Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Arena
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"I will serve you as my lord from now on."
Chiles cleanly admitted his defeat.
In truth, he knew full well that he wasn't the kind of talent suited to lead an assassination unit.
'This part's just like the game.'
Of course, unlike the game where he showed respect, the Chiles standing before him now radiated fear...
'As long as the outcome is good.'
Even in the game, Chiles was someone reliable.
One might scoff at the idea of trust from an assassin, but the organization Requiem had been built that way from the start.
An organization devoted solely to one person.
'They lost a lot of power after Basa's secret manual vanished...'
Considering that Basa, now a legend, had reached level 8, growing Requiem shouldn't be too difficult.
"Good. Looking forward to working with you. I'll pass on Basa's secret manual. But the sacred treasures containing it will stay with this guy."
"...Thank you!"
Just being able to reclaim the manual was more than enough.
Chiles could be plenty satisfied with that alone.
'How tough those times must have been.'
After the previous leader—the only one who'd mastered the manual—suddenly met his end, and the two treasures holding it vanished.
Requiem had declined at an unprecedented speed.
That's why they, who once dominated the underworld, had ended up as informants under Viscount Bedron.
With a hint of hope, Chiles asked,
"How much growth do we need before you give us missions?"
"Missions?"
"Yes. We'll expand our numbers and build our skills as needed."
"I have no plans to order assassinations."
"Pardon?"
"Why would I use something so scary for that?"
"...?"
In reality, Jun had no intention of using Requiem as an assassination squad.
And why would he?
A discarded imperial prince raising an assassination unit...?
It was practically begging to get stabbed in the back on some street.
The reason Jun absorbed Requiem wasn't to wield them as killers, but to use them as informants shuttling between the surface and Blackout.
"Then why us...?"
"I don't need assassins, but Blackout's a brutal place."
Where else could you find an intel network that could come and go from Blackout like it was home?
In that sense, Requiem was the perfect intel outfit.
Everyone had assassin training, so they could at least protect themselves.
"How long do you plan to lurk in the shadows?"
"But..."
Their very existence was rooted in being assassins. Sure, that image had faded a bit lately.
"Life's journey isn't fixed on one path. Just like how you toiled under Viscount Bedron, you can go wherever the wind takes you."
Take Jun himself—he'd inexplicably dropped into this world and endured every absurd hardship imaginable.
'Don't limit yourself to just assassinations.'
"..."
Chiles fell deep into thought at those words.
His life had mostly been for the organization.
Inheriting the previous leader's will, reclaiming the manual, reviving Requiem.
But over time, Requiem had nearly been forgotten.
Watching that decline, Chiles had questioned if his stubborn ways were truly right.
And now.
Jun's words provided a clear answer to those doubts.
"...We'll give it a try, at least."
"Good. As they say, a good start is half the battle."
And so, Chiles joined under the White Whale Mercenary Corps.
This marked the first time the White Whale Mercenary Corps took in a subordinate organization.
"Here, take this."
"This is...?"
"A mercenary tag. You'll be using it from now on."
"The name... Charles?"
"Yeah. Your name's Charles now."
"Why do you keep calling me Charles? What's so special about it?"
"It's just a thing."
"...??"
Maya, fed up with the baffling exchange, changed the subject.
"So, what do we do next?"
"Ah."
Focused on this, he'd momentarily forgotten the other matter.
Jun asked Chiles,
"Charles. I need info on this Black Market. Anything you know?"
"My name's Chiles, not Charles... Sigh. We have intel gathered up to recently."
"Tell me about anyone dealing in illegal potion ingredients or narcotics. And this too."
"This is...?"
Chiles's expression soured slightly at the black flower Jun pulled from his dimensional bracelet.
"Where'd you get this?"
"Found some guys trying to use it."
"Hmm."
Chiles let out a faint groan before speaking.
"I know who handles this."
"Oh, really?"
"Yes. But you won't find them anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"Everyone dealing in it vanished overnight."
Jun nodded unconsciously at that.
'The Heavenly Church cut off their tails.'
It made sense.
Something used to cloud a legitimate prince's mind would demand ironclad security.
"Any info on them?"
"Just rough outlines so far."
"Compile what you have and send it over."
"Understood."
As his first order, Chiles moved swiftly.
Once Chiles left,
Jun handed Maya a set of daggers gleaming with a deep blue hue.
"Here."
