C248 - Villain (5)
Jin let out a sigh and lowered his hand from his waist.
When Deano was attacked, Jin had unconsciously prepared to unleash the mana bolt.
Luckily, he managed to stop himself. If his mastery had been lower, he would have acted preemptively and drawn everyone's attention. That would have been a problem.
I thought Luna would block any incoming attack. But those crazy bastards. Did they really want to kill Deano in front of all these eyes?
That's how sensitively the White Night Mages reacted to Deano's statements.
The sorcerers who had shot the mana bolt did their best to maintain a serious face. But Jin and the Runcandels could see through them. They were more than frustrated.
For the White Night Mages, the attack itself was a great risk.
Even if they had managed to kill Deano, everyone would have criticized them for it. Not even the Runcandels, who cared about nothing but their own dominance, killed journalists so carelessly.
Of course, it would have done much less harm than the truth being revealed.
In any case, Luna is still a monster.
How many people in the world could block a mana bolt from an eight-star Mage with their own hands? Especially an ambush attack like this? Regardless of the current state of affairs, Luna's monstrous strength sent shivers down his spine.
Shing.
Joshua obeyed Luna and sheathed his sword. He even silently bowed to Luna and admitted his mistake before sheathing his weapon.
It felt rebellious, but he understood that there was no reason to belittle the Runcandel name in public.
The sudden attack from the White Night caused a stir. But what was more surprising than the attack was the appearance of Luna Runcandel, the white whale.
She was known for staying away from public opinion, despite the abundant rumors about her.
However, bards constantly praised her. Their lyrics described Luna as a martial artist with immense skills and astonishing beauty.
When Luna took off her hood, the crowd could barely suppress their astonishment.
It wasn't her beauty that confirmed the lyrics.
It was the majesty of her deep blue eyes and her unwavering audacity against the White Night and the Kozec. The audience was completely mesmerized.
The following seconds were soaked in a silence that seemed impossible for such a large crowd.
"Are you alright, Deano Jaglun?"
"Yes, thanks to you. Thank you, Lady Luna, and Sir Joshua."
"You made a very interesting claim. I would like to know more, so come visit the Runcandel delegation later," Luna said.
"Of course."
Deano was staying at Luna's estate with the Kollonites, but they pretended not to know each other.
"Hey, White Night Mages and Karl Zipple. I am Luna Runcandel."
Then Luna turned her gaze to the White Night sorcerers.
"Pleased to meet you, Lady Luna. I am Maul Hanserk, the second commander of the White Night."
Maul Hanserk, who led the second unit of the White Night, had been observing how everything unfolded on the Kozec's stairs.
"You? It seems they changed the second commander, and I didn't even hear about it."
"My predecessor, Sir Drew Malaga, retired..."
"If it were Drew, he would have come down those stairs before responding to my greetings."
Maul furrowed his brow.
He was clearly older than Luna, and since he currently had no superiors, he was the Zipple's representative here.
But he was belittled from his very introduction.
The gazes of Luna and Maul met, leaving the entire square in suspense. The crowd was completely intimidated by the dominant show of strength from the two giant clans and could barely breathe.
It wasn't just the crowd. Even the White Night Mages were tense.
The only ones who remained unruffled by this scene were Luna, Jin, and Murakan.
There was a good reason why they weren't nervous.
'Maul Hanserk, to think he would show such blatant disrespect towards my sister. It seems the second unit of the White Night will have a new commander tomorrow.'
He should have shown his courtesy to Luna before answering. Although he was older than her and belonged to the Zipple, a lowly second commander of the White Night had no right to belittle the First Flagbearer of the Runcandel Clan.
He couldn't show manners to someone he couldn't even defeat in battle.
Joshua now looked at Maul with eyes that blatantly revealed his desire to kill. He had even shown respect for Luna against his own wishes. This despicable second commander of the White Night belittling his sister was infuriating.
"Sir Maul. If you find it difficult to resign, I can help you completely get rid of those stairs. Haven't you heard the First Flagbearer?" Joshua growled in a low tone.
Maul's face turned red. Shame and a sense of defeat made his body tremble with anger.
But fortunately, Maul wasn't terribly foolish.
"Please excuse my rudeness, Lady Luna."
Maul stepped down from the stairs. The other Mages aboard the Kozec followed suit.
The crowd didn't understand the exchange and found it difficult to comprehend what was happening. The Zipple were undoubtedly the largest clan in the world, with the Runcandels following closely behind. They couldn't understand why Maul submitted after being insulted.
On the other hand, people who had a keen interest in the two clans, especially the nobles, thought that this was how it should have been.
"Now, we can finally talk. Let me ask you something, Sir Maul. Why did your subordinates attack this journalist?"
"Karl Zipple received orders from the patriarch to atone for his sins here. The fourth tower master of the Zipple clan has come to pay the price for his crimes with his own life. That man insulted the Zipple clan by obscuring the truth."
"Obscuring?"
