The next day.
Jun and Aiden entered the fortress in the early morning, their clothes damp with dew.
Unlike before, they had prepared thoroughly, so they encountered no major battles on the way back.
They still looked as filthy as ever, but their expressions were far brighter than they had been last time.
“Good heavens…… This much money.”
“This is what it means to strike it rich in one shot.”
Just as Jun had expected.
The goblins’ storehouse had been overflowing with all manner of gold, silver, and valuables.
There was plenty of money, along with various gems, rings, necklaces, and other items, all of which had once belonged to mercenaries.
Aiden still stared at Jun as though he could hardly believe it.
“Well, all of this did belong to dead mercenaries.”
“……When you put it that way, I suddenly feel guilty, Senior.”
What if they were cursed for spending the money?
The thought made Aiden uneasy, but Jun merely shrugged.
“If that were enough to get someone cursed, only good people would be left in the world. And yes, it feels a little uncomfortable, but even if we hadn’t taken it, someone who eventually succeeded in subjugating the area would have. Otherwise, the goblins would have used it as bait to create more innocent victims. We might as well put it to use ourselves.”
“Hmm…….”
Aiden still felt uneasy about taking money that had belonged to the dead, but Jun was not wrong.
His expression gradually brightened again.
“Then what are you planning to do with this money?”
They had not counted the exact amount they recovered, but it had to be at least several million Gold.
Once all the jewelry was included, the total value would be far higher.
It was not enough to accomplish anything truly extraordinary, but it was certainly an excessive amount for two Low-Rank Mercenaries to spend casually.
“First, we’ll get you some proper equipment. You’ll have a hard time in the battles ahead if you stay equipped like this.”
“Th-thank you.”
“For what? We’re practically in the same boat now. The stronger you become as our Frontliner, the more valuable I become too.”
“Senior…….”
Aiden looked deeply moved.
Seeing that expression, Jun lowered the walls around his heart toward Aiden just a little further.
‘He isn’t even wavering in front of this much money.’
Jun instinctively had the thought, then sighed inwardly.
When had he developed the habit of doubting everyone whenever he had the slightest opportunity?
It only showed how difficult the past year had been.
“Still, even with this much money, we won’t be able to buy anything truly exceptional.”
In this era, a high-performance suit of armor could, with only slight exaggeration, cost as much as a small castle.
‘But I can still make him far sturdier than he is now. And…… I can learn several new spells too.’
As Jun thought of all the spells he had been unable to learn while under his master, excitement appeared on his face for the first time in quite a while.
“Good heavens…… You really succeeded?”
Chloe stared at the pile of recovered valuables spread out before her alongside the Mercenary Badges.
Individually, none of the items were particularly valuable.
But when there were this many of them, that was another story entirely.
“Sell the loot and deposit all the remaining proceeds into the account under my name. I have somewhere to use the money.”
“Hmm…… I happen to have a rather attractive investment product. Interested?”
She truly was a merchant, offering him an investment opportunity even at a time like this.
“Not yet.”
“Well, today won’t be your only chance.”
Chloe quickly abandoned the attempt.
Jun then handed her the luxurious leather pouch hanging from his waist.
His expression was filled with obvious reluctance as he did so, because this pouch had been essential to the entire operation.
“You served me well…… Subspace Pouch.”
“Hehe. You sound terribly reluctant to give it back.”
“It isn’t exactly something you get to see every day.”
Just as Jun said, a Subspace Artifact was an item one normally could not obtain until at least Level 3 or 4.
As its name suggested, that tiny pouch contained enough space to hold the cargo of ten wagons.
Without it, there was no way the two of them could have brought back that much loot.
Moreover, Chloe’s Subspace Pouch was a mid-grade product.
It was the sort of item that was difficult to acquire even if one had the money to pay for it.
Simply carrying an ordinary bag around was already an ordeal for Jun’s frail Mage body.
‘The convenience is wonderful, but more importantly, it contains Spatial-Type Magic.’
Unfortunately, no school of Spatial-Type Magic existed within <Blackout>.
