In Briol, practicing usury requires the king's permission, but loan sharks operating in the shadows have always existed.
Of them all, the largest was "Uncle's Daily Loan," run by the Gorio Syndicate from their base at the Crystal Tower.
They lured in customers with the friendly name "Uncle," but the day they missed a payment, hell would begin.
Until they were eventually pushed out after losing a power struggle, they reigned as a major player in Briol's underworld.
"A guest has arrived."
Yuri and Ernando, guided to the back of the casino, soon sat face-to-face with a man.
He was a middle-aged man with a smooth face and a mustache, looking more like a polite gentleman than a loan shark.
He rested his elbows on the desk and asked in a soft voice,
"Do you need money?"
Yuri nodded. The man's eyes curved as he smiled.
"Good. We don't turn a blind eye to a friend in need. How much do you require?"
Ernando, fidgeting, grabbed the hem of Yuri's clothes.
"Wait. Let's talk for a second…"
"It's fine."
Yuri shook off his hand.
"Gorio."
"Your High— I mean, nephew. What's this all of a sudden…?"
"You came here knowing who I am?"
"Pardon?"
Ernando widened his eyes, glancing between Yuri and the man.
The man spread his arms on the table and laughed.
"Indeed. Since the king's mage has come with the brave Third Prince, it's only natural that the man in charge be present, however humble he may be."
"Huh?"
Ernando half-rose from his seat.
"You know who I am?"
"Yes. I've known since the first time you borrowed money. You called yourself Mister Mystery, but anyone could tell you were Sir Ernando."
Yuri stared at Ernando. He cleared his throat and sat down.
"Mister Mystery?"
"It was an alias."
"Classy."
"Thank you…"
Yuri fiddled with the ring on his finger. He had worn the royal family's crest of Briol just in case, but there was no need to show it.
Gorio stroked his mustache.
"So, the reason His Highness has suddenly come here must be…"
He smiled.
"Money, of course."
Yuri smiled back.
"A prince shows up, and you're not even nervous."
"You're a customer, so I've no reason to be uneasy. In fact, I welcome it. It means even the prince has heard of my credibility."
Yuri saw the past in Gorio's face.
He had never met Gorio directly. He had only glimpsed his face briefly when it was displayed in the marketplace as a warning.
From the lifeless expression on that severed head, it had been impossible to guess what kind of person he had been in life.
The Gorio he met in person seemed more rational than expected.
"You value credit?"
"Of course. Though I operate near the edge of the law, I value the principle of good faith above all. I always emphasize it to my subordinates."
The subordinates standing behind him nodded in agreement.
"Whether you're a prince or a common citizen, there is no difference to me. I welcome you both as customers."
It sounded polite, but it was ultimately a threat.
"What if I don't pay you back?"
"We take proper collateral and only lend within reasonable limits. Our standards are strict."
"Sounds like you're confident in your calculations."
"Experience breeds confidence."
Yuri leaned forward and smiled.
"Same goes for me. I'll observe your conduct, and decide what limits to set for you in the future."
"The future, huh…"
Gorio closed his eyes.
"May I take that to mean this won't be the last time?"
"Exactly."
"Seems you're not here to gamble."
Ernando silently listened to the conversation between Yuri and Gorio.
He couldn't figure out what Yuri was aiming for.
A strange feeling stirred in his chest.
"Gorio. Do you know anything about investments?"
"I know them well. That's my line of work. Everyone out there is investing too, aren't they?"
"That's not investing, that's gambling. I'm going to borrow your money and make an actual investment."
"You're not going to the bank?"
"I have my reasons."
"You're planning to make a secret slush fund. Hmm…"
Gorio narrowed his eyes.
"Perhaps, the Third Prince harbors greater ambitions…"
"That's enough."
Yuri placed his fingertips on the table.
"Interrogation isn't your role, is it?"
"If I've been rude, I apologize."
"Forget it. I'm the one who has to beg, so I'll forgive that much."
"Very pragmatic. You're quite different from the rumors I've heard."
"Yeah, I'm different."
Yuri said,
"What I intend to do is also probably very different from what you imagine."
Then he looked at Ernando and continued,
"I'm going to borrow your money to purchase spices from Mount Klein."
Gorio fell into thought, and Ernando's mouth dropped at the unexpected development.
"Wow, Your High— no, wait, nephew. Hey, you!"
"What?"
"Oh, right. You got exposed. Your Highness…"
He leaned toward Yuri's ear and whispered, though everyone around could hear.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden? You're borrowing money from Gorio to buy spices?"
"Just stay quiet."
Yuri said, then looked back at Gorio.
"By spices from Mount Klein, you mean 'Mugranza,' correct?"
"That's right."
"I haven't heard that supply is lacking…"
"It will be soon."
Ernando recalled a bit of intelligence he'd heard. When civil war broke out in the Duchy of Klein, orcs began prowling the border.
Spices were a specialty of Klein. But orcs raiding the border didn't seem like enough to raise prices.
Besides, matters regarding "Mugranza" were treated as top-secret within Klein, and no information had leaked outside.
Does the prince know something?
Or is it just a light-hearted idea to buy a specialty item during a time of unrest?
"..."
Ernando looked at Yuri.
In Yuri's eyes, there was a mysterious confidence.
Ernando, on impulse, formed a hand sign under the table by overlapping two fingers and pressing his palms together.
"Mugranza, huh…"
"It's an essential ingredient in making luxury perfumes."
"My interest rates are high."
"I'll pay them."
"You sound sure of yourself."
