C424 - So suddenly? (2)
"You said he came with mercenaries to the Garden of Swords?"
"Yes. There are approximately more than five hundred mercenaries."
"Five hundred mercenaries... he certainly has guts. It's almost madness. When did they arrive?"
"They arrived about three hours ago."
"I suppose the mercenaries couldn't enter."
As Jin said, the only one who entered the Garden of Swords was Lata Proch.
Lata and the mercenaries of the Phantom Legion had been at the Sword Emperor's Castle until a while ago.
In other words...
Lata came directly to the Garden of Swords as soon as he left the Sword Emperor's Castle.
Of course...
Runcandel couldn't welcome them as he had arrived unannounced with such a large army.
'At least, they avoided the worst possible scenario since they are host mercenaries.'
If any mediocre group of mercenaries had made such an unexpected visit with that size, Runcandel would have wiped them off the face of the earth.
The mercenaries of the Phantom Legion are one of the most prominent neutral factions, and their base, the Phantom Fortress, served as a meeting point for major factions, and that's why they get away with such lack of etiquette.
"Yes."
"That unpleasant-eyed bastard probably came to you for his little sister, but why did he bring five hundred subordinates? Does that mean he wants to intimidate us with those cute threats?"
"I don't know why he brought his subordinates either. We'll find out when I meet with him."
The group started moving, and the cheers from the crowd grew louder.
A group of boys and girls shouting Murakan's name at the top of their lungs was particularly impressive...
And Gilly gently pushed Murakan's back to make sure he wouldn't disappoint his young fans.
"They're young fans, so please, shake hands with them, Murakan-nim."
"Strawberry Pie, if you wish it, then..."
The most shocking thing happened when Murakan smiled at them, and suddenly people among the group of boys and girls fainted one after another.
"My goodness, I thought only Enya could do that."
"I don't think Enya has ever fainted."
They left the transfer gate and boarded the steel carriage.
The red sunset warmly embraced the entire city, but Jin had the nagging feeling that something tiresome was about to happen and shook his head.
Jin suddenly stopped the carriage as they headed towards the Garden of Swords.
"Wait a moment."
He stopped because he saw Lata's subordinates standing idly at the entrance of the Garden of Swords.
Although there were more than five hundred of them, they simply stood there among the bushes.
It was unthinkable for them to set up camp in Runcandel's territory, especially near the Garden of the Sword.
However...
There was no place for them to sit or rest, and there were no inns to accommodate the sudden arrival of five hundred mercenaries.
So Lata's subordinates had no choice but to stand there as if they were trees.
Jin stuck his head out of the carriage, and all the eyes of the mercenaries turned towards him.
"Follow me."
The carriage started moving again after Jin said that, and Lata's subordinates exchanged glances for a moment before silently following them.
"The Twelfth Flagbearer is entering!"
The gate bars lifted, and the guardian knights patrolling inside saluted.
The guardian knights brandished their swords at me when I returned last time.'
It was the day the patriarchate declaration was made.
Even if it wasn't that day, Jin barely had memories of being welcomed back from his days as a provisional flagbearer.
It can be said that there was no one who welcomed him, except Gilly and Petro.
Whether they were his brothers or his seniors, there was always someone showing hostility and murderous intent, and each of them was a formidable opponent (outwardly).
But today was different.
The Ten Percent of the Guardian Knights of the First Division, a very small number of execution knights and elders.
In other words, it was a force slightly less than 10% of Runcandel's total strength, but now there were knights welcoming Jin.
"Thank you for your hard work, Twelfth Flagbearer!"
"You're here, Twelfth Flagbearer. Your name has caused a stir in the Garden of Swords all this time."
The knights and elders greeted Jin on his way, and he felt that he had finally returned to Runcandel as a flagbearer.
However, those who greeted him still seemed curious about the reason he had brought the mercenaries waiting outside.
And Jin saw a few people walking towards him with dismayed faces from the main house.
They were Miu and Anne.
"Twelfth Flagbearer."
"What the hell is this?"
Jin couldn't help but admire them in a way after seeing their sudden and conflicting expressions.
Were they foolish?
Or fearless?
One thing was certain...
They had a spirit that even Jin had to acknowledge.
Jin clearly showed the power difference between them during the patriarchate declaration, but it's clear that they are still fighting without taking it into account.
Moreover, they were completely sure that the two of them together "never" could defeat Jin even now, but their attitude remained the same.
"What were you thinking when you let these pests in?"
"Hah... even these pests start disrespecting the Garden of Swords since you behave like this. Last time, didn't Kinzelo's beasts boldly come to look for you? The situation of the Family is more than ridiculous."
Jin silently looked at his sisters for a while, and then burst into laughter.
"Are you laughing?"
"I'm almost disappointed, my sisters. I don't feel at home unless someone shouts at me like that."
"What, what did you say?"
"This idiot...."
"They are my guests. Just like me, they were staying at the Sword Emperor's Castle due to the recent terrorist attack, so they couldn't notify the Garden of Swords about their visit in advance."
