Chapter 81

Reincarnated as a Sword Emperor in the Sword Master's Family (81)

Benjamin, who boarded the ship after receiving Francis' not-so-warm welcome, behaved exactly as expected.

First, his body stiffened like a statue when he saw Jack Russell.

"Chief Elder?! Why, why are you here in Aquamarine?"

In response to the question, Russell turned with an annoyed expression and answered.

"Is there any reason I shouldn't be here? I recognize your face from somewhere; you must have taken the executive position instead of that scum, Carmine. Your name... yes, Benjamin. Is that right?"

"Y-Yes. I'm Benjamin, who once came to visit you."

"Since our children were once indebted to you, I'll let it slide this time. To answer your impolite question, I'm here as a guest of Aquamarine."

With that casual answer, Benjamin felt his head heat up.

Is he really going to fully support Aquamarine from the Magic Tower?

'If that's the case, the indirect pressure or threats from the 'Council of Unions' won't mean much. If Jack Russell moves, a few influential councilors on the council side will have to act as well.'

Jack Russell, representing the Atlantis Magic Tower, being on the ship alone is enough reason for no one to dare touch Aquamarine.

Even the obedient adventure teams that act like the 'Council of Unions' would not dare provoke him. Touching Jack Russell would be a declaration of war on the Atlantis Magic Tower, which would mean turning the entire community of mages, the root of the Atlantis Magic Tower, into enemies.

In contrast to the ambiguous attitude of the 'Council of Unions,' the Magic Tower had moved their queen in chess.

'The position of 'Bermuda' will also be greatly shaken. If it's the entire 'Council of Unions,' it might be different, but for just a few councilors, the damage of conflicting with the Magic Tower would be even more severe.'

Carmine didn't resign for no reason.

While councilors like Pablo and Hayward can't represent the entire 'Council of Unions,' Jack Russell can.

'Should I attach myself to Aquamarine?'

It was a natural thought that crossed Benjamin's mind.

If 'Bermuda' learns this, it's highly likely they will lean towards the Magic Tower rather than the 'Council of Unions.' If that happens, the role of overseeing Aquamarine will become even more important, and Benjamin might be replaced by another executive and relegated to a meaningless position.

If he could just get a hint from Francis through their connection, he could turn the nominal executive position into a real one.

He also wanted to closely observe the activities of the newly formed Aquamarine adventure team.

"Ms. Lorelei! Come here for a moment!"

"Y-Yes...? Why...?"

The faint spark in the ashes of his heart flared up again when introduced to the person by Francis.

As someone who had always admired Aquamarine, he couldn't bear it anymore.

"'Wave Catcher's' successor, Lorelei! She's still at the 6th tier but is aiming to be the 2nd 'Wave Catcher'!"

During Aquamarine's golden age, there were a few people whose popularity was so loud it seemed to pierce the sky.

'Storm' Dantuso.

'Spirit Knight' Njord.

'Wave Catcher' Haine.

'Maestro' Eiber.

Whenever a story about Aquamarine started, arguments over who was the strongest would often turn into fistfights, so common that they weren't even worth mentioning.

"Is it really true? You're the successor to Mr. Haine?"

Even the reserved Lorelei couldn't back down on this, nodding her head vigorously instead of answering verbally.

Benjamin, not knowing what to say, felt his chest tighten.

He knew that 'Storm' Dantuso's brother, Galano, had joined, but the successor of 'Wave Catcher' Haine joining as well reignited the hope that the Aquamarine adventure team might truly come back to life.

"Hmm."

Francis thought.

'As I expected.'

The man who suddenly became an executive of 'Bermuda,' Benjamin, didn't possess any extraordinary talent or power.

However, this didn't make Benjamin incompetent or foolish. He had managed to keep his body intact until reaching the A-rank domain and had performed his duties well enough to maintain his position in 'Bermuda.'

If Francis had immediately mentioned Benjamin's situation and pretended to offer a hand, he would have retreated instead of being easily swayed.

'If I have to break one of reason and emotion, I should start with emotion. People only hear what they want to hear and believe what they want to believe.'

At first, he detailed old memories to build intimacy and made 'Bermuda' and its related dynamics fade from memory.

'If I didn't have the memory of that day, it would have been a bit harder.'

Ultimately, the two returned to being an adventurer who admired Aquamarine and the daughter of the man he admired.

So, Benjamin unknowingly felt at ease.

He had forgotten to try to find any intentions or schemes in Francis' actions. Even the path that led to meeting Jack Russell and calling Lorelei before he regained his composure were all thoroughly planned.

'The illusion of the relationship between the Magic Tower and Aquamarine worked, and shaking him with Lorelei right after was also good. It worked very well.'

The rest was smooth sailing.

With the situation where he had to recognize A-rank just by seeing Jack Russell's face, and the addition of a high-level spirit mage on top of 5th and 6th tier mages, they were already surpassing the lowest tier of A-rank, even without the Magic Tower's Chief Elder.

"Starting today, Aquamarine is back to A-rank. I, Benjamin, guarantee this."

"Wow! How long will the procedures take?"

"A day is enough. I'll make sure there are no issues starting the exploration of the 5th Sea from tomorrow."

