In the Far West exist objects desired by many, for they contain limitless power.

Soul Shards, as the westerners like to say, can grant mere villagers the strength to raise boulders and hurl them at their enemies.

But that was the level of strength that even an untrained beggar can gain by merging with the lowest-quality soul shard.

As for higher-quality soul shards, they granted humans the physical and magical power to content against beasts, monsters, and horrifying creatures, which have haunted them since the beginning of time.

With human greed in play, soul shards have been the main cause of many wars.

Every kingdom with one or two higher-quality soul shards appearing in its lands but not possessing enough strength to safeguard it or not having a citizen worthy enough to hold it has faced the same fate as its predecessors. They were targeted and annihilated by those eyeing the shards and eventually became a dim part of ancient history.magic

On the other hand, the kingdoms that survived the turbulent times that the appearance of a high-level soul shard brought to their land raised to become a major power in the world. Or even an Empire!

Such was the story of the Great Sun Empire.

A divine shard made its sudden appearance in its land.

The day it appeared, the sky turned red as if mirroring the river of blood, and the blue river passing through the Sun Kingdom and connecting to its four neighbors took the vibrant color of grainfield.

It brought along significant changes in the world to tell the five kings of the Far West where it was and what it was, all so that it could fan the fire of greed in their hearts and make them start the so-called cold war.

Bloodshed, that was what it wanted to cause.

Innocent or not, Knight or not, it wanted to see humans killing each other with cold steel and vibrant magic spells.

It wanted to dance to the cries of despair coming out of the tender mouths of young orphans and desperate mongrels, for they were like melodies to its soul.

It hoped to drown its soul in the intoxicating smell of blood and rust that would fill the air as the result of the bloody war.

It was a divine shard for sure, but one containing evil consciousness.

Three of the four kings overlooked not only the peace treaty they had with the Sun King but also the horror and damage of the past wars from which they were yet to recover and attacked the Sun kingdom with the hopes of stealing its land and the soul shard and enslaving its people to gain a large number of laborers.

Three birds with one stone.

What more could they possibly ask for?

Such a golden opportunity was not going to knock on their doorsteps twice. Thus, they attacked the Sun Kingdom after joining hands for the first time.

However, even with the combined forces of the three kingdoms, they failed to topple the Sun Kingdom.

On top of that, they had to become a part of the Sun Kingdom to appease the Sun King, who had merged with the divine shard for which they were fighting and gained unimaginable power.

Fearing utter destruction, they submitted to him reluctantly.

The only kingdom that didn’t attack when three others were invading it also willingly became a part of the Sun Kingdom under the enticement of the Sun king.

The day the five kingdoms became one, the Far West gained an Empire and an Emperor!

Many heroes emerged during the warring era, but the ones that stood out the most were the three heavenly Knights, Badulf, the four dukes, and the Great Sun Emperor.

Out of them, only Badulf, the savage sword, started from humble beginnings.

He was from the mountain clan, a native of the White Lands found in the northern part of the empire.

He was brighter and far more robust than his fellow clansmen, who only knew how to hunt beasts in the jungle and trade their strong hide for basic essentials necessary to survive the five months of cold, harsh winter.

Unwilling to waste his life in the far north of the empire, he left his clan behind and became a Wanderer.

During the daytime, he would kill monsters hiding in the Great Forest.

At night, he would eliminate evil bandits for the bounty on their heads.

As a result, his weekly income was so much that his peers’ eyes burned with jealousy.

He didn’t feel good, though, as he wanted a special status, far greater than a mere wanderer.

But the status of a noble wasn’t a cabbage on a roadside stall that one could purchase in exchange for a few coins.

What one needed to become a noble was to make sacrifices for the kingdom’s sake and earn contribution points numbering in thousands.

In those days, Participating in the war and killing the enemy’s soldiers was the fastest way for a mere Wanderer to gain contribution points in large quantities.

Badulf, willing to embrace all hardships to realize his desires, joined the war and eventually made a name for himself by advancing to the rank of Sword Masters and beheading the vice commander in chief of the enemy’s army!

The war ended soon after, for the Great Sun Emperor subdued and merged with the evil divine shard, gained unparalleled power, and entered the battlefield like a God of War, butchering thousands of enemies with each of his attacks.

After the war, the Great Sun awarded Badulf the status of a count, a county, and a beautiful princess. As per the Emperor’s will, he was to oversee eighteen villages and some important mines. The emperor trusted him with so much, not only because of the contributions he made in the war but also because he was a swordmaster.

