From Jun’s perspective, it was utterly absurd that someone hailed as an elite mage had collapsed from mana depletion simply because he couldn’t regulate his mana properly…
But the spectators watching the duel didn’t see it that way.
“Did you…did you see that?!”
“Yeah! The ice just exploded out and then suddenly it got hot, and boom! And then, huh?”
“Th-That… was really a duel between real mages…”
“I’ve seen something similar before, but… it was nothing like this.”
“That was truly incredible! I don’t regret coming all the way out here to watch this!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd, filled with excitement and awe.
Among them, however, were also those calmly analyzing the situation.
“Isn’t the Lannes Magic Tower known for its combat magic expertise?”
“I’ve heard of Velles before. Isn’t he one of the Tower’s up-and-coming mages? Rumor has it he even received direct training from the Tower Master herself.”
“And that kind of mage… was taken down purely through defense…?”
“No wonder the two princes have him in their entourage…”
“I thought the rumors were exaggerated, but maybe they weren’t after all.”
With so many eyes now turning toward him, even Jun’s companions looked at him with admiration.
This… isn’t going to cause some kind of talk back at the Lannes Tower, is it?
Jun had expected to win…but not this easily.
Now, the growing attention was beginning to feel a bit overwhelming.
After all, there was no telling how these people would spread the story.
Considering the future, I really should try to maintain a friendly relationship with the Lannes Magic Tower…
Although Jun had a tendency to despise fellow mages, that sentiment didn’t extend to all of them.
Especially not to places like the Lannes Magic Tower….a group that, compared to other towers, was as different as a snake is from a dragon.
Well, maybe they’ll just be glad I didn’t actually injure their disciple.
No matter how careful one tried to be, magic duels often came with unavoidable risks. If it ended with nothing more than mana depletion, it could be considered a pretty tame outcome.
Among mages, collapsing from mana depletion is seen as a fool’s mistake, though.
But that was Velles’s burden to bear. Jun had no reason to concern himself further.
***
“I had originally planned to offer a few polite greetings and be on my way… but it seems things might take a bit longer.”
The morning after the previous day’s successful banquet, Dexter called for Jun.
“Has something happened?”
“Ah, nothing serious. But I’m sure you noticed… the attitude of Viscount Volletic, remember?”
“Mhmm. He didn’t seem all that pleased to see me or my companions.”
“Exactly. But don’t be too hard on him. He’s someone who’s given everything for the imperial family.”
“I wouldn’t think otherwise. No need to worry.”
In truth, Jun didn’t feel any particular animosity toward Viscount Volletic.
People naturally became protective of their own interests. And as someone responsible for an entire noble house, Jun could at least understand the pressure the man was under.
“In any case… since Count Mordenain has recently taken an interest in you and your group, it seems Volletic’s reaction has caught the attention of other Imperial nobles as well.”
“Which means… you plan to stay until the end of the campaign.”
“Spot on.”
Even within the imperial faction, loyalty couldn’t be taken lightly or for granted.
So Dexter intended to stay until the end of the campaign, offering words of praise to the returning troops as a show of sincerity. That was both to ease tensions and to reassure the emperor’s allies.
“I understand completely.”
“I’m well aware of the efforts you’ve put in. I’ll be enjoying a quiet break while I’m here….so treat it as a time for rest yourself.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
Stepping out of Dexter’s room, Jun let out a quiet sigh.
Finishing the mission as quickly as possible would be ideal, of course.
Well, people needed a bit of breathing room in life, didn’t they?
Besides, the others seem to be enjoying themselves.
Yesterday had been busy due to the banquet, but now that things had calmed down a little—
His companions were clearly fascinated by the scenery of the beautiful island coast.
Still, that didn’t mean Jun could afford to relax as well.
Being able to look at a place that would collapse in just a few years without worry…now that would be the stranger thing.
But seeing those guys having fun like that… I guess it’s giving me a bit of motivation too.
Watching his companions splashing in the sea without a care, Jun leisurely unfolded a sheet of stationery.
***
Once known as a feared assassin group—
Requiem.
But after a series of events, it had been completely transformed into an intelligence organization.
And now, quite some time later—
Charles…or rather Chairlse had built a solid command system and established himself as a proper leader of the organization.
And that wasn’t all.
Having learned even the secret techniques of Basai, the legendary assassin and first leader of Requiem, Charles’s skills had grown beyond comparison to before.
In that sense, he really ought to be overwhelmingly grateful to Jun, the one who had pulled him out of the shadows and into the light—
Busy, busy.
—but he was simply too swamped for that.
After all, Chloe of the Gillen Merchant Guild, who currently employed them, was working them to the bone.
It couldn’t be helped, really.
