The current Emperor may not be the most outstanding among all emperors in history, but excluding the first Emperor, he was the one most loved by the people of the Empire.
That was because he implemented many moderate policies and pushed for numerous laws that benefited not the nobles, but the common people.
And—
The death of such a beloved Emperor shook the Empire with fury.
However, the Empire was a nation that stood complete on its own.
So they had no outlet for that anger…
That’s what further fueled the conflict among the princes.
Originally, Jun had no intention of getting deeply involved in the Empire’s politics.
For one, it wasn’t easy to become entangled with the imperial family from the early stages of the game… and it was all the more difficult if it involved imperial members.
But now, I can do it.
A string of coincidences and his desperate struggle to survive had led to this point.
So now—
I’ll prevent the Emperor’s death, and block the division among the imperial members as much as possible.
Naturally, the first step would be an audience with the Emperor.
With his head deeply bowed, Jun waited for the Emperor to speak.
***
An Emperor must never appear light or frivolous.
Especially not in a public setting like this.
With his face hidden behind a veil, the Emperor did not grant anyone permission to raise their heads.
Instead—
“I commend your efforts.”
With a heavy, solemn voice, he acknowledged the merits of those gathered here.
“First, the Sword Soul, once renowned as the blade of the Empire.”
“Your servant, Berc Aden.”
“You quietly accumulated merit in a remote land where no one sought you out.”
“I only did my utmost for the Empire.”
From the Sword Soul to the Blackguard Knights, the Altas Adventurer Party, and the Sun Church, each group was called by name in turn.
To all of them, the Emperor offered direct words of commendation and even mentioned the rewards they would receive.
And finally—
“The White Whale Mercenary Group.”
“This is Jun, with two other members. We humbly listen to Your Majesty’s words.”
“All the deeds accomplished by those present here, regardless of their scale, were acts of devotion to the Empire. However, your achievements are such that no one could dare call them small.”
Even the previously recognized groups had not received praise of this magnitude.
Jun, feeling a sudden surge of nervousness, bowed his head deeply.
“First, you rescued many during the Black Forest raid. Beyond that, you revealed information about the corrupted forest fairy, preventing future casualties.”
In addition, they had uncovered the plot of the Volcatronic Mage Tower, which had ambushed the King of Enchantment whom the Emperor had personally granted the title of king.
They had played a pivotal role in stopping the Dimension Reversal phenomenon in Silent City.
And finally, they had stopped the Orc Lord who was on the verge of manifesting on the surface with an army of a hundred thousand orcs.
“Most of all, by preventing two Dimension Reversals, you safeguarded the lives of hundreds of thousands—no, millions—of Imperial citizens.”
The Emperor’s praise went on for three full minutes.
It wasn’t just lip service meant to elevate the White Whale Mercenaries.
“And so, I shall grant you a private audience with me.”
“……!”
It had been a hope. But Jun had never truly believed the opportunity would be given.
“I am deeply honored by Your Majesty’s grace!”
Jun bowed even lower, hiding the smile on his face.
Some might think a one-on-one audience was just a ceremonial meeting with kind words exchanged.
But an audience with the Emperor was never just about conversation.
It was a gesture of granting any wish.
Such an opportunity was rare indeed, and Jun’s mind whirled with possibilities.
“Thus, your deeds shall be recorded in the annals of Imperial history. I hope you will continue your dedication to the people of the Empire.”
With those final words, the Emperor departed from the banquet hall.
Only then did the invitees raise their heads.
And, as if realizing it again—
“You really are incredible.”
The attendees gave Jun and his mercenary companions a round of unrestrained applause.
Naturally so.
They alone had received nearly half the Emperor’s commendation.
Since the people gathered bore no particular ill will toward one another, a good deal of useful information was exchanged.
In the case of the Blackguard, they picked up stories from various conflict zones.
Given the ongoing internal strife among factions within Blackout, it seemed the behind-the-scenes dealings could prove quite helpful to Chloe down the line.
From the Sun Church, they managed to obtain information on the highly classified purification project in the trade city of Merdein.
Unfortunately, not much of value came from the Altas adventurer party.
That side treated information as a direct path to profit, and the Ron family, their sponsor, strictly controlled what could be shared.
In any case—
It was around sunset, as people began rising from their seats one by one to rest.
“Jun, may I have a word?”
It was the captain of the Blackguard knights Tairdin, now alone, who approached Jun.
Jun nodded.
“There’s a nicely landscaped terrace over there. Shall we talk there?”
“Excellent. Let’s go.”
Avoiding others’ eyes, Jun led Tairdin up to the terrace and waited for him to speak.
“I’ve heard you have a fair bit of knowledge in herbalism. Is that true?”
“I’ve done some potion crafting, so I do know a few things.”
“I see. Then you must have some ties to the Gillen Merchant Guild’s potion division.”
Since there was no reason to hide it at this point, Jun nodded without hesitation.
“Are you looking for information related to that?”
