Ch.54The Snake That Swallows Gold Coins (1)

The Demon Sword of the Abyss can only be cut with Excalibur.

As Najin pondered Merlin’s words, he asked:

“Is it some kind of demonic entity? I heard demons can only be completely destroyed by Excalibur.”

-That’s not what I meant. The Demon Sword of the Abyss has neither immortality nor demonic traits. When I said Excalibur is needed…

Merlin added:

-It’s because he also wields a sacred sword.

“A sacred sword…”

-The sword Gramr, which becomes either sacred or demonic depending on its wielder. Only Excalibur can withstand clashing against the sword he carries.

In essence, she meant a weapon that could endure was needed. However, Najin didn’t quite understand. If ordinary swords don’t work, couldn’t one use magic or arrows? Why must it be confronted with a sword?

-You can say that because you don’t know that man.

Merlin smiled bitterly, reading Najin’s thoughts.

The Demon Sword of the Abyss is a being beyond common sense. He stood shoulder to shoulder with Arthur and, though not a Knight of the Round Table, accompanied Arthur to the end of their journey.

The destination reached by the First Sword Master at journey’s end.

Recalling that destination, Merlin sighed deeply. It wasn’t a memory she wished to revisit. After exhaling, she changed the subject, returning to her usual tone.

-You don’t need to know about the Demon Sword of the Abyss right now. It’s something you can forget for now. You’ll meet that enemy much later.

That aside.

Merlin muttered, then smiled.

-You’ve found a proper sword instructor? Now you won’t need to search for more teachers. You can learn swordsmanship from the Sword Master and magic from me.

Najin was about to nod when he tilted his head, caught on a particular word.

“…Magic?”

-Yes. Magic.

“Can I use magic too?”

-Why wouldn’t you be able to?

“Well, it’s common knowledge that swordsmen can’t use magic…”

-That’s just what ordinary people say.

Merlin grinned.

-Besides, basic magic is essential knowledge. It can’t hurt to learn, right? It’ll make facing mages easier.

How to face mages.

Indeed, Najin hadn’t yet faced a mage. Stroking his chin, he exhaled deeply.

“There’s a long road ahead.”

-Look at you. You know you’ve only had Excalibur for two or three months, right?

Ignoring Merlin’s incredulous voice, Najin smiled. The Sword Master and Volkman had long since departed. Left alone, Najin sprawled out on the field.

“I suppose so.”

It had only been two or three months since he left the underground city.

Recalling everything he’d experienced in those months, Najin looked up at the sky. The rain had stopped, and the dark clouds had cleared to reveal a blue sky. It seemed like just yesterday he was struggling to see this sky…

Now that blue sky was familiar.

The sun high in the sky too.

Even the starlight at night had become familiar.

He had befriended the city’s merchant, made a good impression on the city’s top adventurer, and created connections with the Knights of Atanga by defeating a Fallen Knight. And now he would learn swordsmanship from the Sword Master.

“Time seems to pass so quickly.”

Things he couldn’t have imagined while living in the underground city.

Such events happened constantly. Just when he thought it would take a long time to adapt to all these new experiences, he would find himself already accustomed to them.

-Is it just time that passes quickly?

-Your growth rate is also unbelievably fast.

Merlin’s incredulous laughter.

Ignoring her now-familiar voice, Najin got up. Though the Sword Master had swept through like a storm, there was still time left in the day.

I should head back and look for a new request.

Najin walked with light steps toward Cambria, City of Opportunity.

2.

The day after sparring with the Sword Master, at noon.

Najin stood in the square waiting for someone. As he stood under the clock tower, he drew quite a few glances.

That was inevitable.

From his achievements in the Dotchenberg Forest subjugation to his promotion to second rank and his role in defeating the Fallen Knight, Najin had accomplished much. It would be strange if he didn’t attract attention.

The most notable adventurer in Cambria.

A super rookie whose stock was rising so rapidly it was breaking through the charts, marked as the top recruitment priority by merchants and small guilds alike.

That was Najin’s current position in Cambria, City of Opportunity. Naturally, standing in the middle of the square drew attention. Yet while people glanced at him, no one approached easily.

…Well, they knew who had their eye on Najin.

Just then, Najin turned his head to look at a corner of the square. Those watching him followed his gaze. There stood a girl entering the square, accompanied by a single knight escort.

Snake that Swallows the Gold Coins, Dieta Albania.

Her soft, silky light brown hair flowed with a glossy sheen, and her yellow eyes visible between slender eyelashes had a strange magnetism that drew attention.

