“Have you ever heard of an artifact called Acanthus’s Fang?”
“Acanthus? That… wasn’t it about ten years ago? It showed up at an auction house and ended up killing quite a few people, didn’t it?”
“Oh, you remember that?”
“Of course. That incident caused some trouble with one of my business partners…”
“Ah~! That’s right, I almost forgot about that.”
In a tavern somewhere within the Morvaty black market.
A conversation between two information merchants casually drifted into the ears of a certain man.
“Mind if I join you?”
The man approached the two information merchants who had just piqued his interest.
Naturally, being in the black market, the two were immediately suspicious.
“Hey, innkeeper. One turkey, your biggest one, please.”
Before either of them could respond, the man tossed a silver coin to the innkeeper and took a seat.
“Ahem.”
“Well, I suppose there’s no harm in sharing a table.”
Since the topic wasn’t exactly a top-secret matter, they quickly let down their guard.
“Just now, I thought I heard something about an artifact or whatever. Would you mind if I listened in?”
“It doesn’t matter to us. Ever since yesterday, the story’s already been making the rounds in this scene.”
“And besides, what’s so valuable about a cursed artifact anyway?”
If it were truly valuable information, they wouldn’t be casually chatting about it in a place like this.
That’s why the man had also approached them so lightly.
“I see. The last I heard, that item had been retrieved by the Ariklotus Church. Did it come from their vaults, perhaps?”
“That’s just a rumor, isn’t it? For all we know, the Church may have never taken it in the first place.”
“Or… someone might’ve taken it out.”
Whatever the case, the two information merchants grumbled that they just hoped the artifact wouldn’t cause any more incidents.
After enjoying his turkey meal, the man parted ways with the two information dealers.
“It was a pleasure.”
“Let’s meet again sometime.”
“Thanks for the meal!”
With those parting words, the man stepped out of the tavern with a relaxed gait. But as soon as he turned the corner, that attitude vanished. His steps grew hurried as he made his way toward the heart of the black market.
Unlike the outer edge of the market, which had been noisy and filled with drinking and chatter, the inner area quickly turned ominous. Buildings with a bleak atmosphere came into view.
Every passerby kept their faces hidden with wide-brimmed hats, masks, and the like. And the man too pulled his hood low as he moved through the tangled alleys.
Eventually, he arrived at a basement down one such alley.
“The sword of that one has revealed itself to the world.”
“We just confirmed it ourselves.”
“Are you certain the information is accurate?”
“Yes. But it seems the news was spread intentionally…. and strangely, it spread everywhere except our zone.”
“That explains the delay in our response.”
“First, we need to figure out the intent behind this. Start by tracking down the source.”
In the basement, dozens of eyes gleamed with menace.
It was much like the gaze of a beast that had finally found its long-awaited prey.
***
“I heard we’d be getting a late-night visitor. So this is what it was about.”
Early morning. Tairdin, the captain of the Blackguard Knights, came to visit Jun’s room.
Jun who was already awake and sipping a light coffee greeted him.
“Would you like a cup of coffee?”
“Gladly.”
Tairdin took a sip of the coffee Jun had brewed, and his eyes widened in surprise.
“This is good. Not too bitter, and it leaves just the right hint of aroma on the nose.”
“Thank you.”
Jun nodded politely and pointed to a letter on the table.
“This arrived at dawn, correct?”
“Yes. Just like you said, someone came quietly in the middle of the night and left it at the inn.”
“Thank you for leaving it untouched.”
“It’s bait for landing a big fish, isn’t it?”
And so…. what could that letter be?
Tairdin looked at Jun with a question in his eyes.
Jun immediately picked up on his gaze and began explaining the letter.
“The weapon one of our mercenaries uses is an artifact called Acanthus’s Fangs.”
“Ah, I remember hearing about that artifact back when I was vice-captain. Wasn’t it said to be possessed by an evil spirit?”
“That’s correct. However, my subordinate has found a way to handle that on her own and is using it safely.”
“I see…”
But what does that sword have to do with this letter?
Jun was quick to explain.
“The organization that sent this letter is called Requiem. It was founded long ago by someone named Basai, the original owner of the Acanthus’s Fang.”
“So the weapon has symbolic value. That’s why they wanted it and went to the trouble of sending a letter. How noble of them.”
“Exactly. Which is why…”
—A concert has been prepared for the one who inherits his will. For the flower of vengeance, Acanthus’s Requiem.
“They’ve shown their attachment to the sword by going so far as to send this kind of formal invitation.”
“Hmm… I see. So they’re trying to make discreet contact with the Black Market’s information network. But do you think your subordinate will hand over the weapon so easily?”
“I’ve already made preparations for that part.”
“Understood. Then I’ll leave that side of things to you. We’ll start moving on our end as well.”
Just then, Jun suddenly thought of Aiden.
That guy who could never hide the admiration in his eyes whenever he looked at knights.
And it was about time his hands started itching for action.
“Sir Tairdin. May I ask you a favor?”
“What is it?”
“My companion Aiden has a deep admiration for knights.”
“Ah.”
Tairdin immediately understood what Jun was getting at.
It wasn’t a difficult request.
From the perspective of Tairdin who was still unaware of the Third Prince’s involvement, this mission didn’t seem particularly grave or dangerous.
Not a bad idea for me either.
