The twilight of the Empire. A dark, decadent private room.
Hiss…
Exotic perfumes and unknown drugs mingled like smoke, hanging heavy in the air. Wine dripped between intertwined naked bodies. Laughter erupted from grinning faces, breaths coming in ragged gasps as they exchanged crude jokes. Forbidden pleasures burned hot in corners covered in red velvet.
Through that sticky, nauseating atmosphere, Rodriguez emerged.
As the owner of the private room at the time, he offered a wine glass embedded with amethysts and smiled subserviently. The glass held a liquid of a peculiar color.
“My lord, the esteemed son of Ebenholz. One sip of this, and all the world’s worries will vanish.”
“My lord.” The word echoed, as clear as it had been last night.
This was my past.
A single day among countless others that I had squandered meaninglessly before my regression.
The pathetic me.
“……”
I opened my eyes. I quickly sat up.
I had a filthy dream.
Rodriguez was there then. No, not just Rodriguez. Many of the Royal Guard who called themselves the Emperor’s dogs were there.
The corruption and decadence of the ruling class. It was one of the many reasons for the Empire’s downfall.
I ran a hand through my hair.
“I feel refreshed.”
The dream was unpleasant, but my body felt surprisingly invigorated. A mere thirty-minute nap had completely restored my vitality.
Was this also thanks to my magic core?
I got up and grabbed some casual clothes. I threw on whatever I could reach.
Now it was time to find a new residence.
***
The mansion in the Kleinschmidt district, Imperial Fourth Sector, a wealthy area.
There were many people there. Two of Rodriguez’s subordinate Royal Guards sat with their legs crossed on the living room sofa, while the owner, ‘Arman,’ was almost squeezed between them. Behind them stood six or seven henchmen.
“…Mr. Arman. Can’t you relax your face a little?”
One of the henchmen said, crossing his legs. A forced smile spasmed across Arman’s lips.
“Just say a few words and finish this. See this?”
They tapped the Royal Guard crests on their chests.
Lately, in the capital, belonging to the Emperor’s Royal Guard was a greater source of power than simple status or origin. At least, that’s what they believed.
“But—”
“Don’t ‘but’ me. Do you really want your head rolling?”
“To pay the price you’ve quoted,”
“Shut up.”
The ‘nominal tax’ that the Royal Guard had levied on Arman, meaning the amount he had to cough up, was more than he could afford even if he sold all his remaining assets at market value. However, Rodriguez was preventing him from selling even this mansion.
“You still don’t get it. Do you think we’re here for some kind of transaction? Just think of it as the price of your life!”
Knock knock.
Just then, there was a knock. Arman flinched. One of the Royal Guards grinned.
“Behave yourself. Open the door.”
“Yes.”
The youngest of them stepped forward and opened the door. A man stood on the other side. He wore a neat uniform, but his styled hair and the lingering baby fat on his cheeks gave him a youthful appearance.
Tap. Tap.
The man walked in and sat in the reception room.
“Nice to meet you.”
He only greeted the homeowner. The Royal Guards beside him he didn’t even glance at. He didn’t even offer to introduce himself.
“…Yes. Nice to meet you.” (Arman)
“As I mentioned before, I like this house. Although it’s a bit run-down in places, that’s even better, as I can renovate it to my taste.”
“Pfft.”
One of the Royal Guards chuckled, watching the young man prattle on. The homeowner’s expression darkened.
Casting glances at them, the homeowner started hesitantly.
“Actually… I’m sorry to say this, but someone else has already made an appointment.” (Arman)
“Yes. I heard. We’ll offer twice what you’re selling it to them for.”
A Royal Guard interjected.
“Hey. I told you, there’s a prior engagement.”
The man looked intently at the Guard. Then, he turned back to Arman.
“Who is this person?” (Max)
“Ah, that is…” (Arman)
“It doesn’t matter. Then I’ll pay compensation to the person with the prior engagement as well.” (Max)
“No. Don’t you understand what I’m saying?”
Thump. One of them slammed his booted foot on the floor, his face contorted menacingly.
“You should have some common sense.”
“It’s not about common sense, I heard the news too. Isn’t this property going to auction if I don’t buy it? So, I’m willing to pay double for it. We can’t have some random person occupying a prime location.”
“Random person? This guy is hilarious, isn’t he?”
Just as the atmosphere was about to turn hostile, the promised act began.
“—Halt.”
The front door opened, and Rodriguez entered leisurely. At that moment, the henchmen all stood up in formation and saluted. It was a sequence to intimidate the newcomer.
Rodriguez sat beside the homeowner and said.
“I apologize. It seems my men have been rude to you, young knight.”
“Yes, they were quite disrespectful.”
Rodriguez chuckled softly.
“Nice to meet you. I am Major Rodriguez of the Royal Guard.”
The man stared silently. He was probably surprised by his rank.
Rodriguez continued, pleased.
“As the Major of the Royal Guard, I have already negotiated with Mr. Arman, the owner of this mansion. I apologize that I cannot go into detail due to various circumstances, which is why I have come to see you.”
“…Is that true, Mr. Arman?” (Max)
The man asked Arman. Rodriguez’s eyes flickered to the homeowner for a moment.
“…Yes.”
Arman replied in a voice barely audible.
“It is true.”
Rodriguez lowered his head, suppressing a laugh. Instead, he took out a cigar from his inner pocket and lit it.
