Chapter 780: What Happened Three Days Ago (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 780: What Happened Three Days Ago (1)
Three days ago, at the Tower of Stories.
On that day, a meeting of the Zipple leadership was underway, just as it was on any other. The clan was preoccupied with monitoring the movements of Runcandel and Kinzelo, plunging them into a series of hectic days. Today, however, an unusual tension hung over the conference room.
It was because Veradin had excluded Kadun from the meeting.
“…Young Lord, do you truly intend to proceed without summoning Lord Kadun?” Octavia asked.
“Young Lord, wouldn’t it be best to call for Lord Kadun, even now? He will be gravely offended,” Ronil added. Even Ronil, who had never before questioned Veradin’s judgment, felt his current treatment of the dragon was going too far.
When Kelliark was in his prime, Kadun had been the guardian dragon of the entire Zipple Clan, holding a status higher than even Andrei or Octavia.
It wasn’t as if Kadun had committed some blunder significant enough to warrant exclusion from leadership meetings.
Surprisingly, since being insulted by Veradin at the previous meeting, Kadun had shown no outward signs of rage in the conference hall. Even when unpleasant news regarding Runcandel was discussed, he had remained quiet, suppressing his temper.
“Is there any matter on the agenda that we cannot address because Lord Kadun is absent?”
Veradin had no intention of entertaining the leaders' requests.
“Young Lord, it’s not that, but… what is the reason for constantly provoking Lord Kadun like this?”
“I didn’t summon him because I’m tired of seeing him sit there with a sullen face like a pouting child in every meeting. It seems to me that Lord Kadun is the one provoking me, not the other way around. Does his position grant him the right to openly display his displeasure in my presence?”
“Young Lord! This 1st Magic Tower, the Tower of Stories, is the traditional domain of the Patriarch and Lord Kadun. If you exclude him from the meetings held here for such a trivial reason, how do you think he will feel?”
“This is a time to watch our enemies, not to worry about one individual’s mood.”
“You were the one who said cohesion is vital, Young Lord! Our enemies are uniting around Jin Runcandel and Orgal, yet our Zipple Clan is wasting time on this kind of petty power struggle. Do you hold some personal grudge against Lord Kadun?”
“Fine. In that case, let us move the meeting immediately. Shall we convene at Drakka instead of the Tower of Stories?”
“Must you be this way to the very end…! If you continue to act like this, I will find it difficult to trust your judgment, Young Lord. Not unless you provide a justifiable reason for excluding Lord Kadun from all important matters, not just these meetings.”
“And if there isn’t one?”
Octavia fell silent, met by Veradin’s cold eyes.
“If my father had done this instead of me, would you be acting the same way, Wraith Captain? What will you do if there is no reason? Will you start a rebellion? Or will you follow Lord Kadun and refuse to attend the meetings? That would also be a violation of my orders, which could be considered treason.”
“What? Treason…!”
“The Patriarch’s command is absolute. Even the old ghosts of Runcandel, who were former Patriarchs themselves, abide by that law. If you are doing this because my abilities seem inferior to Jin’s, I have nothing more to say, but I believe many in this clan have lost their minds lately.”
Octavia bit her lip and avoided Veradin’s gaze.
Why has he changed so much…?!
When Veradin—who had lost all his memories and become like a newborn—first regained his senses, it had been a moment of unparalleled joy for the Zipple Clan.
Furthermore, the returned Veradin had quickly taken control of the clan and even gained an authority similar to record magic. Thanks to him, they had concluded the war at the Land of the Malevolent God without significant losses and had partially filled the void left by Kelliark.
In Octavia’s eyes, however, the Veradin of late seemed to be losing his mind.
Is this a side effect of the mind control we performed? No, more than a side effect… this feels like retribution for that mind control. Lord Kadun was the one most deeply involved in manipulating that boy’s mind.
The moment that thought crossed her mind, another name flashed through it—the name of the person who had been even more deeply involved in Veradin’s mind control than Kadun.
The Patriarch…! If Veradin has gone mad and is seeking revenge against Lord Kadun, he might turn those demonic hands on the Patriarch as well!
Kelliark Zipple.
For several years now, he had been unable to leave the body maintenance device located on the top floor of the Tower of Stories.
And there were only two people in the Zipple Clan who could freely enter and exit the top floor of the Tower of Stories: the Fire Dragon Kadun and Veradin Zipple.
If Veradin were to attack Kelliark’s body maintenance device alone…
In his current state, Kelliark would be unable to fight back.
Goosebumps erupted across Octavia’s skin at the thought. It was a possibility she had never even considered until Veradin became so aggressive.