"What kind of guest brings more than five hundred mercenaries without prior notice?"
"Is that a problem? Five hundred Phantom Legion mercenaries are no more than a threat equivalent to five hundred fallen leaves in the Garden of Swords. In fact, Lata showed me respect by bringing as many subordinates as he could."
Jin continued smiling unlike his furious sisters.
His strange confrontation, or rather, a one-sided display of power by Jin, left the mercenaries who had followed him astonished.
It's clear that the Twelfth Flagbearer is crazier than our leader.
Can he do that to higher-ranking Flagbearers?
We can wait outside and leave quietly when the leader comes out.
'Our headquarters, the Phantom Fortress, is quite respectable, but compared to this place, it's like dust, just dust.'
'But it seems like we're being somewhat ignored. I can't believe we're being compared to leaves...'
None of the mercenaries shouted that they disliked Jin's comment.
Instead, Miu and Anne kept raising their voices.
"Fallen leaves? Have you reached a new level of mediocrity to speak like that? According to your words, didn't the leader of the Phantom Legion show you respect, and yet, you make statements that belittle him?"
"I don't think it's very rude to say this compared to the fact that they were waiting outside."
Anne took a step towards Jin, but Miu blocked her way.
"He can't do this. Now, not only are they ridiculous, but they even look cute. Anne wants to step forward, and Miu is trying to stop her. It's like they planned it beforehand."
So, Miu and Anne kept grinding their teeth and spoke.
"Can you take responsibility?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, can you take responsibility if any problems arise because of the guests you brought here?"
"You speak as if problems are destined to happen. Well, let's do it. I'll take responsibility."
Gilly let out a sigh of relief when Miu and Anne turned around and left.
She wasn't worried about Jin.
"Phew, I was so nervous that the Young Master would end up with the young ladies."
"They are quite troublesome sisters, but there's no need to deal with them yet."
"Your other sisters aren't like this, so I don't understand why only those two are like this. Kid, now I'm going to enjoy some Strawberrie Pie, so go meet alone with that guy."
Murakan looked at Gilly with shining eyes, but Gilly coughed and avoided eye contact.
"No, Murakan. You have work to do."
"What?"
"Take care of the Phantom Legion mercenaries and lead them to my personal training ground."
"What? I'm the mighty Black Dragon. Haven't you seen all those people praising me before? Can you really force me to do such insignificant tasks? Eh?"
"And protect them."
"What? Why are you talking about protection all of a sudden?"
"There's a good chance the Phantom Legion mercenaries will be attacked. Do you think my sisters left without a reason? It's the perfect opportunity for them to strike."
"What... You can't be serious, right? Doing something like that?"
"They can do anything. It doesn't hurt to be cautious. Want to make a bet? I bet my sisters' knights will attack the mercenaries. If not, why would they ask me to take responsibility?"
The reason Jin insisted on taking the mercenaries to the training ground instead of the guest rooms or the reception was precisely that it would be much easier to protect them in the spacious training area.
Murakan frowned.
"Darn it, fine. I'll bet too. If I win, I'll have fifteen full days off to enjoy with Strawberrie Pie. I'll order you to take the vacation even if you don't want to. Got it?"
"I really don't need a vacation..."
"Deal."
"Kid, what are your conditions?"
"I have no conditions. I'm going to win anyway. Instead, be careful not to let any of the mercenaries get hurt."
"Don't give me any excuses later. Heh, let's go! Mercenaries!"
Murakan led the mercenaries to the training ground, humming a tune.
He was already exultant at the thought of enjoying fifteen days of vacation with Gilly.
Jin couldn't help but laugh as he watched their figures leave, and Gilly offered an awkward smile.
"The Acting Matriarch has declared that you can skip the report," Petro said.
Rosa was still recovering from the injuries she suffered during the Patriarchate Declaration.
"Then I must meet with Lata immediately. He's in the reception hall, right?"
"Yes, Young Master. Shall I prepare a separate room for him?"
"No, I'll go meet him in person."
The spacious reception hall was filled with guests. There were merchants conducting business with Runcandel, nobles, and mercenaries hired for missions, etc.
The most prominent figure was undoubtedly Lata among them.
He exuded a heavy and sharp aura with crossed arms.
He leaned against the wall with closed eyes, and there was no one within about ten steps of him.
"Lata-nim."
Jin entered the reception hall and called him by name.
Lata slowly opened his eyes and...
Stomp, stomp. He quickly approached Jin with swift and menacing steps...
Swish!
Suddenly, when he was a step away from Jin, he drew a short dagger from his waist.
This sudden gesture scared the people around them and the guardian knights.
"Stop...!"
The guardian knights shouted and rushed forward. It seemed like Lata's dagger was heading towards Jin.
Kwak-!
However, Lata's dagger didn't fall onto Jin's body.
Thud~
What fell to the ground with a dry sound was Lata's right index finger.
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