384
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Blink, blink.
For a while, Murakan only blinked his eyes as if he heard something wrong. He had a puzzled look on his face, but soon his eyes sparkled with a wicked grin.
"Hahaha! You're saying you'll reinstate Runcandel to the Magic Swordsman Clan? Is that for real?"
His voice was excited, like a child receiving an unexpected gift.
"You think it's just a joke?"
"Did you find something while investigating the tombs of Temar? Can you lift the curse inflicted by Zipfel and their gods?"
A thousand years ago, Runcandel suffered humiliation and got a curse in the name of oath from Zipfel.
Never use magic again. Furthermore, do not worship those ancestors who used magic.
That was the reason why Runcandel, the once mighty Magic Swordsman Clan, is reduced to an ordinary knight clan. As a result of the curse, all Runcandels born thereafter had bodies incapable of using magic.
"No, it's not like that."
"Then?"
"When I looked into Temar's tombs, I simply made a decision. At this rate, Runcandel has no future."
From the recording devices left in each tomb, Jin glimpsed the majesty of ancient Runcandel.
He confirmed the secrets as the descendant who inherited their will, and experienced the invincibility of the great Magic Swordsmen firsthand.
The ancient Runcandel was undoubtedly a glorious clan.
Nevertheless.
Even the glorious Runcandel of that era kneeled before the power of Zipfel.
Even the great Magic Swordsmen had no choice but to kneel before that dark and colossal power that could manipulate reality and history at will.
All they can do is to leave a small spark of hope for the future.
"Their ability to manipulate history is not limited to that era. Just as we are trying to recover the history of ancient Runcandel, Zipfel is also running to regain the power of that era."
Back then, Zipfel did not emerge unscathed either. Zipfel suffered significant losses while breaking the ancient Runcandel.
If they had ended the war without significant losses, it would have been impossible for Runcandel to exist now.
A thousand years had already passed, but both Runcandel and Zipfel had not recovered their old power.
"Indeed. Just by looking at their attempts to reproduce the Orb of Origin, it's clear that they are determined to dominate the world."
"In my opinion, as things stand, Zipfel is more likely to recover the old power faster. So, I need to start moving seriously from now on."
Up to now, he hadn't done that.
Since his return, Jin had mostly hidden his power from his clan.
Only when his career as a reserve flagbearer was about to end did he reveal to the world that he was a Magic Swordsman. Even after becoming the flagbearer, he hadn't fully revealed his skills to the members of his clan.
It wasn't because he enjoyed hiding his power. It wasn't because he didn't find it frustrating.
It was simply because there was a need for it. Until he had the confidence to withstand the pressure of his clan when his power was revealed.
Jin judged that now was the right moment.
-The youngest
-Yes, Father.
"Appointing you as a flagbearer would be a significant loss for Runcandel. I'll observe if you're worth the trouble it would cause.
-I understand.
-I don't have much time left. The appointment ceremony will begin in an hour, so stay here until then.
Jin remembered the conversation he had with his father, Chiron.
The fact that Chiron didn't have much time left meant one thing—there wasn't much time for the world's strongest knight to protect Runcandel.
‘As long as my father is alive, Zipfel won't attack Runcandel.’
Jin had come to that conclusion not long ago.
It was a well-known fact that, even though Zipfel had a clear advantage in power, they avoided a direct confrontation with Runcandel because of Chiron.
However, Jin's conclusion was that even if there were sufficient reasons and justifications for both sides to engage in a major battle, there would be no all-out war as long as Chiron was alive.
‘I have already violated the oath between Runcandel and Zipfel.’
Moreover, he had defeated Zipfel's elite forces, including the pureblood Zipfels like Andrei, Karl, and Myuron, as well as some of the best mages, Spectres. He had also destroyed Zipfel's flagship, Kozec, the symbol of their power, not once but twice.
Especially during the Holy Kingdom incident, when Jin was still a reserve flagbearer, he had humiliated Zipfel to the utmost, reducing their prestige to nothing. Recently, he had been scratching Zipfels inside through his cosmetics business.
Although he had tried to avoid leaving traces and had created justifications to prevent the problems from escalating, each incident could have easily led to an all-out war.
‘Yet Zipfel still hasn't attacked Runcandel. Even though I've caused all these disturbances, and my father is exploring the Black Sea.’
That was partly because Chiron was a formidable presence, but Jin believed that Zipfel also realized that Chiron didn't have much time left.
‘They must think that if they wait quietly, victory will be theirs…’
-I don't have much time left.
Jin now seemed to understand why Chiron had left him with those words.
"Now, even if I declare that I will reinstate Runcandel to the Magic Swordsman Clan, no one in the Garden of Swords can punish me lightly anymore. My presence has become too significant."
