686
[T.L: punisher87]
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* * *
"Have you arrived, Ms. Zephyrin!"
"You are here, Grand Duchess, elder sister!"
Kinzelo New Headquarters, Bubare and Ainas welcomed the three executives who had just returned with cheerful voices.
Zephyrin, Bianca and Ranke had managed to escape the subspace while Jin and Bale were engaged in battle, so naturally, their spirits were not in a good state.
Especially Zephyrin, who was once again furious at the fact that Jin had "played" with them.
Moreover, this time Jin hadn't even devised a scheme; she had just pursued him and suffered losses, which made Zephyrin even more annoyed.
"Anyway, it's always exhausting when dealing with Jin Runcandel. Ugh, what a mess."
There were two main reasons why Kinzelo chose to retreat instead of intervening in the battle.
The first reason was that Zephyrin couldn't use the authority of the leader, and the second was to minimize the loss of power.
Since that crazy guy kept calling for Sarah, it seemed unlikely that Jin would die, so Zephyrin judged that there was no need to go out of their way to help that despicable person.
"But... but this time... Jin Runcandel... actually... helped us. He... tore the subspace."
"He didn't help us on purpose, Bianca. It was just a consequence of the aftermath of his fight with that crazy guy. Well, anyway, we'll have to request proper information sharing from Jin later. It's clear that he opened the Tomb of Temar."
[Cough... Cough!]
As Orgal entered the conference room, everyone immediately stood up in courtesy.
"Ah, why did the master bother to bring your dying body here again... If you had stayed put, we would have gone to report to you."
[I'm... Cough! glad.]
"Are you glad?"
As Zephyrin tilted her head, a smile appeared on the blurry face of the leader.
[At Temar's tomb, cough. Seeing the awakened being, Bale. Cough, have you not sensed anything, Zephyrin.]
At Orgal's question, Zephyrin's eyes gradually widened. Soon, she recognized what her master's words meant.
"No way... Are you saying that a madman is a trace of life?"
As the leader nodded, Zephyrin reflexively covered her mouth. Her action stemmed from her own irreverence for describing a "trace of life" as a madman.
"Incredible. The moment has finally come when Jin Runcandel has become useful to us!"
Bale, a trace of life and a key figure for their great cause, was one of the beings they had been searching for such a long time.
Even though Orgal hadn't seen Bale in person, he was certain. From the moment Bale woke up and started wielding his authority, Orgal had felt his distinctive energy.
Furthermore, the manipulated history that Bale had undone coincided with some parts of Orgal's own history.
That meant Orgal's power would return at a faster rate.
[Zephyrin.]
"Speak, Master."
[Jin, cough! I don't know how quickly he will get information about Bale. Cough, we'll have to strike before he learns about the contract and the restrictions. Whoosh, we have to start moving.]
"I understand. But he seems to have an obsession with a person named Sarah. What should we do?"
[We need to create something that can replace Sarah Runcandel...…. Hmm, it shouldn't be too difficult since he is already pure and has been wounded.]
"Is it possible that Sir Jin has already made a contract with him? I saw them fight before he returned. Sir Jin could have eliminated him."
[If the contract has already been made, then Jin caught another one of our weaknesses again. Cough! I can feel the energy of life, it's unlikely that Bale has been eliminated. Besides, Jin Runcandel has a lot to hear from him. Even if he is pushed back in the battle with Jin, it is not to the extent that Bale cannot escape.]
Zephyrin paused for a moment, thinking about the possibility of getting caught by another weakness.
"...I will go to Tikan immediately and assess the situation."
[If Bale is not in Tikan, release the search team, and if he is with Jin, bring him back urgently.]
* * *
Unfortunately, what Zephyrin, who visited Tikan, saw was Bale, who had already signed a contract and put a golden oath on himself.
Unlike when Bale first awakened, he now appeared like an ordinary human. The shining halo above his head and the magnificent, giant wings were gone, and even his cross-shaped eyes were no different from those of an ordinary person.
Only his golden hair emitted a subtle and ethereal glow, indicating that he was still an extraordinary being.
"Bale, bring some snacks and let's eat together."
"... Alright."
Sandra treated that divine being, Bale, as if she was handling her younger brother. Bale had a dark expression on his face as he brought the snacks to the table.
Ever since he realized that Sandra wasn't her Sarah, Bale wanted to tear her apart right away, but there was no way to do so. The contract and the golden oath were absolute. Currently, Bale was completely subservient to Sandra, like a slave.
"Just feed me one every five seconds. Got it? You eat the rest on your own."
"Understood."
"You're so cold. Can't you give me a more intimate response?"
"I'll try my best."
"Well, alright."
Sandra's way of treating Bale was still unfamiliar even to Jin and Tikan's comrades.
Therefore, the executives of Kinzelo who came to see him couldn't help but be astonished.
"... Sir Jin, what the hell is this situation?"
"A headache. Can't you tell just by looking?"
"What a noble being she is, that mad living golem."
Sandra hummed a tune while chewing on the snack Bale had given her. She deliberately acted obnoxious, noticing that Zephyrin followed proper etiquette when seeing Bale.
Zephyrin sighed deeply and once again lowered his head to Bale.
"Lord Veil, I am Zephyrin, Grand Duchess of the demon world. As I mentioned earlier, my master has something to tell you, so he asked me to bring you to him..."
"Bale, get rid of that Demon Dragon. It's annoying."
"Do you mean to kill her?"
"Sure."
Zzzzzt!
As the order was issued, Bale began to transform into his original form, terrifyingly. Jin intervened and stopped Sandra.
"Sandra."
"Tch. Stop, Bale."
"Understood?"
"Intimacy!"
"I got it..."
"Damn it! Lord Bale, why did you make a contract with this damn living golem?"
"Hey, Demon Dragon. Is that attitude of yours appropriate? You treat Bale with respect, but you treat me like some lowly being? Should I tell Bale to never cooperate with you guys? Follow proper etiquette, show some respect."
