Chapter 426

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The two of them silently stared at each other for a while.

'Does Lata Proch really have this side to him?'

The Ghost mercenaries and their Leader, Lata Proch.

In truth, Jin did not have a favorable opinion of them. 

He was attacked by the executioners of Ghost mercenary corp led by Faye, and later when Lata confronted him, Jin felt that they were both foolish.

But for Lata to have this level of insight? It was astonishing that he saw through the situation and the flow of events after the terrorist attack.

'No, no. There's no way Lata is that intelligent. Someone must be feeding him information or controlling him.'

Jin suppressed his admiration and shook his head internally.

Oh, is that so? That's an unexpectedly excellent judgment, Jin almost said this out loud.

'Who could it be? Zipfel? Kinzelo? No, individuals from those two groups couldn't have approached Lata. Because we were all tied up in the Sword Emperor Castle.'

Most of them had undergone intense investigations during their stay at the Sword Emperor Castle for about two weeks, even though they had helped suppress the terrorist attack. The Hairan had not discovered any involvement of Zipfel and Kinzelo.

'Zephyrin.'

Jin suddenly thought of the woman who is presumed to be the demon dragon. Perhaps she was behind Lata.

Zephyrin's true identity had not yet been revealed. Therefore, it wouldn't be too surprising if she were affiliated with either Zipfel or Kinzelo.

'But that would be an overkill. Even if Zephyrin approached Lata for some purpose, it's impossible for Lata to adopt this submissive attitude.'

Regardless of whether it was Zephyrin or someone else, it seemed unlikely that a figure of Lata's stature would become someone's pawn and abandon his reputation.

At this moment, if Jin were to reject Lata and send him away, the weight of the title "Ghost Leader" would plummet to the ground at once. 

It wasn't just a couple of people who had seen them in the reception room. Of course, it wouldn't be difficult to have their lips sealed, but there was no need to cover for him if Jin didn't form an alliance with Lata.

After a moment of contemplation, Jin concluded that Lata had come to him of his own free will and insight.

"Sir Jin, what are you thinking? Is there something strange about my words?"

"No, there's nothing strange. In fact, you read the situation too accurately, and I find it amazing if you've figured all that out on your own."

"Kahahaha!"

Lata burst into hearty yet sharp laughter.

"Well, it might seem that way from your perspective. My younger sister and I haven't shown ourselves in a good light so far. But Sir Jin, I'm also the leader of a significant group. And a highly respected one at that."

Lata glanced at the perfectly reattached index finger that did not have any trace of a cut.

"Do you know why my five hundred subordinates followed me?"

It was a puzzling question. Five hundred was far from enough to display his prestige or buy time when trouble arose against the garden of swords.

Moreover, considering the size of the Ghost mercenaries, it seemed like an ambiguous number to be brought with the intention of saying, "Please accept us as subordinates."

"I don't know."

Lata smiled slyly.

"They were the five hundred who never backed down, even if I had cut them down."

"What….?"

"When I said I would cut off my fingers as an apology to Sir Jin, those guys forcefully followed me and said they would also offer their fingers to you, Sir Jin."

This time, Jin's pupils had to widen.

Is this for real?

Lata's eyes showed no doubt. Anyone who met Lata's gaze now would be able to feel his pride.

"At first, many more subordinates said they would come with me. Runcandel might have mistaken it for a declaration of war if I had brought all those guys. Anyway, the ones who came with me insisted so much and wouldn't back down and I had no choice but to bring them along."

"Then if I tell them to do so, are they all going to cut their index fingers?"

"That's right."

"What a peculiar loyalty."

"It's something you rarely see anywhere else. They went so far as to say they couldn't bear to see just me lose a finger. Now you know how well-respected I am, right?"

"Is there no way for all of them to keep their fingers intact?"

"It could be possible if Runcandel's 12th flagbearer permits it."

"What I meant is, wasn't there a way you didn't even think of or attempt in the first place?"

"If someone commits a sin, they should pay the price. Even more so if you want to get closer to your future partner."

"But you just said you're not a person but more like a despicable and lowly beast."

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

It was difficult to put into words, so Jin just shook his head and felt a sense of awe.

Then he remembered the expressions on Lata's subordinates that Murakan had taken away.

They all seemed to have blank expressions, even though they were about to lose a part of their bodies, just like their lord.

