Marketer.

Yuto ground his teeth at the name.

He had met him in his life before returning to the past. A revolting merchant who controlled every black market on the continent, weighed human lives on his scales, and traded in desire. A monster who commanded countless slaves, spending their life force as casually as taking coins from a purse, and transformed the immense wealth of his black markets into personal power.

Like Crimson Ringmistress, he was a member of Eclipse whom Yuto had once hunted down.

The battle against Marketer had been sickening and brutal. Yuto had defeated him after a vicious struggle, sawing through his thick, tough neck, burning the black markets he had built to the ground, and freeing his slaves.

But that lay far in the future even now.

Or in a past that had ceased to exist.

'In this life, the bastard is still alive.'

The black chain that had strangled Cayenne was Marketer's power: a slave contract branded into anyone who entered into a “contract” with him.

By committing the atrocity of poisoning his father, Cayenne could have become the head of House Marigold, which ruled Merchant City. The guilt of having to poison his father. The anticipation of becoming head of the house. And fear of Marketer, who had pushed him onward and provided everything he needed.

All those emotions created a sense of indebtedness in Cayenne's heart. Through that indebtedness, Marketer unilaterally branded the other party with a slave contract.

Fulfilling their agreement would have earned Marketer the lucrative right to establish a black market, but Cayenne's failure had prevented that. Moreover, Cayenne had disclosed terms that were meant to remain confidential. For that breach of secrecy, Marketer had collected his life.

'His power is vile.'

Even if Cayenne had fulfilled the agreement, become head of House Marigold, and opened a black market in Merchant City, the contract would not have ended. The original sin of killing his father would have remained as guilt. Marketer could expose that sin at any time, so the indebtedness would persist.

That was how Marketer exploited his contractors down to their very souls.

'The agreement failed. Cayenne is dead.'

But Yuto knew this was not the end. Marketer was as tenacious and vicious as a merchant could be. Having lost the prize of entry into Merchant City, he would watch for another opportunity and try again.

“Levian.”

Yuto called to Levian, who stood in a daze. Her face showed the profound shock of her elder brother's death.

“Who... Who could have...?”

Her voice trembled. Was it grief over Cayenne's death? Perhaps. However deserving of death his crimes might have been, he was still her brother.

Yuto briefly wondered whether he should comfort her. In his eyes, Cayenne was scum unworthy of mourning.

“Who... dared...!”

What Levian revealed was not sorrow. She was furious at Cayenne's death.

“Levian?”

Yuto raised an eyebrow slightly as he studied her, wondering what had made her so angry.

“Father should have been the one to punish Cayenne. If Father didn't want to, then Merchant City's laws should have made him pay for his filthy greed. Cayenne hadn't even—he hadn't even apologized to Father...!”

Her face contorted as she stamped on the cell floor again and again. Filthy blood from Cayenne's corpse touched her shoes, but she paid it no mind.

Yuto was inwardly impressed. Levian Marigold was not grieving for her brother. She was angry that Cayenne had died in such a manner.

'I should have known.'

Levian Marigold was no weak-willed woman. In the world Yuto had once lived in, she had revived House Marigold after Cayenne drove it to the brink of ruin. Even here in the past, her resolve was strong.

“Let's go upstairs for now. We're finished here.”

He had foiled Marketer's plot, but knowing the bastard, he would seize another opportunity to enter Merchant City. That was not something Yuto alone should have to guard against.

'I'll have to warn Rufus Marigold about the black market.'

Rufus had barely survived the poisoning, and his strength was spent. But House Marigold's wealth remained intact, so he would soon recover. If the house took the lead in keeping them in check, the black-market merchants would find it difficult to gain a foothold in Merchant City.

Marketer's power grew with the size of his black markets. Yuto had no intention of enriching an enemy he would have to hunt down.

'I'd like nothing better than to find Marketer and kill him, but...'

The bastard operated in secret. Before returning to the past, Yuto had used the Kingdom of Belkain's intelligence network to try to root out Marketer and his black markets, only to fail in the end.

It had been Shiro, in his previous life, who found the elusive Marketer's base. Yuto remembered the letter Sariel had left two years ago.

The letter claiming that the members of Eclipse followed Shiro. He had been unable to verify its contents over the past two years, but... he believed it was true. Sariel would have no reason to tell such a lie.

