Chapter 426
Episode 123: So Suddenly? (4)
For a while, the two of them just stared at each other in silence.
‘So this is a side of Lata Prochi I never expected.’
The Ghost Squad and its captain, Lata Prochi.
To be honest, Jin hadn’t thought highly of them. When he was ambushed by the Ghost Squad assassins led by Pei, and later when Lata himself picked a fight with him, Jin had found them foolish both times.
Yet now, seeing Lata’s insight was astonishing. His ability to see through the aftermath of the terror attack and grasp the flow of events was remarkable.
‘No, no. No matter how I think about it, he didn’t seem that smart. Maybe someone’s feeding him information or pulling his strings.’
Jin suppressed his admiration and shook his head inwardly.
He almost blurted out, “Oh, really? That’s an unexpectedly brilliant judgment, Lata,” and let it slide too easily.
‘Who could it be? Ziphl? Kinzello? No, neither of those groups could have reached Lata. We were all stuck in Geom Hwangseong.’
During the two weeks they stayed in Geom Hwangseong, even those who helped suppress the terror attack were subjected to intense investigations. Hailan hadn’t found any agents from Ziphl or Kinzello.
‘Zephyrin.’
Suddenly, the woman presumed to be the demon dragon came to mind. Maybe she was behind Lata.
Zephyrin’s true identity was still a mystery. So it wouldn’t be strange if she belonged to either Ziphl or Kinzello.
‘But that’s a stretch. Even if Zephyrin approached Lata for some purpose, he wouldn’t show such submissiveness.’
The same went for anyone else.
It was hard to imagine a Ghost Squad captain becoming someone’s puppet and sacrificing his reputation like that.
If Jin were to reject Lata outright now and send him away, the weight carried by the title of Ghost Squad captain would instantly plummet into ruin.
There were more than a few people who had seen Jin and Lata together in the reception room. Of course, silencing them wouldn’t be difficult, but if Jin didn’t ally with Lata, there’d be no reason to bother.
After a moment’s thought, Jin concluded that Lata had come to him out of genuine free will and insight.
“Captain Jin, what are you thinking so deeply about? Did I say something strange?”
“No, not at all. On the contrary, you seem to have read the situation so precisely that I’m genuinely surprised you’ve seen through everything, Captain Lata.”
“Ha ha ha!”
Lata burst out with a hearty, sharp laugh.
“Well, I can understand your position. My brother and I haven’t exactly made the best impression so far. But Captain Jin, I am the leader of a group. A very respected leader, at that.”
He looked down at his index finger, which had been reattached without a trace of scarring, and continued.
“Do you know why five hundred of my men, whom you hospitalized, followed me?”
It was a curious question. Five hundred was far too few to flaunt power or to buy time if something went wrong in the Sword Garden.
Also, it was an awkward number compared to the size of the Ghost Squad if they were simply brought along out of a desire to be accepted as subordinates.
“I don’t know.”
Lata smiled slyly.
“They were five hundred who refused to back down no matter how much I tried to stop them.”
“Refuse to back down from what…?”
“When I told them I would cut off my finger to apologize to you, they insisted on coming along. They said they wanted to offer their fingers to you as well.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
Could it be true?
Lata’s gaze left no room for doubt. Anyone who met his eyes now would feel the pride he carried.
“At first, many more of my men wanted to come with me. If I had brought them all, Runkandel might have thought we came to wage war. But those who came simply wouldn’t retreat, so I had no choice but to bring them.”
“So if I told them to, they’d all cut off their fingers?”
“Yes.”
“An odd kind of loyalty.”
“Rare to see anywhere else. They all made a fuss, saying they couldn’t bear to see only me lose a finger. Now you understand how respected a leader I am?”
“Isn’t there a way for none of you to lose fingers?”
“The twelve squads of Runkandel—if you permit, that might be possible.”
“I mean, was there never a plan to avoid such a thing altogether?”
“If a person commits a crime, they must pay the price. Especially if they want to stay close to their opponent in the future.”
“You just said a moment ago that you’re no better than a lowly, despicable beast.”
“That’s right. Is that a problem?”
Jin shook his head, unable to find the right words to respond to that strange expression.
He recalled the faces of Lata’s men Murakan had taken away.
They all looked indifferent. Perhaps they would soon lose a part of their bodies they’d been attached to their whole lives, alongside their lord.