"I admit that I have belittled you, Lady Luna. But you are also interfering in Zipple's affairs. It will only cause mutual harm if it escalates between our clans, so we would like to take this journalist named Deano with us." Maul spoke after fixing his gaze confidently.
Whether he was ashamed or not of Luna's intimidation, that didn't change the fact that he still represented the Zeifl (Zipple) clan. If he backed down for no reason, his shame would become the least of his concerns.
"I cannot allow you to do that."
"On what basis do you countermand it?"
"Haven't you heard me before? I have told this man to visit the Runcandel delegation. Therefore, Deano Jaglun is my guest from this very moment."
"This is not a personal matter for us."
"Personal matter, you say. It's not something you want to say to the Flagbearers of Runcandel. Don't you think you're making too many mistakes today?"
"If you don't retreat, we will be forced to take action."
He spoke as bravely as he could, but everyone present knew that the White Night couldn't do anything against Luna and Joshua, including Maul himself.
"Lord Maul, life is precious, although that piece of metal floating in the sky is probably more valuable to the Zipples than their own lives. It wouldn't be very good if you had to return dead and with the ship destroyed, would it?" Luna flashed a cold smile.
A thousand thoughts, each one more horrifying than the last, rushed through Maul's mind.
Were that journalist's statements part of Runcandel's plans to set all this up? How much of our information has leaked to the Runcandels? Luna Runcandel? If we were to fight that monster right now...
Obviously, they would be annihilated. It wouldn't even be called a battle, as everyone would be decapitated before they could board the Kozec.
Even if they moved to a remote area and started the fight on board the Kozec, they couldn't guarantee victory against her.
However, they couldn't surrender. They had to fight for the reputation of Zipple, even if they were annihilated. The reason they came here with Karl Zipple was for the sake of their reputation.
"Please, calm down."
Lani had finished treating Karl Zipple. "Both the Runcandels and the Zipples are much stronger than the Holy Kingdom, and everyone knows it. But let me remind both of you that we haven't even started the state funeral for His Majesty. Please respect the mourning of this land."
Lani's words were a saving grace for Maul. It gave him an excuse to back down. He was about to genuinely feel grateful to her.
"But you have achieved something great, flagbearers of the Runcandel clan. We nearly chased an innocent man."
"An innocent man? Look, Lani Salome. Our patriarch has sent the fourth tower master, his own son! Fully aware that he could be stoned to death. Do you think that insignificant journalist's claims can nullify the decision of the Zipple patriarch?"
Bang.
Jin punched Murakan in the side and muttered under his breath.
"What do you want?" Murakan whispered.
"Yell at him, tell him to stop with the nonsense and leave."
"What?"
"Everyone is on edge right now. If someone starts, everyone will go crazy."
The faces of the crowd turned red with anger as Maul began yelling at Lani. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was making outrageously ridiculous statements to cover up.
The problem was that the Zipples were certainly capable of covering things up with ridiculous statements.
"You could do it yourself! I'm a dragon, okay?"
"Joshua will recognize my voice. People will stare at you when you yell, so I'll step aside for a moment..."
At that moment, a woman suddenly shouted.
"Shut up! Dirty bastards from Zipple! When will you stop mocking this land blessed by Ayula?"
She seemed to have a disability in one leg. She was in a wheelchair and wore a robe with a large representation of the dormant volcano shield.
"It seems I won't have to do it," Murakan hissed.
"Yes. She did it at the perfect timing," Jin said.
The rest of the crowd followed suit and started voicing their opinions as well.
"Don't kill the journalist who spoke up for the Holy Kingdom! You can't let this happen before the whole truth is revealed!"
"If you kill him, kill us too!"
"Not even the Runcandels would do something like this!"
Jin observed the scene for a moment but felt that something was off. He shifted his gaze to the woman who had initiated the commotion.
Something about her seemed quite familiar.
That woman. Where have I seen her before? Or does she just resemble someone I know?
Jin stared at her intently.
It was impossible for her to feel his gaze from the crowd, but she also slowly turned her head and met his eyes. Did you like it? There was a smile on her face that seemed to say those words.
Jin remembered who she was.
She's Bishkel's little sister.
Margiella Iveliano. She was the one who made Bishkel fight against him at the Enemies of the Runcandel Clan party.
Jin didn't recognize her at first because of the disguise. But those mischievous lips and the characteristic childlike gaze on her face could only belong to Margiella.
"Lord Jin was too cruel against a weaker opponent. The man on the ground is our friend. Are you just going to stand there and watch? Brother, I'm completely disappointed."
"Are you telling me to fight against Lord Jin?"
"Yes, maybe you could teach Lord Jin a lesson, in a more honorable way than Lord Jin just showed, of course."
He even remembered Margiella and Bishkel's conversation at that time.
"Bamel, the Kinzelo will help you. So don't go too far with us, alright? All's well that ends well, isn't it?"
Margiella smiled with her eyes as she uttered those words.