C391 - Even if You Cover It Up, You Can't Hide It (1)
October 1, 1799. The depths of the Black Sea.
A man ran with his body covered in black blood, monster guts, and flesh.
He was the Guardian Knight Kahn.
In his arms, he carried a letter he had received from the Executor Knight who had made it to the beginning of the Black Sea.
For more than ten years, he had been delivering letters to Cyron about Jin.
However, Kahn's face was more serious than ever.
He couldn't examine the content of the letter, but he had learned from the Executor Knight what had happened at the main house.
"I have to go as soon as possible. Before Patriarch-nim enters the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea...!"
Territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea.
Cyron and his Knights were now planning to enter the land ruled directly by the Kings of the Black Sea beyond its depths.
Before that, Kahn had met the Executor Knight while doing one last inspection at the beginning of the Black Sea and its surroundings.
The cursed land had always been like this, but from the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea, it would be a completely unknown world.
Perhaps after entering, they would be completely cut off from the outside world for a while.
Today, there were unusually many monsters clinging to him.
Each of them was a creature that could become a demonic creature with a Core as long as they had the time and opportunity, and Kahn had to fight them for another day and a half even after entering the depths.
Huff...
When Cyron's expedition team began to become visible, it was when he could no longer hold on.
Fortunately, they had not yet entered the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea.
Cyron and the Knights were taking a short break, using the corpses of monsters as fuel for a fire.
The foul smell of burning monster meat stung their noses.
"Patriarch-nim."
Kahn bowed his head and took a breath.
The unpleasant smell of burning monster corpses pierced his nostrils.
"What's the matter, Kahn?"
Cyron, as always, remained seated in the air.
The emaciated faces of the Knights contrasted with his clean face.
"I received an urgent letter from the main house. It's about the Twelfth Flagbearer."
Cyron slowly opened his eyes, full of curiosity.
"Give it to me."
With a courteous gesture, Kahn handed him the letter.
For the Knights, except for Kahn, seeing Cyron break the seal with intense curiosity was a very unusual sight.
Kahn felt a strange sense of pride in that fact.
"It's been a long time since Patriarch-nim showed so much interest, especially after the First Flagbearer."
"I've heard the older Black Knights talk about it a few times, but it seems that the Patriarch has great expectations for the Twelfth Flagbearer."
While the Black Knights marveled at the situation, there was a monster that discreetly wondered if it was okay to intervene.
[Ha, ha, ha. Oh, it looks like there's good news!]
It was the legendary monster Ozdock.
Of course, Cyron didn't respond to Ozdock's flattering comment.
Instead, the cold gazes of the Black Knights were directed at Ozdock.
That meant he should shut up and sit quietly in a corner.
Unfortunately, Ozdock didn't know how to read the room (and even interpreted Cyron's lack of response as a positive sign) and continued to cheerfully raise his voice.
He did it out of exhaustion.
Without a word, the relentless days of killing and fighting had worn down even Ozdock, a demonic creature who had lived for two thousand years.
Ozdock desperately wished to say something, be it a light joke or casual chatter, anything.
"Well, if it isn't the Twelfth Flagbearer. Isn't that your youngest son, the one who fought with me back then? He took one of my Inner Cores. Oh, of course, I don't mean it was a waste. He'll surely put it to good use... Hehe. Your son was an impressive guy. Handsome too... Hik! P-please don't hit me. I apologize!"
Just as the Black Knights were about to intervene and forcibly silence Ozdock, Cyron raised his hand slightly to stop them.
"Leave him be."
"Yes!"
As the Black Knights withdrew their raised fists and awkwardly bowed, Ozdock nervously scratched the back of his neck.
"I apologize. I just thought you might have received good news. Um... I'll go get some tea right away!"
True to Ozdock's words, a faint smile had already appeared on Cyron's lips.
He began to read the letter.
(Patriarch, the Twelfth Flagbearer has caused an incident)
"Zed."
He knew it from the first line.
It was his younger brother's handwriting, the only one of his siblings who had survived the battle for hegemony in their youth.
(He leaked information about the Tomb of the First Patriarch through the Seventh Flagbearer. The Patriarch probably knew it even before, but that alone caused chaos in the Family.
Do you know what happened while everyone was waiting to confirm the truth after his return?
As soon as he returned, he fought with Jorden, the Elder Council President. Due to this, the Elder Council President cut off both of his arms. But the Holy Queen came and healed him, and he narrowly escaped without wielding the sword as before.)
Upon hearing those words, Cyron's eyebrows furrowed, and Ozdock suddenly knelt and extended a skull, not a tea cup but a monster skull filled with tea.
The fire used to prepare the tea came from the burning monster corpses, making it truly dreadful tea.
However, the fact that this tea was one of the greatest luxuries one could enjoy in this place was something no one would believe.
(Anyway, right after the treatment... he made a statement to restore Runcandel's status as a Family of Magic Swordsmen.
Then, he himself suppressed opposing Elders and defeated the Third Flagbearer in a direct confrontation.)
