Chapter 1

“Hey, you’re going to help me.”

With a set of golden eyes and messy black hair gleamed in the dark prison cell that reeked of mold, Grand Duke Hexen, who looked bad-tempered just like the rumors said, told me with a disgusted expression, looking as if he was looking down at an insect.

His behavior wasn’t so polite considering he was asking for help.

Well, I guess it was because of my status as a criminal.

“What can I do for you?”

“I need to become Emperor.”

“…Pardon?”

Is he trying to commit treason?

It was an ambition that surprised even me, who usually doesn’t bat an eyelid at most things.

There was already an Emperor in the Hexen empire and he should still be going strong since he wasn’t even sixty yet, there was also a prince who’s first in line to inherit the throne.

This man, who was the youngest brother of the Emperor, was the third in line to the throne, after the crown prince and his second older brother.

Though, sure, even if there are more prominent figures other than him, he could just get rid of the competition should he so wish.

However…

“You mean… you… will, Grand Duke?”

…You, of all people?

When I couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter, the man’s thick eyebrows furrowed discontentedly.

“By the way you mock me, it seems you know of the rumors about me.”

“Of course. Who in this empire doesn’t know who you are, Your Highness? The undefeated! The monster of the borders! The Black Wolf of the battlefield! Strength of the empire!”

And the disgrace of the Hexen empire, a man whose brain is made out of muscles.

Rexid Van Hexen.

Though he undoubtedly shared the blue blood of the imperial family, this Grand Duke Hexen was different from the rest of them.

There wasn’t a shred of the elegance or aloofness of the imperial family in him, who was rather violent and aggressive instead.

Action before words, and fists over law.

Because his personality was so fiery, I heard there wasn’t a single woman wanting to marry him despite his noble status that guaranteed safety for life.

As such, the previous Emperor bestowed him early on the barren land of Drax, a fief at the empire’s northern borders, with deep consideration for him to live out the rest of his days doing whatever his aggressive personality wanted on the battlefield.

It was no different from kicking the lunatic that has no dignity out of the imperial family, but Rexid Van Hexen was actually being rather useful. This was because the empire’s borders that Grand Duke Hexen protected with an iron fist would never fall, even if it were to be attacked every day.

Not to chew your ear off, but in conclusion, the man right in front of my eyes was definitely not someone with the destiny to become Emperor.

Since the beginning of time, those who ‘rule’ were not ones who were stupidly strong, they were cunning brainiacs that could bend people to their will just by speaking a couple of words.

Rexid Van Hexen, whom I met for the first time today, seemed to know very well that he wasn’t cut out to be an Emperor.

“As you may already know, I… am a bit of an airhead.”

“Right, it’s practically empty, sure.”

When I nodded my head in agreement, Rexid’s eyebrows twitched terrifyingly once again.

He smiled as he suppressed his anger.

“So, I need a head that has a lot in it …”

Though it was obvious that he didn’t mean he will literally pull off someone’s head, I was suddenly terrified looking at both his body and intimidating face.

“And you came looking for me for that reason?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m just a common criminal who cons others for a living. How could a petty criminal such as myself possibly help Your Highness become Emperor?”

“I was told that even though you are a scumbag who does nothing but scam people, you are also incredibly gifted when it comes to shrewdness.”

“Those are just exaggerated rumors.”

“Exaggerated or not, you have to find a way to make me into an Emperor. It’s either that or death. After all, you’re a first-degree convict on death row.”

“Come to think of it, you’re right. In short, you’ll spare my life if I make you Emperor through any means, yes?”

“Correct.”

“Hmm, I guess I have no choice. Although it’s just a silly little talent of mine, I shall do my best to serve you, Your Highness.”

“I’m glad you’re quick to catch on. I shall reward you generously if this succeeds. I shall offer you great riches that you could live in comfort forever, and if you so wish, I can even grant you a title of nobility.”

“Oh, my! Thank you.”

Rexid rose from his seat with a satisfied smile.

“Starting today, your tragic life is over. I shall come for you at dawn. You will walk out of this prison with not as a first-degree convict on death row, but as my, Grand Duke Hexen’s, closest tactician with your held high.”

“Much obliged, Your Highness.”

As if he was satisfied with my comparably polite behavior from just a while ago, Rexid cracked a smile and concealed himself once again in the dark.

I, who smiled and held onto the prison bars until his presence was completely gone, soon got rid of the expression, turned, and sat down.

‘What do you take me for? A crazy person?’