"Well, look at you, saying embarrassing things with such a serious face. Do you really have the confidence for that? Huh?"
Both Jin and Murakan chuckled.
"Instead of punishing me, they might split into factions, with those who advocate restoring the Magic Swordsman Clan status and those who stick to the traditional values."
"You and Joshua will probably lead each faction."
"That's likely."
"Do you think your mother will object?"
"My mother probably won't be a significant issue. It's too burdensome to eliminate me at this point, and more importantly, there's so much she has to find out from me, especially after I personally mentioned Temar’s tombs. There's a lot to be used."
"Anyway, you're an irritating person. By the way, tell me what you learned from the fourth tomb. I was dying of curiosity while waiting for you."
"In the fourth tomb..."
Jin proceeded to explain the events he had experienced in the Wantaramo Forest. Murakan listened intently with his eyes wide open.
"So, that Hister girl is the descendant of the fairies? And the fairies in the Wantaramo Forest were cursed by Helluram?"
"That's right."
"Damn, I hardly remember anything about those fairies back then. I don't know if it's because of history manipulation or if I slept too long."
Murakan touched his forehead as if frustrated. He often felt dizzy when he confronted the fact that his memories were not complete.
It stemmed from a deep sense of self-blame for forgetting his comrades and feeling powerless for having survived alone.
"You can find those memories one by one, Murakan. Don't blame yourself."
In response to Jin's words, Murakan gave a faint smile.
"Yeah, kid. With you around, I will eventually recover everything. And about that Valeria..."
"Yes?"
"Maybe she's one of Solderet's arrangements, too."
"That's possible. In fact, Hister is probably the only one who can perfectly counter Zipfel's history manipulation."
"Where is she now? I'd like to have a conversation with her as well. Just as she examined your records, maybe she can look at mine to revive some memories."
"Valeria is probably traveling all over the world in search of the fifth tomb. I have a few contact addresses, so I'll arrange a meeting place soon."
"Well, she can use record magic, so she'll probably find it much better than us or our enemies. Excellent. When I meet that Hister kid, I should expect some gains from my records."
"Looks like everything is roughly sorted out. I should start heading out."
While Jin was in the operating room, the Garden of Swords had maintained a state of emergency.
They were worried that Murakan might cause a commotion, but they all knew that once the 12th flagbearer woke up, he would never let it slide. The Garden of Swords would begin to stir up.
The moment Jin leaves the room, a new meeting would commence.
"Alright, let's go. I want to see how the faces of those Runcandel kids change after your declaration."
"No, if you join in, things won't go well."
"What?"
"I should make the declaration alone and endure the aftermath that follows. Should you have to carry a guardian dragon on your back when a Runcandel is dealing with other Runcandels."
"Well, there's a thing called 'what if,' kid. What if someone like the 2nd flagbearer or those who follow him, or even your mother, tries to kill you after hearing your declaration?"
In response, Jin shrugged his shoulders.
"There's no chance of that happening. But even if it did, do you think I'd die?"
Jin had confidence that he could escape even in the worst circumstances. With the help of a few individuals who clearly favored him, including Mary, it was possible in any situation.
"Ha, it feels like just yesterday when you were learning shadow force release. You've grown a lot, you little rascal."
"And you have your own tasks to attend to."
"What is it?"
"Strawberry pie, no. I mean, you need to bring Gilly."
As soon as Gilly's name was mentioned, Murakan's brows furrowed.
"I'll tell you in advance, if there's even a slight scratch on Strawberry Pie, you better be prepared because I will kill anyone directly involved even if you stop me."
"That goes without saying. First, go to Elder Tellot and find out where Gilly is being held. You'll need to bring her personally for me to feel safe."
Once Murakan left the room, Jin took a deep breath.
Phew...
If he said he wasn't nervous at all, that would be a lie. Underneath the tense anticipation, there was also a welling sense of excitement.
Clank!
After confirming Murakan flying outside the window, the sunlight seemed unusually bright as Jin opened the door.
"Young Master!"
Petro approached Jin and bowed his head.
"Thanks to you, my arm has healed well. I'm grateful. It was quite touching."
"It's nothing."
"Is Mother, the flagbearers, and the Elders in the central meeting room?"
To Jin's question, Petro shook his head with a heavy expression.
"They're at the arena."
"The arena?"
"Yes. As soon as you woke up, they asked to bring you there... I have a bad feeling about this. It's too obvious why they've summoned you to the arena."
It meant they were willing to resolve it with force if necessary.
While Petro was concerned, Jin smiled as if things were going well.
"It felt a bit burdensome to break the meeting room, but it seems better this way."
"What?"
"Bring me some snacks. Like sandwiches."
While Petro's eyes widened in surprise, Jin continued.
"I can't swing a sword on an empty stomach, right?"
