The Young Son Swordmaster
eps 43s
There are three other cadets assigned to the Kollon Ruins mission with Jin.
Kajin Romello, Mayl Hass, and Rima Hass. All three were part of the Myu and Anne faction. The Hass brothers were slightly weaker than Kajin, but were still bona fide 5-star knights.
"Young Master. Allow me to apologize for my violation a few days ago. I'll make sure not to let you down again during the upcoming mission. ”
“It is an honor to be given the opportunity to work alongside Young Master Jin.”
The day before their departure, Kajin and the Hass brothers come to look for Jin.
Their behavior has made a full 180 compared to a few days ago. Their sarcastic statements had disappeared altogether and were replaced by a polite and obedient attitude.
Jin smiled broadly to show his satisfaction.
“Indeed, the past is the past. Let's turn the page now. I'll be in your care from now on.”
“Thank you very much, Young Master.”
"Thank you very much!"
As soon as the three of them left the room, Murakan jumped into Jin's lap.
“That's because they kept talking behind my back without having the courage to face me so they were left behind by Elder Brothers. Sending all three to the Kollon Ruins was basically sent to die. Piercing me from behind during the mission must have been their desperate last attempt.”.
Jin was sure of himself.
Myu and Anne. The cunning fox must have ordered their minions to kill Jin during the mission. He is also convinced that his sister has promised to look after their family if they manage to kill Jin and also die bravely on the battlefield.
The boy had witnessed Myu and Anne dealing with people who used this exact same method in his past life many times.
“Meong~”
The cat sitting on his lap was laughing out loud.
***
They had to use the transfer gate and travel overland to reach the Kollon Ruins.
The ruins of Kollon originally had about several thousand natives living in the village. However, Zipfels discovered the land several hundred years ago and controlled the area, so the ruins became part of the Peylon Kingdom.
Afterwards, most of the natives were slaughtered and the survivors enslaved. The descendants of the natives who still live in Kollon to this day seem to be respected by the Zipfels family, but they gnashed their teeth at the witch clan.
However, there was nothing his descendants could do.
While they looked respected, they were still slaves. In addition, the whole world is not too concerned with the life and rights of the indigenous Kollon people.
The Zipfels saved the descendants and allowed them to remain in Kollon on the grounds of preserving the land in its original state. However, it was all an act in which they tried to redeem themselves from past terrible deeds.
As he thought about this sad truth, Jin frowned deeply.
'The weak being trampled by the strong was a common occurrence all over the world, but Zipfels actually went too far back then.'
Originally, Zipfels was not the type to carry out such a massacre.
They usually prefer to conquer new lands peacefully and naturally, while trying to gain natural respect and loyalty from the conquered. The Zipfels are much more advanced in terms of their image and public relations compared to the Runcandels.
In fact, ruling by force is a style of Runcandels.
If so, why did the Zipfels suppress the natives of Kollon in such a cruel and cruel way back then?
Jin knew the answer to this question.
'It was because of the mirror-like artifacts that the natives had hidden. The Zipfels have a faint knowledge of this artifact when they discover the island. So they trampled the natives to find him.’
Currently, the existence of this 'ancient mirror' was a secret information that had yet to spread outside the Zippel Clan.
However, before Jin's setback, the whole world knew of this mirror by the time he was 27. A brave journalist writes an article about an ancient artifact recently discovered by Zipfels.
Journalists even recorded details of the artifact excavation site. The natives who held grudges against Zipfels told reporters about how the clan had robbed their divine artifacts and history of oppression.
'Later, people began to call the mirror Mana Fountain.'
Mirror artifact—Air Fountain Mana—has a simple but frightening effect.
It could increase your mana just by looking at him. Needless to say, there were some extreme side effects, but the value and benefits of the artifact were still considerable even when taking them into account.
The increase limit where using the Fountain is up to 7 stars.
Thanks to the item, the Zipfels family was able to nurture and develop countless 7-star mages as if they were a factory. And once these 'mass-produced witches' appeared in the world, many would-be wizards who wanted to become mages joined their clans.
