Chapter 12: Escape from the Royal Palace (2)

To engage in moneylending in Briol, one needed the king’s permission, but clandestine loan sharks had always existed in the shadows.

Among them, the most prominent was the Gorio organization, headquartered in the Crystal Tower, and its “Instant Uncle.”

Although the friendly nickname “uncle” attracted clients, hell began the very day they missed a payment. He was destined to dominate Briol’s criminal underworld until, defeated in a power struggle, he was eventually driven out.

“We have visitors.”

Yuri and Hernand, guided to the back of the casino, sat down in front of a man.

He was a middle-aged man with a neat face and a well-groomed mustache, looking more like a courteous gentleman than a loan shark.

He rested both elbows on the desk and asked in a soft voice:

“Need some money?”

Yuri nodded. The man smiled with half-closed eyes.

“Very well. We never leave a friend in trouble. How much do you need?”

Hernand, uneasy, tugged on Yuri’s robe.

“Wait. Let’s talk first…”

“It’s fine.”

Yuri pulled away.

“Gorio.”

“Your High… I mean, nephew, what are you…?”

“You knew who I was from the start?”

“Excuse me?”

Hernand’s eyes went wide, glancing back and forth between Yuri and the man.

Gorio let out a soft chuckle as he spread his arms across the table.

“Of course. If the king’s mage shows up accompanied by the brave Third Prince, naturally the boss comes to greet you himself.”

“Huh?”

Hernand half-rose from his seat.

“You knew who I was?”

“Since the very first loan. Even though he called himself ‘Mr. Mystery,’ it was obvious to anyone it was Sir Hernand the knight.”

Yuri stared at him. Hernand cleared his throat and sat back down.

“‘Mr. Mystery?’”

“An alias.”

“Nice name.”

“Thanks…”

Yuri played with the ring on his finger. Just in case, he wore the emblem of Briol’s royal family, though he hadn’t even needed to show it.

Gorio stroked his mustache.

“So, if the prince suddenly came here…”

He smiled kindly.

“It must be for money.”

Yuri returned the smile.

“You don’t seem very nervous, even knowing I’m a prince.”

“You’ve come as a client, so there’s no reason to be stiff. On the contrary, it’s an honor. It means my reputation has reached even you.”

Yuri saw a fragment of the past in Gorio’s face.

He had never met him in person. He had only seen his face on wanted posters in the markets.

But that expressionless portrait said nothing about the kind of person he truly was.

Seeing him now, he seemed far more rational than Yuri remembered.

“Do you value credit?”

“Of course. Though I operate outside the law, I’m governed by trust and integrity. I emphasize it constantly to my subordinates.”

The men behind him nodded as if to confirm it.

“That’s why, to me, the prince and a common citizen are the same. I welcome them all as clients.”

Though it sounded respectful, it was ultimately a threat.

“And what if I don’t pay you back?”

“We only offer reasonable loans with proper collateral. Our standards are quite strict.”

“You seem to have a lot of faith in your calculations.”

“Experience backs me.”

Yuri leaned forward with a smile.

“I also have experience. I’ll observe your attitude and decide what your ‘reasonable limit’ will be from now on.”

“From now on…?”

Gorio closed his eyes.

“Can I take that to mean this won’t be a one-time thing?”

“Exactly.”

“So you haven’t come to gamble.”

Hernand listened silently to the conversation between Yuri and Gorio. He didn’t understand what Yuri was aiming to do.

A strange feeling began to bloom inside him.

“Gorio. Do you know about investments?”

“Of course. That’s my business. After all, everyone out there is investing, aren’t they?”

“That’s not investing, it’s gambling. I’ll be taking your money to invest.”

“Then why not go to a bank?”

“I have my reasons.”

“You plan to create a secret fund in the shadows, huh…?”

Gorio narrowed his eyes.

“Does the Third Prince have some grand ambition…?”

“That’s enough.”

Yuri tapped the table with his fingertip.

“It’s not your place to interrogate me.”

“If I’ve offended, I apologize.”

“It’s fine. Since I’m in the position of asking for a favor, I’ll let it slide.”

“You’re very pragmatic. You’re nothing like the rumors.”

“Correct. I’m different.”

Said Yuri.

“And what I have in mind is also very different from what you imagine.”

Then he looked at Hernand and continued:

“I’m going to ask you for money to buy spices from Mount Klein.”

Gorio fell into thought, while Hernand opened his mouth in shock at the sudden turn.

“Wow, prince… no, wait… nephew… hey, you…”

“What?”

“Ah, right, it’s all out in the open now… Your Highness…”

He whispered to Yuri. He tried to be discreet, but everyone around could hear.

“What is this all of a sudden? Are we seriously borrowing money from Gorio to buy spices?”

“Just stay still.”

With that, Yuri turned back to Gorio.

“By ‘spices from Mount Klein,’ do you mean Mugranza?”

“Exactly.”

“I haven’t heard of any supply shortages…”

“There will be soon.”

Hernand recalled some information he’d heard in passing. After the outbreak of civil war in the Duchy of Klein, orcs were said to be prowling near the border.

Spices were a regional product of Klein, but it didn’t seem like the orcs’ presence alone would spike the prices.

In fact, everything related to Mugranza was highly classified even within Klein, so no information leaked outside.

Could it be that the prince knows something?

Or is it just a wild guess, trying to profit from the chaos by buying regional goods?

“……”

Hernand looked at Yuri. In his eyes was a confidence that couldn’t be explained.

On impulse, Hernand clasped two fingers together under the table, forming a magical seal with his hands.

“Mugranza, huh…”

“It’s an essential ingredient for making luxury perfumes.”

