Chapter 53
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: Adolf
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"Do I have any reason to believe that?"
In contrast to his previously amicable tone, the count's words were ice-cold. Jun clicked his tongue inwardly.
'He knows full well that we're the ones on the back foot here.'
The count had the power to resolve this incident with ease.
He could simply crush the already-suspected Arovati Merchant Guild, proclaim it as upholding the imperial family's sacred will, and call it a day.
If that happened, Jun and Cloi would truly be like ducks' eggs in the middle of the Nakdong River—utterly helpless.
'Not so easy after all.'
He suddenly missed Cloi's presence.
Jun had come to Bijou City alone, while Cloi had stayed behind in the Black Forest to handle the aftermath.
Thus, convincing the count fell squarely on Jun's shoulders.
How do I win over this tricky count?
'His help is essential to resolving this mess.'
That said, there was no need to grovel too much. The count was a man whose loyalty to the imperial family burned brighter than anyone's.
In other words, he had no intention of handling this matter sloppily.
And that was Jun's only leverage against him.
"Regrettably, I have no hard evidence. Just that I've faced a mage who wields fire-attribute magic."
If Jun's circles were far higher than they were now—or if he had even a bit more insight into his Demon God Body—things would be much simpler.
He could just summon a mage from the Volcanic Mage Tower in the count's name and have them analyze the lingering traces of mana at the scene.
But sadly, Jun hadn't reached that level yet.
'At least at the tail end of 6th circle. Comfortably 7th circle to pull it off.'
So from here on, Jun would have to rely on his silver tongue to sway the count.
"However, the circumstantial evidence is more than sufficient."
"Circumstantial, you say..."
"The Volcanic Mage Tower has maintained a consistently amicable relationship with the Arovati Merchant Guild, hasn't it?"
"If anything, that's what's suspicious. The Arovati Merchant Guild and the Volcanic Mage Tower have enjoyed friendly ties for decades. Yet now the guild is under suspicion because of this incident. What reason would the tower have to act this way?"
This was the biggest obstacle in the whole affair.
The fact that the Volcanic Mage Tower had no apparent motive to sever its friendly relations and get involved.
If that were proven true, the tower would crumble in an instant.
Tarnishing the imperial family's honor was an offense even the Mages' Association couldn't protect them from.
And that was just the start. No organization that betrayed a merchant guild had ever avoided bankruptcy.
Mage Towers needed money to operate, after all, and most of that funding came from guilds.
Thus, proving the true culprit behind this incident would make everything else fall into place effortlessly by comparison.
And Jun had the clearest evidence of all.
'Just reveal that I possess the Demon God Body.'
The count surely understood the mages' thirst for knowledge—and their greed for it.
A constitution like the legendary Demon God Body, passed down only in myths among mages, could very well give the Volcanic Mage Tower reason to break decades of alliance.
'But I can't reveal that.'
The count might seem like Jun's strongest ally right now, but only because Jun was useful to him.
What if the imperial family learned of Jun's skills?
Would they really leave him be?
'They'd classify me as a top-tier threat. Hell, they might even decide I'm a seed of chaos and kill me outright.'
So this was something he absolutely could not disclose.
'Then what other motive could they have to make their move?'
Jun answered.
"Certainly, by normal standards of reasoning, they wouldn't."
"Hm? So you're saying the Volcanic Mage Tower isn't thinking straight?"
Of course. What sane person rips out hearts like potatoes?
But that wasn't why Jun was saying it.
"I suspect the Volcanic Mage Tower is entangled with the Heavenly Ascension Cult."
"Mm?"
The count had been informed of Heavenly Ascension Cult forces at the site where the Gilenoi Merchant Guild fell.
But that didn't prove any ties to the Volcanic Mage Tower.
There was no evidence they'd been involved in this incident at all.
It was all just suspicion.
"Your Excellency, have you heard about my mercenary corps' recent activities?"
"I have. You discovered another hidden dungeon, didn't you? That's drawn more Mage Towers to the auction house, from what I hear. Surely not because of that?"
"No. If so, we'd suspect a wider array of towers. As you heard in the report, our corps and the Black Guard hunters clashed with Heavenly Ascension Cult thugs back then."
"I heard that too. But what does that have to do with the Volcanic Mage Tower?"
"I'm suggesting we reframe the core of this incident."
Not to hinder the Gilenoi Merchant Guild's auction, but simple personal revenge by the Heavenly Ascension Cult. Doesn't that make sense?
"Nonsense! Risk a Mage Tower's future on something so petty?"
"Count, humans aren't as rational as we think. They don't assign value to everything or live by cold calculus."
"Don't try to sway me with that drivel. I'm starting to get annoyed."
Indeed, the count's expression was growing frostier by the second. Time was more precious to him than gold.
He had no reason to indulge Jun's wild claims.
But Jun still had one card left to play.
"Above all, the Volcanic Mage Tower didn't act purely for religious reasons."
"..."
"Jencar Mage Tower's lord, one of the few called 'King'—Shylock—has appeared. In the Black Forest Fortress."
As if long-dormant interest had reignited, the count's eyes gleamed.
Before departing the Black Forest Fortress for Bijou City, Jun had headed to the sewers to meet Shylock.
But what kind of sorcery was this?
"Gah!"
The sewer rat's lair, which had been open before, was now sealed tight by a wall.
What the hell had happened?
Jun roughly wiped the filth and mold from his forehead, irritation boiling over.
"What the...? Where'd he go?"
What on earth?
