The street was packed with villagers. The crowd buzzed with uneasy murmurs as Kael pushed his way through. Villagers huddled together, their faces pale, their eyes darting toward the center of the commotion.
The metallic tang of blood hung thick in the air as Kael forced his way forward. There, he saw a man in his mid-twenties kneeling in the dirt, his hands bound behind his back. Blood trickled from a split lip, and his tunic was torn at the shoulder.
Standing over him were three men clad in polished steel armor, emblazoned with a crest Kael recognized—a coiled serpent devouring its tail. The sigil of House Valtorin, a major noble family of rank duke, loyal to the Elarion Empire.
One of the armored men yanked the man's hair, forcing his head up. "You're coming with us, wretch. The harvest tax was due yesterday, and unpaid dues are a crime against the crown."
The man choked out a protest. "W-we sold everything! The drought ruined our fields—we have nothing left!"
The guard backhanded him. "Then you will repay the debt by doing labour in the mines. Lucky for you, the mines always need workers."
The man clenched his jaw but said nothing. His silence made the guard smirk. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes drifting toward a woman standing nearby, her eyes red with unshed tears.
"Of course," the guard drawled, "there's another way to clear your debt quickly." He gestured toward the woman—his sister
The second guard, a man with a scar running down his chin, grabbed the woman's arm and pulled her close. His fingers ran along her chest, his lips curling into a disgusting grin. "The Silk Lotus pays well for fresh stock like her," he sneered, tightening his grip. "If you sent her there, then we'll be the first customers."
The brother thrashed against his bonds. "She has nothing to do with this! Take your filthy hand off from my sister, You basta—"
A steel-toed boot slammed into his ribs before he could finish.
cough cough
Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth as he gasped for air. "This—this isn't right… I already paid two times more than what I owed! And you're still saying I have dues?!"
The lead guard scoffed, crossing his arms. "You've only paid the interest. The original amount is still pending."
Before the brother could protest, a voice cut through the murmuring crowd.
"This is fraud!"
A lanky scholar in ink-stained robes stepped forward, his spectacles slightly askew. "Jaren already repaid the full amount! I was there when he paid it."
The lead guard let out an exaggerated sigh. "Run along, brat. This doesn't concern you."
The scholar didn't back down. "Jaren is my friend, and you don't have the right to treat him like this—"
He was abruptly cut off by a trembling elderly woman grabbing his sleeve, her wrinkled hands clutching him desperately. "Elias, stop! They'll kill you!"
Elias shook her off, his voice hardening. "Mother, what are you doing? If we don't speak up now, they'll keep taking whatever they want. If we stay silent, we're only giving them permission to continue!"
He turned to the villagers, his voice growing louder. "Why are you all just standing there?! This is already the third family they've dragged off to the mines with false accusations! Today it's Jaren. Tomorrow, it could be you. If we let them do as they please, then when your turn comes, no one will stand for you either."
The crowd remained silent. Heads lowered, eyes averted.
Then a laugh shattered the tense air—sharp, mocking, and dripping with amusement.
"Well, well… what a passionate little speech."
A fat man stepped out from a gilded carriage parked at the edge of the crowd. His heavy, bejeweled rings clinked together as he adjusted his cloak, which bore the embroidered sigil of House Valtorin.
"You know," he continued, voice oozing false amusement, "I was just going to let my men handle this quietly. But thanks to you, dear scholar, you've made things much more interesting."
His expression turned cold as his gaze swept over the villagers. "Obstructing officials in the execution of their duties… interfering with tax collection… You do realize those are crimes, don't you?"
He raised his voice so the entire square could hear. "Since you are a scholar, You must know what will be the consequences of your actions. As a representative of house Valtorin, According to the Imperial law of act 39 You will be punished here for your crimes. As for what the Punishment is twenty lashes, and One year of imprisonment."
The crowd flinched. Elias' mother gasped. The young scholar's face paled, but he squared his shoulders, standing firm.
The fat magistrate smirked. "Let this be a lesson to all of you, That you shouldn't be meddling in the house Valtorin affairs."
The third guard dragged Elias onto a raised platform where everyone could see him. His mother pleaded with the guard, but he shoved her aside.
The whip cracked.
Elias' screams echoed through the square.
After his punishment was over, the magistrate ordered Jaren and Elias to be thrown into the carriage
After they took them, The villagers dispersed quickly. After every one left Kael remained. He stared at the bloodied ground where Elias had been whipped with the blank expression.
