“Is this the Imperial Certified Alchemist Pocket Watch, of which only twelve exist?”

Alex gazed at the pocket watch in his hand with great reverence.

As the Crown Prince, he had seen even more precious timepieces in the Imperial Palace, but this one evoked a different emotion in him.

When the watch was opened, it revealed an illustration of the protagonists and their mother from The Iron-Blooded Alchemist.

Seeing that image, his heart ached.

‘William, Mother…’

As the Emperor’s eldest son, he and his younger brother William shared the same mother.

How heartbroken would she be to know that one of her sons was branded as a wastrel and the other as a libertine?

-“Our Crown Prince must take good care of his younger brother.”

Even when she was too ill to even take care of herself, she always worried about him and his younger brother.

“Damn it…”

For the first time, Alex felt a deep sense of despair over how pitiful he was.

He had foolishly resented his father and neglected those around him after losing his mother.

He could not forgive himself for not caring about his younger brother, who had strayed so far from the right path.

Thinking of the Edric brothers from The Iron-Blooded Alchemist made him feel even more ashamed.

An elder brother who sacrificed his own leg to attempt an alchemical transmutation, risking failure to bring his brother back.

A younger brother who, encased in armor, fought to protect that very brother.

They were true brothers who, despite facing much more dire situations and far more shocking tragedies, fought on with strength and resilience.

Alex carefully closed the precious pocket watch that he had won in the raffle and tucked it away into his coat.

It was a surprising turn of events.

He only had three raffle tickets and had never expected to win, let alone to receive the highly coveted No. 01 watch.

The servant who went to collect the prize faced a great deal of trouble due to the crowds.

If one of the Crown Prince’s guards hadn’t accompanied him, there might have been a real incident.

The popularity was certainly understandable.

“Your Highness, we have arrived at the area where the tunnel snake was recently sighted.”

Alex’s thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

Finally, they had reached their destination, where the tunnel snake had appeared, as Yustaf announced.

“The rumors lacked credibility, but judging by this hole, it does seem to be a tunnel snake.”

In the middle of the forest, there was a roughly made hole.

Although the inside was too dark to see clearly, the sound indicated that it led deep underground.

“The reason why tunnel snakes are so rare is that they are monsters that feed on soil, so they are only occasionally seen in the fertile southern outskirts of the Empire.”

Harun spoke as he examined the traces.

However, contrary to Harun’s explanation, they were currently in the mountainous area near the Imperial capital, Caldea.

There should have been no signs of a tunnel snake, a creature that supposedly lived in the southern outskirts.

Something didn’t add up.

And usually, when things don’t add up, it means only one thing.

“Could it be that dark wizards are involved?”

The Crown Prince’s far-fetched question, wondering if the dark wizards had vanished underground because their traces couldn’t be found on the surface, led to this hypothesis.

Taking a cue from the Crown Prince’s words, Yustaf recalled the dark wizards’ sorcery of controlling creatures like tunnel snakes.

Based on this, Harun had gathered news and information about tunnel snakes through the guild, which eventually led them to catch the dark wizards' trail.

“We need to make a decision here.”

Yustaf spoke in a firm voice as he stood before the hole.

“What kind of decision are you referring to?”

“The first option is to return to the Imperial Palace and report what we have discovered so far, then receive additional support to search the tunnels.”

Yustaf’s first suggestion in response to Alex’s question was a reasonable one.

After all, the current group consisted only of the Crown Prince, Yustaf, Harun, a few Imperial Intelligence officers assisting them, and the Crown Prince’s guards.

Searching the tunnels with their current numbers seemed insufficient.

While having Yustaf minimized the risk, they still needed more people to prevent any chance of the enemies escaping or pulling off a dangerous act.

“What is the second option?”

“Honestly, it’s just a hunch, but based on the number of people who have disappeared and the timing, I suspect their conspiracy is already near completion.”

What concerned Yustaf was the lack of time.

Returning to the Imperial Palace, gathering reinforcements, and planning an operation would take at least a few days.

In the meantime, if something happened, they would be powerless to stop it.

“So, the second option is that while Your Highness returns to the palace to request reinforcements, I will lead the remaining team to search the tunnels.”

Had anyone else suggested this, they might have been criticized for being overly ambitious or overconfident. However, since it was Yustaf, everyone nodded in agreement.

