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Jin walked down to the temporary infirmary in the basement of the mansion.
The reason for setting up an infirmary in the basement was simple. The poison of Zephyrin lingering in the Black Knight's body had contaminated the air.
Jin opened the door leading to the basement room, and he was greeted by the strong and acrid smell. It was the scent of the antidote that Kuzan had used to detoxify the Black Knight.
"Have you come, Lord Jin?"
Kuzan said with a tired expression. By his side, the top healers sent by Lani and the ghost mercenaries were lying exhausted.
It has been almost two weeks since the beginning of the new year. The Black Knight had just woken up, so they hadn't been able to get a proper night's sleep.
"Jet, take the healers to the recovery room. And increase the amount of gold going to the Holy Kingdom by five times this month."
The usual five times already took up more than 30% of the Holy Kingdom's annual budget, but there was no need to worry about money.
The more the issues about Jin escalated, the more the items from the Golden Pengi were sold out like hotcakes. Jin could give fifty times the usual amount without hesitation considering the recent performance of Lani.
After the news broke that Runcandel's 12th flagbearer had taken over the Black King mercenaries, the executives of Golden Pengi only see it as way of making more money.
They started producing a limited edition of a product called 'Black Dragon Murakan Limited Edition Cosmetics' in both luxury and regular versions.
The Golden Pangi had intentionally limited the quantity of the limited edition products to increase their value. As a result, stores were constantly filled with long lines of customers, and limited edition items were traded on the black market at prices many times higher than their original cost.
As a result, those who couldn't get their hands on the limited edition started flocking to other products. Perfumes, soaps, and even slippers with Jin and Murakan's images.
All of those were selling like hotcakes, and money was pouring in like a waterfall.
"Yes, my lord!"
"Kuzan, you should go upstairs and take a rest too. You can relax with Veris for a day or two in a quiet place."
"I'll take a vacation after all the work is done, Lord Jin."
"Well, Kuzan is also a workaholic, hehe. So, let's have a simple drink together tonight. I'll also ask Sir Valkas and Sir Lata to join."
Kuzan, Jet, and the healers left the basement room.
Creak.
Jin opened the door, and he saw the Black Knight sitting on the bed.
Jin heard from Cuicantelle that the black knight still couldn't control his body properly. However, the detoxification was completed, so now all he needed was rest, medication, and time.
"Black Knight."
Jin approached the Black Knight and he slowly raised his head.
He had a dazed expression, like someone just waking up from a dream. Even though he was a 10-star knight, the potent poison and antidote had been wreaking havoc in his body for almost two weeks, and his strength had yet to fully return.
"No, can I call you Dox McRolan?"
Dox McRolan.
That was the name Jin had discovered while the black knight was unconscious.
He couldn't access the Black Knight's precise personal information with the authority of the 12th flagbearer. To access the personal information of an active Black Knight, one had to be at least a 4th flagbearer or hold a similar rank.
But to find out Dox's name, Jin didn't need to request information from the clan as he did in Barton's case.
The black knight is from Gilly's clan.
"12th flagbearer..."
Dox muttered with dry lips, glancing around. He reflexively tried to reach for a weapon, but his arms and legs jiggled. It was the custom-made special metal chains they had tied him up with, just in case.
Jin unbound the chains.
"I never imagined the Black Knight would be in such a vulnerable state. I bet you didn't either."
Dox silently stared at Jin.
However, it wasn't that he was choosing his words carefully to respond. Rather, he was in the process of organizing the remaining poison within his body. He was also recalling the memories he hadn't pondered on since just waking up.
'What the heck happened? Damn it, to think the Black Helmet would end up like this...!'
Dox remembered everything clearly until the moment he was ambushed by that strange mercenary, Zephyrin.
The strange and inexplicable fear surged through him as he remembered the chilling sensation of suddenly purple nails piercing his body, and it made his body tremble once again.
However, the memories after that became a chaotic jumble like shattered glass.
'I lost consciousness immediately because of that unknown poison. The mercenary continued to attack me, and I couldn't defend against it due to the extreme poison. I thought I was dead.'
In fact, if Jin and the others hadn't been there, Dox would have met his death when the initial ambush was followed by additional attacks.
'After that... a strange subspace suddenly formed, and the 12th flagbearer, Murakan, and the Black King's leader protected me in battle.'
The 12th flagbearer had saved me. Dox could easily reach that conclusion.
So why? Dox didn't know how the battle unfolded between Jin, Murakan, the Black King's leader, and Zephyrin after that.
And he thought that if Zephyrin was strong enough to kill him in a single blow, then it would be absolutely difficult for the 12th flagbearer and his guardian dragon to fight her while protecting him.
Therefore, the 12th flagbearer should have abandoned him and fled. Especially considering the sharp conflict between the 12th flagbearer and the 2nd flagbearer.
'Did he make that decision for the clan by setting aside his conflict with the 2nd flagbearer? There is a possibility that he used the Black King's leader as a shield, but…'
Did the 12th flagbearer risk his life for his sake, or rather, for the clan's sake? Even if it means helping the 2nd flagbearer?
Dox grabbed his head due to a sudden headache.
"Argh...!"
"Don't force yourself to clear the poison. I have no intention of torturing you to extract information about the 2nd flagbearer or keeping you as a prisoner. So, relax."
Creak, Jin pulled a chair and sat in front of Dox.
