28. The Gold Coins of Grand Duke Inkheart

Soon after, Darius entered and severely scolded Rose.

“Your thoughtless behavior caused trouble for many people and even put Anette in danger.”

He scolded her so harshly that I thought Rose would look at me with her usual resentful gaze, but surprisingly, she accepted the reprimand without making any excuses.

“I was wrong.”

“Do you actually understand what you did wrong? Copying etiquette books didn’t work, forbidding you from leaving the mansion didn’t make you come to your senses. What punishment should……”

“From now on, I want to be like Lady Anette.”

“What?”

“What?”

Why am I being brought into this?

“Living in the North, I haven’t met many high-ranking noble ladies. Lady Anette is the epitome of a lady. If I spend time with her from now on, my conduct will improve! My parents will be happy too!”

“Rose Temeri, I’m talking about giving you punishment, not a reward.”

Darius couldn’t believe his ears, but Rose was formidable.

“It’s punishment for educational purposes! Mother and Father always tell me to observe refined ladies carefully and maintain proper conduct.”

“No, no. Miss Rose is plenty wonderful on her own……”

To call her a lady would be a lie.

A lie that would absolutely never leave my lips.

“From now on, I’ll be your companion, Madam! So your life in the North won’t be so lonely!”

The blonde girl with pigtails hugged my arm tightly. Is it because she’s young? She’s a girl whose love and hate change quickly.

‘No, this isn’t what I wanted. I broke the death flag for you, so you should live your life freely from now on, Rose!’

“Just trust me. After Lady Ygret, I know this mansion inside and out better than anyone!”

“Rose……”

Darius pressed his forehead hard.

“Whose permission did you get to say such things?”

“Madam, when should I come visit the mansion next? Oh, I can stay with you today, right? Since I’m already here at the mansion!”

Rose completely ignored Darius’s words and giggled. It was a healthy smile without a trace of pain.

* * *

“I truly don’t know how to thank you, Madam, and how to apologize……”

Sir Lucion kept bowing his head repeatedly, unable to meet my eyes.

He had almost killed his sister with his judgment. With the mistaken belief that bloodletting was the best method.

“That’s enough. I’m relieved that Rose has recovered. But about what happened in the Ash Tree Forest. Since Rose and I collapsed, I’m curious about what happened afterward.”

The limitations of medical knowledge are unavoidable.

More importantly, the gold coins! The gold coins of Grand Duke Inkheart that Rose and I risked our lives to find!

Now that a human life has been saved, perhaps it’s acceptable to discuss more materialistic matters.

“Ah. About that night…… Madam, I haven’t been able to ask until now, but what exactly happened that night?”

Sir Lucion asked as if he had been curious all along.

I told Sir Lucion the same story I had told Darius.

That I was trying to improve the poor conditions in the North by searching for legendary treasures. That the pot of gold I found previously was actually discovered by chance while researching legends.

I had been investigating vast amounts of material and narrowing down the search area when Rose visited my room, saw my research, had a realization, and ran off alone to the Ash Tree Forest.

“When I followed Rose, all the legendary conditions had been met. We entered a barrier and, as if by magic, we were able to enter the treasure vault of ancestor Inkheart. The Wind Spirit King, Sylphid, was guarding the treasure according to a contract.”

I paused for a moment.

“A Spirit King appearing suddenly. Hard to believe, right?”

“Not at all. You’re someone capable of such extraordinary feats, Madam.”

How else could one explain the countless gold coins and rare treasures that suddenly appeared in an empty forest?

“The Spirit King also gave me a lower wind spirit, Sylph, saying it would help me. He wanted to give me a greater spirit, but said my power was insufficient for that.”

There was a small seal engraved on the inside of my wrist. It seemed to be proof of my contract with the wind spirit. I pressed the seal firmly.

“Wang!”

“This is the wind spirit Sylph.”

Then, just like before, the puppy-like, energetic Sylph appeared, rolling through the air excitedly as if happy to be summoned.

Finding it cute, I stroked Sylph’s body. Its transparent form slipped through my fingers.

“Hehe, so cute.”

“……Madam?”

But Sir Lucion’s face looked strange, as if he had seen something unbelievable.

“Yes?”

“Uh, um, so you summoned the wind spirit Sylph?”

“Yes. Right here. Can’t you see it, Sir Lucion?”

Gently, Sylph rubbed its head against my hand affectionately.

“No, I cannot see it.”

If Sylph isn’t visible, how does my action of stroking the air appear?

A moment of silence passed.

Sir Lucion awkwardly groped the air. Like a stiff wooden doll.

“Um, I believe you, Madam. Given who you are. So, the Sylph is around here somewhere……”

He was pointing in a completely different direction.

“Look, there’s the spirit seal right here…!”

