章節 153: Chapter 312
***
On March 21, 1799, Jin, Gilly, and Murakan were returning to the Garden of Swords after their long-deserved vacation.
Clippity-clop, clippity-clop, clippity-clop!
The rhythmic sound of horses' hooves pulling the Runcandel steel carriage echoed cheerfully. Jin occasionally waved to the people of Kalon passing by outside the carriage while contemplating Misha's information about Valeria's hiding place.
'Mamit…'
The city of the lawless, Mamit.
Valeria was currently residing there under the alias of Arya Aulhart.
-There's an inn in Mamit called 'Moonlit Well.' It's a place where the kings of those scum reside.
-I've carried out a mission in that place during my cadet days. Is Arya Aulhart staying there?
-Yes, she often uses Mamit as a base of sorts, and she lived there when she was around the age of fourteen.
-This is crazy. A fourteen-year-old girl lived in a place like that? That Arya girl must be quite extraordinary. Moreover, if the kings of that place are staying in the inn, does Arya also hold some position in the city as well?
-Well, I haven't looked into it in detail, but she's indeed an exceptional individual, like a well-sharpened sword.
That was the conversation Jin had with Misha before leaving her bar.
Jin smiled as he imagined his old teacher who might be staying in Mamit.
'I did think she's probably there around this time. I remembered how she described Mamit as more romantic than one thinks.'
Jin knew that Valeria had spent two years in Mamit. That's why he had asked the bartender if there was a person using the name 'Hister' in Mamit when he carried out his mission in his cadet days.
'Knowing my teacher, there must be a reason why she's making Mamit one of her bases. She's not someone who acts without a purpose…'
Jin and Valeria met when he was twenty-five and she was twenty-three years old, and spent about three years together.
During that time, they had many deep conversations and glimpses into each other's innermost thoughts, but Jin didn't know everything about Valeria's actions.
'I'm meeting my teacher six years earlier in this life than I did in my past one.'
He was curious about what more he could learn about Valeria and how they could be together, just like they had been in their past lives.
Jin momentarily lifted his head while reminiscing about Valeria. He quickly dismissed any sentimental feelings he might have had, knowing that their reunion was only true for him and there was no use dwelling on it.
Jin brought out two shadow force marbles from his pocket. The first and the second could be distinguished by their size and color.
"It's fascinating, young master. To think these small marbles were recording devices."
Gilly commented as she gazed at the shadow force marbles.
"I'm genuinely intrigued. If this Arya kid can restore the device, I'd like to see it for myself. Are you going to Mamit right away?" Murakan said.
"I'm heading there immediately, unless there's something urgent in the Garden of Swords."
The carriage came to a halt. As the guardian knights opened the door, Petro approached and greeted Jin. He had been waiting at the entrance of the Garden of Swords for Jin's return.
"Petro."
"Young master, how was your vacation?"
"I felt like I had a good rest for the first time in a long time. Did everything go smoothly in my absence?"
"All I have done was handle simple paperwork and room management when you're not here. I had a leisurely time, young master."
Petro said that, but he had been extremely busy during Jin's absence. He had inspected the Volta clan's territory in Jin's place, discussed articles regarding Jin Dino, and invested the funds allocated for Jin in various secure businesses.
Above all, he had kept a close eye on the state of the clan in Jin's absence.
As a result, Petro had noticed one peculiar incident.
"Madame Rosa is away at the moment, so there's no need for you to report your return, young master."
"Where did she go?"
"I'm sorry, young master. I am not aware of where she is."
Petro spoke to Jin while keeping the presence of the guardian knights near the carriage in mind.
Petro began to speak upon entering the room.
"Young master, Madame Rosa has gone to the Ghost castle."
The Ghost Castle was home of Ghost mercenary corps, one of the largest and notorious mercenary groups, together with Black Kings.
At this point, there was only one reason why Rosa would visit that place.
"She has gone to meet Kelliark Zipfel."
There weren't many places where the leaders of both clans could meet informally to ensure each other's safety. The Ghost Castle had been historically used as a secret meeting place between Runcandel and Zipfel.
The Ghost mercenaries managed to maintain a similar scale of forces to the Black Kings despite accepting fewer commissions because they provided their base as a meeting place and receiving annual fees from both clans.
"How did you find out? It must have been top secret."
"The head scribe owed a debt to young lady Luna, so I used that to find out, young master."
In other words, Petro had used one of his only cards to make the head scribe do his bidding.
He should have done this after reporting to Jin, but instead, Jin did not reprimand him and silently waited for Petro's next words.
Petro must have had a reason for acting this way, as Jin believed. And Petro's reasoning was related to Joshua.
"I obtained information that the elder council recently discussed about a reward for the 2nd flagbearer. I couldn't determine the details, but shortly after the reward was decided, Madame Rosa headed to the Ghost castle. That's why I judged it to be a matter of utmost importance."
