Riches and Bitches: I have a gate to an isekai and leveling-up system!

The lone light of a candle lit up the insides of Banjay's room.

'Things really got messy, didn't they?'

The whole ordeal of the last few hours was as overwhelming as it was strange.

Despite reuniting with the childhood friends whom he parted ways with in the worst way possible, they couldn't waste even a single moment catching up or trying to mend their past differences.

No.

Isera now had some sort of agenda related to one of the unexpected elements of the recent events. And Banjay still had to take responsibility for his grand, desperate plan that now turned into one hell of a display of incompetence.

And now that things finally calmed down a bit, the weight of all the sacrifices that he offered on the altar of defending the fortress, all the lives lost, all the veterans and even the wounded of the patriarch's army…

All of their lives now became a weight that pressed down on Banjay's shoulders.

Worst of all, all of those sacrifices turned out to be…

Unnecessary.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

'Shit, I would really kill for a drink right now…' Banjay thought, tightening his hands into fists as he tried to quell the outcry of his soul without the blessed support of the bottle.

Thus far, Banjay managed to put this sense of responsibility aside. His role in the whole ordeal was simply necessary. And contrary to all those who only understood their patriotic duty on a superficial level, he was willing to go the extra mile no other dared to do.

'But I guess I will have to own up to this fiasco.'

Pushing himself off the edge of the table, Banjay looked up and took a deep breath.

"I really would use a drink right now," he muttered, hanging on the rear legs of his chair.

The sound of three short knocks drew Banjay's exhausted eyes toward the doors of his silent retreat.

'Who fucking dares…'

Pushing the doors open, Isera stepped out with a sizeable bottle in one hand and a pair of cups in the other.

She opened up her mouth to say something, but after a single glance at her estranged childhood friend, Isera closed her mouth, leaned her head to the side, and brought her hands up a bit, shaking both the cups and the bottle as she did.

Banjay gave the girl a long stare before rolling his eyes and sighing as he looked away.

Without a word, Isera moved in closer and then broke the prolonged silence by pouring the dark red liquid down the two cups. She pushed one of them over while grabbing the other and hanging her hand in the air, waiting for Banjay to respond.

'Cheers,' the middle-aged man thought, picking up the cup and then striking its rim against the other cup.

The two of them took a sip. Instead of their faces contorting, though, they both heaved a sigh of relief, soothing their worries as the pleasant warmth spread throughout their bodies.

For all the soldiers locked in the hell of war, regardless of rank, booze was the best medicine to chase away the ghosts of the past. After today's battle, the number of ghosts that Banjay had to chase away increased exponentially.

"So, uhmm… Could you listen to me for a bit?"

Isera's cheeks covered in a slight blush, but her eyes failed to maintain contact with Banjay's.

'What is she so nervous about?' Banjay gave the girl a weird look before pulling his attention back to the glass in his hand.

Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire

She was a part of a different life of his. A character he has long buried in his mind, putting a definitive end to her arc within the story of his own life.

A beacon of times that were much easier, all things considered, even if they were never good to begin with. Still, regardless of how much blood Banjay spilled with his own hands back then, he was still well within his element.

Killing his own family off, ordering the assassination, or killing his political enemies with his own hands, orchestrating schemes, and playing more sides than common folk knew there were…

By no means was that time enjoyable, but it sure was far simpler. Nothing Banjay did forced him out of the depth that he developed during the strict training of the Imperial Sixth Division.

His teachers taught him well. He proved it over and over again over the years, even if his actions actively went against the interest of the nation that sponsored his specialistic education.

But now?

Now came the time for Banjay to pay his due for all the acts and decisions he committed.

'I guess it won't be the victory but the tragic fiasco of my defensive strategy that I will be remembered by,' Banjay thought, taking another sip out of the cup, only to find out it was empty already.

'With that in mind, there's nothing wrong with drinking another cup, is there?'

Instead of grabbing the bottle to pour himself some, Banjay reached out and refilled Isera's cup… before putting it directly to his mouth and taking a hearty drink.

"What's going to become of this place?"

After giving Isera some time to judge his thirst for the booze, Banjay finally asked.

All the negotiations they did so far were to establish the simple baseline of how things would go from now on. In the end, Banjay agreed to let those foreigners help. Their presence was the one bit of good news for the Patriarchate.

With them, they brought a promise of what could be potentially possible, a promise made all the more important if not vital with Isera revealing how they crossed the lands no one ever managed to escape from.

Their attack at the imperial legion also proved they were already more inclined to work with them rather than against them…

But in Banjay's mind, their presence here wasn't all that good. Even the twist that turned his magnum opus into his greatest failure aside, their extremely convenient timing and appearance only spelled just how hard they were going to drive any bargains they could find.

'They didn't figure out a way how to cross this damned place just to satisfy themselves with scraps, and scraps are all patriarchate can offer right now.'

Banjay didn't allow his mind to escape into delusions.

There was no such thing as a free meal. And whatever help they would accept from those strangers was sure to come at a cost much greater than they would ever be happy paying upfront. But now…?

Now, he had no other choice but to swallow this sourness and accept immediate benefits over the unknown costs that would come in the future.

