The imperial festival, Bavern’s Praise, had finally come to an end.
It had lasted for nearly a month, and people were now shaking off the lingering excitement and returning to their daily lives.
“Wow… seriously…”
Chloe couldn’t close her mouth in shock after hearing from Jun all that had happened.
“You handled it pretty cleanly, didn’t you?”
Jun spoke with a proud look on his face.
It was true. He had skillfully navigated a situation that could have easily cost him his life if he’d made the wrong move.
But then—
“Are you out of your mind??”
“……??”
Chloe’s reaction was unexpectedly cold.
“Hey! You nearly died, and you’re smiling about it?”
“Well, still…”
“Still? Still?! Do you realize that in the Imperial Palace, one wrong word can send you straight across the River of Death?!”
There was a saying in the Empire:
If you see a noble’s carriage overturned on the road, don’t even think about helping. Run the other way.
That’s how dangerous it was to get involved with nobles. And yet, Jun didn’t just get involved. He walked right up to where an imperial carriage had crashed, and even dug up all kinds of hidden secrets from within!
On top of that, he even went as far as to stick his neck out to resolve the situation!
“Mm… but thanks to that, didn’t I secure the business rights for the mana fluid? As long as the outcome is good, isn’t it fine?”
“Well, that may be true, but in the end… money’s only useful if you’re alive to spend it.”
In Aiden’s case, Chloe didn’t say much. After all, it had been sanctioned by the Imperial Family in the end.
But nearly causing the Third Prince to fall to his death?
And uncovering the involvement of an organization that posed a threat to the entire Empire?
That was an entirely different matter.
“Well, even so, it’s not like we’re going to see those imperial members again. Our main stage is Blackout, remember? Once we wrap this up, that’s the end of it. More importantly, what do you think about the Blackguard’s request?”
“You seriously—ugh… Fine. As for that part, I’d say it’s not a bad offer.”
“Got any information on their side?”
“The Black Market route will take some time. It’s not easy to get inside information from there quickly. Might take a few days.”
“I see. Hmm…”
“What’s up?”
Chloe tilted her head when Jun suddenly seemed lost in thought.
“Did you catch wind of something else?”
“Not exactly. I was just thinking….since we’re already digging around for information on them, maybe it’s time we start building our own intelligence network.”
“Do we really need one? I’m right here, you know.”
“True. But you’re about to get a lot busier, aren’t you?”
“Ah… yeah, that’s true.”
With the potion business, preparations for the upcoming season, and the new mana fluid project just beginning, Chloe still had some breathing room for now. But in a short while, her schedule would become overwhelming.
“To prepare for that, you and I are going to need people who can move like extra limbs.”
“Fair enough. So what are you thinking?”
“I’m planning to take over an intelligence group from the Black Market.”
“…What?”
Any intelligence group worth mentioning in the Black Market would be a rough bunch.
Ah, right.
Then again, Jun and his companions weren’t exactly pushovers themselves.
“You already have a group in mind?”
“Mhmm. The organization is called Requiem. Their leader’s name… is Charles.”
“What? You even know the leader’s name?”
“I’ve heard it come up a few times.”
At this point in time, that guy was surely on the surface as well.
“He’s a useful one in a lot of ways. I’ll have to charm him and bring him in. I’ll need you to look into him for me.”
“Got it. Don’t worry about that.”
With the conversation wrapped up, Jun returned to his room.
He had something to open. A gift from the Emperor.
***
What Jun had requested from the Emperor was a certain magic book that had long been buried deep within the Imperial archives.
An ancient magic book.
Just as the name implied, it contained magic from ancient times.
But unlike most other magic tomes, this one was… a bit different.
When Jun opened the book to about the middle, he found nothing but blank pages. There wasn’t a single bit of knowledge written inside.
Just like the in-game setting.
This book was, in itself, an artifact.
Unlike most magic tomes that typically contained just a single spell, this ancient magic book was a comprehensive collection of various ancient magics.
To reveal its contents, one had to channel mana into it while focusing on a specific spell mentioned within its pages.
In other words, simply possessing this ancient magic book meant one could learn multiple ancient spells!
Sounds amazing in theory, but it’s not quite that simple and that’s the funny part.
People tend to think anything labeled “ancient” must be superior, but that wasn’t the case with this magic book.
True to its name, it contained outdated magical knowledge from a bygone era.
In fact, modern-day mages didn’t have much use for such archaic spells and often looked down on them.
Even so, Jun had a reason for choosing this magic book.
Ancient magic, while flawed in several aspects, was known for one thing. Its unparalleled stability.
And what use was magical stability?
It offered resistance against high-tier magic.
Soon enough, the fourth or even fifth level will become my main battlefield…
Beings like Orc Lords could cancel spells or twist the very environment against a mage using nothing more than magic-infused roars.
And in truth, magic cancellation was extremely dangerous.
Wasn’t it Adrian of the Volcatornic Magic Tower who lost control of a canceled spell and burned to death?
