Chapter 42

Chapter 17. Enemies Within and Without (2)

Five of the knights rushed to the main house upon Rosa's summons: her third son Ran, fourth son Byugo, fourth daughter Myu, fifth daughter Anne, and second daughter Luntea.

Rosa had them stand in a line and was sending them a heavy gaze. The storm that had just raged was now slightly subsiding.

However, when Jin entered the main house, Rosa raised her voice again.

"How can you, as knights, handle matters in such a way!"

As Rosa shouted, the pile of documents and pens on the table flew in all directions. The pens even cracked and broke, due to the energy in her voice.

Huff!

Rosa, taking a deep breath, looked at Jin.

"...Have you come?"

"Yes, Mother."

The siblings' gazes focused on Jin.

Ran and Byugo's eyes showed a slight hint of annoyance. They were naturally reacting this way since they were not involved in this mission assignment.

Myu and Anne openly displayed their hostility.

They smiled, but their eyes glowed with a red light, as if warning that they would kill him at any moment.

Luntea had a calm expression. She was merely curious to see if her youngest brother had truly reached the 5th rank after a long time.

"Have you heard that your next mission is the Kolon ruins?"

"I have."

"That mission is canceled. You won't be going to Kolon."

"Mother!"

Myu and Anne raised their voices simultaneously.

"You two are only thinking of ways to kill the youngest. So, now that you've become knights and wield a bit of power, do you find me, your mother, amusing?"

Rosa looked down at her daughters with a cold gaze.

However, the two daughters did not remain silent.

"Mother, is it strange for us to want to kill the youngest?"

"What...?"

"To be honest, I don't understand why you protect the youngest."

Myu looked straight at Rosa.

"Keep talking nonsense. Are you crazy?"

"Until now, you and Father have encouraged us to fight among ourselves by remaining silent. Wasn't it because our family needed competition?"

"You're right, Mother. Everyone here knows how much they were restrained by their older siblings and sisters. Even I, during my middle school years, was assigned many difficult missions thanks to my siblings!"

There was a moment of silence.

Myu and Anne's words were not entirely wrong. The power struggle and intrigue were lifelong challenges in the Runcandel family, and neither Thiron nor Rosa had interfered much.

"Right, you're correct. Competition is necessary, and there's no need to be picky about the means."

Rosa smiled, but Myu and Anne couldn't read her intentions.

"But have you ever achieved the 5th rank at the age of fifteen?"

"Huh?"

"The youngest is different from you. If you had achieved the same at a young age, I might have protected you. But you didn't, did you?"

She openly stated the reason for the discrimination.

"In other words, you two are not worth my attention. Seeing you challenge me now that you're knights, I don't even regret it."

Myu and Anne's faces contorted, and their eyes blinked.

No matter how harsh the family's cold-hearted siblings were, no child could remain unscathed after experiencing parental discrimination.

"...Ha. You're right, Mother. I was short-sighted."

"I understand your intentions, Mother."

The two women bowed politely and left. Hatred welled up in their hearts as they turned away.

"Luntea, Ran, Byugo."

"Yes, Mother."

"Myu and Anne's actions are also your responsibility as knights. Especially Luntea, I'm disappointed in you. You will take some time to reflect, and Ran and Byugo will each return one sword."

Luntea shrugged and agreed, but Ran and Byugo were indignant.

"Mother, return a sword?"

"Why? Be grateful that you only have to return one. I'd like to confiscate all the famous swords you took from the family armory."

The siblings had no choice but to bow. Ran and Byugo felt helpless, and their anger naturally turned towards Jin.

'What a mess. And it's quite tiring.'

Jin, who had observed everything, clicked his tongue.

Rosa Runcandel.

Is Mother really scolding the knights because she loves and cares for me?

Jin was certain that was not the case.

'Mother... wants me to fight more intensely and fiercely with my siblings. She's deliberately guiding even my older siblings and Luntea to harbor hostility towards me, even though they have nothing to do with this incident.'

He was right.

Rosa had called not only Myu and Anne but also the other knights to test Jin.

More precisely, to test all the siblings, including Jin.

There was no better way to see how tenaciously they would fight each other.

'I wonder how the youngest will navigate this situation. He's a smart kid, so he probably won't be overly arrogant, thinking I favor him...'

Rosa thought. She was curious and interested, but still showed anger.

