章節 222: Chapter 381
[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
Due to the complete collapse of the central transfer gate of Baria, Jin could only arrive in Kalon at night with great difficulty.
"Y-Young master Jin...!"
Hurriedly, the first to rush forward was Butler Petro.
After Mary had publicly discussed the contents regarding Temar's tomb at the meeting, Petro had been waiting every day for Jin's return at the central transfer gate of Huphester.
It had already been ten days since the meeting. During those ten days, Petro's worry for Jin nearly gave him a heart attack.
"As expected, I knew you would be the first to come and find me."
While Petro was sweating buckets, Jin smiled with a calm expression.
However, due to the fact that he had been through a fierce battle with the ghost mercenaries, his appearance seemed very exhausted to Petro.
"Where are you hurt!? Hey! Call the medical team immediately, and bring a warm towel!"
"I don't need the medical team."
"Young master, what about that large sack?"
"Oh, this."
Swoosh!
Jin placed the robe he had been carrying on his shoulder like a sack on the ground.
Petro's face immediately changed as he reflexively checked what was inside the sack.
"This... Is this Faye Proch from the Ghost mercenaries?"
Inside the sack was Faye, who was still unconscious, with her limbs tied up.
"She's a hostage for negotiation."
The reason Jin kept Faye alive was that her value as a hostage was extremely high. Killing her would only deepen the Ghost mercenaries' resentment, but keeping her alive could be useful.
"The Ghost mercenaries attacked you, Young master?"
Petro clenched his fists and glared at Faye.
"Yeah. Lata Proch sent her sister and ten mercenaries after me. And as you can see, I captured Faye in the process."
"...It's the Elder council's doing."
Petro immediately deduced the client. At this time, there were no others besides the Elder council who would have commissioned the Ghost mercenaries.
Jin nodded.
"Even before Lady Mary revealed the information that she received from the young master, I had a feeling that the Elder council would make a move after that. I didn't expect things to escalate so quickly, and I couldn't prepare for it. I apologize."
"Do you mean you weren't able to prepare? Is Gilly okay?"
Petro's expression darkened rapidly when Gilly's name was mentioned.
"She is currently detained."
There was a killing intent in Jin's eyes for a moment.
But he quickly regained his composure.
"Where? It can't be in an underground prison, right? If it were, Murakan wouldn't have stayed quiet."
[T/L: 지하 감옥 - underground prison/dungeon.]
"When the order of detention came, Lord Murakan destroyed a part of the Garden of Swords. The Guardian Knights worked hard to restrain him."
"Has any action been taken against Murakan separately?"
"No, Lord Murakan hasn't been punished."
Despite damaging part of the Garden of Swords and having more information about Jin than anyone else, Murakan hadn't faced any consequences.
"It might have been an irreversible situation if Gilly hadn't stopped Lord Murakan."
Being considered the 'long-time guardian of the clan,' the clan had its limits when it came to courtesy. If he had crossed that line, even someone like Murakan might not have escaped unscathed.
"Fortune in misfortune."
"And I heard that Gilly is detained in one of the Elder council's secret hideouts. Chief of guardians of civilians has promised humane treatment, so you don't have to worry too much."
Gilly was detained due to her involvement with Jin in the search for Temar's tomb. Furthermore, as Jin's nanny, she knew more about him than anyone else, so it was only natural for the Elder council to interrogate her.
Information about the 'Tomb of Temar' was sensitive enough to cause a significant reaction in Runcandel.
'It's a relief that Murakan wasn't in the Wantaramo Forest. It was a wise decision to leave him behind in the clan. With him around, no one could have treated Gilly lightly. It would have been dangerous if he had crossed the line.'
Moreover, Tellot, Chief of Guardians of Civilians, had taken good care of Gilly. Although preventing her detention was a stretch, he had tried to be as considerate as possible towards Jin.
"I have a lot of work to do as soon as I return."
Jin wiped away the bloodstains on his face with the towel brought by a servant.
It was time to get new blood stains.
"Let's go."
He traveled to the Garden of Swords in the steel carriage.
The other Guardian Knights at the transfer gate quickly proceeded to the Garden of Swords, informing about Jin's return.
Clang...!
The sound of the gate chain being lifted at the entrance of the Garden of Swords was particularly heavy.
As expected, the Garden of Swords had an unusual atmosphere from the entrance. Hundreds of Guardian Knights were lined up menacingly, with the members of Elder council and flagbearers standing tall in front of them.
Eventually, Jin descended from the carriage.
The blades of four swords surrounded Jin's neck. They were the swords of the enforcement knights.
"12th flagbearer, disarm yourself."
Jin chuckled softly in response to the enforcement knight' low voice.
