C438 – Someday, when you have forgotten, like an unforeseen catastrophe (1)

Five days had passed since the exiles and wanderers attacked Tikan.

However, despite receiving reports, the Twelfth Flagbearer still showed no significant movement, leaving the elders in growing anxiety day by day.

In a village of the Elder Council in the city of Calon, Jorden and his fellow Elders sat around a round table with frustrated expressions.

In front of them were stacks of newspapers from various countries covering the recent incident.

Free City Tikan attacked by unknown assailants.

Some facilities and structures were damaged, but no casualties reported…

The reason the garrison of Free City Tikan turned into the steel army, and about Jin Runcandel.

As demonstrated during the Emperor Sword Castle incident, the Twelfth Flagbearer has an exceptional ability to respond to terrorism.

It’s not that the Twelfth Flagbearer is particularly outstanding; it’s just a virtue that any Runcandel Flagbearer should possess…

Injured: 12

Deceased: 0!

All terrorists dead, the dignity of the Free City.

Why do terrorists thrive so soon after the Emperor Sword Castle terrorism?

The identities of the terrorists are still unknown…

What kind of response will the Twelfth Flagbearer show?

The cover of all newspapers was filled with reports on the Tikan terrorism.

This was true not only for Hufester but also for some newspapers from Vermont and the Lutero Magical Federation.

Some of the Elders sighed as they looked at the newspapers.

In reality, everyone wanted to sigh, but they held back because they were observing Jorden, whose body trembled with anger.

At that moment, sighing was a privilege reserved for high-ranking Elders.

“No casualties… not a single one!”

Jorden shouted as he tightly gripped the newspaper in front of him. His eyes, with bloodshot pupils, were filled with grim anger.

“Is this possible?”

Bam!

Jorden’s fist shattered the round table into pieces, sending fragments flying in all directions.

Jorden had never expected such an outcome when he decided to send the exiled execution knight to Tikan.

It might have been impossible to completely eliminate Tikan, but he thought that at least some of Jin’s comrades and many civilians would lose their lives.

Since the terrorist attack was carried out by two exiles and at least 7-star attackers, it was not at all excessive to expect such damage.

“This is unbelievable, Elder President of the Council. As bad as they were, a few hundred civilians, no. That’s too little too. There should be at least a thousand civilian casualties.”

“Please calm down, Elder President of the Council. Have some cold water. Look, let me bring you some cold water!”

“It’s clear that the exiles betrayed us.”

“But what could have led them to betray us? Their goal was revenge. They know the power of the Black Sword Association better than anyone, so they wouldn’t have valued the Twelfth Flagbearer more than the Elder Council President.”

“However, the results don’t make sense if it’s not betrayal. Moreover, these articles are based on information intentionally leaked by the Twelfth Flagbearer to the media. So it means he’s lying about the death of all the exiles and unaffiliated swordsmen.”

“Doesn’t it also mean he’s lying about the absence of casualties in Tikan?”

“Can you really say that after knowing the Twelfth Flagbearer? That demon would never do anything against his interests. It’s an issue that will be clearly revealed once we investigate properly, and the damage in Tikan has already been verified by several organizations from different countries.”

“Well, yes. The Twelfth Flagbearer. It’s worrying that he had the audacity to bring back the heads of the deceased Elders last time, but he hasn’t shown any movement yet.”

The Elders chatted among themselves, and all eyes were on Jorden’s reaction.

The outcome of the situation could either be covered up or worsened depending on the decision he made.

Jorden’s heavy breath, sounding like a whistle, gradually calmed down. He could barely control his anger.

“I understand that everyone is concerned. The Twelfth Flagbearer, that lunatic may be inactive for now, but we can’t let it slide. He will undoubtedly seek revenge like last time when he brought back the heads of the Elders.”

As Jorden spoke, the dark expressions on the faces of the Elders deepened once again.

Some of them secretly thought that Jorden had “lost his touch.”

He had boldly waged war against the Twelfth Flagbearer with confidence, but the result was disappointing from the beginning.

“So, what should we do, Elder President of the Council?”

“I am worried about what the Acting Matriarch said last time. If we disappoint her again, she mentioned temporarily dissolving the Elder Council…”

“Oh, please, let’s not dwell on such negative remarks!”

Jorden sighed and rubbed his temples.

“First, the Black Sword Association…”

Before Jorden could continue, they heard the sound of someone running down the hallway.

“Elder President of the Council, something terrible has happened!”

It was a Guardian Knight affiliated with the Elder Council.

His desperate attitude, distorted expression, and anxious eyes immediately filled Jorden and the Elders with a sense of foreboding.

It seemed that the Twelfth Flagbearer had started his retaliation.

