37 – 18. Time to Rectify (1)
Jane couldn’t believe her own ears.
“What did you say? It succeeded?”
She never imagined hearing that the event she was certain would fail had actually succeeded.
She hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility, but she never truly believed it would happen. Could such an absurd plan have really succeeded?
Surprised, she stood up. The old advisor spoke with confidence.
“Success? I wouldn’t say anything if it were just success. It’s a huge success! Do you know how explosive the reaction is? Prince Bedon immediately bet 2 billion Valus as soon as it started! And that’s not all. Other nobles are eager to invest in this tournament as well!”
The word “success” wasn’t enough. Perhaps even if one searched the history of the empire, there wouldn’t be anyone who achieved such business success.
Unprecedented success. Ian’s creation, the tournament, had such a profound impact.
“Now what are we going to do? At this rate, we can only boost Ian’s momentum! That’s right! Didn’t we have a plan back then? Tell me now! What should we do to survive!”
Anger had turned into desperation. The advisor sought answers, but unfortunately, Jane was all he had to look at.
“I didn’t expect things to turn out like this…”
Jane bit her lip.
It wasn’t that there was no plan. Ian had been thinking about a way to involve the sacred country of Edenria in case of success.
Edenria wouldn’t view the tournament favorably, and pressuring Ian by using them wouldn’t have been impossible.
But since Ian’s tournament achieved unprecedented success, that plan was now irrelevant.
Could other nations object to dismantling a tournament supported by the prince?
“It’s over…”
She hadn’t dreamed of this level of success. Naturally, she hadn’t even prepared a plan considering him.
The color drained from her face as she sensed failure.
“I guess this is the end…”
The expected time was still far away, but staying quiet in a situation where Ian’s momentum was rising so rapidly could jeopardize her own life.
Jane, who had made up her mind, stood up.
“Look! Sir Adviser! Say something… Ugh!”
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“Don’t make a fuss, just be quiet.”
Jane decided to take off the mask she had been wearing, which was suffocating her light-hearted spirit.
It was undoubtedly a situation akin to being cornered, signifying the end of a child’s play.
“I have to approach them.”
Swoosh!
Dressed in a cloak, Jane stepped out of the room, silencing her footsteps.
The body of the spirit she had killed dissipated into thin air as if engulfed by magic.
***
Danotu achieved great success.
The players, carefully selected under strict conditions, put on their best performances. The nobles, fascinated by their intense fights, spared no expense.
“Of course, that’s not the only reason.”
Many people had a hand in it. The food and drinks made using the potatoes prepared by Oliver were selling like hotcakes. The arena that Ria and Eri had jointly created added to the lively atmosphere.
“And that was the secret to earning a lot of money.”
The heightened atmosphere gradually stirred up excitement and clouded the judgment of the nobles.
The nobles, captivated by the thought that they could win money by predicting the winner, began to utilize their knowledge to the fullest.
They were discussing physical conditions and facial features of the individuals involved.
Naturally, predicting the outcome of the match in such a flimsy way was difficult. As a result, many nobles lost a considerable amount of money in this tournament.
“Of course, there were also those who won a lot of money.”
Ian looked at Bedon Arcana, who was laughing heartily.
“hahahaha. I can’t remember the last time I saw such an entertaining match. It feels like my blood is boiling. I can’t express how good it feels; at the end, I wanted to jump into the arena myself.”
Initially, Bedon had poured a tremendous sum of 2 billion valus into it, and he accurately predicted the winners of all the matches, leaving only the rewards to be received.
Thankfully, it was fortunate that he had set a limit of 2 billion valus. Otherwise, he would have had to close his business and run away….
Fortunately, Bedon agreed to limit the betting, and that was the reason.
“Congratulations. Your foresight is nothing short of the Empire’s treasure, Your Highness.”
Ian personally took the money bag and went to the room where Bedon was staying, as a gesture of gratitude.