One of the villages grew rare tea leaves. Tea made from them had a refreshing scent and mind-calming ability. They weren’t popular because they had never gained enough attention from a man of value. Badulf, believing they held extreme value, made a fortune by buying them from the villagers at the market price and selling them to nobles and people of influence.

The effects of these tea leaves spread among the noble and upper circle of the empire like wildfire, and because of their affordable cost, they quickly became a favorite of the tea drinking community.

At the same time, Badulf drafted and signed a contract with the villagers, stating that he would give the villages 30% of the profit if they continued to grow and harvest every year and sold the leaves only to him.

He didn’t force them.

The villagers readily agreed with his demands.

The contract stated they would get 30% of the profit! That meant they would be earning more than they ever had in their entire life in mere months!

Merely a week later, Many, including the emperor and the left and right prime ministers, urgently requested Badulf to transport these tea leaves to the capital, and he did just that, for he was making three times the money by selling them to the capitalist of the capital than the nobles close to or in his county.

Soon, anyone dealing with paperwork wanted to get their hands on it.

The village he was overseeing was good land to grow these leaves.

For some reason, these tea leaves couldn’t grow well in other places. The quality was low, the effects of the tea made of them were far worse than Badulf’s, and they tended to go bad in even a good environment very soon. Some did try to grow them after seeing the count making huge profits, but the loss outweighed the profit they were making, and hence they stopped.

While Badulf had a monopoly in this trade, he didn’t start selling it at a ridiculous price to avoid offending the few at the top who could get rid of him sneakily.

Most members of the upper circle became addicted to the peace and calmness drinking the tea brought them, and they became the regular customers of his commercial house.

Gradually, he rolled in wealth in his pockets and county, becoming prosperous with his people.

He gained the admiration of the nobles and the respect of the Emperor after he became rich on top of being a Swordmaster.

He had a sharp brain and an overwhelming strength, so no one dared look down on him anymore. Even though he was of an insignificant family, the noble treated him like a lord.

By the time he was in his mid-thirties, he had become a wealthy and respected noble of the empire.magic

His personal life wasn’t bad either.

He had three beautiful wives.

Each of his wives was a top-notch beauty, and he loved them dearly. He never held back from giving them whatever they desired. His first wife used to be a mercenary like him. His second wife was a princess. And his last wife was a dancer with a charming figure and a snake-like waist. Her seductive movements never failed to ignite lust in his heart.

Although this wife of his, with great beauty, enchanting eyes, and unnatural seductive techniques, the like of which would charm any man, had died, he still had two others to take care of him and satisfy his every need, and hence he didn’t feel the need to marry a fourth time.

Moreover, his wives had given him a son each, and his second wife had given him a daughter too.

His eldest son had taken after him, making him immensely proud. He had showcased a talent for the sword at a young age. He had learned how to manifest aura at the age of eighteen. That same year, he became an official knight. The people in the empire were already calling him a future sword master.

His second son was still not of age yet, but Badulf was proud of him, too, for he had awed the world by revealing the strength of a rank-3 mage and earned the right to join the Empire’s Mage Academy.

His daughter, as per the Emperor’s command, had become the concubine of the Crown Prince a day after she reached the age of 18. She was so beautiful that even the crown prince couldn’t resist the desire to hold her. Because of her, Badulf had strengthened his ties with the royal family.

His last son was the child he had with his dancer of a wife, who had died nearly a decade ago.

And to Badulf, this third son of his was his greatest… mistake.

In Baldwin, where the winters are long and freezing and the summers are almost nonexistent, warm breezes began blowing at exactly 2 pm.

They were a byproduct of a magic formation that protected the city from natural disasters such as ice storms.

It also converted cold breezes passing through the dome-like barrier surrounding the city into warm air before storing it in a wind pouch.

From 2 pm till 7 pm, it would release the captured winds into the county every day under the supervision of the county’s mages, such as now.

Some people stepped out of their homes with wet but washed clothes, for the warm winds blowing through the streets and alleys were also a signal telling them that the time to dry their laundry had come.

They hung wet clothes on clotheslines tied between buildings.

The wind made their clothes flutter like leaves rustling in the wind.

Then, they left home to earn money.

Most, if not all, were not in a hurry to dry their clothes as they had the ability to clean their clothes within minutes with magic and knew those warm gales of wind would dance throughout the city from 2 pm to 7 pm.

Instead of doing tiresome work, they walked through the streets made of fine tiles of stones, relaxing their stiff joints.

It has long become a habit of theirs to enjoy the warmth of the Sun in the coldest and harshest region of the empire as the count introduced such comfort in their lives several years ago.

