C632
February 10, 1803.
It's been five days since Jin went to the Ghost Castle.
During those five days, Jin was able to hear from his companions the details of what had happened over the past two and a half years.
Changes in the world, development of technology, situation of each faction, etc.
Most of this Jin had heard before going to the Ghost Castle, and details were added to it.
In other words, these were the pieces of information.
Kinzelo secured a new headquarters to replace the 'Old Headquarters' in the Beastman Land and recruited a large number of demons like Ranke, and Zipple, on the other hand, closed all magic towers except the 1st and is restructuring the entire 'Lutero Magical Federation' with a new system.
Additionally, the imperial family has been incorporated into Zipple along with the eastern part of the Empire, and like all forces belonging to the Luther Magic Federation, received technology from Zipple and operated various fleets.
Furthermore, in the fleets, a technology called chaos control and "enhanced humans," such as Demon Men, legend-type golems, and living golems, are used.Amidst all this, the only ones who have not used Chaos at all are the Vamel Alliance and its friendly factions.
"While you were away, Dante-nim made great efforts. Without Dante-nim, the entire empire would have been taken over by Zipple, not just the East, or it would have been divided into several factions."
Kashimir spoke modestly, but in reality, the reason the "forces that rejected chaos" could survive was the role played by the Vamel Alliance, the Hidden Palace, and the Holy Kingdom.
Vamel Alliance, Hidden Palace, Hairan, and Holy Kingdom.
These forces represented the anti-chaos forces and supported each other to survive.
"In an era where flying ships and chaos control have become common, we are the only ones who have made technological advances in the strict sense of the world."
Indeed, Zipple's and Kinzelo's technological feats have only just begun to be revealed.
Of course, there have been advances in Chaos control, but the production of flying ships has been possible since before.
On the other hand, the Vamel Alliance has achieved a technological revolution called "synchronous wavelength tracking space jump" beyond the manufacturing of flying ships and has even prepared a means to completely purify chaos in limited situations.
Although other factions could use Chaos, they couldn't even attempt to purify it.
Their research is being conducted for the use of chaos rather than purification.
"Yes, Jin-nim."
"Meanwhile, Runcandel has been concealing all external activities while sealing off the city of Kalon for half a year..."
Runcandel. As one of the two ancient great factions, Tikan knew very little about them while Jin was away.
Their activities had been closed off, with seven explosions and earthquakes, and the only evidence was that they controlled the news about Jin.
"Additionally, there has hardly been any external activity from the flagbearers in the last six months. There are only occasional reports about the remnants of the contaminated area and the subjected contagion, but the flagbearers do not appear in public."
The Dyfus brothers, Mary, and Tona.
For the moment, there was no news about these four flagbearers who could be said to be friends of Jin's, and they currently remained in the Garden of Swords. Until then, they often visited Tikan and inquired about Jin, like Yona.
"And as I said before, all our ways of contacting the young master and the friendly flagbearers have been blocked. Even on the days when the Flagbearers came to visit, I hadn't heard anything special about the clan..."
"Even if there was some trouble in the Family, they couldn't reveal it to the outside. I would have done the same."
It is true that the Fourth, Seventh, Tenth, and Eleventh Flagbearer are Jin's friends, but they are not complete allies.
This is because Jin always kept a certain distance from them.
He had to.
Even if they were not the Tona siblings, the others were ultimately competitors no matter how close they were.
"Perhaps sooner or later, your sister will find a small clue about the fifth tomb of Temar."
"Elder Sister Luntia? I'm not surprised, I heard that Elder Brother Dyfus, not Elder Sister Luntia, was in charge of averting Chaos. She's looking for Temar's tomb. It's surprising how helpful she is to you."
"There may be information within Runcandel that you don't know about. The Third Flagbearer is moving based on that."
The latest news about Luntia, another benevolent competitor, was related to Temar's fifth tomb.
Valeria was also tracking Temar's tomb while purifying the society of the small beastmen, and has found a decisive clue in the movements and traces left by Luntia. Therefore, even after Jin's return, she has not yet returned to Tikan.
'Father, Elder Sister Luna and the expedition team must still be in the Black Sea. And... I can't rule out the possibility that they have already been killed.'
All Jin could do was hope it wasn't true.
He sighed and looked at his companions.
"Anyway, it would be better to assume that my Family has been handed over to the Prophet."
Otherwise, it was an incomprehensible situation.
"Then... do you have no intention of returning to the Garden of Swords, young master?"
"No, but I still need to go back and see for myself."
"It's too dangerous, Jin-nim."
"My lord, I agree. How about we observe a little longer?"
Jin's companions who observed the battle against Smarion had no doubt that Jin's martial arts had reached a level worthy of being called the strongest.
