Episode 103
At the edge of Guild City, the night sea shimmered under the pale starlight, its waves gently lapping against the shore.
This was the port city of Cambio, the empire’s largest trading hub, nestled against the southern seas of the continent.
Arte del Cambio.
A major guild responsible for currency exchange and finance, it was home to the ‘City Master,’ who oversaw the seven cities and their guilds. In this city, the ugliest of desires writhed beneath the surface.
The Beast Parade.
Not a metaphor, but a literal gathering of people donning masks of pigs, birds, horses, and cows. Like a carnival, they wore elaborate masks and reveled in a lavish party that rivaled even the imperial capital’s grandeur.
Dale was no exception.
He wore a white mask reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera, his shadowy cloak disguised as a black robe to conceal his identity.
On the day the continent’s largest black market opened.
Amidst the masquerade of beasts, Dale turned his head.
True to its name, the market was filled with countless goods.
Like a department store’s glass display cases.
Items not valuable enough for auction but perfect for spicing up the black market. From living beings to rare artifacts adventurers risked their lives to retrieve from labyrinths. Treasures worth more than a minor noble’s entire estate were mere trinkets here.
A golden battlefield where even the empire’s greatest nobles dared not tread without bleeding.
“Ladies and gentlemen…”
A man spoke.
“And the puppets of ladies and gentlemen.”
His mouth twisted into a crescent moon-like grin.
He wore the mask of the “Laughing Man.”
One of the seven guild masters, representing the other six guilds and the seven cities.
“Welcome to our guild city’s pride, the ‘Black Market.’”
The pinnacle of Guild City. The City Master finally revealed himself.
“We’ll start the bidding at three black chips.”
“Four.”
“Five.”
“Seven!”
“Ah, we have seven, seven chips!”
The City Master raised his voice with delight, his mouth twisted into a crescent moon-like grin beneath the “Laughing Man” mask.
For the continent’s largest black market, the numbers they shouted seemed absurdly small. Yet each chip they bid carried the weight of a fortune.
In a way, it was not unlike casino chips.
There were goods, values were assigned, and ownership was determined. That was all.
One item sold, and the next appeared. People eagerly bid their chips, and the next item went to the one who offered seven chips.
None of it piqued Dale’s interest.
The night was still long.
Feeling the weight of the ‘hundreds of black chips’ hidden in his robe, he turned away.
Leaving behind the shadowy court’s agents, seamlessly blending into the masquerade of beasts.
“One hundred.”
A man spoke, and silence fell over the room. The City Master’s applause broke the quiet.
“An excellent decision.”
The number of proxies was rapidly dwindling.
After bidding their chips, they would settle the payment through the ‘Cambio Guild’ branches scattered across the continent.
Promissory notes.
In other words, they would receive the goods not here, but after the payment was made. Guild City wasn’t foolish enough to gather expensive goods and treasures in one place.
After exhausting their chips, the noble proxies began to disappear from the room one by one. Yet some remained, unmoving.
Led by the ‘Black Prince’ of the Sachsen family, the empire’s proxy Ray Yuris, Duke Lancaster’s Mikhail, and others whose identities were hidden behind masks.
But amidst the endless stream of goods, their numbers steadily dwindled, and nothing managed to stir Dale or the Black Duke’s greed.
Were they planning to keep their cards hidden until the very end? It didn’t matter. Amidst the throbbing pain, Dale moved his shadowy prosthetic hand and thought.
“It’s about time.”
Around then, the City Master continued, his voice a mysterious murmur.
The final item.
”……!”
Dale’s expression, no, everyone’s expression froze in shock.
At that moment.
The night sea churned under the heavy darkness. Leaving the oppressive silence behind, several boats cut through the water and reached the shore. Shadows moved swiftly.
On the walls of the port city ‘Cambio,’ siege hooks silently latched on. Shadows raced up the stone walls.
Swish!
A blade descended upon a guard stationed at a watchtower.
“Gah, urgh…!”
Blood gushed from the severed neck, and a voice that couldn’t form words seeped out. The guards meant to protect the watchtower fell without resistance.
Shortly after.
Beyond the pitch-black horizon, massive silhouettes began to emerge one by one. The bows of ships cut through the water, revealing their imposing presence, sails billowing in the night breeze.
On the sails was the emblem of a skull and crossed femurs.
The Jolly Roger.
In this world, that symbol meant only one thing. It was the crest of the Barbarossa family, one of the empire’s ‘Three Great Ducal Houses,’ alongside the Sachsen and Lancaster families.
Rulers of the Death Sea Archipelago, commanding an invincible fleet.
Clank!
The ships dropped their anchor lines, and anchors plunged into the sea. The strongest fleet led by ‘Drowned Duke’ Francis Barbarossa.
Like sea monsters rising from the depths, the silent fleet slowly came to a halt on land.
But there were no watchmen left to report their landing or raise the beacon.
“City Master!”
A crude noise shattered the silence within the black market, which should have been impenetrable. A soldier, unable to hide his shock, rushed in and urgently shouted to the City Master and the guild masters.
“The fleet of Drowned Duke Barbarossa is landing around the city!”