Dieta’s appearance, which had stood out even at balls attended by numerous noble ladies, hadn’t dimmed despite being cast out from the Albania ducal family. Rather, walking with her shoulders straight and proud made her beauty shine even more.

However, her attire was different from usual.

Instead of her merchant company uniform or elaborate noble attire, she wore a comfortable-looking dress. With just a shawl over her shoulders and a parasol to block the sun, her appearance was unfamiliar to Cambria’s adventurers.

An outfit like one would wear to meet a close friend.

Dieta stopped in front of Najin, who stood under the clock tower.

“Am I late?”

“I haven’t been waiting long myself.”

Watching this, merchants clicked their tongues.

She’s really marking him as her own. Wearing casual clothes and meeting privately—her actions were interpreted as showing off her close relationship with the adventurer Ivan.

However, to her escort knight Passion, it appeared different.

To Passion, who had served Dieta closely for the longest time, her smile now didn’t seem like mere acting. While there might be some intention to show off their friendship…

“Shall we go?”

His mistress was smiling comfortably.

Her body was slightly relaxed, appearing genuinely happy rather than just acting.

‘Moreover…’

Passion clearly remembered how his mistress had frowned all morning while contacting business partners, only to smile brightly as soon as it was time to meet Ivan. It was a very unfamiliar side of his mistress.

‘What exactly happened during their last outing…’

He’d heard rumors about them destroying a nobleman, but there must have been more to their interaction.

Passion glanced at Najin and clicked his tongue. Meanwhile, Dieta hummed a tune as she walked through the square with Najin. Seeing his mistress happy, Passion eventually looked away.

It was truly rare to see Dieta smile so comfortably.

* * *

After finishing their meal, Dieta sipped her tea and looked at the person across from her. There sat Najin, sipping coffee with a puzzled expression.

A face wondering why anyone would drink something so bitter.

Dieta smiled faintly at his expression. He had the same look last time too. Resting her chin on her hand, she asked:

“Should I order something sweeter for you?”

“No, it’s fine. It’s becoming tolerable.”

“You didn’t have to order the same as me.”

“I was just curious.”

Najin put down his cup and said:

“I wondered why people drink this. Someone I knew used to drink coffee constantly.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes… It was a place where such luxuries were hard to come by, yet they kept drinking this bitter stuff. I was just curious to try it.”

Najin nibbled on the desserts they had ordered while speaking. Listening to his story, Dieta absently fingered her teacup. She had been interested in the man before her, but that was as the “Snake that Swallows the Gold Coins.”

An adventurer who could be profitable. Someone worth building a relationship with for future benefits to her company.

To Dieta, who viewed everything in terms of gold coins, Najin was an unmined gold deposit. A motherlode that would pour out gold with a few strikes of the pickaxe. That’s why she had been interested as a merchant, but…

“I heard you defeated a Fallen Knight recently. Could you tell me about that? I’m curious.”

Since their last outing.

Since that day when she removed her mask in front of Najin, Dieta had become interested in Najin as a person.

His personality. His habits. His mannerisms. His behavior.

She simply wanted to know more about the man before her. Whether this desire came from her merchant instincts or from Dieta as a person, she couldn’t distinguish.

“You mean why I didn’t wait for the Knights of Atanga? It’s nothing special. I just didn’t like it.”

“Didn’t like what?”

“The knight’s words. What the Fallen Knight, Bernhaigen, was saying…”

Listening to Najin’s story, Dieta nodded and sometimes smiled. She was beginning to understand how the man before her thought and acted.

‘Like last time…’

He was quite spontaneous.

He seemed to lack plans, sometimes acting first and thinking later. As if cleaning up afterward was fine as long as he followed his beliefs.

This Fallen Knight subjugation was the same.

Waiting for the Knights of Atanga and attacking together would have given him much better odds, yet he charged in alone. Was it to claim all the credit? When asked, his answer was simply that he didn’t like it.

He just didn’t like it.

Watching someone act on such emotional reasons could feel both refreshing and foolish. But either way, it was something Dieta couldn’t have.

“I see.”

Dieta smiled as she listened to Najin’s story. As she smiled, she suddenly became curious about something. What was the goal of the man before her? After fingering her teacup for a moment, she spoke.

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

“What’s your goal?”

“To engrave stars.”

Najin answered without a moment’s hesitation. His goal was to engrave stars in the sky. Dieta was momentarily speechless at his immediate response.

