Shion Lan was at the Ocean's Core Guild with Pearl Jewel, who was calling herself Oriana.
"As you can see, Lord Lan, we import goods from many places across the continent and sell them here at the guild."
They were inspecting the workers and the goods, so Shion had to address her professionally as Oriana.
"Miss Oriana, I'd like to see the potions and swords."
"As you wish, Lord Lan."
Pearl whispered to him,
"Steve Aroum made a special sword for you."
Hearing that, Shion's expectations for the sword soared. Steve was a great blacksmith known for his creativity.
"Let's see it."
Shion didn't hold back his excitement and walked beside her.
They reached the weapons section, where several special boxes bore names on them.
They stopped in front of the box labeled "Shion Lan."
"You can open it, Lord Lan."
Shion looked at her face and noticed her expectant expression, like a girl waiting for praise.
Shion smiled and opened the box. His eyes lit up with excitement when he saw his new sword.
"That's..."
The sword resembled a katana, but its handle was embedded with magical stones representing different elements. Thanks to the quality of the metal and the blacksmith's skill, its sharpness and lightness were perfect.
Pearl felt satisfied and grabbed Shion's arm.
"Let's see the potions! Prepare the box for Lord Lan!"
Debi answered with a smile,
"Yes, Milady."
Pearl hurried to the potions section and said,
"I heard you're training in the earth and wind elements. Why didn't you tell me?! I could have brought you some potions for them."
Shion smiled awkwardly.
"Actually, I thought all potions were the same."
He had never seen specialized potions before. He had only encountered high-quality potions, not ones specifically designed for particular elements.
Pearl said,
"Well... It's partly my fault for not telling you about them. The Six Great Families have been monopolizing them for a long time. But now you're an investor in my guild. You have the right to access them, too."
She didn't prolong the conversation. Instead, she took him to some special rooms and collected the potions for him.
After looking around, they returned to the office, where Pearl said,
"Oh, I want you to do me a favor."
Shion joked,
"I knew you wouldn't do all this for free!"
Pearl said proudly,
"The basics of trading are about giving and taking."
Shion gave in and asked,
"How can I help you?"
Pearl took a deep breath and said,
"More investment. I want you to invest all your money in my guild."
Shion looked at her strangely.
"Are there any problems with the guild? I haven't noticed anything."
Pearl sighed.
"The heads of the Six Great Families want to buy shares in it."
"Isn't that a good thing? Your guild would become wealthier and gain connections with first-rank nobles."
Pearl replied,
"But they'd also want a say in its management. Having connections with nobles is good, but being controlled by them isn't."
Shion said,
"You can limit their authority. It's your guild, after all."
Pearl nodded.
"I can release a few shares for them, but they won't be satisfied. So..."
Pearl felt embarrassed as she continued,
"I want you to become my backbone. You'll be the second-largest investor in the guild. Together, we can handle them if they try to unite against us."
Even though they were nobles, greed made no distinctions. Shion understood that and said,
"I suppose I'll have to face the Six Great Families, won't I?"
Pearl felt embarrassed and hesitated.
"W-well... I'll find another soluti—"
"I have royal protection. I'll face them. In the end, we're talking about a wealthy guild that makes profits."
He smiled at Pearl and continued,
"If anyone approaches you, just tell them I'm one of the guild's founders."
"...."
Pearl laughed and said,
"Well! I'll do that. With the profits and your investment, you'll own twenty percent of the guild, valued at twenty million gold coins."
"What?!"
Shion calculated the figures in his head. The result was ten percent: eight million from his initial investment and another two million from the profits.
Pearl smiled and said,
"Just for becoming a founder, I'll give you ten percent of my own shares. That means I'll have thirty percent, and you'll have twenty percent. Of course, you won't be allowed to sell your shares."
"...."
Shion couldn't speak. He was still trying to process the fact that Pearl had given him ten percent of her shares so easily. Although he wouldn't be able to sell them, they were still worth a fortune.
