Chapter 27
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Reward
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Progenitor City.
Like the Black Forest Fortress, it was one of the [checkpoints] on the first layer where 'initialization' did not occur.
As the name suggested, it was the city where development first began after the empire discovered Blackout.
Because of that, it displayed the pinnacle of splendor more than any other city within Blackout.
"Phew... I nearly died, for real."
Progenitor City, reached after two days from the Black Forest.
Inside the towering Progenitor Castle there.
In the castle's interior—which left one unsure whether it was designed for extravagance or to crush the human spirit—Jun was breaking out in cold sweat.
The trouble had started with a proposal from the attendant who had guided him here.
"Would it be alright if we helped prepare you for the upcoming banquet?"
Intrigued by the offer to dress him appropriately for the occasion, Jun had nodded.
"I never imagined they'd micromanage everything from the bath to getting dressed."
After three grueling hours, Jun stood before the mirror to inspect the results.
"...It's not bad, so I'll endure."
Had he been dissatisfied, Jun had planned to give the attendants a proper demonstration of a mercenary's lack of refinement.
"Haha... Still, Senior, it really suits you."
"Yeah? Thanks. But hearing that from you doesn't make me all that thrilled."
Aiden, who had also endured the attendants' ministrations, looked every bit the young noble.
A crisp white dress shirt with delicate frills at the cuffs. Over it, a light brown short vest, paired with trousers in a slightly darker shade, neatly tailored.
And given his status, an air of imperial poise was already shining through.
Anyone stopped on the street would swear he was born of noble blood.
Seeing some attendants' gazes waver unnaturally, Jun let out a light sigh.
"So that's why you've been wandering around looking all scruffy."
"Ahaha..."
Aiden gave an awkward laugh, as if he'd been through this a few times before.
"Senior's formal wear suits you perfectly too. Especially the cape draped over one shoulder..."
"They said it gave off an intellectual mage vibe or something while dressing me."
The unfamiliar clothes felt uncomfortable, but as Aiden said, Jun had no complaints about his outfit.
By the time they reached the banquet hall and were chatting to pass the time.
Familiar faces arrived.
"Hey, Mage!"
It was Colton, summoned by the imperial family just like them.
With his wild beard trimmed and hair neatly styled, Colton looked far more approachable than before.
'Unlike us, he must've dodged the attendants' fussing.'
The other mercenaries had also dressed in appropriately tidy attire on their own.
"Well now. Who's the handsome lad beside you?"
"I'm Aiden, Captain Colton."
"Haha! Everyone's all dressed up fancy. Who'd have thought we'd end up in a place like this? Right, guys?"
With that, the mercenaries' boisterous voices filled the banquet hall.
Never ones to hold their tongues even for a day, they chattered about recent events.
The main topic was Azure Cloud, the group behind the recent raid fiasco.
"The members got five years, right?"
"Rumor has it the vice-captain got seven."
"Tch, won't be pretty for them."
"Who knows? Might rack up some achievements in the Frontier Reclamation Unit and get out early."
"Ha! Fat chance. Most who go in come out crippled or dead."
Listening to their banter, Jun recalled Luke's innocent smile.
'Frontier Reclamation Unit, huh...'
The Frontier Reclamation Unit was a group formed to rehabilitate criminals within Blackout.
As the mercenaries said, it was fraught with danger, but good records might earn freedom sooner.
As he drifted into thought.
"Count Mordenaín arrives."
The attendant's voice echoed from the magic announcement device.
All at once, those engrossed in chatter dropped to their knees.
All but one. Aiden.
"I'm glad to see you're all enjoying the banquet."
Count Mordenaín.
The man who bore the imperial name on his shoulders and decided all major and minor affairs in Blackout.
In other words, the emperor's proxy ruler of Blackout.
Descending the stairs, he spotted Aiden.
Though exiled, Aiden was imperial blood.
The count's eyes gleamed as he watched Aiden offer a brief bow.
Of course, it was but a fleeting moment.
"Rise, all of you. There's no reason for those who have elevated the empire's name to kneel."
With that, the mercenaries stood and bowed lightly.
The result of the etiquette drilled into them by the attendants earlier.
"Indeed, seeing the faces of these heroes makes me feel the empire's future is bright."
A voice brimming with dignity.
But.
"However, with me here, you can't relax, can you? I'm a noble with that much discernment. Hahaha."
His authoritative tone shifted in an instant.
Having naturally lightened the mood, he continued.
"I know well what you desire. More than gazing upon the likes of me, that glittering gold before your eyes is what matters, no?"
The mercenaries trembled in fervent agreement.
They were already itching to see what the count had prepared.
"Worry not. Though this isn't some paradise overflowing with wine and gold, Blackout boasts centuries of history. In Progenitor City, gifts for heroes like you are plentiful."
With that, he shook a small bell on the podium, and attendants descended the stairs.
"Follow the attendants who guided you here. Fitting rewards for your feats await. But remember, all this stems from His Majesty's gracious benevolence."
"We are grateful—ever grateful—for His Imperial Majesty's benevolence!! Glory to the empire!"
The mercenaries shouted their triple cheers, and Count Mordenaín departed.
