Jane couldn’t believe her ears.
“What did you say? It was successful?”
She had been certain that the event would fail, so hearing that it had succeeded was beyond her imagination.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered the possibility, but she hadn’t truly thought it would happen—it was more of a precaution.
But had this absurd plan really succeeded?
Startled, she jumped to her feet. The elderly vassal, his eyes twinkling, spoke up.
“Successful? It’s not just successful—it’s a massive success! Prince Bedon started by investing 2 Billion Valus the moment it kicked off! And that’s not all? Other nobles are clamoring to invest in this tournament too!”
The word “success” fell short. Perhaps there had never been anyone in the empire’s history who achieved such business success.
Unprecedented success. Ian’s tournament had brought about such profound impacts.
“Now what are we to do? All we’re doing is boosting Ian’s momentum! Exactly! Didn’t we have plans back then? Speak up now! What do we need to do to survive?”
Her anger had turned to desperation. She longed for answers, but sadly, all Jane could do was stare at his face.
‘I never expected it to go this far….’
Jane bit her lip.
It wasn’t like she hadn’t planned anything. She had been contemplating ways to involve the Holy Land of Edenria in case Ian succeeded.
Edenria wouldn’t view the tournament favorably, and pressuring Ian using them might have been feasible.
But since Ian’s unprecedented success in the tournament, those plans had become obsolete.
Could other nations protest and dismantle a tournament supported by the prince?
‘This is a disaster….’
She had never imagined such a level of success. Naturally, she hadn’t prepared any plans for this.
Her face darkened with the anticipation of failure.
‘Is this the end….’
There was still some time left as she had anticipated. But with Ian’s momentum rising so rapidly, staying idle might threaten her life.
With resolve, Jane stood up.
“Look here! Miss Chief Maid! Say something…anyth—”
“Don’t make a racket. Shut up.”
Jane, who was suppressing the breathing of the vassal who fluttered, decided to take off the mask she was wearing.
Jane tossed aside her mask, realizing that this child’s play had reached its end.
‘I need to approach them.’
Swish!
Clad in her cloak, Jane slipped out of the room, her footsteps silent.
The body of the murdered vassal began to disappear, enveloped in magic.
***
The tournament achieved tremendous success.
The carefully selected athletes delivered top-notch performances. Nobles, captivated by their fierce battles, spared no expense.
‘Of course, that’s not the only reason.’
Many factors played into it. Oliver’s dishes made from potatoes sold like hotcakes, as did the drinks. The arena, crafted by Lia and Eri, intensified the atmosphere.
‘And that was the secret to making a lot of money.’
The heightened atmosphere gradually drew in more excitement, clouding the nobles’ judgment.
Nobles became so obsessed with predicting the winners to profit that they started using all sorts of superstitious methods.
Of course, predicting the outcome using such unreliable methods was challenging.
Consequently, many nobles lost considerable sums of money in this tournament.
‘Of course, some made a fortune too.’
Ian looked at Bedon Arcana, who was grinning.
“Haha. It’s been so long since I’ve seen such an entertaining match. It really gets the blood pumping. I was almost tempted to jump into the arena myself at the end.”
Bedon, who had initially invested a hefty sum of 2 Billion Valus, managed to predict all the winners and was now awaiting his rewards.
It’s fortunate that there were limits placed on the betting stakes. If not, they might have had to close the doors and declare bankruptcy….
Luckily, Bedon had agreed to the betting limits, and that was that.
“Congratulations. Your Highness’s insight truly seems to be the Empire’s treasure.”
Ian had personally delivered the money bag to Bedon’s room as a gesture of gratitude.
Ian politely handed over the money bag, but Bedon waved his hand, shaking his head.
“I won’t accept this money. Take it for yourself.”
“You won’t take it… What do you mean?”
“I never intended to take the money in the first place. I put up the money as a token of gratitude for making this wonderful event happen.”
“A token of gratitude?”
His words left Ian momentarily bewildered.
It was true that when Bedon started placing bets, the nobles followed suit without hesitation. But what did he mean by putting up money as a token of gratitude?
In that moment of thought, Ian recalled.
‘Come to think of it, didn’t Bedon’s prediction slips change completely from what he initially submitted?’
Initially, Bedon had bet against the losing participants.
Then, he limited his bets and switched them all to the side of the winners.
‘Was that deliberate?’
It was not something easily believed. However, Bedon’s method wasn’t entirely strange.
As someone in the prince’s position, investing in favorable nobles could lead to political exchanges.
A well-intentioned investment could also politically inconvenience those nobles.
But if money was shifted to Ian in this way, anyone could invest without arousing suspicion.
‘Well… It’s not an entirely wrong method. Changing predictions midway could have been due to anticipating that I would personally step in and create such a situation…. But still.’
Why had he chosen this method with such confidence? That was the question.
‘To use this method… one would have to know who would win, wouldn’t they?’
If it were a problem with a predetermined answer, it would be different. But combat tournaments were sports where outcomes could change with minor variables.
Even experts analyzing athletes scientifically couldn’t predict the outcome of a match.
No matter how you put it, predicting all of that and placing bets was nothing short of gambling.
Bedon smiled knowingly when he saw that Ian was questioning his actions.
“Wondering what confidence drove me to do such a thing?”
“No, Your Highness, I would never think such a thing…”
“It’s alright. Even I realize how absurd my actions were.”
Bedon chuckled and raised his right index finger to cover his eye.
