Disciple to Master, Master to Disciple (4)
Disciple to Master, Master to Disciple (4)
[Clue #2]
[Memories of Imperial Year 990]
[Remaining Time: 17:53]
"The current political situation..."
"The movements of the Eastern Coalition..."
Having been granted permission to go out by Melina, Olivia walked through the market streets and thought. Imperial Year 990 was the year the Empire and the Eastern Coalition began their serious power struggle.
It wasn't a war yet, but minor skirmishes at the small-unit level were ceaseless along the border.
Most Imperial citizens didn't know this. The only people who knew were the merchants who crossed the continent and a handful of intellectuals.
This wasn't because the nobility was controlling information, but because there was no medium like a newspaper to access distant news in the first place.
To begin with, the Free City of Machina was the only nation that possessed early-modern levels of technology.
Ordinary newbies got stuck starting here. Because in a clash between nations, there was nothing an individual could do.
'Usually by this point in time, you'd be an Academy cadet.'
All they could do was helplessly watch the war between the Empire and the Eastern Coalition.
No matter how much the Empire was a superpower occupying more than half the continent, the Eastern Coalition's military strength was not to be taken lightly.
That was because the Eastern Coalition had no fewer than two regressors among its ranks.
They were the Martial King of the Free City of Mikavel and the Wave Catcher of the Kingdom of Canis.
Most newbies quit here.
The Empire did win. But with most of its infrastructure destroyed and its military force annihilated, the Empire couldn't hold out until the mid-to-late game when the demons appeared.
Since the Empire was destroyed even before the Demon King appeared, there was nothing you could do about it.
But who was Olivia? Wasn't she the first Pioneer?
She had prevented the Eastern War well over a thousand times.
Olivia's steps stopped in a dark back alley. Two brawny men covered in tattoos from head to toe stood guard at the entrance.
On the surface they looked like ordinary thugs, but they were guards officially appointed by the Black Market.
Olivia pulled her robe down low and descended the stairs. The guards paid her no attention whatsoever and were busy chattering among themselves.
After descending for some time, a massive iron door blocked Olivia's path. Olivia knocked on the door five times in a fixed rhythm.
With a clank, a small hatch located at eye level swung open. The man who appeared to be the gatekeeper spoke.
"Plaque."
He meant show your admission pass. Olivia produced the Gold Plaque she had prepared beforehand.
[Imperial Black Market Admission Pass - Gold] * 3
To be precise, it was one of the items she'd obtained while playing the Genocide Run.
Since the standard strategy was to obtain one in advance while attending the Academy, she naturally figured she would have it.
A flicker of interest crossed the gatekeeper's eyes at the radiant golden gleam. In a Black Market that saw thousands of visitors a day, there were never more than three people who possessed a Gold Plaque.
A Gold Plaque wasn't something you received just for having good purchasing records. Only those recognized as a "customer" by the owner of the Black Market were awarded a Gold Plaque.
"...An honored guest has arrived. Well then, enjoy your time."
The moment she received the Gold Plaque back from the gatekeeper, space flipped in an instant and transported Olivia somewhere.
The place was packed with people wearing robes and masks.
"There will be an artifact auction in the main hall tonight at 10 PM!"
"Selling strength-enhancing potions!"
The place was filled with merchants shouting in every direction. The smell of freshly butchered monster blood and the stale air characteristic of the underground flowed through.
It was the Imperial Black Market.
The reason they deliberately attached "Imperial" to the front was because the Emperor was this place's de facto person in charge. Of course, the only people who knew this were the Black Market's owner and a handful of high-ranking nobles.
Anyway, because of that, slaves, narcotics, and items related to demons were never traded in the Imperial Black Market.
But for everything else, they didn't interfere at all. That was why it was a black market, and why they had installed a figurehead owner.
In any case, Olivia's reason for coming to the Black Market was simple.
There was something she needed to verify.
[Remaining Time: 17:53]
She had plenty of time. That was because as a reward for obtaining the second Clue, the timer now only ticked down when she was not meeting a regressor.
So there was no need to rush. She just had to return before midnight.
Olivia moved to the main hall. People bustled about, as the auction was due to start soon.
She had no intention of participating in an auction. But the person she was looking for was in the auction hall.
"Oi, this area is off-limits from here on."
Instead of answering the guard, Olivia shook the Gold Plaque to show him. The fierce guard turned into a docile lamb in an instant.
The Gold Plaque.
With this, she could request a private audience with the owner of the Black Market.
"This way."