384
[Support me here:- https://bmc.link/punisher87 ]
Blink, blink.
For a while, Murakan only blinked his eyes as if he heard something wrong. He had a puzzled look on his face, but soon his eyes sparkled with a wicked grin.
"Hahaha! You're saying you'll reinstate Runcandel to the Magic Swordsman Clan? Is that for real?"
His voice was excited, like a child receiving an unexpected gift.
"You think it's just a joke?"
"Did you find something while investigating the tombs of Temar? Can you lift the curse inflicted by Zipfel and their gods?"
A thousand years ago, Runcandel suffered humiliation and got a curse in the name of oath from Zipfel.
Never use magic again. Furthermore, do not worship those ancestors who used magic.
That was the reason why Runcandel, the once mighty Magic Swordsman Clan, is reduced to an ordinary knight clan. As a result of the curse, all Runcandels born thereafter had bodies incapable of using magic.
"No, it's not like that."
"Then?"
"When I looked into Temar's tombs, I simply made a decision. At this rate, Runcandel has no future."
From the recording devices left in each tomb, Jin glimpsed the majesty of ancient Runcandel.
He confirmed the secrets as the descendant who inherited their will, and experienced the invincibility of the great Magic Swordsmen firsthand.
The ancient Runcandel was undoubtedly a glorious clan.
Nevertheless.
Even the glorious Runcandel of that era kneeled before the power of Zipfel.
Even the great Magic Swordsmen had no choice but to kneel before that dark and colossal power that could manipulate reality and history at will.
All they can do is to leave a small spark of hope for the future.
"Their ability to manipulate history is not limited to that era. Just as we are trying to recover the history of ancient Runcandel, Zipfel is also running to regain the power of that era."
Back then, Zipfel did not emerge unscathed either. Zipfel suffered significant losses while breaking the ancient Runcandel.
If they had ended the war without significant losses, it would have been impossible for Runcandel to exist now.
A thousand years had already passed, but both Runcandel and Zipfel had not recovered their old power.
"Indeed. Just by looking at their attempts to reproduce the Orb of Origin, it's clear that they are determined to dominate the world."
"In my opinion, as things stand, Zipfel is more likely to recover the old power faster. So, I need to start moving seriously from now on."
Up to now, he hadn't done that.
Since his return, Jin had mostly hidden his power from his clan.
Only when his career as a reserve flagbearer was about to end did he reveal to the world that he was a Magic Swordsman. Even after becoming the flagbearer, he hadn't fully revealed his skills to the members of his clan.
It wasn't because he enjoyed hiding his power. It wasn't because he didn't find it frustrating.
It was simply because there was a need for it. Until he had the confidence to withstand the pressure of his clan when his power was revealed.
Jin judged that now was the right moment.
-The youngest
-Yes, Father.
"Appointing you as a flagbearer would be a significant loss for Runcandel. I'll observe if you're worth the trouble it would cause.
-I understand.
-I don't have much time left. The appointment ceremony will begin in an hour, so stay here until then.
Jin remembered the conversation he had with his father, Chiron.
The fact that Chiron didn't have much time left meant one thing—there wasn't much time for the world's strongest knight to protect Runcandel.
‘As long as my father is alive, Zipfel won't attack Runcandel.’
Jin had come to that conclusion not long ago.
It was a well-known fact that, even though Zipfel had a clear advantage in power, they avoided a direct confrontation with Runcandel because of Chiron.
However, Jin's conclusion was that even if there were sufficient reasons and justifications for both sides to engage in a major battle, there would be no all-out war as long as Chiron was alive.
‘I have already violated the oath between Runcandel and Zipfel.’
Moreover, he had defeated Zipfel's elite forces, including the pureblood Zipfels like Andrei, Karl, and Myuron, as well as some of the best mages, Spectres. He had also destroyed Zipfel's flagship, Kozec, the symbol of their power, not once but twice.
Especially during the Holy Kingdom incident, when Jin was still a reserve flagbearer, he had humiliated Zipfel to the utmost, reducing their prestige to nothing. Recently, he had been scratching Zipfels inside through his cosmetics business.
Although he had tried to avoid leaving traces and had created justifications to prevent the problems from escalating, each incident could have easily led to an all-out war.
‘Yet Zipfel still hasn't attacked Runcandel. Even though I've caused all these disturbances, and my father is exploring the Black Sea.’
That was partly because Chiron was a formidable presence, but Jin believed that Zipfel also realized that Chiron didn't have much time left.
‘They must think that if they wait quietly, victory will be theirs…’
-I don't have much time left.
Jin now seemed to understand why Chiron had left him with those words.
"Now, even if I declare that I will reinstate Runcandel to the Magic Swordsman Clan, no one in the Garden of Swords can punish me lightly anymore. My presence has become too significant."
