Chapter 454

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January 1, 1800.

The new year had dawned.

Tikan's family gathered at the Latrie bakery, and warmly blessed each other for the year to come.

Crunch, crunch, the sound of children breaking cookies with their teeth filled the air, and candles in various corners shed their colorful light.

The aroma of freshly baked bread and cookies was irresistible, and the magical scent coming from Latrie's kitchen made both children and adults salivate.

It was truly a picturesque and refined scene of the first day of the new year, and the old dog Puppy yawned and strolled over to where the children were.

Puppy had been sitting in his spot until just now, but the rough-looking men with dark expressions, in stark contrast to the warm atmosphere, were the reason why he shifted his position.

They hadn't changed their bloodstained clothes or even combed their disheveled hair.

They just sat with contorted expressions while knocking on the table with their fingers, and expressed their frustration and anger with their entire bodies.

They were the captains and officers of the Black King mercenaries. The reason they hadn't changed their clothes was their way of showing loyalty to the fact that they were still fighting alongside Valkas, who was in a coma.

The reason they were here on the first day of the new year, not in the Bise Kingdom, was that they couldn't repair the fallen Black King Mountain Hideout.

More precisely, they had been robbed of that right.

It was all because of Runcandel.

(In the year 1800, as a new century began, the star, 12th flagbearer of Runcandel, was the first to shine.)

(The world's greatest mercenaries, the Black King mercenaries! What is the reason they joined the 12th flagbearer?)

(It was revealed that Black King mercenaries' leader, Valkas Kran, swore loyalty to the 12th flagbearer in the utmost secrecy in the Free City of Tikan…)

(Runcandel is the master of the Black King mercenaries now, which no great faction could embrace.)

(In fact, the year 1799 was practically Jin Runcandel's year, and would this momentum continue this year?)

(The war between the 12th flagbearer and the Black King mercenaries was one of the greatest events of the previous century, with the winners being the 12th flagbearer and Runcandel.)

(The King of the Sky, the mighty Black Dragon! Murakan roared in the world once again.)

(The mightiest of dragons, the ruler of the sky. Even Zipfel was afraid of that name! Mu-ra-kan.)

"Hah...!"

"Ha!"

The members of the Black King mercenaries sighed and gasped as they read the newspapers spread out on the table.

One character at a time. It was beyond comprehension how they could be filled with such unjust and infuriating content.

They wanted to go to Runcandel and confront them. How foolishly you must view us to take such actions, and when did we ever say we would join the 12th flagbearer?

After the articles poured out.

Runcandel sent knights and people to ensure that the Black King mercenaries couldn't interfere with the recovering things from the Black King Mountain Hideout.

Externally, it was as if Runcandel was performing the duties of a monarch's clan on behalf of the "spiritless" Black King mercenaries. 

In reality, it meant that the Black King mercenaries were under Runcandel's control, so they should follow its directives. It was also an act to clarify once again their affiliation to external factions and civilians.

It felt like they were about to burst out of frustration.

It was difficult to accept losing their territory in an instant, but the humiliation was even more unbearable...!

Crunch, crunch!

The sound of children breaking cookies and the Black King mercenaries clenching their teeth was in stark contrast.

It was as if a line had been drawn on a canvas, with entirely different pictures on each side. The side with Tikan's family and the side where the Black King mercenaries sat.

"How about relaxing your expressions a bit, folks?"

One person from Tikan's side came over to the table where the Black King mercenaries were seated, said, "My lord has provided such an excellent setting for us. So, why are you to keep sitting here with such grim faces? Have any of you ever eaten cookies like this while living as mercenaries? This is my first time."

It was the Ghost Leader, Lata Proch. He had come to greet Jin on the first day of the new year.

Lata's sister, Faye Proch, also joined him and added a word.

"Yeah, there are kids around, so don't look so fierce. I feel like tearing you apart, though."

Relations between the Ghost mercenary Corps and the Black King mercenary corps were not so good, especially considering that Lata had been evaluated as the worst among the Three Great Mercenaries. He had been waiting for an opportunity to turn the tide.

Now that he had become Jin's retainer, his desire for that had waned, but it was absurd to see the Black King mercenaries with this attitude.

"What did you say?"

"What did I say? That's informal. Friend. Except for Sir Valkas, no one among you outrank me. We're going to work together from now on, so the hierarchy should be clear, right?"

"Work together? Who's going to eat a meal with you!"

One of the officers shouted, and Lata's eyes filled with killing intent. 

The officer flinched, and the captains' squint their eyes. Lata smirked as if he was holding back and said.

"I understand your feelings, but this is not the time for that, all of you. Can't you see how the situation is changing? What do you think Sir Valkas would decide when he wakes up? Do you really think he'll say he wants to become neutral again?"

Tension crackled between Lata and the Black King mercenaries. Just like Lata had said, Valkas had not yet regained consciousness.

Immediately after the Black King mercenaries incident, Jin, along with Valkas and the Black Knight, headed straight for the Holy Kingdom.

Jin believed that no one but Holy Queen Lani could cure them of Zephyrin's poison.

But even she couldn't completely heal them with her pure divine power this time.

