Chapter 540
Episode 145: Omen (9)
Kinzello Headquarters.
Crunch. Zephyrin bit into the cookie. It looked almost identical to a Litra cookie, but the taste… was indescribably awful. It felt like having her tongue tortured with a branding iron would be more bearable.
“Who on earth came up with such a horrendous cookie? The princesses of Caligo, no less.”
Beside her, the Caligo sisters who had baked the cookies eagerly awaited her verdict, their eyes shining with anticipation.
Zephyrin gave a slight nod and forced a faint smile. The sisters leapt with joy, as if that alone was the highest honor.
“See! Our cookie beat their cookie, sister!”
“Th-thank you… for eating it… Your Grace.”
Their excitement went beyond mere jumping—they ran around the conference room like it was a playground, even breaking into strange songs. Naturally, such antics only deepened the gloom among the other officers.
“Ever since the demons arrived, there hasn’t been a single quiet day at headquarters… And no one dares say a word because of Your Grace.”
“Beract must hate those creatures too. But if he says anything, they’ll just tear him apart, claiming he’s being selfish! They don’t even realize it’s for their own good!”
“Bubar and… the female Bubar… both are utterly disgusting. At least the female Bubar sometimes has a funny side, but no. Damn it! What am I thinking? They’re both intolerable. How does Lady Bianca even associate with those kinds?”
Beract, Jo, and Vishkel clicked their tongues in disapproval, while Zephyrin stared blankly out the window.
“Lady Zephyrin.”
Margiela wheeled herself over to Zephyrin’s side.
“Miss Margiela.”
“What are you thinking about? You look like you’re lovesick or something. There’s a kind of wistfulness in your eyes. Do you have a secret lover hidden away in the demon realm? Oh my, how romantic.”
It was strange.
Zephyrin was always polite and respectful when she was rational, but utterly ruthless to anyone who crossed the line. Especially to demons or dragons, and even more so to those who weren’t among the elite. Only the heads or heirs of demon dukedoms could safely joke with her—except for fools like Ainas.
Yet, for some reason, Zephyrin had never once been offended by Margiela’s teasing.
“Well, considering the presence dwelling within you, I suppose that’s not so surprising.”
Zephyrin helped Margiela sit beside her.
“It’s not exactly lovesickness, but it’s similar—I keep thinking about it. Not love, but resentment… Anyway, I was reflecting on that sad thing you mentioned last time, Miss Margiela.”
“Would you like me to tell you a funny story to cheer you up, Lady Zephyrin?”
“What is it?”
“Perhaps soon, Lord Jin might face something sad, Lady Zephyrin.”
“Something sad…?”
“You were thinking about Lord Jin.”
“I never imagined the sad thing Margiela mentioned was about that stone.”
“Oh! I hope you’re not upset I didn’t tell you sooner?”
“It wouldn’t be a lie to say I am, but I was thinking about my master lying there, weak and coughing up blood.”
“Well, but! You’re the one who made the commander cough up blood, Lady Zephyrin.”
As Margiela brought this up, the other officers in the room perked up, listening closely.
The commander’s health was the biggest concern at Kinzello. After a period of improvement, new problems kept arising.
Though the commander had used his power willingly during last year’s Black Emperor Castle terror attack, the subsequent issues—the Black King’s faction incident, the Sota Desert, and the recent accident during the Tikan visit—were all on Zephyrin’s shoulders.
Yet no one dared question or reprimand her. Vishkel’s only punishment was asking her once to spy on Ziphl.
“Oh, as expected from the deputy commander’s sister! You really scratch where it itches! Hmm, I hope Zephyrin wouldn’t intimidate Margiela.”
“No matter who Margiela is, saying things so bluntly… Is that really okay? Just recalling some of the demon realm stories Lady Bianca told me, Zephyrin is even more ruthless than Beract.”
“Margiela! Well done! No, wait, why would you say that!”
Despite their worries, Zephyrin simply nodded in agreement.
“Yes, it’s mostly my fault. I tried to be careful, but as you know… Jin Runcandel is a devilishly difficult person.”
“Of course, I know well. He’s no ordinary opponent. Thinking about all the trouble he’s caused us…”
“I’d gladly tear him apart a hundred times over.”
“While that’s understandable, I still hope Jin will come around someday.”
“I’ve seen such people in my long life. They never compromise with those who hold different beliefs.”
“You speak as if you respect Jin.”
Zephyrin didn’t answer, turning her gaze back out the window.
“Kinzello is always open. Maybe someday the opportunity will come. Though I suspect your and Beract’s patience will run out first.”
“You’re a bit strange, Margiela.”
“Ha ha, I hear that sometimes.”
“If you truly hoped Jin Runcandel would join us, you should have told him about the stone’s nature and urged him to stay out of this as much as possible.”
“I’ve thought about that too. But even if I’d warned him, could we have stopped fate?”
Fate.
Margiela’s words referred to Dante Hiran’s death.
“Your friend is bound to die, and the white stone is dangerous. No matter how much you try to stop him, Jin won’t listen. As you said, Lady Zephyrin, he’s that kind of person.”
Zephyrin nodded at Margiela’s words.