Eventually, Zephyrin dragged Jin outside.
"Sir Jin, that living golem follows your orders very well. I can't tolerate this kind of humiliation any longer. As a temporary alliance, I formally request Sir Jin's assistance to ensure that we can accommodate Lord Vale."
"Sandra is not my subordinate, Zephyrin. And what kind of nonsense are you going to pull?"
"Have you forgotten how my master helped you to save Hister some time ago, Sir Jin? It's not such a difficult request. If you're worried about potential trouble, Sir Jin can accompany us."
If it weren't for Bale's subservience to Sandra, it would have been intriguing to see Kinzelo come unexpectedly and show an obsession with Bale.
If things went well, Jin had a hunch that they could make use of Kinzelo for the safety of Hedo and Sandra.
"Zephyrin, honestly, if you had come to us, I thought you would demand compensation for the damage or ask us to share information about Bale. But why are you openly showing this submissive attitude? Answer honestly."
"... Fine. We already knew about lord Bale's contract and the golden oath. So we tried to make the contract without your knowledge, but the living golem made a preemptive strike."
"Ah, so you didn't anticipate that Bale would make a contract with Sandra instead of me."
"That's correct. It would be the same for Sir Jin, of course, but to us, lord Bale is an extremely important being."
"Is it because of the existence called the Parent of Life that Orgal mentioned?"
Jin thought that Kinzelo was fixated on Bale to such an extent for a reason. From their first meeting, it seemed that Kinzelo's goal was closely related to the Parent of Life.
'It seems like they leaked information about the Holy Land to me for that reason.'
-I have no intention of telling a lie, even if there is no contractor of truth, Jin Runcandel. The world is in this state because the Parent of Life has been annihilated.
Perhaps the "purification" that Kinzelo mentioned included a process to resurrect the Parent of Life.
'Kinzelo wants to resurrect the Parent of Life, and the Prophet wants to bring forth Helluram...'
In other words, their goals seemed to be at odds. Those who sought to purify the world and those who sought to plunge it into chaos.
Of course, in Jin's eyes, they all looked like madmen who kept tormenting the world. Just like Zipfel, who manipulated history to move the world according to their own will.
Kinzelo might speak pleasant words about purification, but they ultimately engaged in terrorism, murder, and various atrocities. The Prophet and Zipfel were no different.
And Rosa was trying to completely destroy the world amidst all that. When Jin thought about it, he suddenly felt a headache.
"Yes. We want to resurrect the parents of life, and Lord Bale is an important clue to that."
"You're quite candid about it."
"Even though it's temporary, we are allies. Lord Bale is also related to the recovery of my master. Isn't it necessary for you as well to facilitate my master's recovery as much as possible before the confrontation with Rosa Runcandel?"
That's a valid point. That's why Jin was concerned about Orgal's recovery during their first meeting.
In any case, he needed to meet with Orgal. He also needed to inform him that Rosa's power was growing faster than he had anticipated.
"There is a means to accelerate the recovery, even if it's not Bale. That's what Orgal himself mentioned."
"So, does that mean you can't cooperate?"
"No, I want you to cooperate. But I want to propose one condition."
"Ha, these sickening conditions. What is it?"
"Protection for Sandra and the Tower Keeper. You probably noticed it roughly at the Temar's Tomb, but they will be treated as traitors if they return to Zipfel now."
"Why not just send them back? Zipfel may find it extremely unpleasant, but whether they like it or not, they can't afford to be at odds with you right now, especially with the impending confrontation with Rosa. Betrayal is their own fault for not managing people properly."
"I have no intention of sending them back. Until the confrontation, despite their betrayal, they are still valuable forces, so there shouldn't be a problem. However, just in case, I am requesting protection for them from you as well. The more hands we have, the better."
Zephyrin surprisingly complied with Jin's request.
"As long as lord Bale is here, we have no choice but to protect the living golem. Protecting tower keeper is almost comical, but it's a surprisingly conscientious condition coming from you. Let's accept it."
687
[T.L: punisher87]
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Night.
As the Zephyrin and other officers of Kinzelo departed, only Hedo and Sandra remained, but now they had to become comrades rather than guests. It was the safest way for Hedo to protect Sandra.
Hoo...
Thick smoke poured into the moonlit night sky.
Instead of the unique strong fragrance of Mila's finest pine cigarette, Hedo could only taste bitterness and acridness.
Hedo's back, leaning against the balcony, looked like a worried father.
"Tower Keeper."
Jin called Hedo, leaning against his side.
Hedo remained silent for a while, continuously exhaling cigarette smoke.
From behind them, the orange lights and bustling people could be heard. It was the sound of Jin's companions and Sandra chatting in the restaurant.
As Sandra often did whenever she visited Tikan, she naturally mingled with all companions except for Valeria.
Hedo hadn't seen her so excited and chattering like a cheerful idiot in Zipfel.
"What could make her so excited...?"
Still gazing at the sky, Hedo muttered to himself.
"Do you also have plenty of time to laugh and chat like that?"
"I'm not as lively as Sandra by nature. But I do enjoy spending time with friends when I have the chance."
"I see."
"Have you never seen her behave like that in Zipfel?"
"Since she was young, she has never been in a happy mood for more than a few hours. At least, when young master Veradin was fine, they sometimes hung out. Laughing and then getting angry, getting angry and then laughing. As you know, the lady acted mostly like a crazy person. Since she met you..."
Thinking of Sandra, who had covered the room with news articles, advertising flyers, and various items related to Jin, and giggled endlessly, Hedo felt a headache coming on.
"... she got a little better...… No, I'm worried about whether it's right to express it like that. It was still strange. It could have gotten even stranger. Anyway, since she met you, there have been moments like now, where she's happy without ups and downs."
"Then joining Tikan is a better thing for Sandra, isn't it?"
"If you had seen that room, those words wouldn't come out easily."
