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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 58
A bold and beautiful woman.
It was the face of Ruina, one Chris knew well.
‘Of course I do. We had quite the connection in my past life.’
Originally, the fact that Ruina from the Alliance and Rubid from the Magus world were the same person was a closely guarded secret.
Considering the relationship between the two powers, it was only natural.
Even Chris didn’t find out that the two were the same person until midway through the Age of Ruins.
“Because I’m a genius.”
“…What did you say?”
“You’re probably well-informed, haven’t you heard? That I’m a once-in-a-millennium genius.”
Chris spoke in an irritatingly smug tone.
“The artifact’s disguise effect was a bit sloppy, so I saw through it. Once I pierced the disguise and saw the real face, it matched that of Ruina, the merchant from the Alliance.”
“Th-that’s absurd…! There’s no way something like that is possible!”
Ruina cried out in disbelief.
It was only natural.
What she used to hide her appearance was a sacred relic called Mask of a Thousand Faces.
This artifact, imbued with the power of a Constellation, possessed an absolute power that prevented anyone—no matter how high their level—from seeing through its disguise.
Of course, Chris hadn’t actually seen through it, but he lied with a straight face.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a genius. What else can I do when it’s so obvious?”
“……”
Ruina firmly shut her mouth.
In any case, the reason didn’t matter now.
“…What do you plan to do with me?”
“Well, I do think it’d be fun to tell everyone about it.”
“You’ll regret it.”
Ruina’s gaze turned cold.
Ruina was an ordinary human.
But she seemed to have something to rely on.
‘She’s probably armed to the teeth with relics.’
The Rudolph Company runs an auction house.
So does the Dear Company.
Since they handle all sorts of treasures from the shadows of the world, she would have plenty of self-defense relics on her.
If she used an artifact with some outlandish power, even Chris would have a hard time.
“I told you, didn’t I? You’ll regret it if you pull something out.”
“!!”
“You’ll die.”
Ruina gritted her teeth.
She stared into Chris’s eyes, torn with inner conflict.
‘Just what is he…’
She had heard the rumors.
That the mad dog of the Dark Demonic House had recently changed and started showing remarkable talent.
That he might be worth keeping an eye on going forward.
But in the end, he was still only 3-star..
Considering his age, it was an impressive achievement—but there was no way he could withstand the power of the relic she was holding.
Then why couldn't she ignore the warning from that arrogant bastard?
The moment she pulled out a relic, it felt like something irreversible would happen.
In the end, she decided to follow her instincts.
More than anything—
“Please, let’s not play games.”
“Hm?”
“You’re not planning to reveal my identity anyway, are you?”
“And what makes you say that?”
“If you were going to, you wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble just to meet with me. You must want something from me, don’t you?”
Ruina spoke calmly, her face more composed.
“As long as there’s something you want from me, you can’t just crush me recklessly.”
Chris whistled inwardly.
As expected of Ruina.
Not easy to deal with—just like the woman who once stabbed him in the back.
In truth, he couldn’t bring down the Rudolph Company.
‘It’s not easy to find another sucker like this.’
There were plenty of rich merchant guilds.
But the only one that moved between the Alliance and the Magus world and built such an enormous intelligence network was Ruina’s.
Not to mention her knack for securing countless treasures through a massive underground auction house.
For his future plans, the power of Ruina’s guild was absolutely necessary.
‘The problem is, she’s not someone you can easily make a sucker out of.’
But just because it was difficult didn’t mean it was impossible.
He knew Ruina’s weak spot.
[How long are you planning to bleed me dry?!]
Recalling Ruina’s cry echoing like a memory, Chris grinned.
“Yeah, I want something from you.”
“What is it?”
“Money.”
“…What?”
“And the many treasures you possess.”
A look of disbelief spread across Ruina’s face.
As if saying—Did this lunatic just ask a merchant for money and treasures?
“What’ll you do if I don’t comply?”
“Well, I’m not planning to threaten you. What I want is a deal. I’ll offer compensation.”
“What kind of compensation?”
Chris pointed to himself.
“A chance to offer your money to me.”
“…What?”
“In return, I’ll be your backing.”
“……”
Ruina went silent.
‘…What the hell is this lunatic?’
It was an honest sentiment.
Of course, it’s not uncommon for those in power to take bribes from merchants and act as their backers.
Ruina herself was connected to all sorts of powerful figures.
But Christian wasn’t in any position to offer that kind of backing.
So he really is a fool. Can’t even judge the situation properly.
She tried to appease him with the gentlest words possible.
“I’m sorry, but I already have many excellent patrons supporting me. If it’s money you need, I can give you some—no strings attached…”
She was essentially telling him to take some pocket money and go away, but then Chris said something unexpected.
“Out of all those patrons, I doubt any of them can save your guild.”
Ruina’s face hardened instantly.
“What do you mean by that?”
“As a merchant, you should know. The political climate of the continent is looking unstable. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before war breaks out.”
“……”
“The Magus side will fight among themselves, the Alliance will do the same. And in the end, there will be a full-scale war between the Magus Empire and the Alliance.”
It was something that would truly happen.
The result? Catastrophe.
And as someone with influence in both factions, Ruina had already started sensing the signs.
“When that war breaks out, it’ll be obvious what’ll happen to your guild.”
