The history of the Lesser family's rise had to be traced back to before Aubrey inherited the throne.
Most people generally believed that Lesser family head Leopold rose to power because he married Lady Cassandra.
With the strong support of two generations of emperors, he successfully took control of the economic lifeline of the Empire's south.
That was how he reached such a high position in one leap.
However, the truth was far more complicated than the public imagined.
Duke Levi still remembered it clearly to this day.
If that incident hadn't happened back then, he would probably have been forced to marry Cassandra, and the current Erika would never have been born.
Back when these old men who had followed the current emperor onto the battlefield were still young, the Calencia Empire was far from as powerful as it was now.
The emperor at the time was not the current Aubrey, but Sol VII.
He was a dutiful emperor with no great ambitions, and his policies were decent.
Though he had some reputation in international affairs, no one dared look down on him.
During his reign, there were no particularly great achievements to speak of.
Even now, Duke Levi believed that Sol VII's greatest accomplishment was simply giving birth to the future emperor, Aubrey.
Of course, he also had a precious daughter under his care, Cassandra Sol.
It was as if they had agreed beforehand to be born into this rather ordinary emperor's family.
The siblings were both regarded as geniuses in their respective fields.
Aubrey was a military genius, unmatched in combat ability.
Meanwhile, Cassandra displayed astonishing talent in politics and commerce.
As Cassandra grew day by day, her even more incredible gifts gradually revealed themselves.
They were known as the "Blessing of the Gods."
At the time, she was hailed as the [War Saintess].
Her mere presence could raise the strength of soldiers across the board by an entire level.
With Cassandra's gift empowering them, the Empire's soldiers seemed like divine troops descending from heaven, victorious in every battle.
In the end, after achieving fame and success, she gained countless followers throughout the Empire.
Outstanding?
Among those suitors, being merely outstanding didn't even qualify.
They had to be perfect to be worthy of her.
She was a princess herself, of noble status, and she had inherited the heavenly beauty of the imperial princess line.
Together with the title of [War Saintess], her fame spread far and wide.
From then on, everyone dreamed of marrying Cassandra.
As long as one could win her heart, a meteoric rise awaited them.
Sol VII remained calm all the while, happily watching those young men crazily pursuing his daughter.
He too was waiting.
Among all the suitors, there would surely be one perfect beyond perfection, and when that time came, he would marry Cassandra to him.
But at that time, Cassandra ignored the sea of suitors and only took a liking to Levi.
However, Levi already had someone he loved.
As a firm believer in true love, there was no way he would betray his feelings and be with Cassandra.
Only, for people like him, if nothing unexpected happened, then something unexpected was bound to happen.
Even Levi himself wasn't sure whether this was Cassandra's deliberate revenge.
Back then, before he ascended the throne, Aubrey hurriedly came to find him and told him that Cassandra was pregnant.
At that moment, it felt like a bolt from the blue had struck Levi, leaving him frozen where he stood.
He even wondered whether he had heard wrong.
The pregnancy of a royal princess would undoubtedly have far-reaching consequences.
Naturally, only a handful of people knew this secret, and no information leaked out at all.
Levi was naturally included among them, because Cassandra liked him the most.
Likewise, he was also designated as the number one suspect.
At that time, Sol VII summoned Levi and asked him a single question, "My daughter Cassandra, will you marry her or not?"
Levi could only stand in the center of the empty hall, clenching his fists helplessly.
He understood that this was naked coercion.
However, he was not as powerful then as he was now.
Although Aubrey had constantly spoken for him and advised his father to investigate thoroughly and not wrongfully accuse Levi, it was easier said than done.
Where could they investigate?
How would they even begin?
Once news of the princess becoming pregnant before marriage was made public, where would the royal family's honor go?
Sol VII naturally wanted to investigate as well.
Unfortunately, he simply lacked the ability.
Though Levi had sworn that his heart already belonged to someone else and that he could never harbor such thoughts toward Cassandra, the emperor insisted that he break his vow and marry the princess.
Because his daughter had to get married before her belly became noticeable.
And regardless of whether the child was really Levi's, marrying Cassandra was something he had to do.
Because only Levi was the best option at the time.
Moreover, everyone knew that Cassandra liked Levi.
If this marriage could be arranged, perhaps it would even become a beloved story people would talk about for years.
As for Levi's vow, aside from himself, probably no one would remember it for long.
But no matter the outcome, the one who suffered in the end would still be Levi.
Being forced to wear such a hat for no reason, no one would be happy.
And while he was wandering the streets in a daze, a golden light suddenly descended from the dark night sky.
Levi thought his eyes were playing tricks on him and paid it no mind.
