Chapter 85

Chapter 30. Defeat Alice! (1)

In early August 1795, Zepel officially announced the deaths of Governor Andrei and the Wind Dragon Viretta through a bulletin.

However, even with the official announcement,

the cause of death was not clearly stated, and the date of death was only estimated. The names of the people directly involved in the incident, such as Jin and his party or Quicantel, were not mentioned in the bulletin.

It was truly a major event.

Runkandel, Biment, and other forces, including the Imperial Palace, were on high alert, and numerous rumors spread among the people.

Rumors that Andrei was eliminated due to internal strife within Zepel, that he lost a duel to another grand mage known as 'Cold Joe,' and that he was killed by Biment's royal guards for offending the emperor.

However, the most prevalent rumor was that 'Runkandel's knights killed him.' There was also a rumor that the Master of the Imperial Palace, Talaris Endorma, assassinated him, but it was not the dominant one.

Of course, Andrei's official place of death was an uninhabited island of Biment, and at the time, most of Runkandel's knights were on standby at the Sword Garden. Moreover, Luna's existence was unknown to both Zepel and Biment.

To the public, the facts were not important.

Assumptions more exciting than the facts were what deserved to be the truth.

Would Runkandel now begin to dominate the world?

After the official announcement, discussions among the commoners in taverns continued without end.

Swords and magic.

Which was stronger?

People believed that Runkandel and Zepel would finally start a full-scale war. They already believed that Runkandel had assassinated Andrei.

Even among the nobility and warlords, this matter was of unprecedented interest.

Especially for the medium and small forces that did not belong to any of the major groups like Runkandel, Zepel, or Biment.

They had maintained 'neutrality' like the Imperial Palace, but unlike the Imperial Palace, they lacked the power to protect themselves in times of crisis.

Therefore, they now needed to side with one of the forces, either Runkandel or Zepel.

If a war between swords and magic were to start, the medium and small forces standing in the gray area would be like leaves swept away by a torrent.

Surprisingly, more neutral forces sought out the sword.

More neutral forces gathered to Runkandel than to Zepel, which had been considered the best in the world until now.

"Lord, today the Crown Prince of Scheron Kingdom and five second-tier mercenary groups have requested protection from Runkandel. Since Andrei's death, such requests have been pouring in daily. The rumors are truly terrifying."

Runkandel's head butler, Heinz, had been reporting similar news to Syron for four days.

"Return all the gifts they brought and accept their requests for protection. Give the Crown Prince of Scheron a suitable sword to ensure he firmly secures the throne later."

"Yes, I will assign an 8th Rank Guardian Knight to him."

"Understood, you may leave."

And Syron accepted all of them, except those who had clearly offended him.

Given that these forces had maintained neutrality due to their lack of presence, they would not significantly bolster Runkandel's strength.

However, they could be useful when Runkandel eventually overcame Zepel and became the true ruler of the world.

As this phenomenon continued, another rumor began to spread among the people.

The rumor that Zepel could no longer surpass Runkandel. With neutral forces continuously seeking out Runkandel, it was inevitable that this perception would spread.

'This is all the result of the youngest's incident on Biment's uninhabited island. It's a kind of butterfly effect. He must be hearing these news in Tikan as well.'

After Heinz left, Syron thought about his youngest.

Of course, the stories that Runkandel had now surpassed Zepel were just rumors. Zepel was still strong and was slightly ahead of Runkandel.

'This incident has absorbed a considerable number of neutral forces. As a reserve knight, he is already contributing to the family. My child, but what an interesting kid... '

Syron smiled faintly and called for the Guardian Knight, Kan.

"Did you call, Lord?"

"Have you heard from Casimir yet?"

Kan was surprised.

'I knew that Young Master Jin was special from the Storm Castle, but I never imagined that the Lord would show such interest in him. He seems almost anxious!'

Kan had never seen Syron like this before. Even when the next Lord, Joshua, reached the 9th Rank recently, Syron had not given even a minor hint.

"No, Lord."

"Hmm... I understand."

Syron's somewhat disappointed tone made Kan bow apologetically.

"Tomorrow, I will set sail for the Black Sea again. If I receive any news later, come and inform me immediately."

"I will remember that."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jin, whom Syron was so curious about, had been focusing on personal training since returning from the Sword Garden.

'If it weren't for Sister Luna, I would have surely died on Biment's uninhabited island.'

After the regression, he achieved 5th Rank in both swordsmanship and magic at the age of fifteen, and his spirit energy was almost at 5th Rank, but...

'Thinking about the future, it's woefully insufficient.'

This realization made Jin anxious.

