Chương 22: Chapter 21: A Blank Check

Yuto had met the Broker in his past life. He had been a disgusting merchant who controlled every black market on the continent and weighed human lives, using human desire as his currency. He'd had countless slaves, and the lives of his slaves had been as disposable to him as the coins in his wallet. The immense wealth that he had built up through his black markets had become his power. Just like the Crimson Ringmistress, he had been hunted down by Yuto and killed.

The battle with the Broker had been unpleasant and desperate. In the past, Yuto had defeated the Broker after an intense fight. He had sawn off the head by cutting through the thick, tough neck, burned down the black markets, and freed the slaves. But it would happen far into the future in this life—if it happened at all.

In this life, he's still alive.

The dark chain that had crushed Kaien's neck was the Broker's sovereign power —a mark of slavery given to those who entered a contract with him. In the past life, Kaien had paid the price of patricide to control House Marigold and trade in Merchant City. The guilt of having to kill his father, the excitement of the prospect of taking his place, and the fear of the Broker, who pushed him on and gave him everything he needed, had weighed Kaien down like shackles.

The Broker took advantage of this to turn Kaien into a slave. The contract allowed the Broker to spread his black markets further, but now that Kaien had failed, the contract was meaningless. In addition, Kaien had leaked a secret, and the Broker had taken his life as punishment.

A vile sovereign power. Even if Kaien had succeeded, taken his father's place, and started a black market in Merchant City, the contract would have remained in force. His sin of killing his father would have still remained inside him, and the Broker could accuse him of that at any moment, meaning that the Broker would still have leverage. This was how the Broker worked. He took everything of value from those who did business with him, even their souls.

The contract is over. He is dead.

But the Broker wasn't done. As merchants often were, he was tenacious and evil. He would not give up searching for the next opportunity to expand into Merchant City.

"Rivian," Yuto said. Rivian was rooted to the spot, shocked by her brother's death.

"Who... in the world..." Rivian said, her voice trembling. Maybe she was saddened by her brother's death. It was not unthinkable. Even if he had done something worthy of death, he was still her brother. Yuto wondered for a moment whether he should offer some kind of consolation. From his point of view, Kaien was a piece of trash not worth mourning.

"Who would dare...!" This wasn't sadness. She was angry.

"Rivian?" Yuto asked, raising an eyebrow. He wanted to know what made her so upset.

"Kaien deserved punishment from my father for his foul greed. And if my father didn't want it, it should have been the laws of Merchant City that did justice. He didn't even get a chance to ask my father for forgiveness!" Rivian's face crumpled. She stamped her feet on the floor of the solitary cell. The dirty blood from Kaien's body touched her shoes, but Rivian didn't seem to care. Yuto marveled at this. Rivian wasn't sad because of her brother's death. She was just angry at the way Kaien had died. Impressive.

Rivian Marigold was no weakling. She had, after all, brought House Marigold back from destruction after Kaien had nearly ruined it. She was strong-hearted even in this timeline.

"Let's head up for now. We are done here," he said. They had stopped the Broker's plot, but Yuto knew how the Eclipse's mind worked. If there was another opening through which to breach Merchant City, he would take it. It was not something Yuto could prepare for by himself, however.

I need to warn Rufus Marigold about the black markets. The man had only just escaped the clutches of the poison which had nearly killed him, and he was pitifully weak. But House Marigold's wealth was untouched. Rufus would recover in no time at all. If House Marigold took an active stance against the black market, none could form easily in the city. The Broker's power grew with the size of the black markets. Yuto had no intention of helping the enemy he had to hunt down, no matter what.

I'd like to find him and kill him if I could... But he moved in secret. Yuto had already tried to bring the intelligence capabilities of his kingdom to bear against the black markets and the Broker, but the process hadn't been easy. It was Shiro who had found the Broker's base of operations. Yuto thought about the letter Shariel had left him two years ago. In it, she had informed him that the Eclipses served Shiro.

He hadn't been able to figure out whether this was actually true in the past two years, but he believed her. There was no reason for her to lie about it.