"Do you know precisely what reward they discussed giving the 2nd flagbearer?"
"I'm sorry, young master, I couldn't find that out."
"No, you did well. It seems there's a clear connection between these two facts."
Jin immediately made a hypothesis.
Joshua had achieved something.
And the result of it was so extraordinary that Rosa could propose a deal directly to Zipfel.
Otherwise, Rosa wouldn't have visited the Ghost castle so urgently.
'It is not Barton Vicenna. My mother wouldn't have met Kelliark for the reasons related to that man. If she had, she would have met him before giving me the mission."
What kind of achievement had Joshua made?
Petro had learned about the secret meeting between Rosa and Kelliark using the head scribe.
However, he couldn't determine what Joshua had achieved or the kind of reward he was supposed to receive. This meant that Joshua's achievement was more important than a secret meeting between the leaders of both clans.
As Jin contemplated this, he heard footsteps approaching from outside.
"Is the youngest here?!"
A boisterous voice. It was Zed.
Jin suppressed his laughter as he faced Zed.
'It looks like you succeeded in improving the decisive killing move, falling petals.'
Jin, Petro, and Gilly bowed their heads.
"Hello, uncle."
"You little brat, you should have said something before going on vacation!"
"I didn't think you would be upset, uncle."
"It's not that I'm upset. Hmph! Forget it. The fact that you left without telling has brought disgrace upon your uncle."
"Did something happen?"
"These damn old sacks don't believe a word I say. Haha, follow me. Today's the day we'll show those old bastards their place."
This was something Jin couldn't have imagined during his intermediate class days, but he felt warmly about Zed's excitement.
"Yes. Shall we, uncle."
Zed took the lead and walked toward the training ground like an excited young boy.
However, Zed was unaware that his nephew was using him and that his calculation was complete.
Swish!
Zed drew his sword as soon as they arrived.
"Now, have a look. Your uncle has developed the decisive killing move which is every bit as good as the Plutonian waterfall you showed me."
"Uncle, I have something to say before we proceed."
"What is it?"
"I've changed my mind a bit, uncle. Please give your name to the improved Falling Petals instead of mine."
Zed squinted his eyes.
"What is this change all of a sudden?"
"I did not feel like showing my abilities to the other elders. I could boast about things I have, but they won't appreciate it anyway."
"What are you talking about? I've already spoken to the old sacks. We agreed to reward you once I prove that the clan's decisive killing move has advanced thanks to you, after you return from the holidays. Besides, I've already told them about the 6th decisive killing move, the 'the lighting flash.'"
"Lightning flash? The 6th decisive killing move? You don't mean the Fourth flagbearer babbled about my other sword techniques to the elders."
"Is that what's bothering you?"
Jin shook his head and let out a sigh.
"Uncle, I don't have that many cards to play in order to survive as a flagbearer in this ruthless clan. I would not have enough even if I keep them hidden and only use them in crucial moments."
"That … hmm. I guess you could feel like that."
"Beside, the elders won't appreciate what I have, so there's no need to share it with them."
"But, my boy, don't you have any sense of pride? If you don't prove it, they will think I lied because of my pride."
"Uncle, please take credit for the improvement of the 4th decisive killing move, Falling petals. I will not prove anything about the 6th decisive killing move, nor will I ever perform the Plutonian waterfall in front of elders."
Jin's unwavering attitude left Zed completely frustrated for a moment.
He couldn't understand why Jin's demeanor had suddenly changed so drastically, but upon reflection, he couldn't argue with Jin's words. They made sense.
'Did anything happen during his holiday? Why is he suddenly...?'
At that moment, a thought crossed Zed's mind.
'This brat wants something from me...!'
Come to think of it, Jin's smirk was quite obvious.
"Youngest."
"Yes, uncle."
"Do you want to negotiate with me?"
Jin shook his head in the most pretentious way possible.
"You damned kid. Just speak frankly. If your request is reasonable, I'll consider granting it."
"Alright, I'll tell you. What is the achievement the 2nd flagbearer made, so that my mother go to Ghost Castle"
Zed's eyes widened.
"What? You've just returned, so how did you find out about this?"
"Please tell me."
"You are hell bent on ruining your uncle's reputation if I don't tell you."
"I am a flagbearer of Runcandel as well. I don't want to be excluded from the crucial events of the clan."
It was unpleasant, but once again, he couldn't argue with Jin's words.
Zed sighed.
"Youngest, I don't know exactly what Joshua has achieved."
"I asked for too much. I apologize. I'll go back."
Jin bowed his head and turned around. Zed clenched his teeth.
"Hey, little brat!"
"Yes, uncle?"
He is in.
Jin was certain, and he met eyes with Zed.
"You must never speak of it anywhere about the things I am about to say now."
"I swear."
"By any chance..."
