CHAPTER 256

After killing the mages, he left the port immediately.

And to confuse any further pursuit, he purposely looped around several alleys, and arrived at a cliff he had located in advance before throwing himself into the sea.

Splash!

[Miya!]

As soon as they fell into the sea, Shurry let out a cheerful cry.

It meant that there were no longer any pursuers close by.

Jin took a deep breath and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"You can come out now, Dante."

Jin pulled Dante from Shurry's mouth.

As soon as the robe wrapped around Dante was unfurled, Jin couldn't help but be shocked.

'Why is there so much blood… So you got cut by Shurry's teeth earlier.'

The robe was soaked and Dante's entire body was covered in blood.

It was to the point he thought Dante might've been dead.

"Are you… okay?"

"I am, haha."

"You have a wound on your shoulder. Sorry."

"Oh, it did pierce quite deep. Well, it was the beast that did it. It didn't do it with malice."

Jin shrugged and handed him the healing resin. 

Dante roughly washed off his blood with sea water and applied the resin.

His entire body was etched with scars from training.

'Beradin had said something similar when he was scratched by Murakan at the Mitel transfer gate. I thought these two were completely different, but they're quite alike.'

"Jin."

"Yeah?"

"What do you plan to do now?"

Dante asked worriedly.

Although Dante had been covered in the robes, he still knew that Jin had killed the mages.

And that he had used magic.

Dante didn't know about the oath between Zipfel and Runcandel, but he knew that the Runcandel Clan strictly prohibited magic.

"Well, we have to start by running away. We're not out of the woods just yet. What about you? You couldn't have thought that you'd be able to escape on that sailing boat after setting fire to the gold, right?"

"Mmm… Well, that was the plan."

The sailboat that Dante and Beradin had arrived in was not something that could escape Zipfel's pursuit.

"If you two hadn't ran into me, you would've been in real trouble. Beradin would have died at the hands of his father, and the Hairan Clan would have suffered enormous damage because of you."

As Jin patted Shurry's back, she swam faster.

"I guess. I suppose I wasn't in a situation to ask you what you planned to do. At first, I was impressed by Beradin's determination and followed him, but now that I think about it, it was a foolish thing to do. Compared to what you did, though, it was but a drop in the ocean, wasn't it?"

Pff.

The two simultaneously burst out laughing.

"I'm worried about Beradin."

Soon Dante smiled bitterly.

"He won't die from that. I held back when I hit him."

"That's not what I meant."

"You're worried that he'll cause a riot once he gets back to his clan? Surely he'll understand why I knocked him out."

"That's not what I meant either. Beradin, that guy… Though I was in the same boat, it seemed like he had no idea what the Zipfel Clan had been up to."

There was silence for a moment.

"Of course, every clan will have their dirt, but the Zipfels have gone too far. I was actually suspicious of him. I thought that Beradin must've participated to some extent in Zipfel's evil deeds."

"Do you still believe that?"

"No."

"What do you think will happen in the future?"

Jin looked at Dante.

"I think there are only two futures left for Beradin. Either he fights against the clan and gets himself exiled, or he has his will broken and submits to the clan. Or perhaps, he'll be killed rather than exiled, like Kal Zipfel."

What had Beradin been like in Jin's previous life?

He was a mage who reached 9-stars at the age of 30, and even then was known to become the next patriarch of the Zipfel Clan.

He was envied by all young mages and had such a great personality that he was literally loved by all.

But Jin's information was only second hand, acquired from newspapers.

'What kind of person was Beradin really like back then?'

The next patriarch of the Zipfel Clan, someone who was righteous and outstanding.

Was that image the public saw really his true self?

Or had he actually yielded to the clan and his public image was just a facade?

Jin's teenage years in this life were completely different from his previous life.

In his previous life, he was treated like trash by his family because he couldn't even achieve 1-star in swordsmanship in those years.

But now he was roaming the world as a provisional flag-bearer.

If you included today's events, he had exposed incidents that would change the world, learnt about the secrets of gods, the hidden sides of the world's powers, and the true selves of the people around him.

And he had met people who he could call his friends.

Jin had secretly tried to keep his distance from one of those people, Beradin.

Because that was the destiny of two people from the Runcandel and Zipfel families.

It may not be the case for Dante, but Jin had always thought he'd have no choice but to point his sword at Beradin some day.

This was especially true after learning about Andrei Zipfel's use of the 'Demon God's Orb' and the 'biological experiments'.

Whether Beradin had wanted it or not, Jin felt that in the end, Beradin would have no choice but to become a sympathizer. 

But that wasn't the case.

Beradin had set fire to the Zipfel gold, declaring that he was ashamed of his clan.

He risked death and tried to kill his family's mages, and the main reason for that impulsive decision was the fact that his friend, who had exposed the whole truth, was attacked for doing so.

"We can't leave him alone like that."

Jin spoke, and Dante blinked with his widened eyes.

He had thought that Jin would give a colder response.

—You know, after all the fighting, I don't think it would be a bad idea to just become allies.

Deciding on a victor and then just getting along together…

—I never dreamed that the next head of the Zipfel Clan would have such soft ideals.

He had been the same when the three had shared a drink on the last night of the Cosmos Arena.

—Beradin, I think that Jin must have some circumstances that are hard to talk about. I think it'll be best to stop asking.

—Especially since he keeps drawing a line between us!

—Do you not think that it's you guys who don't draw any lines at all that are weird?