"Of course, I can't open the Black Helmet's mouth through torture, and Joshua won't care even if I take you as prisoner."
"You... saved me?"
"Yeah. Murakan, the Black King's leader, and I fought that monster to protect you."
"Huh."
"Once we escaped, I called the Holy Queen to take care of your treatment."
Up to that point, it was a development that even Dox could imagine without much difficulty. After all, there is no one in Runcandel who does not know about Jin and Lani's relationship.
However, the next moment, Jin's words left Dox bewildered and wide-eyed, and he couldn't help but gasp.
"But even Lani couldn't fully heal you. So, we had to open the Eternal Vault and use the last drop of Numerus's blood remaining in the Holy Kingdom."
Cough! Ahem!
Dox was so flabbergasted that he coughed uncontrollably. It was the first time he had coughed like this since becoming a Black Helmet.
"You suffered from such a potent poison, so you should know it better than anyone. No matter how remarkable Holy Queen's divine power is, that poison was beyond her ability to heal. It took you nearly a half month to wake up even with the use of the drop of Numerus's blood."
"Huh, is that so?"
"You think I'm lying?"
Of course, it was a lie.
The drop of Numerus's blood had never been used on Dox. Dox had completely recovered using only Lani's divine power and the abilities of the Holy Kingdom.
But Dox couldn't doubt it. From his perspective, it wasn't strange to think that the poison was something that could only be cured with the drop of Numerus's blood as Jin said. After all, he had never used it, and there was no one to tell him that it had been used on him.
"Why? I could express gratitude as a member of the clan, but did you think I would pledge loyalty to you used a sacred item for me?"
He was the Black Helmet. The black helmets were not so shallow as to betray their lord just because the opponent saved their lives.
So Jin burst into laughter. Jin didn't say it with the intention of deceiving him, but rather, he stated it as a lie that wouldn't hurt anyone.
"Loyalty? Well, I didn't expect you to go that far. I just wanted to talk to you about this."
Jin handed over a handful of newsletters.
They were newsletters praising Jin and Murakan, written by Joshua's scribes.
'What's this... Certainly, these seem to be newspapers from the 2nd flagbearer's media. Did the 2nd flagbearer order these articles to be written this way? Moreover, there's no mention of Zephyrin anywhere in the articles. It's filled with news about the 12th flagbearer and his Guardian Dragon taking over the Black king mercenaries.'
Upon opening his eyes, Dox was immediately faced with many things he couldn't understand.
But the meaning of these articles was clear.
'It is not the result of the 12th flagbearer using me to make a deal with the 2nd flagbearer. Also, the 2nd flagbearer believes that I'm dead. He gave the 12th flagbearer me wings with the thought that it would be beneficial for the clan.'
Dox believed he understood Joshua better than anyone else.
That wasn't entirely a wrong statement. He had gone under the command of Joshua after the consent of the patriarch and the acting matriarch, and he was always close by his side.
"I don't need to explain why Joshua published these articles, right?"
"I... have a general idea. Zephyrin fled, and you get the credit for the fall of the Black King Mountain Hideout. The 2nd flagbearer doesn't know these facts, so he published these articles."
"Exactly. However, even if you tell Joshua about Zephyrin, it won't change anything. And Joshua won't trust you anymore when you return."
In Jin's view, Joshua was that kind of person. Once someone slipped out of his control, he would never trust them again.
Moreover, someone he believed to be dead, like the Black Helmet, returning and revealing that the new recruits of the Black king mercenaries had attacked him, and that the 12th flagbearer had saved him...?
'For Joshua, this is an issue that disrupts his calculations. He has already ensured the prestige and power of the clan even if he has to bear the loss of a single Black Helmet. More than anything, it's impossible for him to trust the Black Helmet who returned after he believed him to be dead.'
-The loss of the Black Helmet is an unbearably painful event, but the clan must secure maximum benefits from this incident.
Words spoken by Joshua during his conversation with Howard.
Jin didn't hear those words directly, but he perfectly guessed Joshua's calculations.
"...Think as you please. What are you going to do with me now?"
"What am I going to do? I will send you back to Joshua. It is not my problem whether he trusts you again or not. Since you won't betray Joshua anyway. Joshua and I are fighting a battle of hegemony, but in the broader sense, you are the clan's most critical force. That's why I used the sacred item to save you."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes, I am. But before that, you have to pay me for saving your life. Before going to Joshua, carry out one task according to my orders once your body recovers."
Dox looked at Jin with a puzzled look.
Suddenly, an order? He couldn't grasp what the 12th flagbearer's intention was at all.
"Whether you choose to carry out that order or not is up to you. However, if you refuse... you'll have to deal with whatever consequences come your way after I take control of the clan."
"Are you saying that as if you're definitely going to become the patriarch?"
"Who knows what will happen with people? How you act is up to you. It shouldn't be a difficult order, and it's nothing compared to the cost of the Black Helmet's life."
Dox had no immediate reason to refuse.
If he refused and Jin changed his attitude, there would be no solution.
He could decide whether to execute the order or not once he had recovered and left this place.
"Alright, I accept. Tell me what the order is."
Jin smiled wickedly and said.
"As soon as you recover, head to Rikalton city in the southern part of Huphester. Investigate the truth about what is happening in Rikalton and report it ro me."
Rikalton.
It was a place suspected to be where Joshua gathered "human materials" for his clones.