章節 131: CHAPTER 290

The Volta mansion was under repair.

Workers were scattered everywhere around the once dilapidated mansion, which seemed like a strong wind could bring it down entirely.

The land lord and members of his clan couldn't help but shed tears from time to time, overwhelmed with emotion that such a dream had become a reality. Even some of the former residents who had left the area due to famine were starting to return home.

Fin Blanche, the Volta clan's butler, helped in distributing food to the servants during the day and devised budget plans to utilize the Runcandel relief funds with the lord at night.

Petrow had followed Jin's orders to "provide ample support without going overboard," but even that was more than enough to uplift this small territory and allow it to plan for the future.

Therefore, Fin Blanche was content. In truth, he had never been as happy in his life as he was now.

"All of this is thanks to you, Sir Jin. I have never seen the people of this land so happy and joyful ever since I became the Volta clan's butler."

Fin brought out a freshly brewed cup of tea and smiled.

"Once the repair of the Volta mansion is complete, the workers from Tikan will build a new house for you. They will construct a soundproof forge in its basement. If there's anything you want to add to the house, let me know."

"Oh no, Sir Jin. I couldn't ask for anything. I am already grateful enough to have a separate house for myself. Thank you, sir."

"No, I should be the one thanking you."

Jin drank the tea, but Murakan frowned, annoyed. In fact, he had been irritated throughout the entire hour they had spent at Fin's house.

"Hey! Picon Minche! Show yourself already! That mustached demon. How long are you going to make me wait?" Thê sourc𝗲 of this content n/o/v/(𝒆l)bi((n))

Picon hadn't shown up yet. Moreover, Murakan was furious because Picon hadn't warned Jin of all the dangers in Temar's first tomb during their initial encounter.

"About that, um, um. I'm sorry, Lord Murakan. I may be your contractor, but I don't have the power to summon him at will." Worried, Fin spoke and scratched his head.

Picon only appeared three hours later. Murakan's patience was wearing thin.

Fin's eyes rolled back, and his body started to tremble. It was the sign of a manifestation.

"Uuuurgh."

Soon, they heard Picon's voice as the whites of his eyes began to emit light.

"Oh, well. You never stop chattering, do you?"

"Greetings to you, Picon."

"Oh, hi. How was the journey, Jin Runcandel? By the way, Murakan. You're as slow as ever, aren't you? Don't tell me you didn't realize I was trying to avoid having to talk to you?"

"What? You were avoiding me? Why?"

Picon then widened his eyes and glared at Murakan. "Have you forgotten how much you annoyed me when I worked with Balisada and Bradamante? You would come to me every day to insist on their completion and mock me, saying that my mustache would grow faster than the speed at which I built the sword."

"What are you talking about? When did I say those things?" Murakan made a face as if he couldn't remember.

"Well, don't you remember? You probably don't even remember how many times Quikantel and Temar had to come to me behind your back to apologize on your behalf. You have no idea how many times I considered abandoning Balisada and Bradamante because of you," Picon barked.

Jin clicked his tongue at Murakan. "Seems like it was your fault."

"That's not all. The whole time you stayed in my forge and voiced your complaints, you would grab and hit any dragon that crossed the skies of my city. Do you know how terrified the other blacksmiths were? They all came to complain about you."

"What? What's all this about? Your forge was in a backward village in the south of Vilmer Kingdom. That place is too far from Stormcastle, and it wasn't even my territory. Why would I hit the dragons passing through that area?"

"Where I am is my territory. Wasn't that what you used to say all the time?"

It suddenly reminded Jin of what Murakan said about the waters of Vermont when they were heading to meet Quikantel.

"Anyone who entered my territory was defeated before any questions. That's how things worked back then."

In reality, Murakan had an incomparably unpleasant personality in his prime.

He was boastful, arrogant, and insolent to the extreme, but he was also fierce and powerful beyond description.

That's how everyone remembered Murakan in his prime. He was so infamous that even Latrie, who had never known Murakan back then, feared him based on the stories alone.

