章節 190: Chapter 349

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Kalon.

The residents were watching a group of people with curious eyes as they walked down the street. The ones they were looking at were ten Beastmen and two humans.

There were Berakt and White wolf warriors, along with Bishkel and Margiella.

In Kalon, it was not uncommon to see knights in armor gathering in groups of five to hundreds, but seeing Beastmen walking around was a sight to behold.

Among them, Berakt stood out.

Just by walking, he exuded an overwhelming presence, as if a fortress was moving or a gigantic warship was sailing.

In any other city, the residents would have shuddered with anxiety and fear at the sight of Berakt, even if they hadn't committed any wrongdoing towards him.

But this was Kalon.

The heart of Huphester and the stronghold of Runcandel.

The residents of Kalon were not afraid of outsiders. It was, without a doubt, the safest city in the world.

No looters, no enemies, no monsters could cause chaos within Kalon. Drawing swords, fighting, and determining victory or defeat were only allowed for those belonging to Runcandel.

"Halt."

As the group of Berakt approached the entrance to the Garden of Swords, a guardian knight guarding the area spoke in a low voice.

From the perspective of the White wolf warriors, it was a truly disrespectful voice. How dare a mere human speak to the great warrior of White wolf tribe with such arrogance.

So, at the moment when the White wolf warriors growled, Berakt exuded a composed aura. It was an order to stay still.

"Why didn't you notify us in advance of your visit?"

"I didn't think it was necessary on my way to meet an old friend."

Berakt replied calmly to the guardian knight's question.

"We'll need to confirm if you're allowed to enter. Please wait."

The knight who maintained his composure even under overwhelming aura until the end was at 7-star level.

By general standards, it was an impressive level, but with that level he could not take on anyone Berakt brought with him, let alone Breakt.

Yet, the guardian knight's confidence stemmed from the pride of being in Runcandel.

The guardian knight had a belief that even if the opponent was such an enormous giant and kill him because of disrespect, the opponent would never leave the city alive. It applied to Kelliark Zipfel as well, not just Berakt.

A while later, the knights returned with the response and informed the guardian knight.

"You are allowed to enter."

The White wolf warriors wanted to tear him apart immediately, but Berakt appeared completely unfazed.

Instead, he was secretly praising the guardian knight.

"I've been thinking for a while now. Among the human race, it seems like the ones who are somewhat useful have gathered in Runcandel."

"Runcandel's knights do have some spirit, Mr. Berakt."

"Hmph! Of course, the best among them is our vice-leader."

But Berakt's humiliation didn't end there.

Even after they entered the Garden of Swords, there was no one there to greet them. As a result, they had no choice but to stand awkwardly in the courtyard for a while.

"These guys are being too much. Great warrior, even though we came here unexpectedly, do we have to just stand still and endure this treatment?"

"What else can we do if we don't stand still?"

"Let's go back. We didn't come here to have a conversation with these humans in the first place."

At that moment, Berakt raised his head, and Bishkel spoke on his behalf.

"For us, this treatment may be unpleasant, but for Runcandel, the fact that we showed up here without saying a word is already quite displeasing. Considering that, they are showing us considerable hospitality, so let's just stay put."

As Bishkel explained, Berakt seemed satisfied and gave a small smirk.

'As expected, only our vice-leader is worthy among humans.'

After a while, 30 enforcement knights and Rosa Runcandel came out to the garden.

"'Old friend', I didn't know we were on such terms, Berakt Sidricker."

"It's been a while, Rosa."

In their youth, Rosa and Berakt had many intense duels. The outcomes were evenly matched, and each time they fought, both of them sustained significant injuries.

Every time, they refrained from taking each other's lives because they hoped to avoid unnecessary conflicts between the Beastmen and Runcandel.

"You didn't come here to have a duel out of personal grudges, right? What's the matter, coming without any prior notice?"

"I have something to tell, something to receive, and an offer for your youngest child."

