Chapter 359
Episode 110: The New Bradamante (Part 1)
The ground was so littered with the corpses of nameless monsters that the floor beneath was barely visible. Whenever the knights took a step, the blood pooled on the earth squelched beneath their feet, and their clothes and armor were stained pitch black.
Yet there was one man—Sir Siron Runcandel.
Despite having single-handedly slain over half of the scattered monsters, he remained spotless, not a drop of blood on him. Even though the black blood had risen up to his ankles, he walked as if treading on leaves, his feet perfectly clean.
This place was the deepest part of the Black Sea.
For decades, only Siron and his loyal retainers had dared to set foot in the Black Sea’s depths. No one else in the world had ventured into this hellish region.
There were no maps, not even rough sketches, except for the secret ones they had painstakingly created. No one knew what dangers lurked here, and even if you killed the horrific monsters, the only reward would be a few worthless bone fragments.
For the rest of the world, there was simply no reason to come here. Some reckless warriors sought to grow stronger by hunting Black Sea monsters alone, and among them, a few genuine talents existed—but none truly understood the landscape of this place.
But Siron and his Runcandel clan viewed their exploration of the Black Sea as a matter of family destiny.
“Luna.”
“Yes, Father.”
“We’re about to reach the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea.”
“…I was starting to think we’d encounter one soon.”
“Are you tired?”
Luna brushed her blood-soaked hair back.
For a moment, the images of the monsters they had slain on the way flashed through her mind. For ten days straight, Siron, Luna, and all the knights had fought off waves of monsters without so much as a moment’s rest.
“No, I’m bored. Fighting alongside you, Father, it felt like no matter how many I cut down, they were all just dust.”
For the first time, she realized that such a long battle could be this safe.
Siron turned his head.
“Have you learned nothing from these fights?”
Learning.
Only Siron could pose such a question to Luna, a warrior who had already reached a transcendent level.
Luna met his gaze briefly, then looked around. She saw the Black Knights checking their gear and sharing water.
“I’ve learned to trust my back.”
Siron nodded.
His eldest daughter—the first child Siron Runcandel had ever had.
From birth, Luna had inspired both awe and hope in him, never once disappointing him until she voluntarily gave up the throne.
Even after stepping back from the family headship and declaring she would be the sword that protected the clan, Siron had held onto his expectations for her for quite some time.
With a somewhat uncharacteristic, deeply human tenderness.
He wished for his eldest daughter to live a fulfilling life—not just as the clan head, but as a warrior and a complete person.
Yet even after growing up, Luna struggled to break down the walls that confined her, and that always left Siron feeling a little disappointed.
Not knowing how to fight together.
That was, in Siron’s eyes, Luna’s greatest flaw. She was born with absolute talent and the fate of solitude intertwined.
“So you’ve finally realized that. It’s essential when facing the kings of the Black Sea.”
His tone wasn’t reproachful. On the contrary, Siron smiled faintly, as if pleased.
There was much meaning behind those words. Luna knew this, making it hard to find the right response.
Between stars in the universe, or a sun too distant to approach—
That was how Luna had always felt about her relationship with her father. Not just her, but all his children had sensed it from a very young age.
‘Praise? No, it’s not quite that… I don’t know how to put it.’
She scratched her head awkwardly.
Of course, Siron hadn’t expected any particular answer. But Luna felt it would be rude to say nothing, yet she couldn’t find the words.
Just then, someone new joined the rear of their formation.
It was Tuben.
‘Sir Tuben? Has something unusual been found in the mid-Black Sea? And that person he brought along—no, that monster?’
Tuben had been working at a distance from Siron’s group, alongside Vanessa Olson, mapping the mid-Black Sea region.
All eyes shifted to Tuben and the figure bowing respectfully beside him.
Despite still looking human, everyone immediately recognized the true nature of Ozdok.
“My lord, we have discovered something unusual and came to report.”
“Speak, Tuben.”
“We confirmed that the Seventh and Twelfth Cavalry approached the Black Sea’s entrance. When we checked, they were fighting this monster.”
At the mention of the Twelfth Cavalry, Luna pricked up her ears. Thanks to Tuben, not only had they smoothly overcome a difficult situation, but she also got news of her youngest sibling she’d been curious about.
Ozdok shrank his shoulders again as he looked at Siron and the Black Knights.
‘These monsters… who knows how many have died? They could all have become Inner Core monsters given time and opportunity. How many like Tuben exist? And the lord Tuben serves…’
A name from a thousand years ago, known as the strongest, came to mind.
