Chapter 436
Episode 125: The Assailants, The Brothers (4)

A chill spread like a spider’s web, swiftly binding the assassin. He tried to break free, but in dodging Talaris’s sword, he was left completely immobilized.

“Ugh…!”

Within seconds, the assassin was ensnared by the long, icy crystals of the Frozen Blade, unable to move. Moments later, only his eyes could be seen shifting beneath the ice.

That someone of ninth-rank martial prowess could be subdued so easily was because she was Talaris Endormai.

“Hmph, nicely frozen. Stay put in there until we’re done. And don’t even think about any foolish suicide or self-destruction attempts. Though, you won’t be able to move a finger anyway.”

Turning her back on the frozen assassin, Talaris stepped inside Tikan, once again trying to place where she had seen him before.

‘Right, it was about thirty years ago. The day I went to see Siron.’

About three decades earlier, Talaris had once visited Siron’s secret hideout.

Back then, the only reason Talaris sought Siron was for one thing: a duel.

She had lost count of how many times she had challenged him. By that point, she had suffered over a hundred defeats at Siron’s hands.

That day, despite losing, an unusually fierce anger welled up inside her.

So much so that after the duel ended, she continued to cause a ruckus, determined to settle things once and for all.

She smashed through Siron’s secret quarters, hurled every insult she could think of, and shouted that they should just fight until one of them died.

‘Ugh… remembering that now, it’s such an embarrassing chapter. But back then, if I hadn’t acted out like that, I think I would have gone mad.’

In the past thousand years, the Hidden Palace had never surpassed the power of Runcandel, but it was not uncommon for the Hidden Palace’s master to possess higher martial strength than Runcandel’s head.

Talaris challenged Siron every day with that goal in mind. She never succeeded, but she kept trying.

Still, Siron showed her leniency despite her outbursts.

“Talaris, rather than aiming to defeat me, it would be better to dream of the Hidden Palace surpassing Runcandel.”

To Siron, Talaris was almost his only friend—and if he were ever consumed by ‘chaos,’ she would be the one most capable of helping him. So there was no reason to kill her.

But some of the execution knights who witnessed her behavior at the time saw Talaris as a thorn in their side.

Not only because of her disrespect toward Siron, but also because of the rumors spreading like a plague between them—that Siron’s feelings for Talaris prevented him from striking her down.

‘Ah, now I remember. Luton Perman—that was his name.’

Luton Perman.

He was the man Talaris had just frozen in ice, and thirty years ago, he was the young captain of the first squad of execution knights.

Luton and the other execution knights believed they had to deal with Talaris. They thought it was the only way to uphold Siron’s reputation and the family’s authority.

Of course, Siron never ordered Talaris to be attacked, but he never explicitly forbade it either.

That ambiguity led the first squad of execution knights, including Luton’s team, to ambush Talaris.

‘They barged into the Hidden Palace unprovoked, so we beat them senseless and sent them packing.’

Back then, Luton and his men were mostly ninth-rank or close to it, but they were no match for Talaris—especially inside the Hidden Palace.

After defeating and subduing the execution knights, Talaris found their excessive loyalty almost endearing.

She was glad that someone as cold as Siron had such passionate subordinates.

In other words, while she disliked the execution knights’ insolence, she didn’t entirely resent it.

Talaris never reported their misconduct to Siron, and despite repeatedly losing to her, the execution knights kept challenging her day and night.

Just as Talaris had been to Siron.

Wild, passionate, and beast-like—they were how Talaris saw Luton and his men.

Over time, she even grew fond of some of them, having brief romances with a few. Luton was one of those.

A soft chuckle escaped her as the memories came flooding back.

But then her expression hardened.

‘Judging by how he talks, he seems to have lived like a nameless wanderer. How did such a loyal guy end up like that? The others who attacked must be outcasts too. I doubt Siron would have done this.’

If anything, Siron would have wiped them out cleanly, not maimed them like this.

Though the memories weren’t unforgettable, they weren’t unpleasant either, so she felt a mix of pity and curiosity.

‘Whatever the case, this is Runcandel’s business, not mine. But if possible, I hope our son-in-law can absorb those dishonored beasts.’

Whether Jin becomes the head of Runcandel or the master of the Hidden Palace, Talaris believed that if Jin could integrate the outcasts, they would become a formidable force.

Even if not fully absorbed, these outcasts could serve as a crucial justification when confronting the elders later.

Inside Tikan, the scene looked like chaos at first glance.

The sky was darkened by the ice of the Frozen Blade and the spiritual energy of Murakan, while below, on every floor of the tower-like city, a mixture of auras and magic exploded in bursts.

But despite appearances, the interior had suffered little damage.

