Chapter 115
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Javier
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Javier.
When he opened his eyes, what he saw was a faint warmth and golden holy power. And the figure of a woman with her eyes covered by a black blindfold.
"Where...?"
"You're awake. Aiden, go fetch the captain."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The person with golden hair who had been at his side vanished, replaced by an elderly man with a striking bushy beard.
"Javier. You're conscious?"
"...Aden? Wait. Why am I here?"
"Your carriage plummeted down that slope. The locals found you and brought you here."
"The carriage... Oh!"
Suddenly, Javier bolted upright.
"Wh-what about the others? What happened to everyone else?"
"Sadly, you were the only survivor there. It was thanks to that necklace."
"Ah...!"
Javier's already pale skin grew even paler.
"Evoc. Beltan..."
Were they close to the men who had been driving the carriage?
Tears welled up in Javier's eyes.
"Care to explain what happened?"
"...While we were moving, the carriage suddenly shook. There was a strange noise from one of the wheels... and right after, it tipped over."
"Any chance it was an attack?"
"Unlikely. My retainers wouldn't have missed something like that."
Javier nodded heavily at Aden's words.
"Greetings."
At that moment, someone entered from outside the tent.
The man with black hair tied up high and serene silver-blue eyes stood calmly beside Aden.
Given the circumstances, Jun had dispelled his illusion magic to reveal himself.
"Pleased to meet you. I'm Jun, leader of the White Whale Mercenary Corps."
"White Whale Mercenary Corps...? You don't mean..."
"That's the one. The famous group making waves lately."
"Ah... A pleasure. Truly."
Javier bowed his head briefly to Jun, his expression utterly deflated.
"As royalty, you only had two escorts?"
"I... No, I don't like traveling with a large entourage."
Quite frugal for a prince.
But that was just an excuse he made up.
Javier simply didn't want to draw attention, so he'd brought only two escorts—the friends he trusted most.
And now those friends were dead.
"It's my fault. If I'd known, I should've prepared more carefully, like my mother said..."
"Don't torment yourself, Javier."
"Aden..."
"Right now, we need to assess the situation first. And we can't miss the banquet opportunity."
"The banquet... Right. The banquet... Yes. I have to go."
Anyone could see Javier had no desire to attend the banquet. But as a prince, he had to fulfill his duties.
"I must complete the mission my mother gave me... to the end."
As Javier tried to rise from his seat,
"I hope this isn't empty consolation."
Jun pulled two necklaces from his pocket and handed them to Javier.
They were the ones his friends had been wearing.
"Thank you... No, truly, thank you."
The third prince had joined them out of the blue. The group's mood grew heavy as well.
No one could chat idly in front of an emperor mourning his friends.
Aiden gazed at Jun with a pleading expression.
It was a signal begging to be moved to the driver's seat.
They'd been close for a short time as kids... but it hadn't ended well.
On top of that, Javier's status as royalty made him uncomfortable, and now he was grieving lost friends.
Aiden didn't want to share the same space.
'Sorry...'
But Jun subtly avoided Aiden's gaze.
Excluding Aiden was one thing, but Maya and Eleanor were issues... and above all.
"Aden. Mind if we talk privately?"
"Hm? Something you want to ask this old man?"
He needed to compare his game knowledge with reality.
"Yes."
Aiden watched the two, slinking into the carriage like a dog with its tail between its legs. The golem soon set the carriage in motion.
Naturally, a heavy, awkward silence settled over the carriage.
Maya had no real interest in the prince to begin with, and she'd been busy calming the rampaging ancestral spirits since earlier.
Eleanor had no desire to get tangled with the imperial family and entered meditation.
Finally, Aiden's eyes trembled pitifully...
"Sob..."
As the quiet silence fell, Javier seemed to think of his dead friends and wept even more sorrowfully.
Just as Aiden was about to speak up,
Eleanor grabbed his hand.
Best to leave him be in times like this.
Having grown up in an orphanage for a time, Eleanor was skilled at handling children.
The prince before them wasn't a child... but he was still mentally immature.
Thus, the uncomfortable time dragged on.
Javier was the first to break the silence.
"...I showed you an unsightly side. My apologies."
"Not at all, Javier."
Aiden, being the fellow royal, spoke first.
"No. It was unsightly. For the one destined to be emperor by my mother's decree to shed tears before others."
