Of course, Dexter wasn’t someone who offered only words of praise.
“Here, take it. It’s a gift from Javier and me.”
“This is…”
When Dexter pointed to a prepared spot in the room, Jun saw a large box intricately sealed with magic.
It was big enough that even an adult man could squeeze into it if he tried. Jun tilted his head in curiosity.
“Isn’t that a magic vault?”
“That’s right. It even conceals the energy of whatever is inside.”
“But… what could be inside that required a magical fluid seal?”
“Oh, so you recognized it. It’s something Javier personally sealed. Javier, would you do the honors?”
“Of course, big brother. I’ll open it right away.”
As Javier approached the box, Jun followed behind him.
“Take a look.”
There was a noticeable intensity in Javier’s expression as he opened the box.
What in the world could be inside to warrant such a reaction?
The moment Jun peered inside, his eyes widened in shock.
“Th-This is…?”
“It wasn’t easy to get. Actually, I didn’t get it myself. It was Sir Aden who scoured the seas and finally found it.”
“May it serve you well on your journey.”
What was inside the box was indeed—
Something so remarkable that even two members of the imperial family were making a fuss over it.
“A Dragon Heart?!”
It was unmistakably a Dragon Heart, one that must have belonged to a Sea Serpent, radiating a tremendous amount of water-element mana.
“Haha, calling it a Dragon Heart is a bit much. The box wouldn’t be able to hide something that massive anyway.”
As Dexter said, it was quite small to be a full Dragon Heart.
Considering that the heart of a sea serpent whose size dwarfed even buildings could never be something that fit in the palm of a hand.
“It’s only a fragment of a Dragon Heart, but I imagine it still holds great value for you.”
No. Even so, this wasn’t something that could be downplayed like that.
Considering that a Dragon Heart hadn’t surfaced in decades, this alone was a tremendous windfall for Jun.
“Of course, this isn’t the end. When you eventually return to the surface, the imperial family will formally invite you. That will be the real game. Think of this as just the appetizer.”
“But… is it really alright for me to accept this?”
Though Jun asked out of politeness as any well-mannered Korean would, a part of him genuinely meant it.
It was a well-known fact that even the imperial family possessed only a handful of intact Dragon Hearts.
Even a fragment like this, if put on the market, could ignite a bloody conflict.
“No reason not to. You’ve done plenty for us already. And also…”
Dexter glanced toward Javier, who was smiling contentedly.
Though they were half-brothers, he had watched over Javier for more than twenty years.
Since he first learned to walk, Javier had undergone strict training under Beneth and had never been one to smile.
But recently, he had begun to smile.
He must’ve found some clarity through Jun and Aiden.
Some might say Javier’s newfound happiness was a threat to Dexter. He was a rival gaining strength, but Dexter didn’t see it that way.
He understood Javier well enough.
He said he sent a letter to Lady Laness…
Laness.
Dexter knew her well.
A former imperial who had cast aside her imperial name, descended into the Blackout, and built her own Magic Tower.
It couldn’t be a coincidence that Javier had written to someone like her.
So he’s finally ready to face Lady Beneth head-on…
There was no point in squabbling with his younger brother over the imperial throne.
As far as Dexter was concerned, this was something to be welcomed.
He knew exactly where Javier’s transformation had come from.
In a way, they’ve prevented what could’ve turned into a bloodbath within the imperial family.
Who would believe it?
That just last year, an obscure lower-rank mage with no backing could, in less than two years, become a pillar safeguarding the empire’s future.
And yet—
Even so, as a prince and as Javier’s elder brother, there was a question Dexter had no choice but to ask.
With a suddenly solemn expression, he turned to Jun.
“Now that I’ve given you a reward, it’s time to speak of your punishment.”
Jun met Dexter’s gaze, sensing this moment would come eventually.
“When you killed Derman, you said you used Javier’s mana, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Given the urgency of the situation and the fact that Javier himself doesn’t wish for punishment, we’ll overlook the part about you recklessly drawing upon imperial mana.”
“Thank you.”
“But how did you know that Javier’s mana held such a special power?”
That was a crucial matter.
At this, even Javier flinched slightly.
It was something he’d been wondering about too.
How could this mage know a secret about his mana that even he himself didn’t?
Now then, what should I do…
Jun had managed to pass one of Dexter’s tests before.
That famous imperial ability passed down through generations. The power to detect lies.
It was possible Dexter was using it even now.
If I lie here and get caught…
Everything he’d built up until now could come crashing down.
So, should he tell the truth?
That he was a man from another world and that he knew what would happen in the future?
That’s its own problem.
Not to mention whether they’d even believe him. More importantly, who knew how Dexter would react if he did believe it?
