C457

Late January 1800.

The Free City of Tikan was still bustling with activity as they dealt with the relocation and installation of equipment from the Black King"s Mountain.

The Guardian Knights sent by Runcandel to the Black King"s Mountain were initially seen as a factor that hurt the pride and self-esteem of the Black King Mercenaries.

However, now even the mercenaries were beginning to see their presence as convenient.

After all, they clung to the Bise Kingdom, preventing meddlers from causing chaos.

The forces of Tikan had to intervene without Runcandel.

It was an exhausting role amid the tumultuous international situation caused by the sudden collapse of the Black King"s Mountain Hideout.

Above all, the Black King Mercenaries were pleased with the change of leadership among the guardian knights stationed in the Bise Kingdom.

"Hmm, those guys. I thought they would look like defeated soldiers. But it seemed like everyone had quietly accepted defeat. No, they seemed satisfied."

Crunch!

Mary bit into an apple and spoke.

Standing next to her was, of course, Dyfus Runcandel.

They had come here to prevent other Flagbearers or the Elder Council (though the latter had practically collapsed thanks to Jin) from misusing the "younger one"s loot."

As expected, the first time they arrived, Joshua"s knights stationed there showed an unpleasant att.i.tude towards the Black King Mercenaries.

The mercenaries endured the unpleasant att.i.tude because they didn"t want their new lord to get involved in unnecessary conflicts.

Only when Mary and Dyfus arrived could they work more comfortably.

The two maintained discipline among the guardian knights.

But their actions didn"t stem solely from the desire to pamper the younger one.

It was a mix of stimulus and unease about what might happen in the clan if someone carelessly touched the younger one, leading to an uncertain future.

Even Mary, who could be called "crazy" when it came to fighting, thought that Runcandel needed a brief period of stability, and that was the reason for her actions.

"We were all nervous the first day we came to play the role of an umbrella. Not because of Jin, but because of the Second Flagbearer and his knights," Dyfus said as he caught the apple Mary had thrown to him.

For a while, the siblings sat under a tree, devouring dozens of apples and watching the work of the Black King Mercenaries.

"If I had known this would happen, I would have joined forces with all the Black King Mercenaries. It"s a bit disappointing. I envy the younger brother," Mary commented.

"Strictly speaking, the younger one didn"t fight alone. Such a result would never have been possible without Murakan."

"I don"t know about that. Murakan"s strength has been proven in this situation, but the way the Second Flagbearer praises him is strangely persistent. It"s almost as if he wants to completely exclude Jin"s contribution to this incident."

"Praising Murakan excessively is downplaying Jin"s power, is that what you think?"

"That"s my gut feeling. The Second Flagbearer, us, everyone in the Family that day saw it with our own eyes, right? How incredibly powerful the younger one was on the day of the patriarchate declaration."

Thinking of Jin, who demolished the Garden of Swords with the magical sword technique and the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends, sent shivers down their spines.

"At that time, he showed that power right after regaining his amputated arms. The chance that he was in top condition was extremely low. Perhaps he was close to being at his worst."

"That"s going too far, isn"t it? If he caused such a stir at his worst, then the younger one would have become the patriarch long ago."

"But can"t you imagine it?"

"What?"

"The vision of him alone destroying the Black King"s Mountain. Executing that tremendous magical sword and the Sword of the Reign of the King of Legends..."

To Mary, it made her mouth water as if she were thinking about delicious food.

Dyfus shuddered but couldn"t deny his dear sister"s words.

It wasn"t difficult to imagine such a thing.

It doesn"t seem strangely unnatural that a person who destroyed the Garden of Swords without help couldn"t do the same with the Black King"s Mountain Hideout.

"If the result was achieved because Murakan fought in his place, would the Black King Mercenaries be so content with their work now? It seems they"ve encountered a lord they can deeply recognize. Do you think they believe in a boy who trusts his guardian dragon? Do you think it"s possible?"

"Hmm, it makes sense," Dyfus replied.

"Moreover, after observing for a few days, the equipment and all the important things in the Black King"s Mountain are strangely intact. I don"t think it"s all pure luck."

"...Are you suggesting that the younger one controlled his power during the fight? To ensure that the important loot wasn"t damaged?"

"Yes."

Honestly, it was an incredible story.

But in reality... strangely.

None of the most expensive and hard-to-obtain equipment was damaged beyond reuse.

It might be unknown to the siblings.

That was just luck.

On the day Zephyrin went berserk, fortunately, his attack didn"t reach all of the Black King Mercenaries" high-level equipment.

Not even the avalanche that followed could destroy those items.

All thanks to luck!

Due to this level of almost unimaginable luck, Mary"s imagination knew no bounds.

Even Dyfus couldn"t help but feel there was no way, absolutely no way.

Once again, the Black King Mercenaries started singing a lively work song that echoed through the mountains while a silent understanding flowed between the siblings.

