章節 224: Chapter 383
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Murakan, who had heard the news belatedly, once again tried to cause a disturbance, but Petro desperately stood in his way.
"These insane people, daring to cut off the arm of the thousand-year contractor of Solderet...? And I'm the Guardian Dragon, for heaven's sake! Ha! It is already frustrating that they locked up Strawberry Pie, but are they really trying to push their luck?"
"Please, Lord Murakan, calm down. Young master must have a plan."
"You damn bastards! I'll tear them apart and feed them to the dogs."
"You must not go out, Lord Murakan! Please! If you do, it will... No, Young master will be in even greater trouble!"
Petro desperately blocked Murakan's path.
Stopping Murakan with sheer physical strength is naturally impossible for him. Instead, Petro emphasized several times that if Murakan moved, it would be troublesome for Jin.
"They cut off the arms of a martial artist! If it's not attached properly, he won't be able to swing a sword like before."
The room shook with Murakan's anger.
Everyone in the Garden of Swords could sense his energy. Therefore, outside, hundreds of knights were waiting nervously.
"I know that. But Lord Murakan, you are a Guardian Dragon, aren't you? So, in any situation, it's right to make a choice for Young master. Please hold on, and wait until Young master's surgery is over."
"Haa."
"Even if something goes wrong with Young master, it's not too late to express your anger then. Please, Lord Murakan. I earnestly beg you...! Please think of Gilly too!"
Petro felt like he might suffocate under Murakan's energy. His lips, pale blue, were trembling.
"Ahhhh!"
Murakan screamed, and Petro barely held onto his side.
Fortunately, Petro's pleas got through to him. Murakan decided to accept Petro's words for the time being.
"...Fine, what you say makes sense. I've cooled down, butler. It's not just the kid, even Strawberry Pie can be in trouble."
"You've made the right decision! Let me prepare a drink to cool your head quickly..."
Murakan passed by Petro.
"Uh, where are you going!? Lord Murakan!"
"No matter how you look at it, I'm his Guardian Dragon. I can't just sit still. I should at least give them a warning. And I have to go somewhere."
Whoosh...!
As Murakan transformed into his true form and went out into the corridor, Petro could do nothing but contemplate once again.
Crash! Thud!
The walls and ceiling of the corridor were shattered by Murakan's massive body, and debris fell. The servants fled in panic, and Murakan flew up into the sky, breaking through the ceiling.
'The Garden of Swords has been destroyed again…'
Petro, as well as everyone in the clan, was experiencing something they had never experienced before. The Garden of Swords had been destroyed twice in such small intervals.
Murakan looked down at the Garden of Swords, covering the moon. The darkness of the night sky deepened, and the knights were getting in formation.
[If the arms of Solderet's contractor, Jin Runcandel, don't recover to their original state…]
Murakan's eyes gleamed as he continued.
[Runcandel will begin to face its destruction from that day.]
His voice was audible to all of Runcandel, and they knew that the current Murakan alone couldn't bring about the destruction of Runcandel.
They were just words.
But it sounded like a sinister curse. Perhaps it was because Runcandel had a tendency to worship strange superstitions, but the members of the clan felt as if his words had weighed heavily on their hearts.
In that way, Murakan began to leave the Garden of Swords, flying somewhere.
***
The surgery continued throughout the early morning.
Healing the amputation required extreme concentration, and the faces of the clan's healers looked like they might pass out at any moment.
"Director, intermittent convulsions are occurring in the attached arm...! We can't control them!"
"I have eyes and a brain too, so keep your mouth shut and pour mana. What we're attaching isn't an ordinary person's arm; it's Runcandel's flagbearer's arms."
Although the arms had been reattached for a long time, the unknown convulsions continued.
This drove the medical team crazy. If they couldn't control the convulsions perfectly, the surgery would be a failure.
"If we can't perfectly restore the arm of the 12th flagbearer, the entire medical team must be prepared to die together. Damn it, there was no necrosis. What the hell is this damn convulsion? Hey! Run quickly and bring more resources!"
Squeak!
When the door to the surgery room suddenly opened, the head of the medical team stood up and shouted.
"Who the hell came into the operating room during surgery?"
Even though this was the Garden of Swords.
Inside the surgery room, the director of the medical team was the highest authority. Even if the person who entered was Chiron, the director of the medical team's orders were valid.
That's how Runcandel treated the medical team. Even when injured during a mission or in battle. If the medical team couldn't support them properly, they couldn't fight properly.
Naturally, the director of the medical team thought that the intruder who had entered the surgery room so recklessly was a troublemaker from the Elder Council.
So, his anger grew even more intense.
No matter what internal disputes or power struggles were taking place within the clan, the authority of the medical team should be respected. It had been a tradition for the medical team to maintain complete neutrality within the clan for generations.
"Get out right now! I said, get the hell out..."
