Episode 395
Chapter 118: What Can’t Be Hidden (5)
They couldn’t keep the Garden of Swords under a state of siege indefinitely, nor could they maintain the lockdown across Huepester.
After all, no actual war had broken out. No matter how powerful the Runkandel clan was in Huepester, they couldn’t keep suppressing the residents’ daily lives without a solid reason.
Besides, the root cause of the incident had already leaked through the residents and spies alike.
It was said that Jin Runkandel had caused the whole mess.
And the rumors kept spreading—like buoys bobbing back to the surface no matter how hard they were pushed down—whispers about Jin circulated among the people of Huepester.
Starting with the exact news that the 12th heir was critically injured.
There were even rumors—open to interpretation—about a rebellion within the Garden of Swords. Dangerous whispers claimed that the 12th heir had defeated all other heirs and even overthrown the acting clan head.
Caught in the unstoppable flood of rumors, the Runkandel clan had to make a decision.
In the end, before even five days had passed since Jin’s awakening, the clan lifted all lockdown measures and restored Huepester to normal.
Because unless they intended to execute Jin, it was better for a toned-down truth to spread than wild rumors.
“The greatest swordsmanship family on the continent, the Runkandel 12th heir, Jin Runkandel—destroyed the Garden of Swords!”
Originally, the Runkandel family had been a family of magic swordsmen. The tremors and upheaval caused by the declaration to return Runkandel to its roots as a magic sword family shook Huepester.
The secret behind the ancient power Jin used during his trainee days—the power of the long-lost ancient beast tribe from thousands of years ago—was now a hot topic.
Would Runkandel see Jin as a traitor or as a pioneer of evolution?
“I will become the clan head!”—a fiery declaration that echoed through the Garden of Swords. It was said that the 3rd heir, Runtia Runkandel, had made the same claim. The succession battle within Runkandel was shaping up to be a three-way fight.
The declaration of clan head was spreading like wildfire! The 4th heir, Dipus Runkandel, and the 7th heir, Merry Runkandel, both reaffirmed their determination not to give up the throne. Was this turning into a five-way contest?
What about the 2nd heir, Joshua Runkandel? Was his position still solid?
The voices of the people of Huepester who supported Jin—where was he now?
As soon as the lockdown was lifted, a flood of articles poured in.
As always, Dino Jaglun led the charge, and pro-Jin journalists barely had time to rest their pens.
The arrival of a hero was always exhilarating. Since the incident with the Holy Kingdom, the public had been captivated by Jin Runkandel, and his name had long been synonymous with heroism.
Normally, Runkandel would never have allowed such news outlets to publish these articles unchecked.
But now, suppressing the media was a risky move. Killing those sympathetic to Jin would only backfire.
Moreover, similar articles were already appearing outside Huepester, making Jin’s presence impossible to hide.
Of course, alongside endless praise, journalists opposing Jin’s faction were having a hard time as well.
“Runkandel a magic sword family? That’s baseless. Runkandel is a family that conquered the continent with a single sword. How dare the 12th heir tarnish that glorious history?”
“To deny the family’s legitimacy is treason. It’s time for Runkandel’s stern judgment.”
“The limits of magic swordsmen have been proven countless times throughout human history. Don’t be fooled by the 12th heir’s wild tales.”
“This isn’t a mere lapse in judgment—it’s an outrageous act. Anyone who calls it ‘bold’ should have their head split open and displayed at the Garden of Swords’ entrance.”
“Lower heirs have declared themselves clan heads, but the 2nd heir remains steadfast. Joshua Runkandel encourages the juniors, saying ‘healthy competition is always necessary’… truly befitting a future clan head.”
“Where the hell is that madman now?”
“Strip the 12th heir Jin Runkandel of his heir status!”
Amid the chaos of articles filled with both praise and malice, the one question both sides wanted answered was the same: Where was Jin Runkandel now? Since visiting the sacred shrine, all that was known was that Jin had left the Garden of Swords—his whereabouts remained a mystery.
“Haha…!”
At the top of the first tower in Ziphl, the Tower of Stories.
Kelliak Ziphl sat as usual before the crystal orb on the highest floor, passing the time. Beside him lay a messy pile of newspapers from various countries he had already read.
Contrary to popular belief, his youthful face betrayed his age. Underlining passages as he read, he looked every bit the silver-haired nobleman.
[What’s so funny now?]
From a distance, the fire dragon Kadun was roasting a nearly five-meter-long skewer, exhaling sharply. Despite being in his true form, his face was full of irritation.
“I’ve said it before—the youngest Runkandel heir is quite the interesting character.”
[Interesting? Are you out of your mind?]
“Why? At that age, he’s turned Runkandel upside down. Something even we at Ziphl couldn’t manage. I have to admit, it’s kind of exhilarating.”
Crunch!
Kadun swallowed the undercooked skewer with a snap of irritation.
