"Good work, General Hegel," he said as he looked down on the entire continent.

A man with more power than anyone in this world was floating on an artificial island above the imperial palace, a garden created solely for the emperor's pleasure.

"As planned, we've left behind some traces. The reaction should come soon."

"I've been free for a while, so it's a welcome change. I can taste the blood of savages again after a long time."

The emperor smiled as he touched the sword hanging from his waist. His smile carried a strong scent of blood.

Hegel silently observed his expression for a moment before speaking.

"Your Majesty, there's something I must inform you."

"Speak."

"This time, while bringing about Wrath, I briefly allied with the People in Black. And I confirmed that the Master's coming."

"Oh, the Master of the savages is coming?"

"That's correct."

The emperor, with an intrigued expression, suddenly stood up and drew his sword.

Swish.

A purple and brilliant sword, one of the Seven Sins, revealed itself.

Swish!

It vibrated intensely.

The emperor swung the sword at a nearby tree.

As a result, a purple sword energy poured out, reducing not only the targeted tree but the entire area to rubble.

"The Master... the Master! Hahaha!"

Witnessing the emperor's insane behavior, Hegel simply lowered his head in silence.

After indiscriminately slashing the surroundings for a while, the emperor sheathed the sword and sat down again.

"General Hegel."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"How does it feel to become a transcendental being? I would like to hear your opinion, as you are a Warlock yourself."

"The feeling of a transcendental being... What do you mean?"

"With the power of this sword, I can produce such strength, but you can effortlessly wield power greater than this with your own abilities."

"I am not stronger than Your Majesty. Furthermore, Your Majesty is the supreme ruler who looks down on all. Those who carry the title of Transcendental, like me, are still under Your Majesty's control. In the end, the one who can control the Transcendental beings is the strongest, isn't it?"

Even with Hegel's words, the emperor's expression remained unchanged. He nodded as if he had heard something obvious, then stretched his neck, pulled out a chair, and gestured for Hegel to sit.

"Understood. From now on, you don't need to come in person."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

As Hegel disappeared as if sinking into the ground, the emperor habitually tapped his sword and muttered.

"Transcendental, Transcendental..."

Shortly afterward, Javie Reynald, the commander of the Imperial Guard and one of the Top 10 in the continent, arrived with someone.

He was also with the Emperor's right-hand man, Hector Kazaf.

"Your Majesty, greetings."

"Suddenly? What's the urgent news?"

"I apologize. It's such an urgent matter that I came running myself."

"Speak."

"We've detected movement in the north. The savages' actions seem unusual."

"We should receive a signal shortly."

Upon the emperor's words, Hector's eyes widened.

"Oh, did you already know?"

"It's my plan. Don't worry. It's better this way. Gather the troops from now on."

"The troops..."

Hector was left speechless and showed signs of confusion, but he quickly understood the Emperor's chilling gaze and swallowed his saliva.

"I understand."

"Good. It's about time for a northern expedition. The timing is perfect."

The Emperor's tone was light, as if going for a walk. Hector struggled to maintain his composure.

A northern expedition was, in other words, war. Although the scale might be smaller than wars with other nations, it was still a significant national affair. With war comes the levying of troops and the collection of allocated taxes from each noble house, which would be Hector's responsibility.

Before the headache, intense opposition was expected. "And now, the international situation is not favorable. But we can't stop the Emperor... Could it be the Emperor's plan?"

Honestly, opposition or international relations didn't matter. With the power of the Rodren Empire's Emperor, except for the four Duke houses, all the nobles could be bent to his will.

What was more shocking was that he hadn't been informed of this fact in advance.

"He didn't give me advance notice."

He remembered the Count of Cromwell, who had suffered a similar fate some time ago.

He was a Duke and the Emperor's right hand, but he couldn't prevent the emergence of Cromwell in his mind.

"What is the Emperor planning?"

Since that day over a decade ago, an irreversible tide had been set in motion. So, the winds of a new era were sweeping across the continent.

.

.

.

.

In the mansion of the Welton Territory, the Apple Tree Mansion was busier than ever. Now, the mansion site, which had been just a simple mansion, had a vibe similar to the headquarters of an upper-class guild. Other representatives from upper-class families who came to trade were present, and representatives from other upper-class families waited in the reception room, engaged in conversations.

