Episode 56
Chapter 20. Into the World (2)
The first thing the apprentice knights had to do after leaving the Garden of Blades to build their reputation was to leave the Hupester Union.
They erased every trace that could reveal Jin and his companions were from Runcandel. Their robes bore no black sword emblem of Runcandel, and their bags contained no family crests.
Since Jin’s appearance was still unknown to the world, there was no need for a full disguise, but he had altered his look slightly.
He cut his once shoulder-length black hair short. Among the public, the more famous figure was ‘Martial Artist Gilly McLoran’ before she became a nanny, but fortunately, her prime was brief.
The names on their IDs and travel permits were aliases as well.
Jin Gray and Gilly Pitten. Even if fake, these documents were so meticulously crafted that they allowed free passage even through the capital of Biment.
Still.
Anyone in the Hupester Union could guess they were apprentice knights from Runcandel. After all, the Hupester Union was practically Runcandel’s home turf.
So, they had to head to lands beyond the sea, where Runcandel’s influence didn’t reach.
“Miss Luna will be upset. And the young master’s faction of cadets too. Are you sure it’s okay to leave without saying goodbye?”
“Luna’s a free spirit herself, and the cadets are a bit too shy for farewells. Besides, we’re not going off to die.”
Just as they were about to pass through the Garden of Blades’ gate, Jin ran into nine cadets.
“What? Isn’t it training time? Uncle Jed will be lamenting.”
“Have a safe journey!”
“Have a safe journey!”
The cadets all saluted with their swords. Jin watched them for a moment and smiled.
“When you come back, I want you all stronger than I expect. No one dies or falls behind. And endure the punishment for skipping training to see me off.”
They bumped fists lightly one by one, then Jin and his group headed toward the pier.
‘Funny how different this feels from last time.’
In his previous life, he was stripped of his title at twenty-five and expelled from here. Now, at fifteen, he was leaving as an apprentice knight, and the feeling was thrilling.
Fifteen years since rebirth.
Five years of freedom granted—it had been a long wait. Especially since he’d been conscious since he was one.
A hum escaped his lips.
Normally, Siron didn’t allow apprentice knights such a long period—usually six months to two years to build their reputation and return to their family.
‘The only reason Father gave me five years is one: to find the pinnacle of spiritual energy and come back.’
Of course, Jin wasn’t the obedient son who only followed his father’s words. His goal was to master both spiritual energy and magic.
Meanwhile, Siron sat alone in Yeongmyo, pondering.
‘The youngest. Will that child truly gain the power to free Runcandel from Ziphl? I’m curious.’
He himself had reached demigod status with just a sword but couldn’t break the pact their ancestors made with Ziphl.
Only the youngest, the contractor of Solderet, was Runcandel’s sole hope. A fragile hope, like a candle flickering in the wind.
A day later, the three walked along a quiet forest path.
Most Runcandel apprentice knights chose the Mamite Outlaw Zone as their first destination to build their reputation. It was full of villainous gang leaders who could be easily taken down.
Jin had considered going to Mamite too.
Not to hunt gang leaders, but because his old magic teacher, who went by the name ‘Hister,’ might still be there.
But he couldn’t waste time chasing nostalgia.
‘They wouldn’t recognize me anyway.’
A reunion could wait.
Instead, Jin chose the ‘Akin Kingdom’ for their first journey.
‘The land where I died in my previous life.’
He had been caught in an ambush by three nine-star knights and died in his sleep there. Then he was given a new life.
“Young master, why the Akin Kingdom?”
“Gilly, have you been to Akin?”
“No.”
“When I was on a mission to the Colon Ruins, I overheard some mages talking. Apparently, unregistered mages have been causing trouble in the Akin Kingdom lately.”
“Unregistered mages?”
Unregistered mages were those not listed in the Mage Association—mostly criminals or ruthless mercenaries.
“Yeah. They team up with martial mercenaries and have been making life hard for the people of Akin. I want to deal with them first.”
Of course, Jin hadn’t overheard this himself. It was information from his past life. Anyone who’d been to Akin knew about the unregistered mages and mercenaries running rampant.
Those mages and mercenaries were all under the dark underworld faction called ‘Tesing.’
Jin’s real business was with that underworld. The underground auction Tesing hosted would be full of items whose true value was still unknown to the world.
‘I need to buy a few magic tomes and a ring.’
Most ancient magic books, written in gore and code, were outclassed by modern spells, but occasionally, timeless masterpieces appeared.
Thanks to his excellent teachers, Jin knew exactly how to distinguish the gems from the dross.
Also, in about five or six years, the helmet artifact—crafted in the form of a ring—would be officially recognized. In his past life, it was the stuff of every martial artist’s dreams.
“That’s a great idea, young master. I loved catching bad guys when I was active. I’m already excited!”
Gilly clenched her fist enthusiastically.
Though her seven-star martial power had been sealed just yesterday, she was thrilled to travel the world with Jin and Murakan.
But there was a big problem.
“Young master, I don’t think we can use the teleport gates to get to the Akin Kingdom. We’ll probably have to find the cheapest ship…”
They had no money.
