[Volume 1] Nebula: Villainess of Never-ending Beyond

3. Debts of Hell

If Lucas didn't pay his debt on this midnight, his tranquil family would soon face extortion no one could imagine from the abusive empire. With a worn appearance and bagged eyes, he woke up from a 2-hour sleep and passed the breakfast for work. Everyone else slept unfazed, while he flooded his thoughts with saving both his family and his ancestor's land.

My ancestors trusted me with their treasure, and it would be the end of our ruling if I let it go, He thought.

He started his work by managing the papers of the land and the farmer's pre-plotted tasks. He could still have time later to think of opportunities soon before the deadline. However, things didn't go as he expected.

The mountains of letters to sign weren't even read. The documents passed him without his comprehension. He only skimmed these important papers with his limp hands, still thinking of other ways he could do to pay his debt.

Before his seven-hour shift ended, a breathless farmer, his clammy hands trembling and his quivering body sweating, barged into his office and shouted, "Sir, we're having no profits today! Not even a single merchant came to trade! It's strange, knowing that there's no ongoing festivals today."

Usually, merchants were absent for negotiations when the empire was currently having any kind of fiesta, a parade, or an offering for the mighty knights of heroes that defended the place. It was the only time that merchants abused their profit by selling their goods within the empire walls. Though some of them still pass through Wallenstein's territory, Lucas already knew the reason why they were suffering this inadequate loss.

"I see. They already know about this. How absurd of me," Lucas said, chuckling at first, his tears crawling down his cheeks after a second.

In his past papers, a memorandum already mentioned Briston's Council Decree 17, the patrol of the empire's guards at the territory borders, limiting transactions between merchants and other countries, a martial law. When he gazed at the calendar on the nearby desk, he saw similarities with the date when the document will be applied. With this rule ongoing, it would be nearly impossible for their family to escape.

"S–Sir Lucas, you're crying!"

"Kraig... I heard you had a distant family from the Droizar palace. If you don't see me in this office tomorrow, please inform every other worker and plan your escape."

"Escape? What's going to happen?" Craig tilted his head out of confusion.

Lucas crossed his arms over his work desk and rested his head on it, his eyes full of tears buried on his sleeves. With a lifeless voice, he replied, "I would like to be alone for a minute..."

Though Kraig noticed Lucas's despair and wanted to comfort him, there was nothing he could do to make things better for him. Accepting his request, he left the room, closed the doors, and only leaned his back on the nearby wall. He heard Lucas's wailing, reverberating through the walls.

"Why is this happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? This is too much... I can't handle this anymore..."

His work started and ended early. Half an hour past one, he ventured into the empire to ask for further help. While holding a sack of coins worth ten thousand grands, the gazes of the poor beneath the dark side alleyways alerted him. For him, it's a daydreaming nightmare, reminding him what his family will go through if he doesn't settle the debt. He didn't wish for this, but it would be better than hanging their heads in the Estafa parade.

While walking towards his destination, Lucas pressed his lips and thought, I never did anything wrong. I never gained any financial or personal assets with deception; those pigs did.