It was no secret that most dragons had a bad temper. But at that time, Murakan was certainly a level above the majority.

Picon was fuming with anger. Thinking about all the things Murakan had done in the past infuriated him.

"You had such a bad reputation that bards used to make songs about how the village of blacksmiths in Vilmer Kingdom was filled with the screams of dragons every day. A strange rumor started spreading, and people even criticized me for being a power-hungry blacksmith who relied on the power of Temar and you!"

Murakan could only blink confusedly for some time. "About that... Picon, if I truly was like that, then I apologize. I'm sorry."

Picon trembled and met Murakan's eyes, but he was thinking, Apologizing? Is that something Murakan is really capable of saying? Really?

"What did you just...?"

Murakan interrupted. "I said I'm sorry. To be honest, the only thing I remember from everything you said was teasing you about the mustache. But given the things I used to do back then, I guess they're all plausible."

"Are you really Murakan? Really?"

"I think something happened to my memory during my thousand-year slumber. I also lost much of my powers, as you can probably see. In any case, if I have offended you, I apologize for it."

Murakan was about to bow his head. Jin was taken aback and immediately grabbed him by the shoulder.

Picon was completely dumbfounded but also held onto Murakan's shoulder. "Uh, no need. Uh, come on, Murakan. We were so close, you know? I was just complaining because I was annoyed. Now you're making me feel bad." Now, Picon seemed more remorseful than Murakan.

"Picon Minche?"

"Yes?"

"Was I an evil dragon a thousand years ago?"

That was the core of Murakan's pride. Although he was the most powerful and arrogant dragon, he prided himself on never having done anything to be classified as an evil dragon.

"No, you weren't an evil dragon. You never harmed humans, and... You used to play with the children of the village. Oh, and do you remember? Ellie, when that girl was kidnapped by the Zipples, you rescued her... Oh, damn it. Why am I justifying your character?"

"I met Silderay in the tomb, and he insulted me, calling me heartless. I thought that idiot had gone crazy, but seeing your reaction, maybe I was the one with issues. All the memories I have of Silderay, or of you, are good ones since you were all people of Temar."

Jin had never seen Murakan act like this.

As for Murakan, he truly didn't remember. Part of his memory that led him into slumber was blurry, and he was aware of this fact. However, he didn't believe that the fuzzy parts of his memory were important since he would have remembered them if they were.

But all the people he recently met who knew about his past or spoke like them, such as the Kinzelo leader, Silderay, and Picon, gave him the impression that something had gone wrong.

"Look, Murakan. You're not an evil dragon. It's true that you pressed and rushed me back then, but you had good reasons for it. You needed Temar's sword to be completed to fight against the Zipples." Picon shrugged and continued, "And it's also true that you regularly beat up dragons. But the intrusion into their territory gave enough reasons for it, and in fact, it was necessary for security reasons since I was forging Temar's weapon at the time. Back then, ninety percent of all dragons in the world belonged to the Zipples."

Murakan lifted his head.

"Everyone knew that you made many sacrifices for the Runcandel and Hufester clans. I complained because I was glad to see you. Don't make me feel bad now."

"Yes, I knew something was wrong. Both you and Silderay have no reason to hate me, but you confused me by saying those things. Silderay didn't say anything to you, right? He called me heartless! Can you even imagine that? That courteous guy did!"

"I haven't seen Silderay since I created the giant sword Tamur for him. He probably complained like I did."

"Silderay went further and even called Solderet a traitor. Apparently, the boy saw him say it in the past through a recording device made with Shadow Energy."

Jin described the recording device for a while. Picon's eyes widened in surprise.

"I didn't know such devices were there. The only thing Solderet told me was that there would be a guardian formed from Silderay's will. That's why I wanted to reinforce Bradamante with a fragment of Tamur, the giant sword from that place."

Just as Murakan thought, the Shadow Energy account was not an object for forging. Picon took a good look at the account and confirmed once again that Solderet hadn't mentioned anything like that.

