Ch.2020. Gate of Hell

A young woman with intellectual beauty and dark-tinged blonde hair, Ember Hyde, was spending time in the salon as usual.

The salon was a space for nobles’ everyday social gatherings.

It was a space that the Hero of two generations ago had promoted for discussing literature and philosophy, but now it was just treated as a place where nobles strengthened their friendships while drinking tea. Except for setting up hurdles for commoners, it was even affordable.

Ember had found comfort here since childhood.

It was because the salon was one of the few spaces where she could feel what being a noble meant. Perhaps because there were many women like Ember, she had never been treated as an oddball.

However, these days her purpose for visiting the salon had changed somewhat.

In the past, she visited to voyeuristically observe nobles’ interactions, but now she was visiting purely for reading. It wasn’t just for show, opened as an accessory while sitting there, but reading with a clear purpose.

[Introduction to Defense Administration]

That was the title of the book she had open.

It wasn’t a book to read for fun, but rather one that outlined the minimum administrative skills needed for an entry-level administrator working in the Empire’s public institutions.

While high-ranking officials were naturally recruited from the Academy’s Administrative Department graduates, administrative officers handling basic tasks were hired through simple examinations.

Ember was reading such a book for employment purposes.

It wasn’t studying she had started voluntarily, but rather due to her father’s subtle encouragement.

“Ember, your future… You can’t just play at home forever. It would be better to have your name registered somewhere.”

“If you meet the basic requirements, I can help you work at a tax office close to home. Your father still has that much influence.”

Her father, who loved her dearly, wasn’t simply encouraging her to get a job to earn money.

‘He probably suggested it so I could find a new marriage prospect more easily.’

The men of the Empire weren’t fools, and they tended to avoid women who just played at home while aging as marriage partners. It was also easy to have one’s chastity questioned with comments like, “Surely she wasn’t just playing alone?” No matter how beautiful she might be, that wasn’t everything.

Meanwhile, having a job could serve as an excuse.

Understanding her father’s intentions, Ember accepted his suggestion.

Of course, she still couldn’t focus on the text due to the aftereffects of her broken engagement. Still, it was better to hold onto a book than to stare blankly at the ceiling at home, so she forced herself to scribble something while clutching the book.

‘As an administrative officer, I might have to work in the same space as commoners, even commoners younger than me. …Though now isn’t the time to be picky about such things.’

Half the time was spent reading, half sighing and worrying. At some point, she couldn’t even turn the pages anymore.

Just then, voices broke Ember’s tranquility.

“Ugh, delayed opening? What kind of nonsense is this?”

“They said they’re opening a few hours late due to facility maintenance. Something must be broken.”

“You believe that flimsy excuse? Don’t talk carelessly if you’re not involved in Cordana.”

“Can’t you speak more nicely? I came with you because I was worried.”

A group presumed to be Academy students entered while making a noisy commotion. Judging by their good physiques, they seemed to be from the Knight Department.

Half of them looked excited, while the other half were busy trying to calm them down. There was also one student who seemed completely oblivious. Despite everyone else being anxious, he was mumbling, “I can’t miss today’s swordsmanship lesson.”

‘Why are Academy students here at this hour?’

Since her studying wasn’t progressing anyway, Ember began to eavesdrop on their conversation, perking up her ears. She had exceptionally good hearing.

“…The situation might not be as bad as you think, so don’t be too impatient. So far, it’s just suspicious circumstances.”

“Suspicious? Haven’t you heard that three Black Iron Knights died? If lizardmen can kill three experts at once, it’s obvious. The Beast King must still be alive.”

“Idiot. Watch your mouth. Are you saying the Hero lied?”

“What else could it be?”

False… report?

Ember flinched and even dropped the pen she was holding.

She had always been interested in the Hero’s party’s activities.

It wasn’t simply because of her connection to her former fiancé. Everyone living in the imperial capital was interested in the Hero’s party’s achievements. Their activities had a tangible impact on the Empire’s security.

It wasn’t long ago that the entire capital was buzzing with news that the Hero had killed the Beast King and that defeating the Demon Lord was within reach. Why would the Beast King, officially declared dead, reappear?

Ember just blinked, unable to understand. She couldn’t believe that the Hero could make a false report.

However, regardless of whether Ember believed it or not, the Academy students continued their argument.

“Sigh. Wouldn’t it be better to wait in front of the exchange rather than hanging around in the salon?”

“I’m a bit worried about skipping classes without permission though.”

“Don’t worry about that. Most professors hold one or two Cordana themselves anyway. There probably won’t be many classes running properly. …Professor Weaver from the Magic Department even drew his pension to buy four of them, he must be devastated now.”

