CHAPTER 803

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Drakka, Zipfel Headquarters.

Veradin looked at the seated executives in silence for a while. Except for Ronel, Octavia, and the new Pureblood Zipfel brought by Veradin, all the executives were terrified.

The corridor outside the conference room was filled with corpses.

Since the Tower of Stories incident, it was natural that an uneasy atmosphere had permeated the entire Zipfel. There were only rumors circulating, with no official announcements.

In the midst of this, Veradin called for a clan meeting for the first time. Just before this meeting, composed only of Pureblood Zipfel and elders, Veradin carried out a short and intense purge.

He swiftly annihilated those who had doubts about the Tower of Stories incident. The deceased couldn't even resist the sudden attack.

Even if they had resisted, the outcome would have been the same. In the Holy Land and the Drakka headquarters, Veradin's power was absolute, to say the least.

"There was a slight delay. I made this choice to efficiently lead the clan as the new patriarch. I would appreciate your understanding, even if it made you uncomfortable."

The executives exchanged glances. To think that he killed over thirty executives, and called it a slight delay.

Furthermore, Veradin referred to himself as the patriarch. Due to that statement, Kelliak's life and death no longer mattered.

Whether he lived or died, it didn't change the fact that Veradin had usurped the position of patriarch.

"I'm sure you have many questions. How the patriarch and Kadun came to be, and how our Zipfel will be operated in the future. My sister, Satrin Zipfel, who is also newly appointed as the Magistrate, will gradually help with organizing these matters. We will soon make an official announcement to the outside world."

Satrin Zipfel nodded slightly while looking at the executives.

Not only her, but all the Purebloods Veradin brought along were in positions of the highest authority. From the perspective of the existing executives, this was nothing short of a rebellion followed by tyranny, but no one resisted.

Veradin felt disgust at their appearance.

Of course, if they opposed, he would ruthlessly kill and trample them, but this kind of sight revealed the true state of the weakened Zipfel.

It was due to their long-standing rule as the world's foremost power.

It was a time to reclaim the initial creed of the clan, that Zipfel should be strong not because of the name but because it is Zipfel. By completely overhauling everything from the roots.

"So, for now, let's focus on recent matters. Our enemies have started showing strange movements while we are reorganizing the clan."

"...Understood."

"First, Kinzelo suddenly unilaterally halted our steel trade. Behind this, there is naturally the Vamel alliance, led by Jin Runcandel."

"It's a strange situation, lord patriarch. Kinzelo should be in a position to deter the Vamel alliance, so there's no reason for them to suddenly give steel to them. It's not like we were buying it at a low price."

As one of the executives spoke up, Veradin nodded. There were those who couldn't accept change, but there were also those who quickly adapted.

"Furthermore, our spies recently discovered that the land of the beastmen has collapsed. It makes me think that maybe the Vamel alliance retaliated against Kinzelo for the steel trade, and Kinzelo, unable to withstand the pressure, gave them the steel."

"Interesting story. However, Kinzelo is not the one who would bow its head to that much. If the Vamel alliance had attacked, it is more likely that an all-out war would have begun immediately."

"So, are you saying that Jin Runcandel is behind this, lord patriarch?"

"I believe there was some sort of deal between Jin and Kinzelo. And that deal is likely related to the destruction of the branch that Elder Ritan mentioned just now."

"When you say deal... could it be that Kinzelo requested support from Jin Runcandel?"

"That's how I see it. I think one of the factions, whether it be us, the Vamel alliance, Runcandel, or the Empire, attacked Kinzelo, and Kinzelo requested support from Jin."

"But apart from those factions, there are groups with enough power to attack Kinzelo, aren't there? The remnants of the imperial family have some strength, but they wouldn't dare to undertake such a desperate move."

The remnants of the imperial family had cut off contact with the Zipfel after the battle of the evil god and had gone into hiding.

"It's not the remnants of the imperial family. I think a new faction has emerged."

"A new faction...!?"

"If it's a new faction, then the only possibility is that the neutrals have joined forces... Although, apart from the leaders of the major factions, there aren't many individuals who can gather the neutrals, are there?"

"There may not be individuals, but if it's someone who appeared after the Tower of Stories and whose status is not properly confirmed, it's not impossible. However, if it's Joshua Runcandel, there's no way he would sit still."

For a while, various words were exchanged among the executives. Veradin observed their reactions and then shared the information he had recently learned with them.

"It's not Joshua Runcandel either. If he were using the power of chaos to act, I would be able to recognize it with my authority. So, in my opinion, it seems to be the work of the netherworld."

"The netherworld...?"