"..."
"I've heard one of you shares my blood. Might that be you?"
Aiden nodded cautiously at Javier's question.
"Indeed... So it is you. It's been ages, brother."
"...Brother? That's too much."
The word "brother" weighed heavily on the abandoned prince.
Worried it might cause trouble for Jun, Aiden tried to refuse,
"No. I still remember. That day, I'd been scolded by Mother too. You approached me crying alone in the garden and spoke to me. Brother."
"...You remember that?"
It had been over ten years, and Javier was only six then.
"Of course. You vanished suddenly when I was young... but I learned later. The adults' circumstances."
"..."
"Am I a bother?"
"No."
It was absolutely a bother, but Aiden couldn't bring himself to coldly reject Javier, who looked so pitiful like a small animal.
"I know you have your own circumstances, brother."
"..."
"Just when we're alone. Surely that's fine?"
"Probably... the right choice."
"Haha... What an ironic day. Losing dear friends after so long, only to rediscover the brother I lost long ago."
Mentioning his friends brought tears to Javier's eyes again, and the group fell silent once more.
What an... incredibly uncomfortable time.
Right after the carriage departed.
Aden cleared his throat unnecessarily.
"Ahem. Out of an old man's concern..."
"I have no intention of spreading rumors that the third prince was crying."
"Sharp as ever."
"In exchange, if I may... Could I hear about Javier?"
He was a crybaby now, but someday he'd bring disaster to the imperial family.
In the story, Jun only knew he was the villain, not the details.
"A soft-hearted child."
"Soft-hearted..."
Jun recalled one of the few cutscenes from the game.
There, Javier burned the empire with hatred and vengeance.
"Might be a sensitive question, but is there anything I should watch out for at the banquet?"
"Heh. You have a way with words. Curious about the relations between the royals attending?"
From Aden's perspective, it was understandable.
After all, the prince had suffered a carriage crash.
Couldn't rule out foul play by other royals, so it was natural for Jun, who always stayed neutral.
"Not what you're thinking. More likely just an accident."
"..."
"Well, since you're worried, I'll tell you. Fortunately, relations between the royals aren't too bad these days."
The first prince, with the most noble support.
The first princess, with her own solid base, though not as strong.
And the third prince, in the most ambiguous position.
Jun listened intently to Aden's explanation.
Comparing the game's history with Aden's reality, time flew by.
The bizarre group now included the Sword Spirit and Third Prince Javier.
But no major issues arose in the two days since.
Few traveled the Intrass Mountains to begin with, and the contacts from other organizations Jun worried about never showed.
They were probably still watching the Gilenoi Merchant Guild in the capital.
'At this point, no need to keep the illusion magic up anymore.'
Anyway, after a few days, even Javier, sunk in grief, began recovering his spirits.
"He still whimpers at night sometimes... but the frequency has dropped a lot."
Was the dark circle under Aiden's eyes a trick of the light?
"You've had it rough."
"No, it's just... he's such a pitiful kid."
"You mentioned knowing him before."
"Yes. Not that long ago. We hung out for about a week."
Aiden's eyes held a self-mocking smile.
"One of the few good memories I have of the palace."
"And yet you're so uncomfortable around him. Because of his mother from the rear palace?"
"...Yes. When Venes saw me playing with Javier as kids, she summoned me alone."
And Aiden had an experience he'd never forget.
"Lady Venes kept snakes as a hobby."
"Snakes?"
"Yes. Surrounded by snakes glaring at me, she said..."
At just ten years old, the gaze of dozens of snakes closing in was pure terror.
-You're an abandoned child. You mustn't play with our child. Understand?
With that, Aiden never saw Javier again.
His nanny had heard and scolded him harshly.
In the end, Aiden lost his friend—whom he saw as a little brother—in just a week, and gained a snake phobia.
'Ah, so that's why he feared snakes in 'Viper's Fang.'"
Before heading to the second layer, they'd gone to a dungeon to raise Aiden's [Charge] skill proficiency, where Aiden had made many mistakes from fear of snakes.
"Honestly, it was burdensome at first."
"How about now?"
"Still similar feelings, but..."
Aiden glanced at the carriage with Javier and smiled softly.
"I no longer fear snakes, senpai."
"Good to hear."
Jun smirked.
A massive mansion came into view in the distance.
They were nearly at the banquet hall.