'With his carefully laid plan ruined, Marketer will retreat even deeper into the shadows. Even if I found him, I couldn't kill him with my current strength.'

But today, Yuto had prevented Rufus's death.

If the world he had returned to differed from the one he had lived in, he could change its future for the better.

But there was nothing he could do about what was already gone.

'Belkain...'

Yuto turned away, chewing his lip.

A kingdom already destroyed.

His business in Merchant City was finished. Now it was time to face the Kingdom of Belkain, which he had avoided for two years.

“W-wait for me!”

Levian, who had been glaring indignantly at Cayenne's corpse, hurried after him.

It occurred to Yuto that he might spend more time with Levian in this life.

* * *

CRASH!

An expensive crystal wineglass shattered against the wall. Red wine trickled down like blood.

“Goddamn it!”

A man shouted in the darkness. He wore a suit made of costly fabric over a grossly fat body, a thick gold chain around his neck, and a large jeweled ring on each of his ten fingers.

Marketer of Eclipse, master of the web connecting every black market on the continent.

He huffed and puffed, irritably fiddling with the rings on all ten fingers.

“Stupid bastard. After all the support I gave him, he couldn't fulfill even this simple contract? And then he tried to reveal my name...!”

Rage welled up inside him. Merchant City was the heart of Callisto, a place where gold flowed like a river. Opening a black market there could have multiplied his financial power and influence several times over.

To that end, he had approached Cayenne and stoked his desires. He had coaxed the spineless fool, whispering of the immense wealth, glory, and pleasures that awaited him as head of the house. After persuading him, he had supplied everything necessary to dispose of Rufus Marigold neatly, under the guise of death by illness.

It had all been groundwork for the black market's successful entry. Yet that imbecile Cayenne had failed at even this simple task. What could possibly have been difficult about it? All he had to do was poison his old man and keep his fucking mouth shut until he croaked. What was so hard about that?

“Why?”

CLINK. CLINK.

Each time Marketer kneaded his hands, his rings struck one another with a metallic sound.

“Why did he fail?”

That was the question: the reason for the failure. However much of a moron Cayenne was, it made no sense for him to fail at something so easy.

“Rufus Marigold fell ill and took to his bed. The Black Death Venom was definitely working. So why... why did it fail?”

Had Cayenne gotten drunk and blabbed about poisoning Rufus before the old man died? That was inconceivable. Impossible.

'Someone interfered. Someone took a shit in a meal that was ready to serve.'

All Marketer could confirm was that Cayenne had died while divulging secrets. He had yet to learn the current state of House Marigold.

'There's still a chance. The Black Death Venom Rufus Marigold swallowed is unknown to the world. Even if they identify it, they'll struggle to make an antidote before he croaks.'

Black Death Venom was not made solely from Black Hydra venom. Several poisons had been mixed together to avoid suspicion, disguising murder as death by illness. It had been developed without any thought of an antidote. Identifying the ingredients would not make it possible to produce one immediately.

'Rufus will die in the end. With Cayenne dead too, I won't be able to manipulate House Marigold as I please... but Levian Marigold is still young. A girl like her can't take control of the house and wield the same influence it once had.'

If House Marigold faltered, Merchant City would falter with it. The black market could slip into the city through the cracks that instability created.

'I haven't failed. The plan has merely changed a little. First, I'll find out what's happening in House Marigold...'

CLINK. CLINK.

Marketer continued thinking as he rubbed his rings together. The process had merely become a little more troublesome and tiresome. The outcome would not change.

“Have you calmed down?”

At the sudden voice, Marketer froze.

A low, cool voice. He swallowed and turned his head. In the lavishly decorated room, someone stood beneath a majestic landscape painting depicting the sun and a tower.

A boy with the painted landscape behind him, as though it were real.

Luxurious as the room was, the boy's refined presence rendered every ornament in it insignificant.

Immaculate white formal attire. Brilliant blond hair that seemed to shine with its own light. A smile more benevolent than a saint's and more majestic than a king's.

Shiro Ristal. He strolled over as comfortably as though he were in his own chambers and dropped onto a plush sofa.

“L-Lord Shiro...”

Anger vanished from Marketer's face, replaced by fear. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead like rain. He might be the most arrogant and avaricious member of Eclipse, but before this boy, he could only be a meek lamb.

