Ravien descended the stone steps slowly. With each step, the sound of his boots echoed against the stone walls, disturbing the silence a little more. The dry, gray walls above had grown damp the further down he went. Greenish streaks between the stones hinted that the moisture had become a permanent resident here.
Sunlight had vanished several steps ago. Now, the corridor was lit only by old lanterns mounted at intervals along the walls. The flames inside them flickered faintly—the light was weak, but enough to show the way.
When he passed through the dungeon gate, a wide space opened before him. The ceiling was quite high. Along the walls, thick iron bars enclosed numerous cages. Silence reigned inside them. Some held only chains that occasionally clinked; others were completely empty.
The ground was wet in places, and some of the stones had darkened. In the distance, another stairway curled to the right—leading even deeper underground.
Ravien paused for a moment. The air below was colder. He listened to the silence, then resumed walking.
When he finally reached the lowest level of the dungeon, Ravien stopped. Inside the sixth cell, chained by both wrists and ankles, sat Fauriel.
His obese body was slumped over the stone floor, his back hunched grotesquely. He hadn't lifted his head; his eyes were locked on the ground. His face was pale, the skin under his eyes bruised purple, drenched in sweat and grime.
He flinched when he heard Ravien's footsteps. The chains pulled taut as he tried to straighten himself, but he could barely rise to his knees. When Ravien appeared in front of the bars, Fauriel raised his head, gasping, terror filling his gaze.
Ravien stared at him in silence for a moment. The cold expression on his face slowly shifted. A faint smile crept onto the corners of his lips, and his voice carried a thin thread of mockery.
"Well, well… look who's awake. Our little piglet. Tell me—how are you feeling? Is this dungeon perhaps a bit too modest for a grand merchant like yourself?"
Fauriel froze at the words. He tried to avert his eyes, but the chains pulled too tightly—he could barely move his head. He was drenched in sweat. The silence stretched unbearably, until finally he broke it—his voice trembling, hoarse, choked with stutters.
"P… Please… Ravien… Master… I-I didn't mean to deceive you. I had no choice back then. I beg you…"
His words caught in his throat. He was short of breath. Still on his knees, he inched closer to the bars and lifted his head.
"Whatever you want, I'll give it. Everything I have—my goods, my houses, my jewels… They're all yours. Just… please, forgive me."
The chains clinked again. Fauriel struggled to raise his hands, but only the sound of iron cutting into flesh was heard. His eyes were locked onto Ravien's. Alongside the fear, there was a primal surrender in his gaze.
At last, his voice dropped to a whisper:
"I'm kneeling… Please…"
He collapsed fully onto the stone floor. His obese body trembled as he gasped for breath. Sweat made his skin glisten. His eyes welled with tears, but he fought not to cry. He looked utterly pitiful.
All he wanted was to be spared.
(POV: Ravien)
There's a pig kneeling before me… How boring.
I've seen people like Fauriel in my previous life as well. They're all the same. They think themselves superior, overreach with the power they hold… and in the end, they all fall.
And when they do, they try anything to survive: honor, wealth, begging… everything.
If you forgive them… they'll do it again. They always do. Useless to themselves, and to everyone else. Just an empty shell in human form.
I bent my knees slightly and leaned closer to him, looking straight into his eyes.
"Hey… What do you think you're doing? Did you really believe kneeling would help? What a naive thought… Anyway, get up. Let's have a little chat."
Behind, Asogi stood silently. He didn't want to disturb his father—he simply watched.
But there was a subtle change in his expression, just enough to see more clearly. Beneath his skin, from forehead to cheeks, tiny, almost invisible eyes appeared. His face trembled briefly, then settled.
Impossible to notice from a distance, but up close… it was deeply unsettling. Asogi watched Ravien without blinking.
Fauriel lifted his head and, with a forced smile, spoke: "Wh… What would you like to talk about, Lord Ravien?"
Pitiful as he looked, he was still a merchant. And a merchant might have valuable information.
"My first question: How many kingdoms and noble houses are there in these lands? And tell me which ones are the strongest."
I had asked Jiho the same question, but he hadn't given me any real answers. It was like he was deliberately hiding something.
