The Magic Sovereign's Heavy Burden
The document glowed brightly on the monitor before him. It was a report submitted by a certain merchant group. The file contained detailed information about a national project the kingdom planned to undertake. The group had made a strong, proactive appeal about how well they could handle the project if given the chance. Perhaps it was because they were currently one of the fastest-rising enterprises. When it came to the conditions alone, their proposal could stand shoulder to shoulder with those from the major corporations. The content clearly surpassed the level of a mid-sized company. Of course, when compared to the true conglomerates, certain realistic shortcomings were obvious. Yet the sheer fighting spirit and passion that shone through every single word seemed more than enough to offset those weaknesses. One might even call it an impressive display of cunning—acknowledging their own disadvantages and turning those very conditions to their advantage.
They really have grown.
In just ten years, a small trading company that once operated in the Emulin Countship had transformed into a massive merchant group now eyeing the ranks of the great enterprises. It was an astonishing pace that few companies could ever dream of matching. And the man knew the truth. At the center of that meteoric rise was one particular woman who had taken direct charge.
Kayen… was that her name?
The woman who had suddenly appeared one day and begun carving out her own position within the Grant Merchant Group. Stories about her had even reached the royal palace. More precisely, the royal family had taken an interest in her because of a certain incident.
The Nasara Merchant Group annihilation incident.
It had been a truly strange coincidence. Almost as if the Grant Merchant Group had known in advance that the Nasara Group would disappear. Or as if someone had given them prior warning. They had slowly siphoned away the Nasara Group’s influence bit by bit beforehand. Thanks to that, by the time other companies finally moved, most of the Nasara Group’s power had already been absorbed by the Grant Merchant Group. That foundation had allowed the Grant Merchant Group to explode into explosive growth.
The royal family had naturally grown suspicious of the connection and investigated Kayen. But once the true culprit was revealed, the entire investigation was canceled at once.
Because the culprit was none other than the Death King.
His fame and infamy surpassed even the other absolute rulers of the continent. Yet when it came to his true identity or whether he even existed, people could only tilt their heads in confusion. Among ordinary citizens, his very existence was dismissed as nothing more than an urban legend. But everyone at the top of the continent knew the truth. They knew the danger posed by the man who had devoured the entire underworld and begun ruling the Inner World of the continent.
It hadn’t been that long since his existence became known. He had caused several major incidents—fighting a bloody battle with Tugwi, turning the Empress’s territory into scorched earth—but the actual time he had been active was less than ten years. The first incident that brought him to the surface and shocked the entire continent was precisely the annihilation of the Nasara Merchant Group.
That was why it made no sense for the Grant Merchant Group—a tiny enterprise that had barely operated in the Emulin Countship—to have known about the incident in advance. It must have been pure luck. Or perhaps Kayen possessed incredible foresight. The Ellemental royal family had no choice but to reach that conclusion, and the man personally leaned toward the latter.
Because of that, he had once thought that if the opportunity arose, he would meet her in person and offer to scout her for the royal family.
What a shame.
They say geniuses die young. He had never imagined she would pass away so pointlessly. The man smiled bitterly, feeling genuine regret at the fact.
“Should I at least put them on the candidate list?”
He casually moved the mouse and dropped the report into a folder. Once they were listed as candidates, His Majesty the King would make the final judgment. Whether to entrust the project to them or to a more reliable corporation.
“Ugh.”
The man stretched, loosening his stiff shoulders. Strange cracking sounds came from every joint. Had his dry eye syndrome gotten worse? Every time he closed and opened his eyes, his heavy, gritty eyeballs felt burdensome.
“I guess I’ve gotten old too.”
If his secretary had heard him, she would have looked at him in disbelief and asked what nonsense he was spouting. But he truly meant it. In the past, a single spell would have wiped away days of fatigue. Now, even after using magic, the exhaustion piled up again within just a few hours.
It would have been better if he had focused on physical training like that Tugwi fellow. His daily life might have been a bit less convenient, but at least his body would have been ridiculously healthy. With a small sigh, he meticulously stretched every vertebra in his spine, then brought the Americano—brewed so strong it was practically espresso—to his lips.
“Ack! Cough!”
It was bitter. Had his secretary forgotten to add sugar? He frowned for a moment, but soon glanced at the calendar and let out a deep sigh.
“That’s right. She said she was taking annual leave today.”
It seemed the temporary secretary assigned to assist him for the day had forgotten. There was no way the meticulous Nel would have left without mentioning something this important. Maybe the girl had been too nervous about not making mistakes in front of him. Or perhaps there had simply been too many things Nel had to hand over. Both were entirely possible, so he had no desire to point out such a trivial error. Everyone makes one or two mistakes in life. There was no point in calling a subordinate in just to scold them over something like this.
Still, I really can’t drink this.
Shaking his head, the man stood up to get some fresh air. He drew back the curtains and gazed down at the beautiful royal garden, meticulously tended by the gardeners, with a touch of melancholy in his eyes.
A mirror hung beside the window. It reflected the man’s appearance. Short, sporty golden-blond hair. A relatively angular, handsome face with golden eyes that matched his hair. A middle-aged man of refined features. He was the Prime Minister of the Ellemental Kingdom and its second-in-command. Yet when it came to actual influence, he wielded more power than even King Alex Raymond Ellemental himself.
“Ah, that’s right. The academy will be starting soon. There was something I needed to handle regarding that. No time to rest at all.”