Ruina had branches in both the Alliance and the Magus side, trading between them and raking in enormous profits.
Her main trade goods were precious metals and rare treasures.
Sending the Alliance’s treasures to the Magus side—
And the Magus Empire’s treasures to the Alliance—she built her wealth this way.
But the moment war breaks out, that trade will be cut off completely.
No, that’s not even the real problem.
If she wasn’t careful, she’d be branded an enemy by both sides, have her guild’s assets confiscated, and be burned at the stake.
“…That’s an exaggeration.”
“Exaggeration? You know the atmosphere in the Four Kings Fortress. Funny how optimistic you are. This is about your life and your entire fortune, and you’re this relaxed?”
Ruina went silent for a moment.
The Four Kings Fortress—home to the Blood Sword, Death Spirits, and Cursed Demonic Families all gathered in one place.
She knew it was a powder keg ready to explode at any moment.
“In this situation, there’s only one thing you can do to prepare. As soon as possible, you’ll need to shut down your guild in either the Alliance or the Magus side, and erase all traces of connection between them. If you do that, even if war breaks out, you can avoid the worst-case scenario.”
“……”
Ruina didn’t respond.
Doing something like that would mean a loss she couldn’t even begin to quantify.
It was absolutely out of the question.
In the original history too, she never gave up on either side and walked a tightrope with her life on the line until the very end.
Even though being exposed on either side would mean immediate execution by fire, she never gave up.
Why?
Because she was an extreme money-chaser.
Her obsession with money was so deep that she’d rather die than suffer a financial loss.
And that—was exactly the weakness Chris was targeting.
“If you don’t like it, there’s only one option—stop the war.”
Chris began laying out his pitch.
“…Are you saying you can stop the war?”
“That’s right. It’s possible.”
“…How exactly?”
Ruina scoffed as she asked, but Chris answered plainly.
“We just have to stop the clash between our Dark Demonic House and the Venomous Demonic House.”
“!!”
“If our Southern Magus Kingdom stands firm, the Four Kings Fortress won’t dare start a war.”
Ruina’s expression shifted.
She was a merchant deeply versed in international affairs.
She understood what Chris meant.
And his words had merit.
If the Four Kings Fortress wants to wage war on the Alliance, they’ll need the cooperation of the Southern Magus Kingdom where the Dark Demonic House resides.
That’s why, in the original history, before the war with the Alliance, the Four Kings Fortress—led by the Blood-Drenched Demon King—subjugated the Southern Magus Kingdom.
Weakened after a series of upcoming crises, the Southern Magus Kingdom was unable to withstand the invasion and crumbled without resistance.
And that led to the First Great War with the Alliance.
“You’ve probably heard about the relic war between our house and the Venomous Demonic House, haven’t you?”
“I have. But I heard both houses agreed to limit their forces to avoid a full-scale conflict…”
“You believe that? How naive. There will be bloodshed. A lot of it. And this event will be the decisive trigger that drives a wedge between the two houses.”
“……”
“I want to prevent that rift between our houses. I plan to resolve this relic conflict without any casualties. If our two houses end up shedding blood, it’ll give the Four Kings Fortress the perfect excuse to start a war.”
“Then what do you mean by saying you need money and treasures?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. To prevent the disaster at this relic war, I need to make preparations—and for that, I need money and treasures.”
Chris said,
“So I ask you—do you intend to sponsor me?”
“……”
Ruina’s face twisted in deep thought.
Honestly, it was all just a possibility.
Whether this incident would really trigger a conflict between the Dark and Venomous Demonic Houses—
Whether it would truly give the Four Kings Fortress justification to start a war—
And whether that would actually lead to a war between the Magus side and the Alliance—
She still believed that probably wouldn’t happen.
—Funny how optimistic you are. This is about your life and your entire fortune, and you’re this relaxed?
But if events really unfolded just as that young master said—
The problem was that the chance wasn’t zero.
In the worst-case scenario, she could lose everything.
No!! Do you know how hard I worked for that money?
Imagining a war that would shut down trade, the confiscation of all her assets,
Ruina’s vision went dark.
She wasn’t afraid of being burned at the stake, branded a traitor by both sides.
But the thought of losing her wealth—was absolutely unbearable.
‘Well, it’s obvious what choice she’ll make.’
Chris waited for her answer with a relaxed heart.
It had been a similar situation in the past.
Chris had once led a massive organization. Back then, the one who funded him was Ruina.
Why?
To protect her own money.
The reason she became the purse-holder and sponsor for the Hero’s party was the same.
Because she loved money so much, she had no choice but to support them generously just to protect it.
This time was no different.
There was no way someone with her obsessive attachment to money could ignore Chris’s warning.
In the end,
“…Is there truly such a risk in this relic conflict?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Ruina let out a deep sigh.
“…Understood. I’ll follow your lead, young master.”
Chris smirked.
“Smart choice. But it’s going to be a bit pricey.”
“Pricey?”
“There are things we need to prepare—and none of them come cheap.”
“…How much are we talking about?”
“I don’t know the exact cost myself. I’ll just tell you what items we need.”
Chris listed off the preparations.
With each item, Ruina’s face turned paler and paler—
Until finally, she let out a short scream.
“Are you insane?”
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[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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