“Is that sword really something you can just use to kill a noble like that?”
Even though Maya lacked common sense about the surface world, quite some time had passed since she started following Jun.
Naturally, she had heard all sorts of things from those around her. And although she might’ve seemed disinterested, Maya had always kept her ears open to her environment.
Of course, she knew well enough by now that nobles were not people you could kill so easily.
Only then did Jun clap his hands as if he had just remembered something.
“Ah, I must’ve cut my explanation too short. I didn’t mean for you to personally get blood on your hands.”
“Then do you mean I should throw a dagger at him?”
“I don’t mean to kill him from a distance either… I meant it in a political or social sense.”
Even someone as well-known as Jun couldn’t just go around killing nobles without consequence.
He could, technically…but that would only create unnecessary weaknesses.
“I’m going to do it by following Imperial law.”
“Does the law really work that well?”
Maya knew all too well how unreliable the law could be.
Especially when it came to those with power, like nobles, who often wielded the law as a weapon themselves.
“You’re surprisingly well-informed…?”
“I didn’t really want to know.”
She was only starting to understand bit by bit after hearing it so many times from Bradden, the head of the Black Forest Mercenary Guild branch.
“You’re not wrong. But the law is a double-edged sword. You never know when it might come back to cut you.”
“……?”
She didn’t fully understand what he meant, but Maya nodded anyway.
After all, Jun had always been good at handling things like this from the start!
***
Aiden did his best to calm his excited heart while following Tairdin, the captain of the Blackguard Knights.
This was an opportunity Jun had arranged for him.
He couldn’t afford to ruin it through a careless mistake.
Still, the very thought of seeing the knights he had always admired from the Imperial Palace with his own eyes made his heart race with excitement.
Just as Aiden was walking with a slightly elevated mood—
“Tch. Those guys are looking down on you.”
“Huh? What do you mean by that?”
It was Eleanor, walking beside him, who spoke.
At her words, Aiden snapped out of his daze.
“Look at their eyes. They’re clearly looking down on you because you’re a mercenary.”
“Ah…”
Though Captain Tairdin was unusually easygoing, knights were typically known for their immense pride.
Naturally, they wouldn’t take kindly to the idea of a mere mercenary like Aiden being involved in their operation.
“I heard he’s achieved quite a few things.”
“Even if he did, they’re probably just rumors. And it’s not like he did them all by himself.”
“I hope he lives up to at least half the hype.”
Skilled mages or priests tended to receive a certain level of respect.
But for warriors who hadn’t followed the path of knighthood, this kind of disdain was all too common.
Only then did Aiden recall how Colton had initially been wary of those from the Blackguard.
“In fact, that kind of attitude is the norm.”
“Really?”
“The knights you’ve met until now were unusually kind. The world’s not full of nice people, you know.”
Thinking back, commanders like Ginovan of the Black Forest Fortress, sword soul Aden, and even Tairdin….all of them were either seasoned veterans or broad-minded individuals.
Yet Aiden didn’t appear the least bit intimidated.
Most people would feel deeply hurt if those they admired looked down on them.
“Aren’t you bothered by it?”
“I’m actually used to it. I’ve experienced it a few times even within the Imperial Palace.”
“Ah…”
“And more importantly, I am a mercenary.”
“That’s true.”
“Which means I have to prove myself through skill.”
Eleanor gave Aiden a renewed look.
When she first saw him in the Black Forest, he was just a scruffy kid with nothing but a sword, like some clueless brat.
But now, he seemed to have matured quite a bit.
Is this thanks to that mage?
Recalling who Aiden’s mentor was, it all started to make sense.
“Good.”
And Eleanor didn’t dislike seeing someone grow like that.
Before long, the two of them forgot the gazes around them and focused on Tairdin’s operational briefing.
***
Chairlse, the leader of Requiem, stared out over the backyard of a grand mansion.
Acanthus’s Fang has returned.
The founder of Requiem, and the one revered as a master by successive leaders. A legendary assassin named Basai.
He was the man who had assassinated a count of the Empire, a figure who had become a living legend among assassins.
Acanthus’s Fang, the weapon imbued with his ultimate technique, had reappeared in the world…
But Chairlse couldn’t bring himself to feel pleased.
Why now, of all times?
He sighed inwardly, fully aware of what lay beyond the extravagant facade of that wretched mansion.
It was ironic that an assassin like Chairlse would think this way.
But he had no choice.
After all, Requiem had originally been founded as an anti-noble organization, formed by those who rallied against aristocratic tyranny.
Yet now, Requiem had been reduced to groveling like a dog beneath a noble’s heel.
It was not a situation to rejoice over.
If only we hadn’t lost the Dagger of Vengeance…
There had been a traitor within the organization.
Thankfully, the traitor was dealt with quietly. But by then, the Dagger of Vengeance had already fallen into someone else’s hands.
And that “someone” was none other than—
“You’ve come.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Viscount Bedron.
A man active in the underworld as a slave trader and one of the financiers of the noble faction within the Imperial Court.
“According to the reports, Acanthus’s Fang has reappeared. Is that true?”
“It is.”
