“If this is all you have, you can’t even afford a single time! Penniless peasants need to get out of my shop!”


  With a furious voice, he was driven out of the store.

  He frantically tried to walk back in, but the door was firmly shut, without any sign of opening again.

  “.…… Shit!”


  He started cursing in anger.

  Although it was daytime, this small street was quite dark…… No, the avenue was actually brightly lit by sunlight. But the passerby’s eyes were lifeless, expelling a depressing, glum atmosphere.

  In the past, this area was a commonplace for people who weren’t wealthy, but also weren’t dirt-poor.

  It was a pleasant convenience full of laughter- even though that was a bit of an exaggeration, at least the people weren’t as spiritless as they were right now.

  When did it become like this? It dropped like a rock from a cliff, tumbling down, down, down.

  Since when did he start seeing such shadows and darkness?

  This kingdom, is slowly rotting.

  With the decrease of wages, the tax rate hadn’t changed a bit.

  The average goods consumption of families will fall, resulting in lower budgets for guilds. Unable to sell off their inventory, businesses will produce less stock. This chain of reactions will echo in an unstoppable wave.

  Even though economic relief and damage control for citizens have become common, they were no more than facades by the upper-class.

  If they really wished to help the lower and middle classes with good heart, they should give us jobs, and money. Although everyone needed food and sustenance, if we kept relying on their short-term solutions, what will happen when they stopped providing relief? Furthermore, people need more than just food.

  So foolish, the man laughed bitterly.

  Even if one were to not work, there will be people that provide food, isn’t this not a bad idea……

  With such easy lives, this kingdom is so considerate of its people.

  But I believe…… This is no different from being kept as livestock by the people above, and I can’t just accept that.

  Has nobody realized the unstable situation? Or is everyone just pretending they’re blind?

  It’s rotting slowly.

  No matter what, people will ultimately become fed-up with the higher-up’s decisions and actions.

  The people are always the ones that pay the price for upper-class’ mistakes.

  To put simply, I don’t have any money. Without money, I can’t buy medicine. With these circumstances, no matter how much food I receive, it wouldn’t help at all.

  “You, over there.”


  A voice sounded abruptly nearby.

  I looked in the direction of its owner. A cloaked figure stood in my way.

  Although I couldn’t see her face clearly through the hood, I could determine that the person was a woman.

  “Yes, you.”


  What does this finely-dressed woman want to do with him?

  “Your name is……”


  The name that she spoke was indeed mine. Why does she know my name?

  “Is that right?”


  “.…… Yes, it is. What do you want with me?”


  “Hm, well, do you feel remorseful?”


  “.…… Ha?”


  “Everything you had was taken away, and you’re even driven to this pitiful state…… No, not everything. What you should protect, still remains by your side.”


  His mind quickly cooled, and he immediately made distance between them.

  “To not be fooled by appearances…… I understand that fact so clearly that it’s become annoying. Unfortunately, I don’t trust anyone anymore. Especially people like you, who pop out of nowhere.”


  “Indeed. If you haven’t learned your lesson after being betrayed, then you’re really an idiot.”


  His face soured from the woman’s words.

  “Although I don’t know how or where you found that out, I’m not interested in what you want.”


  “But I need something from you.”


  “Then find someone else.”


  I turned my back towards her. Although I’ll be angrier passing that closed shop door one more time, it’s better than speaking with this woman.”


  “Alright, I’ll cut the crap. Do you not want to reclaim everything you lost?”


  “.…… Not interested.”


  “Really? I believe that if you do, your brother might be in a better situation than he is in right now.”


  With that sentence, he stopped in his tracks.

  “.…… What do you want from me?”


  “Everything. Your name…… Existence, and all that rests behind.”


  “Do you want me to wag my tail and beg like a dog?”


  “I don’t need pets. What I want you to do is become my hand and foot, and work for me.”


  “Ha…… What specifically are you asking me to do?”


  “I’m not planning for you to do anything weird, you know. I just want to help you take back what you lost. It’s shameless work that will help you get back to your previous position, and nothing more.”


  “How could I just believe something like that? Such innocent ordeals don’t exist.”


  “.…… That man is standing in my way, too.”


  Compared to the sweet, soft tone she spoke with before, her voice sounded icily crystalline.

  “He flies around, like a gnat. He sticks his hands in the path of my conglomerate, and that buzzing sound has been around my ears nonstop. It really can rub people in the wrong way. So, I too wish for that man to get out of our sights.”


  With a

  , she peeled away her cloak. Her long, silver hair glittered under the sunlight.

  He had never seen such a beautiful lady before.

  “.…… My name, is Iris. I’m the head of the Azuta Conglomerate.”


  Listening to her words, the questions in my head grew bigger and bigger.

  Say, isn’t the Azuta Conglomerate one of the biggest businesses in the Royal City?

  And the head of that group…… Is a young woman?

  “No matter if you believe me or not, the gears have already started to turn. Even without you, it won’t affect things that much…… But, if you would work under me, it’ll really make things easier. I don’t want to increase my workload.”


  With those words, she smiled bitterly. That harmless grin almost made my heart stop.

  But, it wasn’t finished yet.

  “So, this is an exchange. You will…… Properly use my name, and my power. I will also use your name, and your power…… How do you want to do this? For me, I’m perfectly fine with running with my tail between my legs.”


  With my response, she smiled in a different fashion than before.

  Her expression seemed to say: If you run away now, then you’ve lost…… Do you want to be defeated like this? Indeed, my indignant emotions sparked to life in my heart.

  “.…… I, will not do any work that I disagree with.”


  “Then, that’s enough. We have a deal…… Come with me.”