No one expected his name. When the elegant blond hair was uncovered beneath the hood and theyers of decadent makeup were revealed, everyone thought that Bamel would finally show up.
But Jin Runcandel?
The entire za fell silent. People questioned their own ears as they waited for Jin to continue.
Jin Runcandel?
Wasn''t it supposed to be Bamel, not Jin Runcandel? The Reserve gbearer of the Runcandels?
The journalists were dumbfounded. They exchanged bewildered looks among themselves.
On the other hand, the Runcandel delegation, paying their respects in a corner of the za, couldn''t believe their eyes.
''Jin, that crazy rascal. He could have given me a heads-up. Did he expect me to follow along by myself?''
Not even Luna had any idea.
But she thought that he must have some solid n in mind if he decided to cause such trouble.
She was about to curse out loud but didn''t forget her promise to be a sword for Jin.
Her most reliable sword, one that he could wield at will whenever and wherever. That was the role she had epted to y. Therefore, she calmed herself and decided to read Jin''s moves and react ordingly.
Joshua, standing next to Luna, looked at Jin with his facepletely red with anger.
''Jin, you bastard. You just had to create more problems.''
Joshua thought that revealing Jin''s identity at that moment was literally a suicidal act.
The Zipples had given up a lot for Bamel''s death. They had discarded their dignity and reputation, resorting even to a false killer for their cause.
They were determined to kill him no matter the cost. They had already suffered too much harm to let him be.
Joshua clenched his teeth. Veins bulged on his neck. He could understand why that damn brother of his revealed himself at that precise moment.
You seem so sure that I won''t let you die, even if it goes against the n''sws, just because of that contract of yours!
The power of shadows. The same power that Joshua coveted.
If Jin died, Joshua would never be able to steal the Solderet''s contract for himself. Therefore, Joshua thought that Jin intended to involve him by endangering his own life.
There was nothing that could be done to prevent other people from recognizing Runcandel''s reserve gbearers, but reserve gbearers were strictly prohibited from revealing their own identities.
The same rule applied to everyone in the Sword Garden. They were not allowed to assist the reserve gbearers.
The n clearly warned against using the n Runcandel''s reputation to make a name for oneself. It was a well-known rule, even to outsiders of the n.
But what would happen if a reserve gbearer and a gbearer broke this rule with so many eyes watching?
The strict interpretation of the rule would clearly demand the death or emunication of both, but this particr gbearer was Joshua, known to be the patriarchal sessor.
It''s unlikely that Mother would punish me severely, and if they don''t punish me for it, that cunning boy must know that he won''t be punished either.
The ck panther, Rosa Runcandel, would resort to any means to protect Joshua. And even Rosa herself couldn''t find justification to punish Jin without also punishing Joshua.
Joshua felt extremely frustrated. He could clearly see Jin''s n, but he knew he had to y along.
I may ept your tricks for now, but I won''t let you fool us all the time.
Joshua thought it over and calmed himself.
"Guardian Knights, prepare forbat." Joshua whispered his order to the knights standing behind him. His intention was to protect Jin if the Zipplesunched an attack.
"Loyalty to the n."
"Loyalty to the n."
The Guardian Knights whispered their acknowledgment courteously and sharpened their senses.
Jin then nced at Joshua, who was obviously doing his best to hide his anger.
Joshua''s and Jin''s eyes met for a moment.
Jin shed a smile and thought to himself, "You''re trying to keep a straight face, Joshua, but I can see through you. You must be very frustrated after realizing that you have no choice but to help me. You''re not my rival."
Jin maintained his smile and continued speaking to the crowd.
"As you all know, I am the reserve gbearer of the Runcandel n. I began my training as a reserve gbearer in 1795 and have since used various false names. Today, I stand before you as Bamel, one of my false identities."
"Are you really Jin Runcandel? We were told that Jin Runcandel has ck eyes and jet-ck hair." A journalist shouted.
Then Jin took out a handkerchief from his inner pockets and wiped his face and hair. Each stroke of the handkerchief erased his makeup and hair dye. The blond hair returned to its original ck color.
Bamel was clearly depicted with elegant blond hair and a pretty boy face, but not much was known about Jin Runcandel''s appearance, even after the enemies'' celebrations.
However, everyone knew that the youngest son of the Runcandels had ck eyes and jet-ck hair.
People were left dumbfounded. But some recognized him.
"It''s Jin Grey!"
"Oh, look at that! It''s the champion of the Cosmos Arena, Jin Grey!"
Shouted some of the nobles from Berd who hade to pay their respects. In particr, the excited one had made a lot of money thanks to Jin back then.
"I''m sure of it. It''s that young man we saw then in the kingdom of Mytell."