In the Garden of Blades, money was no concern, but now, they had only ten gold coins between them.
That wasn’t enough for a teleport gate, let alone a ticket on a premium ship. The wealthy life of the youngest son of a sword family, who could spend three thousand gold coins one day and five thousand the next, was over.
Bang!
Murakan, who had been in the basket, transformed into human form and stood by the roadside.
“Strawberry Pie! I knew this would happen, so I secretly brought a few limited edition books. Heh, just selling one of these will cover a premium ship ticket.”
“Murakan, when did you even get those? Hmm… wouldn’t it be embarrassing to sell them?”
“Put that away, Murakan. We’re not so desperate that we have to sell your treasures.”
“Young master, if we patiently sell them to city merchants, we could probably get about a hundred gold coins.”
“A hundred? I bought them for two thousand. I won’t sell for less.”
Murakan and Gilly bickered briefly over the price of the illustrated books. Jin found them adorable but shook his head.
“Enough, both of you. I have a plan for the money. Before heading to Akin, let’s stop by the Jan Kingdom tonight. There’s someone there I can squeeze a bit from.”
“Jan Kingdom? How are we supposed to get there?”
“Murakan can take us. What are you waiting for? Transform.”
It had been a day since leaving the Garden of Blades, but it was still broad daylight—no time for a legendary black dragon to transform and roam freely.
“Oh, little one. Are you sure about this?”
“W-what! Young master, no! What if someone recognizes us? We haven’t even left Runcandel’s territory yet.”
“It’s fine. What’s the harm? We need a little rebellion once in a while. Hurry up and transform—we have a long way to go.”
Before Gilly could protest further, Murakan revealed his true black dragon form and scooped up the two.
“Hold on tight. We have to fly diligently to the Jan Kingdom before nightfall.”
The three soared across the skies of the Hupester Union, heading for the Jan Kingdom.
For a while afterward, rumors spread throughout central Hupester of a dragon sighting, but no one ever confirmed its true identity.
Except one person—Jin’s eldest sister.
“That kid’s bold, riding a dragon as soon as he became an apprentice knight?”
Luna sat on the balcony of her villa, drinking alone, thinking bitterly of her youngest brother who had left without a word. She had seen Murakan flying and the two riding behind him.
“A toast to my heartless little brother. Hmph.”
“Ugh… ugh.”
Unfortunately, Gilly suffered from severe acrophobia. As soon as they landed on a hill near the Jan Kingdom’s capital, she trembled all over, terrified.
“Strawberry Pie, are you okay? Hey! Little one! It’s your fault she’s scared!”
“Why is it my fault? You flew weirdly.”
“You said you’d take me! Ah, Strawberry Pie, breathe slowly, slowly. That’s right.”
For a while, Jin and Murakan comforted Gilly—no, Strawberry Pie—who was trembling with a ghostly pale face.
Seizing the moment, Murakan suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace, and whether Gilly noticed or not, she didn’t push him away.
“This won’t do. I’ll take care of Strawberry Pie. You, kid, go fetch the money quickly.”
Crazy. What on earth was going on?
Jin thought this but decided to just follow Murakan’s lead.
After two hours of running along mountain paths and main roads, Jin arrived at the Vilga family’s grand mansion.
True to its reputation as the largest merchant family in the Zan Kingdom, the mansion was visible from anywhere in the capital. As Jin approached the gate, the guards blocked his way.
“What’s this? Step back, kid.”
Ugh!
Hearing that tired old line somehow stirred a strange sense of familiarity in Jin. Back in his previous life, when he used to wander the city like a lost soul, he’d heard that phrase countless times.
His hair was disheveled from the long journey, and his travel clothes bore no black sword emblem. From the guards’ perspective, a boy showing up late at night was nothing but a nuisance.
“Is Sember Vil inside?” Jin asked bluntly, dropping the name of Vilga’s eldest grandson. The guards exchanged glances, their tone suddenly more deferential.
“Yes, he is. May I ask who’s calling?”
“I’m Jin Runkandel.”
Or, “An old friend passing through. Tell Sember to come out.”
Neither option was ideal. The first broke the rules a prospective knight should follow, and the second would only make the guards insist on formalities, forcing Jin to wait until morning.
“Thanks. And sorry about this.”
Snap!
Before they could react, Jin struck the back of both their necks with a swift hand strike, knocking them out cold. He then carefully placed his entire fortune—ten gold coins—on their chests, opened the gate, and stepped inside.
Fortunately, Sember was sitting right in the middle of the mansion’s lake, sulking. Thanks to that, Jin didn’t have to knock out any more guards inside.
“Sember.”
“Who—ugh, ugh!”
“Don’t shout. It’s me, Jin. The one who saved your life from Kinzello.”
“Hah! Jin, what are you doing here?”
“Remember when I said to call on me anytime you needed help?”
“Of course. How could I ever forget your kindness? Without you, I’d be—”
“Good. I’ll wait here. Go inside, grab the valuables and money, and come back out.”