The Origin City had begun to bustle with activity.
Everywhere had the air of a festival, and people’s faces were filled with joy and anticipation.
“It’s like they’re welcoming back a victorious general.”
“Well, yeah. It’s a big event backed by the imperial family. If they’re going to push someone, they might as well go all in.”
“True. It’s not every day that members of the imperial family officially descend into Blackout.”
And that’s not all.
After the successful conclusion of the Fairy Queen raid, especially following last year’s failure, the fame surrounding them had only grown. That went without saying.
When the day finally arrived for the two imperial members to visit, the city was thrown into a frenzy of excitement.
Not only the usual residents of Origin City, but enormous crowds from all over had gathered just to catch a glimpse of the imperial members they’d heard so much about.
Soldiers ran frantically, nearly wearing out their boots trying to control the swelling crowd.
“Whoa…”
Amid all this, two members of the imperial family emerged in the distance, riding a white horse and a black horse.
The two waved calmly, as if they were used to such occasions…
Well, maybe not the Third Prince.
Third Prince Javier.
Through Jun’s [Keen Eyesight], he could see the prince’s legs trembling slightly.
After the two victorious “generals” passed through the city and entered the castle, the crowd finally began to disperse.
“Oh, the mage! I heard you arrived ahead of us! Have you been well?”
The one to greet Jun and his companions first was the First Prince, Dexter.
“Congratulations on your victory, Sir Dexter.”
“Hahaha! Hearing that from you makes me feel a bit embarrassed! If it weren’t for all your efforts last year, I wouldn’t even have gotten this opportunity.”
Dexter seemed genuinely pleased with how things had gone and showed clear goodwill toward Jun.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince Javier, who had been standing off to the side catching his breath and trying to calm down, also approached them.
“Th-Thank you… My mother was truly pleased, all thanks to you.”
Javier looked utterly drained, as if he had just passed a major ordeal. But he then turned to Aiden with a bright smile.
“Have you been doing well?”
“Yes, Sir Javier.”
Aiden’s reply was stiff, given all the eyes watching them.
But Javier didn’t mind and simply smiled again.
“Haha. I’d like to have a proper conversation with you, but now doesn’t seem to be the right time… Brother, I’ll head in first.”
“Alright, Javier. You’ve done well. Go and get some rest.”
“Yes.”
With that, Javier headed off to his room.
And so, their second meeting with the princes came to a close.
***
Just as the city outside buzzed with festive energy, the inside of the castle was equally busy.
Servants were rushing around to welcome the two imperial members who had returned after their hard-fought campaign, while elsewhere, preparations for a grand banquet were well underway.
Several hours passed.
Then, a banquet began. It was on a scale so grand that what Jun and the mercenaries had experienced after last year’s raid seemed like a joke in comparison.
“Wow~ From the food to the live music, nothing here falls short of last year’s.”
“Haha, even so, I think I enjoyed that time more.”
“Was it because we were the stars back then?”
“That, and… well, this kind of extravagance is starting to feel more burdensome than enjoyable.”
Indeed, such lavishness was bound to stir up Aiden’s darker memories.
Meanwhile, Eleanor had decided she’d rather study magic in her room than deal with all this and had left early.
Maya, on the other hand, figured no one would recognize her and strolled freely around the banquet hall, sampling various dishes with her usual carefree attitude.
“Leader. This meat skewer. Could you make it for me sometime?”
“Do you even know how much that meat costs?”
“Nope. How much is it?”
When Jun leaned in and whispered the price in her ear, Maya stared at him in shock.
“If I ate this every day, I’d be broke in a month.”
“Exactly…”
“I have to make this banquet worth it, then.”
“You didn’t spend a dime coming here. What “worth” are you talking about?”
But Maya didn’t bother answering such questions. She simply went back to wandering the banquet hall, focusing entirely on the food.
Meanwhile, Jun tried hard to recall the faces of the villain NPCs from the game he remembered…
Damn it. I skipped most of the story, so I don’t even know who’s who.
The game had been stingy with NPC illustrations, too. Unless someone had striking features like Aiden or Maya, it was nearly impossible for him to confirm whether the person before him was the same NPC he vaguely remembered.
As Jun sighed inwardly at the thought—
“Whoa… He really is as tall and dashing as the rumors say!”
“I heard the two of them cleared the raid together!”
“They seem to have quite the bond, don’t they?”
“That’s a separate matter. The nobles tied up in central politics are supposedly at each other’s throats.”
The moment the First and Third Princes entered the banquet hall, the atmosphere grew even more heated.
“We’re overwhelmed by such a warm welcome. It’s good to see you all!”
Dexter who naturally loved people and the attention that came with them flashed a cheerful smile and mingled right into the crowd.
Javier too slipped among them with his masklike expression, responding briefly to most questions, while Dexter remained at his side, smoothing things over for him.
So… the imperial family has realized how the Heavenly Church intends to stir up trouble.
– De…xter… must… be… pro…tec…ted…
The dying words of the coachman who had once staged the Third Prince’s carriage accident.
