“It all started with a simple suspicion about Baron Hershan.”
Nearly two weeks had passed since the Witch’s Forest raid.
Chloe devoured the “bulgogi fried rice” Jun had cooked with great enthusiasm, then wiped her lips with a belatedly composed expression before speaking.
“Since you were the one who noticed the Azure Cloud’s plan during that dungeon raid and talked about it, I figured it wouldn’t be strange if he tried to harm you, considering how much his reputation had fallen.”
Her merchant’s intuition had clearly paid off.
“Of course, I didn’t expect him to act personally.”
How desperate must he have been? That, neither of them could know.
They could only assume there was a reason.
“Anyway… the matter has been solved, thankfully.”
“You really helped me out again. Thank you.”
Jun sincerely expressed his gratitude to Chloe.
For someone as notoriously stingy as Jun to give a heartfelt thank-you!
Chloe had to fight hard to suppress the grin that threatened to spread across her face.
And for good reason.
Not only had she helped him sense the impending danger, but she had also neatly cleared up the issue of him almost being branded a noble killer.
Chloe waved it off lightly.
“Well, of course! My efforts played a big role, but the evidence was just too clear.”
The testimony of the bounty hunters, who were former members of the Blackguard, played a significant part.
Thanks to that, Count Mordenain who had been keeping an eye on the case personally initiated an investigation.
Several documents related to the Heavenly Church were actually found in Weyrnain’s mansion.
“However, in the end, it seems the incident was dismissed as merely the reckless actions of a baron whose family was already on the decline. It’s no secret the Hershan family has been struggling for ages, so there’s nothing more to say.”
In reality, compared to the nobles being crushed in the central politics of the imperial court, the fall of the Hershan family was hardly noteworthy.
After all, it was the death of a forgotten baron from the outskirts.
Still, it was true that during those two weeks, there was always the uncertainty of how things might unfold.
Jun let out a sigh of relief.
“Well… I guess it’s time to start the final accounting, isn’t it?”
But now, all of that was in the past.
Chloe looked at Jun with a genuinely bright smile.
Matching her energy, Jun placed about ten books and a pile of loose papers on the table.
“Here, four books on comprehensive potion recipes, five of the Witch’s diaries, one on golem creation, and thirty sheets of random potion recipes.”
“Kyaa!!”
Hearing the list of results, Chloe let out a scream of excitement and started jumping up and down in place.
Like someone who had just received an enormous birthday gift, she was overjoyed, but after a while, she finally calmed down and managed to sit.
It took about ten minutes.
“Ah… this is amazing! They’re all piles of money!”
“So how do you plan to sell them?”
“Ah, I’ve decided on a few things, but there’s still plenty I need your advice on. Mostly potion recipes.”
Some of the key recipes would be used by her in the future when she started her potion business.
Of course, it was too much for her to handle alone. Since safety was important in such business, she would need the help of Jun who was quite skilled in potion-making.
“I’m planning to donate a few of the Witch’s diaries to the Magic Tower.”
“For connections, huh?”
Naturally, it wouldn’t be for free.
“Mhmm, it’s a gesture of thanks for letting me use the auction house.”
“What about the golem creation method?”
“Unfortunately, that’s out of my league. According to imperial law, anything related to golems has to be reported to the imperial family.”
Since golems could potentially be used to raise a private army, the imperial family strictly controlled golem creation methods.
“It’s better to offer it voluntarily than to be caught with it later.”
“That’s surprising. I thought you’d try selling it on the black market.”
“If we were aboveground, maybe I would have. Though I’d still be careful about who I sold it to.”
However, with her lack of influence in Blackout, secretly dealing with golem creation methods behind the imperial family’s back would be far too risky.
“If that’s what you think, then I trust you.”
“Of course, the imperial family won’t just turn a blind eye. I’ll let you know how the distribution works out later.”
“Good, then we’ve covered most of what we needed to discuss about this operation. What’s left?”
“Hehe…”
Chloe crossed her arms with a confident smile and raised her head.
“Finally, the dungeon is starting to generate profits!”
It was the dungeon property that Chloe had purchased for a hefty sum during the Goblin Lord subjugation.
