Chapter 487

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The first divisions of Runcandel and Kinzelo, who did not come to the Gaifa Archipelago, all set up camp in the Sota Desert while Jin was meeting Amela.

Just as Joshua used the power of a prophet to form tunnels in the desert, members of Kinzelo also used their abilities to create a scouting tunnel and secretly used some of Joshua's tunnels.

Jin's gaze fell upon the head of the deceased shipyard manager.

The cut surface on the neck was messy, as if it had been torn apart. It was far from suitable for infiltration and assassination.

'Furthermore, it's quite a distance away, and yet the commotion is significant. It's not an incident that happened on the spot during infiltration; it was a direct attack on the shipyard.'

It seemed that members of Kinzelo had decided to approach the secret shipyard in the Sota Desert in a completely different way than Runcandels.

'Why would members of Kinzelo dare to act with such audacity? They must have a solid reason for this.'

The Sota Desert is adjacent to Drakka, the capital of the Lutero Magic Federation.

That's why Runcandels choose this method of infiltration. But members of Kinzelo were boldly stirring up the most dangerous beehive in the world.

"There is no way our information was leaked, but they started their operation at the same time... Is it just an unfortunate coincidence?"

As Jin began to ponder, Joshua gritted his teeth and scowled.

Kuzzz, Boom-! Thud! Bam!

Joshua's words were suddenly drowned out by a deafening explosion as if they were waiting for the Runcandels. The vibrations were so intense that it felt like the tunnel might collapse at any moment.

For instance,

It seemed that Runcandel's plan had completely backfired. The blaring alarm from the defensive magic, ringing like crazy amid the deafening sound of the explosion, was getting on their nerves.

Jin had been calculating ways to kill Joshua and succeed in his mission since last night. However, Kinzelo's sudden act of terrorism was unexpected.

'But perhaps, this turn of events might not be that bad. At least not for me and my elder brother Diphus.'

Jin was confident that Joshua had 'information about this mission that he did not share with him and Diphus.'

As he had told Diphus earlier, the 4th, 11th, 17th, and 19th sections marked on the interior map of the shipyard were meaningless.

'Joshua probably believed that either I or elder brother Diphus would naively choose one of those sections to investigate. He must think that we had no choice but to do something, even if it meant destroying the shipyard anyway. And he would try to take advantage of the chaos to sneak off on his own to the real location with valuable information.'

Jin had assumed that the location of the information that Joshua was trying to monopolize was '2nd Magic Tower'.

Drakka was not the only place near the Sota Desert shipyard. Not too far away, there was also Zipfel's "2nd Magic Tower."

Of course, it was only a guess that Joshua was trying to monopolize information about the 2nd Magic Tower.

That's why, when the infiltration began, Jin had planned to keep an eye on Joshua with the help of Diphus. He would intentionally mention the 2nd Magic Tower or focus the search on the part of the shipyard closest to it.

'There's a low chance that Zipfel has prepared for infiltration all the way to the 2nd Magic Tower, considering how close Drakka is. It's hard to believe that either we or Kinzelo would dare to meddle with the 2nd Magic Tower. Both of us would have more than enough on our hands just with destroying the shipyard…'

Ah!

The moment Jin thought that far, he felt a shiver run down his back.

'Perhaps there's no need to keep an eye on Joshua; it's definitely the 2nd Magic Tower. The members of Kinzelo are trying to draw the attention of the forces of the 2nd Magic Tower and lure them into the shipyard, and then rob the empty house!'

That is the reason why Kinzelo is blatantly terrorizing the shipyard.

They were aware that the truly important data was not inside the shipyard but outside, specifically within the 2nd Magic Tower.

Furthermore,

'Damn you Kinzelo bastards! Are they also aware that part of the battleship blueprints exists in the 2nd Magic Tower, not in the shipyard?'

Joshua was also thinking along the same lines.

However, unlike Kinzelo, who was confidently destroying the shipyard, he felt a chilling sensation in his bones.

'It can't be a coincidence that they started the terror act right during our infiltration time! Information about our operation and the 2nd Magic Tower must have leaked, although I don't know the exact route….'

Joshua had originally planned to entrust Jin, Murakan, and Diphus with the task of distracting Zipfels like what members of Kinzelo were doing right now, while he seized the chance to move towards the 2nd Magic Tower.

The underground shipyard was vast, so he thought that it would not be that difficult to deceive his brothers and Murakan. 

So, when he confirmed that it was Jin and Murakan who came yesterday instead of Mary, he inwardly rejoiced. But now, the situation has taken a turn for the worse!

Amidst the distant explosions and the silence that followed, the attention of Runcandels' focused on Joshua.

It was an unspoken pressure for him to make a judgment, as the highest decision-maker in this matter.

He felt anxiety at the fact that members of Kinzelo outmaneuver him, the pressure to reevaluate all his moves from the beginning, and the emotionless face of his youngest brother right in front of him.

