...
{3rd Pov}
Anastasia was an orphan. She never knew the warmth and care of a mother, nor did she ever experience the protection or guidance of a father.
From a very young age, she had to fend for herself, growing up in the filthy slums of Banan, where every day was a struggle just to survive.
Perhaps it was during those harsh years, watching from the sidelines as other people enjoyed comfortable lives—eating well, dressing well, and living without fear—that a deep, unshakable greed began to take root inside her.
She didn't want to keep eating stale, rock-hard bread that had to be soaked in water just to be chewable.
She didn't want to keep wearing tattered rags that barely covered her body. She didn't want to keep treating her injuries by simply rubbing dirt over them.
She was tired of being seen as something filthy and worthless whenever she walked down the street.
She wanted to eat freshly baked bread that was still warm and soft to the touch. She wanted to indulge in rice dishes served alongside the rich and varied delicacies of Kararagi cuisine.
She wanted to wear clean, well-made clothes instead of scavenged scraps.
She dreamed of lying down every night on a soft, clean mattress instead of curling up on the cold, hard ground.
She wished that if she ever got so much as a scratch, she could apply proper medicine—or even hire a healer—to take care of it.
But she knew that for someone like her, a so-called "slum rat," these were nothing but distant, unreachable dreams.
One day, when she was still young and far too naïve, she saw two demi-humans being dragged away to be sold as slaves.
The sight filled her with outrage and pity.
Acting on impulse and without thinking of the consequences, she threw herself into danger in an attempt to save them.
But her reckless actions nearly got her captured and sold as a slave herself. It was only thanks to Ricardo, who stepped in and saved her, that she avoided that fate.
After that incident, Anastasia and Ricardo got to know each other and gradually became friends.
When she eventually learned that Ricardo himself was a slave, she made a promise to him—that one day she would remove his slave collar.
Ricardo didn't take her words seriously back then. But impressed by her determination, as well as aware of her complete lack of income, he decided to introduce her to work at a local bar.
After working at the bar for several months, Anastasia caught the attention of Chuden Agri, who offered her a position at the company where he was employed.
Around the same time, Ricardo's slave collar was replaced with one that had no control crystal—meaning that while he still wore it, it was purely for appearances and he was no longer under actual control.
However, a few months later, Anastasia was kidnapped by a rival company that planned to sell her as a slave.
During her time locked in a cell, she met Mimi and Hetaro. Using their Divine Protection of Trisection, she managed to send a message to Tivey, who in turn contacted Ricardo.
Thanks to their efforts, Anastasia and the others were rescued.
Afterward, she went to the adoptive parents of Mimi, Hetaro, and Tivey, asking for the siblings to be entrusted to her care—and in the end, she succeeded in bringing them to her side.
Sometime later, through pure chance, Anastasia encountered Eridna—also known as Echidna. The two grew close, and Eridna became one of Anastasia's greatest secrets and her most powerful trump card.
Eridna soon discovered that Anastasia's gate was defective, meaning she was fated to die an early death. However, with Eridna's help, not only could Anastasia use magic despite her condition, but Eridna could also absorb her excess mana, greatly prolonging her life.
From that point on, nine years passed.
During those years, Anastasia fully unleashed her natural talent as a merchant. With her cunning, sharp instincts, and relentless ambition, she amassed an enormous fortune—enough for her to be counted among the extremely wealthy.
Eventually, she even acquired the parent company of Chuden's old employer and renamed it the Hoshin Company.
But on her path to success, she abandoned many of the morals she may have once had.
She began to see nearly everyone around her purely in terms of their usefulness.
If a person had something to offer that could advance her business, she would use them.
Once they were no longer useful, she would quietly discard them without hesitation.
She deliberately plotted against her competitors, systematically dismantling and destroying their businesses.
Her rise to wealth and influence was built on a foundation of blood and the sacrifices of others.
The only exceptions were the rare few individuals she deemed valuable enough to be considered true friends.
To them, she showed loyalty.
To everyone else, she was calculating and detached.
That said, she did have one gesture that could be considered charitable: she improved the lives of many orphans by offering them jobs in her company.
While this might seem like an act of kindness, it was also practical—by working for her, these children would gain skills they could use anywhere in the world, even if they were later fired for incompetence.
However, Anastasia forgot—or perhaps deliberately ignored—the fact that many of the slaves she passed by with lifeless eyes had once been just like her: poor, desperate, and powerless.
She had been lucky enough to survive and climb her way to the top, but they hadn't. And as her wealth and influence grew, so did her arrogance.
Eventually, Anastasia made the decision to expand her business operations into Lugunica.