If Jin defended his older siblings and pretended to be punished, or if he showed satisfaction with her favoritism, that would be the end. Even if he was a genius who achieved the 5th rank at fifteen, if his reaction was only that, Rosa would immediately lose interest in him.

Of course, he would still be her beloved youngest son, but he would be completely out of the running for the succession.

If he was satisfied with a small favor, he could never lead the Runcandel family.

"Mother."

"Speak, son."

Rosa replied in a low voice, hiding her expectations.

"I am very pleased with the mission assigned by my sisters."

"Do you know where the Kolon ruins are?"

Rosa sneered.

"Yes. It's in the land of Zep, a place where the Runcandels once tried to conquer but failed. It happened before I was born."

"You know well. At that time, Elder Telrot went with thirty guardian knights and suffered a defeat. Now it's just a tourist site, but for some reason, Zep is concerned about it. What can you do there?"

Jin's mission was to 'steal.' He was to take some of the ancient artifacts that Zep was excavating from the Kolon ruins. He hadn't confirmed the list of artifacts to be stolen, but there would be at least three.

"I'll find out when I get there. It's a dangerous place, but I don't think it's unreasonable. My sisters must have assigned it because they believe I have the ability."

"You're being reckless. Or are you testing me?"

Reckless.

Not bad, but not the reaction Rosa had hoped for.

"Also, if the mission assignment suddenly changes, it shows our family's system is flawed."

"There are no retainers who would doubt the Runcandels just because of that. Your sisters just want to harm you. They can't fight you directly, so they're using their knight authority."

"That's exactly what I wanted to say, Mother."

Jin smiled.

"I have no intention of backing down from this fight. If I fight my sisters directly now, I will definitely lose. But if I complete the mission successfully, it will be a significant blow."

Rosa's eyes sparkled.

"In other words, it's a fight I can win. This time, it might be wiser to bow my head and build my strength to fight them directly later... but I can't wait that long. My sisters are too annoying."

"The Kolon ruins are a place where you can easily die if you make a mistake. Are you confident?"

"Yes. And if I complete the mission and return, please give me the swords that my older siblings have returned. Since it's a mission you consider dangerous, I want that much."

"What?"

Ran and Byugo glared at Jin reflexively, and Rosa hid her satisfaction.

The youngest seemed to read her mind and was starting to properly provoke his siblings.

"Brother, why should you get the swords we returned..."

"Fine. I allow it."

Rosa cut off Byugo's words.

Ran sighed and said,

"Youngest, if you want a sword, I'll give you one of mine. But give up on this mission. Your achievement is already known to the world. You need to be alive when Father comes."

If Jin wasn't there when Thiron came to the sword garden in a month, everyone who came to the Runcandels would be disappointed.

If that happened, there would be many who would suspect that the Runcandels had created a false rumor about a 5th rank at fifteen and covered it up with death.

Ran was warning against this, but Jin tilted his head.

"That's a strange thing to say, Brother Ran. If it was a serious issue, you should have stopped the sisters when they assigned the mission."

Ran was also a bystander, so when he tried to be generous, Jin's reaction was sharp. Ran and Byugo didn't oppose when Myu and Anne decided to send Jin to the Kolon ruins.

Jin saw through Ran's intention to show a broad-minded attitude to gain points with Mother.

"Hahaha... This is quite embarrassing, Ran. You should have just stayed silent like your sisters."

Ran couldn't hide his reddening ears.

"I wonder if the youngest can really take the swords from his older brothers. I'll watch closely to see if it ends in provocation or becomes reality. Everyone, you may leave now."

As the children left, Rosa rested her chin.

'...I crushed the other kids' pride to prevent the youngest from becoming like Luna. It was out of concern.'

The youngest is truly thirsty for a fight. Today, he used words instead of swords, but he completely toyed with his much older siblings.

'When Thiron returns and sees the youngest, he'll be happy to see him growing well.'

Of course, if Jin doesn't return alive from the Kolon ruins, that's a different story.

As soon as they left the main house, Ran and Byugo headed to their rooms. Luntea briefly considered talking to the youngest but felt too lazy and just went back.

"Will luck follow you this time too?"

Myu, waiting outside the main house, said to Jin. They were leaning against the wall, not even looking at Jin.

"I don't know, sisters. I'm not a lucky person."

"Your nonchalance is about to end. It's not a solo mission, so you won't be lonely on the way."

"Haha, thank you for your consideration, sisters. I'll see you later."

The two women glared at Jin's back until he disappeared.