Episode 52
Chapter 19: The Banquet (7)
Jin showed up at the banquet hall again the next day.
Not many had noticed that the two had dueled. In fact, more people—like Merry and Diffus—had misunderstood the situation. Since Jin and Siris remained quiet and composed, the misunderstanding soon became a firm assumption.
If either of them had won, they would have been boasting about their victory. But since neither Jin nor Siris showed any sign of it, people naturally concluded they must have been secretly meeting.
The banquet unfolded much like the day before.
Whenever Jin sat in one spot, people came to him. Only, fewer gathered this time. Now that the youngest of Runcandel had been identified, everyone was busy settling their own grudges.
From the moment Jin left until now, nonstop fights had been raging in the Sword Garden’s duel arena.
Starting today, spectators were allowed, so more people were gathered there than in the banquet hall.
The real showdown on the narrow bridge had begun.
Still, Jin looked over the bustling central hall with quiet satisfaction, savoring his wine.
“Looks like I’ll get to meet those Ziphl guys today.”
What Jin was curious about was their magical achievements. The four guests who had come were all said to be between fifteen and twenty years old—perfect benchmarks to compare himself against.
If the chance arose, he wanted to subtly ask them about the Colon Ruins, but that wasn’t a wise move.
“I’ll have plenty of free time once I become a candidate. I’ll investigate the Colon Ruins with Murakan then.”
With Murakan’s help, finding the “Fountain of Magic” mirror artifact would be much easier.
“This time, those Ziphl won’t be churning out any seven-star mass-produced magicians.”
Jin sighed, setting his glass down on the table as he reached that thought.
Meow.
Meowww.
Murakan, strutting nonchalantly through the middle of the banquet hall, caught his eye. The guests seemed fascinated by the presence of a cat at the Runcandel banquet, unable to take their eyes off him.
“That brat…!”
He must have slipped out secretly from Gilly. Whether Murakan knew Jin was watching or not, the cat held his tail high and prowled arrogantly through the central hall.
Eventually, he settled on Siris’s lap.
She looked extremely pleased by this, smiling as she gently stroked Murakan’s fur. After a moment, she noticed the necklace wrapped around his neck and burst out laughing.
—“Butterfly Runcandel.”
That was the name inscribed on the necklace. Siris laughed for a while, then wiped tears from her eyes and stood up.
“Did Gongja give him that name?”
Her tone was soft, unlike in the duel arena.
Her way of holding Murakan was clearly experienced, as if she often handled animals. Jin gave an awkward smile and nodded.
“Yes.”
“Before coming here, I naturally imagined Gongja as a mad sword demon, but he’s surprisingly different. Mind if I play with him for a bit?”
“Do as you please.”
Siris said that and left.
‘Did she come just to ask that?’
Jin thought she was a bit unusual, but before he could dwell on it, someone else sat down beside him.
“Oh, finally we meet! Jin Runcandel. You have no idea how long I’ve been looking for you, haha.”
A boy with a broad smile and a friendly expression.
Jin knew the boy’s name and every achievement he would accomplish in the future, but he didn’t want to pretend to know him. Even though this was the Ziphl he’d wanted to meet since yesterday.
“Who… are you again?”
“Oh, come on! Saying something like that right off the bat? How could you forget me? I thought about you every day.”
“So who are you?”
“Come on, guess. The first letter of my name is ‘Be.’ Haha, does that ring a bell now?”
“No.”
“Damn! We first met at the Mittel Kingdom’s transit gate. Still don’t remember?”
“Uh, not really.”
By now, Jin was just having fun pretending not to know Beradin.
“Hehe, after all I’ve said, you still don’t know? Jin, your memory must be as short as a goldfish’s. Listen carefully. My name is Bera—”
“Beradin Ziphl. Still clueless, huh? That was just a roundabout way of saying you don’t want to pretend to know me. If you can’t get that, why keep pestering me?”
“Oh, is that it…?”
The fact that this guy would become a nine-star magician by thirty and be named the next head of the Ziphl clan was almost unbelievable. Just like their first meeting, Jin was at a loss for words.
Even after Jin bluntly said he was annoyed, Beradin only looked a little down for a moment before continuing the conversation without care.
“I’ve been searching for you so hard since yesterday. Wow, the Runcandel banquet hall is huge. I couldn’t find you no matter where I looked. I think I spent at least an hour or two.”
“Crazy. No matter how big a banquet hall is, you couldn’t find me for two hours? Are you serious?”
Jin recalled yesterday.
He had been the center of attention, with people constantly flocking to him. Even if someone wanted to avoid him, it was impossible.
“Yeah, I’m serious. If I could use magic, I’d have found you in ten seconds, but magic use is banned in Runcandel. No matter where I walked, I kept seeing the same people.”
“I see.”
“Anyway, it’s great to see you, Jin. It’s been five years, hasn’t it? And you’re already five-star. I expected you to cause some kind of incident, haha. But I haven’t been idle either. My magical achievement is already…”
Beradin was notoriously bad with directions.