“Hmmm…”
His eyes sank into a cold expression but Chairlse could still sense the greed lurking within.
You bastard.
He immediately realized what his “lord” was planning.
He’s going to use us and toss us aside once he gets what he wants.
It was clear what he was trying to do—
Combine the Dagger of Vengeance with Acanthus’s Fang, train his personal subordinates with them, and slowly devour Requiem from the inside out.
Just as I thought. This isn’t good.
If things continued like this, not only would his own position be threatened, but there was a real risk that Requiem could vanish entirely.
How can I get rid of this bastard…?
He was lost in thought when—
“I just finished reading the report you sent. Turns out those annoying bastards took it.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
The White Whale Mercenary Group.
They were a hot topic lately among those in the know.
Recently, news had started spreading even among the general public that they’d survived the Orc Lord subjugation, making them ready to become even more talked about.
But fame came with its own burdens—
The more well-known you were, the harder it became to move freely.
“You must’ve staked my hair on the request you gave them, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I suppose all I need to do is tighten security around the mansion. Good. So, who did they stake in return?”
“The head of the MacGray Merchant Guild.”
“What… Pfft—!”
He couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
The MacGray Merchant Guild, though not quite on the level of a viscount, had recently struck a major deal and was growing rapidly.
But that wasn’t why Viscount Bedron burst into laughter.
“That idiot made a real blunder.”
“……”
The head of the MacGray Merchant Guild was none other than a man supported by Viscount Bedron himself.
He had long engaged in backdoor dealings under Bedron’s wing.
With just a single letter from Bedron, the man would come running like a dog.
“There’s no need for tricks anymore.”
The other side might only have to get a strand of hair, but there was no way they could get past the countless guards protecting the mansion.
While on this side, all it would take was a snap of the fingers to fulfill the request. What kind of competition was that?
But… could he really have not known that?
The thought suddenly crossed Chairlse’s mind.
This was someone who had gained considerable fame in such a short time, after all.
According to the information they had uncovered, he was even receiving backing from the Gillen Merchant Guild.
People like that wouldn’t go down so easily.
“I’ll have MacGray brought here by tomorrow morning. So make sure you stay here as well.”
“As you command.”
“They might come for us tonight, so be prepared.”
“Yes, my lord.”
But Chairlse’s suspicion had been right.
The next morning—
“What?!”
Viscount Bedron’s expression turned murderous, and his servant stammered in fear.
“Th-The head of the MacGray Merchant Guild… he left the morning before last… He boarded a ship bound for the Vandrane Sea…”
When he heard that the man had embarked on a grand voyage that would take six whole months, Viscount Bedron erupted in fury.
“What are you talking about?! What reason could that bastard possibly have to go that far?!”
“He said a very large deal had come in, s-so he left in a hurry…”
“A deal? Even if that’s true, how dare he leave without reporting to me!”
Viscount Bedron had no idea—
Just as he had treated the head MacGray like a dog,
MacGray had also been preparing to betray Bedron at any moment.
And this was the first sign that things were starting to go wrong.
***
“Hmm. Everything’s going smoothly.”
Jun nodded slightly as he read the letter from Chloe.
Just as she had arranged, the head of the MacGray Merchant Guild had set sail for the Vandrane Sea.
“Sending the target off somewhere completely different? As expected of leader. So smart.”
“That may be, but I never actually intended to let him reach the Vandrane Sea.”
“Why not?”
“Because MacGray knows quite a bit.”
So they couldn’t let him really make it that far.
In fact, MacGray still had an important role to play in this whole operation.
Instead, one of the navigators he’d hired would lead him off course.
“That navigator…are they from the Gillen Merchant Guild too?”
“You’re quick. Yes.”
“…Leader. You’re scary.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“So, are we just keeping him captive now? Or… interrogation?”
“Yeah. We’ll interrogate him.”
“Would anyone really spill something that could cost them their life so easily?”
“Not under normal circumstances, no.”
Even with mental magic, it would be hard to make him talk freely.
People like him usually had mental protection magic as well.
“But he’ll end up spilling everything about the backdoor deals he made with Viscount Bedron on his own.”
Because Jun had already written down every detail of those dealings and handed them over to the people of Gillen.
Times like this are when [Excellent Memory] really comes in handy.
Those secret dealings had taken place long before Jun had ever influenced this world, so there was no chance that his presence had changed anything about them.
That’s why Jun simply transcribed the exact information he’d come across in the game.
And the moment those records landed in front of MacGray, he would confess everything in a desperate bid to save his life.
Because the moment he saw them, he’d realize that the ship called Viscount Bedron was about to sink.
“Just give him a little nudge. Promise him a lighter sentence or something and he’ll spill it all willingly.”
“Hmm…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Leader, if I did something wrong, just tell me straight up. No sulking, okay?”
“Hoho.”
Maya would’ve much preferred a head-on fight. Anything but this kind of psychological warfare.
Just imagining it gave her a headache.
But she wasn’t the only one feeling the pressure.
“What the hell kind of nonsense is this?!”
The enraged Viscount Bedron also felt like the blood rushing to his head was about to make it explode.
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