"Room?"
"Pretend you didn't hear that."
"But, Tower keeper, how about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Have you ever laughed and talked like that?"
"No."
Hedo's quick response, as if there was no need to think about it, made Jin shrug his shoulders.
"Can a person be like that?"
"Except for the lady, I don't experience significant fluctuations in emotions in everything else. I haven't had anyone by my side except the lady, and I haven't experienced loneliness since I met her, so it's actually natural for me."
From Hedo's transcendent power, his relatively modest reputation, his past with Chiron, his relationship with Sandra, and more.
Since their first encounter in the Sota Desert, Jin had been curious about Hedo as a person.
Somehow, he had a feeling that this conversation would bring some relief to that curiosity.
"Now that I think about it, you're the first person to ask me about that since I met the lady."
"As we're becoming family, we should know each other's personalities to some extent."
"But I recall that I haven't given you a definite answer yet about becoming family."
The night breeze passed between the two and disappeared somewhere.
Jin gestured toward the bottle and glass placed beside him.
"You had prepared two glasses, so I already assumed you had decided that. Please give me a drink."
They didn't make a toast.
The two of them drank five glasses without a word.
Jin waited, and Hedo reflected on the past.
When Hedo began speaking again, Jin heard a name he never expected.
"Have you ever met Vanessa Olsen, the former Black Knight?"
"I have met her."
"I was of the same kind as that woman."
"Same kind...?"
"I was a monster from the beginning. So even if I just breathed and lived quietly, accidents were bound to happen."
During his younger days, Hedo had fought Vanessa once in the Black Sea. Jin didn't hear the detailed story, but he realized that she and most of the former Black Knights were individuals fated for tragedy.
Jin understood Hedo's words immediately.
"I became aware of that fact when I was eight years old. It started bothering me when I saw the orphanage director's daily beatings. Without thinking, I threw a punch. Bang! His wrist shattered. He was a skilled fighter, around 3-stars or so."
"Hmm."
"And then, as the director fell, he reflexively swung the sword at me. The sword barely touched me. I didn't plan to kill him, but when I deflected the sword with my hand, it broke and bounced back, piercing his throat."
"You must have been shocked at a young age."
"I didn't think much of it."
"Because he was a worthless person?"
"In retrospect, he was that kind of person, but at the time, I truly didn't think anything of it. Ah, it's getting tiresome. That was the extent of my thoughts. I didn't even realize that killing was a wrong thing to do. It continued like that for a long time."
Accident and fleeing.
Until he turned fourteen, Hedo's life revolved around that.
He unintentionally caused accidents at first, and later, he dealt with bothersome people without a care, moving from place to place.
"It's strange how those people who seemed like they would die if I touched them always picked fights. Maybe it was because of my unusually sturdy build and my unyielding attitude at the time."
Jin listened to his story with great interest, sipping his drink.
"If you had stopped, you would have been wanted."
"I was too busy struggling at the bottom, so I didn't have much opportunity to harm powerful figures or famous individuals. I was too young at the time, so naturally, I avoided suspicion. On the contrary, there were occasions when I completely annihilated a few bands of thieves and they came looking for me, offering rewards."
"Did you go to them?"
"They came to me. I was thinking of leaving for somewhere else because I thought it would be troublesome, but they somehow found their way to the old house where I was staying. They told me to come down, but I refused, and a fight broke out."
"How old were you then?"
"Twelve or thirteen, I think. I'm not sure. The force he brought with him was around fifty..."
"Are you saying that all of them attacked a 12 or 13 years old kid?"
"Since I have a large frame, I must have looked more than that on the surface."
"Still, you must have felt resentment. Even if it was an order, there must have been some hesitation to attack a young person like you."
"What surprised me more was that they stood against me like demons, even when the first subordinate who rushed at me had his neck twisted and died."
"It's not surprising, but it's unbelievably ruthless."
"There are even more ruthless things in the world. Anyway, among them, there was one person who could be called a trained knight. Seeing my power, the lord's subordinates trusted him and fought alongside him."
Young Hedo said that it was during that encounter that he felt attracted to the concept of a "sword" for the first time.
"You've probably felt that way too. The feeling of those who gathered, full of confidence that they would kill me, but they looked so insignificant like jackals... I swiftly killed the lord and all of his subordinates, and then it was just him and me facing each other."
He was the best knight in the territory at the time, but objectively, he was at an average level. A person near the age of forty who couldn't break through the five stars. In his eyes, young Hedo was not a human being, but a monster or demon.
"There was blood and corpses everywhere nearby, and I was in a state where I narrowly escaped death multiple times. But at that moment, it wasn't fear or terror that filled my mind; it was the desire to learn swordsmanship from him. So I asked him to teach me, and he made a really strange expression."
"No wonder."
"And then suddenly, he prepared himself and started thinking that he had to kill me right here. He said that if he didn't, the village and the territory would be destroyed."
Naturally, Hedo couldn't understand his actions, but now, in his older age, he understood.
"He was prepared for the greater good. If it were now, I probably would have spared him, but at that time, I didn't have that luxury. He was stronger than me, but he was human."
If the knight had defeated Hedo at that time, he wouldn't be standing here.
Jin is a human being, and Hedo's face looked bitter for some reason as he spoke.
"When I killed him, I felt a sense of guilt for the first time. Somehow, I felt that he shouldn't have died like that."
Hedo looked down at the cigarette grasped in his left hand for a moment as he remembered him.
Among the belongings of the knight, there was a cigarette.
He didn't remember the knight's face very well.
After that, Hedo took his sword and belongings and fled to another territory.
But wherever he went, similar incidents repeated, and Hedo rapidly grew stronger like a madman after obtaining the sword.
As he practiced alone, recalling the movements of the knight he had killed, he began to create his own swordsmanship.
And when the pursuers started catching up again, Hedo realized.
He was a person who couldn't blend into ordinary society.
