Chapter 424
Episode 123. Just like that? (Part 2)
“They came accompanied by armed mercenaries? To the Garden of Blades?”
“Yes. Even a rough count shows they brought over five hundred mercenaries under their command.”
“Five hundred mercenaries… That’s bold. Almost reckless, even. When did they arrive?”
“About three hours ago.”
“The mercenaries themselves couldn’t have been admitted, then.”
Indeed, only Lata Prochi entered the Garden of Blades.
Lata and the Ghost Battalion had been lingering in the Blade Emperor’s Castle until just recently. So, as soon as Lata left the castle, he headed straight to the Garden of Blades.
Naturally, Rune Kandel couldn’t accept such a large force arriving unannounced.
‘If it had been some low-tier mercenary group showing up like that, Rune Kandel would have wiped them out without hesitation.’
The Ghost Battalion was one of the more substantial neutral factions, and their stronghold, the Ghost Valley Fortress, was often used as a meeting place for major powers. That’s why they got away with such a breach of protocol.
“That’s right.”
“The guy with those sharp eyes came looking for you because of my brother, no doubt. But why bring five hundred men? Planning to threaten us with cuteness or something?”
“I don’t know why he brought so many. We’ll find out when we get there.”
As the group moved forward, cheers quickly swelled around them.
A particularly loud group of boys and girls shouted Murakan’s name at the top of their lungs. Gilly gently nudged Murakan’s back to make sure they wouldn’t be disappointed.
“They’re just kids. Give them a wave, Murakan.”
“Strawberry Pie, if that’s what you wish…”
What shocked Jin and Gilly the most was that when Murakan smiled at the crowd, several of the children suddenly fainted on the spot.
“Wow, I thought only Enya did that.”
“Enya’s never fainted before, as far as I know.”
They passed through the teleportation gate and climbed into the steel carriage.
The red evening glow warmly embraced the entire city, but Jin shook his head, sensing that something exhausting was about to happen.
Just as they were making good progress toward the Garden of Blades, Jin suddenly stopped the carriage.
“Wait.”
He had noticed Lata’s mercenaries standing idly by the entrance.
Despite numbering over five hundred, they were just standing in the bushes. Pitching tents on Rune Kandel’s territory, especially near the Garden of Blades, was out of the question.
They couldn’t just sit or lie down comfortably, and there was no inn to accommodate such a sudden influx of mercenaries.
So, Lata’s men had no choice but to stand there as if they were part of the scenery.
When Jin poked his head out of the carriage, the mercenaries’ gazes all snapped toward him.
“Follow me.”
With that, Jin restarted the carriage, and after exchanging glances, Lata’s men quietly fell in line behind.
“The 12th Knight is being admitted!”
The main gate’s latch was undone, and the guardian knights patrolling inside saluted.
‘Last time I returned, the execution knights had their swords drawn.’
That was the day the family head was declared. Even before that, Jin had almost never been welcomed upon returning to the main house since his days as a trainee knight.
Except for the likes of Gilly and Petro, no one had ever greeted him warmly.
Brothers, elders—someone always showed hostility and murderous intent, and all were formidable opponents, at least outwardly.
But today was different.
A small fraction of the first squad of guardian knights, a handful of execution knights, and some elders.
In other words, less than ten percent of Rune Kandel’s total forces, but there were warriors welcoming Jin’s return.
“Knight 12, you’ve endured much.”
“You’re back, Knight 12. Your exploits have stirred quite a commotion in the Garden of Blades.”
When knights and elders greeted him like that, Jin finally felt like he truly belonged to Rune Kandel.
However, those who greeted him also looked curious about why he had brought so many mercenaries waiting outside.
In the distance, from the main residence, two figures approached with scowls—Mew and Anne.
“Knight 12.”
“What is the meaning of this?”
Seeing their fierce expressions, Jin couldn’t help but feel a strange admiration.
Foolish? Or fearless?
One thing was certain: even Jin had to acknowledge their tenacity.
Despite the vast power gap revealed when the family head was declared, they still challenged him without hesitation.
They were so sure they couldn’t beat him even if they teamed up, yet their attitude hadn’t changed.
“Why on earth did you admit those brutes?”
“Hah, it’s because of your reckless behavior that even the lowlifes have started to look down on the Garden of Blades lately. Didn’t those beasts from Kinzel come barging in looking for you last time? The family’s reputation is in shambles. Get them out immediately!”
Jin stared silently at his sisters for a moment, then let out a small chuckle.
“Laugh?”
“I almost felt hurt, sisters. Someone had to yell at me like this for me to feel at home.”
“What did you say?”
“You little…!”
“These are my guests. Due to the recent terror attack on the Blade Emperor’s Castle, they’ve been as unsettled as I have, so they couldn’t notify us in advance.”