“Wh-when did you arrive? If you had sent word beforehand...”

“Must I ask your permission to come here?”

Shiro smiled. It was an exquisitely gentle, kindly smile, yet to Marketer it was as terrifying as the curve of a reaper's scythe.

“Th-that's not what I meant. I only meant... if you had l-let me know, I could have prepared a welcome...”

“A welcome.”

Shiro's gaze moved to the glass shards and red wine stains scattered across the floor.

“What I heard was not a welcoming fanfare, but shouting like a pig being slaughtered and the noise of breaking glass...”

“...!”

Marketer's face flushed scarlet, then quickly drained of color.

“Let's hear your excuse. Marketer, why did you fail?”

Shiro rested his chin on a white-gloved hand. Marketer hesitated before answering.

“Th-that was... because the man I chose as my agent was incompetent. Cayenne Marigold, that fool...”

“You were the one who chose him as your agent.”

Shiro shook his head, cutting him off.

“The judgment that led you to choose an incompetent man is itself proof of your incompetence. But Marketer, it isn't merely one disrupted plan that disappoints me.”

Shiro slowly rose. With every step he took, Marketer felt a suffocating pressure.

“Everyone fails. I, too, have experienced countless failures. Plans are always liable to be disrupted by unforeseen factors.”

Shiro stopped right in front of him.

“What matters is what comes after failure. Acknowledge it, analyze its causes dispassionately, and devise a more perfect plan for next time. That is the caliber I expect of you. But what have you done, Marketer?”

Shiro tapped Marketer's bloated belly with a finger.

“You were throwing wineglasses to vent your anger. Instead of trying to identify the unforeseen factor, you were gratifying yourself with the complacent hope that Black Death Venom was perfect and Rufus would die. Even after your trail had been uncovered and your existence mentioned.”

“L-Lord Shiro... You've misunderstood. I...!”

“Misunderstood?”

Shiro's eyes turned cold. There was not even contempt in them, only the indifference of someone about to discard a worthless object.

“You have grown old, fat, and slow. Blinded by greed, your judgment has clouded. Swayed by emotion, you have lost your dignity. The wine you spilled leaves a clearer mark than your lost composure.”

“Ah... ahh...”

“As I said, I have experienced many failures. I have encountered countless unforeseen factors. But Marketer, I love those variables. They make me imagine situations I never anticipated. Sometimes they make me reflect upon myself and pursue even greater perfection. But you... do not live up to my ideal.”

“P-please...”

Marketer stammered, on the verge of tears. A man who had delighted in drinking the bloody tears of countless slaves now begged as though he were a slave himself.

“Forgive me...”

“That, too, is wrong. Instead of begging forgiveness, you should have promised to do better.”

Shiro withdrew his finger.

“The machinery that will realize our ideals has no need for foolish, rusted parts that cannot even recognize their own damage. Still less for parts that make noise.”

A strange light gleamed in Shiro's eyes. Instantly, Marketer's body went rigid.

“Wh-what...?”

Terror filled his eyes. His arms were moving of their own accord. His two fat hands slowly rose and seized the thick gold chain around his neck.

“L-Lord Shiro...?”

“Take responsibility yourself,” Shiro whispered softly.

“With your own hands, strangle that bloated greed of yours and put an end to it.”

CRUNCH!

Marketer's hands tightened. The thick gold chain began to constrict, digging into the fat of his neck. His mind screamed for his life, but his body obeyed Shiro's will absolutely. He pulled the chain with all his strength, strangling himself.

“Ghh... khh, n-no...”

His face swelled purple, as though about to burst. His bloodshot eyes bulged from their sockets. Face contorted, Marketer strangled himself. He felt every bit of the agony as the chain crushed his windpipe and carotid arteries, yet he could not withdraw his hands.

“Strangled to death by your own greed. No end could suit you better,” Shiro murmured indifferently.

“This is as far as you go. Thank you for your service.”

CRACK!

Veins bulged on Marketer's forearms, threatening to burst. As he crossed the gold chain and pulled with strength beyond his limits, his neck bones gave a scream.

CRUNCH!

With a hideous tearing sound, his head bent backward at an unnatural angle. The chain had bitten through his flesh and completely severed his cervical spine. Dark, bloody froth burst from his mouth. His bloated body convulsed several times, then went limp.

