Swordmaster’s Youngest Son - Chapter 1147
Holding the hilt of Barisada, which was wrapped in both his hands, kneeling, felt warm.
“When I briefly contacted Jin Oppa last time, he was surprised to hear the news late and said it seemed like something you would do and quickly accepted it. Enya Unni, is it true that Oppa and Valeria Unni really can’t come to your wedding?”
After attending Elliot’s funeral, Jin and Valeria did not meet Gilly at the banquet in 1814. Gilly goes to the inn in the Mittel Kingdom and Jin and Valeria open the door. Gilly realizes that it is the inn where he first met Murakan 24 years ago. They go up to the third floor and see the ball of light that Jin and Valeria made with the records of Murakan and Misha. Jin pours the last remaining spirit into the light, and Murakan and Misha return in the form of cats. Murakan holds Jin, Valeria, Gilly, and Strawberry Pie, and Misha looks at them from the desk. Murakan promises to stay with Strawberry Pie forever, and Jin swears to be with Murakan as his descendant according to the thousand-year promise. The pilgrimage and return are over, and now it is time for them to go home.
Swordsman’s Youngest Son – Chapter 1147
Chapter 1147
The Final Chapter. Pilgrimage and Return
September 9, 1806.
The first banquet hosted by Jin Runcandel, the 60th Lord of Runcandel, was held.
Even more people visited the Garden of Swords than at last year’s succession ceremony. The pillars of Runcandel and the Barmult Alliance welcomed the challengers all the same, and the people resolved the favors they had built up with each other over the past year.
“It’s like a grand festival this year too.”
“Yes, it is. But it’s too bad that Jin is not here.”
It was Quikantel and Enya. The mainstays of the Barmult Alliance were sitting in the banquet hall’s VIP seats, watching the people entering the tournament grounds.
“It’s strange that he’s not here at the banquet of Runcandel, which is also to celebrate the Lord’s birthday.”
“It would have been perfect if Jin and Valeria had just shown their faces for a moment.”
“They have something to do, so it can’t be helped. Those guys will want to see us too.”
“Should we try to contact them?”
“I tried a little while ago. It seems like they’re not receiving.”
“Ugh, that’s too bad…… With how often the communication doesn’t work, it makes me sad to think about how hard they must be working.”
Jin and Valeria were not just absent from the banquet.
Most of their colleagues had last seen their faces a year ago, when they placed the weapons of Shiron, except for Barisada, in the Runcandel mausoleum.
“Dante, have you and Beradin also not received any contact from our Lord?”
“Yes, Lady Mary.”
It was Dante and Mary.
Their colleagues looked at the same rings on the ring fingers of the two. They were engagement rings.
“It’s really strange…… When did you two get so close?”
To Quikantel’s question, Dante coughed in vain and tried to change the subject, but Mary gritted her teeth.
“They say that love blooms even in the midst of war. What else could it be? If it’s Dante, I’m sure he’ll be able to withstand my sword even if we fight our entire lives, so there’s no better husband.”
“That’s right, Sister! But Dante, run away while you can!”
“That’s right, run away right now, Dante!”
As the Torna brothers at the table across from them joined the conversation, Mary tried to grab their heads but was conscious of the gazes around her. She could not show herself beating up knights in the banquet hall. The Torna brothers grinned and stuck out their tongues at Mary.
“Haha, anyway, our lovely siblings. Shall we see each other later?”
“Oh my, how scary.”
“Scary, scary. But we’ve also gotten pretty strong from training with Father.”
“Now, Sister, it will be hard for you to face both of us at the same time, right?”
Dante smiled awkwardly at the familiar situation. In fact, when the Torna brothers drank with Dante separately, they expressed their affection for Mary.
“Hmm, hmm…… Lady Mary will not have to face the two of you alone.”
“Wh, what, this cute Dante! How dare you say something so embarrassing. Do you like it? Say it again.”
“Lady Mary, saying the same thing again is a bit…….”
“Oh, come on, again. Just once more, please.”
“Um…… Lady Mary will not have to face the two of you alone…….”
Watching Mary burst into hearty laughter and Dante blush, their colleagues shrugged.
“By the way, I don’t know if our youngest and Valeria will be able to come to your wedding.”
