[Warning: If you are very sensitive, do not read the end of the chapter; it is very dark.]
Adam looked at Edrik Vellmor, who would be one of the wealthiest people, but also the quickest to die.
When it came on the market, it quickly became famous.
He became rich overnight, but the value of his product attracted the attention of a corrupt official who subsequently ordered his arrest. His wealth was confiscated, and even the recipe for his product was stolen.
He was later executed by the official on charges of treason against the kingdom.
Adam took a deep breath.
Yes.
There was no doubt about it.
This was the place where it had all begun... and where it had all ended in his past life.
Edrik Vellmor stood before him, drying his hands with a worn cloth. His clothes were simple, almost sloppy, and his posture reflected exhaustion. Not the physical exhaustion of a hard day's work, but the silent weariness of someone who had been trying to survive for too long.
"What do you need me for, young man?" Edrik asked cautiously.
Adam stared at him silently for a second longer than was socially acceptable.
"I'm not here as a customer," Adam replied calmly at last.
Edrik frowned slightly.
"Then... what are you here for?"
Adam took a step forward and rested a hand on the counter.
"As a partner."
Edrik blinked once. Then twice.
"...Partner?" he repeated, almost incredulous.
Adam nodded.
"I've researched your work: your oils, your blends, your process. I know you tried to sell your product in Calic... and no one wanted to take the risk."
Edrik's lips tightened.
"The nobles say it's not profitable," he muttered. "That it's not essential. That it's... a useless luxury."
Adam smiled faintly.
"They said the same thing about soap decades ago."
Edrik looked up sharply.
Adam continued without giving him time to respond.
"Your problem isn't the product. It's the context. You have no capital. You have no protection. And above all... You have no time."
Edrik clenched the cloth between his hands.
"If you've come to mock me..."
"No." Adam's voice was firm, sharp. "I've come to make you an offer."
He took out a small folded piece of paper he had made before leaving and placed it on the counter, without pushing it toward him yet.
"I'll provide the initial capital. I'll also put my family's name on it... and the protection that comes with it."
Edrik swallowed hard.
"Protection... noble?"
"That's right." Adam held his gaze. "No one will touch your workshop. No one will confiscate your product."
The color drained from Edrik's face.
"Why...?" he whispered. "Why help me?"
Adam didn't answer right away.
"Because your invention is worth it," he replied. "And because the world isn't ready yet to protect people like you."
Adam finally pushed the document toward him.
"This is the agreement."
Edrik took it in his trembling hands and began to read.
As he progressed, his eyes widened more and more.
"You're telling me to become part of Rose by Hallmo..." He looked up. "Are you providing the money? The distribution?"
Rose by Hallmo was the name of the business his mother had started together with Selene.
"And me...?" asked Edrik.
Adam smiled slightly.
"You provide the knowledge. The production. And the exclusivity."
Edrik continued reading the sheet.
"Sixty percent... for you?" he murmured. "Forty... for me?"
"Without me, you'll go bankrupt in less than a year. With me, you'll become indispensable."
Edrik closed his eyes.
He knew it was true.
He had spent entire nights perfecting formulas that no one bought. He had pawned tools, cut back on expenses, and slept in the workshop.
"What if I refuse?" he asked quietly.
Adam looked at him with unsettling calm.
"Then someone else will discover your product. And they won't be so kind."
The silence lingered.
Finally, Edrik exhaled.
"...I accept."
Adam smiled.
"Welcome, Edrik Vellmor."
He shook hands with Edrik, who was still visibly nervous.
"By the way, do you have any samples of the product?"
"Yes."
"Then you can give me one."
...
After leaving Edrik's workshop, Adam walks through the city's crowded streets; he has another goal in mind.
"Why did you ask for a test?"
Asterin asked as she closed her eyes for a brief moment.
"To give it to my mother, as you know, she started a business with my future mother-in-law; that will help expand their business even more. Plus, I avoid doing all the paperwork involved in setting one up," he replied as he looked up at the blue sky.
"Brothers, shall we go pick some apples? I just saw a tree full of them."
"Really? And you didn't tell me before! Come on, hurry up!"
"Kekeke... Young people today are full of energy. They remind me of my youth, when I used to run through these streets. But now I have a wife, children, and even grandchildren."
"Bleh! Now you're grumpier than before and complain about everything. You seem more like a spoiled child than an old man."
After watching for a moment as different people passed by, children laughing, adults holding hands, and older adults chatting with smiles on their faces.
Adam continued exploring the city, buying various things and trying different sweets, until he finally arrived at the slave market at Together We Are.
Upon seeing the building, Kael knew he had reached his destination. He saw several people entering and leaving the place.
Some of the workers, noticing Adam's arrival, approached him with a smile.
"Hello, I'm Maria. Can we help you with anything?" Maria asked with a warm smile as she asked Adam what he wanted.
"I'm here to buy some slaves," Adam said without giving many details.
"I see. But can you tell me if you're looking for anything specific?" asked Sister Maria.
Adam nodded and began to describe to them what he needed in one of the slaves.
The worker listened attentively, and as she did so, her eyes slowly widened. When the description was finished, she left to look for the young man who matched the description.
A few minutes later, Maria returned, accompanied by a young man.
The young man had brown hair and eyes of the same color, and his facial features were quite striking. He was wearing a brown shirt, black pants, and black shoes.
However, the most interesting thing was his gaze; there was no trace of life in it; it was empty. It was not the gaze a young man should have.
Adam recognized him immediately.
He knew his story.
And it was one that no one should have.
He was born from a gang rape.
His mother was locked up for days by a group of men; they took turns using her, reducing her to a piece of flesh that barely breathed. When she was found, she was pregnant and broken inside.
No one ever knew who the father was. Or how many there were.
The boy grew up under his mother's absolute hatred. He wasn't her son; he was her punishment. Beatings, burns, bites, and prolonged confinement without food or water. He was her punching bag.
Only one person loved him: his older sister. She whispered stories in his ear to calm his crying at night. She stole bread. She covered him when their mother came home drunk. She told him that one day they would escape.
But the world would not allow it.
His sister was kidnapped, raped, and murdered. They dismembered her and threw her away like trash.
And the worst was yet to come.
His mother collected the remains and cooked them.
And she served the broth to her son.
He only realized it when he saw the fingers and tongue floating at the bottom of the plate. His mother laughed and confessed what she had done. She told him that this way he would learn the taste of the only person who loved him.
Something broke inside him. Forever.
That night, he killed his mother with a kitchen knife. He slit her throat and watched her bleed to death while murmuring that his sister was no longer alone. Then he sneaked out and hunted down the rapists one by one. He stabbed them. He tortured them. Not for revenge. Not out of anger.
Adam knew it. And he also knew that in the future he would be used as a weapon, that he was only good for killing and nothing else.
It was a truly pitiful life.