Now that the restoration was complete, the dungeon was entering a period of prosperity.
The numerous items and magic stones acquired from there, along with the profits from the magic stone mines, were starting to show significant returns.
“This is your share of the profits.”
What Chloe placed on the table were high-grade magic stones that were meticulously refined into bar shapes.
Eight magic stones, worth more than gold of the same weight.
“How much is that in total?”
“After fees, 130 million gold coins!”
“That’s crazy…”
He had expected a large sum, but he never imagined such a fortune would come all at once.
And that wasn’t even the end of it.
From now on, Jun would be receiving that kind of fortune every month.
But Jun’s expectations were about to be completely shattered.
“It doesn’t end here! This is just the beginning!”
The money they had made so far was from just over half a month’s worth of earnings last month.
On top of that, there were still unsold stocks, meaning next month they could potentially bring in double this amount.
“Are you saying it could reach nearly 300 million gold coins…?”
“That’s right. So, how does it feel to be sitting on a pile of money?”
“……”
Just three months ago, Jun had trembled at the thought of buying even a single potion.
Now, he held enough money in his hands to buy hundreds without a second thought.
Of course, it wasn’t something that would last forever.
There were only a few months left until the Blackout reset.
When the next season began, he would have to reclaim dungeon ownership once again.
“Haah, alright. I’ll leave everything except for 30 million gold coins to you.”
“…Really?”
“Why are you opening your eyes so wide? It’s just a hundred million.”
“Well, I mean, yes, of course.”
Chloe quietly shut her mouth. Even if her face split from joy, she couldn’t admit how happy she was that Jun trusted her with the money.
“Just hold onto it for now. I’ll grow it quickly.”
Jun grabbed a magic stone; he was planning to use it to prepare gear for Aiden and Maya.
It wouldn’t be anything too spectacular, but with a bit of effort, he might be able to get some decent enchanted equipment for each of them.
“By the way, how’s the auction going?”
“It’s going smoothly, for the most part. Not without some interference, though.”
Though she said it casually, things weren’t as light as they seemed.
The resistance from the existing powers had been stronger than expected.
“Some shady people have already joined hands.”
It wasn’t just anyone either; the name of the imperial spokesperson Count Albert Mordenain had come up.
In a way, it was inevitable.
Especially considering the backing of the Gillen Merchant Guild.
The Gillen Merchant Guild grew by using the gaps on the surface as a stepping stone while the other guilds were focused on Blackout.
From what he had heard, many large merchant guilds on the surface had suffered significant losses because of the Gillen Merchant Guild.
But if they reduced their manpower in Blackout to focus on the surface, they would risk being pushed out of the Blackout market they had spent decades cultivating, so they had no choice but to watch it happen.
So it was only natural that Chloe, the beloved daughter of the Gillen Merchant Guild, would face opposition from other guilds inside Blackout.
“The problem is, their alliance came together faster than expected.”
She wasn’t talking about an alliance between the large merchant guilds.
“They’re entangled with Magic Tower.”
A union between the Magic Tower and the merchant guilds through the potion business.
This was quite burdensome for Chloe as well.
“What’s the likelihood they’ll resort to violence?”
The Magic Tower, which didn’t hesitate to use any means necessary to achieve its goals, and the merchant guilds, which could smile atop a sea of blood if it meant making money.
With those two forces combined, Jun was worried about Chloe’s safety.
“Thankfully, I don’t think it will go that far. If it did, they wouldn’t come out of it unscathed either.”
The first to act would likely be Count Mordenain.
That was a point Chloe had great confidence in.
“It’s an auction under the Count’s name. If there’s any foul play involved, he won’t take it lightly.”
Count Mordenain was the imperial spokesperson. The name of the imperial family that stood behind him carried huge weight.
Naturally, if any issues arose, a large-scale investigation would follow. This was a matter tied to the honor of the imperial family.
No matter how powerful a guild or the Magic Tower might be within the Blackout, they couldn’t ignore the imperial family’s authority.
Because of the physical separation, the imperial family is extremely sensitive to the political situation within the Blackout.
In fact, there had been organizations in history that vanished without a trace after opposing the imperial family.