His carefully prepared plan has been ruined. Now he will retreat even more into the darkness. Even if I manage to find him now, I can't kill him with my current level of power. But at least he had stopped Rufus's death today. This was a different world from the one where he had lived in his past life. That meant he could influence the future in a more positive direction. That which was already gone, though, was gone for good.

Velkyne...

Yuto bit his lip and turned away. His kingdom was already ruined. His business in Merchant City was finished. Now it was time to face Velkyne, or what remained of it, though he had been refusing to think about it for the last two years. Rivian was still glaring at the body, fuming.

"W-wait for me!" She ran after him. Perhaps he would be spending more time with her in this life.

* An expensive crystal wine glass shattered against the wall, and red wine dripped to the floor like blood.

"Goddamn it!" a male voice shouted from the darkness. He wore an expensive suit, and his body was massive and fat. He had a thick golden necklace around his neck, and every thick finger was adorned with a ring embedded with a large jewel. He was the Broker, the Eclipse who controlled the spiderweb of the black markets scattered throughout the continent. He felt his rings, wheezing with rage.

"F*cking idiot. I gave him my support, and he failed. Even this easy contract. Not only that, he tried to expose me!" Boiling anger consumed him. Merchant City was the heart of Callisto, where gold flowed like a river. By opening a black market there, he could have increased his influence and wealth many times over. It was with that goal in mind that he had contacted Kaien and roused his desires.

He had persuaded that weakling and whispered of the wealth, glory and pleasures that he would enjoy as the head of House Marigold. After he had done this, he had provided everything that was necessary to kill Rufus off and make it look like it had been some kind of disease. It had all been a foundational step toward the successful opening of a black market in the city, but the idiot had failed even this simple task. There had been nothing difficult about it.

All he needed to do was feed the poison to his father and keep his mouth shut until the man was dead.

"Why?" The Broker clasped his hands together and rubbed them. The rings clacked against each other noisily.

"Why did he fail?" That was the question. Kaien was a moron; this made no sense.

"Rufus Marigold was bedridden and sick. The poison had the intended effect. So why didn't our plan succeed?" Had Kaien gotten drunk and told Rufus about the poison he had given him? That simply did not make sense.

Someone intervened. It was already finished, but someone came in and f*cking ruined it. All the Broker knew was that Kaien had tried to expose a secret and died for it. He didn't know what was going on in House Marigold. There's still an opportunity here. The Dark Death Toxin is one of a kind. Even if it has been exposed, nobody will be able to create an antidote in time. The Dark Death Toxin wasn't simply made of the Black Hydra's poison.

In order to avoid suspicion and make it look like sickness instead of poisoning, he had combined multiple poisons. Because creating an antidote had been the farthest thing from his mind from the very beginning, figuring out the ingredients would not mean an antidote could be created right away.

Rufus will die in the end. With Kaien dead, I won't have control, but Rivian is still young. She can't be expected to control her house and establish as much influence as her father. If House Marigold wavered, so would Merchant City. This would create an opening for the black market to spread within the city.

I have not failed. This is just a slight change of plans. First of all, I will figure out the situation in House Marigold... He continued thinking, rubbing his rings together. The process had become a little troublesome and pesky, but the result would be the same.

"Have you calmed down somewhat?" a voice suddenly said. The Broker froze. It was a quiet, cold voice. The Broker gulped and turned around. Somebody was standing inside the fancy room, right in front of a grand painting of a sun and a tower. It almost felt real, this painting, with the boy standing in front of it. The luxury of this room dwindled to nothing in the dignified presence of the boy. He wore a flawless white uniform, and his golden hair seemed to give off its own light.

This boy had the smile of a saintess and of a king. It was Shiro Ristal. He walked over as if he were inside his own room and flopped into a soft sofa.

"P-Prince Shiro..." The rage vanished from the Broker's face, replaced by fear. Cold sweat flowed from his forehead. The Broker was the proudest and greediest of the Eclipses, but he was as meek as a lamb in front of this boy, and it wasn't by choice.