Have you heard of the Hister clan?
Jin almost choked in surprise when he heard Zed's words.
章節 154: Chapter 313
The Hister! Jin had never thought he would hear that name at such a time and place.
'Does Joshua's achievement have anything to do with the Hister clan?'
Jin's heart is beating fast. Valeria is the only Hister alive today.
"I've never heard of them."
Jin said in a dull voice after barely managing to keep his poker face.
"It was only the clan that threatened Zipfel with magic in the past. Still, the reason you haven't heard of them is because they were wiped out by the Zipfel and erased from history. Now, there is barely any information left related to them."
"Ah, after listening to your words, uncle, I think I've heard that name at least once when I was a reserve flagbearer. It's easy to understand why there is not much information left about them. Zipfel must have removed all of them."
"Yeah. It seems that Zipfel is still vigilant about them, considering they still have a bounty on a clan which was wiped out hundreds of years ago."
"Are there any survivors?"
"There is only one person left. We, Runcandels, noticed the fact that Zipfel was looking for them a few years ago. So the clan was also secretly looking for Hister's whereabouts."
It is the first time Jin has heard that Runcandel was looking for Valeria. Jin was far from becoming a flagbearer in his past life and he was treated like garbage by his clan, so he could not know this information.
'My teacher never told me that she was pursued by Runcandel. Did she not notice it? No, it can't be. I guess she didn't tell me so I wouldn't feel sorry.'
Jin and Valeria hardly talked about 'Runcandel' in his past life because the name Runcandel clan itself was the biggest pain and failure.
"Then the 2nd flagbearer made the achievement by capturing the survivor?"
Although unlikely, there was still a slim chance that Valeria might be captured. It could be that she was caught and released in the past or ran away.
"No, it is not that."
Jin sighed in relief inwardly. Zed paused for a moment and looked around. There is no way that there would be an eavesdropper in the training ground, but he want to emphasize that the information is confidential.
"...he couldn't capture them, but I think he figured out the alias the survivor is currently using."
"He doesn't know where they are, nor does he secure them, he just found out the name. You are saying that my mother went directly to Kelliark to offer a deal on that basis."
"That's why I told you to keep quiet."
"It's amazing. To think that a descendant of a fallen clan has such an impact... It feels like Zipfel is afraid of the clan called Hister."
-I can't fathom what the Histers' intentions were in their view of history. However, what caught my attention was the fact that Zipfel couldn't manipulate the history written with their record magic.
Jin suddenly recalled Misha's words. A magic spell that can leave a record that is impossible to manipulate. Zipfel is actually afraid that the magic spell would come back into the world.
"Anyway, is it enough?"
"Uncle, maybe you..."
"What else?"
"Do you know the name of the survivor? And what my mother is trying to get out of the deal…."
"I wondered, where the hell do you sell your shame? You're too greedy. Or you're looking down on your uncle."
"I'm sorry. However, I thought that my uncle's reputation is more than that information."
"It seems that you have had some ties with flattery while you were outside the clan. I can't tell you about those things."
"Honestly, you do care about me, uncle. You won't regret it if you tell me about them."
"You are so thick-skinned. Didn't I tell you earlier? I don't know exactly what Joshua's achievement is. I don't know their alias of survivor. The same goes for what the acting matriarch wants."
"It's such a shame."
Actually, Jin did not feel that way.
'The mere fact that the clan is interested in the teacher is a huge gain.'
Jin got valuable information that he never thought of getting for free. It would have been an added bonus if he had found out Rosa's purpose, but he could always dig into that later.
"A shame? You mean little brat. Now, change your words one more time about the decisive killing move, you are going to experience something quite interesting here."
"Of course not, uncle. Thank you."
Jin bowed his head.
Zed was taken aback by his clever attitude. It wasn't really unpleasant. He was rather pleased to see his nephew stand up to him after a long time.
Of course, if Jin had been deceiving Zed, he would have immediately reprimanded Jin, but Zed thought Jin was simply taking care of his own interests.
Swish, Zed's sword shone while holding the aura.
"If you are grateful, prove to the elders that you have found us clues to the improvement of the clan's decisive killing move in the future."
Then, Zed began to perform a decisive killing move.
An improved version of Runcandel's 4th decisive killing move, Falling petals.
Jin focused on his uncle's sword. Everything was the same as when he first saw it, from deliberately splitting the aura that wrapped around the sword, making it nearly fall off, and forming the petal shapes.
It is the same as the petals of aura scattering in all directions in an unpredictable trajectory. However, it was right after the blade was withdrawn following the vertical slash.
Kwaaas······!
Aura pillars suddenly rose from the spot where the falling petals was performed. The petals gathered to the pillar and spread again, and it was as if petals of a huge tree made of aura were swaying in the wind.
