Episode 1144
Chapter 260: The Head of House Succession Ceremony (Part 1)
August 1, 1805.
More people than ever before were gathering at the Garden of Swords. In an unprecedented move, Runcandel had fully opened the Garden of Swords to the public, allowing anyone who came to witness the head of house succession ceremony.
For days, every inn in Karon had been fully booked, and countless tents had been pitched in front of the Garden. Even crowds were waiting in the skies aboard the Golden Fleet of the Bamel Union—ordinary citizens selected by random lottery.
“Panda, eel, dried eel, eel skewers…!”
“Step right up! The Golden Snail Guild’s new product experience tent is over here! Today only, everything’s half off—an unbeatable deal you won’t see again!”
The Golden Snail Guild had secured exclusive commercial rights for the event and was working hard every day to make the most of it.
“Hey! Where’s your number one boss? Oh, here you are. I told you I’d personally pick the best portrait for the billboard with Jin’s face on it. Who approved this awful drawing?”
“Ah! It’s Nodarb Sarsang! Run!”
“Run? Where are you going to run? There’s nowhere to run here.”
Thwack!
Sandra lightly smacked Peng’s head. Darkflame, standing nearby, got hit too for no reason.
“Why? Hit me? Why…? I’m Panda, eel.”
“That’s collective responsibility.”
“Ah, ah.”
Sandra grinned, then playfully bit Darkflame’s round head as if he was too cute to resist, snatching an eel skewer and popping it into her mouth. Peng tried to kick Sandra’s shin but froze when he saw Hedos and awkwardly cleared his throat.
“Miss, maybe it’s time to stop disrupting business.”
“But I’m just disappointed with the billboard’s Jin portrait. He looks way better than this, especially on a day when so many people are watching.”
“Still, it’s excellent in my eyes. It’s a work by the god of painters, Keitam, after all.”
Since the world’s restoration, most gods had lost their physical forms. But harmless deities like Keitam and Olmango still lived among people, blending into society or nature.
Hedos stroked his chin, gazing at the massive billboards plastered on every Golden Snail tent.
Jin, Veradin, Dante, Siris, Valeria, Sandra, Enya, Kashimir… The Golden Snail Guild was using all the key figures of the Bamel Union as free models.
“My portrait pleases me greatly. The masculine physique, the scent of a stylish male—Sarsang 5.”
“Ha! ‘A stylish male,’ huh? That’s just creepy.”
“Many men actually follow my fashion, miss. They call it the Hedos craze.”
“Yes, yes, Mr. Hedos Sarsang. I’m sure that’s true.”
Sarsang, Hedos, and Sandra had dropped the surname Ziphl and adopted a new one for themselves: Sarsang. Though they always assisted Veradin, they remained family.
Hedos felt a wave of nostalgia as he looked at his comrades’ faces on the billboards.
The days of wandering the Black Sea like beasts, the 12th Ziphl experiment chamber where he met Sandra, the Two-Horse Tower, the Bamel Union… and the final battle against the Demon God Corps that destroyed the world.
All those moments had passed like a dream, leading to this era—a time of peace, free from terrible wars.
Suddenly, someone linked arms with Hedos and leaned close.
“What are you thinking about, stray cat? Hello, Miss Sandra.”
“Hello, Lady Vanessa!”
Sandra showed particular warmth toward Vanessa, Hedos’s wife. It was natural—they had often wondered who else they could live with besides each other.
“Ah, Vanessa. Just reminiscing a bit.”
“Reminiscing?”
“When I betrayed Ziphl and decided to join the Bamel Union… I told Jin, if there’s no hope in Tikan, I wouldn’t hesitate to leave again, taking you with me.”
“If you had left then, we wouldn’t be seeing this scene now. We wouldn’t have beaten the Demon God Corps.”
“Is it really that serious?”
“If even one person who fought in that battle had been missing, we would have lost. Weak or strong, Changseong or not, everyone performed miracles every moment. That’s how the lord of the small house inherited the legacy.”
“Well, I don’t want to admit Hedos did well, but Lady Vanessa is right.”
“Sandra endured burning pain and kept saving people back then, didn’t she?”
“Jin could do even worse for himself, so it’s nothing.”
“Hmm, maybe it’s time to look for someone else.”
“Vanessa’s great, but sometimes she gets on my nerves like this. I won’t meet anyone but Jin. Red hair… I’ll snatch you away anytime. Ha ha ha…!”
Hedos and Vanessa shook their heads.
A few steps away, another group watching them also shook their heads.
