Episode 384
Chapter 117: Who Is the True Runcandel? (4)
Blink, blink.
For a moment, Murakan just blinked in disbelief, as if doubting his own ears. His face was stunned, but then his eyes sparkled with a wicked grin.
“Ha ha ha! You’re seriously declaring you’ll bring back the Magic Swordsman lineage? Is that for real?”
His voice was excited, like a kid who’d just received an unexpected gift.
“Of course I’m serious.”
“Did you find some kind of answer in the fourth tomb? Something that can break the curse the gods of Ziphl placed on us?”
A thousand years ago, Runcandel suffered humiliation at the hands of Ziphl—a curse known as the Pact.
Never use magic again.
Never worship the ancestors who wielded magic.
That was why the once-proud Runcandel, the only Magic Swordsman family, fell to an ordinary knightly house. As a result of the curse, every Runcandel born after Temar was incapable of using magic.
“No, it’s not like that.”
“Then what?”
“After visiting Temar’s tombs, I just made up my mind. At this rate, Runcandel has no future.”
From the records left behind in each tomb by Solderet, Jin glimpsed the former glory of Runcandel.
As the rightful heir carrying their will, he uncovered hidden truths and personally experienced the feats of the great Magic Swordsmen.
The old Runcandel was undeniably a family of incomparable brilliance.
Yet even that radiant Runcandel knelt before Ziphl’s power.
Before that dark, overwhelming force that could manipulate reality and history at will, even the greatest Magic Swordsmen were helpless.
All that remained was to leave a small spark for the future.
“Their ability to rewrite history isn’t something you can compare to your era. Just as we’re reclaiming the old Runcandel’s history, Ziphl must be scrambling to regain their lost power.”
Ziphl wasn’t unscathed either. They suffered massive losses defeating the old Runcandel.
If the war had ended without damage, Runcandel wouldn’t even exist today.
A thousand years have passed, yet neither Runcandel nor Ziphl has fully restored their former strength.
“That’s right. Just look at how they’re trying to recreate the Origin Stone—they’re determined to dominate the world completely.”
“In my opinion, Ziphl is more likely to regain their old power first in this state. That’s why I need to start moving seriously from now on.”
Until now, Jin hadn’t been able to do so.
Since his return, he had mostly kept his family’s strength hidden.
It wasn’t until the end of the preliminary Knight Selection that he revealed he was a Magic Swordsman to the world, and even after conquering the Knight Selection, he rarely showed his full power in front of his family.
It wasn’t because he enjoyed hiding his strength, nor was he never frustrated.
It was simply necessary. Until he was sure he could withstand the family’s pressure once his power was revealed.
Now, Jin judged the time was right.
—Youngest.
—Yes, Father.
—Appointing you as a Knight is a great loss for Runcandel. I’ll be watching to see if you’re truly worth making up for that loss.
—I understand.
—I don’t have much time left. The ceremony will start in an hour. Stay here until then, and come out when it begins.
The conversation with Siron on the day he became a Knight came to mind.
Siron’s limited time meant only one thing.
The world’s strongest knight wouldn’t be able to protect Runcandel for much longer.
“As long as Father is here, Ziphl won’t attack Runcandel.”
Jin had recently come to that conclusion.
Everyone knew the reason Ziphl avoided all-out war despite their clear advantage was because of Siron.
But the consensus was that if the right trigger came, the two forces would inevitably clash.
Jin’s conclusion was different: no matter what, there would be no full-scale war as long as Siron lived. Never.
“I already broke the pact Runcandel made with Ziphl long ago.”
Not only that.
He had taken down several of Ziphl’s top forces, including pureblood Ziphl like Andrei, Karl, and Myron, as well as the elite Phantom Corps. He had twice crippled the flagship Kojek, a symbol of Ziphl’s power.
During the Holy Kingdom incident, Jin alone, still a preliminary Knight, humiliated Ziphl’s prestige, and recently, his cosmetics business had been a constant thorn in their side.
Though he always covered his tracks or created justifications to prevent escalation, each incident could have sparked a full-scale war.
“Yet Ziphl still doesn’t strike Runcandel. Even though I’m the one causing all this trouble, and Father is in the Black Sea.”
That was partly because Siron was still a formidable obstacle.
But Jin believed Ziphl also knew Siron’s time was running out.
“They probably think if they just wait quietly, victory will be theirs…”
My time is running out.
Jin now understood why Siron had left him with those words.
“Even if I declare now that I’ll restore Runcandel as a Magic Swordsman family, no one in the Sword Garden can punish me recklessly. My presence has grown too large.”
“Wow, kid. Saying such embarrassing things with a serious face. You must be confident, huh?”
Both Jin and Murakan chuckled.
