Episode 249
Chapter 77: The Villain (6)
At the narrow bridge party, Margiela had deliberately put Vishkel in an awkward position—and seemed to be enjoying it. The whole scene didn’t sit well with Jin.
‘Back then, I just thought she was a bit mischievous. But now it turns out she’s part of Kinzello too.’
It was unexpected. She wasn’t particularly skilled in martial arts or magic, and she even had physical disabilities. Jin never imagined someone like her would belong to such a terrorist group—or rather, a vicious cult, as Jin defined Kinzello.
So why reveal her identity right now?
‘Is Kinzello trying to help me? Asking me to go easy on them?’
If that was the sole purpose, they could have sent someone else.
It wasn’t just because Margiela was physically limited. Vishkel was a high-ranking Kinzello member, and Margiela was his one and only beloved younger sister.
Jin knew full well that he had mercilessly wiped out most of Kinzello’s members before. So why would they send such a precious sibling?
It made no sense to him.
‘Whatever it is, I have a feeling that woman might possess some special ability—like Sister Yona or Bubar.’
He could find out soon enough.
There was no point in overthinking it. For now, Jin decided to respond to her—not by mouthing words like she did, but with a universal gesture.
“Me?”
Jin pointed at himself with his index finger.
He planned to pretend he didn’t understand Margiela’s message.
“Kinzello will help you,” Margiela mouthed again.
Jin repeated the “Me?” gesture, glanced around as if confused, then shrugged his shoulders.
Frustrated, Margiela pounded her chest.
“Don’t they teach lip-reading in Runcandel!?”
She tried several times, but the result was the same. By the fourth attempt, Jin stopped even looking her way. Margiela finally concluded that Jin wasn’t getting her message.
This was completely unexpected for her.
She wanted to take a bigger risk and get closer to Jin to speak aloud instead of mouthing words—but her wheelchair made that difficult.
Jin was deliberately pretending not to understand.
‘No matter what I do, Kinzello will help me. If they’re this proactive, there’s no need to play along with their game.’
The reason they chose to help him was obvious. Since all the blame was falling on Ziphl, it made sense for them to tread carefully.
“Jin.”
“What is it, Murakan?”
“That person in the wheelchair keeps saying something to you.”
“Don’t look over there. From now on, watch that woman closely. We’ll need to meet later.”
“Is she your type?”
“No, she’s Kinzello. Quietly bring her in when the crowd disperses.”
“An impossible love, huh?”
“Can be done.”
“Is that so? Piece of cake.”
“Don’t kill the reporter! Reveal the truth!”
The angry crowd was still shouting.
Half cursed Ziphl, while the other half cheered for Runcandel, who stood between them.
Luna and Joshua simply stared down the White Night mages. Ziphl’s side was stuck, unable to act.
Among the crowd, Jin spotted several people busily scribbling notes—they were all reporters.
It was a strange dynamic.
Ziphl, once a symbol of justice and virtue, was now being pointed at with fingers. Meanwhile, Runcandel, once a symbol of evil and chaos, was gaining support.
This was exactly the scenario Jin wanted.
Though it was limited to the capital square for now, he dreamed of changing the world’s perception entirely.
He didn’t wish for Runcandel to become the new symbol of justice in place of Ziphl. He didn’t believe in that. He just couldn’t stand seeing Ziphl’s hypocrites continue to dominate the world.
‘Ziphl bastards will have to back down for now. Unless they want to fight my sister and massacre the crowd.’
Maul shook his head. He shared Jin’s thoughts. There was no longer any justification to pressure them into executing Kal Ziphl.
“White Night! Everyone, return to headquarters!”
Maul shouted in frustration.
The White Night mages felt the same. Since becoming Ziphl’s elite, none had ever endured such humiliation.
“Well thought out, Sir Maul.”
Luna smiled slyly and waved at Maul’s retreating back.
As Maul and the White Night mages ascended the glowing stairs beneath Kozek, Luna turned around.
“Let’s pull out as well, Second Squadron.”
“Understood.”
“Dino, see you later.”
The two hooded figures slowly disappeared into the crowd.
Luna deliberately avoided greeting Rani. Whatever she said might make it seem like Runcandel was meddling in the kingdom’s affairs.
Besides, it made the name Runcandel sound even cooler.
A name that, one day, her youngest sibling would surely rule.
Waaaah!
The once-shouting citizens now erupted into cheers—cheers for Runcandel’s squadrons and the victory of driving Ziphl away.