Mmm…

Not to be cruel, but he was a total meathead. Sure, he might have a brain, he might as well have left it elsewhere.

How did he think to come and find me with that empty head of his?

Even though choosing me as the key to accomplish a task so grand was a smart move, which was unlike him, that was about it.

An idiot like him was bound to get swayed by smart people like me. Meaning, not only was he unfit to become Emperor, problems were bound to arise even if he somehow did manage to get the throne.

The imperial family was the center of power, it was hard to even imagine how much venomous chatter would be floating around.

I could clearly see that Rexid Van Hexen would throw me away as a scapegoat, being tangled up in vile scheming.

Why would a smart person like me bother wasting time like that?

What was that? I should follow him for now at least because I can’t just sit around and wait to be executed?

How disappointing of you to say.

It was entirely of my own will to seem like I got caught and get locked up at Drax prison.

I was planning to break out at dawn anyway.

***

When the foggy light of dawn seeped through the prison’s palm-sized window, I took out a fork I hid in the sleeves of my prisoner’s uniform and looked back at my past again.

Well, not my past, but my past life to be exact.

In my past life, which was a world quite different from this one, there was nothing I hadn’t done.

A teaching assistant in a prestigious university, a fund manager, a used car dealer, owner of a gas station, an insurance agent, a secretary of a chairman, a bank clerk, and more…

These seemingly unrelated occupations actually had one thing in common. They were all jobs that I got through being a fraud.

I mean, I died at the age of twenty-eight, so how could I possibly have been able to get those jobs through the proper procedure?

I hated studying but I had an exceptional brain, and my hands were dexterous as well.

The first fraud I committed was forging the entrance documents of a prestigious university. I wasn’t trying to act as a graduate from a prestigious university, I was simply just curious about life on campus.

The documents and student ID, not to mention the acceptance letter were all forged. I also hacked the computer in the office of my department and disguised myself as a student for about a year, until I peacefully disappeared.

After that, I realized my exceptional brain was a talent given by god and lived by using it with gratitude.

I got a job following my high school alumni who sold jade mats by going up to people and saying ‘do you know about this?’, then ran away after buying them from the salespeople on credit with my silver tongue and upselling them at triple price…

I lived a not-too-shabby life by committing big and small cons here and there. It would take an eternity to go through all of them one by one.

Even though the line between legal and illegal became blurry and I became a first-degree swindler with my wanted poster distributed all over the country, government power was far too weak to be able to catch such a genius, born in the wrong era.

I, who lived a life of fraud without any difficulties, had never been looked at suspiciously thanks to special makeup and identity manipulation.

Then, I tried to invest in stocks with the money I had saved up but it wasn’t enough.

The amount had to be astronomical for it to stimulate me, so I eventually disguised myself as a fund manager that lured in rich CEOs to show them a good time, which then connected me to a chairman of a large company.

After securing the chairman’s secretary position, I comfortably enjoyed gambling with stock with a full belly.

A big house, expensive foreign car, and brand-named products from head to toe…

I needed nothing more in my fancy swindler’s life, but it became boring real quick. Unfortunately, getting sick of things easily was in my nature.

Then one day, I secretly sold part of the chairman’s stock that I kept under a borrowed name.

With that money, I tried to live a completely new life by going into asylum in California but…

It was there that I tasted life’s bitter failure for the first time.

I too easily overlooked the fact that committing murder was easy for someone like a chairman of a large company that lives above the law.

My short-lived twenty-eight years of life came to an end by a hitman hired by the angry chairman after getting caught at the airport, right before departing.

I won’t recount how I died.

Anyway, in the end, I humbly accepted death thinking this was my payment for living off of others but when I opened my eyes, I had reincarnated.

I wouldn’t have considered returning to the con gig if I was reincarnated into a wealthy family…

Right when I thought this was my karma, I realized that I had reincarnated into a bum living in an alley with nothing to my name.

That’s a bit harsh, isn’t it?

I might have been a swindler in my past life, but even I had standards.

I only targeted and conned rich people who did bad things.

As if my death wasn’t enough to pay for all the crimes I had committed, it’s like I needed to make up the difference through a miserable life after reincarnation.

One fortunate surprise was that I still had all the memories from my past life.

In other words, I was still able to use my exceptional brains.

Now, if you ask me how I started to use this head of mine…

The fact that I’m a first-degree convict locked up in a prison as a condemned criminal should suffice, right?

Even after being reincarnated, I’ve been living an extended life as a swindler.

For the past 21 years.