For thousands of years, it had been the tradition of the Oran Empire: as long as you had enough gold, you could buy anything you wanted in the imperial capital. Houses, women, jewels, even a noble title, if you gave the king enough gold. A title was a symbol of status. So how could you get your hands on gold? You had to trade for it. The forests in the south teemed with magical beasts. Kill them, take their cores, and bring them to the old men at the Mage Guild. They were rolling in money. You could also travel to the empire’s far north, beyond the desert. It was a desolate land and a paradise for criminals. Stationing troops there cost the empire a fortune, so the king was more than happy to leave these missions to the empire’s warriors. Take a wanted poster, find the target, and cut off their head, and you could collect a handsome reward from the military. In the spring of the twenty-ninth year of Oran the Thirteenth’s reign, the empire’s annual martial arts and magic tournament officially opened in the imperial capital. Strong fighters, mercenaries, mages, and barbarian warriors poured into the capital from every corner of the empire. This is where Housai’s story begins.
