Having reached that conclusion, Jun immediately began organizing the documents Charles had sent, deducing individuals who might be connected to Viscount Volletic.
“There are three people with high potential.”
The rest were either dead, retired, or had moved up to the higher ranks.
Only about three individuals still remained on Slayer Coast Island.
“But the chances are significantly lower for the other two.”
One of them had shown growth through a method other than the corrupted spirit orb.
The other had shown minimal progress over the past ten years despite supposedly using a corrupted spirit orb.
Which meant only one person remained.
“The problem is, I can’t confirm it right away…”
To verify this part, he would inevitably need Dexter’s help. And to do that, he would have to share what he’d discovered with the two members of the imperial family.
But that was not a decision he could make lightly.
Maybe I’m just overreacting.
The truth was, the crisis Jun knew about wouldn’t happen for several more years.
Jun was only able to make these deductions because he knew the future. But from Dexter’s perspective, Jun’s theory might just sound like the ravings of a conspiracy theorist.
Me preparing alone and the imperial family making moves are two entirely different things.
Even if Dexter could be trusted to keep things quiet, once he began to take action, word would inevitably get out.
And if nothing ever happened?
That would be a problem in its own right.
Everything Jun had built up so far and the trust he’d earned could all come crashing down.
But if the situation I’ve been worried about really does happen…
It would be disastrous.
As he agonized over the decision, Jun recalled something that had happened not long ago.
The Voltain Ore Field, which had been ruined by poison.
It was an event that hadn’t even existed in the game’s original history.
The Poison Master, who should’ve died as a human, turned into a monster.
For some reason, the Heavenly Church was moving far more aggressively than it had in the original game.
Crises that never occurred before were now erupting….so who’s to say those future disasters wouldn’t strike much sooner as well?
Right. I’ll tell them.
If his prediction turned out to be wrong and his trust with Dexter was broken as a result, then so be it.
If he let fear of that possibility stop him from acting, he’d just end up watching everything unfold according to the Heavenly Church’s plans.
I can’t let that happen now.
Having made up his mind, Jun quickly organized the documents and headed straight to the room where Dexter and Javier were staying.
And then—
“Hmm? Jun. Have you already met with Javier?”
“Huh? I haven’t seen him yet.”
“I see. Looks like you two missed each other. He seemed to have something he wanted to tell you.”
“Me?”
Jun hadn’t had any meaningful interactions with Javier up to now.
What could he have wanted with him?
“So then, why have you come here?”
“Ah, I’ve found a lead related to the Heavenly Church.”
“…Those bastards, huh. Let’s hear it.”
Another private meeting with the First Prince, Dexter.
And once again, Jun had to choose his words carefully.
Even though I managed to get through it last time, I should still be cautious.
He licked his lips once and began explaining what he had uncovered, step by step.
“First, looking at the Heavenly Church’s recent movements, their goal has been to stir up internal conflict within the imperial family.”
“Mhmm. That’s true.”
“And the faction most vulnerable to such agitation was none other than the Noble Faction.”
Dexter nodded at Jun’s words. This was common knowledge among anyone even mildly interested in imperial politics.
“But by now, the Noble Faction shouldn’t hold that much power.”
“That’s right. It’s the result of the imperial family’s long-standing efforts at maintaining control. But for the Heavenly Church, that’s a troubling development. So, what do you think they would do in response?”
At Jun’s question, Dexter fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.
In truth, anyone else witnessing this scene would have been alarmed.
A mere mercenary commander daring to throw out a question as if testing Dexter, the most likely next emperor? Unthinkable.
But this man isn’t the type to waste time on meaningless visits.
Dexter had shown moments of vulnerability in front of Jun several times already.
While that was indeed part of Dexter’s true personality, even so, the mage standing before him never once tried to cross the line as a fellow human being.
On the contrary, he always kept his distance and only played critical roles from a minimum, calculated position.
That’s why this question didn’t come across as presumptuous.
“It’s simple. They’ll try to weaken the Emperor’s faction.”
Jun smiled and nodded at Dexter’s response.
“Exactly. A clear imbalance in political power. Those people would want to overturn it.”