"I-I didn't know you were coming. If you had told me..."

"Are you suggesting I need your permission to come here?" Shiro asked with a smile that was as gentle as it was kind. The Broker was reminded of the graceful arc of a Grim Reaper's scythe.

"Th-that's not what I meant. I just thought I could have prepared a welcome for you, if you had given me a warning..."

"A welcome?" Shiro asked. His eyes traveled to the glass fragments and wine stains on the floor.

"The only sounds I heard were a scream, like the squealing of a pig being butchered, and the sound of a glass shattering, not trumpets announcing my visit..." The Broker turned red as a beet. Then the blood rushed from his face.

"I'll hear your excuse now. Broker, why have you failed?" Shiro asked, cupping his chin with a hand covered by a white glove. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. The Broker hesitated.

"I-It was because the person I chose for the task was incapable. Kaien Marigold, that idiot..."

"And it was you who chose him," Shiro cut in, shaking his head.

"You selected this incapable man. That makes you equally incompetent. But I'd like to tell you that I am not merely disappointed because the plan did not go as expected." Shiro got to his feet slowly. Every step he took seemed to choke the Broker.

"Everyone fails. Even me. I have failed many more times than I can count. Plans are often disrupted by unforeseen circumstances." Shiro was right in front of him now.

"What matters is how you respond to a failure. You must acknowledge it, coolly analyze the cause, and come up with an even better plan than before. That is the class I expect from you. But have you delivered, Broker?" Shiro's finger tapped the Broker's massive belly.

"No. You took out your anger by dashing wine against the wall. You didn't bother to find out what went wrong. Instead, you consoled yourself based on the unfounded hope that the Dark Death Toxin, presumably perfect, would finish Rufus off. Have you forgotten that you've already been exposed?"

"Y-Your Highness... this is a misunderstanding! I—""A misunderstanding?" Shiro asked. His eyes turned frosty. There was no disdain in his eyes, only the carelessness with which a person would dispose of an item that had lost value.

"You are old, fat, and slow. Greed has clouded your judgment, and emotion has taken the place of your dignity. The color of your spilled wine is clearer than the intelligence you have lost."

"Ahh..."

"I have failed too, as I have said. I can't predict everything. But let me tell you something. I love the unpredictable. It makes me imagine situations that I cannot predict and sometimes reflect on my own actions so that I can pursue perfection even more. You don't fit my standards."

"P-please..." the Broker stammered. He had gotten drunk on the blood and tears of his slaves, but now he begged as if he were one of them.

"Forgive me..."

"Wrong again. You should be promising to do better, not asking for forgiveness." Shiro pulled his finger away.

"We are a machine, marching toward our ideals. There is no place among our inner workings for a rusty, stupid gear that doesn't even realize it has outlived its usefulness. And god forbid that it be noisy too." Shiro's eyes gleamed with a bizarre light, and the Broker's body stiffened.

"Huh...?" The pupils dilated with terror. His arms were moving on their own. The plump hand slowly rose and grabbed the golden chain around his neck.

"Y-Your Highness?"

"Now, take the responsible action," Shiro whispered.

"Choke the overgrown greed out of your body." The hands pulled harder, and the chain sank into the flesh, tightening. The Broker's mind screamed for help, but his body obeyed only Shiro. He pulled as hard as physically possible at the chain, choking himself.

"No... No..." the Broker murmured, his face turning purple. His bloodshot eyes bulged as if they would pop right out of their sockets, and a scowl formed on his face. He could feel the chain crushing his airway and artery, but there was nothing he could do.

"Your own greed stealing the air from your lungs. What would be a more fitting way for you to die?" Shiro whispered coolly.

"This is the end of the line. You served well, while it lasted." The Broker's arms bulged with veins. As a strength that was beyond his abilities pulled the chain in either direction, his vertebrae cracked, unable to withstand the pressure. There was a loud noise. The Broker's head lolled backward. The chain had snapped his neck. Dark red foam bubbled from between his lips, and the overweight body twitched a few times. Then it stopped moving entirely. The Broker was dead. The body, it seemed, still wasn't done.