"It's really hard to read them, but if there's anything," Isera took a moment to think while taking a sip of the wine herself. "I think the third wall caught their attention."

Banjay raised his eyebrow… only to escape into yet another, sizeable sip of the drink.

"Is that, in any way, surprising?" Banjay shook his head. "If anything, it's the most eye-catching thing within the entire patriarchate…"

"No, that's not it," Isera quickly shook her head. "You didn't see the thing I did. It wasn't the magnitude of the third wall that caught them off guard."

Regardless of what happened in the past between the two of them, Banjay knew what kind of service Isera offered to the patriarch. And he would have to be stupid to dismiss the findings and observations of one of the patriarch's ears.

"It was more like…" Isera looked down only to raise her free hand and bite down on the nail of her thumb. "Like he was surprised to see it here? Or maybe… as if he knew what it really is?"

Isera squinted her eyes, only to pour some more soul fuel down her throat to lubricate the gears of her mind a bit.

"It was as if they… recognized it."

Maybe it was the influence of the alcohol… but this time, Banjay didn't even hide his shock.

"That's…"

He had no words for this revelation.

Someone who knew the purpose of this godly creation? Someone who understood the idea behind this work of the divine that humans had no other choice but to build over in order to make any use of?

"But all of that aside…" Isera bit down on her lips and lowered her face, holding her cup between her two hands and keeping its bottom in place by squeezing it down with her knees. "Jay, I really, really want to…"

"That will have to wait, little one," a tired, labored voice appeared when the doors swung open, revealing a bloodied figure of a heavily wounded cripple.

"Master!" Isera jumped up to her feet, dropping the cup as she did so, startled by the state of the man she once called a teacher.

"General…" Banjay uttered, heartbroken by the sight of the broken man.

His injuries were severe. A man in the strength of his years with perfect recovery ability could hope to recover from the wounds of this level. But an old cripple like Salicious?

Upon looking up, Banjay's eyes met Salicious stare.

And that was enough.

Both men instantly understood the thoughts of the other.

"I'm sorry to butt in like that, but I clearly don't have much time left," Salicious spoke, casually giving Isera a smile to acknowledge her before struggling to walk over.

Seeing this display of determination, Banjay rushed over, ready to support his master…

"That's enough!" Salicious cussed, putting both of his former students into a state of a shocked freeze before either of them could reach out to him. "Jay, kiddo, I want you to know that I'm aware of what you orchestrated. I approved of that plan and there was no better way out than what you made happen."

The old man's voice weakened with every word he uttered.

His complexion was unnaturally white, a sign of just how much blood he lost.

Even now, despite the crudely wrapped bandages covering his wounds, Salicious blood continued to seep out, draining more and more of this life-giving liquid from the already weakened, old man.

Salicious took a step forward and reached out, planting his hand down on Banjay's shoulder.

"With the help of those strangers, your genius plan turned into a military disaster. But the last thing the patriarchate needs is…" Salicious stopped to cough twice, both times marking his collapsed fist with bits of blood, "… is for your head to roll for this fuck up."

It was rare to hear the old man cuss. Yet, exactly because of how rare it was, hearing him do so anyway only signified just how bad the situation was.

"I've been ready for this outcome the very moment I put this plan in motion," Banjay somberly replied.

It was his acceptance of the inevitable that allowed him to somewhat enjoy one of the last few drinks he would be allowed to have in his life.

"Isn't that why you went to the second wall too, old man?" Banjay raised his eyes and stared Salicious down, proving that regardless of his current state, he wasn't the one to shy away from the responsibility.

"I will say it again," Salicious only shook his head, "the patriarchate can't afford to lose you. Not now, when this siege is broken, not now when we need to rebuild as fast as we can, not now…" the old man smiled, "when Isera made the miracle happen, and gave us a chance to free ourselves from the imperial blockade by opening a trading route south."

By now, the topic of those strangers was in the mouths of everyone who survived so far into the siege.

Their mere presence rekindled the hope that the defenders appeared to have already lost during the recent battle.

'And that's exactly why they are so damn dangerous,' Banjay thought, gritting his teeth as he simply couldn't share in his masters' enthusiasm.

"And that's why, it won't be your head that will roll for this fiasco, but mine," Salicious dropped the bomb that Banjay, in all honesty, already expected to hear.

What he didn't anticipate, though, was the old man pulling out a letter from within his robes, a letter sealed with his official, ducal seal.

"This is my confession and explanation of what I'm about to do," Salicious mentioned with a small smile before turning around and already starting to struggle on his way back to the doors.

"No, wait!" Banjay jumped up, his reality twisting once again, making it hard for the man to even keep up with how everything continued to change every other moment of the day.

"We both said it, didn't we?" Hearing the commotion, Salicious looked back over his shoulder and smiled at his former students before zeroing in on Banjay's face.

For a moment, the old man simply stared at his disciples' faces, a distant smile lingering on his parched and bloodied lips. He then took a step forward and reached out with both of his hands before placing them down on Banjay's and Isera's heads at the same time.

"My term seems to be long overdue."