Thus, the already powerful Zippel Clan began to leave the Runcandels behind in the dust and strengthen their position on the continent while suppressing their enemy swordsman clan.
"This time, I won't let that Zippel bastard get a mirror in their hands."
As expected, he did not plan on stealing artifacts while oppressing the natives like Zipfels did. However, with the price of suppressing the natives for several hundred years, he planned to stop the Zipfels from gaining more power using the Fountain.
No need to rush. According to his knowledge from his past life, the Zippel family needed ten years or more to find a mirror. So, Jin only needed to steal it before that day came.
"We'll be here soon, Young Master."
Jin's steps stopped. They walked down the mountain road with disguises and masks.
“This place is the inn of the Zippel witches. This one is for independent magicians. And the relic we have to find is here, in the third warehouse.”
Kajin opened the map of the Kollon Ruins and pointed to every vital location.
"Are you sure those things are in the 3rd warehouse?"
“We should hope so. If that's not the case, then our chances of succeeding in this mission will drop to zero.”
There were a total of four relics they had to steal: three stone slabs the size of their palms, and one bronze bowl.
They were worthless items to most people, but to historians, these items were far more valuable than gold.
The cadets had to sneak into the warehouse, steal the relics, and return to the clan.
Sneaking into the warehouse is not a difficult task. The 3rd warehouse did not contain any valuable artifacts, so its security was weak. In fact, the warehouse is open to visitors during the day.
However, the problem was returning safely to the clan.
'No matter how worthless the items in the warehouse are, I'm sure there will be several layers of protective barriers around the building. It is almost impossible to enter the warehouse without being detected by our current side.'
The Zippel witches were not people who gave up easily. If the 3rd warehouse is attacked, they will be delivered and will arrive within five minutes. Obviously, they will also arrest and punish all intruders.
“Since the rich and curious historian makes a request to the clan, it seems that the four of us might die tonight trying to complete our task.”
"No matter what happens, the three of us will risk our lives to protect you, Young Master."
Kajin spoke with resolute eyes and brother Hass nodded with a determined look.
“Give your life to protect me. Glad to hear it. Eat jerky and rest for a while. We will start operation in one hour.”
"""Understood."""
The three cadets enthusiastically accepted the jerky.
Chewing, chewing, biting, chewing, swallowing.
As soon as he saw them swallow their food, Jin immediately vomited out the jerky he chewed.
"Young Master? Eh? Huh..”
The three of them realized that something was wrong, but it was too late.
The jerky was coated with a sleep-inducing drug that could even put a 7-star knight to sleep within seconds. Kajin and the Hass brothers were already feeling sleepy and could barely stand up.
"Don't worry. It was not poisoned.”
"A-What are yeuuuu ..."
"You can't ..."
Buk, flop, buk.
The three fell down, entering the dreamland. Jin dug a hole in the ground and pushed them inside, and proceeded to cover the hole with leaves.
They can't get up for another 24 hours. And when they do, the mission is done.
“'You t-can't', he said. It was as if I could keep the traitor who was planning on stabbing me from behind by my side when entering enemy territory.”
In fact, if they didn't act so courteously, Jin wouldn't be too suspicious of them.
However, during their journey here, the three cadets constantly licked Jin. They planned to let Jin off guard, and when the opportunity arose, they would slit his throat without hesitation.
But Jin has seen through their completely predictable strategies.
It was not that he could not understand and sympathize with the three. It is normal for a dog to follow the orders of its owner, especially when they face a crisis after making some mistakes.
However, they had chosen the worst opponent. As he stayed in the Runcandel Clan for the second time, Jin could not be deceived by his elder sister's reckless scheme.
'In addition, I can't use magic or spiritual power as the three watch over me.'
Bravely attacking the warehouse while fully realizing the magic barrier protecting it is suicide if Jin does not use magic or spiritual power.
If the four of them tried to infiltrate the warehouse, the spell would definitely detect them. However, another story if Jin sneaks in alone.