““Hmm. I’m sorry for making you come all this way. Would you care for a smoke?” (Rodriguez)
“……”
The man looked at the homeowner. His gaze then flowed back to Rodriguez. It was as if he was scrutinizing his face inch by inch. Not only that, but also his shoes, clothes, and accessories.
“……You look like someone who wouldn’t even have money to pay gift tax if someone gave it to you for free.” (Max)
Rodriguez’s brow twitched for a moment.
“You should be careful with your words.” (Rodriguez)
The man chuckled without any particular retort. It was an obvious mockery.
“Is this bastard crazy?”
The henchmen behind Rodriguez reacted first. Rodriguez raised his hand to stop them, and the man took out his checkbook. He scribbled a signature and handed it to the homeowner.
“I don’t care what promises you’ve made. I am buying this house.”
“Hah…”
A vein bulged on Rodriguez’s temple. A hollow laugh escaped his lips. Rodriguez forcibly suppressed his anger, while the homeowner, Arman, looked at the young man’s check.
“Why? There’s no point in unnecessarily clashing with the Royal Guard.”
As Rodriguez asked, almost as a threat, Arman’s eyes slowly widened.
He had read a certain ‘name’ inscribed on the check.
“Because I like it.”
In truth, I hadn’t seen the interior in detail.
It was just, I hated it. What these guys were doing was simply infuriating.
“I don’t care what you’ve promised the homeowner. I don’t give a damn.”
Guys like Rodriguez were rampant in the twilight of the Empire. Such a country deserved to fall.
Edmund blamed himself for the world’s destruction, but it was the Empire itself that had doomed it. The culprits were these trash who gnawed at the Empire from within.
“Oh dear.”
Rodriguez, still feigning composure, put down his cigar.
“Young man, what a pity—”
“…Maximilian Albrecht von Ebenholz?”
A voice calling a name cut through the space. It was the homeowner. He looked at the check with trembling eyes, and Rodriguez’s expression turned ice-cold.
The man, Maximilian, looked back into his eyes.
“I am buying this house. So,”
Tap. Tap.
As if chasing away a dog, he tapped the desk twice with his fingers.
“Understand your place and get lost.”
Rodriguez’s face flushed with anger and humiliation. He bit his trembling lips tightly. However, he did nothing more. He couldn’t utter a single word.
It was because he had already heard the name of Ebenholz.
***
The swordsmen all left, leaving the mansion empty.
I looked at the homeowner.
“You’ve taken good care of your house.”
Arman flinched. I understood. The person he had to deal with had changed from Rodriguez to Ebenholz. It was certainly not a better situation.
“Yes. It’s a house my father lived in for quite a long time…”
“It’s too fine a place to be filled with filth.”
“Ah…”
I leaned forward. Staring into his eyes, I said.
“Take this money and leave the capital tonight.”
I tapped my finger on the check on the desk.
“You won’t fare well if you stay here any longer. The southern regions, with their pleasant climate, would be good. Perhaps Marang would suffice.”
The south was a region that had suffered relatively less from the impending revolution and the Empire’s tyranny.
“That…”
“Now.”
I urged the homeowner. He swallowed hard, stood up, bowed deeply, and went to pack his belongings.
“……”
I watched his back, then quietly picked up my communicator. I dialed a familiar number. Before the ringing could even finish a few times, the call was answered.
“Yes, Sir Knight.”
“Ah, Enzi.”
Enzi is the best butler.
He is also the best adjutant I know.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
Enzi’s tone became serious.
“That guy named Rodriguez, you know him?”
“Yes. He’s a Royal Guard who came up from the East last quarter.”
Enzi was always knowledgeable about this kind of information.
“I had a run-in with him. Turns out he had sunk his claws into the house I was trying to buy.”
“Oh dear. Did you manage to purchase it safely?”
“Yes. I bought it. I offered the original owner double the market price.”
“Yes. The Family Head will be pleased as well.”
A faint hint of a smile mixed into Enzi’s tone.
Sebastian would not consider this a waste. Rather, he would be satisfied, considering it my prerogative.
‘If you want it, take it. Don’t mind who your opponent is. You don’t yet know the weight of your name. In this Empire, no one is more deserving than you.’
What I want, I always get. What I want to break, I always break.
That is the other side of Ebenholz.
“But, you know. Their next move is quite predictable.”
“Yes, it likely is.”
“Even though the homeowner isn’t purely an Imperial citizen, if the person I made a deal with suffers a terrible fate, wouldn’t that be bad for my reputation?”
“Of course.”
Rodriguez. Before regression, he became a higher-up in the Royal Guard. A fool who was executed by the revolutionary army for selling drugs and alcohol.
“Enzi, you know this too, right?”
He is foolish, weak, evil, dull, and above all.
“These days, the Royal Guards are overstepping their bounds quite a bit.”
Overstepping their bounds.
“I can’t stand that.”
It’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Before regression, I lived with that misconception. I associated with the Royal Guards because the Knights ignored me.
…I should have crushed them.
“Help me out just this once.”
I won’t ask for such favors again. Enzi is ultimately my father’s man.
Since I decided to live anew, I needed people of my own.
“Yes. I have confirmed.”
“Good.”
I hung up the phone.
Enzi is Sebastian’s confidant, and the first commoner to approach the heart of Ebenholz. He is also a monster who carries out orders regardless of the means.
All I have to do is wait.
