"Dad, look over there! That must be Sorset Land!!!"
"Yeah, you can see it really well."
The dwarf, Jack, was already exhausted from humoring his excited son, who was pulling at his hand and urging him forward in an elated voice.
‘Dad! I heard that in Sorset Land, there are rides that lift you into the air and then drop you!’
‘Dad, this ti, our neighbor Tommy went to Sorset Land, and he said there were sights beyond imagination!’
His son, Jackson, had been talking about Sorset Land every single day for almost an entire year.
Because of that, Jack, despite never having been there, had practically morized what rides it had, what food was available, and what attractions could be seen.
‘To think I waited an entire year to get these tickets... It was as hard as mining orichalcum.’
He regretted the day he had proudly booked tickets to Sorset Land for his son, who was completely imrsed in the fairy tale books and comics from the Sorset Workshop.
‘Your waiting number allows you to enter in one year.’
‘What? Not a week or a month, but a whole year? That must be so kind of mistake….’
‘If you postpone, your number in the queue might change. Would you like to delay?’
‘Ah… no! Just give them to !’
If he had known he would have to wait a whole year, he wouldn’t have told his son in advance, saving himself from being pestered all year long. Jack sighed with regret.
"Wow!!! Look! Snow White and the Seven Dwarves are marching!"
"In this weather, wearing those outfits?"
Watching his son’s excitent, Jack started to think that coming here had been a good idea after all.
Though, his own impression of Sorset Land was quite different from his son's.
‘It’s not extrely cold since we’re in the south, but still, they’re managing to dance in those outfits?’
While Jackson was overjoyed to see the costud fairy tale characters marching, Jack couldn't help but feel sorry for them, wearing such light clothing in this weather.
"For our little one, here’s a candy!"
"Thank you!"
The marching perforrs took treats from the baskets they carried and handed them out to the children following them.
The kids who received them were thrilled, as if they had just gotten so kind of treasure.
‘My kid should get one too….’
Being a small dwarf child, Jackson was buried in the crowd and wasn't easily noticeable, so he had yet to receive any candy.
Jack’s heart grew anxious as he saw his son’s expression, which looked on the verge of tears.
He even felt the urge to snatch a basket from one of the perforrs and give it to his son himself.
Perhaps his desperate wishes reached the heavens, because one of the perforrs finally noticed Jackson.
‘No way!!! Of all people, it had to be a pointy-ear!’
However, upon seeing who it was, Jack nearly scread internally.
The one who made eye contact with Jackson was none other than an elf woman dressed as Snow White.
Dwarves and elves were known to be sworn enemies, to the point that people joked they were mortal foes.
Jack was sure that the elf would simply ignore Jackson and pretend not to see him.
‘Jackson will be so heartbroken….’
Jack was just about to regret bringing his son to Sorset Land, thinking he had set him up for a bad mory.
But then—
"Our little dwarf boy, do you like candy?"
"Yes!"
"Here, this one’s for you."
"Thank you!"
Contrary to Jack’s expectations, the elf woman smiled brightly and handed Jackson a candy.
Jackson’s face imdiately lit up, just like the other children’s.
"Why on earth… an elf giving candy to a dwarf…?"
Jack was relieved that his son wasn’t hurt, but the sight of an elf being kind to a dwarf was so unbelievable that he was left speechless.
"You’ve never been to the Empire before, have you?"
"How do you know that?"
While Jack was still struggling to process what he had just witnessed, an elf man standing beside him suddenly spoke.
The unexpected question caught him off guard, and the fact that it ca from an elf made it even more baffling.
Before he knew it, he found himself answering.
"Because an elf giving candy to a dwarf child is no longer sothing surprising in the Empire."
"What?"
"This should help you understand."
The elf, unfazed by Jack’s reaction, handed him a small booklet, then quickly disappeared, taking an elven child who had been waving at Jackson along with him.
Jack glanced down at the booklet in his hands.
In the Empire, no race shall be discriminated against based on their species. Those who violate this law will be punished according to Imperial law.
Anyone who causes disputes or disturbances between races within Imperial territory shall be permanently banned from entering the Empire and prohibited from using Yuren Trading Company’s services.
…
"Hah, so in the Empire, whether you’re an elf or a dwarf, you have no choice but to be careful."
Reading through the various rules listed in the guide, Jack suddenly understood why no major incidents had occurred in Sorset Land, despite so many different races being gathered in one place.
Among the various regulations, one particular line stood out to him.
The part stating that anyone who caused trouble would be permanently banned from entering the Empire and from using Yuren Trading Company’s services felt particularly ruthless.
Yuren Trading Company had expanded across the entire Sylvenia Continent. It was no longer just the Empire’s largest rchant guild—it had beco the greatest trading company on the continent.
It had extended its reach into human nations and even the kingdoms of other races.
