C478
"Is that the elder sister Mary's ship?"
"Yes. It's been a while since I saw that ship. The name of the ship is probably... Puberty. Hehe, the ship's name is Puberty."
"That's a strange name."
"Sister Mary didn't come up with the name herself. It was Dyfus Oraboni who named it."
Mary's ship, which wasn't that large, didn't even have the hull number written on it. There were no sailors on deck, and it felt more like a ghost ship.
Why did the elder sister Mary come to pick me up...
'Ah, is it for that?'
A duel.
Jin and Mary had signed a contract stating that "the two would duel once every three months." The last duel had been at the end of August last year, when they were subduing Ozdock, so it was time for another match.
Hmm, Jin looked a bit perplexed as he shook his head.
The duel with Mary was a separate matter from the walk with Yona. He needed to find information about that important thing as soon as possible, and if he dueled with Mary, he definitely wouldn't be in good shape afterward.
"Also, Sister Mary's Puberty doesn't sail alone very often."
"And why is that?"
"She always takes her obedient subordinates with her, hehehe."
A person appeared on Puberty's deck.
The distance was too far to confirm if she wore an eye patch, but from the lively way she stood on the bow, dramatically raising her sword, it was clear that it was Mary Runcandel.
Jiiiiiin, Ruuuuun, Caaaaan, Deeeeel!
Mary shouted the names of her younger brother with a voice so loud and powerful that it shook the entire sea. Naturally, the inhabitants of Tikan opened their windows to see what was happening, as it was impossible to ignore such a striking and destructive spectacle.
Jin had to hold his head with his hands due to the headache caused by the sight.
"Hehehe, Sister Mary's voice is really amazing, isn't it?"
"It's not just that, right? Anyway, luckily it seems like Sister Mary is alone right now... Wait, what's that?"
Swish!
Above the calm sea where only Puberty sailed, white foam began to bubble and churn.
It looked as if something was about to emerge at any moment.
The next moment, what appeared on the sea was a fleet that at first glance seemed to have more than fifty ships.
What is this, submarines?
'They don't look like submarines at all.'
The ships that surfaced were too large and enormous to be considered submarines. Thanks to that, the unimpressive Puberty seemed to stand out even more.
It was impossible to know how such a fleet had emerged from the depths of the sea, but the important thing was that Mary had chosen that moment to appear.
"Hahaha! Rise, Mary Runcandel's fleet! Unfurl the sails!"
While Mary shouted, the ships quickly raised their masts and began to unfold like wings on both sides of Puberty. All the unfolded sails had Mary's face drawn on them.
"Fire the fireworks!"
Bang!
Boom!
At Mary's command, the entire fleet fired their fireworks into the sky. Although the noon sun shone brightly, the nearby sea was filled with colorful explosions due to the thunderous fireworks.
"Wow!"
"Impressive, Mary Runcandel!"
"What a spectacle!"
"Everyone, come out and take a look!"
At first, the inhabitants of Tikan were a bit startled by Mary's tremendous voice, but now they couldn't help but get excited by the sudden spectacle of the fleet. Tikan had a tower-like structure. Before they knew it, all the residents had come out, waving, whistling, and cheering in the direction of Mary's fleet.
Jin's headache worsened, so he decided to ignore Mary.
"Well, let's go for a walk."
"Yes, hehehe. We should finish before Sister Mary arrives."
"Elder sister Mary is an uninvited guest, and you are a guest I have personally invited. So, she should wait. Why do you think otherwise?"
"Well, I probably don't sit well with Sister Mary, right? She probably dislikes me. Hehehe..."
Except for Jin, Yona had no relationship with any of her brothers. After committing her first murder at the age of eight, Yona had always been alone...
Even in the Storm Castle or the Garden of Swords.
She couldn't even become a Cadet until she was sent to Samil, and until then, she hadn't even had a proper meal with her other brothers.
That was Cyron's will.
The battle for hegemony was important, but it was necessary to prevent all the children who grew up with Yona from dying in vain.
Young Yona was naturally much more vulnerable to Chaos than she is now.
At that time, Yona could have killed any of her brothers at any moment.
Since then, Yona had become one of the best assassins in the world and an uncontrollable sword.
The reason Yona knew Mary's ship so well, which she used in her youth, and the story of how Dyfus gave it the name "Puberty," was because whenever she had the opportunity, she investigated her brothers.
Her brothers didn't know that Yona was curious about them, and sometimes she even tried to kill them impulsively.
Just like Jin didn't know that she was the protagonist of the green rose.
It was because of Yona's ability.
If Yona approached someone with determination, there was only one person in the world who could sense her presence and find out her location at any time and situation, and that was Cyron.
'I haven't thought much about it consciously, as we're quite close. If you think about it, the elder sister, Mary, and the elder brother, Dyfus, probably don't know that she knows the name and origin of Puberty.'
Jin felt sorry for Yona, and something bitter seemed to well up in his heart.
"I think Elder Sister Mary would really like you if she knew you. You don't bother her."
His words weren't just to console Yona.
In reality, Jin thought that Mary and Yona, those unique sisters, would get along.
"Hehe, really?"
