C201 - Vanessa Olsen (1)
They explored the excellent restaurants of Tikan City, enjoyed a snack at a charming tea house, and admired the nighttime views from the top of the island.
Up until then, Vanessa had maintained her composure and acted as a respectable lady, not revealing her true feelings.
The final dessert of the day arrived and was placed on the table.
"It's a cookie made with figs, grapes, and nuts called 'Fruit Cookies.' It's my first time trying it, but there seems to be a long line in front of the dessert shop on the third floor that sells them."
"Oh, really?"
"Apparently, half of the people in line can't get one."
"Well, I suppose thanks to my donation, I can enjoy my food comfortably. Probably the leaders of Tikan don't stand in line to buy these delicacies."
"No, ever since I started accompanying my Lady, an agent named Jet has been waiting in line all this time. Fortunately, these were the last cookies."
Vanessa smiled contentedly and took a bite of the cookie. The cookie crumbled in her mouth, making a delightful sound.
A cool evening breeze blew by the table. Vanessa's smile lingered on her face as if she were savoring the taste of the cookie.
Jin patiently waited for Vanessa to finish her dessert. When the last cookie disappeared, he looked straight at her and said:
"At this point, I can't help but be curious, Vanessa Olsen."
Vanessa used an alias in Tikan.
However, she didn't seem surprised at all when Jin mentioned her real name. As always, she had a calm expression.
"There's a dragon's scent in your home, so I suppose they have revealed my name to you. What do you want to know, Jin Runcandel?"
Her expression remained the same, but her tone changed. Gone was the gentle and casual old woman, and in her place were the deep and penetrating eyes of the strongest.
"My father sent you to test me," Jin said, "but you act as if you're having a picnic with your grandson, so maybe I'm mistaken."
"No, you got it right. Lord Cyron sent me a letter asking me to get to know you. It was just a whim that I decided to spend some quiet time with you. It reminded me of a bygone era."
Jin sighed inwardly. Until that moment, he hadn't completely dismissed the possibility that Vanessa Olsen wasn't related to Cyron.
"You don't seem surprised at all."
"Surprised, yes. It's just that I had never heard of someone of Vanessa-nim's caliber."
"The world is very big, Jin Runcandel. That's why there are people like you, who are capable of using the sword, magic, and shadow..."
"It seems my father trusts Lady Vanessa a lot."
"Enough for Lord Cyron to entrust his rear to me."
At that passage, Jin couldn't help but be surprised. The Genesis Knight, Cyron Runcandel, his father, trusting someone else to guard his rear was something he couldn't even imagine.
"I've heard that the dragons... call you the Terror of the Ante Mountains."
"I prefer to remember the days when I was a Black Knight rather than when I was known by that ridiculous nickname."
Jin's eyes widened.
'I have no idea what the relationship is with my father, but she said she was a Black Knight...!"
Vanessa Olsen.
Before becoming famous in the world, she became a Black Knight of Runcandel and always silently followed Cyron with her black armor and helmet.
'I had heard that the ancient Black Knights were the strongest in the history of the Family, especially those who fought alongside my father in the conquest of the Black Sea.'
Vanessa Olsen was one of them.
It was unknown how she became a Black Knight after killing the Dragons in the Ante Mountain, or what her feats were after becoming one, or how many enemies she had defeated alongside Cyron.
The whole story wasn't immediately clear to Jin. But he could appreciate the immense power she possessed.
And a thought crossed his mind.
'My father gave the Black Knights to Joshua because they weren't actually the strongest. It's possible that all the retired ancient Black Knights are still his, like Vanessa Olsen.'
That was probably the case. After meeting Vanessa Olsen, there was no doubt about it.
'Then, those Black Knights could also become my allies someday.'
Or they could turn against him. If Cyron were to become disappointed in Jin and consider him unfit to lead the family.
Jin quickly organized his thoughts and bowed to one of the former Black Knights.
"I, Jin, currently a Provisional Standard-bearer of Runcandel, pay my respects to the great swordsman of Runcandel."
It was tradition for a retired Black Knight to be honored first, even by the Standard-bearers.
Among the Standard-bearers and Elders of Runcandel, there were not a few who could not be consecrated in the 'Mausoleum,' but the Black Knights would surely have their names engraved in the Mausoleum after death unless they committed a crime of treason-level magnitude.
"You don't seem like a completely despicable guy."
"I apologize for the delay in greeting you."
"Carry your weapon with you and tell the Tikan Gate Guard that you're heading to the Kingdom of Shucheron. I will punish you there."
Punish me?
He wanted to ask, but silently returned to the mansion to retrieve his weapons.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw his companions waiting for him with anxious faces.
"Young Master, we were worried that you might get hurt."
"My lord, nothing bad happened, right? We were really scared when we heard Quikantel. Why would someone as elusive as her suddenly be looking for you?"
"Because of Quikantel's concern, I couldn't even get close to you disguised as a cat. Who is that Vanessa or whatever?"
Kashimir, Gilly, and Murakan spoke.
