Episode 301
Chapter 92: Vacation (Part 2)
“Really? That’s a great idea. I just got ten days off from my mother, too.”
“Oh, really?”
Unlike Murakan, whose face nearly twisted in disappointment, Gilly beamed brightly, her eyes sparkling. She genuinely felt immense joy at the thought of everyone going on vacation together.
“I’m so excited! I want to buy some new clothes and get my hair trimmed.”
“You really like this, huh, Gilly?”
“It’s been so long since all the comrades gathered. I’m a little giddy just thinking about it. Haha, when should we leave?”
“Since you’re this happy, we should go right away. Let’s leave tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Then I better hurry and get out before the shops close!”
“Have a good trip.”
Gilly grabbed her coin pouch and dashed out of the room.
Jin smiled watching her leave, while Murakan let out a sigh.
“Just so you know, I only told Gilly to take a vacation. I never said we’d go together.”
“Hmph, who said you did?”
“No, it’s just… you seem like you want to blame me for you getting rejected.”
“Rejected? Who said I got rejected?”
“Never mind.”
For some reason, Jin felt a bit smug.
“…Well, seeing her this happy isn’t so bad. If Strawberry Pie’s happy, that’s all that matters.”
“Say that again and I’ll be embarrassed for being so petty.”
“What? You were petty? You little brat.”
Murakan shot him a fierce glare, and Jin pointed outside.
“If you really want a proper date, then hurry and catch up with Gilly. Helping her pick out clothes, watching her get her hair done—that’s a date, isn’t it? You can even grab some juice while you’re out.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea! Cancel the ‘little brat’ part.”
Smack!
Jin and Murakan naturally slapped palms in a high-five.
“I’m off!”
With that, Murakan took off running.
Jin watched through the closed window as Murakan caught up to Gilly and the two of them left the Sword Garden together. He smiled warmly at the sight of Gilly looking back at Murakan with a happy expression.
‘They’re cute together. Maybe I’ll take a nap for once.’
Since returning to the Sword Garden, Jin had been utterly exhausted.
He’d endured Shiron’s strike upon arrival, fought Mary, battled Sildray, and even carried out a mission to kill the Black Knight.
There had been no time to rest; his body had been pushed to its limits.
The moment his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.
When he woke, it was night. A cool breeze drifted in through the open window, and the moonlight bathed the room in a gentle glow.
Gilly and Murakan hadn’t returned yet. They were somewhere on a hill, enjoying beer and fruit while taking in the night view of Karon city.
Just as Jin was about to savor the night breeze without leaving his bed, he suddenly sat up.
‘I didn’t open the window… Petro wouldn’t have either.’
It hadn’t opened by itself—he had locked it before sleeping.
There was only one person who could have sneaked in through the window like a thief.
An assassin.
‘…I did sleep pretty deeply, but I never let my guard down enough to be completely unaware of an assassin approaching.’
He had assumed none of his brothers would be foolish enough to let an assassin into the Sword Garden, but he always maintained a certain level of vigilance just in case.
Still, he hadn’t sensed a thing until the door opened. What kind of skill did this assassin have?
As Jin sharpened his senses and scanned the room, he suddenly burst out laughing.
On the nightstand lay a flower woven into a ring.
A green rose.
‘Yona must have been here. Well, it makes sense that I wouldn’t sense her presence with just normal vigilance.’
Next to it was a letter.
—To my beloved youngest! Congratulations on becoming a squad leader.
I came all the way here, but you were sound asleep, completely unaware.
Thinking back to how you disappeared without a word after causing trouble at the end of last year, I almost wanted to kill you.
If you’d taken out your dagger, you probably would have sensed me and woken up.
I missed you, so I came by. You missed me too, right? Well, I know without you having to say it.
I’m proud of how much stronger you’ve become. You were sleeping so deeply, I didn’t wake you.
I’ve been swamped with requests lately. Among the many people I kill, I hope some are those you need to kill or who harm you.
Anyway, once things settle down, let’s go out together again. That’s all for now!
Puff…
Surprisingly, the letter turned to dust and scattered away the moment Jin finished reading it. It was made from a special kind of paper unique to Samil, not magic.
‘Yona really is something… I don’t know whether to call her cute or terrifying.’
Thinking of Yona sneaking in to leave a green rose and a letter brought a smile to his face.
She was someone he was grateful for. Amidst brothers who only sought to kill him, Yona and Luna were the only ones who reminded him what family truly meant.
He quietly picked up the green rose and held it up to the moonlight.
Memories of walking through a green rose field with Yona in Samil flooded back, and he couldn’t take his eyes off it for a while.
‘Ah, I almost forgot.’
He remembered telling the Tona brothers earlier, “Let’s have a drink tonight,” right outside the meeting room. They had promised to prepare some good liquor.
‘The Tona brothers and Emma must be waiting eagerly. Especially Emma—she’s probably getting anxious.’
