Many heroes emerged during the warring era, but the ones that stood out the most were the three heavenly Knights, Badulf, the four dukes, and the Great Sun Emperor.
Out of them, only Badulf, the savage sword, started from humble beginnings.
He was from the mountain clan, a native of the White Lands found in the northern part of the empire.
He was brighter and far more robust than his fellow clansmen, who only knew how to hunt beasts in the jungle and trade their strong hide for basic essentials necessary to survive the five months of cold, harsh winter.
Unwilling to waste his life in the far north of the empire, he left his clan behind and became a Wanderer.
During the daytime, he would kill monsters hiding in the Great Forest.
At night, he would eliminate evil bandits for the bounty on their heads.
As a result, his weekly income was so much that his peers' eyes burned with jealousy.
He didn't feel good, though, as he wanted a special status, far greater than a mere wanderer.
But the status of a noble wasn't a cabbage on a roadside stall that one could purchase in exchange for a few coins.
What one needed to become a noble was to make sacrifices for the kingdom's sake and earn contribution points numbering in thousands.
In those days, Participating in the war and killing the enemy's soldiers was the fastest way for a mere Wanderer to gain contribution points in large quantities.
Badulf, willing to embrace all hardships to realize his desires, joined the war and eventually made a name for himself by advancing to the rank of Sword Masters and beheading the vice commander in chief of the enemy's army!
The war ended soon after, for the Great Sun Emperor subdued and merged with the evil divine shard, gained unparalleled power, and entered the battlefield like a God of War, butchering thousands of enemies with each of his attacks.
After the war, the Great Sun awarded Badulf the status of a count, a county, and a beautiful princess. As per the Emperor's will, he was to oversee eighteen villages and some important mines. The emperor trusted him with so much, not only because of the contributions he made in the war but also because he was a swordmaster.
One of the villages grew rare tea leaves. Tea made from them had a refreshing scent and mind-calming ability. They weren't popular because they had never gained enough attention from a man of value. Badulf, believing they held extreme value, made a fortune by buying them from the villagers at the market price and selling them to nobles and people of influence.
The effects of these tea leaves spread among the noble and upper circle of the empire like wildfire, and because of their affordable cost, they quickly became a favorite of the tea drinking community.
At the same time, Badulf drafted and signed a contract with the villagers, stating that he would give the villages 30% of the profit if they continued to grow and harvest every year and sold the leaves only to him.
He didn't force them.
The villagers readily agreed with his demands.
The contract stated they would get 30% of the profit! That meant they would be earning more than they ever had in their entire life in mere months!
Merely a week later, Many, including the emperor and the left and right prime ministers, urgently requested Badulf to transport these tea leaves to the capital, and he did just that, for he was making three times the money by selling them to the capitalist of the capital than the nobles close to or in his county.
Soon, anyone dealing with paperwork wanted to get their hands on it.
The village he was overseeing was good land to grow these leaves.
For some reason, these tea leaves couldn't grow well in other places. The quality was low, the effects of the tea made of them were far worse than Badulf's, and they tended to go bad in even a good environment very soon. Some did try to grow them after seeing the count making huge profits, but the loss outweighed the profit they were making, and hence they stopped.
While Badulf had a monopoly in this trade, he didn't start selling it at a ridiculous price to avoid offending the few at the top who could get rid of him sneakily.
Most members of the upper circle became addicted to the peace and calmness drinking the tea brought them, and they became the regular customers of his commercial house.
Gradually, he rolled in wealth in his pockets and county, becoming prosperous with his people.
He gained the admiration of the nobles and the respect of the Emperor after he became rich on top of being a Swordmaster.
He had a sharp brain and an overwhelming strength, so no one dared look down on him anymore. Even though he was of an insignificant family, the noble treated him like a lord.
By the time he was in his mid-thirties, he had become a wealthy and respected noble of the empire.
His personal life wasn't bad either.
He had three beautiful wives.
Each of his wives was a top-notch beauty, and he loved them dearly. He never held back from giving them whatever they desired. His first wife used to be a mercenary like him. His second wife was a princess. And his last wife was a dancer with a charming figure and a snake-like waist. Her seductive movements never failed to ignite lust in his heart.
Although this wife of his, with great beauty, enchanting eyes, and unnatural seductive techniques, the like of which would charm any man, had died, he still had two others to take care of him and satisfy his every need, and hence he didn't feel the need to marry a fourth time.
Moreover, his wives had given him a son each, and his second wife had given him a daughter too.
His eldest son had taken after him, making him immensely proud. He had showcased a talent for the sword at a young age. He had learned how to manifest aura at the age of eighteen. That same year, he became an official knight. The people in the empire were already calling him a future sword master.
His second son was still not of age yet, but Badulf was proud of him, too, for he had awed the world by revealing the strength of a rank-3 mage and earned the right to join the Empire's Mage Academy.
His daughter, as per the Emperor's command, had become the concubine of the Crown Prince a day after she reached the age of 18. She was so beautiful that even the crown prince couldn't resist the desire to hold her. Because of her, Badulf had strengthened his ties with the royal family.
His last son was the child he had with his dancer of a wife, who had died nearly a decade ago.
And to Badulf, this third son of his was his greatest… mistake.