Episode 272
Chapter 87: Siblings (3)
“If I take Bradamante, the youngest’s sword, she’ll definitely fight me.”
“Bradamante? Isn’t that in Joshua oppa’s armory right now?”
“Exactly. So listen carefully. What did I just say? Because of Father, the riders will be busy. The eldest brother will have to leave the Sword Garden for a while starting tomorrow. And you’ll probably be staying here.”
“Oh! So even if I raid the annex armory, it won’t cause any immediate problems?”
“Not right away, probably. But when he comes back, there’ll be hell to pay.”
“Why do you call it ‘later problems’? Because they happen later, right? We’ll deal with that when the time comes. For now, I’ll go get it as soon as Joshua oppa leaves. Guess all that fruit peeling paid off.”
“Handle the aftermath yourself.”
“Don’t worry. If Mother throws a fit and tries to kill me, that’s when you step in. I’m counting on you, oppa. See you later! I’m off!”
“What? Hey, hey! Mary! You can pretend I didn’t hear that last part!”
Mary was the kind of person who wouldn’t hesitate to do anything for a fight with a strong opponent—even if it meant brazenly raiding the armory of the second-ranked rider, the next family head, in broad daylight.
As soon as Joshua left the Sword Garden, Mary went straight to the annex armory where he stayed, without any warning.
“Get lost! Unless you want something broken!”
She subdued Joshua’s loyal knights who refused to back down quietly, then successfully snatched Bradamante.
In the process, over a dozen of Joshua’s knights suffered moderate injuries, and Mary herself was lightly cut in several places.
For the knights guarding the armory, it was like a bolt from the blue—but since Jin had returned, it was an accident bound to happen sooner or later.
Jin had planned from the start to use Mary to retrieve Bradamante.
‘I didn’t expect her to bring it back this fast… Mary noona really is something else. But what’s that huge bundle on her back? Looks heavy.’
Jin’s gaze shifted to the mysterious large sack Mary carried.
She grinned and pointed her thumb at the Bradamante strapped to her waist.
“Still going to refuse? I never said you could have the Phoenix Heart for free!”
“Birthday presents are usually free, aren’t they?”
“Nothing comes for free! You give, you get!”
“Noona, honestly, the only reason I haven’t fought you yet is because I didn’t want to attract too much attention right after arriving.”
“What?”
“Well… it’s hard to explain.”
Mary’s neck veins bulged.
“So you’re insulting me right now? I’ve heard from Uncle Jed that you’re crazy, but I didn’t realize you were this cool.”
Thud-thud-thud!
Another commotion was breaking out in the hallway.
“We’ve spotted the seventh rider!”
“Recover the sword at all costs!”
“Seventh rider! Stop fooling around and return the sword!”
“Damn it. They’re already chasing us? Stop right there or I’ll cut you down!”
Jin hadn’t expected things to escalate this far. He anticipated Mary would bring back Bradamante, but not that she’d drag a whole squad of knights in pursuit.
‘Now’s not the time to be playing coy.’
Jin infused the ruby with magic.
Vwoooom!
[Myaa!]
Suddenly, Shuri was summoned, and Mary’s eyes widened.
“Let’s go for now, noona.”
Jin climbed onto Shuri’s back and reached out to Mary. When she took his hand, he realized the sack she carried was heavier than it looked.
Meanwhile, Gilly and Petro wisely flung open the largest window, making a clear exit for Shuri.
Boing!
Thud!
But Shuri’s large frame made the window too small—he bumped his head and fell to the floor.
“Hmm.”
[Mya…]
Jin tried to hide his embarrassment as he returned Shuri to the ruby. Then, he and Mary jumped out the window and summoned Shuri again.
“Let’s just forget that wasn’t a very graceful exit.”
“I’ll beat you senseless if you don’t follow my lead!”
“Understood.”
Following Mary’s pointed finger, Shuri began crossing the Sword Garden.
Joshua’s knights tried to suppress their rising curses and follow, but—
“Are you crazy? Can’t you see me? This is Murakan’s room. Anyone who enters is dead meat.”
Murakan blocked the knights trying to enter.
For a moment, Joshua’s knights were at a loss. Their understanding of family hierarchy didn’t include dragons.
‘Is this black dragon’s rank higher than the twelfth rider? But the black dragon is supposed to be the guardian dragon of the twelfth rider.’
‘Wait, are we even supposed to be following this black dragon? We need to catch up with the seventh and twelfth riders quickly…!’
While the knights hesitated, Murakan’s expression grew even more menacing.
“Hah, these guys are hopeless. Your ancestor, Temar, never trespassed in my domain. No matter how much time has passed, do I really have to be treated like this in Runcandel?”
“…We’ll turn back, Lord Murakan.”
One knight spoke, but Murakan was already deeply offended.
