Chapter 391
Episode 118: What Cannot Be Hidden (Part 1)
October 1, 1799.
Deep within the Black Sea.
A man drenched head to toe in the black blood, entrails, and flesh of monsters was running.
This was Khan, the Guardian Knight. Clutched in his arms was a letter he had received from the Execution Knight who had come all the way to the edge of the Black Sea.
It had already been over ten years since letters about Jin had been passed to Siron, yet Khan’s expression was more serious than ever.
Though he couldn’t read the letter’s contents directly, he had heard from the Execution Knight about a certain incident at the main family estate.
“I must hurry. Before the Head of the Family enters the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea…!”
The territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea.
Siron and his knights were about to cross beyond the depths and enter the lands directly ruled by the Black Sea’s kings.
Before that, Khan had been inspecting the outskirts of the Black Sea when he encountered the Execution Knight.
As always, this cursed land had been treacherous, but from the domain of the Five Kings onward, it was an entirely unknown world.
It was possible that once they crossed in, they might be completely cut off from the outside world for some time.
Today, especially, there were more monsters clinging to him than usual. Each one was a potential Inner Core monster, and even after entering the depths, Khan had to fight for half a day longer.
Huff, huff…
Siron’s main force only came into view when Khan was on the verge of collapse. Fortunately, they had not yet entered the Five Kings’ territory.
Siron and his knights were taking a rare short rest, lighting a fire with the corpses of monsters as fuel.
“Master of the Family.”
Khan bowed his head, catching his breath. The acrid stench of burning monster flesh stung his nose.
“What is it, Khan?”
Siron sat upright as always, floating in midair. The contrast between the knights’ exhausted faces and his own clean, composed one was stark.
“An urgent letter has arrived from the main family. It concerns the Twelfth Knight.”
Siron slowly opened his eyes.
“Hand it over.”
Khan offered the letter with utmost respect.
Crack!
For the other knights, it was unusual to see Siron so curious as he broke the seal.
Khan felt a strange pride in that.
“This is the first time since the First Knight that the Master has shown such interest.”
“I’ve heard from senior Black Knights that the Master’s expectations for the Twelfth Knight are extraordinary.”
While the Black Knights were amazed, a certain monster cautiously tried to insert itself into the conversation.
“Ha, ha ha. Oh my, it seems there’s good news, sir!”
It was Ozdok, the legendary monster.
Of course, Siron paid no attention to Ozdok’s obsequious voice.
Instead, the Black Knights shot Ozdok cold glares, silently telling him to shut up and sit quietly in the corner.
Unfortunately, Ozdok failed to pick up on the mood—he even took Siron’s silence as approval—and continued cheerfully raising his voice.
He was exhausted.
After two thousand years of monotonous days filled with endless slaughter and battle, even an Inner Core monster like him found it hard to bear.
Whether it was light jokes or trivial chatter, Ozdok just wanted to say something.
“If the Twelfth Knight is who I think he is—the youngest son who fought me and took a piece of my Inner Core. Ah, of course, I don’t mean to say it was a loss. It must have been used for something valuable… He was quite a remarkable person, your son. Handsome too… Eek! Please don’t hit me! I’m sorry!”
Just as the Black Knights were about to step in and silence Ozdok, Siron raised a hand lightly to stop them.
“Leave him be.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knights lowered their fists and bowed, and Ozdok awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“Sorry about that. I just thought you seemed happy, sir. Um, um… I’ll go prepare some tea right away!”
True to his word, a faint smile appeared on Siron’s lips.
He had begun reading the letter.
“Master, the Twelfth Knight has caused an incident.”
“Zedro.”
Siron recognized the handwriting immediately from the first line. It was from his younger brother—the only sibling he had spared during their youthful battles for rank.
“He leaked information about the First Master’s tomb through the Seventh Knight. You probably already knew about it, but it caused chaos within the family.
Everyone was waiting to verify the truth when he returned, but do you know what happened?
As soon as he came back, he got into a fight with Elder Jorden. The elder cut off both his arms. The Holy King treated him, but he almost lost the ability to wield a sword as before.”
Siron’s brow furrowed sharply at that point, and Ozdok immediately knelt, offering a skull filled with tea—brewed over a fire fueled by monster corpses. A truly gruesome brew, yet one of the greatest luxuries available here, though no one outside would believe it.
“After treatment, he declared he would restore Runkandel in the name of the Sword Mages.
