Chapter 24

Chapter 10. Jin, the Cadets, Suiin, and... (2)

"How many of them are there?"

"Three have been confirmed."

"There's no way just three of them attacked the Runkandel cadets. There must be more. Edington, David! You two search for the attackers when you enter the camp area."

"Yes!"

"Do not engage if you encounter them; report back quickly."

It was unexpected that the cadets would be attacked by humans rather than Suiin.

'If they attacked despite wearing Runkandel robes, could they be Zeppelin's radical followers?'

While moving, Jin continued to receive reports from Velop.

"The attackers all wore masks, making it difficult to identify them. However, they used long swords, which are most commonly used in the Jean Kingdom."

This increased the likelihood that the attackers were from within the Jean Kingdom.

However, it was premature to rule out the possibility that they were Zeppelin's radical followers. They might have used Jean Kingdom weapons to create confusion.

'If the 2nd Squad can flee after a battle, there must be no knights of 5th rank or higher among the enemies we've encountered. The problem is the unconfirmed enemies...'

Why did they attack the 2nd Squad?

If they were Zeppelin's radical followers and had confirmed that 'Runkandel cadets were on a mission' before coming here, they should have targeted the 1st Squad, to which Jin belonged.

After three hours of continuous running, the camp came into view. If they had crossed the grassland instead of the forest path, they would have arrived faster, but they would have been detected by the enemy.

Edington and David left to search for the enemies. Jin, Velop, and Sierra remained near the camp.

It was 5:00 AM.

By the time they reached the 2nd Squad's hiding place, it would be dawn. Since they still didn't know the exact number of enemies, it would be disadvantageous for the cadets once it was light.

'The 2nd Squad must be well hidden. They're capable...'

The three started moving again. They planned to join the 2nd Squad, then assess the situation properly after Edington and David returned.

Jin soon arrived at the hiding place but couldn't find the 2nd Squad. Instead, he faced a large amount of blood outside the cave.

"Y-Young Master, this is..."

"They were already discovered and attacked."

Jin clenched his teeth and pressed his forehead.

'These bastards. No matter who they are, I will find and kill them.'

It had been a long time since he felt such intense anger. In his previous life, even in the moment of his sudden death, he felt more frustration than anger. After regressing, he was too busy enjoying his new life to think about it.

But this time, his head heated up with anger in an instant.

The blood scattered around the cave entrance belonged to teenagers, no more than a dozen years old, who followed him.

Jin closed his eyes once to calm down. He needed to think clearly to find the attackers and take revenge.

"Calm down, Velop. The blood hasn't dried, so it happened not long ago."

Jin said this to Velop, who was breathing heavily. Velop seemed to think that all the 2nd Squad members had been killed due to the large amount of blood.

"There's a lot of blood, but no bones or flesh. There are no signs of anyone collapsing in the bushes. The 2nd Squad fled after the battle. There are many footprints, and the size of the feet suggests that only a few people came here."

Sierra nodded quietly. She had already examined the footprints and bloodstains to determine the 2nd Squad's escape direction.

"It seems to be to the west, Young Master. And there's a severed bandage here."

"Bandage?"

Jin quickly approached Sierra and examined the bandage. It was clearly a product of Huphester.

"There was one attacker. He must have been seriously injured by the 2nd Squad and fled. The 2nd Squad then performed emergency first aid and fled again when they sensed another attack."

Looking to the west, they saw long tracks in the grass. There were no horse hoof prints, only human footprints, and bloodstains, making it unnecessary to think further about tracking.

"Sierra, hide nearby and wait for Edington and David to join. Velop, let's follow them."

They ran as fast as they could, which was exhausting since they hadn't slept all night and had been searching continuously.

Velop seemed to be struggling to keep up, but Jin wasn't worried. If the attackers were five 4th-rank martial artists or fewer, he could handle them alone.

He was more concerned about the cadets noticing his use of spirit energy and mana, but he decided not to overthink it.

Rescuing his people was more important than keeping secrets.

'Metallic sound, the cadets are fighting!'

Their diligent tracking paid off. Within thirty minutes, they began to hear distant sounds of battle. Velop also heard the sound and stopped to adjust his direction.

Jin held his breath and checked the surroundings to ensure no enemies had followed them.

'From now on, move stealthily, Velop.'

'Young Master, but the 2nd Squad is in battle now.'

'It's a forest area. It's better to approach cautiously and attack from behind rather than openly supporting them. If there are few enemies, we can end it quickly.'

They moved through the trees toward the source of the sounds. Finally, they confirmed the survival of the 2nd Squad.