"Is it about my youngest?"

"Yes."

"Come in. Let's talk inside."

Rosa instructed someone to fetch refreshments.

However, she did not ask Jin to come right away.

(When it becomes clear what Berakt wants to tell you, what he wants from you, and what he's offering, and when I reach the conclusion that it benefits Runcandel to meet him face to face, then come to the reception room.)

That was the content of the note Rosa's servant brought.

'Unexpectedly visit me, with things to tell and ask, and make offers.'

What's going on?

'Moreover, according to the servant's message, Bishkel and Margiella came along too."

Bishkel, who became the new patriarch of the Ivelianos clan when Jin began his reserve flagbearer career.

Jin had always thought that Bishkel being an executive in Kinzelo was most likely for the resurgence of the Ivelianos clan, considering their martial arts heritage in Huphester.

'It wouldn't be necessary to act hostile towards Runcandel if that were the case. Coming to the Garden of Swords without even requesting a visit, accompanied by Kinzelo's giants... Bishkel's intentions have exceeded my expectations.'

Or he finished weighing between Runcandel and Kinzelo.

Regardless, it was important to know Berakt's purpose for coming immediately.

Things to tell and ask, and an offer. It wasn't too difficult to infer two out of the three.

'What they will receive from me must be a compass or a debt from the previous Spectre corps attack. There's nothing else that Kinzelo could demand from me. And what they want to offer me is…'

An alliance.

Jin concluded that Kinzelo would propose an alliance to him.

'During the Holy Kingdom incident and the recent rescue of the small Beastmen, Kinzelo has shown me constant favor. They haven't taken a single hostile action against me.'

There's no such thing as free favor. There must be a clear reason why Kinzelo kept showing goodwill to Jin.

It was because their alliance with Zipfel had broken.

The one who made the most significant contribution to breaking the alliance was indeed Jin. Destroying the Demon's God's Orb and stealing the compass shattered the trust between the two factions.

Although the alliance was bound to break someday, Jin hastened the process significantly.

During this process, while Zipfel suffered unilateral losses, Kinzelo gained some benefits.

Moreover, with Vamel's sudden appearance, Jin Runcandel kept provoking Zipfel, leading Kinzelo to naturally consider proposing an alliance.

If Kinzelo formed a partial alliance with Jin, an individual, and later Jin ascended to his clan's throne, then Kinzelo could proceed to form a complete alliance with the powerful force called Runcandel.

They concluded that their great cause would be easily accomplished.

'What he wants to tell me... What could it be? Information about Zipfel?'

One thought immediately came to mind, but there was no way to guess what kind of information it might be.

When Kinzelo's purpose becomes clear, and when it is concluded that your meeting with Berakt is beneficial for Runcandel... come to the reception room...

Jin reviewed the contents of the note again.

It didn't take him long to calculate everything.

"Murakan."

"Yeah."

"Let's go to the reception room."

"Huh? Me too?"

While Jin was deep in thought about Rosa' note, Murakan had been chatting with Gilly without much concern.

"Yes, I think Kinzelo might propose an alliance to me, so it's better if you come along."

"Why? Are you afraid that Berakt will cause trouble?"

"I don't think that'll happen. It's just that I need to let my mother know that the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel and the contractor of Solderet are different entities."

"In that case, I'll pretend to be a cat. I don't want to bother talking to those folks more than necessary if I'm in my human form. It's too much trouble."

"Sure, do that."

Poof, Meow! Transformed into a cat, Murakan climbed onto Jin's shoulder.

"It's the 12th flagbearer."

"Come in."

As they entered the reception room, they saw Rosa, the knights, and Berakt's group.

Rosa and Berakt appeared composed, but there was a tense atmosphere among the knights and Beastmen. Their energy was so intense that Jin felt his face would go numb.

In that tense atmosphere, Margiella, with a cheerful smile, stood out the most.

