章節 90: CHAPTER 249
At the party, Margiela had purposely made things awkward for Vishukel and she seemed to enjoy doing so quite a bit.
'At the time, I thought she was just a little mischievous, but it turns out she was part of the Kinzeo Group as well.'
It was unexpected.
It wasn't as if she was talented at martial arts or magic, and seeing how she was disabled, it was surprising to see her in a terrorist group… No, a wicked cult. (At least, that was what Jin saw them as.)
And why reveal her identity at this particular moment?
'Kinzelo will help me, so in return, go easy on them?'
If their plan was only to deliver this message to Jin, they would've sent another member.
The reason wasn't her handicap.
VIshukel was Kinzelo's vice leader, and Margiela was his cherished younger sister.
Despite being fully aware Jin had wiped out most of the Kinzelo Group without mercy, they still sent Vishukel's precious sister?
Jin couldn't understand their reasoning.
'I don't know what, but that girl… For some reason, I feel like she might have special abilities like Yona or Bouvard.'
All he needed to do was find out.
There was no point in thinking too hard about it, so Jin decided to reply to her first.
Instead of mouthing his words like she had, he used the universal gesture for 'Me?'.
Jin pointed to himself with his index finger.
He planned to pretend he hadn't understood Margiela's message.
'Kinzelo will help you.'
Margiela mouthed again.
Jin again made the 'me?' gesture before looking left and right, shrugging his shoulders as if he didn't know understand what was happening.
Margiela pounded her chest in frustration.
'Do the Runcandels not even teach how to read lips?!'
She repeated this several times, but the result was the same.
After about the fourth time, Jin even stopped looking at her.
Ultimately, Margiela could only conclude Jin hadn't received her message.
It was something she hadn't ever expected would occur.
Though she wanted to take a bit more risk and approach Jin so he could hear her, it wasn't easy for her due to her wheelchair.
To her, it almost felt like Jin was pretending to not understand on purpose.
'It doesn't matter since Kinzelo will help me regardless. If they're this desperate, there's no need for me to play along.'
It was obvious why they wanted to help him.
Since all the blame was going to fall onto the Zipfels, it was obvious they wanted to curry favor.
"Jin."
"What?"
"I feel like that person over there in the wheelchair is trying to say something to you, isn't she?"
"Don't look directly at her, but remember her. We'll have to meet up with her later."
"She your type?"
"No, but she is part of Kinzelo. When the crowd dies down, quietly go and grab her."
"I see. So it was a love that could never be, huh."
"You can do it, right?"
"You have to ask? It'll be a piece of cake."
The angry crowd was still loudly screaming.
"Don't kill the reporter!"
"Reveal the truth!"
Half of the people were cursing at Zipfel and the other half were cheering for the Runcandels who were blocking their path.
Luna and Joshua were putting pressure on the Midnight Sun Magicians with just their gazes.
Those on Zipfel's side were unable to do anything.
Jin noticed the people in the crowd furiously jotting things down with their pens.
They were all reporters.
It was a strange sight.
Zipfel, the symbol of good and justice, was being criticized, while Runcandel, the symbol of evil and corruption, was being supported.
This was what Jin wanted.
For now, it was only limited to those in the central square of the holy kingdom, but Jin wanted this perception to eventually be shared by the whole world.
He didn't hope that Runcandel would replace Zipfel as the symbol of justice.
He didn't believe that was the case, either.
He just didn't want the hypocrites of Zipfel reigning over the world.
'Zipfel, you bastards have no choice but to back off for now. That is, if you don't want to fight my sister and cause the whole crowd to be massacred.'
Maul shook his head.
He had the same thoughts as Jin.
They no longer had the justification to put an end to this by punishing Kal Zipfel.
"…Midnight Sun Magicians! Everyone, return!"
Maul shouted, regretfully.
The Midnight Sun Magicians shared his feelings.
It was the first time they'd ever received this kind of humiliation since becoming one of Zipfel's elite magicians.
"Good decision, Sir Maul."
Luna smiled and waved at Maul's back.
