Ch.0Prologue

The Hero Gwon Heejin.

When he was first summoned, his reputation was terrible. People wanted to return him to the Goddess.

Poor physical condition or unskilled swordsmanship?

Those weren’t even the main issues. Most Heroes had no combat ability when first summoned anyway. Even with the Goddess’s blessing, it took at least a few months of training before they became useful.

But Gwon Heejin was difficult to view favorably even taking that into account.

He frequently skipped training while slacking off, and treated us like primitives on top of that. He would mutter incomprehensible words to himself, and when people gave him disapproving looks, he would sarcastically respond, “I guess it can’t be helped…”

‘With skills like that, he’d be lucky to defeat even one of the Tetrad.’

‘What’s wrong with this generation’s Hero? He keeps saying his father is a chief prosecutor, but I don’t know what kind of job that is.’

‘I heard the Archmage couldn’t stand talking to that bastard and got up and left?’

Talent too ordinary for a Hero, an arrogant attitude with seemingly no intention of adapting to this world, and a chin perpetually held high.

He hadn’t done anything particularly wrong, yet he was accumulating dislikes.

Gwon Heejin’s turnaround began 6 months ago.

It started when he issued some “commemorative coins” before setting out on his expedition.

“I will soon depart to subjugate the Demon Lord’s army. However, expeditions to the Demonic Land cost more than you might think. Since we can’t rely on the Empire’s finances forever, I’ve decided to raise funds independently!”

His method was commemorative coins.

Named Cordana.

On the surface, they were just commemorative coins. They were slightly smaller than regular gold coins, with Gwon Heejin’s face engraved in a highly flattering form, but otherwise quite ordinary.

If anything was special, it was that the Hero had blessed them with his divine power and assigned unique serial numbers, making them impossible to counterfeit.

Beyond that, they had absolutely no function. The coins had the same design on both sides, so they couldn’t even be used for coin flips.

Nevertheless, many nobles of the Empire purchased the Hero’s commemorative coins.

First, it was for a good cause. He claimed the money would fund the campaign against the Demon Lord’s army.

Many previous Hero parties would simply barge into random noble houses and extort money, so getting commemorative coins in return was actually a welcome change.

And though the chances were slim, if the Hero actually defeated the Demon Lord, these could become honorable collectibles. They would serve as evidence that noble society had united to support the Hero’s party.

After raising ample funds through Cordana, the Hero’s party soon departed on their expedition, sent off by countless well-wishers.

A genius mage, a Saintess, a female knight, and an elf archer.

Except for the Saintess, the members seemed selected more for their faces and figures than their skills, but previous Heroes had done the same. That’s just how Heroes typically were.

After the departure ceremony, people forgot about the Hero’s party for a while.

Typically, Hero expeditions dragged on for years. Naturally, they didn’t report every minor monster they defeated. At minimum, they needed to defeat one of the Tetrad to become noteworthy.

But Gwon Heejin was different. Even after the Hero’s party left, people regularly received news about him.

This was because the Empire’s only newspaper, the “Imperial Capital News,” frequently published updates about the Hero’s party. Information directly provided by the Hero through communication crystals.

[Hero Gwon Heejin Subjugates Orcs in Southern Border… Claims “Eliminating orcs threatening citizens’ lives is more urgent than the Demon Lord hiding in the Demonic Land”]

Publishing news articles just for killing some orcs.

[Small Elite Teams Are Inefficient, Will Join Forces with the Papal State]

He donated large sums to the financially struggling Papal State and borrowed their holy knights and priests. While previous Hero parties had hired porters, this approach was unprecedented.

But no one questioned it. After all, he was steadily reducing the Demon Lord’s forces.

At some point, public opinion began to favor Gwon Heejin over previous Heroes who would disappear into the Demonic Land for years on grueling campaigns. Some people even began criticizing themselves, saying, “We’ve been too stupid until now.”

As a result, public opinion toward Hero Gwon Heejin gradually became more favorable. The infamy he had earned from his early inappropriate attitude had completely disappeared.

However, as Gwon Heejin’s reputation grew, an unexpected situation followed.

The price of the Cordana coins issued by the Hero began to soar.

When first introduced, Cordana had no set price. People simply showed their “sincerity” to Gwon Heejin as best they could and received a few coins in return.

But at some point, Cordana began trading in the market.

“It’s unfair that only Empire nobles have Cordana! The Hero fights for all humans, not just the Empire!”

“Only humans? So dwarves can just die? There’s even a pointy-ear in the Hero’s party, why discriminate against us!?”

“Give us a chance to buy Cordana too! Give us a chance!”

