Chapter 52

Chapter 19. Banquet (7)

Jin appeared at the banquet hall again the next day.

Not many people realized that the two had engaged in a duel. Instead, more people, like Mary and Diphys, misunderstood the situation, and the misunderstanding turned into certainty because Jin and Siris were both so calm. If one of them had won, they should have been boasting about their victory. However, since neither Jin nor Siris showed any signs of victory, it naturally led to the assumption that they had a secret meeting.

The banquet proceeded in a similar manner to the previous day.

People came to Jin when he sat in one place. However, fewer people gathered around him compared to yesterday. Since the youngest of the Runcandel family had been confirmed, everyone was now busy settling their own grudges.

Fights had been continuously breaking out in the Sword Garden Dueling Arena ever since Jin left. From today, spectators were allowed, so more people gathered at the arena than at the banquet hall. The real tightrope party had begun.

Despite the bustling central hall, Jin looked at it happily while savoring his wine.

'Today, I might meet the Zipel guys.'

What Jin was curious about was their magical achievements. The four guests were all around fifteen to twenty years old, making them excellent subjects for comparison with himself.

Additionally, if he had the chance, he wanted to subtly ask them about the Colon ruins, but that wouldn't be a good choice.

'Anyway, I'll have plenty of free time once I become a probationary member. I'll investigate the Colon ruins with Murakan then.'

With Murakan's help, finding the 'Mana Spring' mirror artifact would be much easier.

'This time, the Zipel guys won't produce a 7-star mass-production mage.'

Thinking up to this point, Jin sighed and put down his glass.

Meow.

Meow.

Murakan, who was casually wandering around the center of the banquet hall, came into view. The guests were amazed to see a cat at the Runcandel banquet and couldn't take their eyes off him.

'That guy...!'

He had definitely sneaked out without Gilli's knowledge. Whether he knew Jin was glaring at him or not, Murakan strutted around the central hall with his tail up.

He landed on Siris's lap.

She seemed very satisfied and smiled while petting Murakan all over. After a while, she burst out laughing when she saw the necklace around Murakan's neck.

-Butterfly Runcandel

That was the name written on the necklace. After laughing for a while, Siris wiped away her tears and stood up.

"Did you name this, Sir?"

In a much softer tone than at the arena.

The way she held him in her arms showed that she had a lot of experience with animals. Jin nodded awkwardly with a smile.

"Yes."

"I imagined you to be a crazy sword demon before I came here, but you're quite different. Can I play with him for a while?"

"Do as you please."

Siris left after saying that.

'Did she come just to ask that?'

Just as he thought she was a bit unique, someone else sat next to Jin.

"Hey, finally meeting you! Jin Runcandel. I've been looking for you, hahaha."

A boy with a broad smile and a friendly demeanor.

Jin knew the boy's name and all his future achievements, but he didn't want to pretend to know him, even though he had been looking forward to meeting Zipel since yesterday.

"Who... are you?"

"Wow! You say such hurtful things as soon as you see me? How could you forget me? I think about you every day."

"Who are you, then?"

"Guess once. The first letter of my name is B. Haha, do you remember now?"

"No."

"Damn! The first place we met was the Mittel Kingdom's teleportation gate. Still don't know?"

"Um, I don't really know."

By this point, Jin was just pretending not to know Beradin for fun.

"Hehe, even after I say this much, you still don't know... Jin, you seem to have a memory like a fish. Listen carefully. My name is Ber... "

"Beradin Zipel. You're still clueless. You're just trying to say you don't want to pretend to know me. Why keep pushing it, it's annoying."

"Oh, is that what it was...?"

This guy, who would become a 9-star mage at thirty and be designated as the next head of the Zipel family, left Jin speechless with disbelief, just like their first meeting.

Even though Jin clearly said he found it annoying, Beradin was momentarily dejected but continued the conversation without a care.

"I've been looking for you since yesterday. Wow, the Runcandel banquet hall is so big. I couldn't find you no matter how much I looked. I think I searched for at least a couple of hours."

"Are you serious? The banquet hall is just a banquet hall, and you couldn't find me for two hours?"

Jin recalled yesterday.

He had been in the center of attention, and people kept gathering around him. He was in a position where he couldn't be missed even if he didn't want to be found.

"Yeah, I'm serious. If I could use magic, I would have found you in ten seconds, but magic use is prohibited in Runcandel. I kept seeing the same people no matter how much I walked."

"I see."

"Anyway, it's great to see you, Jin. It's been five years, right? Already a 5-star mage. I expected you to cause some kind of incident, hehe. But I haven't been idle either. My magical achievement is already... "

Beradin was a terrible navigator.

"Already 6-star! 6-star. Hahaha. One step higher than your sword skills, that's what I'm saying!"