"Yes."
"I'm glad you say that, Jin. But Elder Sister Mary has never come to see me."
-You're making me nervous.
-Think of it as my excessive love for my younger brother. You don't know how surprised I was when you came. Not even the friendly Elder Sister Luna came to visit me.
-You're making me sad too. Does Elder Sister Luna hate you?
-I don't think she likes me. I broke some promises. No, actually, many...
Jin recalled a past conversation he had with Yona in Samil.
As the conversation implied, no one else had come to fetch her in Samil besides Ana, in her past life, and Jin, in the present.
The main reason was Cyron's strict orders not to touch Yona, but it wasn't the only one.
Lack of emotional ties.
It's impossible to develop any kind of bond or relationship between people who have never shared a meal at the same table.
Moreover, Yona was an extremely dangerous individual.
Therefore, her brothers had no reason to go look for Yona at the risk of being killed.
"Hehe, anyway, I don't have much time left. I'm fine! Don't make that expression."
Don't hesitate, meet her once.
Elder Sister Mary will like you.
Jin kept that thought to himself.
It seems unlikely, but if Mary shows any sign of discomfort, Yona will feel emotionally hurt again.
A better idea came to Jin's mind, a way for both of them to form a good relationship in the future.
"...Understood."
Yona briefly glanced at Mary's fleet.
The fleet was now rapidly approaching Tikan.
"Uh, my sister is getting too close too fast. Maybe I should get straight to the point! Listen carefully, my little brother."
Jin nodded. The "straight to the point" she was talking about was related to Chaos.
"Firstly, Amela will never betray you. To be precise, she can't betray you. I've completely subdued Amela's Chaos, so you can relax and manipulate her at will."
Yona was now speaking at a very fast pace because she felt increasingly uncomfortable as Mary approached.
"Hehe, brat! Hurry up and come out to greet your elder sister. It's time for our duel!"
Unaware of Yona's feelings, Mary continued shouting.
Yona was now even moving her fingers and toes.
"And...! Amela's way of speaking and behavior are like that of a child. She's roughly the same age as the Black King, but in reality, you should see her as a child. Just like me, she was born with an innate self that hasn't been invaded by Chaos, but she's old."
Yona grabbed Jin's arm and took a step back.
Mary was almost at Tikan.
"Ah, there you are, younger brother! Jin Runcandel, my proud younger brother! Brat, you're not even responding. Speed up! I need to see my little brother up close."
"Hahaha! Did you hear what the Captain said? Row faster! Scoundrels!"
Jin heard a familiar voice from the pirate.
'...Pirate King Cosmos? Has he joined Elder Sister Mary?'
Amidst an increasingly confusing situation, Yona seemed ready to escape at any moment.
"Elder Sister Yona, are you really going to leave like this?"
"Hehe, hehe. If you have more questions, ask them quickly, Jin!"
It seemed like Yona couldn't contain herself.
"What is Chaos, Elder Sister?"
"I can't tell you that! Anything else?"
"If you keep drifting away like this, how can I ask questions? Anything else? Oh, I'll see you in Samil later, and explain it then!"
By then, Yona was quite far away.
"Alright! Hehehe, then I'm going!"
"Wait, before you go, Green Rose! Do you have any Green Roses with you?"
"Yes, I do."
"Leave them behind!"
"I've already put some in your pocket!"
When Jin checked his pocket, he found five woven green roses.
Jin hadn't realized that Yona had slipped them into his pocket while they were together moments ago.
Looking up, Jin saw Yona crossing the mansion wall.
Jin couldn't help but chuckle as he saw Yona look back one last time and give him a mischievous wink.
Elder Sister Yona is something else.
Once Yona left, Mary's fleet reached Tikan.
Mary had anchored her fleet on the side near Jin, ignoring all the procedures to enter the city.
She was ready to jump off the ship and meet Jin directly.
"Little brother!"
"Elder Sister Mary!"
"You're responding now! Wait a moment; I'm coming up now. I guess you're ready to fight with this elder sister..."
"I warn you, don't jump here!"
"What!?"
"Have you forgotten Father's orders? No Runcandel can set foot on Tikan soil without my permission."
"...Are you really going to break our contract? We decided to fight at least once every three months!"
Although Mary was close to Tikan, Jin was on the upper floor, so the two had no choice but to speak loudly.
All the residents who had come out to watch listened casually to this conversation.
"It wasn't unconditional! Check the contract. Anyway, not today! I'll contact you soon, and then we can fight!"
Mary seemed quite displeased, but she seemed to have expected this kind of development this time.
Soon, she flashed a triumphant smile.
"Is that so!? Alright, then I'm leaving!"
The fact that Mary left so easily unsettled Jin.
"We can't duel, but how about we share a cup of tea before you go?"
"Sure, that's fine. But it will be after our duel, okay?"
"Well, in that case, agreed! Take care."
"Oh, by the way. What a shame! I was going to tell you about a great catch if you won this time."
Jin couldn't help but feel like he had been hit on the back of the head with a hammer.
It must be something more important than Amela...
Mary had brought a proposal that Jin couldn't refuse from the beginning.
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