The Young Son Swordmaster
eps 50's
"Of course the Hidden Palace sent messengers to Runcandel's banquet."
Jin was somewhat expecting this reunion.
He stared at Syris for a few seconds before grabbing the wine bottle. He then calmly poured a glass for her.
“So you are the daughter of the Lord of the Hidden Palace. Likewise, it is an honor to meet you. ”
Jin handed his glass back as he remained wary of her.
—How can you repay a debt to a person like me? Think of it as a good memory. And if you remember me from time to time, bow towards the Hidden Palace whenever you can. Then, goodbye!
Those are the words of Syris in Mamit.
Back then, she was strangely good to Jin. Not only did he immediately remove Jin from the list of terror attack suspects in the Moonlight Well, he even applied an ointment to his injured shin.
She looked very different from the rumors Jin had heard about her in his previous life.
Nevertheless, Jin did not think too much about his kindness.
"He may be nice to me out of desire as someone with more power than me."
That's how Jin understands Syris Endorma as a person. Needless to say, this doesn't mean Syris is actually stronger than Jin. He only believed himself to be stronger than he was at Mamit.
“I'm quite envious of you for growing so strong so fast, even though we're the same age. How I feel for your blessed Runcandel blood and body.”
Although she expressed her sense of irritation, Syris herself was no ordinary girl either. He was already in the middle phase of the 4-star stage and was still growing at an incredible speed.
“Indeed, we Runcandel are lucky to have this blessed body. However, the bloodline of the Hidden Palace could also be considered blessed, right? I can't even imagine how much the Master of Hidden Palace should appreciate Madam.”
“Yes, unlike you, I'm an only child. So, it is true that I received a lot of love and attention. Ah, is talking about such a topic considered rude?”
Syris's gaze softened a little. Her silver hair swayed naturally, as if to accentuate her beauty.
"Not everything. Everyone around the world knows the fact that I am the youngest child of Runcandels. Actually, I should be jealous of you, Miss Syris. It is quite troublesome to have many brothers. ”
“Yeah, you talk about such things so casually even though all these eyes and ears are watching and listening to us. What if your brother interrogates you about this later?”
“Isn't it considered the privilege of the youngest child to be able to complain whenever and wherever they want? Ha ha ha ha's. After all, I would love to visit the Hidden Palace one day. And it might not be a wasted dream if I maintain a close relationship with Lady Syris from now on. ”
“Haha, I never expected someone from the Sword Garden to want to visit the Hidden Palace.Alright, we will send you an invitation in the near future.”.
Before Jin could reply, Syris took the wine bottle and poured Jin into the glass as well. His attention turned to the glass, which was now filled with color once again. A few minutes passed where the two 15-year-olds did not speak a word.
"I'm pretty sure he recognized me. Isn't it time for him to bring up the incident?'
It was not that soot could completely hide one's face, nor could he change his voice. Jin was sure Syris had recognized him today.
"And if the successor of the Hidden Palace does fail to recognize me, then I will be very disappointed in him."
Syris suddenly leaned closer to Jin.
“There is one thing I want to ask you, Young Master Jin Runcandel.”
“Yes, Mrs Siris. Request leave. ”
"Has the wound in your shin healed?"
Finally, the real conversation will begin soon.
Jin smiled and shrugged his shoulders lightly.
“Yes, right, all thanks to an amazing woman—who could never be paid back by a lowly boy like me—who applied an ointment on it with his own hands.”
He simply replied, which made Syris frown.
“You are much more shameless than you look, Young Master Jin. In this case, you need to explain to me why you are present in the Moonlight Well in Mamit that day.”
“And why should I do that?”
“On that day, my subordinates—Ryu of the Seven Swords of Hidden Palace— did not manage to find the culprit behind the magic attack. It was quite an embarrassing event for all of us. Lately, I even wondered if the boy I released was actually the culprit.”
Crprp.
Syris dragged his seat closer to Jin. The two of them now sat side by side but stared at each other, face to face. There was only a hand distance between their noses.
"I saw. That's understandable. But magic, you say? As you can see, I'm a Runcandel. Do you believe I'll be the culprit? My hand only holds a sword from birth, never uses a magician's wand.”
“Of course, I have the same opinion. However, I assume that you were in Mamit that day on a mission for the Runcandel Clan. So it's possible that you find the task difficult to complete alone and hire a witch to help you.”
Syris gritted his teeth and continued speaking.
“In addition, no matter how much I think about it, the only person worthy of being the target of the Runcandel Clan's assassination on that day in the Well of Moonlight was our guard of the Hidden Palace. So, as the Captain of the Seven Swords of the Hidden Palace, this is not a problem that I can just forget about.”
Although he spoke softly and calmly, there was a hint of killing intent in his voice.
As he looked at Jin's face in the banquet hall, he was completely certain that Jin had been sent to Mamit to kill one or more Hidden Palace guards.
Moreover, he was disappointed in himself for failing to recognize the perpetrator behind the attack on his subordinates and for foolishly showing goodwill to the boy.
'He thought I attacked the Well of Moonlight because my target was the guards of the Hidden Palace. Well, I guess he was half right because I ended up injuring some guards while trying to kill Alkaro.'
After reading Syris' intentions, Jin continued to pretend not to know.
