Episode 46
Chapter 19: The Banquet (Part 1)
Three weeks had passed since Jin returned to the family estate.
On his way back, Jin hadn’t bothered to check on Kazin and the Haas brothers, who he’d locked away in a cave. Fortunately for them, they managed to make their way back to the Garden of Blades a few days later.
After that, Mew and Anne completely abandoned the three of them. Not just those three, but all the other factions in the intermediate class as well.
In particular, Kazin and the Haas brothers weren’t just pushed out of their faction—they were stripped entirely of their status as Runcandel cadets.
It was a harsh punishment, especially since, officially, they had completed the Colon Ruins mission alongside Jin.
But all the cadets knew the real reason Kazin and the Haas brothers were expelled from Runcandel: it was the price they paid for being on the wrong side of the faction.
“You’ll all laugh at me now,” Kazin shouted to the intermediate cadets before leaving. His gaze fixed especially on Mesa Milcano, the youngest division leader.
“But soon, you’ll be in the same boat as me. Purebloods and we are different. No matter how hard you try, you’re just trained dogs—and this is how it ends… Heh. Take care of yourselves.”
No one among the cadets felt sorry for Kazin Romero.
No one had forgotten the misdeeds he committed while reigning as the dominant force in the intermediate class.
“What a moron,” Mesa scoffed, waving dismissively at Kazin.
Clang! Clang!
Each time Jin struck the Azure Stone, the secret training ground filled with a beautiful, clear sound.
“That’s enough. Your Azure Stone training ends today. Starting tomorrow, only the Tona brothers will continue.”
Jed spoke calmly, but it was hard to hide his astonishment. Jin was the first to complete Azure Stone training in less than half a year.
‘And on top of that, he flawlessly completed the Colon Ruins mission. Whether it was luck from Mamit or pure skill, I can’t say… but my brother won’t keep him tied down with the other cadets anymore.’
Jed found it strange how incidents seemed to follow every time Jin went on a mission. There was the mage’s terror in Mamit, and now a fire at the ruins.
Still, he didn’t see it as a problem. How the mission was completed didn’t matter—only that it was done cleanly.
After Jin seized the ruins, Ziphl announced, as expected, that a fire had broken out at the Colon Ruins.
There was no mention of stolen relics, bio-golems, or forbidden magic.
Jin hadn’t informed the family of any of this either.
“Jin, my youngest,” Jed said.
“Yes, Uncle.”
“You no longer need to attend morning training with the cadets. Next week, the family head will give you some instructions.”
The Tona brothers perked up their ears.
Though a bit slow on the uptake, even they understood what Jed was implying.
‘Father is going to grant Jin the status of a provisional knight?’
‘Already?’
The minimum rank to become a Runcandel knight was six stars. Jin was still five stars, so he didn’t qualify yet. But age was a powerful factor. Even as a five-star, he was young enough to catch Siron’s attention.
Of course, being so young meant he was barely on the edge of the succession line—both a blessing and a curse.
“You understand what I mean, right? Whatever the family head asks of you, I trust you’ll handle it well.”
If Jed was saying this, the provisional knight status was a sure thing.
Before becoming a knight, one had to earn the appropriate ‘honor.’ That was the test given to Runcandel’s provisional knights.
Honor wasn’t something you could build overnight. Usually, provisional knights spent a long time away from the family, working independently.
Jin was a super rookie among cadets, but few outside recognized him. Mary became a knight only after earning the title of the Madwoman of the South Continent at nineteen, as a six-star.
To become a knight, one had to build a reputation for their skill that everyone acknowledged. And the family offered no support during that process.
“Yes! Thank you, Uncle!”
For once, Jin couldn’t hide his joy.
Living in the Storm Fortress and the Garden of Blades had been a huge limitation. Here, he could train his swordsmanship freely.
Magic and spirit energy had always been something he had to hide like a criminal. But if he got the chance to live outside Runcandel…
‘I can grow my power on my own terms. Without worrying about anyone’s gaze.’
Of course, after proving his qualifications and returning to the Garden of Blades, he’d have to hide his strength again. But once the provisional knight test was over, he’d earn his knighthood and be unstoppable.
From then on, the succession line would begin to fracture in a big way.
June, 1795.
The Garden of Blades was on high alert from morning. Distinguished guests from all walks of life had come to see the youngest of the Runcandel family, so every detail had to be prepared with care.
Most importantly, Siron—the world’s only Spear Saint and head of the Runcandel family—was arriving.
Since this was an official event with many eyes watching, over 500 guardian knights were on ceremonial duty for Siron.
He had been traveling from the Black Sea for a week, choosing to go by land instead of using the teleportation gates.
Even at the fastest pace, traveling from the Black Sea to Runcandel by sea and land took two weeks.
For those two weeks, 500 guardian knights had to stay by Siron’s side, incurring astronomical costs. And with so many knights absent, the rest had to cover their duties as well.
Still, Siron insisted on traveling personally.
It was to showcase Runcandel’s prestige to the entire world.
Over the past two weeks, the outside world buzzed with stories of Siron’s grand procession.
Every time he and his knights passed through a city, people naturally bowed their heads before Runcandel’s radiant majesty.
“Master of the family, we will arrive at the Garden of Blades in two hours.”