Likewise, the mercenary delegation visiting the Holy Kingdom, the ck Kings, also recognized him.
"I knew Lord Jin would be the sensation of the world someday. He was also quite a spectacle at the enemies'' celebration. Kuhaha!"
Joncina Farrell, of the Dragon King''s Knights,ughed out loud upon recognizing Jin. All the knights from the other ns who had been present at the enemies'' celebration and hade to pay their respects to the Holy Kingdom reacted simrly.
Joining the requiem was the final rite to pay respects to the holy king, and thus, delegations from all nations were present in the za.
When the nobles of Berd shouted Jin Grey''s name, the journalists remembered another incident.
Kiddard Hall.
They recalled that mysterious swordsman who left Jin Grey''s name at the crime scene.
All the journalists felt that their instincts were telling them that this would be the biggest scoop of their lives, much bigger than the assassination of the holy king or the political interference of the Zipple n.
They had to ask questions right away.
The journalists thought that Jin could drop dead at any moment. The Zipple Magicians would soon burst into the za to hunt him down.
Would the Runcandels and the Hufester knights then help Jin? The journalists didn''t believe so.
"Lord Jin! Were you also the one who killed Kiddard Hall?"
"What is the reason for risking your safety now by revealing your identity? Aren''t you afraid of the Zipple?"
"Please tell us the reason you helped the Holy Kingdom as a Reserve gbearer. Did you receive orders from the Runcandel n?"
"Tell us about your rtionship with Lady Lani of the Holy Kingdom!"
All the journalists began shouting at once.
Although the Runcandel and Hufester knights red at them, they felt they would never have another chance to ask Jin questions.
The za would instantly descend into chaos as soon as the Zipple Magicians arrived. Therefore, they had to secure their answers quickly and flee from that ce.
Jin was disappointed when he saw the journalists shouting like possessed maniacs. He always knew journalists were exaggerating, but he didn''t expect them to forget their manners in this ce of mourning.
"Silence, all of you. I won''t entertain questions," Jin shouted forcefully.
The journalists immediately trembled and stopped shouting.
"I''m not here to feed your curiosities. Any journalist who dares to speak without my permission will never hold a pen again." There was a dangerous gleam in Jin''s eyes. He intended to follow through on what he had said.
The journalists fell silent.
Jinposed himself and spoke again. "As a reserve gbearer, I traveled to manynds to earn benefits and reputation in preparation to be a gbearer. It was then that I witnessed the biological experiments carried out by the Zipples in Kollon and learned that a terrorist group called the Kinzelo was also involved in the experiments."
The journalists hurriedly wrote to transcribe his speech word for word.
"I didn''t know that the Holy Kingdom had fallen into the hands of the Zipples and the Kinzelo, but it seems I caused both sides to break their alliance. As a result, the factions were constantly fighting in the underworld of the Holy Kingdom, and I felt somewhat responsible for the events."
Lani looked somber as she listened to Jin''s practical speech.
"I also saw it as an opportunity. As a reserve gbearer, what greater achievement can I carve for myself than exposing the corruption of a nation and, in the process, sticking it to the rival Runcandel n?"
They had already agreed on this speech. It was intended to give the impression that Jin was helping the Holy Kingdom for personal glory, not as a means to repay Lani''s favor.
They had already agreed on this speech. It was intended to give the impression that Jin was helping the Holy Kingdom for personal glory, not as a means to repay Lani''s favor.
"Therefore, I went to thends of the Kinzelo to rescue the people of the Holy Kingdom and handed them over to Lady Lani. The only promise I obtained from Lady Lani was that she would testify to my aplishments to my n in the future. But the Zipples had to stand in my way. I haven''t killed Karl Zipple. Killing him would only be a loss for me."
Jin shrugged as he spoke, leaving many dumbfounded.
"Therefore, I havee before you today to prevent my false name of Bamel from beingbeled as Karl Zipple''s killer. Furthermore, the achievement of bringing to light the atrocities of the Zipples and the Kinzelo is mine, not my n''s. I hope you all remember this fact. Because..."
Jin pointed to a corner of the za with his finger. "Now they will try to finish me off. I will see you all alive. Goodbye."
The Zipple Magicians in their robes were in their positions. They had just finished casting and aiming offensive spells.
Guardian knights, protect the reserve gbearer!
Joshua was about to shout his order.
But Luna was the first to raise her voice.
"Guardian knights of the Runcandel n and all Hufester knights, protect the civilians! I myself will decapitate anyone who aids the reserve gbearer."
Jin smiled upon hearing Luna''s order. He understood perfectly what she wanted.
Swoosh!
Five mana bolts flew toward Jin.
Jin easily deflected them and leaped off the podium.