Ch.1717. Call

The Hero Gwon Heejin was sitting hunched at the edge of the bed.

Was his accommodation uncomfortable? That wasn’t it.

The room assigned to him as the Hero was too spacious and pleasant to be called just a room. A luxurious carpet and a massive bed that could fit four adults rolling around.

There was even a home bar in one corner of the room. Gwon Heejin had requested it when he was first summoned, even drawing a crude blueprint himself. It was a space he had arranged to enjoy a little taste of the world he came from.

But no matter how comfortable the room was, the Hero’s anxious expression showed no signs of easing. It was because of the difficult task given to him.

“Hmm… Since the Papal State has lost power anyway, it might work.”

There was someone watching him impatiently as he kept muttering to himself. It was the Prince.

The Prince had been the Hero’s self-proclaimed patron since he was first summoned.

He had taken care of the Hero, who was unlikable in many ways, both materially and emotionally, and even encouraged nobles to purchase Cordana when it first appeared in the world. Of course, it was more for political purposes than genuinely supporting the Hero.

Their relationship had been very friendly until recently.

The Prince was the biggest player in the Cordana market, and he fully supported the Hero to raise the price of the Cordana he owned. So far, the Hero had met the Prince’s expectations, or rather exceeded them with his achievements.

But now, the Prince’s gaze toward Hero Gwon Heejin was deeply troubled.

“Um, Your Highness? What about the Papal State’s movements?”

“Quiet. They don’t seem to have noticed yet.”

“Check thoroughly. Those guys have gotten a taste of money, so they’re quite shrewd.”

“Hero. I’d like you to tell me what this alternative of yours is at this point?”

The Prince asked in a dry tone. The Hero was about to respond thoughtlessly but then closed his mouth.

It was because he instinctively sensed that the Prince’s gaze was not friendly.

‘I can understand why.’

Even the Hero himself thought his current appearance was far from reassuring.

Unfocused, wavering eyes. Pale skin with chapped lips and protruding cheekbones. Having pushed himself for over six months, this much could be understood.

However, there was one fatal “defect” that could neither be understood nor excused. It was also the reason why the Prince was looking at him with distrust.

“…Sigh. By the way, Hero. There’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Where did you leave your finger? And why didn’t you report it?”

“……”

The Hero laughed awkwardly and then simply avoided eye contact.

In fact, the Hero had lost the little finger of his right hand.

While it might not greatly affect his daily life, the impact wasn’t negligible. The little finger played more roles than one might think. Especially for a swordsman.

“It’s probably in the Beast King’s stomach. …That crazy bastard.”

“Haa. And the Saintess was just sitting around?”

“She said she couldn’t make a finger grow back.”

The impact was immeasurable, especially for a Hero whose skills were already lacking, to lose the little finger of his dominant hand.

However, the Hero had his excuses.

“I didn’t report my finger loss for your sake, Your Highness.”

“Huh?”

“If I had reported it in advance, would Your Highness’s mental state have been normal? You probably would have dumped all your Cordana before I even arrived. Can you deny that?”

The Prince sighed as if dumbfounded but didn’t deny it. Encouraged by this, the Hero’s expression brightened slightly.

In the end, instead of pressing the Hero further, the Prince let out a long sigh.

“…Fine. I’ll give you credit for being able to make such judgments even after becoming crippled.”

“Thank you.”

“So, how do you plan to help me escape this situation?”

“I have a way. …First, transfer about 70% to the Papal State leadership. The Pope, that man, seems unsatisfied with just the donations I’ve been giving and wants to jump into the Cordana market himself. He’s just been licking his lips after missing the timing to enter.”

“The Papal State? Won’t they be suspicious? And where would they get the money?”

“They have plenty of money. It’s just that the Pope and some cardinals have been pocketing it. The current price is… 380 million, right? If you offer to sell at a discount, they’ll bite quickly, thinking they’re getting a good deal. If you just say you’ll give them a discount, they might be suspicious, so ask them to hand over a couple of holy relics.”

“His Majesty is interested in collecting holy relics, so they won’t be suspicious. But the Papal State wouldn’t give up their holy relics.”

“They will. Their forces have been weakened with the death of many holy knights, so they won’t be able to resist even if the market crashes later. And for the rest of the volume… Right. Let’s pass it to Erick.”

“Erick? That commoner? Would someone who already left want to come back in?”

“Your Highness may not know, but many people jump back in after taking profits. And Erick has always been obedient to me. I’ll persuade him myself, so please call him discreetly.”

“…Alright, I’ll do that.”

The Hero sat hunched, maintaining minimal courtesy, but the Prince clicked his tongue and turned away, showing no intention of reciprocating.

Left alone, the Hero let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, as the tension left his body, he collapsed onto the bed.

‘One wrong move and I could be labeled a traitor.’

Of course, getting injured in battle wasn’t some great crime.

From the beginning, Gwon Heejin wasn’t a Hero with high expectations.

Even the Hero himself had never been obsessed with the idea that he must defeat the Demon Lord. Fortunately, the current Demon Lord wasn’t the type to risk his life for human extinction.

