CHAPTER 675

[T.L: punisher87]

[My ko-fi link:- https://ko-fi.com/punisher87 ]

Tikan, Latrie cafe.

 "Jin, did you know? These days, I'm very happy."

Crunch!

Sandra spoke while munching on a Latrie cookie.

Hedo, sitting next to her, wiped the cookie crumbs from Sandra's mouth with a blank expression, and Jin felt that they were more like father and daughter than butler and master.

"Isn't it polite to ask why someone is happy in a situation like this?"

"It's touching to hear the word 'polite' from a lady's mouth..."

"What do you mean?"

"It's quite moving. You should continue to think about manners and decorum."

"What are you talking about? You don't have any manners to begin with. Normal people feel intimidated just by looking at these needlessly bulky muscles."

"Please stop spilling your cookie crumbs everywhere. Why can't you eat without making a mess, whether you're five years old or not?"

"Hedo takes care of everything, so why would I bother?"

"Then maybe I shouldn't help you anymore from now on."

"Then I'll rip you apart!"

Jin was getting the impression that they were a pair of comedy actors. Sometimes, he couldn't help but chuckle as he listened to their conversation.

"Why are you so happy, Sandra Zipfel?"

"Well, because I've been seeing you a lot lately! You are asking the obvious, haha."

"Um... I see."

Jin had never imagined that he would one day ask a pure-blood Zipfel and an unknown extraterrestrial tower keeper to betray Zipfel, except for Veradin.

'Who holds the key is not Sandra, but Hedo.

While on the surface, Hedo was obedient to Sandra, but Jin believed that Hedo had the real leadership between them.

Of course, Hedo followed Sandra's requests to a certain extent, but there was a line that he would not cross. If Sandra made demands beyond that line, Hedo would never comply, and Sandra would only swear or urge him, but that was all.

The final decision-making power lay with Hedo.

"My, you lady shows such a positive expression every time the 12th flagbearer calls you, that's why he easily tells us to come and go. Relationships sometimes need mysterious push and pull to maintain their allure. This means that Jin Runcandel cannot find Lady attractive."

"Well...that's an interesting point. But as far as I know, you've never been in a relationship, how do you know so much about it?"

"Well, there are 24 hours in a day, my lady. And I spend an average of five hours a day not with you."

"Then you used those five hours to date, is that it? Tower keeper."

Jin asked. He was really curious. Hedo was only the second-class butler and tower keeper in name, but in reality he was acting as the top executive in Zipfel.

So, there would undoubtedly be a considerable amount of work or tasks to be done during those five hours, making it questionable whether he could date within that time.

"... Well, is that strange?"

"It's a little fascinating. It seems that Zipfel's top executives are not as busy as I thought."

"Oh my, Jin is more interested in Hedo than me! Are you crazy, Hedo!? You wag your tail like this?"

"I'm just a butler, not a top executive, 12th flagbearer."

"If you are just a butler...…."

Jin's eyes narrowed.

"Then I want to offer you a job transfer."

There was no need to beat around the bush.

"Okay!"

Sandra immediately nodded with twinkling eyes, but Hedo's eyes sharpened.

"A job transfer?"

"Yes."

"Do you know what you're talking about?"

"I know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Then let's pretend we didn't hear anything."

"Hedo, why again!"

"Why again? It's not 'again', my lady. The 12th flagbearer is telling you and me to betray our clan."

"What's wrong with that? I've been doing that for a long time."

"My lady, I know you tend to be indecisive at times, but this is something the 12th flagbearer should never say. The alliance is temporary, and Zipfel and Runcandel cannot coexist."

-It was only a few years ago when he almost got beaten by Hedo in the Sota Desert. Back then, Hedo overwhelmed Jin and his party, but what about now?

-What do you mean?

-Can you win?

-I don't think so. I expected it because he was fighting alone in the Garden of Swords, but seeing it up close is a different feeling.

- See! If it's Jin, there's definitely a possibility. I didn't think so at first either, so it's not Hedo's fault. So, how about we do what I suggested last time...… Oh, You scared me!

A conversation between Hedo and Sandra in the Kaldran Snowfield. In fact, Sandra had been arguing to support Jin before. Hedo was firmly opposed to it.

"Is it just because of the long-standing animosity between Zipfel and Runcandel?"

"Yes."

"You are not a pure-blood Zipfel. There doesn't seem to be any personal animosity towards the Runcandel or Vamel alliance either."