Some foreign nobles with collecting habits wanted to purchase Cordana even at high prices. Several lower-ranking Empire nobles with financial needs quickly responded to these offers.

As transactions were completed, demand increased even more. This was thanks to Cordana’s proven liquidity through trading.

It wasn’t just nobles who wanted Cordana.

Merchants who had accumulated wealth through business began to covet them, and even members of previous Hero parties purchased Cordana, claiming they wanted to support their hardworking juniors.

As this continued, the price of Cordana kept rising.

And at some point, strange rumors about Cordana began to circulate.

Rumors that carrying Cordana blessed by the Hero could prevent common illnesses (there were even claims it improved premature ejaculation).

Rumors that when Gwon Heejin defeated the Demon Lord, Cordana holders would receive rewards from the Empire, and commoners might even receive titles.

Eventually, rumors spread that Cordana holders would share the vast treasures (which might not even exist) accumulated in the Demon Lord’s castle.

Of course, these were all groundless rumors.

But once spread, it was impossible to contain them. No one knew exactly what was true and what was false.

Amid the growing rumors, only the price of Cordana changed.

Six months ago when Cordana was first issued, one million Lyra—slightly more than a month’s salary for an Imperial Guard—was enough to receive one Cordana.

But four months ago, the price had already surpassed fifty million,

And two months ago, there was no guarantee of purchase even for 100 million. This was partly thanks to the Hero’s party defeating one of the Tetrad around that time.

And for about two weeks now, the price had stabilized around 250 million. It continued to maintain a strong upward trend.

Just six months since their appearance, Cordana was already treated as a symbol of wealth.

Now, at the strong request of Hero Gwon Heejin, exchanges had been established in the Imperial Capital and several other major cities.

How did a coin initially issued purely to support the Hero’s party reach such a high price?

It was a mystery, but honestly, no one was curious about it. People only wondered how much higher the price of Cordana would rise.

“It will reach 300 million by the end of the year.”

“No, it will take a brief rest at the beginning of the year and then break through 300 million.”

“When they approach the Demon Lord’s castle, it will easily surpass 400 million.”

Everyone seemed to talk only about Cordana.

Those who owned even a few Cordana were envied and treated as absolute superiors, while those without masked their jealousy with sour smiles. Some complained that everyone only talked about Cordana.

But I,

I, Erick Wellesley, a third-year member of the Imperial Royal Order, had no complaints about this atmosphere.

I never felt deprived or concerned.

Because I was a Cordana holder.

And not just one or two—I was one of the Empire’s biggest holders.

///

The number of Cordana I currently possess is 108.

Of course, I didn’t purchase them at market price.

The Royal Order I belong to is the elite knightly order protecting the Imperial Capital. I’m considered one of the most excellent resources among them, but I’m still just a young regular member. Being of common birth, I couldn’t draw money from a family either.

The secret to how someone like me came to own over 100 Cordana was simple.

When Hero Gwon Heejin was staying at the imperial palace for training in the early days, I was considered as a potential party member.

Of course, everyone knew a Hero wouldn’t choose a man as a party member, but recommendations were supposed to be based on skill alone. I was even of common birth, so I had the stomach to endure an expedition to the Demonic Land.

My days with Gwon Heejin were, frankly speaking, miserable. I served as the Hero’s sparring partner despite knowing I had no chance of being selected as a party member.

In the end, I even got involved in the distribution process of Cordana. Perhaps he thought a member of the Empire’s strongest Royal Order was trustworthy enough, as he had me run quite a few errands.

The Cordana I now hold were my payment for those errands.

To be honest, it was closer to him dumping unsold Cordana on me. It was to prevent me from complaining about being used while he selected “Millia,” a female knight of mediocre skill, as a party member instead.

“Let’s announce that you voluntarily gave up joining the Hero’s party. In exchange, I’ll give you these.”

I accepted the Cordana, pretending to be reluctant. I figured I could at least melt them down for gold if necessary.

However, after six months, my opinion of Cordana had completely changed.

“The Hero’s party has defeated another of the Tetrad. They’ve vanquished the Beast King.”

Today I received yet another piece of good news.

The price of Cordana, riding a favorable wind, surged repeatedly and finally broke through 300 million with ease.

I jingled the pouch full of Cordana with a satisfied smile. These days, just looking at the price of Cordana gave me a sense of fullness.

If things continued this way, a huge windfall was guaranteed.

No, it was already a huge windfall.

This was far better than serving as a human shield in the Hero’s party while watching the Hero and female party members fool around.

I offered a prayer for the respected Hero’s success and well-being with a contented smile.