In a sense, Myourmiles was not just a merchant but also a strict mentor.
"Thank you, thank you… I will… I will strive for greatness to repay Myourmiles-sama's kindness!" Manager Bach's voice trembled as he bowed deeply, his eyes glistening with tears.
Myourmiles wasn't swayed by this sort of sentiment. He nodded slowly, arms folded behind his back.
"Good luck then. Make this place prosper," he replied firmly.
Not long after, all the preparations were complete. Myourmiles had carefully chosen who would accompany him to Eterna and who would remain to manage the estate. Then he called Bach over to give one last piece of advice.
"In case anything happens, you'll contact me immediately," he instructed. "I trust you'll run this place well. Don't make me regret this."
"Yes, Myourmiles-sama!" Bach straightened his back like a soldier receiving orders.
"Myourmiles-sama, everyone here was trained by you. You don't need to worry," Bach continued, his voice steady now.
Myourmiles narrowed his eyes. "Heh, you sure talk the talk. But don't forget what I taught you—"
"Please rest assured," Bach interrupted confidently. "We will handle the trade routes you've built here with caution. And if anything happens, we will prioritize your demands first."
"Hmm. I'll be counting on you," Myourmiles said, his voice low but carrying weight.
He had already made arrangements in case of emergencies—the priority would be to clear their own stock to avoid unnecessary loss. Bach didn't need to be told; he understood Myourmiles's intentions without a single word.
He still lacks polish, Myourmiles thought, but the fire is already there. Bach is starting to become a man who can stand on his own… Good. I can trust him with this.
With that, everything was finally settled. Myourmiles left the estate with his chosen followers and began the journey to Eterna.
I exhaled quietly as I watched the merchant's residence fade into the distance.
Good. He's finally accepted the task. This was a move I'd been waiting for—Myourmiles was someone I could count on.
Eterna didn't have anyone truly capable of handling the flow of wealth on a national scale. Shuna had been managing the accounts so far, but her role was reaching its limits. What she could manage at the village level was one thing—but scaling it to a thriving nation was another matter entirely. Lilina from the administration team and Vesta, the minister from the Dwarven Kingdom, were assisting her, but there was still a glaring lack of specialized talent.
And I—Atem—was not about to bury myself in account books. Managing finances on that scale would be a waste of my time and my power.
That was when I recalled Myourmiles. A man whose skills in finance were sharp enough to tame nobles and even entire kingdoms. It was a waste to let someone like him rot in the shadows of trade. I knew the moment I recruited him, he'd become a key piece of Eterna's future.
Most importantly, Myourmiles was flexible. Sharp. Ambitious.
If he handled the nation's finances, I'd have someone capable of controlling the flow of gold and power at the same time.
We'd even worked together before in smaller ventures—earning coin in the shadows. Those little games had already shown me his worth.
Of course, the nation's treasury was overflowing, but that wealth wasn't simply mine to play with. It had to serve Eterna. My people said, "All of this belongs to Atem-sama," but that only made me more cautious. A Sovereign doesn't squander power.
Still… I did need pocket money.
Gobta's antics were already draining me enough. And then there was Veldora, insisting on tagging along whenever trouble—or entertainment—arose. Their favorite escapades were… not cheap.
And Shuna… she controlled my wallet with terrifying precision. If she ever found out where I'd gone with those two fools, she'd seize everything I had in an instant.
Which is why I'd started my own "side projects" to build a personal fund—completely separate from the national treasury.
Hosting the martial tournament? That was Myourmiles's genius.
He'd taken a single spark of an idea and fanned it into a storm: attracting massive crowds, selling potions and weapons, turning an event into a gold mine.
When I returned, I'd order the immediate construction of the colosseum. Geld was currently assisting the Beast Kingdom with their reconstruction efforts, so Mildo would need to support him from Eterna. With the two heads of construction busy, the responsibility would fall to me to issue the commands.
That was fine. The nation's engineering capabilities had grown exponentially with every project. Now, all it took was a single directive from me and things would move like clockwork.
Among the new talents, Gobkyu—Mildo's disciple—had risen to prominence. A craftsman of exceptional skill, he was more than capable of building a grand and imposing colosseum worthy of Eterna.
The festival, the tournament, the commerce… all of it would serve a single purpose: to announce Eterna's strength to the world.
And I, Atem, would see to it that not a single piece of the plan faltered. Myourmiles's oath had been made—and I would make sure it bore fruit.
Under normal circumstances, a project like this would take a decade. With the strength and numbers of monsters, the time could be cut drastically. Still — the festival was just over two months away. There wasn't enough time to finish every building. For now, we'd lay out the stages and the basics.
As for the design—
«Answer. Extracted master's memory of Colosseum ruins from ancient Roman period. Construction blueprint generated… Successful.»
Just like that. Easy, in my terms.
There was still paper left, so I sketched and added ideas. Normally, this level of design would take months: field measurements, load calculations, material specs. Those operations are usually measured in years. The design diagram would normally be modeled on a machine for days. Now I drew it by hand, and Solarys' guidance — quiet, internal, precise — sped the whole thing up. It still felt incredible, but I kept an open mind.
The design was done well enough. Next I needed to talk with Gobkyu. But first, since I was in Blumund, I wanted to stop by the Freedom Association.
I handed the sketch to Ranga.
"Ranga, are you there?" I called.
"Yes, my master!" he answered, poking his head out of my shadow.
Since the Farmus campaign had been settled, everyone except Diablo had returned. Ranga, however, still treated my shadow like his personal seat and dove right in.
I put the colosseum sketch into his paws. "Take this to a craftsman in town — Gobkyu. Ask him if he can gather workers at the west gate when he has time."
"Understood. By the way, isn't Atem-sama returning too?" Ranga asked.
"I'm not returning yet. I want to visit Fuze first before heading back," I said.
"Then shouldn't you bring a bodyguard?" Ranga sounded anxious; his tail drooped. I couldn't blame him. I'd suppressed my aura, but I'm still a demon lord. If a strike could break my Absolute Defense, nowhere would be safe. Ranga was just being cautious.
"There's no problem. I'm only going for a chat. If anyone needs protection right now, it's Myourmiles. He's on the radar of that vulgar noble. Who knows what tricks he might try."
"Oh — that rude man from earlier? Should I bite him to death?" Ranga's teeth flashed.
"Stop." No town brawls here. That would cause diplomatic trouble. "Don't be reckless. You've been with Shion too long; learn some restraint."
"H-How so!" Ranga protested, genuinely shocked.
"Did you follow orders properly during the last fight? Don't overdo it," I pressed.
"T-There's no such thing, master—" Ranga stammered. Reports from Gobta and Gabil were short and bragging: "N-No problem at all!" "R-Right. Ranga-san was solid!" I suspected otherwise, but I didn't pry. Diablo could handle any cleaning up later. If they didn't complain, I'd assume it sorted itself. (Grigori would disagree.)
This was avoidance, yes — but someone would have told me if it had been serious. I let it go. Still, I warned Ranga one last time.
"Ranga-kun, don't be reckless for my sake. Understood?"
"I understand." He nodded and calmed.
"One more task. Ask if anyone from the security department can be sent to protect Myourmiles.
Confirm that for me."
"Understood!" Ranga slipped back into my shadow and went on his way.
I watched him go, the colosseum sketch pressed in his claws. The deadline was brutal, but with monsters' labor, craftsmen like Gobkyu, and careful coordination, we could pull it off. Two months was tight — but that was the point. Eterna wouldn't wait for the slow wheels of normal nations. We'd build history on a compressed timetable, and I would make sure every detail was handled.