Chapter 47

Chapter 19. Banquet (2)

As the host arrived, the guests began to enter the Garden of Swords.

Envoys from various kingdoms, including the Viment Empire, the Viment Royal Guard, the Special Forces, the Dragon King Knights, Eulianos, Tukos, Keng, the Black King Corps, the Ghost Corps, and many others...

Each one was from a prominent family or a person of great renown. As they entered one by one, the Garden of Swords, which was merely a building, seemed to exude an air of regality.

It was as if the Garden of Swords was saying, "If you want to be a guest at the Lunacandel family's residence, you must at least possess both honor and skill."

Thousands of swords planted in the garden, and the countless footsteps passing between them, created a scene as luxurious and splendid as the coronation of the Viment Emperor. The nearly a thousand guests who visited Lunacandel today symbolized the authority and power of the Lunacandel family.

Even the family's guardian knights and servants were intoxicated by this authority, wearing proud expressions. This was because, in this world, being a guardian knight or a servant of a particular family often meant a certain social status.

There was no family that could rival the Lunacandels except for the Jipels. Since no invitation was sent to the Jipels for today's banquet, the pride of the Lunacandel family members was bound to soar.

Jin was watching all this with Siron. From the balcony, Siron occasionally waved to the guests, while Jin bowed.

"This is your first time at a banquet, isn't it?"

"Yes, Father."

While Jin had attended banquets of other families in his previous life thanks to his magic mentor, this was the first time he was attending a banquet hosted by the Lunacandel family, even considering his past life.

Before the regression, whenever a banquet was held in the family, Jin had to hide like a criminal and could not enter the banquet hall. Being a pure-blooded youngest son who only reached the 1st rank at the age of twenty-five was a disgrace.

'But now, I am here with Father... as the main guest of the banquet. Only after dying once.'

He felt a mix of pride and bitterness. If he were to measure his emotions, the bitterness far outweighed the pride.

However, Jin did not show it and waited for his father's next words.

"You know, our family rarely hosts banquets."

"Yes."

"We only hold banquets for truly celebratory occasions. It means that your achievements are truly remarkable."

"Thank you, Father."

Siron lightly patted Jin's head. Jin was startled but did not show it.

"How many guests do you think there will be?"

"Roughly a thousand, I would say."

"Yes, I was also informed of that number. Compared to the last banquet held seven years ago, there are about two hundred more guests. Do you know what that means?"

There was no need to think about the answer.

"Over the past seven years, it means our family's power has grown even stronger."

Siron smiled with satisfaction.

"Exactly. While a thousand-guest banquet is not uncommon in other families... the thousand guests here are all exceptional individuals. Not a single one is an ordinary or worthless person."

Jin nodded.

As Siron said, the thousand guests who visited the Garden of Swords today were indeed the stars of the world. A thousand people leading the billions of humans worldwide.

Among them, Siron Lunacandel stood at the pinnacle.

"Over the past seven years, all I've done is kill monsters in the Black Sea and train. Yet, our family's influence continues to rise because I am the only Creation Knight of this era."

Jin waited politely for his father to continue, and Siron smiled bitterly.

"That means... if I were to disappear, most of these people would turn their backs on the Lunacandels."

Jin knew this better than anyone.

Without Siron Lunacandel, the Lunacandels would not have this level of power. Although they were one of the two major families alongside the Jipels, the gap between the two families would widen significantly without Siron.

The world would become a Jipel-dominated system. The Viment Empire, which balanced the two families, would likely side with the Jipels.

'I wonder what the youngest will say.'

Siron had had similar conversations with his other children.

If I were to disappear, people would turn their backs on the Lunacandels. What do you think about that? The answers from his children were mostly the same.

"It won't happen, Father." Or, "How can you say you'll disappear, Father!" Or, more presumptuously, "I will become the next Creation Knight."

"Father."

After a long pause, Jin called out to Siron softly.

"Speak, my son."

"If, in the absence of Father, they really turn their backs on the Lunacandels... and if the Jipels start to pressure us, leading the family to a point of no return..."

Jin paused and met Siron's eyes.

"I will leave the family."

Siron's eyes instantly turned red with anger.

"What? You said you would leave?"

"Yes. If the Lunacandels fall apart just because Father is gone, it would mean the next head of the family is incompetent. I have no intention of dying a dog's death under an incompetent leader."

