C442 - To the Black King (3)
The next day, Luton headed to the Holy Kingdom, while Jin and Murakan went to the Mila Kingdom.
They were going to visit Grace Shields' (Misha) ultra-secret tavern known as "The Tabernacle."
The bartender recognized the two immediately but gave them the same response as the last time they visited.
"The Mistress is not here at the moment."
"She wasn't here even when we came a few months ago. When will she be back?"
"The Mistress hasn't returned since you two last visited."
It was customary for Misha to be absent for a month or two. She not only represented Solderet but also had many hideouts besides The Tabernacle.
However, it was almost unheard of for her not to visit The Tabernacle, even when the seasons changed.
"Did she leave a separate message for us?"
"No. It's been a long time since we had a case like this, so we're also worried about the Mistress."
"When she returns, please let her know to contact us here."
Jin handed a paper with the address and a small purse with gold coins, and the bartender nodded with a dignified attitude.
Until dusk, the two crossed through various transfer gates, visiting the other hideouts Misha had informed them about.
Once again, they couldn't find her anywhere.
"Haha, they say there's nothing as useless as dog poop when it comes to medicine!"
Murakan seemed satisfied with not having to meet her.
"Aren't you too happy? There might be reasons to worry a bit, you know?"
"What's there to worry about? It's not a big deal if a Dragon leaves her post for a few months. It's not like it's been decades. She's probably snooping around somewhere."
"I have a strange feeling about this," said Jin, and Murakan snorted.
"A strange feeling? Well, it might not be so bad if some powerful human beats her to death. But the problem is, there probably aren't many people in the world who can defeat her like that."
As Murakan said, it was safe to say that there was no one who could catch Misha. During the thousand years Murakan had been asleep, Misha had never been caught, even while fighting the Specter Corps.
"You're right, but..."
Jin had so many things he wanted to know from Misha as soon as possible. Things like Temar's tomb, Kinzelo's leader, the Demon Dragon, Chaos, Valeria, and more. Even if Misha couldn't explain everything clearly, she could provide some clues. Especially when it came to Valeria and her 'Record Device Restoration,' only she could give the most appropriate explanations.
"Don't worry; let's go look for the Black King's Mercenaries."
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The Black King's Hideout was in the "Bise Kingdom," an unprotected territory in the central continent.
The Bise Kingdom was a minor country that didn't belong to any of the three prominent factions, now four (Zipple, Runcandel, Vermont, Kinzelo). Although the royal family and the army were maintained, no one actually considered the ruler of the Bise Kingdom to be the royal family.
It was a common belief that the Black King's Mercenaries and their leader were the true rulers of the Bise Kingdom. It was a natural consensus. The Black King's Mercenaries had enough power to destroy the Bise Kingdom with just a portion of their Third Division. It was widely believed that the Black King's Mercenaries didn't take over the kingdom just to maintain their identity as a "mercenary force."
"Well, these guys are something."
"What do you mean?"
"Normally, when a military organization like this is established in a small country, they tend to take control of the royal family and exploit and oppress civilians."
The Black King's Mercenaries were far from that. They provided substantial support to both the royal family and civilians, to the point where it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were actually nurturing the Bise Kingdom.
As a result, the Bise Kingdom was perceived as a pleasant place to live, and immigration requests never ceased. It was a place bustling with the footsteps of academy professors, scholars, and students due to well-preserved ancient ruins and artifacts.
"It goes against the typical image associated with mercenaries obsessed with money."
"These seemingly kind and cute guys, indeed. If they become uncooperative, we can persuade them kindly."
"Kindly, huh? We'll see about that."
Jin responded with a mocking smile.
"Why? Is there a problem?"
"The fact that the Black King's Mercenaries manage and take responsibility for the Bise Kingdom isn't because they're kind-hearted philanthropists. This Bise Kingdom is a hostage warehouse for the Black King's Mercenaries."
As Jin said, the Black King's Mercenaries were using the Bise Kingdom as a hostage warehouse and the ultimate shield to maintain "neutrality." For any major faction to forcibly subjugate and absorb the Black King's Mercenaries, they would have to trample the Bise Kingdom. It would lead to the deaths of numerous residents, and the destruction of ancient ruins would be inevitable.
When Jin explained this, Murakan's eyes widened.
"I see... They are really clever and cunning. Although I don't particularly like the name 'Black King.'"
Of course, the Black King's Mercenaries could maintain their neutrality without the Bise Kingdom, but having more options at their disposal was always preferable.
"Well, no hostage has been killed since I was born. We're almost there. You should transform."
Murakan transformed into a cat and landed on Jin's shoulder.
Jin had altered his face and dyed it red using cosmetics from the Golden Snow Tribe, making him unrecognizable to the guardians and civilians of the Bise Kingdom.
