Chapter 254
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 254
Chapter Title: Business Partner
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'To think his name would come up here. Well, it makes sense.'
Duke Randel.
He was one of the famous boss monsters even within the game <Blackout>.
Not only was the difficulty high, but tracking him down took so much playtime unless you got lucky—it was brutal.
But the real reason he was famous went beyond those two things.
'You could recruit him as a playable character if you met certain conditions.'
That rarity of pulling a boss monster into your party made him a hot topic across all the communities.
'I hustled hard back when I was leveling a warrior character, just to snag some skills from him.'
So naturally, Jun knew quite a bit about his backstory.
Maybe Mordenaen Count misinterpreted Jun's thoughtful reminiscing, because the man gave a wry smile.
"I know full well how absurd it sounds to ask you to find someone who's been missing for thirty years already."
"Pardon? Ah, yes... You're right."
"Still, don't lose heart. Even the Imperial Family spent ages searching for traces of him."
He hadn't vanished the moment he left his domain.
For the first few years, there were sporadic reports from Blackout, including word that he'd reached level 8.
'That's what made him so infamous. You didn't even have to level him yourself—just hit the right conditions, and bam, a level 8 character joins your party.'
A level 8 character was rare even in the game.
Of course, when he went missing, the Imperial Family pulled out all the stops to hunt him down.
"So, we'll share the intel we have with you."
"Hm..."
"You look skeptical. Speak your mind—it's just between us, right?"
Their relationship was purely business, nothing more or less, but Jun opened up anyway.
"You've been searching for him for thirty years. So why call us in now, like you've suddenly got a lead? Doesn't that seem off?"
And yet, here they were.
That had to mean they'd secured solid tracks on Duke Randel.
If so, the Count could just handle it himself—why borrow the White Whale Mercenary Corps' hands? It didn't add up.
"Sharp observation. You're right; we might not even need you. That was true until just recently."
About a month and a half ago. Even knowing Jun had come to the capital, the Count hadn't summoned him then.
So something must have cropped up in the meantime.
"The intel leaked."
"Ah..."
Just as Jun had feared.
"Word is, two eastern factions are sniffing around, betting on the chance he's alive."
"That must be a headache for them."
"Exactly. They've been at war for eastern dominance for thirty years straight. Now Duke Randel shows up? They can't stomach that."
So the two factions had paused their war to hunt for Randel instead.
Of course, each had their own angles, so they weren't moving openly.
"That's why you called us."
"Spot on. We can't meddle directly in their war. It could blow up into a political mess."
The central politics in the capital had players with stakes in the east.
One wrong move from Mordenaen Count, and it could look like the Emperor's doing.
"But to them, aren't we already seen as your private army?"
"That's the key. Image. It's all just image, not set in stone."
"I see..."
In other words, using mercenaries instead of his own forces gave him plausible deniability.
'Clever fox, as expected.'
By then, Jun paused to weigh his options.
'Truth be told, it's not a bad gig for me.'
He'd already mentioned it to Cloi, but Jun planned to bolster the Emperor's influence.
Not out of personal gain or political maneuvering.
With the Heavenly Sky Church rampaging so aggressively right now, unifying the Empire under the Emperor's authority was the simplest path forward.
'As long as he stays alive that long.'
No signs of trouble yet, at least.
Anyway, hadn't he told Cloi he'd get regional powers to back the Emperor?
She'd warned it was too risky, and honestly, Jun had no real plan back then.
Now here was Mordenaen Count handing him the solution on a platter.
'No reason to turn it down.'
That said, it wouldn't all end rosy.
'In the end, it means tangling with those greedy eastern bastards.'
He might have to kill a lot of people.
Jun had no issue with that.
The last three years had been light on direct kills, but before that, he'd ended plenty.
Aiden, Maya, and Eleanor might have to get their hands dirty too, though.
'Same context as pushing into layer 7.'
To survive, sometimes you kill.
Jun lived by that, but the others might not.
Forcing his worldview on them didn't sit right. They weren't subordinates—they were comrades.
"For now... we'll consider it positively."
"Meaning?"
"I'll check with my team."