"It's grown explosively in a short time."

"Using the mansion instead of purchasing an upper-class site was a surprise. Your decisiveness and boldness are remarkable."

"I've heard you're only in your twenties. You show great courage for someone so young. Of course, that's a compliment. Haha."While they conversed, Amy, who had been using her father's study, stood up as she noticed the visitor herself.

"The deal was satisfying."

"We found it to be an excellent deal. We'll keep in touch frequently."

"Yes, please do."

After shaking hands, when the representatives of the upper-class left, Maria, who had recently been hired as a secretary, quietly said, "Take a short break."

"No, I can't rest yet. There are still guests here. I'll rest when everything's finished."

"If you push yourself too hard, it won't be efficient. Take a break and have a cup of tea."

Maria, who spoke gently but firmly, immediately started preparing tea.

Amy faintly smiled at her actions. "Thank you, Maria."

"I feel apologetic. Most of the work is done by the master herself. I will quickly learn the business and take some work off your hands."

"You're already helping a lot. Thank you."

A fragrant aroma of mohaim tea filled the room. Mohaim tea, made from Mohaim flowers, was easy to obtain in terms of ingredients, but it was difficult to manage, and its production method was a trade secret known only to the Mohaim craftsmen. Therefore, it was a luxurious tea that commoners couldn't easily afford.

Amy hadn't bought it herself. It was a gift that had suddenly arrived from a Mohaim craftsman a while ago. "With the gift, there was a letter saying that they'll send someone soon." The reason wasn't entirely clear, but the tone of the letter was quite friendly.

"Why is my brother suddenly fighting with the nobles? Isn't he too busy with the academy?"

Amy thought it was related to Adrias.

With the warm tea entering her mouth, her sharp senses gradually dulled. "You're growing smoothly. If you continue at this rate for about fifteen years, you can reclaim the Cromwell Territory..."

Knock, knock.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the study.

"Who is it?"

When Maria asked as she stepped forward, a voice came from the other side.

"It's John. Lord Cromwell has just arrived at the mansion."

Amy was surprised by the words of the employee working upstairs.

"My brother? Come in for now."

As the door opened, John's figure appeared.

He hesitated to enter the study.

"Oh, I just wanted to convey that Lord Cromwell has arrived..."

"Is that so? Understood. Where is my brother right now?"

"He's probably on his way here by now... Oh!"

John turned his gaze toward the corridor, and with the click of his shoes, Adrias appeared.

"Brother!"

"Long time no see."

Adrias smiled as he embraced Amy and patted John by the shoulders.

"I'll be counting on you to take good care of my little sister in the future."

"Yes? Yes! Y-yes..."

Startled by the courtesy of the new Lord Cromwell, John stammered and nodded vigorously.

"Well, I should get back to work now."

"Yes. Thank you, John!"

With Amy's farewell, Adrias immediately entered the study, and the door closed. John stood there dazedly, pinching his cheek.

"Huff..."

There was no way it could be a dream.

He thought of them as just a slightly peculiar noble brother and sister and returned to his work.

Adrias, who entered the room, looked around and asked.

"I was told not to use this room..."

"Isn't it even more reassuring for me to always be here?"

Amy's audacious words made Adrianus chuckle slightly. He then greeted Maria, who was standing stiffly.

"Hello."

"Oh, greetings. I am Maria Franz, the secretary of the chairman. I apologize for the delayed greeting, Your Lordship."

Maria Franz.

Adrias appeared unexpectedly and nodded his head without any change in expression.

Then, he took a seat opposite Amy.

Amy immediately asked her brother.

"By the way, what's the sudden visit for?"

"What else could it be? I even sent a letter, mentioning the vacation."

"Oh? Ah!"

Amy laughed embarrassedly and scratched her head.

"Right. Maria unnie told me too, but I forgot."

"It seems you've been busy with work lately, that's why. I should have reminded you again..."

Seeing each other showing signs of self-blame, Adrias extended his hand, suspecting that the conversation might drag on.

"It's alright. I just came to take a break. How's the business going?"

"Thanks to Drun, it's been very busy. I'm getting calls from all over."

The current pseudonym of Salem was Drun Hosen.

