Episode 419
Chapter 121: Betrayal (2)
“Ugh, damn it. I can’t take it. Just hit me, Dante.”
“What? Why?”
“I mean, hit my jaw until I feel better.”
He sounded serious. Veradin stuck out his jaw, and Jin and Dante exchanged glances.
“Damn it, my family and the royal court are scheming together to screw over Hailan. If it helps me vent, then go ahead and beat me up.”
“Don’t talk nonsense, Veradin. If Dante even tries to hit you with any real force, it won’t just be a bruise. Do you think your pathetic body can handle that?”
“Damn it, I know that.”
“Then why are you spouting nonsense?”
“I’m sorry, I’m just so frustrated and desperate that I have to say something… I guess in the end, I’m just trying to make myself feel better.”
“Judging by how you’re talking, maybe getting hit wouldn’t be so bad.”
“It’s not Gong’s fault.”
At Jin and Dante’s words, Veradin sighed deeply.
“I figured you’d say that. Dante, if there’s anything I can do to help…! On behalf of my family, I’ll make amends however I can.”
Seeing Veradin’s helpless, uneasy expression made Jin and Dante uneasy as well.
If Veradin was guilty of anything, it was only that he was born into the Ziplo family and being used by his own father.
“There’s no need for such heavy words like ‘apology.’ I didn’t call you here to accuse you, but rather to ask a favor as a friend. The situation in Ziplo can’t be easy either, so I’m grateful you came all this way.”
“Ugh… Dante, you’re such a noble soul!”
Veradin dramatically wiped his eyes as if crying, then hugged Dante, prompting Jin to click his tongue.
Anyway, as Dante said, Veradin’s secret visit to the Sword Emperor’s Castle without his family’s knowledge was a risky move.
Ziplo has been insisting strongly that they bear no responsibility for the current crisis. If Veradin’s covert trip were exposed, that claim would lose all credibility.
After rubbing what might have been fake tears all over his shirt, Dante finally cracked a faint smile.
Since the incident, it was the first time Jin had seen Dante smile. That alone showed how dire the situation inside Hailan was.
Not only had the royal court made shady deals with terrorist groups, but traitors had also emerged from within.
Worse, the core of the betrayal came from Dante’s own brothers and relatives—people who had always been treated like nobodies by Ron Hailan.
They never originally dreamed of betrayal. They figured it was better to pin their faint hopes on the generation after Dante than to get themselves killed by Ron for messing with him.
Ron had long since taken complete control of Hailan, and Dante was smoothly inheriting that power.
Then, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity arose. If the damage had been limited to the terrorist attack, betrayal would never have been an option. But the royal court had stepped in as their backer.
That was still manageable. Ron and his Hailan could have dealt with the rebels and recovered without outside help.
The problem was that the terrorist attack created too many victims who weren’t from Hailan. Nobles, royal family members, and powerful warlords all demanded compensation.
“Lord Ron must have anticipated this to some extent. That’s why he praised me first, just in case.”
Jin had guessed as much.
But there was one thing Jin hadn’t imagined at all.
“The reason the royal court is pushing Hailan so hard, even making deals with Kinzel and Ziplo.”
It was because they wanted to get their hands on a certain ‘item’ that Hailan had protected for generations.
More precisely, it was an item guarded by the ‘head of the Hailan family,’ not just Hailan itself.
Only the family head even knew if the item existed.
But from the moment Ron chose Dante as the next head, he revealed the item’s existence. And Dante recently broke the taboo of passing down its secret only to the family head.
He even told Jin about it.
“…A white stone, a sinister pebble, a wedge pointing to the end. The heads of the family have called it many names.”
“Having so many names sounds like no one really knows its true name.”
“That’s one way to look at it. When my grandfather first told me about it, he called it the greatest enemy of the Hailan family head.”
“The greatest enemy of the family head?”
“The significance of the stone, passed only from head to head, lies in its ability to cut. The family head who finally cuts the stone will have their name etched at the highest point in Hailan’s history.”
“I don’t see why the royal court would covet something so trivial.”
“That’s true.”
“I get it. The stone must be so dangerous that no one in the world should know about it. So the first family head who got it tried to destroy it by cutting it, but failed. Later heads were ordered to destroy it without knowing what it really was, to prevent greed.”
“You figured all that out just from my brief explanation? Impressive.”
“More shocking is that every head of Hailan, including Lord Ron, has failed to cut the stone. What kind of stone is it?”
