C756
The next day, in the ancient capital of the Vermont Imperial Family.
In the square, Jin had been delivering a speech for a long time. Several hours had already passed, merely reading the names of the dead and paying tribute to them.
Despite the scorching sun beating down on them, not a single person in the square moved from their spot.
Many shed tears in silence.
Some wept for those massacred by the evil god. Others cried for those who had fallen in battle.
Others shed tears of joy, realizing that they could still continue living.
"...With this, we conclude the commemorative ceremony."
Behind Jin, banners representing various factions and clans were raised.
Jin turned one last time, gazing at the banners.Now it was time to make the proclamation.
"From today onwards, the temporary alliance between the Vamel Alliance, Zipple, and Kinzelo, which confronted the evil god, has been officially dissolved. Each faction will return to their original relations."
All the dignitaries already knew that a new era was beginning.
"Runcandel, Zipple, and Kinzelo have reached an agreement before the final battle against the evil god. It is a limited non-aggression pact that establishes that we will not attack each other for at least one year after the war ends. Today, here in this place, I, Jin, swear that Runcandel will not be the first to break that agreement."
Ronil and Zephirin, who were behind, could only reflect on Jin's words.
Why would Jin publicly declare that he wouldn't break the agreement in such a situation? Is he testing us?
"Sir Jin would have no reason to expose his weakness. Rather than a tactic to secure justification for war, it seems more like a warning or a threat..."
Vahn and Murakan.
His summoning was the greatest concern for Zipple and Kinzelo at this moment.
Until they figured it out, the two factions wouldn't dare threaten Runcandel lightly.
On the other hand, Jin didn’t need to be as cautious as they were.
"Additionally, Runcandel intends to make all records related to the war against the evil god publicly available. With the help of Record Magician Valeria Histor."
Upon hearing those words, Ronil and the Zipple officials barely concealed their surprise.
The mention of "Record Magician" and "Histor" moved the entire square.
Whether they knew the name and its significance or not, everyone showed interest.
"Magician Valeria Histor, as a member of the Vamel Alliance, participated in this war and organized almost all the records of the war. Valeria."
Responding to Jin's call, Valeria, who had been hooded among the crowd, stepped onto the platform.
When she removed her hood, her red hair and unmasked face were revealed.
"I am Valeria Histor. As the last surviving member of the Histor Clan, I possess the skill to use Record Magic, as you can see."
Woooong...!
Valeria waved her silver birch staff once, and a massive record window appeared next to the platform.
It was densely filled with descriptions of the war against the evil god.
"Is that magic?"
"I've heard of it. There was a clan that used this type of magic until a few hundred years ago..."
The crowd's attention was focused on the record window.
Naturally, Zipple expected Jin to keep any information about Valeria strictly guarded.
The more exclusive the information, the more valuable it would be.
Above all, Zipple believed it wouldn’t be beneficial for Jin to reveal Valeria to the public.
But Jin had a completely different perspective.
When you lack power, you must hide everything, but now it’s no longer necessary.
'Judging by their bewildered expressions, it seems completely unexpected.'
Although Zipple felt fear witnessing Jin's power during the war against the evil god, they were still somewhat trapped by their past mindset.
They still had the persistent belief that Jin was in a position where he had to hide something from them.
"As I am the only survivor of the Histor Clan, I cannot maintain this record window indefinitely. The public disclosure of the records will last one week, starting today. That duration should provide enough time for this content to be transcribed and spread worldwide."
"Sir Jin and Miss Valeria Histor, why have you suddenly revealed the existence of the Record Magician?" asked a journalist. Of course, it was a journalist named Dino Zaglan, and the question had been prepared in advance.
"Since this was a war where everyone united their forces, I considered it necessary that all information be revealed transparently."
"Has this been agreed upon by the clans that were part of the temporary alliance?"
"Not exactly. Is an agreement necessary on these matters? I believe it is natural to reveal this to the public. That’s all for now. I’ll answer the journalists’ questions after the proclamation. Valeria, please continue."
"Yes, Sir, young patriarch. Additionally, Runcandel and the Vamel Alliance have decided to share with the world all the value that can be derived through Record Magic. This includes the advancement of society through the discovery of lost practical techniques, the restoration of lost history, and international criminal tracking, to name a few."
For thousands of years, Zipple had clearly been the driving force behind the "progress" of the world.
Even everyday items containing the word "magic" were all products developed by Zipple.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that everything essential in life with the word "magic" originated from Zipple.
However, according to Valeria's words, now Runcandel and the Vamel Alliance could potentially replace Zipple's position.