A shockingly bold and unexpected answer. Siron felt a surge of anger at the youngest's audacity but was more curious.

"Go on."

Jin took a deep breath.

"How many of their weaknesses do we hold?"

"Weaknesses?"

"Yes. Take Duke Bern over there. The head of the Bern family managed to attend this banquet despite deceiving the emperor and stealing the empire's treasure. It's because he owes us a debt."

"And the man smoking on the left side of the courtyard is Lantz Clever, right? I only know him from portraits, so I'm a bit confused. Anyway, the best warrior of the Clever family, Lantz, has killed three Jipel mages on our behalf."

"Over there, Charlotte Herald is a gambling addict who secretly sold her family's treasures. We helped her recover them, and the Herald family still hasn't paid us back."

"And the woman behind Charlotte is the mistress of the Velado dukes. She was originally a princess of the Viment royal family but was exiled because she was a genius mage and was being restrained by the pure-bloods. The Velado dukes have been requesting our protection for her for years."

"And that person over there..."

"Enough."

Siron gently waved his hand.

"You've been looking at the family's contract files. That's a task only allowed for the head of the family. Did Luna show them to you? I won't scold you, so be honest."

"No. I asked Bego to return the sword I took from him. I didn't need it."

"Haha, you're becoming more and more impressive."

"Just from a quick glance, I found this many weapons. The secret contracts that only Father and Mother can read must contain even more."

"So, you're saying that even without me, you can protect the family using these secrets?"

"It depends on the negotiation skills of the next head. In Father's case, you're the strongest, so there's no need to negotiate. But if a non-Creation Knight leads the Lunacandels, things would be different."

Siron nodded slowly and smiled.

"You're right. But, youngest, we're not the only ones holding their weaknesses. The Jipels also hold many of their secrets."

"True, but the Jipels don't have the justification to use those weaknesses freely."

"Without justification? Why?"

"Because the role of the villain belongs to the Lunacandels. Anyway, if the next head can't properly use these many weapons, I will leave without looking back and prepare for revenge. No matter how long it takes."

Whether conducting forbidden magic experiments in the Kolon ruins, obtaining a mana spring in the future to mass-produce 7th-rank mages, or engaging in any other dirty deeds behind the scenes...

Publicly, the Jipels are a symbol of justice and cannot act as villains like the Lunacandels.

"Haha, revenge... Yes, revenge is only possible if you're alive. I understand your thoughts. They're not bad."

Jin nodded silently, feeling a bit disappointed that his father's evaluation was not higher.

'Well, this is good enough. Father is usually a tough grader.'

"Not bad."

Though he said it that way, Siron was inwardly satisfied. He thought the youngest had given a realistic and effective answer.

The other siblings had not thought the same way as Jin, but they lacked the courage to mention the possibility of the Lunacandels falling in front of Siron. Jin, however, spoke calmly and confidently.

He did not make unrealistic claims and was more coldly rational than calculating. Siron highly valued this aspect.

'What a pity I got this child in my later years. He seems to combine Luna's talent, Mary's wildness, and Diphus's fighting spirit.'

A short ten years, or a long fifteen years.

Siron estimated that he could hold the position of head for that long.

It would be interesting to see if the youngest could overturn the succession within that time.

"The guests are almost here. Let's go in."

Under the dark night sky, numerous lights flickered beyond the gates of the Garden of Swords. These were the lights from the campsite set up by the servants who accompanied the guests, stretching across the outer plains.

They would have to sit in tents and wait for the four-day-long banquet to begin.

"Yes, Father."

"Oh, and after the banquet, I have something urgent to discuss with you. Wait for my call."

The qualification for a future head!

This was the topic. Jin had expected it after hearing it from his uncle before, but hearing it from his father's mouth felt different.

'I will have to leave the family for a while after the banquet.'

Before becoming a head, one needed honor.

Jin would wander the world to gain that honor after the banquet.

During this period, he would be free from any family restrictions and could train in swordsmanship, magic, and spirit energy as he pleased.

He could also search for various fortuitous encounters and treasures based on his memories from before the regression.

'The four-day banquet will feel quite long.'

As they left the balcony and headed for the central hall, the bright light from the chandelier illuminated Siron and Jin's faces.

Just as Siron was about to greet the guests from the second floor, the head butler, Set, hurriedly approached him.

"Head of the family, guests who were not sent an invitation have arrived. What should we do?"

Guests without an invitation.

He meant the Jipels.