Ern Benedict. The absolute ruler of the continent, known to the world as the Magic Sovereign, let out a deep sigh and turned his tired eyes back toward the mountain of paperwork piled on his desk.
As had been mentioned before, the Ellemental Kingdom possessed a highly advanced civilization compared to other nations. Smartphones, automatic carriages that ran without horses, airships capable of flying through the sky, and buildings that soared endlessly upward. The development of magic had made people’s lives incredibly convenient, and even the other countries that constantly checked and opposed one another acknowledged the Ellemental Kingdom in this regard. It was the nation where magic was most seamlessly integrated into daily life. And among its cities, the capital Raymond was the most perfectly developed, as befitting the heart of the Ellemental Kingdom.
The Grant Department Store. It wasn’t an overwhelmingly tall or large building compared to other famous department stores, but it still exuded a luxury that put neighborhood marts to shame. It was the first department store built by the Grant Merchant Group when they expanded into the capital from the Emulin Countship—a foothold they had established to invade the capital’s commercial district. Perhaps that was why the Grant Merchant Group treated this place as a critical facility. They seemed to have put in considerable effort; the interior was bustling with quite a few people.
“Haaam.”
Kain let out a long yawn as he walked through the crowd. He wasn’t here because he felt any special attachment to the Grant Merchant Group or because his older sister had once worked here. He had simply come because it was the department store closest to home. He wore a loose white short-sleeved t-shirt that looked like he had slept in it, baggy sweatpants, and a light windbreaker. There wasn’t the slightest attempt at fashion in his appearance.
In contrast, Arina wore a light, flowing dress and shoes, clearly having put some effort into her outfit. She held onto the hem of his shirt with a bright, cheerful expression, looking around excitedly. It was a rare childlike appearance that suited her actual age.
“But why a department store? I thought we’d just browse the shops nearby.”
“If we’re going to buy stuff anyway, might as well get the good ones.”
If they were just going to buy whatever, there was no need to bother leaving the house. They could have simply ordered everything online. Apparently kids these days even get discriminated against based on whether they have brand-name items or not. Maybe it was because of the memories of being ostracized for not having parents. He didn’t want to give the little one even a single excuse like that. While the academy required uniforms, people didn’t only live inside the academy. She would go out with friends sometimes, so it would be good for her to have a few nice outfits. Wallets, cosmetics, and other daily necessities would be good to buy too. Rather than wandering from store to store looking for each item individually, it was far more efficient to buy everything at once in a department store.
“Um… I wasn’t really planning to dress up that much…”
Arina lowered her head in embarrassment and protested in a small voice. Given her personality, she was more likely to dress modestly than to cover herself head to toe in luxury brands.
“We’ll get you a new smartphone too. I heard tablets are out now—should we get one of those? I don’t know if you’ll need a laptop or a portable gaming device, but it wouldn’t hurt to buy them just in case.”
“Uncle? Are you even listening to me?”
“Anyway, let’s just buy everything that comes to mind. I’ll give you a card later, so if you think of anything else you need, you can get it with that.”
“……”
This wasn’t working. He wasn’t listening at all. Uncle is usually so frugal, but once he decides to spend, he goes completely overboard. Just like the empty furniture in his room, he wasn’t the type to spend money casually. More precisely, he had no interest in buying things. It was as if he could buy anything he wanted, so he simply didn’t bother. His only regular expenses were buying books periodically or eating whatever food he felt like. But because he was so detached from money, once he decided to spend, he did so without hesitation.
The apartment they currently lived in was one he had moved into recently after saying, “The place we’re living in now is too far from the academy, so it must be hard for you to commute.” The walking distance was only about thirty minutes for an adult, yet he had decided that was too inconvenient and moved closer to the academy. It was consumer behavior that defied ordinary common sense.
I told him it would be fine to just take public transportation.
That was just how stubborn and set in his own ways her uncle was. And today would likely be no different. No matter what she said to persuade him, she would probably end up going home with both arms full and heavy. Just what does Uncle even do for a living?
The Grant Merchant Group. Arina had lived there with her father when she was even younger than she was now. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had grown up in a fairly well-off household. Even so, she could tell that Kain’s spending habits were far from ordinary. If one considered only his spending power, he was practically at the level of one of the continent’s wealthiest individuals. Yet strangely, in the two years they had lived together, Arina had never once seen him working.
Not even once.
Is it stocks after all?
Maybe he was a genius investor. Was staring at his smartphone all day just an extension of his work? Nothing else seemed to explain it.
Well, it doesn’t matter what he does.
Her uncle was blunt, did whatever he wanted, and spent most of his days lying around reading books or using his phone. Even so, Arina liked her uncle, who quietly looked after her whether she realized it or not.
I’ll take this child with me.
Children unconsciously remember external sounds even while sleeping. Those warm words Kain had spoken back then were still gently engraved in her heart.
“Hehe.”
Maybe because she was in a good mood today, she felt a bit braver. As they walked through the crowd of people, Arina let go of his shirt and grabbed his hand instead. Kain paused for a moment and looked down at the top of her head. Then, as if it didn’t matter much, he took her hand in his and started walking again.
“Hold on tight. Don’t get lost and end up getting your name called over the department store speakers.”
“Yes!”
Kain and Arina walked hand in hand, radiating a warm, cozy atmosphere around them.