Chapter 803
Drakka, Zipple Headquarters.
Beradin observed the executives sitting in silence for a while.
Except for Ronel, Octavia, and the new Pureblood Zipples brought by Beradin, all the executives were terrified.
The hallway outside the conference room was littered with corpses.
Since the incident at the Tower of Stories, it was natural that an atmosphere of unease had spread throughout Zipple.
Only rumors were circulating, with no official announcements.
Amidst this, Beradin convened a clan meeting for the first time.
Right before this meeting, composed only of Pureblood Zipples and elders, Beradin carried out a short and intense purge.
He swiftly annihilated those who had doubts about the incident at the Tower of Stories.The deceased couldn’t even resist the sudden attack.
Even if they had resisted, the outcome would have been the same.
In the Holy Land and Drakka headquarters, Beradin’s power was absolute, to put it mildly.
“There was a slight delay. I made this decision to efficiently lead the clan as the new patriarch. I would appreciate your understanding, even if it made you feel uncomfortable.”
The executives exchanged glances.
To think that he killed over thirty executives and called it a slight delay.
Moreover, Beradin referred to himself as the patriarch.
Due to that declaration, Kelliak’s life and death no longer mattered.
Whether he lived or died, it didn’t change the fact that Beradin had usurped the position of patriarch.
“I’m sure you have many questions. How you came to be the patriarch and Kadun, and how our Zipple will be operated in the future. My sister, Satrin Zipple, who was also recently appointed Magistrate, will gradually help with the organization of these matters. We will soon make an official announcement to the outside world.”
Satrin Zipple nodded slightly as she looked at the executives.
Not only her, but all the Purebloods that Beradin brought were in positions of the highest authority.
From the perspective of the existing executives, this was nothing short of a rebellion followed by tyranny, but no one resisted.
Beradin felt disgust at their appearance.
Of course, if they opposed, he would kill and trample them mercilessly, but this kind of sight revealed the true state of the weakened Zipple.
It was due to their long-standing rule as the most important power in the world.
It was time to reclaim the clan’s initial creed, that Zipple should be strong not because of the name, but because it is Zipple.
By completely changing everything from the roots.
“So, for now, let’s focus on recent matters. Our enemies have started showing strange movements while we reorganize the clan.”
“…Understood.”
“First, Kinzelo suddenly unilaterally stopped our steel trade. Behind this, naturally, is the Vamel alliance, led by Jin Runcandel.”
“It’s a strange situation, Patriarch-nim. Kinzelo should be in a position to deter the Vamel Alliance, so there’s no reason for them to suddenly give them steel. It’s not like we were buying it at a low price.”
As one of the executives spoke, Beradin nodded.
There were those who couldn’t accept the change, but there were also those who adapted quickly.
“Moreover, our spies recently discovered that the beastmen’s land has been collapsing. It makes me think that perhaps the Vamel alliance retaliated against Kinzelo for the steel trade, and Kinzelo, unable to resist the pressure, gave them the steel.”
“Interesting story. However, Kinzelo isn’t one who would bow down so much. If the Vamel alliance had attacked, it’s more likely that an all-out war would have begun immediately.”
“Then, are you saying that Jin Runcandel is behind this, Sir Patriarch?”
“I believe there was some kind of deal between Jin and Kinzelo. And it’s likely that that deal is related to the destruction of the branch that Elder Ritan mentioned a while ago.”
“When you say deal… could it be that Kinzelo requested support from Jin Runcandel?”
“That’s how I see it. I believe that one of the factions, whether it be us, the Vamel alliance, Runcandel, or the Empire, attacked Kinzelo, and Kinzelo requested support from Jin.”
“But besides those factions, there are groups with enough power to attack Kinzelo, right? The remnants of the imperial family have some strength, but they wouldn’t dare to take such a desperate measure.”
The remnants of the imperial family had cut off contact with Zipple after the battle of the evil god and had gone into hiding.
“It’s not the remnants of the imperial family. I believe a new faction has emerged.”
“A new faction…!”
“If it’s a new faction, then the only possibility is that the neutrals have joined forces… Although, besides the leaders of the main factions, there aren’t many individuals who can gather the neutrals, right?”
“There might not be individuals, but if it’s someone who appeared after the Tower of Stories and whose status isn’t properly confirmed, it’s not impossible. However, if it’s Joshua Runcandel, there’s no way he would stand still.”
For a while, various words were exchanged among the executives.
Beradin observed their reactions and then shared the information he had recently learned with them.
“It’s not Joshua Runcandel either. If he were using the power of chaos to act, I could recognize it with my authority. So, in my opinion, it seems to be the work of the underworld.”
“The underworld…?”