It was during this period that she met Julius Juukulius, and through a series of events, she discovered something extraordinary—she was actually a Dragon Candidate.
This revelation presented her with an opportunity that she had never even imagined before.
If she could become queen, not only would she gain supreme authority over the nation, but she might also, through the Divine Dragon's blessing, find a way to heal her defective gate in the future.
For someone like her—ambitious, driven, and always chasing more—it was the perfect chance.
She did not hesitate for long before deciding to participate in the Royal Selection.
She was greedy. She wasn't satisfied with riches, influence, or a powerful company. She wanted more—she wanted an entire nation under her control.
She had already envisioned her plans in detail: once she was crowned queen, she would gradually and methodically eliminate every single one of her commercial rivals in Lugunica, using the legal and political powers of the throne itself to crush them.
In her vision, there would come a time when hers would be the only major commercial company operating in the country. That would make her the richest, most influential person in all of Lugunica without question.
Julius, upon hearing her story of rising from an orphan in the slums to becoming one of the wealthiest individuals in Kararagi, was deeply impressed.
He was drawn to her determination and resourcefulness, and without hesitation, he pledged his loyalty to her cause.
Time passed, and the day finally came when the Royal Selection began.
There were five candidates in total. However, Anastasia only saw one of them as a real threat—Crusch Karsten.
The others, in her view, were far from serious competition.
There was Emilia, a silver-haired half-elf whose appearance alone—so similar to the feared Witch of Envy—made her an easy target for prejudice.
In Anastasia's opinion, Emilia's chances of winning were close to zero simply because of how the people of Lugunica would view her.
Then there was Priscilla Barielle.
While Priscilla was haughty, arrogant, and self-assured, she lacked the vast resources and strategic planning that Anastasia possessed, making her an overconfident but ultimately beatable opponent.
Then there was Felt.
Anastasia's feelings toward her were somewhat complicated.
Like herself, Felt came from the slums.
But when Anastasia learned that Felt had resorted to becoming a thief in order to survive, she felt nothing but disappointment.
In her eyes, that was a sign of weakness and lack of vision.
Felt's only advantage came from her association with Reinhardt van Astrea; without him, Anastasia thought, a mere "slum rat" like her wouldn't stand a chance in the competition.
Crusch, however, was different.
Crusch Karsten was a duchess with enormous political influence, a well-trained and powerful military force at her disposal, and a strong reputation for intelligence, competent governance, and strategic brilliance.
Her greatest achievement—repelling the Great Rabbit while keeping casualties to a minimum—had only strengthened her already impressive reputation.
Anastasia knew that among all the candidates, Crusch was the one she needed to keep the closest eye on.
Using her extensive information network, Anastasia monitored Crusch's activities.
When she noticed unusual military mobilizations and an increase in weapon purchases from Crusch's duchy, she grew suspicious.
She intensified her information gathering, probing deeper into what Crusch was planning.
Eventually, Anastasia received word—through an undisclosed source—that Crusch was preparing to hunt the White Whale.
This intelligence was reinforced by news that Wilhelm van Astrea had joined Crusch's camp after being detained for requesting a military operation against the beast.
Putting the pieces together, Anastasia concluded that this was indeed Crusch's objective.
The problem was, if Crusch succeeded in killing the White Whale, she would gain an enormous boost in prestige, one that could put her far ahead of all the other candidates in the Royal Selection.
Anastasia weighed her options.
Should she try to sabotage Crusch's plans? In the end, she decided against it. It would be too ruthless, even by her standards, and she knew her own people would strongly object to such an act.
Instead, she chose what she believed was the next best course of action—forming an alliance. Working together with Russell Fellow, a merchant to whom she had previously offered a highly favorable deal, Anastasia approached Crusch with a proposal.
She emphasized the White Whale's formidable power and explained how valuable her own resources could be in the subjugation effort, including the skills of her knight Julius and the combat capabilities of the Iron Fang mercenary group.
After negotiations, they reached an agreement, and Anastasia provided both monetary aid and logistical support to the expedition.
The key issue was determining the White Whale's location. Without that, all their preparations would be meaningless.
Fortunately, there was a lead: the White Whale was known to roam within areas shrouded by Dragon Mist, a thick fog that appeared in various parts of the world. Its movements were generally limited to these mist-covered regions.
One such Dragon Mist had recently manifested near Flugel's Tree.
Whether the White Whale would appear there, however, was uncertain—months had already passed without a single confirmed sighting.
This long absence was part of the reason Wilhelm had grown increasingly restless.
When he first learned about the new Dragon Mist, he had seen it as a rare opportunity to confront the creature that had haunted him for years, which led to his heated argument with the Wise Men over mobilizing forces.