A bitter thought crystallized in his mind: Playing hero never works in reality
Even though Elias had bravely stood up for his friend, it was pointless. In a world where nobles held absolute power, the commoners were nothing more than pawns. Even if someone stronger than Elias stood against them the result would be same. Strength alone didn't matter—without authority, it was meaningless.
'Survival isn't about mercy. It's about leverage.'
Kael sighed. ' I'd forgotten the brutality of this world, sheltered by my peaceful life here. Commoners are nothing before those with power. Even strong individuals are pawns without authority. Even If you are strong and yet can't control your life, Then it is better to be powerless than to be a pawn of some one.'
----------------------------------------
After returning home, Kael found his mother and sister in the kitchen. The sight of them stirred a chilling question: 'What if something similar happened to him or his Family? Can he do anything to stop it , Even if he grow strong, someone with higher authority could still crush them. So if he wanted to protect His current peaceful life, The answer was clear— He needed Authority or allies with authority'
That night, after dinner, Kael sat cross-legged on the floor, deep in thought.
'Strength keeps you alive. Authority keeps you free. Without it, I'll be just a pawn in someone else's game.'
Kael was no fool—without status, he would always be at the mercy of nobles and rulers.
After half an hour of contemplation, he sighed and muttered to himself, "Alright, let's see what ways are available for a commoner to gain authority similar to nobles."
He analyzed the empire's power structure and found four possible ways:
'Hmm, the first way is to Become a Noble directly. There were only two ways a commoner could be ennobled immediately, One was marrying into a noble family—tempting, but unrealistic. There weren't any high-ranked noble families with children in this town. Even if there were, could I even woo one of them?
Yeah, right. Even in my past life I barely talked to women. The only ones I interacted with were my team members.
Ugh… thinking about them makes my head ache.
The second was being adopted into a noble family—also a dead end. That wasn't even an option worth considering.
[ ::: Don't misunderstand, he's not a pedo. He meant wooing them after they reach a certain age ::: ]
The second method was joining the Empire's Order and making significant contributions. If someone earned enough merits, they could be offered roles within the empire after retirement, positions with influence similar to a Count or Baron.
However, this was a slow and uncertain process. Most who achieved this rank through merit only reached such positions in their 50s.
The third method was through the Imperial Academy of Arcana. Graduating in the top class would grant a Baron title, a mansion, and a position in the palace.
But there was a catch—no commoner had ever graduated from the top class.
The reason was obvious. Commoners lacked the resources nobles had, and there was also some "inside politics" at play. Even for nobles who graduates from top class, a Baron title was merely a mark of personal achievement rather than true authority, Since there families already at the rank higher than Baron.
For a student to graduate from the top class, they had to meet the following conditions :
1. Be one of the strongest students in the entire academy.
2. Accomplish something in your major by inventing new spells, potions, techniques or improve existing One's.
These conditions are nearly impossible for any student to meet.
But if that's the case, why do only nobles graduate from the top class?
Simple. Their families arrange everything for them.
The last method—and the most difficult—was becoming an instructor at the Imperial Academy.
To teach the top minds of the empire, one had to be not only incredibly intelligent but also strong. But this path had its advantages—no noble, except for dukes and the royal family, could influence an instructor's authority.
Even though instructors weren't granted noble titles, their status within the empire was unquestionable.
Kael pondered all these possibilities and finally made a decision. "Alright… Since I have knowledge from the novel, I know about some theories that will be discovered in the future by one of the protagonist's friends. If I publish them first, I can take advantage of it. Alden and his group are five years younger than me, so I have a head start. I will make advantage of it. Alright this will be my plan A."
"Unfortunately, If that doesn't work, I'll join the Empire's Order. With the demon incidents that will happen, I can rack up a shit ton of merits.
Heck, If I use every bit of my knowledge, I might even become the first person in history to earn enough merits for the empire to make me a Duke. Alright this will be my plan B"
"To become the instructor at the academy, one needs to be at the Grandmaster level. If I can reach that early, I'll move this to Plan B. But for now, it stays as Plan C."
Kael took a deep breath and said to himself
"No matter which plan I choose, the first step is the same—I need to become strong. I have to train harder than ever before. Only then will I have any hope of achieving my goals."
Thinking about the future, the challenges he would face, and how he would overcome them, Kael steeled his resolve.
He would become so strong that no one could stand in his way.