Ian politely handed over the money bag, but Bedon extended his hand and shook his head.
“I won’t accept this money. It’s for you to keep.”
“For me… What do you mean?”
“I never intended to accept the money in the first place. The reason I bet money was to repay you for creating such a great event.”
“Repay, you say?”
I felt momentarily stunned by Bedon’s words.
Of course, it was true that the nobles were betting without any worries as Bedon started placing money. But what did it mean to bet in order to repay someone?
In that moment, Ian remembered.
“Come to think of it, didn’t Bedon’s initial winner prediction list completely change?”
At first, Bedon had placed bets on the losing side.
And when he set limits on the amount, he switched all the bets to the winning side.
“Was that intentional?”
It wasn’t something easy to believe. Of course, Bedon’s method wasn’t a strange one.
Investing in a noble that had a favorable position as the Crown Prince could lead to political interactions, he thought.
Investing with good intentions could also make that noble politically troubled.
But if money was passed to Ian in this way, he could have made investments without arousing suspicion from anyone.
“Well… it’s not a wrong method. Maybe he anticipated that I would personally come out and create this situation by changing the predictions in the middle… But still.”
What kind of confidence did he have to choose this method? That was the question.
“To use this method… wouldn’t someone have to know who will win?”
If it was solving a problem with a predetermined answer, it would be fine, but isn’t a martial arts competition a sport where the outcome can change with just a small variable?
Even scientific experts who analyze athletes cannot predict the outcome of a match.
No matter how much he was called Bedon, predicting all of that and betting money was nothing more than gambling.
Bedon smirked knowingly, aware that Ian had doubts.
“Do you wonder with what confidence I undertook such an act?”
“No. How could a lowly person like me think such thoughts…”
“It’s okay. Even I know how unreasonable and absurd my actions were, to be honest.”
Bedon snickered, holding up his right index finger to cover his eye.
“Ian… I’ve had good eyesight since I was young.”
“You mean your eyesight?”
“Yeah. It’s not that I have good vision. My eyes can see the ebb and flow of fortune. I could see it even this time. I could see what choices would bring good things to me.”
Bedon fully demonstrated that ability. He intentionally caused a disturbance to draw attention to himself, and with perfect predictions, he created a position where he could confront and challenge others without the nobles noticing.
Ian understood the hidden meaning while also harboring doubts.
While he understood Bedon’s intention, it didn’t seem like a good method.
If he were to wager a fortune of 2 billion Vallus, he could attract the attention of the Imperial Family and face consequences.
“I understand his intentions but he still went too far. I’m worried that because of this incident, the Crown Prince may be reprimanded.”
Please return to me your translated version of the novel excerpt, taking into account word choice, phrasing, and the atmosphere of the excerpt.
“That’s something you don’t have to worry about. I was willing to invest money for the revival, considering the event I’ve been longing for since my days in the army. Putting up a fortune of two billion proved my passion for combat.”
After saying that much, Ian quietly handed over the money.
“If you keep worrying even when I say it’s okay, you might just irritate the prince’s temperament, you know?”
Ian nonchalantly placed the bag of money on the floor.
“Both Erido and Bedon. The people of the royal family drive me crazy, without exception.”
Even though I thought he was wasting money without any thought, everything was planned, and even his eyes had something special.
“I guess it runs in the royal blood.”
Come to think of it, everyone in the royal family was an extraordinary being.
The blood of the sacred royal family must truly manifest itself, as all of the current emperor’s children possessed incredible talents.
The eldest, Phirest Arcana, was born with the greatest divine power in history. The second, Eri, showed extraordinary talent in spirit magic.
As for the youngest, Eonia Arcana, I hadn’t seen her properly yet, so I didn’t know, but she must have had a special talent as well.
“I thought Bedon had no talent at all…”
It made sense since Bedon was a character with little presence even in the original work.
Even if I try to remember, I could only recall him always being pushed around by Eri, saying, ‘I can’t do anything, this time I was unlucky.’