Of course, it’s not like you run into Orc Lords every day…
But Jun had already encountered them more than once, and he desperately needed a countermeasure.
Thanks to [Mana Body] I’ve managed so far, but as I move into higher-tier magic, that won’t be enough.
If Jun ever lost control and went berserk, it could lead to the annihilation of the entire mercenary group.
That said, the ancient magic book wasn’t without its issues…
First, ancient spells require far more mana than modern ones. They’re incredibly inefficient.
Still, that wasn’t a problem for Jun.
He had more than enough mana to spare.
And then there was one more thing.
They say ancient spells are so complex that even skilled mages are left speechless.
There was always a reason why no one took certain paths.
The ancient magic tome was notorious for its brutal difficulty.
Even with Jun’s [Intermediate Magic Talent], it might have taken him over a year to master it.
But then…
“…….?”
A strange memory stirred in his mind.
With a sense of disbelief, “Could it really be?” Jun tried to trace the flickering memory.
“…Ah, my former self in a past life.”
Knowledge of ancient magic began to surface on its own.
Jun felt like bowing in gratitude to the character he had once nurtured…. or rather, the character who was now nurturing him.
However, it wasn’t the kind of knowledge he could put to immediate use unlike [Flare].
Whereas [Flare] was something Jun had developed and used directly, the ancient magic knowledge was purely theoretical.
As such, it was up to Jun alone to manifest the spells and handle any trial and error that came with it.
Still, even just having that was a huge advantage.
A process that might have taken a full year had already been sped up several times over, so there was no reason to feel disappointed.
Thanks to that, Jun was able to grasp most of the theoretical foundation of ancient magic within just a few days.
By the time that period had passed…
Information came in about the black market, which he had entrusted to Chloe.
***
“So, after cooperating in various ways with the Blackguard Knights you mentioned, we managed to identify some suspicious individuals.”
“That’s great. Where are they located?”
“In a major city not too far from Emperor’s Shield.”
“A black market operating so close to the capital, huh?”
“Well, I’d say the imperial family is half-turning a blind eye. I mean, the Gate of the Abyss is located there, after all.”
“True enough.”
Since the entrance to Blackout was located in the Empire’s capital, it was only natural that the black market would be nearby as well.
“This is a rough map of the black market.”
“What about the locations marked with circles?”
“Places suspected to be the target’s trading spots. We should start digging for information from there.”
“I see…”
“The triangle markers are stores operated by that organization you mentioned….Requiem. But you’ll have to figure out the password to get into their base yourself.”
“That’s more than enough. The password doesn’t really matter to me anyway.”
Just hearing about it was enough to sense the chaos brewing, so Chloe added one last remark.
“This time, the imperial family is involved. That means it has to be handled with extra care. Make sure there are no mistakes.”
In response, Jun gave a half-hearted nod.
He was already well aware of that part.
Immediately after, Jun prepared to depart with his companions, and at the break of dawn, they left the city under the effects of an illusion spell cast through [Mirror of Mosilas].
***
Morvati was a large city about four days’ distance from Emperor’s Shield.
Its proximity to the capital and surrounding cities gave it a vibrant, bustling atmosphere.
At an inn located in the heart of that city, Jun met with Tairdin, the captain of the Blackguard.
“You made it safely.”
“Have you been well?”
“Of course. Thanks to the help of the Gillen Merchant Guild, some of our members have already managed to infiltrate the black market.”
“You’ve already made a move, I see.”
“Well, the sooner we wrap this up, the better.”
With a brief smile, Tairdin got straight to the point.
“However, we haven’t gained much yet. Maybe because it’s so close to the capital, but the security here seems far tighter than in Blackout.”
It wasn’t Jun who replied to that. It was Eleanor.
“That’s probably due to the nature of the location. The market in Blackout tends to avoid follow-up trouble, even if someone pulls a big job and disappears. But this market runs under a set of rules, so they’re more wary of outsiders.”
“Oh…? You seem quite knowledgeable about this.”
Tairdin showed interest in Eleanor.
He looked surprised that a high-ranking priestess would know such things.
“When you’re in the Church, there are times when you have to locate corrupted artifacts or cursed items. And most of those things tend to show up in places like black markets.”
It had mostly been Bern who handled those kinds of tasks.
Eleanor’s knowledge came almost entirely from him.
“Hmm. So you’re saying this will take time. What a bother.”
“Would it be alright if I took care of that part?”
“You have a method?”
“Yes. Please take a look at this.”
What Jun revealed was a map of the black market that Chloe had handed over.
“Ah, something from the Gillen Merchant Guild, I assume. But this is a symbol I haven’t seen before.”
“It marks the location of an information group based in this black market.”
“You’re planning to use them to establish a foothold in the black market?”
“That’s right.”
“Impressive! Still, messing with groups like that too recklessly could spread rumors throughout the entire black market. Isn’t that risky?”
“I have a way to handle that.”
Jun then looked at Maya.
More precisely, his eyes were on the “Acanthus Fangs” hanging at Maya’s waist.
“One thing. Please spread a rumor for me.”
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