That meant the only known way to obtain items like the Subspace Pouch was through dungeon rewards, making them extraordinarily valuable.
And now that Jun was truly a Mage himself, his curiosity as a practitioner of magic had grown much stronger as well.
“Well, you’ll get one of your own someday. Anyway, I’m planning to send the Mercenary Badges to Lord Jinovan today. Keep tomorrow open. He’ll probably summon us sometime then.”
“Of course. That much is easy enough.”
Their prediction, however, was wrong.
“……He wants us to come right now?”
Jinovan summoned them that very day.
“To be perfectly honest, I didn’t believe everything you told me.”
Jun nodded at Jinovan’s frank admission.
“I understand. Anyone would find it difficult to believe that two Low-Rank Mercenaries killed a Golem.”
When Jinovan first heard Jun’s story, he had not expected much.
A large part of the reason he had given Jun the opportunity at all was out of consideration for Chloe, the Black Forest Branch Manager of the Gilenne Trading Company.
Even if Jun had disappeared afterward, Jinovan would not have been terribly disappointed.
After all, the Golem Core Chloe had given him was already highly valuable.
Yet Jun had proven his worth far sooner than expected.
“So…… these all belonged to people who died during the operation I commanded.”
Dozens of Mercenary Badges rested inside the box.
Bitterness entered Jinovan’s eyes as he stared at them.
“I don’t know how I can repay this favor.”
With this, some of the disgrace weighing upon Jinovan would fade.
Some might even begin praising his name.
Returning the Mercenary Badges of fallen mercenaries to their families was an exemplary act in the eyes of mercenaries.
Setting all that aside, however, even Jun could see that Jinovan’s expression had brightened slightly.
‘He must have suffered considerably, even if he never showed it.’
It was understandable.
Even an elite graduate of the Imperial Military Academy could hardly remain unaffected after watching people die before his eyes.
‘I’ve even seen inexperienced mercenaries panic and stab their own allies.’
The trauma of a battlefield was not something to be taken lightly.
While Jun was thinking about that, Jinovan composed himself and spoke.
“You have proven your worth. Now it is my turn to act. Tell me, what do you want?”
“I would like you to secure us a place in the Goblin Lord subjugation operation that will take place later.”
“A place…… You’re after reputation?”
“That is correct.”
What Jun needed as a mercenary was a record of accomplishments.
Moreover, now that he was a mercenary captain, he needed to raise the reputation of the White Whale Mercenary Company if he wanted it to grow.
‘If I want to keep recruiting talented members, I need credentials that other people can recognize.’
In that sense, participating in the subjugation of a Goblin Lord would be an excellent accomplishment.
A Goblin Lord was still a Field Boss, after all, and having a Field Boss subjugation on one’s record carried considerable benefits.
‘And a Goblin Lord subjugation pays well.’
He had already finished discussing profit-sharing with Chloe.
If the Goblin Lord was subjugated as planned, the resources in that region would become available for exploitation, which meant Jun would receive a steady stream of profit through Chloe.
Having finished considering the matter, Jun waited for Jinovan’s answer.
Jinovan also seemed to be reorganizing the situation in his mind and calculating how much he could actually do.
“Phew. Very well. Thanks to you, I’ve been given a valuable opportunity. However, there is something I would like to ask first. More precisely, I would like your advice.”
A commander who had graduated from the Imperial Military Academy was asking a mere Low-Rank Mage for guidance.
But Jun did not feel that Jinovan merely wanted to borrow his wisdom.
The commander’s next question turned that impression into certainty.
“In your opinion, how far can someone in my current position rise?”
‘That isn’t so much a question as it is a test.’
The intent behind it was simple.
Once the Goblin Lord subjugation began, what position should Jinovan seek within the operation?
Yet the look in Jinovan’s eyes was not that of a man anxious about his future.
If anything, Jun sensed anticipation.
It seemed less like Jinovan was searching for an answer and more like he wanted confirmation of a conclusion he had already reached.
“I don’t know whether I am qualified to offer wisdom to you, Commander.”
