Late at night, a carriage adorned with gold trim was leaving the Imperial City.
Inside the carriage of Scania’s Crown Prince, Serits, an old man whose face was hidden by a black robe sat across from him.
“Congratulations, Your Highness.”
His voice was eerie and somber, sounding barely human. Crown Prince Serits burst into laughter, seemingly no longer bothered by the man’s unsettling tone.
“It is all thanks to your efforts! To think you could drive my brilliant older brother into a life of debauchery! The power of the cult you belong to must be truly formidable, far beyond my imagination.”
“I have only met your expectations, Your Highness.”
The old man in the black robe was Serits’s closest confidant. He had never once shown his eyes to Serits, always keeping his face concealed.
“Soon, military power will also fall into my hands. The Commander-in-Chief, who swore loyalty to His Majesty, has decided to step down shortly. When that happens, those who used to look down on me will crawl at my feet, trembling in fear of death.”
“They were fools to ignore Your Highness. Do not forget them, and ensure you punish them with blood.”
“Of course, I must!”
At his subordinate’s words, Serits flashed a cruel smile, his eyes gleaming.
“Now, everyone is lining up to meet me. Yet, when I had no power, you were the only one by my side.”
“It is all due to your virtue, Your Highness.”
“The merchants I am meeting today are also those who once treated me like an insect.”
Serits looked out at the scenery and lowered his gaze. He felt as if everything was now beneath his feet. Watching the streets of the capital for the first time in a while, memories of the past surfaced.
It was only three years ago that his funding was cut off by the First Prince, causing him to fall behind Crown Prince Datom. He had bowed his head, begging the First Prince for his life, and had become a wreck after losing everything.
Back then, when everyone pointed fingers at him and said he would never recover, the person who came to his side was the old man in the black robe sitting before him now.
At the time, the old man did not hide the fact that he was a heretic who served Destroi, one of the ten great demons. He confidently promised that he would place the powerless Serits onto the Emperor’s throne.
Serits had initially found those words ridiculous. However, with no one else left by his side, he had no choice but to trust and rely on his only companion.
Taking the hand of a heretic was better than enduring unbearable loneliness.
Now, it no longer mattered if the man was a heretic or the devil himself. The man who had been his only companion had truly placed him in the position of Crown Prince.
Three years had passed since he was treated like literal trash.
The old man’s demonic influence had swallowed the Imperial Palace and eventually led the First Prince—who had been a thorn in Serits’s side—to ruin. Before he knew it, even his father, the Emperor, who had seemed like an impregnable fortress, was falling ill.
“I will definitely keep my promise regarding the support for the Destroi Cult. If you wish to offer human sacrifices to the demon, I will capture those who oppose me alive and hand them over to you.”
“Your grace is immeasurable. *Heh heh…*”
Serits intended to do anything for the old man once he became Emperor. From the beginning, what the old man wanted was massive support for his heretical religion. Even if the old man decided to build a heretical temple in the center of the capital, Serits intended to support it.
“Everything starts today. I will eliminate those who ignored me, and I will rebuild my empire through blood.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Please reestablish the discipline of the Empire.”
The old man’s face remained hidden by the black robe, but his smile was clearly visible.
***
“We should disembark now.”
Today was the first day Serits would face the heads of the Empire’s merchant groups since becoming Crown Prince. To support the Destroi Cult, he needed to meet the merchant heads and collect tributes.
As Serits stepped out of the carriage, the merchant heads quickly lined up in front of him and bowed.
“Congratulations, Your Highness!”
“Congratulations, Your Highness!”
Looking down at the kneeling merchant heads, Serits let out a sneer and entered the prepared mansion with the old man in the black robe.
***
“Everyone, take your seats.”
Serits sat in the seat of honor. Along the long table, the merchant heads took their places.
Watching them, Serits spoke coldly.
“They say life is unpredictable. Only three years ago, didn’t I wait endlessly in front of your merchant buildings just to meet you? Back then, not a single one of you showed your face to me. However, that boiling sense of humiliation only helped me steel my resolve further.”
“We… we apologize, Your Highness. At that time…”
“Silence! I am not finished speaking.”
Serits erupted in a brief roar. After taking a deep breath, he continued.
“To think that you would be the ones to invite me first—your grace is truly immeasurable. Ha ha ha ha!”
Serits’s laughter rang out loudly, but no one laughed with him.
“Your… Your Highness… please forgive these humble servants…”
To a man, the merchant heads fell to their knees before Serits with tearful faces. The resentment piled up in Serits’s heart—who would have imagined that this resentment would be directed at them?
“What is the use of an apology in words? You must show your sincerity.”
“If you mean sincerity…”
“The tribute you used to pay my older brother must be doubled. Starting this very month.”
“Ah… Crown Prince… that is…”
“Why? Is it impossible?”
“It is just that… the tribute we were already paying the First Prince was difficult enough to handle…”
“If it’s too difficult… I suppose it can’t be helped. Drag him out.”
“Pardon?”
Serits looked up at the knight guarding him. Immediately, the knight grabbed the merchant head who had spoken and dragged him out of the room.
“Does anyone else have something to say?”
“N-No, Your Highness!”
Cold sweat began to pour down the faces of the merchant heads.
Then, a scream echoed. Before long, blood from the merchant who had been dragged out began to soak the floor.
Logic was useless now. The only way to survive was to bow their heads before his wrath.