Beradin, being three years older, had become a 6-star mage at eighteen. This was a great achievement, like Jin's, which would have made the news.

'Only 6-star?'

Jin was surprised that Beradin's achievement fell far short of his expectations. Even if he disregarded the foolish act of revealing his strength in enemy territory, it was surprising that Beradin, who was supposed to be the most talented among the Zipel children, was only a 6-star mage.

'In three years, my magic will likely surpass 7-star...'

Was he overestimating Beradin because of his past achievements? Or was Beradin underestimating his own achievements?

"Seeing your surprised face, it was worth looking for you, Jin. I've been counting the days until I can fight you. After meeting you, I gained enlightenment and trained like crazy. You'll have to catch up with me. Cheers."

Jin didn't reveal the real reason for his surprise and clinked glasses with Beradin, feeling a bit dazed.

He barely suppressed the joy that was about to show.

'If Beradin really only achieved 6-star at eighteen... I will be the one to reach the pinnacle of magic after Kelliac Zipel. It's certain.'

He had reconfirmed his own potential objectively. However, Beradin, unaware of the situation, felt recognized by Jin and his pride soared.

"Now you should pay attention to me. I believe without a doubt that you will become the next head of Runcandel. The Runcandel you lead and the Zipel I lead will fight. Isn't that exciting just to imagine?"

Jin smiled softly.

"Beradin Zipel. It seems the time has come to give you another piece of advice."

"Oh, what is it?"

"Learn to be more reserved with your words."

"You're saying the same thing as my father."

"Everyone will say the same thing when they see you. By the way, why did the Zipel family come to the banquet without an official invitation?"

You might embarrass the deputy head if you come here carelessly.

Jin swallowed his words and waited for Beradin's answer.

"Oh, that's because of me. I begged Uncle Andrei to meet you."

"What?"

"We were traveling in the Hyphester area, and when we heard about the banquet celebrating your achievement, I thought it was fate."

"That's all?"

"Yeah, that's all."

It was an unbelievable statement.

'The deputy head came to enemy territory just because a kid was stubborn?'

It was an incomprehensible action by Jin's standards.

However, it also showed how much love 'Beradin Zipel' received within the Zipel family.

Beradin was already being treated like the next head.

In a place like Zipel, where magic geniuses are as common as stones, being recognized as the best at such a young age was significant.

Thinking about this, a thought crossed Jin's mind.

'If I eliminate Beradin before he grows... it would mean a significant blow to Zipel.'

There would be alternatives if Beradin were killed.

However, no one reached 9-star by thirty after Kelliac Zipel.

Beradin becoming the next generation's top power in Zipel was an undeniable fact, and his death would be a significant blow.

"Beradin."

"What?"

"Be grateful that this is a banquet hall."

"Hehe, are you being too harsh? I know your father showed mercy to my uncle. While we're on the topic, I'll make a promise too. I won't harm you if you come to a Zipel banquet unannounced someday."

Beradin scratched the back of his head with a sly smile.

"Really? What if I suddenly start a terrorist attack in the banquet hall?"

"I keep my word. I won't kill you even if you start a terrorist attack. I won't participate in any battle, at least not on my part."

He's a romantic fool.

He might be a terrifying person who uses humans for forbidden magic experiments, but Jin couldn't ask about the Colon ruins, no matter how foolish Beradin acted.

Jin, who had finished his drink, stood up first.

"Where are you going?"

"An unpleasant guy has been staring at me, so I'm going to teach him a lesson."

Jin pointed to his left with his eyes.

There, Bubarr Gaston had been staring at Jin rudely.

"Oh! A duel? Can I watch?"

Ignoring Beradin's question, Jin walked towards Bubarr.

"Excuse me, sir. Is there something you want to say to me?"

Bishkel was showing Marjella around the Sword Garden and the banquet hall, so Bubarr was acting so carelessly.

"Um... When will Lady Luna come back?"

"What?"

"Hehe, Lady Luna. Is she not coming back? I want to give her... a collection of poems I wrote all night. Filled with love..."

"Haha."

Jin let out a hollow laugh, and Bubarr mistook it for a positive response. Up to this point, Jin could have just ignored the plump man as a 'fool.' He seemed a bit mentally deficient, so it was better to ignore him.

'There's a fool who's not afraid to look for Lady Luna in the Sword Garden. Was he a servant brought from Eblinano? I should warn Bishkel before the banquet ends.'

However, Bubarr finally crossed the line.

"Hehe, Lady Luna will realize when she reads my poems that I'm not just any man. Perhaps in the near future, I might call you my brother-in-law, hehe."

Even Beradin, who was listening, spat out his wine in surprise.