Yuren was the only place where one could obtain goods from the Sorset Workshop, magic-engineered products developed in collaboration with the Mage Tower, and new materials discovered in the Western Continent.
For a dwarf, being unable to do business with Yuren was practically equivalent to social suicide.
Jack let out a breath of relief, realizing how much trouble he would have been in if he had acted rashly earlier.
And being banned from the Empire itself was an even more terrifying punishnt.
‘Dad, in the Sorset goods shop, they sell rare rchandise you can’t find anywhere else!’
Sorset goods shops followed a strict policy—they were never established in foreign lands, aning one had to visit the Empire in person to get their hands on the rchandise.
On top of that, the King of Cards official tournant, which remained extrely popular even in the Dwarf Kingdom, was hosted exclusively in the Empire.
Not to ntion the Fantasy Pink Snow Festival, held every winter in Sorset Territory, was sothing everyone had to experience at least once in their lifeti.
There were also major exhibitions in the Western Continent and the famous rry Ground cruise tour, both of which could only be experienced in the Empire.
Losing access to all of that would be unbearable.
"Dad! Let’s go ride the attractions!!!"
"Alright, let’s go."
As the parade ended, Jackson ca running with a candy clutched in his hand, his face beaming with excitent.
Jack’s expression also brightened.
Dwarves, elves, beastn, rfolk, and humans alike.
There was only one place on the continent where all races could gather in one spot, not to fight, but to enjoy themselves together—Sorset Land, in the heart of the Empire.
Just knowing he had given his son this precious experience made Jack feel like today would be an unforgettable mory.
***
Manafia.
The Empire's first-ever manga magazine, and even after 20 years since its first publication, it still held the unshakable position as the number one manga magazine.
"The Great Treasure is definitely an ancient weapon that erases the world's borders!"
"Hmm, that does sound convincing."
"But more than that, this Eastern Continent arc was incredible! The scene where they fought Behemoth, the strongest being, could only be portrayed in The Great Treasure!"
On the release days of Manafia, it had beco a common sight to see people gathered in front of Yuren Trading Company's branches, engrossed in reading the latest issue.
So much so that, to accommodate these readers, each branch of Yuren Trading Company set up temporary tables and chairs around their premises on publication days.
"Duke Rupert is truly amazing."
"He really is. If I were him, I wouldn’t even leave my mansion, just spending my days having fun with the Three-Colored Flowers."
Among all the manga serialized in Manafia, The Great Treasure, which had been running for 20 years, was the most popular.
But suddenly, Rupert's na ca up.
As soon as it did, the topic of conversation shifted imdiately.
Ever since Rupert was granted the title of Honorary Duke and held a grand wedding ten years ago, he had remained one of the most talked-about figures in the Empire.
"The Sorset Ducal House is practically its own kingdom, isn’t it?"
"Well, considering they have the Magic Tower, Bluewell, and even the Imperial Family on their side, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say so."
A decade ago, the most powerful noble house in the Empire had been the Duke of Bluewell.
But now, the consensus was that the Sorset Ducal House had taken that title.
Not only did the current Emperor, Alex Bell, hold Rupert in high regard, but through his marriage to the forr princess, Eolin, Rupert had also ford direct ties with the Imperial Family, further elevating his authority.
And that wasn’t all.
The forr greatest noble house, Bluewell, was now his strongest ally through marriage.
And on top of that, Xenia, the Tower Master of the Magic Tower—an institution that had now expanded its influence beyond the Empire and onto the entire continent—was also married to Rupert.
It was no wonder that people casually referred to it as the "Kingdom of Sorset."
"He must be spending each day in sheer happiness."
As the head of the Empire’s most prestigious noble house, a man with unparalleled influence, and the husband of the most beautiful won in the Empire, Rupert was the most envied man across the continent.
"I’d love to live as Duke Rupert for just one day."
And as for the subject of those rumors—
"I was wrong."
"About what?"
"Everything."
"And yet you still did it, knowing that?"
"For to call my beloved wife ‘Miss Alia’ in such a stiff manner… I deserve to die a hundred tis over."
"How could you ignore perfectly good words like ‘darling,’ ‘honey,’ or ‘my love’ and instead go with sothing as rigid as ‘Miss Alia’?"
Rupert found himself in trouble after his old habit of addressing Alia formally had slipped out without thinking.
Alia’s sharp gaze was locked onto him.
With three wives, the matter of proper terms of endearnt was a particularly sensitive issue, so Rupert quickly racked his brain to escape this crisis.
"It's just… You’ve grown even more beautiful than you were back in our school days—no, even more than back then. So before I knew it, my old way of addressing you just slipped out."
"What? You really… That’s so embarrassing."
She muttered sothing about him being shaless, but despite her words, the corners of Alia’s lips betrayed her, curling upward.
And so, once again, Rupert successfully managed to avoid being divided into three equal parts in today's WWE match.
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