“But can they really do that?”
“It’s all theoretical, of course, but the possibility is definitely there. For example… say they orchestrate a terrorist attack in an area heavily associated with the Emperor’s faction.”
“…….!”
At that, Dexter furrowed his brow.
Such an event would likely strengthen the Emperor’s faction, not weaken it.
Even though Blackout is largely cut off from the surface world in many ways, if terrorism were involved, the story would be entirely different.
“Of course, they must be fully aware of that. Until they’re ready, they wouldn’t resort to such extreme tactics.”
“Then… are you suggesting they’ll target nobles from the Emperor’s faction in a different way?”
“What if they staged it to look like an accident that could plausibly happen in Blackout?”
Before Dexter could ask if that was even possible, Jun handed him some documents.
“These are… quite old documents.”
“Yes. I focused on incidents that occurred at least a few hundred years ago.”
“Then why did you bring this?”
“According to the records, there were times when a failed raid had effects that reached all the way to the [Checkpoint]. Do you see this?”
“Hmm… yes, there are definitely records of that. It’s even written in the documents you just gave me.”
These are records from quite a long time ago..
A field on the fifth level, where monsters are summoned from sap that oozes out of trees.
Originally, the sap was not supposed to enter the [Checkpoint], but after a failed raid, things changed.
“Monsters were summoned from the sap that entered the [Checkpoint], and as a result, there were significant casualties.”
“Yes. It was also the moment when the belief that [Checkpoints] are safe from monster threats was broken.”
“But… even so, the number of monsters that appeared inside the [Checkpoint] back then wasn’t that high. And considering the average spread of the sap in a field, it was negligible.”
Even in response to that rebuttal, Jun remained calm and held up additional materials he had prepared.
“Exactly. The effect was minor. But that’s not the point. The point is this: when a raid fails, it can impact the [Checkpoint]. Please take a look at this document as well.”
“Hmm. A type of monster that parasitizes the human body?”
“Yes. Normally, monsters of this type go dormant within the [Checkpoint].”
“But in this case, the raid failed, and the parasite hatched… Hmm?”
That’s when something unusual caught their eye.
“The host showed aggression levels above the standard threshold?”
“Not only that, there’s also a report that their physical capabilities during a rampage exceeded the average.”
And by this point, Dexter seemed to understand what Jun was getting at.
Anomalies at the [Checkpoint]. A monster that parasitizes the human body.
In other words—
“You’re thinking of an Evil Spirit Orb… a corrupted spirit entity?”
“That’s correct.”
Dexter rubbed his brow. His expression turned grave.
And to sum up everything Jun had said so far—
“When a raid fails, some kind of abnormal effect will reach the [Checkpoint].”
And if a corrupted spirit, twisted by the Evil Spirit Orb, were to rampage in such a situation, the aftermath could be far more devastating.
“Ha… this is giving me a headache.”
Dexter let out a sigh, then glanced at Jun with a faintly expectant look.
Unlike himself, the mage before him still wore a calm expression.
That must mean he had a solution in mind.
“Is there a way to find them?”
“It’s not a definitive method yet. At best, it’s just a means to narrow the scope of the investigation.”
“Let’s hear it.”
They were almost there.
With that thought, Jun paused for a moment before continuing his explanation.
“From what I’ve discovered, a corrupted spirit implanted in a human body needs time to mature.”
“That person called Poison Master….he’s hosting a spirit that’s been maturing for quite some time, isn’t he?”
“I doubt it’s only a year or two. We should assume at least ten years.”
In fact, intelligence gathered through the Imperial network about the activities of several of Poison Master’s subordinates supported this conclusion.
“For one that’s been festering for ten years to already be that strong…”
Even the eighth-level deputy commander of the Heavenly Dragon Knights had struggled against him.
If such a disaster were to occur somewhere without someone of that caliber present… Blackout could no longer be called safe.
But the grim picture didn’t end there.
“And that was under circumstances where the raid hadn’t even failed. If a corrupted spirit went berserk during a failed raid…”
“As you said, countless lives could be lost.”