"Feels like I've become a traitor."
"Disarm yourself."
"And if I don't?"
"You have no choice but to follow the law."
President of the Elder council!
Suddenly, Jin shouted. His resonant, booming voice tore through the silence of the garden.
It was unthinkable.
The youngest of the family, the 12th flagbearer, addressing the President of the Elder council in such a disrespectful manner.
Immediately, a thick vein bulged on Jorden's forehead, and the eyes of Elder council members almost popped out in shock.
'Wow, this crazy guy. Even though he is my youngest brother, he's a really cool crazy guy.'
Among the flagbearers, only Mary felt a sense of satisfaction as she clenched her fists.
The other flagbearers just stared at Jin in disbelief. Even Luntia, who usually found everything bothersome, blinked in disbelief.
"You...!"
"This is outrageous! How dare the 12th flagbearer address the president of the Elder council with such disrespect!"
The Elder council members, who had come to their senses belatedly, looked at Jorden's mood.
Jorden seemed quite shaken, still looking at Jin with a somewhat vacant expression.
The enforcement knights, with their emotionless faces, still held their blades to Jin's neck.
"...Sir!"
"Ahem, h-hmm."
Eventually, Mary couldn't hold back her laughter and let out a suppressed cough.
In reality, she had been quite angry with Jin for not appearing at the meeting, but her youngest brother always provided so much amusement that she couldn't bring herself to hate him.
"Since you probably won't kill me right here, how about treating me a little more lightly?"
"What...?"
"The clan must have a lot to hear from me. How will you find the Tomb of our ancestor without me, and how will you recreate the former glory of the clan?"
Jorden's forehead narrowed.
He was barely holding on to his sanity and glared at Jin as if he wanted to kill him.
"Do you believe in that and act so recklessly, 12th flagbearer."
Despite the killing intent in his eyes, Jorden's tone was quite composed.
"Yes."
"You don't seem to value your life. Whether the information you gave to the 7th flagbearer holds any value remains to be seen."
"It seems the president of the Elder council is the one who doesn't value his honor."
Each word Jin uttered scratched at Jorden's nerves. The bulging vein on his forehead seemed like it would burst at any moment.
"Do you think you can talk to me about honor?"
"What can't I talk about? I actually mentioned honor because I wanted to help the president of the Elder council. You even brought the Black Sword Association's enforcement knights to put a blade to my neck..."
Tock, tock.
Jin continued speaking while tapping the blades of the enforcement knights.
"This. If you don't cut me down here, what kind of humiliation would you face? It's not like there are just one or two people watching. It means you won't be able to contain the rumors."
Standing beside Jin, Petro felt like his lifespan was decreasing with every word he spoke. Beads of cold sweat streamed down Petro's pale face.
But Jin was certain.
'The president of the Elder council won't kill me.'
It wasn't that he couldn't.
It was entirely possible that Jorden, unable to contain his anger, would order the enforcement knights to kill Jin.
But it was only a possibility, and it wouldn't benefit Jorden in any way.
On the contrary, he would incur significant losses. Not only would he lose the means to keep Joshua in check, but if other factions benefited from the Tomb of Temar in the future, the consequences would be dire.
Even if Jorden were determined to kill Jin, it wasn't a certainty that he could do so.
'Even if the president of the Elder council orders the enforcement knights to kill me, there's a high chance that Mother will stop them.'
Unless Rosa had more information about the Tomb of Temar than Jin did. From her perspective, Jin shouldn't die just yet.
There wasn't a 100% chance that Rosa would stop Jorden if he loses his composure, but Jin was confident.
Jin glanced up briefly and looked at the main house within the Garden of swords. He even smiled as he focused on Rosa's office.
The silence passed.
This unprecedented situation was beyond words to describe.
"...your arrogance and recklessness have no bounds. To think that someone like you could raise the flag of Runcandel, it seems times have indeed changed."
When Jorden had made the decision to pressure Jin with the enforcement knights, he hadn't expected this outcome.
What he had hoped for was that Jin would realize the gravity of the situation and request assistance from others to rectify it.
If Jin had proposed a deal, asking other flagbearers or Tellot for help to alleviate the Elder council's pressure, Jorden intended to use it as a pretext to find out exactly who Jin's potential allies were.
He never expected Jin to come out this boldly. Just like everyone who had dealt with Jin before.
So, Jorden had no choice.
If he simply allowed this to pass, as Jin suggested, it would undoubtedly lead to a severe loss of honor, just as Jin said.
"Adapting to change is not an easy task, president of the Elder council."
"True, you're right. But you, you still haven't disarmed yourself."
Jorden lifted his chin slightly and spoke softly.
"Cut off both of his arms."
Squick-!