[Because of that damn kid, how much damage have we suffered? Your brother died, the demon stone was shattered, the alliance with Kinzel broke down. The Holy Kingdom incident… I don’t even want to mention it. And recently, we lost a Black Knight spy, Kelliak!]
“Don’t forget we lost part of the Phantom Legion too.”
[Yeah, that too. And that’s not all! Magic swordsman? That brat broke the oath!]
Kadun’s anger stemmed from that.
A thousand years ago, he and the then Ziphl had fought hard to wrest one right from Runkandel: magic.
He could accept Jin personally stirring up the world as a magic swordsman. After all, if necessary, they could just kill him when the time came.
But Jin’s declaration to return the entire Runkandel family to magic swordsmen was intolerable.
Just thinking about how powerful Runkandel had been back then made his blood boil and his skin crawl.
“Calm down, Kadun.”
[You didn’t live through a thousand years ago, so you don’t understand. If it weren’t for them… the world would have been ours back then. We had to wait a whole millennium because of those terrible magic swordsmen.]
“For a dragon, a thousand years isn’t that long, is it?”
[Even for a dragon, a thousand years is long! Damn it, can’t you see why I’m so sensitive about this?]
“I get it. I know how important this is.”
[We need to meet the acting clan head of Runkandel again and pressure them. Remind them of the oath.]
Kelliak smiled slyly.
“No need for that.”
[You better have a good explanation.]
“Of course. Think about it, Kadun. From what I’ve observed, the 12th heir isn’t the type to act recklessly. The fact he openly talks about restoring the magic sword family means he has a solid safety net.”
[You mean Siron Runkandel?]
“Exactly. The 12th heir trusts his father. I don’t know how much of the Black Sea’s secrets Siron has shared with his youngest son, but one thing’s for sure…”
Siron Runkandel still hadn’t entered the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea.
Kadun’s eyes widened as Kelliak continued.
[No way… They’ve been exploring with Runkandel’s strongest knights for decades. By now, they should have found the Five Kings’ domain.]
“I thought so too, but judging by the 12th heir’s actions, Siron probably hasn’t even found it yet. He’s likely still wandering.”
If Siron had already found the Black Sea kings’ territory and was trapped there indefinitely…
Jin wouldn’t have declared the magic sword family.
That was Kelliak’s conclusion.
“The Black Sea is truly uncharted land. It’s not surprising Siron hasn’t found the kings’ domain yet.”
[Hmm, that’s true.]
“Maybe he’s given up on finding it. So while he’s still around, he’s using the 12th heir to look for a chance to break the oath.”
[Either way, it’s annoying.]
“Kadun, Siron is human after all. And he won’t get what he wants.”
Kadun nodded quietly at that. Human—and with little time left.
Once Siron was gone, Runkandel would no longer be a problem.
“Besides, the oath is just a symbol. What’s really etched into Runkandel’s blood is a curse. So let’s not rush and just watch. It’s quite entertaining.”
[Alright. But first, we should at least confirm Jin Runkandel’s whereabouts. It’s unsettling.]
“That’s reasonable. Let me check the crystal orb…”
[You can’t see anything!]
As Kadun shouted in disbelief, Kelliak’s gaze fell to the lower part of the orb.
There, sealed beneath, was a letter addressed to his precious son, Veradin Ziphl.
“No need to look further. Found it. This is probably where he’s headed.”
Kelliak shook the letter.
[What is that?]
While everyone wondered about Jin’s whereabouts, he was simply spending time with his companions at a mansion in the free city of Tikan.
Calmly eating Litra cookies, he casually checked the news.
Just then, Zett came rushing over and handed Jin a letter.
“My lord! A letter arrived for you here in Tikan, sent under your alias. It looks like an invitation.”
“Let me see.”
Jin’s reaction showed he had been expecting this invitation all along.
Crack!
As he broke the seal, the first thing that caught his eye was the image of a lion biting down on a sword—the ‘Seal of the Sword Emperor.’
A symbol only the lord of Sword Emperor’s Castle could use.
(Pol Grey Mick! You are hereby invited to the Sword Emperor’s Banquet.
Come and enjoy the refined pleasures of Sword Emperor’s Castle, and let your name shine.
Lord Ron Hailan of Sword Emperor’s Castle.
P.S. Because of my grandson, I had no choice but to send you this invitation as well. Better if you don’t come.
Seriously, don’t come!)
Jin let out a quiet chuckle as he read the letter.
He could almost picture how desperately Dante must have begged Ron Hailan to hold the banquet and invite him.
Zett glanced over the letter and sighed.
“Geez, if that’s how it is, why not just say ‘don’t come’ outright? Why bother sending an invitation? The Sword Emperor guy’s pretty petty.”
“Zett.”
“Yes, my lord?”
“Do you have something suitable to wear to a banquet?”
“I do, but… why do you ask?”
“Then get it ready. Let the others know too. We’re all going—let’s go see this petty lord.”