Chapter 753
Episode 185: The Remaining Ones (3)
“You said they’re fading away…?”
[That’s right. The bond of spiritual energy that holds us together is weakening steadily. It’s because the Malignant Spirits have disappeared.]
[Whether it’s six months or up to a year, that’s probably the limit of how long we can continue to exist.]
Alpen and Tasha spoke calmly.
Jin felt a sudden ache in his chest at their words, furrowing his brow, while Balas laughed heartily as if to brush it off.
“Hahaha! Great-grandson, your tender heart reminds me of your father when he was a baby. Don’t worry about us disappearing. Everyone dies eventually, doesn’t he? In fact, the three of us have already been dead for a long time and yet we’ve been granted this extra time—it’s more of a blessing. Just think of us as old men stuck in a back room with a ticking clock.”
“57th Head, I’m not exactly old yet…”
“Old men with a ticking clock, hmm. That probably won’t comfort the head of the Soga family much.”
“I’ll look into whether there’s any way to extend your remaining time.”
“Yes, yes. But don’t strain yourself too much. Those who must go will go. Regardless, while we exist, we will do our utmost to support you.”
“Thank you, great-grandfathers.”
The presence of the former family heads was a double-edged sword.
Though their strength was a great asset to the now much smaller Runcandel, it also made them vulnerable to attacks from other factions.
It was true that Jin and his temporary alliance had saved the world from the Malignant Spirits.
But the place where those spirits were born was also Runcandel.
Many among the people felt uneasy about that fact.
And now, with the former heads revived through spiritual energy still present, it gave anyone wanting to paint Runcandel as the root of all evil the perfect excuse.
[What worries me most is that outside forces will pick a fight with the three of us. That sly and malicious Zipl will probably be the one to do it.]
The former heads were well aware of this.
“While I was unconscious, did you notice any signs of that?”
[Not yet.]
“Then for now, it should be fine. Zipl and Kinzello are probably holding back because they fear me.”
The fusion of warrior spirit and Murakan’s effortless power Jin displayed during the Malignant Spirit War was formidable.
Though Jin’s own strength could now be called world-class, after the alliance dissolved, what other factions feared most were those two powers.
Jin’s personal might alone wasn’t enough to overwhelm the great powers.
Even with the damage from the Malignant Spirit War, the enemies had grown stronger than when Siron was around.
“Most likely, the other factions—especially Zipl—wanted to strike us immediately after the war. If they hadn’t seen the fusion and Murakan, they definitely would have.”
[So you mean they’re holding back because they haven’t confirmed you can freely use those two powers?]
“Exactly. Of course, I can’t use those powers whenever I want. Both have significant limitations. The enemies probably suspect this, but they won’t act until they’re certain.”
[If Zipl attacked us right now, what do you think would happen?]
“How badly has Zipl been damaged?”
[No deaths among the superhumans, but over 70% of their fleet was destroyed.]
“Then the damage isn’t catastrophic. It’s all repairable with time, and their fleet might already be rebuilt.”
During the Malignant Spirit War, Zipl had restored hundreds of ships in just two months.
That meant they had at least a few shipyards comparable to the Sota Desert’s.
[If Zipl attacked us right now?]
“Our chances of winning are slim. Even if we hold out, the family would suffer devastating losses again. How about Kinzello’s side?”
[Similar damage. No major demons dead, but many ships and elite units lost.]
Jin assumed Kinzello had already begun repairs as well.
With the enhanced powers of Orgal and Bubar, rebuilding the fleet wouldn’t be too difficult.
[If Zipl and Kinzello joined forces to attack us now, it would be a total defeat.]
“That’s right.”
Currently, Jin couldn’t use the fusion of warrior spirit again.
He lacked the materials to rebuild the wave-tracking synchronization device.
He could summon Murakan if he wanted, but even that was a gamble.
If Murakan appeared again, Misha would have to temporarily fill his place, which could risk breaking the seals on Elona or Zipl.
[So you’re saying you need to bluff that you can still use the powers you showed in the Malignant Spirit War?]
