“Elena.”
“Yes.”
“How strong is Father?”
“Very.”
“That explains nothing.”
“If he was to face every single knight and mages in this territory all alone, he would still emerge victorious. That's facts known and accepted by everyone inside this territory and even outside. The Master fame of being one of if not the current strongest human alive is not an over exaggeration at all. There are perhaps only few people that could match him currently.”
“What.”
“Young Master is also talented.”
Amos blinked.
“I am?”
“Yes.”
“Wait. Really?”
“You inherited the Kyros bloodline.”
“I did.”
Amos slowly looked down at his hands. Still small and soft. Definitely not the hands of a terrifying future tyrant.
“I want to be strong, but I don't want to work hard.”
A pause.
Then—
“But I still want to become absurdly strong.”
“That's contradicting.”
“You are simply not imaginative enough.”
“Suit yourself.”
“I will and you shall witness my greatness”
Of course, the solution has been with him. No, it will better say it was he was born with it.
Kyros Family'sTreasury.
.....
Amos E. Kyros had reached a conclusion. A very reasonable conclusion. A completely justified conclusion.
“If I want to become stronger quickly”
He narrowed his eyes dramatically as if thinking hard and logically.
“Then I will need resources.”
Powerful people always had resources. Ancient artifacts. Legendary swords. Secret manuals. Suspicious glowing objects that definitely corrupted the user. This was fantasy law.
And the Kyros family, one of the greatest noble houses in the Empire absolutely had those things.
“Elena.”
“Yes.”
“Hypothetically speaking.”
“That has never ended well.”
“If someone wanted to enter the family treasury”
“No.”
“Hear me out first.”
“I do not need to.”
“What if it was for a goal?”
“Nope.”
....
Night. The Kyros estate was silent. Moonlight spilled across polished hallways as Amos crept through the mansion with all the stealth of a highly suspicious golden cat.
“Why is sneaking around my own house so difficult?” he whispered.
“Because you are wearing embroidered noble slippers,” Elena replied from behind him.
Amos nearly jumped into a wall.
“WHY ARE YOU HERE?!”
“You invited me.”
“I absolutely did not.”
“You said and I quote: ‘Witness my greatness.’” Elena said it in a way of Amos speaking.
“That does sound like me.”
“Yes.”
Elena walked beside him calmly while Amos dramatically peeked around corners despite there being absolutely no one nearby.
The deeper they went the colder the air became.
Eventually, they stopped before an enormous black door engraved with silver markings.
Amos’s eyes sparkled.
“This is definitely where cursed things are stored.”
“It is the family treasury.”
“Same thing.”
At the center of the door was the crest of House Kyros. Amos stepped forward. Then paused.
“Wait.”
“Yes.”
“How do we get in?”
“Young Master has authorization.”
“I do?”
“You are the main heir.”
Amos froze. Very quickly, a grin spread across his face.
“That’s incredibly irresponsible.”
“Yes.”
He placed his hand against the crest. The silver markings glowed faintly.
Then, the massive doors rumbled open.
And Amos stopped breathing.
He had known his family had plenty of resources. Too much, honestly. It was suspicious. Very suspicious. A ducal-level noble house with centuries of history, military influence, political power, absurd land ownership, private knights, mages. There was absolutely no way the Kyros family finances were morally clean. There is already too much but this.... inside this treasury is completely of different world of corruption.
“I bet my ancestors definitely committed at least three war crimes for this wealth,” Amos muttered with a sweat falling down his cheek.
“Yes,” Elena replied calmly.
Amos froze.
“Wait, seriously?”
“Likely more.”
“Why did you answer so quickly?”
“Where do you think most Kyros's territory come from? The Kyros family conquered half this region during the many succession wars.”
“Ah.”
A beat.
“Right.”
Fantasy nobility.
Of course.
Civilization built upon violence.
Amos crossed his arms.
“Then as a descendant, I shall inherit their ill-gotten gains responsibly.”
“That sentence alone sounds spoken like a criminal.”
“History is written by the rich.”
“Young Master should not say that aloud.”
“Still, I am correct.”
Elena stared at him silently. Amos’s lips slowly curved upward.
Gold. Mountains of gold. Jewels. Ancient weapons. Armor glowing with mana. Crystals floating in midair. Artifacts sealed behind barriers. Treasures stacked so high they looked absurd. Ancient weapons mounted like trophies. Armor glowing faintly with enchantments. Shelves filled with relics and artifacts that radiated pressure even from afar. The room was enormous. Absurdly enormous. Like a dragon’s hoard gathered over centuries.
Amos stared blankly.
“What the hell.”
Even Elena paused briefly beside him. Amos slowly walked inside.
“This is corrupt.”
“Yes.”
“There’s no way a morally upright family should own this much treasure.”
“Yes.”
“Elena, corruption is bad, right?”
“Yes.”
Amos pointed accusingly at the mountains of riches.
“We are absolutely corrupt.”
“Likely.”
“How many kingdoms do you think my family had stolen from?”
“The official answer is none.”
“The official answer.”
Amos looked horrified. Horrifiedly amazed.
Then immediately fascinated. There were artifacts everywhere. A sword covered in crimson runes. A crown radiating ancient mana. A sealed spear chained to a wall. One suspicious orb that genuinely looked like it whispered war crimes.
“This place is amazing.”
“Young Master’s eyes are sparkling.”
“I understand dragons now.”
He wandered deeper inside like an excited child entering paradise.
“Corruption is not bad. Corruption is only bad if i am not involved.”
“Yes.”
“But if I am part of that corruption, I will defend it.”
“What.”
“I will be taking my share of corruption.”
“Without Lord Aros’ permission.”
“Shuuuuuu.... Details.” Amos put a finger up to silence Elena.
Amos walked deeper inside the room and finally stopped before a pedestal. A black ring etched with silver patterns.
The moment he saw it, his instincts screamed.
“Elena.”
“Yes.”
“This artifact is speaking to me.”
“It is cursed.”
“Even better.”
“No.”
Amos reached toward it dramatically. Then, a sharp smack hit the back of his hand.
“OW!”
Elena calmly lowered the book she had used as a weapon.
“Do not touch random cursed artifacts.”
“You hit me with weird looking book.”
“It was the nearest object.”
“What if that book is cursed.”
“That was not speaking to me.”
Amos rubbed his hand dramatically.
“Boring.”
His eyes scanned the treasury again.