Amid the noise, Kal Ziphl remained silent, bound in restraints.
Before leaving, White Night didn’t bother to take Kal with them. Bringing him back to headquarters would be tantamount to Ziphl admitting Kal was a ‘tail’—a subordinate.
“Sir Kal, one last question. Are you truly involved in the biological experiments?”
Rani asked, looking at Kal.
“Kill me. I have no desire to make excuses.”
“If it’s proven you’re the real culprit, that will happen. But if you lie, you’ll rot in the kingdom’s underground prison for life. Golden Shield, imprison Sir Kal.”
The reporters in the afternoon square had just landed the scoop of their lives.
From evening onward, breaking news updates spread like wildfire across the globe.
Kal Ziphl’s confession, Dino’s revelations, Kinzello’s true identity, the standoff between White Night and Runcandel—all of it.
In nearly a decade, no single country had seen events spread worldwide this fast.
The pens of Runcandel, represented by the Hupester Union, and Ziphl, represented by the Lutero Magic Federation, were at war.
Runcandel boasted that White Night, who had even brought Kozek, had been forced to retreat by just two Runcandel riders. Ziphl spun it as if White Night had shown mercy.
But the tide had already turned in Runcandel’s favor before the battle even began.
Dino, the initial whistleblower, belonged to Hupester, and White Night had returned empty-handed. It was obvious.
Neutral media outlets published articles speculating on who was behind the biological golems. Though they mostly copied Dino’s pamphlets, it was enough.
Their biggest question was the name ‘Bamel.’
Who was Bamel?
What was their purpose in exposing Ziphl’s corruption?
More people were curious about Bamel than the kingdom’s suffering. It was a bitter truth that people preferred sensational stories over others’ pain—but in the end, it helped the kingdom.
Tracking Bamel’s movements was the surest way to uncover the truth.
“Damn that guy. What the hell is he?”
Meanwhile, Murakan vented his frustration after leaving the square.
He had lost track of Margiela.
“I was following her closely, but as soon as she turned into an alley, she vanished like smoke.”
“Alright, no one’s blaming you. Why so angry?”
“It’s a blow to my pride. I’ve regained 40% of my strength, yet I lost that human. And the way she disappeared means she knew I was following her from the start! Hah!”
“I think Margiela has some special power too. Like Sister Yona, Bubar, or even Kinzello’s leader.”
“Why do those people keep using strange powers when they’re not gods?”
“The Demon Stones were originally Kinzello’s creation. They want to become gods, too.”
It was disappointing to lose Margiela.
But Murakan hadn’t been entirely surprised. There was no way they’d send such a precious younger sister without any safeguards.
“Anyway, this is the final stage of repaying the favor. It might be hard to fully uncover the truth, but after the trial and investigation, the situation will be ripe for Rani to ascend.”
Since the fake Holy King’s death, Rani had become the kingdom’s rallying point.
The traitorous officials still didn’t support her, but with Ziphl’s corruption exposed, they no longer held real power.
Power comes from the people. Thanks to the pamphlets spreading Vitura’s registry worldwide, citizens memorized the traitors’ names.
Ziphl could no longer empower them—it was over.
Meanwhile, every single citizen supported Rani.
She still hadn’t left the square. In fact, even more people had gathered across the entire capital city than when Kal Ziphl had arrived.
Not just citizens, but outsiders who genuinely wanted to share the kingdom’s pain had come as well.
Not everyone in the world craved mere entertainment.
“That may be, but I’m not sure that religious fanatic can handle it. The events unfolding are far too great for any one person. Even after becoming the heir, keep an eye on him from time to time.”
“If someone needs watching over, then they probably shouldn’t be ascending the throne. I think Sir Lani will manage just fine. He’s the kind of man who never loses his conviction, even among those who reject him.”
“You’re cold as always. But you’re right. That’s what kingship in the human world is like. In my three thousand years, most of what I’ve seen were hardly kingly at all.”
The trial was about to begin.
It was to be held for the traitors, including Deputy Montiano and Deputy Conyu. As the last loyalists were organizing the proceedings, there was no chance the accused would escape the death penalty.
‘Bitura lost both his honor and his life, and even the future beyond death. Those scoundrels should lose at least as much.’
Once the trial concluded, nearly ninety percent of the royal officials would face execution.
A requiem for the late king and the victims of the living golems was scheduled to follow.
‘Still, I’m not quite sure how Kinzello plans to help me.’
Jin suddenly recalled Margiela’s message.
That question was answered as soon as the sun rose the next day.