“Evidence…?”
Ginovan showed a hint of curiosity as he looked at the rather large box placed on the table.
He wasn’t particularly interested in the mercenary standing before him, but the fact that the item had been brought directly by Chloe caught his attention. She was the granddaughter of the Golden Hand and the owner of the Gillen Merchant Guild after all.
Then Jun opened the box, and inside it was a sphere that showed signs of damage here and there.
“This is…!”
“Yes, it’s the core of a golem.”
“Where did you acquire this?”
Ginovan’s gaze shifted back to Chloe.
“In fact, the mercenary standing before you was one of the participants in the Goblin subjugation alongside you, Commander.”
“I-I see?”
He looked at Jun as if he hadn’t expected to see survivors here.
“Wait, I clearly remember that the White Whale Mercenaries failed to return alive.”
It was a group of about a dozen or so mercenaries, so Ginovan remembered them.
“The captain of the mercenaries died there. Only another member and I managed to escape, albeit belatedly”.
“Then did you take over the mercenary group?”
“Yes, I did.”
“To think the two of you managed to escape the forest…”
As a graduate of the military academy, Ginovan had quite a bit of knowledge about the Black Forest.
“The beasts wouldn’t have attacked in such numbers under normal circumstances. And you managed to hunt a golem in the midst of that? Just the two of you?”
Although he seemed to find it hard to believe, Jun slowly began to explain what had happened there.
“…I never would have thought to use the tower shield that way. I’ve learned something new. But I still find it difficult to understand how just one low-ranking mage and a novice warrior managed to take down a golem.”
“Not everything is as it seems on the surface, is it?”
“Were you hiding your true strength?”
“Well, being part of a mercenary group does come with certain expectations.”
“So, it was because of the mercenary group’s rules.”
In terms of sheer destructive power, Jun was nearly on par with an intermediate mage.
However, the reason Jun had continued to work with mercenary groups was to gain experience.
“In any case, that’s not what’s important right now, is it?”
“The golem… If one appeared, then that changes everything.”
The number of goblins might not have been immediately alarming unless seen firsthand, but a golem was different.
Golems. Just like the Goblin Lord, they were one of the monsters that signaled the emergence of an Area Lord.
“This means we’ve secured evidence.”
Ginovan’s expression quickly turned serious, but before he could dwell on it for long, Chloe spoke up again.
“Taking this golem core directly to the commander is one option, but… wouldn’t that just end up benefiting someone else?”
“Hmm…”
Just like what Chloe pointed out, even if they showed the golem core to the fortress commander, there was a high chance that the command of the operation would be handed over to someone else.
Ginovan’s reputation had fallen that low.
“What if I could help restore the commander’s honor?”
“How would you do that?”
Ginovan who was now completely immersed in this meeting asked seriously, and Jun responded in Chloe’s stead.
“At the very least, I can make you a commander who knows how to do the right thing.”
***
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop.
As they rode the carriage back from the fortress, Jun and Chloe began to casually discuss what lay ahead.
“Things are going more smoothly than expected, huh?”
“They should be. You and I spent days on end planning this.”
Jun had laid out the main framework of the plan, and Chloe had handled the finer details and arranged the meeting with Ginovan, which made this outcome possible.
As a result, Ginovan had declared his full support for Jun and Chloe.
Of course, there were still tasks that remained.
The final topic had been restoring Ginovan’s reputation.
If they could resolve that, their activities in the Black Forest would become much easier.
“So, are you planning to act right away?”
“I have to. We don’t have much time.”
To execute the plan, they needed to finish preparations quickly and move immediately.
After being seen off by Chloe, Jun stepped out of the carriage and promptly explained what happened to Aiden.
“So, from now on, our task is to restore Commander Ginovan’s reputation.”
“Reputation… That won’t be easy. Do you have a plan?”
Aiden asked the question at the tavern where they usually meet and Jun grinned.
“Of course. You think I’d act without a plan?”
“As expected. You’re amazing, senior.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere.”
“So, what’s the gist of this plan?”
“Ah, right. I’ll explain it now. To raise Commander Ginovan’s reputation, what we need to do is…”
He paused.