They signed the contracts and said goodbye to each other.
---
Days later, at the Shine Family's Province, Finn Shine was in his office when his eldest son, Elai Shine, entered with a gloomy expression.
"What is it?"
Finn asked calmly, but Elai replied,
"I couldn't do it."
Finn stopped working and looked at his son expressionlessly.
"You couldn't acquire a share in a new guild? Did I raise a fool?"
"Kgh!"
Elai wanted to object, but he didn't dare challenge his father's gaze.
"I won't punish you. Tell me what happened."
Elai took a deep breath and said,
"I went there, but all I could get was six percent of the guild's shares. I wanted to object, but Oriana told me that all the heirs of the Six Great Families had received the same offer. I contacted Ji Jura to confirm it, and her voice grew heavy as she told me that someone had made a move before all of us."
Finn listened carefully and asked,
"And who was it?"
Elai clenched his teeth and said,
"Shion Lan!"
"...."
Finn leaned back in his chair and said,
"No wonder. Shion attacked the Noble Alliance, which was allied with the Jewel Guild, and then the Jewel Guild was destroyed. I even saw a document bearing their symbol. They must know each other."
Elai said,
"Perhaps Shion knows something about Pearl Jewel. She disappeared after that incident."
Finn replied,
"So what? She rejected you many times. Besides, I don't think I'd want a daughter-in-law who looks down on my foolish son."
"Father..."
"It's over."
Finn stood up and walked to the window.
"...."
His eyes remained calm as he looked at the sunset. Then he asked,
"Elai, did you feel someone watching you?"
Elai replied,
"Yes. Even though I'm a sixth-level swordsman, I couldn't locate them."
"Well, I'll help you find them, and you must take them down."
He took his son's hand and moved at incredible speed. In an instant, they disappeared from the office and reappeared at the borders of the Province.
"Here you are."
Under the pressure of Finn's aura, the concealment covering the men who had been watching the Shine Family's Province collapsed.
"Don't kill them. We must... Forget it."
Elai was shocked.
"What are you saying?"
"They've committed suicide."
Purple foam spilled from the men's mouths.
"Have the men bring their bodies here. I have to go to the royal palace."
Elai made a gesture in the air, and Finn disappeared, returning to his office to prepare for his meeting with the king.
"Some mice dared to make a move against my family. I'll reward them with death!"
---
Shion was studying in the academy library when a piece of paper in his pocket suddenly startled him.
"Hmm?"
He opened the magical paper and saw a message.
"Lord Lan, I'm going to meet Maki Delisho. Has anyone from the Six Great Families approached you?"
'Is she checking on me before leaving? That's sweet.'
Shion smiled and wrote,
"Braj Torano and Sterai Shine were aggressive, but I faced them in the arena and defeated them. Glass Sano was different, though. He didn't care about the shares; he just wanted to duel with me. It was great, but I couldn't beat him this time. We ended in a draw."
The words disappeared, and moments later, another message appeared.
"We agreed that you wouldn't attend any meetings, but now I'll be leaving for a while. Debi will send you a document explaining how to handle various matters if something happens or the investors try anything."
Shion smirked.
"Leading a meeting involving the Six Great Families and several influential figures? You have high expectations of me."
The reply came shortly afterward.
"Because I believe in you. So... take care of yourself."
"You too. But I want to ask you something. Is there another magical paper available? I'd like one for Solan Neumann."
Shion waited, but no answer came.
"Has the paper run out of magic?"
Shion rubbed his head, then returned to his studies.
A moment later, Crown Princess Jina Joul stood in front of him.
"Shion, I want to talk to you. Would you come with me?"
"Sure."
Shion stood up and followed her out of the library.
"Yes, Jina?"
He no longer addressed her formally inside the academy. Although this was normal for Shion, it represented significant progress for Jina.
"Shion, I'm in trouble."
"Are you all right? What happened?"