So, he chose the Black Sea as his refuge.
"I entered the Black Sea alone when I was fifteen."
"Did you never think of asking for help? Going to a knight, for example."
"Do you think I was in a state where I could think rationally?"
Hedo had never received proper education, and his innate body and mind were too different from ordinary people.
He had never learned to solve problems through means other than violence.
If someone had taught him, he would have tried to find a knight or someone who could guide him.
But having realized it on his own, he simply wanted to go to a place where there were no people.
"They say the Black Sea is filled with monsters and devoid of humans, so it seemed like the perfect place to train with my sword. And in reality, the Black Sea was the perfect refuge for me. No matter how many demons I killed, it didn't pose a problem, and every time I defeated them, I became stronger."
"So, could it be... that your reputation didn't spread because you stayed in the Black Sea all this time?"
"Just as Vanessa Olsen became Sir Chiron's knight too early to become known, the same goes for me. I haven't counted precisely, but... I have been in the Black Sea for over twenty years."
Jin was momentarily speechless. He wasn't the type to tell lies.
A person who entered the Black Sea alone at fifteen and lived there for over twenty years... Even if it was possible, considering his harsh past...
"It was also the Black Sea where I met your father, Sir Chiron."
688
[T.L: punisher87]
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"Father...."
Jin poured himself a drink and gazed up at the distant sky.
When he recalled his father, his older sister, and the Black Sea Expedition team, composed of the strongest Black Knights in the clan, a surge of anger seemed to boil within him.
The reason Jin hadn't set out to find the expeditionary force until now was nothing else.
The World's Greatest Sword, along with the strongest martial artists of the present age, embarked on an incomprehensible journey to find the end of the Black Sea.
Chasing after them was an almost impossible task, and Tikan, or rather the human world, was not in a situation where he could afford to be at ease even in his absence.
Zed resisted Rosa's tyranny and left to find Chiron, and Nameless had promised to send reinforcements to the Black Sea once the matter with Yona was settled...
Jin had a strong intuition that news of the expedition force would only reach the human world if a member of the force returned in person.
"The day we first met in the Sota Desert, I felt that you respected my Father."
"Respect... that's not entirely wrong. If I were to correct it, it's closer to awe."
"Have you ever lost to my Father in the Black Sea?"
Hedo let out a wry smile.
"It's a natural question. Is there anyone who stands against Sir Chiron and not be defeated? When I first saw Sir Chiron, I couldn't even share a single sword."
"How long had it been since you entered the Black Sea at that time?"
"It was about ten years ago. During those 10 years, I had a life and death situation not only with monsters, but also with countless other martial artists who came to the Black Sea like me. I chose the Black Sea as my refuge, but there were far more martial artists who came to train there than I had expected. I must have met more than five hundred of them."
"Five hundred? Were there many martial artists who chose the Black Sea as their training ground?"
"There was no better training ground than a closed door training facility. And I only learned about it after I left the Black Sea. At that time, the perception was strong that the Black Sea was Sir Chiron's territory among the martial artists."
From a young age, Chiron frequently left the confines of the garden of swords and ventured into the Black Sea.
The fact that he actually made maps of the Black Sea with his knights was still highly classified, but it was common knowledge that he had trained there for a long time.
"Currently, in your era, no one has dared to challenge Sir Chiron. But it was different back then. Not only the master of the hidden palace and the sword emperor, but also the martial artists, mages, and masters, who were said to be the leaders of each faction, were all eager to mix swords with Sir Chiron."
As the story of the previous era began, Jin suddenly became aware of Hedo's age. He has insanely great muscles, but he was about the same age as Chiron.
"It was a romantic era."
"To the martial artists of this era, it may seem that way. However, those who directly challenged Sir Chiron at that time wouldn't have found any romance anywhere. Their achievements, which they devoted their entire lives to, would have been nothing more than petty accomplishments in front of Sir Chiron."
Countless giants had turned to dust in the presence of Chiron's sword, becoming nothing more than specks of Black Sea's dust. Even those who broke free from their fate and those who were at a higher level than the unknown.
"Most challengers didn't even have a chance to fight, and those who had meaningful battles fell into despair and became cripples or disappeared. Among them were figures like the sword emperor, the master of the hidden palace, and the sword emperor...… I think it would be nice to have a drink for the sake of the sword emperor."
The two raised their glasses to the sky and emptied them.
"You are included in that as well."
"It wasn't until later that I realized I was standing in the midst of that turbulent era. At the time, I had no knowledge of what was happening outside, nor did I know that the World's Greatest Sword existed in my place of refuge. The reason I learned Sir Chiron's name was because occasionally martial artists who came to the Black Sea mistook me for him."
"Mistook you for my father?"
"Many challengers did come, but the Black Sea is endlessly vast. And the terrain changes abruptly. Those who managed to meet Sir Chiron by chance were considered lucky. There were also many who spent a long time searching for Sir Chiron in the Black Sea but ended up losing their lives because they couldn't find their way back."
"It's likely."
"You haven't been to the Black Sea alone yet. If you walk that dark land alone... in most cases, you're bound to go mad. Challengers who wandered in the Black Sea would draw their swords at anything they encountered, whether it be a person or a monster. However, I was quite strong among those who visited the Black Sea at the time, so I was misunderstood as Sir Chiron."
"Among them, was there someone who defeated you?"
"There wasn't. Perhaps it was because I didn't encounter figures like the master of the hidden palace or sword emperor. At the time, I was obviously weaker than them."
Although he is said to be a knight sent from heaven, all of Hedo's skills were purely self-taught.
He could only be weaker than those who had inherited the martial arts and traditions passed down through generations.
Hedo knew that fact better than anyone else at that time.
He had fought numerous challengers who were utterly insignificant in terms of physique.
The swordsmanship Hedo practiced at the time was wild and destructive, but lacked depth.
"However, there were those who didn't challenge me but pushed me to the brink of death."