Even after strangling himself and breaking his own neck, Marketer's body did not stop killing itself.

CRUNCH!

The chain finally severed his neck completely. His large head shot upward like a firework, followed by a fountain of blood.

The monster who had ruled Callisto's black markets paid for his arrogance and complacency with a wretched death. The cause of death was suicide imposed by another.

Only silence and the smell of blood lingered in the room. Shiro drew a handkerchief from his breast and elegantly wiped a single drop of blood from his cheek.

“Phew...”

As though he had seen something filthy, he turned away from the corpse to the landscape on the wall. A tower beneath the sun. Gazing at the tower that rose as though to pierce the sky, he murmured,

“One cog has broken.”

All of this was an unforeseen variable, shaking his plans. Yet Shiro was not displeased. As he had said, he loved variables.

This one had allowed him to discard festering, rotten, broken parts and replace them with better ones. His plan would become more perfect for it.

“I'll have to find a new Marketer. This time, someone a little more... intelligent, and ruthless enough to smile even in the face of failure.”

Shiro smiled as he admired the landscape.

Of everything in the room, that painting, at least, pleased him.

* * *

The head's study, Marigold mansion.

Though the aftereffects of Black Death Venom had yet to fade completely, Rufus Marigold sat in his study chair rather than in bed, an IV needle in his arm. His complexion was pale, but his eyes were regaining the authority of the great merchant who commanded Merchant City.

“... Dead.”

Rufus spoke in a low voice. Seated on a sofa across from his desk, Yuto set down his teacup and nodded.

“It wasn't suicide. He was silenced.”

Yuto described exactly what he had witnessed in the dungeon, neither adding nor withholding anything. Beside him, Levian vouched for the truth of his account.

The black chain that had strangled Cayenne. The black-market merchants he had named as his backers. Naturally, Yuto did not reveal that their master was Marketer of Eclipse.

That knowledge was too much for an ordinary person to handle. The problem was that Rufus Marigold was no ordinary person.

If Rufus deliberately began guarding against Eclipse and treating them as enemies, House Marigold's wealth and intelligence network might allow him to track down Marketer in hiding. But that would make the other side wary of House Marigold as well. Then Yuto's existence would be fully exposed to Marketer—no, even to Shiro, who ruled over him.

Yuto did not want that yet. At present, he lacked the strength to confront Marketer, let alone Shiro. He could not remain hidden forever, but he wanted to prepare as thoroughly as possible.

“Black-market merchants...”

Rufus covered his face with both hands and sighed. Of course he grieved for his son, but greater than that grief was his wariness of the enemy targeting his house and Merchant City.

“Cayenne was a foolish boy. But he never had the mettle to attempt anything so audacious alone. I suspected someone had provoked his sense of inferiority and put poison in his hands...”

His hands lowered. With his emotions under control, Rufus's gaze was as sharp as a blade.

“They weren't merely after my life. They wanted the market that is Merchant City itself. They meant to swallow House Marigold and open the city's back door.”

“Exactly,” Yuto confirmed.

“They failed, but they won't give up. Cayenne's death merely cut off a loose end. They'll try to infiltrate Merchant City again, more discreetly and more carefully.”

“Yes, I imagine they will.”

Rufus nodded.

“Should I mourn as a father who has lost his son, or rage as a father whose son nearly poisoned him? Hah. None of that deliberation serves any purpose. What I must do now is prepare for the future as the head of House Marigold, and thank the person who saved my life.”

Rufus rose and bowed deeply to Yuto. The head of House Marigold, a man who could fairly be called the king of Merchant City, was bowing to a mere adventurer boy.

“Thanks to you, we avoided the worst. Yuto, you saved my life and House Marigold itself. I give you my word. Whatever you desire, I will grant it.”

The head of House Marigold had offered him a blank check.

“Do you want immense wealth? Honor? Or perhaps...”

“I want your patronage,” Yuto said with a smile.

“Patronage? You mean money? If that's all, any amount...”

“Not merely financial support. I need House Marigold's name.”

Yuto toyed with his teacup as he continued.

“Maria Academy. I want to enroll there.”