He was formally registered as Adrias' follower under the title of a fallen noble from a ruined family.

"If there's anything I can help with, just let me know. I'll be here for a few days."

"Alright."

Amy nodded and took a sip of her tea.

As Maria refilled their cups, Adrias raised an eyebrow."Mohaim tea? It's not easy to come by."

"Oh! I received a letter from the Duke of Mohaim, and he sent this tea as a gift. But I have no connection with the Duke or his heir, of course. It must be related to my brother, right?"

"Mohaim? It's not unrelated."

Adrias casually nodded, and Amy and Maria felt a strange emotion.

It wasn't just any family, but the Duke of Mohaim.

Moreover, one of the four Dukes of the Rodren Empire, known as the rulers of the continent.

How many people in this world could casually mention having a connection with such a Duke?

Adrias' reaction was remarkably understated.

"Is it really related to Duke Mohaim?"

"Yes. Why are you so surprised? You can know some things."

Adrias looked at Amy with a somewhat perplexed expression.

Amy, wondering if she was acting strangely, looked at Maria, who happened to be thinking the same thing, and their eyes met.

"Maria unnie, I'm not acting strange, am I?"

"Yes... Having connections with a Duke might not be an ordinary thing."

In response to their reactions, Adrianus lowered his head.

"Why is it such a big deal? Maybe I just crossed paths with him. If we look at it that way, isn't Alben, the Duke who prevented our demotion last year in the noble rank dispute, and Closhe, also significant connections?"

"What?"

"What, you didn't know? Alben and Closhe helped us maintain our rank in the noble rank dispute last year. Didn't I tell you?"

"You never told me! Why didn't you mention something so important...!"

Seeing Amy's frustration and her pounding chest, Adrias scratched his temple. He had a feeling he had been neglectful about things like noble rank, which he didn't consider a major concern.

When Amy's face turned red and she seemed on the verge of bursting, Adrias quickly changed the topic.

"Oh, um, Maria, could we have a private conversation for a moment?"

"Yes, Your Lordship."

"Would you mind giving us some privacy?"

"Of course."

After Maria left, Amy finally exploded.

"Brother!"

"My ears hurt."

"Is that the problem right now?"

"More importantly, Amy, should I go check the underground now?"

"The underground? Is it the place Father hid?"

As Adrias nodded, Amy sighed and nodded as well.

"Alright, for now, go check the underground and continue with the rest of the story."

"Okay."

"I'm breaking out the chisel for this!"

"Yeah, yeah."

Adrias then summoned a door leading to the underground through blood magic, opened it, and descended.

As he disappeared, the door closed slowly and concealed any trace of it.

"Ugh, what's he thinking?"

Just as Amy was pondering about Adrias, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Boss, it's Maria."

"What's going on?"

"It's urgent. Guests from the Duke Mohaim's mansion are coming."

"What?"

Amy had experienced quite a lot of surprises today.

.

.

.

.

There was no need to come all the way home, but with Amy, who was family, and Salem, it was the most comfortable place to be.

"This place is still alright."

As he descended into the underground, he looked around.

Since a considerable amount of time had passed, he wondered if the fairy's flowers had withered a bit, but the ambient mana was still overflowing.

Going down the stairs and seeing the sparkling beauty of the fairy's pollen again, he finally reached the ground. He immediately summoned Nickel.

Tap! Tap!

"Now, let's check."

Holding the box in his hand, Nickel raised it above his head and tapped it.

After escaping Monet's maze, he had been too busy to check the box left by Chaos Mimic.

However, he couldn't just examine it recklessly. If there were named items inside, they might cause a unique disturbance, making it difficult for him.

'This place is perfect for checking the box.'

Since he had planned to come home anyway, it wasn't a bad choice.

"Give it to me. Let's see what's inside."

Chaos Mimic was a rather peculiar creature. He hadn't encountered it in many games, but not once had it duplicated the same item. It seemed that a few items were selected at random from what was inside.

"It's a shame I can't have them all."

For a collection gathered since ancient times, the quantity seemed meager, but there didn't appear to be any other reason. He had taken out up to five items at once, and in general, only two or three came out.

"Is this some kind of 'luck-based game'?"

It was better than having nothing.

He hadn't expected anything to begin with.

With Nickel watching, he reached into the box.