As Maul and the Midnight Sun Magicians began to climb the stairs of light extending from the Kozak, Luna also turned away.
"Let's take our leave as well, second flag-bearer."
"As you command."
"Dino, I'll see you later."
The two hooded figures slowly walked through the crowd once again.
Luna deliberately did not greet Rani.
Because no matter what she said to her, it could look like the Runcandels were trying to get involved with the holy kingdom.
She also felt it would make the Runcandels appear cooler.
The Runcandels that her younger brother was bound to lead.
Waaaa—!
The subjects who had been shouting complaints were now cheering loudly.
A cheer for the flag-bearers of Runcandel, as well as a cheer that came from the sense of victory at having forced the Zipfels to retreat.
And, in the midst of this, Kal Zipfel was speechless as he remained restrained.
The Midnight Sun Magicians had not taken Kal with them before returning.
Though this was to be expected, since the moment Kal was taken back it would be as if the Zipfel Clan was announcing he was their scapegoat.
"Sir Kal, I will ask one final time. Were you truly involved in the Living Golem experiments?"
Rani asked this as she looked directly at Kal.
"Kill me. I do not wish to make excuses."
"Of course, if it turns out that you are the real culprit, I will do so. However, if you intend to withhold the truth, you will rot in the dungeons of the Holy Kingdom of Vankella for the rest of your life. Paladins of the Golden Shield, imprison Sir Kal Zipfel."
* * *
In the afternoon, all the reporters present in that square had acquired the biggest scoop of their careers.
From that point on, breaking news frantically spread all over the world one after another.
Kal Zipfel's confession, Dino's revelation, Kinzelo's true identity, the confrontation between the Midnight Sun Magicians and the Runcandels, etc.
In the past decade, there hadn't been an incident that occurred within one country only to so quickly spread around the world.
The reporters of the Runcandels, representing the Huphester Alliance, and the reporters of the Zipfels, representing the Lutero Magic Federation, were literally waging war.
Runcandel wrote that the Midnight Sun Magicians, who had brought the Kozak with them, withdrew due to being unable to compete against 'the two Runcandel flag-bearers', while Zipfel described it as the Midnight Sun Magicians having shown mercy.
However, even before the war began, the Runcandels were heavily favored.
This was to be expected. Dino, the one who had initially exposed the situation, was a reporter of the Huphester Alliance, and the Midnight Sun Magicians had retreated without achieving anything.
Those who remained neutral wrote articles speculating on who was behind the Living Golem experiments.
It was written exactly like the newsletters Dino had distributed, but that was enough.
What they were most interested in was the name that came up, 'Vamel'.
Just who exactly was this Vamel?
Why was he uncovering Zipfel's corruption?
More people were interested in him than the suffering of the holy kingdom.
It was simply the bitter truth that people cared more about exciting and interesting stories than they did the pain of others. Regardless, in the end, it was a great help to the Holy Kingdom of Vankella.
Tracing Vamel's movements was the surest way to find out the truth.
"Damn it, just who is she?"
Meanwhile, Murakan continued to vent his anger after leaving the square.
He was angry about failing to capture Margiela.
"I was definitely tailing her, but as soon as she entered the alley, she vanished like a puff of smoke."
"I get it. No one's blaming you, so why are you mad?"
"My pride feels strangely hurt. I regained forty percent of my strength, but I can't believe I failed to tail a mere human. Also, since she disappeared like that, she must've known I was after her from the beginning, right? Ugh!"
"I think Margiela also has some sort of special power. Like Yona, Bouvard, or the leader of Kinzelo."
"Why are they using strange powers if they aren't even gods?"
"The Demon God's Orb was Kinzelo's work to begin with. I guess those bastards want to become gods."
It was a pity that they lost sight of Margiela.
However, it was not entirely unexpected that Murakan would lose her trail.
There was no way Vishukel would send the sister he cherished so much off without some kind of precaution.
"Anyway, we've finally reached the end of repaying that favor. It might be difficult to completely uncover the truth, but we've created a situation that's adequate for Rani to ascend to the throne, once the trial and investigation are completed."
