The Power of Sincerity

Holding Yerin, who was still fully immersed in her "Evil Empire" persona, I popped a simple snack she would like into her mouth and stepped out onto the main street. A fatherly smile spread across my face as I watched her hold a potato with both hands and munch on it. Nom, nom. "It's delicious!"

Should I just take Yerin and go on a trip like this? The temptation was incredibly strong. No, let's shake it off. There was still work to be done. I headed toward my original destination: Arsen. He was the most powerful connection I possessed. Despite my sudden visit, he wasn't flustered at all and readily granted my request.

"Prophet? What brings you here?" I still didn't understand why he spoke so formally whenever we were alone. But now was not the time to question it.

"Do you happen to know any merchants who can source food, or do you have any connections in the food supply industry?"

"Food? How much do you require...?"

"I plan to use the entire one hundred gold coins allocated to me as my reward."

Yerin, standing beside me, looked up in surprise. "All of it...? Really...?" To her quiet question, I gave a silent nod.

"With that amount, it will take some time to process everything within the kingdom. I would like to introduce you to my acquaintances, but most of them are currently out on trading expeditions and have not yet returned." Arsen let out a soft hum before continuing. "If you want a quick transaction, I can connect you with someone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠else. As it happens, a merchant group that trades with other kingdoms is currently visiting the palace nearby." Arsen didn't ask for my reasons and immediately arranged a meeting.

The merchant I met was surprisingly easy to talk to. Although he looked like a fat bulldog and seemed greedy at first glance, that initial impression turned out to be mere prejudice. He was a man who truly understood the greater good. Of course, there was a minor hiccup at first. He cast uncomfortable glances at my skin color, creating a tense atmosphere, and looked down on Yerin sitting next to me.

"Hmm... You are not the Grand General. I came here under the impression that Lord Arsen requested an audience." After an uncomfortable silence, he spoke up. "It seems the Elium palace has started to value... diversity in my absence. Haha—ah, it is a compliment. A compliment. An Easterner and a little girl. Quite a rare combination. I just found myself thinking that even such people have managed to enter the palace."

I felt Yerin's brow furrow slightly at his words. However, she didn't do anything. She simply sat quietly by my side, looking at me with trusting eyes.

"So, what is the reason you called for me?"

"I would like to know how much food we can ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠secure with one hundred gold coins." When I mentioned the amount, his attitude shifted slightly. "One hundred gold... Not bad." He cleared his throat and calculated, tracing figures in the air with his finger.

"Calculating at one hundred... no, eighty seok per gold coin, one hundred gold coins will get you 7,800 seok. You can consider the missing two hundred seok as a standard transaction fee. We all have to make a living, don't we? Let's keep things mutually beneficial. Ahem."

Yerin whispered quietly beside me. "Prophet, his math is... shouldn't eighty seok per coin make eight thousand seok? Besides, eighty seok per gold coin is ridiculous! It's a total rip-off!"

I smiled and calmed her down. I could feel ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her huffing in indignation. "Yerin, calm down." "Prophet, aren't you even angry?" "Sincerity always gets through, my dear. Just watch."

And so, I treated him with absolute sincerity. To convey my sincerity, I quietly revealed one of the three stars pinned to my chest—the [Alternate Member of the State General Staff] badge—and smiled. Surely, he would recognize my sincerity. Fortunately, he caught on immediately, and we became fast friends.

"Did you say eighty seok? Seventy-eight hundred seok for one hundred gold... I must examine this very closely—" Wait!

"There was a slight error—no, a mistake! T-To be honest, we have a tenth-anniversary special sale today, and I completely forgot about it! It's, well, a sort of... loyalty event. Yes, a customer loyalty event, that's it!" The merchant's face flushed red as he wiped away cold sweat. He hurriedly bent over to rummage through a pile of documents, accidentally losing his footing and stumbling backward, causing the desk to rattle.

"Ah, ahaha... This price only applies today, so you are very lucky! Haha..." He hastily pulled out a sheet of paper, scanned the calculations with his eyes, and counted on his fingers, trying his best to appear calm as he shouted, "At two hundred seok per gold coin... I will give you a total of twenty thousand seok for one hundred gold coins!" The food supply had doubled.

"Two hundred and fifty seok." At my words, his pupils began to tremble. "...Two hundred and ten! I'll trade at two hundred and ten seok!" "Two hundred and sixty." "But why?!" Haggling between friends? This was practically grounds for breaking off the friendship.

"T-This... leaves us with no margin! Since you were introduced by Lord Arsen... I can go up to two hundred and twenty seok at most—" "Two hundred and seventy." Seeing him tremble with a pale face, I felt my sincerity hadn't fully reached him yet, so I lightly tapped the second of the three stars.

"...Two hundred and seventy! I'll do two hundred and seventy! Please, no more than that...!" He fell to his knees, bowing his head. Seeing that, I nodded in satisfaction. It seemed a proper friendship ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been established.

"It can't be helped, then. Let's do that, since you are offering two hundred and eighty seok." "What do you mean by that?!" "Then let's see. For one hundred gold coins... that would be thirty thousand seok, correct?"

"...Lord Doyunes, I believe your math is incorrect. At two hundred and eighty seok, it should be twenty-eight thousand seok—" "Ah, didn't you know? It's a standard transaction fee. A transaction fee. We all have to make a living, don't we? Let's just round it up cleanly by two thousand seok. You know how it is—mutually beneficial, right?"

While I was signing the revised contract, Yerin, who had been quiet, muttered with a puzzled look. "Prophet. Why is that merchant suddenly acting like that? Like an orc who desperately needs to take a dump? Just a moment ago, he had his chin held high, trying to rip us off..."

