Chapter 253
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 253
Chapter Title: The One Who Calls Them
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A gentle breeze brushed against Jun's cheek.
"Hoo..."
The crackling sound of the campfire.
He was standing watch alone like this, but his mind wasn't turning as sharply as usual.
"The aftereffects are pretty severe."
It had already been two days of rest, yet it was still like this.
The battles in the Rockwind Plains this time had been uniformly grueling.
His comrades were no different; even after waking, their faces were etched with fatigue.
Heading out in this state would only invite danger.
Once cleared, the Rockwind Plains didn't spawn any more monsters, making it the safest spot for now.
"At least we made it back alive somehow."
He himself had nearly died several times, and above all, his comrades—who had no prior experience like this—were mentally pushed to their limits.
He'd anticipated it to some degree, but not to this extent.
'The silver lining is that Aiden's starting to become aware of that power.'
Against the Stone Ogre, Tolton, Aiden had drawn on the power of the first emperor.
But unlike in the ancient alchemists' city, he wasn't consumed by it; he wielded it clearly by his own will.
'Has his mental fortitude grown that much?'
He'd been preparing various artifacts related to mental strength in anticipation of such situations.
But they hadn't gotten a chance to prove their worth yet.
'In the game, Adrian's rampage followed that pattern.'
If the protagonist Adrian in the game wasn't equipped with sufficient mental fortitude artifacts, there was an ending where the first emperor's mana overtook his body, leading to a rampage.
Of course, mental fortitude artifacts weren't hard to obtain by mid-to-late game, so it was an easily avoidable bad end.
'But we're not at that level yet.'
At Jun and his comrades' current level, they could acquire such artifacts in the game.
But that was only possible within the game's context.
The game's backdrop was a world in chaos, with treasures flooding out from everywhere.
Nowadays, those artifacts were owned by nobles and tycoons, making them hard to come by.
'Even so, Aiden wielded the first emperor's mana on his own and kept his sanity. And that final strike he unleashed... it was definitely...'
Materialization.
Not with his own mana, of course—just transplanting the domineering nature of the first emperor's mana.
'With Aiden's talent, one experience like that should be enough to forge his own path.'
They'd only reached the 7th layer, yet he'd grown this much.
To survive the myriad crises ahead, this kind of growth needed to continue.
"Hoo..."
But seeing his comrades so drained despite everything...
"Maybe I should recruit one more person after all."
Right now, he and Eleanor were the mental pillars of the mercenary corps, but he could see them leaning too heavily on that.
'Of course, that's not necessarily bad.'
But fighting with that mindset could lead to openings in battle, like this time.
So recruiting a new comrade for the rear guard—one they could trust and relax around—seemed like a good idea.
"Who to recruit, though."
Blackout was already changing rapidly. Finding new talent amid this turmoil wouldn't be easy.
'Still, there's one person who'd be worth bringing along.'
The issue was whether that person would accept Jun's offer.
"Guess I have to try anyway."
It seemed like it would take a lot of time and experience for Aiden and Maya to mature mentally like that—not talent, but mindset.
Crackle.
Gazing at the campfire spitting embers, Jun sank into thought.
After sufficient rest, with all four back in top condition, they returned to the 6th layer.
But no sooner had they exited the layer gate than someone greeted them.
"Charles?"
"Ah, there you are."
Charles, who handled the mercenary corps' intelligence network, emerged from the bushes.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to relay some urgent information."
The head of a proper intelligence organization now, Charles rarely moved personally. For ordinary matters, he'd use other channels.
His direct involvement meant the issue was grave.
"...What is it?"
"Count Mordenaein. He's looking for you, Captain."
Count Mordenaein Albert.
A high-ranking figure directly managing Blackout's major and minor affairs, his authority here rivaled even the emperor's.
Such a man had summoned the White Whale Mercenary Corps.
They decided to head to Black Forest Fortress first.
Of course, Jun had no obligation to rush over just because he was called, but crucially, they'd already heard from Third Prince Javier that the emperor was preparing for war.