The enforcement knights, without hesitation, severed Jin's two arms upon Jorden's command.
Thump, thump.
The severed limbs fell to the ground with a dull sound.
And Jin didn't even spare a glance at his fallen arms.
One step at a time, Jin approached Jorden.
"Is that all you have to say?"
章節 223: Chapter 382
[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
Splash, splash...!
Blood sprayed from Jin's severed arms. Puddles of blood quickly formed on the ground, and the enforcement knights took a step back with their swords still pointed at Jin.
Jin still had a composed expression. And he never looked away from Jorden.
For Jorden, that composed gaze of the rookie couldn't be more eerie. Even though Jin was approaching him with severed arms, Jorden felt a chill in his spine, as if a blade were slicing through his back.
'It's a leap forward...!'
Such a thought briefly crossed Jorden's mind.
A leap.
[T/L: 비약 : Leap; a sudden, rapid rise or improvement of one's position, level, etc.]
To say that what he can see in this arrogant young blood is a reflection of Chiron Runcandel's youth would not be an exaggeration.
Back then, when Jorden competed with Chiron as 2nd flagbearer, Jorden had received a warning from Chiron.
A gaze.
A gaze that said, "If you keep challenging, I will eliminate you."
Young Jorden only truly realized the weight of Chiron's nonchalant warning after facing it. They were on different levels, living in different worlds, and were beings from different dimensions.
He was nothing more than an ant that Chiron could crush at any moment.
'At that time, the patriarch was already at the pinnacle of the world. He was truly a supreme ruler.'
But why, then, did this 12th flagbearer with severed arms possess the same aura? A terrifying aura that Jorden had never experienced from anyone since Chiron!
Blink...!
He closed his eyes for a moment, and in that instant, all these thoughts passed by as fast as light.
All this sensation of deja vu was melted away into a fleeting moment when he barely blinked
Call for the medical team, now!
Someone urgently shouted, and he heard the sound as if it were coming from underwater.
Ugh!
It was only then that Jorden could finally swallow the lump in his throat and break free from the deja vu. Jorden got goosebumps all over his body.
"Get the medical team here quickly! Damn it, hurry!"
The one shouting was Butler Petro.
A mere butler couldn't use such language when the elders and the flagbearers were standing in front. But in Petro's mind, there was only one thought: to start treatment before Jin's arms became necrotic.
Even for top-tier healers, completely healing a severed limb was not an easy task.
Reattaching a detached limb might seem simple, but the arm of a martial artist is different from that of an ordinary person. If it didn't fully regain its original function, a martial artist was no different from a bird having their wings broken.
Even the most renowned healers on the continent couldn't restore a severed limb if they missed even a moment after the amputation.
"Medical team!"
Mary also called for the medical team, biting her lower lip. Her knights rushed towards the medical facility as if they were possessed.
In less than twenty seconds, the knights returned with the medical team. Meanwhile, Diphus and Mary were doing their best to stop Jin's bleeding and applied pressure to his arms.
'Uncle Jorden, your end won't be good.'
In the midst of the chaos, Jin swallowed a victory smile.
However, even though Jin hid his smile, everyone in the central court who had witnessed this scene knew who the winner was between Jin and Jorden.
"Make way!"
"Both of you, go and fetch the necessary medicinal herbs! We need emergency treatment first, then we'll move the 12th flagbearer to the operating room!"
The healers from the Runcandel shouted as they examined Jin's body.
"Is the youngest all right!? Can you restore his arm!?"
Tona brothers, who had been watching with bated breath, eventually ran over to the medical team to ask.
"We can't give a definite answer!"
The situation was not good. Jin had accumulated fatigue from fighting assassins even before returning to the clan, and his bleeding was severe.
Although the Runcandel medical team consisted of the finest healers, they couldn't be sure if they could completely restore his arm.
"Make sure to treat him perfectly, no matter what!"
"7th Flagbearer, don't worry about me too much."
Jin gave Mary a faint smile. The healers were working hard to pour mana into the severed limb.
"And I apologize for leaving the meeting to you alone."
"Don't worry about it. Damn it. I still have to fight with you for a long time."
"Petro."
"Yes, Young Master!"
Jin gestured with his chin to Faye in the carriage.
"That's my spoils of war."
It means don't let anyone touch or check it during his surgery.
Originally, it was a difficult order for Petro to carry out. In such a situation, if the Elder Council demanded it, Petro and Jin had no choice but to hand over Faye.
But with this incident, the name Jin Runcandel within the clan had gained a higher status. No one could casually interfere with Jin and his people.
Even the president of the Elder Council had pressured Jin with some plausible reasons, but ended up with such a disgrace. Now, it had become a matter that required serious determination to touch Jin within the clan.
