C761
Six days had passed.
Thanks to the publication of records by the Vamel Alliance, people all over the world now knew every detail of the War of the Evil God.
"...They are finalizing the deaths of Dyfus Runcandel and Lynn Milcano."
Lutero Magical Federation, Tower of Records.
Octavia spoke while examining the newspaper on the table.
The newspaper contained altered accounts of the published records from the War of the Evil God.
-<Dyfus Runcandel, who shares the power of the evil god, placed his hope in Mary Runcandel and Jin Runcandel.>
-<On May 22, 1803, Dyfus Runcandel departed from the world, along with a fragment of the evil god’s power. The evil god weakens.>
Led by Dino Zaglon, the Runcandels did not attempt to restore Dyfus' honor through these records.They simply transcribed the records into articles in a calm tone.
This was because Mary didn’t want it.
Dyfus' death was a matter of personal mourning as her closest brother.
Regardless of why he placed his hopes in Jin, or whatever feelings he had, the fact that so many people had died due to his corrupt actions didn’t disappear.
However, people began to understand Dyfus through the passage "placing hope in Jin Runcandel."
Of course, not everyone felt this way, but at the very least, Dyfus wasn’t treated as a villain who would never be redeemed.
The same could be said about Lynn Milcano's betrayal.
At first, Lynn's betrayal wasn’t known to the public or even to the temporary allies, but her self-proclaimed role as a villain for the sake of the evil god was revealed once again.
"Our journalists are constantly trying to find faults through Ran, Vigo, Myu, and Anne, but it won't be easy to change the mood."
Moreover, the betrayal of the resurrected former patriarchs and the continuous achievements of the former patriarchs who didn’t succumb to corruption were receiving great public responses.
Thus, the published records, from one to ten, were mostly bringing favorable effects to the Runcandels.
"Besides, we weren't informed of Lynn Milcano's betrayal at the time. Although the war against the evil god ended in victory..."
When Ronil responded, Kadun clenched his teeth in fury.
"It’s an obvious deception! That damned Twelfth Flagbearer played us. He proceeded with the information disclosure without even discussing it with us. It’s infuriating! Is he really going to stab us in the back like this? It’s unbearable...!"
As Kadun spoke, Beradin silently raised his head.
"Getting angry won’t solve anything, Kadun-nim. Please calm down. Every time you act like this, I feel embarrassed."
The atmosphere in the conference room cooled as Beradin finished speaking.
Ever since he became the guardian dragon of Kelliark, no one had seen Kadun lose his temper like that.
Whenever Kadun became unnecessarily angry or said something reckless, even Kelliark tried to calm him down.
"What did you say?"
"If you want to express your anger and make people uncomfortable, you need a certain skill. Do you have the power to pressure Runcandel and the Vamel Alliance right now? Can you crush them with your mere presence?"
Kadun glared at Beradin.
Since regaining his sanity, Beradin had distanced himself from the image they had manipulated and the person they wanted him to be.
"Young Patriarch, not even your father treated me recklessly."
"So what? Do I have any reason to emulate my father's attitude toward you, Kadun-nim? There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with what I said."
"Beradin!"
"If you keep expressing your emotions unnecessarily and ruining the atmosphere during meetings, you’ll only succeed in making a fool of yourself in front of both allies and enemies. As guardian dragon of the clan, you’re supposed to carry weight. I believe I’ve mentioned something like this before."
Just as Kadun was about to say something, Octavia and Ronil restrained him.
"If you're not satisfied with my methods, then immediately find a way to cure Father. Then I’ll show more respect to you, Kadun-nim."
Bang!
With a loud bang, Kadun smashed the table and stormed out of the meeting room in anger.
"After the meeting, warn Kadun-nim not to behave like that again. If he leaves the meeting like this in the future, he won’t have a chance to sit here again."
"...Understood."
"Has there been any response from the Vamel Alliance regarding the use of the purifier?"
-During the decisive battle, I will also need Kelliark's power. Of course, it’s an unpleasant matter, but if the purification device is improved before the battle, and if a situation arises where Kelliark’s power as a Zipple is absolutely necessary, I will use the purification device.-
These were Jin's words during the temporary alliance conference.
The Zipple had already requested the use of the purification device from the Runcandel right after the war ended.
"I haven’t received any response yet."
"It seems they have no intention of complying."
"Should we push harder?"
"No, it’s fine. Since my father’s condition is probably beyond what their purifier can heal, it’s better to find another solution. Tell Kadun-nim to handle it."
"Beradin, no, Young Patriarch. It’s not good to mistreat Kadun-nim excessively. Runcandel and the Vamel Alliance are solidifying their alliance right after the war. We have no reason to create divisions between us, right?"
