Prologue
The sky is yellow.
No, the sky is actually blue. But it didn’t look blue at all to his eyes.
“We meet again, senior.”
A shadow fell.
His whole body ached. But his heart hurt more than his body.
Thud, something fell in front of him.
“It’s an excommunication letter. Issued directly by the head of the Fallenberg family.”
With trembling hands, he picked up the letter. Its contents were no different from what his opponent was saying.
And the seal stamped at the end was definitely that of the Fallenberg family head.
“Why, why would father do this to me…!”
“You’ve crossed the line far too much. Becoming a dog of demons and helping those evil breeds.”
“It’s slander! I never did such a thing!”
“With such clear evidence, what slander are you talking about? Stop before you become more pathetic, senior.”
Cold blue eyes looked down at him.
He felt a chilling sensation at his neck. It was a sword.
“…As per the agreement with the Fallenberg family head, I won’t kill you. You died here today.”
But soon, his opponent withdrew the sword.
“Never appear before my eyes again, no, before everyone’s eyes. That’s the last consideration I can offer you, senior.”
“Then, my money…?”
At those words, his opponent burst into laughter.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mock you. Hmm… Should I say this is typical of you till the end, senior, or that your greed is excessive?”
His opponent’s face turned cold.
“Naturally, you cannot take even a single thing among all that was obtained in the Fallenberg name. It’s ridiculous that I have to make you aware of this.”
“Th-that’s preposterous…!”
***
“…No! Rather kill me!”
Fernyan woke up from his sleep. Relieved by the familiar ceiling, he steadied his rough breathing and drank cold water.
He irritably ran his hand through his hair and spat out curses.
“…Damn it.”
That dream again.
No, could this really be called just a dream?
This was the future.
The prophetic ability he had gained by chance.
“Generally speaking, prophecy should be something a merchant would welcome more than anything…!”
But Fernyan couldn’t.
Because that future was one where his downfall was predetermined, where he would be excommunicated from his family and lose all his money.
‘Who would just take it lying down… That will never happen. Never, absolutely never.’
As Fernyan was making his bloodshot-eyed resolution, he felt signs of people outside.
Knock knock-
“Young master, are you awake?”
“…Wait a moment.”
After Fernyan straightened his disheveled clothes and face, a servant entered.
“When did you wake up?”
“Not long ago.”
“Would you like to eat first?”
“Something simple. I don’t have much appetite.”
“Yes.”
A short while later, a simple meal of bread and soup was brought out. After finishing his meal, Fernyan checked the time and headed to the conference room.
“The branch manager is entering.”
“Have you arrived, branch manager?”
As he entered, everyone who had been sitting stood up from their seats.
Fernyan roughly acknowledged their greetings and sat at the head seat.
“Let’s begin the meeting.”
He soon spread out the reports placed at his seat.
“Yes. We’ll begin the regular meeting for February 11th.”
“I’ll report. Yesterday, February 10th, there were entrance exams for prospective new students.”
“The exam lasted all day, and not only students and parents, but also the guards and servants they brought along all used the trading company’s shops. Sales rose significantly…”
“Professor Alton of alchemy requested that we procure magical reagents. The relevant reagents are…”
“Also, Professor Bendal wants mana stones to make golem cores…”
The reports continued in succession, but they didn’t register in Fernyan’s mind.
It was always like this on days when he had that dream. His head was foggy, and his concentration was impaired.
In a way, it was natural.
It was a vision of the worst possible future approaching in real-time, and if someone could remain fine after seeing that, they wouldn’t be human.
“Stop. Let’s end the morning meeting here. We’ll do the rest tomorrow.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Yes!”
Fernyan left the conference room and settled on the terrace attached to his office. He sipped coffee and let out a deep sigh.
“Is something wrong?”
“Something wrong? No.”
There was, but he couldn’t tell anyone about that dream.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind lately.”
“Do I? Since when?”
“About six months ago?”
“That’s not lately.”
But the timing was accurate.
“Is it still the aftereffects of that day?”
“No.”
“But it’s strange. Since then, you’ve been spacing out a lot, and you’ve suddenly made incomprehensible choices.”
Of course, those choices had been beneficial in the end. Fernyan had maximized the trading company’s profits by getting ahead of issues.
“They were the right choices in the end.”
“But it wasn’t your usual way of working. You’ve always prioritized thorough investigation and verification, yet you suddenly acted as if possessed by a god.”
“It might have looked that way from the outside, but I had no choice at the time.”
“Do you have some other source of information?”
“Would you believe me if I said yes?”
Yes, he did. A very precious source of information that couldn’t be obtained anywhere else.
Fernyan recalled that incident.
***
It was an ordinary day.
“There’s not a single proposal I like. Nothing looks particularly effective.”
Days of having ordinary morning meetings and scolding those who fell short of his expectations.
They say misfortune and fortune always strike suddenly.
That day was such a day for Fernyan. A day when misfortune struck without any reason.
“Haven’t things improved a lot though?”
“It’s much better than at first. But that’s all…”
———!
Without any warning or sign, Fernyan’s world turned white.
Kurrrrrrring-
A beat late, a thunderous roar that tore through the sky was heard.
“Kraaaaaak!“
Though he belatedly realized it was lightning, Fernyan’s mind became confused from the breathtaking shock.
Something invaded through that weakened gap.
- What, what is this?
It was a soul.
Possession? It began rummaging through Fernyan’s head while babbling in an incomprehensible language.
‘What are you…!’
Though it was painful and confusing, Fernyan first squeezed the mana in his heart.
He instinctively realized that the opponent was trying to steal his body.
The faintly remaining mana began attacking the invader.
- What!
“Gurgle”
Due to the mana tearing through his wounds, blood and white foam flowed from Fernyan’s mouth, and bloody tears flowed from his bloodshot eyes.
But in return, the invader wasn’t unharmed either.
- Aaah! It hurts! Save me!
Contrary to its vigorous entrance, the creature’s soul was pathetically easily torn into dozens of pieces and scattered.
Some fled, while others were absorbed directly by Fernyan.
“What is this…?”
And at that moment, unknown memories struck Fernyan’s head.
Knowledge so vast it was overwhelming.
Most of it passed by like acquaintances with whom you only exchange greetings before parting.
Sinking into the depths of consciousness, as if waiting for the day they would someday surface.
Perhaps because of that, only a few things remained from the forgotten memories, as if they had been a dream.
“…The demons are stirring again?”
But they were more intense than anything else.
It was a prophecy about the ominous end of this world.
“…I lose all my money and become a beggar? What kind of damn…!”
It was a hint about a future more terrible than death.
The memory of that day ended there.
After fainting for three days and waking up, he used some rather minor but useful information for the trading company to increase the company’s market share.
‘They say fortune and misfortune come together.’
The fortune of knowing the future, and the misfortune that the future was close to destruction.
Those were the things that suddenly came to Fernyan that day.