"Well, look at you, saying embarrassing things with such a serious face. Do you really have the confidence for that? Huh?"
Both Jin and Murakan chuckled.
"Instead of punishing me, they might split into factions, with those who advocate restoring the Magic Swordsman Clan status and those who stick to the traditional values."
"You and Joshua will probably lead each faction."
"That's likely."
"Do you think your mother will object?"
"My mother probably won't be a significant issue. It's too burdensome to eliminate me at this point, and more importantly, there's so much she has to find out from me, especially after I personally mentioned Temar’s tombs. There's a lot to be used."
"Anyway, you're an irritating person. By the way, tell me what you learned from the fourth tomb. I was dying of curiosity while waiting for you."
"In the fourth tomb..."
Jin proceeded to explain the events he had experienced in the Wantaramo Forest. Murakan listened intently with his eyes wide open.
"So, that Hister girl is the descendant of the fairies? And the fairies in the Wantaramo Forest were cursed by Helluram?"
"That's right."
"Damn, I hardly remember anything about those fairies back then. I don't know if it's because of history manipulation or if I slept too long."
Murakan touched his forehead as if frustrated. He often felt dizzy when he confronted the fact that his memories were not complete.
It stemmed from a deep sense of self-blame for forgetting his comrades and feeling powerless for having survived alone.
"You can find those memories one by one, Murakan. Don't blame yourself."
In response to Jin's words, Murakan gave a faint smile.
"Yeah, kid. With you around, I will eventually recover everything. And about that Valeria..."
"Yes?"
"Maybe she's one of Solderet's arrangements, too."
"That's possible. In fact, Hister is probably the only one who can perfectly counter Zipfel's history manipulation."
"Where is she now? I'd like to have a conversation with her as well. Just as she examined your records, maybe she can look at mine to revive some memories."
"Valeria is probably traveling all over the world in search of the fifth tomb. I have a few contact addresses, so I'll arrange a meeting place soon."
"Well, she can use record magic, so she'll probably find it much better than us or our enemies. Excellent. When I meet that Hister kid, I should expect some gains from my records."
"Looks like everything is roughly sorted out. I should start heading out."
While Jin was in the operating room, the Garden of Swords had maintained a state of emergency.
They were worried that Murakan might cause a commotion, but they all knew that once the 12th flagbearer woke up, he would never let it slide. The Garden of Swords would begin to stir up.
The moment Jin leaves the room, a new meeting would commence.
"Alright, let's go. I want to see how the faces of those Runcandel kids change after your declaration."
"No, if you join in, things won't go well."
"What?"
"I should make the declaration alone and endure the aftermath that follows. Should you have to carry a guardian dragon on your back when a Runcandel is dealing with other Runcandels."
"Well, there's a thing called 'what if,' kid. What if someone like the 2nd flagbearer or those who follow him, or even your mother, tries to kill you after hearing your declaration?"
In response, Jin shrugged his shoulders.
"There's no chance of that happening. But even if it did, do you think I'd die?"
Jin had confidence that he could escape even in the worst circumstances. With the help of a few individuals who clearly favored him, including Mary, it was possible in any situation.
"Ha, it feels like just yesterday when you were learning shadow force release. You've grown a lot, you little rascal."
"And you have your own tasks to attend to."
"What is it?"
"Strawberry pie, no. I mean, you need to bring Gilly."
As soon as Gilly's name was mentioned, Murakan's brows furrowed.
"I'll tell you in advance, if there's even a slight scratch on Strawberry Pie, you better be prepared because I will kill anyone directly involved even if you stop me."
"That goes without saying. First, go to Elder Tellot and find out where Gilly is being held. You'll need to bring her personally for me to feel safe."
Once Murakan left the room, Jin took a deep breath.
Phew...
If he said he wasn't nervous at all, that would be a lie. Underneath the tense anticipation, there was also a welling sense of excitement.
Clank!
After confirming Murakan flying outside the window, the sunlight seemed unusually bright as Jin opened the door.
"Young Master!"
Petro approached Jin and bowed his head.
"Thanks to you, my arm has healed well. I'm grateful. It was quite touching."
"It's nothing."
"Is Mother, the flagbearers, and the Elders in the central meeting room?"
To Jin's question, Petro shook his head with a heavy expression.
"They're at the arena."
"The arena?"
"Yes. As soon as you woke up, they asked to bring you there... I have a bad feeling about this. It's too obvious why they've summoned you to the arena."
It meant they were willing to resolve it with force if necessary.
While Petro was concerned, Jin smiled as if things were going well.
"It felt a bit burdensome to break the meeting room, but it seems better this way."
"What?"
"Bring me some snacks. Like sandwiches."
While Petro's eyes widened in surprise, Jin continued.
"I can't swing a sword on an empty stomach, right?"