”……!”
Attacking the black market. They couldn’t be unaware of the weight of such an act.
It wasn’t just turning Guild City into an enemy. It was akin to opposing the imperial family, the emperor, the Red Tower representing the empire, the two ducal houses, and countless great nobles.
It was literally like turning the world into an enemy.
Yet no one in the black market dared to be swayed by that fact.
Not the seven guild masters, nor the proxies present.
“So, what price shall we start the bidding for this item?”
The City Master spoke.
Without a hint of hesitation, he looked directly at Dale.
The claim that Guild City had something the Black Duke coveted was true.
No, it wasn’t just the Black Duke. Who in the empire wouldn’t feel greed for this item? It wasn’t the time to worry about a lost arm from the fight club. Even if he lost an arm forever, it wouldn’t change anything.
“I can’t even begin to estimate its value.”
”…What do you want?”
Finally, after a long silence, Dale spoke.
“How did you get your hands on it?”
He threw the “Phantom of the Opera” mask to the ground.
“Trade secret.”
The City Master smiled slyly from behind the “Laughing Man” mask.
“Why not keep it for yourself instead of handing it over to us?”
“Because I don’t need it.”
The City Master replied.
“Having it doesn’t benefit me in any way.”
“Is that what you call an answer?”
“Then let me rephrase.”
The City Master continued.
“What difference does it make if it’s in our Guild City’s hands?”
As if he couldn’t understand.
“With Dale threatening the Guild Master of Calimala, taking control of the Shadow Court… Ray intimidating the Guild Master of Lana, and Mikhail recruiting Santiago…”
”……!”
Detailing the intrigues unfolding in Guild City.
The six guild masters couldn’t hide their dismay, and even Dale couldn’t maintain his poker face when the Shadow Court was mentioned.
“Damn it.”
Even Master Baro and the men in bird masks guarding the black market weren’t exceptions.
“What difference does it make to the future of this city, where the bonds are breaking as it becomes a battleground for the strong?”
And then it happened.
Boom!
At the entrance of the black market, a place that demanded the utmost secrecy, a commotion erupted. Leading the charge was Master Baro, with the elite members of the “Shadow Court” readying their weapons.
These were the strongest protectors of Guild City, tasked with safeguarding the black market frequented by the Empire’s VVIPs.
Footsteps echoed in the distance.
“Please, there’s no need to worry.”
A voice accompanied the sound of approaching shoes.
“No matter what, I’m not foolish enough to hand ‘it’ over to the Empire.”
The City Master continued.
“From the start, there were only two people worthy of this item.”
Two people.
“Jaxen and Lancaster.”
He named two of the three great dukes of the Empire.
“And I have no doubt that Prince Dale is the most suitable to possess this item.”
”…”
“After witnessing your prowess in the fight club, I was finally convinced.”
“Convinced of what?”
“That you are a genius, hailed as the Empire’s greatest talent in both swordsmanship and magic.”
The City Master spoke.
“Moreover, despite overwhelming odds, you have the guts and insight to read your opponent’s mind and take calculated risks.”
”…”
“Prince Dale, you have the ‘qualifications.’”
“What qualifications are you talking about?”
“The qualifications to take hold of this world.”
”…!”
From the beginning, this was never an auction. It was a test.
A test to determine who was worthy of claiming ‘it’ through victory in the fight club.
To find the one who would emerge victorious among the Empire’s most talented geniuses.
“The balance of power that sustains the Empire will tip, order will crumble, and many things will change.”
Yet, one thing remained unclear. What exactly was the City Master aiming for?
The footsteps grew closer.
Bang!
Finally, the ironclad entrance of the black market shattered, revealing a man.
A man who looked like a drowned rat.
The moment one of the high-ranking assassins of the “Shadow Court” saw him, he sprang into action, reversing his grip on his sword.
“You idiot, stop right there!”
At the same time, Master Baro shouted in shock.
The assassin’s body froze in place.
A bubbling sound, like something boiling, filled the air.
The assassin, who should have been charging at the man, was stuck, unable to move.
“Gah, gah… gah!”
Simultaneously, he began to ‘sink’ as if submerged in water, flailing in the empty air. The marble floor beneath him seemed to transform into the ocean.
“Now, let me introduce the item.”
With the mask of “The Laughing Man” behind him, the City Master spoke.
In the presence of Jaxen, Lancaster, and Barbarossa.
“One of the Empire’s three great dukes, the Drowned Duke Francis Barbarossa.”
”…”
“We will begin the auction for a black chip and the box containing the Drowned Duke’s heart.”
The box containing the Drowned Duke’s heart.
A legendary tale from the days when Barbarossa was known as the Pirate Duke, who made a pact with the sea’s ‘devil’ to gain immortality, hiding his heart in an obsidian box at the ocean’s depths.
And the fact that the Drowned Duke himself had brought his entire fleet to this place.
This alone was undeniable proof of the City Master’s words.
In other words, the final item up for auction at the black market signified only one thing.
Whoever claimed it would hold the life of one of the Empire’s three great dukes… the Drowned Duke.