"Good. I'll wait."
"Yes. See you."
He left the castle and met the others that evening. That's when he spotted a new sword at Aiden's hip.
"Aiden, what's that?"
"Oh, got it from the Gilenoi Merchant Guild. They were shipping it up to the upper layers anyway."
A blade with a subtle blue sheen.
Well-balanced weight, and the hilt bore a famed forge's mark.
"Surface-made. Solid for temporary use. Nice. Not quite Luminblade quality, but it'll hold up to your mana. How many'd you snag?"
"Three."
"Enough for backups. Solid grab."
"Haha..."
Still, Aiden fiddled with the hilt, a bitter edge to it.
The loss of his Luminblade clearly stung.
'Time to hook Aiden up with a new blade.'
A hidden gem from layer 7 came to mind—one he'd loved on his warrior runs.
'Plenty of time before the job kicks off. Could grab it then.'
Not a bad call. Might even score useful elixirs for the team. Win-win.
"So, Captain? How'd it go on your end?"
At Eleanor's question, Jun laid out his talk with the Count.
Once she'd heard it all, Eleanor spoke up.
"Bottom line: this job means high odds of crossing those eastern war hawks."
"Yeah. And big chance we'll..."
"Have to kill some folks."
"..."
A chill silence fell. Eleanor sighed first.
"Conditions are fine. Pay's great. But you're not thrilled because of the killing, right?"
"...Yeah."
Eleanor was a priestess of Aricloitos, goddess of healing. Asking her to overlook murder could feel wrong.
What about Aiden?
"I'm... okay with it. I've heard plenty about them. Brutal war, no holds barred."
"...You know something?"
"Yeah. Strapping bombs to kids and sending them into enemy lines. Men, women, elderly, children—all cannon fodder. Savage stuff."
Aiden gave a bitter smile and a heavy sigh.
"If killing them stops the war, count me in."
"...Got it. Maya, you?"
"What kinda question is that? They swing, we kill. Done."
"No hesitation?"
"Think I haven't killed? Back in the tribe, idiots tried raiding us all the time."
"Ah..."
Surprisingly, the team warmed to it quick.
"Same here. Captain, didn't peg you for the naive type. The Church values life, sure. But not for those charging at us."
Eleanor had fought humans before too.
Priestesses seemed untouchable to some, but raiders targeted them plenty.
"So, what's your take, Captain?"
"Less about the job itself, more another angle."
"Huh?"
As their puzzled gazes met, Jun voiced the thoughts he'd mulled over before coming.
"First off, the Count's holding back a ton of info. Or rather, expecting us to figure it out."
"What exactly?"
"He said he's using us instead of his intel network to dodge central politics eyes."
"Yeah?"
"But that's a flimsy excuse."
The Emperor was already gearing up for war with the Heavenly Sky Church. He'd steamroll noble opinions anyway—no need to tiptoe now, per Jun.
"Hm... Makes sense. But maybe he's just playing it safe, not tipping off nobles too soon?"
"Fair point. Still, smells like a smokescreen. Emperor's real goal is elsewhere."
"Real goal?"
"What is it?"
"Level 8 warrior. Duke Randel. He wants that power. Huge asset against the Church. And high odds he'll..."
Sweep the eastern warlords in one go.
"Ah...?"
"You mean massacring the eastern nobles...?"
"Yeah. Big chance."
"But... central nobles would revolt hard."
"Normally, yeah. Unless he's got the perfect justification—then even they can't balk."
Back to Mordenaen Count's 'pretext'.
"So if he's got that pretext, it's doable...?"
"We're the decoys to draw their eyes. Emperor's probably already got the pretext to crush them."
To nail it down solid, he'd need to distract the east's key players here.
'Leaking the intel might even be the Count's ploy.'
His own network moving would spook them, so mercenaries fit.
The White Whale Mercenary Corps would face heat, getting targeted in waves.
That's why, despite the Count's aid, Jun saw him as a business partner, not an ally.
"So, bottom line for you, Captain?"
"I..."
He pondered briefly, but his call stayed firm.
"We'll take it."
Because this job tied straight to the Emperor's demise.