Ralph’s voice was filled with passion, his eyes glimmering like an excited young boy’s.
“Since then, Noel has only continued to grow by leaps and bounds, and his clan even defeated a beast lord. His efforts have earned them a position on the regalia too. He is truly, truly a remarkable young man.”
“But he is also a Seeker. Is he capable of inheriting your business, Father?”
“A man like Noel is capable of anything he sets his mind to. In researching his past, I discovered that he managed a winery before becoming a Seeker. That winery also happened to make a tidy profit. Although his suitability is certainly a matter of concern, I have no intention of forcing him into the role of my successor. Noel is already a success, and he likely has little interest in inheriting another’s rank or position. I believe this to be well and good.”
Ralph gulped down some wine and took a crumpled piece of paper from his jacket pocket.
“Do you understand what this is, Bernadetta?”
“I do not,” she said, shaking her head. “What is it?”
“This is called a bill. It’s paper currency.”
Bernadetta had heard the word before. Bills differed from coins in that they held no actual value but served as a government-recognized currency for economic exchange. They were more convenient to store and transfer than coins, and unlike gold, silver, and bronze—which were all limited resources—they could be printed and issued much more easily, which in turn boosted spending and spurred on the economy.
“I am hoping that the empire transitions from the metallic currency of coins to paper currency. It is best for the revitalization of our economy. Coins are inconvenient, you see, both for the country and its citizens.”
“Is the empire going to start printing these paper bills?”
“No. This particular bill was not issued by the imperial government. This bill was issued by the former free cities of Mönch.”
“Mönch…”
It was the name of a place that, some ten years ago, had been decimated by one of the Valiants: Cocytus the Silverfish. As the nation had been absorbed into the greater Velnant Empire, its name was seldom on anyone’s lips these days.
“The free cities of Mönch were well ahead of the times when it came to finance and economics. That they were able to implement paper currency before any other nation is proof of many long years of wisdom, experience, and trust. In fact, Mönch’s paper currency was even set to be recognized as an international currency by neighboring countries. However…” Ralph sneered. “As you already know from your history studies, Mönch was razed before it ever had the chance to officially print its paper currency. Perhaps it is inappropriate of me to say, but we were fortunate that it was destroyed before that could happen. Every country dealing with Mönch would have taken a huge financial hit otherwise for the simple fact that the currency was not metallic but paper. If the country printing the currency is destroyed, their currency becomes utterly worthless—no better than tissues. Trash, essentially.”
It made sense enough. Bills were made a currency by the nation that printed and issued them. It was not the bills themselves that people used in their dealings—rather, it was the trust of the nation that issued them. If a nation did not have that trust, then its bills would fail to become currency.
“Ever since then, there has been a complete lack of international trust in bills. Nobody wants to use them for their deals when there is a chance they might become little more than colorful slips of paper. It’s quite the dilemma. Every nation, in truth, wants to move toward a paper currency, but none can forget the tragedy of the free cities of Mönch.”
Bernadetta nodded, then tilted her head quizzically. “I understand what you’re saying about bills, but what does that have to do with me?”
“Well, you see, I believe that people and bills are alike,” said Ralph.
“Really?”
“Yes, very much so. Neither has any intrinsic value. The value of a person, like that of bills, comes from outside themselves in the form of trust.” He had a faraway look in his eyes as he continued, “The world calls me a finance giant. And there is no doubting my results—with sales of twenty trillion fil per year, I am worthy of such a moniker. I am very proud of what I have achieved. Yet it is also true that I have achieved nothing outside of making money. After all, I barely even know where my socks are.”
Bernadetta giggled. “You are a remarkable man, Father. No need to humble yourself so.”
“I merely speak the truth, Bernadetta. My worth as a person is perhaps only my position as father to a most wonderful daughter,” said Ralph with a kind smile. Then his face regained its seriousness. “Truth be told, my value is that of the empire itself. Even if the Seekers are successful in fighting off the Valiant, nobody can say what will happen to our nation afterward. I have thought long and hard about how much I want my precious daughter to be with a powerful man who does not falter, no matter the situation.”
“And that man is Noel Stollen?”