"That's not it, she is a former Black Knight from the previous generation, Vanessa Olsen-nim. Murakan did well to listen to Quikantel. She instantly recognized the Dragon scent. Moreover, it was my father who sent her, and um... he said she was coming to punish me," Jin explained.
"W-what are you saying?"
"That woman suddenly disappeared from the Ante Mountains. Could it be because she became a Black Knight of Runcandel? But... punishment, what does that mean?"
"I also thought it might be a test, but I was surprised she said punishment. We don't have much time; we have to go to the Kingdom of Shucheron. Lord Kashimir, please prepare the Transfer Portal," Jin said.
"Young Master, if I may ask, this Vanessa Olsen, she is an extraordinary woman, no doubt, but... being a former Black Knight is more than just words. Did she show any recognition like a badge from Lord Cyron?"
"She didn't show me anything like that," Jin replied.
"This child is so naive sometimes. So, he's just going to follow that woman Vanessa without any confirmation of her identity? And what if she isn't actually a former Black Knight?"
"I have to be naive to get what I want. Of course, there's a possibility that Lady Vanessa isn't a Black Knight. But what if it's true? If she really came to punish me on behalf of my father, any doubt or resistance would mean the end," Jin said.
Jin wasn't a fool for accepting to go to the Kingdom of Shucheron. If he delayed time by properly verifying Vanessa's identity, he might receive a "great" punishment instead of just a simple one.
Above all, in the worst-case scenario, there was at least one way to "escape."
"There's no clear way to explain her great ability unless she really was the previous generation's Black Knight," Jin said.
"Well, yeah. But a punishment, what could Young Master have done wrong... the crime of being born in Runcandel and pretending to be Zipple? Or the crime of pretending to be a member of the special division not long ago? Or the crime of continuing to contact Lady Luna? Or maybe the crime of meeting with Lady Yona?"
"...That alone seems like a lot, my Strawberry Cake."
"Damn it! Oops, sorry for that. Anyway, there are quite a few crimes you've committed, and if I may say, it's not just those, I only mentioned the ones I remembered the most," Gilly said, patting Murakan's back and shaking his head.
"Well, but. Even if Runcandel has great abilities to gather information, how could they know all that?"
"Yeah, at least not through impersonation, unless one of us is a spy reporting Young Master Jin's actions to Runcandel!"
When Enya shouted, Kashimir's eyes trembled. His complexion quickly turned pale as if he had been stabbed where it hurt the most.
Jin suppressed his laughter inwardly as he looked at Kashimir.
'Lord Kashimir wouldn't have reported all that. And even if he had, it wouldn't matter much; there must be another reason why he wants to punish me.'
A part of Jin wanted to reassure Kashimir that everything was fine, and there was nothing to worry about, but he put himself in Kashimir's shoes and held back. This wasn't Kashimir's responsibility.
"Don't worry too much, everyone. If it were a serious crime, my father wouldn't have sent someone like her. He could have killed me or called me for interrogation in the Black Sea without anyone knowing. Maybe the word 'punishment' is just for formality."
"Hmm, if it's just a formal punishment, it could still be significant. Like when we turned a blind eye to Lady Yona and the Mandokju (Potion of Immunity to Thousand Poisons), for example."
"Anyway, I don't think we should keep Lady Vanessa waiting any longer. I'll go back up; let me know when the transportation portal is ready."
Upon arriving at the Kingdom of Shucheron, a carriage was procured.
Vanessa herself drove the carriage, and after three days of travel, they arrived at the 'Tolkar Desert'.
It was an arid land with only dry grass and rocks. But Vanessa chose it for that very reason.
"If we're here, there's no problem in using all your power without worries, Jin Runcandel."
Vanessa untied the horses attached to the carriage as she spoke. The horses ran off into the desert, leaving them alone in the place.
"Is the punishment a duel with Lady Vanessa?"
"That's right. Have you thought about your crimes during the journey here?"
Jin had pondered it silently for the three days of the journey. He wondered why he was being punished. But he couldn't reach a conclusion.
"I don't know."
"I like your honesty. It's because of that honesty that you're being punished, but well. Your crime is spreading unverified information."
"Unverified information...?"
"Do you really think you can measure up to Lord Cyron and me?"
Ah...!
-Now I think I can compete with my father, Lord Kashimir.
-Oh, Young Master Jin. Are you sure?
-I was killed ninety thousand times by the Battle Goddess Sister before realizing that.
He suddenly remembered the moment he told that to Kashimir in the meeting after the Compass Takeover Operation.
'Oh my god, did he tell my father exactly as it happened?!'
The image of him pale with guilt from Enya's blackmail flashed quickly in his mind. He had never imagined that could happen.
Thud...!
With a hissing sound, Vanessa slowly drew her sword.
"The path to affirm your innocence is simple. Prove it with all your might and take responsibility for your arrogant words."
"Well, what if I can't prove it?"
Then Vanessa responded with an expressionless face.
"What punishment do you think someone who insults Cyron Runcandel deserves? From what I've seen, the minimum penalty is death."