The director of the medical team, shouted in annoyance, stopped talking when he saw who had entered.
The eyes of the medical team almost popped out in surprise when they saw the face of the intruder who had just removed the hood.
"I-it's the Holy Queen... Holy Queen of Vankela!"
The director of the medical team couldn't help but utter these words.
Holy Queen Lani Salome.
She had just arrived at the Garden of Swords. She had been brought here by Murakan, who had personally gone to the Holy Kingdom. The only ones who could summon the Holy Queen for personal matters were Jin and Murakan.
"I brought the religious zealot... No, the Holy Queen. Why couldn't you address her properly? Huh?"
Murakan, who was standing behind Lani, growled, causing the medical team members to bow their heads.
"We greet Your Majesty, the Holy Queen!"
"We greet Your Majesty, the Holy Queen!"
For the medical team, it felt as if their savior had arrived.
"Today, I have come not as the ruler of the Holy Kingdom but as Jin's friend, so you don't need to treat me with such formality."
Lani knelt down next to Jin.
"What's the situation?"
"The reattachment is complete, but there is an unidentified cause for ongoing convulsions."
Lani nodded as if understanding.
"I will examine it."
"Yes!"
As soon as Lani arrived, the medical team naturally focused their efforts around her for treatment.
They were considered the best medical team in Huphester, but no medical team in the world could surpass the Holy Queen in skill.
Wooong!
As Lani began to radiate her energy, the operating room was instantly bathed in a bright yellow Holy power.
Since becoming the Holy Queen, her Holy power had been deepening day by day.
"Ayula will protect my friend."
***
Jin woke up from anesthesia in the morning.
And when he saw Lani sitting beside him, he smiled as if he had known she would come.
"You've awakened."
"Lani."
Judging by her expression, there was no need to ask if the surgery had been successful.
"Thank you."
"You're treating me like a personal healer."
A few months ago, Lani had come to Tikan to treat Valeria, who had suffered from a mana backflow.
"I saw a black cat by the window early in the morning, so I thought of Mr. Murakan. But I didn't expect it to really be him, you know?"
At that, Jin's expression grew serious.
"Isn't the security of the Holy Queen's quarters a bit lax? Should I give you a good sword?"
"Well, I will think about it. I already received quite a bit of money from you, and I feel a bit guilty about receiving more support."
Jin had been consistently sponsoring the Holy kingdom's funds. Since the success of his cosmetics business, an astronomical amount of money has been flowing into the Holy Kingdom every month.
The financial crisis in the Holy Kingdom, which had started due to Zipfel's threats and persuasion, was quickly coming to an end because of that funding.
"My arms are worth that much. They feel even better than before they were cut off."
It felt incredibly light as Jin swung his arms.
"The fate of the Holy Kingdom that you and Mr. Murakan saved is worth more than that, Sir Jin. So don't worry too much about it."
"Religious zealot! Thanks for your hard work."
Murakan, who entered the room with a drink (prepared by Petro), casually messed up Lani's hair as he spoke.
"I'd like to spend more time with you than just a drink, but the current situation doesn't allow for it. There are a lot of bastards that I have to beat to death. Next time, I will come over without any business, so get some good liquor in your bedroom."
Murakan treated Lani like a close younger cousin.
"... Murakan, no matter how comfortable you are with her, how can you think of drinking alcohol in the Holy Queen's bedroom?"
"I'm fine with it. Bring Sir Jin too. Don't just keep calling me all the time."
"I'm fine with it too. Why are you the only one making the fuss, kid?"
The two of them laughed heartily for a while. To Lani, these two were more precious friends than anyone else.
"I should be going soon."
"Alright. It will be hard for me to see you off."
"I understand that. Especially now, the Garden of Swords, which is famous for its brutality, is literally infested with bloodthirst."
Before Jin woke up, Lani had already been briefed on the situation by Murakan.
"I hope there won't be another morning when I have to come here to treat you, Sir Jin."
"That won't happen. Our medical team might be a bit busy today, but..."
"Aren't you sorry for your arms? They just got reattached."
Lani had only wished well for the exhausted and worn-out Runcandel medical team who had worked through the night to treat Jin.
"Even my arms need a chance to shine."
Lani shook her head sympathetically.
"You're not planning another rebellion, are you?"
"Did I look that foolish to you, Lani?"
"Not really, but... Anyway, I hope I won't be called here again today. See you next time. Take care of your body once in a while."
When Lani left, Jin and Murakan's eyes filled with bloodthirst as they had promised.
"You held out well, Murakan."
"I'm still holding out. I'd love to chew up and swallow those idiots from the Elder Council right now. Yeah, you must have some plan in your head, right?"
"I'll make a declaration."
"A declaration? What kind of declaration?"
"A declaration to reinstate Runcandel to its status as the magic swordsman clan."