"Spectre Captain, our federation also needs Kadun-nim’s capable presence for solidarity. Not to mention, this applies to all the clan leaders, including myself. They have a clear focal point called Jin Runcandel."
"I hope you don’t intend to break Kadun-nim’s spirit to demonstrate the dignity of the Young Patriarch to the lower ranks."
"I should consider that too. If Kadun-nim becomes more respectful, it would be a way to reaffirm my leadership to the clan and the subordinate forces."
"Young Patriarch."
"Enough, let’s stop here. Spectre Captain, consult with the strategists to find ways to muddy the atmosphere around Runcandel. Instead of using the deceased as leverage, it would be better to create a narrative suggesting that Jin Runcandel is provoking a new war right after the purge. In fact, they’re provoking us and Kinzelo quite a bit."
"Understood."
"A report has come in that a shipyard is being built near Hairan’s second castle. Lady Octavia, please oversee the situation discreetly. We must keep up the pressure to ensure the matter isn’t resolved due to a steel shortage."
"We are currently scrutinizing the transportation methods of the Empire, neighboring neutral countries, and Hufester, while suspending the export of steel from the Lutero Federation, as you suggested. It seems they are struggling, as you predicted."
"That level of security isn’t enough. There’s a high chance they have hidden reserves. It could be the Minche Blacksmith Association... or perhaps Kinzelo."
"We are actively investigating the former. No sightings of transport ships from Huphester, the Vamel Alliance, or the Empire have been reported. Furthermore, the Twelfth Flagbearer has offended their pride by borrowing weapons from the Association without permission. It seems unlikely they will lend assistance easily."
"What about Kinzelo?"
"This morning, Kashimir Alprion from the Vamel Alliance visited their headquarters."
"It would be difficult to intercept transportation through the leader’s dimensional portal."
"I will make sure to confirm whether the deal has been closed or not."
"Whether it’s finalized or not, make sure to present better conditions than those offered by the Vamel Alliance to redirect the deal in our favor."
After discussing a few more matters, the meeting ended.
Beradin sat quietly in the now-empty meeting room.
'...Pressuring Kadun-nim was certainly necessary, but perhaps I went too far.'
In reality, Beradin felt that his emotions were no longer under control.
Although his recent actions toward Kadun had been premeditated, he felt that his words had gone further than intended.
'Is it because of Father, or is it due to the powers I obtained through the mana traces? It seems controlling them won’t be easy.'
Finally, Beradin slowly ascended to the top floor of the tower.
"...Father."
He placed his hand on Kelliark’s life support device.
Inside the life support device, Kelliark's entire body had turned a sickly black color.
The transformation had already progressed to the point where regeneration was impossible with current purification methods.
"Soon, I’ll be able to free you from there. At that moment..."
Beradin leaned closer to the life support device, whispering the rest of his words.
"Now I bid you farewell. Rest in peace."
As Beradin exited the room, Kelliark silently opened his eyes.
With lifeless eyes, devoid of all vitality, he stared at the door through which Beradin had disappeared.
From time to time, his fingers twitched slightly.
----------------
Over the past week, Jin had been meeting with kings, lords, ruling families of allied clans, and immigrants from various regions of Huphester to encourage them.
The construction of the shipyard in the Sword Emperor’s territory was progressing smoothly.
The master blacksmiths from the Association were already sending steel shipments through Vailam, knowing it was needed for the shipyard’s construction.
Not even Beradin had considered transportation through Vailam.
Even during the Zipple meeting, Vailam was tirelessly transporting steel as if taking a leisurely stroll.
Kashimir’s visit to Kinzelo’s headquarters wasn’t just about the construction of the shipyard near Hairan’s second castle but also a deception.
Kashimir had intentionally proposed a steel trade with Kinzelo and was rejected.
It was only natural since he had expressed a desire to purchase steel at a price higher than the market value.
Although the shipyard near Hairan's second castle would be used once completed, the secret shipyard in the Sword Emperor's territory was the key to the production of the alliance’s battleships.
After receiving all the related information, Jin, Valeria, and Bale returned to the Kaldran Snowfield.
[Welcome back. It seems you’ve brought Valeria and Sir Bale... Valeria, I apologize for what happened before. As you know, I wasn’t in my right mind.]
"It’s fine."
Brief greetings were exchanged, and Valeria reviewed the records related to the mysterious woman’s words.
Fortunately, the records were confirmed immediately without delay.
<Luntia Runcandel rejected the contract with Lokia Ganesto.><'If Cyron Runcandel returns like this, your younger brother won’t be able to handle him. Without my help, never.'>
For a moment, the group couldn’t take their eyes off that particular passage.
-
KO-FI:
https://tinyurl.com/SHADOWK
-
( Up to '120' more ch4pt3rs)
-