If what he’s doing is truly revenge, and if he has no intention of stopping…
She had to remove Veradin from power now. No matter how dangerous and chaotic the current situation was, she had to eliminate the possibility of Veradin murdering Kelliark.
“The Wraith Captain is one of those people. To think you would dare raise your voice at me simply because my treatment of Lord Kadun makes you uncomfortable. It seems you look down on me a great deal.”
“…I will be more careful in the future, Young Lord. My behavior was improper.”
“I hope you are sincere. I trust you won’t make the mistake of harboring any other thoughts.”
Octavia felt a chill, as if Veradin were looking right through her. She began to fear that Veradin might have already become so strong that neither she nor Kadun could restrain him.
“Now, let us begin the meeting. We must find a way to stop the warriors and engineers flocking to Runcandel. Since Valeria Hister’s existence became public, too many talented individuals are flowing into their ranks.”
“The investigation into the applicants from within the Federation is nearly complete. There were over two thousand mages and engineers. How should we handle them?”
“Brother Ronil, Wraith Captain, give me your opinions.”
“I think it would be best to make an example of a few and absorb the rest,” Ronil suggested.
“I would prefer to kill them all,” Octavia countered. “The true experts among those two thousand have already defected to the Alliance anyway, so the rest are essentially useless. It’s better to execute them and instill fear in others.”
“Both are decent options. However, since the situation is unstable, I will postpone the punishment for those suspected of defection for now. Summon everyone who failed to join the Barmul Alliance to our research centers. We can put them to work on simple chores and then reconsider their disposal once the situation stabilizes.”
“We will proceed as you command.”
“And…”
Just as he was about to move to the next agenda item, Veradin’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
At the same time, Ronil and Octavia jumped in surprise, heightening their senses. They felt a familiar, massive, and ferocious energy approaching the Tower of Stories at high speed.
“It seems Lord Kadun is about to cross the line…”
It was Kadun’s energy. If he were merely flying, his presence wouldn’t be this violent. Clear killing intent and rage were already saturating the sky outside.
“Brother Ronil.”
“Yes, Young Lord.”
“Order all forces in the tower to assume immediate combat positions.”
“Young Lord!”
Octavia almost shouted but managed to clamp her mouth shut.
Lord Kadun, why must you do this now of all times…!
Even she had never expected Kadun to storm the Tower of Stories looking ready to kill Veradin.
Octavia knew Kadun well.
In fact, it was a near miracle that he had endured Veradin’s insults for this long. The Kadun she knew would have settled the score with Veradin long ago.
First, I must stop Lord Kadun somehow. A fight between Lord Kadun and Veradin cannot happen right now!
She could stop Kadun. If she pleaded earnestly, arguing it was for the good of the Zipple Clan, Kadun would eventually relent.
The problem was Veradin. Octavia wondered if Veradin would simply let it slide now that Kadun had bared his fangs. It seemed unlikely.
If Veradin decides to discard Lord Kadun and commits the madness of launching a preemptive strike, what in the world am I supposed to do…?!
There was no telling who would win that fight. The important thing was that no matter who won, the Zipple Clan would suffer irreversible damage.
When they stepped outside, they saw Kadun descending through the clouds.
The tower’s mages had already entered combat positions, aiming their staves at Kadun. Veradin stood in their midst, glaring up at the dragon.
[Veradin…! You brat, why are you doing this to me? Do you truly think you can treat me, the pillar of this clan and your father’s guardian dragon, in such a manner?!]
“This is your final warning, Lord Kadun. Withdraw your energy at once and submit to the clan’s authority. What you are doing right now is treason.”
[Treason, you say?! It seems the whelp has finally lost his mind. Mages, you who have aimed your staves at me, I will give you one chance. Whose orders will you follow? There is no future with that mad Young Lord. Today, I shall turn him into a pile of ash!]
“Sigh, so it has come to this. Very well. From this moment on, the Fire Dragon Kadun is a first-class traitor to the clan. Mages of the tower, provide me cover.”
“Young Lord, wait! Give me just one moment to speak with Lord Kadun. I will try to stop him! On my name and honor, I will succeed!”
“There is no need, Wraith Captain. Why do you think I have treated Lord Kadun so harshly?”
“Yes, please, just tell me. Why are you doing this? Lord Kadun is asking the same thing.”
Octavia spoke as if she were begging. She had to prevent the clan from being torn in two.
At her words, Veradin turned and pointed toward the top of the Magic Tower.
“From now on, watch the top of the tower closely—where my father is. Watch and see what happens.”
With those final words, Veradin extended the Patriarch’s staff, Hrotti, toward Kadun.