She requested around five hundred different medicine ingredients for their treatment, some of which were so rare that they were classified as 1st-class materials, and even Runcandel obtained them only through high-priority missions.

As a result, Jin and some of his companions had busy days, even until today, on New Year's Day. They explored the corners of the world, scoured danger zones and unprotected areas to collect medicine ingredients.

Lata and his ghost corps, as well as Kuzan, had suffered the most among them.

However, Lata had no intention of revealing this hardship to the members of the Black King mercenaries who were clenching their anger.

He believed that he had endured all of this hardship not for the sake of the Black King mercenaries but for his lord.

".... Sir Lata, do you really think our leader will go under the 12th flagbearer's command?"

"Well, I don't want to admit it, but in all aspects, Sir Valkas is superior to me. In terms of strength, adaptability, judgment, experience, and more. Oh, there's one thing where I might be better—maybe I have a bigger temper. I think my guts are bigger too."

"He's a better person overall, isn't he, big brother?"

Faye said that with a mocking tone and a vomiting gesture. Although the siblings had a very close relationship, it seemed they didn't consider each other as beautiful. However, they would praise each other in front of others.

"Anyway, when it comes to Sir Valkas, can I really ignore what I've seen and what I've read? Now, becoming a part of my lord's forces is the best and only option. If the Black King mercenaries behave recklessly, they'll be shunned not only by Runcandel but also by Zipfel. That could lead to their destruction."

"That's an issue for the leader to decide when he wakes up. It's not up to you to worry about."

"Alright, but you bastards have been talking too rudely for a while now…."

"Hey, you mercenaries bastards. Are you the only ones here? Control yourselves. If you find the Hidden Palace Guard amusing, should I give you a lesson?"

Ryu and Hiten were stationed in Tikan under the command of Talaris. They were sitting on the Tikan family's side, and enjoying tea and cookies.

"Ha! What did you say? Speak up again...!"

Creak!

Just as Lata and the Black King mercenaries were about to burst in anger, the door opened, and a voice was heard.

"Hey, what's this? Why are there so many quarrelsome guys on the first day of the New Year? Huh? Are you guys fighting? You are, aren't you? Don't you see kids playing over there?"

It was Murakan. Upon hearing his voice, Lata and Faye immediately bowed their heads, and the Black King mercenaries cleared their throats and turned their gaze.

"Sorry."

"Cuicantelle, couldn't you have told them to stop fighting? They're causing a ruckus from the first day of the New Year."

"I was afraid that they would die if I beat them."

"Oh, I see. Well done. Latrie, bring some cookies. Quickly. They smell amazing."

"I was curious about how far they'd go."

Beside Murakan were Jin, Valkas, and the Black Knight, who was still wrapped in bandages and being carried on a stretcher, similar to Valkas. And also Lani, the Holy Queen, in a hood.

The Black Knight still hadn't regained consciousness.

Lani removed her hood, and a deep and sacred aura seemed to envelop the interior of the bakery.

In this strange solemnity, the mercenaries instinctively lowered their heads.

They know that she was healing their leader, so pay their respect to her.

"We greet the Holy Queen!"

"Today, I have come here as a friend of Tikan. It is uncomfortable, mercenaries, please raise your heads."

Lani shrugged when she said that and then looked at Jin and Valkas.

"Anyway, looking at the atmosphere here, you two seem to be in for some hard work. In any case, I'd like some cookies too. I need to eat and then return to continue the New Year's celebration."

She had found a moment during the New Year's celebration to secretly seek out Tikan. Then, she casually mingled with Tikan's family and exchanged pleasantries before the members of the Black King mercenaries raised their voices.

"Leader!"

"Are you okay?"

"I am fine, so don't make a fuss. And all of you, don't do anything rash, and mind your attitudes."

At Valkas' words, the members of the Black King mercenaries lined up and bowed their heads.

"Should I speak, or would you like you to address them, Sir Valkas?" Jin said, looking at the mercenaries.

Jin and Valkas had already discussed the future of the Black King mercenaries before coming to Tikan.

"Let me speak. This seems to be the last opportunity for me to speak as the independent leader of the Black King mercenaries."

The eyes of Black King mercenaries widened at his words, and Lata nodded as if he had expected this.

The Black King mercenaries had not expected Valkas to accept this imposed choice.

Valkas was aware, just as Lata had foreseen, that this was the only means by which the Black King mercenaries could survive.

"From today, the Black King mercenaries will be sworn in as subordinates of the 12th flagbearer. This doesn't simply mean he is our leader by following the order of money, as in the world of mercenaries, but rather our lord, and we pledge our trust and loyalty to him through a blood alliance."

While Lata had firmly taken control of a significant part of the Ghost mercenary corps, the Black King mercenaries had placed even stronger trust in Valkas. The members were initially baffled by his sudden decision, but they quickly regained their composure and nodded.

"Yes, Leader!"

"And starting now, all the equipment from Black King Mountain Hideout must be relocated to this place, Tikan Free City. The process will involve a complete overhaul of Tikan Free City itself, so everyone should prepare to bring the equipment here."

It was the moment when Tikan's most substantial defense system was decided.