But after turning a corner, he saw a young man dressed in luxurious clothes.
Those mysterious eyes, like flowing golden sand, caused Levi to feel an inexplicable sense of reverence toward him.
"It seems you're in a terrible mood?"
When the man spoke, there was a trace of concern in his tone.
"I'm a merchant. As long as you're willing to pay, I can solve any problem for you."
His words were full of confidence and temptation.
At the time, Levi was immersed in the pain of being forced into marriage, believing that he would never be able to be with the woman he loved.
Hearing the man's words, he practically grabbed at him like a lifeline and urgently asked, "What do I have to give?"
"Money is all I need, my friend."
The man handed him a business card.
Written on it were the words "Cassidra Chamber of Commerce."
After only a brief struggle in his heart, Levi quickly made his decision and readily agreed.
In the end, the matter was skillfully resolved by a merchant with the surname Lesser.
This merchant was clever and sharp.
As soon as he met the emperor, he directly admitted that the child was his.
He also handed over a large sum of money to calm Sol VII's anger and accepted this unfortunate responsibility.
He further stated that allowing the Lesser family to develop within the Empire would be enough.
The imperial side was also extremely uneasy, because no one actually knew who the child's real father was.
Thus, Sol VII accepted the proposal.
Since both sides had reached an agreement, the child's origins remained hidden.
And with the Empire supporting the Lesser family and restricting their business to within the Empire, the Lesser family eventually amassed wealth in the entire south that rivaled a nation's treasury.
In the end, they became the true "Empire's Second Treasury."
Cassandra married this merchant, and there wasn't even a grand wedding.
After the marriage, the child was safely born, and no one suspected anything.
The newborn child was secretly taken to undergo a blood test with Levi.
The results showed that they had absolutely no blood relation.
Naturally, the child also had no relation to the Lesser family head.
The child's origins ultimately became a mystery.
Because of this incident, Levi had maintained a cooperative relationship with the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce ever since.
———
"I see."
Viktor leaned back in his recliner. Flowers bloomed around him in competition, while birds skimmed low above the flowerbeds.
The fragrance lingered around his nose, making the place feel unusually comfortable.
Within this virtual space, he could create any world he imagined.
Sitting nearby, Erika looked at him and continued, "Father thinks Leopold will definitely go see him after returning."
"So he had me tell you these things beforehand, so you'll be prepared."
There was a trace of seriousness in Erika's voice.
But in truth, that night when her father solemnly called her into his room and told her these shocking secrets, her head had buzzed and she had completely frozen on the spot.
She had never imagined that her old man had almost become someone else's husband.
And that she herself had nearly never existed.
As she spoke, Erika secretly observed Viktor's reaction with curiosity.
She didn't understand why her father had wanted her to tell Viktor about this.
Did he think Professor Viktor had some way to solve the problem?
But Viktor's indifferent expression always made his thoughts impossible for her to read.
His eyes remained closed, as though he were thinking about something.
Bang! Swish! Whoosh!
A series of magical collisions thundered beside Viktor's ears.
"This spell was released too quickly. The magic patterns haven't connected completely yet..."
"You need to do this first... then this..."
Henny stood nearby, instructing Saphiroth in casting magic, her gentle voice entering Saphiroth's ears.
Saphiroth nodded blankly and then raised her hand to cast.
A massive crimson magic array appeared in midair, releasing the improved spell.
BOOM!
With a loud explosion, a shockwave erupted from the ground and spread outward.
Sure enough, following Henny's guidance had increased the power of the spell by far more than one level.
After a long while, Viktor slowly opened his eyes and sat up, quietly repeating the name, "Leopold Nannard."
He was very surprised.
Because this name was actually not the name of the current president of the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce.
Leopold Nannard was a shrewd merchant and thief.
His appearance marked the beginning of a major storyline.
Because he replaced the original President Nannard and became the new president of the Cassidra Chamber of Commerce.
He then froze nearly eighty percent of the Chamber's assets and banks, causing severe losses to the world's economy.
And that storyline began with one sentence from him, opening the first chapter of the gods.
"I told you before, keep an eye on your money."
"Because one day, I'll steal all of it."
High above the sky stood a god, golden wings behind him shining brilliantly beneath the sunlight.
He sat cross-legged upon hazy clouds, his body leaning slightly backward.
Golden sand flowed through his eyes, swirling into an ocean.
The god opened his mouth, revealing white teeth, and stretched his neck.
As his Adam's apple trembled, he threw back his head and laughed loudly.
He was the God of Commerce and Thieves.
The divine messenger who would guide the descent of the gods, "...Hermes."