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A dark forest, where it seemed even a single ray of sunlight couldn't penetrate. This forest was rumored to be haunted by ghosts and evil spirits.
[Mya!]
Jin rode Shuri and passed through the complicated and dimly lit forest path. There were no other companions with him.
The complexity of the path made him think that a maze might have been a better option. If it weren't for Shuri, he might have regretted coming here alone.
-Young Master, please take Lord Murakan with you.
-Are you sure about this, Lord? If you go alone and he happens to have ill intentions, it won't be easy to secure an escape route.
-Is there a reason why you have to go alone?
Before setting off, Jin's comrades had all expressed their concern.
It was because they still couldn't completely trust the owner of this land.
Bruu, buuuu-.
As the forest grew denser, the eerie and ominous sound that could be heard from all directions became more intense.
'Ghost Castle, huh? The name suits this place incredibly well.'
It was his first time seeing it in person, but as always, Shuri skillfully navigated without getting lost, and they arrived without incident.
It's massive and pitch black.
That was the immediate impression that Jin had when he saw the castle that suddenly rose at the edge of the forest.
Even the thick mist covering the area couldn't conceal the strange demonic energy emanating from the Ghost Castle.
It became difficult to even breathe while standing in front of the castle because of this ghastly aura.
Once again, Jin was astonished that he had defeated the lord of this enormous castle, Lata Proch.
He sent Shuri back to the ruby and waited for a while by the castle gates.
After some time, the gates creaked open, but he couldn't see who had unlocked the massive iron gates.
He wondered if a person had actually opened it in the first place.
It felt as if the wind or a specter had simply passed through, and what immediately came into his view was not the ordinary interior of a castle but darkness.
Advancing into it seemed no different than jumping off a cliff.
However, Jin marched forward without putting extra strength into his grip on the hilt of the sword at his waist.
Screech, one feels as if they are passing through a nightmare landscape due to the eerie and chilling wind sounds.
A dark vacant lot appeared moments later.
"12th flagbearer, you've been through a lot to get here."
Jin heard the familiar voice of Lata Proch.
Jin wondered if Lata had just finished a battle or if he had come to interrogate those imprisoned beneath the Ghost Castle. Lata had a scent of fresh and pungent blood.
"The scent of blood seems to linger here."
"Our line of work isn't exactly a pleasant one. Aren't you used to it by now?"
"Just thought I'd mention it."
As they approached, Jin caught a glimpse of Lata's face illuminated by the torch he was holding.
"You didn't seriously come here alone, did you?"
Lata was genuinely surprised that Jin had found his way to the Ghost Castle alone.
It wasn't just Lata; every member of the Ghost Mercenary Corps shared the same sentiment.
At least, ever since Lata became the leader of the Ghost Mercenary Corps, or even before that when Smarion Proch led the Ghost Mercenary Corps, no one had ever come to the Ghost Castle alone.
Whenever the leaders of Runcandel and Zipfel had secret meetings, they always brought a group capable of putting up a significant fight.
It was only natural.
Ghost Mercenary Corps had maintained their neutrality to a certain extent, but it was a faction with significant influence.
Especially in their headquarters, the Ghost Castle, they held a position among the top level of neutral factions.
Ghost castle is located in the territory of Vermont empires, but they chose to acknowledge their autonomy instead of launching an assault on the Ghost Castle.
"The Ghost Mercenary Corps has taken on risks to fulfill my request, so I should show a certain level of trust as well, shouldn't I?" Jin said.
Lata nodded his head as if he was touched by Jin's statement. Jin felt a bit awkward about Lata's response but didn't show it.
"Indeed, that's impressive. Very well. Let's write up the contract now."
After sending the heads of the elders, Lata immediately contacted Jin and requested him to visit the Ghost Castle.
The reason was writing a contract for the alliance.
The paper Lata handed over consisted of the simplest terms among all the contracts Jin had seen before.
Moreover, it contained unexpected content.
(Lata Proch and his Ghost Mercenary Corps will acknowledge Jin Runcandel as their lord, and this matter has the complete agreement of all members of the Ghost Mercenary Corps.)
It was more of a pledge of loyalty than a contract.
"This is not just a simple alliance but a blood alliance between the lord and his subjects."
"What... is this?"
Jin decided that he would form an alliance with the Ghost Mercenary Corps first and gradually build a strong bond in the future.
He never expected something like this.
"Is there something you don't like?"
"No, it's not that. It's just a bit surprising."
"I respected you at the Sword Emperor Castle, and then I feared Jin Runcandel more than the elders of Runcandel. So, I killed the elders."
On the day they met at the Garden of Swords, Lata decided to accept Jin as his lord, along with the conviction that it was the only way for the Ghost Mercenary Corps to survive in this "new era."
"And I am practically an absolute authority within the Ghost Mercenary Corps. My will is essentially the will of all ghosts. The Ghost Mercenary Corps will become the most important force under your command," Lata proclaimed.