"The former Black Knights, my Father's knights, I suppose. The first one was Dame Vanessa."
"Yes. In the meantime, I happened to meet and duel with those who tried to challenge Sir Chiron. But Vanessa came to find me with a purpose."
-The crime of impersonating the patriarch is significant, whether it was intentional or not.
-Who are you?
-However, if you have superior abilities, you might be able to survive and meet the patriarch.
-What nonsense are you talking about?
As Hedo explained his conversation with Vanessa at the time, Jin's pupils widened.
"It seems like my father was trying to recruit you, Tower Keeper. If Dame Vanessa had found your skills impressive and if you were able to communicate, she would have taken you to my father."
"That could have been the case."
Although unknown to the public, Hedo had gained enough reputation in the Black Sea to attract Chiron's attention. It was truly an unusual occurrence.
Moreover, if he had been recruited at that time, Hedo would have become a Knight of Runcandel instead of being Zipfel's butler.
"I couldn't last more than fifteen minutes against Vanessa and was defeated. It was the first time I experienced such a shock."
"I somehow feel a sense of relief."
"And I ran away like a dog. Like the monsters that fled from me, I showed all sorts of disgraceful behavior."
"It's hard to imagine you acting like that."
"Think about it again. Imagine how a human who had never received any education and had never left the Black Sea since the age of fifteen would look like."
Then it was easy to imagine.
"... It seems to be in a state like a beast or a monster."
The current Hedo, always wearing immaculate shirts and suits, and behaving politely, was completely different from the Hedo of that time.
"I screamed and ran away. I threw everything within reach and even urinated. I didn't even have the thought of feeling ashamed. I only had the thought of surviving."
"What happened next?"
"Since I knew the Black Sea slightly better than Vanessa, I managed to escape. I hid and focused on recovering, but a feeling I had never experienced before tormented me. Shame and a sense of defeat. It was only then that I first realized those ordinary emotions. Along with a desire for revenge."
From that day on, Hedo devoted himself to training in order to defeat Vanessa.
In fact, simply surviving in the Black Sea itself was a form of training, so his daily life didn't change much, but he now had a goal.
"I searched deeper areas in the Black Sea to find stronger monsters and fought against wandering challengers for several more years. The sword... that I called Bale..."
Hedo paused for a moment.
That was not the original name for the longsword he called the Bale.
The real Bale, who became part of Sandra's retinue, called the sword "Shakan."
Hedo did not retrieve the Shakan from Bale. It would have been a simple task if Sandra gave a command, but Bale couldn't unleash its true power without Shakan.
"... I got it at that time. The one who had Shakan was an inner core monster who used the power of chaos. I don't know why it had the sword of the ancient Runcandel's ten great knights."
"Hmm, you can just ask Bale directly about it. Wait a moment, it seems we're out of alcohol."
Jin went back to the restaurant and brought new drinks.
"He said that before he was sealed, he was lost in a battle with former ten great knights in the Black Sea. Losing the sword was decisive for the sealing. The monster probably acquired it by chance."
Glug, glug, glug... The glasses were filled again.
"I never expected to hear these stories suddenly. I'll make sure to make a new sword that you truly like. My third sister will soon bring an amazing blacksmith from Huphester. His name is Vin Branche."
"That's a name I've never heard before."
"He's a manifestation of the Picon Minche, so you can look forward to it. So, after obtaining the sword, did you challenge Dame Vanessa again?"
"I challenged her again, but I couldn't defeat her. Even though I had acquired even greater power than Vanessa. It wasn't until after three more battles that I finally won once. It took about a year each time to find her, so I spent several years continuously ambushing Sir Chiron and his knights."
"Did you fight with other knights besides Dame Vanessa?"
"I fought against almost every Black Knight in the Black Sea."
"And yet you managed to survive."
"Sir Chiron regarded me as a cute wild animal, so I was able to survive."
"He regarded you as a cute wild animal?"
"In the dark and desolate land with only monsters and a dreadful landscape... I was a challenger who didn't show courtesy. Sir Chiron always took the humans, who came to that land to challenge, seriously, but he treated me like a stray cat."
Jin imagined Hedo and a cat simultaneously, but naturally, he couldn't find any similarities.
"A cat, huh? How can that be?"
"At that time, I was already looking at the 10-stars just based on the magnitude of my power. I didn't think Sir Chiron, who regarded me so insignificantly, would die in the Black Sea. Moreover, the white whale and the Black Knights from that time would be there as well, so you should stop worrying about your father."
Jin's pupils widened.
Since the first time Chiron's story was mentioned, Jin had unknowingly been carrying on the conversation in a somewhat lifeless state.
Hedo realized that and showed consideration for him.
"Thank you. But Tower Keeper, why didn't you become my father's knight at that time?"
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"It's not that it couldn't be done, but rather that it couldn't have been."
"I think you would have sufficient strength."
"It wasn't just an expression, but Sir Chiron truly classified me as non-human. How can someone who isn't human become a knight?"
"It wouldn't have been much of a task for my father to educate you and make you into a human."
"I don't think your father is someone who would make an effort to tame anyone. Let alone a beast."
"Well, that's true. If my father hadn't directly recruited you, the Black Knights wouldn't have tried to persuade you either."
"I didn't particularly want to be Sir Chiron's subordinate. I just had a desire to reach the same level as him, and the stimulation from the Black Knights was the greatest. So, from that point on, attacking Sir Chiron and the knights became my most important routine. But it was no longer one-on-one; it became a common occurrence to be easily subdued by multiple opponents."
"Even if they didn't want to recruit you, there's no reason to force yourself on an opponent you don't want to kill. In your own words, well, since they found you cute..."
"And when I was subdued, I always had a meal together with the Black Knights at their camp. Even if I tried to escape, they would catch me and forcibly make me eat while I was bound."
"Did they really go to such lengths? Did they receive an order to have a meal together if you encountered each other?"
-If you kill me, he will kill you, what kind of bullshit is this?
