Chapter 385
Episode 117: Who Is the True Runcandel? (5)
“Understood, Young Master.”
Pat-pat-pat!
Moments later, Petro came running, sweat beading on his feet, carrying a sandwich packed with plenty of meat. Petro wasn’t sure if bringing a sandwich was the right move in this situation, but Jin wore a calm, composed expression.
“Oh, this is perfect. Good work.”
“Young Master.”
“What is it?”
“Are you really okay with this?”
“When Gilly and Murakan return, we’ll all wait together and have a nice meal.”
“…I wish you luck, Young Master!”
Despite Petro’s solemn tone, Jin chewed the sandwich with an utterly nonchalant face as he continued walking.
Crunch, crunch, munch…
The Garden of Swords was so silent that the sound of Jin eating the sandwich echoed sharply.
And there were sharp eyes watching him.
‘How many guardian knights are actually on standby within the family?’
Rosa and the Elders had knights on alert, and Joshua had summoned every available soldier. Knights stood like pillars along every path in the garden.
Their gazes toward Jin were anything but friendly. Though they tried to hide it, most of the knights harbored hostility toward him.
The chaos Jin had stirred within the family was unwelcome even to the knights. But Jin paid no mind to their stares and kept swallowing his sandwich with focus.
‘If anyone else saw this, they’d think Runcandel was preparing for war.’
And in truth, that wasn’t far from the truth.
Knights weren’t just stationed in the Garden of Swords. The city of Karon was sealed off, with guardian knights posted at every checkpoint.
Intelligence was spreading worldwide. The gathering of knights in Karon was unusual, and everyone was on high alert.
Jiple, Bimont, Kinzello, and other factions—all were tense, wondering if Runcandel was truly gearing up for war.
Because of one man—the 12th Knight, Jin Runcandel—the whole world was on edge.
Jin leisurely ate his sandwich as he walked.
When he finally reached the training ground’s main gate, he sparked a small flame in his palm and burned the sandwich wrapper.
The gatekeepers nearly flinched.
Though it was no secret that the 12th Knight was a magic swordsman, seeing a Runcandel casually use magic in the Garden of Swords was still startling.
“Open the gate.”
Jin wiped the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
The gatekeepers were guardian knights themselves—meaning they had undergone grueling training beyond what ordinary humans could endure—and could sense the power in Jin’s voice.
That’s why they couldn’t help but flinch.
They weren’t surprised by the magic itself, but the authority and deep power carried in Jin’s tone was unfamiliar and intimidating.
“…The 12th Knight has arrived!”
Screeeech…!
As the massive iron gate swung open, the first thing visible was Rosa seated in the place of honor.
The knights and elders standing below her turned their heads toward Jin, and the guardian knights behind them shifted their gazes—eyes sharp enough to strike Jin down on command.
“You’re late, Mother. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
Not even a polite greeting like that escaped Jin’s lips.
Nor did he utter any sarcastic remarks like, “Did you really gather this many people just to intimidate me? I never thought Runcandel would be this tense over just one person.”
Jin simply stood tall, meeting their gazes head-on.
Like a lone beast walking into the den of its enemies.
Waiting for the enemies to bark first.
“12th Knight!”
Someone called out irritably, and Jin smiled inwardly.
‘Of course, if anyone’s going to bark first, it’d be the older sisters.’
It was Mew.
Her eyes were filled with murderous intent, burning with the desire and expectation to see Jin’s corpse today.
A killing intent so sharp it made Jin’s face twitch.
But Jin knew that this deadly aura wasn’t just from Mew and Anne. As all the warriors of nine stars and above in the training ground felt, it was something deeper.
“Do you really think you can stand there like a stone?”
“Bow your head immediately and show respect to the Acting Head and the senior knights and elders!”
Mew and Anne’s harsh, piercing voices cut across the training ground.
For a long while, Jin didn’t respond.
He acted as if he hadn’t heard their loud voices at all.
That alone was a humiliation Mew and Anne could hardly accept. Their faces flushed red with rising anger, veins bulging on their throats as if ready to burst.
“You insolent brat.”
Haah…
Jin sighed.
Mew and Anne, reaching for their swords at their waists, froze for a moment at the sound. It was shocking—Jin sighing as if exasperated.
But hidden within their shock was a reluctant awe.
Could they have done the same if they were in his place?
Could they have sighed after seeing someone draw their sword to attack? Could a single sigh make them hesitate?