“I’ve never seen it myself. My grandfather keeps it.”
“Anyway, the royal court wants the stone because they want to control the danger that Hailan’s old heads tried to keep in check.”
A conversation Jin had with Dante a few days ago.
The royal court was making a huge fuss to snatch the ‘stone’ from Hailan, as if they’d been waiting for this chance. It wouldn’t be surprising if they had even orchestrated the terrorist attack to get it.
Dante told Jin about the stone because he thought it wouldn’t hurt to have Jin’s help protecting it.
Of course, it was Dante’s idea, but Ron surprisingly agreed without hesitation.
He was seriously injured, his family’s prestige was down, traitors had appeared, the Sword Emperor’s Castle hadn’t even begun repairs, and they had no allies. The Dragon Knights had all returned to the royal court.
In other words, Ron was a grandfather who would do anything to protect his grandchild, even if it meant risking the family’s secrets.
Above all, Jin was confident that Dante wasn’t the type to betray them for the stone.
Snap.
Jin peeled Veradin off Dante, who had clung to him like a child.
“Lord Veradin.”
Dante wiped the smile off his face and met Veradin’s eyes.
Jin and Dante had decided not to share the stone’s secret with Veradin yet. They couldn’t be sure of his mental state.
But even without that knowledge, there was no problem with Veradin helping them.
“Alright, spit it out, Dante. What do you want me to do?”
“Urge Ziplo to pressure Hailan directly.”
“Huh… what?”
“Right now, Ziplo is only applying indirect pressure on Hailan through the royal court. I want Ziplo to step up and make it look like they’re attacking Hailan head-on.”
“W-why? Hey, Jin, what’s this about?”
“Why are you asking me?”
“There’s no way Dante came up with this plan! Explain why it has to be like this!”
“To make the line between friend and foe clearer.”
“What?”
“We need to see which the royal court values more: Ziplo or Hailan. If you push Hailan to the limit and the royal court still doesn’t change its stance, then Hailan no longer needs to be part of the empire.”
More precisely, it was a test to see what the royal court valued most: Ziplo, Hailan, or the stone.
“I get what you mean, but what if the royal court chooses Ziplo and decides to wipe out Hailan along with us?”
“Then you deal with it.”
“I’m not the head of Ziplo, just the next in line. Do I have that kind of authority?”
“Just kidding. At that point, Runcandel will join Hailan.”
“You’re also just the next head of Runcandel.”
“I have enough authority for that. I’m confident I can make the next family follow suit after Runcandel and form an alliance with Hailan.”
Veradin’s eyes sparkled as if impressed by Dante’s words, then he cleared his throat.
Now was not the time to praise Jin as usual.
“Alright, but aren’t there too many variables? And the royal court wouldn’t just abandon Hailan for Ziplo. The whole world is watching.”
“That’s something we don’t know.”
“If the main family gets involved, Hailan might get irreparably damaged.”
“Isn’t that a bit disrespectful to Hailan, saying that in front of Dante?”
“Ahem, ahem. I’m fine.”
“Sorry. But this is such an important matter… And since I’m not in my right mind, what if I steer this plan to benefit our family the most?”
“That would be the worst case, but don’t worry. We have safeguards.”
“Oh? Safeguards? What are they?”
“Do you think I’d tell you?”
Jin’s words made Veradin smile bitterly.
“Fair enough.”
“Veradin, just be careful until you’re fully back to yourself. We’ll be careful with you, too.”
Veradin nodded.
“Let’s identify the enemy, and figure out the royal court’s and Ziplo’s goals and priorities. If possible, find out what kind of backdoor deals the royal court made with Kinzel and Ziplo.”
The three of them—Jin, Dante, and Veradin—would quietly carry out this operation.
It was up to Ron and his knights to hold the center and support Hiran, both inside and out.
“Even if our families are sworn enemies on the outside, as long as the three of us are a solid alliance, we can always mend the external relations once each of us secures dominance over our own house.”
“That’s true.”
“Exactly.”
Just as the three of them agreed, one of the knights came down to the basement. He was one of the knights who had originally escorted Veradin.
“My lord Sogaju.”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
The knight glanced cautiously at Veradin before continuing.
“His Majesty the Emperor is looking for Jin Kyung.”
“Jin? Why?”
“I’m not sure of the exact reason, but according to rumors among the eunuchs… it seems His Majesty intends to reward him for his role in this matter.”