“Will it drop to about 320 million… today? Still, considering how steadily it’s climbed up until now, I don’t think it will suddenly crash?”

Just from listening to the students’ conversation, she could sense that the atmosphere was turning strange.

The Academy had always been one of the most enthusiastic institutions responding to the Cordana market.

The female knight and mage from the Hero’s party were Academy graduates, and there were many students who admired the Hero’s party. Being from noble families, they had the means to purchase one or two Cordana.

It was said that nearly 30% of all students were Cordana investors. This meant that the words of young students couldn’t be dismissed.

‘Could Cordana collapse…? No, surely not.’

The Cordana market was relatively young. And during that time, Cordana had recorded an upward trend, continuously rising.

Sometimes it remained in a slight consolidation phase, but that never lasted long. Investors would quickly flock whenever the Hero party’s achievements were reported through newspapers.

Cordana would continue to rise until the moment the Demon Lord was subjugated.

This was a belief deeply rooted in people’s psychology.

But now, that belief was being shaken for the first time. The delayed opening of the Cordana exchange was clearly due to this distrust.

Something inexplicable was imminent. Even Ember, who was just sitting in the salon with an introductory defense administration book open, could feel it on her skin.

***

The Cordana Exchange.

The exchange’s executives and employees were sitting around with fearful expressions.

The Cordana Exchange was supposed to open around 9 AM every day as a rule.

However, today they had delayed the opening until almost noon. They had put forward the pretext of ‘facility maintenance,’ but no one believed it.

The employees also knew that delaying the opening like this would earn them criticism.

But today, they really had no choice. It was hard to imagine what kind of disaster would befall them if they opened the exchange doors without a plan.

Of course, just delaying the opening wouldn’t provide an escape route.

“Sigh. Are there many people outside?”

“Yes. I just checked, and there are over 300 people gathered. …Actually, in terms of numbers, it’s not that many.”

“The number isn’t the problem. It’s what kind of orders those people will place that worries me. This is driving me crazy.”

“You should open soon now. We can’t delay any longer.”

One might think that delaying for a few more hours wouldn’t be a big deal, but the problem was the profiles of those waiting anxiously outside the exchange.

Nobles, high-ranking officials or officers of noble origin. Or those of lower status but who had accumulated wealth through managing trading companies, quasi-nobles or wealthy commoners.

Even the more ordinary people were established self-employed individuals or legal professionals.

They were all mixed together, murmuring outside the exchange.

The Beast King’s survival, the Hero’s false report, and the massive over-the-counter transaction between the Papal State and the Prince.

Of course, the Cordana Exchange was a place where formalities were relaxed enough for the Minister of Justice and the Deputy Commander of the Royal Guard to bump shoulders, but that didn’t mean it was acceptable to make people wait in line outside for hours.

“What about the Imperial Palace? And the Hero? No news at all?”

“Well… the palace has only stated that they will contact the Hero to ascertain the truth. It seems the over-the-counter transaction was conducted solely by the Prince. …The Court Department also seems to be in turmoil.”

“Haah.”

It seemed that chaos had erupted in the palace as well.

In the end, the exchange representative decided to surrender. After announcing that the facility maintenance was complete, he cautiously opened the exchange.

Hoping desperately that no situation beyond his control would arise.

Fortunately, no riot broke out even after the opening.

Although the atmosphere was agitated, at least people weren’t going crazy and running amok. They just rushed to the counters with urgent expressions.

But the peace was short-lived.

“Sell two, right here.”

“Yesterday’s closing price was 380 million? Place a sell order for five at that price.”

Everyone who entered the exchange wanted to sell. An endless line of people hoping to sell at yesterday’s closing price formed.

60, 105, 138.

The sell volume began to pile up rapidly. There were even people offering one Cordana at 370 million, saying they wanted to dispose of it quickly.

But there wasn’t a single buyer, literally not one.

The faces of the exchange employees taking orders began to harden rapidly.

When sell volume accumulated like this, it was common practice for the responsible employees to guide sellers to lower their prices to find a meeting point between price and volume.

Usually, adjusting by just 10 million would promptly attract buy orders.

But now, they had no idea how low they needed to go before buyers would emerge.

360 million? Or 350 million or 340 million?

Or if not that—

Investors looked at each other’s faces with pale expressions. As if they wanted to confirm whether the person next to them was thinking the same thing.

Of course, no one provided an answer, but a clear answer wasn’t necessary anyway. Everyone could feel it.

“…No. Stop.”

Words exhaled like a groan by a young noble. But it was too late to stop. A concept that had never existed in the Cordana market until now had already materialized.

It was a crash.