“That son I had late in life keeps interrupting my training. I planned to stay in the Black Sea for ten years, but this is already the nth time.”
Though he spoke with some annoyance, a smile tugged at Siron’s lips.
“I sensed that young Jin was exceptional ever since the Storm Fortress… but honestly, I didn’t expect this level. Especially his actions in the Garden of Blades—they were quite shocking.”
“His fighting spirit. That kid’s got something special. When I first visited the Storm Fortress, he had a look in his eyes full of grudges. He tried to hide it, but I saw through him… Haha.”
Jin Runcandel, Siron’s thirteenth child. Even to Siron, the youngest was clearly different from the others.
It wasn’t a big deal that he had some spirit energy thanks to Solderet’s attention. What caught Siron’s eye was that fighting spirit.
Without anyone teaching him, the youngest instinctively knew how to break and crush his opponents.
While Jin’s dominance over the Tona brothers in the Storm Fortress might have been thanks to spirit energy, Siron couldn’t forget how Jin provoked his brothers the moment he arrived at the Garden of Blades.
“Among my children, there are plenty who talk big. I was curious when the youngest started ruffling his brothers’ feathers right away. But look—every time his brothers sent him to the brink of death, he came back alive and is already a five-star.”
“I find the results of the first mission you were assigned by the family head more astonishing than the Mamit and Colon Ruins cases. Mesa Milcano’s kidnapping was unexpected, but the young master fought and defeated the White Wolf tribe one-on-one.”
“That was strange. I expected him to use his subordinates as shields to kill the White Wolf tribe, but I didn’t think he’d take them down alone. And he saved the kidnapped cadet too. He proved the weight of his convictions.”
Siron nodded with satisfaction, recalling those events.
“Do you really believe the young master handled the White Wolf tribe alone?”
“Yes. Well, strictly speaking, not entirely alone. But he’s an interesting kid. I’ll have to ask him about it when we meet.”
Siron expected Jin had used spirit energy when fighting the White Wolf tribe.
The procession arrived at the Garden of Blades at noon.
Three hours before Siron’s arrival, all the guardian knights had already lined up.
Clad in gleaming ceremonial armor, the knights raised their swords in unison.
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!”
Siron halted his horse and looked over them carefully. When he nodded, hundreds of swords simultaneously returned to their sheaths.
Then, Rosa and the family’s knights stepped forward, followed by the purebloods who had yet to become knights.
Jin, being the youngest even among his cousins, stood at the very back.
“We’ve been waiting for you, Master of the family.”
“Rosa, you must have worked hard.”
“Not at all. The grown children prepared everything themselves, so I had nothing to do.”
Rosa’s gaze subtly flickered toward Joshua.
She firmly believed that fighting and competition were essential virtues of Runcandel. And though she had some expectations for the youngest, who had recently been showing promise, she still hoped Joshua would become the next family head.
Her hopes for the second daughter Runtia, second son Diffus, third daughter Mary, and youngest Jin were all for Joshua to succeed.
Siron saw right through Rosa’s thoughts but kept his expression neutral.
What annoyed him was the confident look on his eldest son’s face, who firmly believed he would be the heir.
Since Luna had stepped out of the royal succession struggle, Joshua was practically guaranteed the position.
To be honest, Siron thought that his second son, Dipus, or his third daughter, Mary, would have been more fitting in that position than Joshua. Not that he was entirely satisfied with them either.
“If my grown children could handle things on their own, I wouldn’t have had to make my way out of the Black Sea myself. The guests coming to Runcandel today are wary of me, not intimidated by our children,” Siron emphasized the word ‘children’ as he spoke.
“That’s true. Please come inside. It’s been a while since I personally prepared the lord’s favorite dishes,” someone invited.
“That must have been quite the effort. I’m looking forward to it,” Siron replied.
As Siron passed by Joshua, he didn’t even glance his way. He didn’t give any particular look to the other children either, but for Joshua, it felt like a public humiliation in front of the entire family.
While passing his children, Siron said something just once.
“Ran, Vigo.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Did you really give the swords I allowed you to keep as gifts to the youngest?”
Siron pointed to the two swords hanging at Jin’s waist.
His tone was mildly reproachful. If they had the audacity to casually gift what he had given them to the youngest, it meant they could forget about receiving anything from the family in the future.
Ran and Vigo were beside themselves.
If it had been a gift, they might have been able to smooth things over later, but if they said they’d been ‘taken away,’ their future was clearly bleak.
What else could they do? They had to be honest.
“…They were taken by the youngest.”
“What? You’re telling me you lost to the youngest?”
“Ah, no, that’s not it. We agreed to hand them over if the youngest succeeded in the Colon Ruins mission…”
Ran and Vigo felt utterly defeated. The humiliation was one thing, but what if their father withdrew all his expectations from them?
“Hahaha!”
But Siron just patted his two sons on the shoulders and laughed heartily.
“Alright, alright. Take them back next time. That youngest one is pretty cunning, isn’t he? Sometimes I wonder if you two are really my children. Ha ha.”
Ran and Vigo sighed in relief. They were grateful that no harsh reprimand followed, and with the joke, there was no need to worry.
What they didn’t realize was this:
When Siron said, “Sometimes I wonder if you two are really my children,” he wasn’t talking about Jin—the youngest—but about Ran and Vigo.