"I heard you've come to find me. Sir Berakt Sidricker, the Great Warrior of White Wolf Tribe."

"That's right. We know each other, right?"

"It's my first time seeing you."

Jin nonchalantly replied, and Berakt let out a small chuckle.

"I would like to talk to you alone, but my old friend doesn't seem to permit that, so let's just be straightforward."

"Yes. You said there's something to tell me, something to receive, and something to offer."

"Let's start with the offer. Join Kinzelo."

Shiing, shiing!

The enforcement knights drew their swords menacingly as soon as Berakt finished speaking.

The White wolf warriors couldn't draw their weapons in return. Their blood boiled, but they knew that openly defying the Runcandel knights would lead to immediate annihilation.

Attack.

If Rosa said just one word, Berakt and the Kinzelo warriors would be wiped out on the spot.

In the silence that followed, Jin shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright."

At Jin's words, the enforcement knights' eyebrows twitched, and Jin continued right away.

"If you offer me the position of leader, I will join Kinzelo."

"Hahaha!"

Berakt burst into laughter, and a strong vibration filled the reception room.

"A black panther's child is black panther, indeed. It's certain that you were born from the womb of Rosa Runcandel."

"I'll take it as a compliment."

"But why did you answer that? Were you really considering giving up your position as the 12th flagbearer of Runcandel and joining Kinzelo?"

"Personally, it's not the most satisfactory outcome, but for the sake of my clan, it doesn't seem like a bad choice. If Kinzelo has risen to a powerful force rather than a third-rate terror organization, then combining forces with Runcandel could be enough to annihilate Zipfel."

Of course, it was a lie. Jin had no intention of joining Kinzelo, regardless of any proposal they might make.

"That's a shame. I can offer you the position of vice-leader, so if you change your mind, feel free to contact me anytime."

Jin could read one clear intention from Berakt's words.

'This is a warning to my mother. If Runcandel tries to overly restrain me, it means that Kinzelo is ready to extract me with a drastic condition.'

For Jin, it was like getting insurance without any intention of using it. But Rosa would have to think about how to deal with Jin a little more carefully.

"What you have to tell me?"

At that moment, Jin could see Margiella using lip language, just like during the Holy Kingdom incident, saying something with a wink.

'That's something I will tell you, Sir Jin.'

With Rosa and dozens of enforcement knights watching, Margiella was probably the only one who could express her thoughts with lip language.

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章節 191: Chapter 350

[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]

Jin couldn't help but doubt his own eyes for a moment.

Is she crazy... She's doing this here?'

His mind was blown, and he was almost speechless, but after a while, Jin had to realize an even more shocking fact.

No one in the reception room had witnessed Margiella's actions.

Even a 5-star knight, or anyone with decent observational skills, would easily notice such a scene. But all the martial artists who had reached the peak had missed it.

It was a strange phenomenon.

'Even this woman is strange.'

Was it just a coincidence?

Thinking that way, there were too many people in the reception room. Moreover, with Rosa present, the probability of all of them 'coincidentally' missing Margiella's actions was lower than winning the lottery.

"Can I say it here?"

Since no one had seen Margiella's muttering, no one found it odd when Berakt replied to Jin's question.

However, Berakt's response made the enforcement knights alert once again.

Berakt seemed to want to talk to Jin personally despite having Rosa in front of him.

"I don't mind."

As the 12th Knight, Jin couldn't give any other response.

"That's fortunate."

Berakt paused for a moment before continuing.

"It is valuable information that you cannot buy with money. First of all, I hope you know that our leader thinks highly of you."

"I've felt that way for a while, but it seems like Kinzelo lacks talented individuals."

"There aren't many worthy humans in this world. Here's the information I'll share with you. You are not the only one searching for the tomb."

Jin's eyes almost widened in surprise.

There is only one person whose tomb Jin is looking for.

'The tomb of Temar... someone else is looking for it, besides me?'

