Chapter 48

Chapter 19. Banquet (3)

The head butlers, with stiff faces, continued their report.

"There are a total of five. The vice-head of the Zephir family, Andrei Zephir, personally led his entourage."

Andrei Zephir, the vice-head of the Zephir family.

He was known as the 'Wind King,' a title befitting his status as the contractor of the wind god Melzair and the recipient of the protection of the wind dragon Viretta.

The second most powerful person in the Zephir family, a 9-star mage capable of destroying several small countries overnight, had come to Runcandel without any prior notice.

'Andrei Zephir...'

To Jin, who had been a mage in his previous life, Andrei was just as much an object of admiration as Veradin.

If Jin from that time had heard that a great mage, even acknowledged by his own magic teacher, was nearby, his heart would have pounded with excitement.

'He's more impolite than I thought.'

Now, he is merely a presumptuous uninvited guest.

Whether he is a great mage or a great mage's grandfather, if he wants to visit the holy land of Runcandel, he should show proper respect and a cautious attitude.

Even 20 years ago, when the head of the Zephir family, Kelliac, visited the Garden of Swords, and 12 years ago when the emperor of Viment came, they at least showed the minimum courtesy.

Glancing around, it seemed that Siron felt the same way.

"What a presumptuous guy."

The people on the first floor, who didn't understand the situation, looked up at Siron, but a few perceptive ones immediately sensed the tension in his expression.

The butlers, with their heads slightly bowed, waited for Siron's response.

"Heinz."

The white-haired head butler, standing in the middle, leaned in close to Siron's ear.

"Yes, my lord."

"Tell Andrei Zephir to get lost, and only let his entourage in. Don't say it yourselves; have the servants do it."

Jin, who was listening, almost coughed.

While it's true that Andrei's visit was impolite, such a humiliating reception... Only a true sovereign could display such an attitude.

"Understood."

Heinz replied calmly.

Once the butlers left, Siron turned to Jin with a softer expression.

"Do you think my handling was too harsh?"

"I was actually feeling quite satisfied. And Andrei Zephir will be in quite a bind."

"In what way do you think he'll be in a bind?"

"Since Father said to only let the entourage in, he will have to comply. If he leaves in a huff with his entourage, it will be as if he ignored the head of the Runcandel family. That's something that never happens in the Garden of Swords."

"Haha, I didn't expect you to think that far. Yes, Andrei will follow my words. Otherwise, he'll have to crawl back with his legs cut off."

If Andrei had visited another family, the hosts would have treated him with utmost respect, wary of his presence.

However, even as a great mage, he is just a human in front of Siron, who has reached the demigod level. A somewhat stronger human.

Moreover, even if Siron were to cripple Andrei, the Zephir family would not declare war. Instead, they would seek revenge only after Siron's death.

About 20 minutes later, four more people entered the banquet hall. They were the entourage of the Zephir family who had come with Andrei. Andrei himself, as Siron had said, did not attend the banquet.

Except for one, the Zephir entourage seemed highly tense, cautiously looking around. They appeared to be in their late teens or early twenties.

Siron, satisfied with the scene, clapped his hands once.

Clap!

The sound of the clap, more like a thunderous drumbeat, made all the guests on the first floor turn their attention to Siron.

The young men and women from the Zephir family looked worried, fearing that Siron might embarrass them. Of course, they were already of no concern to Siron.

In the silence, Siron looked down at the guests.

"Thank you all for coming. I am Siron of the Runcandel family. Thanks to my excellent son, I have the pleasure of meeting esteemed guests. Therefore, I first express my gratitude to Jin Runcandel."

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

Formal applause and cheers followed, as in any other banquet.

However, the Runcandel banquet is famous for its brevity, lack of gifts, and uniqueness.

"As you all know, the Runcandel banquet has only two rules. If a fight breaks out while drinking, follow the guardians to the dueling arena. The loser must accept defeat, and the winner must show mercy. It's still a banquet, after all."

People often referred to the Runcandel banquet as a 'tightrope party.'

Over a thousand influential figures from across the continent gathered, and they had various ties with each other.

In a normal party, they might glare at each other and have a showdown before going home, but the banquet hosted by the Garden of Swords was different.

If enemies meet and their gazes clash while drinking wine, they can quietly go to the dueling arena.

The only rules are no killing and accepting the outcome.

While it might be disappointing not to kill an enemy, beating them up can make the winner quite happy. It also allows for a formal determination of superiority.

"Enjoy yourselves."

Cheers!

Another round of cheers followed, and Jin, looking at the excited faces on the first floor, shivered. A thrilling and refreshing sensation seemed to spread through his body.

