Frida, the Beginning of the Fall

Franche stood in front of the boutique, gazing up at the building. Its exterior and interior layout had been designed entirely under Jin's direction. It possessed a unique aesthetic never before seen in the Empire. Every time she looked at it, she couldn't help but marvel.

How on earth did he come up with something like this...? As she always felt, Jin was peculiar. It was almost as if he didn't belong to this world. He carried a strange, subtle sense of foreignness.

He excels at everything. There's nothing he doesn't know. Was it because he had received a high-class education as royalty of the Barenberg Kingdom? Or was Jin simply extraordinary?

It must be the latter. Jin was the man hailed as the continent's strongest sword, the ultimate Sword Master. A man one could say was chosen by the heavens. Yet, to think that very same Jin could die. She felt a surge of resentment toward the Transcendental Mage. But she couldn't bring herself to utterly curse her. After all, wasn't it because the Transcendental Mage had captured Jin that he was able to come to her in the first place? Despising her own contradictory heart, she shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"...Let's just focus on preparing the store." She stepped inside. Within, the employees of Franche Corporation were moving busily, arranging the apparel on display.

"You're all working very hard." At Franche's voice, the employees immediately turned their heads.

"Ah, President!" "Welcome, President!" Their greetings were so enthusiastic it was almost overwhelming. Franche offered an awkward smile.

"Is Andrea here yet?"

"Yes! The department head is upstairs!"

"I see, thank you."

"Not at all!" They certainly had plenty of energy. Seeing people who had been filled with doubt and distrust during their first meeting now showing such warmth gave Franche a strange feeling. But it wasn't a bad feeling. Chuckling softly, Franche climbed the stairs. On the upper floor, she found Andrea arranging the special dresses.

"Andrea?"

"Ah, President! You've arrived!" Had some new company culture developed? Even the usually quiet Andrea was bursting with energy. Though slightly puzzled, Franche decided to let it go, figuring a positive atmosphere was a good thing.

"How is our current progress coming along?"

"Everything is proceeding smoothly. Currently, the stock we've received..." Andrea systematically went over the boutique's status—how much apparel had arrived, how much of the floor space they could fill, and how much work remained.

"This looks excellent."

"Is that so? I'm relieved." Franche tapped her finger against her arm, her hands crossed. Now was the time to bring up the most crucial matter.

"Andrea. I have something important to discuss with you."

"Something important?"

"Yes. There is a task I want to entrust to you."

"What kind of task?" Andrea tilted their head. Seeing their dry, disheveled hair and the dark circles under their hollow eyes, Franche hesitated for a moment. But it was a necessary step, so she had to push forward.

"Andrea. The work you must do this time is more ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠important than anything else. It is an opportunity to make your name known to the world, and it is also for our sake." Franche carefully observed Andrea's reaction. Perhaps she shouldn't have phrased it that way; Andrea's shoulders slumped, looking as if they were already crushed under the weight of the pressure.

"What is it...?"

"You need to design garments for the Imperial Family." At the mention of the Imperial Family, Andrea's eyes went wide. Their mouth fell open, jaw practically hitting the floor.

"The—the—the Imperial Family's attire?! Me?!" Andrea's voice echoed throughout the boutique. Every single employee turned to look at them. The mention of royalty was just that shocking.

"Yes. Her Imperial Majesty the Empress, the Second Prince, and the Third Princess will be visiting. Can you do it?" Was the burden of designing for royalty too heavy? Franche noticed Andrea's hands trembling violently. Thinking it best to offer some comfort, Franche spoke in a gentle tone.

"Andrea, you don't need to feel so pressured—"

"Hehe... Hehehe." Franche flinched. A sudden chill ran down her spine at the incredibly eerie chuckle.

"Finally! My chance has come! A chance to show this world that I exist!" Had they always been this kind of person? Franche found herself struggling to adapt to this unexpected boldness. This wasn't the impression they had given off at first...

"My Lady, please leave it to me. I will create garments more perfect than any that have ever existed. I will show everyone that I am the only one in this world capable of such designs!" Franche blinked, slowly nodding her head.

"Ah... Yes, of course. Just don't overexert yourself, alright?"

"Overexertion? There is no such thing for me...!" Their eyes blazed with a fiery passion. Andrea clenched their fists, eyes wide with determination.

"President! In that case, I shall head off immediately to brainstorm ideas! My work here is done, so I leave the remaining preparations to you!" Spitting out the words like rapid-fire, they rushed out of the boutique. They moved so quickly that the sound of carriage wheels rolling away could be heard almost instantly.

"..." Franche stared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠blankly out the window. She had no idea Andrea harbored such fierce ambition...

"Let's focus on my own work." Shaking her head, Franche immediately began inspecting the premises. She scanned the boutique, looking for any empty spots, checking the quality and ambiance of the dresses, and even verifying the scent. Good. Everything is just right. The lighting was also perfect. Because they used luminous stones crafted directly by an Imperial Court Mage, there wasn't a single dark corner. Franche nodded in satisfaction and raised her voice.

"Alright, listen up, everyone! We will have many distinguished guests visiting today! Let's show them exactly what we've been preparing for!" The employees' expressions hardened with resolve. Determination was written on every face. They all knew today was the day of reckoning.

"Let's make this a success! A success!" ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠"Let's defeat Frida!" "Hard work never betrays!" Their morale was sky-high. Franche smiled contentedly.