"The Waterfall of the Plutonian sword, poured lightning energy into the place where the sword had passed as the name suggests. On the other hand, the falling petals take an ascending pattern. I thought about the most efficient way of using aura instead of lightning energy."
At a glance, Jin could see a big difference from the previous falling petals.
"What do you think?"
"When I first saw the falling petals, I thought the move was a class below the Waterfall. But now it has become as powerful as the waterfall. The Waterfall is suitable for a single target, while the improved falling petals will make it easier to deal with many people."
Zed smiled brightly.
"You see it accurately. The reason that the Falling petals was inferior to the Waterfall is because both moves were actually the same. Rather, the falling petals was just a version of the Waterfall without lightning energy, so its power had to be reduced."
Just over a month has passed since Jin showed Zed the waterfall move. In that short time, Zed studied the move he saw only once, and improved the decisive killing move.
'It's not unreasonable to say that it's not an improvement, but he practically completed the move.'
Jin swallowed his admiration and spoke.
"You've worked hard, Uncle. But."
"What is it?"
"Are you really going to put my name on the improved falling petals? I've thought about it many times, but this is your work, not mine."
"I have already said that I will give your name to falling petals. I am not taking it back."
"But."
"As you said, the elder council does not like you. And I think that even if you don't give falling petals your name, you will eventually prove yourself in one way or another. You have always been like that."
"Then why do you insist on passing on the achievements that you have accomplished to me, uncle? Is it because you have already told the elder council that I assisted you?"
Then, Zed shook his head.
"Is that the case? It's not that I like you very much or anything like that. I don't think there's anything wrong with clearing a debt early on. Well recently, you did a great job for the clan."
The 'Great job' that Zed said was the assassination of Barton Vicena.
"So, behave well while your uncle still feels like supporting you at all. But, as I said before. If you ever stray away from what is right, I will be the first to take the lead and point my sword at you."
"All right."
"And one more thing, I changed my mind."
"What are you talking about?"
"It would be better to delay showing evidence to elders for the improvement of the decisive killing move. At least until I finish improving the 6th decisive killing move, lightning flash, as well. Now show me the move of the Plutonian Mystic technique that Diphus has seen."
"I'll show you. Instead, you should know this one thing too, uncle."
"What?"
"If it had been an elder other than you, or any other member of the clan. I would have prevented him from reforming the decisive killing move I possess. And if you succeed in improving the 6th decisive killing move, lightning flash, please put your name on it, uncle."
"No, I'm going to give it your name too, so show me the move already."
The two did not leave the training ground until the night, and practiced decisive killing moves and displaying Plutonian swordsmanship.
Zed had a smile on his face every time Jin showed him a new move of Plutonian swordsmanship, as he thought of improving the decisive killing moves based on it (the thought that the elders would cling to Jin and himself in the future).
***
Ha!
Joshua sighed and sat down on the chair. He lit a cigarette which showed the fatigue on his face.
A woman approached him.
"Joshua, what happened?"
She is Joshua's wife.
"... apparently, Kelliark Zipfel didn't agree to my mother's offer."
Negotiations between Rosa and Kelliark broke down. However, Kelliark has an advantage just by hearing 'I found Hister's name' out of Rosa's mouth.
"The acting matriarch and we expected it to some extent. So, don't be too discouraged."
"A name alone is not enough. I must capture Hister so that mother can properly pressure Kelliark."
The woman gently wrapped her hands around Joshua's neck and smiled.
"We know the name anyway, so it's only a matter of time before we catch that bitch. She has a good way to hide like a dirty rat, so it will take quite a while, but she will end up in our hands before Zipfel."
Zipfel doesn't know the name of 'Arya Aulhart' yet. Therefore, it is highly likely that Runcandel would find Valeria first.
"At that time, Kelliark will have to give up more than what we proposed this time. So, don't be impatient, Joshua….."
***
Last day of March 1799.
The scorching sun is beating down over the city where villains swarmed like bugs. A barren land where not a single weed grows, a city of scums and lawless people.
Mamit.
'It reminds me of the old days.'
The first time Jin visited this place in his present life was when he was fifteen, in his intermediate class.
In the meantime, Jin has achieved indescribable growth, but Mamit has the same scenery as back then.
Residents of the city still spoke of horrific crimes, and the streets are littered with filth and spilled organs, fingers, and heads that had clearly once belonged to the living.
Just like four years ago, Mamit's criminals felt a fresh shock when they saw Jin who had just entered the city. But if there is one thing that has changed since then, it's how they treat him.
'It's J-Jin Runcandel...,'
'Madness, why did such a tycoon come to this mess?'
'You assholes! don't make eye contact with him. He will kill us like dogs.'
There is fear in the eyes of the Mamit criminals when they notice Jin.
"Mesa."
"Yes! My Lord."
"Go to the Moonlit Well and tell the kings of Mamit. I want every single one of them to be lined up and on their knees before I get there."
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