C514

Sota Desert.

Flagbearers and Black Knights were not the only ones fulfilling their mission there.

'Other members... were there more?'

Joshua barely raised his head and looked at Rosa.

Her expression was not visible due to the darkness of the dungeon.

"Four Black Knights, the First Division of the Black Sword Association, and others I personally hired... I was also there in the desert."

"What...!"

Certainly, not just Joshua.

Jin, Dyfus, Mon, and even Jane had no idea that Rosa and her knights were in the Sota Desert.

They didn't start together.

Rosa and her knights entered the desert after the group initiated the operation.

And their goal was not just to succeed in stealing the blueprints.

"I observed them."

What decisions do the Flagbearers make, and how do they succeed in their mission?

In particular, what kind of judgment does Joshua make?

Rosa had closely watched the overall development of the mission in the desert with the troops she personally led.

-Acting Patriarch, only Mon is left in the underground shipyard. The Second Flagbearer seems to have decided to monopolize the information. However, since Kinzelo also moved at the same time, it will be revealed soon.

-We confirm the Fourth Flagbearer, the Twelfth Flagbearer, and Murakan starting to move. We decide to withdraw as further tracking would likely expose us to detection by crystal balls.

-If it's the youngest one, he probably already knows that it's not the shipyard but the Second Magic Tower. Wait near the Second Magic Tower and report when the youngest one and his group overcome the barrier.

-Alright!

Even when the barrier of the Second Magic Tower collapsed due to the Shadow Blade, and more than a hundred battleships were exposed, Rosa was completely unfazed, unlike Jin and his group.

She had already figured that out a long time ago.

The Flagbearers who went to the Sota Desert didn't know, but it wasn't the first time in the long history of the cold war that Zipple attempted to build a flying fleet centered on Kozec.

-How many spies does Zipple currently have in the Garden of Swords?

-Exactly confirmed: 97 servants, 20 low-ranking Guardian Knights, 12 intermediate-ranking Guardian Knights, 5 high-ranking Guardian Knights, 15 stewards, stewards, and scribes of Second Class or higher, 2 Flagbearers, 5 Execution Knights, 7 Elders, and one Black Knight. Additionally, it is estimated that there are at least twenty more spies capable of fatal-level intelligence.

-And our spies in Zipple?

-In Zipple's main house, there are 40 servants, 10 low-ranking magicians, 5 intermediate-ranking magicians, an elder, and a tower master. That's all.

It was the last meeting of the Flagbearers personally convened by Cyron just before departing for the Black Sea.

On that day, the conversation between Cyron and Luntia had the nuance that Runcandel was far behind in the information war compared to Zipple.

However, in reality, it was Runcandel who extracted more critical internal information.

Barton Vicenna, the Black Knight who was the worst spy, was killed by Jin and Dyfus.

-It was Yona who informed Kinzelo of the operation time of the Flagbearers.

-So it seems. I didn't expect her to accept such a double request, Rosa-nim.

It's no different from the fact that Rosa was able to hide in the desert throughout the Sota Desert mission, avoiding the eyes of Jin, Yona, Zipple, and Kinzelo.

There is only one person who rules the Samil City, the Nameless King Owal.

It was thanks to hiring him and the best Nameless assassins.

-I'll take care of this mission.

-No.

-Even if you stop me, I'll go, hehe.

-If you really have to go. There are some conditions.

Rosa found Owal shortly after Yona left.

-I know that when the youngest was a Provisional Flagbearer, you delayed Yona's return to the Family under the pretext of the Thousand-Poison Antidote, Owal-nim. However, that doesn't mean you can use Yona to betray Runcandel...

-Betray? I simply received a request. Rosa-nim, your words seem a bit excessive.

-It ends up being a bit excessive, given that Cyron is absent and I am here in his place.

-Shouldn't Runcandel be grateful to me for sending Yona to the Sota Desert?

-In this turbulent world, if you do it purely out of your will to be on Runcandel's side, it would be something to be grateful for.

-That's not too bad either.

-You would have let Yona go with a condition. Bring back the original or a copy of the blueprint to Samil. You intended to weigh the balance between the major factions, holding it as a bargaining chip. That's not too bad either, right?

-Hmm.

-Even if Cyron is here, the price of deceiving Runcandel is high. But I don't want to turn an ally like Nameless into an enemy for this. Please join me in the Sota Desert.

-The Nameless of my generation is an ally of Zipple, Rosa-nim.

-I won't make it too difficult for you. I'm not asking you to participate in fights and thefts. Just help with hiding. Can't you hide others better than Yona?

Owal did exactly that, only assisting with concealment and observation.

He, and the best assassins who came to the Sota Desert with him, did not draw their swords even once until the incident was over.

-Acting Patriarch, the only confirmed individuals remaining inside the Second Tower are Sandra Zipple and 4 members of the Spectre Corps. Since the Twelfth and Fourth Flagbearers have also entered the Tower, the battle should already be over.