“They’ll be mindful of the Empire’s gaze. Which means they’ll act with the utmost caution, waiting for the most effective moment to strike.”
“The single best blow that could shake the Empire. And yet, in a place that couldn’t easily be dismissed as a terrorist threat… This place, Slayer’s Coast Island.”
At that, Dexter finally seemed to realize what Jun was getting at and gave a slow nod.
“Nobles of the Emperor’s faction often gather there, and it’s also where the annual raids are held. Even if something happened, it wouldn’t be easy to immediately label it as terrorism. But still…”
Just because they knew the truth, was informing the nobles ever really an option?
I’d certainly like to, but… it won’t be easy.
Even if they did spread the news, how many nobles would actually believe it? And what would become of the economy of Slayer’s Coast Island, which heavily relies on tourism?
Once again, it was Jun who offered a solution.
“The most certain method… is to identify and eliminate those implanted with corrupted spirit cores in advance.”
“That would definitely be the most effective. But we’re talking about the power of spirits, right? And ones that are hidden, at that.”
Unless you’re a spirit yourself, detecting them isn’t easy and even then, doesn’t it usually require physical contact?
“How do you propose we find them?”
“First, assuming we’re certain they’re targeting Slayer’s Coast Island, we can narrow down the investigation.”
“Hmm?”
Dexter reacted as if he didn’t understand, and Jun subtly adjusted his breathing to stay calm.
Honestly, I don’t know the in-game lore in that much detail.
So all he could do was piece things together roughly, like solving a puzzle.
“Let’s go back to the story of the original Poison Master. That man joined the Heavenly Church and was implanted with a corrupted spirit at least ten years ago.”
“That’s right.”
“But they’re a cautious bunch. Despite possessing that level of technology, they’ve never once openly provoked the Empire or if they did, they never got caught.”
“Hmm…”
“With that kind of caution, do you really think they haven’t planted any agents here on Slayer Coast Island? Especially when the place must look so enticing from their perspective?”
“…Are you suspecting Viscount Volletic?”
“No. To be honest, Viscount Volletic doesn’t lack for anything.”
Born into a moderately good family and now running Slayer Coast Island. A business that practically prints money.
What would someone like that have to gain by siding with the Heavenly Church?
It’s about time I gave him the answer.
This was touching on political territory now.
Before it could turn into a bigger issue later, he needed to present solid evidence.
And Jun had plenty of it.
I spent days struggling with this.
Jun laid out the prepared materials all at once.
They were pieces of information he and Charles had carefully selected together.
“These are the prime suspects identified by my colleague and me.”
“What was your criteria?”
“Individuals who experienced a sudden rise about ten years ago.”
“Based on statistical patterns related to corrupted spirit cores, I assume.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
However, the documents Jun had brought were filled with crossed-out names.
“All of them eliminated?”
“All except for one.”
“…This one?”
A face that looked vaguely familiar.
Now that he thought about it, he’d seen it a few times in previous reports.
“The one I’m suspicious of is Derman, a close aide to Viscount Volletic.”
“What? But that man is—”
“Yes. He’s the current raid leader leading the expedition.”
At that, Dexter frowned.
“There’s still… still not enough evidence. If what you say is true, what could a raid leader possibly gain by siding with the Heavenly Church?”
A valid point.
It had been ten years since the raid leader had established his position under Viscount Volletic, and he had been actively leading expeditions for quite some time.
What possible reason would he have now to side with the Heavenly Church?
“What if that raid leader has a hidden past?”
“His past? I’ve read reports on the man myself. He’s known to be extremely quiet. No rumors to speak of. A man who simply does his duty.”
“Then in those reports, did they mention anything about Derman’s past?”
“That… they did not. We couldn’t find any records of his early life.”
“That’s to be expected. It was likely erased completely.”
“No matter how thorough… is that even possible?”
“It is. If a noble is involved.”
“A noble…? You mean Viscount Volletic?”
“Yes. There’s a strong possibility that he erased Derman’s past himself.”
“…Why would he do that?”
“I believe this man is the illegitimate younger brother of Viscount Volletic….someone long presumed dead.”
“….…!”
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