Episode 250
Chapter 77: The Villain (7)
A fleet of five hundred sailing ships was approaching the eastern port of the Holy Kingdom.
This was no sudden, small-scale arrival—it was an armada of unprecedented size. And the fleet’s owner wasn’t even an ally of the Holy Kingdom.
It was a beastman fleet led by Berakt Sidriker, the great warrior of the White Wolf tribe.
They had entered the kingdom’s territorial waters with five hundred ships without so much as asking permission. From the kingdom’s perspective, this could only be seen as a declaration of war.
Yet, astonishingly, every one of the five hundred ships bore a black band tied to the highest mast, a sign of mourning.
Not a single ship had any cannons on board, and at the prow of each vessel stood a White Wolf beastman waving a massive black flag.
They had come not to fight, but to pay their respects.
It was a mourning delegation of a scale never before seen in history.
“Are they insane? Sending five hundred ships just to pay respects, knowing full well how unstable the kingdom is right now?” Murakan shook his head.
“Since Dino brought Kinzello’s name to the surface, they want to show off. To prove they’re not some third-rate terrorist group. Whoever came up with this idea is pretty clever.”
“Clever?”
“Kinzello promised to help me. But if the world sees Kinzello as a pathetic gang, whatever they offer the kingdom won’t carry any credibility.”
“Hmm, that makes sense.”
“We’re a group big enough to send five hundred ships just to pay respects. That’s the message they want to send.”
“Journalists will have a field day with this.”
It was surprising to see Kinzello, who had kept a low profile until now, come out so boldly.
‘Have they decided there’s no need to hide their strength anymore? Or was it just that they never had the chance before?’
Either way, it was infuriating for Ziplo.
They had sacrificed their image to hide the fact that Kal was captured by a third-rate terrorist group, and now Kinzello was openly flaunting their power.
The Holy Kingdom allowed only one of the five hundred ships to dock. Accommodating all five hundred was impossible, and even for a mourning visit, this was excessive.
From the single docked ship, Berakt and five beastmen aides disembarked, along with about twenty bound humans.
Berakt’s massive frame immediately drew all eyes. Though the White Wolf warriors accompanying him were renowned in the beastman world, none could match Berakt’s overwhelming presence.
They headed straight through a teleportation gate into the capital, making their way to the square where Lani awaited.
Every step Berakt took caused the gathered crowd to flinch.
Like prey confronted by a natural enemy, most didn’t dare meet his gaze.
Berakt showed no courtesy, but the crowd, paralyzed by fear, did not jeer. The atmosphere was starkly different from when Baekya had brought Kozek.
When Berakt finally stood before Lani, the paladins of the Golden Shield Order tensed, waiting for him to speak.
‘The kid.’
Jin and Murakan watched the scene unfold.
‘Yeah.’
‘He’s pretty strong. Even your older sister wouldn’t be so sure about beating him.’
Murakan’s assessment of Berakt was clear.
“I am Berakt Sidriker, commander of Kinzello’s revolutionary army and great warrior of the White Wolf tribe. I have come to mourn the death of King Miklan of the Holy Kingdom.”
“…Thank you, Berakt Sidriker.”
“Lady Lani, you may not know this, but about thirty years ago, I owed a debt to the late king. I was gravely wounded in battle, and by chance, Miklan—who was then training in our lands—treated me.”
“I remember father mentioning that he endured hardships in the beastmen’s lands around that time. I didn’t know it was like that.”
“He was the finest human I’ve ever known. Please accept my deepest condolences.”
The crowd was stunned. The White Wolf tribe was infamous for treating humans like vermin, and for their great warrior to come in such a gentlemanly manner was beyond imagination.
Lani’s gaze shifted to the bound humans behind Berakt. They wore tattered, filthy robes bearing Ziplo’s insignia.
“And those humans bound behind me are prisoners we captured from Ziplo. When we were allied with Ziplo, these humans conducted unauthorized biological experiments on our land under orders from the Ziplo family head.”
“What?”
“The details will be confessed by them. I only hope your kingdom can soon emerge from its sorrow.”
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
Jin wondered once again who within Kinzello had orchestrated this scheme.
‘First the show of force, then the subtle deference to Lani as the kingdom’s leader. And now they pin the blame for the biological experiments on Keliak’s orders.’
The process of completely framing Ziplo was bound to become a mudslinging battle.
In that sense, Berakt’s statement was a brilliant strike against Ziplo.
‘Though it’s shameless, considering the experiments were actually a joint effort between Kinzello and Ziplo.’
Removing Ziplo from the kingdom’s power was the priority.