Is that really possible?
Even if they weren’t journalists, it was inevitable that someone would ask that question, but the crowd expressed no doubt.
It was because Jin Runcandel, the young patriarch of the master swordsmen, affirmed it with confidence.
The weight of the honor that Jin had accumulated over time shone brightly.
"But, as I mentioned before, I am the last magician of the Histor Clan. What I can do with a single body has its limitations. Moreover, until the war with the evil god, I was pursued by a certain group for a long time, making it quite difficult to restore my clan's magic."
The phrase "certain group" seemed considerate.
In the moment when Ronil sweated over such thoughts, Valeria boldly said the name.
"The name of that group is Zipple."
This time, the crowd's attention shifted towards the Zipple representatives.
"Between our Histor Clan and Zipple, there is a long and dark history that I cannot fully explain to all of you. However, as a comrade who fought alongside Zipple during this battle, I now humbly ask that you let me go. If Zipple renounces its ambitions towards the Histor Clan, I too will strive to forget the past."
Of course, it wasn’t sincere.
Even if Zipple truly renounced the Histor Clan, Valeria's resentment towards them wouldn’t diminish in the slightest.
It was merely a statement made to tarnish Zipple's name.
Zipple would never be able to accept those words.
Refusing meant becoming trash, while accepting meant making an impossible promise before the public.
In the end, Ronil sighed and opted for the former.
"Miss Valeria's proposal is unacceptable. It seems this isn’t an appropriate occasion to discuss such delicate matters. Nevertheless, I wish you good luck."
Jin silently pondered Ronil's response and thought.
'If it were Beradin, he would have demanded that Valeria prove whether her words about forgetting the past were true using Record Magic. In that case, they would have had the upper hand. It's a disappointing response, Ronil Zipple.'
Valeria nodded.
"I understand. As you said, this is an inappropriate occasion. I just presented the stance of the Runcandel and Vamel Alliance to the Zipple side. If it seemed discourteous in any way, I apologize."
With this provocative gesture, it wasn’t easy for Zipple and Kinzelo to understand the situation.
They couldn’t help but feel confused about whether Jin could fully wield the power he had during the Battle of the Evil God.
'He pledged to uphold the Non-Aggression Treaty, but with such provocation, it seems he has some confidence.'
'...It was a good decision not to bring Kadan-nim. The tension would have escalated.'
Valeria stepped back behind Jin.
"Although I’ve just shown a somewhat unfavorable side, rest assured that the contaminated areas of Glyek left by the former temporary alliance will be purified with the combined effort of all involved parties." With this, Runcandel's declaration concludes. Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone present and to the war comrades who couldn’t be here. Now I bid you farewell."
Jin bowed his head to the crowd.
Once again, it was a spectacle that had never been seen in the previous Runcandel.
Therefore, people felt that the current Runcandel was like a faction lower than ever before.
But at the same time, it also felt stronger than ever.
When Jin stepped down from the podium, applause and cheers erupted, and journalists hurried to follow Jin and Valeria.
-------------------
While the journalists' and the crowd's attention was completely focused on Valeria, Jin quietly left the capital.
His destination was the official capital of the Empire.
It was the former territory of the Sword Emperor Castle, now known as "Sword Emperor Territory."
After Dante ascended the throne, he moved the capital to this place, but it was merely a symbolic change to honor Ron.
The Sword Emperor Territory was a land where not only administrative facilities but even humans and animals couldn’t survive due to chaos.
That was all people knew, or at least that’s what they thought.
"Dante."
Hearing Jin's voice, Dante turned and smiled.
In front of Dante was a beam of light left by Ron and the words they had engraved together with their swords in the past.
Sword Emperor Ron Hairan. Becoming the light of Hairan or the light of the world in this place.
"Have you come, Jin?"
Jin received the glass handed to him by Dante and carefully placed it in front of Ron's light, offering a silent prayer.
Today's gathering here wasn’t just to honor Ron.
"The land is purifying much faster than we thought."
"It must be thanks to my grandfather watching over me."
The Sword Emperor Territory, known to still be engulfed in tremendous chaos, had transformed enough for people to inhabit it.
Only Jin and Dante knew this fact.
From an external perspective, the Sword Emperor Territory still seemed mired in dreadful chaos.
"It must have been a difficult decision. Are you really okay with this?"
"It wasn’t that difficult. I made this decision once I confirmed the rapid purification of the land. I’m sure my grandfather would have wanted this too."
Dante's decision was none other than to use the purified Sword Emperor Territory as a secret shipyard for the Vamel Alliance.
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