The Merchant Guild in the Gray Sky
Upon arriving in Almers, Arteon raised his gaze to the sky.
Even at noon, the heavy gray clouds blanketed the heavens—undeniably the skies of the North.
Clop.
With his coat fluttering quietly and the sound of horse hooves, Arteon turned into the familiar alley.
A rather old inn.
Though the building’s outer walls had faded and weathered from time’s passage, the clinging ivy around the window frames remained as vibrant as ever.
Clang!
Arteon pulled the latch, and the old bell’s lingering chime echoed as it rang out through the door.
“……?”
Inside the shop.
Under the dim lighting, an elderly man wiping cups lifted his eyes.
He glanced at the entering Arteon and immediately widened his eyes in shock.
“Well, well… it’s you, after all this time.”
“It has been a while. You seem to be in good health.”
Arteon’s polite greeting drew a sweeping look from the old man.
And then…
“……You seem to have changed quite a bit. What exactly happened in that short span of time?”
It had been roughly nine months since he left.
In terms of time, it was a rather brief period for a person to undergo such transformation.
Of course, the initial shock had been considerable.
Now…
Looking into his eyes felt like staring at a starlit abyss, an unfathomable depth no one could measure.
He had already surpassed whatever limit Arteon could discern.
Clink.
Arteon pulled a gold coin from his pouch and placed it on the table.
Unlike silver, the weighty sound and gleaming golden hue caught the old man’s attention.
“The room at the far left of the second floor—three of them. All in use, if possible?”
“Hohoho, quite the generous sum. By all means, use them. As for meals, how shall we manage?”
“Meals later. Please ensure no one approaches that area as much as possible. And… please convey the message.”
“Do not worry. I will handle everything myself.”
His humble tone remained unchanged, yet at its core lay a firm trust in Arteon.
Arteon quietly ascended the stairs to the second floor.
He closed the door, slid the lock shut behind him, and only then exhaled softly.
“Huu.”
Having set his belongings down, Arteon looked outside.
The answer would only come after nightfall.
Arteon retrieved a wooden box from the depths of his bag.
Click.
The item inside the box.
The Velodian Flower given to him by Leorn.
It had originally been meant for trade purposes.
Since it was meant for Velkain, I’m fortunate it wasn’t lost.
He would have surely been reduced to destitution, having lost everything.
There was no need to worry about using it.
Eventually, Arteon took out the Velodian Flower and sat down, placing it atop his leg.
The small petals quivered faintly, alive with vitality.
A rare species ranked among the top-tier healing herbs.
He had no idea how Leorn had obtained it.
I won’t refuse it, though.
Arteon gazed at the Velodian Flower resting on his leg.
Normally one would grind it and mix it with other ascension-effect herbs to brew or form pills, but…
“If I can use mana… things will differ slightly.”
Closing his eyes, Arteon began to operate the Vargas Mana Cultivation Method.
Uuuwuuuuwuuu!
Arteon’s breathing steadied completely.
The stillness was so profound that his heartbeat echoed in his ears, and at the same moment, blue mana began to flow throughout his body.
It surged beneath the skin, through the bones, weaving between the muscles, and soon concentrated at his fingertips.
Swish.
At that precise moment, Arteon extended his hand and placed it over the Velodian Flower.
And in that instant.
Shshshshsh.
Red mist rose from the petals like smoke.
It resembled flickering small flames, yet it was life itself.
Soon, the mana wrapped around that aura, drawing it into his own flow.
Fuushuuu.
Breathing in deeply, the red mist flowed into his body alongside the mana.
At first it was hot, then it transformed into fierce waves of vitality.
Uuuwuuuuwuuuu!
The air in the room trembled faintly.
Small vibrations spread from Arteon’s body, and mana and the aura began to pulse together beneath his skin.
Each fiber of his muscles aligned, and the microscopic damage from his fractures was restored.
Mana spread throughout his internal organs, locating and incinerating even hidden toxins, while his mana circuits quietly expanded all the way to the joints of his knees and ankles.
“……”
He had reached a state nearing Immateriality.
Purified, compressed, luminous mana.
The battles and records of the summit Arteon had endured seemed to be coalescing into a single form.
And how much time had passed?
The petals of the Velodian Flower that had been glowing red slowly faded in color, and the aura that had filled the room grew calm.
Yet, in contrast, the abundant vitality overflowing within Arteon’s body felt even heavier and more solid than before.
Swish.
Slowly opening his eyes.
“……Huuu.”
Arteon exhaled deeply.
By now, the spot where Arteon had been sitting was drenched in sweat.
Of course, his clothes were equally soaked.
And at that moment.
“You have risen?”
“……”
A woman wearing a mask bowed her head beside him and spoke.
He had known she was there, yet the fact that she had not interfered but instead provided greater caution had allowed him to operate the Mana Cultivation Method even more deeply.
Arteon stood from his seat.
“Wait a moment. I’ll go wash and come back.”
“Yes, Arteon-nim.”
She—rather, Lisiven—recalled the moment she first met Arteon.
Back then, she had also trained in the room and then come out to shower, had she not?
Eventually, Arteon lightly splashed water over his body to wash away the sweat, then wore a robe and faced Lisiven.
“I heard you’ve quit thievery, but why are you still wearing a mask?”
“I put it on after a long time to secretly meet Arteon-nim. More than that… you seem to have changed quite a bit.”
Lisiven looked at Arteon in his robe and spoke.
The pupils of her eyes, which watched him, trembled slightly.
Because the condensed vitality flowing from Arteon’s body felt vastly different from before.
Arteon sat on the chair and addressed Lisiven.
“Has the guild’s scale grown?”
“Yes. Thanks to Arteon-nim’s advice, we secured a large income from our first transaction. That’s why everyone has been so busy.”
