Chapter 421
Episode 122: The Emperor (Part 1)
From the perspective of the falling eunuch, it was a relief that Jin recognized the imperial palace as enemy territory.
His senses were heightened. Thanks to that, Jin was able to detect something unusual happening all the way from the towering spire.
“A person?”
No matter how tall the spire, a fall happens in an instant.
There was no time to wonder who the falling person was or what had led to this moment.
His body reacted instinctively.
Crack!
Power surged from his swollen thigh muscles, denting the pristine white pavement and cracking it beneath him. Jin’s body shot through the air like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Without any preparatory movement, his speed was too fast for the nearby imperial guards to intercept. They stared wide-eyed, watching only the back of Jin as he soared upward.
The emperor, watching Jin approach the spire, grinned, baring his teeth.
“Close call, but he can catch him.”
Just as he was certain of that, familiar, sharp metallic sounds rang in Jin’s ears.
The sound of swords being drawn—dozens of them.
This was the imperial palace.
In other words, the most heavily guarded place in the world. Both in plain sight and in the shadows, swords stood ready to protect the emperor.
From the moment Jin arrived, the palace’s secret guards had been on high alert.
Even if Jin was trying to save the falling eunuch, the palace guards had a duty to subdue him.
Every movement within the palace had to be reasonable and predictable. A sudden leap like this was considered a threat to the emperor’s safety.
Shing! Shing!
The swords of the guards surged toward Jin. Without drawing his own blade, Jin twisted his body midair to dodge the attacks.
But no matter how skilled he was, Jin couldn’t deflect all the guards’ strikes barehanded—especially while suspended in midair, panicked and vulnerable.
Several blades grazed his body. Blood splattered loudly from multiple shallow cuts, but none were serious.
Allowing that much injury meant there was an opening. Jin slipped through the guards’ blades and caught the falling eunuch just before impact.
“Are you alright?”
At the same time, the guards who had followed the fall pointed their swords at Jin from all directions.
“Stop right there!”
“This is the imperial palace, Jin Runcandel.”
Jin didn’t answer. Instead, he checked the condition of the man he’d saved.
“A eunuch.”
He could tell from the clothing. The prominent scar on the eunuch’s neck caught his eye—an intentional wound to silence him.
At this hour, there were only two reasons a eunuch would fall from the palace spire: suicide, or an imperial order.
Anything else was too unlikely.
Though his reflexes had saved the man, Jin suspected from the moment he leapt that it was the latter—the emperor’s command.
It would be too coincidental for a suicide to coincide with his arrival.
He helped the eunuch to his feet and glanced up at the spire. The emperor was nowhere to be seen, but the slowly closing window of the spire seemed to curl upward like a smirk.
The reason the emperor had ordered the eunuch to jump was obvious: to see how Jin would react.
How arrogant.
Jin shrugged and eyed the guards.
“Stand down. I was merely receiving the emperor’s greeting.”
The guards’ eyes darkened with murderous intent, but from afar, a group of breathless attendants rushed in, shouting.
“Guards, cease your attack!”
“This is His Majesty’s guest! How dare you show such disrespect!”
The emperor had invited Jin as his most honored guest and assigned attendants worthy of that status. Though they were startled by the sudden chaos, unlike the guards, they quickly understood the emperor’s true intentions and acted accordingly.
“I am Barkam, chief of the attendants. On behalf of the guards, I apologize for their rudeness.”
Jin met Barkam’s gaze briefly and said,
“Quite a comfortable seat you’ve arranged.”
Though he left the rest unsaid, Barkam and the attendants understood perfectly and felt a bit embarrassed.
Since the other party had been rude first, there was no need to be overly polite. Outside of Runcandel, no one outranked its riders.
“We will escort you to His Majesty.”
Following Barkam and the attendants, Jin walked through the palace for about an hour.
Inside, the palace’s grandeur far surpassed the imposing exterior. As the third greatest power in the world after Ziphl and Runcandel, and the continent’s only empire, its luxury was fitting.
Finally, they reached the Dragon Hall, where the imperial guards and the emperor’s personal guard blocked Jin’s path.
“Surrender your weapons.”
“No.”
“What is the meaning of this?”
“I intend to face the emperor armed.”
“Huh?”
“The finest warriors will be beside His Majesty anyway. If that’s unacceptable, I’ll leave.”
This was the first time such a situation had occurred since the current emperor’s ascension.
