The mirror in the Crown Prince's private bedchamber was old, the silver backing tarnished by centuries of neglect, giving the reflection a poor quality. Michael—no, Alexius—stared at the stranger in the glass. He expected to see a weakling. That was the narrative, wasn't it? The sickly, bedridden prince. But as he flexed his hand, watching the tendons shift, he felt a hum of energy beneath the skin, like touching a live wire.
"System," he whispered. "Full Status."
The blue light resonated in his skull, and the interface expanded, filling his vision with a wall of data that made his jaw drop.
[SOVEREIGN PROTOCOL: STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Alexius Demetrios Leo
Age: 19
Race: Human (Royal Phoenix Lineage)
Affiliation: Principality of Leo
Title: Prince Regent
Level: 35
[VITAL STATISTICS]
HP (Health Points): 500 / 4,500 [Status: Weak]
MP (Mana Points): 12,000 / 12,000 [Status: Full]
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 12
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 99
Luck: 50
[INNATE SPECIAL SKILLS]
Imperial Swordsmanship
Level: 3 (Expert)
Description: Muscle memory of the Royal Guard style. Lethal precision.
Note: Body moves faster than conscious thought.
Omnielemental Affinity
Level: 3 (Senior Mage)
Elements: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, Lightning, Light, Dark
Description: A generational anomaly. The host possesses high-tier aptitude for all magical affinities.
Sovereign's Aura
Level: 1
Description: Ability to suppress lower-will beings.
Michael stared, surprised.
Expert Swordsmanship? Senior Mage in all elements?
The memories of the original Alexius flickered—long, grueling nights of secret training in the castle dungeons, driven by a desperate need to prove himself to a father who never looked at him after his mother's death. He hadn't been lazy; he had been hiding his power to survive in this cruel world. And now, Michael had the keys to the Ferrari. The only thing he needed was to improve his Health Points, probably the lingering effect of the illness he had recently suffered.
"Your Highness?"
The voice broke his concentration.
Alexius swiped the status window away. Elias stood by the door. Elias had no noble surname, no fancy titles. He was a commoner born just outside the capital city, assigned to care for Alexius's wellbeing since the day the prince was born by his mother's order. He was utterly loyal to her and now to Alexius—a professional butler with high intelligence and unsettling assassination-related skills in his own status panel. He was the only person allowed to enter the prince's room without permission. He was like a grandfather to him.
"They are ready for you, Your Highness," Elias said as he adjusted the prince's collar.
"Viscount Canis Titiaus is outside. And… the servants are struggling with the chests he brought."
"Chests?" Alexius asked, masking his surprise.
"Plural?"
"Many chests. And… a caged procession in the courtyard."
Elias's face tightened with disapproval. "Livestock, he calls them."
A chill ran through Alexius that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room.
"Show him in."
Alexius sat in the high-backed velvet chair, purposely slouching. He needed to look like the "Sleeping Lion"—weak and unconfident—to keep his enemies guessing.
The doors swung open. Viscount Canis Titiaus entered. He was a rotund man in purple silks that strained against his gut, his face oiled and flushed. He looked like a grape about to burst.
"Your Highness!" Canis squealed, bowing so low his nose nearly brushed the carpet.
"The Lion wakes! Oh, what a joyous day for the Principality! Duke Vetus sends his most tearful relief!"
Alexius activated Inspect.
[Name: Viscount Canis Titiaus]
[Level: 12 (Bureaucrat)]
[HP: 150 / MP: 20]
[Affiliation: Vetus Faction (Regalist)]
[Skill: 'Silver Tongue' (Level 4) – Increases bribe effectiveness.]
[Intent: Predatory. Seeking signature for Treasury Control.]
"You're loud, Canis," Alexius groaned, rubbing his temples.
He had to pretend to be the arrogant young master—selfish and irritating—to lower the opponent's guard.
"My head is still spinning. Just keep things quiet and get it done quickly."
Canis straightened, a greasy smile plastered on his face.
What an arrogant brat, he thought.
"My apologies. I greet the Prince Regent on behalf of Duke Vetus of the West."
"Anyway, have a seat. Let's celebrate my becoming Prince Regent. Bring wine, Elias."