He then overpowered the elders who tried to stop him and defeated the Third Knight head-on.”
Siron’s eyes widened. Ozdok and the Black Knights flinched at the reaction.
The Third Knight, Runtia.
If she had lost to Jin, it must have been due to carelessness. Even so, her defeat was a shock to Siron.
Whether it was because of her lapse or Jin’s reaching a new level, a loss was still a loss.
“The dueling ground where the incident happened vanished without a trace, and the central and inner estates were nearly destroyed.
There were sword flames, and lightning strikes that rained down like madness… It’s hard to explain. You had to see it yourself.
I knew that brat would one day shake the family to its core, but I never imagined it would be such a massive disaster.
Below is a list of the damage caused in the Sword Garden while dealing with the Twelfth Knight:
Acting Head of the Family: serious injuries.
Second, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Knights: minor injuries.
Third Knight: serious injuries.
Twelfth Knight: critical condition.
Black Sword Chairman, Defense Chairman, and Protector Chairman: minor injuries.
Over half of the elders: moderate injuries.
Over 40% of the First Guardian Knights: moderate injuries.
Among the twelve Execution Knights: serious injuries; 54 others: minor injuries.
Many other wounded.
No deaths among combatants.
No casualties among non-combatants.
At the main family’s request, the King of Hupester has declared emergency alert level two, sealing all gates to the Hupester Federation and imposing media blackout.
The Sword Garden has recalled all dispatched knights and is maintaining a wartime state.
…A detailed casualty list is attached at the end.
The Acting Head of the Family sustained deep internal injuries after not dodging the Twelfth Knight’s final, all-out strike.
Medical staff say he must remain in extreme rest for some time.
Can you believe it? This wasn’t a sudden attack by the Ziphl main force, nor an invasion by Bimant, nor a rebellion.
All this was caused solely by the Twelfth Knight’s power. That reckless kid, not even twenty years old yet!
Brother.
If possible, it might be good for you to return briefly. It would be a great encouragement to the family.
Seeing how much he’s grown with your own eyes would surely bring you joy.”
Ha ha ha…!
Siron suddenly burst out laughing.
Ozdok tried to laugh along cautiously, but when their eyes met, he quickly shut his mouth.
Siron wiped the smile from his face in an instant.
By now, the knights were growing impatient, curious about the letter’s contents.
They subtly signaled Khan, who had been handling correspondence about the Twelfth Knight for some time, to break the ice.
“Master, is the situation at the main family not as bad as I’ve heard?”
“What have you heard?”
“I was told by Execution Knight Kron that the entire Hupester Federation has been sealed off and is in a wartime state.”
“The letter says the same. Even so, this isn’t something that can be hidden. It seems everyone was deeply shocked.”
“To be honest, I’m worried about the Twelfth Knight.”
“What we should worry about lies beyond that land.”
Khan and the knights nodded gravely. Siron’s gaze stretched beyond the depths, reaching toward the eyes of the Black Sea kings.
The Five Kings of the Black Sea—their territory was just days away. Luna, Vanessa, and Tuben were scouting a day ahead.
There would be many battles ahead where even Siron would have to give his all.
Shhh… Siron flipped the letter back to the page that had bothered him from the start.
Twelfth Knight: critical condition.
There is a clear difference between serious and critical injuries. Since the “Sword Mage Declaration,” Jin had remained unconscious, unable to leave his sickbed.
At the letter’s end, Zed pleaded with Siron to return, even if only briefly.
He wanted Siron to take direct action to prevent the Twelfth Knight’s flame from dying out—and if possible, to lend him strength.
This was the first time in his entire life that Siron had ever been asked for a favor like this by Jed.
“On the eve of a decisive battle with the Black Sea kings, it would be improper to be distracted by family matters.”
Though Jed had made the request, Siron had no intention of returning to personally oversee things.
“Still, before the opportunity slips away, appropriate compensation must be granted.”
The compensation Siron referred to wasn’t for the incident Jin had caused this time.
—I will report to my lord that the first to discover this monster was the 12th Cavalry. Should my lord deem the creature valuable, suitable rewards will be given.
These were the words Tuvin left with Jin when he took Ozdok away.
Since joining Siron’s expedition, Ozdok had more than proven his worth.
Though he had stumbled a bit due to fading memories, he had made a significant contribution in locating the Black Sea kings’ territory.
Even after entering the kings’ domain, the monster remained invaluable.
“Khan.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“Contact the main house immediately and arrange for Jin to be able to utilize it.”