Due to these factors, Joshua could barely keep his composure.

'First of all, I must remain calm. If I show even the slightest hint of panic, Jin will surely pick up on it. He's not one to miss a scent, no doubt about it.'

No matter how cautious he was, Jin was already reading Joshua's innermost thoughts. Joshua hadn't realized it, not even in his dreams.

And it wasn't just Joshua whose insides were burning.

'Given the scale of Kinzelo's terror attack, the mission of destroying the shipyard is practically over. Moreover, as the youngest said, the importance of the four sections that Joshua claimed was just a trick to deceive me and the youngest, so it is right for Joshua to make the decision to retreat now....'

Diphus also felt his mouth becoming dry as he recalled the conversation he had with Jin last night.

-I mentioned earlier that there wouldn't be anything important in the 4th, 11th, 17th, and 19th sections, didn't I?

-That's right. Given that Zipfel deliberately leaked the location of the shipyard, there's no way they'd leave crucial data like battleship blueprints here.

-But there must be important data somewhere near the shipyard. Most likely in Drakka. But we can't rob that place, so the most likely place is the Second Magic Tower.

-So what you're saying is that the really vital information is in the Second Magic Tower, and Joshua is pretending to infiltrate the shipyard with us while planning to gather information from the Second Magic Tower alone?

-Yes.

-Hmm, let's assume you're right. And our eldest brother is undoubtedly a piece of trash, but he's not such a fool as to jeopardize the clan's interests for personal gain. Just recently, he used the media to support you during the Black Kings incident.

-You're right. However, for Joshua to extract information from the Second Magic Tower securely, it might be better to deceive us as well, don't you think?

-That's possible. But, Jin, your argument is based on possibilities, not concrete evidence. It's just a speculation. And even if that speculation were true, what does it have to do with killing Joshua?

-When Joshua will go to the Second Magic Tower, he won't take both Black Knights with him. At least one Black knight has to stay in the shipyard for the purpose of deceiving us and gaining time. However, we will also go to the Second Magic Tower without Joshua's knowledge. After all, only one Black Knight is left in the vast underground shipyard.

-And attack Joshua who is with only one black knight?

-We will attack him after he gets the information from the Second Magic Tower. If we're lucky, both of the Black Knights will be left behind in the shipyard. So, he might be alone.

-What if there is still a Black Knight with Joshua at the Second Magic Tower?

-But since Murakan is there, we can easily kill him.

-No, I'm asking how we plan to deal with the Black Knight. Subduing him without killing is impossible for us even if Lord Murakan is with us. Also killing a Black Knight is a different problem than dealing with Joshua.

-Well, that's more like an act of treason than a war of succession.

-It is not even close. Kill the Black Knight while carrying out such an important mission? That is definitely treason. I'm getting disappointed because there are too many variables in your speculations. I thought you were holding a strong hand.

-It's the assassination of the second flagbearer of Runcandel. Moreover, he's known as the next patriarch. If you can't even handle this level of risk, you can't do anything for the rest of your life. Even such a dangerous opportunity may never come again.

-Whoa.

-And I have no intention of killing the Black Knight. I never thought my second brother would be this scared, but please, if you want to quit, go ahead.

-...For now, after infiltrating, let's search the area closest to 2nd Tower to assess Joshua's intentions.

Diphus was trying to suppress his restless thoughts since he had this conversation yesterday.

The disappointment he felt for his youngest brother, who was determined to kill Joshua with weak speculations, and the sense of desperation that made him want to jump aboard a flimsy ship, were overwhelming.

'But if Joshua chooses to continue the mission rather than a retreat, then... it means Jin's speculation was true...!'

Unlike Joshua and Diphus, Jin cleared his confused mind and was already calculating new variables.

'Kinzelo, those sons of bitches have helped me again. You're going to choose to enter, Joshua. You might want to die from frustration, but as elder brother Diphus says, you won't give up the clan's significant interests.'

Jin concealed a smile.

It was not yet a complete victory, as the speculation was merely becoming true.

"Oh, it's so frustrating. Hey!"

Suddenly, Murakan shouted at Joshua with an indignant tone.

"Aren't you the one with decision-making authority? Make a decision quickly. Are you going to continue the mission or not? Why are you just standing there stupidly? Come on, I'm busy! If we are going to retreat, let's retreat quickly. I want to see strawberry pie."

Joshua had no choice but to respond in this way.

"…We will continue the mission."

Thump!

The moment Diphus heard the decision, he felt his heart pounding like a drum.

He was shocked. He couldn't gauge how far Jin had been thinking ahead.

'Yes, I was just suspicious for no reason. I can kill Joshua as long as I follow Jin's moves!'

Once again, Jin was keenly aware of Diphus's disappointment turning into anticipation. He couldn't help feeling a bit sorry.

'How disappointed he will be once he finds out that the current Joshua is not the real one. I feel a little guilty.'