“Instead of punishing me, factions will split. Progressives pushing to return to the Magic Swordsman lineage, and conservatives clinging to the old legitimacy.”
“You and Joshua will each lead one side, then.”
“Looks like it.”
“Won’t your mother stand in your way?”
“She probably won’t be a big problem. It’d be too risky to eliminate me now, and besides, since I mentioned Temar’s tombs, there’s too much I need to uncover. She’ll have to use me.”
“You’re a real pain, huh? Anyway, tell me what you found in the fourth tomb. I was dying of curiosity while waiting for you.”
“In the fourth tomb…”
Jin spent a while explaining what he’d experienced in the Wantaramo Forest. Murakan listened intently, eyes wide.
“…So that Hister’s kid was a descendant of the fairies? And the Wantaramo fairies were cursed by Helluram?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn it. I barely remember anything about those fairies. Maybe because of the damn history manipulation, or the long sleep—I’m not sure anymore.”
Murakan pressed his forehead in frustration. Every time he faced the fact that his memories were incomplete, a deep emptiness and dizziness overwhelmed him.
No matter the reason, it stemmed from the self-loathing of forgetting comrades and the helplessness of being the sole survivor.
“We’ll find it little by little, Murakan. Don’t blame yourself.”
Murakan gave a faint smile at Jin’s words.
“Yeah, kid. With you around, I think we’ll recover everything eventually. And that Valeria fellow…”
“Yeah.”
“I’m starting to think he might be part of Solderet’s plan.”
“Could be. Hister is practically the only trump card that can perfectly counter Ziphl’s history manipulation.”
“Where is he now? I want to talk to him too. Maybe, like you checked your records, I can look through mine and jog my memory.”
“Valeria’s probably traveling the world, searching for the fifth tomb. I have a few contacts for him, so I’ll arrange a meeting soon.”
“Right, since he can use record magic, he’ll find it better than us or even our enemies. Good. When I meet Hister’s kid, I hope to find something useful in my own records.”
“Looks like we’ve covered enough. Time to head out.”
Even while Jin was in the operating room, the Sword Garden remained on high alert.
They feared Murakan might cause trouble, but everyone knew this: once the twelve Knights awaken, things wouldn’t just pass quietly. The Sword Garden would be shaken to its core.
The moment Jin stepped out, a new meeting would begin.
“Alright, let’s go. I want to see the looks on those Runcandel brats’ faces when I make my declaration.”
“No, it won’t have the right impact if you come along.”
“What?”
“I should make the declaration alone and handle the aftermath myself. Runcandel facing Runcandel—there’s no need to have a guardian dragon on your back.”
“There’s always a ‘what if,’ kid. What if, after hearing your declaration, the second Knights or their followers—or even your mother—try to kill you?”
Jin shrugged.
“That won’t happen. But even if it did, do you think I’d just die?”
Jin was confident he could escape even the worst-case scenario. With the help of Mary and a few others who genuinely liked him, it was entirely possible.
“Ha, feels like just yesterday you were joking about the Children’s Spirit Tournament. You’ve grown a lot, kid.”
“And you have your own business to take care of.”
“What’s that?”
“Bring Gilly along. The Strawberry Faction, I mean.”
The moment Gilly’s name came up, Murakan’s brow furrowed.
“Let me warn you—if Gilly even gets a scratch, I won’t just stop you. I’ll kill everyone involved.”
“Of course. First, go ask Elder Telrot where Gilly is being held, then bring her back. I want you to do it yourself so I can be sure.”
As Murakan left the room, Jin took a deep breath.
Hoo…
It would be a lie to say he wasn’t nervous at all. But beneath the tight grip of tension was a swelling sense of hope.
Click!
After confirming through the window that Murakan was flying away, Jin opened the door and stepped outside, feeling the sunlight unusually bright and warm.
“Young master!”
Petro approached Jin and bowed his head.
“Thanks to you, my arm’s healed nicely. I’m grateful. Honestly, I was a bit touched.”
“No need to mention it.”
“Are your mother, the rider, and the elders in the central meeting room?”
At that question, Petro shook his head with a heavy expression.
“They’re in the training hall.”
“The training hall?”
“Yes. They told me to bring you there as soon as you woke up… but I have a bad feeling about it. The reason they specifically called you to the training hall is all too obvious.”
If things go south, they intend to settle it by force.
Unlike the worried Petro, Jin smiled as if this was exactly what he wanted.
“Breaking down the meeting room would’ve been a bit much. This works out better.”
“Huh?”
“Go grab me a quick bite. Something like a sandwich.”
Petro’s eyes went wide in surprise, and Jin added with a smirk,
“You can’t swing a sword on an empty stomach, after all.”