Kinzello’s crimes could be pursued once the kingdom was back on stable footing. For now, they had at least brought Kinzello’s name into the light.
While Lani considered her response, Berakt spoke again.
“I won’t stay long to cause discomfort. We too were once allied with Ziplo, and we will take responsibility for that in due time.”
It was revealed that all the prisoners Berakt brought were mages from Ziplo’s academy.
They confessed to every experiment Ziplo had conducted on the kingdom’s citizens.
Their testimonies matched almost perfectly with the records left by Mertual Sila, including experiments Ziplo had carried out alone, not as a joint effort.
Thanks to their confessions, the existence of additional experimental facilities within the kingdom was exposed to the world. Ziplo had secret labs in the northern capital and several other cities.
This was the most decisive blow. Lani and the citizens were shocked to learn Ziplo’s labs were inside the kingdom itself.
Jin was equally stunned.
“I thought exposing Kal as the scapegoat and damaging Ziplo’s image enough to force them out would be the best outcome. But this changes everything. I never imagined there were labs inside the kingdom.”
The once noble and righteous mage family was now a thing of the past within the kingdom.
Yet Ziplo had not issued any significant statement.
“Kinzello really backed them up. Or maybe, kid, you used them well?”
“That’s right. They won’t just sit still. If things keep going this way, Kinzello loses nothing. They kidnap Ziplo’s tower lord, capture Ziplo’s mages as prisoners, and gain a reputation as a powerful organization.”
“Even though the Dark Magic Society was destroyed and Riol Ziplo’s spellbook lost.”
“That’s not enough. We need to show that Kinzello is no different from Ziplo. We’ve used them enough in the kingdom; now it’s time to discard them.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
Before Jin could answer, someone urgently knocked on the door where they were staying.
“Lord Jin!”
It was Kashimir, his voice tense.
“Sir Kashimir? What’s happened?”
“Kal Ziplo has been assassinated…!”
Jin and Murakan sprang to their feet.
“What? The underground prison was guarded by loyal Golden Shield knights, wasn’t it?”
“The assassin breached the Golden Shield’s defenses. It’s definitely someone sent by Ziplo.”
Sighing, Jin knew Kal could not die now.
Kal’s survival was crucial to proving that Keliak had used his son as an innocent scapegoat.
If Kal died, the kingdom would lose the justification to pressure Ziplo.
It would look like the kingdom had killed the very man they accused of the biological experiments.
Ziplo could then claim Kal had paid the price.
Though the assassin was from Ziplo, not the kingdom, the truth didn’t matter.
Ziplo’s propagandists could now spread fabricated articles accusing the kingdom of excessive demands despite Kal’s death.
If you want to avoid being scapegoated, you must never cut off the tail.
“They’ve already started their media campaign. Claiming Ziplo has paid enough.”
“Humans are foolish, but will they believe that? It’s obvious Ziplo killed Kal.”
“No one inside the kingdom believes it, of course. But outsiders will think the kingdom tortured Kal to death trying to extract a confession. They’ll say the kingdom covered it up as an assassination. Because…”
Kashimir sighed and continued.
“Ziplo left the name ‘Barmal’ at the murder scene.”
Jin and Murakan’s eyes widened.
‘With your blood, we will wash away the hatred of the kingdom’s people—Barmal.’
After killing Kal, the assassin carved this phrase into the wall at the prison entrance with a sword.
“The reporters have already confirmed the inscription. They deliberately carved it at the entrance, not in Kal’s solitary cell, so everyone could see it.”
“I get their message. They want me to reveal my identity since I lost both image and prestige thanks to them.”
“That’s how I see it too, my lord.”
The assassin who killed Kal had openly declared himself as ‘Barmal.’
As Murakan said, no one would believe that.
But unless the real Bamel officially declares that he’s not the culprit, the Holy Empire can no longer hold ZPL accountable.
After all, the fact remains that Karl is dead.
On the other hand, if the real Bamel—Jin—appears in public and proves he’s not the culprit, ZPL’s reputation will plummet. Not just within the Holy Empire, but worldwide.
The symbol of Runkandel—the “Evil and Tyranny”—could end up being ZPL’s legacy.
“What will you do?”
“Since they’re so desperate to play the villain, I might as well help them out. I’ll officially announce that I never did such a thing.”
“While your intentions are important… I think revealing your identity is too risky. As you said, your image and prestige are already gone. It’s more about showing what happens to those who oppose ZPL, isn’t it?”
Jin smiled slyly.
“On the other hand, if someone opposes ZPL and comes out unscathed, that would be a huge blow to them. That would actually be a good thing. I’ll reveal my identity and make sure Kinzello gets a taste of his own medicine too.”