“Stars…”

“The stars possessed by the Constellations. My goal is to engrave stars in the sky.”

It wasn’t a goal one would normally share with others.

Too grandiose, too fantastical.

What did it mean to possess stars? It meant walking the path to become a Constellation by achieving great feats. It was a dream-like goal that only children would typically voice.

“…Are you serious?”

“Yes. I have no reason to lie about this.”

But the man before her was saying it sincerely. As if he didn’t care what others thought of him. And he added one more thing.

“Besides, I made a promise.”

As he said those words, Najin wore a bitter smile. A smile that seemed to hold many stories. As Dieta was observing that smile:

“Then what’s your goal?”

The same question came back to her.

To this question, Dieta sipped her coffee and answered. Her goal was simple, wasn’t it?

“My goal is to collect gold coins. To grow my company and attract more gold. That’s my goal.”

“Isn’t gold just a means to an end?”

“You’re sharp.”

Dieta put down her cup.

With narrowed eyes, she looked at the coffee grounds stuck to the bottom of the cup. Yes, the man before her was right. Gold was only a means, not an end in itself.

Then what was her purpose?

Dieta mulled over her family name. Dieta Albania. The Albania ducal family. Recalling that cold mansion where she spent her childhood, she spoke:

“Because that’s how I increase my value.”

Swordsmen wield swords and reach heights to increase their value. Sword Expert, Sword Seeker… One’s treatment changes according to their level.

It’s not just swordsmen.

The same applies to mages, rangers, and knights.

They train themselves to gain value. They prove their worth through the very intuitive method of personal combat ability. But not everyone is born with martial talent. So how do others prove their worth?

For some, it’s politics.

For others, it’s knowledge.

And for yet others, it’s accumulated power.

And Dieta knows. That there is something more precise than these vague things. Something that holds the most intuitive value after combat ability.

“Gold coins. Money. Wealth. Resources. How intuitive is this value? The more you have, the higher your value becomes.”

The starting point of all value.

Whether for politics, accumulating knowledge, or grasping power, money is always necessary. When you scatter handfuls of gold coins, everything else follows naturally.

That’s why Dieta swallows gold coins.

She swallows and swallows, increasing her value. She increases it again and again until she becomes someone no one can ignore. That’s the purpose of the Snake that Swallows the Gold Coins.

“For me, gold coins are value. Just as you engrave stars to increase your value… for me, stars are simply gold coins.”

Increasing one’s value.

A plausible life purpose. But listening to her story, Najin narrowed his eyes. It seemed to him that Dieta had something more.

Collecting gold coins.

Increasing her value.

He felt these were merely means to an end. Najin didn’t ask what her ultimate purpose was. She didn’t seem to want further questions. It likely related to her sore spot.

“Well, that’s just how it is.”

Dieta shrugged and exhaled deeply.

However, before she exhaled, Najin saw it. The venom in Dieta’s eyes and breath as she spoke of her goal.

The venom typically possessed by those who have crawled up from the bottom.

Dieta also harbored this venom. Najin had no way of knowing its exact nature.

3.

“See you next time.”

As dusk fell.

Dieta waved affectionately to Najin as she walked away. Passion, who had been keeping his distance, joined her side.

“You seem to like that young man.”

“Of course. Isn’t it fun to hear his stories? It’s like watching a novel protagonist.”

Dieta laughed.

“He charges in when cornered. He boldly aims for first place. If he doesn’t like something, he confronts it without hesitation. He’s refreshing and romantic.”

As she walked, she sighed.

“I thought we had similarities, but it seems only our childhoods were similar. We’re complete opposites.”

Someone both similar to and different from herself.

While their childhoods might have been similar, their ways of living were completely different. Listening to Najin’s stories, Dieta felt an emotion she couldn’t quite identify.

Someone living in a completely different world from her own.

Whether what she felt was admiration, envy, or simple interest, Dieta couldn’t distinguish. But the stirring emotion wasn’t unpleasant. At least when she was with him… she could be just Dieta, not Dieta Albania.

Someone who knew her bare face.

Conversations with such a person were enjoyable for Dieta.

Returning to her office with somewhat excited steps, Dieta was met by a secretary sweating nervously. The secretary handed her a letter with trembling hands. The letter, with its elaborate embossed pattern, was visibly luxurious.

“……”

The moment she received the letter, the smile disappeared from Dieta’s face. The mask that had loosened during her conversation with Najin snapped back into place with a click. Her eyes grew infinitely cold.

The Albania ducal family.

It was a letter from the family Dieta had fled from.