“That’s right. But hear me out and don’t get the wrong idea. I’m wondering… does the Gillen Merchant Guild have any ties to the black market?”
“…That part, I honestly don’t know.”
It wasn’t a lie. He truly didn’t know about that.
Still, recalling some past conversations with Chloe, it didn’t seem entirely out of the question.
“I’m not trying to trap you or anything. We’re after a criminal we’ve lost track of.”
“Is this criminal group tied to herbs or potion crafting?”
“They are. We’ve been chasing them for quite some time. These people regularly move highly addictive narcotic herbs and dangerous poisons to the surface.”
That finally sparked a bit of Jun’s interest.
He had already planned to ask Chloe about it as soon as the banquet was over, since he needed some information related to that matter anyway.
“Could you tell me more in detail?”
“Looks like you’re getting interested. It’s simple, really.”
They had found traces of criminals who had fled after slipping past inspections on the surface.
The problem was the route those criminals were using to transport herbs. In order to track that route and find where they were hiding, they needed information from someone in that industry.
“That’s why I came to you. I was hoping I could get some useful intel from the Gillen Merchant Guild, your mercenary group’s sponsor.”
“Wouldn’t the imperial family be a more reliable source for that kind of information? It’s not like the Empire is unaware of the black market’s existence and just lets it be.”
“That’s exactly the issue. If we move with imperial support, the operation might get too big.”
The operation Tairdin was talking about was simply a continuation of something they had failed to finish back in Blackout.
“As you probably already know, no matter how much manpower the Empire throws at it, the black market isn’t something that can be completely wiped out. So, we manage it within limits, quietly removing the ones that go too far and keeping the market in check.”
That’s why Tairdin didn’t want things to escalate to the point where an entire black market network was wiped out.
“Building connections with the black market and keeping it under control takes a great deal of effort. Causing trouble for the ones managing it on the surface would be quite the nuisance.”
“I see… I understand now.”
So, he was hoping to rely on the information network of the Gillen Merchant Guild, which was far removed from central politics.
“If that’s the case, it shouldn’t be too difficult. I’ll make sure it gets passed up.”
“Much appreciated.”
“But may I ask you for one thing?”
“If it’s something I can grant, then of course.”
“Would you consider hiring our mercenary group for that operation?”
“Oh? May I ask why?”
“Well…”
Jun pulled out the black flower he had once shown to Maya.
“I want to find the ones who brought this to the surface, and I thought that by helping you with your operation, I might be able to gather some relevant information.”
“That’s a type of flower I’ve never seen before…”
“Don’t stare at it for too long. It can cause hallucinations.”
“I see. Quite a dangerous thing, then. Understood. If that’s your reason, it won’t be a problem.”
Having reached a mutually beneficial agreement, the two left the terrace with satisfied expressions.
Just then—
“Sir.”
“Sir.”
They happened to make eye contact with a member of the Heavenly Dragon Knights who was coming up to the terrace.
“You’re Jun of the White Whale Mercenary Group, correct?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Come with me. There’s someone who wishes to see you.”
He knew instantly who it was.
Tairdin seemed to realize it as well and gave a small nod before stepping aside, and Jun followed the knight without hesitation.
I didn’t think I’d be summoned this soon. Less than a day, even.
It was a summons from the Emperor.
***
In reality, while the Emperor had mentioned summoning Jun, he hadn’t decided exactly when.
He might have called him at a convenient time. Or perhaps it could have taken longer.
This wasn’t because the Emperor was lazy, but rather, it was a form of consideration for Jun.
The White Whale Mercenary Group had already gained far more fame than their size warranted, so the Emperor had hoped they would grow a bit more before coming to him with greater requests.
But—
“Father, could you summon Jun, the leader of the White Whale Mercenary Group?”
The First Prince had made this request.
“Why should I?”
“It concerns Javier.”
“Hmmm…”
The Emperor had already heard the news about Javier as well.
Even for someone like him, the moment he heard it, a chill ran down his spine.
He had planned to order an investigation into the matter as soon as the banquet was over.
But Dexter, the First Prince, had made the request first.
“Why are you trying to handle this personally?”
“I felt we needed to hear from the person who first found Javier as soon as possible.”
Human memory was far from perfect.
If possible, he wanted to hear from Jun who had been at the scene before anyone else.
However, it wasn’t ideal for the First Prince to approach Jun directly.
Unlike other groups, Jun was connected to the dethroned Crown Prince.
“I understand. I’ll summon him.”
The Emperor’s mind was already troubled over the matter with Javier.
The nobles were sure to make a fuss about the incident, and more importantly…
Beneth. It’s hard to predict how she’ll respond.
Beneth, the concubine and mother of the Third Prince, naturally loved Javier more fiercely than anyone.
Now that her child had nearly lost his life in an accident, it was obvious how she would react.
It was best to resolve the issue before it escalated any further.
And the starting point was the White Whale Mercenary Group.
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