Dexter may seem like a friendly and affable First Prince now, but—
He wasn’t always like that in the game.
After watching the empire he loved crumble, Dexter had become the embodiment of vengeance, obsessed with the destruction of the Heavenly Church.
He had even used everyone around him, everyone except his surviving twin sister, as tools of revenge.
Javier or Dexter… they’re both dangerous in their own way.
Two options.
Having made his decision, Jun slowly opened his mouth.
“I once read an old record.”
“A record?”
“Yes. It mentioned that one of Lady Beneth’s ancestors was born with the blood of a spirit.”
“And when did you learn this?”
“Before I ever met either of you.”
“And why did you know it?”
“It wasn’t something I sought out intentionally. That day, I was simply researching powers related to magic, and somehow I ended up coming across spirits as well.”
That was the truth.
Back then, he had searched magic-related terms on a community forum, and among the top-rated posts on the best board, he had stumbled upon the information by chance.
“Hmm… but according to what I’ve found, the spirit blood within that tribe has long since thinned. Yet Javier was different. He seemed to have been born with it quite strongly. Didn’t you already know that?”
Despite the lingering suspicion in Dexter’s tone, Jun responded calmly.
“It wasn’t difficult to deduce. I already knew about the existence of the Evil Spirit Orb even before I met either of you…”
“And later, you realized that the Heavenly Church had begun targeting Javier.”
“That’s correct.”
What if, aside from their goal of severing Javier’s ties to the imperial family to divide the empire, the Heavenly Church had another objective as well?
“To confirm that, I asked the Dream Spirit sealed inside my ring.”
“And the result confirmed that he was indeed born with the blood of a spirit.”
When Jun gave a silent nod, Dexter closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded in return.
“Thank you for answering my questions, Jun.”
“I only did what I was supposed to.”
“Normally, even attempting to dig into the imperial family’s background could be considered a crime…”
At that point, Dexter let out a mischievous grin.
“The decision is yours, Javier.”
“I’ve no desire to punish him for something like that, Brother.”
“Right. Since that’s how the person involved feels, it’s not my place to say otherwise. Very well, that’s the end of the serious talk. Let’s get back to the main topic.”
“I’m just grateful for your understanding.”
“Hearing you say that makes me feel oddly sentimental. Anyway, Javier, you should be the one to speak now.”
“Understood, Brother.”
“What are you talking about?”
As the interrogation-like exchange came to a close and Jun raised his head, Javier finally spoke with a brightened expression.
“There’s someone who wishes to see you. They should be arriving here soon. Could you stay until then?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Haha, good to hear.”
Javier’s face, as he spoke, was filled with anticipation…
And within a few days, Jun came to understand the reason why.
***
Several days passed.
During that time, someone with a familiar face came to Boleska.
But it wasn’t the person Javier had mentioned.
It was none other than Chloe.
“Hey, seriously, you’re just…”
“Bet you’re glad to see me alive, huh?”
“Ugh. You call that a greeting?”
What had brought her all the way out here, despite how busy she must’ve been?
It went without saying. She had come to handle the matters they hadn’t been able to deal with during the journey.
“I really didn’t think things would end this well.”
“Same here. I thought we’d just do a quick circuit and call it a day.”
To Jun’s joking tone, Chloe somewhat unexpectedly nodded in agreement.
It wasn’t like this was Jun’s first time heading somewhere dangerous.
But this time had truly been surrounded by peril on all sides.
It wasn’t a situation where one could get by relying on magic alone.
And yet, Jun had returned from it all with the best possible outcome. So, naturally, Chloe couldn’t help but think—
Does he have the whole universe on his side or something?
If Jun had heard that, he would’ve been absolutely dumbfounded.
It wasn’t like he wanted to constantly be thrown into dangerous situations, after all.
“By the way, you must’ve had some time on your hands to show up here in person.”
“Wanna die? You have any idea how busy I’ve been… Ugh. I’m only letting that slide because it’s you.”
Of course, Chloe had also been extremely busy lately, but she couldn’t bring herself to scold Jun.
Things had finally started to settle down enough for her to make the trip up here.
“Anyway, I got your report. You said the Heavenly Church was involved again?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ve been gathering intel on those bastards too. Got my own score to settle with them.”
Chloe’s expression, which had brightened at the sight of Jun, gradually turned cold.
She too had lost people because of the Heavenly Church.
“They’re pretty damn good at hiding among regular people.”
“Did you manage to catch a solid lead?”
“Not yet, which is exactly why I came here myself.”
By now, the intelligence network Chloe had built under Blackout was nothing to scoff at.