It was the same when they had left Samil, the Nameless city, and spent two days together.

But now Jin was saying that he 'couldn't leave Beradin alone'.

"What are you so surprised about?"

"No...Hm! It's nothing. But it feels strange for me to hear you say that you need to rescue Beradin."

"For now, I need to hear Beradin's thoughts, so let's go there."

"There?"

"To the hideout. Shurry, go faster. Anyway, why did you need money? I was a little shocked when the gold fell out of your pocket earlier. Why does the next head of the Hairan Clan need a mere gold bar?"

"Ah, the thing is…"

Dante hesitated before continuing.

"Not long ago, I accidentally broke one of my grandfather's favorite ceramics. I don't know much, but what I do know is that he cherishes ceramics like they're his own body… So I definitely had to restore it before he found out. But… It turns out that the cost of hiring a master repair mage is pretty high."

"…What?"

Ron's love for ceramics was famous among warriors.

To put it into perspective, it was to the point that there were talks of people saying that if you wanted to befriend the Hairan Clan, you had to first win the favor of the ceramic craftsmen of the Milla Kingdom.

"This is a bit embarrassing. Th-that's why I'm saying this, but…"

It was worth asking.

As the next head of the family, he couldn't just spend family funds carelessly, and if he suddenly spent too much, Ron would be alerted.

"You want me to lend you money?"

Dante nodded.

"Fine."

"As expected, I knew I could count on you!"

They had another six hours of traveling through the sea to look forward to.

Fortunately, the pursuers would not discover them.

The sea, without a single lighthouse and where the sun had set, was dark. The only thing shining brightly were Dante's eyes.

* * *

January 1st, 1798.

The new year has arrived.

The first day of the new year is usually a time for loved ones to gather together to bless each other for the new year, greet the first rising of the sun with a lover, or at least sleep in late since it's a holiday, but…

But the Guardian Knight Khan was covered in monster's blood, intestines, and bone fragments, just as he had been on the first day of 1796.

The speed at which he cut down the monsters was unusual.

He was in the midst of running through the middle of the Black Sea for three days and nights, not even taking a short break.

The whole time, his face only expressed anxiousness.

"Patriarch!"

Cyron had felt Khan approaching from a while ago, but it was only after Khan had shouted between gasping breaths did he slowly open his eyes.

"You seem impatient. What happened?"

"The youngest master has caused a riot!"

Surprisingly, Cyron only nodded calmly.

It was like he had expected as much.

What Khan took out from his pocket and respectfully held out was not a letter from Kashimir, but a bundle of newsletters.

(The Runcandel's provisional flag-bearer destroyed ZIpfel's golden castle!)

(Who is Jin Runcandel, the mysterious mutant who uses both magic and lightning?)

(The youngest son exposes the true face of justice - The great evil known as the Zipfel Clan.)

(Zipfel and Kinzelo's Living Golem experiments, those two are clearly preparing for war.)

(The first Runcandel and provisional flag-bearer to break the strict rules in 17 centuries. Will the demigod realm overlook this?)

(Rani Salome referred to Jin Runcandel as a 'friend' three times during the coronation of the Holy King…)

(…However, it seems that the Holy Kingdom plans to enter a state of complete isolation other than for activities involving civilian relief for the time being. Instead, they've announced that they will send priests to Runcandel on a regular basis.)

(A great achievement for the provisional flag-bearer!)

Newspapers containing such stores were all over the place.

Cyron, quietly looking over the articles, had a profound expression on his face.

"He did cause quite the riot."

"Lady Rosa has urgently summoned the flag-bearers. She said that she would wait for the patriarch's decision, but it looked like she was in the mood to immediately have the youngest master captured."

The newsletters from the Lutero Magic Federation had a completely different tone.

(Kelliark Zipfel declares that he will hold Runcandel accountable.)

(Zipfel has announced that they will no longer supply everyday magic products to the Huphester Alliance. This will be enforced until the Runcandels present Jin Runcandel.)

(As of today, a worldwide warrant has been issued for Jin Runcandel, and the Zipfel Clan are offering one hundred million gold coins and lifelong protection as compensation…)

(The culprits behind the Living Golem experiment were Kinzelo, not Zipfel, and the rumor of an alliance with Zipfel is groundless, just Runcandel's malicious instigation!)

(The Magic Towers' Pillars have declared that they are willing to go to war with Runcandel, and that the prospective flag-bearer threatens the peace of the world.)

A faint smile appeared on Cyron's face as he read through the Lutero Magic Federation's newsletters.

"What a great achievement."

Khan bowed his head and waited for the patriarch to continue.

"We sent him out so that he could build up his reputation, but not only did he do that, he also raised Runcandel's reputation, and brought Zipfel's reputation down to the ground. This can truly be called a great achievement."

Khan sighed inwardly with relief.

No matter how much Cyron cared for Jin, he didn't think that he would cover for Jin regarding such a major incident.

But as Cyron continued, Khan had no choice but to feel anxious.

"But apart from this, the youngest has always been good at taking responsibility. Khan."

"Yes, Patriarch."

"Issue a special arrest order for the youngest. As of this moment, finding the youngest will be the permanent mission for all provisional flag-bearers, guardian knights, and cadets. Announce that if an outsider is capable of bringing him in, they will receive three hundred million in gold coins, as well as absolute protection from the Runcandel Clan, and either way is fine. Dead or alive."