"Above all, I can't comprehend why Silderay would call Solderet a traitor. Didn't that guy respect Solderet more than any other knight of the Ten? He was also extremely courteous to you."

"Picon. Were you alive after I fell asleep?"

"I lived for about three years after that. Or was it five years?"

"Did Solderet do anything against the Runcandels during that time? Or something of the sort? Although Quikantel and Misha didn't tell me anything about it."

"Oh, it seems you also met Quikantel. I'm glad to know she's still alive. But no, not that I know of. You all know this, but the Runcandels made a pact after losing to the Zipples. If you and Temar had led the battle unharmed...". Picon paused and observed Murakan's reaction.

He was well aware that what had happened back then was a great scar and humiliation for both of them, and for the Runcandel clan.

"Forgive my mistake. I'm sorry, Murakan."

"First, you accused me of being evil, and now you apologize. Mustache, maybe you became a god, but you still lack class."

"Anyway, I think we'll have to find the rest of Solderet's recording devices if we want to figure out why Silderay said that."

"Picon, do you have any more keys from Solderet?" Jin asked.

Picon shook his head. "That was all I had. But I know who has the key to the second tomb. Additionally, there will also be a guardian in the second tomb and an ingredient to reinforce Bradamante."

"Who has the key?"

The key to the second tomb was held by the most surprising figure of all.

Olmango, the God of Clams.

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章節 132: CHAPTER 291

"The god of clams has the key to Temar's second tomb? This is ridiculous. Temar's own guardian dragons, Misha and I, knew nothing about it. Sure, I can understand you having one, Mustache, but what was Solderet thinking, entrusting such a precious item to such a useless god?"

Murakan seemed quite annoyed by the news.

"I couldn't tell you that. I'm just telling you what Solderet told me."

"Do you know where he is?"

"No idea."

"Well, now we'll have to start looking for him." Murakan muttered to himself, irritated.

But Jin silently celebrated when he heard the name Olmango. This god was someone they didn't have to put much effort into finding.

"Murakan, the contractor of the god of clams is in Schutzeron. We discovered that while testing the compass mechanism."

"That's strange. But it seems to serve the purpose of showing the divine contractors. A red dot appeared in the kingdom of Schutzeron three days ago, and they just published a small article that someone contracted with the god of clams there this morning."

"God of clams? What was his name? Olmango? Olongo? Anyway, does he also mark those useless deities with a red dot? Even that powerless guy isn't worthy of being called a god."

That had been the conversation Jin had with his Tikan companions right after seizing the compass.

It was very likely that the contractor of the god of clams was still in the kingdom of Schutzeron.

"Oh! Yes, I remember."

"Murakan?"

"Yes?"

"I'll head to the clan's house. Go to Tikan and have Sir Kashmir send people to Schutzeron to secure the precise location of Olmango's contractor."

"Right now?"

"Take your time. You can spend some time with Picon before you leave. I just need to have that information by the time I finish the black knight assassination task."

"Understood. Hey, Mustache. I have something to ask you. I heard that you used a power to control metals. You formed swords or something, right? Is it a divine power from the god of blacksmiths?"

"Of course, how could I use such powers without being a god? What an obvious question."

"It's just that there's something that bothers me. You know about the Kinzelo, right? That strange bastard who supposedly leads them also wields a divine power to control metals."

Murakan then went on to describe the conversation he had with the Kinzelo leader, his appearance, and the power he wielded.

Picon shrugged. "It's strange. Divine powers are exclusive to the god of blacksmiths. Hmm. Is it my predecessor, Growler? No, Growler is dead, and his powers were undoubtedly transferred to me. If you encounter him again, bring me some of the metals he uses."

"Can you find out anything about him?"

"I'll take a look. If it's about metals, this Picon Minche can find out things about it. Who knows? We might find some clues."

--------------------------------

It was nighttime when Jin returned to the Garden of Swords. It was March 4, 1799, and there were still four days left until the mission began.

Barton Vichena was not at the Garden of Swords. He was supposed to wait at his private residence and meet the rest in the mission area, Bentica.