Then, one night, a merchant arrived in a panic, clearly shaken and out of breath. He brought urgent news: the White Whale had been spotted.
Without wasting a moment, the alliance forces mobilized under Crusch Karsten's leadership and set out toward the location.
Anastasia, being a non-combatant, remained behind. She waited in the capital, silently anticipating the outcome.
She had full confidence in the combined might of the assembled force—elite soldiers, skilled magicians, magic cannons, the Sword Demon whose skill rivaled that of the former Sword Saint, the greatest healer known as Blue, her own Iron Fang mercenaries, and of course, Julius.
Above all, she trusted in Crusch's leadership, which had already been proven in her past victory against the Great Rabbit.
That night, Anastasia could not sleep.
She stayed awake, holding her metia close, waiting for word of their success.
Hours passed, but no news came.
Finally, at dawn, her metia lit up.
The mirror-like surface shimmered, and the image of Julius appeared.
But the moment she saw his face, she knew something was wrong.
His expression was grim, and an uneasy feeling began to rise in her chest as she prepared to hear what he had to say.
With a nervous smile that she tried to force onto her face, Anastasia asked, "Julius, what happened? Was the White Whale slain?" Her tone carried a mixture of hope and unease.
But Julius did not answer right away. Instead, he bit his lip, his head lowering until his chin nearly touched his chest.
His eyes refused to meet hers, and when he finally spoke, his voice was trembling.
"No."
The single word hung in the air, almost unreal. Anastasia stared at him, unable to believe what she had just heard.
For a moment, she even wondered if she had misheard him entirely, that perhaps her mind had played a cruel trick on her.
But the truth sank in almost immediately. It was as if all the strength and life drained out of her body in an instant.
She collapsed back onto the sofa, her shoulders sagging and her expression blank.
For the first time in years, one of her investments had failed—but this time, it wasn't a financial investment in goods or companies.
This time, her investment had been in people—people she trusted, people she valued, people she considered her own.
The following hours brought more devastating news.
She learned of Ricardo's death, as well as Wilhelm's sacrifice.
Anastasia tried to hold herself together.
She tried to remain composed, the way she always had in business.
She told herself to be strong.
But in the end, the tears came anyway.
She cried because Ricardo was gone—a man she had considered a friend, one of the few she regarded as part of her family.
Mimi, Tivey, and Hetaro wept as well. Julius stood nearby, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white.
He bowed his head and begged her for forgiveness, his voice heavy with guilt.
"Stand up… It wasn't your fault, Julius," she told him, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
But in her mind, her thoughts told a different story. 'The fault was mine. I was too greedy, too ambitious, and too arrogant to even consider the possibility of defeat.'
She knew full well that in this kind of battle, anyone could die—even Mimi, Tivey, Hetaro, and Ricardo. Even if they had won, there was no guarantee all of them would have returned alive.
'Then why did I agree so easily?' she asked herself silently.
'Just because I couldn't imagine anyone surpassing me? Did I gamble the lives of my family for fame, for connections, for money, for glory?'
Her thoughts stirred Eridna, who spoke gently in her mind.
'Anastasia, it wasn't your fault.'
'No, Eridna,' she replied. 'Tell me—when did I become like this? When did I become a heartless monster who only sees people for the benefit they bring?'
To that, the spirit said nothing.
The aftermath of the failed operation hit hard.
Anastasia's reputation took a sharp blow.
The only small relief was that Crusch had suffered an even greater setback than she had, which ironically placed Anastasia in the position of being the leading candidate in the Royal Selection.
But that left her with another decision to make—should she try to stop Reinhardt from taking action and avenging Ricardo, or should she let him go after the White Whale?
In the end, she gave in to her usual reasoning—her greed.
She convinced herself that if the White Whale was going to die by Reinhardt's hand, it didn't matter if that happened now or later.
For the moment, her priority was clear: she would focus entirely on becoming the Queen of Lugunica.
Once she had an entire nation's military resources at her command, the White Whale would have nowhere to hide.
Eridna, her closest companion, found nothing wrong with this logic.
In fact, she encouraged it, assuring Anastasia that this was exactly the kind of decision Ricardo would have wanted.
Anastasia did not stop to consider that Eridna was an artificial spirit created by Echidna, and expecting her to have a humane perspective was foolish.
Eridna operated entirely on her own form of cold, calculated reasoning.
A year passed.
During that time, Anastasia quietly rebuilt her connections, expanded her business influence, and solidified her trading operations in Lugunica.
Her life settled into a predictable routine—until a letter arrived from Roswaal, the eccentric sponsor of candidate Emilia.