‘Not such a trivial man after all, Lata Prochi.’
If everything he said was true, Lata was a leader worthy of the title.
No matter how skilled Lata was, there had to be a reason he had completely taken control of the Ghost Squad at such a young age.
“One thing I’m curious about, Captain Lata.”
“What is it?”
“Why did you act like such a third-rate thug at the Geom Hwangseong banquet?”
To Jin, the Lata Prochi of today and that day were completely different people.
“I am usually a competent and excellent leader, but sometimes my imperfect nature shows. For example, when my only blood relative is held hostage.”
“Your brother is being treated well enough that even the strictest war laws would find no fault.”
“Well, I appreciate that, but he’s a tough guy. As long as he’s alive, that’s what matters. Also… when you lose a most precious subordinate, you might act like that.”
Jin recalled the day Pei ambushed him.
‘Grimol, wasn’t it?’
Among the Ghost Squad assassins, Grimol was the most overwhelming—or perhaps the only one who truly troubled him. He wielded a sword far superior to Pei’s.
“I let him go without pain. The final stroke of Grimol’s sword was something brilliant even to me. He tried to save Pei Prochi until the very end.”
“I always wondered how that friend’s last moments were. For a mercenary, he died an honorable death. Though we were together a long time, Grimol was more suited to be a knight than an assassin.”
Lata closed his eyes softly, mourning Grimol for a moment.
“Looking back, I paid dearly for underestimating you then. I shouldn’t have accepted the contract in the first place, and if I did, I should have gathered the best assassins, including myself. This time, I won’t make the same mistake. I intend to make the best choices possible. Help me.”
There was a sincere tone beneath his calm words.
Of course, just because he sounded sincere now didn’t mean Jin could take back the reckless remarks Lata had made recently.
But Jin knew well that everyone could make mistakes.
“Captain Lata Prochi.”
“Speak.”
“If you truly want to ally with me, show me your trust. Empty apologies and meaningless bloodshed over cutting off fingers won’t get us on the same side.”
Lata finally smiled as if shedding a suffocating garment.
“What do you want? What should I show you?”
“The Ghost Squad and I first met as targets and assassins.”
Lata’s eyes narrowed.
“For that bitter fate to turn into a bond, shouldn’t the heads of those who ordered you to kill me be before me?”
“Assassinate the elders of Runkandel.”
That was, of course, one of the worst contracts an assassin group could receive.
“It would have been better if you’d brought their heads before I said a word. But I know why you didn’t.”
Lata flinched, caught off guard, and gave an awkward smile.
“Because you didn’t want to take the risk. If you brought the elders’ heads and I refused the alliance, you’d be left with nothing.”
“…Once again, I realize you’re truly extraordinary.”
“Besides, even if I welcomed you with open arms after you brought those old men’s heads, I’d doubt whether the twelve squads could protect the Ghost Squad from Runkandel’s retaliation.”
Creak.
Jin stood up from his chair and slowly walked behind Lata, who remained seated.
A few seconds later, Jin’s hand lightly touched Lata’s shoulder, feeling as chilling as the scythe of death to Lata.
“If you really trust me, if you’re sure I will become the master of Runkandel—then take the risk, Lata Prochi.”
Jin’s voice was icy cold, sending shivers down Lata’s spine.
“I’ll give you one week.”
Jin removed his hand from Lata’s shoulder.
“Bring me the heads of those who tried to kill me within that time. Don’t just poke around halfheartedly—make a move. I’ll take responsibility for what comes after. Understood?”
Lata nodded heavily.
‘The twelve squads… I didn’t see this coming…’
Of course, Lata truly believed Jin would one day become the head of Runkandel.
But he didn’t think Jin held great power within Runkandel just yet. So his plan was to join hands first and then help Jin gradually build his influence.
Within a week, the situation was set to turn ‘the old Runcandel’ into an enemy.
“I was planning to side with the 12th cohort anyway, but this really leaves no room for retreat.”
Show your trust.
As Lata mulled over the words Jin had just spoken, Jin finally broke the silence.
“If supplies don’t come through after the deadline, I’ll have to assume that you, Lord Lata, have allied with another faction instead of me. And that would mean we’re enemies once again.”
“That won’t happen…”
“Please, make the wise choice.”