A war to claim the clan throne.
In that war, Jin planned to set forth a feat that only he could accomplish in Runcandel.
章節 225: Chapter 384
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Blink, blink.
For a while, Murakan only blinked his eyes as if he heard something wrong. He had a puzzled look on his face, but soon his eyes sparkled with a wicked grin.
"Hahaha! You're saying you'll reinstate Runcandel to the Magic Swordsman Clan? Is that for real?"
His voice was excited, like a child receiving an unexpected gift.
"You think it's just a joke?"
"Did you find something while investigating the tombs of Temar? Can you lift the curse inflicted by Zipfel and their gods?"
A thousand years ago, Runcandel suffered humiliation and got a curse in the name of oath from Zipfel.
Never use magic again. Furthermore, do not worship those ancestors who used magic.
That was the reason why Runcandel, the once mighty Magic Swordsman Clan, is reduced to an ordinary knight clan. As a result of the curse, all Runcandels born thereafter had bodies incapable of using magic.
"No, it's not like that."
"Then?"
"When I looked into Temar's tombs, I simply made a decision. At this rate, Runcandel has no future."
From the recording devices left in each tomb, Jin glimpsed the majesty of ancient Runcandel.
He confirmed the secrets as the descendant who inherited their will, and experienced the invincibility of the great Magic Swordsmen firsthand.
The ancient Runcandel was undoubtedly a glorious clan.
Nevertheless.
Even the glorious Runcandel of that era kneeled before the power of Zipfel.
Even the great Magic Swordsmen had no choice but to kneel before that dark and colossal power that could manipulate reality and history at will.
All they can do is to leave a small spark of hope for the future.
"Their ability to manipulate history is not limited to that era. Just as we are trying to recover the history of ancient Runcandel, Zipfel is also running to regain the power of that era."
Back then, Zipfel did not emerge unscathed either. Zipfel suffered significant losses while breaking the ancient Runcandel.
If they had ended the war without significant losses, it would have been impossible for Runcandel to exist now.
A thousand years had already passed, but both Runcandel and Zipfel had not recovered their old power.
"Indeed. Just by looking at their attempts to reproduce the Orb of Origin, it's clear that they are determined to dominate the world."
"In my opinion, as things stand, Zipfel is more likely to recover the old power faster. So, I need to start moving seriously from now on."
Up to now, he hadn't done that.
Since his return, Jin had mostly hidden his power from his clan.
Only when his career as a reserve flagbearer was about to end did he reveal to the world that he was a Magic Swordsman. Even after becoming the flagbearer, he hadn't fully revealed his skills to the members of his clan.
It wasn't because he enjoyed hiding his power. It wasn't because he didn't find it frustrating.
It was simply because there was a need for it. Until he had the confidence to withstand the pressure of his clan when his power was revealed.
Jin judged that now was the right moment.
-The youngest
-Yes, Father.
"Appointing you as a flagbearer would be a significant loss for Runcandel. I'll observe if you're worth the trouble it would cause.
-I understand.
-I don't have much time left. The appointment ceremony will begin in an hour, so stay here until then.
Jin remembered the conversation he had with his father, Chiron.
The fact that Chiron didn't have much time left meant one thing—there wasn't much time for the world's strongest knight to protect Runcandel.
'As long as my father is alive, Zipfel won't attack Runcandel.'
Jin had come to that conclusion not long ago.
It was a well-known fact that, even though Zipfel had a clear advantage in power, they avoided a direct confrontation with Runcandel because of Chiron.
However, Jin's conclusion was that even if there were sufficient reasons and justifications for both sides to engage in a major battle, there would be no all-out war as long as Chiron was alive.
'I have already violated the oath between Runcandel and Zipfel.'
Moreover, he had defeated Zipfel's elite forces, including the pureblood Zipfels like Andrei, Karl, and Myuron, as well as some of the best mages, Spectres. He had also destroyed Zipfel's flagship, Kozec, the symbol of their power, not once but twice.
Especially during the Holy Kingdom incident, when Jin was still a reserve flagbearer, he had humiliated Zipfel to the utmost, reducing their prestige to nothing. Recently, he had been scratching Zipfels inside through his cosmetics business.
Although he had tried to avoid leaving traces and had created justifications to prevent the problems from escalating, each incident could have easily led to an all-out war.
'Yet Zipfel still hasn't attacked Runcandel. Even though I've caused all these disturbances, and my father is exploring the Black Sea.'
That was partly because Chiron was a formidable presence, but Jin believed that Zipfel also realized that Chiron didn't have much time left.
'They must think that if they wait quietly, victory will be theirs…'
-I don't have much time left.
Jin now seemed to understand why Chiron had left him with those words.
"Now, even if I declare that I will reinstate Runcandel to the Magic Swordsman Clan, no one in the Garden of Swords can punish me lightly anymore. My presence has become too significant."