"That's why I came here."
Yuri lifted his chin.
"So, how much?"
He stared steadily into Gorio's eyes.
"Not how much I can borrow as a prince of Briol—but how much I can borrow as an investor."
Gorio closed his eyes and tapped the table with his fingertips.
Each slow tap echoed, and his eyeballs moved beneath his lids.
Time passed.
At last, Gorio opened his eyes wide.
"Let's write a contract."
***
After leaving the crystal tower, Ernando remained silent.
"Hey."
Yuri tapped his shoulder as he walked dazedly.
"You're going the wrong way."
"Huh? Where are you going?"
"To buy spices."
"Right now? Do you even know how spice trading works? Mugranza isn't sold to just anyone."
"I'll get someone who does."
"Pardon?"
Yuri shrugged his shoulders.
"I borrowed money from Gorio, so now I'll leave it to a trustworthy merchant."
Ernando looked at Yuri with a furrowed brow, then eventually nodded.
"Understood."
"You're following along quite willingly."
"What choice do I have?"
Ernando wore an expression of deep concern. Yuri let out a small laugh and continued walking.
It didn't matter what Ernando or Gorio thought of this. The surge in spice prices was a predetermined event.
The luxury perfumes produced on the continent required Mugranza as an essential ingredient, and only the alchemist close to the Duke of Klein knew the recipe.
And he was the first to be killed by the rebels.
By now, he was probably a wandering soul.
Until a substitute emerged, Mugranza would be worth its weight in gold.
"So, are we going to the merchant union?"
"No."
"There aren't many firms that deal with Mugranza, though."
Yuri smiled meaningfully.
Not yet, but there was a future tycoon who would rise to great heights.
"Here."
"Pardon?"
Yuri stopped in front of a shabby sign that read Rein Company.
"Here?"
"Yes."
"You should at least entrust it to a capable firm."
"If the price of perfume rises, the money will follow anyway."
"Wouldn't a big firm handle the work better?"
"You have to look at the long game."
"Pardon?"
He wasn't looking to make a few extra coins now.
In the end, it was people who changed the future.
Yuri had no doubt that the owner of this firm would become a powerful ally in the future.
Even after Briol fell, she would continue to expand and build the continent's greatest merchant guild—a titan of the trade world.
"Rein Wood!"
He called her name.
The old door creaked open, and a woman with bronzed skin and blue eyes stepped out.
"Who are you?"
"Rein Wood. I am Yuri, the Third Prince of Briol."
"Pardon?"
"Here, shake hands."
"What in the world…?"
Yuri suddenly extended his hand.
Rein, caught off guard, hesitantly took it with a bewildered face.
Passersby glanced curiously at the strange scene.
Yuri, holding her hand, grinned broadly.
"They have no idea what a historic moment this is."
"Excuse me, did you say you're a prince…?"
"That's right."
Gorio dressed himself up with talk of credibility, but when he was cornered, he resorted to all kinds of filth.
Rein, on the other hand, was a legendary merchant who treated her promises with clients as if they were her life.
Though that was in his past life.
"Rein. I want to entrust a job to you."
So, in this life, he would turn her into a mythic merchant, beyond legend.
***
He borrowed a huge sum from the infamous loan shark Gorio, and entrusted it all to the unknown merchant Rein.
This absurd event had taken place in just a few hours since leaving the palace.
Ernando was completely overwhelmed.
"You're done with your business now, right?"
To his question, Yuri shook his head.
Though the main purpose of his outing was fulfilled, since he had time, there was still one thing he wanted to do.
"One more left."
"Pardon? This time what is it?"
"It's not something too difficult."
Yuri gestured with his chin.
"Just have to stop by over there."
"That place is…"
Ernando rubbed his forehead.
"The slums? Why…?"
Even in the splendid royal capital of Briol, there were shadows.
The brighter the light, the darker the shadow.
The slums were a melting pot of all sorts—poor citizens, criminals, and fugitives alike.
"What are you trying to do now? That place is dangerous."
"I've done a lot today, haven't I?"
"Yes. Unbelievable things, really."
"Then let's do a little blessing."
"Just go pray at a temple."
"I prefer hands-on charity."
Yuri stepped casually into the slums.
The roads were dark. From all sides, gloomy eyes watched him.
"Let's offer a warm hand to those in need."
"To who, exactly?"
"Well…"
Yuri said as he looked around.
Even he didn't know what this act would bring about.
"Sir."
Yuri spoke to a shabby old man lying on the street.
"Is there a place where children gather?"
The old man only stared at him blankly. When Yuri handed him a coin, he finally opened his mouth.
"Children, you say…?"
"There should be a group of teenagers gathered somewhere. Strangely good at fighting…"
"Are you looking for Asana?"
Yuri paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes. Likely a group led by a girl."
"Those brats…"
Yuri turned his body in the general direction the old man pointed.
The deeper they went into the slums, the quieter Ernando became. The scenes they encountered were wretched.
"Is this really the right way…"
While worrying and doubling back a few times—
Yuri finally saw what he had been looking for.
"..."
A group of children were gathered. Perhaps they had been out begging; a few coins rattled in an empty can.
They stared straight at Yuri and Ernando the moment they noticed them.
It was a blatantly sharp gaze.
Yuri focused on the one holding the can.
Short hair, a dirty face—it wasn't certain, but upon closer look, it seemed to be a girl.
"Found her."
Gorio would, in the end, meet a gruesome fate for the deeds he committed.
And the person responsible was standing here.
Asana.
A survivor of the Assassin Cult.