Episode 270
Chapter 87: Siblings (1)
Clink, clink, clink…
As the fine silk wine from Mount Mila filled the glass, Mary sat there with a dazed, vacant expression—as if she’d just been heartbroken.
In truth, she was enduring a mental shock almost equivalent to a breakup.
“No… this can’t be happening. How long have I waited? And he just flat-out rejected me and walked away? How am I supposed to accept that? How do I make sense of it?”
“Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”
Diphus shrugged his shoulders from across the table, and Mary immediately shot him a sharp glare.
“You seem to think this isn’t your problem, but I’m telling you, the shock I’m feeling right now is indescribable.”
The two of them were drinking in Mary’s room after the Riders’ meeting had ended—only the first through fourth Riders remained at the meeting.
“Is it really that shocking? The real shock was when Father returned and immediately declared he’d be heading back to the Black Sea. The Mu family of Huepester, who had been counting on Father’s return, are going to be even more unruly. The Riders are going to be swamped for a while, trying to keep them calm.”
Diphus was right. The families under Runcandel’s command—especially the small and medium ones—had pinned great hopes on Siron’s return.
Because of Jiple.
Since the ‘Holy Kingdom Incident,’ the Cold War between Runcandel and Jiple had been escalating to a breaking point.
Those like Kalon, where the Sword Garden was located, or other relatively powerful forces might not feel it as much, but the smaller families were suffocating under the pressure of this Cold War.
“It’s called a Cold War, but it’s only reported in the media. In reality, skirmishes with the Lutero Magic Federation are happening daily all over the place… The smaller families must have thought Father’s return would give them some breathing room.”
But now that Siron was leaving again right after arriving, it was like a bolt from the blue for them. Starting tomorrow, the Riders of Runcandel would be running themselves ragged all over Huepester.
Their job was to ease the worries of the smaller factions on Siron’s behalf, take necessary measures, and support them in every way possible.
“Ugh! Ungrateful bastard… How could you do this to me!”
Crash! Clatter!
Mary clenched her fists in fury, shattering the delicate glassware painstakingly crafted by Kurano’s artisans. The shards scattered across the floor.
“…Are you even listening to me?”
Diphus handed Mary a handkerchief and pressed his palm to his forehead.
“No, second brother. Our families fighting the Lutero Magic Federation isn’t a new thing—it’s just everyday life. That’s normal. And you think that normal fact is more important than how I feel right now?”
“Alright, alright, let’s drop it.”
With a sharp motion, Mary snatched the bottle from Diphus and gulped down the wine.
She hadn’t felt this upset in a long time.
“By the way, Mary, about the youngest one.”
“Yeah?”
“He came riding the black dragon Murakan, the family’s guardian spirit. That means he’s also the contractor of Solderet. Surely, he’s connected to the Western Sea battle between Bigung and Jiple.”
“Ha, that’s right! The Western Sea battle was a three-way fight between Bigung, Jiple, and the Black Dragon.”
“From what I see, Bigung protected the youngest during that battle. He must have stayed with Bigung afterward.”
“But Jiple won that battle. How could the youngest have stayed with Bigung?”
“There must have been a deal. Here’s what I think: the real winner of the Western Sea battle wasn’t Jiple, but Bigung. Instead of admitting defeat, Bigung made a deal with Jiple to guarantee the youngest’s safety for the past year.”
Mary nodded, intrigued.
“Oh… that actually sounds pretty plausible.”
Since the Holy Kingdom Incident exposed the truth, Jiple’s prestige had been plummeting day by day.
Even though Jin, a prospective Rider, had toyed with Jiple, they hadn’t launched a full-scale war. Despite putting up a bounty of 100 million gold coins, they still hadn’t caught Jin. It was no surprise their reputation was sinking.
“Andrei, Myuron, Kal—all dead. On top of that, they lost to Bigung? That’s unacceptable. Jiple must have desperately wanted to prevent their already shaky reputation from falling any further. Even if it meant giving up on Jin.”
“I’ve always wondered how the youngest managed to survive for a year, evading both us and Jiple’s manhunt. If Bigung protected him personally, that makes sense. But why would Bigung go that far to protect him?”
“Don’t you remember? At the banquet, the youngest kissed Bigung’s daughter.”
“I remember. But what does that have to do with anything?”
“Bigung’s family atmosphere is very different from ours. The head of Bigung cherishes his only child more than life itself. After the banquet, I looked into it a bit. Bigung’s daughter had never shown interest in romance before—unlike her mother. Jin was her first.”
“…So, Bigung helped because he didn’t want his daughter to be heartbroken if Jin died?”
“Exactly.”
“If what you say is true, Bigung is considering Jin as a potential son-in-law.”
“Right. And Father’s influence probably played a part in that.”
“What?”
“Don’t you feel Father accepted the youngest as a Rider too easily?”
“Too easily? You say that even after seeing him receive Father’s signature sword firsthand?”
“Mary, Father must have seen at a glance that the youngest had the skill worthy of receiving your enlightened sword. He did it deliberately, in front of everyone, so that they’d naturally accept Jin—just like you did.”
Mary’s eyes widened, and Diphus, confident in his theory, continued.
“In other words, Father likely views the marriage between Bigung’s daughter and Jin positively, just like Bigung does. There’s no reason for Runcandel and Bigung not to form an alliance through marriage in these times.”
