章節 327: Chapter 486
[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
Cough, cough!
The sound of Diphus clearing his throat echoed through the barracks.
"What did you say?"
For a moment, he thought his ears deceived him, but he received an immediate response.
"I told you that we should kill the 2nd flagbearer in this mission."
Let's kill Joshua.
Diphus had never heard such words since he was born. Even Mary at her prime had never said anything similar.
'I've been thinking about it, but he's really insane and…'
He's also a scary guy.
'He's not someone who would say things without thinking. Saying 'Let's kill Joshua' means he had already finished planning.'
The newcomer who had just arrived at the barracks now seemed to be planning to kill Joshua. Diphus couldn't immediately figure out on what basis this plan was made, but it sent a shiver down his spine.
"Anyway, you have a knack for surprising people. Why do you want to kill that person? I'm sure you are not doing this because you are angry at him for making fun of your new nickname, the Black Crown Prince."
"Of course, that's not the reason, but it wasn't pleasant."
"Joshua might have genuinely thought that your title was cool. When he was young, he liked his title 'Black Lion' the most. He used to say it felt like he was succeeding our mother."
Jin and Diphus shared a light laugh.
"I didn't know the second flagbearer had such a cute side."
"You might have found it even cuter if you had spent your childhood with him. Anyway, what if I decline your offer?"
Diphus adjusted his expression and inquired, and Jin shrugged his shoulders.
"Do you have a reason for that?"
"Once the infiltration of the underground shipyard begins, all the enforcement knights in the Sota Desert will return to the clan."
"Is this because retreating after infiltration is impossible if they're not at the level of Black Knights?"
"That's right. So the personnel directly involved in the mission are just you and me, Lord Murakan, the 2nd flagbearer you want to kill, and his Black Knights. It means that each person is precious in order to complete the mission."
Jin let out a sigh upon hearing this.
"You're talking like someone who came to this secret shipyard in the Sota Desert without knowing that it's a trap set by Zipfel, elder brother."
Diphus's eyes narrowed.
"Anyway, this mission can only be half successful at best. The best outcome will be returning safely after destroying the facility. The battleship's blueprints? Do you think Zipfel left something like that in this place after intentionally leaking the information? Clearly, there's nothing important in the 4th, 11th, 17th, and 19th sections."
Zipfel's purpose in leaking the location of the secret shipyard in the Sota Desert.
That was a problem Diphus had been pondering all along. He knew it was a trap, but it was too extensive to ignore. However, it was difficult to grasp what Zipfel's actual purpose was.
'Does the youngest have a guess about Zipfel's purpose? Killing Joshua is not an empty statement, but what are his intentions?'
As Diphus was contemplating, Jin spoke again.
"Stop thinking and make a choice. Will you join me in killing Joshua, or not? I'll give you five seconds. After that, even if you change your mind, I'll handle it on my own. 5, 4."
"Hey, hey, youngest! Wait a moment!"
"3, 2..."
In the end, Diphus nodded before Jin finished counting.
Though he felt like he was being dragged along, he realized that if he didn't negotiate with Jin now, he would probably be the one suffering in this mission.
Above all, it was an opportunity.
An opportunity to 'definitely' kill his eldest brother, the 2nd flagbearer, whom he had wanted to kill all his life. The youngest that Diphus saw was undoubtedly the person who would carry out his words.
"Damn it, alright! Let's do it together."
"A beautiful moment of brotherly solidarity, you won't regret it."
Seeing Jin smile slyly, Diphus muttered under his breath that there was no devil like him.
"But, there's a condition."
"Go ahead."
"Share all the information you have with me."
"For instance?"
"Information about Joshua's helper, the figure known as the Prophet, and what you think Zipfel's purpose is. And why do you want to kill Joshua."
"Is that all?"
"Yes."
"I will tell you the first one after the mission is over. However, I will tell you the second and third right away. In my opinion, Zipfel's purpose is to assess the capabilities of other major factions' forces."