“Robbing.”
“Huh?”
***
Several goblins wandered around the village. They were each busy with their own tasks.
A single goblin would be an easy monster to deal with. It was hardly a challenge.
But when their numbers approached a hundred, it became a different story.
If that many goblins charged all at once, even those hunting on the second level would struggle to handle it.
Aiden’s expression was one of utter bewilderment as he found himself in such a place,
What would happen if those goblins were to be aggroed?
Imperial bloodline or not, his head would be separated from his body and hung on a tree, while the rest of him would be dismembered and devoured by the goblins.
“Let’s get ready.”
Just as Aiden was on the verge of panic, it was Jun who was standing right beside him who snapped him back to reality.
“It’s time for some robbing.”
***
This was how it all began.
“What do you think the purpose of this mercenary badge is?”
Before heading to the Black Forest.
Aiden tilted his head in confusion at Jun’s sudden question and answered.
“Isn’t it a form of identification?”
“That’s right. But that’s not all the badge is. It’s also insurance.”
“Insurance… Oh.”
Aiden recalled the first time he received his mercenary badge and quickly understood what Jun meant.
“Basically, mercenaries who join the guild can deposit money there. Although there’s a fee, there are still quite a few who choose to store their money.”
“It’s to prepare for the possibility of their own death, isn’t it?”
Most mercenaries live day to day, struggling to make ends meet, but not all of them were like that. Many hope to save up steadily and eventually return to their families.
However, being a mercenary means facing death at any moment, so they store their money with the guild in case something happens. If someone were to bring their badge later, the money they saved would be properly delivered to their surviving family.
This is why, despite the guild taking a fee, many mercenaries entrust their money there.
“What we’re going to steal from the goblins is exactly this mercenary badges. If we succeed, wouldn’t that restore some of Commander Ginovan’s reputation?”
“Ah…!”
Indeed, if they succeed, Commander Ginovan’s reputation among the mercenaries would significantly improve.
Additionally, from Ginovan’s perspective, Jun and Aiden would surely be reevaluated for pulling it off.
But that’s not all.
“And if everything goes according to plan… it will also help our financial situation.”
“Our financial situation?”
“I’ll explain that on the way.”
The two set off and soon found themselves back on the battlefield where the subjugation had taken place.
“There are quite a few mercenary badges here.”
“But it seems like there are fewer than expected.”
The number of badges they found was only about half of the mercenaries who had participated in the subjugation. Jun responded to Aiden’s observation.
“The rest were probably taken by the goblins. With the beasts swarming in, they wouldn’t have had time to sort through everything and just discarded them.”
“Oh… so is this all we’re going to find?”
“No. We need to retrieve the rest too. That’s the only way Commander Ginovan’s reputation will be truly restored.”
“Wait… Are you saying we’re going to go directly to their village?”
Aiden asked anxiously, and Jun flashed his usual smile.
“Why not? Let’s go. I have a pretty good idea where they might be keeping everything. If it’s not there, we’ll just have to give up.”
***
That conversation had taken place half a day earlier.
Now, they were on a hill right behind the goblin village.
Tension crept across Aiden’s face at the sight of the goblins who were well over a hundred in number.
“Goblins are one of the monsters that know human greed all too well.”
“That’s what you mentioned earlier—greed. Are you saying they lure humans in?”
“That’s right.”
The place where Jun and Aiden had arrived was a goblin village not far from where the earlier subjugation battle had taken place.
Jun had come here because he was one hundred percent certain that the goblins’ loot storage warehouse was located here.
“They take the equipment for their own use, but as for the gold and silver that humans carry, it’s useless to them, yet they still hoard it.”
In short, it meant that they stockpile gold and silver in their homes to lure humans in.
“Incredible. How do you know something like that?”
“You can find that kind of information just by reading the monster manuals circulating on the market.”
This wasn’t a lie; it was true.
Even in the game <Blackout>, there was a feature that allowed you to read in-game books.
“It’s just that most goblins can’t strategize to that extent. At least, not without the appearance of a Goblin Lord.”
“The existence of a Lord is truly something remarkable… But senior, there must be more than one or two goblin villages. Why did you pick this one specifically?”
