Chapter 45

Chapter 18. Unexpected Variables (3)

“What the hell are you two doing!”

Slap! Slap!

Luna slapped the two women's cheeks hard. Her palm, filled with the strength of a 9th Rank Knight, was powerful enough to make their short moans almost drown in the heavy sound of the air being split.

Thud!

The two women, who had been slammed into the stone wall simultaneously, trembled.

They were Mew and Anne. The moment they were hit, they had raised their auras to protect themselves, but a gush of red blood still spurted from their throats.

“Sending a child to the Zep land? Mew, he’s ten years younger than you! Do you have any sense at all?”

Luna had just returned from leaving the Garden of Swords to handle some personal matters. Upon her return, she immediately called the two younger sisters who had assigned a mission to Jin.

The younger sisters dared not even look at their older sister.

To them, Luna was not just the oldest sibling but also a figure more fearsome than their father.

“Stand up.”

The two women, wobbling, stood up. They were also Jin’s sisters, blood relatives. Seeing their bowed heads, Luna felt a pang of pity, but she resolved to give them a clear warning today.

“Why did you do it?”

Mew and Anne kept their heads bowed for a while without answering.

It wasn’t that they had nothing to say. They were only resentful that their older sister, who knew full well that sending Jin to Kolon was part of the ranking war, was still asking.

“...Sis, you’re not really asking why, are you?”

Luna sneered at Mew, who had finally managed to speak.

“If you’re really asking why, what can I do? Surely you’re not saying that the family’s knights have started a ranking war with the youngest, who is still in the intermediate class?”

The two younger sisters, unable to respond, trembled.

They were ashamed. In Runkandel, the ranking war was a long-standing tradition, but it was a mismatch for knights to face non-knights.

Knights fought other knights, and non-knights fought among themselves.

This was the unwritten rule of the Runkandel ranking war. While it wasn’t a rule that had to be strictly followed, Mew and Anne’s recent actions had gone too far.

After glaring at her younger sisters for a moment, Luna spoke again. Her face, now devoid of mockery, was filled with a menacing aura.

“Be ashamed. Your actions have made me, and the family, feel ashamed.”

“Sis!”

The younger sisters shouted in unison, indignant. But Luna paid no heed and smiled.

“Why? Do my words seem harsh? Do you hate being mocked by me? Is your pride as a knight getting in the way?”

“Sis, who usually doesn’t care about the family’s ranking disputes, what right do you have to act like this...”

“If you had won against the youngest, I wouldn’t have said this much.”

“...What do you mean?”

Mew and Anne’s eyes widened.

“You’ve already lost to the youngest. He successfully completed the mission at the Kolon ruins. Jin just returned and went to report to Mother. I confirmed it myself on the way back.”

The two women bit their lips hard.

“Now you understand why I said I felt ashamed. In the end, you two have only given the youngest a boost. I wonder if there has ever been a case in Runkandel’s history where a knight tried to check the lowest rank and ended up like this.”

Luna continued to mock, but the younger sisters, their ears red, remained silent. They felt humiliated and were also filled with fear.

For the time being, they couldn’t easily check Jin. Their plan to crush him before he grew had failed.

Mew and Anne were not confident that they could win against Jin once he had fully grown.

If so, what remained was the revenge that would start a few years later. The thought of it made the two sisters shiver.

The two women turned away with blank faces.

Before they left the room, Luna added one more word.

“From what I’ve observed, the youngest isn’t a particularly merciful child. You two should be careful in the future.”

“...Are you still mocking us, Sis?”

A bitter smile spread across Luna’s lips.

“No, I’m genuinely worried about you. I’ve noticed that you two have been off track for a while, but you’re still my sisters.”

Mew and Anne left the room without a word. Luna, watching them go, sighed deeply.

Click.

A teacup was placed in front of Luna, who was sitting at the desk. It was put there by her governess, Taimeun, who was in the opposite room.

“Ah, Governess, thank you.”

“Hehe, this governess thought you had hit puberty as soon as you returned and started beating your sisters.”

“At my age, puberty...”

“Well, your puberty was quite spectacular. Phew, by the way, I’m worried about Mew and Anne. Given the youngest’s character, he won’t forget this in the future.”

“Even you think they won’t be a match for Jin?”

“Hmm, in about five years, they won’t even be able to face him in a formal duel. If you think about it, Mew and Anne have less than five years left.”