“Do you know that the Empire has reclaimed the Elbarphiel Lake region?”
“Vaguely… I’ve heard rumors, but I don’t know the exact details. The military’s information is tightly controlled.”
“This time, in the war over Elbarphiel Lake, the Imperial Army won. Now, with the Helikel Canyon in the northwest and Elbarphiel Lake in the northeast, a path into the North has opened. It may… change depending on the outcome of the next war zone….”
Arteon narrowed his eyes.
At this point, the most urgent need was clear.
“If possible, divide the guild and establish bases in Almers and Buratirukan to quickly secure food supplies for the northern warfront. It should yield great results.”
Supplying food independently in the cold North was no easy task.
Moreover, it had already advanced even farther north than the existing northern warfront.
Of course, with the longer supply line, more time would be required for logistics.
“But if someone can stably supply food from here… it would be a significant help to the Imperial Army’s position.”
And Arteon took out an envelope from his bag.
“If everything is perfectly prepared, take this to Lieutenant Colonel Hadel at the 4th Defense Line in the northeast. It will help solve a small matter.”
“……Thank you.”
Lisiven received the envelope with a dazed expression.
Coming again just to guide her on the path she must take.
Yet, soon Arteon’s gaze darkened.
“Then… what did you come to ask?”
“Ah.”
Instantly, the atmosphere around Arteon shifted, and Lisiven snapped to attention and nodded.
“I’ve been investigating continuously, but… I’ve succeeded in grasping the outline somewhat.”
“Report.”
At Arteon’s words, Lisiven spoke.
“I’ve confirmed that quite a few people from the Northern Army are communicating with the Kar tribe.”
Lisiven began recounting the information Arteon had acquired.
The critical weakness was that.
Whether there was a force manipulating the war in the North to keep it from ending.
Precisely, finding out who among those maintaining power through sustained tension in the North.
Lisiven had been gathering information on them using all her organization members.
During the process, there had been setbacks, but she had still managed to discern their outline to a considerable degree.
“Currently… do you know that there is a power struggle over the next emperor within the Empire?”
“Somewhat.”
Then Lisiven handed Arteon several folded papers.
Arteon accepted the papers and unfolded them. On the paper was a diagram explaining the power structure.
“The most critical element is that regarding the current emperor’s succession, the first prince Sedrian Aurelian is the most likely candidate… yet the forces around the second prince are unable to accept it.”
“The second prince?”
“Belacrod Aurelian. And among the forces following him… the only one I’ve identified so far is Jaekle Mion, the guild master of the Mion Obsidian Merchant Guild, famous even within the Empire.”
“The Mion Obsidian Merchant Guild……”
Arteon’s eyes narrowed.
It was a name he had heard before.
In his past life, it had supplied a great deal of supplies to the North and expanded its scale, and within the Empire it ranked among the top guilds.
Arteon’s expression appeared deep in thought, and Lisiven closed her mouth.
Soon Arteon nodded lightly.
Lisiven continued.
“Their current goal is simple. To keep the Northern war going and turn their gaze there. And… this is still under investigation, so it’s not exact yet….”
“Speak.”
“It seems they intend to prolong the time, increase their army, eliminate the first prince’s forces, and strengthen their own power.”
“……”
It was a statement that required extreme caution.
Viewing it from a slightly different angle, the second prince could stir a rebellion if he failed to accept the outcome.
But…
It was more accurate to see it as a strategy of using the Northern war to build their own power here, narrowing the gap for rivals while diverting attention.
Perhaps…
Very soon, a bloody storm could blow in the center.
In his past life, Arteon had had no time to worry about the Empire’s center.
His priority had been surviving day by day, and later he had poured all his strength into driving back the Kar tribe.
But to think that such Northern efforts had been nothing more than a pawn in their power games…
Crack.
Arteon’s teeth ground together powerfully.
Because a fury akin to madness surged within him.
“……Keep investigating. Who is behind it. Even if the second prince is the top, the one manipulating him must be another.”
“Understood. And, Arteon-nim.”
“……?”
As Arteon stood, Lisiven also rose and spoke.
“Recently, people have been targeting Arteon-nim due to the achievements he has established. I haven’t fully uncovered them yet….”
Lisiven handed over another sheet of paper.
On it was a pattern drawn.
“……”
It was the same pattern given by Velkain.
Lisiven said, “I still haven’t determined their true identity, but… it seems these people are targeting Arteon-nim.”
“Could it be those Nocturne guys?”
“……Nocturne?”
Lisiven looked at Arteon with a startled expression.
How did he know the name Nocturne?
But Lisiven shook her head.
“Nocturne are people under Jaekle Mion’s command. They seem to be in the same group… but different people.”
At those words, Arteon’s eyes narrowed.
Not just Nocturne… but others were also targeting him.
They must have completely marked me as an eyesore.
Arteon asked Lisiven, “Can you track them?”
“It will probably take a long time. I have to handle the guild matters as well, and above all, those guys move so secretly….”
“Then can you follow Nocturne’s trail?”
“Nocturne? In that case… it should be somewhat easier.”
As an assassination group, their identity isn’t exposed, but following Jaekle would reveal it quickly.
At Lisiven’s answer, Arteon nodded.
“Then… let’s strike at Nocturne and figure out those guys.”
“It’s not easy. The upper-level assassins of Nocturne have reached 3-star and are entering 4-star level. We can’t easily touch them….”
“I’ll do it myself. Just prepare a place for me.”
“……Yes?”
Lisiven’s pupils shook dramatically.
Preparing a place wasn’t particularly difficult.
“Arteon-nim, surely you can’t….”
“It’s best to deal with bothersome matters quickly.”
Lisiven swallowed hard in silence at Arteon’s cool, darkened gaze.
