Chapter 20
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: Persuasion (2)
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“S-She really woke up...!”
The healer muttered those words upon seeing the vice-captain's consciousness return, something that no amount of effort had been able to achieve until now.
Just as Jun had instructed, they followed his prescription, and sure enough, the vice-captain opened his eyes.
It wasn't because Jun possessed superior medical skills to the healer.
It's just a difference in information. The Corrupted Fairy Queen has a [Healing Immunity] ability.
The treatment method was simple.
Transfer the corrupting power blocking the wound's recovery to somewhere else.
However, it wasn't easy with conventional methods. The corrupting power had powerful infectivity.
Simply trying to move it would just spread the contagion.
So, they used holy water to purify the 'fairy dust' that would serve as the transfer target, then sprinkled holy water on the wound to weaken the corrupting power.
Once the fairy dust was applied to the wound infused with the corrupted power, the corruption transferred to the dust on its own.
“Hey. You with us?”
“Kuh... cough!”
But having lost so much blood, the vice-captain remained disoriented even after opening his eyes.
“Potion.”
“Yes!”
Jun slowly poured the potion from the healer into the vice-captain's mouth, and gradually, focus returned to his eyes.
“Y-You are...?”
“I'm a mage. Anyway, I have something to say. The Fairy Queen. She's awakened, right?”
“H-How do you...?”
“I already know everything you guys were trying to do. You lot are the ones who woke the Fairy Queen.”
“...!”
“Save the surprise. Just listen to what I have to say from now on. Your captain and team members might still be alive.”
“What do you mean...?”
Perhaps due to the spark of hope amid despair, the vice-captain's eyes sharpened.
“Not everyone in the raid party died to monsters, right? You just saw them get surrounded. Yeah? Isn't that right?”
The vice-captain's eyes widened as if he'd seen a ghost at Jun's description, which sounded like he'd witnessed the scene firsthand.
And that's exactly how it had unfolded.
“...Y-Yes. I barely escaped the encirclement, but... my comrades couldn't.”
He didn't know what happened after that. He simply assumed his comrades, surrounded by an overwhelming horde of monsters, had perished.
“You landed a hit on the Fairy Queen too, right? But she didn't die like you expected.”
“...That's right. But how do you know all this?”
In response, Jun pulled a book from his bag.
“What's that?”
“Expedition Journal of the Corrupted Forest. It's a log left by ancient beastkin explorers who came to this forest. Think of it as the sequel to the Exploration Log of the Corrupted Forest your group found in the Beast Temple.”
“...?!”
He was shocked enough that the person before him knew of the exploration log's existence, but the idea of a sequel was even more astonishing.
“H-How did you...?”
“Doesn't matter how I got it. According to this, the Fairy Queen drains life force from living beings to heal. So, your comrades are probably still alive. She needs life force to recover from the injuries you inflicted.”
“...!”
This was precisely why Jun believed the raid party might have survived.
They must have known the basic strategy for the Fairy Queen.
The Fairy Queen was extremely weakened right after awakening.
With the proper strategy, she could be defeated far more easily than the original boss, the Forest Guardian.
Azure Cloud had likely unleashed a full assault the moment she awoke, based on the info from their exploration log.
But the Fairy Queen isn't something you can kill that way.
The problem was that the Exploration Log wasn't a perfect guide.
Unless you followed the predetermined route exactly, the Fairy Queen wouldn't die even if reduced to critical condition.
The reason was detailed in the Expedition Journal Jun held.
These guys didn't know that, so they lost.
Unaware of this, the raid party had been overwhelmed by the monsters drawn by the Fairy Queen's screams.
It was an impossible number for the raid party alone to handle.
“Anyway, what I'm saying is your comrades are alive.”
“...You know all that, and you're still helping us?”
“What do I gain from killing you here? Survival is what matters.”
Of course, Jun was just as annoyed by the situation.
But letting anger cloud his judgment and missing a chance to survive would be idiotic.
It's not just me, either. Those guys outside value their own lives just as much.
Unless it was the enemy who killed their parents, they'd have to make some compromises to survive.
“That said, you won't escape the iron fist of the law. Keep that in mind.”
“...Understood. Even rotting in prison beats the afterlife.”
“Can you move right now?”
“It's tough, but doable.”
“Good. Then let's go out and convince those guys.”
The camp, plunged into chaos, erupted as people spotted the vice-captain ascending the platform.
Fueled by the fear of death, they looked ready to draw weapons at any moment. When one mercenary actually pulled his sword from its sheath, nearby Colton shouted.
“Let's hear the situation first! Hey, Vice-Captain! What's going on right now?!”
The other mercenaries glared at the vice-captain, eyes demanding answers.
They wanted to know the reason, even if they died for it.
“First... I offer my deepest apologies for the current situation. I'm truly sorry.”
“You joking right now?! Think we want apologies?!”
“Right! Explain what's happening first!”