“Hm, I think we're pretty familiar, so I don't understand why you're acting like this, Miss Syris.”
“Hmph! So you plan to plead not guilty until the end. It's fine then. If that's what you're going to do, I have my own idea. ”
"May I ask what your plan is?"
“I will drag you into the dueling arena and beat you like a sandbag! Once I'm done, I'll spit on your contemptuous face. I challenge you to a duel, Jin Runcandel.”
"Benefits…"
Jin immediately checked his surroundings to see if anyone had heard Syris' statement.
Fortunately, no one seemed to have heard him as he whispered to him up close.
“Should I say it louder? Lefs go. You have to pay to mock me then. ”
If this continues, Jin will not be able to avoid fighting him.
The only son of the Hidden Palace Master, Syris Endorma. She is really strong and talented for a child her age, but Jin remembers her father's words.
“Mrs Siris. I'm very sorry, but I can't accept your challenge. ”
"Is it because you're not confident?"
“Ah, the problem.. My father gave me a stern warning not to duel with anyone weaker than me.”.
The crack!
A glass of wine that Syris was holding with two broken fingers on his trunk. His fists that were now clenched were trembling like crazy.
"What did you just say?"
“Please don't misunderstand. I want to duel with you, Mrs Syris. However, I could not go against my father's orders. ”
“You little…! Haaaa..!”
Syris glared at Jin with red eyes, but immediately sighed deeply to calm down. As he regained his composure, Syris carefully placed the glass shards in his hands onto the table.
“You seem like a pleasure to play around with me, Young Master Jin. Then, should I give you a taste of your own medicine? ”
Syris suddenly grabbed Jin's hand and placed it on his thigh.
"Now, if I shout 'Kyaa, where do you think you touched?!' and push you away ..."
Jin hurriedly covered his mouth with his other hand. He then chuckled to himself and nodded in defeat.
“If you are willing to go that far, then I guess I have no choice. Let's go quietly. ”
“You should have said it earlier.”
The two stood together and walked to the door.
However, the few people who had observed them couldn't help but misunderstand.
“How immoral... Depraved... Did you see that, Mary? The youngest put his hand on his thigh... And I think they even kissed. Do children today really behave that way when they make eye contact with strangers? It's unbelievable. Where do they think they're going?"
At the table on the other hand was Dipus Runcandel sipping wine with his sister Mary. From their position, it seemed like Jin had kissed Syris when she covered her mouth with her hands.
“We have many empty rooms near here, so I am sure they will go to one of them only. Stop thinking about them, brother. They're all grown-ups. They're fifteen.”
"Okay, God. Did you tell me that you also behaved that way when you were fifteen?
"That's none of your business. Or do you think you can handle the truth?
"Forget it…"
“Drink wine again. Whether it was the daughter of the Hidden Palace Master or our youngest brother, they would not be able to date others freely within a few years. So let them have fun while they still can.”
***
The duel arena was still deserted.
The fighters and spectators would start to gather here after midnight had passed. It seems that Jin and Syris will have their first duel in this banquet.
Genie actually prefers this silence. Defeating Syris in front of countless guests would be too cruel for the girl.
As soon as they entered the arena, the guard knights stationed inside raised their swords to salute.
"Have you come to duel, Young Master?"
"Absolutely. Besides the medics, you can all rest outside. Oh, and bring us two swords worth using.”
"Yes. We will close the arena until your duel is over.”
The intelligent guard knight replied to Jin, and the boy nodded in satisfaction.
“It will be perfect.”
The medics also read the room and left Jin and Syris alone. He would remain in the waiting room until the battle was over.
Now, there were only two people standing within that vast round arena. Not long after, the guard knight returned with two swords. Jin tells Syris to pick his weapon first.
"Please choose the one that fits best in your hand, Lady Syris."
“Jin Runcandel's. Your arrogance pierced the heavens, even though you were just an ordinary 5-star knight.
Syris did not bother comparing his blades and only took the ones closest to him.
As soon as he stood up and raised his weapon, the air around him changed completely. The burning anger in his eyes was replaced with an ice-cold concentration, and the sword he held diagonally showed no visible vibrations.
'So this is my way to experience the famous Hidden Palace swordsmanship from the rumors.'
Ordinary 5-star knights.
That's how Syris describes Jin. And he's not wrong. Syris knows that Jin has yet to learn Runcandels' secret techniques and decisive killing moves.
On the other hand, when Syris was still at 4-star, he was the sole successor of the Hidden Palace. That was why he could openly look down on Jin, who had reached a level higher than him.
"Before we start, I need you to promise me something."
"What's that?"
“If I win, you must tell me everything related to the incident in Mamit. Not a single piece of information is left behind, do you understand? ”
"I understand. Well then, if I win, Lady Syris should forget our fortuitous encounter that day. You'll never see me that day. Today is the first time you've met me. ”
“It looks like you really did something suspicious. Come to me!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin ran over and reduced the distance between them. He planned to defeat her with a huge difference in their physical abilities.
Sckrrr—!
Suddenly, a strange cold energy swirled around Syris' sword and froze his sword.
That was the main reason why the Hidden Palace could stand tall in the middle of the West Sea, as well as the power that symbolized the bloodline of Endorma.