"This that sword... uh, dagger?"
"Yeah. Daggers of Vengeance."
"Thanks."
They clearly weren't ordinary weapons.
As Maya gripped them, her brow furrowed.
"The techniques will transfer to your mind like a skill book."
"..."
Jun stood guard beside Maya as she concentrated intently, his thoughts drifting to Aiden, who should be at the Black Market by now.
'Hope he's doing alright.'
The Blackguard knights probably wouldn't welcome him with open arms, but Aiden would gladly throw himself into the mission with everything he had.
That was just who he was.
"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Uwaaaah! Go kill 'em!"
"You oversized pig bastard! Get ready to have your throat slit by Goldfire Demon Slayer today!"
"Woooooo!!!"
Cheers erupted from all sides.
The air was thick with foul odors, the feverish atmosphere clinging to the skin like unnatural humidity.
The glowing stones embedded in the ceiling poured down blinding light.
A cage-like space barred by iron grates on all sides.
Aiden stared at his foe within it.
The hulking brute, pumped full of drugs, had skin like inflamed rock—anything but normal.
'How did things end up like this...?'
The Black Market arena.
Aiden was fighting there as a gladiator.
After the Blackguard Knight Order infiltrated the Black Market, they brainstormed several ways to gather intel.
"Best to sneak into other organizations undercover."
Not nobles, having to take orders from Black Market criminals.
Far from honorable, yet surprisingly, the Blackguard knights didn't object.
"Who goes this time?"
"Last time we disguised as bandits for that second-layer crook. Count me out."
"I was with you then, so exclude me too."
Of course, they weren't thrilled about it.
They had a rotation, and participants were assigned accordingly.
"Looking at it now, we're a bit short on numbers."
"How about infiltrating one by one, even if it takes more time?"
"Not ideal. Blackout's new season starts soon."
Then the illegal herb dealers would head back underground.
They'd lose time tracking them again.
"Best bet might be the arena..."
"Wouldn't that draw too much attention?"
Knight Captain Terdin nodded at the suggestion.
Blackguards knew the criminals well, and vice versa.
Just their swordsmanship could give them away.
"Then how about I go?"
The one who stepped up was Aiden, who'd been standing blankly like a rice sack during the meeting.
"You?"
"Yes. My sword skills won't tip anyone off."
"Hmm. It's a solid idea, but... you sure?"
As a veteran knight, Terdin knew Aiden wasn't some commoner.
'Bastard son of a noble, probably.'
The Black Market arena might be rough for noble blood.
"Sounds good to me."
"It's the White Whale Mercenary Corps, after all."
"Exactly. They didn't earn that rep for nothing."
The other knights casually endorsed Aiden's idea.
Meanwhile, Aiden had his own reasoning.
'If I shine here, it'll help my senior a ton.'
Working with prestigious Blackguards and showing real skill would boost his rep too.
But what Aiden overlooked was...
"Goldfire Demon Slayer! Goldfire Demon Slayer!"
"The golden-flamed devil will slaughter you all!"
"I bet my whole fortune on that guy! Crush 'em, Goldfire Demon Slayer!!"
...that no one in the Black Market matched his skill, and his string of victories had skyrocketed his fame.
Complete with the brutal moniker Goldfire Demon Slayer!
'I-if my identity gets out like this...?'
It might harm the White Whale Mercenary Corps's reputation instead...?
Aiden realized too late and vowed to think twice from now on.
"Impressive as always, Goldfire Demon Slayer."
"Of... course. What'd you expect?"
Aiden nearly slipped into polite speech but quickly lowered his voice.
The man before him ran the Black Market's largest arena.
"That new agent of yours is no slouch either. Holding onto talent like you."
"Holding on? I'm the one gracing you with my presence."
"Ha? Hahaha! You've earned the right to talk like that!"
The man's boisterous laugh faded as he got serious.
Time for the pitch.
"So, up for a change of opponent?"
Not a big deal.
Aiden had been at the arena for a week now.
A week might not seem long for fame, but...
Black Market rumors spread like wildfire.
With over thirty matches in that time, his name had spread far.
"You underestimate me. Can you even handle it?"
Aiden kept his tension hidden.
He'd been waiting for this offer.
"You want something. What is it?"
"Strength. That's all I crave."
"I see. What about drugs, then?"
"...!"
The offer he'd been waiting for had arrived.
Being a Mage in the Hero Party 127화