“There is no need for excessive humility. Tell me exactly what you think.”
During that brief pause, Jun quietly ran his tongue across his lips.
“I am not certain whether I understood your question correctly.”
Then he answered in a voice filled with the confidence Jinovan had been hoping to hear.
“In this operation, I believe you should start at the bottom and fight your way upward.”
In truth, Jinovan was considerably impressed by Jun’s answer.
When he had first seen the man’s shabby clothing and heard that he was merely a Low-Rank Mage, he had assumed Jun was little more than a drifter who had been cast out of a Magic Tower for lacking talent.
But perhaps being a Mage meant something after all.
Or perhaps Jun’s talent had simply bloomed late.
Whatever the reason, Jun’s answer struck precisely at the heart of Jinovan’s question.
“You saw through it immediately. My thoughts are much the same.”
Jinovan was a man capable of judging himself objectively.
Recovering a portion of his lost reputation had been a success.
But even so, the fact that he had been defeated by goblins had not disappeared.
Returning the Mercenary Badges to the Mercenary Guild might have established an image of him as ‘a commander who does right by his men,’ but it had done nothing to establish him as a capable commander.
And there was another problem.
“The other two commanders currently stationed at this fortress have powerful patrons behind them, unlike me.”
When the Goblin Lord subjugation began, the fortress’s Commanding General was therefore far more likely to favor those two commanders over Jinovan, who had already failed once.
If that happened, Jun and Chloe would find themselves in an awkward position as well.
If the commander they had invested in was pushed to the sidelines, the benefits they received would diminish accordingly.
“So I have been considering how far I should aim, and whether I should allow myself to be ambitious.”
Jun smiled gently at Jinovan’s candid admission.
“I don’t know whether my answer will satisfy you…… but there is one method.”
“A method…… Would you share that wisdom with me?”
“If you intend to employ me during the upcoming subjugation…… volunteer to command the Reconnaissance Unit.”
“The Reconnaissance Unit…….”
Jinovan gave a bitter smile at those words.
“It is an important assignment in many ways.”
“Of course, I understand your concern as well. Precisely because it is important, it is also dangerous.”
A Reconnaissance Unit was indispensable in warfare.
But its mortality rate was correspondingly high.
And within Blackout, where so much remained unknown, the survival rate of reconnaissance units was atrocious.
Jinovan was well known for caring deeply about his subordinates, so Jun could understand the expression on his face.
“However, there is a saying in my homeland: if you cannot avoid something, you might as well enjoy it.”
“Is that so? An interesting saying.”
Just as Jun said, once the subjugation began, Jinovan would probably be assigned reconnaissance duty regardless.
The Assault Force, which offered the greatest opportunity to earn achievements, would most likely be given to the other two commanders.
“If you’re going to receive the assignment anyway, it would be better to volunteer for it yourself.”
“In what respect?”
“First, your image. If you step forward voluntarily, the Commanding General will view your decision as a determination to make amends for your previous failure.”
“Hmm.”
“In addition, the other two commanders will be less likely to bother interfering with you.”
“Because one of their rivals would have removed himself from the competition. They would assume I had abandoned my ambitions.”
“Exactly.”
Jinovan had already considered that much himself.
“Second, despite its danger, the accomplishments earned through reconnaissance are by no means insignificant. And if I am there, I can confidently say that I can reduce that danger by more than half.”
“Oh?”
This time, Jinovan seemed genuinely intrigued.
It was certainly a bold claim for a mere Low-Rank Mage.
But Jun had, after all, returned safely from the Black Forest twice.
And judging from the survival methods Jun had personally explained to him, there was no question that he possessed extensive knowledge of the Black Forest.
“True. The importance of the mission itself is considerable.”
Even identifying several threats before they became crises would greatly reduce the burden placed on the Assault Force.
“And there is one final reason.”
Jun’s last piece of advice went beyond intriguing Jinovan.
It left him genuinely astonished.
“Ultimately, just because we are the Reconnaissance Unit does not mean we cannot be the ones to kill the Goblin Lord, does it?”