Golden Hand

Like an officer marching through the Arc de Triomphe, the things that befell Scarl after the welcoming ceremony were more realistic.

Flare returned to the academy dormitory, and the carriage carrying Luna, Kasha, and Sophia headed for the mansion.

Kasha and Sophia each carried a large briefcase, filled with a mountain of troublesome issues that had been piling up and put off.

Documents that Scarl had been eagerly awaited to deal with, but had been postponed day after day, were now greeting him.

“Master. Starting with these documents…”

“Scarl, oppa. This first…”

Kasha and Sophia, no sooner had they spoken than they looked at each other with embarrassed expressions.

Scarl, watching their actions from behind the mountain of documents, let out a small sigh and grumbled quietly.

“So much work…”

His words failed to penetrate the barrier of documents, and Kasha and Sophia began to pile up the important items from each of their agendas, creating a huge mountain to bring to him.

Sighing, Scarl rose from his seat and effortlessly took the precarious pile of documents that the two were carrying together.

“I’ll take care of it.”

Being respected was certainly a happy thing, but he didn’t realize that so much work would be piled up.

It had only been about a week.

‘To think such a reason was hidden behind the flowery words.’

His usual poker face cracked.

“Ugh.”

When would he ever get all this done?

The two were surprised by Scarl’s first display of a human side.

“Pardon?”

“Huh? Just now…?”

As if nothing had happened, Scarl, his face returning to its usual sternness, picked up the most crucial document.

“This is…”

Surprisingly, most of the problems the two had brought were connected to one family and the Aiden Guild.

“Yes. That’s why we couldn’t handle it, Master.”

“That’s right, oppa.”

‘Right. I did give such instructions.’

Scarl’s eyes stared intently at the document, and one hand instinctively went to his chin, stroking it.

The Golden Hand, Marquis Midas.

A family that rose with money, that ruled the world with money, and that was said to be the wealthiest in the world.

They possessed everything that could be bought with money, and it was estimated that they had more money than the imperial family of the empire.

Scarl instinctively realized that the game had reached its climax.

“What’s going on with Midas all of a sudden?”

It was a family that Scarl had never been interested in, no matter how much money he made.

‘For them to do this now, it must be…’

Sophia stepped forward and recited the intelligence officer’s personal opinion at the end of the document.

“They’ve started betting on the Second Prince, all of a sudden. Isn’t that strange?”

The Second Prince.

The most likely successor candidate, excluding the Crown Prince, the First Prince.

To Midas, who was said to be able to buy the empire with money, power was a double-edged sword.

Having a lot meant having a lot to lose if they failed. That’s why Midas, who had always maintained a strict neutrality, aligning themselves with the imperial family members who held all succession rankings, differentially according to their rank…

Sophia had been rapidly rising in prominence, and he had thought that the support from Midas was merely customary…

As Kasha said.

“Our support has been cut off.”

Sophia nodded with a stiff face, confirming that Kasha’s words were true.

The finale of the game, the race to solidify the position of the empire’s sole supreme ruler, had begun.

‘And the demons are bound to be behind it.’

If the Midas family had appeared, the opponent was obvious.

The Golden Duke Vasago.

A demon who sought secrets and hidden things, confusing the present with knowledge of the forgotten past and the knowledge of the future to come.

He was his next opponent.

Everything that Vasago touched could be turned into gold, and his impure eyes contained the past, present, and future, making it easy for anything to be devalued.

A master of material transformation and a demon called the owner of all the wealth in the world, Vasago.

Another stream of desire to rule the world, financial power. The pinnacle of that power had designated them as enemies.

“The Second Prince, huh…”

A future where the Second Prince became emperor.

A demon who led in that direction, and one of the Demon King’s confidants.

“I understand. Both of you may leave.”

He had a lot to think about.

Until now, he had easily overcome everything related to money with cheat-like earnings, but…

They lacked history and tradition.

He had been using Aiden’s money to make up for that, hiring people, but now he had to suspect even them of being spies.

‘Auctions and everything else are going to get complicated from now on.’