While the guards debated how to respond, a thin voice from inside the hall spoke.
“He says… to just let him in!”
The shimmering curtain blocking the audience chamber was drawn aside, and dozens of palace staff appeared, laying down colorful, palm-sized cloth patches like a long carpet.
As Jin advanced, the staff collected the patches behind him and laid new ones ahead.
When the cloth path ended, the staff retreated into the shadows on either side, revealing the throne towering above.
Normally, anyone standing there would bow deeply regardless of status—but not Runcandel or Ziphl.
Amir Bimont…
Jin briefly recalled the emperor’s name and thought about him.
He was Kashimir’s older brother, the original owner of Multa’s rune in Jin’s previous life, and a man who encouraged biological experiments.
“In my past life, I thought of him as someone who skillfully walked the line between Runcandel and Ziphl. Most people still see the current emperor that way.”
The emperor’s appearance didn’t suggest a tightrope walker. His sharp nose, thick eyebrows, and eyes shining with authority made him look like a general hardened by countless wars.
Jin stared up silently, and the emperor spoke first.
“You’ve had a hard journey, Sir Jin Runcandel.”
“And Your Majesty, you must have had a tough time returning here after that rough welcome.”
Jin’s provocative words made the emperor smile.
“Did that offend you?”
“Yes.”
“As I’ve heard, you’re a fiery one. I was merely curious about you.”
“You mean you had the eunuch thrown to test my temperament?”
“Exactly. You’re passionate, but softer than I expected. How can you only see one step ahead?”
The emperor tilted his head and continued.
“The eunuch you saved is a serious criminal. He dared to lust after a palace servant. A few years ago, I had his voice taken and forced him to live a miserable life as a laughingstock.”
“Is that so?”
“Why would you risk the lives of loyal guards to save such a diseased mutt?”
Clank, clatter!
Iron bars slid open on either side of the chamber, chains dragging.
The guards who had first saluted Jin emerged from the shadows, battered and bloodied from the harsh beatings they’d endured on the way.
The emperor smiled and went on.
“They were punished for failing to stop your reckless act, dismissed, and forced to return all their wages. A small penalty compared to failing to neutralize a threat to me, but a tragedy for them nonetheless.”
Jin looked at the guards without flinching.
“In other words, you saved trash and ruined these men and their families. This is my palace, my land… Your actions were a grave insult from the start. No matter what happens here, you have no right to interfere. You obstructed my will.”
The emperor spoke forcefully, and Jin nodded.
“Quite the entertaining speech.”
“Beg for my forgiveness now.”
“And one thing you’re mistaken about.”
“Mistaken?”
“Do you think I saved that eunuch out of ignorance of the offense?”
The emperor’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t agree with your emperor’s sophistry, but I acted without calculation. I felt like I was being tested, so I simply followed my mood.”
Ha ha ha…
“Do you really think the Emperor Bimont can test a Runcandel rider?”
The emperor’s laughter stopped.
But it wasn’t a bitter or displeased smile. Instead, his eyes gleamed with interest.
“There are many blades here that could kill you. Even if I wielded one to end you, Runcandel would not retaliate strongly. It would be as if I removed a troublesome stone for you. Plenty of justification, too.”
He wasn’t entirely wrong.
If the emperor killed Jin, Joshua and his faction could easily cover up the incident—so long as Jin’s body was returned intact.
“I’ve faced situations like this many times in my life… and each time, I say the same thing.”
“And what might that be?”
“Try it, if you have the courage.”
Crack!
Suddenly, the emperor rose from his seat, letting out a sound of admiration.
“Indeed, you who recently shattered the Garden of Swords—there’s no way this place could pose a challenge to you. I can only applaud your boldness!”
With a flushed face, he even clapped his hands, genuinely seeming pleased.
“Release the royal guards, reinstate them, and then present the golden crown.”
As the imperial guards went to fetch the royal guards, the emperor smiled once more.
“I think I’m beginning to understand you.”
“I still don’t know much about you, Your Majesty.”
Their eyes locked—Jin and the emperor.
“You’ll come to know me in time. Today, I summoned you to grant a reward. Perhaps this will mark the start of a good relationship between us.”
“And what reward do you offer me?”
“Power.”
The emperor looked down at Jin, continuing.
“I will grant you the strength to devour Runkandel—and beyond that, the power to stand against Ziphl.”