“Bubar, even if you like me, don’t be like that.”
“Please, Ainas-sama too.”
Bishkel watched Bubar and Ainas flirting and felt an urge to send them off to some private island forever. It was a daily impulse.
Kinzelro.
The third-rate terrorist group officially known as Kinzelro was no more. Its former members now belonged to the Bamel Union, mainly handling maritime rescue and wildfire suppression.
“Brother, Jin Gongja is finally becoming head of house. It feels like just yesterday I saw him collapse after sparring with you at the last banquet.”
Margiela’s words made Bishkel chuckle.
“Yes, you asked me to avenge our friend who was bullied by Jin because he was weaker… I remember thinking then—”
“What did you think?”
“Bubar isn’t weaker than Jin, and our friend isn’t one either.”
“Do you still think that?”
“No. Just someone I don’t want to see up close often.”
“What kind of talk is that?”
“Here comes the captain.”
Orgal and the demons and beastmen approached the siblings.
“We were reminiscing about old times. The day Jin first appeared at the banquet.”
“I wasn’t there then, unfortunately. Would have been nice to see Jin before he became such a big deal.”
Orgal looked calm now, his madness having subsided. He was grateful every day that the countless wars sparked by multiverse errors had finally ended.
The sun god, the perfect world—those thoughts no longer crossed his mind. Now that all transcendent beings trying to control the world had vanished, this era, even without Changseong, was the most complete and beautiful world where anyone could overcome fate.
“…I realized late what I truly wanted, and thanks to Jin and his comrades, I was lucky enough to get it. I am a blessed man. Isn’t that right, Zephyrin?”
“Well, I still find Jin a bit annoying, but that’s true.”
“What do you mean annoying? How dare you talk about our brother like that? Are you crazy?”
It was Teto. The newly crowned Pluto clan members who had just tried the Golden Snail Guild’s new products were passing by the former Kinzelro members.
“Ah, I’m too scared to say anything. It’s okay to be a little annoying, right? We’re comrades after all. Can’t even joke a little?”
“That’s true, Teto. When I drank with him last time, I thought I’d be annoyed too.”
“We were just messing around as comrades, haha. Zephyrin, scared?”
“Scared… for the weakest of the two kings to say that so boldly.”
“Hey!”
“Cut it out, Teto brothers.”
“Yes, twin gods.”
“Ban, heading to the main house?”
“Yeah, to meet Siron. Want to come?”
“Sure. You two look around here.”
Orgal and Ban left the group and walked toward the main house.
“You’re here. Ban, Orgal.”
Siron, Ban, Thalaris, Orgal, Ameris, Eltiot, Luna, Kashimir, Quikantel, Owl, Dante, Veradin, Lani, and others.
In the main house’s parlor, the elders and giants of the era gathered, chatting. Ozdok and Zett busily refilled their wine and tea cups and brought pastries from the Litra bakery.
“Master Ban, this way to your seat!”
“Master Orgal, your seat is here!”
Siron looked around at those seated.
He felt reassured.
“Runcandel, Ziphl, Kinzelro. And the defeated of the secret palace and ancient times, the empire, the holy kingdom, even the unknown—all sitting together, exchanging greetings and enjoying tea…”
“Do you miss it? The fighting.”
“Do you miss the fighting, Ban?”
“No.”
“Then you’re talking nonsense.”
“Even if it’s brief, this peace will last at least a hundred years. Maybe even longer. Some of us can live over a thousand years, and our resolve to protect this hard-won era won’t waver.”
“Well… only Quikantel and I remain here, but you want us to keep guarding it after everyone else returns to the earth? Ha ha, of course we will. Many of our comrades who live long lives are elsewhere. I never want to see another Keliak born again.”
Siron nodded.
Their hearts would not change. At least those who had fought that war would feel the same. Even after a hundred years, a thousand years, there would be those who lived on, remembering that battle.
“Of course, it can’t last forever, but this is the first time in living memory that people have known such peace. Even our Hidden Palace will be free from duty for a while, able to enjoy some freedom. At least I won’t have to deal with any more complicated or difficult situations. Hm, I can’t say the same for our daughter, though. No, this peace will surely hold through our children’s generation.”
“You seem to be in good spirits, Thalaris.”
“Well, how could I not be on a day like this? Hmph. I wanted to raise him as my son-in-law, but in the end, becoming the head of Runkandel is a bit disappointing. Anyway, don’t worry too much—just pass the sword on to Jin, Siron.”
At those words, Siron gave a faint smile and replied, “I’m not worried. Just a little wistful, that’s all.”