Francis smiled and nodded,

"Will you be in charge of the Aiolos Hall now, Mr. Benjamin?"

Benjamin answered with a slightly awkward expression.

"Well... not exactly. While my career at 'Bermuda' is long, this is my first time in a high position. I can take on some responsibilities, but... Do you have any requests?"

"There's one thing I'd like to ask. Aquamarine has just returned to A-rank, so we have no information about the 5th Sea or the 'Fissures.' We need to be careful, as our activity areas might overlap with other adventure teams."

"Oh, you're thorough."

"Exactly."

He dismissed it as if it were nothing.

"Teaching us about the 'Fissures' that don't have exploration schedules would be a great help. Knowing other adventure teams' schedules and routes in advance would be even better."

"That's... beyond my authority to promise."

"You know, right?"

Francis looked up at him carefully, showing slightly trembling eyes.

"Aquamarine... my father didn't die in 'Charybdis.' He was killed by the attackers right after."

"......!"

"Thanks to the Chief Elder, I can be somewhat relieved, but these are the ones who once sank Aquamarine at its strongest. I want to avoid them until we gather enough strength to face them. Can't I?"

"......"

The request to leak 'Bermuda's internal information transformed into a plea from a girl who couldn't trust other adventure teams due to trauma.

'If I ignore this request, I'll become someone who stood by and watched the sinking of the adventure team I admired, twice.'

Benjamin's hesitation was not long.

Temporarily reverting to the adventurer he was more than eight years ago, he was more spirited and passionate than yesterday. If his contribution could help revive Aquamarine, there was no reason to be loyal to an organization that had discarded him.

"...Teach me Aquamarine's communication lines."

Thus, a new ally was born.

* * *

Benjamin, an executive of 'Bermuda' and an ally of Aquamarine, was indeed a capable person.

Within just a few hours of his return to 'Bermuda,' the latest information on the routes of adventure teams active in the Aiolos Sea and the 'Fissures' was sent to the ship through a crystal ball.

Francis, who noted down the content, laughed loudly.

"Ahahaha! I trusted you, Mr. Benjamin!"

"...He should have seen your true self."

Marian, sighing deeply beside the elated Francis, pressed her temples to calm down.

While it was a very good thing for Aquamarine, it was natural to feel uneasy seeing someone manipulate an executive of 'Bermuda' with words. If she were in Benjamin's position, she wouldn't have been able to shake him off harshly.

"Well, he admired Aquamarine and my father, right? Then helping me must be fulfilling in its own way, right?"

"The problem is that you know all this and still use him."

"As long as he doesn't know, it's fine. If things go well, I'll make him an honorary member of Aquamarine."

Deciding his treatment in her mind, Francis glanced over the content she had copied onto parchment.

Although it filled seven pages, it took her less than a minute to read and analyze it.

Francis, selecting three pages, said,

"There are about three 'Fissures' worth visiting for Aquamarine. The rest are either too large or have variables in the travel routes. We need to be cautious since we don't know who's friend or foe."

From the day's memories, she had only clearly seen the flagship of 'Moby Dick' and a few adventurers' faces. If she considered the dynamics between the factions and councilors of the 'Council of Unions,' there were a few places she suspected.

Francis judged it was too early to target them.

'They're not the kind you can touch without concrete evidence. If I make a mistake and they regroup, I won't survive even hiding behind the Chief Elder.'

Although they took advantage of the gap after the 'Charybdis' assault, they were enemies that even the peak Aquamarine couldn't handle.

There was no chance of winning without isolating and defeating them one by one.

So, Francis had to be patient.

She was used to waiting, and the anger that had been building up inside her was somewhat relieved thanks to Leonard.

"Oh."

Only then did Francis think of the team members and asked,

"Marian, how are the team members? I'm not sure if Ms. Lorelei and Uncle Galano are adapting well."

"No problem."

Marian told her what she had seen.

"The Magic Tower's Chief Elder and Esther treated Lorelei well. Whether it's because of her connection to Mr. Haine or the sense of kinship as a mage, they quickly became close."

"That's good. What about Uncle Galano?"

"He's learning with Leonard. As befits the brother of Mr. Dantuso, he uses a whirlwind sword technique. He's easy to get along with, lacking any sense of authority."

"Well, Mr. Dantuso was similar. He didn't like the class system despite being from a noble family."

Francis, letting her thoughts drift, picked up a piece of paper from her desk.

"Is anyone in poor condition?"

"No, everyone is ready."

"Then we can start tomorrow."

The paper in her fingers contained information about one of the 'Fissures' in the 5th Sea, the 'Cyclops Den.'

Size: C-rank.

Difficulty: B-rank.

Danger: B+ rank.

Expected profit: D- rank.

It was a small, difficult, and dangerous place that didn't even make money, naturally unpopular. But it wasn't a bad environment to check Aquamarine's current state.

"Starting from the 5th Sea is truly the realm of adventure."

Up to the 4th Sea, Zephyros, even mercenaries disguised as adventure teams are common. But from the 5th Sea, Aiolos, everyone must risk their lives.

Francis' eyes sparkled as she returned to this place.