"I wanted to have a conversation with him before the mission started, if possible," Jin told Gilly.

"I suppose you mean the target for elimination, Barton Vichena, young master."

"Yes. Gilly, you don't know him either, right?"

"No, young master. I haven't even heard rumors of his martial arts feats. Barton Vichena is likely a false name. He must have used a different name in his prime."

"You're right, Gilly."

Jin was in his room, reading the file that Rosa had given him about Barton Vichena.

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"His real name is Reigaf Klever. Apparently, he is the older brother of the strongest martial artist in the Klever clan, Lanz Klever."

"Wow. Was it Sir Reigaf?"

Gilly had known him before. "Before becoming your nanny, I once participated in a martial arts tournament jointly organized by twenty-five martial arts clans of Hufester. Only those under twenty years old were allowed to participate in the tournament. At that time, Sir Reigaf presided as a judge, and I received my trophy from him after winning the tournament."

That was more than a decade ago.

"What was he like back then?" Jin asked.

"Nowadays, people consider Sir Lanz Klever the strongest in the Klever clan, but at that time, Sir Reigaf was clearly the stronger of the two. He was the obvious successor to the patriarchate of the clan, but he suddenly passed away three months after I won the tournament. I was told it was due to a mysterious high fever."

That's what they told Gilly. In fact, she had even attended his funeral as a flagbearer of the McLoran clan.

But in reality, Reigaf was already being prepared for training to become a Runcandel black knight at that time.

As a result, he was declared dead and received the black helmet of the Runcandels instead of becoming the patriarch of the Klever clan.

"In fact, this file says that the Klever clan is unaware of this fact. They actually believe that Reigaf Klever had died."

Of course, there were some in the Klever clan who were aware of Reigaf Klever's appointment as a black knight. Several of them had known, but none of them were alive anymore.

There was a list of people from the Klever clan who had learned of Reigaf's appointment as a black knight. To the right of their names was written the ruthless phrase, killed for security.

In other words, no one in the Klever clan currently knew that Barton Vichena was Reigaf Klever.

Jin brought his hand to his forehead. "Not only did we steal the successor of an allied clan, but we also killed everyone who knew about this fact."

In fact, the Klevers pledged their unquestionable loyalty to the Runcandels to this day, completely unaware of what had happened.

A bitter taste lingered.

"It's understandable why Reigaf Klever betrayed the Runcandel clan. From his perspective, we had the entire Klever clan as hostages. He probably had no choice but to become a black knight."

"I didn't know that's how the clan appoints black knights."

Jin's gaze lingered at the bottom of the last page for a while.

His father, Cyron Runcandel, had approved it with his signature.

Obviously, Cyron would have given his direct order for the mission as the patriarch. If it was not outside his direct order, he would still have been aware of it.

"It seems like I don't understand. If this turns out to be true, I will be quite disappointed."

"Are you saying you're disappointed in the clan?"

"No, not in the clan. In my father. The clan is definitely capable of doing such things. In fact, it is capable of doing much worse."

Jin closed the document folder and continued. "Undoubtedly, father is a cold-hearted person, but he's not someone who plays dirty, not in the way I know him, at least. Besides, he is not a powerless person who needs to threaten someone to submit. So, why? I don't understand why he had to take Barton Vichena in that manner."

Gilly agreed with Jin but was not in a position to judge the patriarch, so she bowed her head instead.

Jin's eyes gleamed in the lamp's light. "Barton Vichena. I'm sure I'll find out something when I meet him. Gilly."

"Yes, young master."

"I will go to the Holy Kingdom tomorrow and receive treatment until the mission begins." Visitt nov𝒆lbin(.)c𝒐/m for the l𝒂test updates

Gilly sighed upon hearing that. "I thought nothing would happen since Murakan was with you, but to think you returned with so much internal damage. I'm upset that you have troubles in both body and mind just before the mission."

"Don't be upset. I will carry out the mission with Dyfus anyway. I am likely to succeed even if I don't unleash all my abilities."