"Are you saying Zipfel is using this shipyard as bait to assess the strength of external forces? Isn't that a bit far-fetched? Even I can't estimate the manpower and resources that have been put into this facility."
"You can think of it that way. However, perhaps you, too, have pondered Zipfel's purpose more than what I've just said. Is there a more reasonable explanation than what I just mentioned?"
There wasn't.
Diphus was also more concerned because he was aware of the main premise that 'as long as there is Chiron, there is no all-out war.'
"Especially, Zipfel would have needed to confirm Joshua's abilities. More precisely, Zipfel wants to see if Joshua and our mother have the strength to guard the clan in place of our father. Hasn't the era now arrived where we can no longer survive with just the name of the world's greatest sword master?"
Kinzelo had the mysterious power of its leader, Bubare's power of chaos, the Plutonian-type golems, the Empire had the Majins, Zipfel's living golems and mass production of battleships, and manipulation of history.
In such a situation, Runcandel had only held onto a single sword. At least, that's what has been revealed so far.
"So, the moment we begin the infiltration, Zipfel will have already achieved part of its goal. After all, he wouldn't have been able to create such a perfect infiltration tunnel without the power of the Prophet."
"I get it. So what about the third one? Setting aside the method of killing the 2nd flagbearer, what is your actual goal? What benefits does the death of the 2nd flagbearer bring to the clan?"
Diphus was asking this, but he had already drawn his own conclusion.
What effect will Joshua's death have on the clan?
'If the youngest and I kill the 2nd flagbearer in this mission, it will certainly bring division to the clan. Then I have to change the water and reorganize things.'
Remove Rosa and Joshua's rotten Runcandel.
That was the reorganization that Diphus had in mind.
After Jin made it public through Mary that the information about 'legacy of the first patriarch' existed within the clan.
The siblings, especially Diphus and Mary, no longer respected Rosa's favoritism. The premise that "Rosa always makes decisions for the family" had been shattered.
From then on, Rosa's favoritism was the biggest culprit in the destruction of the clan in Diphus's eyes.
'Of course, the utility value of Joshua and mother hasn't completely disappeared. After the reorganization is over, I'll have to confront my mother as well. The Prophet would be under my mother's control, not Joshua's anyway.'
What comes next?
The remaining flagbearers would continue to struggle for the throne, seeking out the legacy of the first patriarch of the clan to restore the former glory of Runcandel.
He needed to break the curse binding the clan and enter a brilliant era of magic swordsmen that Jin briefly showed.
Although they were competing for the throne, Diphus was in favor of Jin's declaration of the return of the magic swordsmen.
Jin seemed to see through Diphus's thoughts.
Diphus's thoughts seemed to be shaped in a way that wasn't bad.
'The future courses that elder brother Diphus is thinking of are close to the royal road. The problem is that there is absolutely no way Joshua would have sent his real body to this dangerous place. Elder brother Dipus doesn't know that, so he just thought it was a golden opportunity to change the clan, and he accepted my offer as if he was drawn to it.'
Jin hid his bitter smile inside, and made eye contact with Dipus.
"Second eldest brother, it feels like I am being graded for my test. What benefit does it bring to the clan? This is an opportunity to cut away the rotten chain of favoritism and purify the clan. Even if we kill Joshua, the Prophet is under the control of our mother anyway, so we can decide what to do with her abilities at that time."
Diphus's eyes widened.
He felt a strange sense of kinship knowing that Jin had the same thoughts as me. It was disappointing to think that his younger brother wasn't his perfect ally, like Mary.
"Second eldest brother, honestly, I didn't plan to make this proposal to you. I thought I could kill Joshua on my own. But elder sister Mary asked me to return with you without getting hurt."
"Mary, she said something that doesn't suit her. Creepy. Were you the type to be moved by such lukewarm words?"