The hands pulled until the Broker's head came off completely. The head popped upward into the air, followed by a stream of blood. The monster who ruled the black markets of Callisto had paid a heavy price for his arrogance and complacency; and the cause of death was suicide—suicide by another's hand. Only the smell of blood and silence filled the room. Shiro took out a handkerchief and gracefully wiped a drop of blood from his cheek.

"Phew..." Shiro turned away from the body as if he was disgusted by what he saw and looked at the painted scene on the wall of a high tower that stood under the sun.

"Another cog, broken," he muttered. Each time this happened, it took him by surprise and threatened his plan, but he didn't hate it. He had been telling the truth when he claimed he loved the unpredictable. These random incidents would help him find the flaws in his engine and replace them with better pieces. It would only make his plans more complete.

"I'll need a new Broker. One who is a bit smarter. One who can smile in the face of failure." He grinned at the painting, which was the only thing he liked about the room.

* The office of the head of the household at the Marigold mansion. The symptoms of the Dark Death Toxin hadn't completely disappeared. But Rufus Marigold still sat at his desk rather than lying in bed, with a bag of serum connected to a vein in his arm. His face was pale, but the dignity of the great merchant who had ruled over the commerce of Merchant City was returning to his eyes.

"He's dead?" Rufus murmured. Yuto sat on the sofa and nodded as he put down his tea.

"It was not suicide. Someone wanted to silence him." Yuto explained everything he had witnessed in the dungeon, while Rivian was beside him, guaranteeing that everything he said was the truth. Yuto described the black chain that had choked Rufus's son and the black market merchants Kaien had mentioned. Yuto did not explain that they served an Eclipse called the Broker. That information was too much for an ordinary person to handle. The problem was that Rufus Marigold was not ordinary.

If Rufus made up his mind to oppose the Eclipses, he could use his family's funds and information-gathering ability to approach the Broker who was in hiding, but that would put the Broker on his guard against House Marigold. That would expose Yuto to the Broker as well as Shiro, his master. Yuto did not want that to happen just yet. He didn't have the ability to oppose the Broker, much less Shiro himself. Yuto could not remain in hiding forever, but he wanted to make all the preparations he could.

"Black market merchants..." Rufus covered his face with both hands and sighed. No doubt he felt saddened by his son's death, but it was overshadowed by his wariness against the enemy that was after his house and his city.

"Kaien was a fool. He wasn't someone capable of doing something so bold on his own. Somebody stimulated his sense of inferiority and gave him that poison, I was sure, but..." The hands moved away from his face. His eyes were as sharp as needles now that he had his emotions in check.

"They weren't just after my life. They were after the market that my city represents. They wanted to control my house so that they could open the city up for their own ends."

"Exactly," Yuto said.

"They failed, of course, but they will try again. Your son's death was just a safety measure. They will try to infiltrate the city once again, and this time they will be far more careful and deliberate."

"Yes," Rufus said with a nod.

"I don't know whether to be sad for the loss of my son or angry because he nearly poisoned me to death. Actually, I don't think I should be worried about any of this. What I should be doing now is preparing for the future as the head of my family and thanking the person who saved my life." He got up and bowed deeply to Yuto. The head of the family, who could very well be described as the king of the city, was bowing his head before a common adventurer boy.

"We have avoided the worst thanks to you. You have saved my life and my family. I promise you that you will have anything you desire." The head of House Marigold was offering the blank check again.

"Is it immense wealth that you want? Is it honor? Or if it's neither of those things..."

"I want a sponsorship," Yuto said with a smile.

"Sponsorship? Do you mean money? You may have as much—""Not just money. I need your family name." Yuto felt his teacup and continued.

"I want to get into Maria Academy." Rufus's eyes widened. It was the greatest educational institution in Callisto. Only a select few, the children of prestigious nobles or those acknowledged for their immense talent, were accepted into that school. No matter how smart Yuto might be, he could never get in without having a special background or the backing of a powerful family.