If the game information he had was from the future, transcendent.

They had the financial power and authority to buy the information he had.

Whatever he did, he would be interfered with.

‘So, the top priority for assassination.’

He endlessly rotated the corner of the banquet invitation sent by the demon, reflecting it in the crystal glass.

The rectangular invitation constantly changed its appearance in the fragmented glass panes.

“Vasago.”

How should he kill him?

He had barely slept due to the backlog of work, and he had been constantly pondering how to deal with the enemy named Vasago, but the day had dawned.

With a face worn out from fatigue, he went to the academy as usual.

Seeing his half-asleep appearance, Luna advised Scarl before getting out.

“Scarl, Master. Are you alright? If you’re still tired from the journey, you can rest today…”

Scarl closed his eyes and dismissed Luna’s concern.

“I’m fine.”

“But!”

As Luna’s voice rose, Scarl opened his eyes and looked at her.

In Luna’s eyes, Scarl’s eyes were bloodshot, his lips were dry, his hair was dry and lifeless, and he seemed somehow weak.

“Don’t worry. I am a transcendent.Transcendent Superman.

At that absurd word, Luna blinked and looked at Scarl again, and there was Scarl, sitting in the carriage, looking as strong and upright as ever.

“Yes, Master.”

“Have a good day at school too.”

“I understand.”

It was an answer given with his eyes half-closed, but with one last look at Luna, who was anxiously looking at her master, the carriage carrying Scarl headed for the Bernatore mansion.

In the afternoon, the entire hero party gathered at the Bernatore mansion.

Scarl, who had been bringing the backlog of documents to the academy since yesterday and continuing to process them.

‘They could at least help a little since they came.’

Unaware of Scarl’s feelings, the three began to chatter.

“Luna, unnie, did you have a good trip? How is Haimon?”

Sophia asked Luna, but Flare answered.

“Nothing much. As soon as we arrived, the professor who had been waiting for him finished him off, and then it was just a series of banquets.”

“I wasn’t asking you?”

“What? We had fun. How about it? Aren’t you jealous?”

“Ha!”

The two, who were bickering as usual, were interrupted for a moment by Sophia, who brought today’s newspaper, starting a new conversation.

“Oh, right! By the way, look at this!”

“What is it? Oh…?”

Luna’s face was almost sucked into the newspaper, as if something was written on it.

Scarl’s body continued to process the documents, but his ears perked up in the direction of the three.

“Unnie, let me see too…! Oh! Professor, Professor’s article!”

The curiosity was resolved by Flare’s words, which could be heard from afar.

But before he could turn his attention away, he heard the words.

“Our Scarl professor. Isn’t he amazing?”

“It seems that Haimon is very grateful to Scarl-nim. That’s what it says here.”

The content became even more curious at Luna’s words.

“Hwaaak. What is this? Scarl Bernatore is engaged to Io Haimon as a result of this event? Professor!”

Flare’s unacceptable remarks poured out, and the eyes of the three began to focus on Scarl.

Ignoring the stinging gazes, Scarl continued to sign the documents.

Taking a quick glance, he began to answer, knowing that they would continue to glare at him until he explained.

“It was a unilateral notice. They never asked for my permission.”

He had heard of it, but he had never said he would do it.

Even though he had refused outright, Haimon had clearly hinted at it in the article.

Haimon was sending a message that they had not given up on Scarl in the capital.

Knowing that he would refuse to the end, Io herself had mortgaged the marriage and done this.

‘Does Io really have no intention of getting married?’

As far as Scarl was concerned, he only thought that she wanted to grow old as a spinster.

“Of course, I refused.”

“As expected.”

Luna breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then, of course, these… yellow journalism should disappear!”

“Where is it? What newspaper is that?”

“The Imperial Post? What kind of newspaper is that!”

Sophia and Flare were so in sync that it was hard to believe they had been fighting until just now.

And the time when Scarl and the hero party were at the academy.

“Is this where you live?”

A mysterious woman came to Scarl’s mansion.