-It is an order from the patriarch. To eat with you.
"So it was."
At that point, Jin fell into contemplation for a moment.
Why did Chiron give such an order? He wondered, wanting to figure it out himself rather than hearing it directly from Hedo.
"The act of sharing a meal... I think my father must have thought it was a good way to acquire humanity. And it seems that it also helped the mental state of the Black Knights. The Black Sea is a dreadful land, after all."
"I agree, 12th flagbearer. It was possible because I was a beast."
The two don't know, but at the time, Hedo played a role similar to Ozdock, who is currently part of the current expedition team.
Hedo spent quite a long time with Chiron's knights in such moments.
Eating together, sitting idly by the campfire, and then leaving.
Sometimes they would have conversations, and sometimes the knights would advise Hedo on swordsmanship while he was eating, and sometimes Hedo would be attacked while eating and subdued.
They were becoming something like friends.
"Well, in that case, it would have been better for you to simply become a Runcandel back then. Why did you end up getting entangled in Zipfel and taking such a long detour?"
"Because it wasn't fate."
At first, if they continued like this, it seemed possible for Hedo to blend in among the Black Knights.
Hedo and the Black Knights both thought so.
But it was only for a brief period.
"I was a beast, Sir Chiron and the knights were human. But in the end, we were all becoming monsters. The desire to resemble Sir Chiron's sword gradually faded away. Madness was surpassing motivation."
While the Black Knights fought against the Black Sea, Hedo was deteriorating due to an increasingly inexplicable madness.
Chiron was the same. Genesis knight's unique demonic nature kept alienating him from others, and the gatherings they used to have for meals became less frequent.
Chiron's orders were undoubtedly helpful to those who were withering away, but they were only temporary reprieves.
"In the Black Sea, you can't survive without abandoning your humanity, and reaching genesis knight, the point where you can't control it without leaving your humanity, is the pinnacle."
The timing and the place. Hedo and Runcandel's encounter was not pleasant in any aspect.
Without anyone saying it first, from the point where they stopped having meals together, Hedo and the knights once again lifted their swords only to kill each other.
"That's how Sir Chiron, the black knights, and I grew older. Every time we met, we could see the hollow traces of the passing years on each other's faces. It felt like looking into a mirror. They must have felt the same when they looked at me."
The past that Chiron's Runcandel and Hedo had was far longer and more melancholic than what Jin had imagined.
"And I had planned to meet Sir Chiron one last time."
"...Judging from the flow of the story, it wasn't because of determination or a desire for victory."
"That's right. I had thoughts of dying. Just as I learned shame and the desire for revenge through Vanessa, at that age, I experienced emptiness for the first time. It was something that had always filled me, even though I didn't realize it."
Hedo's gaze remained fixed on the sky.
That emptiness was the cause of Hedo's madness.
"As soon as I realized it, an impulse surged that there was no reason to live anymore. The days I spent exploring swordsmanship and simply surviving meant nothing."
The knights, even as they were becoming monsters, had clear goals and dedication, so they had no reason to give up on life. But Hedo was different.
He was truly a man with nothing.
"I met Sir Chiron again and drew my sword. Until then, even if I aimed my sword at Sir Chiron, other knights dealt with me, but no one stepped forward. Instead, Sir Chiron chose Barisada. Just like when he silently cut previous challengers."
Hedo's skill at that time was barely a few steps behind what it is now.
After years of training in the Black Sea, coupled with advice from the Black Knights and frequent sparring, his achievements truly exploded from that point onwards.
However, the fight didn't even take place at all. Chiron, the insurmountable wall even now, had already been completed back then.
"When I came to my senses after being engrossed in the fight, Sir Chiron was looking down at me, who had fallen. 'Kill me,' I said, what do you think Sir Chiron would have said to me?"
"Hmm...."
Jin imagined Chiron's thoughts again.
Unable to think of anything, he simply provided the response he would have given in the same situation.
"He would have asked why you didn't have any intention of leaving the Black Sea."
Hedo's eyes widened.
"Indeed... as expected of his son."
-Why do you still remain in the Black Sea?
"Now that I think about it, it was a question I had never heard despite fighting for such a long time. The Black Knights never said such things to me. It was like not asking a wild animal why it lives here."
In other words, it meant that only then did Chiron try to see Hedo as a human rather than a beast.
-Go out and live a human life. Stop chasing after us.
"When I heard those words... I felt like I was going crazy. I'd rather die, I shouted several times. I tried to catch Sir Chiron and his knights, who were leaving suddenly, but my battered body wouldn't listen. They had things they had to do, but I didn't have anything."
Hedo remained collapsed in that spot for three days.
He couldn't move, but as usual, he hoped that monsters would attack and devour him.
However, just as beasts avoid the scent of predators, the monsters didn't even come near Hedo until he rose again, all thanks to the lingering aura of Chiron nearby.
"And then, I went out. I was expelled from the Black Sea by Sir Chiron. I didn't know the way back, but I walked aimlessly, and before I knew it, I was in the human world. I never once encountered a monster attack on that path. It felt as if they were following Sir Chiron's will."
Leaving at fifteen and returning as a middle-aged man, the human world was nothing short of hell for Hedo.
Because he had nowhere to go.
"12th flagbearer, I kept calling the Black Sea my refuge."
"Yes."
"A person cannot grow in a refuge. When I emerged back into the human world, nothing had changed from when I left the Black Sea fifteen days ago. I became a martial artist close to 10-star, but internally, I was still the same as when I killed the orphanage director."
The situation was the same as before going to the Black Sea.
The only difference was that no one dared to underestimate Hedo and recklessly attack him.
With a similar build as now, the image of a disheveled madman with a giant longsword, and a distinct sense of emptiness and gloom overflowing, there was no need for him to get entangled in the disputes of criminals.
Furthermore, except for a few instances of taking the wrong path, Hedo never sought out places with people.