“I can think of nobody else. He is admittedly on the short side, and he is also younger than yourself, but this does not mar the fact that he has truly exceptional talent. He also happens to have a most handsome face.”
“Is the face so important?”
“Well, it is my dream to dote on my adorable grandchildren,” Ralph joked with a wink.
“I see,” she replied with a soft laugh. “I will do my very best.”
Behind her smile, she was thinking, This could be my chance!
No doubt the snake had his eyes on one thing: Ralph’s money. Why else would someone so cold-blooded enter marriage talks? But if money was what he was after, it meant she could use the snake as an accomplice in her efforts to take down Malebolge. The marriage proposal was thus a chance to get close to Noel without raising Malebolge’s suspicions.
The snake was strong and cunning. Bernadetta knew that even better than her own father, who praised him for those reasons. He had killed Johann, which meant he might also be capable of taking down Malebolge.
“I must admit, I’m so glad Noel had a change of heart,” said Ralph.
That got Bernadetta’s attention. “Whatever do you mean?”
“He turned down my offers of marriage talks four times. Then, all of a sudden, he contacts me saying that he’d like to reconsider. I’m glad I never gave up.”
“Ah… I see.”
A shiver ran down her spine. Her father was so enamored with the snake that he prattled on and on about him, but Bernadetta was no longer listening.
He refused four times? But why? And why the sudden change of heart?
Bernadetta had at first assumed that the snake was simply after money, but this new information seemed to point toward him having other motives. Why would he backtrack on his refusal otherwise?
Perhaps it came down to the cost of the Seven Star Cup and the clan’s worsening financial situation, but Bernadetta felt it was dangerous to assume that was all there was to it. The snake was not the type of man to change his mind about something he had decided just because he was enduring managerial difficulties. Even if he was hurting for money, he would not just enter into marriage talks with a wealthy man’s daughter—he would take precautions to ensure that his affairs went unnoticed by those around him.
“Darling, are you quite all right? You’ve gone pale.”
Bernadetta snapped back to reality at the sound of her father’s worried voice.
“You’re not well, are you? Please, go to your room and get some rest. We can talk more about the proposal at a later date. Preparations need to be made on both sides, anyway.”
“Yes, Father.”
Shaking a little, she stood and returned to her room. Along the way, her thoughts whirled with the mystery of the snake’s motivations. But the more she thought about it, the more she simply could not believe that his only objective was money.
Is it possible that he knows I am actually the Lord of Flies?
If that was the case, then everything else clicked into place.
The individual everyone knew as the Lord of Flies was actually Bernadetta’s familiar. For this reason, she had been able to conceal her real identity while working in the underworld. But she was not always going to be able to hide who she really was. If one traced the magical energy from Bernadetta’s familiar to its source, they could deduce that she was the one in control. It was by no means an easy thing to do, but it was still possible.
If the snake had gone to the effort of uncovering Bernadetta’s real identity, that was proof enough that he planned to kill her. After all, the snake was crazy enough to sacrifice his own life span to crush his enemies, and he did so without a lick of hesitation. Now he was coming for her.
At the mere thought of it, Bernadetta was so afraid that she broke into a cold sweat. It covered her body, and she felt her heart turn to ice. She did not fear death. What she feared was that, upon being captured by the snake, an interrogation far worse than death awaited her. The snake was merciless in dealing with his enemies, and he would use any means to achieve his goals—including bombing a jail.
“His fangs are vengeful and obsessive. It’s possible he’ll turn them on you.”
Malebolge’s words rang in Bernadetta’s head. The snake was strong and cunning, yes, but he was also cruel and persistent. If he set his sights on you, there was no escape.
Bernadetta wondered if she should explain things to Malebolge and ask for her assistance but eventually decided against it. The beast lord would only scorn her fear and criticize the girl’s inability to solve her own problems. Then Malebolge would abandon her, perhaps even kill her. And if Bernadetta’s suspicions toward Malebolge were correct, asking for help was a pointless endeavor—the creature could not be trusted.
“I have to do it myself,” Bernadetta muttered as she climbed the stairs to her room. “I have to kill the snake before he kills me.”
The fear in her voice was gone, and in its place was a clear and pervading bloodlust.