29. The Gold Coins of Grand Duke Inkheart(2)

“So no one can move the gold coins? Because they suddenly expand or become extremely heavy when touched?”

After hearing the whole story, I questioned with an incredulous expression.

“I’m also visiting this place for the first time since I was busy with Rose’s situation. I haven’t experienced it myself, but according to my subordinates’ reports, that’s what happens. Perhaps it’s because, as you mentioned, the treasure was guarded by the Spirit King.”

‘Come on, Sir Lucion. You didn’t believe me when I summoned the spirit, did you? You looked at me with that pitying gaze like I was going through some middle school delusion.’

Since the night I fainted with Rose, this is my first time coming to the Ash Tree Forest.

The gold coins that filled the space created by the Spirit King now densely covered the forest floor.

“Sir Ramin, try picking up a gold coin.”

At Lucion’s command, the man called Sir Ramin picked up a gold coin, and immediately it went ‘pa-pa-pang!’ and expanded as it bounced. Sir Ramin dropped it in disgust. It was impossible to move in this state.

“I apologize.”

“Just as reported……”

Darius and Sir Lucion wore grave expressions.

“This is troublesome.”

“Your Highness.”

I whispered quietly into Darius’s ear.

“Would Your Highness like to try picking one up?”

“Me?”

“Just try it once.”

Darius picked up a gold coin with suspicious eyes. It was the same coin Sir Ramin had just dropped in disgust.

“Hmm?”

Just as I thought.

“Is it heavy? Does it feel different from ordinary gold coins?”

I showed a shushing finger to Sir Lucion, whose eyes were widening.

“As expected, the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess have special abilities different from others…!”

“Please be quiet, Sir Lucion, and try picking up a gold coin yourself.”

Sir Lucion hesitantly picked up a coin. The gold coin remained calm in his hand too. As if it wasn’t under a spell at all.

I sighed.

“Just as I thought.”

I whispered the secret of the gold coins just loud enough for only Darius and Sir Lucion to hear.

“Actually, these gold coins are enchanted. It’s magic that prevents anyone from taking the coins if they’re thinking of personal gain rather than public benefit.”

Didn’t I almost get trapped when I momentarily drooled over the gold coins in front of Sylphid?

“The fact that you two can properly handle these coins means you’re truly pure-hearted people without greed.”

As expected of the male protagonist. And the knight commander trusted by the male protagonist. My trust in Sir Lucion wasn’t misplaced.

“That means the Grand Duke’s soldiers couldn’t properly move the gold coins because…!”

It means everyone had at least once harbored selfish thoughts upon seeing the forest’s gold coins.

“Well, it’s hard for a person not to be tempted when seeing such enormous wealth. Even if they don’t act on it, they might have small fantasies in one corner of their mind.”

Not that I’m saying this because I was tempted.

Sir Lucion’s eyes burned with anger toward Sir Ramin standing behind. Well, even so, he shouldn’t be just a soldier but a knight with responsibility. I may be the Grand Duchess, but still.

“This is wisdom passed down from our ancestors. We must immediately replace all the knights and soldiers who participated in excavating the gold coins in this forest…!”

“If we replace people at will, who would remain in our mansion, Lucion.”

Surprisingly, it was Darius who stopped Lucion from getting angry.

Darius maintained a calm expression despite seeing the soldiers with corrupted discipline.

“Soldiers whose hearts waver at the sight of gold coins, I cannot have such men under my command.”

“A commander cannot always have subordinates to his liking. A commander should know how to operate on the battlefield with the cards he’s dealt. Being excessively righteous is your weakness, Lucion.”

“Your Highness’s words……”

“First, let’s have all the soldiers and knights in this forest try touching the gold coins.”

“What?”

“As expected of Your Highness.”

I smiled brightly at Darius’s words. Like a true couple, we were both thinking the same thing.

* * *

A long line formed in front of the Ash Tree Forest.

“Next person.”

“Yes! Soldier Jabet reporting as summoned!”

Some kind of test was taking place in front of a pile of gold coins.

“Lucion, how is it? We should have counted all the excavated gold coins by now.”

“They’re the same type of gold coins as the pot Lady Anette found in the mansion last time.”

“If they’re the same type, does that mean they’re the ancient gold coins that collectors gather, worth double their value on the market?”

“That’s correct, Madam.”

“My goodness, then this amount……”

A pile of gold coins was stacked in front of Darius, Anette, and Lucion.

