TME 04

Chapter 4

The atmosphere of the black market was noisy.

Although it looked no different from an ordinary market except for the kinds of goods being handled, there were many people mixed among the ordinary-looking merchants whose appearances were somewhat different.

The black market was a place of trade that should have been eliminated, but at the same time, it was also a market that the authorities had no choice but to tolerate. This was because the people who conducted illegal trades in the black market paid a considerable amount of money to the Imperial Family as a form of tribute.

Usually, black-market merchants worked together with high-ranking noble families and paid them a fee so that the Emperor could turn a blind eye to their activities. The amount of money involved was too large to simply ignore.

Even though the government loudly declared that it would eliminate drug dealing and prostitution both inside and outside the Empire, these policies were not properly enforced because of such practices, which had become deeply rooted over a long period of time.

Because of this, the black market had practically become an open market. This place was outside the normal control of law enforcement, and even the security soldiers rarely conducted raids here.

As far as Cain knew, finding the family records of a fallen noble family would not be difficult.

First, Cain entered a clothing store and chose clothes that would make him look sufficiently noble.

Cain was twenty-five years old this year.

That was still a fairly young age.

The clerk looked at Cain’s large, muscular body and his milky-white face, which had become surprisingly delicate in contrast to his body, and chose a fine outfit that suited him.

The clothes were slim around the waist, while the sleeves were slightly rolled up, making the muscles in his arms stand out. Cain liked them very much.

After leaving the store, Cain quietly walked along the street and waited for the black-market merchants to approach him.

That was because one of the rules of the black market was that customers never approached the merchants first.

“Female slaves from Jergard. One thousand gold. If you add another five hundred gold, you can also purchase a child.”

As soon as Cain came out of the shop, a black-market merchant passed by him and spoke quietly.

Cain suddenly felt both fists tighten.

It was common knowledge that the people of a defeated nation were being sold as slaves, but hearing it directly with his own ears made his stomach turn.

If he made up his mind, killing a man like that would be easy.

However, Cain was not foolish enough to be unable to suppress a momentary impulse. He calmed himself down once again and hurried deeper into the alleyways.

After walking for several minutes—

A man approached Cain as he walked.

One of his eyes was completely normal, but the other had been lost in an accident, or so it seemed, and a reddish jewel had been placed in its place.

His face looked quite grotesque at first glance, but his voice was extremely cold and emotionless.

“What is seen is unseen, and what is unseen is what is seen.”

The man muttered something incomprehensible.

It sounded like a phrase that might appear in a poem.

But Cain immediately understood what it meant.

It meant that the man dealt with forgery.

There was no one who would casually recite poetry in a black market like this.

“Lead the way first.”

Cain spoke briefly.

The one-eyed man nodded and gestured for Cain to follow him.

Just in case, Cain made sure to keep the mana inside his body activated so that it could flow quickly.

If there was even the slightest threat to his safety, he intended to kill whoever it was without exception.

Cain was that desperate.

He had no choice but to approach even these small matters with the resolve to risk his life.

“Do you want to change your identity? I can forge a pass, too. No one will know it is fake. I guarantee it with my life. The basic price is one thousand gold, and if you add another four thousand gold, I can forge an identity up to the rank of Viscount.”

As they walked, the man’s offer was quite tempting.

Five thousand gold in total was an amount Cain could easily afford with the money he had.

However, since the black market was full of scams, Cain decided to be more cautious for now.

4

The place the man took Cain to was the basement of a shabby building deep inside the black market.

There was only one lamp lit there, and it looked as though it could go out at any moment.

Underneath it were only an old desk and two chairs.

“Heh heh, you need a family record…”

The person who spoke was an old man staring at Cain while sitting with his legs crossed on top of the desk.

The loose flesh hanging down around his mouth clearly showed how old he was. His head was completely bald, and he was wearing a black robe. His bloodless face made him look like someone who could die at any moment.

However, his voice rang out powerfully and had enough force to overwhelm anyone.

Of course, Cain was not someone who would be intimidated by such a show of strength, but he could not help thinking that this was no ordinary person.

“That is correct.”

Cain nodded.

“For three thousand gold, you can purchase the family records of an ordinary fallen noble family. If you add another two thousand gold, I can make it up to the rank of Viscount. What will you choose?”

The important thing about forging an identity was making sure that there would be no trouble after obtaining it.

Not every noble was wealthy, so nobles of the Viscount or Baron ranks sometimes sold their identities, took a large amount of money, and returned to living as commoners.

Cain wanted to experience the Rohan Empire with a slightly higher status. That would give him more opportunities and allow him to shorten the amount of time he needed.

Cain asked the old man:

“Is there any chance someone will investigate the family afterward?”

The old man answered.