"As you command." Elias brought two luxurious bottles, opened one, and poured for both the prince and the viscount.
"Cheers to the future of the Principality and Duke Vetus," Alexius toasted.
"For the Principality and Duke Vetus," Viscount echoed, raising his cup.
After a few sips, Alexius gestured to the unopened bottle.
"The other bottle is a present for the Duke. Take it. It's a 100-year-old Kraus wine, imported from the Kraus Kingdom in the south—the most famous wine producer on the continent. Worth a fortune."
"I will gladly accept it with gratitude. I shall deliver it safely to His Grace and convey your desire for positive relations." Canis accepted the gift eagerly.
In his mind:
What a waste of money. With a bottle like this, you could buy a mansion in the capital. And I got to taste it for free. A foolish prince… haha!
"Oh no, Your Highness! How clumsy of me—I almost forgot. I have presents for you too!"
He clapped his hands.
Four chained elf servants carried two massive iron chests inside, setting them down with a floor-shaking thud. Canis kicked the latch open.
Gold. Not a pile, but a mountain—fresh sovereigns stamped with the face of the Grand Prince, the highest denomination minted with the royal treasury's permission.
"Ten thousand gold sovereigns," Canis said proudly.
Sovereigns were the Principality's official currency:
1 gold = 100 silver
1 silver = 100 copper
1 copper = 100 bronze
1 bronze = 100 iron
A single loaf of bread cost 5–12 copper sovereigns.
Holy mother of God.
Alexius's heart hammered. In his old world, this was roughly a hundred million dollars. Enough to run the capital of Arthenburg for six months. Enough to raise an army.
"And—"
Canis moved to the window, throwing the curtains open.
"To attend to your personal comforts…"
Alexius looked down.
In the courtyard, huddled in the cold under guard, were rows of tall, slender figures with pointed ears drooping in misery. Elves. Roughly a hundred of them—men, women, some barely adults. All wore iron collars.
"One hundred high-born Forest Elves," Canis beamed.
"Freshly acquired from border skirmishes. The males are excellent laborers; the females are… trained in domestic arts. All for you, Your Highness."
Michael felt a surge of nausea so violent he nearly gagged. Slavery. Actual, brutal slavery. His modern sensibilities screamed at him to draw the sword he apparently knew how to use and cut Canis down.
But not yet.
You cannot save them if you are deposed tomorrow.
Alexius forced a lazy, greedy smile.
"Well," he drawled, looking at the gold, then the elves.
"The Duke certainly knows how to apologize for not visiting me himself. My treasury has been so… boring lately. Empty."
"Precisely!" Canis pounced.
"Which brings us to a small, tragic matter. The Royal Treasurer… Lord Harth… had a terrible accident yesterday. Fell down a flight of stairs. Neck snapped. Tragically clumsy."
Murder, Alexius thought. They killed the Treasurer to open the seat.
"Terrible," Alexius said flatly.
"I liked Harth. He barely spoke."
"The position is vacant," Canis said, pulling a scroll from his sleeve.
"And with the economy in such shambles, Duke Vetus humbly suggests his financial advisor, Baron Midas, to step in. Just to… stabilize the flow of coin. To ensure Your Highness's allowance—like this gift—never runs dry."
Alexius stared at the scroll.
This was the kill shot.
If Vetus controlled the Treasury, he could defund the Royal Guard, starve loyalists, and buy the throne legally. But Alexius needed that 10,000 gold. He needed it to fund the Nightwatch, to buy grain for winter. And he needed the 100 elves out of Vetus's hands.
"Baron Midas," Alexius mused, tapping his chin.
"Sounds… expensive."
"He is a genius of coin," Canis urged.
"Sign the appointment, Your Highness. Take the gold. Enjoy the company of your new servants. Let the Duke handle the boring numbers."
Alexius stood and walked to the chest of gold, running his hand through the coins.
"I will take the gold," he said.
"It's a fine donation to the Crown."
"A personal gift—" Canis began.
"And the elves," Alexius interrupted.
"My wing is dusty. They will do nicely."
"And the appointment?" Canis held out the quill.
Alexius smiled—a predator pretending to be a house cat.
"I will appoint Midas," he said.