“The place we call the demon world was beneath this world. And at the boundary between the surface and the underworld, there are sealed beings known as the Great Serpent and some ancient races.”
At this sudden revelation, except for Beradin’s closest confidants, the executives couldn’t comprehend how they should react.
It was almost as if they were wondering if Beradin had gone mad.
However, in the next moment, Beradin pulled out a scroll from his embrace and unfurled it towards the executives.
The scroll contained relevant information, depictions of the boundary between the surface and the underworld, and the depiction of Ameris with the Seal of Fire at the bottom of the scroll.
The meaning of that seal was absolute trust.
The executives no longer doubted and listened intently to Beradin’s words.
“That’s why I came to the conclusion that those who attacked Kinzelo this time were demons or other ancient races. However, most of the demons that have been revealed so far have been affiliated with Kinzelo, so it seems that the ancient races hold more weight.”
“That is to say, Sir, you are saying that the ancient races of the underworld have been released for some reason… and they attacked Kinzelo. And Kinzelo is now requesting support from the Vamel alliance.”
“That’s right. Therefore, our task from now on is to investigate them. Who are those who attacked Kinzelo, why did they initially target Kinzelo as the surface power, why did Kinzelo request support from Jin instead of us, and what are Orgal and Zephyrin doing?”
As Beradin summarized, the executives nodded.
“I want the executives to immediately give orders to our reporters. Let them write articles as if everything discussed in today’s meeting is true. And the Spectre Captain must coordinate with the Magistrate and send the Magistrate’s Spectre Corps and Magicians to Kinzelo’s branches.”
“Understood.”
“We are inevitably lagging behind in information compared to the Vamel alliance and Kinzelo. We need to find a way to close the gap and effectively respond to the underworld forces, no matter what it takes. To those who achieve results, I will give them the opportunity to learn the clan’s Vision Magic.”
Vision Magic, like Runcandel’s Final Movements, wasn’t something anyone could learn.
Only those with a power affinity equal to that of Pureblood Zipple could learn it.
“It requires a tremendous amount of resources, but the Research Division has developed technology to reliably increase mana affinity. So, I ask everyone to give their all.”
***
October 1st, 1803.
Jin sat in the lodge set up on the outskirts of Kinzelo’s third branch, drinking tea.
“They still haven’t appeared?”
Jin spoke as Bishkel entered the lodge.
Since the completion of the trade, Jin had been awake all night for several days, monitoring Kinzelo’s branches.
That was because Jin hadn’t helped so far.
The Vamel alliance was only waiting as a reserve. Jin and Siris were waiting at two anticipated attack points.
“…It seems they haven’t appeared here yet.”
“That’s right. It would have been better if I or Lady Siris had been at the seventh branch during the previous attack. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen.”
Two days ago, while Jin and Siris were waiting at the third and fifth branches respectively, the Red Legend Tribe attacked Kinzelo’s seventh branch.
The result was a massacre, and not even a trace of resistance was found on the corpses of the beastmen who were at the seventh branch.
Even after making such a deal, Kinzelo lost another branch, which drove them crazy.
And on top of that, Orgal and Zephyrin still couldn’t awaken.
‘Zephyrin might have been one of Ms. Ameris’s heads…’
Jin shrugged as he recalled Ameris’s words.
Ameris said that if Zephyrin really lost consciousness because of her, there would be no other reason.
And perhaps Orgal had fainted due to his mental connection with Zephyrin.
“While I was checking the branches, I looked at some bulletins. There’s an article about Beradin Zipple becoming the new patriarch of Zipple.”
“…Beradin?”
“That’s right. And… check this out. The first thing Beradin did after becoming patriarch was to publicly reveal information about the Underworld and raise suspicions about the relationship between Kinzelo and the Vamel alliance. This just came out in the latest bulletin.”
Jin’s eyes widened.
“It’s shocking enough that Beradin announced himself as the new patriarch, but now, he’s suddenly sowing doubts about our relationships with the Underworld?”
“Because of this, there are various rumors circulating among the demons in Kinzelo. I have no idea…”
“Wait.”
Jin’s expression sharpened as he glanced at the bulletin.
“They’ve arrived at the right time, haven’t they, Bishkel?”
Then, Jin stood up and stretched his body slightly.
“…The Red Legend Tribe?”
Bishkel regained his senses belatedly, but he didn’t feel any significant presence.
He was significantly inferior to Jin in terms of ability, and he lacked the Light Heart.
What Jin had felt was the explosive energy of the Red Legend Tribe’s unique lightning that suddenly spread near the third branch.
“That’s right. It seems I need to check the situation after dealing with them. I’ll go ahead, so follow me.”