Several corporations across the Empire had gone bankrupt in quick succession.
Among them were many companies that had been riding high in the stock market.
Businessmen were too stunned by this massive shock to collect their thoughts.
Some held onto the faint hope that the cities or even the state might step in to help, but that hope was in vain.
The Empire ignored them completely.
Anyone with half a brain could have guessed that the government would never offer aid.
After all, it was common knowledge that the collapsing companies and the Imperial family had taken opposing sides over Seorn’s investment issue.
As stock prices plummeted, investors swarmed headquarters of various companies, causing near riots at their doors.
Crowds shouted, demanding their money back.
Some, in their rage, even pulled out guns and fired.
The police, stationed nearby in preparation for such an incident, quickly subdued those individuals and dragged them away.
“......Damn it.”
Chairman Ranpaltz frowned deeply as he watched the angry mob gathered outside his mansion.
They had come because Ranpaltz’s stocks had been hitting the lower limit day after day, costing them enormous sums of money.
But why were they demanding he return the money they had lost?
Investing was entirely their own responsibility.
As that thought crossed his mind, Drahen Ranpaltz bit down hard on his lip.
Because those were the very words Cayden Lumos had said to him not long ago.
‘Cayden Lumos. So you’re going to use me and toss me aside, is that it? Fine. Just wait and see.’
At that moment, Drahen Ranpaltz made a vow.
One day, he would get his revenge.
On Cayden Lumos, who had used him; on Oliver of Royal Street, who had stolen his place; and on Seorn, which had disregarded him.
‘Ranpaltz will not fall. Though the losses were painful, the core businesses are still intact. I can rebuild.’
He had liquidated all his expanded ventures and barely managed to hold onto only the most profitable ones.
If he maintained and grew those carefully, he might not reclaim his former glory, but he could rise to a level where no one would dare look down on him.
At least, that’s what Drahen believed—until he saw the unexpected visitors at his mansion’s entrance.
Murmurs spread through the crowd.
‘What is this?’
Even inside the mansion, Drahen could sense the strange agitation among the gathered mob.
The crowd, frenzied with rage, was now parting to make way for someone—a bizarre sight in such a setting.
Drahen’s brows furrowed instinctively.
‘Who the hell is it?’
The moment he saw black-uniformed knights approaching through the newly formed path, Drahen’s expression twisted.
“......The Nightcrawler Knights?”
Why had they come for him?
A chill ran down Drahen Ranpaltz’s spine.
He knew exactly why.
In fact, he could think of too many possible reasons.
‘No. No, it can’t be. They wouldn’t suddenly come for me now, not after leaving me alone all this time.’
Drahen decided to at least meet his guests.
Even if they were Nightcrawler Knights, surely they wouldn’t dare harm him outright.
“Drahen Ranpaltz. Take him into custody.”
But the moment they laid eyes on him, the Nightcrawler Knights immediately restrained him.
The knights’ superhuman strength left Drahen no room to resist.
The mansion staff and guards didn’t dare make a move either.
Even if they were paid to protect him, no one was foolish enough to oppose the Nightcrawler Knights.
As handcuffs locked around his wrists, Drahen glared at Terrina Lionhowl, the commander of the unit, shouting:
“What is the meaning of this?! You come here without a warrant? I will file a formal complaint!”
“Looks like you’ve forgotten what kind of people the Nightcrawler Knights are.”
“So you claim you have the authority to arrest without a warrant? Even so, I am guilty of nothing...!”
“And why exactly would you be innocent?”
At Terrina’s signal, her adjutant Lloyd stepped forward.
“Drahen Ranpaltz. As Chairman of Ranpaltz Corporation, here is the evidence of your numerous corrupt acts: bribery, illegal lobbying, embezzlement, and unlawful acquisitions.”
Rustling papers unfolded before him.
As Drahen scanned them, his face turned deathly pale.
Terrina picked up one document and waved it slightly.
“You were involved in arms smuggling, secretly supplied weapons to mafias and gangs, and maintained collusion with multiple government officials.”
“T-That’s...”
“Do you really think we left you alone all this time because we didn’t know?”
The room went cold at her words.
Drahen opened his mouth to protest, but no sound came out.
It was as if he were a prey animal frozen before a lion; his body trembled under the weight of fear.
Terrina stared at him with open contempt, as if looking at something filthy and worthless.
That gaze crushed the last remnants of Drahen’s pride.
Finally, he understood.
It wasn’t that he had successfully hidden his crimes all these years.
They had known all along.
They had been gathering evidence, watching him from above.
The only reason they hadn’t acted until now was that Ranpaltz had been too big to touch.
The money his corporation generated for the Empire outweighed the cost of his crimes.
But now that Ranpaltz had collapsed, his protection had vanished.
The Nightcrawler Knights had more than enough justification to act.
“You won’t be executed for this, given the circumstances. But you’ll spend the rest of your life behind cold iron bars—alongside the other scum. Take him away.”
At Terrina’s order, the knights dragged Drahen off.
He was limp, like a puppet with its strings cut.
The rest of the unit immediately began searching the mansion, determined to uproot every last trace of Ranpaltz’s remaining influence.
“Wow. Ranpaltz, brought down just like that... Who would’ve thought? The world never stops surprising me,” Enya murmured, still in disbelief.
She had never imagined that the head of such a massive corporation would meet such a pitiful end.
“This was inevitable. It just happened a little earlier than expected.”