In the midst of all this, he had defeated two members of the Tetrad and inflicted critical damage on another, which could be seen as exceeding expectations.

In normal circumstances, such achievements would warrant some level of respect. After all, the Empire was capable of facing the Demon Lord’s army even without a Hero.

Unfortunately, however, Gwon Heejin was in no position to expect such respect.

If a previous Hero had returned with a lost finger, it might have caused some concern and nothing more, but the repercussions of Gwon Heejin’s injury were immeasurable.

It was because of Cordana.

If the false reports, the mass deaths of elite holy knights, and the finger injury were all revealed at once, the entire continent might indeed be turned upside down, as the Prince had said.

‘I need to keep the Prince on my side.’

The subjugation of the Demon Lord had been a lost cause for a long time. And honestly, since losing his little finger, he didn’t feel like fighting anymore. He had already caught two members of the Tetrad, so hadn’t he done enough?

The Hero steeled his resolve and waited for Erick to arrive.

***

The messenger from the imperial palace came when I was in the middle of pursuing the purchase of a granary located on the outskirts of the imperial capital.

“Lord Erick. I come from the imperial palace.”

When I opened the door, the Prince’s attendant, whom I had seen before, was standing there.

“Why me?”

“It’s not His Highness the Prince who calls. The Hero requests to see you quietly.”

I was told that the Hero had secretly returned to the imperial capital last night.

There had been rumors that he would temporarily return for some time, but I couldn’t understand why someone who had defeated a member of the Tetrad would skip even a victory parade and stay cooped up in the palace. And why call for me immediately upon his return?

Strange as it was, I couldn’t refuse. I followed the Prince’s attendant.

Once the imperial messenger had announced my entry to the palace, refusal was not an option. Just because I had become a billionaire worth 40 billion didn’t mean I could defy the imperial family.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Hero.’

Shortly after Hero Gwon Heejin was summoned, I had gone to the palace for a while to serve as his sparring partner.

Of course, even then, I spent more time listening to the Hero’s boasting than actually sparring. He must have mentioned twenty times that his father was a chief prosecutor and his brother was a medical student. And in the end, I even did Cordana sales and deliveries under his direction.

Now that I’ve become rich thanks to the Hero, I always address him respectfully and wish for his well-being and safety, but at that time, I thought, what kind of jerk is this?

“By the way, why did you call for me as soon as you returned to the imperial capital?”

“…I don’t know. You should speak with him directly.”

The attendant who came as a messenger had a strangely respectful attitude.

An attendant who serves the Prince, who might become the Emperor in the future. He would naturally be from a noble family, and perhaps already a titled nobleman. There was no need to be particularly respectful to me, a commoner, yet he was unusually submissive.

‘Something feels off about this.’

Could they be planning to harm me after summoning me?

Come to think of it, I had vaguely heard rumors that the Prince had been furious when I caused a major incident at the Cordana exchange.

There were rumors that he was angry because he missed an opportunity to increase his holdings due to the Arcknite ducal family sweeping up the supply, and contrary rumors that he was angry because he missed an opportunity to dispose of his holdings.

Surely he’s not trying to take out his frustrations on me belatedly? I stared at the back of the attendant’s head and licked my lips.

Of course, if he was determined to harm me, there was nothing stopping him. But that would be too politically burdensome even for the Prince.

Above all, it would diminish the value of the Cordana he owned. If rumors spread that someone with my level of recognition died or was injured right after selling Cordana, investor sentiment would inevitably deteriorate.

The Prince, the biggest player in the imperial capital, wouldn’t commit such a crazy act. I tried to erase the doubts that had risen in my chest, but there were many other strange things.

Particularly strange was that the attendant didn’t challenge me even though I was openly carrying a sword. I was neither a member of the Royal Order nor anything else now.

While I was still confused and unable to shake off my suspicions, the attendant finally stopped walking. It was in front of the Hero’s exclusive quarters, which I had visited a few times before.

“Let’s go in.”

The Prince’s attendant opened the door himself and let me in. I nodded awkwardly and stepped into the room.

And inside, the Hero was waiting for me.

“It’s been a while, Erick.”

His awkward smile and greeting seemed particularly unnatural. Not because it had been a long time. The Hero had never greeted me like this even when we were together.

‘What’s with this guy suddenly?’

Fortunately, my question was soon answered.

“I heard you sold your Cordana? Taking profits is good, but you were too hasty. You could have sold for much more.”

It was because of what the Hero said while looking at me as if I were pitiful.

It wasn’t particularly strange for him to bring up Cordana right after meeting me after a long time, but it was strange for the Hero to kindly worry about my financial situation. The Hero basically didn’t care much about others. So for him to suddenly act like this…

‘There must be bad news.’

I sat down while managing my expression.

If something had happened, I needed to help Bingo, who was eagerly waiting for the Cordana price to reach “eyebrows,” to time his selling. And honestly, I was a little curious about what nonsense the Hero would spout.