Rufus's eyes widened. Maria Academy: the foremost training ground for talent on the continent of Callisto. Only the children of distinguished noble houses, royalty, or a select few whose extraordinary gifts had been recognized could attend. However skilled Yuto might be, without exceptional status or the backing of someone influential, he would struggle even to cross its threshold.

“Maria Academy... Yuto, please take no offense at this question. Where are you from, and what is your social standing?”

“I'm from a slum on the outskirts of the Kingdom of Ristal.”

Yuto lied without the slightest change in expression.

“I lost my parents early. As a child, I was kidnapped by illegal slave traders and briefly raised as a slave gladiator in a colosseum in Valistera.”

“A slave gladiator... in a colosseum? Good heavens. It can't have been easy to escape a place like that.”

“I had a stroke of luck scarcely different from misfortune.”

Yuto answered with a bitter smile. Seeing his expression, Rufus slowly nodded.

“I see. The academy...”

Composing himself, Rufus looked at Levian. She, too, was watching Yuto in surprise.

“Levian is also a student there. Did you know?”

“... No, I didn't.”

In truth, he did know, but he had never encountered Levian at Maria Academy in his previous life. In that world, she had left her house after Rufus's death and withdrawn from the academy.

But he could not mention that. Burying the past, Yuto looked at Levian. Under his gaze, she blushed bashfully and nodded.

“Yes. I'm in my second year. But Father's condition grew worse... so I took leave and came home to care for him.”

She gave a deliberate shrug and added,

“If you enroll, that will make me your senior, won't it, Yuto? If you're curious about academy life, ask me anything.”

“That's reassuring. My senior... I'd be very glad to be able to call you that.”

Yuto chuckled. Maria Academy was rigorously meritocratic, yet its hierarchies of social status and seniority were equally strict. Having House Marigold's daughter as an upperclassman would make for a useful connection.

“You will be able to.”

Rufus smiled and nodded.

“I promise you House Marigold's full support. I'll write a recommendation in my own name. I doubt it will be necessary, but should the letter alone prove insufficient, I'll send the academy a donation as well. Once you're admitted, I'll cover your tuition and living expenses, and supply all the equipment you need, of the finest quality.”

“Then we can go together when I return to school. Oh, Yuto, how old are you?”

Levian's eyes sparkled as she asked.

“Fourteen.”

“Wow...”

She breathed in admiration. His still-boyish appearance had given her an idea, but his deep, cool eyes and air of maturity, his commanding presence, and his strength that overwhelmed knights—everything apart from his looks made it difficult to reconcile him with a boy of only fourteen.

“If you're fourteen... you can't enter Maria Academy just yet.”

“I can next year.”

Maria Academy admitted students from the age of fifteen. Levian Marigold, already a second-year student, was sixteen, two years older than Yuto.

“A recommendation to Maria Academy and tuition support. Hmm... It seems far too little as a reward for our house's savior.”

Rufus stroked his chin. Securing a recommendation alone was something most nobles could not even attempt, but for the head of House Marigold, it was trivial.

“Is there anything else you want? Name it.”

“Then I'll ask one more favor.”

Yuto spoke as though he had been waiting.

“I need a carriage.”

“A carriage? Are you planning a trip? There is still time before you enter the academy, but...”

“You could call it a trip.”

Yuto's gaze grew somber.

“My destination is the ruins of the Kingdom of Belkain.”

Rufus's eyes widened at his answer. A heavy silence fell over the study.

Belkain.

The kingdom of steel that had once commanded the continent.

The ill-fated kingdom destroyed overnight by a great catastrophe of unknown origin.

The former lands of the Kingdom of Belkain were no longer fit for human habitation. As though cursed by the heavens, poisonous fog drifted through the land, and the vegetation had twisted into grotesque forms. The earth was stained red, as though it had drunk the blood of its slaughtered people. Savage wild Evomon of little intelligence roamed freely. Other races hostile to humans, such as orcs and goblins, had made their nests there as well.

But the greatest danger in that land was not the poisonous fog, the wild Evomon, or the other races. It was humans. Grave robbers prowled the kingdom's ruins. Criminals fled there after committing their crimes. Hiding among the ruins, they became bandits, ready to betray one another as they lay in wait for prey.

“That is... a dangerous place. It isn't fit for people to live in. All that inhabit those fallen lands are wild Evomon no different from dungeon beasts, criminals who are human in name alone, and savage races such as orcs and goblins.”