Tasha asked, and Jin smiled wryly, shaking his head.
“I actually think it’s better to openly show that I can’t use them.”
“Why?”
“Because it’ll confuse them. If I try to hide it too much, they’ll be sure. But if I reveal a weakness, they’ll suspect I’m bluffing—that I can actually summon both fusion and Murakan, and are trying to bait them into breaking the non-aggression pact to justify war.”
[What if the enemy actually takes the bait?]
“Even then, Kinzello and Zipl can’t just ally recklessly. If one moves first, we can strike back. Besides, we hold the cards they want most.”
Veil and Valeria.
“As far as I know, Zipl and Kinzello don’t have anything of equal value to those two. If they wanted to form an alliance to crush one side, they’d rather join us. Either way.”
“Hahaha, especially Kinzello, who unlike Zipl, has no ancient grudge against us. I’ve also heard he’s always shown goodwill toward you.”
Of course, Jin had no intention of actually using those two as bargaining chips.
Just holding them lightly was enough to make the enemies uneasy.
In fact, Jin had already concluded the enemy factions would never ally.
If they did, it would only be when Runcandel was overwhelmingly dominant.
“There will be political schemes to use the Malignant Spirits’ origin and the three of you to paint us as the embodiment of evil. No matter how much public support I’ve built since my days as a junior head, that’s unavoidable.”
[We may not know about the 20th and 21st heads, but our family has never cared much about public opinion. Runcandel is a force that doesn’t bow to the world’s gaze.]
“I do care, Grandfather.”
[Then your judgment is right! You are the head of the Soga family!]
“We’ll conduct our own political maneuvers. We plan to officially introduce Valeria Hister, the record mage, to the world and publicly release all records of this war. While it’s true that the Malignant Spirits born in Runcandel caused harm, we’ll make clear that the intentions of me and my comrades in ending this war were not born from a desire to dominate the world.”
[And compensation for damages must be handled as well.]
[There have been endless official requests, 57th Head.]
“That will require enormous funds. We’ll use the money we’ve saved and seek the empire’s assistance.”
This had already been discussed with Dante before the final battle.
Dante was safeguarding the imperial treasury’s massive secret funds left by Amir Biment.
But no amount of money could ever compensate for the emotional pain of those who lost family.
Nor could it restore the lives of the dead.
Jin closed his eyes tightly for a moment.
He felt a tremendous sense of responsibility toward them.
What the family had done was now, in essence, his doing.
Even if those events occurred just before he became head, the responsibility was entirely his.
Along with financial compensation, Jin planned to provide new homes.
He wanted to offer the places left vacant in Hupester to war refugees.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. Setting aside resource issues, Hupester was already tainted and devastated by chaos, so few would want to come.
But when Jin shared these thoughts with the former heads, their response surprised him.
[Requests for relocation and immigration are already pouring in endlessly. You said you cared about public sentiment? Now I understand the life you’ve lived, great-grandson. Despite the Malignant Spirits born in our family causing this mess, many refugees come looking for you alone.]
“…Is that true, Great-Grandfather?”
“Yes. We said we never cared about the world’s opinion, but in truth, this old man has learned much from watching it.”
The downfall of the Runcandel that sought only power was shown by the Malignant Spirits.
Jin’s Runcandel would be very different.
[You were unconscious until now, so all approvals were on hold. Just order the heads to accept them immediately.]
Jin fell silent, picturing their faces.
Because of this, Runcandel had taken more from ordinary people than it had given.
Yet still, people were coming to rely on ‘Jin Runcandel.’
In this unstable era, where war clouds gathered again as soon as the Malignant Spirit War ended, Jin was becoming a beacon for many.
Jin was different.
Unlike the heads of other great powers, unlike other rulers.
He could surely lead this world toward a better future.
Just as many people felt uneasy about Runcandel, there were just as many who saw Jin that way.
“Yes. We’ll report to the squad leaders and issue a statement to the entire world.”
[And after that?]
Jin smiled slyly and replied,
“We’ll monitor the enemy’s movements, rescue the remaining squad members, and find the family’s former steward to bring him back.”