Thanks to the Hidden Palace’s overwhelming power, the small territory, and dragons that could fly swiftly to survey the area.

Murakan and Quikantel flew between floors, rescuing civilians who hadn’t managed to escape.

The rampaging assassins were being held back by Jin, Siris, the Seven Swords of the Hidden Palace, the Tona brothers, and other allies.

Talaris swiftly traversed all the floors on the ice of the Frozen Blade, lending her strength wherever it was needed.

“Son-in-law, I’ve identified who these people are—”

She approached Jin and began to speak, but stopped mid-sentence when she saw him.

Jin’s face, as he cut down the assassins, was almost demonic. The intensity and venom in his expression startled even Talaris.

‘He looks just like his father did in his youth.’

Back then, Siron had been consumed by hatred after losing comrades.

Jin seemed even more sensitive—though it was still unclear if there had been any casualties among their allies.

The assassins weren’t all former execution knights, but they were formidable fighters. Yet Jin cut them down as easily as sweeping away fallen leaves.

“Those damned bastards! How dare they think this is their turf…!”

Jin suddenly snapped his head toward Talaris.

He had sensed her presence late and was pulling himself back from the brink of rage.

“Apologies, Lady Talaris. I didn’t hear you clearly. Please say it again.”

“I said I’ve identified them. They’re Runcandel outcasts.”

“I suspected as much. There aren’t many groups capable of mobilizing mercenaries of this caliber…”

“Hmph. Some of them, including the one I fought outside, are probably former execution knights. If Tikan’s damage isn’t too severe, it might be worth talking to them before wiping them out. They weren’t so bad in my memory.”

Jin nodded.

“Understood, Lady Talaris.”

“You went from a raging demon to calm in no time.”

Jin smiled sheepishly.

“That was a mistake. I was prepared for this possibility, but facing it firsthand makes it hard to control my anger.”

What if Talaris hadn’t been here? What if Mot couldn’t teleport? What if he couldn’t get news directly from Kashimir and Petro?

Such thoughts fueled Jin’s fury.

“From what I saw on the way here, thankfully, there’s no major damage. I didn’t see a single casualty.”

“Including civilians?”

“Yes. There’s quite a bit of structural damage, but no confirmed deaths. Finish subduing them and assess the damage precisely. Also, since these assassins are outcasts, they might become your sword someday. I recommend showing them some mercy.”

“Thank you, Lady Talaris.”

“If you’re grateful, then marry my daughter already.”

Jin didn’t respond, only bowing his head.

The day they spent inside the Hidden Palace, Jin and Siris had agreed to mostly ignore Talaris’s talk of marriage.

[Jin.]

Quikantel called down to him as he flew.

“Quikantel! Is everyone safe?”

[The mansion is completely unharmed. Thanks to you, Murakan, and the Hidden Palace arriving so quickly.]

Jin breathed a sigh of relief, and Quikantel and Talaris exchanged a knowing glance.

[Thank you, 51st Hidden Palace Master.]

“You’re welcome. I’ve heard you had ties with previous masters. I look forward to working with you.”

The terror was fully suppressed about thirty minutes after Jin, Murakan, and the Hidden Palace group arrived.

There had been seventy assassins attacking Tikan in total—twenty confirmed by the Tona brothers at first, plus fifty more who entered from the opposite side.

After assessing the scale of the forces, Thalaris concluded that even if they hadn’t come, Tikhan would have faced no different fate.

“It seems your clan’s elders thought Quikantel wasn’t here and sent only this many.”

If Quikantel had truly been absent, and if Jin hadn’t quickly called for reinforcements, this force alone would have been enough to completely annihilate Tikhan.

Jin looked down at the assassins who had been captured and brought back to the mansion.

There was Luton Perman, bound by the freezing cold of Manbing, another ex-executioner turned exile, and three ordinary assassins.

The rest had been killed by Jin and his comrades.

Jin turned his gaze to the three ordinary assassins and asked, “Were you exiled from Runkandel as well?”

“No,” they replied.

“If the roles were reversed, I would have done the same. Don’t take it personally.”

With a swift motion, Jin ended their lives without hesitation.

This wasn’t a reckless act born of anger like before. There was no way they would have dared attack his land without such resolve, so they simply had to pay the price.

That left the two ex-executioners.

Jin’s gaze grew icy as he looked down at them.

“I can’t fathom how you, as exiles, dared to meddle here. Tell me—what exactly did the elders promise you? Or have they taken your families hostage?”

“Our families were all killed long ago. The very day we were exiled,” Luton said, shaking his head before continuing.

“You ask why, despite being exiled, we still follow the elders’ orders, 12th rank?”

“For revenge.”