“A whopping six stars! I’ve reached six stars. Hahaha. That means I’m one step above your swordsmanship!”
Beradin was three years older than Jin, so he became a six-star magician at eighteen. That was also an impressive feat worthy of headlines.
‘Only six stars so far?’
Jin was surprised that Beradin’s achievement fell far short of expectations. Setting aside the foolishness of revealing his strength recklessly in enemy territory, Beradin was supposed to be the most talented among the Ziphl children, yet he was only six-star.
‘In three years, my magic will have surpassed seven stars at least…’
Had Jin overestimated Beradin because of his past life’s accomplishments? Or was Beradin downplaying his own achievements?
“Judging by that shocked look, my search was worth it, Jin. I’ve been counting down the days until we fight. Since meeting you, I’ve gained enlightenment and trained like crazy. You better keep up. Let’s toast.”
Jin clinked glasses with Beradin, his face blank as he withheld the real reason for his surprise.
He barely suppressed the joy rising within him.
‘If Beradin really only reached six stars at eighteen… then after Kelliak Ziphl, I’m the one who will reach the pinnacle of magic. No doubt about it.’
He had just confirmed his potential objectively once again. Meanwhile, Beradin, unaware of the truth, felt proud to be acknowledged by Jin and held his head high.
“Now you better start paying attention to me. I firmly believe you’ll be the next head of Runcandel. Your Runcandel and my Ziphl will clash. Doesn’t just imagining it make your heart race?”
Jin smiled gently.
“Beradin Ziphl. Looks like it’s time for me to give you some advice again.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“Learn to hold your tongue.”
“You’re just like my father.”
“Everyone says the same thing when they see you. By the way, why did the Ziphl come to the banquet without any official notice?”
It was a shame for the deputy head to be embarrassed by such a clumsy visit.
Jin swallowed his words and waited for Beradin’s answer.
“Oh, that’s because of me. I begged Uncle Andrei that I had to meet you.”
“What?”
“We happened to be traveling through Hupester, and then we heard about the banquet celebrating your achievement. I thought it was fate.”
“Is that all?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Jin was speechless.
‘The deputy head just dropped everything and came to enemy territory because the kid threw a tantrum?’
It was beyond Jin’s understanding.
But on the other hand, it showed just how much love the boy Beradin Ziphl received within the Ziphl clan.
Beradin was already treated like the next head.
In a clan where magical prodigies were as common as stones, he had already been singled out as the finest gem before even reaching adulthood.
That thought suddenly struck Jin’s mind.
‘If I eliminate Beradin before he grows stronger… it would be a huge blow to the Ziphl.’
There would be alternatives even if Beradin died.
But no magician had reached nine stars by thirty since Beradin.
He was destined to be the strongest force of the next generation Ziphl, so his death would be a significant setback.
“Beradin.”
“Yeah?”
“Be grateful this is a banquet hall.”
“Haha, aren’t you being a bit harsh? I know your father showed mercy to my uncle. Speaking of which, I promise you something too. If you ever show up unannounced at a Ziphl banquet, I won’t harm you.”
Beradin scratched the back of his head with a sly grin.
“Really? What if I suddenly start a terror attack inside the banquet hall?”
“I always keep my promises. Even if a fight breaks out, I won’t kill you. At least, I won’t be the one to join in.”
What a foolish romantic.
It’s possible he’s a terrible man conducting forbidden magic experiments on humans. But no matter how foolish Veradin acts, there’s no way to bring up questions about the Colon Ruins.
Jin finished his drink and stood up first.
“Where are you going?”
“There’s been this annoying guy sneaking glances at me all this time. I’m going to teach him a lesson.”
Jin nodded toward his left.
There stood Bubar Gaston, who had been shamelessly staring at Jin for a while now.
“Oh! A duel? Mind if I watch?”
Ignoring Veradin’s question, Jin started walking toward Bubar.
“Excuse me, sir. Do you have something to say to me?”
Vishkel was busy showing Margiela around the Sword Garden and the banquet hall himself, which explained Bubar’s careless behavior.
“Um… when will Lady Luna be back?”
“What did you say?”
“Heh, I mean Lady Luna. Is she not coming back? I wanted to give this to her… It’s a collection of poems I wrote all night. Filled with love…”
“Haha.”
Jin let out a hollow laugh, and Bubar took it as encouragement. Up to that point, Jin just thought of the pudgy man in front of him as a bit of a simpleton and decided to let it slide. He really did seem a little slow in the head, so ignoring him seemed best.
‘Who would be foolish enough to recklessly seek out Lady Luna in the Sword Garden? Was he a servant brought from the Ibliano family? I’ll have to warn Vishkel before the banquet ends.’
But Bubar went and seriously crossed Jin’s line.
“Hoho, once Lady Luna reads my poems, she’ll understand. I’m no ordinary man. Maybe, in the near future, I’ll be calling the Duke my brother-in-law, hehe.”
Even Veradin, who was standing nearby, couldn’t hold back and spat out the wine he’d been sipping at the sound of that.