“What kind of guest requests admission with over five hundred mercenaries without warning?”
“What’s the problem with that? Five hundred Ghost Battalion soldiers in the Garden of Blades are no more threatening than five hundred falling leaves. Lata brought as many attendants as possible simply to show me respect.”
Unlike his furious sisters, Jin wore a bright smile.
The strange standoff—or rather, the one-sided dominance Jin held over his sisters—left the mercenaries utterly speechless.
‘Looks like our captain’s crazier than the 12th Knight. Is it really okay for the senior knights to put up with this?’
‘We could just wait outside quietly until the captain arrives and then leave. Honestly, I don’t mind.’
‘Our Ghost Valley Fortress is pretty serious, but this place is a total mess.’
‘Still, I feel a bit disrespected. Falling leaves, really…’
Despite Jin’s “falling leaves” remark, none of the mercenaries voiced any offense.
Instead, Mew and Anne’s voices boiled with anger.
“Five hundred falling leaves! You’ve really lost it now that you’ve reached your level. According to you, the Ghost Battalion leader showed you respect, yet you’re insulting them.”
“Compared to standing idly outside, that’s hardly disrespectful.”
When Anne stepped forward toward Jin, Mew blocked her.
‘This isn’t right. It’s almost cute now—Anne trying to step up, Mew holding her back. It’s like they rehearsed this.’
Mew ground her teeth and said, “Can you take responsibility for this?”
“For what?”
“For any problems your guests might cause.”
“You speak as if problems are inevitable. Fine, I’ll take responsibility.”
With that, Mew and Anne turned and walked away, and Gilly let out a sigh of relief.
She wasn’t worried about Jin.
“Phew, I was so nervous you might just cut those ladies down.”
“They’re sisters I have to deal with. No need to get rid of them already.”
“Your other sisters aren’t this rude. I don’t know why just those two are like this. Kid, I’m going to hang out with Strawberry Pie now, so you handle the sharp-eyed one alone.”
Murakan gave Gilly a sparkling look, but Gilly cleared her throat and looked away.
“No, Murakan. You have work to do.”
“What?”
“Lead the Ghost Battalion friends to my personal training grounds.”
“Hah! Hey, kid. I’m the great Black Dragon. Didn’t you see all those people praising me earlier? Do you really think I should do such menial tasks?”
“And protect them.”
“What? Protect them all of a sudden?”
“There’s a very high chance the Ghost Battalion mercenaries will be attacked. The sisters wouldn’t have left so abruptly if they weren’t worried. For them, it’s the perfect chance to get a shot at me.”
“You don’t mean… they’d actually do that?”
“Nothing’s impossible. Better to be cautious. Want to bet? I’m putting my money on the sisters’ men attacking the mercenaries. If no harm comes to them, then my promise to take responsibility will be meaningless, won’t it?”
That was why Jin insisted on bringing the mercenaries to the training grounds instead of guest rooms or the reception hall. It was much easier to protect them all gathered in the wide open space.
Murakan frowned.
“Damn it, I’ll take that bet. If I win, after the Ghost Battalion leaves, Strawberry Pie gets an absolute fifteen-day vacation. Even if she refuses, it’s a forced leave. Got it?”
“I don’t really need a vacation…”
“Good.”
“Kid, what’s your condition?”
“My terms? None. I’m going to win anyway. But make sure not a single mercenary gets hurt.”
“No backing out later. Heh heh, let’s go! You mercenaries!”
Murakan hummed a tune as he led the mercenaries toward the training grounds, already buzzing with excitement at the thought of spending fifteen happy days with Gili.
Jin couldn’t help but laugh at his retreating figure, while Gili gave an awkward smile.
“Acting Governor Gaju said we could skip the formalities,” Petro informed them.
Rosa was still recovering from the injuries she sustained during the declaration of the governor.
“Then we can meet Rata right away. He’s in the reception room, isn’t he?”
“Yes, my lord. Would you like us to prepare a separate space?”
“No, I’ll just go meet him directly.”
The spacious reception room was packed with guests—merchants trading with Runkandel, nobles, mercenaries hired for various missions.
Among them, the most striking figure was Rata, radiating a heavy, sharp aura as he stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed. No one dared stand within ten paces of him.
“Lord Rata.”
Jin called out as he entered the room. Slowly, Rata opened his eyes.
With long, deliberate strides—almost unnervingly fast—he approached Jin.
Suddenly—
Swish!
Just a step before Jin, Rata drew a dagger from his cloak, causing the nearby people and the waiting knights to flinch in alarm.
“Stop—!”
The knights shouted and lunged forward. Rata’s dagger seemed to trace a deadly arc toward Jin.
Scratch!
But the blade didn’t touch Jin’s body.
Instead, with a dry thud, Rata’s right index finger fell to the floor.