Chapter 648
Episode 165: After the Shock (2)
After Rosa was consumed by chaos, about a thousand knights rose up against her rule over Runcandel.
Led by Dipus, Merry, and Jorden, they waged numerous battles—both large and small—against the Garden of Blades.
But within less than a month, over 60% had been suppressed, and those who remained faced a grim choice: plan for the future or fight to the death.
They chose the former.
Yet, they couldn’t put it into action. Rosa easily uncovered the rebels’ hideouts and, like a hunter driving prey, lured them into the Garden of Blades.
Though the rebels fought fiercely against the chaos-tainted knights, they were ultimately defeated by summoned riders and black knights from the past.
At that time, about 250 knights were imprisoned underground.
Now, the number of knights Quicantel brought was fewer than a hundred. More than half of the remaining knights had lost their lives during the escape from the Garden of Blades.
Ninety-seven in total.
Jin and the knights exchanged silent glances for a while. His chest felt heavy, as if hot bubbles were rising inside him.
“Everyone… you’ve endured so much.”
At last, Jin spoke, and the knights saluted with their swords.
No one shed tears. Jin suppressed the surge of emotions and returned their salute.
‘At least, it’s a relief that none of the survivors are infected with chaos beyond the point of purification.’
The chaos that had tainted the knights was shallow. However, many were severely wounded physically, so the aid of the kingdom’s healers would be necessary.
“First, we should focus on healing everyone. There’s a device that can purify chaos.”
Jin explained the purification device to the knights—how the treatment was lengthy, limited in scope, and required divine blood as a medium, making it useless within the chaos-infested Garden of Blades.
“I’m done, 12th Rider.”
Jorden spoke up.
“Elder?”
“What do you mean? You should be the first to receive treatment, more than anyone else…”
The Tona brothers stopped mid-sentence, realizing the true meaning behind Jorden’s words.
Though he showed no outward fatal wounds, Jorden had suffered irreversible internal injuries. The survival of the 97 knights had come at the cost of his life.
Jin had recognized Jorden’s condition the moment he first saw him.
“Why the long faces? Everyone, listen to the 12th Rider—get treated and purified. Before I die, I have one last task to complete.”
Jorden met Jin’s gaze.
“12th Rider.”
“Yes.”
“I will pass on to you all the family’s sword techniques I know. You should head to the training grounds immediately. My time is short.”
Jin decided to follow Jorden’s wishes. Even if Lani came personally, recovery was impossible, and Jorden deserved respect.
“Understood.”
“The transmission won’t take long, so don’t worry about anything else. On the way, I’ll explain things you might be curious about. You should also tell me about what you experienced in the Garden of Blades.”
As they walked to the training grounds, Jorden limped occasionally.
Jin, sensing the immense will behind Jorden’s final mission, recounted the recent battles.
“So you faced Rosa directly in the end… and yet you weren’t affected by chaos at all.”
“I developed immunity.”
“That kind of immunity can’t be shared with everyone, I suppose. Lucky you. Looking back, I think I’ve always felt that way about you. The whole family, really.”
Jin said nothing, waiting for Jorden’s next words.
“The Garden of Blades fell into this state about half a year ago.”
“I had some idea since they sealed off Carlon and controlled information about me around that time.”
“Until then, Rosa Runcandel kept having seizures. Eventually, she broke her promise to you and allied with the Prophet. It was a decisive moment. While Ziphl and Kinzello built their fleets and deployed all kinds of new technology, we were left behind. Of course, that wasn’t the right choice.”
There was simply no other option.
Jorden’s voice turned bitter.
“Even if you hadn’t left, Rosa would have made the same choice. So your decision to retreat into seclusion was actually the right one. Had you stayed, the first thing Rosa would have done was eliminate you. Without a family head… no one could have stopped her.”
“Is there still no news of Father?”
Even in these rapidly changing times, the dignity of Siron Runcandel remained intact.
If he had knights who went on expeditions with him, Runcandel would still be a land no other power dared to trespass, even without the Prophet or the fleet.
“…Rosa claims the family head is dead.”
Jin stopped walking for a moment.
“Is there any proof of that?”
“No. Whether she learned it through the Prophet’s powers or just said it to justify herself, I don’t know. She only said he was dead. But I don’t expect the family head to be alive either. Almost everyone who opposed Rosa thought the same.”