This time, it was Luntia, who had just finished beating all the challengers and exited the tournament grounds.
“Huh? Unni, that’s ridiculous. Would our youngest really not attend my wedding?”
“Officially, today’s banquet is a bigger event than your wedding.”
“Damn, that’s true. But that’s just by Runcandel’s standards, and by the standards of the Barmult Alliance, isn’t our wedding the bigger event?”
“That’s true too. I really hope I can see their faces thanks to your wedding.”
“Dante, if our youngest doesn’t come, our wedding is canceled. We have to have it on a day when our youngest can come, no matter what.”
“Of course, that’s how it should be.”
“I’m kidding. Whether they come or not, the main characters that day are you and I, so of course we should do it as scheduled.”
“I was sincere.”
“Wh, what, really? Since you said the main characters are us?”
“Actually, that was a joke. I apologize. As a token of my apology, I will sing you the song I mentioned last time when we’re alone later today.”
“You’re so cute!”
Their colleagues burst into laughter as they watched Dante and Mary go off to dance.
“I heard Jin was a little surprised when he heard the news late during the last brief communication, but he quickly understood, saying it was as he expected. Sister Enia, will Oppa and Sister Valeria really not be able to come to your wedding?”
“They will.”
“I wish I had the power of prophecy right now.”
“You shouldn’t even joke about that, Yuria.”
“Oh, I understand, Mother. It was a mistake. But I didn’t say that because I wanted to see them… I feel bad for Aunty Gilly.”
As soon as Gilly’s name was mentioned, the expressions of her colleagues became serious.
She had lost a lot of weight over the past year. Even at today’s banquet, she was treated as the highest honored guest and received much praise, but she spent more time alone in her old room than in the banquet hall.
Gilly must be staring blankly out the window at the sky right now.
“This won’t do. Finte, Cou, I’m going to go see Aunty Gilly.”
“Go ahead. But Gilly smiles more naturally when she’s with you.”
“It reminds me of when the commander was a child. Children all have similarities. I bet she’s thinking about when Murakan used to play with the children.”
The colleagues nodded as Eltiett spoke while watching the children running around.
“It’s annoying, but it’s something we can’t call annoying, so I hope the time of hardship Gilly is going through ends soon. It’s already been two years since the world was restored. It’s a short time for beings who live forever, but it’s not for humans. It’s even worse when you’re waiting, missing them so much…”
As he said, it had already been two years.
As always with peaceful days, time passed by suddenly, like children growing up.
* * *
May 22, 1807.
Dante and Mary’s wedding was to be held first in a private ceremony in the Garden of Swords and then in a public ceremony in the Empire.
Of course, only the family’s close associates and members of the Barmure Alliance attended the private ceremony.
“Dante.”
“Yes, Mary.”
“You must have had a date you wanted to choose for the wedding too, but thank you for going along with my opinion. It’s been over half a year since we started living together, but it feels strange to be having a wedding ceremony now. I miss Uncle Diffus.”
May 22, four years ago today, was the day Diffus passed away with a fragment of the power of the Evil God.
“I miss Grandfather too. May is a meaningful month for me too. It was in May that I poured a drink with Jin in front of Grandfather, who had become light.”
The light left behind by Ron Hyran no longer exists in the Sword Emperor’s land. When the world was restored, he realized that his duty as a guardian had ended and chose to return to nature.
“Yes, I thought of my father too. Both our fathers and Lord Ron must be watching over us from somewhere. Uncle Diffus must be with them. I wonder if he’s adjusted well to my father, who has become more easygoing and gentle.”
“You and your family adjusted quickly, so I’m sure he has too. I’m more worried about our grandfather. I’m sure he still thinks Sir Syron is a bit strange.”
“Haha, that’s true. Well, it’s time. Let’s go get married.”
“Give me your hand. I want to hold it and go.”
As the door opened, cheers erupted from the colleagues and knights of the family. The two waved at them and looked for Jin’s face.
“There he is, Jin! Youngest, Valeria! It’s been a long time! You had to come to our wedding.”
“You came, you two…!”
Jin and Valeria were sitting in the very front, center, blessing the couple who were about to become husband and wife.
