Chapter 7: Black Dragon Murakan (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 7: Black Dragon Murakan (1)
‘I’d heard stories that the Black Dragon Murakan fell into a long slumber after being defeated by the First Patriarch... but to think it was here.’
Jin didn’t know much about Murakan. Even within the family, the Black Dragon was a topic rarely discussed. There was simply more to say about the dragons currently active than one that had long since vanished.
The glass coffin was smooth, without a speck of dust. This wasn't because someone cleaned it every day, but rather due to the faint mana enveloping the case.
When he placed his palm against it, a sudden chill seeped through. Jin swallowed hard and began to walk again.
‘That was quite a sight.’
If it were a living, active dragon, it might be a different story, but there was nothing to be gained from a sleeping Murakan. Right now, finding the secret manuals was more important than staring at a dormant dragon.
‘It’s larger than I imagined.’
The basement seemed wider than the central hall of Storm Castle. However, because it was desolate and devoid of any decorations, finding the library where the secret manuals were kept was easy.
Creeeeak...
As he slid open a single door, the library immediately came into view. For the secret library of the Runcandel Clan, it was surprisingly sparse, consisting of nothing more than a single bookshelf and a few chairs. But that was more than enough. After all, there could only be so many secret manuals from the world's great martial families.
‘The secret manuals!’
The items tucked into the single, narrow bookshelf, which barely stood over 150 centimeters tall, were books that various families across the world had once risked their lives to protect. They were the essence of martial arts, readable only by the Flagbearers of Runcandel.
Suppressing his excitement, Jin checked the manuals on the shelf one by one.
‘The Meyer family’s martial arts, the Tifun family’s techniques, the Yuron family’s spearmanship, the Chagal family, the Atilla family’s swordsmanship... there are so many.’
He even saw several manuals from the Kungen family, which had been annihilated 200 years ago after attacking Storm Castle. Jin’s hands trembled slightly as he picked them up one by one.
It was a tremor born of excitement.
Before being exiled from Runcandel, how much had he yearned to one day become a Flagbearer and come here? Memories of his past sorrowful days flashed through his mind.
Of course, he hadn't come here as a Flagbearer this time either. Despite bearing the name ‘Runcandel,’ he was nothing more than a thief who had snuck in.
But Jin didn't mind.
Wasn't becoming stronger by any means necessary one of the virtues of Runcandel? Besides, he planned to return to this basement in a few years as a true Flagbearer anyway.
‘Where should I start?’
It was a happy dilemma. Was this how his brothers felt when they used to sneak peeks at erotic picture books behind their nannies' backs? Jin grinned widely as he scanned the manuals.
He didn't have much time today.
Two hours.
The free time Jin had gained by claiming he wanted to mourn the bird was two hours. Once that time passed, Gilly would come looking for him. It was like having a table full of delicacies but being forced to choose only a few.
‘But today isn't the only day. I can keep coming back under the pretext of mourning the bird or meditating.’
Slide.
A book was pulled from the shelf. The first manual Jin chose was a compilation of the Kungen family’s swordsmanship.
‘Third Brother once mentioned there was a lot to learn here... so I’ll start with this.’
There were three Kungen manuals in total. Jin pulled out the other two shelved next to it and sat down in a chair.
Originally, there were over ten Kungen manuals, but most were lost when the family was destroyed by Runcandel 200 years ago. Runcandel had intentionally destroyed them. Therefore, the remaining three could be considered the absolute essence of Kungen swordsmanship.
Flip, flip.
He turned the pages quickly. Although they were secret manuals, the content at the beginning of the first volume was mostly the same old talk about the basics of swordsmanship and the mindset of a knight.
The pages, which had been turning briskly, stopped around the middle. Jin’s eyes deepened as he stared at the text. The book, which had been describing basics, was suddenly filled with content so difficult it was impossible to understand.
‘Oho... a secret manual is a secret manual after all. This is tough.’
Though written in the Continental Common Language, most of it was incomprehensible to Jin’s current level of swordsmanship.
Just before his sudden death in the Akin Kingdom, twenty-eight-year-old Jin had achieved the 3-star rank in swordsmanship. Compared to those considered ‘decent,’ he was on the slower side, and compared to the Runcandel average, his level was pathetically low.
However, considering it had only taken him six months to reach 3-star after contracting with Solderet, it was actually a staggering achievement. The problem was that 3-star swordsmanship theory wasn't enough to understand the Kungen manuals.
But Jin hadn't failed to anticipate this.
He had brought a notebook and a pencil.
Jin pulled them from his robe and began to copy the manual. He was transcribing it. In two hours, he estimated he could transcribe about ten pages. Back when he was a mage, he had done so much transcribing that the fingerprints on his pencil-holding fingers had nearly disappeared.
Ten pages a day.
Jin still had three years left before he had to leave Storm Castle. If he copied ten pages every day for three years, he would have more than enough time to write down every single manual.
‘Besides, as I continue to study, I’ll start to understand them bit by bit, and there will be many books I won't even need to transcribe.’
Scratch, scratch...
The only sound in the silent basement was the pencil scratching against the paper. Exactly one hour passed by the time he filled ten pages, and Jin retraced his steps to exit the basement. He covered the hole in the wall again using Earth Resonance and soil.
