C754
[The former butler of the Family...?]
"Luntia Runcandel, my 2nd Elder Sister and 3rd Flagbearer, and the former chief butler of the family, Lueth Damiro Yul, are trapped in different subspaces. As soon as the announcement is over, I will search for them."
Finding Luntia first was necessary.
Since the evil god is dead, it is very likely that the chaos energy sustaining her is also having issues.
But the most terrifying fact was that Luntia had already transformed. With her physical changes, it was impossible to restore her to her current purified state.
‘Elder Sister will only be able to be properly rescued when the God of Battle Fusion becomes possible, or after Elder Sister Vahn emerges.’
Even so, if she was alive, there would be a chance to reverse the situation with time, Jin thought with hope.
"Great-grandfather and Sir Alpen, from now on, please take charge of the Black Sword Association and the Law Guardians, respectively."
During the appointment ceremony, Jin confirmed the survival of the civil guard chief, Tellot Runcandel.For the two remaining positions, Vallas and Alpen were the best choices.
[I understand. You mean to manage and designate successors in advance, right?]
"Exactly, Sir Alpen. And Dame Tasha, please take on the position of Chief Instructor."
The position of "Chief Instructor" might seem less prestigious for the former patriarch.
However, Jin believed that the development of talents was urgently needed now, and this former patriarch thought the same.
[Understood, with honor.]
"When it's known that Dame Tasha will personally participate in the training, not only will cadets gather, but current knights as well."
Replenishing the workforce was necessary.
Not only for future wars against powerful forces but also to protect those who gather around Jin Runcandel.
[I can see that happening. But I have very high standards, and the selection process will be strict. Prepare for the recruitment process to take longer than you expect.]
"Of course. That's why I entrusted Dame Tasha with the role of Chief Instructor. Show your vision as the former patriarch."
[It may be a heavy burden, but you can expect good results.]
When the former patriarchs withdrew, Jin headed directly to the patriarch's office.
In the office awaited the siblings Mary and Tona, as well as the butler and scribes.
Without hesitation, Jin took a seat in the office, not even taking a moment to appreciate his first step as the young patriarch of the family.
"Young Patriarch, although I tried to filter them, many reports still keep coming in."
"They keep arriving from various regions, so if you establish the criteria today, we'll try to minimize the number of reports presented in the future."
Mary and Tona spoke.
Since it was an official scenario, their attitude towards Jin had changed.
Jin smiled as he looked at his siblings.
The fact that they all had survived the war gave him a sense of relief.
Among the butlers, there were also familiar faces.
However, the faces of the two butlers who knew most of the clan's secrets were not present.
"Have the chief butlers, Heinz and Howard, passed away?"
"...Yes, Young Patriarch-nim."
Petro answered.
"And the documents they possessed?"
"While you were away, Lady Valeria conducted a search, but they couldn't be found. Only records remain that they were damaged before the death of the evil god."
Jin decided not to dwell on it further.
Among the family's past secrets, the most important was inevitably related to Cyron.
The reasons why Cyron had dedicated his time to the Black Sea from a young age and ultimately formed an expedition team.....
Jin now felt that he had a slight idea of those reasons.
'Father, he went to the Black Sea to avoid becoming a monster like the evil god.'
When he last met Cyron in the inner world, he had a strong conviction, and ever since discovering the characteristics of the power called "Genesis Knight," he had suspected the same.
For a while, Jin silently reviewed the reports.
With each confirmation of the number of survivors, he felt a surge of emotion, just like with his siblings.
"Petro."
"Yes!"
"Loan all the unused renowned swords stored in the family’s warehouse to the allied clans and the Empire. The evaluation of the rental rates will be handled by Picon-nim. The contract will be for a period of 5 years, and if the rental exceeds 20 years, ownership will be transferred. All the money generated will be invested in stabilizing Huphester."
Petro wanted to ask if this was really happening, but he held back and bowed his head.
"But don’t force the rentals. Provide them only to the clans willing to borrow those swords, even if it means opening secret funds."
"Understood."
"Everyone must have been surprised. Over the last thousand years, the family's renowned swords have never been used in this way. But now we need money. Besides stabilizing Huphester, we will need a significant amount of money to produce a fleet in the future. It's enough to manufacture another renowned sword."
"When you mention production... Well, Young Patriarch-nim, even in times like these, it's highly unlikely that the noses of the Minche Blacksmiths’ Association will come down. Especially considering that most of the weapons our family lends are creations of the association. If that fact were revealed, it would be even more so."
As a scribe struggled to speak, Jin looked around at everyone.
