As Jun headed to Dexter’s room, Aiden was left alone and wandered the corridor. Then, a familiar voice made him turn around.
“Brother.”
It was the Third Prince Javier.
His face, usually pale, looked even paler than usual as he stood facing Aiden.
“Sir Javier.”
“Haha… I’ve told you, you don’t need to be so formal when it’s just the two of us.”
“Thank you for saying that. But there are still quite a few people left in the mansion.”
“Hmm, that’s true. I suppose I got ahead of myself because I was glad to see you.”
With that, Javier naturally made his way toward the balcony.
Below, the outdoor banquet hall that had been in use all day came into view.
Aiden looked at Javier’s back with a tinge of sadness.
The Javier he knew wasn’t someone with a strong mind or body.
“You must be exhausted today.”
“Thank you for saying that. It gives me a bit of strength. My mother will be pleased too.”
“……”
“It might sound odd saying this to you, but… my mother is someone who bears many wounds. That’s why she has great expectations of me.”
His current mother Beneth was originally from the Outer Regions.
She married into the imperial family as part of an effort by the current emperor to reconcile with the Outers within Blackout.
As a consort, Beneth entered the palace carrying not just her own hopes and worries, but those of many Outer people as well.
“Ever since Father’s reign began, many Outers have joined the Empire. Over the centuries, much of their anger has faded.”
Even so, their history had been passed down through texts and stories over generations, and the wounds they carried had not yet disappeared.
Beneth had worked tirelessly to heal those deep scars.
“And the most certain way to do that… would be for me to ascend the throne.”
That was why Beneth had no choice but to place all her hopes in Javier, and Javier had done his utmost to shoulder that burden for her…
“Still, it’s overwhelming. I can’t help it.”
“…Is it very hard for you?”
Aiden didn’t know what words of comfort to offer Javier.
Instead, he chose to simply listen to his troubles.
Although Aiden’s experience with Beneth had once left him with trauma… within the prison-like confines of the imperial palace, it was Javier who had allowed him to make even a few good memories.
“If you ask me if it’s hard… yes, it is. It’s hard. So hard it feels unbearable. But…”
His gaze drifted beyond the banquet hall, past the castle walls, and out toward the cityscape.
“When I wonder whether my mother’s life has been any less difficult than mine… I don’t think that’s the case.”
She was the daughter of a tribal chief, who had entered the tangled web of interests and power plays known as the imperial palace.
Compared to the weight she must carry, Javier’s own suffering might amount to nothing more than the petty complaints of an immature child.
“It’s not something you can say for sure, is it?”
“…Hmm?”
But Aiden thought differently.
He had stepped outside the suffocating palace walls, met a mage, and spent what was either a short or long span of time out in the world.
And what Aiden had seen and felt in that world was always fresh and new.
“Lady Beneth may indeed be carrying a heavy burden, but that doesn’t mean the weight you carry is light, Sir Javier.”
“And why do you think so?”
“Since leaving the palace, I’ve met many people. And all of them were in different circumstances, struggling to make the best choices they could within their given situations.”
So then, just because those people had a lower status than his, should their worries, their self-reflection, and their desperate struggles all be considered insignificant?
Aiden could firmly say no.
That was the truth he had come to realize over the past year, traveling with Jun.
“And also, um…”
“And also?”
Aiden hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should say what was on his mind.
But when he thought about the pain Javier was carrying…
At that moment, Javier pulled an artifact from his pocket and activated it.
A high-grade artifact that prevented their conversation from being heard by anyone outside.
“Please speak freely, brother.”
“…The path a person can take isn’t just one.”
“……”
“It was your choice to carry Lady Beneth’s burden with her. But just carrying it alone…can that really be called ‘family’?”
“Then…”
“Isn’t family about discussing how to deal with the burden? Finding even a slightly easier path and moving forward together?”
Naturally, Aiden thought of Jun and of the companions who were with him now.
Jun had never once looked down on them, and whenever a problem arose, he always asked for their input before trying to solve it.
The others too didn’t just blindly agree with him. They would ask questions, seriously consider the matter, and express their thoughts.
And through those conversations, they sometimes arrived at unexpected solutions—answers even Jun hadn’t thought of.
They weren’t bound by a leader-and-subordinate dynamic but were developing a relationship where they relied on each other.
“You’re saying I should share my thoughts… with my mother?”
At that, Javier gave a bitter smile as he pictured his mother.
“Thank you for taking my complaints seriously, brother.”
“No… Maybe I spoke too freely about something that isn’t really my place.”
“No, it’s alright. It may not be something I can do right away, but… if I ever find the courage someday…”
Maybe then, a moment would come when he could face his mother and truly talk with her.
Even if he didn’t know when that moment might come.
Perhaps because a part of the burden still lingered, Javier’s expression remained heavy as he returned to his room.
All Aiden could do was hope that this moment would be part of the healing process, not a deepening of the wound.
It wasn’t long after that when Jun returned.