“Very good. There is one more thing to discuss.”
The light in Serits’s eyes flickered. Synchronized with the screams, a murderous aura began to emanate from his gaze.
“Which merchant group will take the vacant spot left by the Rasmos Merchant Group?”
“!”
The merchant heads were already well aware of the ill will between the Crown Prince and the Rasmos Merchant Group. Therefore, they understood the hidden meaning behind his words instantly.
‘The Rasmos Merchant Group… is going bankrupt!’
It was somewhat expected. They had already anticipated the downfall of the Rasmos Merchant Group and were eyeing the markets Rasmos occupied.
It was obvious that if any merchant group here could absorb Rasmos, they would leap forward to become the number one merchant group on the continent.
Their terror vanished instantly, replaced by greed in the eyes of the merchant heads.
“Our merchant group will take that place, Your Highness.”
“Your Highness, our Lavelta Merchant Group is a construction merchant group like Rasmos, so we are even better suited…”
“Silence!”
All the merchant heads stood up and began rubbing their hands together in front of the Crown Prince. Seeing this, Serits’s wicked smile deepened.
“Since everyone wants the Rasmos Merchant Group, I must verify your loyalty here and now.”
“If you mean our loyalty…”
At Serits’s words, the merchant heads looked at each other with awkward smiles.
“To the merchant group that brings me Ras’s head before this meal is over, the Empire will grant the acquisition of the Rasmos Merchant Group. Ah! I should include the assets of the merchant head who just died as well! If you truly want to acquire those two groups, execute their heads yourselves and prove your loyalty to me! Well? What do you think of my proposal?”
“We understand.”
After a moment of silence, one of the merchant heads replied and disappeared outside.
“What are you all standing around for? I suppose you aren’t interested in the position of the Rasmos Merchant Group.”
“N-No, that’s not it!”
The expressions of the hesitant merchant heads turned vicious in an instant.
Seeing the intense pleasure that provided him, Serits’s shoulders shook as he laughed.
“Ha ha ha ha! Power truly is sweet!”
“It is something you should naturally enjoy as a ruler,” the old man replied, approaching Serits.
“I haven’t been out in a while, so I can’t just go back in yet. You come and sit here too. Hey! Bring in the courtesans!”
After laughing for a long while, Serits prepared to down the alcohol set before him.
***
“You’re saying you can fly in the sky by spinning a propeller with a mana engine?”
“I’ve named it a helicopter.”
As Dien continued to speak, Ras’s mouth fell open wider and wider.
“Is such a thing even possible?”
“It is. Mana engines hold infinite possibilities.”
Ras held his head. Dien’s ideas, which he had listened to without much expectation, far surpassed his imagination.
Ras, who had no way of knowing those ideas were knowledge from Earth, looked at Dien with eyes that were clearly different from before.
“Hearing your words makes the machines I’ve built feel so meager.”
“No, Ras, what you have created are the mana engines that will become the hearts of those machines. And if you and I combine our strength, those are devices that can be realized using mana stones as fuel.”
“A world where things called cars travel on the ground and humans can fly in the sky… To think my heart could race like this at my age.”
“There is still a lot left. Are you curious for more?”
“Of course!”
“This is a piece of mechanical equipment used frequently at construction sites…”
Dien, who was about to continue the story, paused to observe Ras.
Ras’s lethargy had long since vanished. His withered eyes had become bright and lively again. He was no longer a man whose will to live was drying up.
“Hmm… I will save the rest of the story for when we are in our kingdom.”
“What?”
Dien decisively cut off the conversation that had been flowing like water. It was a strategy to stimulate Ras’s curiosity even further. As if he couldn’t believe it, Ras urgently grabbed Dien’s arm.
“How can you do this?! If you stop here, how am I supposed to sleep?!”
“In the future? Didn’t you say you were going to stay here until the end?”
“Ahem!”
Ras coughed loudly in embarrassment and let go of Dien’s arm.
“If you are curious about the rest, you can come to our kingdom. Then, you can work with our kingdom’s engineers to build those devices yourself.”
“Good heavens! You’re a difficult man!”
Ras continued to hold his head in shock. Dien had shown him a future that would change because of the power engines he had developed. As an engineer, his head was about to explode with curiosity regarding the devices Dien had mentioned.
Then, Dien gently began to persuade him.
“Why would you die for them? Who would that benefit?”
“I know you are hesitant because of the merchant group you built with your own hands and the devices you personally created. But isn’t there a saying, ‘Right Will Out’? If you shake off your regrets and start again, not only your merchant group but also your honor, Ras, will eventually return to its rightful place.”
“What? Right… Right Will Out?”
“It is an ancient phrase. It means that no matter what happens, things will eventually return to the rightful path.”
“Return to the rightful path…”
A quiet silence fell between the two.
Ras sat at his desk and pondered. After a short time that felt like an eternity, he eventually kicked his desk and stood up.
“Damn it! You’re right. I can’t die like this. Where is your kingdom? I have to build those things with my own hands! I won’t allow anyone else to make them!”
Having finally changed Ras’s mind, Dien took his hand with a bright smile.
“Great! In ten days, come to the tavern in Bendom Village, east of the Spanil region. From there, our kingdom will escort you.”
“Bendom Village? That’s the border region with the Kingdom of Delos! Could your kingdom be…”
At Ras’s question, Dien responded with a smile instead of an answer.