“Marriage, huh… Keeping Jin alive and tying him to Bigung only benefits Runcandel. If Jiple tries to hold Jin accountable later, they can shift the blame to Bigung. And Jin becoming part of Bigung erases any damage to our family’s legitimacy.”
“Plus, even if a full-scale war breaks out with Jiple, Bigung would side with Runcandel.”
“That makes sense.”
“Hmm, so that’s why he refused to duel me. Bigung protected his life for a whole year by faking defeat. It wouldn’t do to see him recklessly throw it away by fighting me as soon as he returned. But, brother…”
“Yes?”
“Mother said she plans to assign Jin’s first Rider mission to catch the Black Knight spy. If your theory is right and Father intends to hand Jin over to Bigung, Mother seems ready to push Jin hard from the start.”
“I don’t know Mother’s true intentions. Maybe she just wants to get rid of him to avoid any harm coming to our eldest brother. She can’t openly oppose Father’s decision.”
Diphus shrugged and added,
“Maybe my theory is wrong from the start. Either way, we need to keep a close eye on how things unfold for now.”
“Talking about all this just makes me more annoyed. Hmph, this isn’t the problem I should be worrying about.”
“Problem?”
“Not Father or Mother’s intentions, but how I can fight the youngest as soon as possible. You distracted me with all this talk.”
“Again with that? Seriously!”
At this point, even Diphus couldn’t help but shout.
“Brother, you actually sound pretty smart now. Why don’t you give me some ideas?”
Diphus was about to yell again but sighed instead.
‘Yeah, this is my sister Mary all right.’
Simple, loves to fight, and absolutely can’t stand losing.
Mary firmly believed that fighting the strong was the most valuable thing in life.
Unlike the other siblings, she wasn’t dark-hearted, blinded by jealousy, drowning in inferiority, or lost in superiority.
That was why Diphus liked her the most—and the only one he truly liked among their kin.
“Phew, alright. You’re pretty annoying, really annoying. But I think I have a plan for how you can take on the youngest.”
“Oh! What is it? What is it?”
Mary’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed Diphus by the collar. It was rare to see such a warm gesture in a collar grab.
“Let go of me first, and since we have no snacks, go peel some fruit or something.”
“Got it! But if it’s not a good plan, your neck’s on the line too.”
Around midnight, Siron left the Sword Garden.
There had been a grand procession when he arrived, but by his order, no one was allowed to see him off. Instead, the knights silently saluted his departing figure.
Jin stood by the window, saluting until his father’s silhouette disappeared.
“Jin.”
Luna was scheduled to travel across the Huepester region for a month starting tomorrow, encouraging their subordinate forces before heading to the Black Sea.
“Yes, sister.”
“There were so many things I wanted to do with you when you returned, but I never imagined it would turn out like this. I have no idea what overwhelming challenges you’ll face while I’m gone. And now, I can’t even give you the pendant.”
“You worry too much. Do you really think I still look that weak to you?”
“No. But Mother has openly shown hostility toward you. The elders don’t seem inclined to hand over the decisive battle to you. And now I have to leave too—it’s frustrating.”
“I don’t know how you’ll take this, but since becoming a Rider, things have been better than I expected.”
“In truth, the moment I returned, it wouldn’t have been surprising if I’d been immediately bound and locked away in the underground prison. But Father gave me a chance before he left, and Mother… she’s still letting her guard down.”
“Letting her guard down?”
“It seems she’s trying to fight me too honorably, too fairly. If I were in her place, the moment I returned to the family, even if I had to openly oppose Father’s decision, I would have insisted on killing me. It wouldn’t have been without justification.”
“Undermining the head of the family’s authority in front of the retainers can, in some ways, deal a greater blow to the clan than outright betrayal.”
“That’s how it looks to you. But between a single crack in Father’s dignity and me running rampant within the family, which do you think poses a greater threat to Joshua’s Runcandel?”
Not the Runcandel as it is now, but Joshua’s Runcandel.
Luna came to her conclusion quickly.
“The latter.”
“Exactly. Mother made a mistake from the start. She missed the best opportunity—just like Joshua did.”
For a moment, Luna felt a chill run down her neck.
As always, Jin was not someone she needed to worry about. If anything, she should be careful not to cause Jin any concern.
“Your trip to the Black Sea is nothing but good news for me. I want you to find out exactly what Father and the former Black Knights were doing there, and why Father’s Runcandel is so obsessed with the Black Sea.”
The Black Sea.
Even Luna, a first-generation member, didn’t know why Siron was so fixated on that land.
“Saying it’s for training is only half the truth.”
“I understand. Since this is the first time Father has taken someone who isn’t a comrade to the Black Sea, I’ll bring back news that will satisfy you. But tonight, you’ll have to drink with me all night and tell me everything you experienced out there.”
“Sis.”
“Speak, little brother.”
“The fact that we only have one night to talk this comfortably is probably more disappointing to me than to you.”
“Is that so? And yet, you swung your sword so fiercely at the ceremony earlier?”
“That was just a bit of youthful bravado. A way of saying you’d better be on your toes if you want to face me now.”
“Ha, not wrong. But I do wonder when you’ll reach the point where, like your sister, you command everyone’s respect with just a single sword.”
“Not too far off, I think.”
The siblings spent the night drinking, their cups never empty until dawn.