Fauriel paused to think, then began to speak. "My lord… From what I know, there are two major empires: the Helix Empire and the Orion Empire. These two vast powers rule over these lands. Under them are countless kingdoms, noble families, and organizations. A never-ending war rages between them.
However, there are some powerful entities that aren't affiliated with either empire. I only know of the Pendragon Family and the Agate Family."
So he really does have useful information… Good. I immediately wrote those names in my notebook.
Pendragon, huh? Doesn't mean much to me, but… so this is the family to which this body belongs. Even if it's not truly me, this body comes from that bloodline.
Technically speaking, that makes me a Pendragon now.
But the Pendragon family… I didn't know they were this powerful.
Whatever. After asking a few more simple questions, I took a deep breath and turned back to Fauriel. There was something I needed to confirm.
"Alright… What about the Zenith Empire. Does that name sound familiar to you?"
Fauriel hesitated for a moment. He tilted his head slightly, eyes filled with a genuine effort to recall.
"No, my lord. I've never heard of such an empire. As far as I know, only Helix and Orion exist. No other empire has been founded… or perhaps my knowledge is lacking."
I tilted my head slightly. So Zenith didn't exist.
A short silence hung between us.
This world… It felt strangely familiar. Almost identical to the novel. Zenith was the center. The very heart of it. The home of the main character. Arthur Azena Elfor… that name used to be on everyone's lips.
Still, I asked.
"Have you ever heard the name Arthur Azena Elfor?"
Again, Fauriel took a moment. His eyes briefly drifted into emptiness. Then he slowly shook his head.
"No. I've never heard that name before."
I lowered my gaze to the ground. Inwardly, I whispered to myself: Interesting.
Zenith was gone. Arthur was gone. But Helix, Orion, Pendragon… those were here. And that familiar 'fate ability'...
Something didn't add up. The story felt familiar—but something was missing. Like a reflection of the world I knew… or a completely different version of it.
Was this a mistake? Or a deliberate divergence?
I didn't know.
But in time, I would find out.
Pulling my thoughts together, I turned to Fauriel once more. My expression slowly hardened. I had nothing left to ask him.
Fauriel was still kneeling in place.
"Um… My lord, are you going to let me go?" he asked.
The moment I heard that, I burst out laughing.
"Ahahaha! Seriously? You actually thought I'd let you go? Really? A seasoned merchant like you should've figured it out by now."
The smile on my face slowly faded, and my expression grew stern.
"You're never leaving this place. This… is the final scene of your life. This dungeon is your curtain call, little pig."
When Fauriel heard Ravien's words, the fear that had been building inside him began to show on his face. His eyes welled up with tears, and his lips trembled. Driven by the instinct to survive, he was ready to do anything.
"I gave you everything I knew… I knelt before you… I'd even give up all my wealth. Please… what more do you want? Please don't kill me… I'm begging you…" he said, his voice growing increasingly desperate.
But his tears had absolutely no effect on the man standing before him.
My decision was already made. Conscience? Mercy? Negotiation? None of those are part of my path.
Ravien cast a cold glance at Fauriel. To him, this man had already used up every chance he was ever going to get. No amount of wealth or pleading would change that.
"I don't need your wealth. Your kneeling means nothing. The information you gave me? I could've found it elsewhere. I only used you because you were here—convenient."
With those words, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the rusted key he had taken from Jiho. He placed it in the lock of the cell door. The door hadn't been opened in a long time; the grinding of metal against metal echoed through the dungeon walls.
As Ravien stepped onto the threshold of the cell, he spoke without looking back.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you."
For a fleeting moment, a spark of hope lit up inside Fauriel. His eyes widened just slightly, the trembling of his lips slowed. But Ravien turned around, just to extinguish that hope with his own hands:
"Because from now on… you're going to be my test subject."
His words echoed like they were carved into the cold stone of the dungeon. As Ravien stepped inside, his shadow fell over Fauriel. In that moment, the last flicker of hope inside him died. His eyes locked onto Ravien's looming silhouette, and his voice came out barely audible, strangled with fear:
"W-What do you mean? T-test subject? W-what does that mean…?"
But that question… was no longer something to be answered. It was a fate he would now be forced to live through.
To Ravien, he was no longer a man.
He was just a tool. The raw material for the next phase.