Their conversation seemed somewhat awkward, and their tone theatrical, but the bewildered Jabet didn’t notice.

‘What are they trying to make me do? Everyone who entered the tent at the lord’s call came out shaking their heads. What difficult task are they going to assign?’

* * *

Jabet’s hands trembled on his spear at the thought of standing before the North’s master, the Grand Duke, and his beautiful new wife.

He didn’t even glance at the abundant gold coins. Those coins weren’t his anyway.

“Jabet, was it?”

The beautiful lady smiled at Jabet with a grin.

“All you need to do is move these gold coins over there. It’s not difficult.”

“Yes, what? The gold coins…?”

Hadn’t they said the forest’s gold coins were enchanted and couldn’t be touched anyway?

“Someone like me?”

“Give it a try. Who knows? You might move the gold coins well and receive them as a reward, Jabet.”

Jabet moved his hand toward the pile of gold coins, feeling dazed. Even as he moved them, he didn’t expect anything to happen.

“Huh…?”

“Hmm, you’re someone who can touch the gold coins without any problems.”

Darius nodded, carefully observing Jabet’s face. Lucion also wrote down Jabet’s name separately on paper.

Jabet had seen with his own eyes someone crushed by expanding gold coins after mistakenly touching them when he first came to the forest. But now nothing happened.

“Looks like Sir Lucion lost the bet again.”

“You should trust your subordinates more.”

Anette and Darius teased Lucion with smiles. All of them, or rather all three, were high-ranking people of the North whom Jabet wouldn’t dare face normally.

“I’ll remember your name. You may go now.”

“What? Pardon?”

“Your task is done. Next person.”

“That’s two passes in a row, so this time someone will surely fail.”

“Is it better if someone fails? Isn’t it better if they don’t? Really, Sir Lucion.”

“Your intuition is terrible. You shouldn’t trust your sixth sense. Anette’s intuition, on the other hand, is reliable.”

“Speaking of intuition, I predict a failure this time.”

“But Madam, didn’t you just say it’s better if they pass?”

“But after two consecutive passes, statistically, it’s about time for a greedy person to show up. So far, only one in four has been a good person.”

“You always get ahead of me, Madam, so I can’t help but lose.”

“Lucion, are you expressing dissatisfaction with my wife?”

“More importantly, can’t you both speak more naturally? This is already the umpteenth time, and you’re still so stiff?”

“I think we’ve improved a lot since the beginning.”

The three were already preparing for the next person. Jabet had no choice but to leave the tent, scratching his head.

“What in the world……”

The non-greedy Jabet didn’t yet know that a good military life awaited him.

* * *

“So this is all of it?”

After a couple of hours, the personality test—no, the gold coin screening test—was complete.

By the end, rumors had spread that superiors were taking notice based on whether one could move the gold coins in the tent, but the gold coins uncannily identified even those who pretended to be good on the outside.

“One in three soldiers passed, one in four knights passed. Fewer among the knights.”

“Knights and soldiers who passed will be prioritized for important positions in the future, as we can trust their character.”

Conversely, knights like Sir Ramin who openly displayed their greed would likely face negative consequences during future promotion reviews.

The most important things in the military are supplies and provisions. If honest people handle money, military life will improve significantly.

Once the selected men who could handle the gold coins each carried a load to the mansion, the troublesome transportation was completed in half a day.

After completing the transport to the mansion’s underground storage, Darius, Sir Lucion, and I exchanged glances.  

As I handled the magical gold coins that hadn’t lost their shine despite the long years, I finally muttered with a serious expression.

“There’s a problem here.”

“Yes, there is a problem.”

Unable to follow the conversation between Darius and me, Sir Lucion frowned alone.

“What problem?”

“The mountain of gold coins itself is the problem, Lucion.”

“Most people have problems just touching these coins, so how could we use this mountain of gold coins anyway?”

Even if we handed the money to a merchant, the coins would surely go pa-pa-pang! and bounce.

Is a merchant still a merchant if they don’t feel greed at the sight of gold?

“Well, we could use these gold coins as collateral to borrow goods. At least they’re physically present.”

“And if someone asks why we don’t use these coins to buy things directly, we could make up some suitable circumstances?”

“But with stiff acting like earlier, transactions would be really difficult.”

True to their honest nature as knights, no matter how much they practiced, Lucion and Darius’s acting skills never improved.