* * *
Two months passed like that. During that time, Jin managed to transcribe the three Kungen swordsmanship manuals and two Meyer-style martial arts manuals.
Vitality had returned to his dull and desolate days at Storm Castle. There had never been a time when waking up in the morning was as enjoyable as it was lately.
‘What excuse should I use to go to the basement today? Mourning? Meditation? No... I said that yesterday and the day before.’
Recently, a rumor had been circulating among the servants of Storm Castle that Jin was possessed by the ghost of the dead bird. Since he had been visiting the grave site every day for two months under the pretext of mourning or meditation, it was only natural for such a rumor to spread. Furthermore, the Tona brothers, having heard the rumor, were somehow becoming even more afraid of Jin than before.
‘Hmm. Should I... create a reason that makes it okay to go there every day?’
He thought about it for a long while, but nothing came to mind. How could he justify visiting a hole at the grave site every single day?
Soon, Jin changed his mind.
‘There’s no need to justify it. If I say I’m going there every day, who in this castle would dare stop me?’
The Guardian Knights already served him as ‘Jin Runcandel’ rather than just a child, and the servants weren't people he needed to convince in the first place. The Tona brothers were terrified of him, so there was no need to worry about them.
The problem was Gilly.
A nanny was different from Guardian Knights or servants. They were figures who could exercise influence over the children they were in charge of.
“Nanny Gilly.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“I’m thinking of going there again today.”
“Again today...?”
A look of worry immediately clouded Gilly’s eyes.
Sigh.
Gilly let out a deep sigh and stroked Jin’s hair.
“Young Master. It’s sad, but that bird is already dead. Two months have passed. I’ve been so worried I can’t even sleep.”
“I’ve already forgotten about the bird. The reason I go to the grave site every day is actually just because I like it there.”
“You... you like it there? Young Master, you mustn't like grave sites. It’ll bring bad luck!”
“What do you mean, bad luck?”
“Graves are the homes of the dead. Nothing good comes from being near them. You should be surrounding yourself with good energy, Young Master.”
‘Good grief, even the nannies in Runcandel are superstitious,’ Jin thought, shaking his head inwardly.
“No, I’m going to keep liking the grave site.”
“Young Master!”
“Nanny. Think about it carefully. I am the youngest son of Runcandel.”
As Jin adopted a serious tone, Gilly’s eyes widened.
“Why all of a sudden...?”
“Born as a Runcandel, how many graves will I create in this world throughout my life? Actually, I’m currently trying to understand ‘death’ in my own way. That’s why I go there every day—to get used to it.”
“Ah.”
A sharp intake of breath escaped Gilly’s lips.
Her thoughts momentarily halted as she stared blankly at her young master. A young master who, at a mere seven years old, was already facing the destiny of one born as a ‘predator’ of Runcandel.
Of course, that was entirely Gilly’s misunderstanding.
Since this was his second life, Jin was simply manipulating the younger Gilly as he pleased. Honestly, who would say such things at seven years old? No matter how harsh the environment of Runcandel was.
Nevertheless, Gilly and the others had no choice but to believe Jin’s words and actions. It was only natural, as they couldn't even imagine that he had regressed.
‘A deep change must have occurred within the Young Master after he met the Patriarch. He must have told him something incredible.’
Gilly’s expression softened as she bowed her head.
“...If that is the case, I will not stop you. I have no doubt that you will become a magnificent knight who will carry Runcandel on your shoulders. Hearing your honest thoughts makes me very proud.”
“Thanks, Gilly. From now on, until I leave Storm Castle, I’ll be visiting the grave site for an hour or two every day.”
“Yes, Young Master.”
“And I don’t want to be disturbed during that time. You understand what I mean, right?”
“I will inform the Guardian Knights as well. And Young Master.”
“Yeah?”
“As your nanny, and as an adult, if I may add one thing... thinking too much at such a young age might not always be good. Please, try to surround yourself with pleasant things once in a while.”
“I will, I’ll make sure to do that. Gilly. Then, um. Could you prepare strawberry pie for my snack later? With plenty of honey.”
A bright smile returned to Gilly’s stiff face.
“I’ll bake a delicious one for you. Have a safe trip.”
Jin left the room with a wide grin.
‘Success! Now I can focus on transcribing without feeling anxious.’
Over the past two months, there had been many frightening moments whenever he visited the basement. If a Guardian Knight or Gilly had come to the hole and discovered him, the family would have been turned upside down.
‘Since Father has shown interest in me now, I wouldn't have been killed even if I were caught, but it would have caused quite a headache.’
He found himself humming. Even using Earth Resonance to move the soil felt rhythmic and cheerful today.
Today, he planned to transcribe the final chapter of the Meyer family’s martial arts.
Scratch, scratch!
As he transcribed the martial arts, savoring the thrill of having his freedom guaranteed for the next three years, he wondered if this was the blessing of regression.
‘Meyer-style martial arts doesn't seem as difficult as Kungen swordsmanship. Though, what on earth does the phrase "unifying the body with aura" mean... I’ll find out eventually.’
An hour passed.
Because he had been transcribing without rest, his thin, soft fingers throbbed. Just as he was about to take a three-minute break—
Click...
The sound came from beyond the sliding door. Startled, Jin reflexively bolted upright.
It was the sound of the Black Dragon Murakan's glass coffin sliding open.