"The place we call the Demon world was beneath this world. And at the boundary between the surface and the nether, there are sealed beings known as the Great Serpent and some ancient races."

In the face of this sudden revelation, except for Veradin's closest confidants, the executives couldn't grasp how they should react. It was almost as if they were wondering if Veradin had gone mad.

However, in the next moment, Veradin pulled out a scroll from his embrace and unfolded it towards the executives. The scroll contained the relevant information, depictions of the boundary between the surface and the netherworld, and the representation of Ameris with the Seal of Fire at bottom of scroll.

The meaning of that seal was absolute trust. The executives no longer doubted and listened intently to Veradin's words.

"That's why I concluded that the ones who attacked Kinzelo this time were either demons or other ancient races. However, most of the demons that have been revealed so far have been affiliated with Kinzelo, so it seems that the ancient races carry more weight."

"Meaning, Lord, you're saying that the ancient races from the nether have been released for some reason... and they attacked Kinzelo. And Kinzelo is now requesting support from the Vamel alliance."

"That's correct. Therefore, our task from now on is to investigate them. Who are the ones who attacked Kinzelo, why did they initially target Kinzelo as the surface power, why did Kinzelo request support from Jin instead of us, and what are Orgal and Zephyrin doing?"

As Veradin summarized, the executives nodded their heads.

"I want the executives to immediately give orders to our reporters. Have them write articles as if everything discussed in today's meeting is true. And the captain of spectres should coordinate with the Magistrate and send Spectre corp and mages of magistrate to the Kinzelo branches."

"Understood."

"We are inevitably lagging behind in information compared to the Vamel alliance and Kinzelo. We need to find a way to narrow the gap and effectively respond to the forces of the nether, no matter what it takes. For those who achieve results, I will give them the opportunity to learn the clan's Vision Magic."

Vision Magic, like Runcandel's Decisive Killing moves, was not something that anyone could learn. It could only be learned by those who possessed a power affinity equal to that of Pureblood Zipfel.

"It requires a tremendous amount of resources, but the Research Division has developed technology to increase mana affinity reliably. So, I'm asking everyone to give their all."

***

1st day of October, 1803.

Jin sat in the lodge set up on the outskirts of Kinzelo's 3rd branch, sipping tea.

"Haven't they shown up yet?"

Jin spoke as Bishkel entered the lodge. Since the completion of the trade, Jin had been staying up all night for several days, monitoring Kinzelo's branches.

That was because Jin hadn't helped until now. The Vamel alliance was just waiting as a standby. Jin and Syris were waiting in two anticipated attack points.

"...It seems they haven't appeared here yet."

"That's right. It would have been better if either me or Lady Syris had been in the 7th branch during the previous attack. Unfortunately, it didn't happen."

Two days ago, while Jin and Syris were waiting in the 3rd and 5th branches respectively, the Red Plutonian tribe attacked Kinzelo's 7th branch. The result was a massacre, and there was not even a trace of resistance found in the corpses of the beastmen who were in the 7th branch.

Even after making such a deal, Kinzelo lost another branch, which drove them crazy. And on top of that, Orgal and Zephyrin were still unable to wake up.

'Zephyrin could have been one of Ms. Ameris' heads…'

Jin shrugged his shoulders as he recalled Ameris' words. Ameris said that if Zephyrin really lost consciousness because of her, there would be no other reason. And perhaps Orgal had passed out because of his mental connection with Zephyrin.

"While checking the branches, I looked into some newsletters. There's an article about Veradin Zipfel becoming the new patriarch of the Zipfel."

"...Veradin?"

"That's right. And... take a look at this. The first thing Veradin did after becoming the patriarch was to publicly disclose information about the Underworld and raise suspicions about the relationship between Kinzelo and the Vamel alliance. This just came out in the latest newsletter."

Jin's eyes widened.

"It's shocking enough that Veradin announced himself as the new patriarch, but now he's suddenly casting doubt on our dealings with the Underworld?"

"Because of this, there are various rumors circulating among demons in Kinzelo. I have no idea..."

"Wait."

Jin's expression sharpened as he glanced over the newsletter.

"They've come at just the right time, haven't they, Sir Bishkel?"

Then, Jin stood up and stretched his body lightly.

"...The Red Plutonian tribe?"

Bishkel belatedly regained his senses but didn't feel any significant presence. He was significantly inferior to Jin in terms of skill, and he lacked the illuminating heart. What Jin had sensed was the explosive lightning energy unique to the Red Plutonian tribe that suddenly spread near the 3rd branch.

"That's right. It seems I need to check the situation after dealing with them. I'll go ahead, so follow me."

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