And while he did have a touch of pride and vanity as a knight, the truth was that connections within Blackout mattered greatly to Blackguard as an organization.
When chasing down criminals, there are always situations that require cooperation. And for Tairdin, the White Whale Mercenaries seemed like reliable allies for such occasions.
They’re still only at the fifth level, but considering that insane growth rate…
With that thought, Tairdin nodded without hesitation, and just like that, Aiden who wasn’t even present had his assignment decided.
***
Naturally, Aiden was pleased with Jun’s suggestion, but he soon looked at him with a worried expression.
“Senior… Are you sure it’s okay for me to leave?”
“Yeah. This side of the operation is all about intelligence work, so there won’t be many chances for you to take action anyway. You might as well take this opportunity to learn how the Blackguard operates.”
“I never imagined I’d get a chance like this. To be working alongside a knight order…”
It was a perfectly natural reaction for Aiden, who had grown up admiring knights from afar since childhood.
Still, to the eyes of the Blackguard members, he could easily be seen as a potential burden. To save Tairdin the trouble and smooth things over, Jun decided to send Eleanor along as well.
“Eleanor, if it’s okay with you, could you keep an eye on Aiden and help him out?”
“It’s not a hard task. Sure, I’ll go.”
“I’ll be in your care, Sister Eleanor!”
Soon after, the two left the inn with Tairdin.
Jun turned to Maya, the only one left with him.
Maya was clutching her sword tightly and eyeing him with a wary gaze.
“Leader. I heard taking something back after giving it is the worst thing a person can do.”
“You’re being dramatic… I told you, I’m not taking the sword away.”
“Then why won’t you explain properly what’s going on?”
“There are reasons I can’t talk about it just yet.”
“So it’s something you can’t say in front of others? I knew it…! You’re trying to take my sword! That’s why you were so shifty about it!!”
Oh boy.
Jun sighed, pressing his palm to his forehead.
“I’m going to kill a noble.”
“..…?”
“That’s why I couldn’t say anything.”
“…???”
***
“The truth is, there’s a hidden secret about that sword.”
“What is it?”
“It’s actually part of a set.”
“A set?”
“Yeah. It’s meant to be used together with other equipment.”
The reason Jun knew so much about the Acanthus’s Fang was because, back when he was still “Lee Jeong-jun”, it was one of his favorite weapons while raising his hunter character.
“The Acanthus’s Fang is part of a set. Its pair is called the Dagger of Vengeance.”
“Do I have to use them together?”
“Not necessarily. It’s a strong weapon on its own. But… the truth is, this weapon is actually a skill book.”
“……??”
Seeing Maya’s confused expression, Jun began explaining patiently.
“The owner of both weapons, Basai, asked a powerful mage to seal his secret technique into the two weapons.”
“So then…?”
“Basai left instructions that whoever masters the technique should become the new leader of the organization after his death.”
However, as time passed, Requiem lost both weapons during a mission.
After a long search, they managed to recover the Dagger of Vengeance, but they were never able to retrieve the Acanthus’s Fang.
“And that’s when I showed up, right?”
“Exactly. From Requiem’s perspective, this is an incredibly valuable opportunity.”
“Then… is this invitation just a fancy way of saying they’ll kill us and take it?”
“No, it’s not.”
Given the White Whale Mercenaries’ reputation, that would be an impossible move.
As assassins and information merchants, Requiem would undoubtedly know about them and they weren’t foolish enough to draw their blades against people who had met the emperor himself.
“This invitation is more of a challenge. A signal for a duel.”
“Ah. A fair and square showdown.”
Of course, there was nothing “fair” about this duel.
Jun knew all too well how this quest’s storyline ended from his “Lee Jeong-jun” days.
“So what does this have to do with killing a noble?”
Unfortunately, Jun didn’t get the chance to answer Maya’s question.
Because just then, their visitor in the night arrived.
***
“Pleased to meet you. I am Chairlse, the leader of Requiem.”
“Nice to meet you, Charles.”
“My name is not Charles. It’s Chairlse.”
“Ah, my mistake.”
It was a late hour, deep into the night.
At an hour just before dawn, a guest arrived on the terrace where Jun and Maya had been waiting.
Chairlse, the leader of Requiem.
He pointed at Maya’s sword and spoke.
“Bringing that sword all the way here…can I take that to mean you know quite a bit about him? If not, just be honest. If you don’t know, I’ll buy the sword off you at a good price.”
“Basai.”
“Hmm… so you do know.”
Did he expect things to be resolved more easily?
Chairlse let out a quiet sigh and said,
“There will be a trial to succeed Sir Basai’s legacy. Will you accept it?”
“I will.”
“Then I’ll give you the objective. You just need to bring me this person’s hair.”
The photo Chairlse handed over showed a noble-looking man.
Jun took the photo and silently passed over a different one he had prepared.
“This is your target.”
“Head of the MacGray Merchant Guild…”
“He shouldn’t be too difficult a target, right?”
“Seems that way. The time limit is three days.”
“Understood.”
“Then, I’ll see you then.”
After introducing himself as Chairlse, the man vanished like a shadow, and Jun showed Maya the photo he received from Chairlse.
“This noble is the one you’re going to kill.”
“…????”
Maya tilted her head, wondering if her Imperial language skills were still lacking.
Was she supposed to cut off the man’s head, not just his hair?
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