Under the mercenaries' murderous glares, the vice-captain—already pale from his injuries—grew even whiter.
“Cough! A-Anyway. The situation arose when the dormant Fairy Queen awakened.”
He calmly explained everything from the Fairy Queen's awakening up to now.
The mercenaries were furious.
It was only natural.
They'd activated a hidden stage without consulting anyone.
Normally, activating a hidden stage required formally applying to the homeland, gaining consensus, and preparing over a long period.
But Azure Cloud had no chance of approval, even if they submitted an application to the Empire.
In fact, they risked losing their intel without reward.
Honestly, selling that info to a higher organization would've netted a fortune and fame.
But Azure Cloud had rejected that option.
This was internal Azure Cloud business even Jun didn't know.
It wasn't about needing interest from their existing sponsor noble. They were dissatisfied with the sponsor noble themselves.
According to the vice-captain, the noble house sponsoring Azure Cloud was an old baronial family.
The problem was the current baron head's ambition.
To maximize gains with minimal investment, he'd ordered reckless explorations, leading to the loss of key members and recruitment issues.
This had dragged on for years, leaving Captain Benjamin Bristone deeply resentful.
Selling their prime intel wouldn't secure a future.
So, they'd resolved to rack up achievements burdensome even for the barons.
Success would make finding new sponsors trivial.
“This fucking...”
One mercenary's mutter captured the mood perfectly.
Murderous intent gleamed in their eyes.
Even Colton, who'd helped Jun earlier, was seething.
Hearing the gist from Jun was one thing; hearing it directly from the culprit hit differently.
“I am ashamed to face you all.”
The reason they hadn't drawn swords yet was the vice-captain's full disclosure—no secrets withheld.
Any half-baked excuses would've changed everything.
To sway them required transcending anger with rational judgment.
Accepting Jun's persuasion had yielded the best outcome for the vice-captain.
Colton, barely swallowing his rage, asked.
“So! Is there a way out of this?!”
The other mercenaries eyed the vice-captain.
They'd barely held back their fury, but without a solution, they'd mount his head on the camp palisade next.
Fortune smiled on the vice-captain—a method existed.
“From here, this man will explain.”
As the vice-captain stepped back, Jun took the platform.
A few mercenaries recognized the raggedly dressed mage from the pre-assault strategy meeting—his impression stuck.
“Parachute?”
“The parachute mage knows a solution?”
“Not just cannon fodder, huh?”
As Jun's neck topped their palisade decoration list, he read their expressions.
They're radiating killing intent.
But a year in this world had taught him mercenary ecology better than anyone, for survival's sake.
He knew how to flip this atmosphere.
Get ready.
Raising his arm skyward.
Fire!
Lightning Whip
Zzzzzzzt—!
He unleashed the lightning spell he'd prepared long before ascending—proven effective multiple times in dungeons.
Zzzzzzzt—!
It shot out like a bolt from the blue with deafening thunder, widening the mercenaries' eyes to saucer size.
No way a junior mage could output that power.
The best way to sway skeptical mercenaries? Overwhelming dominance.
“You've got questions, so I'll skip introductions. Look here.”
After a brief glance at the lightning whip's afterimage, Jun's voice drew their attention.
“This is an ancient tome discovered during the Black Forest assault: Expedition Journal of the Corrupted Forest. Think of it as a strategy guide.”
Strategy guide.
Prejudices about Jun aside, the mercenaries buzzed at the book.
“Like the Corrupted Forest Exploration Log the vice-captain mentioned?”
“Sounds like volume 1 and 2...”
“Our survival's in there?”
As the mercenaries guessed, Jun pointed to the book.
“We can't escape because of the assault barrier. But this details how to break it: Defeat the Forest Guardian. More precisely, destroy the forest essence it holds.”
In truth, this aligned with the original assault.
The Forest Guardian was the boss.
But no one here knew the barrier's true source at the entrance, so they'd assumed only the Fairy Queen defeat would work.
Yet at their level, Fairy Queen was impossible—hence their resignation to death.
“S-So, defeating the Forest Guardian like normal lets us survive?”
“Yes. But it's not easy. With our numbers, taking down the Forest Guardian will be tough.”
Regaining some calm, the mercenaries assessed coldly.
As Jun said, they couldn't solo the Forest Guardian.
And now it was empowered by the Fairy Queen.
“...But the raid party's wiped, right? How?”
“That's the good news. The raid party might still be alive.”
“Really?”
Jun repeated the same explanation he'd given the vice-captain.
After hearing it all, hope mingled with unease on their faces.
Survival was possible, but only by rescuing those who'd endangered them.
For hot-tempered mercenaries, it stung.
“But we can't just sit and die together. I get your anger, but rolling in shit beats death, right? Or do you wanna die here?”
Jun's words sealed it.
However sky-high their rage, these were body-as-capital mercenaries.
They cherished life above all; if survival beckoned, they'd seize it.