Chapter 1

Three years after the human kingdom falls to an invading empire and crippling war debts are imposed on the frontier, young Orson lives with Baron Alden under the guise of an ordinary house servant. In reality, Orson's parents were legendary war-casters who spent a decade hiding their true identities and immense magic behind a mundane facade to protect him. When demon forces breached their home years earlier, his parents sacrificed their lives in a massive explosion to buy him time. Now, with Baron Alden unable to pay his remaining war indemnities, imperial debt collectors seize Orson as human collateral. Crown Princess Adimas reviews battlefield reports of Sector 4 and discovers that Orson's "servant" parents exhibited impossible combat magic, realizing the boy has inherited their rare, powerful bloodline. She purchases his contract to unlock this hidden power for herself. Brought to the imperial palace wearing a slave collar, Orson plays the simpleton and hides his true strength while enduring Adimas's magical pressure. Though forced to bow, he privately vows to survive, grow stronger, and eventually break his chains.