They were in the middle of a forest, engaged in battle. None of the cadets had fatal injuries, but all had at least one shallow cut or stab wound.

'Scut, Kiko, Jushen... Where is Messa?'

Three cadets were visible.

Two masked attackers were pressuring them. From their movements, they were 4th-rank martial artists, as Jin had expected.

'When I give the signal, we'll attack their backs simultaneously. I'll take the one on the left, you take the one on the right... Do you have a dagger?'

Velop took a dagger from his coat and threw it to Jin.

'Close your eyes.'

Why would he suddenly ask to close his eyes in this situation?

Velop didn't question it. He just closed his eyes as ordered. While Velop's eyes were closed, Jin wrapped the dagger in dark spirit energy.

Spirit energy, like aura, can increase cutting and destructive power.

However, objects wrapped in spirit energy become less noticeable, significantly increasing the success rate of surprise attacks.

'Velop, listen carefully. Exactly two seconds after I finish speaking, jump in and attack the one on the left.'

Swish!

As soon as he finished whispering, Jin threw the darkened dagger. It flew through the air and embedded itself in the back of the right attacker's head.

"Ugh."

Everyone, who had been swinging their swords, stopped moving. Before the left attacker could turn his head, Velop rushed out and struck him with his sword.

The attacker quickly turned and deflected Velop's attack, but was then hit by Jin's surprise attack, severing his Achilles tendon.

"Ah!"

Thud, crack! Jin didn't immediately kill the attacker but struck his neck and cheek with the pommel of his sword. As soon as the attacker fell, Jin pressed his knee into the attacker's neck, completely subduing him.

"Young Master!"

The 2nd Squad cadets, who had been cornered, approached Jin. Their faces showed relief at surviving and frustration at failing their first mission.

"Are you all okay? Who sent these bastards?"

Jin punched the attacker's calf, causing him to groan. He then pressed the attacker's face into the dirt to prevent him from screaming.

"We're fine, but Messa... was captured by them."

"We are ashamed, Young Master."

Sigh.

After a deep breath, Jin removed the attacker's mask and grabbed his hair. It was a man in his thirties, a face he had never seen before.

"Your shame will disappear when these higher-ups are gone, and you should stop the bleeding first. Scut's wound is deep."

"Please... spare me..."

"Spare you?"

Hearing the attacker beg for his life, Jin naturally laughed.

'Since you value your life, you're not a Zeppelin follower.'

Begging for mercy was not something a person who boldly attacked Runkandel cadets would say as their first words.

"You should have said that before attacking my subordinates. Now you have two choices. Reveal your affiliation, purpose, and base, and die cleanly."

Smack, smack.

Jin slapped the attacker's face as he continued.

"Or keep your mouth shut and die, leading to Runkandel wiping out everyone related to you. Choose wisely."

The attacker's eyes were wildly shaking as he listened to Jin.

"I don't have much time to give you. It's best to stop thinking."

"Really... really. If I talk, you'll only kill me and end it? I know Runkandel's retaliation will be much more severe..."

"Usually, that's true. But I keep my promises. My name is Jin Runkandel. I swear on my family's honor that if you speak, your family and friends will be safe."

The attacker turned his head to look at the cadets, who nodded silently.

"I'll talk."

"Wise choice."

"I belong to a revolutionary group called 'Kinzelo.'"

Kinzelo.

Hearing this name, Jin recalled an incident that had stirred the Jean Kingdom before his regression. The memory of the massive terrorist attacks carried out by Kinzelo, who defined themselves as a revolutionary group.

Kinzelo was different from Zeppelin's radical followers.

While Zeppelin only targeted Runkandel, Kinzelo instigated terrorism everywhere, believing that their king must become the king of the entire world for the 'revolution' to be complete.

'Kinzelo was the group that caused chaos with Suiin, famous for assassinating the Jean Kingdom's king and massacring civilians.'

Jin didn't know what happened to Kinzelo afterward, except that they were still active just before his death.

"A revolutionary group. I see. Did you plan to attack Runkandel cadets to create chaos in the Jean Kingdom?"

"I'm a low-ranking member, so I don't know the details. I also don't know the location of the headquarters, but the branch I was active in is at the edge of Suiin territory. There were about twenty members in the branch."

"Understood. One more question. Why did you take Messa?"

The attacker shook his head and sighed.

"Propaganda. I heard that the higher-ups ordered us to capture female cadets if possible for revolutionary propaganda..."

"What a dirty story."

Swish!

As Jin drew his sword, the attacker closed his eyes.

"I'll keep my promise."

As the attacker's head fell, Jin wiped the blood from his sword.

'The situation is too bad to wait for support from the main house. I have to go alone.'