Cyron's pupils dilated. Ozdock and the Black Knights couldn't help but be surprised by his reaction.
Luntia.
The Third Flagbearer.
If she had lost to Jin, it was undoubtedly because she had let her guard down.
However, Luntia's defeat to Jin was still a surprise to Cyron.
Whether it was because she had let her guard down or because Jin had reached a new level, a defeat was still a defeat.
(The training ground where the incident occurred disappeared without a trace and nearly razed the entire central courtyard and main house.
After wielding a fire-type magical sword, he unleashed insane lightning... it's hard to explain. You had to see it firsthand.
I knew that lunatic brat would one day cause a major incident in the Family, but I never expected it to be so catastrophic... and so soon...
Below is a summary of the damage in the Garden of Swords while we were struggling to handle the Twelfth Flagbearer.
Acting Patriarch, seriously wounded.
Second Flagbearer, Fourth Flagbearer, Fifth Flagbearer, Sixth Flagbearer, Seventh Flagbearer, Eighth Flagbearer, Ninth Flagbearer, Tenth Flagbearer, Eleventh Flagbearer, minor injuries.
Third Flagbearer, seriously wounded.
Twelfth Flagbearer, in critical condition.
Head of the Black Sword Association, Head of the Law Guard, Head of the Civil Guard, minor injuries.
Elder Council, over 50% with minor injuries.
Guardian Knights: Over 40% with major and minor injuries.
Execution Knights: 12 seriously injured, 54 with minor injuries.
Numerous others injured.
No combat casualties.
No casualties outside of combat.
At the request of the Main Family, the decree for the second phase of the state of emergency in Hugester has been activated, complete blockade of the Alliance of Hugester's transfer gates, and ongoing media control.
The Garden of Swords has recalled all dispatched knights and is maintaining wartime conditions.
...The precise list of injuries is detailed in the final section.
The Acting Patriarch suffered deep internal injuries because she did not evade the boy's final blow containing everything with her body.
The medical staff says she needs extreme rest for a while.
Can you believe it? It wasn't a sudden assault by Zipple's main force, nor an invasion by Vermont, nor a rebellion.
All of this happened because of the power of the Twelfth Flagbearer. Because of that reckless brat who hasn't even turned twenty!
Elder Brother.
If possible, it would be good for you to return for a while. It would be a great source of strength for the Family members.
And...
It would be a pleasure to see how he has grown with your own eyes)
Hahaha...!
Cyron suddenly burst into laughter.
Ozdock tried to laugh discreetly, but when he met Cyron's eyes, he had to close his mouth.
Cyron suppressed his laughter at that moment.
By now, the Knights were also eager to know the contents of the letter.
So, subtly, they signaled to Kahn.
After all, he had been responsible for the letters concerning the Twelfth Flagbearer for some time, so they wanted to try their luck.
"My Lord, isn't the situation in the Main Family as bad as I've heard?"
"What have you heard?"
"I've heard from the Execution Knight that all of Hugester has been blocked, and it's in a state of war."
"That's also written in the letter. But it's not something that can be covered up by hiding it, and it seems everyone was in turmoil."
"To be honest, I'm worried about the Twelfth Flagbearer."
"What should concern us is the land beyond."
Kahn and the Knights nodded heavily.
Cyron's gaze extended beyond the depths, towards the territory of the Five Kings of the Black Sea.
The Five Kings of the Black Sea, only a few days more, and they would arrive in that territory.
A day's journey away, Luna, Vanessa, and Tuben were conducting reconnaissance.
In that land, even Cyron would have to exert all his strength in the many battles to come.
With a whisper, Cyron turned the letter back to the front.
He wanted to reread the part that had bothered him from the beginning.
Twelfth Flagbearer, in critical condition.
There was a clear distinction between critical condition and minor injuries.
Since the "Declaration to make the Family a Family of Magic Swordsmen," Jin had not yet regained consciousness and remained in a hospital bed.
Towards the end of the letter, there was a plea from Zed to Cyron, asking him to return for a while.
It meant he didn't want the flames of the Twelfth Flagbearer to be extinguished like this and wished for Cyron to take direct action.
It also carried the meaning of seeking support, if possible.
It was the first time in his entire life that Cyron had seen Zed make such a request.
"Considering the impending battle with the Black Sea Kings, it would be impolite to worry about Family matters."
Although he didn't deny Zed's request, Cyron had no intention of going back and seeing things for himself.
"But before the opportunity is lost, I should give him a suitable reward."
The reward Cyron was talking about had nothing to do with the incident Jin had caused this time.
"I will inform the Lord that the Twelfth Flagbearer is the first to discover this demonic creature. If the Lord considers the demonic creature valuable, there will be a commensurate reward."
What Tuben had told Jin as he took Ozdock away.
Since joining Cyron's expedition team, Ozdock had been proving his worth.
Although his memories were blurry, he had made significant contributions to the task of finding the territory of the Black Sea Kings.
Even after entering the territory of the Kings, he remained a valuable asset.
"Kahn."
"Yes, Patriarch-nim."
"Quickly contact the Main Family and make arrangements for Jin to use it."
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