After the battle on the uninhabited island, he felt it more acutely than ever. While he was exceptionally talented at fifteen, there were not many enemies he could face alone.

'I need to become stronger. Within the five years my father gave me, I need to be strong enough to defeat all my siblings. Strong enough to not need anyone's protection!'

Luna was a significant source of inspiration.

The way she overwhelmed the group that even Murakan and Quicantel could not handle, wielding a single sword... she looked like a god of battle.

However, even that god of battle...

When he went to the Sword Garden recently, he was forced to discard his weapon. Just because he had helped him.

Jin's enemies were people like that.

Swish!

Bradamante slashed through the air savagely.

He had already swung his sword over ten thousand times. His muscles felt like they were about to burst, and every bone in his body ached.

Jin felt more frustration than pain.

'Even though I'm far from achieving the Heart's Eye... I will definitely reach the absolute realm of Heart Sword that Sister Luna showed me within five years.'

Heart Sword: Red Moon.

It was not a secret technique of Runkandel but a realm that Luna had independently mastered after surpassing the Heart's Eye.

A realm that could only be achieved by overlaying a word spirit on a sword, the Heart Sword. The dream of all knights. Among them, Luna's red aura could only be achieved with a special enlightenment.

-You can definitely reach it within five years. First, to manifest a word spirit, you need to learn how to express your will through a sword.

-Expressing will through a sword...

-When you swing your sword ten thousand times, the last swing should be the same as the first.

This was what Luna had told him.

'I can probably do a thousand now.'

After surpassing five thousand, he couldn't tell if he was swinging the sword or the sword was swinging him.

Just as he was about to deliver the next strike,

"Stop, Young Master Jin."

Casimir had approached him unnoticed.

"Phew, Sir Casimir."

"I never trained as hard as you when I was your age... If you keep this up, even Runkandel's blessed body won't last."

Enya, who had followed Casimir, fussed over him, handing him a towel.

"Young Master Jin! Your face is half gone. Oh, my goodness. Young Master Jin, your palms are torn to shreds! The floor is drenched in blood! Oh!"

It was true.

A small pool of blood and sweat had formed around where Jin was standing, a faintly red puddle.

While Enya wiped Jin's face and called for healers, Casimir couldn't take his eyes off the puddle.

'What kind of determination is this? It's not the kind of mental strength a fifteen-year-old should have.'

The healers began casting healing spells on Jin's palms, and Jin sat down, staring at his hands.

"I'm sorry to worry you, Sir Casimir, Enya."

"Why are you abusing those pretty hands! I can see the bones...?"

Of course, Jin's hands, which he had held swords since childhood, were covered in calluses and far from pretty. But to Enya, who was full of admiration, they looked like beautiful sculptures.

"The reason Young Master Jin is doing this... must be because of what happened on the uninhabited island, right?"

After the healers left, Casimir sat next to Jin and spoke.

"Yes. It's not just the battle with Andrei. There were too many moments when I would have been in danger if it weren't for Gilly and Murakan. To not be a burden to my family, I have to train this much."

"Young Master Jin, you're the same age as me. Don't be so anxious. Oh, it's frustrating."

"No, Miss Enya. Young Master Jin is very calmly evaluating himself."

Casimir's response made Enya flinch.

"That's too much, Sir Casimir. Young Master Jin."

"Miss Enya is right; he is very strong. He is definitely the strongest among fifteen-year-olds. But I understand Young Master Jin's mindset. The enemies he will face in the future will not be ordinary."

Jin nodded heavily.

"But, Young Master Jin, anxiety is the greatest poison during the growth period. It can make you take a roundabout path when you could have gone straight. I believe Gilly also tells you the same thing every day."

As Casimir said, Gilly also gave Jin the same advice every day. That he needs to slow down his pace. That he is pushing himself too hard.

"I know, but once I get absorbed, I can't control it. I'm ashamed."

"There's no need to be ashamed. You're digesting a training volume that no one else can, which is quite remarkable. Instead, how about doing some training that can cool your head?"

"Cool my head...?"

Casimir smiled.

"Let's have a sparring session."

"With you, Sir Casimir?"

Casimir shook his head.

"No, it's too early for you to spar with me directly. That's something to start after you've achieved more."

Although Casimir did not notice when Guardian Knight Kan secretly approached and gave him a note,

it was only because Kan was incredibly skilled, not because Casimir was lacking. The title 'Sword Listener' was not a light one.

"Within six months, defeat my wife, Alice Vatz. Use your swordsmanship, magic, and spirit energy. I promise it will be a good learning experience for you in many ways."