Temar Runcandel.
Recalling Temar’s sword made Ozdok tremble. Ozdok had taken the old Sarba Kingdom hostage to avoid attacks from Temar and the Runcandel clan.
“I am O-Ozdok…!” he stammered.
Without realizing it, Ozdok knelt and bowed deeply, but Siron didn’t even glance at him.
“How did it go?”
“The Twelfth and Seventh Cavalry fought together but struggled a bit. I intervened and ended the fight.”
“Did you think they might lose?”
“No. But if the cavalry had fought at full strength, the battle might have been observed from outside.”
“Excellent.”
Tuben sensed the praise was for the cavalry, not himself.
‘This Ozdok monster is quite strong. Could the youngest sibling handle him alone? I’m dying to know how much stronger he’s gotten in the past few months.’
No one paid attention to the fact that Ozdok was a monster who spoke human language. They had often seen such creatures in the Black Sea depths.
As Luna hesitated whether to ask more, Tuben read her mind and spoke first.
“The Twelfth Cavalry could have killed him alone, but he would have suffered severe injuries. Without help from Murakan or the Seventh Cavalry, he likely would have died before escaping the Black Sea.”
Siron shared Luna’s curiosity. Jin’s growth had far exceeded his expectations.
“It’s been a while since anyone besides you reported on the youngest, Kan.”
Kan bowed as he closed his water flask.
He, too, was working with the Black Knights, mapping and relaying news between the Black Sea depths and the outside continent.
“It’s been a long time since I received any special letters from Tikan, so I was curious myself.”
“That Kashimir’s letters took quite a while to arrive intact. Funny when you think about it.”
Siron’s remark surprised the knights.
Lately, Siron had shown glimpses of his younger self before ascending to godhood—joking occasionally, speaking of trivial, human desires.
The deeper they ventured into the Black Sea, the more often he showed this side.
So the knights hid a deep sadness in their hearts.
A sadness born from knowing their lord had once been an ordinary human, and that his time as a man was almost over.
“Ozdok, the legendary monster.”
For the first time, Siron looked directly at Ozdok.
“Yes!”
“It must have taken a very long time to gain an Inner Core and learn human speech.”
“Yes, sir!”
Tuben lightly pressed Ozdok’s shoulder as a warning. Ozdok dared not make a sound.
“If my lord asks, answer in detail.”
“I have lived in the Black Sea for… about a thousand years!”
A thousand years in the Black Sea.
And another thousand traveling between the outside and the Black Sea. Ozdok had taken two thousand years to become an Inner Core monster.
“Then you must know about the geography and the kings of the Black Sea.”
Though it sounded casual, Ozdok immediately sensed the gravity.
If he answered “I don’t know,” his body would be dismantled, ending his life.
‘Damn! My memories before gaining the Inner Core aren’t clear…!’
Still, he had to say he knew. It wasn’t exactly a lie.
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Lead us beyond the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea.”
“Yes! Leave it to me!”
Ozdok forced a bright smile and answered.
But inwardly, he thought: I should have just stayed asleep.
The bald-headed—no, the legendary blacksmith and now their god—Pikon Minche’s eyes gleamed with excitement the moment he received the Inner Core.
“Ohhh…!”
His heart pounded wildly, knowing he could finally complete his masterpiece.
Moreover, the Inner Core Jin brought contained far more power than expected. After strengthening the sword, there would still be enough left to use elsewhere.
The fact that the core was bigger than expected also meant that Ozdok was not as weakened as Pikon had anticipated.
“Hey, bald guy. Feeling good? Like it? Huh? You always cheat like that, so you must love it, right?”
So Murakan’s taunting of Pikon was entirely justified.
This time, Pikon seemed a bit guilty and didn’t snap back at Murakan.
Partly because he was too excited to bother arguing.
“Ha, finally, I can complete my creation… Jin! Now, there’s just one last thing I need—ugh!”
Murakan’s eyes narrowed as he grabbed Pikon by the collar.
“What? You need something else? You really wanna die? Hey, kid, don’t stop me.”
“Yeah, I’m not stopping you. Keep going.”
“Hey, wait, wait! Put your fist down. Hear me out first!”
“Five seconds. Talk. If it’s nonsense, we’re done here.”
“The last thing we need is fire. No need to find it separately—Jin just has to unleash his magic sword’s secret flame technique.”