The letter invited not only her, but all of the Royal Selection candidates, to the Water City of Priestella for the purpose of forming an alliance.
At first, Anastasia considered the idea absurd.
But as she analyzed the possible outcomes, she realized she couldn't risk the other candidates forming alliances without her—especially not Crusch, who had once requested the Wise Men to mobilize Reinhardt in the past.
That alone made Anastasia wary.
After weighing the pros and cons, she decided to attend.
If she could form beneficial alliances herself, she would.
If not, she would at least be present to prevent any dangerous partnerships from forming—particularly between the camps of Crusch and Felt, or any other combination that could threaten her position.
She booked a hotel in Priestella with a Kararagi-inspired theme, ensuring that the accommodations would be both comfortable and serve as a subtle reminder of her origins.
One by one, the other candidates arrived.
Crusch came first, followed by Felt.
Even Priscilla showed up—despite not having been invited to the meeting at all.
For a moment, Anastasia suspected that Roswaal had lied about only inviting three Royal Candidates.
But when Priscilla revealed she had arrived purely because she had heard rumors of the gathering, Anastasia's concerns eased.
Soon after, they received a message stating that the Emilia camp would be delayed due to unforeseen problems and would arrive in a few days.
Anastasia thought little of it at first.
But when the Sin Archbishops attacked Priestella not long after, she began to feel a creeping suspicion that something far more complicated was happening.
However, Anastasia forced herself to put her suspicions aside and focus entirely on the immediate crisis at hand.
There was no point in getting lost in speculation when the situation in Priestella was already spiraling out of control.
After some tense discussions, she managed to form a temporary alliance with the other two Royal Candidates who were present, and together they drew up a plan of action.
Reinhardt would personally take on the task of rescuing Felt, who had been kidnapped by the Sin Archbishop of Greed.
This was no minor threat—Greed had a reputation for leveling entire cities and had even killed the infamous Vollachian warrior, Kurgan, a man known for his unparalleled combat ability.
Priscilla was assigned to deal with the Sin Archbishop of Wrath.
Crusch, alongside the healer Blue and her knight Julius, would confront the Sin Archbishop of Lust.
Finally, Anastasia's own Iron Fang mercenaries were tasked with engaging the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony.
Once the plan was set into motion, Anastasia took her position at the mansion they were using as a base of operations.
From there, she commanded the Iron Fang through her metia, keeping constant contact and issuing orders as the battle unfolded.
When the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony arrived on the battlefield, the Iron Fang met him head-on. At first, they were able to push him back, overwhelming him with coordinated strikes.
For a brief and hopeful moment, it seemed like they might actually overpower him—until the impossible happened.
A second Sin Archbishop of Gluttony appeared.
The sight froze Anastasia in place.
Up until this point, everyone had believed that there was only one Sin Archbishop assigned to each deadly "Sin." But this new arrival shattered that assumption completely.
'Multiple Archbishops for the same Sin?' The thought made her stomach twist.
Her expression turned pale as she realized the horrifying implications.
Before she could fully process the situation, one of the Gluttonies acted.
The Archbishop did… something.
Anastasia wasn't even sure what had happened.
It was as though a piece of her mind had suddenly gone blank.
She had the unsettling sensation that she had forgotten someone important, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall who it was.
Even thinking about it left her grasping at nothing, as if her memories had been quietly stolen away.
While the first Gluttony kept the Iron Fang occupied, the second one somehow managed to locate her position.
Anastasia's eyes widened in shock—she had taken great care to remain hidden and secure, so how had they managed to track her down?
Before she could react further, Eridna suddenly took control of her body, moving with a speed and precision that Anastasia herself could never match.
The artificial spirit directly engaged the approaching Sin Archbishop in combat.
The clash was fast, fierce, and unlike anything Anastasia had ever experienced firsthand through Eridna's senses.
Then, just as abruptly as it had begun, the Sin Archbishop let out a grotesque burp, as though savoring some twisted victory.
He wore a satisfied grin, his expression radiating an unsettling sense of triumph.
Without another word, he retreated, leaving Anastasia momentarily stunned.
She exhaled sharply, relief flooding her for a brief moment—until Eridna's voice echoed inside her mind, her tone cold and deliberate.
"Who are you?"
The question sent a shiver down Anastasia's spine.
To be continued...
(A/N: Man I am dying of coughing, I have written nothing in past few days. Thankfully I have uploaded 2 extra chaps in patreon for highest paying members, I will use that as a buffer.
Anyway! If you wanna support me, want advance chaps and exclusive AI arts and discord roles then you can join my patreon!
You can start for as low as 2.5 dollars!)