In what could barely be called a year, she had grown her influence to an extraordinary degree.
Not only that, but by absorbing Requiem, which had been led by Chairlse, she had also acquired much of their know-how. On top of that, her financial power was allowing her to wield enormous influence among the lower tiers of society.
Even so, there were still limits.
“If we were on the surface, it might be different but down here, there’s definitely a ceiling. Above all, these guys are just too big for me to take on alone.”
“Yeah. They’ve got their hands all the way into the Imperial Family, after all.”
No matter how much she had grown her organization, it still couldn’t hold a candle to the Heavenly Church, which had spent far longer digging its roots into Blackout.
Biting her lip in frustration, she turned her gaze toward the massive fortress within the city.
It was where the two princes were staying.
“We’ll need the Empire’s cooperation. But even then, we’ll have to tread very carefully. They’re not the kind to hesitate when it comes to cutting off loose ends.”
The look in Chloe’s eyes as she said this was filled with visible regret.
She had clearly come all this way just to see Jun, not to meet with the two princes.
“I’ve made some preparations on my end, too. I even put in a request to my grandfather.”
“You mean that artifact?”
“Yeah.”
A plain iron ring with no markings or ornamentation.
But Jun’s eyes filled with curiosity.
“It’s not imbued with ordinary magic. There’s some insane… technology in this thing.”
“I see.”
“My grandfather got it from the Imperial Family a long time ago.”
“No way…”
“Teleportation artifact. It’s single-use, but the performance is rock-solid.”
“Holy shit.”
Even the imperial members would have a hard time getting their hands on something like that.
It wasn’t the kind of item money alone could buy.
Even Shylock had struggled to obtain a teleportation artifact.
So how had an ordinary merchant come to possess one?
Well, calling her just a merchant doesn’t really do the Golden Hand justice.
In any case—
“If he handed even that over to you… then it’s decided, huh? You’re the next Guildmaster.”
“Hah. Obviously. You really think I’m on the same level as those idiots who just follow orders from the top?”
Although Chloe had received a great deal of help from Jun, it had been her own choice to recognize his value and form an alliance with him.
Even after going through a major disaster, it was her decision to keep their connection alive.
And that wasn’t all.
Gathering intel Jun couldn’t have accessed alone and expanding their territory. That had been Chloe’s doing, and hers alone.
After all, knowing how to seize an opportunity when it comes is a kind of talent in itself.
She was now being treated as the rightful next Guildmaster.
“So that means… even your grandfather has started opposing the Heavenly Church?”
“Mhmm. He’s apparently been gathering information through the surface routes. And… he’s discovered that things are even more rotten than he expected.”
Well then.
It was hard to say whether that was something to celebrate or cry about.
Gaining the support of not only the Imperial Family but also the Golden Hand who was raking in money on the surface was something to cheer about, and then some.
But now that they’ve begun opposing the Heavenly Church, that alone means I can’t let my guard down.
The Imperial Family had started responding quickly, so they wouldn’t be taken down as helplessly as they were in the game.
But protecting myself and the people around me in the midst of that chaos is a whole different story.
Before he knew it, Jun wasn’t just worrying about himself anymore. He had others to protect, too.
Still, that didn’t mean he lacked confidence.
I’m really going to have to stay on the move.
If there was one small comfort, it was that their actions during this trip had essentially slammed the Heavenly Church’s nose into the ground. That meant the enemy would have a hard time responding carelessly.
That day, Jun and Chloe continued their meeting late into the night.
The person Javier had mentioned arrived at dawn the very next day just after Chloe had departed once again for the Black Forest Fortress.
“So, you’re the mage I’ve been hearing so much about.”
Publicly known as a seventh-circle mage Master of the Laness Magic Tower Laness.
But the moment Jun saw her in person, he realized immediately that she wasn’t seventh-circle.
Eighth circle… and it’s incredibly stable, too.
***
The place was a space made up of countless crystals.
Did each one contain some kind of special power?
Jewels scattering strange light bounced their glow off each other in all directions, creating a disorienting atmosphere.
Someone wearing a mask lay on the floor, groaning.
“Ahh… In the end, I achieved nothing…”
The voice belonged to none other than the master of the Poison Master and also the one behind the incident at Slayer Coast Island.
His tone usually fluctuated up and down like waves, and even now it was the same. But he sounded noticeably weaker than usual.
And understandably so.
Sparks were flaring up intermittently from his body, slowly tearing it apart.
Of course, the damage was healing shortly after each burst but with all his energy focused on recovery, it was clear he wouldn’t be moving anytime soon.
It was shortly after that an outsider entered and spoke up.
“So after saying nothing to us… this is the state you’re in?”
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