And why…
Why was no one enraged by such insolence?
In that brief moment, countless questions flashed through their minds.
They had lost.
Or rather, they couldn’t win. The moment they drew their swords, they would be humiliated in front of everyone. Their instincts warned them.
Still, they had to draw their swords. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be Runcandel.
“That sigh sounds nice. I sighed a lot because of these guys when I was your age.”
Fortunately for Mew and Anne, Mary stepped forward, naturally cutting them off. She was there to prevent the reckless, fragile younger sisters from losing everything with a single mistake.
Mew and Anne could feel their hearts pounding wildly in their hands gripping their swords.
“7th Knight… stand down!”
“If you’re going to talk about respect to the 12th Knight, you should look around. The Acting Head hasn’t even spoken yet, and you think you can act this way? I’m about ready to beat you senseless. Behave while I’m still being nice.”
For Mew and Anne, losing to Mary wasn’t a disgrace—at least not publicly. Everyone in Runcandel knew there was a clear hierarchy among the three.
Mary deliberately gave Mew and Anne a chance.
Because if the two were completely crushed by their youngest sister now, it would be a loss for the entire Runcandel family.
Mary could see the future just as clearly as Mew and Anne did.
In fact, Mary’s eyes saw Mew and Anne rushing at Jin in a frenzy, only to be cut down with a single stroke.
“I warn you—don’t make any annoying sounds like ‘hmph’ or ‘tsk’ at me. Stay crushed like a corpse until this is over.”
Mew and Anne barely controlled their emotions and adjusted their stances.
Silence fell again.
Jin still said nothing.
In the suffocating silence, everyone gathered in the training ground felt a mix of emotions.
Most couldn’t help but admire Jin to some extent. Like Mew and Anne, they wondered if anyone else could show such an attitude in this place.
Some elders even felt a sense of déjà vu.
‘…This reminds me of the 1st Knight.’
‘The day the 1st Knight declared she would give up the headship was just like this.’
The 1st Knight, Luna Runcandel.
She was the family’s and the city’s great hope, and when she declared she would forgo the headship, she stood proud and unshakable.
No one or nothing could stop her.
But there was a huge difference between Luna then and Jin now.
Jin had come here to make the exact opposite declaration.
“12th Knight.”
Finally, Rosa’s voice came from her seat of honor.
“Yes, Acting Head.”
Jin looked up at Rosa.
“Your fate here can be decided in mere seconds by a few words from me. It is fragile and insignificant.”
“Is that so.”
“Therefore, you must answer my questions truthfully.”
“Understood.”
“Why did you leak the story about the first head’s tomb to the 7th Knight?”
“Because I believed the 7th Knight would bring it to public attention on my behalf.”
“Your words have come true. So, what do you intend to do now?”
“I want to hear the opinions of the Acting Head and everyone gathered here.”
Jin glanced around before continuing.
“From when I was a trainee knight, I visited many of the first head’s tombs and came to realize this: Runcandel can never defeat Jiple.”
“How dare you!”
“What nonsense are you spouting now!”
The Elders, especially Jorden from the Black Sword Council, were the first to react.
“I said I want opinions, not empty shouts. Do any of you believe there’s a chance if war breaks out with Jiple?”
“What did you say…!”
“If you truly believe that, then you might as well drown yourself in a basin of water this instant.”
Swish—! Swish—!
The shouting elders drew their swords.
“You’ve crossed the line, you brat of blood.”
“Clinging to vain hopes and dreaming baseless futures is only fitting for weak and rotten groups. Runcandel doesn’t need people like you.”
“What do you know? Do you think you’ve contributed enough to this family to talk about war with Jiple and judge its outcome? Do you think you’ve fought the enemies enough?”
“Let me twist the question a bit. Lord Gaju, you’ve held the throne of Changseong for a long time now, yet you’ve avoided an all-out war with JPL. Why is that?”
Jin glared at the elders.
“Needless to say, it’s because you’ve judged that victory is impossible. Even Father, who could sweep away everyone gathered here like dust! So how can you, the elders, dare claim that we have any chance against JPL?”
The elders said nothing, simply staring back at Jin. By directly referencing Siron, Jin had left them with no response.
“There isn’t one. None of you here possess power greater than Lord Gaju.”
Then, as Jin added one final remark, the elders—some already drawing their swords—could no longer hold back.
“But I have a way.”