No matter how cunning and vicious the dark wizards might be, in front of Yustaf, also known as the Human Dragon, they would be nothing more than a sideshow.

Of course, even with Yustaf present, the danger couldn’t be completely dismissed, so it made sense for the Crown Prince to leave and request reinforcements.

The Crown Prince had already done more than enough.

When the investigation began, the others had expected the Crown Prince to grow irritated with the tedious repetition rather than finding it thrilling.

But contrary to their expectations, he had actively cooperated and spared no effort in providing support.

He had even deployed his personal guards and attendants to assist in the investigation and played a significant role in uncovering the dark wizards’ schemes.

If this mission ended successfully, he could claim he had played an essential role, not just as a token royal involvement.

Thus, no one had any objections to the Crown Prince withdrawing to request further support, except for one person.

“If I return to the palace now and request reinforcements, will we make it in time?”

“Well…”

The Crown Prince’s point was valid.

If the remaining group proceeded with the search, even if reinforcements were brought in quickly, the incident might already be over by then.

“I will conscript forces from the nearby estates in the name of the Crown Prince.”

“No, Your Highness!!!”

The leader of the guard was alarmed by the Crown Prince’s declaration to conscript forces from the nearby territories and cried out in surprise.

The captain’s reaction was understandable.

Even though he was the Crown Prince, such an act bordered on overstepping his authority. Even if things went well, it could still cause problems, and if it went wrong, he would certainly be dethroned.

As someone serving the Crown Prince, he couldn’t let him take such a risk.

“Your Highness, you’ve already provided ample assistance. Please leave the rest to us.”

Not only the captain but also Yustaf and Harun, who were in charge of the investigation, joined in urging the Crown Prince to withdraw.

In their eyes, the Crown Prince had already exceeded his duty admirably, and it was now their turn to handle the rest.

However, Alex did not retract his order.

“I am the Crown Prince, a person destined to rule this Empire one day.”

Facing those who wished to protect him from harm, Alex began to speak with a trembling voice.

“The people of this Empire look up to the royal family as if we were their parents.”

A memory of his father traveling through the streets of the capital flashed in Alex’s mind.

As the Emperor had gone out to inspect the citizens after the war, the people had bowed their heads and cheered.

Among them, many had burst into tears, shouting long live the Emperor—a scene that remained deeply ingrained in his memory.

Those people.

At the time, he could never understand why they would cheer and worship the royals, whom they might only see once in their lives.

But now Alex understood.

They believed that the Empire would protect them.

They believed that the Emperor would make their lives better.

That’s why they did it.

“How can I run away to safety alone when the Empire is in danger? It would be no different from a parent abandoning their child!”

A heavy silence fell over the area after Alex’s words.

“If there is something that only I can do, then I will not flee under the excuse of danger!”

Everyone still felt the need to dissuade the Crown Prince, but at the same time, a different feeling began to arise.

It was the moment when a deep loyalty emerged in their hearts, making them want to follow this man’s lead.

In a slightly remote part of the Imperial capital, people were lined up in front of a building.

Until recently, this building had been an ordinary tavern, but after undergoing renovations, it had transformed into a new shop.

‘Somerset Goods Store’

The name alone didn’t give any hint of what it sold.

But people had been standing in line since early morning, eagerly waiting for the store to open.

“Is it true? That the items you can purchase are determined by the amount of money you’ve spent on books so far?”

“Well, there must be a reason they issued these rank badges.”

The man responded while showing off a shiny silver badge.

Recently, Yuren Trading Company had issued badges to customers who had purchased fairy tale books, manga, and various goods.

The lowest rank was bronze, followed by silver, gold, and finally platinum.

It was explained that these badges were essential for shopping at the Somerset Goods Store, which was about to open.

People had been trying to figure out what the badges were for.

The most credible rumor was that the quantity and type of items you could buy were determined by the badge's rank.

As the rumor spread, people started buying the same books or goods again to raise the rank of their badges, creating an unusual sight.

Finally, as the store’s opening time approached, an employee standing in front of the door opened it.

“Welcome! You are invited to Somerset Goods Store, the first store in the Empire to sell figures and various products related to fairy tales and manga.”

That day, a strange rumor spread throughout the capital’s streets—adults clutching finely crafted dolls had appeared everywhere.