There were numerous leaders in the world, but those who received unwavering support from their subordinates were not so common. Lata was exceptional among them.
He was no different from his subordinates.
Jin drew a dagger from his belt. He cut his palm and marked the paper with his blood, and Lata did the same.
"I accept, Sir Lata."
"Please follow me, my lord."
Jin followed Lata into the central hall of the castle, and saw ghost mercenaires lined up.
There were probably thousands of mercenaries wearing black assassin uniforms and maintaining an unwavering posture.
Lata stood before them and raised his sword to salute Jin. The rest of the Ghost Mercenaries followed suit and raised their swords.
It was the moment when Jin became the new master of the Ghost Mercenary Corps. It was also the moment when the Ghost Mercenary Corps fully stepped out of neutrality for the first time.
"I will introduce the members to you one by one."
"Alright."
Jin looked at the sentence on the paper again. The part that caught his eye was, 'this matter has the complete agreement of all members of the Ghost Mercenary Corps.'
"Looking at the lined up troops here, it doesn't seem to be much different from the usual size of the Ghost Mercenary Corps. Were there many who opposed the idea of forming a blood alliance with me?"
"Some of the people who used to serve my father opposed it. The elders, so to speak."
"Neither you nor I are on good terms with the elders. What happened to them?"
"They all left the Ghost Castle."
"Do they know any special secrets or vulnerabilities of the Ghost Mercenary Corps?"
Lata hesitated at that question. "I didn't expect you to think of that. Yes, there are. And it's embarrassing to admit, but I haven't dealt with them yet. I'm still trying to track them down."
"It's been several days already, so it's highly likely they've sought refuge with other factions for protection."
"I apologize for showing such a lax attitude from the beginning."
"No need to apologize. Just in case, I'll also employ someone to search for the elders who fled. Please inform me about any secrets or vulnerabilities of the Ghost Castle that they might know."
"It is the monster sealed in the deepest part of the Ghost Castle's basement."
"... monster?"
Jin expressed his doubt, and Lata continued to explain with a bitter smile.
"We can't deal with that monster at this moment. It's been sealed in the basement for decades. It is unable to eat anything, yet it's still alive. And the seal that keeps it in check is getting weaker every year."
"It sounds like a monster straight out of a legend."
"It might be a sudden revelation, but you don't seem particularly surprised."
"I've encountered a sealed inner core demonic creature before."
Naturally, Jin assumed that what was sealed in the depths of the Ghost Castle was a demonic creature with an inner core.
"Just how powerful is it that even Ghost Mercenary Corps members can't handle it?"
"It's immeasurable. It's difficult to explain... Would you like to go see for yourself?"
Jin followed Lata down the stairs and headed to the basement.
The deeper they went, the more Jin could feel an eerie and malevolent ghastly aura pressing down on him.
'Is this the source of the dense ghastly aura that permeates the entire Ghost Castle."
It wasn't just the ghostly aura that spread a suffocating feeling throughout the castle.
"We've arrived."
As they reached the lowest level, they came across a massive iron door with a red seal engraved on it.
It was a type of seal Jin had never seen before, but he could intuitively sense that humans had been used as materials for this seal. It was a seal with immense restraining power.
"This is..."
"I heard that it is a seal that was passed down only to the elders, and even previous ghost leaders didn't know about it. This seal was created by other elders, excluding the ones who fled, by using themselves as materials."
As Jin approached the seal, he felt the weight of the ghastly aura pressing heavily on his entire body.
"Are you saying that this seal weakens every year?"
"Yes."
Jin could understand now why Lata had proposed the blood alliance so quickly.
'If the monster behind this seal is released, the ghost mercenaries will not be able to survive unless they abandon the castle.'
Of course, the likelihood of the seal being broken immediately was low, and Lata hadn't proposed the blood alliance solely for that reason. However, it was definitely a significant issue.
"I showed you this place first because this is currently the biggest and only problem Ghost Mercenary Corps is facing. It's shameful, but you could even say that this seal threatens the existence of the Ghost Mercenary Corps."
Now that they were bound by blood alliance, they needed to discuss and resolve this problem together.
Though it was an action that revealed vulnerability right after forming the blood allaince, Jin did not find Rata spiteful or laughable.
After all, Lata had chosen him over figures like Runcandel, Zipfel, the imperial family, or Kinzelo.
If Lata had allied with Runcandel or Zipfel, it would have likely been easier to resolve this seal and the other issues.
"Indeed... I can feel it just by ghastly aura leaking from the seal. So, what kind of demonic creature is sealed inside?"
In response to Jin's question, Lata shook his head.
"No, it's not a demonic creature."
"Not a demonic creature?"
"The entity sealed inside is my father."
Smarion Proch.
The monster sealed in the depths of the Ghost Castle was none other than the previous Ghost Mercenary Corps leader.