"That's not it, but I'm also a human being. Sometimes I feel familial love, and sometimes I want to return the favor of my kins. That's why I told you in advance so that you wouldn't get hurt while I was killing Joshua. Coincidentally, our goals align."
Jin was sincere.
"Is this enough explanation?"
Diphus nodded and extended his hand towards Jin.
"Alright, it's a moment of beautiful brotherly solidarity, even if it's temporary."
As they shook hands, Jin couldn't help but feel a twinge of conscience for the first time in a long time.
'Well... Even if it means killing a clone, I will definitely make it beneficial to the clan in the end, so elder brother Diphus would understand me.'
Even if he doesn't understand, it will only be Diphus who looks foolish after the incident is over.
That is, if everything goes according to Jin's plan.
"Let's talk about your plan to kill him now. There might be many variables, so until we begin the infiltration, let's put our heads together to figure things out."
***
February 28, 1800, 2 AM.
Once the enforcement knights cleared the barracks and withdrew, the operation began.
Jin, Murakan, Diphus, Joshua, and two black knights, a total of six individuals, donned their infiltration gear and ran under the ground in the Sota Desert.
They were using a tunnel that stretched from where the barracks were to the secret shipyard, and it had been formed in advance by Joshua using the power of a prophet.
And as soon as they reached the beginning of the shipyard after running in silence for a while.
The group was able to encounter an unexpected sight.
"...Looks like rats used our tunnel."
Joshua said as he examined a round object placed on the ground, resembling a human head. He checked its face and it turned out to be one of the shipyard managers.
"It appears to be Kinzelo, 2nd flagbearer."
The moment one of the black knights made that statement, a loud crashing and exploding noise started coming from beyond the tunnel.
"...It seems like the beast bastards are causing trouble."
Joshua said, nonchalantly glancing beyond the tunnel.
章節 328: Chapter 487
[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
The first divisions of Runcandel and Kinzelo, who did not come to the Gaifa Archipelago, all set up camp in the Sota Desert while Jin was meeting Amela.
Just as Joshua used the power of a prophet to form tunnels in the desert, members of Kinzelo also used their abilities to create a scouting tunnel and secretly used some of Joshua's tunnels.
Jin's gaze fell upon the head of the deceased shipyard manager.
The cut surface on the neck was messy, as if it had been torn apart. It was far from suitable for infiltration and assassination.
'Furthermore, it's quite a distance away, and yet the commotion is significant. It's not an incident that happened on the spot during infiltration; it was a direct attack on the shipyard.'
It seemed that members of Kinzelo had decided to approach the secret shipyard in the Sota Desert in a completely different way than Runcandels.
'Why would members of Kinzelo dare to act with such audacity? They must have a solid reason for this.'
The Sota Desert is adjacent to Drakka, the capital of the Lutero Magic Federation.
That's why Runcandels choose this method of infiltration. But members of Kinzelo were boldly stirring up the most dangerous beehive in the world.
"There is no way our information was leaked, but they started their operation at the same time... Is it just an unfortunate coincidence?"
As Jin began to ponder, Joshua gritted his teeth and scowled.
Kuzzz, Boom-! Thud! Bam!
Joshua's words were suddenly drowned out by a deafening explosion as if they were waiting for the Runcandels. The vibrations were so intense that it felt like the tunnel might collapse at any moment.
For instance,
It seemed that Runcandel's plan had completely backfired. The blaring alarm from the defensive magic, ringing like crazy amid the deafening sound of the explosion, was getting on their nerves.
Jin had been calculating ways to kill Joshua and succeed in his mission since last night. However, Kinzelo's sudden act of terrorism was unexpected.
'But perhaps, this turn of events might not be that bad. At least not for me and my elder brother Diphus.'
Jin was confident that Joshua had 'information about this mission that he did not share with him and Diphus.'
As he had told Diphus earlier, the 4th, 11th, 17th, and 19th sections marked on the interior map of the shipyard were meaningless.