“Maybe so, but Captain, you look... I don’t know, not exactly happy about it?”
“Hey, Enya. Keep your mouth shut, will you?”
“What? Come on, Senior!”
Lloyd scolded, Enya protested, and Terrina ignored them.
She was too irritated by the situation to care.
‘What is Her Highness thinking?’
The order to eliminate Ranpaltz had come directly from First Princess Aileen.
It hadn’t been forced upon her—Terrina herself had long wanted to get rid of the parasite draining the Empire.
But their motives were not the same.
Terrina acted out of justice, to purge corruption.
Aileen had other reasons.
‘She even struck a deal with that masked man from Royal Street—Oliver.’
Terrina knew, through her own investigations, about the ties between Ranpaltz and Royal Street.
From Seorn’s sponsorship issue to the stock manipulations, someone had shorted Ranpaltz’s falling shares.
And with Aileen involved, Terrina couldn’t help but remain on edge.
‘Oliver, huh.’
She recalled the man she had encountered before the streets had completely changed that night.
A man with burn scars hidden behind a mask—he triggered something primal in Terrina’s instincts.
He wasn’t simply another pawn of the First Princess.
No, his movements were far too suspicious for that.
‘I’ll need to keep an eye on him.’
* * *
The fall of the Ranpaltz Corporation caused no disturbance within Seorn.
There had been rumors that investor withdrawals would leave a hole in the budget for the second half of the year, but those quickly vanished with the appearance of new investors.
For the students—who cared only about studying magic or playing around—investors and budgets were of no concern.
But for others, this was a trial they couldn’t ignore.
“You idiot!”
Hugo’s furious voice echoed through the lecture hall.
“With everything you’ve learned so far, you still don’t get this?!”
“......I’m sorry.”
The commoner student lowered his head under Hugo’s tirade.
In truth, Hugo was picking on him for no reason.
The student couldn’t be blamed for not knowing something he hadn’t been taught.
But Hugo often behaved this way—especially toward commoners.
He enjoyed crushing the pride of the insolent commoners who dared attend his class, while simultaneously favoring the noble students.
Normally, the noble students would smirk or mock the commoners at times like this.
But today, they couldn’t even muster that.
Hugo was far more irritable than usual, to the point even the nobles thought he had gone too far.
“Listen carefully! You commoners should be grateful just to sit in my class! And yet you treat my lecture like background noise? If that’s your attitude, get out right now!”
“......I’m sorry.”
“Damn it. This is why only nobles should be admitted. Filthy commoners just ruin the atmosphere.”
Clicking his tongue, Hugo stroked his mustache.
The student’s brows twitched with anger, but his friend beside him held him back.
‘What’s wrong with him today?’
‘Who knows. He’s always like this, but today’s worse than usual.’
‘Ignore him. It’s like stepping around dung. He’s probably just in a foul mood.’
Ignoring the students’ muttering, Hugo stormed out of the lecture hall the moment class ended.
His heavy footsteps echoed as he made his way to the faculty offices.
Students, servants, and other teachers stepped aside instinctively at the sight of his scowling face.
It spoke volumes about Hugo’s reputation.
But Hugo paid them no mind.
He was too preoccupied.
‘Ranpaltz has collapsed? The chairman arrested? Total bankruptcy? My last lifeline snapped just like that?! This can’t be happening!’
He was desperate.
His alliance with Chairman Drahen Ranpaltz had been his best chance.
But Ranpaltz was finished.
The corporation had been carved up by other companies, and what remained had been dismantled by the Imperial auditors.
‘Do you know how much I sacrificed to make that connection?!’
It was almost surreal, watching his ally crumble so quickly.
But this was no nightmare—it was harsh, undeniable reality.
Hugo’s panic grew.
Even if no evidence of his connection to Ranpaltz surfaced, everyone at Seorn would suspect what he had been plotting.
He needed to hide any trace of his involvement, keep his head down, and act innocent.
But doing so meant losing far too much; it burned inside him.
Many of the teachers in his faction had already left, and even the students seemed to be ignoring him more and more.
‘Do you think I’ll fall that easily? Do you think someone like me, Hugo Burteg, will just crumble?’
Still fuming, Hugo slammed the door to his office.
The room was several times larger than any other teacher’s, a space he insisted on using alone to flaunt his authority.
“Assistant! Where is my assistant?!”
Finding no one waiting, Hugo exploded in anger.
Already furious, his absent assistant only aggravated him further.
“There’s no one here.”
A calm voice spoke.
Only then did Hugo realize that his rage had narrowed his vision.
At his desk, by the window, stood a man with his hands behind his back.
“Except you and me.”
“Lu, Ludger Cherish...”
When the man turned slightly, revealing those cold blue eyes, sweat ran down Hugo’s back.
He trembled but forced himself to stand his ground.
“What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?”
Ludger repeated the question, almost amused.
“Why don’t you tell me what °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° you think I’m here for?”
His voice was flat, polite only in form, but carried a sharp undertone, like a blade pressed to Hugo’s throat.
Hugo’s eyes darted nervously.
“......I don’t know. But if you don’t mind, I’m busy. Could you leave? I have classwork to handle.”
“For someone busy, your desk is awfully clean. Almost as if you never work at all.”
Ludger turned fully to face him now.
“So, Hugo Burteg. Why do you think I’m here?”
Those cold eyes bore into Hugo as if he already knew everything.