Mordenaein had likely spoken with the emperor too, so visiting him might yield useful intel.
Upon arriving at Black Forest Fortress, they restocked consumed supplies and left a letter for Javier.
With the Ariclotos Church's holy site partially connected to the surface, the message would reach him that way.
"Everyone good to go?"
"Perfect."
"I haven't rested this well in days."
"I'm at my best too."
"Okay. Let's move out."
Soon, the Ranes Mage Tower's aerial carriage carried the group and arrived at the City of Flying Birds in just a few days.
"You three rest here. Aiden, while you've got time, get a weapon first."
"...Understood."
At Aiden's waist, where the Cloudlight Sword once hung, now dangled a gleaming new steel sword.
It was decent, but laughably inferior to the destroyed Cloudlight Sword.
"You two, help Aiden out."
"Got it. I'll make damn sure if it's cursed or not."
"Same here."
Leaving the three behind, Jun headed to the palace of flying birds.
At the entrance, the guards—who recognized him—greeted him courteously.
"Welcome, Jun."
"It's been a while, sir."
Count Mordenaein welcomed Jun in his usual impeccably neat attire.
"Haha, sorry I only call when I need something."
"No, no. No news is good news, right?"
"Oh, is that a saying? Haha! True enough. Anyway... I've heard a lot about you lately. Didn't expect you'd grow this much in such a short time."
A third-year mercenary corps reaching the 7th layer.
Not unheard of, but if their captain was a 3-circle mage until three years ago, that changed things.
"Your exploits in the north impressed even me. Did you break into 7th circle?"
"Not quite. Just laying the foundations."
"Even so, it's an astonishing pace. I'm almost worried you're pushing too hard."
"You know the empire's situation isn't normal."
"Haha... Indeed. That's actually why I called you."
As if on cue, Count Mordenaein's brow furrowed as he got to the point.
"Someone of your caliber probably knows already, but... the imperial family—His Majesty, rather—is quietly preparing something."
"..."
"Your expression says you do. Yes, it's His Majesty's will."
Preparations for war against the Heavenly Church.
A scouting campaign to uncover their roots and influence on the surface and Blackout had begun.
"But there's a problem with that?"
Evidently, things weren't going smoothly.
Otherwise, Mordenaein wouldn't have summoned Jun personally.
"An old imperial issue. Even with a major enemy, the whole empire can't mobilize easily."
"Hm..."
"The biggest headache is the east. It's been a whopping thirty years since the war started there."
About fifty years ago, the Dimension River incident in Merdaine—one of the empire's major lifelines.
Its fall triggered an economic depression, spawning chain disasters.
One was the eastern war.
When it broke out, the east couldn't escape economic crisis for twenty years, and then their leader—the east's champion—vanished, sparking a war over his seat.
Thirty years ago.
"The surface issues are bad enough... but His Majesty's stage this time is Blackout, right?"
"Yes."
"And their war continues there too."
War was a money-devouring monster. Thirty years of it? The east's coffers had long been empty.
So how had they sustained it?
"They're raking in massive funds from Blackout."
"Exactly."
Jun couldn't not know this.
The eastern war raged in the game's Blackout too, intensifying after the emperor's death.
"They've each seized a checkpoint on the 6th layer, generating huge profits for war funds."
"Common knowledge."
"Right. And here's the problem."
"..."
"As I said, their war's spilling into Blackout, hindering His Majesty's grand plans."
"Territorial claims."
"Spot on."
The two eastern factions held the largest checkpoints side by side on the 6th layer.
This crippled the emperor's direct intel units.
"We need to draw their eyes away for a bit."
"You want us to do it?"
"Of course not. It's a thirty-year war. No mere mercenary corps like yours could distract them."
True enough.
In the game, venturing into their turf brought swarms like disturbed hornets.
"I'm looking for someone to do it instead. Your mission: find that person."
"Who...?"
"The former lord of the east... who vanished without a trace. Duke Randel of the Ran family."