Whether Siron lived or died,
it hardly mattered anymore.
A family head who never returned from external missions while the family fell into ruin had, objectively, lost his right to lead. It was as if he were already dead.
“But some thought differently. Your uncles and brothers did. Jed Runcandel left for the Black Sea as soon as Rosa’s tyranny began, searching for the family head.”
Jed had yet to return, so his fate remained unknown.
“The 4th and 7th Riders disappeared after the final battle. As I said, no one knows if they’re alive or dead. But if they survived and escaped, they probably headed to the Black Sea as well. They always said the only way to resolve this was to find the family head.”
“So no one has seen Dipus or Merry die. Maybe they’re still trapped in the Garden of Blades. I doubt Rosa freed everyone imprisoned underground.”
“That’s possible. But if so, they’re likely to appear as your enemies. The reason our 1,033 knights could resist Rosa was not only willpower but also because we weren’t exposed to the chaos the Prophet unleashed directly.”
“Most of the knights left in the Garden of Blades didn’t rebel by choice but were consumed by chaos?”
“There are some who chose it, of course. But as you said, most likely not. What mad knight would want to fight under such a monster? No matter how strong it is. The knights of Runcandel, especially, are proud.”
It was already well known from many cases that resisting the madness of chaos was nearly impossible.
Only someone exceptional like Ron could do it—and even he was fully consumed before Jin helped him.
‘Dipus and Merry might become enemies…’
The thought made Jin’s head feel like it would explode.
He kept his expression neutral and matched his pace with Jorden’s.
“We’re here. This is a pretty decent training ground. Did you mostly hone your swordsmanship here as a trainee?”
“Yes.”
“Jin.”
“Yes?”
“You are now the family’s only hope. Never forget that.”
Jorden said this, gripping Jin’s hand tightly.
The only knight who could fight Rosa Runcandel’s overwhelming chaos without restraint—the sole rider who could restore the family.
Jorden was crying.
The current Runcandel’s fall into ruin, regrets over his past struggles to become family head, fallen comrades, and the helplessness of entrusting everything to the 12th Rider—all these emotions swirled inside him, breaking him down.
“…Understood, great uncle.”
Over the next three days,
Jorden passed on six decisive techniques, four secret arts, and one ultimate skill to Jin.
Already advanced, Jin grasped the essence of these sword techniques instantly, often mastering them perfectly without even seeing Jorden demonstrate them.
Whenever Jorden needed to rest, overwhelmed by his weakening body, Jin returned to the mansion to receive reports on the current situation.
As expected, the leaders of various factions urgently requested a summit in Tikan.
Runcandel still showed no special movements. No troop deployments, though reports indicated the spread of chaos in Hupester had slowed slightly.
Valeria remained missing. Jin desperately wanted to confirm her fate, but he couldn’t leave Tikan until the summit with the great powers concluded.
That was the order of things—for those who bear the weight of the family and the world.
“All the transmissions are complete.”
Jorden’s voice was dry.
During the transmission of sword techniques, their conversations had shifted from elder and rider, enemy and enemy, to something more like close relatives—great uncle and nephew.
“Do you remember the day I cut off your arms?”
“How could I forget, great uncle?”
“Actually, on that day, I saw your father—the family head—in you. The way he strode toward me with his arms severed haunted me in nightmares for a while.”
“I was quite scared that day, too.”
“Heh, now you’re flattering me as I’m dying.”
“I was genuinely afraid your arms might never heal properly. And honestly, I was sure your end wouldn’t be a good one.”
“So you planned to make it that way.”
“At that time, you and I were practically enemies.”
“Since that day, I thought you might be even more dangerous than Joshua—or maybe even Rosa.”
Shh, shh…
The metallic sound of Jorden’s breath came.
His final moment was near.
“Do you still think that way?”
“Right… You’re the one who will defeat Rosa and become the head of the family. But—”
Suddenly, Jorden mustered his last strength and grabbed Jin’s shoulder with a sharp tug.
“Never think you’ve already become the head. Even if all the remaining rebels swear loyalty to you. Whether your father is dead or alive. You must reclaim the Garden of Blades to earn that right. You must reclaim the Garden of Blades… understand?”
Jin clenched his teeth and nodded, and with that, Jorden breathed his last.
A day after his passing, a rider from Runcandel entered Tikan.