'Joshua probably believed that either I or elder brother Diphus would naively choose one of those sections to investigate. He must think that we had no choice but to do something, even if it meant destroying the shipyard anyway. And he would try to take advantage of the chaos to sneak off on his own to the real location with valuable information.'
Jin had assumed that the location of the information that Joshua was trying to monopolize was '2nd Magic Tower'.
Drakka was not the only place near the Sota Desert shipyard. Not too far away, there was also Zipfel's "2nd Magic Tower."
Of course, it was only a guess that Joshua was trying to monopolize information about the 2nd Magic Tower.
That's why, when the infiltration began, Jin had planned to keep an eye on Joshua with the help of Diphus. He would intentionally mention the 2nd Magic Tower or focus the search on the part of the shipyard closest to it.
'There's a low chance that Zipfel has prepared for infiltration all the way to the 2nd Magic Tower, considering how close Drakka is. It's hard to believe that either we or Kinzelo would dare to meddle with the 2nd Magic Tower. Both of us would have more than enough on our hands just with destroying the shipyard…'
Ah!
The moment Jin thought that far, he felt a shiver run down his back.
'Perhaps there's no need to keep an eye on Joshua; it's definitely the 2nd Magic Tower. The members of Kinzelo are trying to draw the attention of the forces of the 2nd Magic Tower and lure them into the shipyard, and then rob the empty house!'
That is the reason why Kinzelo is blatantly terrorizing the shipyard.
They were aware that the truly important data was not inside the shipyard but outside, specifically within the 2nd Magic Tower.
Furthermore,
'Damn you Kinzelo bastards! Are they also aware that part of the battleship blueprints exists in the 2nd Magic Tower, not in the shipyard?'
Joshua was also thinking along the same lines.
However, unlike Kinzelo, who was confidently destroying the shipyard, he felt a chilling sensation in his bones.
'It can't be a coincidence that they started the terror act right during our infiltration time! Information about our operation and the 2nd Magic Tower must have leaked, although I don't know the exact route….'
Joshua had originally planned to entrust Jin, Murakan, and Diphus with the task of distracting Zipfels like what members of Kinzelo were doing right now, while he seized the chance to move towards the 2nd Magic Tower.
The underground shipyard was vast, so he thought that it would not be that difficult to deceive his brothers and Murakan.
So, when he confirmed that it was Jin and Murakan who came yesterday instead of Mary, he inwardly rejoiced. But now, the situation has taken a turn for the worse!
Amidst the distant explosions and the silence that followed, the attention of Runcandels' focused on Joshua.
It was an unspoken pressure for him to make a judgment, as the highest decision-maker in this matter.
He felt anxiety at the fact that members of Kinzelo outmaneuver him, the pressure to reevaluate all his moves from the beginning, and the emotionless face of his youngest brother right in front of him.
Due to these factors, Joshua could barely keep his composure.
'First of all, I must remain calm. If I show even the slightest hint of panic, Jin will surely pick up on it. He's not one to miss a scent, no doubt about it.'
No matter how cautious he was, Jin was already reading Joshua's innermost thoughts. Joshua hadn't realized it, not even in his dreams.
And it wasn't just Joshua whose insides were burning.
'Given the scale of Kinzelo's terror attack, the mission of destroying the shipyard is practically over. Moreover, as the youngest said, the importance of the four sections that Joshua claimed was just a trick to deceive me and the youngest, so it is right for Joshua to make the decision to retreat now....'
Diphus also felt his mouth becoming dry as he recalled the conversation he had with Jin last night.
-I mentioned earlier that there wouldn't be anything important in the 4th, 11th, 17th, and 19th sections, didn't I?
-That's right. Given that Zipfel deliberately leaked the location of the shipyard, there's no way they'd leave crucial data like battleship blueprints here.
-But there must be important data somewhere near the shipyard. Most likely in Drakka. But we can't rob that place, so the most likely place is the Second Magic Tower.
