Chapter 4
The atmosphere of the black market was bustling.
Although it was essentially no different from an ordinary market on the surface, with only the goods being sold differing, several people whose appearances were noticeably unusual mingled among the seemingly ordinary merchants.
The black market was a place of trade that deserved to be eradicated, yet at the same time, it was a market that the authorities had no choice but to tolerate. The reason was that the people conducting illegal transactions there paid considerable sums of money to the imperial family under the pretext of tribute.
Black-market merchants usually colluded with high-ranking noble families and paid them substantial fees so that the emperor would turn a blind eye to their activities.
The amount of money involved was far too large to be ignored.
Although the empire loudly proclaimed its intention to eradicate drug trafficking and prostitution both within and outside its borders, such policies could not be properly implemented because of these long-established practices.
As a result, the black market had effectively become an open secret.
Not only was it outside the reach of ordinary law enforcement, but the security forces rarely conducted raids there either.
In any case, obtaining the family genealogy of a fallen noble house would probably not be difficult.
First, Cain stopped by a clothing store and selected an outfit that would make him look sufficiently aristocratic.
Cain was twenty-five years old that year.
That was still a reasonably young age.
The shop assistant took one look at Cain’s bulky, muscular body and his milky-white face, which had become delicately refined in contrast to his physique, and chose an outfit that suited him.
The clothes, which narrowed elegantly around the waist while leaving the sleeves slightly rolled up to emphasize his arm muscles, were exactly to Cain’s liking.
Afterward, Cain stepped outside again and quietly walked along the street, waiting for one of the black-market merchants to approach him.
The fundamental rule of the black market was that customers never sought out the merchants first.
“Female slave from Zergard. Price: one thousand gold. Add another five hundred gold, and you can purchase a young child as well.”
Almost as soon as Cain left the shop, a black-market merchant passed by him and spoke in a low voice.
Cain felt both his fists instinctively clench.
It was common knowledge that the people of a defeated nation were sold into slavery, but hearing it directly with his own ears made his stomach churn with rage.
If he wished, killing a man like that would have been effortless.
But Cain was not foolish enough to be unable to suppress a momentary impulse.
Once again, he calmly composed himself and hurried deeper into the alleys.
After walking for several minutes, a man approached Cain.
One of the man’s eyes was completely natural, but the other had apparently been lost in an accident and replaced with a reddish gemstone.
His face was quite grotesque at first glance, but his voice was extremely cold and emotionless.
“What is visible is invisible, and what is invisible is visible.”
The man muttered something incomprehensible.
It sounded like a line one might find in a poem.
But Cain immediately understood what the words meant.
They were a signal that the man dealt in forgery.
There was no one who would leisurely recite poetry in a place like the black market.
“Lead the way.”
Cain cut him off briefly.
The one-eyed man nodded and gestured for Cain to follow him.
For safety’s sake, Cain did not forget to keep the mana within his body activated, allowing it to circulate rapidly.
If the man posed even the slightest threat to his safety, Cain intended to kill him without hesitation.
That was how desperate he was.
He had no choice but to approach even these seemingly insignificant matters with the resolve to risk his life.
“You wish to change your identity? I can forge travel permits as well. No one will ever know they are fake. I stake my neck on it. The basic price is one thousand gold, and if you add another four thousand, I can forge an identity equivalent to that of a viscount.”
As they walked, the man offered a rather tempting proposal.
Five thousand gold in total was well within Cain’s means.
However, since the black market was full of scams, Cain decided to proceed with greater caution for the time being.
4
The man led Cain to the basement of a shabby building deep within the black market.
It was a place illuminated by only a single lamp that looked as though it might go out at any moment.
Beneath it stood nothing more than an old desk and two chairs.
“Heh heh… So, you need a family genealogy…”
The speaker was an old man sitting behind the desk, glaring at Cain with his legs crossed on top of it.
The sagging flesh around his mouth clearly revealed how old he was. His hair had apparently all fallen out, and he wore a black robe pulled over his head. His bloodless face made him look like a man who could die at any moment.
Nevertheless, his voice rang out powerfully, carrying an overwhelming force.
Of course, Cain was not the sort of person who could be intimidated by such a contest of wills, but he could not help thinking that the old man was no ordinary person.
“That is correct.”
Cain nodded.
“For three thousand gold, you can purchase the genealogy of an ordinary fallen noble family. If you add another two thousand, I can provide one equivalent to a viscount’s family. Which will it be?”
When forging an identity, the most important thing was to ensure that no loose ends remained after the identity had been acquired.
Not every noble was wealthy. In the case of nobles of viscount or baron rank, it was not uncommon for them to sell their titles, take a large sum of money, and then return to life as commoners.
Cain wanted to experience the Lohan Empire with a slightly more elevated status.
That way, he would have more opportunities and be able to accomplish his goals in less time.
Cain questioned the old man.
“Is there any chance someone might investigate the family’s background?”