“And secondly… if they don’t want to face trouble on the surface, they’ll be careful themselves.”
If Chloe were to suffer any unforeseen misfortune, the Gillen Merchant Guild certainly wouldn’t sit idly by.
They would launch their own investigation and take bloody revenge on the surface, not in the unfavorable Blackout.
Unlike in the Blackout, the Gillen Merchant Guild held immense influence on the surface.
I guess now I fully understand who I’ve gotten involved with.
Their first meeting had been so memorable that he occasionally forgot, but Chloe was the granddaughter of one of the world’s top business magnates, at least by modern standards.
They lived in entirely different worlds.
“In any case, I won’t have much of a problem.”
Chloe, on the other hand, was worried about Jun.
“But those people must have gathered plenty of information about you and me by now.”
The Goblin Lord subjugation, the Forest Guardian raid, and now the raid of the hidden dungeon.
Behind Chloe’s significant gains, Jun was always present.
By now, even her competitors would likely be keeping an eye on him.
“They’re more likely to approach you than me.”
“True, the easiest way to eliminate competition is to remove their strongest asset.”
Barely ten minutes after sitting comfortably, thinking he was finally in a good position, he now had to worry about threats to his life.
What a crazy world this is.
Jun was reminded once again of the kind of place he was living in and so he sank into deep thought.
“Even if I get guards, it won’t be of much use.”
“As long as you’re within the city, it’ll be somewhat helpful. Bringing in a strong force would draw attention.”
That wasn’t exactly welcome news.
In any case, Jun was a mercenary, and that meant he had to head out into the field.
However, once he went into the field, the guards he hired would become meaningless.
Especially if the opponent decided to bring in a powerful level 6 or level 7 fighter.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy to bring someone that strong.
But in this world, nothing was ever truly impossible.
And considering that the Magic Tower might actually be capable of doing so, Jun had no choice but to be cautious.
“I’ll give you an answer about this in a few days. It’s hard to decide right now.”
“Okay. In the meantime, I’ll set up a place for you at our branch. You can stay there until things stabilize.”
“Alright.”
***
The next day.
Jun headed to the mercenary guild. He also took Aiden and Maya with him.
Their destination was none other than the underground training hall.
“Oh, I heard you pulled off something big again. Impressive! A hidden dungeon, huh? Can you tell me about the adventure you had?”
Bradden, the head of the mercenary guild branch, followed them down.
“Haven’t you already heard everything from Colton?”
“From what I heard, it sounds like he spent most of his time running for his life.”
“……”
If Colton had heard that, he would have been furious, but the truth was, Bradden wasn’t wrong.
The Blade Eagle mercenary group really had been running for their lives.
“It’s hard to go into details right now. We have items going up for auction.”
“Ah, that’s a shame.”
It seemed Bradden hadn’t expected much in the first place.
However, his real interest lay in Maya.
“So, Maya, are you adjusting well?”
“Yes. I am doing well.”
“Hmm…”
Maya’s expression was still hard to read, but to Bradden, even that seemed like a good sign.
“If you say so, then it must be true. Jun, take good care of her.”
After a brief discussion with Aiden, Maya who had been a temporary member officially became part of the team.
Aiden welcomed her warmly and they even held a small welcome party.
Since Maya was not much of a talker, Jun and Aiden carried most of the conversation.
“Anyway… the reason you’re both here is to work on your coordination. I also have something separate I want to experiment with.”
“Coordination… You mean…?”
“Mhmm. You two no longer need to cover me.”
As he spoke, Jun pointed to the earring hanging from one of his ears.
A black teardrop-shaped earring.
It was a unique item, classified as a level 2 piece of equipment called [Tear of Teia].
According to the witch’s diary, the word “Teia” referred to the witch’s race.
And the performance of this level 2 artifact was none other than:
[Summon].
It was an artifact belonging to the summoning category.
As Jun spoke the activation word, magical power began to gather in front of him and slowly took shape.
When the light finally faded, what had appeared was a golem.
However, the golem was…
“……”
“……”
“……”
Creak… creak…
Perhaps it was because the golem was made of thin branches.
Under the gaze of all three, the golem greeted them with a pitiful creaking of its joints…
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