Masked guards guided Olivia somewhere. When the door opened, a middle-aged man stood there. He had been looking down at the auction floor through the window, but he shrugged and sat down at the table.
"I ask this just in case, but you know the price of a private audience, yes?"
"I do."
"...Huh."
The middle-aged man let out an unconscious murmur of admiration.
"Well now, you're a young lady with an incredibly beautiful voice. I've grown all the more curious about who's behind that robe... but since you clearly have no intention of revealing yourself, I'll drop it."
The middle-aged man took a sip of wine.
"So, what business brings you here? In exchange for paying with the Gold Plaque, I shall grant you one thing you desire."
'One thing you desire' meant any and all items circulated within the Black Market. The military secrets of various nations, Elder Lich artifacts, Magic Books discovered in ruins, and so on. Whatever it was, she could exchange the Gold Plaque for it.
This was possible because the truly precious goods were sifted out before they ever entered circulation in the Black Market.
In simple terms, everything floating around the Black Market was third-rate junk.
"I want information."
At Olivia's words, a glint of interest flickered across the middle-aged man's face. Information, after all, was the cheapest thing you could get.
"What kind of information do you want?"
"All the rumors and gossip related to the Eastern Coalition for the three years starting from 987."
The middle-aged man furrowed his brow.
What in the world did she intend to use old gossip from the past for?
Of course, it was only proper to provide it if the customer wished, but that was no simple task either.
"The scope is far too broad. Just sorting through it will take at least four years."
"What if we limit it to military secrets and the dirty laundry of important people?"
The middle-aged man did the math in his head.
It was still a lot, but not an impossible amount to organize.
"That would be possible. But it's impossible right this moment. It will take about ten days."
Olivia nodded.
"I'll generously give you two extra days, so make sure to look into it thoroughly. I'll return to pick it up then."
The middle-aged man had no reason to refuse.
*****
By the time she came back out of the Black Market, the sun had already set. Olivia hurried toward the Gold Tower.
In twelve days—meaning the next time she used a Clue—she would be able to obtain the information she wanted.
The whole reason she'd stopped by the Black Market was to get this.
What was she going to use something like this for?
Simple. Because she could stop the war with it.
How could she suppress a war with mere rumors?
They weren't mere rumors.
All of it was the "truth" that Olivia had spread.
The dirty secrets of important people, military deployment plans and related intelligence.
Just imagine if things like that started pouring out at regular intervals.
The leaders of the Eastern Coalition knew it was not mere gossip. They had to know.
Naturally, they would fall under the misconception—no, the belief—that the Empire's intelligence capabilities were beyond imagination, and they would back down.
Of course, simply spreading rumors wasn't enough. She had to spread them in a precise order to stop the war.
What if the order was wrong? War would break out at the end of 990, the Eastern Coalition would be destroyed, and the Empire would be half-fucked.
Since Olivia's "present" was 987, that meant there were a little over three years left until the war.
'This is why Lactea's a shit game. This is information you can only know after burning through at least a hundred runs as a baseline.'
Anyway, that was why she'd come to the Black Market. Perhaps because she had quit Lactea for four months after the Genocide Ending, she couldn't remember the precise order for spreading the rumors.
'Alright, that takes care of one thing.'
With this, she could protect the lives of the Martial King and the Wave Catcher, Esti.
-Poof!
Olivia's figure moved swiftly. The place where she revealed herself was the front gate of the Gold Tower.
And there, a completely unexpected person was standing.
"...You are very late."
It was Melina.
A touch of anger showed in her golden eyes.
Only then did Olivia realize just how late she really was.
"Did you not say with your own mouth that you would train even if it were at night?"
"...I'm sorry."
Olivia bowed her head first. Melina watched her for a long moment before letting out a faint sigh.
"Come inside for now. The weather is cold."
"...Yes."
As they climbed the stairs, Melina spoke.
"Was it something very important?"
"Yes."
"More so than training?"
"Yes."
"..."
Olivia's blue eyes shone with composure.
Melina could not bring herself to scold her.
"...Sleep for now. What was missed today we shall continue tomorrow."
"Ah, um, Master!"
To Melina, who had been about to head toward her office, Olivia held out a single sheet of paper.
"This. The one I had promised to give you."
It was the third Fragment.
"..."
Melina quietly closed her eyes.
It was what she had longed for so desperately.
But.
Oddly, her heart was calmer than she had expected.
It was strange.
"...Thank you."
Melina did not unfurl the Fragment to examine it right away.
"Now go in and sleep."
Only after confirming that Olivia had lain down on the bed did she say,
"You worked hard today, my disciple."
Only then did she check it.