“To my eyes, Madam’s arm appears clean……”

Sylph, acting as if this situation had nothing to do with it, was contentedly biting and sucking on my finger.

My face burned hot. I slapped both my cheeks in embarrassment.

“Madam, there’s no need to harm yourself! I believe you! Just refrain from saying such things in front of others!”

So deep down, you don’t believe me after all!

“It’s because my training is insufficient.”

According to my fantasy knowledge, materializing a spirit also requires the summoner’s power.

‘In my current state as a spirit master, I can sense spirits, but I don’t have the power to materialize them so others can see and feel them.’

At this rate, I can’t argue if others say I’m just acting foolishly.

Why do I keep remembering Sylphid’s teasing words when he gave me Sylph, saying ‘You won’t be able to properly handle even Sylph yet’?

‘I won’t neglect my efforts from now on. I’ll read books and find other spirit masters to study with.’

This is a special talent I’ve discovered after so long.

“So, about the gold coins we found in the forest?”

* * *

Tom, a resident of the North, was a layabout far from living diligently. He loved betting and gambling, and took pride in money earned without work.

‘The gold coins of Grand Duke Inkheart? That’s just a story I heard on my grandmother’s knee as a child.’

For the past few days, a strange rumor had been circulating in the North. The rumor was that the legendary gold coins of Grand Duke Inkheart had finally been discovered.

Tom laughed at the story while drinking in the tavern, but his ears perked up nonetheless. Since he had two legs, going to check cost nothing.

“Hey, you there. This forest is off-limits now. If you don’t have a specific business, turn back.”

A soldier wearing a shining helmet stopped Tom with a spear.

‘There really are soldiers everywhere!’

There must be something to it. This forest was a secluded place where only mushroom pickers would normally visit.

“Excuse me, what’s happening here? Why are you all here?”

“It’s the Grand Duke’s business. Stop asking unnecessary questions and leave now.”

‘Hmph, we’re both commoners, but he’s acting like he’s some knight!’

Tom grumbled inwardly at the soldier’s stern words. Despite the soldier’s warning, Tom had no intention of retreating.

Gold tends to attract people’s attention. Somehow, a rumor had spread widely among the territory’s residents that the legendary treasure vault of Grand Duke Inkheart had been discovered and was being moved.

The rumor also said that there was so much treasure that it couldn’t be moved in just a day or two, which was why security was so tight.

‘If there’s too much to move all at once, please share some with this poor territory resident, Grand Duke sir.’

Tom snickered as he looked for gaps in the strict surveillance.

After watching for a while, he noticed signs that the guards were either going to eat lunch or change shifts.

‘Now’s my chance!’

Tom quickly evaded the surveillance and hid in the forest.

“My goodness!”

Cha-rrrr-ruk.

Tom’s mouth fell open. After getting past a couple of soldiers, he saw gold coins scattered all over the forest floor. While the surveillance appeared strict on the outside, the soldiers had left the enormous treasure untouched.

Gold coins were rolling around like pebbles.

‘If I just take a few of these, how much would that be? Oh my pretty ones. Don’t stay in the cold, come into my warm pocket.’

Tom gleefully reached for the gold coins in secret.

Pa-pa-pa-pang!

“Aaaaargh!”

“Sigh, looks like another fool has touched Grand Duke Inkheart’s gold coins.”

“So many people have already been taught a harsh lesson, yet someone still does such a foolish thing. Haah.”

With the sound of magical gold coins multiplying—pang! pa-pang!—a soldier guarding the Ash Tree Forest sighed deeply.

This was far from the first time.

When the soldier in charge was first told they would be carrying out a top-secret mission for the Grand Duke’s household, his heart had pounded. The weight of responsibility sat heavy on his shoulders for such an important task.

When they arrived at the forest and saw the shining gold coins scattered here and there, even he, being human, had his eyes sparkle.

However, it didn’t take long to realize those gold coins were nothing but a mirage. They tried to carry the gold coins found in the forest back to the Grand Duke’s mansion, but no one could take them.

The beautiful, shining gold coins either became incredibly heavy when held, making them impossible to lift, or suddenly expanded in size, crushing people beneath them. They were truly magical coins.

“Help me, save me, blub blub!”

“W-well, I told you to go back. Why didn’t you listen and instead harbored bad intentions?”

“Dying crushed by money isn’t common, so enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime dream. Hahaha.”

A massive amount of gold coins had been discovered, but no one could actually touch them.

Lady Anette, who had discovered these coins, couldn’t immediately return to the scene due to her accumulated fatigue and Rose’s nursing care. For now, the best they could do was station guards in the forest.

And somehow people kept hearing about the discovery of the gold coins, and three fools a day were coming to the forest and falling into the trap on their own.