Reborn Financier-Chapter 39 - 38: Storytime

The bartender trembled slightly as he stuffed the gold coins into his pocket.

He scanned the bar to make sure that no curious eyes or ears were within close vicinity.

He leaned toward me, his voice dropping to a whisper that was heavy with old wounds and crushing memories.

"Three years ago... this was still hell," he began, his voice roughened by the dust of difficult years.

"The Valtorin’s family settled...nobles of the Everwood Kingdom. They settled here for hope... For dreams."

He chuckled dryly without smiling.

But dreams did not matter where Lord Aric still governed the land like a leech. Draining gold from beggars, squeezing life from the weak. Crime? Hmph. It was no longer crime — it was simply life.

Zarel snorted beside Kaidën.

"Sounds cozy," he muttered, earning a silent glare from Kaidën.

The bartender didn’t notice. His eyes were lost in memory.

"More suffering than ever. Even the lady — Princess Sofia, the wife of duke Arin— she did what she was able to. She was kind and gentle. Always giving out bread to children, caring for the sick... but what did one flower achieve in a desert of thorns?

His fingers drummed on the wooden counter, a sign of nervousness.

"Then." He spoke more forcefully, a spark of life flashing across his listless eyes.

And then there was the plan. A trap. Set up by the king of Everwood himself. and by Lady Sofia... And by the Duke, Arin Valtorin — who was still bedridden at the time.

Kaidën’s eyes narrowed slightly under his hood.

"The king — he knew Lord Aric’s greed would be his downfall. Commander Steven — gods bless that madman — he came up with a mind-blowing plan. Risky. Insane. But brilliant."

The bartender paused for dramatic effect, glancing around once more.

"They forged false documentation. Fabricated spurious trade agreements. Ghost shipments of gold. Rumors of rebellions, forged letters that carried Aric’s seal — so authentic that even the gods were deceived."

"And that greedy bastard..." he spat onto the floor. "He bit. Hard."

Kaidën listened silently, absorbing every word.

A subtle tension coiled inside him, like an old string being pulled tighter.

"With evidence mounting...Aric had no where to turn...No scapegoats... No deceptions...No tricks."

"He was dragged out into the public square, chained with chains so heavy that they would be pulled by any oxen. The people — the people — cried. They cheered. They sang".

"I was there, sir," replied the bartender, his voice rough. "I witnessed it."

The man who had drained our souls for years. finally brought low."

Zarel whistled lowly. "Talk about karma."

"But..." The bartender’s voice dropped again, darker now.

"...it came at a cost."

Kaidën leaned toward him.

"The boy. The young lord." The bartender hesitated.

The day Aric was taken away. that boy disappeared.

He rubbed his forehead, his eyes blurred by regret.

"Princess Sofia. she transformed. Became. cold. Unyielding. Like a sword forged out of sorrow."

"But never to the innocent," he added quickly. "No, never.

She protected the weak like a lioness guards her cubs.

But the wicked — thieves, slave traders, corrupt guards — they disappeared. Silently. Without bloodshed. As if swallowed up by the shadows themselves.

Kaidën felt something deep stir inside him — pride, sorrow, a thousand unspoken feelings.

"And then," the bartender growled, voice dropping to a serious tone, "then a year and a half ago."

Kaidë leaned his head.

"The Duke."

"...The Duke Arin awoke."

The bartender’s voice softened, almost reverent.

"Years bedridden. they said that it was love which awakened him. Others said fury."

But whatever it was, rose him."

"And Aschel rose with him."

The bartender’s eyes now sparkled.

With the Duke’s acumen for business, the wasteland thrived. The markets expanded. The streets were paved. Money flowed in — good money. Not blood money.

"And the Duke — not sitting on a throne giving orders, no sir."

"He roamed the streets personally. He appointed the ministers personally. He got rid of snakes, cowards, traitors."

"And along with him was Commander Steven."

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head in amazement.

The commander. He was a broken man upon his rescue. Imprisoned within the royal dungeon at the king’s direct order — for failing to protect the queen and children.

Kaidën clenched his jaw.

"When they pulled him out. He was scars more than man. Flogged daily. There were broken bones. He had sunken eyes."

"But when freedom kissed his chains away... he rose like a damned demon."

The bartender’s voice grew fierce.

"He trained harder than anyone. Fought harder. Rose through the ranks faster than anyone thought possible.

Today — today he is a 6th-grade Martial Expert."

Kaidën raised an eyebrow.

"No one could have expected Commander Steven, that broken man who’d come so far. Due to him. no one dares to raise a hand against Aschel. Thanks to him, even the Horsen Empire hasn’t breached the capital yet."

Silence that was so dense.

Zarel broke it with a cough. "Okay, not bad. But how’s the food around here now?"

Kaidën smacked the back of his head.

The bartender blinked, confused by their weird dynamic.

"And that wasn’t all," the man said, on the verge of forgetting himself in the flood of memory.

"They say." He leaned in, panting, "they say that the earth continues waiting for an individual."

A shadow that disappeared over three years prior.

A boy who will return. no, not a boy, a king.

Kaidën kept quiet.

He only smiled weakly under his hood. The bartender drew back, seeing that he had spoken out of turn.

"But hey —"He pretended to laugh, wiped his hands on a dirty rag, "tall tales, you know? Legends. Not the real thing."

Kaidën tapped the bar gently, a muted melody such as a fading drumbeat.

"Yeah," he said in a relaxed tone"

"...Stories"

Zarel nudged him. "You’re famous, boss. Maybe they’ll put your face on the coins next."

Kaidën didn’t respond.

His gaze was locked on the streets beyond the window.

On the new Aschel.

On the city that had changed in his absence.

And on the battles that were sure to come.

To be continued...