Still, it was dangerous to venture alone into Runcandel.
If the Prophet truly took control of the clan, then Runcandel would undoubtedly lay traps to capture Jin.
As dangerous as Smarion was, it was nothing compared to all of Runcandel.
"Of course, I will observe the situation for a while. But I cannot wait too long."
"Is it because of the promise with Rosa? If you've already judged that your Family has been handed over to the Prophet, then you don't need to stick to the three-year deadline given by Rosa, right?"
"It's not because of that, Quikantel-nim. There are two reasons why I want to visit my clan. First, to properly assess the clan's situation, and second, because they still don't know my strength."
If there is no problem regarding the first reason, if the family simply chooses to hide, then Jin can proceed to prepare to ascend to the position of Patriarch of Runcandel seriously.
Either the Prophet transfers her power naturally, or Jin brings her down by force.
However, if the Prophet's control were to be clearly revealed during the confirmation process, Jin would have to classify "Prophet's Runcandel" as an enemy from then on and wage war.
"...I have to cause as much damage as possible while my clan doesn't know my strength. If the Prophet has taken over the Family, and they're just hiding to get new information from me, that is."
"If things go wrong, do you mean you'll fight immediately on the spot?"
"That's right."
"In that case, it's no different from old Murakan. What if you were to encounter a trap you couldn't handle?"
"I'll have to escape. Although I'll need help from the Red Owl and Mort."
"...Yes, thankfully, you're not like Murakan then. Because if it were Murakan, he would simply have said that nothing in the world could stop him."
"I understand what Quikantel-nim and everyone is worried about. But we can't keep waiting outside without knowing the exact situation in Runcandel. Meanwhile, if the Prophet's power keeps growing, it will become truly unbearable later on."
If the Prophet is just consolidating power over the family, then they need to attack as soon as possible.
Even if that means taking some risks. That's what Jin thought.
"Furthermore, even if command were to pass to the Prophet, I don't think everything would go smoothly. There must be some who resist, and we need to incorporate them into our forces before they are dealt with."
The Dyfus brothers, Mary, and Tona. Jin thought of these four.
"Wow."
Quikantel and the others sighed.
It wasn't because they thought Jin was wrong.
Even though Jin had come back so strong, even though the Vamel Alliance had made so much progress.
It was frustrating that they still found themselves in a position where they had to make judgments facing many risks.
In any case, the best outcome would be if the clan remained intact, but the chances of that happening were very low.
"Everyone, don't think too much. It's something we have to face anyway, and fortunately, we've achieved some of what we wanted in the past two years and six months. And although my Family may have fallen to the Prophet, one thing is for sure: we still hold the upper hand."
New information that Jin received.
Assuming the Prophet has swallowed up the Family, the only reason Runcandel hasn't pressed Tikan is because of that.
"First of all, let everyone know that I have returned. Let's see how my clan reacts."
"And?"
"If possible, please contact Beradin. The major factions should have more information about Runcandel than we do, so if we're lucky, we might hear something."
"I'll try, but it's best not to expect too much. Beradin hasn't been involved in any external activity since he entered closed-door training, Jin-nim."
Jin nodded with a bitter face.
"...If that's the case, then we should give up on Beradin's side. Well, if Beradin and Sandra don't come to me first when my return is announced, it's safe to assume they have their own problems."
"I'll contact the hidden side of the palace today... Oh, it looks like Mort is here."
Outside the window, they saw the white dimensional portal of the toad Mort opening.
Mort looked quite tired.
After the formation of Chaos Particles, Mort's dimensional movement was also somewhat restricted.
"My son-in-law! Do I have to be the one to find you every time you come back? Even in a time when transfer gates have disappeared, seriously."
As soon as Talaris realized that Smarion had been subdued, she went to Tikan.
"It's been a while, Talaris-nim. I had something to tell you..."
"Uhhh, I'm sure you're asking me for a favor. Are you planning to visit Runcandel?"
"Yes."
"Well, that's why I've come to find you too. I was worried you'd be too overconfident after subduing Smarion, and that you'd go alone without me. Anyway, let's catch up first with the missed conversations."
From that day on, Tikan immediately announced Jin's return to the world.
Reporters led by Dino Zaglan were constantly pouring out special reports, but there was nothing about Ranke and Smarion.
Instead, they spread false announcements saying that it was Dante who subdued Smarion.
It was better to hide Jin's prowess in battle until he went to Runcandel, and announcing Dante's power would be more beneficial in many ways.
Runcandel did not express any particular stance on Jin's return.
Instead, they suddenly released a special report claiming to have found a "legacy of the first patriarch":...
Until then, Tikan had not received any contact from Valeria.
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