Rani had been playing the center role of the holy kingdom immediately following the death of the false holy king.
The traitorous officials were still not on her side, but once Zipfel's corruption was revealed, they wouldn't have any power left.
Power comes from the people, and thanks to Vitura's list being distributed all over the world through newsletters, the people were learning the names of the traitors by heart.
Zipfel was no longer able to empower them, so they were finished.
On the other hand, every single one of the subjects supported Rani.
She still hadn't left the square.
And the square was filled with more subjects than when Kal Zipfel had arrived.
To be exact, they were not gathered in the square, but throughout the capital of the holy kingdom.
So many subjects came to protect her that even the wide square couldn't accommodate them all.
In addition to the subjects, there was also a considerable number of people who purely wished to share the suffering of the holy kingdom.
Not everyone in the world just wanted to have fun.
"That's true, but… I don't know if she'll be able to do a good job. Things have happened that are too big for a person of that size to handle. Even after you become a flag-bearer, take care of her."
"If she needed someone to take care of her, then it wasn't right for her to take the throne. I reckon Lord Rani will do well. Because she's someone who didn't lose faith, even while being ostracized."
"You're quite cold, aren't you? Well, you're right. In the human world, that's what being king means. Most of the bastards I've seen in my three thousand years of life weren't fit to be called a king."
Soon, a trial was scheduled to take place.
It was a trial targeting traitors, including the high priests Montiano and Connyu.
As this was a trial hosted by the last remaining loyalists, the death penalty was unavoidable.
'Vitura sacrificed his future, honor, and even his life. Those bastards will have to lose at least that much too.'
After the trial was over, nearly ninety percent of the holy kingdom's officials would face death.
A state funeral and a requiem for the victims of the Living Golem experiment was to be held after.
'Anyway, I wonder how Kinzelo plans to help me.'
Jin suddenly recalled Margiela's message.
However, that question resolved itself with the sunrise of the next day.
章節 91: CHAPTER 250
Nearly five hundred ships were approaching the eastern port of the holy kingdom.
It was a fleet of such magnitude that it shouldn't have ever appeared without a prior announcement.
The captain of the fleet was not an ally of Vankella.
It was a beastman fleet led by Berakt Sidriker, the great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe.
Because of the five hundred ships entering Vankella's territory, the holy kingdom had no choice but to accept it as a declaration of war.
However, the surprising part was that every ship in the fleet had a black stripe on their highest mast, which was a symbol for condolences.
In addition, the guns of every ship had been removed, and a White Wolf Tribe beastman stood at the stern of each ship, waving a huge black flag.
They came not to wage war, but to express their condolences.
It was a delegation for condolences on a scale that had never been seen before.
"Are they crazy? Why send five hundred ships to offer condolences, knowing full well that the kingdom is in chaos?"
Murakan shook his head.
"It's because Dino gave publicity to the Kinzelo Group, so now they're showing off and letting it be known they're not some third-rate terrorist group. I don't know who came up with the idea, but they're smart."
"Smart?"
"Because Kinzelo said they'd help me. But, if the public perceives Kinzelo as a low-tier organization, then no matter what they do for the holy kingdom, it'll be hard to earn the public's respect."
"Hm, I see."
"We are such a great organization that we can send a fleet of five hundred ships just to pay condolences. Their intention is to make that known."
"The human reporters sure are eating well."
It was surprising that Kinzelo, who had been hiding their power until now, came out like this.
'Does this mean they've decided it's pointless to hide their strength anymore? Or have they been hiding it only because they lacked the opportunity to show off?'
Either way, it was a frustrating situation for Zipfel.
Kal sacrificed his image to hide the fact that he'd been captured by a third-rate terrorist group, but now that third-rate terrorist group was showing what it really was.
The holy kingdom permitted just one of the five hundred ships to anchor.
Not only was it impossible to accommodate all five hundred ships, but even for a condolence call, the number was far too excessive.
From one of the anchored ships, Berakt, five beastmen, and about twenty restrained humans departed.
Berakt's huge body attracted the majority of the attention.