“Oh, good question.”
This was a tactic the goblins had devised with their limited cunning.
“Humans never back down after one defeat. The goblins are using that against them.”
If a stronger human army came to subjugate the nearby villages, they would undoubtedly discover the pile of gold and silver there.
Naturally, ordinary mercenaries were even more greedy.
Of course, if those greedy humans ventured deep into the forest, they would be met by hundreds of goblins waiting to welcome them.
“Well… but aren’t we the ones driven by that greed?”
Aiden’s remark hit the nail on the head, but Jun just laughed and didn’t deny it.
“Hehe, you’re right. But greed isn’t always a bad thing. It’s reckless greed without a plan that’s dangerous. Strategic greed, on the other hand, can be the fuel for growth.”
As he said this, Jun glanced at the Plant Undead he had brought along on the way.
The thing was still and motionless.
Though it possessed the characteristics of an undead, it was also a plant, which meant it had a weakness for cold.
Because of this, prolonged exposure to cold would cause it to enter a dormant state, and thanks to the cold potion Jun had crafted, it was now in a deep sleep.
“Well… that’s the end of the explanation. Shall we begin the main strategy now?”
Jun grinned as he tossed aside the leather pouch he usually used as a water canteen.
The pouch which he had emptied for the tenth time was filled with horse blood he had purchased at the auction house.
***
The system in <Blackout> allowed for a wide range of applications, given its vast freedom.
Even a system that normally worked against the player, like a random encounter event, could be used strategically to turn the tables on the enemy.
“All right. Time to wake up.”
The effects of the cold potion wore off, and so the Plant Undead began to slowly open its eyes.
And Jun slapped its cheek hard without hesitation.
Slaaap!
Kkieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee——!!
When it opened its eyes, the Plant Undead was slapped by a human and cried out pitifully. The cry was driven by its survival instinct.
In response to its wails that echoed through the forest, the beast-type monsters that had been drawn by the scent of blood also began to howl.
Kkiee?
Kyarrdga! Kyarrdga!
Kiyaaa!!
Then the goblins inside the village joined in and started crying out fiercely as well.
They were one of the few threats in this black forest. They were agitated by the cries of the plant undead.
“It’s done!”
Jun gathered the remaining three blood pouches and threw them all down the hill, then covered himself and Aiden with their cloaks.
The shabby cloaks were already camouflaged with various plants, and to be extra cautious, they had even smeared themselves with beast secretions.
Now, all that was left was to watch the battle between the goblins and the berserk beasts.
The failed subjugation mission is proving useful here!
This strategy wasn’t something that could easily be used under normal circumstances.
Typically, beast-type monsters wouldn’t gather like this in one area.
Since they valued their own territories, they wouldn’t swarm together just because of the scent of blood.
At most, there would only be around ten of them, and that number alone wouldn’t be enough to face off against the hundred or so goblins.
I feel sorry for the fallen mercenaries, but thanks to them, we were able to create this opportunity.
However, the situation changed when the scent of blood spread throughout the forest due to the earlier failed subjugation attempt.
Quite some time had passed and many of the beast-type monsters had returned to their original habitats, but there were still quite a few monsters that remained nearby and some even moved their habitats here.
It was a deceptive tactic that could only be executed under very specific conditions.
Fortunately, they’re all heading straight for the entrance without missing a single one.
While Jun was thinking this, Aiden blankly stared at the goblins gathering at the entrance to deal with the beasts that were rushing in.
Is such a trick… even possible?
No matter what, he was still a member of the imperial family.
Because of this, he had received extensive private tutoring from a young age and learned various strategies.
When he first ventured out into the world, he believed in the knowledge he had acquired back then. After all, he possessed advanced knowledge that others hadn’t had the opportunity to learn.
But once he was out in the world, he found that his skills were utterly useless.
In fact, the monster encyclopedias sold in the market or even the mercenaries’ chatter, which once seemed just noisy, were far more useful.
“It’s done! They’re all gone. Let’s move!”
While Aiden was lost in his amazement, even the goblins guarding the warehouse had vacated their posts.
It was a perfect display of what it meant to rob an empty house.
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