"Well, look at you, saying embarrassing things with such a serious face. Do you really have the confidence for that? Huh?"
Both Jin and Murakan chuckled.
"Instead of punishing me, they might split into factions, with those who advocate restoring the Magic Swordsman Clan status and those who stick to the traditional values."
"You and Joshua will probably lead each faction."
"That's likely."
"Do you think your mother will object?"
"My mother probably won't be a significant issue. It's too burdensome to eliminate me at this point, and more importantly, there's so much she has to find out from me, especially after I personally mentioned Temar's tombs. There's a lot to be used."
"Anyway, you're an irritating person. By the way, tell me what you learned from the fourth tomb. I was dying of curiosity while waiting for you."
"In the fourth tomb..."
Jin proceeded to explain the events he had experienced in the Wantaramo Forest. Murakan listened intently with his eyes wide open.
"So, that Hister girl is the descendant of the fairies? And the fairies in the Wantaramo Forest were cursed by Helluram?"
"That's right."
"Damn, I hardly remember anything about those fairies back then. I don't know if it's because of history manipulation or if I slept too long."
Murakan touched his forehead as if frustrated. He often felt dizzy when he confronted the fact that his memories were not complete.
It stemmed from a deep sense of self-blame for forgetting his comrades and feeling powerless for having survived alone.
"You can find those memories one by one, Murakan. Don't blame yourself."
In response to Jin's words, Murakan gave a faint smile.
"Yeah, kid. With you around, I will eventually recover everything. And about that Valeria..."
"Yes?"
"Maybe she's one of Solderet's arrangements, too."
"That's possible. In fact, Hister is probably the only one who can perfectly counter Zipfel's history manipulation."
"Where is she now? I'd like to have a conversation with her as well. Just as she examined your records, maybe she can look at mine to revive some memories."
"Valeria is probably traveling all over the world in search of the fifth tomb. I have a few contact addresses, so I'll arrange a meeting place soon."
"Well, she can use record magic, so she'll probably find it much better than us or our enemies. Excellent. When I meet that Hister kid, I should expect some gains from my records."
"Looks like everything is roughly sorted out. I should start heading out."
While Jin was in the operating room, the Garden of Swords had maintained a state of emergency.
They were worried that Murakan might cause a commotion, but they all knew that once the 12th flagbearer woke up, he would never let it slide. The Garden of Swords would begin to stir up.
The moment Jin leaves the room, a new meeting would commence.
"Alright, let's go. I want to see how the faces of those Runcandel kids change after your declaration."
"No, if you join in, things won't go well."
"What?"
"I should make the declaration alone and endure the aftermath that follows. Should you have to carry a guardian dragon on your back when a Runcandel is dealing with other Runcandels."
"Well, there's a thing called 'what if,' kid. What if someone like the 2nd flagbearer or those who follow him, or even your mother, tries to kill you after hearing your declaration?"
In response, Jin shrugged his shoulders.
"There's no chance of that happening. But even if it did, do you think I'd die?"
Jin had confidence that he could escape even in the worst circumstances. With the help of a few individuals who clearly favored him, including Mary, it was possible in any situation.
"Ha, it feels like just yesterday when you were learning shadow force release. You've grown a lot, you little rascal."
"And you have your own tasks to attend to."
"What is it?"
"Strawberry pie, no. I mean, you need to bring Gilly."
As soon as Gilly's name was mentioned, Murakan's brows furrowed.
"I'll tell you in advance, if there's even a slight scratch on Strawberry Pie, you better be prepared because I will kill anyone directly involved even if you stop me."
"That goes without saying. First, go to Elder Tellot and find out where Gilly is being held. You'll need to bring her personally for me to feel safe."
Once Murakan left the room, Jin took a deep breath.
Phew...
If he said he wasn't nervous at all, that would be a lie. Underneath the tense anticipation, there was also a welling sense of excitement.
Clank!
After confirming Murakan flying outside the window, the sunlight seemed unusually bright as Jin opened the door.
"Young Master!"
Petro approached Jin and bowed his head.
"Thanks to you, my arm has healed well. I'm grateful. It was quite touching."
"It's nothing."
"Is Mother, the flagbearers, and the Elders in the central meeting room?"
To Jin's question, Petro shook his head with a heavy expression.
"They're at the arena."
"The arena?"
"Yes. As soon as you woke up, they asked to bring you there... I have a bad feeling about this. It's too obvious why they've summoned you to the arena."
It meant they were willing to resolve it with force if necessary.
While Petro was concerned, Jin smiled as if things were going well.
"It felt a bit burdensome to break the meeting room, but it seems better this way."
"What?"
"Bring me some snacks. Like sandwiches."
While Petro's eyes widened in surprise, Jin continued.
"I can't swing a sword on an empty stomach, right?"
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