The World Is Mine For The Taking

After that night, I made up my mind that it was time to return to the city. Not just any city, but the Holy City of the Kingdom of Milham. Once hailed as the jewel of the kingdom, it had been considered the most breathtaking among all its cities. Well, that was before the wave of modernization swept across the land, changing skylines and rewriting identities. And yet, even without the glitter of modern design, the Holy City still held onto its timeless beauty with an almost stubborn grace.

As the car rolled through the cobbled streets, my eyes wandered across the scenery. Towering cathedrals and age-worn buildings lined the horizon, their facades carved with intricate patterns that whispered of long-lost eras. The gothic spires reached toward the heavens, casting elongated shadows that seemed to cradle the city's soul. You could practically feel the weight of history pressing down on you just by looking at them. The past was alive here with the every brick, every archway, every stained-glass window told a story.

I sat in the passenger seat, arms folded loosely, while Rose drove us through the winding streets. The engine purred gently beneath us, occasionally rumbling as we passed uneven cobblestone patches. Today, I had a single goal in mind. I planned to have a serious talk with the high priests who were the gatekeepers of this city's traditions. My aim was to push through the idea of modernization, whether they liked it or not.

If the city kept clinging to its antiquated ways, it was going to stand out in the worst possible way. And not in a charming, quaint kind of way either. No, it'd look obsolete. Out of place. Trade routes wouldn't thrive here, and the archaic roads would make driving a logistical nightmare. That, in turn, would hurt vehicle sales. Without modern roads, cars couldn't operate efficiently. And without that, the entire economic model I had in mind would falter.

But this wasn't just about commerce or aesthetics. Modernizing the Holy City was an integral piece of a much larger puzzle and it was the conquest of the world. The city's location was a golden point on the map, one that could become either an unshakable stronghold or a gateway for expansion. Reinforcing it with updated infrastructure would elevate its defensive potential tenfold.

There were even underground routes beneath this place. These were routes so secretive that only the high priests knew how to navigate them. They were designed as emergency exits, a means of fleeing in the event of a full-scale invasion. But what if those tunnels could be used for more than just escape? What if they became arteries for something greater... something more ambitious?

That was why this city needed to be modernized, no matter what. It wasn't just a whim or a fancy project. It was a necessity, and I intended to make the priests understand that. But first, I had to face them.

As the car turned a corner, Rose broke the silence.

"You know," she began, eyes fixed on the road, "it's honestly amazing how much your company has done for the kingdom. I mean, here I am, in the Holy City—probably the least modernized place left—and even here, I can see your fingerprints all over everything. It's crazy."

She had a point. The contrast between this place and the other cities we had touched was jarring. It was like stepping through time, like watching a relic from the past exist in the middle of a rapidly changing world.

"If you actually manage to transform this city," she continued, glancing at me, "then I think it's safe to say you'll end up reshaping the entire kingdom. Its culture, its image—everything, Leon."

A small smirk tugged at the corner of my lips. "Are you excited for when that happens?"

She let out a soft scoff, but there was a faint blush tinting her cheeks. "I don't know. But considering I'm your woman now, I guess I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"

"You say that like you regret it."

Her fingers tapped the steering wheel rhythmically, but her voice softened. "I like being with you, Leon. Honestly... I don't think I'd feel the same thrill I'm feeling now if I wasn't."

That caught me off guard, in a good way. From Rose, those words felt different. There was no sarcasm and no deflection either. They were just genuine affection. She meant it.

Warmth swelled in my chest, and without thinking, I reached over and let my hand rest on her thigh.

"Hey, Leon!" she snapped, her voice high with alarm. "Don't do that while I'm driving!" She threw me a flustered glare, her face blooming in a deep, embarrassed red. Adorable.

"You know," I said with a grin, "you reacting like that just makes me want to do it more."

She groaned, eyes fixed firmly on the road, clearly trying to keep herself from looking my way. "Can you at least please control yourself? Save that for an inn or something!"

I leaned in slightly, my voice dipping low. "So that's a green light for later?"

Her entire body tensed, and her hands clutched the wheel like she was trying to squeeze the leather off. Her cheeks were burning now, and I could almost hear her heart pounding.

"Guh… I've been had… I can't believe I actually fell for that…" she muttered, voice laced with both frustration and bashful defeat.

Well, judging from her reaction, it didn't seem like she was totally against the idea of a little rendezvous later. Quite the opposite, in fact.

***

After a while, we finally returned to Leonamon.

The moment I stepped out of the car and into the central courtyard, a wave of motion surged ahead of me.

The workers, already assembled, moved in unison. Heads bowed low, their voices rang out in perfect harmony.

"Welcome, Lord Mephisto."

Their tone was solemn, almost reverent, like they were greeting a divine figure. They stood aligned in two flawless rows with fifty on each side, nearly a hundred people in total. I walked between them, each step echoing faintly on the polished stone pathway, the sheer formality of it all pressing down like a heavy mantle on my shoulders.

"This… makes me feel a little weird…" Rose whispered beside me, her eyes flicking toward the long lines of people bowing to us.

"You'll get used to it," I replied with a small shrug, my voice calm. I didn't say it to reassure her. I said it because I had already resigned myself to this role. This life, in particular.

Once inside the building, I headed straight to my private quarters. I needed to change... not just my clothes, but my identity. I swapped my attire for something sharper, more refined, then moved to the mirror.

My fingers swept through my hair, the black strands now fading back into rich white. With that transformation complete, I was no longer Leon.

I had become Christopher Faust.

A persona I had carefully crafted... one of influence and mystique. The public face of Leonamon. The man behind the empire.

I stepped out and turned to Rose, giving her a half-smile.

"How do I look?" I asked, adjusting my collar with subtle flair.

She narrowed her eyes, clearly unimpressed.

"You look very fancy… and not in a good way," she said bluntly. "I liked your hair black better."

I chuckled, but my gaze lingered on her.

Rose was dressed to kill—tight, form-fitting business attire, her long hair pulled back into a high ponytail that highlighted the sharpness of her jawline and the confidence in her eyes. She looked like a woman who could run a boardroom and slice a man in half with a single glare.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, catching me staring.

"You just look… insanely sexy right now. And beautiful," I said, my voice dropping lower, almost reverent.

"I… I see…"

She quickly turned her head away, a flush blooming on her cheeks. It stunned me every time with how someone as composed and mature as her could react with such innocent embarrassment. It wasn't fair. It made her all the more dangerous.

Once we were both ready, we headed back to the car. Rose took the wheel again and started driving toward our next destination. I had already sent word ahead, requesting an audience with the High Priests at the Church. Their response had been a surprisingly swift yes. Not that they had much of a choice—after all, I wasn't just some merchant. I was the man behind one of the most powerful enterprises in the Kingdom.

"Are you sure this is going to work, Leon?" Rose asked, her hands steady on the wheel, though her voice carried an edge of concern.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, the High Priests aren't exactly accommodating," she replied. "Sure, they're treated like they're the Goddess's own messengers, but they're far from pure."

I tilted my head slightly. "Sounds like you've been hearing some rather scandalous rumors."

Rose exhaled, eyes never leaving the road. "I've heard more things than I care to remember back in my days as an adventurer."

She wasn't necessarily wrong. Nobody was truly pure. Not even those who proclaimed themselves as the most devout followers of the Goddess Jeanne. Even the ones who looked the cleanest had shadows lurking beneath. It was just that... their dirty laundry hadn't been aired for the world to see—yet.

Those kinds of rumors were dangerous. After all, where there's smoke, there's usually fire.