Seeing Aiden waiting for him on the terrace, Jun asked,
“What happened to make you look like you’ve seen all of life’s sorrows?”
“Haha… It’s nothing, senior.”
“You look like someone who just discovered the meaning of life or something.”
***
“Our next schedule is set.”
That evening.
Jun gathered his companions and explained the plans he had discussed with the two princes.
“First, we’ll be going on a tour.”
“A tour…? The imperial family is going to tour Blackout themselves?”
Eleanor already looked like she could see all the hardship ahead.
And as it turned out, her worries weren’t misplaced. The schedule would be a tight one.
“Yes. The tour will focus mainly on the [Checkpoints] directly managed by the imperial family. The highest level we’ll reach is the fourth.”
“If we’re going all the way up to the fourth level, that’ll make the schedule pretty long, won’t it?”
“It will be long, of course, but fortunately the travel distances aren’t that great. As you know, the [Checkpoints] under the imperial family’s control are all in places with geographical advantages.”
“That’s true.”
Since Blackout also operated under a market economy, the shorter the distance between cities, the better.
And the larger the population living there, the more fitting it was for this tour. It was meant to showcase the empire’s continued strength.
“So, what do we need to be careful about?”
“Nothing in particular. Our role is more or less just for appearances. Security for the imperial members will mostly be handled by the imperial knights.”
According to rumors, the leader of the Heavenly Dragon Knights said to have reached Level 9 would not be accompanying them, but even the vice-leader beneath him was already a formidable Level 8.
On top of that, with the Blackguard Knight Commander, who had reached Level 7, and all his knights deployed, their fighting power was more than sufficient against almost any threat.
“Besides, all three of the imperial members can defend themselves to some extent.”
After all, the First Prince Dexter possessed the strength of Level 6.
The First Princess Natalie had impressive magical ability, and the Third Prince Javier had combat skills at around Level 4.
Although the Third Prince isn’t exactly skilled in battle.
In any case, the White Whale Mercenary Corps would have no real difficulty protecting them.
Practically a free commission. Practically.
It would take a lot of time, but considering there were no real risks while also gaining recognition from the imperial family, it was a massive profit.
And yet, for some reason…
It didn’t feel so simple.
“……”
“……”
When he looked straight ahead, Jun found Maya and Eleanor glaring at him with an ominous intensity.
Quickly, Jun cleared his throat and spoke again, almost defensively.
“C-Cough. But of course, we can’t let our guard down. We have no idea how the Heavenly Church might try to interfere! So stay sharp.”
“Good thing we don’t need to sew his mouth shut this time.”
“Seriously. If he had said it was going to be easy again, I would’ve whacked him with my staff.”
Having barely escaped that crisis, Jun let out a sigh of relief and moved on to the main point.
“Anyway, the duties assigned to us are only the surface of the mission.”
“And why is that?”
“Our real destination is somewhere else. The tour is nothing more than a smokescreen to cover that up.”
“Our real destination?”
“Yes. As I mentioned, our true mission this time is… to track down the traces of the Heavenly Church.”
They were deliberately wasting time to keep that fact hidden from their enemies, but ultimately, the empire’s purpose was to catch the tail of the Heavenly Church, which had made a move on Javier.
“So that’s why the Blackguard came along too.”
“That’s right.”
“Then where exactly is this final destination?”
“…The third level. The Voltain Ore Fields.”
And that happened to be the very place where Ginovan was currently serving as commander.
***
While Aiden and Javier were still in the middle of their conversation, Jun was holding a meeting with the two imperial members who had requested this mission.
“To start with the conclusion, we’ve caught the trail….”
At the First Princess Natalie’s languid voice, Dexter gave a small nod.
“Our ultimate destination is the third level, Mage.”
“The third level… Would that be the Voltain Ore Fields?”
“Yes. After combining the information I’ve gathered with the intelligence sent by the Blackguard… the traces of the Heavenly Church are leading straight to the Voltain Ore Fields….”
At that, Jun’s expression hardened slightly as he asked,
“Given the circumstances, what do you think their reason is for heading to the Voltain Ore Fields?”
“Most likely, to buy off the commander there. Judging from their pattern, they tend to prey on people’s desperation.”
“By desperation, you mean—”
“You know the man as well. Commander Ginovan. A fallen noble, stripped of his title.”
“……”
“According to our information, he seems to be under considerable pressure. It looks like he’s been pushed out of the political games in the Black Forest.”
For a moment, Jun pictured Ginovan in his mind.
He had a rather gentle nature, and as a person, he wasn’t half bad either.
Would someone like him really join hands with the Heavenly Church and act against the empire?
There’s no way to know.
As Dexter had said, the Heavenly Church knew how to prey on despair.
At first, they extended a hand that seemed harmless. But once you took it even once, it was as good as being finished.
Like a drug, they bound people tighter and tighter, dragging them slowly into the mire.
I can only hope he hasn’t made a foolish choice.
And so, the tour began. The one meant to catch the Heavenly Church’s trail.
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