Had Shylock left first?
Jun quietly attuned his ears to the surrounding air currents.
Whiiiish...
He heard wind. Not echoing through the sewers, but coming from beyond the wall.
Faint enough that he had to concentrate to catch it, but there was definitely space on the other side.
Kurrr!
A small Iron Fist crumbled the wall, revealing Shylock's lair as before.
But Shylock himself was gone. In his place lay a note and a single ring.
-Unforeseen circumstances force me to leave. If fate brings us together again someday, we shall meet.
-To the point: If you've come here, you must have reason.
-The stars' flow wills this ring to remain. Take it and use it well.
-It's not a gift. It's mine. So guard it carefully.
P.S. Use my name whenever you need.
The note bore a muddied thumbprint.
The emptiness Jun felt then was indescribable, but in the end, he'd gotten what he wanted.
"...This is truly a letter from Shylock."
That man was really alive?
Count Mordenaen realized the situation was growing truly complicated.
"Do you know him?"
"Of course. I saw him with my own eyes fifteen years ago."
He showed Jun the necklace around his neck.
"My father commissioned it directly from him. I was there when he received it."
He rummaged briefly through a drawer stuffed with documents, then pulled out a luxurious sheet of paper.
It bore the marks of age—likely an artifact's certificate of authenticity.
"The thumbprint matches too... He truly lives, King Shylock the Conferrer..."
Lost in reminiscence for a moment, he pondered.
Jun's acquaintance with Shylock was a mystery, but the Conferrer King's disappearance fifteen years ago had enraged the emperor himself.
If he was involved in this... No more excuses of mere suspicion. He couldn't stand idly by.
Still, as a count, he couldn't move rashly.
"Unlike the Arovati Merchant Guild, a Mage Tower isn't something a man like me can touch lightly."
"Because of the Mages' Association?"
"Exactly. The moment I move, they'll respond aggressively."
Mages, being reclusive, were tightly knit.
A threat to one tower's survival would bring them swarming like hornets.
Of course, as a bearer of the imperial name, the count might fare differently...
"For me, I must consider the worst-case scenario."
His position didn't allow hasty action either.
If Jun's hunch proved wrong, it would stain the imperial honor just the same.
"I'll bring the evidence, Your Excellency. In return, create conditions for me to act."
"Conditions?"
"Secretly... arrange a meeting with the Arovati Merchant Guild's chairman."
The phrase "bolt from the blue" fit the Arovati Merchant Guild to a tee.
"Fuck! Gilenoi—that golden pig bastard—why'd he have to go off on his own?!"
And why? Because Count Mordenaen Albert, the decider of Blackout's major affairs, had them in his sights.
No less than the Mordenaen house, servants of the imperial bloodline since the founding emperor's era.
Pure nobility.
The count didn't move lightly, but when he did, blood flowed like rivers without fail.
Their history proved it.
The problem was his gaze now fixed squarely on the Arovati Merchant Guild.
"What... what do we do...?"
Chairman Adolf of the Arovati Merchant Guild was on the verge of madness.
It was so unjust, so infuriating—but he wasn't entirely clean.
Per Adolf's plan, he'd act once the auction ended safely and the count's prestige waned.
As a key player in the potion trade, he'd leverage other guilds and the Volcanic Mage Tower's name to utterly crush Gilenoi's bid.
Letters had already flown back and forth several times.
The circumstantial evidence was damning.
Even without executing the plan, the mere intent wouldn't spare the count's wrath.
At worst, the guild's head would roll. At best, an arm.
"No word from Volcanic yet?!"
"They claim ignorance beyond that!"
"Those fucking bastards!!"
Other guilds were already pulling away upon hearing the news, fearing entanglement.
Then, a ray of light pierced the gloom.
"An audience? He wants an audience?!"
The count's letter demanded he come explain himself if he had any defense.
He had no choice but to go and prove their innocence somehow.
'Even if we can't...'
They'd have to brace for massive losses. Like compensating for the damages Gilenoi's emergence had supposedly caused.
'Maybe cut off a wrist...'
That loss would mean ripping out one of the guild's pillars.
His heart bled at the thought, but Arovati had no alternatives.
"Prepare the carriage!"
He rushed from the second tier down to the first and entered Bijou City proper.
He couldn't even recall the last time he'd sweated like this.
Normally he'd primp, but now this disheveled look might suit him.
Humiliating, yes—but the imperial name held the power to shake his life's work to its roots.
"Oh, my dear Lord Adolf. You must be weary from the journey. You're drenched in sweat."
Thankfully, the count's expression wasn't too grim. Adolf nearly sighed in relief, but caught himself.
'Snap out of it! This isn't just a tiger's den—it's a black tiger's lair!'
Who knew what massive suspicions lurked behind that sly smile?
Unwilling even to wipe his sweat, Adolf spoke.
"I-I'm sorry to appear before you in such a state."
"Nonsense. A true merchant gets his hands dirty, no? Seeing you like this reassures me."
"Thank you..."
"Still, the sweat stench is off-putting. Freshen up."
"..."
Only after a quick tidy-up could he finally sit before the count.
A stranger sat in the reception room.
He hadn't noticed earlier, but the man had been there all along.
"Your face is refreshingly honest."
"M-My apologies."
"No matter. I'm not some stuffy noble."
'You grip my leash tight enough.'
But he couldn't voice that. Cautiously, he asked Jun.
"Might I ask how you came to be here?"
"As the representative of the Gilenoi Merchant Guild."
"...!"