He mostly wandered around mountains, seas, and uninhabited islands, lost in thought.
"Did you not think of going to the Garden of Swords?"
"Because I became a dead man. You didn't have such an experience, I suppose."
When Jin was expelled from his clan before regression, he remembered that he was just a waste man until he met Valeria.
"It could be. So... I think Zipfel would have come to you first by then. You said you had been taking care of Sandra since she was very young. That's all there is to it in terms of time."
"Yes. Suddenly, the White Night came looking for me when I was on a deserted island."
"Why did White Night look for you?"
"It seems there were some remnants of Zipfel among the unfortunate challengers I killed in the Black Sea. One of them, who survived and returned to his family, informed them of my existence. Since then, they have been waiting for me to get out of the Black Sea."
Even if it wasn't Hedo, Zipfel always planted people near the Black Sea.
That way, they could confirm the Runcandels passing through the Black Sea.
When Hedo emerged in the human world and caught their attention, it was almost inevitable that he would be pursued.
Hedo starved for a few days but easily dealt with White Night. However, he wasn't able to handle Spectres who subsequently attacked him.
""I was imprisoned instead of being killed. I thought that if I stayed still, eventually they would stop trying to persuade me and kill me. But I was already in a state of being alive only in body, dead in spirit. So all the conditions offered by the clan were meaningless."
Of course, Zipfel didn't kill Hedo in the end.
Losing a few white nights was nothing compared to gaining an unaffiliated superhuman.
Besides, Zipfel was already researching mind manipulation even at that time. If Hedo wasn't finally subsumed, it would be enough to use mind manipulation magic after it was developed.
Hedo didn't know about such plans, but even if he did, he wouldn't have acted differently.
"How did Sandra manage to move your heart in such a state?"
At those words, Hedo turned around, leaned against the railing, and looked beyond the restaurant at Sandra.
She was laughing even more joyfully than before, for some reason.
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* * *
One year in Drakka's stronghold, and one year in the Tower of Stories.
During the two years of his captivity, Hedo received almost VIP treatment, with occasional personal visits from the leaders of the clan, including Kelliark himself. Except for the fact that he was imprisoned, Hedo was treated almost like an honored guest.
It was because of Kelliark's treatment of Hedo.
He wanted to make Hedo a person of Zipfel without resorting to mind manipulation if possible.
No matter how much mind manipulation would develop in the future, he believed that the moment it was added, Hedo's value would diminish.
Of course, Hedo didn't respond to Kelliark's sincere efforts.
Kelliark even released Hedo from his restraints, allowing him to leave freely. He even made a promise not to seek revenge as long as Hedo did not join the Runcandel. But Hedo did not leave.
"You refuse even when I offer you freedom. Is that what you're saying?"
Kelliark understood what had brought Hedo to such despair. Furthermore, he did not know that the world outside was a hell that Hedo could neither comprehend nor mix with.
Instead, Hedo had adapted perfectly to the days spent in prison with no meaning. There had been no better state in his life until then.
"...It's a pity. Since you've refused this as well, you will now be transferred to the Experimentation Ward. However, even there, if you change your mind at any time, you can request to speak with the person in charge. If you want to have a conversation with me."
And so, Hedo was transferred to the "12th Experimentation Ward" located near the Sota Desert and the Tower of the White Night.
At the time, the administrator of the 12th Experimentation Ward was an individual named "Ibunshi," who had gained infamy among the test subjects as a human known for using experiments as a form of torture.
"Hey there. When you were in Drakka and the Tower of Stories, it seemed like you were favored by the god of the human world. But here, I am your god, unless that person descends here personally. Hm... I'm a little unsure about how to treat you. Should I indulge you according to your personality, or should I be moderate in the consideration of the patriarch?"
This was the first time Ibunshi had spoken to Hedo. However, Hedo didn't even acknowledge his words.
""I prefer the latter. Although you are an experimental subject favored by the god of humans, it wouldn't be wise to treat you too lightly. Let's start with something gentle and old-fashioned, like a beating."
From that day on, Ibunshi physically abused Hedo every day. It was impossible to hurt a martial artist with the club of criminals, let alone superhuman.
However, at that time, Hedo's body was not the same as it had been in his prime due to long periods of fasting. He had the appearance of a weak giant, and with the restraints that restrained his strength, he was no different from an ordinary martial artist.
Hedo never resisted.
He didn't even scream. It wasn't that he didn't feel pain at all, but there was no need for him to show any signs of suffering.
"Subject 118! You're used to the pain, right? Let's see if your snout doesn't open again today."
Ibunshi was clearly insane. He saw Hedo's lack of response as rebellion and became increasingly focused on the resulting discomfort, forgetting that Hedo was an experimental subject sent by Kelliark.
In other words, he began to exceed the boundaries he had set for himself. The intensified torture and starvation turned Hedo into a lifeless being in an instant.
The once formidable entity that mercilessly tore apart the monsters of the Black Sea and defeated challengers who sought the Chiron had been completely destroyed.
His limbs had withered like dried-out branches, rendering him immobile, and the organs that generated aura were permanently damaged and no longer functioned.
Gradually, the only indication that Hedo was still alive was the faint whimpering that barely escaped his stiffened tongue.
Ironically, when the situation reached that point, Ibunshi showed signs of panic.
"What madness... What have I done! Can't it be fixed?"
"I'm sorry, Sir Ibunshi. Subject 118 cannot be revived without the legacy of Numerus. Moreover, at this rate, he will die soon. We should report to the higher-ups..."
"Report? You dare to mention reporting? It's not Subject 118 who will die, but you. How dare you... From this moment on, you are Subject 145."
"Sir Ibunshi? No, please!"
Ibunshi took measures to prevent Hedo's condition from being reported to the higher-ups. He demoted those who knew about the torture to experimental subjects and made every effort to ensure Hedo didn't die.
However, since Hedo himself had no will to live in the first place, there was no chance of improvement in his condition.