“There isn’t a single surviving member of the family, and the estate has no owner. If we slightly alter the family records and make you a distant relative, you should be able to live as them without any problem. How about it? If you want it, I can start working immediately.”

“Wait. I want to know which Empire the family records came from. Surely they aren’t records from the Magic Empire?”

“What do you take me for? They are the records of a Baron family from the Ashuran Principality. As you know, the entire family was ruined during the war with the Magic Empire. There are more than fifty principalities within the Holy Empire Alliance, and there are at least eighty Baron families among them. When there are too many Duke families to even count, who would pay such close attention to a fallen local Baron family? If a problem occurs, I will give you my head.”

“To be precise, this is not a first-generation noble family of the Rohan Empire.”

“If you want to be exact, it would be about a third-generation noble family.”

A first-generation noble family referred to the descendants of a noble family that had directly contributed to the founding of the Empire, or the descendants of a meritorious subject. If there was a flag bearing the family’s crest in the noble guest hall inside the Imperial Palace, that family could be considered a first-generation noble family.

A second-generation noble family referred to those who had contributed indirectly, had once been reduced to the status of commoners and later restored, or had risen in status from that of a commoner.

A third-generation noble family was a local noble family that was quite distant from central politics and, in reality, had almost no recognition.

“Hmm, that sounds fine.”

It was a tempting offer.

Cain had no particular use for the twenty thousand gold he had anyway, so he accepted the old man’s offer.

However, they agreed that Cain would pay only twenty percent of the total amount until the entire transfer of ownership was perfectly completed.

Even in a situation like this, Cain felt more at ease when the terms of a relationship were made completely clear.

5

“What? The soldiers disappeared without a trace?”

At that moment.

Duke Radian received a report from his subordinates that the soldiers responsible for patrolling the area around the former Imperial Capital of Jergard, which was now nothing but ruins, had disappeared.

Until ten years ago, Duke Radian had been one of the people responsible for the overall affairs of the Magic Empire, Jergard, along with Duke Forn and Duke Aslan.

However, after being deceived by the Holy Alliance and selling all the confidential information, Duke Radian was promised astronomical wealth, power, and glory.

Furthermore, a monument honoring him as a hero had been erected in the Grand Square of the Imperial Capital of the Rohan Empire.

This was because he had caused everything belonging to the Magic Empire, Jergard, to collapse.

Afterward, Duke Radian was given the position of Imperial Knight Commander and was also granted part of Jergard’s former territory as his domain.

However, because the Imperial Capital had been reduced to ruins, only a small military force had been stationed there for security.

And now, they had disappeared.

“Yes. No matter how much we search, we cannot find them. They did not simply leave their post, either. To be precise, the soldiers who were searching inside the Imperial Palace and the nearby mountains have disappeared. There are more than twenty of them.”

“And there isn’t even a trace?”

“We cannot even find their clothes. An attack by orcs or trolls is possible, but since we cannot find any traces at all, it is difficult to be certain.”

“What kind of absurd thing is this?”

Duke Radian looked unable to understand.

As a former knight, he could think of magic as a possible explanation, but he wondered if there could really be anyone there capable of using such black magic.

If someone had used a disappearance spell, it would be possible to leave no trace behind.

But if someone capable of doing that were still alive, the Rohan Empire would have dealt with them long ago.

Duke Radian knew this reality especially well because when he handed over the confidential information, he had also sold all the information about Jergard’s mages and knight forces.

“First, I should contact the Mage Corps and have them send an investigation team. If black mages are still alive, that would be a serious problem. We must completely wipe out every trace of Jergard.”

Duke Radian muttered.

He had now completely become a man of the Rohan Empire.

He was even using the family name that Emperor Asen IV had given him, and he was taking the lead in erasing every trace of Jergard more than anyone else.

6

Whoosh.

At the outskirts of a small territory where a desolate wind was blowing.

This was the land of the former Ashuran Principality.

Now, it was part of the territory of the Rohan Empire, which was under the Holy Empire Alliance.

However, because it was such a remote place with a small permanent population, it had only been incorporated administratively. Even the central army had not been properly dispatched there.

The soldiers protecting this place were merely the local security forces that the former Baron Adrian family had trained.

For a territory where a Baron family had once lived, it was truly an unimpressive sight.

“Is this the place?”

Cain, who had come there following the man’s guidance, muttered as he looked at the estate.

Just as the old man had said, it clearly appeared to be an ownerless estate.

After comparing the actual family records and travel documents with the forged ones, Cain found them almost identical. Even with his sharp eyes, he could hardly tell the difference.

The differences were so tiny that even after holding a magnifying glass up to them and examining them for a long time, it was difficult to notice.

Cain checked the inside of the estate and, after confirming that the transfer was complete, paid the remaining amount to the man.