"Maria Academy. Yuto, please don't take this question the wrong way. Where are you from? I need to know your background."

"I am from the slums on the outskirts of Ristal," Yuto said without breaking a sweat.

"My parents died when I was little, and I was kidnapped by an illegal slave trader and forced to live as a fighter in a colosseum in Valisthera."

"A slave fighter... in a colosseum? I can imagine it must have been difficult to get away from such a place," Rufus said in shock.

"I had a bit of luck, though it might as well have been misfortune," Yuto said with a wry smile. Rufus nodded slowly.

"I see, so you want to attend the Academy..." Rufus erased the emotion from his face and watched Rivian, who also seemed taken aback.

"Rivian attends that academy. Were you aware of this fact?"

"No..." Yuto lied. Yuto had never encountered her at the Academy in the previous life, because in that world, Rivian had quit after her father had died, choosing to leave her house. Yuto couldn't explain that, so he left the past buried. He watched Rivian, which made her blush and nod.

"Yes, I'm a second-year student there. But after my father's condition worsened, I took a hiatus to nurse him." She shrugged.

"If you join, I suppose I would be the senior student. You can ask me whatever you like about life at the academy."

"That's very reassuring... It would be nice to attend with you." Yuto chuckled. Maria Academy was all about skill, but they also had a strong system of hierarchy based on background and seniority. It would do him a lot of good to have Rivian, the daughter of House Marigold and an older student, as his friend.

"It will happen," Rufus said with a smile and a nod.

"I promise you the full support of my house. I will write you a recommendation letter in my name. Now, I doubt it, but in case it doesn't turn out to be enough, I will also send a donation to the Academy. Once you are accepted, I will cover your tuition and living expenses and provide all necessary equipment. I will provide only the best."

"He can come with me when I return to the Academy. By the way, Yuto, how old are you?" Rivian asked. Her eyes glittered.

"Fourteen," Yuto said.

"Wow..." Rivian said, marveling quietly. She had guessed from his boyish appearance, but he had deep, cold eyes, charisma, and extreme strength. Everything about him except his appearance made it feel strange that he was so young.

"Fourteen... That means you won't be able to join the Academy right away."

"But I can next year," Yuto said. The youngest age at which one could join the Academy was fifteen. Rivian, who was already a second-year, was two years older than him—sixteen.

"A recommendation letter for the academy, and full tuition support. Well, that doesn't seem like enough for someone who saved my house," Rufus said, rubbing his chin. Even the recommendation letter alone was something that most nobles could not even attempt. It was a simple matter, however, for Rufus.

"Do you have any other requests? Please feel free to ask for anything you like."

"Then let me ask for one more thing," Yuto said immediately.

"I need a carriage."

"A carriage. Do you plan on going on a trip somewhere? You do have some time left before you join the academy, but..."

"Yes, you might call it that," Yuto said, and the look in his eyes grew deep.

"I am headed for the ruins of the Velkyne Kingdom." Rufus's eyes went wide, and a heavy silence settled in the office. Velkyne. It was the powerful kingdom that had once established its power all over the continent. An unidentified disaster had destroyed the unfortunate nation overnight. The region that had been Velkyne's was no longer habitable for human beings. It seemed as though it had been cursed since there was poisonous fog everywhere, and the plants and trees had been mutated strangely.

The ground had turned red, perhaps from the blood of the people who had been massacred, and violent Evomon with low intelligence wandered through it. Other races that did not get along with humans, such as orcs and goblins, also lived there. But the most dangerous of all was not the poisonous fog, or the wild Evomon, or the non-human races. It was the humans themselves. There were grave robbers who wandered about the ruins of the kingdom and criminals who sought refuge in that abandoned region.

They thieved and attacked each other, always on the lookout for prey.

"That is a dangerous place. It's not suitable for anyone to live in. It's been destroyed and the only inhabitants are wild Evomon that might as well be beasts in the dungeons and criminals who are not worthy of being called human, in addition to barbaric races like orcs and goblins."

