First Real Battle

Once he had secured Jun's cooperation, Leonard offered Robin an apology as well and asked for his help.

Robin grumbled for a while about how disappointed he was, but in the end he accepted the request without further protest.

And so Jun, Leonard, and Robin set aside everything else and put their heads together over how to face the danger bearing down on them.

The discussion stretched through the entire day, yet no matter how hard they racked their brains, nothing better than using Jun as bait ever came to mind.

It was a little hard for Jun to admit, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but looked at objectively he was practically an assassin's natural predator. The ambushes and traps assassins favored could be spotted and avoided with nothing more than the radar he kept running at all times, and poison and sniper fire were nothing to worry about so long as the Angel of Fortune stayed at his side, watching over him and keeping him safe.

In the end, with Jun's consent, they decided to leave the situation essentially as it was, with only a few minor adjustments.

The thought of walking into a death ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠trap of his own free will left a sour taste in Jun's mouth, but if taking a little risk himself meant the people he had built ties with would be safe, he could live with that much.

Well, if my life actually ends up on the line, I'll run without looking back.

Liar. You said the same thing with Harry, and then you threw your life on the line to save him.

That was… a momentary impulse. It won't happen again.

Jun answered Fortuna's jab with a prim little retort. Fortuna gave a bitter smile and poked his cheek with her finger.

He could say whatever he liked — the moment that scene played out in front of him again, he would throw himself into the rescue on pure impulse. For all his pretense of being rational and selfish, he was really just a fool of a boy who hated being alone.

That stubborn, pure streak of his was so endearing Fortuna wanted to protect him forever.

I will protect him. This time, no matter what.

Even if it meant staking her very existence on it.

Fortuna swore it deep in her heart.

Two days later, Jun left the cabin at first light, fully armed.

Being deep in the mountains, winter had not yet arrived, yet the air was cold enough to chill his lungs. On any other day he would have shuddered at it; today he was grateful. He deliberately drew the cold air in deep, and the tension locking up his head eased a little.

"You ready?"

Robin, who had come out earlier and been laying traps around the cabin, straightened his back and asked. Jun answered with a grin instead of words.

"Wait, Jun. One last check."

What was she so anxious about? She had already checked him dozens of times before they stepped outside, yet Fortuna still transformed into her human form and began a meticulous inspection of his condition all over again.

Robin, who had been about to resume setting traps, stared blankly at her. Then, as if his wife and Heni had suddenly come to mind, he shook his head hard and turned his back entirely.

To withstand Fortuna's looks — practically a form of supernatural allure — on willpower alone… that was a mid-tier adventurer who had spent more than a decade grinding through labyrinths for you. Jun decided to pretend he hadn't noticed the man's head trying to swivel back around, out of respect for the effort.

Rustle, rustle.

While Jun was still admiring him, Fortuna pressed on with her inspection. The combat boots that still felt a little awkward on him; the leather armor on his thighs, chest, shoulders, and forearms; the various supplies packed just in case. Only after confirming every last piece did she let out a breath of relief and refasten the robe she had spread open.

Even after all that, a trace of unease lingered on her face — exactly like a mother sending her child to kindergarten for the very first time.

It's overkill, but… well, I can't really blame her.

Today, Jun would face real combat for the first time in his life. Real combat where a moment of carelessness could leave him badly wounded — or dead.

His opponent was an aging orc Robin had stumbled across while hunting. It looked to have been driven from its pack with death not far off, but given the orcish racial trait of wanting to die fighting even when the end was near, it was still an excessive first opponent.

Even so, factoring in Jun's skill — already on par with a full knight of a prestigious order — and Robin's opinion that a first real fight that was too easy would leave him underestimating live combat, there was no more suitable opponent. Fortuna, who had lived through ages, agreed, which was why she fretted like this without ever suggesting they change the target.

"No matter how I look at it, that armor is too thin. Put on more, okay? Or train a little longer first and then do this."

"Anything more would just get in the way of moving. And real combat needs to happen as soon as possible. Who knows when the assassins will show up."

"Jun, you remember your role isn't combat, right?"

In the plan to protect Leon and everyone at the church — the so-called "House-Sitting" operation — Jun's assigned role was to lure the assassins and detect them. At Fortuna's firm insistence and with both adults' agreement, he had been thoroughly excluded from the fighting.

But…

"I remember. But you never know how the world works, do you?"

No matter how carefully you planned, the unexpected always showed up at least once. And House-Sitting was set to last a full five years. If nothing unexpected happened in that span, that would be the strange part.

The reason the operation ran five years, for the record, was that Leon planned to return to the capital the moment he completed his coming-of-age ceremony five years from now and reveal his true identity.

"Don't worry so much, For. I've got this, remember?"

Jun smiled with confidence and patted the robe he was wearing. The plain black robe, utterly unremarkable at a glance, was anything but ordinary.

As the price of his cooperation, Jun had been allowed to choose three items from the collection Leonard had gathered during his adventuring days. Leonard had quit adventuring so abruptly that he still held a number of high-grade items he had never managed to dispose of, and Premium's Magic Robe was one of them.

It had come from a Gold chest — the grade just below the highest treasure chests that appeared in labyrinths — yet Leonard had handed it over without hesitation as payment. Considering that so-called Gold-grade items routinely sold for hundreds of platinum coins, it was an extraordinary price indeed.

Jun had chosen it on impulse, but once the robe was actually in his hands his conscience pricked him, and he asked Leonard whether it wouldn't be better to sell it and use the money to hire high-grade adventurers, mercenaries, or various organizations for protection.

Leonard had shaken his head. Gold-grade items drew the attention of nations themselves, making them hard to dispose of, and the Council would almost certainly try to buy it for a ridiculously low price. Even if he lucked into a fair sale and put out contracts with the proceeds, the risk that the contractors would turn their backs under the assassins' backroom pressure was simply too high.

The reasons were sound enough that Jun, still uneasy about it, accepted the robe. Leonard had also handed over something of that caliber in part to keep Jun safe, so refusing would only have put him in an awkward position.

Back to the point: Premium's Magic Robe lived up to its Gold grade with outstanding performance, and its defense in particular was tougher than most alloy plate. With the magic circles woven into the fabric absorbing impact on top of that, the odds of Jun taking a wound in this real combat were, frankly, close to zero.

"Don't get cocky, Jun. That's how people get themselves killed."

"I know. What I'm saying is I'm prepared enough, so stop fretting and trust me."

"…Okay. I will."

Only then did Fortuna's expression ease, and she returned to her fairy form. At that same moment, Robin finished laying his traps.

The sheer volume of traps his radar picked up left Jun with no choice but to ask.

"Heni isn't even here. Aren't the traps a little excessive?"

As of yesterday, Heni had moved her quarters to the church. After Jun, she was the next most likely target — or perhaps even more so. She wasn't an orphan, yet she could come and go from the church without raising suspicion, and with only Aura as her ability she would be easy to grab. That was why she had been forced to relocate, and why she was now safe. Being inside the village made her harder to target, and at Leonard's request the Council and the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Order had agreed to send combat personnel.

What Leonard and Leon had paid for that, Jun hadn't heard — but judging by Leonard's face the night before, it hadn't been a small price.

Well, none of my business.

Jun had not the slightest desire to know what had changed hands between them, and he didn't care. Leon would be hurt if he ever learned of that inner thought, but even that was no longer something Jun intended to worry about.

This whole affair had settled his mind for good. The moment Leon completed his coming-of-age ceremony five years from now, he would cut ties and never get involved again.

He would stake ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his life on it: the boy was a walking reaper on the level of Detective Co—n or Boy Detective Kim Jeon—l.