-So what you're saying is that the really vital information is in the Second Magic Tower, and Joshua is pretending to infiltrate the shipyard with us while planning to gather information from the Second Magic Tower alone?
-Yes.
-Hmm, let's assume you're right. And our eldest brother is undoubtedly a piece of trash, but he's not such a fool as to jeopardize the clan's interests for personal gain. Just recently, he used the media to support you during the Black Kings incident.
-You're right. However, for Joshua to extract information from the Second Magic Tower securely, it might be better to deceive us as well, don't you think?
-That's possible. But, Jin, your argument is based on possibilities, not concrete evidence. It's just a speculation. And even if that speculation were true, what does it have to do with killing Joshua?
-When Joshua will go to the Second Magic Tower, he won't take both Black Knights with him. At least one Black knight has to stay in the shipyard for the purpose of deceiving us and gaining time. However, we will also go to the Second Magic Tower without Joshua's knowledge. After all, only one Black Knight is left in the vast underground shipyard.
-And attack Joshua who is with only one black knight?
-We will attack him after he gets the information from the Second Magic Tower. If we're lucky, both of the Black Knights will be left behind in the shipyard. So, he might be alone.
-What if there is still a Black Knight with Joshua at the Second Magic Tower?
-But since Murakan is there, we can easily kill him.
-No, I'm asking how we plan to deal with the Black Knight. Subduing him without killing is impossible for us even if Lord Murakan is with us. Also killing a Black Knight is a different problem than dealing with Joshua.
-Well, that's more like an act of treason than a war of succession.
-It is not even close. Kill the Black Knight while carrying out such an important mission? That is definitely treason. I'm getting disappointed because there are too many variables in your speculations. I thought you were holding a strong hand.
-It's the assassination of the second flagbearer of Runcandel. Moreover, he's known as the next patriarch. If you can't even handle this level of risk, you can't do anything for the rest of your life. Even such a dangerous opportunity may never come again.
-Whoa.
-And I have no intention of killing the Black Knight. I never thought my second brother would be this scared, but please, if you want to quit, go ahead.
-...For now, after infiltrating, let's search the area closest to 2nd Tower to assess Joshua's intentions.
Diphus was trying to suppress his restless thoughts since he had this conversation yesterday.
The disappointment he felt for his youngest brother, who was determined to kill Joshua with weak speculations, and the sense of desperation that made him want to jump aboard a flimsy ship, were overwhelming.
'But if Joshua chooses to continue the mission rather than a retreat, then... it means Jin's speculation was true...!'
Unlike Joshua and Diphus, Jin cleared his confused mind and was already calculating new variables.
'Kinzelo, those sons of bitches have helped me again. You're going to choose to enter, Joshua. You might want to die from frustration, but as elder brother Diphus says, you won't give up the clan's significant interests.'
Jin concealed a smile.
It was not yet a complete victory, as the speculation was merely becoming true.
"Oh, it's so frustrating. Hey!"
Suddenly, Murakan shouted at Joshua with an indignant tone.
"Aren't you the one with decision-making authority? Make a decision quickly. Are you going to continue the mission or not? Why are you just standing there stupidly? Come on, I'm busy! If we are going to retreat, let's retreat quickly. I want to see strawberry pie."
Joshua had no choice but to respond in this way.
"…We will continue the mission."
Thump!
The moment Diphus heard the decision, he felt his heart pounding like a drum.
He was shocked. He couldn't gauge how far Jin had been thinking ahead.
'Yes, I was just suspicious for no reason. I can kill Joshua as long as I follow Jin's moves!'
Once again, Jin was keenly aware of Diphus's disappointment turning into anticipation. He couldn't help feeling a bit sorry.
'How disappointed he will be once he finds out that the current Joshua is not the real one. I feel a little guilty.'
每周推薦票狀態
200+ 推薦票
榜單 
51 推薦票 
段落評論