However, unlike the other colleagues, they were not dressed very formally. They wore light coats and robes that showed signs of long travel, but the important thing was that they had come.
“Congratulations, Sister Mary. Congratulations, Dante.”
“You two look good together.”
Jin went up to the podium as the head of the family and gave a congratulatory speech for the two, and Valeria used recording magic to make a vow.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can stay until the public ceremony.”
“Why are you apologizing, my friend? We should be the ones apologizing to you. Live happily with Mary, and take care of the people around you as much as you can. Don’t worry and go back.”
“Yes, youngest. Yona is doing a great job as acting head of the family.”
“He told on me? That’s right, I’m doing a good job as acting head of the family. Because I have nothing to do…!”
“Oh, you saw my story? Yes, I’m doing well as the acting head of the family. Because there’s nothing to do…!”
The inn was closed today. However, when Gilli knocked on the door, Jin and Valeria opened the door from inside.
“Yona, since you said you wanted to see Jin so badly, watch him as much as you can. There’s a high chance you won’t see him for a long time.”
In fact, Yona had already seen Jin and Valeria about fifteen or sixteen times.
The acting head of the Runcandel family, in his sixties, had a lot of time, and Yona was the best person in the world at finding people, except for Valeria, the record wizard.
However, Yona did not tell her siblings or colleagues about Jin and Valeria. If they knew that the two were having a day as difficult as a war every day, they would all worry. In fact, Jin and Valeria were always so exhausted that they never noticed that Yona had watched over them and returned.
“Hey, it’s not good for each other to worry about things that you don’t need to worry about.”
“Huh?”
“It’s just something that came to mind all of a sudden, Sister Luna. It’s so nice to be able to talk to my youngest brother after such a long time, right?”
“Yes. Are you both eating well?”
“How could we possibly starve, Sister Luna?”
“Honestly, I never really understood why you guys always ask if we’re eating well. Now I see. No matter how strong you are, it’s the first thing you worry about.”
However, the siblings and colleagues did not keep Jin for long. He wouldn’t be able to stay for very long anyway, and the colleagues didn’t forget who needed Jin the most right now.
“Gilli.”
“My Lord.”
Jin looked into Gilli’s eyes and smiled bitterly.
The reason why Jin and Valeria couldn’t be with their colleagues even after the fight was over was, of course, Murakan and Misha.
“Gilli… Just wait a little longer.”
“Honestly, I’m lonely and bored every day because you’re gone, my Lord, and Murakan is gone too. But I can wait as long as it takes.”
Gilli said in a calm voice and gently hugged Jin.
“So don’t live your life as if you’re being chased by something every day. It won’t be a long time for Murakan and Misha, so I’ll just live my own life. My heart aches so much to see your face so thin. Whenever you’re tired, come home and rest.”
“Yes, Gilli. I’ll come to see you more often.”
“I don’t mean for you to come see me often. I mean that I hope you and Valeria will take better care of yourselves.”
“I know. But I still want to say that.”
“I baked some strawberry pie for the first time in a long time. I also made a lot of sandwiches that you like, so don’t forget to take them when you go.”
* * *
A banquet was also held on September 9, 1808.
Jin and Valeria did not attend this time either. However, since Jin and Valeria had been returning home once every two months since Mary and Dante’s wedding and spending a few hours before leaving again, their colleagues missed them a little less than before.
The same was true on September 9, 1809, and September 9, 1810. However, the colleagues continued to hold the banquet every year without Jin and Valeria, trying not to get used to it. In order to get used to it from the moment they returned.
In 1811, Cheongpungjae Elliott was on his deathbed. His time had come. Jin and Valeria attended the funeral and saw him off with their colleagues.
“Something that has happened can never become something that never happened. That’s why moments, memories are the wind that blows forever.”
“In the end, we will all scatter as dust in the world, but our memories will always be engraved in a corner of eternity. I love you, my disciples. And my friends. I will go first to meet my brothers in my heart.”
Ban and Luna, each as a descendant and a disciple, recited Elliott’s last words. Jin and Valeria recalled his last words several times as they left again. In a corner of eternity, our memories will always be engraved.
In that way, seven years, eight years, nine years… from the day the world was restored.
And ten years passed, and it was 1814.
