Volume 2 Chapter 50 – Banquet (5)

'Of course the Hidden Palace sent an envoy to the Runcandel banquet.'

Jin had somewhat expected this reunion.

He stared at Syris for a few seconds before grabbing the wine bottle. He then calmly poured her a glass.

"So you are the Master of the Hidden Palace's daughter. Likewise, it's an honour to meet you."

Jin handed her glass back as he stayed wary of her.

—How could you ever repay a debt to someone like me? Just think of this as a nice memory. And if you remember me from time to time, just bow in the direction of the Hidden Palace whenever you can. Well then, bye!

Those were Syris's words back at Mamit.

Back then, she was oddly kind to Jin. Not only had she immediately removed Jin from the list of suspects for the terror attack on the Moonlit Well, she had even rubbed some ointment on his injured shin.

She seemed very different from the rumours Jin had heard about her in his past life.

Nevertheless, Jin didn't think much about her show of kindness.

'She was probably nice to me on a whim as someone with more power than me.'

That was how Jin understood Syris Endorma as a person. Needless to say, this didn't mean Syris was actually stronger than Jin. She just believed herself to be stronger than him back at Mamit.

"I am quite jealous of you for growing so strong so quickly, even though we are the same age. How envious I am of your blessed Runcandel blood and body."

Although she was expressing her envy, Syris herself was no ordinary girl either. She was already in the middle phase of the 4-star stage and was still growing at an incredible speed.

"Indeed, we Runcandels are fortunate to have these blessed bodies. However, the Hidden Palace's bloodline can also be considered blessed, no? I cannot even imagine how much the Master of the Hidden Palace must cherish Milady."

"Yes, unlike you, I am an only child. Thus, it is true that I receive a lot of love and attention. Ah, is it considered discourteous to bring up such a topic?"

Syris's gaze softened a little. Her silver hair was naturally swaying, as if to accentuate her beauty.

"Not at all. Everyone around the world knows the fact that I'm the youngest-born child of the Runcandels already. In fact, I should be the one envious of you, Lady Syris. It's quite troublesome having numerous siblings."

"Oh my, you speak of such things so casually despite all these eyes and ears watching and listening to us. What if your siblings interrogate you about this later on?"

"Is it not considered the youngest child's privilege to be able to complain whenever and wherever they want? Hahaha. In any case, I would love to visit the Hidden Palace one day. And it may not be a pipe dream if I maintain close relations with Lady Syris from now on."

"Haha, I never expected someone from the Garden of Swords to wish to visit the Hidden Palace… Alright, we shall send you an invitation in the near future."

Before Jin could respond, Syris grabbed the wine bottle and poured Jin a glass as well. His attention moved towards the glass, which was now being filled with colour once more. A few minutes went by where the two 15-year-olds didn't share a word.

'I'm quite certain she recognized me. Isn't it about time for her to bring up that incident?'

It wasn't as if soot could completely hide someone's face, and he couldn't change his voice either. Jin was confident Syris had recognized him today.

'And if the Hidden Palace's successor did in fact fail to recognize me, then I'd be greatly disappointed in her.'

Syris suddenly leaned closer to Jin.

"There is one thing I'd like to ask you, Young Master Jin Runcandel."

"Yes, Lady Syris. Ask away."

"Has the wound on your shin healed already?"

Finally, the real conversation was about to begin.

Jin smiled and shrugged lightly.

"Yes, it has, all thanks to a certain outstanding lady—to whom a lowly boy like me will never be able to repay his debt—who rubbed some ointment on it with her own hands."

He answered in an offhand manner, to which Syris frowned.

"You're a lot more shameless than you look, Young Master Jin. In this case, you will need to explain to me why you were present at the Moonlit Well in Mamit that day."

"And why must I do that?"

"On that day, my subordinate—Ryu of the Hidden Palace's Seven Swords—didn't manage to find the culprit behind the magic attack. It was quite a disgraceful incident for all of us. Later on, I even wondered whether the young boy I had released was in fact the culprit."

Crrrrrr.

Syris dragged her chair closer to Jin. The two of them were now sitting side by side but staring in each others' eyes, face to face. There was merely the length of a handspan between their noses.

"I see. That is understandable. But magic, you say? As you can see, I am a Runcandel. Do you believe I'd be the culprit? My hand has only ever held a sword since birth, never a magician's staff."

"Of course, I am of the same opinion. However, I assume that you were at Mamit that day on a mission for the Runcandel Clan. So it is possible that you found the task difficult to achieve alone and hired a magician to help you out."

Syris ground her teeth and continued talking.

"Moreover, no matter how much I think about it, the only people worthy of being assassination targets of the Runcandel Clan on that day at the Moonlit Well were our guards from the Hidden Palace. Thus, as the Captain of the Hidden Palace's Seven Swords, this isn't an issue I can simply forget about."

Although she was speaking softly and calmly, there was a hint of killing intent in her voice.

The moment she had seen Jin's face in the banquet hall, she was absolutely certain that Jin had been sent to Mamit to assassinate one or more of the Hidden Palace guards.

Moreover, she was disappointed in herself for having failed to recognize the culprit behind the attack on her subordinates and for foolishly showing good will to the boy.

'She thinks that I attacked the Moonlit Well because my targets were the Hidden Palace guards. Well, I guess she's half-right since I did end up injuring some of the guards while trying to kill Alkaro.'

Having read through Syris's intentions, Jin continued feigning ignorance.

"Hm, I thought we were getting along quite well, so I don't understand why you're acting like this, Lady Syris."

