At the far edge of the empire, Baron Norang could hardly contain his joy over the sudden stroke of fortune that had come his way.0

Finally, all those bribes I've fed to the central officials are paying off. Who would've thought I'd catch a break like this at my age? Heh. No more of this damned backwater life for me, Norang thought.0

His domain lay in a remote border region. It wasn't wealthy, but it wasn't poor either. It was close to the southern kingdoms, and that proximity had been a source of quiet prosperity. Smugglers often slipped through the border, and Norang had built a tidy profit selling those who were caught as slaves.0

Of course, slavery had been outlawed fifty years ago, ever since the fall of the Malevolent Emperor. But no one in the capital cared enough to check what went on in a forgotten frontier estate like his.0

Thanks to that neglect, Norang had quietly filled his coffers and used that money to expand into several profitable ventures. Given a few more years, perhaps he could have even broken into central politics.0

If only that idiot Marquis Leandro hadn't ruined everything, Norang thought.0

Until the man's execution for attempted rebellion, Norang had believed his future was bright. But once Leandro's head rolled, his own ambitions had crumbled with it, and all his energy had gone into dodging the investigators that suddenly started circling closer.0

The only silver lining was that he'd paid off enough nobles in advance to avoid being dragged...0