September 9th, the day of the annual Runcandel banquet. Today, too, the stars of the Runcandel and Barmult Alliance gathered in the Garden of Swords.
They accepted the challenge of the unarmed, reminisced, and waited for Jin and Valeria, still trying not to get used to it.
However, one person.
Unlike last year, Gilli was not sitting in the VIP seat of the Garden of Swords. He was not alone in the room he used to share with Jin and Murakan, looking out the window.
An old inn in the Kingdom of Mittel, she was heading there with a basket in one hand.
The inn was closed today. However, when Gilli knocked on the door, Jean and Valeria opened the door from inside.
“You’re here? Gilli.”
Gilli went inside and looked around the inn.
“Milady, this is….”
His throat tightened and he was unable to speak properly. Gilli was recalling a day 24 years ago, in 1790. Even if another 10 years passed from now, or even 100 years passed, he would never be able to forget that day. The memories of that day were as vivid as if they had happened yesterday.
“That’s right, it’s that inn. You know? Let’s go to the third floor.”
As Gilli climbed the stairs one step at a time, his shoulders shook. Gilli felt that Jean and Valeria’s backs were also trembling.
The sunniest room on the third floor was surprisingly waiting for them in exactly the same state as it was back then.
If there was one difference, it was the fact that Jean and Valeria, who had come before him, had placed a small ball of light in the middle of the room.
“I’m so sorry I was late, Gilli. I’m sorry… I can finally say it out loud now.”
“Don’t say that, Milady. Don’t say you’re sorry….”
Gilli put down the basket and covered his mouth with both hands. His moist eyes sparkled. He couldn’t help but wonder if this was a dream. What if this moment was another dream? Such thoughts ran down his cheeks.
“This isn’t… a dream, is it?”
“No. I really wanted to show you this moment.”
A single ball of light shook innocently.
For the past 10 years, Jean and Valeria had left their loved ones to collect this light. They searched for, captured, and held the records of Murakan and Misha that flowed through the light…
Finally, the last place with the most intense record of Murakan was this inn.
24 years ago, on the way out of Storm Castle, Jean’s prank almost turned Murakan into a cat. It was the inn where Gilli first encountered Murakan and formed the unofficial three-person team of Runcandel with Jean.
Soon, Jean raised a spirit energy the exact same size as the light in front of her on the palm of her hand.
It was the last remaining spirit energy in this world.
“If we let this flow into the light now, our guardian dragons will return. Well then… let’s begin.”
The spirit energy that was shaking on Jean’s hand slowly dispersed and crumbled as it approached the light.
The light seethed for a while. Then it split in half and became two black cats.
“Nya? Nyaaa?”
“Haak, kyaaak!”
What the heck?
Idiot, they’re back!
Those were the first words the reunited siblings shared. Murakan was hit on the foreleg by Misha and suddenly regained his senses.
Then he transformed into a human and hugged everyone he could see.
Misha intentionally did not transform into a human right away and climbed onto the desk to look at the people hugging each other.
She also wanted to hug Jean, Valeria, and Strawberry Pie, of course, but she couldn’t stand to touch Murakan. There would be plenty of chances to hug each other from now on anyway.
“Strawberry Pie! Kid…! History buff!”
“Murakan! Murakan, you bastard. Is it really you? Is it?”
“Yeah, it’s me! It’s you too, kid!”
“It’s been hard… It’s been hard fighting and coming back, Lord Murakan. It took me 10 years to say this.”
“Strawberry Pie, I’ll never leave you again. I’ll never go anywhere without you again. I’ll always be by your side, always!”
After hugging each other for a long time, they got up from their seats.
And Jean and Murakan looked at each other. The two smiled slightly and soon opened their mouths as if they had made a promise.
“I am Murakan. The proxy of Solderret, his close friend, and the last descendant of the first being created from shadows. According to the thousand-year promise, I will be with you from today on. State your name.”
A serious voice came out that did not resemble the child who had been crying until just now. Jean suppressed his trembling heart, just like the day he first met Murakan when he was seven years old, and replied.
“I am Jean Runcandel. The thirteenth of Runcandel, the child who was born last.”
The pilgrimage was over, and the regression had also ended. Now it was time to return home.
It was time to enjoy life together.