The Bell Of Ruin

“Damn it! How did it come to this!?”

Duke Langheim tore up the report sent by an informant planted in the imperial palace and swept everything off his desk in a rage.

The report stated that due to “suspected illegal magitech manufacturing” and “possible treason,” the imperial palace had scheduled an inspection of Langheim territory.

And in just three days.

“With so little time left, we can’t hide the workshop or the magitech we’ve produced! At worst, we’ll have to destroy it all…!”

Duke Langheim had invested enormous sums into magitech production.

The workshops built for mass production, the countless prototypes—none of it came cheap.

But if the Emperor learned of his illegal manufacturing, the House of Langheim would be destroyed without question.

Originally, Duke Langheim never intended to overthrow the Empire.

He simply wanted to create superior magitech, sell it to foreign nations for immense profit, and secure dominance among the five ducal houses.

“Damn it! This is all because of that brat from Benedia!”

The only nation he had sold magitech to so far was Benedia.

Naturally, he assumed Benedia had exposed him.

“…There’s no other choice.”

Resolving himself, Duke Langheim rang the bell.

“My Lord, you called?”

“Paul… contact the workshop and order the immediate disposal of all magitech in production. And the ones in storage as well. Everything must be gone by the day after tomorrow.”

“Wh—!? A-are you certain…?”

“There is no helping it…”

Looking out the window, the duke ground his teeth in frustration.

All the money he invested would be wasted, and now the Langheim family stood on the brink of ruin.

Just two months ago, he had introduced Sieg as the next duke—Langheim’s future should have been secure.

“…Come to think of it, it all started that day.”

First, the marriage proposal with Lady Marguerite of Hagenberg was flatly rejected. Now, the magitech project had collapsed.

All of it began the day Jonah disappeared—on Sieg’s birthday.

“No… impossible. Someone like Jonah couldn’t be the cause of all this.”

Four years bedridden, then barely able to move—and still incapable of anything. A failure.

Someone like that could never threaten the Langheim House, which had stood since the founding of the Empire.

If anyone claimed losing Jonah somehow lost divine blessing, they’d be blind fools.

If anything, Jonah was the cursed child who stole the life of his beloved wife, Marta.

And yet—

“It’s been over two months… and still no trace of him?”

Search efforts had already spread across the entire Empire.

Yet there wasn’t even a single sighting.

This left only two possibilities: he had left the Empire, or the worst had occurred.

“Regardless… he must be found.”

As long as his fate was unclear, even if he were dead, they couldn’t announce anything.

But if they publicly admitted he had vanished, rumors would spread—and the other ducal houses would seize the chance to strike.

Especially the Lanberk ducal house—they must never know.

And Marta, before she died, had entrusted Jonah to him. Even if Jonah had fled on his own, guilt toward his late wife remained.

“…If he were going to die, he could have done it quietly at home—

No matter how he resented Jonah, he was still his son.

Ashamed of what he had just said, Duke Langheim fell into self-loathing.

“Hm… indeed, as you claim, Lord Langheim, I see no trace of magitech.”

After completing the inspection of the Langheim estate and the central city of Zandburg, First Imperial Princess Patricia Heilwig von Estraia covered her mouth thoughtfully.

Though she stated this calmly, her royal amber eyes did not hide her suspicion.

“As you have confirmed yourself, Your Highness, our House of Langheim would never dishonor the Empire.”

“Is that so…? Then why were such accusations made? And why were magitech devices unlike Imperial models provided as evidence?”

“…Well, I have no idea.”

Patricia’s sharp gaze pierced him, but the Duke feigned ignorance.

Though his words made it seem like the seasoned Duke was handling a mere eighteen-year-old girl, inside he felt as if he were walking on thin ice.

For Patricia was famed across the Empire for her overwhelming swordsmanship, beauty, and silver hair inherited from the Empress—the “Silver Sword Princess.”

And despite her age, she served as a general of the Imperial Army. Even Duke Langheim did not know what might happen if he slipped up.

“Very well. I will leave my subordinates stationed here in Zandburg for the time being.”

“…………………………”

Duke Langheim nearly clicked his tongue in irritation but swallowed it down.

But as long as Patricia’s agents remained here, he couldn’t restart magitech production.

“Then—do not even dream of making any mistakes.”

After issuing the warning, Patricia mounted her horse and returned toward the Imperial Capital, her silver hair flowing behind her.

“Hmph. Once her subordinates leave, it won’t be too late. I’ll mass-produce magitech and sell it to foreign nations to turn everything around.”

Watching her distant figure with resentment, he snorted.

Completely unaware that his fate had already slipped beyond his grasp.

In the original fate, Benedia failed to slay the sea serpent and purchased a large amount of magitech from Duke Langheim.

They succeeded in defeating the monster, but Crown Prince Carlo lost his right arm and left leg, and the kingdom fell into massive debt to Langheim.

Unable to repay, Benedia was forced to obey Langheim and mass-produce magitech nationwide.

Thus Langheim became the “Merchant of Death,” influencing not only the Empire but the western nations as well… or so it should have been.

But that fate changed when Jonah met Carlo.

They defeated the serpent safely, Carlo survived, and Benedia is now destined to become a great maritime power ruling the Central Sea under its young king.

And Patricia is the one who rings the Bell of Ruin for Duke Langheim.

When the Silver Sword Princess finishes ringing that bell—

—he will know ruin and despair.