'Anyway... it's a crazy family.'

And he was an inevitable part of that crazy family.

"If you find someone you like, take them away. However, don't choose someone weaker than you, unless they have insulted you or the family."

"Understood. And I must not lose."

"Of course. If you do, I will take back everything I've given you, including your wet nurse."

"I will keep that in mind."

Siron went down to the first floor and mingled with the guests. Although the banquet was prepared for Jin, he had no intention of showing off his son to everyone.

Jin, after a brief smile at his father's back, descended the opposite staircase and suddenly thought:

'Now that I think about it, this is the first time I've had such a conversation with Father.'

In his previous life, it was something he never dared to dream of, yet they had just had a rather decent father-son conversation.

He felt a lump in his throat but quickly dismissed it with a breath.

Affection between father and son, or being a beloved child, were not part of his goals in this life.

'All that matters is surpassing you, Father.'

The son didn't know that this was the most important thing Siron wished for his children.

As soon as he reached the first floor, he felt numerous eyes on him. Various groups, mostly relatives, were openly or subtly examining Jin.

It was fascinating.

Could that delicate and adorable boy really be a 5-star knight? The guests' curious eyes said it all.

What should he do?

Should he walk among them with a confident expression and a bold stride, like a lion? Or should he greet everyone with the innocence of a child, thanking them for coming?

Jin, who had thought of actions he wouldn't actually take, smiled.

He intended to stand in the center of the main hall, still and unbothered, because his place today was the center, and it would remain so in the future.

The host just stands there.

The guests are the ones who should approach and start the conversation.

Jin picked up a glass of wine from a passing servant's tray. Fine wine, which even wealthy noble families only opened on special occasions, was being poured like water.

"Ha, ha... Little brother, congratulations."

"Can I stay here for a moment?"

The first to approach Jin were the Tona brothers. Jin smiled at his brothers standing side by side.

"Of course. How's the training with the blue gemstone going?"

The Tona brothers' faces lit up at Jin's warm welcome.

They were kids. In such a large gathering, they wanted to use Jin's influence to show off. They wanted to say, "We're friends with him."

It was also Emma's instruction.

Since they had completely fallen out of favor with Mew and Anne, they were now instructed to be on good terms with Jin. Jin, of course, had anticipated this and decided to ease his resentment towards Emma a bit.

She was a somewhat unpleasant person, but she seemed to be one of the most perceptive in Runcandel.

"Things are getting better. Thanks to Uncle Jed's recommendation, we switched to a greatsword and a chain sword, and it's much better."

"Good to hear. I always support you. You know that, right?"

"Of course! With you, we feel more confident!"

With that, Daitona mustered the courage to put his arm around Jin's shoulder.

Jin, finding his brothers' eagerness to show off using him endearing, let them have his shoulder.

But he didn't forget to whisper:

'Show off enough to satisfy them, but not too much. Tell Emma to keep her sharp senses in the future.'

Daitona, barely managing to keep his composure, nodded. They chatted with Jin for about five minutes before leaving.

With the Tona brothers breaking the ice, the guests, who had been watching, began to approach Jin one by one.

The guests, thanks to the Tona brothers, realized that Jin was not as prickly as Luna had been. Most of the guests present had attended Luna's 5-star achievement celebration 19 years ago.

And they all remembered how prickly and cold Luna had been at the time.

"Nice to see you, Jule of Kenga."

"Nice to see you, Sir Jule. Do you like the food prepared by Runcandel?"

"Nice to see you, Jule of Kenga."

"Nice to see you, Jin Runcandel. I've wanted to meet you, the master of swordsmanship, for a long time."

"K, I heard that the young prince of Runcandel had reached 5-star, so I rushed over. Nice to meet you! I'm Jonshina Ferrel of the Dragon King Knights."

"Ah, Sir Jonshina! My wet nurse used to tell me many stories about your valor and deeds when I was a child. It's an honor to meet you."

As these formal and warm greetings were exchanged, a giant suddenly ruffled Jin's hair and shouted in a familiar tone.

"Hey, Jin Runcandel! I was so curious about what kind of kid could reach 5-star at fifteen, K, you're really a kid, a kid. You're probably ten years younger than me. Nice to meet you! My name is Uger."

Uger, assuming Jin would know him, didn't mention his family name. He was a rising star of the Tukko family.

Perhaps because he was highly regarded in his family, he had forgotten that this was the Garden of Swords.

Jin, with a gentle smile, replied:

"Hey, nice to meet you. Uger."

The atmosphere among the guests, who had been watching, suddenly turned cold.