Chapter 263
Episode 83: Returning to the Garden of Swords
“Ouch… Ever since that fight with those lunatics, my shoulder still aches from time to time. Daughter, come here and give my shoulder a rub.”
Talalis groaned, massaging her left shoulder.
As Jin had expected, she had joined the battle that Misha and the Phantom Corps waged in the Western Sea to defend her territory.
That battle had wiped out over a hundred uninhabited islands in the Western Sea and blocked the entire shipping route.
Even six months later, the nearby waters were still roiling with terrifying storms caused by a vortex of spiritual energy, cold energy, and magic.
No one had witnessed the fight firsthand, but the swirling vortex prompted investigation teams from various countries to be dispatched, revealing that an enormous battle had taken place there.
Thanks to the lingering spiritual energy, cold energy, and magic within the vortex, the investigators deduced that the combatants were the Black Dragon, the Bikyung Lord, and the mages of Ziphl.
The whole world was buzzing with questions about the cause and outcome of that battle.
Bikyung was officially a neutral faction, and to the public, “Solderet” was known primarily as a god who contracted with pureblood Ziphl.
In fact, before Jin (after Temar), most of Solderet’s contractors had been born within Ziphl, including Riol Ziphl. Thanks to Riol’s overwhelming magic and achievements, the belief that Solderet was Ziphl’s god was deeply ingrained.
So when they suddenly fought a massive battle in the middle of the Western Sea, the world couldn’t help but erupt in speculation.
“I don’t want to.”
“Hmph, you ended up like this because you helped your future husband. Are you really going to be so cold about it?”
“That’s just an excuse.”
“It’s not. It really hurts like my arm’s about to fall off. I can barely even lift a spoon…”
“Ribbit!”
Mot, the giant toad, croaked in agreement with Talalis.
There was a reason Siris responded somewhat coldly to Talalis.
“…Mother, I still don’t understand. Why did you announce that we were defeated?”
Recently, Talalis had gathered reporters to make an official statement about the ‘Western Sea Battle.’
Many people were curious about the outcome and the whereabouts of the Black Dragon. I don’t know what happened to the Black Dragon, but the battle was a victory for Ziphl. I hope this clears up any misunderstandings about Bikyung.
Until then, the public knew nothing about the cause, the winner and loser, or the relationship between Ziphl and the Black Dragon. Ziphl had kept silent.
But Talalis’s announcement revealed everything.
Naturally, the statement that ‘Ziphl was the victor’ had the greatest impact.
Even though the head of the family didn’t personally intervene, Ziphl had defeated Talalis and the Black Dragon, restoring some of the prestige lost because of Jin. Bikyung, on the other hand, suffered the opposite.
And the ‘truth’ was quite the opposite.
“Mother, you killed three members of the Phantom Corps alongside that Black Dragon named Misha. When the Black Dragon escaped, Ziphl retreated first.”
“That’s basically a loss for someone as great as me. With the Black Dragon there, I should have killed at least ten of them. Though, if I’d killed that many, Kelliac might have personally attacked Bikyung.”
“Since you announced Bikyung’s defeat, all sorts of riffraff have been looking down on us. Traders from the Lutero Magic Federation have already started harassing Western Sea merchants. And that’s not all…”
“Those kinds of scum? Maybe our daughter should just chop off their limbs and feed them to the sharks. Tell the warriors to strengthen protection for the Western Sea people.”
“Just a few, please.”
“Kill them all. We’ve already done Ziphl a favor, so they can’t hold us accountable for the small stuff. Politics is like that, daughter. Think about your mother’s position.”
“I just wish that in the Western Sea, neither Ziphl, Runcandel, nor Bimont could run wild.”
Siris sighed and moved beside Talalis, beginning to rub her shoulder. She understood and respected Talalis’s choice, but it was hard to suppress her frustration.
“You should fix it yourself. Ah, that feels good. By the way, when is our son-in-law coming back? He can’t be dead, right? It’s been half a year with no word, and only his sword was found. It’s unsettling. That Black Dragon—how could he? After all we did to help, he didn’t tell us a thing.”