“I know.”

“If you know, why insist on going there?”

“There is something I need to find.”

Yuto offered no further explanation. Rufus looked into his eyes. They were not the eyes of someone who could be dissuaded. In the boy's abyssal gaze lay a weighty sense of duty and profound sorrow that no outsider could understand.

“... Very well.”

At last, Rufus sighed and nodded.

“I'll have a sturdy, fast carriage prepared, with ample supplies. If you need them, I can provide seasoned knights as well.”

“I won't need knights. I have my partner.”

Yuto stroked Flokiro's head beside him. The fox had been eating the sweet biscuits served with their tea, but from the moment the Kingdom of Belkain was mentioned, he had stopped and pressed his mouth shut. Now, as Yuto's hand reached him, Flokiro forced a smile.

“I-I'll go too.”

Resolve entered the hesitant voice. Levian sprang to her feet and faced Rufus.

“Levian? What are you saying? Belkain's former territory is dangerous.”

“I want to repay the person who risked his life to come here and save our house,” she answered without further hesitation.

“Yuto is strong, but strength alone won't see him through Belkain's ruins. Deadly poisonous fog drifts through the land, and it's teeming with Evomon that spew lethal toxins. He'll need a mage who can cure poison and heal.”

“...”

“Although I failed to cure Father's poisoning, I've never once lost my place at the top of the academy's healing studies class. My offensive magic grades are excellent too.”

Levian turned her gaze to Yuto.

“I promise. I won't hold you back, and I will be useful to you.”

She was not wrong. The Kingdom of Belkain was dangerous in many ways. Yuto was confident he could survive there, of course, but he also understood that things did not always go according to plan. Healing magic, in particular, was not his specialty.

He knew how to survive a battlefield and could administer first aid. Still, having Levian, a specialist in healing magic, join the journey would certainly help.

Yet he shook his head.

“No. This isn't a picnic. I have no reason to take responsibility for your life too.”

“Didn't I tell you? I'll take care of myself. And I'm not treating this lightly, as though we're going on a picnic. I want to repay my debt to you.”

Her unwavering eyes met his. Beyond simple gratitude, there was a clear purpose in her gaze.

“Father was nearly poisoned to death, and Cayenne is dead. People I know nothing about are targeting House Marigold... and my instincts tell me they're not mere black-market merchants, but something far greater and more hideous.”

“...”

“Compared to them, I'm terribly weak. If you hadn't come, I wouldn't have been able to do anything or change a thing. You helped me this time, but I don't want to keep depending on you forever.”

Levian clenched her fists.

“Precisely because this journey is dangerous, I'll have grown stronger by the time I return. It will give me valuable experience I could never gain in this mansion or at the academy. I want to buy that experience. Please let me.”

“You want to buy experience.”

“My healing magic will be more than enough payment.”

Yuto studied her for a moment. He saw an echo of the fiercely determined Levian he remembered from before his return—the woman who had researched herbs in back alleys, consumed by her resolve to uncover the truth behind her father's death.

'A healing mage...'

It was certainly not a bad offer. Belkain's ruins were filled with poison and curses. Yuto's Void was not all-powerful, so a dedicated support specialist would be a tremendous help. More than anything, Levian's unyielding gaze stirred something in him.

“Do as you like,” Yuto finally said curtly.

“But don't blame me if you die. I haven't even enrolled yet, so don't expect me to treat you as my senior, either.”

“Hehe. Don't worry, junior.”

Despite his saying he had no intention of treating her as his senior, Levian answered with a playful smile.

“You heard him, Father. Yuto said yes. Now all I need is your permission.”

“Hah...”

Rufus shook his head with a disbelieving laugh.

“My daughter wants to go somewhere dangerous enough to get her killed, and I'm supposed to agree?”

“You've always said that experience and instinct are important to a merchant. Right now, my instincts tell me I should go with Yuto. And this journey will give me experience unlike anything I've known before.”

“As stubborn as ever.”

In the end, Rufus sighed and nodded.

“Promise me you'll return alive. You know how important a promise is to a merchant, don't you?”

“Yes, of course I do. I promise, Father. I'll come back alive, without a scratch.”

Levian answered with a radiant smile.