The three leaders of the Minche Blacksmiths' Association, "Anvil," "Fire," and "Hammer," had even rejected exclusive contracts presented by Cyron in the past.
"In the future, when presenting your opinions to me, do so confidently and without caution. Unless it's a completely foolish idea, I will never reprimand you. It’s important for these intelligent individuals to continue expressing their opinions."
"Understood!"
"I have already considered the production of weapons through the Minche Blacksmiths' Association. Some may already know, but the origin and legendary blacksmith of that association, Picon Minche, is affiliated with the Vamel alliance. Moreover, he is considered the successor of the previous god blacksmith, Growler. Picon-nim will personally participate in the negotiations with the association."
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Minche Blacksmiths' Association was entirely composed of Picon's extreme followers.
Even if Picon asked them to step down from their position as president of the association, it was highly likely they would agree immediately.
The reason why Jin had retained Picon's favor all this time was precisely for moments like this.
"Don’t hesitate to lend the renowned swords. The martial power of our allied warriors will be strengthened, and we will earn money to produce even better weapons. Moreover, we will distribute those swords among the cadets and knights who have demonstrated significant achievements."
Jin believed that, in times of chaos, what drove most people were personal goals and a sense of accomplishment, rather than mere righteousness.
"Petro, by now, you can probably guess what other orders I will give."
"I will dispose of everything in the family’s treasury that has no historical significance, according to your instructions."
"Excellent. Consult with the Golden Peng Upper Division on that matter. Sell everything through clandestine transactions in the black market to the Lutero Federation and beastmen lands. Remember, no matter how much we gather, it won't be enough money."
"Yes!"
"Furthermore, for now, only the high-ranking butlers, including Petro, along with five scribes, will remain in the Garden of Swords. The rest of you will be sent immediately to Huphester and will report on the local situation regularly. The assignment will be handled by the seventh Flagbearer."
"Yes."
"In terms of financial measures within the family, things seem to be in order. Now the problem we need to address is manpower."
Acquiring skilled personnel for the fleet's production, magical engineers.
That was the key.
Nowadays, a war without a fleet was unimaginable.
To create the "Golden Fleet," the presence of magical engineers was essential.
"We may acquire some through the magical engineers of Huphester and the Empire, but it won't be enough. Does anyone have a proposal for gathering magical engineers?"
"I have an idea."
Surprisingly, it was Valeria.
She had just entered the office and heard Jin's voice.
"Valeria?"
"I heard the former patriarchs say earlier that, from now on, you would put me at the forefront. Although we haven't discussed it personally. Now that you’ve become the young patriarch of Runcandel, I can't rush in or..."
"Well, I was going to ask," Jin responded solemnly.
Tona and Mary struggled to contain their laughter, while the butlers and scribes rolled their eyes, embarrassed.
Valeria was now treating Jin and her comrades with comfortable familiarity.
"Anyway, since you’ve decided to make my presence public, we can leverage that to recruit a significant number of magical scholars. As you know, there are quite a few magicians obsessed with the name Histor in this world."
Figures like Kidard Hall were representative examples from the past.
Histor was a legend and a myth for magicians.
Especially for magicians who had received "Advanced Education" from Zipple and had even visited their secret library, it was even more significant.
In other circumstances, if Jin recruited magicians through the promotion of Histor, Zipple would have gone into a frenzy.
But not now.
Instead, it was Zipple who had to be cautious about Jin's reactions.
"As the desire for Histor among high-ranking magicians increases, they will naturally come seeking advanced talents. If Euria handles verifying their identities, we will also be able to filter out the spies sent by Zipple."
"It's a good idea."
"However, I hope my face doesn’t appear on those giant posters showcasing the image of the young patriarch of Runcandel."
"I’ve already mentioned it to Golden Peng. It's better not to have high expectations. Those people believe there’s no better advertisement than that. And the truth is, it worked well."
Valeria showed a disgusted expression but didn’t express it.
Jin laughed at her reaction.
The meeting continued for about two hours.
They discussed the financial situation of Huphester and the reconstruction plans.
It was the first time a meeting had taken place in such a harmonious atmosphere in this era.
It was a scene never seen during the time when Cyron and Rosa led the Family.
"I think we've covered everything broadly. The official statement will be announced tomorrow at noon, and we will choose the imperial capital as the location."
When Jin stood up to conclude the meeting, he made eye contact with Mary.
"Young Patriarch."
"Speak, Seventh Flagbearer."
"You should consider going down to the underground prison."
"...Underground prison?"
Currently, in the underground prison, the former ten great knights, Padler Runcandel, was incarcerated.
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