"Then can we go?"
Jin put on his mask properly and headed towards the mountain road. The afternoon breeze blowing between the trees and branches was refreshing.
The ruins of Kollon are shaped like large ellipses.
An important excavation site is located in the middle, while the 3rd warehouse is on the outskirts. It is now 6pm, and the ruins have been closed. The road to the entrance of the warehouse was quiet and boring.
Jin lay on the grass in the forest from where he could see the 3rd warehouse. As he scanned the area, he saw people walking from time to time. They were witches sent here to investigate the ruins. Fortunately, Jin could not see anyone on the 5-star stage or so.
Moreover, the guards standing near the main entrance and back of the warehouse were not witches, as Jin had predicted. They seemed to be the best 1-star or 2-star warriors.
This is not surprising. They do not need to assign witch—an expensive and valuable labor—only to keep the warehouse that is not too important.
The guards looked bored and continued to yawn while waiting for time to pass. They even sometimes joke around with each other, laughing and laughing.
Once the witches in the area were at the right distance, Jin ran towards the main entrance of the warehouse.
"So, remember that girl I met last night?"
“Oh yes, how far have you two gone? Hm? Come on, spill the nuts!"
“Yeah, should I really say it? You might hit me out of jealousy, lmao. Oh well, so what happened was—”
Kurghs.
A mercenary fainted after receiving Jin's punch to the chin. Another guard waiting for the rest of the story immediately thrust his spear towards the intruder.
Jin quickly turned around and dodged the tip of the spear, and used his momentum to stab his opponent's throat with his elbow. The second mercenary eye lost focus and dropped to the ground.
'Maybe I should wait for him to end the story before attacking them ...'
Jin chuckled before taking the two unconscious bodies, making them stand up, and leaning them against the wall. By attaching the spear between their legs, they were somehow able to remain upright. In this way, they seemed to be keeping a good watch from afar.
Jin reached into their pocket and found the key to the warehouse door. The lock on the door was ordinary without any spell protecting it. That's how Zipfels doesn't care about the 3rd warehouse.
'No wonder historians fearlessly asked Runcandels to rob this relic.'
Kreaaac!
There was no way to resist the sound of an iron door opening. Jin hesitated to use some noise-cancelling or noise-reducing magic spells, but decided not to. If there was a witch nearby, the chances of her mana being detected were high.
Before entering the warehouse, Jin observed the interior. After a while, he saw a familiar magic circle on the floor right in front of the door.
'Isn't this a Magic Circle of Blood and Barrier?'
It was the same magic circle he had seen a few years ago, when he first slipped into the basement under the Storm Castle. By dropping a few drops of human blood on it, he could easily neutralize the effect of the circle.
The defensive magic circle protecting the insignificant Zippel warehouse was the same as the circle protecting the secret room that only the flag carrier Runcandel could enter. If the public knew this truth, the swordsman clan would become a laughingstock.
The Magic Circle of Blood and Barrier could recognize the blood of a plague-stricken human, monster, or human. As long as it was a healthy person, any human blood was enough to neutralize it.
Jin approached the unconscious mercenary again. He then used his dagger to lightly cut off one's fingertips and catch a few drops of blood with his palm. After which, he splashed blood into the magic circle.
Jin had used the blood of the mercenaries to avoid getting caught after he had completed his mission. If Zipfels had come to investigate the intrusion, they might have believed that the magic circle had been neutralized due to the mercenary's fault.
'The first protective spell is easy to handle. Let's find the relic now—'
Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!
Suddenly, the magic circle glowed bright red and let out a sharp scream. The confused Jin flinched in panic, but soon became calm and looked back at the bloodstains on his palm.
The stain had been made using the blood of unconscious mercenaries. In other words, it must be human blood.
Nevertheless, the Blood Magic Circle and the Barrier had reacted to it. In other words, both of those mercenaries were currently exposed to the plague…
“Krrrr.”
Or mercenaries .. not humans.