“Don’t say such terrifying things. Still, they’re family. The thought of the youngest growing up and killing them... it’s chilling. Anyway, Governess, did you look into what I asked you last time?”

‘What I asked last time’ referred to finding out which brother had tried to assassinate Jin within the Storm Castle. It was actually a curse, but Luna didn’t know that.

Moreover, Luna mistakenly believed that Jin had faced assassination threats within the Storm Castle when he was around five or six years old, not when he was one, because he hadn’t mentioned having memories from when he was one.

“Yes. The two who were just beaten by you, Mew and Anne, were not involved. They were in the intermediate class at the time, so there was no need to investigate them.”

“Hmm... that makes sense. It definitely wouldn’t be Merry or Yona, or the Tona brothers.”

“Then the remaining suspects are Joshua, Diphus, Rahn, Vigo, and Runtia. Rahn and Vigo are unknown, but the others can’t be investigated easily.”

“Right, Joshua, Diphus, and Runtia have such solid foundations. Investigating them would likely cause more trouble.”

“Shall we start with Rahn and Vigo?”

Luna, lost in thought, tapped the desk with her fingers.

“No. It’s better to observe for a while. If we keep stirring things up based on suspicion, it will be difficult for you.”

“You’re right. Even if there was an assassination attempt in the Storm Castle, Jin is growing well now, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“Whoever the culprit is, they will know that I’m now taking care of Jin and won’t act rashly. Anyway, thank you for your hard work, Governess.”

“Not at all. Shall I prepare the meal?”

“Yes. And some wine, please. The usual.”

* * *

Rosa had many questions for the youngest, who had completed the mission, but she didn’t show it.

Mamit and the Kolon ruins. The youngest had accomplished a mission that everyone thought would fail.

Whether it was due to good fortune or the help of an external ally, Rosa was certain it was the latter.

‘There’s definitely someone outstanding by the youngest’s side. And he’s using that person to complete the mission.’

Receiving help from someone else to complete a mission was against the unwritten rules. The only support one could request when a mission was difficult was from the family.

Rosa decided not to interrogate or blame him.

Soon, influential figures from various fields would visit the Garden of Swords to see the youngest. It was a banquet hosted by Siron, and the youngest was the star.

Even if he had received help from an ally without the family’s knowledge, the fact that he returned alive was fortunate.

She could reprimand him later when she had solid evidence and the right timing.

“You did well. Skip the report to the knights and rest today. I’ll inform them.”

“Thank you, Mother.”

As soon as Rosa left the main house, she felt gazes from all around. The students looked at her with admiration, the guardian knights were surprised, and the knights looked at her with disdain.

‘Mother and the other siblings probably think I received help from someone else to complete the mission.’

So be it.

Jin had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding for the time being. He would reveal that he was a contracted mage with Solderet when he had enough power.

As soon as he returned to his room, Gilli hugged Jin. Feeling the moisture on her cheeks, Jin realized how much Gilli had worried about him.

“I’m fine, Gilli. I’m strong, you know. Soon, you won’t be able to beat me.”

“If you had done something wrong, this governess would have given up her life to avenge the young ladies.”

“Wow, strawberry pie. Why are you so scary? You’re too hot-headed. Isn’t it better to be calm?”

“Anyway, Gilli, wait a moment. Murakan, take a look at this.”

Jin took out the heart of the bio-golem he had brought in a glass bottle.

“A bio-golem’s heart. You’re lucky? Since it’s still alive, it’s a failed creation. Did you find it in the Kolon ruins?”

“Two guards in the warehouse suddenly turned into monsters and attacked me. No matter where I cut them, they regenerated. When I stabbed their hearts, this came out.”

As Jin explained, Gilli’s face turned pale, and Murakan calmly explained what bio-golems and forbidden magic were.

‘Last time, it was the tomb giant, and now a bio-golem? What are the Zep up to...’

What’s their plan?

Murakan shook his head.

“In any case, if what you say is true, this is a Zep creation. The Kolon ruins are on Zep land.”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s find a way to go there again soon. I need to see what’s happening and ask them directly.”

Although the idea of going back because of the bio-golem was unsettling, it would be much safer with Murakan.

‘If we’re lucky, we might find the mirror and the mana spring. Anyway, if something happens there again, they’ll have to hide it because of the forbidden magic.’

Jin nodded.