C393 - Even if You Cover It Up, You Can't Hide It (3)
When Jin opened his eyes, the first things he saw were two people.
Gilly, crying with red eyes, and Murakan, who was holding her by the shoulders.
Jin was sure that these two would always be by his side; he felt a warmth enveloping his entire body.
"Brat!"
"Young Master!"
Gilly and Murakan lowered their bodies to check Jin's condition.
"Gilly, Murakan."
"Young Master, are you really okay now? Do you feel any pain in your body?"
"I'm perfectly fine. Did any Knights die by my hands?"
Jin was concerned about this from the moment he collapsed.
He didn't want to kill innocent Knights in his Family's struggle.
Of course, most of them were Knights from the 'Enemy,' but they were clearly weaker than him and had been loyal to the Family.
In the future, if he had to deal with such Knights, he wanted to do it through an honorable battle or a reasonable purge, not this kind of attack.
Just like when he dealt with Joshua's Knights who followed him in Samil.
"They're all fine, Young Master."
"That's a relief."
-[And I will give an order to Family members below the Flagbearers]
-[Do your best to protect the Guardian Knights so not a single Knight dies by my sword]
It was also significant that the words he said when he unleashed the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends were upheld.
Indeed, the members below the rank of Flagbearer didn't immediately act on Jin's orders, but that's how it seemed in the end.
"Is it right to worry about the Knights the moment you open your eyes, brat? While you were unconscious, Tarta de Fresa and I..."
"I know, I'm sorry for worrying you."
As Jin gently embraced the two, Gilly let out a relieved sigh.
Murakan, on the other hand, quickly excused herself, finding it distasteful.
"No, it was me who caused great concern to the Young Master the moment he returned."
"What kind of concern did you cause Gilly? It's the Family that treated you harshly."
Jin naturally shifted his gaze to Murakan.
"Murakan, did Tellot-nim really treat Gilly humanely?"
"Well, that guy seems to know a couple of things. It seemed like he had made it easier for her there compared to when you were tiptoeing around."
"Of course, that's what Tellot-nim would do. However, I couldn't help but think that after the incident, people like Jorden or other elderly council members might have meddled with Gilly for no reason."
"If that had happened, would I have just stood by and done nothing?"
"Of course not."
"Furthermore, is there anyone foolish enough to step forward and meddle with your people in the current situation? Hahaha, it's a complete mess. Your mother and the Third Flagbearer are still in intensive care, and the Elder Council members are all busy trying to lay low."
The Garden of Swords was still in shock.
Jin's display of battle prowess had far exceeded everyone's expectations.
Of course, those who had seen him wield the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends knew that Jin had risked his life for such a dangerous sword.
But he was only nineteen.
At that age, even if he risked his life...
Could there be another person capable of overthrowing all of Runcandel?
All who experienced it could confidently assert that Jin was the only one, and it's unclear if even Luna, at the age of 19, could have done something like Jin.
Furthermore, in the end, he had injured Rosa.
Rosa and Luntia were still receiving intensive medical treatment.
Even those who disliked Jin for this incident had to admit the fact that he had greater potential than Luna.
"It was quite impressive."
"You damn brat, how many days have you been lying there just for a bit of a show?"
"Just a bit? I was quite impressive, you know?"
Impressive.
Jin felt that he could say that without embarrassment in front of the Garden of Swords, which had been lukewarm at best.
Thanks to that, he had lost both arms and had gone through a near-death experience.
"Yes, you were impressive. But if you try to be impressive once more, there might be no turning back."
"How long was I unconscious?"
"Ten days."
"You almost died, huh? It seems like I'm getting too much in debt to Lani lately."
"You were in a state where not even the divine power of the religious fanatic could guarantee your recovery, brat."
"So who treated me? It would have been difficult with just the family's medical team..."
Suddenly, Jin stopped speaking and looked around his own body.
Now that he thought about it, his physical condition was remarkably good for just waking up.
"...It was Numerus's Blood."
Murakan and Gilly nodded.
Just three minutes ago, his pulse had been weak, his breathing irregular, and his body unconscious.
Even the Light Heart had gone out like a snuffed-out lantern.
His body, in that state, absorbed a drop of blood left by the God who had vanished, and it instantly regained its vitality.
As if the extraordinary battle had been all a dream.
"Who exactly?"
"Your father."
"You're joking, right?"
That response slipped out without him realizing it. In his entire life, not once. Jin had never imagined that his father, Cyron Runcandel, would help him in this way.
Even though he knew his father held a favorable opinion of him, this was completely different.