Moreover, if an audit were to take place, it was only a matter of time before the situation would be revealed. Ibunshi spent restless days, consumed by anxiety.
'When I first received Subject 118, I received only one specific instruction. If Subject 118 requests to see the patriarch, listen to it. grant his wish. He never did, so it wouldn't matter even if I killed him, right? Even if I reported his death during the experiment... No, it can't be. The patriarch will punish me personally.'
Preventing Hedo's death was impossible.
In the end, after much deliberation, Ibunshi chose to shift the blame onto someone else in the experimental facility. Specifically, he turned to another person in the facility who couldn't be treated lightly—the only subject he couldn't handle recklessly.
'Subject 109... Let's make it look like Sandra Zipfel killed him.'
Subject 109, the assigned experimental number for Sandra.
At that time, no one in the 12th experimental facility referred to Sandra by her number. Although she was an experimental subject, she was a pure-blood Zipfel, and all the researchers in the facility treated her like a lady, as if she were their superior.
Of course, beneath such consideration lay underlying hatred and mockery. It was just because she was a pure-blood Zipfel that she couldn't be treated recklessly. She was nothing more than an annoying pet in the laboratory.
She kept causing accidents as she freely roamed the facility, but she couldn't be abused like the other subjects.
That was Subject 109, Sandra Zipfel, at that time.
"Ibunshi! I heard you were looking for me. Did a new treat arrive?"
"Oh, my lady. Have you arrived?"
"Is there a treat!"
"Haha, of course, a new treat has arrived. Have you heard of sugar?"
"Sugar?"
"It's a powder that tastes very sweet when you eat it. Here... Oh, if you eat it like that... It's an indecent act."
"It's sweet! What do you mean by indecent?"
"Well, I guess you don't need to know. And a new toy is also prepared."
"A toy too? Is it my birthday today?"
"Every day is your birthday, my lady. However, there is something you need to be careful about."
"What?"
"You mustn't kill it the way you did with the previous toy. So, twisting its neck or stabbing it with something is not allowed."
Sandra had already undergone some living golem transformations, so she possessed incredible strength for a five-year-old.
She had unintentionally killed a few subjects with that strength, but it was more of an accident caused by Ibunshi and the researchers playing pranks rather than her own intention.
"Go ahead and stab, my lady. Yes, if they don't show enough pain, that's what you should do." Sandra followed those words without any hesitation.
Her innate temperament was peculiar, but the 12th experimental facility was her entire world. Since the formation of her ego, she had only seen, heard, and learned things within the facility.
This time, Ibunshi wanted to take advantage of Sandra's frog-like aspect. He thought that the mischievous nature typical of children, where they do the opposite of what they are told, could be helpful.
Remember, my lady, you must never, never hit or kill anyone. Just pat and love them."
"Love? What is that? What's that supposed to mean? Tell me in a way I can understand, don't talk like an idiot!"
"...Hmm. Maybe pat their head, have a conversation... or even endure a bit when you're annoyed. Something like that. Now, the toy is waiting. Shall we go?"
That was the first meeting between Hedo and Sandra.
"Hello, Subject 118?"
Of course, Hedo didn't react, and Sandra ended up beating him from the very first day.
Therefore, this time, Ibunshi felt that his choice was excellent. However, the problem was that Hedo didn't die despite Sandra's frequent attacks.
Instead, Hedo managed to regain some strength, albeit slightly. Although he couldn't move his body and could only whimper, occasionally he would utter complete words or sentences. This disproved the expectations of those who believed he could never recover without the blood of Numerus.
"Hey, are you dead or alive? If you're dead, stay dead, but if you're alive, answer me. I'm always trying so hard to play with you alone."
"Get... lost."
"Argh, you make me so angry! I should tear your mouth and twist your neck... No, I'll endure it. Because I have to love you! But I'll punch you twice. No, three times! Oh, are you dead? You're still breathing. See you tomorrow!"
Such bizarre days continued. As the time went on, Ibunshi became more anxious about this situation.
'It's getting to the point where I feel like Subject 109 is teasing me, as if I'm losing and about to die. Subject 118 is more persistent than I thought...'
When such thoughts occurred to him, Ibunshi decided to lock Sandra and Hedo in Isolation Room 118 altogether. He planned to keep Sandra confined until the stress of being trapped led her to kill Hedo before finally releasing her.
'Now, Subject 109 will truly finish off Subject 118. If that happens, even the higher-ups won't be able to investigate properly.'
* * *
"...I have never heard a more vile story in my life, tower keeper."
Jin wanted to ask. How could he remain loyal to Zipfel despite experiencing such things?
But then he realized that the object of his loyalty wasn't Zipfel, but Sandra Zipfel.
"Everyone has their nightmares. I don't even know now that those days were a nightmare. Maybe… if time had continued as it was, the lady might have killed me in the end, as she intended that time."
Since Hedo was here now, it was clear that this plan had failed.
Just a few days after he and Sandra were isolated together, the 12th experimental facility was attacked by Runcandel.
"The one who attacked the 12th experimental facility at that time was Black Panther, your mother."
"Rosa?"
On the day she attacked, the 12th experimental facility was completely ruined.
All data was discarded, and the researchers and mages who remained in the laboratory could not hold out against Rosa until reinforcements from the main headquarters arrived.
During that time, when the entire wing was on the verge of collapsing, vibrating as if it would crumble any moment.
Sandra cried out as she held the fallen Hedo in her arms.
"She said not to worry because she would protect me."
I will protect you.
It was the first time Hedo had heard such words since he was born. In his past life, where he traveled between orphanages, the Black Sea, underground prisons, and experimental wings, he had never heard such a natural statement. His life was never taken for granted.
He didn't know from what or how she would protect him, but Hedo suddenly felt the need to keep living.
He decided that he would live for this strange girl.
That day, Hedo stepped into the path of humanity, leaving behind the life of a beast.