Jina sighed and said,
"You know that girl, Sherry Fieda? She's always challenging me! I can't stand her bullying anymore!"
Shion stifled a laugh.
"Are you telling me someone has been bullying our princess?!"
"I know! It's madness! But she's also a princess from another kingdom and the director's granddaughter. On top of that, she has strange eyes. I can't face her!"
Shion said,
"You know the director. He won't favor her just because she's his granddaughter. You can complain to him."
Jina replied,
"We'd lose face if we did that. She might stop, but Karath Academy would look weak. We have to face them."
Shion said,
"But you just said you couldn't fight her."
"That's why I came to you."
"...What?"
Jina continued,
"We'll let someone else represent us."
Shion wasn't convinced, but he asked,
"Why is Sherry doing all this? It seems like she's looking for a fight, not merely challenging you."
Jina replied,
"I tried asking her, but Sherry said she hates the director and wants to prove that Karath's students are weak. However, when I look at them, I sense another intention."
Her golden eyes narrowed strangely.
"It feels as though they're planning something."
Shion had the same feeling.
"And we can't do anything except fall into their trap."
Jina nodded helplessly.
After thinking for a moment, Shion said,
"You got what you wanted. Inform me when the match is scheduled."
Jina smiled.
"If it's you, I can relax."
They parted ways, but Jina remained thoughtful.
"Celisia, I've heard about the disappearance of several people. Do you have any idea what's going on?"
Celisia Joul replied,
"At the moment, the reports have yielded no leads. But I suspect something strange is happening."
"What is it?"
"The people who disappeared were all special, talented, and intelligent."
Jina said,
"Whoever is behind this wants to destroy the kingdom."
"You're thinking clearly."
Celisia praised Jina before continuing,
"We can keep an eye on the wealthy and noble families. But what about the common people?"
"What?"
Jina asked in displeasure,
"Don't tell me you haven't thought about the common people."
Celisia replied indifferently,
"The king rules his people, but the nobles are responsible for protecting them. We can't manage everything ourselves."
Jina said,
"I'm not like you. I'll defend every single life in my kingdom. You're responsible for the kingdom's life itself—its land, air, activities, and people."
"If you care about everything, how will you find time to care about Shion?"
"What?!"
Celisia knew it well. Whenever Shion was involved, Jina acted differently, especially because she still felt guilty about what had happened to him.
"If you continue behaving this way, you'll become an exhausted queen with no rest, no peace, and no Shion."
"...."
Jina felt troubled by her words when Mia approached her with a report.
"Your Highness! I have a new report for you!"
"Put it aside. I need some time to relax."
Mia looked at her, then obeyed.
Jina walked slowly, thinking about everything.
"Yes, I've been worrying too much."
She remembered how exhausted she'd felt while waiting for Violet Night to forgive her. She recalled the common people who constantly demanded things from her without limits, as well as the new Bimal students who had bullied her because she couldn't defend herself.
Her eyes changed as she suddenly found herself standing in a corridor.
"Wait! Jina!"
Jina looked toward the speaker. It was Ron Phynex.
"Our princess wants to duel with you!"
Several Bimal students surrounded her, but none of the Karath students stepped forward to protect her.
'What's wrong with them? Why isn't anyone coming to help me?'
"Little princess."
"You can't refuse in front of everyone, can you?"
"You have to take responsibility for being a princess. So—"
"GET OFF!!"
Shion shouted from a distance. He rushed toward her with Mia, who had been worried about Jina.
Jina's vision cleared, and her eyes returned to normal.
"Shion?!"
Jina rushed toward him, on the verge of tears, but Celisia shouted,
"Jina!! You mustn't—!"
"Who dared to anger Her Highness?!"
Shion asked the Bimal students, who immediately responded,
"You can't blame us."
"It's her own fault for being weak."
Shion smiled and said,
"Yes, it's your fault if you're weak."
Shion was about to issue a challenge, as he'd discussed with Director Tim Ayr.