Only then did the attendants lead the mercenaries to the second floor.
Each to their assigned rooms.
But.
"...?"
The attendant guiding Jun took him to the third floor.
Upon arriving, Jun instinctively hardened his expression.
Something was different.
Not a threat, per se, but unlike the opulent first and second floors, the third floor exuded...
'Authority.'
Even the attendant's footsteps ahead felt anything but ordinary.
The gait of someone trained in professional martial arts, at least.
By the time he realized it, they had reached the end of the third-floor corridor.
"Please enter."
Following the attendant inside.
"Welcome, mage."
Count Mordenaín sat on the sofa, greeting Jun.
"You seem quite surprised."
"...Wouldn't you be?"
The count's sudden appearance.
Jun replied calmly, and the count shrugged.
"My apologies for startling you. But understand— you were the greatest contributor in this raid, weren't you?"
"I'm flattered."
"Hahaha. Humble, too. As I said earlier, I'm perceptive. For a mercenary like you, rewards matter more than meeting me, right?"
The waiting attendant handed an ornate box to the count and exited.
The count slowly opened the lid.
"...?!"
A single pill inside emitted a brilliant, multicolored glow, asserting its presence.
"Hahaha. Even more surprised now."
As the count said, Jun was more shocked than when he'd first seen him.
This was an item he hadn't expected to see for years.
"It's a [Growth Pill]."
Commonly known as a [Skill Growth Voucher].
It typically upgraded a skill's rank by one level.
'Even the in-game auction house rarely had these... Why here?'
An item normally obtained only on the third layer or below, and only with great luck.
Obviously priceless in this world too.
"Is it alright for me to receive something like this?"
"Of course. You know I can't speak falsehoods. My position forbids it."
"...My apologies. I spoke out of turn."
"No matter. It shows your surprise. I'm satisfied."
With that, Count Mordenaín slid the box containing the pill toward him.
As Jun reached for it.
"...?"
The count's hand hadn't released the box.
Looking up, Jun saw sharpness pierce the count's previously amiable gaze.
"As a mage, you understand."
"..."
"The world operates on equivalent exchange. So I ask—do you know this item's true value?"
"I know it's worth more than money can easily buy."
"Indeed. I acknowledge your feats. A major role in a hidden stage unseen for centuries, no?"
"..."
"But you didn't achieve it alone. Various causal links made it possible."
"I'm well aware."
As the count said.
This hidden stage resulted from overlapping events.
Benjamin's death, the Ariklotos Church priest Eleanor, and the mercenaries now claiming rewards below.
Many contributed; Jun simply shone brightest.
In other words.
This [Growth Pill] was undoubtedly excessive.
"Thus, I'd like to ask a few questions."
"Go ahead."
"Haha, I've set the tone, but they're not heavy."
Truly?
His questions could be light or grave.
For him, Jun's life weighed little.
"Why approach the exiled imperial?"
For Jun, his life was profoundly heavy.
And at that crossroads of life and death.
"For someone 'abandoned,' you're showing quite the interest."
Jun spoke.
"Long story short, it's all settled."
"...Pardon?!"
Midnight on the terrace.
Even the mercenaries had retired to their rooms, drunk and spent.
Returning from his meeting with the count, Jun led Aiden to the moonlit terrace and spoke.
Aiden, naturally, didn't grasp it immediately.
"In simple terms, your very presence in Blackout was thanks to the emperor's permission from the start."
"What... do you mean?"
"Exactly that. Without his approval, you wouldn't have even entered Blackout."
Without it, Aiden would've been executed or dragged back the moment he left exile.
"But you arrived safely and spent months here undisturbed."
"Then those who approached me..."
"The emperor's will is the imperial family's, but the family's doesn't always speak for him."
In essence, a third party unrelated to the emperor had acted on their own.
"Who exactly..."
"It doesn't matter."
Isn't that the key point?
Though tempted to think so, Aiden waited.
"Because the emperor decided to leave you be."
End of story.
Whether it was a rival imperial in the succession struggle.
Or a noble eyeing the emperor's power.
Or just some fool drawn to the imperial name.
None of it mattered anymore.
Why?
The emperor decreed it.
No one could interfere with Aiden's path. They lacked the right.
Such was imperial authority.
"Th-then all my worries were...?"
"Ultimately pointless."
Aiden sighed in hollow relief.
"Then why did the count summon you specifically?"
Jun smirked at the question.
"Just because the emperor wills it doesn't mean his subordinates roll over with a 'yes, sir.'"
The count's goal was straightforward.
Who Jun was, why he was with Aiden, and whether he could destabilize him.
"But our relationship isn't some grand conspiracy. Just folks climbing layers in Blackout."
"Yes... True."
"So I told him that. No ulterior motives."
"Did he believe you?"
"As if. I said I'd prove it with actions."
That action: declaring political neutrality.
"Of course, words alone won't cut it. So I sold something."
"Sold? What?"
"That ancient tome from the raid. 'Journal of the Corrupted Forest Expedition.' Sold it to the count."
Jun casually dropped the news that would make Cloi foam at the mouth, having awaited only auctions.