Inside the academy, with the start of the new semester.
A young man with platinum blond hair and blue eyes, the third prince of Alprosen.
A second-year mage in the faculty of magic, ranked 6th.
Aint watched Daniel’s back as he focused on the class.
“They’ve found traces of corrupts in the Kingdom of Alprosen. Very soon, a great catastrophe will cover Alprosen.”
He recalled Fernan’s words. Since he wasn’t someone who lied about such things, he could consider it certain—that would really happen.
— Getting close to that guy means that, when problems arise in Alprosen, he’ll come to you for help.
— If, as Fernan said, it’s confirmed that the corrupts are moving in Alprosen, the first one he’ll think of is you.
‘It’s hard—I know what the senior says isn’t a lie, but this is the first time I’ve approached someone with such a clear motive.’
— What’s so hard about it? This academy exists for that from the start.
Of course, receiving top-level education was also a fundamental part.
But without the “networking,” the academy would never have flourished as it had.
— Here, the most elite of the continent gather. Nine out of ten students come to forge ties with such people.
And those connections made in youth spread like webs that dominated the continent.
— More than anything, you are now not just “the heir of the fallen House Armian.” You’re the “hero” who defeated corrupts. Rather, that guy will want to get close to you.
‘I understand what he says. It’s not that I can’t do it—it just feels awkward because I’ve never tried before.’
He realized he had been living quite carefree.
Even his connections at the academy were, essentially, the ones Fernan had woven for him.
Without him, how would he have survived in the academy, and how would he have fought corrupts?
Not to mention the money to rebuild the house.
‘I can’t always rely on the senior.’
It’s not that he had no friends at the academy aside from Aria, Verian, and Varus.
But none of them had fought demons by his side.
Taking a deep breath, Aint stood up.
“Why are you getting up all of a sudden?”
“I just want to talk for a bit.”
Ignoring Aria’s question, he went straight over and sat next to Daniel.
“Hey, Daniel.”
“Aint?”
The prince’s blue eyes widened in surprise.
“Do you want something from me…?”
“No, nothing in particular. It’s just that we’ve been at the academy for a year and a half and hardly talked.”
Ah, maybe he shouldn’t speak so informally, since he was a prince?
— That’ll sound sarcastic, Aint.
‘Eh? But I meant it seriously, how is it sarcasm?’
— Because it sounds like you’re acting as if you’ve been close your whole life.
Luckily, Daniel didn’t take it the wrong way.
“Don’t be so weird, you’re making me uncomfortable.”
“What’s going on, Aint? Why are you talking to Daniel?”
At that moment, someone else came over.
“Varus?”
Aint recognized the face.
“No, it’s nothing. We were just chatting a bit. What about you?”
“Temporary pair-up. You know, with so many from Esrin not coming back to the academy…”
“Ah, so now you two are a pair.”
That’s how it turned out.
With the mood more relaxed, Aint began to talk more naturally.
“What were you talking about?”
Aria joined the conversation a bit late.
***
Meanwhile, Fernan had insisted Aint get close to Daniel, but his own expression was far from calm.
“We don’t have time.”
According to the prophecy book, the flood would happen right before harvest, and that was just days away.
The vision had come too late, leaving no time to prepare countermeasures.
“The harvests being lost to flooding can’t be prevented now. What’s important is reducing the chaos it’ll cause.”
“Will that be possible?”
“In Esrin, due to the civil war, companies have been buying up huge quantities of grain, right?”
War devours everything—weapons, men, and also tons of food.
“If we redirect those reserves toward Alprosen, we’ll make a fortune.”
“Money, you say?”
“And at the same time, we’ll reduce the confusion in Alprosen.”
“The problem is how to convince the duke.”
The Hopen plains hadn’t seen floods in centuries.
Who would believe that a torrential rain would suddenly destroy the harvest?
“Can’t you just tell him you saw the future?”
“My father would cut open my head to check it.”
“You’ll have to reveal it someday. Depending on whether he knows or not, it changes what you can do drastically.”
Hyde was right.
If he managed to convince the duke that he could see the future, he wouldn’t need more excuses—everything would go more smoothly.
“But will he believe me?”
“I ended up believing.”
“That’s different. Right now, the future has diverged quite a bit from the prophecy book. I can’t guarantee it confidently.”
“But this time, you yourself believe it will happen, right?”
“…”
Fernan pondered for a moment, then took paper and pen.
Hyde, always by his side, understood. The duke would end up believing, if he was shown enough proof. And that would make everything easier going forward.
“While I’m at it, I’ll write another letter.”
“To the duke?”
“No. To the crown prince of Alprosen.”
There was no connection between Fernan and that prince.
Although he had made deals with all sorts of nobles as a member of the Pellenberg family, most were within the Empire.
