Chapter 282
Episode 89: Temar’s First Tomb (3)

February 25, 1799.

All the riders who had gone out to encourage the lower factions returned to the Garden of Swords.

Throughout their rounds in their respective regions, they had been hearing stories about Jin from outside the family.

“Big brother, you’ve worked hard!”

Thwack!

Mary punched Dipus hard on the back.

“Ow, damn it, Mary! How many times do I have to tell you not to greet me like that?”

“Wasn’t there anything interesting out there?”

“What could be more interesting than what you caused? I did tell you how to do it, but I also said you’d have to deal with the consequences yourself.”

They were talking about Mary’s seizure of Bradamante and handing it over to Jin.

“Well, I was with the eldest brother for a bit earlier. Did you hear anything?”

“Surprisingly, not much. But the eldest warned that this kind of thing is dangerous. You know how it is—be careful for a while.”

“I don’t get it. I’ve never been careful in my life. Besides, I asked if anything fun happened out there.”

Dipus rubbed his forehead.

“Yeah, I’m the one at fault for trying to have a proper conversation with you.”

“Was there?”

“Yeah. From the fourth day of the rounds, everywhere I went, I kept hearing about the youngest.”

“Tell me.”

“Oh my. Don’t you think it sounds a bit too much like orders, Seventh Rider?”

“Please, Fourth Rider.”

“As expected, many factions were upset that the youngest had undermined the legitimacy of Runcandel.”

“Is that all?”

“There were also a few who praised the youngest, saying the saints had started supporting Hupester again because of him. A minority, though.”

“No, I don’t care about that. You know what I meant—were there any rumors about the youngest’s inaction?”

“Well, there were some comparisons to Dante Hiran. Among the Hupester nobles, some had been to the Cosmos arena where the youngest participated as a trainee rider. They said the finals were quite a spectacle.”

“You say finals? I was runner-up. Since I beat him two months later, I’m the real winner. We’re not the only ones listening here, so don’t go spilling secrets. Anyway, Dante Hiran… the world really doesn’t know much yet.”

“What do you mean?”

“I almost lost to the youngest.”

Dipus froze for a moment.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Do you think I’m joking? Dante’s next head of the Hiran family is impressive, but not enough to compare to the youngest.”

“You seem to be underestimating Dante.”

“Can you even imagine me losing to Dante?”

Dipus was momentarily speechless.

‘If I had fought Dante, Mary probably wouldn’t be reacting like this. Nineteen and already on par with Mary… The youngest really is a monster.’

Dipus had naturally assumed Mary would defeat Jin.

He had even planned to take on the black knight spy assassination mission alone, expecting Jin to be seriously injured in the process.

‘Damn it, this means I’m going to be a pawn in Mother’s scheme.’

The black knight spy assassination mission.

Rosa had already decided to assign both Jin and Dipus to this mission.

Shortly after, the butlers came to fetch them.

“Madam has convened a riders’ meeting.”

Immediately, all the riders gathered in Rosa’s office.

“Today’s meeting will focus on a single agenda item. It was discussed even before the head of the family left—the black knight spy assassination mission.”

“Yes, Mother.”

A tense silence filled the room.

“This mission will be assigned to Fourth Rider Dipus Runcandel and Twelfth Rider Jin Runcandel. The mission type is to induce death during combat. The location is Ventica, a conflict zone near the Kingdom of Mila.”

As soon as the Fourth and Twelfth Riders were assigned, the brothers’ emotions diverged.

Some sighed in relief, others hid their disappointment.

Dipus immediately looked at Jin, but Jin deliberately avoided his gaze.

“Recently, a mine believed to contain ancient eternal steel was discovered in Ventica. Intelligence reports that Ziphl plans to deploy Baekya and Kojek there. In response, we have decided to send one black knight, two riders, and ten guardian knights.”

Runcandel and Ziphl had been waging daily battles over land, mines, nature—everything.

When fighting over ordinary gold mines or land, usually guardian knights, mages, or lower families would compete.

But when it came to rare treasures like ancient eternal steel or fairy relics, the main forces clashed.

This time, Ziphl was sending Baekya and Kojek, and Runcandel was responding with a black knight spy, two riders, and ten guardian knights.

“The two riders dispatched will form a battle formation with the ten guardian knights and the black knight spy against Ziphl. During the battle, the black knight spy must be killed by the enemy.”

Needless to say, the difficulty of this mission was enormous.