“So, he must be a fool.”
But no, that was completely wrong. Bedon, too, had exceptional abilities, proving that he had the royal blood.
It was a crazed eye that could read the flow of prosperity and decline.
Knowing that fact, my curiosity surged once again.
“Why is Bedon wasting such abilities and on the verge of dying in the struggle for the throne?”
From Ian’s perspective, Bedon possessed the most outstanding ability in the world.
If one can see the flow of success and failure, wouldn’t they never fail? Of course, even if Eri had exceptional talents, it meant nothing compared to Bedon.
“Why is he rotting away with such talent…”
I just couldn’t understand.
Did Ian’s emotions show on his face? Bedon drank his tea, then smiled with satisfaction.
“Curious, are you? Even with such eyes, why hasn’t he become the crown prince yet?”
“That’s not it.”
“No need to lie. They say that facial expression mirrors a person’s emotions. That mirror shows clearly how you think of me.”
Even in a situation where one could easily feel bad, Bedon smirked and led the conversation.
“I would like to tell you everything I want, but it’s not the right time yet. So, let’s save our words. I’ll tell you one thing though.”
After tidying his appearance, Bedon sipped his tea once again.
“Our siblings have never confronted each other, and it remains the same even now. So, tell me. Did it satisfy your curiosity?”
With those words, Bedon stood up from his seat.
“Oh, right. I had a chance to explore the Volkanoov family while participating in the event. Something felt off. It seems like the air of greed is engulfing the family. You see, humans tainted by greed cannot fully utilize their abilities and gradually fall apart. By saying this much, you should know what you need to do.”
The Empire sincerely wishes for the prosperity of the Volkanoov family.
With those parting words, Bedon slowly left the room.
Ian watched the departing figure of Bedon Arcana slowly. He couldn’t bid him farewell. He could only stare at him blankly.
It was because Ian had a lot on his mind just by pondering Bedon’s words.
“Bedon and Erzabeth have never competed with each other? Was I mistaken?”
Ian thought that Erzabeth and Bedon were engaging in a fierce political battle over the throne.
But it wasn’t the case….
“Come to think of it, Erzabeth has never spoken ill of Bedon to me.”
Wouldn’t it be inevitable to speak ill of Bedon if Ian wanted to make her side with him?
However, Erzabeth had praised Bedon highly. It was solely Ian’s judgment that he thought of Bedon as a bad person.
“Was it all just a misunderstanding?”
Even thinking about it again sent shivers down his spine.
Who would have known that such an underlying story was hidden?
Of course, Ian still had questions about Bedon. If there was no confrontation, then why continue the battle for the throne? There were various questions that remained.
But Ian decided to think slowly.
He should be grateful just for discovering this fact.
As he thought that, it was the moment when he was about to grab his money bag.
Ding!
The device that he had put in his pocket rang.
With a sigh, Ian left his money bag on the desk and checked the text message.
[I have something to tell you that I couldn’t say earlier, so I had to communicate it through a text message. When you go to your room, there will be a gift that I prepared. I hope you make good use of it. Consider it a reward for showing a good match.]
– 2nd Prince Bedon Arcana
“There’s something more than just this money?”
The moment Ian checked the message, he grabbed his money bag and ran towards his room as if he was crazy.
No matter how much he thought about it, he didn’t know the extent of the second prince’s actions.
Starting from betting 2 billion Valus to a statement that had never confronted Erzabeth, and now he’s giving a new gift?
He didn’t predict what it might be. Rather than wasting time thinking about it, it would be easier to see what Bedon had prepared.
“Hoo.”
Ian took a deep breath, gripping the doorknob, and steadied his mind.
Clank!
He roughly opened the closed door.
At the same time, he couldn’t help but be surprised.
“Bedon is insane!”
– Wow… Ian, what is this?
Ian’s eyes were filled with confusion at Bedon’s gift placed in the room.