“My money comes with high interest.”

“I already said I’ll pay.”

“You seem quite confident.”

“That’s why I came here.”

Yuri lifted his chin.

“So, how much?”

He stared directly into Gorio’s eyes.

“I’m not talking about how much I can borrow as a prince of Briol. I’m asking how much I can borrow as an investor. How much can you give me?”

Gorio closed his eyes and began tapping his fingers on the table. Each soft tap echoed as his eyes moved beneath his lids.

Time passed. Finally, Gorio opened his eyes.

“Then sign the promissory note.”

***

Ever since they left the Crystal Tower, Hernand hadn’t said a single word.

“Hey.”

Yuri patted him on the shoulder as they walked.

“It’s the other way.”

“Huh? Where are we going?”

“We’re going to buy spices.”

“Already? Do you even know how to negotiate for spices? Mugranza isn’t sold to just anyone.”

“I’ll have someone who knows handle it.”

“What?”

Yuri shrugged.

“Now that I borrowed money from Gorio, I’ll leave it to a trusted merchant.”

Hernand frowned at him but then nodded.

“Understood.”

“You’re obeying without complaining.”

“I don’t have a choice.”

Hernand looked deeply concerned. Yuri chuckled and kept walking.

He didn’t care what Hernand or Gorio thought. The price spike in spices was an inevitable fact.

Mugranza was an essential ingredient for the high-end perfumes produced across the continent, and only one alchemist close to the Duke of Klein knew the recipe.

And that alchemist was the first to be killed by the rebels.

By now, he was likely a wandering soul.

Until a replacement appeared, Mugranza would be worth its weight in gold.

“Are you going to the merchants’ guild?”

“No.”

“But there aren’t many trading houses that handle Mugranza.”

Yuri gave an enigmatic smile.

Not yet, but there was a merchant destined to reach the top.

“This is the place.”

“Huh?”

Yuri stopped in front of a worn sign that read “Iraine Trading.”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

“You might as well leave it to a trading house with more capability.”

“When the fragrance price rises, the money will come on its own.”

“Don’t you think a big company would do the job better?”

“You have to look at the long-term board.”

“What?”

What he was after wasn’t just making a few extra coins now.

The future changes through people. Yuri had no doubt the owner of this place would become his greatest ally.

Even after the fall of Briol, she would be the one to build the largest trade network on the continent.

“Elaine Wood.”

He spoke her name.

The old door opened and a woman with tanned skin and blue eyes stepped out.

“Who are you?”

“Elaine Wood. I’m Yuri, the Third Prince of Briol.”

“Huh?”

“Come on, shake my hand.”

“Excuse me? What are you…?”

Yuri suddenly extended his hand.

Elaine, caught off guard, shook it with a puzzled look. Passersby watched them curiously at the odd scene.

Yuri smiled as he held her hand.

“They have no idea how historic this moment is.”

“Excuse me… did you say you were a prince?”

“That’s right.”

Gorio spoke of trust to sell himself well, but when backed into a corner, he was capable of the worst deeds.

Elaine, on the other hand, was a legendary merchant who valued her promises with clients more than her own life.

Of course, that was in his past life.

“Elaine. I want to give you a job.”

In this life, he’d make her surpass her legend and become a myth.

***

He borrowed a huge sum from the infamous loan shark Gorio and entrusted it entirely to an unknown merchant like Iraine.

All of this happened just hours after leaving the palace. Hernand still couldn’t process it.

“Are you done with everything you needed to do?”

At his question, Yuri shook his head.

Although he had already accomplished the goals of his outing, there was still one more thing to do now that he had time.

“One more thing.”

“Huh? What now?”

“It won’t be too hard.”

Yuri nodded toward the other direction.

“We’re just passing through there.”

“That place is…”

Hernand raised his hand to his forehead.

“Why are we going to the slums?”

Even in the luxurious Royal Palace of Briol, there existed a shadow. The brighter the light, the denser the darkness.

The slums were a place where all kinds of people gathered: not just the poor, but also criminals and fugitives.

“What are we going to do there? It’s dangerous.”

“I’ve done a lot today, don’t you think?”

“Yes. Things that make no sense.”

“Then let’s say a prayer.”

“Just go to a temple.”

“I prefer practicing kindness with my own hands.”

Yuri entered the slums naturally. The path was dark, and shadowy eyes watched him from all directions.

“Let’s offer a warm hand to the less fortunate.”

“And to who, exactly?”

“Well…”

Yuri looked around for something.

Even he didn’t know what result this action would bring.

“Sir.”

He addressed an old man in rags lying on the ground.

“Do you know if there’s a place where kids gather?”

The man only stared wide-eyed. Only when Yuri placed some coins in his hand did he open his mouth.

“Kids, you say? What kind…?”

“A group of boys, around ten years old. They must fight well…”

“Looking for Asana?”

Yuri thought for a moment and then nodded.

“Yes. A group led by a girl, most likely.”

“They…”

Yuri turned in the direction the old man vaguely pointed.

The deeper they went into the slums, the quieter Hernand became.

The scene was desolate from every angle.

“Is this the right way…?”

They were wandering in circles when it finally happened.

Yuri found what he was looking for.

“……”

A group of children was gathered. They seemed to have been begging; several coins sat in an empty tin can.

Noticing Yuri and Hernand, they all stared directly at them.

A bold look. Yuri focused on one of the kids, the one holding the can.

With short hair and a dirty face, it was hard to tell, but upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a girl.

“Found her.”

Gorio would meet a tragic end in the future, a direct result of his own actions.

And the person responsible for that fate was right here.

Asana.

The survivor of the assassin cult.