The White Wolf Tribe, his subordinates, were also renowned warriors in the land of the beastmen. Though, they weren't anywhere near Berakt's level.
They immediately entered the capital using the transfer gate and found the square with Rani.
Every time Berakt took a stride, the crowd near him flinched.
Like prey that had encountered a predator, most of them did not even dare to look directly at Berakt.
Unsurprisingly, Berakt didn't follow the correct etiquette. The crowd was too stricken with fear, though, did not dare to jeer.
It was a completely different atmosphere compared to when the Midnight Sun Magicians descended with the Kozak.
Soon, Berakt stood in front of Rani. The Paladins of the Golden Shield waited for him to speak while feeling extremely nervous.
'Kid.'
Jin and Murakan were also watching.
'Yeah.'
'He's quite strong. I doubt even your eldest sister could guarantee a win.'
That was Murakan's judgment of Berakt.
"I am Berakt Sidriker, the commander of Kinzelo's revolutionary army, and the great warrior of the White Wolf Tribe. I have come to grieve the death of Holy King McLan."
"…Thank you, Berakt Sidriker."
"Dame Rani, you may be unaware, but I owed a debt to the holy king from roughly thirty years ago. I was seriously injured in battle, and McLan, who happened to be on our land, treated me."
"I remember Father telling me that he was practicing asceticism in the land of the beastmen around that time. I see, so that happened."
"He was the nicest human being I've ever known. I offer my deepest condolences."
The people present couldn't help but be shocked.
The White Wolf Tribe was famous for treating humans like insects. It was surprising enough that the great warrior of such a tribe would seek them out, but to think that he'd even be so polite and mindful of his manners.
Rani's gaze fell on the humans who were tied up behind Berakt.
They were wearing dirty and tattered Zipfel robes.
"The humans tied up in the back are prisoners from Zipfel we were holding. When we were allied with Zipfel, these humans conducted experiments on our land, without our permission, under the orders of Zipfel's patriarch."
"Pardon?"
"They will confess the details themselves. I pray that your country can escape this sadness as swiftly as possible."
The crowd stirred.
And Jin once again became curious who within Kinzelo planned this.
'Following their display of might, he's now making it clear that he's treating Rani as the head of the holy kingdom. Plus, he even added that the experiments were ordered by Kelliark.'
In any case, blaming everything on Zipfel was bound to become a fight where the victor would be the one with the most dirty tricks.
And in that sense, Berakt's remarks were a very dirty attack on Zipfel.
'In fact, considering that the experiments were a collaboration between Kinzelo and Zipfel, that was incredibly shameless.'
Their priority was to force Zipfel to give up on the holy kingdom.
It wouldn't be too late to interrogate the Kinzelo Group about their sins after getting the holy kingdom back on the right path.
Especially since Kinzelo's name had been brought into the light.
As Rani thought of a reply, Berakt spoke again.
"If I stay too long, it will only make everyone uncomfortable, so I'll leave right away. It's true that we were allies with the Zipfel Clan, so we will take responsibility for this in the future."
* * *
It was revealed that all of the prisoners brought by Berakt were mages belonging to Zipfel's academy.
They exposed every single experiment Zipfel had conducted on the subjects of the holy kingdom.
Their confessions were almost identical to the records left by Mertual Scylla, and also included details about experiments conducted solely by Zipfel that were not in collaboration with others.
And after their confessions…
It was revealed to the world that there were even more experiment facilities within the holy kingdom.
Zipfel had set up a secret laboratory in the northern part of the capital of the holy kingdom, as well as several other cities.
That was the most decisive factor.
Rani and her subjects could not help but be shocked to learn that Zipfel's laboratory was located within the castle.
The same held true for Jin.
"Even though Kal was revealed to be their scapegoat, I thought the best we could hope for was tarnishing Zipfel's image and making them back off. This changes things. I'd never imagined that there would be labs within the holy kingdom."
The image of the good natured and just magic clan is now just a thing of the past within the holy kingdom.
Even still, the Zipfel Clan did not release any further statement.