Instead of answering, Siris gazed out the window at the Bikyung Snowflowers blooming in full splendor.
Time passed again. February, 1799.
Runcandel and Ziphl had yet to lift the bounty on Jin.
But Jin’s death had moved beyond rumor to accepted fact, and the youngest son of Runcandel, who had stirred the world so much, was fading from people’s minds.
Mercenaries, knights, and mages chasing the astronomical bounty no longer sought Jin.
Reporters stopped writing articles about him, and only occasional gossipers in taverns or wandering bards remembered his name.
The world seemed to go on just fine without him.
Yet after Jin’s disappearance—after he stripped away Ziphl’s hypocritical mask and brought the new great power Kinzello to the surface—the world was clearly undergoing a major change.
“Hehehehe, kuhuhuhuhu. What’s that? Begging for mercy? Say that again, you vermin. Heh. Nothing thrills me more than watching your convictions break.”
“Yeah, yeah. We actually want to spare you. But what can we do? This is my job.”
Daytona and Heytona looked down at a group of bound humans.
Having become riders last summer, they had earned the nickname ‘Hell’s Scions’ and were making a name for themselves with notable achievements in various missions.
Among those, their ‘elimination missions’—especially targeting the ‘extreme Ziphl loyalists’ who had begun openly rampaging after Ziphl’s true nature was revealed—were where the Tonas truly shined, as if they’d found their calling.
“Alright, we’re only sparing one of you. We don’t know who the lucky one will be, but whoever survives will go back and tell your friends this: no matter where you hide, we’ll find you and crush you like cockroaches.”
“But you just said you wanted to spare us…”
“Heh, heh-huh.”
“Cockroaches can’t talk. If cockroaches could talk, what would that make me if you could?”
Swish! Slash!
“Graaah!”
“Arrgh!”
Greatswords and chain blades ruthlessly tore through the bodies of the extreme loyalists.
“Oh, right. We were supposed to spare one… but we killed them all.”
“It’s fine, Heytona! Heh, we can just go catch more.”
“Daytona, this is weird. These guys definitely get direct support from Ziphl. Where else would those magic bombs they wear during suicide attacks come from?”
The extreme loyalists had been wreaking havoc in the Huepester region lately—terrorism, kidnappings, incitement—committing crimes against the people there almost daily.
“Heh (Daytona had developed a habit of laughing maniacally when killing, stopping only after seeing enough blood), we need to find proof that Ziphl is helping them. That’s our mission.”
“To do that, we should have spared one to track them.”
“It’s fine! We can just catch more later.”
“True, last time we spared one, they ran off and then suddenly committed suicide by poison. It really feels like someone’s controlling them, like puppets. Hmm.”
“I get that feeling sometimes too.”
“Let’s head back. Ugh! Mu and Ann—are those damn things waiting at headquarters by now?”
“Probably. Ugh, just thinking about what trouble they’ll cause makes my head spin.”
As expected, Mu and Ann had arrived at the Garden of Swords that morning. Not only them, but all the riders of Runcandel had gathered there.
This was because the family head, Siron Runcandel, had briefly left the Black Sea to stay at the main estate.
“Oh my, look who it is. The Tona trash.”
“Now that you’re riders, you’re finally making eye contact with us? Don’t you want to live in the light from now on?”
Mu and Ann immediately started picking fights as soon as they saw the Tona brothers. More accurately, it was one-sided harassment.
And the Tona brothers were still afraid of them.
“L-Ladies, it’s been a while.”
“Why are you scared? Did you come to crack some pumpkin seeds?”
“No, no…”
“Pfft, don’t lie, you hellish idiots.”
“What’s all this commotion?”
Joshua, passing by, spoke quietly.
“Brother Joshua.”
“I just got a report from Butler Heinz that Father will arrive in two hours. No time for pointless fooling around. Everyone, put on your ceremonial armor and prepare to line up.”
“Understood.”
Everyone in the Garden of Swords prepared to welcome Siron.
Though he often visited the Garden of Swords with a grand military formation, it was rare for even the cadets to be mobilized.
That showed how significant Siron’s return was.