Simply killing a black knight was a huge feat, but they had to make it look like a natural death.

This complicated method was for the family’s prestige.

To eliminate a black knight, it had to be recorded as a death in combat against an enemy force at least as strong as Kojek, to avoid external problems.

“Currently, very few within Ziphl know about the black knight spy. As far as we know, only Keliak Ziphl, Octavia Ziphl, and the top three elders are aware.”

The biggest reason Runcandel was staging this grand ‘black knight assassination’ play was that Baekya did not know the black knight fighting them was Ziphl’s spy.

Runcandel judged that if the black knight fought alongside the riders to annihilate Baekya until being killed, Ziphl would not bother creating a new black knight spy afterward.

If this plan succeeded, Ziphl would be tripped up by its own scheme.

“Of course, after the black knight spy’s death, we must defeat Ziphl’s forces and seize the mine. Failure to achieve either condition will result in mission failure.”

A brief silence followed.

The riders all knew for certain: since last year until today, no mission had been more difficult.

“Mission starts March 8! Complete all preparations by then. Fourth and Twelfth Riders, if you have any requests or complaints about the mission, speak now.”

“None.”

“Please provide the black knight spy’s name.”

Dipus and Jin spoke simultaneously.

As Twelfth Rider, Jin did not have access to all family documents.

To confirm the black knight’s exact identity, one had to be Fourth Rider or hold an equivalent rank.

“Barton Vichena. I will give you a document with detailed information. Review it.”

An unfamiliar name.

Therefore, prior knowledge would not help in a fight against Barton Vichena.

“Thank you.”

“This mission has been meticulously prepared by the family. We expect successful results from the Fourth and Twelfth Riders. That is all. Dismissed.”

The riders left the office.

For some reason, Joshua showed no reaction to Mary, who had recently raided his warehouse, nor to Jin, the beneficiary. He left without even a glance.

Luntia yawned a few times before returning to Rosa’s office—not for any particular reason, but to retrieve some documents she had forgotten.

Mew and Anne also refrained from provoking Jin.

Ran and Vigo glanced back and forth between Jin and Mary, but that was all.

The Tona brothers awkwardly lingered near Jin again before leaving.

“Do those cute guys want to have a match with you like I do?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Youngest, I want to give you some advice.”

“I’m fine, Sister Mary.”

“I’m not fine. For this black knight assassination mission, try to coordinate well with Brother Dipus. Think about the contract you made with me.”

Mary thought very highly of Jin but believed it was still too early for him to fight black knights—especially in such a complicated mission.

“If you die or get seriously hurt, I’ll be so bored. Lately, I’ve been spending my days just thinking about fighting you in three months when spring comes. I’m off now, so you two talk it out.”

With Mary gone, only Jin and Dipus remained in the hallway.

“Mary’s right, youngest.”

Dipus spoke first.

“What do you mean, second brother?”

“I mean you need to coordinate well. I know you see the brothers as enemies, but this is important. Father even gently told us to avoid internal power struggles.”

“So you want us to train together from now until the mission starts?”

“Yes.”

“I refuse.”

Dipus shrugged.

“Why?”

“You can succeed in this mission alone without me. Aside from Luna, I think you’re the strongest.”

“Is that so?”

“And you’re not the type to hog the credit. So why should I train with you? I’ll just be bait or a token. It’s a waste of my precious time.”

“Well, I’ve said that before. If Mary presses me, I need to have an answer.”

“You really care about Sister Mary, huh?”

“Maybe even more than the eldest sister cares about you. So, youngest…”

After a brief pause, Dipus continued in a calm, measured tone.

“I hope that during the battles we have every three months, no one ends up killing or maiming Mary.”

“A warning?”

“No, it’s simply a request between humans. I believe you can understand what I mean.”

Jin and Dipus locked eyes.

There was no blazing hostility, no fierce animosity, yet an uncanny tension filled the space between them.

“You do know that requests usually come with a price, don’t you?”

“Then tell me what you want.”

“Do not tarnish the honor of Runcandel.”

The coldness in his voice stemmed from disappointment.

Dipus’s brow twitched slightly.

“Runcandel does not make requests of its enemies. I, too, have a beloved brother, so I’ll let this one slide. But if I see this happen again… I will no longer consider your second brother an enemy.”

Jin turned away.

Dipus remained still, lost in thought until Jin’s figure disappeared from sight.