"Kinzelo did provide proper support. Or maybe, kiddo, was it you that used them well?"
"That's right. I don't plan to let those bastards off the hook either. If I let things go on like this, Kinzelo will get off scot-free. Their image only benefits from this because now they're seen as an organization that's able to capture a pillar of Zipfel's magic tower and take Zipfel's mages captive."
"Putting aside the fact that the Dark Magic Association was destroyed and Liol Zipfel's tome was lost, that is."
"That's not enough. We have to let the people know that the Kinzelo Group is no different from the Zipfel Clan. We've used them for what they're worth, and now it's time to throw them out."
"What are you going to do?"
Just as Jin was about to answer, someone knocked on the door of the room where the two were staying.
"Young Master Jin!"
The urgent voice belonged to Kashimir.
"Sir Kashimir? What's wrong?"
"Kal Zipfel was murdered…!"
Jin and Murakan reflexively stood up.
"What? Wasn't the underground prisoner of war camp guarded by the loyalists, the Paladins of the Golden Shield?"
"An assassin breached through them. They were definitely sent by the Zipfel Clan."
"Ha."
Kal ZIpfel was someone they couldn't afford to have dead. That was because he had to be alive to expose that Kellliark used his own son as a scapegoat.
Furthermore, with his death, the holy kingdom would inevitably have a weaker justification to pressure Zipfel.
That was because the person sent by the Zipfel Clan as the main culprit of the experiments was killed by the holy kingdom.
And since Kal died, Zipfel could simply say that he 'paid for his sins'.
Of course, it was Zipfel's assassin who killed Kal and not the holy kingdom, but the truth was irrelevant.
From today onwards, Zipfel could fabricate articles about how the holy kingdom was demanding an excessive apology from them, even though they had killed Kal.
To avoid the opposition making someone a scapegoat, that person must not die.
"Zipfel's press is already on the move. They're saying that Zipfel already paid for their sins."
"Even though humans are a stupid species, would they really believe that? Anyone can tell it was Zipfel who killed Kal."
"Of course, no one within the holy kingdom believes it. However, outsiders would think that the holy kingdom killed Kal with excessive torture in order to get a confession. Then there'll be stories about how the holy kingdom covered up killing Kal by saying it was an assassination. Because…"
Kashimir sighed, finishing his statement.
"Because… Zipfel, those bastards, left the name of Vamel at the scene of the murder."
Jin and Murakan's eyes widened.
(I will wash away the resentment of the holy kingdom's subjects with your blood - Vamel.)
After killing Kal, the assassin used a sword to carve that sentence onto the wall near the prison's entrance.
"Reporters have already confirmed the sentence engraved on the wall. The sentence was intentionally engraved at the entrance, not at the cell where Kal was kept. It was so everyone could see."
"I see. Image, prestige. We've lost both of those things because of you, so you must reveal your identity… is what they're probably thinking."
"That's how I interpreted it as well, Young Master."
The assassin who killed Kal identified himself as 'Vamel'.
As Murakan said, no one would believe that.
However, unless the real Vamel officially revealed that he was not the culprit, the holy kingdom could no longer hold Zipfel responsible for their crimes.
And that's because the fact of the matter was… Kal was dead.
However, if the real Vamel—Jin—were to appear at an official event and prove that he was not the culprit, from then on, Zipfel's image would plummet.
Not only in the holy kingdom, but all over the world.
'Evil dictators', which was what the Runcandels were known for, may soon be what Zipfel was known for.
"What are you going to do?"
"If they want to become villains so badly, I have no choice but to help them. I'll make it public that I never did anything of the sort."
"Your decisions are important, but... In my opinion, it's too dangerous to reveal your identity. As you said, once they've lost their image and prestige, once they find out who Vamel is, won't they make sure to clearly show what happens to those who oppose Zipfel?"
Jin smiled.
"On the other hand, if the person who opposed Zipfel lives well without any trouble, wouldn't that be a huge blow to them? In fact, it's probably good that things turned out like this. I'll reveal my identity and screw Kinzelo over."
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