However, Jin was convinced that someone from the Black King's Mercenaries would recognize him if he moved through the Bise Kingdom in this form.
Murka and the members of the Third Division couldn't forget this appearance.
When it was revealed that the black cat Jin had when he departed for the Storm Castle was actually Murakan, the story became a topic of discussion among the Black King's Mercenaries for quite some time.
After all, they couldn't believe that the "Young Emperor" carried just an ordinary cat with him.
The city was frequented by outsiders, so Jin and Murakan didn't attract too much attention.
Jin wandered around the bustling city while observing billboards and bulletins hanging around.
He subtly emitted an aura that those below six stars couldn't perceive.
Before long, as expected, Jin felt a mercenary approaching him.
"... That cat. Don't tell me it's you."
He seemed unsure, but the mercenary soon convinced himself that the feline in front of him was none other than Jin Runcandel, whom he had directly escorted on a protection mission some time ago.
"Mr. Latam."
Jin spoke before the mercenary could say more.
The mercenary seemed surprised and could only look at Jin in astonishment.
He didn't expect Jin to remember his name.
"I didn't know you remembered my name. I'm ashamed of myself for not recognizing you right away."
Latam hurriedly responded with a silent bow.
"I remember you as the one who was often by Murka-nim's side back then. It's good to see you."
As they shook hands, Latam realized the truth of the rumors circulating about Jin in recent times.
He also felt secretly impressed by the immense power emanating from Jin's grip.
"You haven't come here for nothing, have you? Do you have business with our leader?"
Latam explicitly mentioned the leader without referring to any other superior, showing how he assessed Jin's stature.
"Yes."
"Fortunately, the leader is in the mountain fort. I will personally guide you there. However, please understand that there is another guest who arrived before you."
The Twelfth Flagbearer of Runcandel is in a position where he can meet the leader at any time without prior notice.
However, Jin couldn't meet the leader without considering another guest.
Jin deduced information from Latam's words.
The other guest is someone of higher rank than me.
And he was right.
At that moment, there was a guest of higher rank than Jin in the Black King's Mountain.
Therefore, Jin had to wait until that person's affairs concluded.
Who could it be?
There weren't many people who immediately came to Jin's mind.
Jin didn't care about this peculiar guest as long as it wasn't someone meddling in his affairs.
"Of course, I understand."
"Thank you, please follow me."
Following Latam, Jin arrived at the Black King's Mountain, and it was close to midnight.
Although it didn't exude an overwhelmingly powerful aura like the Phantom Fortress, there was a unique energy in the rugged mountain range where the fortress was located.
Visitors coming to the Black King's Mountain were neither guided nor escorted.
If you couldn't traverse the mountains on your own, you'd have to be transported by someone, looking quite pitiful.
Traveling on a dragon or airship was the only way to maintain dignity.
However, there were only a handful of people in the world capable of soaring the skies of the Black King's Mountain Hideout.
Finally, when Jin beheld the spectacular view of the Black King's Mountain, he couldn't help but be impressed.
The deeply carved mountain slopes gave the impression of being excavated by giants, and towering over them were huge and dark castles.
There also seemed to be fortified walls.
It looked as if they were prepared for a dragon invasion.
Rows of massive mana cannons pointed towards the sky, and various magical devices and traps twisted like serpents.
'The Garden of Swords seems quite straightforward when I see something like this,' Jin thought as he marveled at the formidable defenses of the Black King's Mountain.
Entering the central castle, a row of mercenaries in formation saluted.
The news of Jin's visit had already spread throughout the mountain hideout even before he began to climb.
"Welcome, Jin Runcandel-nim! I'm glad to see you again."
Murka greeted Jin.
As they headed to the reception room, Jin occasionally searched for that girl, Zephyrin.
Just when Jin was curious, he heard Zephyrin's unique and lively voice coming from ahead.
She was right in front of the reception room of the Black King's Leader.
"I'm sorry, Second Captain!"
"Sorry? Is that all? Do you know how much trouble you'll be in when the Third Captain finds out? Hm? What were you thinking, showing such disrespect in front of the leader's guests!"
"I didn't know!"
"No, and the leader didn't even call you, so why did you come to greet the guest? Are you shameless? Also, why the hell do you want to meet the First Flagbearer of Runcandel...?"
"Don't hit me, please!"
"Oh, my head. Eh, can someone please move her out of my sight!"
Just like the first time he saw her at the Sword Emperor Castle, Zephyrin was causing trouble again and was visibly agitated.
"Oh... Haaah! I'm sorry, Jin-nim. I'm showing such rudeness again."
"It's okay."
"What do you think you're doing, huh? Zephyrin! Come here right now!"
Zephyrin ran over in a hurry, and Jin couldn't help but smile.
Jin and Murakan couldn't take their eyes off the enormous sword-axe strapped to her back, which seemed larger than her body.
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