"Hmph! So you plan on pleading innocent until the end. Alright, then. If that's how you're going to be, I have an idea of my own."

"May I ask what this plan of yours is?"

"I'll drag you to the duelling arena and beat you up like a sandbag! Once I'm done, I'll spit on that contemptible smug face of yours. I challenge you to a duel, Jin Runcandel."

"Goodness…"

Jin urgently checked his surroundings to see if anyone had heard Syris's declaration.

Fortunately, no one appeared to have heard her as she was whispering to him from up close.

"Should I say it louder? Let's go. You need to pay for ridiculing me back then."

At this rate, Jin wouldn't be able to avoid fighting her.

'Syris would be the perfect opponent for me to test my current swordplay skills on. But…'

The Master of the Hidden Palace's only child, Syris Endorma. She was definitely strong and talented for her age, but… Jin remembered his father's words.

"Lady Syris. I'm terribly sorry, but I cannot accept your challenge."

"Is it because you're not confident in yourself?"

"Ah, the thing is… My father gave me a stern warning not to duel anyone weaker than myself."

Crack!

The wine glass Syris was holding with two fingers broke at the stem. Her now-clenched fist was trembling like crazy.

"What… did you just say?"

"Please don't misunderstand. I would love to duel you, Lady Syris. However, I cannot go against my father's orders."

"You little…! Haaaaa…!"

Syris glared at Jin with bloodshot eyes, but soon sighed deeply to compose herself. As she regained her calm, Syris carefully placed the pieces of broken glass in her hand onto the table.

"You seem to enjoy messing with me, Young Master Jin. Then, should I give you a taste of your own medicine?"

Syris suddenly grabbed Jin's hand and placed it on her thigh.

"Now, if I were to shout out 'Kyaa, where do you think you're touching?!' and shoved you away…"

Jin hurriedly blocked her mouth with his other hand. He then chuckled to himself and nodded in defeat.

"If you're willing to go that far, then I guess I have no choice. Let us make our leave quietly."

"You should've said so earlier."

The two of them stood up simultaneously and made their way to the door.

However, the few people who had been observing them couldn't help but misunderstand.

"How immoral… Depraved… Did you see that, Mary? The youngest put his hand on her thigh… And I think they even kissed. Do kids these days actually behave like that the moment they make eye contact with a stranger? Unbelievable. Where do they think they're going?"

At the table on the other side was Dipus Runcandel gulping down wine with his sister Mary. From their position, it almost looked like Jin had kissed Syris when he blocked her mouth with his hand.

"We've got countless empty rooms nearby, so I'm sure they'll just go to one of those. Stop thinking about them, Elder Brother. They're all grown up already. They're fifteen."

"Goodness gracious. Are you telling me you also behaved like that when you were fifteen?"

"That's none of your business. Or do you think you can handle the truth?"

"Forget it…"

"Just drink some more wine. Whether it be the Master of the Hidden Palace's daughter or our youngest sibling, they won't be able to date others freely in a couple of years. So let them have their fun while they still can."

***

The duelling arena was still quiet.

The combatants and spectators would begin gathering here once midnight passed. It appeared Jin and Syris would do the honour of having the first duel of this banquet.

Jin actually preferred this silence. Defeating Syris in front of countless guests would've been far too cruel to the girl.

Once they entered the arena, the guardian knights stationed inside raised their blades in salutation.

"Have you come to duel, Young Master?"

"That's right. Other than the medic, you may all take a break outside. Oh, and bring us two decent swords to use."

"Yes. We shall seal off the arena until your duel is over."

The sharp-witted guardian knight replied to Jin, and the boy nodded in satisfaction.

"That would be perfect."

The medic also read the room and left Jin and Syris alone. He would remain in the waiting room until the battle ended.

Now, there were only two people standing inside the wide, round arena. Not long afterwards, the guardian knight returned with two swords. Jin told Syris to choose her weapon first.

"Please choose the one that best fits in your hand, Lady Syris."

"Jin Runcandel. Your arrogance pierces through the skies, even though you're just an ordinary 5-star knight."

Syris didn't bother comparing the blades and simply grabbed the one closest to her.

Once she got in her stance and raised her weapon, the air around her changed completely. The burning anger in her eyes was replaced with icy-cold concentration, and the sword she held diagonally didn't show any visible trembling.

'So this is how I get to experience the famous Hidden Palace's swordsmanship from the rumours.'

An ordinary 5-star knight.

That was how Syris had described Jin. And she wasn't wrong. Syris knew that Jin had yet to learn the Runcandels' secret techniques and decisive killing moves.

On the other hand, while Syris was still at 4-star, she was the Hidden Palace's only successor. That was why she could openly look down on Jin, who had reached a higher stage than her.

"Before we begin, I want you to promise me something."

"What is it?"

"If I win, you must tell me everything related to the incident at Mamit. Not a single piece of information left out, do you understand?"

"I understand. In that case, if I win, Lady Syris will have to forget our coincidental encounter that day. You will never have seen me that day. Today is the first time you will have met me."

"Looks like you truly were doing something fishy. Come at me!"

As soon as she finished talking, Jin dashed and reduced the distance between them. He was planning on overpowering her with the vast difference in their physical capabilities.

Sckrrrr—!

Suddenly, a strange cold energy swirled around Syris's sword and froze her blade.

It was the main reason why the Hidden Palace could stand tall in the middle of the West Sea, as well as the power that symbolized the Endorma bloodline.

The 'Myriad Iceblades'.

***