"Understood!"
Despite still being worried about Jin, Petro's chest swelled with pride from deep within.
"12th flagbearer, we will move to the operating room!"
"I'm counting on you."
"I'll do my best."
The medical team, having finished the emergency treatment, began moving Jin to the operating room.
Jorden and the elder council members watched in silence for a while. It wasn't the atmosphere for the elder council to tell everyone to step back, reprimand the butler for calling the medical team, or for the enforcement knights to punish the flagbearers for breaking the law.
The elder council was not in the mood to do such things.
Above all, Jorden somewhat lost his fighting spirit.
'For a moment, I, Jorden Runcandel, felt fear from that kid just with his aura.'
Was the fear he felt from Chiron in his younger days really that tremendous, or had the 12th flagbearer shown an indescribable will? Jorden couldn't quickly distinguish between the two.
'One thing is for sure, he's not an opponent to be taken lightly...!'
In fact, Jorden had recognized Jin's potential a long time ago. Jin had some exceptional qualities that set him apart from the other flagbearers.
Yet, even so, Jorden had never judged him as a "real opponent" with whom he could genuinely fight. He had always thought of him as someone who could be crushed at any moment, just like Chiron had done back then.
And today, that thought had completely changed due to today's humiliation. For the first time in his life, he felt the bitterness of being defeated despite cutting down his opponent as he pleased.
'He might be a bigger threat to me than the 2nd flagbearer. No, perhaps...!'
He couldn't turn around to see, but Jorden was aware of Rosa's gaze from the main house.
'He might be even more dangerous than Rosa.'
There was someone else who shared a similar thought as Jorden.
Joshua Runcandel, the clan's 2nd flagbearer. He gazed down at the puddle of blood Jin had spilled with a sense of foreboding.
'...It seems reckless at first glance, but it was clearly a calculated move. Starting from the point when Mary publicized the matter of the first patriarch's tomb, he was preparing to detonate this bomb within the clan.'
What had just unfolded between Jin and Jorden was just the beginning.
Joshua was certain of that.
'He is definitely not the kind of person who would be done with this much. He must have had a well-founded reason for doing this.'
After Mary publicized the information during the previous meeting.
Joshua had been pondering Jin's intentions the whole time.
The legacy.
Mary had undoubtedly mentioned that Solderet had left legacies in the first patriarch's tomb for Jin.
'It's not merely because he found it challenging to search for those legacies on his own. There's something else. What is it, Jin?'
Before Jin's surgery was completed, it was crucial to understand his intentions. There would undoubtedly be another disturbance in the clan right after the surgery.
Various scenarios swirled through Joshua's mind. His head felt like it was about to explode, and an inexplicable anxiety weighed on his chest.
'There must be something fundamental. All of the youngest's actions are ultimately aimed at obtaining what he desires.'
After much contemplation, Joshua finally arrived at one conclusion.
Succession battle!
He wondered why he hadn't thought of it immediately.
'Why didn't I think that the youngest leaked the information about the first patriarch to Mary in order to gain an advantage in the succession battle?'
Encouraging other Runcandels to participate in finding the tomb through Mary, having Mary attend the meeting alone while he stayed out of it, and even undermining Jorden's prestige by losing both arms, all of these actions were aimed toward gaining an advantage in the succession battle.
'Having Mary leak information about the first patriarch's tomb was to gain legitimacy. Having Mary attend the meeting alone was to obtain the last legacy that could be obtained without relying on the clan's power. And weakening the elder council president's prestige..."
A show of presence.
Joshua, who had reached this conclusion, looked around once.
What he saw was the agitated Runcandels.
Jin's actions were now undeniably having a significant impact on the Runcandel clan. From a certain point on, Jin had stopped observing the clan's atmosphere and instead, the clan had begun following the flow created by Jin.
This meant that the position of the 12th flagbearer carried considerable weight.
It also implied that cracks were forming in his position as the next patriarch, which he had built up until now.
"Howard."
Joshua called for his butler.
"Yes, my lord."
"After today, people who stake their fate on the youngest will start to emerge."
Howard was surprised after hearing this.
"Don't be surprised. He was originally someone my father had an eye on, so it's only natural that it turned out this way. It may be a small number, but it only takes an instant for the rolling snowball to grow."
"How do you plan to deal with it?"
"Gather all my knights in the Garden of Swords. Make sure every single one, who can reach before the youngest's surgery is over, arrives."
"Understood."
The reason Joshua was assembling his knights was simple.
It was for the moment when Jin woke up after his surgery and set off another bomb.
As the 2nd flagbearer of the clan and the next patriarch, he needed to display his dignity.
200+ 推薦票
榜單 
51 推薦票 
段落評論