“Heh heh heh, fools! They don’t even realize that stone is a bomb… Ugh, ugh!”
Bubar interrupted, but Vishkel quickly clamped his mouth shut, trying to prevent his disgusting voice from worsening Zephyrin’s mood.
To Vishkel, the white stone was not something someone like Bubar should even mention.
“…Anyway, I’ll be more careful using my master’s power from now on. For now, let’s just watch the fireworks while eating some cookies.” (Zephyrin tossed the cookies the Caligo sisters had made out the window when they weren’t looking.) “I just hope after this incident, Jin will choose the date for the talks with a clear head.”
April 4, 1800.
Everyone at Black Emperor Castle spent the night wide awake. An overwhelming enemy was approaching, and the seal on the white stone surrounding Dante glowed with an even deeper hue of chaotic light than the day before.
The knights gathered at the castle showed no sign of leaving Dante behind.
Not because they trusted the Balmel Alliance’s strength. Not because they had hope from their first great victory. Not because they believed Jin could perform another miraculous divine act.
They knew well that if Ziphl’s true main force arrived, neither the Balmel Alliance nor themselves could handle it alone.
The knights of Hiran stayed out of loyalty, conviction, and pragmatism.
“If anyone should leave, it should be Lord Jin,” said Shuras Helter, his complexion pale from injuries sustained in the first battle. Jin met his gaze without replying.
“Lord Jin and the Balmel Alliance have fought enough for us. Words cannot express our gratitude… But Lord Jin, if this continues, you and your people will be swept away by Ziphl’s flames.”
“Sir Shuras, I am Runcandel. Runcandel and Ziphl have always been enemies.”
“That does not mean you should die here, Lord Jin. You have a future, do you not? It is better to plan for what comes next than to die fighting alongside us. After midnight, the enemy will arrive.”
“I will not die on this land, Sir Shuras. And the same goes for the knights of Hiran.”
“No, it’s different. We have no future. You may have plans to evacuate us and integrate us into the Balmel Alliance or Runcandel for safety. But if you do, we will live burdened by the guilt of abandoning Hiran.”
As Jin chose his words carefully, Shuras glanced at Dante’s seal and continued.
“Lord Jin, frankly, we are worthless. Our strength, wisdom, wealth, and influence within the empire are all insignificant. Most of the knights gathered for this war are but a drop in the ocean.”
“Hey, why do you talk like that? Thanks to you, refugees survived, Dante gained courage, and in a war like this, numbers matter. You were impressive. Why belittle yourselves?”
“I am honored by your words, Black Dragon. But even so, we are almost irrelevant in this war.”
“Ah, so you’re saying you don’t care if you die and will just sit still and wait for it?”
“We can actually deal a blow to our enemies by dying here on this land. The Zipl and the Empire trample on the insignificant knights who stayed behind to fight to the very end, honoring their loyalty… By killing us, the enemies will lose their honor. Jin, haven’t you been the one to see their honor tarnished more than anyone else?”
“I’ve never sacrificed my life just to disgrace the enemy.”
“Maybe not sacrificed, but you must have risked it every time. We’re doing the same—putting our lives on the line to tarnish their honor. This is the most meaningful counterattack ordinary knights like us can make against such a powerful force.”
Looking at it coldly, as Shuras put it, there was truth in his words.
Jin knew it well himself. The reason he wanted to save the knights gathered for Hailan was simply because he didn’t want to watch them die.
“If you keep insisting on this, I’ll save them by force if I have to.”
“Jin.”
Shuras grasped Jin’s hand and bowed his head.
“Sir Jin… please respect us. As fellow warriors, comrades who have fought together.”
“Don’t you think it’s too much, Shuras? It’s basically telling me to watch you all die.”
“There’s nowhere else to ask for respect but from you. I’m sorry—it’s just that we’re surrounded by ungrateful people who would betray us like this.”
Shuras held Jin’s hand for a long moment, then turned and trudged out of the war room.
“Murakan.”
“Yeah?”
“Before midnight tonight, knock out all the knights except those directly under Hailan’s command, and transport them to Tikan with Sir Balkas and the Prochi siblings.”
“All of them?”
Just as Jin was about to say “all of them,” Quikantel grabbed his shoulder and sighed.
“Sir Quikantel.”
“That man Shuras, despite what he says… he spent the whole night going from family to family gathered for Hailan, trying to persuade them. He said enduring this was too harsh on you, and that only he and the veteran knights would stay while the rest should leave to lighten the burden.”
“Hoo.”
“It didn’t seem like he was doing it to save himself, but because he believed it was the right choice for you. I even felt his painful inner struggle.”
“No matter what, too many lives are at stake. Asking our kids to just stand by and watch them die—that’s nonsense.”
“…Also, the knights haven’t given up hope on Ron yet. The thought of Ron waking up and finding them gone is more terrifying to them than death itself.”
It was undoubtedly painful for Jin that the knights refused to leave the castle, even at the risk of death.
But for the knights, it was a matter of their very existence.
“That’s why I think you should respect their wishes. Jin, I know it’s hard for you too, but for them, this is about their very reason for being.”
Jin couldn’t take his eyes off the door through which Shuras had just left, lost in thought for a long while.