"Excellent. Let's open the doors." The first venture of Franche Corporation, the boutique, was officially open for business.

"Damn it, damn it all!" Madame of Frida, Jukeo Sinna, slammed her fist onto her desk, unable to contain her rage as she stared at the newspaper articles.

"The culprit is that wench. Lady Decartes." Frida's core asset, Andrea, had vanished. The same went for the other employees. According to the mercenaries hired for security, an unidentified man had appeared and effortlessly incapacitated everyone.

That wretched girl. The only people who had actually seen the factory were the hired mercenaries, Frida's executives, and Lady Decartes.

"Aaargh!" Madame slammed the desk once more, her fists trembling. While she was certain Lady Decartes was the one who had taken Andrea, there was no evidence. Furthermore, if they went to court, she would be at a severe disadvantage due to her history of labor exploitation. As things stood, Frida had no way of winning against Lady Decartes. There was no way to bring Andrea back either.

I have no choice. Madame immediately unrolled a piece of parchment and began to write.

"How dare she... How dare she ruin my business? You messed with the wrong person, Lady Decartes. I'll show you that status isn't everything." Currently, Frida was unable to sell any apparel. This was because Andrea, who had supervised all garment production, was gone. They were barely scraping by on accessories and jewelry, but Frida's massive growth had been entirely driven by its clothing line. The jewelry and accessories were merely secondary.

There isn't much time. At this rate, we'll lose all our customers, and Frida will go bankrupt. She had to bring Andrea back as soon as possible. Only then could they escape this crisis.

"Zenbukoros will easily get the job done. They are, after all, the second strongest dark guild in the Empire." Madame of Frida, Jukeo Sinna, smirked.

Before heading to Franche, I stopped by the library. My goal was to look up information on the Barenberg Kingdom. I figured that exposing myself to information related to Jin would give me a clear idea of how much his soul was currently eroding mine. The ducal library was free to use. It was a policy established by Duke Decartes himself—something about how those who pursue knowledge should never be charged.

"Hmm." The interior was that of an ordinary library. I glanced around briefly before approaching the librarian.

"Do you have any history books on the Barenberg Kingdom?" The librarian frowned at my question. "...Why do you seek such a book?"

"My master instructed me to look into it." The librarian observed me closely, then widened his eyes and bowed deeply. "M-My apologies! You are a knight of the Decartes family!"

"There is no need to apologize." "I will guide you immediately. Please follow me."

I walked behind the librarian. We arrived at a blind spot in the library, where a hidden door stood. *Click.* The librarian inserted a key and unlocked the door. "The history books of Barenberg are kept in here."

"Thank you." "Not at all. I apologize once again for my rudeness earlier." The librarian bowed once more before returning to his desk. The status of a Decartes knight truly carried immense weight.

"Now, let's see." I stepped ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠inside and searched the shelves. Before long, I found the volume detailing the history of Barenberg.

"..." The texture of the history book was stiff and rough. Strangely, I felt a sudden dread of opening it. Regardless of my will, my hands began to tremble, and the skin beneath my eyes twitched. This is the influence of Jin's personality. Because the information was directly tied to Jin Barenberg, it made my current state glaringly obvious.

"Tsk." I clicked my tongue in annoyance at the unpleasant sensation of coexisting with another soul. Shaking off the useless thoughts, I opened the book and began reading on the spot.

The contents of the book were as follows. Barenberg had been a weak nation. It had to constantly walk on eggshells around other countries, cater to their whims, and endure unequal diplomatic treaties. However, the entire landscape shifted with the appearance of a single man: Jin Barenberg. No nation could look down on Barenberg any longer. His mere existence made any retaliatory invasion an impossibility.

To threaten entire nations single-handedly... he wasn't called the final boss for nothing. If I had been able to wield this power properly from the very beginning, I could have escaped safely. It was a shame. Thinking about the past brought a brief wave of regret, but I quickly brushed it aside. Dwelling on it now wouldn't change anything, and it wasn't my immediate priority anyway.

Right at that moment, a sharp, faint headache struck, and a scene flashed before my eyes.

“Transcendental Mage...”

“Kilkikil, don't resent me too much.”

“Get out of my way, or I will kill you.”

“If you can. Kilkilkil.”

This was a memory from the war. Perhaps because it had little to do with Franche, the pain wasn't particularly severe.

Just what kind of relationship did Jin and Franche have for things to be like this? After skimming through a few more key sections, I shut the book with a soft *thud*. Reading the history of the Barenberg Kingdom made one thing clear: although Jin's personality had grown stronger than before, I was still the dominant one. Perhaps because I knew I still had enough time, my racing heart, which had been pounding with anxiety just moments ago, settled back to normal with a wave of relief.

Now that I've checked, I should go see how Franche is doing. Just as I left the library, intending to head to the boutique, a voice called out to me. "Jin Barenberg." I turned around to find a man in a black mask staring at me.

So my suspicion that someone was tailing me earlier was correct. As I eyed him warily, the masked man reached into his coat and pulled out a letter. "I am from Exeed. The Master instructed me to deliver this to you personally."

So he was sent by Seldas. I hadn't expected him to send a letter directly. It was a surprise. I silently stepped forward and took the letter. "My mission is complete." With those final words, the masked man vanished into the shadows.

Impressive skills. Well, I already knew what they were capable of, so I didn't dwell on it. I immediately tore open the letter. Its contents were...

It has begun. I had wondered why she was staying so quiet, but Madame had finally made her move.