Since Jin’s disappearance, the Cold War between Runcandel and Ziphl had been intensifying, and the family head needed to personally rally his people.
And just by standing there, Siron was a figure who could instantly quell the unease spreading through Runcandel and Huepester.
The Changsung Knight, known as the World’s Greatest Sword—that was the kind of presence he was.
Two hours later, the formation was complete.
Luna, Joshua, Luntia, Diffus, Ran, Vigo, Merry, Mew, Ann, Daytona, Heitona.
Eleven riders stood at the front, each holding a flag emblazoned with the emblem of the Black Sword, all except Yona, who was still in Samil.
Behind them, the elders, the executive knights, and the various subordinate guardian knights took their places. The cadets, too, wore ceremonial armor and carried standardized weapons.
But not a single common soldier was in sight. The Garden of Swords had no ordinary troops—only knights, reserve knights, and cadets were allowed to belong to the main force of the Garden.
Soon, Sir Siron’s procession entered the Garden of Swords.
“The Lord has entered the Garden!”
Luna shouted, stamping her foot with all her might, and the knights arranged in a perfect square stomped in unison, a beat behind her call.
“Form up! Sword Grave!”
“Form up! Sword Grave!”
At Luna’s command, the riders and knights echoed back in unison.
The “Sword Grave” was a unique formation exclusive to Runkandel.
The thousands of swords planted in the Garden were graves reserved only for those who had left a special mark on the family’s protection and prosperity.
Each rider and knight dispersed, taking their place before a single sword in the grave. Though it seemed to break the carefully arranged formation, this was the very essence of the Runkandel ceremonial style.
“Loyalty! We pay respects to the Lord!”
“Loyalty! We pay respects to the Lord!”
The riders raised their flags high, the knights saluted with their swords. Their voices rang out in perfect harmony, as if one person was speaking.
Siron and Rosa sat astride their horses, looking down at their followers. Behind them, ten active Black Knights knelt on one knee.
“Excellent. Sheathe your swords.”
At Siron’s command, every blade held by the living slid back into its scabbard. Only the swords planted in the Garden shimmered brightly in the sunlight.
Then, for some reason, Siron remained silent for a long moment.
He sensed something approaching the Garden from the sky.
Only he, as the Changsung Knight, could perceive it. Luna and the Black Knights couldn’t detect it yet—it was still too far away.
“Seems there’s another here to welcome this old man,” Siron muttered.
“Lord, what do you mean?” Rosa asked.
“Rosa, you’ve grown dull. A very powerful energy is approaching the Garden. And it’s moving fast.”
Rosa’s eyes widened.
Moments later, Luna and the Black Knights felt it too. The other riders and senior knights realized what was happening a little later.
“Lord, shall we prepare anti-air defenses?” Luna asked cautiously.
Siron shook his head.
“No need, First Rider. Whoever comes, if all of Runkandel moves, it would be a laughable sight.”
“I was short-sighted,” Luna admitted.
Siron was right.
At this moment, the Garden of Swords was in a state no one in the world could breach. Every ounce of Runkandel’s power, including Siron himself, stood firmly guarding the Garden.
For the entire realm to react so sensitively to a single energy was excessive.
Ten seconds passed.
A massive black dragon appeared above the Garden.
Murakan.
As his shadow fell over the Garden, the knights barely swallowed their gasps.
No matter how sudden the situation, reckless behavior before Siron was unthinkable.
But what truly terrified Luna, the Black Knights, and some of the more perceptive riders was not the black dragon’s arrival.
It was the fact that the source of the “very powerful energy” Siron had mentioned was not Murakan.
The dragon’s imposing form was just a facade—he completely concealed his true energy beneath a veil of spiritual power.
Flap, flap…!
Murakan began descending slowly into the Garden.
When he touched down, the figure riding on his back became visible. This was the true source of the energy approaching the Garden.
Everyone in the Garden, except the newly arrived cadets, knew this face well.
Jin Runkandel, nineteen years old.
With calm eyes, he saluted his father.
“Father. Reserve Rider Jin Runkandel, returned from my mission.”