Despite barely maintaining his composure, Berakt smiled, clearly noticing Jin's bewilderment.

"Our leader said that just saying that much should be enough for you to understand."

"It's intriguing information."

Jin replied nonchalantly, but his mind quickly became complicated.

'Kinzelo themselve? Zipfel? Either way, what do they want to do by finding Temar's tomb? And how did Kinzelo know that I was searching for the tomb? There's no connecting point.'

The most likely possibility was recent events.

The day when Berakt and Margiella came to the cave of the small beastmen to help Jin.

'During the process of breaking the barrier of the Felinoids tribe, the spectre corps found information about Temar's tomb, and Berakt interrogated them before killing them...?'

It didn't seem likely. Even if Berakt was powerful, it was hard to believe that the top-level mages like the spectres would be afraid of death and spill information.

'Kinzelo had known about the information regarding Temar's tomb even before. Their leader is someone who existed even in Temar's era, so it's possible he confirmed that Zipfel is searching for the tomb."

Coming to this conclusion, Jin met Berakt's eyes.

"Then tell me what you want from me."

Return the stolen item, the compass.

Naturally, Jin expected to hear that, but once again, Berakt said something different.

"Cosmetics."

"What did you say?"

"I want one sample of the cosmetics that the beastmen are selling. Its name... was it wood?"

"It's Jade, Sir Berakt."

"Ah, right. Jade. Can you give me some, Jin Runcandel?"

Even without asking, Jin could tell why Kinzelo was making this foolish request.

'Bubare, that crazy bastard, wants to see a trial. It seems like he's not getting enough work lately."

In the business reports Jin received from the Golden Snow tribe every week, containing information about customers using the Jade product, along with their sales figures.

The number of Jade users was rapidly increasing. Since Jin knew there was only one person doing the "disguise business" before, Bubare must be taking the hit.

Without hesitation, Jin nodded.

"If you give me an address, I'll send it to you."

"Great, it looks like things are settled. Well then... Rosa."

"Speak."

"How about having a drink together after a long time? Only two of us. To be honest, I'm curious about the taste of alcohol back then; it probably won't be the same."

Rosa responded obediently.

"Everyone, leave."

The enforcement knights left the reception room with disciplined steps. No one questioned the fact that Rosa and Berakt were left alone; they simply went outside to wait.

"You guys wait outside as well. The warriors can wait outside of the Garden of Swords."

Thanks to Rosa's approval, Jin could naturally have a separate conversation with Bishkel and Margiella.

'Since my mother also hopes that I'll gain more information from them, she created this opportunity.'

The fact that you are not the only one searching for the tomb, gave Rosa new information about her youngest son's activities.

"I want a drink too!"

As they left the reception room, Margiella spoke up.

"Sure, let's do that."

Boom!

Suddenly, Murakan transformed back into his human form and narrowed his eyes. Margiella reacted with exaggerated awe and admiration.

"Kid."

"Yes?"

"I need to hear their conversation."

Murakan's face showed some annoyance.

-Anyway, the youngest must continue to raise his reputation. Otherwise, he won't be recognized by the Runcandel, even if he becomes a flagbearer. Does that explanation suffice?

-Yes, then I have one more question.

-Please speak.

-Where is Temar's tomb?

-I don't know. May I leave now?

It was because of the conversation Murakan had with Rosa shortly after Jin became the flagbearer.

Although now he was a Guardian Dragon of Jin, Murakan originally existed to protect the entire Runcandel.

In Murakan's view, if a story about Temar's tomb came up, Rosa should have been the one to suggest that we hear the information together.

"My mother and Sir Berakt?"

"Yeah. If I go back in now, your mother won't have any reason to chase me away."

"Well, go on then. Just don't get upset if they tell you to leave and come back to our room."

"Understood."

Murakan returned to the reception room, while Jin, Bishkel, and Margiella headed to Jin's room.