-Phenomena of a first-level superhuman using force have been detected.

-This vibration is the sword wave height. Could it be that he's here...?

-The phenomenon is intensifying. There is a high probability that the Flagbearers and the Black Knight Jane will die soon at this rate. Rescue operation, preparations are complete.

-Ready.

-...Just now, there was a time distortion in the Second Tower. The Silver Dragon Claw was used. Yona also participated in the battle. Rosa-nim, are you really okay with this?

-It seems you're worried about Yona, Owal-nim.

-The Second Tower is starting to collapse, Drakka's main force will arrive soon. Acting Patriarch Rosa, now is the last chance to approach.

-Continue to wait.

If the sole purpose was the success of the mission and the survival of the Flagbearers...

Rosa should have entered at that moment.

But Rosa Runcandel wanted to confirm something more.

She was anticipating the moment when Joshua Runcandel would awaken and bloom.

If that wasn't possible, at least she wanted to see him make better judgments than Jin.

She believed she would get at least that.

"First-level superhuman combat halted, presumed to be influenced by Sandra Zipple. The battleship Grenille is on its way."

"The battle in the Second Tower has ended. The Flagbearers managed to escape. It is confirmed that the Black Knight Jane is gravely injured, and Sandra Zipple has joined them."

Afterwards, the Flagbearers regrouped with Zephyrin, requested an escort, Jin used his wisdom to traverse the Romin Forest, and at the moment Jane sacrificed herself at the central border.

In the end, Rosa didn't see what she was expecting.

Once again, it wasn't Joshua but Jin who led the mission to success.

"You had poor judgment throughout the mission, demonstrated that you were trying to save the clone at all costs, and lost the Family's Black Knight in the process."

"Hah... You saw how everything unfolded."

"Your younger brother risked his life at every moment and successfully completed the mission without my or the Family's help."

"Why didn't you help! If you had intervened, we could have saved Jane-nim!"

"Oh? That is actually the question I want to ask. Why didn't you use the power the Prophet implanted in the Family when you were fighting against Hedo?"

Joshua only used that power when Jane sacrificed herself.

"Did you want to save the clone? Maybe it's not just that. You had expectations that you would achieve better results without using the clone if the youngest, Dyfus, Murakan, and the Black Knight were there! What disgusting expectations."

"No, I... in the end, the Volcano."

"That was because at that moment, there was no other option for you. Weak people like you end up thinking that a forced choice is their own will."

"I did it... for the Family."

"If you had used that power when facing Hedo, Jane wouldn't have died. Although everyone was constantly prepared for her inevitable death, you saved your clone until the end. That was your true choice and will."

Joshua couldn't say anything.

He felt that even if he were stripped naked, exposing his internal organs, he wouldn't feel more pierced than this.

"After that, you led the Knights when you returned to the Family, stuttering at my few questions, trembling, and apologizing... You couldn't even let out a scream or retaliate when my sword fell a moment ago."

A will beyond good and evil, a transcendental struggle.

Until the end, Joshua had only brought disappointment to Rosa.

What made it even more bitterly ironic for her was the fact that she, too, had harbored expectations of Jin.

From a certain point onward, just as Joshua had focused on how far Jin could go, Rosa had also shifted her focus to what Jin could achieve.

Jin Runcandel, her younger son.

He always had the power to make everyone expect more.

Just like Luna did once.

"It's not just the Sota Desert, Joshua. I have watched you during the numerous missions you have participated in. And I was never satisfied."

"Kill me... I'm not worthy of living. Neither my mother nor the Family members. There is no one left who expects anything from me."

"This is a place where you can't die, even if you want to. Your sin is not so light as to be resolved with death. And, as you said, I no longer expect anything from you. But the prophecy you have."

......

Cyron Runcandel will call and possess the shadow again...

......

.....

Joshua Runcandel.

Joshua Runcandel will call and possess the shadow again.

That shadow will never disappear from the world in Joshua Runcandel's splendor.

Finally, your war will end in victory, and the land will receive an eternal blessing.

Worship the one who called the shadow.

"I think it's still worth waiting for that absolute language of God."

Joshua involuntarily laughed at that passage.

"Haha... prophecy? Until now, you were praising my outstanding brothers and the values of the Family, telling me that my place should be in the abyss... Are you saying you're waiting for the prophecy that has not yet come true?"

"You're not dead yet. And I hope not only for the fulfillment of the prophecy but also for the struggle that will break it. I don't think your younger brother Jin's struggle can break the prophecy, no matter how absolute it is."

"Hah~"

"Prophecy and struggle. Which one do you think I put more expectations on?"

Rosa turned around.

She added these words with venom in her voice.

"If a day ever comes when your prophecy takes you to the real world of struggle from this underground prison, and if you survive that world. I will bring you back to the land. Of course... as always, your prophecy will disappoint me this time too. As you always have."