He headed lightly toward the Tona brothers’ room.
The moment he flung open the door, Jin couldn’t help but laugh again.
‘Looks like today’s a day full of reasons to smile.’
(“A banquet to celebrate the friendship of Runcandel’s 12th, 10th, and 11th squads and the successful completion of the 12th squad’s first mission. It’s an honor!”)
The huge banner was the first thing he saw upon entering.
The obvious emphasis on the “12th squad” made the intention clear.
Next, he spotted the Tona brothers wearing extravagant party hats—where on earth they got those was a mystery—and candles flickering among the spread of snacks and fruit.
“Oh! The youngest is here!”
“Come on in, sit anywhere. Haha.”
“Brothers, what’s all this?”
“Well, Emma said you were coming…”
Sizzle!
He heard the sound of meat grilling from inside. Emma had been waiting all evening, timing the cooking perfectly for Jin’s arrival.
She peeked out, caught his eye, hurriedly untied her apron, and stepped out to greet him politely.
“Welcome, Young Master Jin. I apologize for any past rudeness. I’ve prepared some simple drinks and dishes with a sincere heart.”
At this point, it was beyond overwhelming or ridiculous—it just made Jin laugh.
“This doesn’t look simple at all. It seems pretty serious. Did you make all these snacks yourself?”
“Compared to how you considered me and the Tona brothers on your first day back, this is nothing.”
“I’m guessing there’s poison in here somewhere.”
“Haha, no way. Please have a seat; I’ll bring the food out soon.”
As Jin sat down, Emma’s face lit up.
The Tona brothers, who had been worried about whether Emma’s extravagant hospitality would go well, visibly relaxed.
Admirable.
Jin thought to himself. It wasn’t so bad to have allies who openly showed how much they wanted to be on your side. Thanks to Yona, he was in a good mood.
‘They’re laying it on thick—might as well play along.’
Pop!
Heytona popped open a bottle, releasing a pleasant aroma.
“Congratulations, youngest!”
“Congratulations!”
For the first time, Jin chatted casually with the Tona brothers. Like close relatives catching up, their conversation was filled with trivial topics.
Mostly, the Tona brothers chattered away while Jin listened.
Though Emma had urged them to get closer, the brothers genuinely wanted to bond with Jin.
At first, it was because Jin was strong and special, but now it was just affection. They had shared the stormy days of their cadet years.
Of course, the Tona brothers had made plenty of mistakes with Jin, but they also often worried about and cared for him.
Empty bottles piled up.
Emma finally joined the conversation around dawn, telling Jin about recent developments in their family and the Huepester region.
One part caught Jin’s attention.
“Young Master Jin, our Niltrugan family is traditionally a warrior clan, but we also produce judges every year. Many of my relatives are currently serving as judges. Recently, my brother, the Chief Justice of the Ponta region, told me something strange.”
“What is it?”
“Joshua Young Master has ordered all judges across Huepester to broaden the criteria for capital punishment.”
“To reduce crime, I suppose? It’s better to catch and kill anyone who does something bad.”
Emma nodded.
“That’s probably the reason. But after expanding the death penalty criteria, for some reason, the condemned aren’t executed in their own cities. Most are transported to Ricarton for execution.”
“Ricarton? That’s a city in the southern region, right?”
“Correct, Young Master Jin. There’s another odd detail.”
“Go on.”
“All executions in Ricarton are carried out in groups. Hundreds at a time. But no one has ever seen the executions directly—only the burning of the bodies is made public.”
Suddenly, a past conversation flashed through Jin’s mind.
“—Do you know how that woman is replicating Joshua?”
“Only that it requires a lot of people.”
—…What?
—It seems they’re using the death row inmates from Huepester. When the Prophet sends them, a new body is created… Kyung mainly used those bodies for handling people like me. To strengthen his prospective contractors, and to directly suppress them if they went berserk.
This was part of a conversation I had with Yulian in Tikan, trying to persuade him.
If Emma’s right, then ‘Ricalton’ is likely the city Joshua uses to procure death row inmates for cloning.
‘Emma wouldn’t have brought this up with the Prophet and Joshua’s cloning in mind. She probably just wanted to talk about anything related to him, knowing Joshua and I are at odds. But I found a clue in a place I never expected.’
In fact, Emma didn’t know about the Prophet or the cloning.
But seeing Jin fall silent for a moment after hearing the story, I could guess there was something going on in Ricalton.
“I fear I, a mere nanny, may have spoken out of turn about Second Master Jin. From now on, when Jin isn’t around, I’ll be careful about what I say.”
She meant she wouldn’t share this story with anyone but Jin.
Emma was a woman with her own way of navigating things.
“That would be wise.”
Jin smiled as he raised a toast with Emma and the Tona siblings.
The next morning, just after dawn.
A group of warriors cloaked in robes crossed the Sword Garden’s main gate.
Each of them wore a grave expression, as if they were moving on some urgent, serious matter.