Episode Thirty-Seven: Ledgers of a Fallen Kingdom, Plunder Without Price
In the Persian Market: The Roar of an Empire
Episode Thirty-Seven: Ledgers of a Fallen Kingdom, Plunder Without Price
1. The Silence of Two Kings
Wind poured through the shattered doors, sweeping the smoke from the Throne Room.
Before them stood the young lion poised to devour the world—Alexander.
Behind them, the symbol of a dying empire—Queen Nirfar.
And between them, a single merchant clutching blood-stained ledgers—Cyrus.
“Cyrus,” the Great King said, his voice unexpectedly calm as he dismissed his soldiers and stepped closer.
“Is this the ending you desired? The city burns, your comrades are gone, and the market you sought to protect is turning to sand beneath my feet. …What have you gained?”
2. The Curse Called a Ledger
Cyrus set the thick ledgers onto the marble floor with a sharp clack.
“What have I gained? Don’t fool yourself, Great King. What you’ve taken isn’t a ‘golden city.’
…It’s a mountain of debt and hatred accumulated over centuries.”
He kicked the ledgers, sliding them to Alexander’s feet.
“Look inside. You’ll find the names of shopkeepers you burned out, the loaves your soldiers stole—
and the price of integrity you’ll have to pay if you mean to rule this land.”
Alexander frowned and picked one up.
“…These aren’t words. Symbols?”
“A market cipher Danesh and I devised. Without those who understand it, you won’t manage a single tax, a single road, in this vast empire.
…All you’ve plundered are piles of stone and heaps of corpses.”
3. Nirfar’s Royal Pronouncement
Nirfar stepped forward beside Cyrus, fear absent from her eyes.
“Alexander. You have conquered—but you do not govern.
If we leave, the heart of this country leaves with us. What you’ll possess is endless resentment and an unbroken chain of vengeance.
…Is that the ‘world’ you desired?”
The confidence drained from the Great King’s face.
For the first time, he stood before a wall he could not break with force—the system of civilization itself.
4. The Merchant’s Defiant Smile
“Now then—let’s talk business.”
Cyrus sheathed his broken dagger and spread his bloodied hands.
“If you want the key to those ledgers, let us go.
Guarantee the safety of the people left in this city.
…That’s the minimum purchase price to operate this empire.”
“…You threaten me, Cyrus?” Alexander tightened his grip on his sword.
“No. …I’m offering an investment.
If you want your name carved into history, show wisdom as a ruler—not the hunger of a raider.”
5. Shadows Cast by Flame
Their gazes clashed, sparks flying.
Their bond was shifting—from enemies to ultimate stakeholders.
Then—
From outside the palace came an unprecedented tremor, and the screams of the people.
“…Fire! The market—the market is completely aflame!!”
Even the Great King could hear it.
The blaze history would remember as the Burning of Persepolis.
Within this raging inferno, the negotiation between Cyrus and Nirfar was forced into an even harsher phase.
〘END〙