“What’s going on? Speak calmly,” said Jorden, his eyebrows trembling slightly as he made an effort to appear calm.

“The exiles… have reached the Garden of Swords!”

The members of the Elder Council let out a collective sigh of despair at the Guardian Knight’s response.

“Prepare… a carriage immediately!”

———————-

December had arrived, and winter was in full swing, but absurdly intense rain fell.

In this strangely gloomy and erratic weather, the Guardian Knights guarding the Garden of Swords frequently found themselves gazing at the sky.

The sky seemed to weep inconsolably.

“It’s noon, but it looks like night. What the hell is up with this rain?”

“Yeah, this kind of weather gets you down. Let’s have a strong drink when it’s over…”

The gate guards and the Guardian Knights who were chatting fell silent and adjusted their postures.

They had seen a knight dressed in bright gray armor approaching from a distance.

The gray armor symbolized that this knight had the task of enforcing the Family’s laws.

It was something all Guardian Knights of the Family aspired to and respected, along with the black helmet.

The Guardian Knights stood at attention and saluted.

The execution knight returned the salute gracefully, and the gate leading to the Garden of Swords opened.

The Guardian Knights did not lower their hands until the execution knight disappeared from their sight.

“Certainly, the behavior of execution knights is different from that of ordinary guardian knights.”

“But the person who just passed was wearing the old armor of the execution knights, right? It looks like something I’ve seen in the training manuals during our cadet days.”

“Really? I’m not sure. I don’t see them often… I wonder if the day will come when I can wear that armor.”

The gate guards had no idea that it was an execution knight who had been purged long ago.

Even if the armor was of an older design, they couldn’t imagine anyone being crazy enough to make and wear a fake Runcandel execution knight outfit, let alone in the heart of Huphester, the Garden of Swords.

“It’s armor that not just anyone can wear, so we show a lot of respect.”

Thud, thud, thud.

Mud and water splashed under the steps of the exile.

The soaked cloak felt unusually heavy, as if it carried the weight of the years it had taken to return to this place.

The Twelfth Flagbearer’s words were correct.

Damaging Rosa Runcandel’s authority and bravely exposing the truth was the ultimate revenge they could achieve.

‘Why didn’t we think of such a simple idea all this time?’

The Exile knew the answer.

Because their desire for revenge was directed against “Rosa Runcandel,” not Runcandel itself.

If they entered the Garden of Swords right now and revealed that they had survived all this time, Rosa would undoubtedly suffer significant harm.

But that wasn’t all.

If the other knights learned the truth, that the price paid for loyalty and dedication to the Family was this horrible punishment and exile…

That could potentially shake all of Runcandel.

The Exiles fiercely denied it, but they continued to love Runcandel even after their punishment.

Some might mock it as a twisted sense of loyalty, but it didn’t matter.

Their brightest days were undeniably linked to this land.

-As the Twelfth Flagbearer said, this is undoubtedly the only revenge we can take. But what we are about to do will not only threaten Rosa but all of Runcandel.

-Indeed.

-The unity of the Family will weaken, and it will be an opportunity for major factions like Zipple. Don’t you see?

-Is that the kind of Runcandel you want?

-What do you mean?

-A ridiculously weak and dirty Family that can be devoured by enemies if you don’t hide the stench? I don’t think you want that Runcandel. Anyway, the choice is yours. Whether you want to die here or go and reveal the truth.

Suddenly, he remembered a conversation they had with the Twelfth Flagbearer before reaching the Garden of Swords.

We could have been the Twelfth Flagbearer’s knights if he had been born a little earlier.

We could have defended honor to the end.

He took one step after another with an unsettling sense of regret inside.

He walked, savoring the Garden of Swords they had built with their own hands.

He looked at the countless swords planted around the garden and stopped for a moment.

And when he encountered the familiar faces of the aging stewards and assistants, he silently remembered their names.

At that moment, he saw a construction site on the side as if nothing had changed since before his exile.

Is that what the Twelfth Flagbearer did?

It was the central arena that the Twelfth Flagbearer had destroyed when making the patriarchal declaration.

He stood there for a moment, imagining how fierce and extraordinary that battle must have been.

The raindrops falling indifferently on his armor felt cold.

He resumed his march, and finally, his steps stopped in the courtyard, right in front of the main house.

He stood tall and looked towards the main house.

And the attention of everyone nearby gradually shifted to him. All began to perceive that his actions were not normal.

Why is the execution knight there so calmly?

Has there been any execution knight wearing old armor lately?

They began to wonder as they passed one by one, and in the midst of their passing…

The exile shouted loudly at the person standing in the main house, the person they had deeply despised.

His voice echoed like thunder.

“Rosa Runcandel, come out and listen to me!”

–

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