“Ian… I’ve had keen eyes since I was young.”
“Eyes, you say?”
“Yeah. It’s not that I have good eyesight. My eyes can see the ebb and flow of fortunes. I saw it this time too. It showed me what choices I should make for my own benefit.”
Bedon fully utilized this ability. By intentionally causing a commotion to draw attention, he created a position where he could dominate without being noticed by other nobles.
While Ian understood Bedon’s intentions, he didn’t think it was a good method.
Placing such a large sum of 2 billion Valus could have incurred the wrath of the royal family.
“I understand your intentions, but you’ve pushed it too far. I’m worried that His Highness might be reprimanded because of this incident.”
“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve always hoped for a revival by participating in events like this. Putting up 2 Billion was to show how much I care about combat.”
Ian didn’t argue further and simply put the money back.
If he continued to worry after being told it was fine, he might end up annoying the prince.
Ian casually set the money bag on the ground.
‘It’s the same with Eri and Bedon. Everyone in the imperial family drives me crazy.’
He had thoughtlessly assumed they were wasting money, but everything had been intentional. They even possessed special abilities, as evidenced by Bedon’s unique eyes.
‘Indeed, they must be true descendants of the imperial bloodline.’
Actually, if you think about it, the people in the imperial family were all extraordinary beings.
I wonder if the sacred imperial blood really exists, because the current emperor’s children are all born with crazy talents.
The question lingered: did the sacred bloodline of the royals truly exist, given that every child of the current emperor was born with exceptional talents?
Regarding the youngest, Eonia Arcana, although Ian hadn’t seen her yet, she was likely to possess special abilities too.
‘I thought Bedon had no talent…’
Bedon was a character with little presence even in the original work, always seen being bested by Eri and saying things like ‘I can’t help it, I’m just unlucky this time.’
‘So of course I thought he was an idiot.’
But looking at it again, it was completely different. Bedon, too, proved that he possessed extraordinary abilities by being part of the royal bloodline.
His ability to read the flow of fate was truly remarkable.
Knowing this fact, Ian’s curiosity was once again piqued.
‘With such abilities, why is Bedon on the verge of death in the struggle for the throne?’
In Ian’s opinion, it was no exaggeration to say that Bedon’s ability was the best in the world.
If the flow of success and failure is visible, does that mean one never truly fails? Of course, even if Eri possesses exceptional talent. It meant nothing compared to Bedon.
‘Why waste such talent…’
Ian couldn’t fathom it at all.
Was Ian’s emotion evident in his expression? Bedon sipped his tea and smiled contentedly.
“Curious, are you? With eyes like mine, why haven’t I become the crown prince yet?”
“That’s not it.”
“Oh, come on. As they say, the expression is the mirror reflecting one’s emotions. It shows well what you think of me, doesn’t it?”
Despite potentially feeling bad, Bedon led the conversation with a smug smile.
“I’d like to tell you everything if I could. But it’s not the time yet. So, hold your words. I’ll tell you one thing.”
After straightening his attire, Bedon sipped his tea again.
“My siblings have never opposed each other, not even once. That’s still the case now. What do you think? Does that satisfy your curiosity?”
With that, Bedon rose from his seat.
“Oh, right. I looked around the Volkanov family during this event. There was something suspicious. It seems like the greed is swallowing the family. Humans tainted by greed can’t fully utilize their abilities and eventually break down. You should know what to do from here.”
The Empire earnestly wishes for the prosperity of the Volkanov family.
Leaving those words behind, Bedon slowly left the room.
Ian gazed slowly at Bedon Arcana’s departing figure. He couldn’t even bid him farewell. He just stared blankly.
Simply mulling over Bedon’s words brought about a whirlwind of thoughts.
‘Bedon and Erzebeth have never competed? Was I mistaken all this time?’
Ian thought Erzebeth and Bedon were engaged in political strife akin to a battle for the throne.
But that wasn’t the case…
‘Come to think of it, Eri has never gossiped to me about Bedon.’
Wouldn’t it be inevitable to criticize Bedon to make Ian align with her?
Yet Eri rarely mentioned Bedon negatively. Ian had simply judged Bedon independently as a bad person.
‘Was it all a misunderstanding?’
Even thinking back, Ian was astounded.
Who could have known such details were concealed?
Of course, the curiosity about Bedon still lingered. If there was no opposition, why continue the battle for the throne?
Nevertheless, Ian decided to think slowly.
He should be grateful just for learning this fact.
As he thought so, it was the moment he was about to grab his bag.
Ping!
The device in his pocket rang.
Exhaling, Ian checked the message with his money bag on the desk.
[I couldn’t say one more thing, so I had to inform you via text. There’s a gift prepared in your room. I hope you’ll use it well. Consider it a reward for showing a good match.]
– 2nd Prince Bedon Arcana
‘More than this money?’
Upon reading the message, Ian grabbed his bag and rushed to his room as if mad.
No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t understand the extent of the 2nd Prince.
From wagering 2 billion Valus to the bombshell of never having opposed Eri, now he’s giving a new gift?
He didn’t predict what it could be. Instead of pondering, it would be easier to see what Bedon had prepared.
“Huh.”
Ian grabbed the doorknob, took a deep breath, and steeled himself.
Click!
He forcefully swung open the closed door.
Simultaneously, he couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘Bedon is insane!’
– Wow… Ian, what on earth is this?
Ian’s eyes were filled with bewilderment as he looked at Bedon’s gift placed in the room.