The old man replied,
“There are no surviving members of the family, and the estate has no owner. If we make a few small adjustments to the genealogy and claim that you are a distant relative, you should be able to live as one of them without any trouble. What do you think? If you want it, I can begin the work immediately.”
“Wait. I want to know which empire the genealogy comes from. Surely it isn’t a family record from the Magocracy?”
“What do you take me for? It is the genealogy of a baronial family from the Principality of Ashuran. As you know, the family was ruined during the war against the Magocracy. There are more than fifty principalities within the Holy Imperial Alliance, and at least eighty baronial families in each of them. With even the number of ducal families being difficult to count, who would pay such close attention to a fallen baronial family in some remote province? If a problem arises, I will offer you my neck.”
“To put it precisely, this is not a first-generation noble family of the Lohan Empire.”
“If you want to be exact, it would be a third-generation noble family.”
A first-generation noble family referred to the descendants of a noble house that had directly contributed to the founding of the empire, or the descendants of a meritorious subject. If a flag bearing a family crest was displayed in the imperial palace’s nobles’ reception hall, that family could be considered a first-generation noble house.
A second-generation noble family referred to one that had contributed indirectly, had once been demoted to the status of a commoner and later restored, or had risen from commoner status.
A third-generation noble family was a provincial noble house that stood quite far from central politics and was, for all practical purposes, unknown.
“Hmm. That sounds acceptable.”
It was a tempting offer.
Since Cain had little else to spend his twenty thousand gold on, he accepted the old man’s proposal.
However, they agreed that Cain would pay only twenty percent of the total fee until the transfer of ownership had been completed perfectly.
Even in circumstances like these, Cain felt more at ease when all business arrangements were clearly established.
5
“What? The soldiers have disappeared without a sound?”
At that very moment, Duke Radian received a report from his subordinates that the soldiers responsible for patrolling the area around the former Imperial Capital of Zergard, now reduced to ruins, had disappeared.
Until ten years ago, Duke Radian had been one of the men responsible for overseeing the affairs of the Magocracy of Zergard, alongside Dukes Forn and Aslan.
However, after falling for the Holy Alliance’s scheme and selling them all the empire’s secrets, Duke Radian had been promised astronomical wealth, power, and glory.
Moreover, a monument honoring him as a hero had been erected in the Grand Plaza of the Imperial Capital of the Lohan Empire.
After all, it was because of him that everything belonging to the Magocracy of Zergard had collapsed.
Since then, Duke Radian had been appointed commander of the Imperial Knights and had also been granted part of Zergard’s former territory as his fief.
However, because the Imperial Capital had been reduced to such complete ruins, only a small security force had been stationed there.
And now, those soldiers had disappeared.
“Yes. We cannot find them no matter how thoroughly we search. They did not simply abandon their posts, either. To be precise, the soldiers who had been searching the imperial palace and the nearby mountains have vanished. There are more than twenty of them.”
“But there isn’t even a trace?”
“We cannot even find their clothes. We suspect they may have been attacked by orcs or trolls, but there are no traces whatsoever, so it is difficult to say for certain.”
“What kind of bizarre nonsense is this?”
Duke Radian wore an expression of incomprehension.
As a former knight, he could vaguely imagine that magic might be involved. However, he wondered whether anyone capable of using such black magic could still be in that place.
If someone had used a spell of annihilation, it would have been possible to leave no traces behind.
But if a person capable of such a feat had survived, the Lohan Empire would have dealt with them long ago.
Duke Radian knew this reality all too well, since he had sold information about the mages and knights of Zergard when he handed over its secrets.
“First, we should contact the Mage Corps and have them send an investigation team. If black mages are still alive, that would be a serious problem. We must wipe out every last trace of Zergard.”
Duke Radian muttered to himself.
By now, he had become a complete subject of the Lohan Empire.
He even used the surname bestowed upon him by Emperor Ascen IV, and he was leading the effort to erase every trace of Zergard more fervently than anyone else.
6
Whoooosh.
On the outskirts of a small fief where desolate winds blew—
This was the territory of the former Principality of Ashuran.
It was now classified as part of the Holy Imperial Alliance and, more specifically, belonged to the Lohan Empire.
However, because it was so remote and had such a small permanent population, it had been incorporated only for administrative purposes. Even the central army had not been properly deployed there.
The soldiers guarding the region were merely local security forces that had been trained by the former House of Baron Adrian.
For a territory that had once belonged to a baronial family, the place was remarkably shabby.
“Is this the place?”
Following the man’s directions, Cain murmured as he looked at the estate.
Just as the old man had said, it certainly appeared to be a mansion without an owner.
After comparing the genuine genealogy and travel permits with the forged versions, Cain found them nearly identical. Even his sharp eyes had difficulty distinguishing between them.
The differences were so minute that even after examining them closely through a magnifying glass for quite some time, it was difficult to notice anything.
After inspecting the interior of the mansion and finally confirming the transfer of ownership, Cain paid the man the remaining balance.
“If you ever need anything, please seek me out at any time… Baron Cain Adrian. Then, I shall take my leave.”