The assassination of the black knight was a very important mission and could be called a critical mission.

"Mother would have assigned someone who can guarantee success regardless of my involvement. She would have chosen her best option, given how important this is. And that choice was Dyfus."

As Jin said, Rosa didn't assign Jin to the mission to put him in a tight spot. She assigned him to see how her second son treated the youngest.

Dyfus was still at a nine-star level, but as a pure-blooded Runcandel, he could always deliver unexpected results against a ten-star knight.

The fact that Dyfus had to bring the black knight to his death in a battle against the Zipple only facilitated the achievement.

The White Night didn't know that Barton was a Zipple spy, and Barton also wouldn't know that he had been discovered.

"However, you will still have to face a black knight."

"I fought against one of the top ten knights in the Runcandel clan's strength and came back alive, remember? Don't worry about me. Just have a good time with Murakan while I'm away."

"Isn't Murakan joining the mission?"

"No, it won't serve to bring my dragon guardian to my first mission. If I did, the clan elders would endlessly criticize me. In fact, even the cadets might think I'm a coward."

"Ugh. That might be true since they don't know what you're really like, young master. Although I've expressed my concern, I know you'll prove yourself right as always, young master."

Jin smiled. "Ah, and one more thing. You should take a leave of absence when this mission is over, Gilly."

"What? A leave of absence? Why all of a sudden? You've been facing battles since you came back, young master. Why are you telling me to take a leave of absence at this moment?"

"It's not because of that. Murakan seems desperately eager for a date, that's why." Jin didn't dare say it.

"Take a leave of absence. Soon, you'll have many things to worry about, so forget about things in advance. Besides, it's customary to send nannies on leave right after flagbearers are appointed as knights."

Gilly was about to refuse once again, but Jin shook his head first. "I think it's also important for you to have some private time for yourself, Gilly. You should go out and treat yourself once in a while or just spend some quiet time for yourself without thinking about things."

"Alright."

Gilly had sacrificed her youth for Jin. Not only that, she was also willing to give up the rest of her days.

She always said it was a choice she made for herself, and she truly believed it. But Jin always felt deeply indebted to her.

He just never showed it because she didn't want him to.

"I want you to know that I'm always grateful to you."

"I feel the same, young master."

--------------------

Jin secretly entered the Holy Kingdom because revealing his treatment would expose his weakness to the clan.

Lani and her loyal aides treated Jin with their best efforts for the next two days. There were at least two saints beside Jin for the next forty-eight hours. Jin had never received such luxurious treatment in his entire life.

Thanks to their efforts, Jin was almost in perfect condition when he returned to the Garden of Swords.

I won't be able to execute the Reign of the King of Legends, but this is more than enough.

Anyway, Rosa didn't know about the Reign of the King of Legends. Therefore, it was not a necessary element to complete this mission because Rosa believed Jin's prowess was somewhere at the middle to upper level of the eight stars.

Dyfus and ten guardian knights stood before the designated portals for flagbearer missions. Jin didn't recognize any of the guardian knights.

Half of them would be promoted to execution knights after this mission.

"You've arrived, twelfth flagbearer." Dyfus didn't turn to look at Jin. He was cleaning his giant sword, Bolgar, with a cloth.

"Hello, fourth flagbearer."

I'll kill you if you get in my way. I hope you don't disappoint me. I'll explain the mission now if you follow me. Dyfus didn't offer such warnings or advice.

In essence, he didn't leave the Runcandel class, just as Jin advised him a few days ago. On one hand, it was his acknowledgment of Jin, and it was also for Mary's sake.

That terrifying boy.

That was the updated definition of Jin that Dyfus had in his mind since that day.

That's why he had to think.

If given the chance during the mission, would it be better to kill Jin?

Or should he let him live, so he could constantly pressure Rosa and Joshua? Dyfus couldn't make up his mind.

"Let's get going," Dyfus said, burning the cloth with his aura and letting its ashes scatter in the wind.

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