"Could you please prepare some tea, Gilly?"

Margiella was a person with exceptional affability. She praised the tea to the point where Gilly's lips unconsciously formed a smile. However, she continued to remain cautious around Margiella. After all, Kinzelo had been Jin's enemy since his cadet days.

"What's your rank in Kinzelo? Sir Bishkel."

"I'm the vice-leader."

As if there was no need to hide, Bishkel readily disclosed his rank.

"I feel disappointed. When I first heard that you were part of Kinzelo, I thought you were seeking their power to restore your clan. But it seems you have a completely different purpose."

"Though you might be disappointed, I was actually deceived, Sir Jin. It happened when you visited the Principality of Kurano during your reserve flagbearer days. I don't know what you did that day, but you managed to obtain information about the compass."

Since there was no evidence, there was no need to admit to something that didn't require confirmation.

"Except for the fact that I was planning to kill Bubare that day, I don't think I made any mistakes. But do you want the compass back?"

"No, it's ridiculous to ask for something that was taken from you in a battle. That item now belongs to you, sir."

"You don't really seem to mind. As long as Bubare exists, you can recreate it anytime."

"Not necessarily. I just have faith that when Sir Jin uses the compass, you won't do anything that benefits Zipfel."

As Jin shrugged, Margiella spoke up.

"Perhaps you have no idea how much trouble we went through to appease Mr. Bubare because of the compass, Sir Jin."

"It seems that Bubare Gaston is desperately needed for making your King, the King of the world. Is it true that even Sir Berakt, who could chew up the Spectres, appeases Bubare?"

Jin mentioned Kinzelo's 'great cause' directly, but Bishkel's expression remained unchanged.

However, Bishkel was also suppressing his emotions, and deep down, he was surprised.

'Our great cause has not been publicly revealed, so how do he know about it? Was the information leaked?'

There had been no leaks of information about the great cause.

Jin learned about it before his regression. However, Bishkel had no way of knowing that.

"Feel free to think whatever you want."

"The power of chaos seems to be quite remarkable. Both Bubare Gaston and Ms. Margiella are examples of that."

It was still a guess that Margiella also possessed the 'power of chaos'.

Bishkel narrowed his eyes.

"...It's not good to casually talk about things you're not sure of, Sir Jin."

"It won't be worse than Kinzelo coming to the Runcandel and talking about the tomb."

Since earlier, Jin hadn't been pleased with that fact.

If Kinzelo really wanted to recruit him or propose an alliance, they could have conveyed that information in places where they wouldn't be heard.

"I suppose Kinzelo brought up the topic of the tomb in front of my mother and the enforcement knights because it benefited them. Apart from me, the Runcandel didn't seem to know much about the tomb."

After today, Jin was convinced that the Runcandel would invest their full effort in finding Temar's tomb.

It was only natural that he would face restrictions when independently searching for the tomb.

'I can move in secret, but in the process of finding the tomb, I will inevitably come across other members of the clan.'

Since Jin is the only contractor of Solderet, there would be no need to share what he obtained from the tomb. However, it was still bothersome.

'I need to ensure that the clan's search for the tomb benefits me as well.'

Temar's tomb.

The Runcandel would now be involved in finding it, and there were already others searching for it.

In that case, the benefits Jin could gain were clear.

'I can use my clan as a shield. It can obstruct other forces from finding the tomb or prevent them from approaching it when it's discovered.'

Kinzelo also hoped that Jin would utilize the Runcandel in that way with the information they provided.

"Who else is looking for Temar's tomb?"

Jin asked Margiella, knowing that would be the real information Kinzelo wanted to share with him.

"Who do you think?"

"Zipfel."

"Correct! But that's not all."

Click... Margiella gently placed the teacup back down.

"The Vermont Imperial Family is also looking for the tomb of the first patriarch of Runcandel. Your movements have been exposed to them before, Sir Jin."

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