"I am aware," Yuto said.

"Then why do you still want to go?"

"There is something I need to find," Yuto said, and did not explain further. Rufus gazed into Yuto's eyes. He could tell that Yuto would not listen even if Rufus tried to persuade him. Those abyssal eyes contained a heavy sense of duty that others would not be able to understand, as well as an intense sadness.

"All right..." Rufus sighed and nodded in the end.

"I will prepare a sturdy and fast carriage and give you plenty of supplies as well. If you need, I can also provide you with trained knights."

"Don't need any knights. I already have a partner," Yuto said, patting Flokiro's head. Flokiro was seated beside him. He had been eating some sweet condiments that had been served with the tea, but stopped at the mention of Velkyne. Flokiro forced himself to smile when Yuto patted his head.

"I-I want to go too," Rivian said, her hesitant voice still firm. She shot to her feet and stared at her father.

"Rivian? What are you talking about? It's a dangerous place," Rufus said.

"I would like to repay the person who saved our household, despite the dangers," Rivian said with no further indecision.

"Yuto is strong, but strength isn't going to be enough where he is going. There is poisonous fog everywhere, as well as venomous Evomon. He will need a mage who is able to neutralize the poison and provide healing." Rufus was silent.

"I failed to cure your poisoning, Father, but I have always ranked at the top of my class in healing at the Academy, and I have excellent grades in offensive magic as well." Rivian's gaze moved to Yuto.

"I promise you that I won't get in your way. I know I will be of use." Rivian was not wrong. Velkyne was a dangerous place in more ways than one. Yuto was confident he could survive, of course, but he knew that things didn't always go according to plan. Healing magic in particular was not his specialty. He knew how to survive on the battlefield and perform first aid, but it would definitely help him to have Rivian, an expert in healing magic, join him on his journey. Yuto shook his head regardless.

"I refuse. I'm not going on a picnic. I won't be able to protect someone who comes with me."

"Didn't you hear what I said? I will protect myself. And I don't think of this as a picnic. It's a chance for me to pay you back." Her eyes watched him steadily. There was something more in them than just gratitude. She looked fully determined.

"My father was nearly killed, and my brother is dead. People I know nothing about are after my house. Something tells me that they are not just black market merchants, but something far more sinister," she said.

"I am so weak compared to them. If you hadn't shown up, I wouldn't have been able to do anything about our situation. You've helped us out this time, but I don't want to rely on you for everything." She clenched her fists.

"It'll be a dangerous journey, one that will help me grow. The learnings I gather from that will be valuable, something not available to me inside this mansion or even at the Academy. I want to purchase that experience. Please say yes."

"You want to purchase it?"

"My healing magic will be more than enough of a price." Yuto gazed at her briefly. He recalled the obsessed look in her eyes in the past life and the determination with which she had studied herbs in the backstreets to uncover the truth about her father's death.

A magic healer...

This was not a bad suggestion at all by any means. The ruins of Velkyne were littered with curses and poison. The Void was not omnipotent, and having a dedicated supporter would definitely help. And more than anything, the assertive eyes had moved him.

"Do as you like," Yuto said in the end.

"But don't hold it against me if this decision turns out to be deadly for you. And I won't be treating you with respect as an older student, since I'm not even attending the Academy yet."

"Hehe. No worries about that, young student," Rivian said with playful condescension.

"You heard him, Father. He's agreed to it. Now all I need is your permission."

"Ha..." Rufus said. He shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you saying that I should give my permission for my daughter to go to a place where she may very well die?"

"You always said that experience and instinct are the most important to a merchant. Right now my instinct tells me that I need to go with Yuto. This journey will be something I have never been through before in my entire life."

"Still as obstinate as ever," Rufus said with a sigh, nodding.

"Promise me that you will come back to me in one piece. You must know how important promises are to a merchant."

"Of course, I promise, father. I'm not going to die, and I will come back without a single injury," Rivian said with a broad smile.