Of course, that man had no real connection to First Prince Dexter; it was nothing more than the Church’s ploy to undermine the Empire from within.
Which explained why the imperial family now seemed intent on flaunting the brothers’ close relationship.
Still… Javier looks more uncomfortable with it than anything else. Or rather, he finds it difficult to handle.
Dexter, on the other hand, seemed genuinely eager to grow closer to his younger brother. He kept watching over him carefully throughout the banquet.
“Oh, my friends! There you are! Hahaha! Come, join us!”
He even went so far as to directly point to the White Whale Mercenary Corps, calling them out with enthusiasm.
Only then did the other guests who had left Jun and Aiden tucked away in the corner turn to them with great interest.
We really have made quite a name for ourselves, haven’t we?
The guests at the banquet were expressing three main emotions.
Curiosity, envy, and wariness.
The arrival of a dark horse, especially one of such massive star power, was enough to draw all eyes in the room.
I’d rather avoid places like this if I could…
But he couldn’t hide behind illusion magic forever.
It was about time he got used to events like this.
“You’re both dressed exceptionally well tonight.”
“Hahaha! Thank you for saying so. You carry yourself with elegance too. But I imagine you’re not used to gatherings like this, are you? Come this way. Let me introduce you. Now, this is the head of the Moldar Merchant Guild. And over here is…”
As Dexter introduced him to various people, Jun gradually expanded his network, forming light connections.
In the process, he wore a practiced, businesslike smile, working his facial muscles harder than he had in a long time…
Eleanor. You once said studying was easier than this, right? You must still have some room to breathe.
He couldn’t really trust Aiden with this sort of thing, and Maya had never been an option. So Eleanor had been the only one he could rely on. And now she’d fled, too.
Jun went on chatting with various people, all the while thinking about what homework he’d give Eleanor later.
And so, after a whirlwind of socializing had passed—
“This is killing me.”
It wasn’t until late evening, after the First and Third Princes had left the banquet hall, that he could finally breathe.
“Haha… You did great, senior.”
Right then, Aiden came up and handed him a glass.
Jun took the glass of clear water, drank it in one gulp, and let out another deep sigh.
“There you are!”
A stout man called out to Jun and approached him as if they were old acquaintances.
Who…? Oh.
Perhaps due to mental exhaustion, Jun only recognized the man a moment later.
“It’s been a while, my lord.”
“Hahaha! You still call me that! It’s great to see you again!”
The plump man speaking to Jun was none other than Baron Dortagon.
He had been the commander of the Black Forest Fortress during the early season goblin lord subjugation campaign last year.
“How have you been?”
“Quite well, actually! I should be asking you that. Your achievements have been beyond impressive…‘amazing’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. I mean, who would’ve thought Sir Dexter himself would hold you all in such high regard!”
A former figure in the imperial central government who had stepped down to Blackout after losing in the political power struggle. He clearly understood the value of Jun and his mercenary corps.
“But I see the others didn’t come with you tonight.”
“Ah, Mardin and Chern stayed behind at the fortress. There were still quite a few matters to handle after the campaign against the Fairy Queen.”
Mardin and Chern had also been commanders at the fortress during last year’s subjugation campaign.
“Come to think of it, I suppose you haven’t heard? About Commander Ginovan.”
“What happened to Commander Ginovan?”
“A fair bit, actually! I recommended him for a post on the third level.”
“The third level…?”
“The Voltaine Ore Fields. He’s been appointed as commander there. Hahaha!”
“Hmm…”
The Voltaine Ore Fields.
It was a fairly well-known hunting zone even within the game.
The area had mines rich in various minerals, often used as a source of steady profit by sending out characters commonly referred to as “miners.”
Moving from the first level to the third is definitely a promotion… but of all places, the Voltaine Ore Fields?
While it did have a [checkpoint] directly operated by the imperial family, it was still quite a remote location…
Not exactly the best conditions for someone like Commander Ginovan, who’s trying to restore his family’s name.
Though he had been made a commander, the fact that it was a remote third-level location meant it wasn’t exactly a prestigious post.
To make matters worse, the field boss there was relatively weak, making it a poor place to earn distinction and rise further.
In other words, it was closer to being an exile.
So that’s why I haven’t received any letters from him lately.
The image of Ginovan’s face who was once shining with passion came back to him, bringing with it a bitter feeling.
Especially since Ginovan had played no small role in helping Jun and his companions reach their current position.
Still… it’s not something I can step in and fix myself.
Although Ginovan was a fallen noble, he was a man of honor. So he likely wouldn’t welcome such a gesture.
Still, using his own position to pull Ginovan out of there would only make things look strange.
It could end up dragging him into dirty political games.
As Jun’s expression grew slightly heavier, Baron Dortagon quickly tried to shift the conversation to a different topic…
“It was an honor to meet you here, Your Excellency. I hope we have the chance to speak again.”
Leaving only those words behind, Jun took his leave.
He felt that the only way to shake off this unpleasant feeling was to get back to work.
And so, the place Jun headed to was the room where Dexter was staying.
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