They were still short on manpower, and on top of that, as Gillen rapidly expanded its influence within Blackout, rivals were stirring up trouble everywhere in an effort to keep them in check.
And Chiles, being as competent as he was, was being run ragged by Chloe.
I thought I might catch a breather now that we’ve gotten a few more hands on deck, but…
Sitting down for a moment’s rest, he let out a sigh as he stared at the letter in his hand.
Imperial family, huh? What the hell is this mess?
Given his past, even hearing the word “Imperial family” sent a chill down his spine.
Naturally, he didn’t want to go anywhere near that place… but orders from Jun and Chloe were absolute.
Fortunately, since Chloe had come with them, she had thoroughly cleaned up their identities, which gave him some peace of mind…
Still, it’s the imperial family. The imperial family.
The same imperial family said to have brought down a wyvern.
And considering the kind of intelligence network they likely had, it was hard to feel completely at ease.
Looks like we’re almost there…
Just as he caught sight of the terraced stairs in the distance and was about to let out a small sigh—
“…Huh?”
He suddenly thought the space around the steps looked distorted.
…Did I imagine that?
He rubbed his eyes and looked again, but this time there was no sign of anything unusual.
Damn, I must be more exhausted than I thought.
Come to think of it, before even arriving in Blackout, he’d been busy getting their identities cleaned up.
And after arriving, he’d been run ragged just trying to adjust.
Lately, he’d even been hearing Chloe’s voice in his head like an auditory hallucination.
Getting involved with imperial members must’ve shaken me up… Still got a long way to go.
Scolding himself, Charles took a moment to breathe, then rose to his feet again.
***
“Ah, it’s been a while.”
“Have you been well?”
“Do I look like I have?”
“……”
Seeing that Jun’s expression was far from cheerful, Charles started to break out in a cold sweat.
Now that I think about it, he said there was some major incident before he came here.
And there had been several attempts to assassinate the third prince as well…
If I’d been in his place, I wouldn’t have a single hair left on my head.
The state of his own thinning hair came to mind, and he felt a wave of gloom.
“Well, just kidding. If I’m still alive, that’s proof enough I’m doing okay.”
“…My apologies.”
“No need. More importantly, I didn’t call you here just to chat. I need you to gather some information while you’re here.”
“Information?”
Could it be a request from the imperial family? If so, he really didn’t want to take it on.
He’d seen more than a few assassination organizations get torn apart after getting involved with the nobility or worse, central imperial politics.
“It’s not related to the imperial family, so don’t worry.”
“……”
“Instead, I want you to look into people who are closely tied to this field.”
“You mean information about the coastal island. Hmm.”
It was a relief that, as he’d expected, the task wasn’t about gathering information on members of the imperial family. But that didn’t mean he could fully relax.
Slayer Coast Island was famous as a high-end resort, and naturally, people of high social standing gathered here.
In other words, there were a lot of nobles.
And while not quite as dangerous as dealing with imperial members, digging up information on nobles wasn’t exactly easy either.
Still, Jun wasn’t unaware of that. He wasn’t the type to toss difficult assignments at others without consideration.
“I asked Chloe to purchase access to a few nearby restaurants and pubs. Head to the places listed here and look into things at your own pace.”
“Ah… Then it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Given this was a resort area, the amount of information exchanged in restaurants and bars was no small thing.
“Are there any specific people I should be wary of?”
“Yeah. The noble faction’s probably planted a few of their ears around here. Just be careful not to clash with them.”
“If that’s all… Understood.”
Should I be relieved about this? Chances are, that side won’t be actively trying to dig into us or stir up trouble either.
“And here. Use this to guide the format for the information you collect.”
“Thank you.”
Charles skimmed the paper Jun handed him and gave a nod.
“So they want me to check if there’s anyone who’s grown rapidly or made a name for themselves in the past ten years. It’ll take some time, but… this is doable.”
For general information, he could just have Chloe gather what’s already available on the market.
As for anything beyond that, he’d just have to go out and get it himself.
“You have to collect it all within the next two weeks.”
Flinch!
The timeline was extremely tight.
Charles’s shoulders twitched.
“A bit tight, right? But if anything seems suspicious, just send the info over right away. I’ll help sort and compile it on my end too.”
“…I’ll do my best.”
“Good. Then I’ll see you later.”
“Yes.”
Just as Charles was about to move—
“Oh, Charles.”
“…Yes?”
He felt a little pathetic for how quickly he now responded to being called “Charles”.
“It’s a pretty important task, so you should be careful about security. The commander in charge of this place doesn’t like me very much. There’s potential for trouble, so stay sharp.”
“…I’ll be careful. Thank you.”
He might be working him hard, but compared to Baron Bedron who led the organization previously…
There was no need to even say it. Jun was a far better person by every measure.
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