Canis nearly fainted with relief.
"A wise decision! Truly!"
"But," Alexius added,
"I recall a lesson from my history tutor. Something about… Ancient Imperial Oversight?"
He turned to Elias.
"Elias, isn't there a rule? When a Treasurer dies suddenly, the new appointee must serve a 'Probationary Period' of three months?"
Elias, catching on instantly, nodded solemnly.
"Indeed, Your Highness. Statute 427 of the Leo Constitution. The 'Dead Man's Clause.' In cases where a Crown-Appointed Minister dies, the new appointment must be made with haste, but until the probation ends, the new minister can only authorize powers co-signed by the Prince Regent or the Grand Prince."
It was the truth—just long forgotten due to disuse. And Alexius's Luck stat nudged the information to the forefront of his memory. A complete advantage.
But Canis didn't know any of this. He was a bureaucrat, not a historian.
"Probation?" Canis faltered.
"But… the efficiency…"
"I'm sure Midas is a genius," Alexius said, grabbing the scroll and signing it.
"So he won't mind coming to me for signatures. It will give us time to… bond."
He wrote:
Appointed: Baron Midas (Probationary Status – Co-Signature Required).
He shoved the scroll into Canis's hands.
"Now," Alexius said, letting a faint trace of Sovereign's Aura seep out,
"get out. I have gold to count and slaves to… inspect."
Canis stumbled back, clutching the scroll. He had the appointment—that was his goal from the start. The probation didn't matter; he chalked it up to childish whimsy.
That attitude… what a brat. But easy to control.
All for Duke Vetus.
"As… as you command, Your Highness!"
He fled.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Alexius slumped against the table as the adrenaline crash hit.
"Are you alright, Your Highness?" Elias asked, worried.
"I'm alright—happy, actually. That played out well," Alexius said, then straightened.
"Also…"
He looked out the window at the shivering elves. The disgust returned, heavier.
"Elias," Alexius said softly.
"The gold stays. Use a portion to buy grain and food from merchants immediately. Use intermediaries so Vetus doesn't know we're spending his bribe to fix the economy. Also invest a portion in the Nightwatch and its affiliated merchant companies—the profit will be split with them."
"Yes, Your Highness. How about the elves, my lord?" Elias asked, eyes sad.
"The castle dungeons are full. We have nowhere to keep prisoners."
"They aren't prisoners, Elias," Alexius said, turning to him.
"They will become a new force in secret—under me."
Elias blinked. Of course. Elves were the best archers and elementalists on the continent. High-born Forest Elves were legendary hunters trained by living in the Sea of Forests, a place full of monsters. Sometimes they were captured by slave traders or frontier lords of the Kalian Empire, which sought to expand into the Sea of Forest. And with Vetus handling most slave trade in the Principality, he had… plenty.
Using them as weapons?
Clever, Elias thought.
"Free them. Allocate them to my wing. If necessary, build new quarters. Give them food. Buy 100 sets of weapons and necessary supplies. Train them to become professional assassins like yourself. But no one must notice. If anyone leaks information or betrays us—kill them mercilessly."
"When did you…? It doesn't matter. I am your loyal servant—I obey only you, my lord. I will fulfill your tasks even at the cost of my life. As you command, Your Highness." Elias knelt with admiration.
Alexius walked toward his bedroom to prepare for the next envoy.
"If Vetus wants to give me an army of people who hate him, I'm going to use them. They will be called the Venator Order."
(Hunter in Latin.)
Elias smiled.
A chime rang in Alexius's head.
[QUEST COMPLETE: The Golden Trap]
Objective: Survive the meeting with Canis.
Bonus Objective: Secure the Resources (10,000 Gold + 100 Elves).
Resolution: Treasurer appointed with restrictions (Probation).
Rating: S
[REWARDS]
Experience: 2,500 XP
Influence: +10 (Internal)
New Asset: 100 Highborn Forest Elf Loyalists (Potential)
[LEVEL UP!]
Level 35 → 36
Status Points Available: 5
Alexius smirked.
"Level 36. Slowly but surely."
He turned to Elias.
"Clear the room. The Countess is next. And Elias? She hates gold. Bring out the maps."
(Continue....)