the Authority of Time and possessed Super-regeneration, along with physical abilities unbecoming of a mage.
“I suspect Sandra Zipple’s peculiar mental state is not entirely unrelated to the experiments she’s undergone.”
“Lady Sandra was always strange. It has nothing to do with the experiments.”
“If that’s true, then that’s a relief. But is there any guarantee it will stay that way? If she turns out like Veradin, can you still call that person Sandra Zipple?”
“That is not for you to judge.”
“It’s not for you to judge, either. It’s for Sandra herself to decide. Besides, what kind of protection is that? You’ll allow experiments as long as she isn’t completely broken, and you’ll protect her from anything beyond that? Is that really the logic you’re using to keep her by your side?”
“I came here today to answer your call regarding the identity of my sword, not to Tikan with the intention of becoming a traitor. And the experiments…”
As if a memory had surfaced, Hedo’s brow furrowed.
“…were what My Lady wanted.”
“That’s a cowardly thing to say. Even if Sandra wanted it, you can’t possibly think it was right to let her become a test subject. Or did you decide she needed at least that level of regenerative ability to be protected in any situation?”
“Then what can you do for her?”
“What?”
Hedo stood up from his seat.
“Let’s say Lady Sandra betrays Zipple. What then? Can you and the Barmul Alliance always protect her as your top priority? Even if the entire Alliance is facing annihilation, could you put Lady Sandra first?”
“Naturally, that’s impossible.”
“You are certainly strong. You might even be stronger than me now. But even after your fight with Rosa is over and the alliance is broken, I still cannot envision you defeating Zipple. Even if I were to serve you and add my strength to yours, it would be the same.”
“So, you’re saying you’ll bet Sandra’s life on the side you believe has a higher probability of success.”
“Yes. Even if Lord Cyron had made this offer instead of you, I would have refused. Now that I’ve made myself clear, I hope you understand and give up.”
“In that case, can I take this to mean you’ll accept my offer when I possess the power to completely overwhelm Zipple?”
Hedo nodded without a moment’s hesitation.
“Anytime. If you can give me that kind of certainty, I might just beg you to take me and My Lady in, even if you refuse.”