His age was a hindrance, and international business was only scheduled to begin after graduation.
“He’ll think it’s a strange letter.”
“But he won’t throw it away.”
Because it bore the Pellenberg seal. No sane person would reject such a letter, even from a stranger.
“There’s not enough time until the downpour. Waiting for Daniel to serve as a link would be too slow.”
“So what do you plan to write?”
“Something unexpected.”
But something that, at the same time, would strike right at the prince’s heart.
The answer lay in the prophecy book.
‘Forgive me, professor.’
I’ll have to use your name.
As an investor, I hope you’ll understand.
***
The gigantic vault of House Pellenberg.
Duke Yvon was sitting in front of a mountain of gold coins, counting them one by one.
“Seven hundred twelve, seven hundred thirteen…”
The countless coins kept moving from his left side to the right.
“They said you were busy because of this?”
With the sound of heels clicking, someone entered. The duke slowly raised his head, familiarly.
There weren’t many people who could enter the vault so casually, despite his explicit prohibition.
“…Wife.”
A soft hand caressed his cheek and jaw.
“Why are you here, doing this?”
The duke kept counting a few more coins without responding.
“Who was it? Who made you this uneasy?”
From the dark bluish hair, softly glowing red irises contrasted.
“…Fernan.”
“What did that boy do now?”
“Does Fernan seem like a kid who goes around causing trouble? He’s more like a son who brings in money, not loses it.”
The duke firmly shook his head as the pile of coins on his right kept growing.
“He’s always been good, but since entering the academy, he’s become even more admirable.”
When he suddenly proposed waiving Bercheff’s interest for three years, he thought he had gone mad.
But he even handed over a massive mana stone mine to enforce his decision. And now Bercheff was a stronger ally than ever.
“He not only knows how to anticipate where and when the corrupts will appear…”
Suddenly, he became top of his class.
“The same with the Fridian matter. It seemed like he’d been tricked by the elves, digging through those worthless rocky mountains, and he ended up finding an entire dwarf city.”
And not only that—he turned the dwarves into subjects of the Pellenberg domain. The profit was immeasurable.
“But this—this I can’t believe.”
“What is it about?”
The duke picked up a letter lying in a corner of the floor.
“I always told Fernan to foresee the future. But this isn’t foresight—it’s prophecy.”
Helena Pellenberg, after quickly reading the letter, wore a strange expression.
“Seems like Fernan got into gambling and lost all his money. He’s lost his mind.”
“I thought the same. But the problem isn’t that he’s my son—it’s that he wouldn’t make up nonsense like this without a reason.”
“What if he just got obsessed with some play?”
“Fernan wouldn’t get swept up in cheap drama. Unless someone paid him to watch it.”
The duchess read her son’s letter carefully again.
“A prophecy book? I’d rather believe he found a mountain of gold.”
“I thought the same. That seems more plausible.”
Sometimes, when things go too well, people lose their minds.
But he was sure that wasn’t the case here.
“The strange thing is, ever since he entered the academy, sometimes he does things I don’t understand. And yet, it always ends up working in our favor.”
If the prophecy book Fernan mentioned was real, everything fit perfectly.
And for that very reason, Duke Yvon felt even more confused. He couldn’t fully believe it, nor fully reject it.
“How about we call him and speak directly?”
“I plan to. But before that…”
“My lord, urgent news!”
The butler came rushing in. He was one of the few with permission to enter the vault in case of emergency.
“What is it?”
“An urgent reply from the Alprosen branch to the order His Excellency sent.”
“Give it to me now.”
The duke snatched the letter from his hands, tore open the envelope, and unfolded it.
“What does it say?”
“After receiving Fernan’s letter, I sent immediate orders to the Alprosen branch to report on the weather in the north and the Hopen plains. Whether it was raining, or if there were signs of rain.”
“And the reply?”
The duke let the letter fall.
“…They say it’s raining across the entire north. And it hasn’t stopped for three days.”
The previously clouded eyes of the duke regained a sharp focus.
“…One thousand.”
The hands that had never stopped counting reached exactly one thousand coins.
He stood from his seat.
“What do you plan to do?”
“I was confused, unsure whether to believe it or not. But if it’s true, there’s nothing left to think about.”
The duke’s eyes hardened.
“If the heavens want Pellenberg to buy out the whole continent, so be it.”
The hundreds of consequences and ripples of the prophecy ran through his mind.
Even if it was just a small detail, if it came from the future, its value was astronomical.
It was as if the heavens themselves had given wings to House Pellenberg.
“Order an immediate redirection of all grain and food originally bound for Esrin, and send it to Alprosen.”
A castle of gold, untouchable by anyone, was about to be built.
And no one could stop it.
____
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