I chuckled, stroking Yerin's soft hair. "Who knows? Perhaps my sincerity finally reached him." Yerin looked at my face, then turned her gaze back to the merchant. Her eyes seemed to ask, Is that really true?

To the merchant—who now looked like he had a lot to say, but was officially my friend—I showed the last of my sincerity by tapping the third star. "T-That's... r-right. Lord Doyunes's sincerity... has reached me." For Yerin to understand, the "sincerity" of adults was still a concept too advanced.

Just as I was about to stand up, having achieved my goal, Yerin trotted over to the merchant. The merchant, who had been sitting slumped in resignation, looked up. Yerin extended her hand toward him. Gasp— Instantly, a look of profound emotion washed over the merchant's face. His voice trembled, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"I committed a grave discourtesy earlier." Yerin tilted her head and asked, "Huh? Yes, yes. More importantly, did my sincerity reach you too?"

"Of course. It reached me loud and clear. I can feel it warming my chest even now." The two of them smiled at each other. "Then I'll buy some too!" Still swept up in emotion, the merchant froze at Yerin's words. Unable to grasp her meaning, he slowly turned his head and blinked. "...Pardon?" Yerin gave a bright smile, delivering the killing blow. "Food! And make sure to give me a very generous transaction fee!"

On our way out, Yerin held a sheet of paper identical to mine in her hand. Now, the first preparation was complete.

As usual, it was exactly six in the evening. Though the war was over, the bells still chimed across the plaza. Life had become harsher due to the war and the drain on manpower. People were heading home with exhausted steps. At the very least, because the workday was over, their faces held a bit more life than they did in the morning.

James, who was placing his hand on his doorknob to open his door, turned around at the sudden sound of a whistle behind him. Across the way, his eyes met William's, who was standing in the exact same posture with his hand on his own doorknob. William shrugged and shook his head. "Is something going on?"

The commotion, which they thought would soon die down, only grew louder. Whistles began to echo from all directions. Forgetting their fatigue, people started heading toward the plaza one by one. After all, a good piece of gossip could make tomorrow just a little easier to bear.

In the center of the plaza, a man with his hands bound sat on the ground. At first, people assumed he was a criminal. But the atmosphere was strange. One of the soldiers surrounding him shouted, "Have you still not come to your senses?"

"..." "If you change your tune right now, we can still let you go." "I am only calling wrong what is wrong. How am I supposed to change my words? You may take me away." "I will give you one last chance." "No need. Last time, you confiscated it simply because I read a lewd book. This time, you used the law to strip away even the barest right to look at it."

As those words were spoken, James understood the true nature of the situation. At first, it sounded like a simple discussion about a morality law, but it was merely a metaphor; the hidden meaning was entirely different. This man was indirectly criticizing the entire kingdom, all of its subjects. James felt his fists clench involuntarily.

"Then... next... what will you take from us next? The eyes to see it? The ears to hear it? Or will you chop off the very arms we use to move it?"

As the soldier standing in front stepped aside, the man's entire body finally came into view. Ropes were wrapped around him in multiple layers, and a hood was pulled over his head, leaving not a single gap for sunlight to filter through. Yet, the aura radiating from him was serene, in stark contrast to the surrounding crowd. Even though he was facing imprisonment and might never see the outside world again, a bright smile graced his face. There was not a shred of regret or worry in it.

Before the hooded head turned away, for just a brief moment, James felt as if he and the man had locked eyes. "Until yesterday, there was no one, and now, I may be alone." James's heart pounded. Wanting to hear more of the man's words, his chest throbbed violently. His heart refused to obey his body's control. Rough breathing echoed from all around.

"But what about tomorrow? If not tomorrow, then the day after? By then, it will no longer be just me. Being tired and weary does not make one weak. Remaining silent does not mean one is turning a blind eye or ignoring the truth. It is simply that they lack the courage to act on their motivation."

"And that..." The man looked around. Then, he slowly turned his head forward again. Though his face was hidden once more by the hood, his voice rang out clearly across the plaza. "It is not such a difficult thing. Compared to the hardships we have endured throughout our lives, this is merely a little unfamiliar."

At some point, the man's tone had shifted to an informal, authoritative register, yet no one questioned it. His speech, directed at no one in particular, came to an end. "...Gag him." "..." "What are you doing?! Gag him this instant!" "...Yes, sir."

As if acting purely out of obligation to their orders, two soldiers carefully bound the man's arms. Their expressions were grim. James felt he understood why they looked that way, and what they were feeling. His own face was no different from theirs. It was twisted with conflict. Because they couldn't muster the small courage the man spoke of. Because they couldn't take that single step across that tiny line. On his way back home, at the click of his door opening, James locked eyes with William across the way once more. Neither said a word, but a single look was enough. William felt the exact same way. James felt sick to his stomach.

After securing the food, I gathered people for the second phase of preparation. People who were tight-lipped and would follow my words without a shred of doubt. Normally, finding such individuals would be incredibly difficult. However, I possessed an eye specifically for selecting them. [Fanatic]. Without those eyes, this plan wouldn't have even gotten off the ground.

Tweet—! Tweeeet!! The sharp sound of a whistle pierced the air. Reacting to the intentionally repeated sound, people began to gather in the plaza. I raised my gaze to check the flow. Everything was going according to plan. I signaled the soldier standing in front of me—Chris, a devout believer of the Ifrit Church. Now, the stage was set. Time to immerse myself.

This time, I'm going all out with no brakes. I had agonized over it, but I concluded there was no better fit than this man. A man who started as a commoner, incited the masses with a single word, eventually rose to the highest position in his party, and dragged a nation riddled with countless problems into the ranks of the great imperial powers. The god of demagoguery and speechmaking. There were even countless movies based on him. Yes. The person I was about to portray was none other than—

Joseph Hitler. The man who set the battlefield ablaze with nothing but words.