'Seems like you're not a simple man, Lata Proch.'

If everything Lata had said was true, then he was a remarkable leader. Regardless of how excellent Lata's battle prowess might be, it was no small feat to completely control the Ghost mercenaries at such a young age.

"I have one more question, Sir Lata."

"What is it?"

"Why did you act so lowly at the banquet hall of the Sword Emperor Castle?"

Jin felt that Lata today and the Lata from back then were completely different people.

"I'm competent and an excellent leader in most situations, but occasionally, an imperfect aspect of my personality shows itself, like when my only family member, my kin, was taken hostage."

"Your younger sister is being treated quite well based on the most stringent prisoner of war treaties."

"Well, I'm grateful for the treatment, but since she's a tough girl, I don't mind if she gets treated up to the point of keeping her alive. And also... this can also happen when I lose one of my most precious subordinates."

Jin recalled the day when Faye had attacked him.

'Wasn't his name Grimol?'

He was the only one among the Ghost mercenaries assassins who had overwhelmed him. He wielded a much better sword than Faye.

"I sent him off without much pain. He was willing to sacrifice himself to the very end to save Faye Proch."

"...I've always wondered how his end was going to be, but he had an honorable death for a mercenary. We spent a long time together, but Grimol was more suited to being a knight than an assassin."

Lata closed his eyes and seemed to mourn for Grimol for a moment.

"Looking back, it was my own arrogance that led to the consequences because I underestimated you, Sir Jin. I shouldn't have taken the commission in the first place, or if I did, I should have gathered the best assassins, including myself. So, this time, I won't make any mistakes and try to make the best choice. Please help me."

There was a sense of sincerity in his calm tone.

Of course, just because he appeared sincere now didn't mean he could take back the reckless remarks he had made earlier.

But Jin knew that everyone could make mistakes.

"Sir Lata Proch."

"Please speak."

"If you truly want to form an alliance with me, you must show me trust. Mere apologies and offering fingers with no real meaning won't allow you to become my ally."

Lata finally smiled as if he had thrown off his stuffy clothes.

"What do you want me to do? What can I show you?"

"Me and the Ghost mercenaries first met as the target of elimination and assassins."

Lata's eyes narrowed upon hearing this.

"In order to change that bad relationship into an alliance, shouldn't you at least bring the heads of those who ordered to kill me?"

Assassinate the Runcandel elder council members.

That was certainly one of the worst commissions that an assassin group could receive.

"I know the reason why you did not take matters into your own hands before we spoke."

As if pierced by a needle, Lata flinched and smiled awkwardly.

"Probably because you don't want to take risks. If you had brought the heads of the elders, and I did not accept you as my ally, then there is no turning back."

"...I'm starting to feel it again. You're really not ordinary, Sir."

"Also, even if I greeted you with open arms after bringing the heads of those old men, you would still doubt whether the 12th flagbearer could protect the Ghost mercenaries from Runcandel's retaliation."

Jin got up from his chair. Then, he slowly moved behind Lata. Lata remained seated and couldn't get up.

A few seconds later, Jin's hand lightly touched Lata's shoulder. Lata felt a chill as if it was a Grim Reaper's scythe.

"If you truly believe in me, if you are sure that I will become the patriarch of Runcandel. Then take the risk, Lata Proch."

Jin's voice was as cold as ice, and it sent shivers down his spine.

"I'll give you one week."

Jin said as he removed his hand from Lata's shoulder.

"Within that time, bring me the heads of those who tried to kill me. Don't bungle it; I mean to see the job done properly. I'll take responsibility for the aftermath. Do you understand?"

Lata nodded heavily.

'Twelfth flagbearer, this is an unexpected turn of events...'

Certainly, Lata believed that Jin would eventually become the patriarch of the Runcandel clan.

However, he didn't think Jin held significant power within Runcandel at the moment. Thus, his plan had been to first join forces and then gradually help Jin rise to power within his clan.

But now, a situation had arisen where he needed to become enemies with the 'existing Runcandel' within a week.

'I was planning to join the Twelfth flagbearer, but this is completely unexpected.'

Show your trust.

While Lata mulled over Jin's recent words in his mind, Jin spoke again.

"If the deadline passes and there's no contact from you, I'll conclude that you have joined hands with another faction, Sir Lata. That means we'll become enemies again."

"Such a thing..."

"Please make a wise choice."