"That's right, you're not pureblood. I, a pure-blood, said I would betray them, but why are you stopping me and freaking me out!"

"I I don't have personal animosity towards you. But now it seems like it's going to happen. Don't you think you're taking advantage of my lady's feelings for your own gain?"

"Jin isn't using me! And even if he is, what's wrong with that? I'm happy with it."

"It may seem that way. But I'm saying this for your sake, not just for the alliance or Runcandel's benefit."

Jin meant it. Jin couldn't understand Sandra's feelings towards him, and she herself felt like an enigma.

Over the past few years, Jin developed a kind of camaraderie and empathy with her as we went through several events together. As long as Sandra remained with Zipfel, he was convinced that her future would ultimately be bleak.

"Sandra, give us a minute."

"I don't want to."

"Just stay here, my lady."

"I'll make dinner later for you, just give me 30 minutes."

"I'll have a cup of tea with Enya. Well, I'll be back!"

When Sandra disappeared, only Jin and Hedo remained in the cafe. Hedo wiped his glasses uncomfortably and took out a cigarette.

"This is a no-smoking area."

Hedo's shirt button bounced towards Jin as his bulging muscles swelled. Hedo lit a cigarette and smoked it in one breath.

The gray smoke temporarily obscured the two men's vision.

"I don't think I have to be courteous to you when you cross the line."

"I understand that much. As far as I can see, tower keeper, you're loyal to Sandra Zipfel, not Zipfel."

Sandra Zipfel, not Zipfel. That was what Jin had intuitively felt since he first saw him.

The source of that absolute loyalty is unknown, but Hedo will definitely choose the latter when he had to choose between Zipfel and Sandra Zipfel.

"Am I wrong?"

Instead of answering, Hedo lit another cigarette.

"I will assume that means yes. That means I understand even less. If Sandra Zipfel continues to stay in her family, what do you think will happen in the end?"

"It will stay the same."

"I met Veradin not long ago. He lost his memory and became a living golem magic swordsman test subject and a different person from before. I thought Sandra might end up like that too, sacrificed to the experiment."

"My lady won't end up like that, Jin Runcandel."

"Is it because you're looking after Sandra Zipfel?"

"Yes."

"I don't understand. Are you saying that the protection you're talking about would allow for a certain level of experimentation on Sandra?"

Sandra is already a living golem. She has been able to use some of time authority through some means, and had a physical ability that was not like a mage, along with her regeneration abilities.

"I think that Sandra Zipfel's somewhat peculiar mental state and the experiments she has undergone may not be entirely unrelated."

"Lady Sandra is naturally strange. It has nothing to do with the experiment."

"Well, I hope so, but can you guarantee that it won't happen again in the future? If she changes like Veradin did, can she still be considered Sandra Zipfel?"

"That's not for you to judge."

"It's not for you to judge either. It's up to Sandra herself to decide. And what kind of protection is that? You allow experiments up to the point where a person is not completely destroyed, and beyond that, you say you will protect them? Is that really why you keep Sandra by your side?"

"I responded to your call to find out the identity of my sword, I did not come to Tikan with the intention of becoming a traitor. And as for the experiments..."

As if a certain memory had come to mind, Hedo narrowed his eyes.

"...It's what the lady wanted."

"You're talking cowardly. Even if Sandra wanted it, it doesn't mean it's right to let her become a test subject. Or did you decide that she needs at least that level of regeneration ability to protect her no matter what?"

"Then what can you do for her?"

"What?"

Hedo stood up from his seat.

"Let's say that Lady Sandra betrayed Zipfel. What's next? Can you and the Vamel Alliance always prioritize protecting lady Sandra, no matter what? Even if the entire alliance is wiped out, can you still prioritize lady Sandra?"

"Of course not."

"You are undoubtedly strong. You are even stronger now than I am. But when the fight with Rosa is over and the alliance will break, I still can't imagine you defeating Zipfel. It's the same even if I join under your command."

"So you're saying that you're willing to bet Sandra's life on what you think is the more likely outcome."

"Yes. I would have rejected it even if Sir Chiron had made the same offer. Now that I've said it so plainly, I hope you understand and give up."

"In that case, can I understand it as accepting the proposal when I have the power to completely overwhelm Zipfel?"

Hedo nodded without hesitation.

"Absolutely. If you can give me that kind of confidence, even if you refuse, I might beg you to take me and my lady with you."

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