It was the time of day that induced relaxation and chattiness into the well-off people, and hence, they entered the pub and began gossiping about the most recent happening in the county.magic

Some did so while drinking beer in broad daylight.

“I can’t explain how much I envy the Count with words only. He has two beautiful wives with impressive backgrounds. His eldest daughter is the most beloved concubine of the crown prince, while his first son is already a full-fledged knight. Furthermore, rumors have it that his second son will be joining the Mage Academy this year. They are bound to bring glory to his home and help him solidify his position in the court. Everything’s playing out well for him. I, on the other hand, have a fat wife and a stupid son who wastes away his days studying the structure of basic-level magic runes.”

This man, who was drunk and badmouthing his family, overlooked all the troubles of the count and only counted his blessings.

But the ones next to the man weren’t the same as him.

Rather, they were fans of the count and knew too well about the things troubling him and the sacrifices he had made to make life better for Far West’s northerners like them.

“The count is not as lucky as you think! His life is full of trouble. He has to do paperwork every day and lead a team of Knights and mages to subjugate monsters in the parts of the Great Forest near the county every winter. Unlike you, he also has a salted fish in his family who likes to eat, eat, and eat!”

“This fellow is right. The youngest master of the count’s family has no ambition or inspiration. He’s born to the count but has never held a sword and doesn’t have a talent for magic either. He’s 16 years old yet has still not done anything remarkable.”

“Conrad speaks the truth. He’s nothing like his siblings. Instead of fame, His infamy has spread throughout the empire. Even the Outsiders know him as a smelly fatty. He’s the black sheep of the count’s family.”

“Drunken man, I believe you know the count has given much to the well-known Charlotte family in order to marry his youngest to their young miss. But just yesterday, Miss Rose sent her servant to return the engagement token and an engagement invalidation letter with her signature on it to the Count. She didn’t appear herself and rather let her people announce to the count her desire to annul her engagement with his dumb child. Her actions are like slapping the county’s youngest master in the face and also humiliating the count if we take into consideration the difference in their status!”

“She has a nasty personality.”

“Well, she isn’t in the wrong either. Miss Rose is expected to become an Archmage in the future! What does that entail? She is like the most brilliant budding seed. Once she realizes her talent and bloom, she might outshine everyone except the Great Sun. Why would she not feel angered after knowing she is to marry a pig? Although I like the count, I do think her attitude towards him and his son is justified.”

Poh! Kaching! Pahh! Pah!

Suddenly, a drunken bard stumbled into the pub and, using his rusty flute, played a broken melody that was so jarring to the ears that the crowd booed and cursed him to the highest heaven.

Worried that the owner might kick him out if he continued to play, he came to an immediate stop.

“You, you, you, did you hear about it? Hic! The count family’s youngest… jumped into a cold pond last night.”

“That’s what my wife said to me when we were having breakfast at the table this morning. She said he tried to commit suicide because he was heartbroken after finding out that his fiancee didn’t want him anymore. Does that even make sense? He had never met her, and there existed no love between these two kids. They aren’t anywhere close to the word intimate. Why would he go so far as to commit suicide to get her attention? I think the count is likely hiding the real reason why he jumped into the pond. As for what it is, we commoner folks might never know.”

“You’re in luck today! An insider told me he took way too many drugs that day. He must’ve mistaken the pond as his bed and jumped into it. Don’t tell others that I told you that. Otherwise, I will do my all to bring you with me to the chopping stands!”

“Worry not. My lips are sealed.”

“Well, if the drug he took is the Ecstasy Pill, then it might very well be possible.”

Someone sighed. “The Count is super unlucky to have that trash as his son.”

The drunk man furrowed his brows. ‘After discovering his life isn’t as perfect as I thought, I envy him less.’

At this moment, the eyes of the one they were gossiping about fluttered open.

He was lying on a soft bed and wearing a one-piece robe with golden linen foreign to him.

Four blankets covered him, warming him enough to make him sweat.

Under the thick coverings, he felt suffocated.

He threw them off himself and sat up.

The room was hot as a fireplace but not smoky.

Still, the temperature of the room was high enough to make him feel uncomfortable.

His chest felt stuffy, a feeling he was unfamiliar with as he had never had a delightful meal in his life or stuffed his gut to the fullest.

The other thing he was unfamiliar with was the room he was in currently.

He looked to his left and then his right in bewilderment.

After taking in his surroundings, the confusion in his beady eyes tripled.

He was certain he had died…

So what was he doing in a fancy but uncomfortably hot room?!