His father had directly lent him his strength in the succession battle.
So far, none of his siblings had received such support from their father.
"Young Master, just a moment ago, the Chief Steward brought it personally. He said it's the only one in the family."
"This dumbfounded expression doesn't suit you."
"I'm just... genuinely a bit surprised."
Dumbfounded, Jin couldn't immediately think of what to say.
"Even now, aside from Murakan-nim and me, no one in the family knows that Numerus's Blood drop was used for the Young Master."
"No one knows?"
"Yes."
Family members thought that Heinz had come to Jin's room just to check on his condition.
No one expected that the clan patriarch would personally bestow a drop of Numerus's Blood.
Pft.
Jin burst into laughter.
"Young Master?"
"Why are you laughing, brat?"
"There's a reason why my father gave me Numerus's Blood in secret from everyone. It seems I've misunderstood my father all this time."
"Is there a reason...?"
There's no need to reveal it if my father wants to keep it hidden. Let's spend one or two days in private. If we leave immediately, the Chief Steward will suspect."
"Oh!"
Understanding the implications, Gilly clapped her hands.
"You don't plan to reveal that you received the Numerus's Blood drop from the patriarch?"
That's right. Among outsiders, I'm sure more than half of them would wish for my death. I'm curious to see what kind of expressions they'll make in a few days."
"Is it okay to do that? Anyway, since you woke up suddenly, it won't be long before they find out that you used the Numerus's Blood drop."
"Just say it was something I acquired during my days as a Provisional Flagbearer. Believe it or not, they have no means to prove that it was something my father granted."
"But it's a sacred object personally granted by the patriarch... I'm concerned it might provoke the patriarch's anger."
"If my father wanted to boast about it, he wouldn't have given it to me in secret. Since he gave it to me, it means I'm free to use it as I please. And more importantly, tell me more about the Family's atmosphere. How many are trying to align with me?"
"I can't say for certain. However, according to Petro's evaluation, approximately a tenth of the Guardian Knights and a small fraction of the Execution Knights seem to have shown favor toward you, Young Master."
"For the moment, it's hard to be sure who the allies are. If we assume that approximately two-tenths are neutral or belong to other Flagbearers, the rest are probably from the Elder Council and Joshua's faction."
"That's correct."
Even if they managed to consolidate all the neutral factions (which wouldn't be easy), it would still be an overwhelmingly advantageous battle for the Elder Council and Joshua.
It was an undeniable fact that Jin had caused tremendous commotion.
However, the concept of 'entrenched power' wasn't always easy to dismantle.
This applied not only to Runcandel but to all factions in the world.
"Moreover, most of the other Knight Families of Hufester were absorbed by Joshua a long time ago, so those aligned with Joshua are unlikely to change sides in the short term."
"I don't understand humans. Even after witnessing you single-handedly overthrow the Garden of Swords, they won't change?"
"It's because no one died."
While it was certainly fortunate that none of the Knights under protection had died, on the other hand, it also showed the limitations of Jin's individual power.
The fact that not a single person died amidst the Hellfire and lightning assault was due to this being Runcandel.
"In the early days as a Provisional Flagbearer, even Luna, my sister, had trouble when she came to meet with my father and me. It's true that personal strength is crucial, but alone, you'll never be able to take on Runcandel. Everyone knows this well, so they keep supporting Joshua. It's because he provides stability."
"So, if you said those who seemed to favor you were around 10%, we should start by holding onto them tightly. Should I meet with them?"
"You?"
"I'm still a symbolic entity in this damn Runcandel, right? If I start seriously recruiting Knights, it'll be quite effective..."
Both Jin and Gilly burst into laughter simultaneously.
"Why the laughter?"
"You'd just lose face, Murakan. If they were the type to switch sides upon seeing you, they would have done so a long time ago."
"Anyway, I need to regain my strength quickly!"
"And I won't be meeting with those who seem to favor me."
"Why? Why not?"
"It's like, 'You seem to like me, so please stay by my side.' It's not very appealing. I should make them follow me and pledge loyalty on their own. I'll put on a little show only when necessary. I plan to expand my influence in Runcandel like that..."
Jin looked at the two and continued.
"For now, what we need to know are the other forces that aren't under our influence."
As always, Jin was thinking about strengthening himself from the outside.
"The Vermont families and the Lutero Magical Federation, the knight clans of Hufester that still have potential, high-level mercenaries, and other major neutral factions. We should start expanding our influence from there."
Jin planned to show that his ability went beyond mere individual power, using these contacts to gain influence.
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