"Anyway," said Mary, crunching the last apple heart with her teeth.

"Oraboni, my intuition tells me we need to get stronger."

"What?"

"To fight the younger one."

Whether they faced him or fought alongside him.

For Dyfus, Mary sounded like the latter.

"The girl who always thirsted to get stronger for no reason... is suddenly like this now."

"My dear younger brother and archenemy among archenemies, each crossing mountains the other must overcome! Ah, isn"t this kind of thing great? Exciting."

Dyfus felt slightly uneasy and let out a chuckle.

"I understand your intentions, so figure out what remedy is needed for my aching head when you return."

Mary"s eyes sparkled, and Dyfus continued:

"For now, do as you please. Break anything and train however you want. I"ll handle the aftermath."

"There"s only one older brother who truly understands my heart!"

"Am I your older brother only in moments like these? When will you mature?"

"Don"t talk nonsense afterward. After all, the great Fourth Flagbearer of Runcandel wouldn"t say a word twice. I"m leaving now, so you have to oversee things here. You"ll handle my missions for a while."

"Hey, Mary! Hey!"

Before Dyfus could catch up, Mary was already running wildly down the mountainside.

Trees bent and raised a dust cloud as she raced downhill.

"Ugh... I hope she doesn"t cause an incident like in the old times. Maybe I should have chosen my words more carefully."

A sudden and intense feeling of unease washed over Dyfus.

---------------------------------

Dox McRolan had not fully recovered, but he immediately left the city of Tikan once he regained his Claws, reaching a point where he could move with 30% of his usual strength.

He left only this note:

I won"t forget what you did to save me. I admit, I might have died in vain without your efforts and wouldn"t have been able to dedicate the rest of my life to the Family.

However, as a Black Knight, I cannot follow your orders. Instead, I will carry them out as Dox McRolan.

I"ll send you a letter as soon as I have something. I hope you understand that I didn"t break my promise and escaped.

Surprisingly, Dox left Tikan without anyone noticing, meaning the opposite was also possible.

The reason Joshua"s Black Knights hadn"t infiltrated Tikan was not their lack of ability but Cyron"s orders.

"He"s not ungrateful. I didn"t expect him to give me such a gift."

Jin didn"t know that Dox had secretly announced this fact by leaving quietly.

"Valkas-nim."

"Speak, my lord."

"How much can the city"s defenses improve once all the equipment is relocated compared to the current state?"

"That depends on how much you"re willing to invest in defenses, my lord."

"Whether in manpower or money, allocate whatever is necessary."

"I think the same. I suppose you"ve read the message the Black Knight left upon leaving. If the not fully recovered Black Knight can slip away like this, not to mention what a fully recovered Black Knight could do."

Valkas had accepted Jin as his lord, but on the other hand, he also considered his role to test Jin every time an opportunity presented itself.

Jin appreciated Valkas"s approach because he was a leader who had successfully led a considerable force for much longer than Jin.

"All right, my lord. What"s our next move?"

A leader has the option to gather their forces and reorganize the hierarchy when their power suddenly increases.

Valkas hoped Jin wouldn"t give such a textbook response.

"It"s time to gather our forces and reorganize the hierarchy."

"I see."

"But that"s not my job. Gather. No, to be precise, the current members of Tikan, excluding me, will do their best to maintain order, but it"s up to each one to decide their hierarchy. I won"t get involved in that."

"You won"t get involved at all?"

"Now that we"ve suddenly become a family, conflict seems inevitable, right? If I were to intervene, I"d have to take someone"s side, so I"ll let them establish their ranks as they see fit. However, no killing or mutilating each other. I"ll personally cut their throats if anyone breaks those rules."

Valkas couldn"t help but applaud inwardly.

"Lata Proch, no wonder that crazy young man has become quite a dog. Ten years ago, the kid the Third Division guys called Little Emperor has now turned into a giant ruling over Valkas and the Black King Mercenaries."

Suddenly, he remembered something Lata and Jet had said during a recent night of drinking.

-In a way, maybe Valkas-nim has been lucky. I lost my dearest subordinate at the hands of the lord, and my only sister was captured. And I only realized the value of our lord after losing to him.

-Well, thanks to my lord... hehe, I literally suffered a lot. When I played Beradin Zipple so convincingly. When I first arrived in Tikan, I became a complete beggar. But it was only after getting involved with the lord that I could become someone valuable.

-On the other hand, haven"t the Black King Mercenaries only lost their hideout and reputation? Even the hideout still contains almost all the important equipment. As for reputation... I"m absolutely sure the reputation will shine dozens of times more than before when our lord ascends to the throne of the world. My friend Jet and I are in the same situation.

Valkas smiled.

"It"s been an excellent answer, my lord. So, what"s your task?"

Then, Jin answered without a moment"s hesitation.

"The great mercenary, Amela."

It was the correct answer.

"We need to recruit her. And if recruiting her is impossible, then we have to keep her in check."

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