“No, no. I can’t just let you go after the insult to my pride. From the start, you’ve never looked at me with respect.”
“We’ll retreat for now. Everyone, turn back and pursue…!”
At that moment, black energy gathered in Murakan’s eyes.
His arms and face sprouted black scales, and wings erupted from his back.
[Stop.]
He revealed part of his true dragon form.
The knights froze like statues.
A thousand years ago, ordinary knights wouldn’t dare meet Murakan’s gaze. When Temar was alive, everyone in Runcandel showed him reverence.
[Can you keep your knees straight any longer?]
At Murakan’s next words, the knights all dropped to their knees.
Gilly and Petro were startled but managed to keep their composure.
Though Murakan’s aura was vast and ominous, the knights’ kneeling wasn’t out of fear.
They had just realized the grave disrespect they’d shown the family’s guardian deity.
“Great Black Dragon, guardian of the family, your humble servants of Runcandel have committed a grave mistake. We accept any punishment you deem fit.”
Murakan stared at them for a long moment before replying.
[Very well. I will hold you accountable. Summon Rosa Runcandel.]
The knights swore there had never been a worse day since becoming Joshua’s knights.
Jin and Mary arrived at the plains outside Karon.
This vast, empty field was designated as a controlled area by Mary as soon as she became a rider.
Its sole purpose: dueling.
Whenever Mary found a worthy opponent, she dragged them here to fight until satisfied.
This year, Jin was the first.
It was also Jin’s first time here.
Swish, swish!
As Mary lightly twirled her sword to warm up, Jin examined the dry bloodstains and sword marks scattered across the plain.
‘I heard that over a hundred strong warriors have died here at Mary noona’s hands.’
Indeed, the numerous deep sword scars told of many fierce battles.
Mary drew Bradamante from her waist.
Then, with all her might, she hurled it far across the plain.
“Even if I just stuck it nearby, it’d get pulled out and bounced away during the fight. Finally, I get to face you.”
“Here, I can fight you without worry, noona.”
Since the moment Jin first saw her in the Sword Garden, he’d been provoking her for two days straight.
As always, his reason was clear: to make it easier to beat her.
‘Late eight-star, early nine-star. Definitely not an opponent to take lightly.’
In the four years of his rider training, it wasn’t just Jin who had grown. Mary and all the riders had made significant progress.
Plus, Mary had a finishing move.
‘No way she’d actually use it… Still, too bad. I provoked her pretty hard, but she’s regained her composure on the way here.’
The fiery excitement that once bulged her neck veins was gone. Mary now looked at Jin calmly.
“Little one.”
“Yes, noona.”
“Do you know?”
“Know what?”
Mary chuckled.
“You’ve died at least thirty times on the way here.”
“That’s nonsense. Why would you say that?”
Mary pulled a dagger hidden in her sleeve.
“When you were sitting behind me, riding that cat, if I’d been even a little cruel, this dagger would have explored every inch of your body. I just didn’t want our reunion to end so blandly.”
Jin said nothing for a while, watching his third sister speak with quiet pride.
Mary Runcandel.
People often misunderstood the most famous fight-crazed woman in Hupester as someone who always fought fair and square.
But the truth was far from that.
Mary was the kind of person who would do absolutely anything to win. She wasn’t skilled in schemes or tricks, so she never bothered with them, but when it came to poison, assassination, or ambushes, she never hesitated for a second.
In that sense, it was true that Mary had cut Jin some slack.
Well, to be precise, only half true.
“I told you, didn’t I? You’re talking nonsense. Do you really think I wouldn’t have considered something like that?”
Jin had been acutely aware of Mary’s dagger the entire way here. The threat was so intense it made cold sweat break out.
Mary, however, seemed utterly pleased with Jin’s response, licking her lips in satisfaction.
“Heh, that’s more like it. If those brats had talked like you, I’d have smashed their jaws immediately. But you… your words carry weight. It doesn’t sound like empty bravado.”
“Thank you.”
“Alright then, let’s get started, little brother… Ah! I almost forgot.”
Mary finally set down the sack she’d been carrying on her back.
Thud!
When she opened it, even Jin couldn’t believe his eyes this time.
‘Are you kidding me… That’s a magic bomb, and not just any—top-tier lethal-grade!’
The sack was filled with blue orbs the size of eggs, each one a bomb packed with the destructive power of a seven-star offensive spell.
Without a second’s hesitation, Mary scattered every single one across the floor.
The bombs rolled rapidly, filling the space between the siblings.
They were equipped with safety mechanisms, so they wouldn’t explode from minor impacts—but the shockwaves from a fight between the two of them? Those safety features wouldn’t mean a thing.
“After waiting so long for this fight, the stage can’t be dull, can it? I spent all night thinking about how to make this duel truly satisfying. Heh heh, come on, little one!”