Chapter 100

Episode 100

I crossed the area where we had fought the monsters.

Since I hadn’t bothered collecting the spoils of war, the weapons and accessories the monsters had been wearing were scattered everywhere.

This was my territory, and a state of emergency had been declared, so no one would risk their lives to collect loot.

I was searching for something shiny on the ground.

‘If I retrace the path of the reinforcements, I’ll find their base. There must be something there.’

I activated “Automatic Combat” and scanned the ground, wary of potential ambushes.

There were no monsters within my detection range. They had either been wiped out or had fled to their base.

Time passed.

‘Found it.’

I spotted an accessory lying on the ground. It was a bracelet, also made of gold.

‘This is definitely not something a goblin would wear. It looks like it was crudely made from a gold nugget…’

I put the bracelet in my bag.

I followed the trail of accessories and footprints, and it led me to a small hill. The decisive clue was the tangled footprints.

I followed the path, and it led me to a crudely dug hole.

It was just large enough for a single person to enter.

I tilted my “Black Wind Bow” so that the blue light of the bolt could illuminate the path ahead.

A dark, endless tunnel stretched before me.

‘Is it a cave?’

There was a pile of crude weapons next to the entrance, indicating that this was a goblin base.

I cautiously entered the cave.

If this place was suspicious, my demonic energy detection skill should have activated, or there should have been creatures within my detection range. But it was eerily quiet.

It seemed like the monsters had abandoned their base in fear.

I continued walking through the cave, my “Black Wind Bow” leading the way.

The cave was shorter than I expected.

‘Hmm? What’s this…?’

I reached a dead end and gaped in disbelief. An unreal scene unfolded before me.

A golden rock stood tall on the floor of the small space.

The light from my “Black Wind Bow” wasn’t enough. I activated my enclave, preventing any mana leakage, and cast a spell.

『Light.』

The surroundings were illuminated with white light.

I could now clearly see the golden rock protruding from the ground.

It was gold.

Not just gold fragments embedded in ore, but pure, refined gold.

Its size was overwhelming. It looked like hundreds of gold bars had been fused together.

I touched it again to confirm.

‘It’s definitely gold. Who buried this underground?’

The problem was that this gold bar was just the “tip of the iceberg.”

Judging from its shape and size, the hidden part was much larger than the exposed part.

I didn’t need to hesitate.

I drew my sword, activated my aura, and launched a sword beam towards the ground.

*Boom!*

The ground exploded, sending dirt flying in all directions.

But it wasn’t just dirt that was scattered. Golden dust, like gold leaf, filled the air.

I looked at the crater, and it was filled with gold.

It seemed like my previous estimation of “hundreds of gold bars” was an understatement. There were thousands, if not more.

I looked around again.

The only possibility was that this was a noble’s tomb, but it was too bare. There was no coffin, only a massive chunk of gold.

‘Judging from the collapsed ground, it seems like the goblins dug their way down from the hill…’

In other words, this massive gold deposit had been buried underground and had been accidentally unearthed by the goblins.

I was about to consider myself lucky, but I shook my head.

It was Lady Lucia, the greatest mastermind in the world, who had suggested this location.

‘She must have known about this gold. Is this her secret war chest?’

I searched the surroundings, but I couldn’t find any other clues.

I left the cave and organized my thoughts.

‘This is an incredible amount. If we sell it, we’ll make a fortune. But is this all?’

I had a feeling there might be more.

This gold bar alone would bring us immense wealth. But if “The Legend of Aldebaran” was true, this wasn’t nearly enough for a war chest.

The protagonist of that story had to invade the demon realm and defeat the Great Demon.

That would require an astronomical amount of money.

‘This is a good opportunity to confirm whether the story is true or not.’

The logic was simple.

If this was the only gold deposit in this hill, then “The Legend of Aldebaran” was likely just a legend.

But if we found more gold deposits…

Then, the book the Lady had given me might not be a legend but a historical record.

Of course, it was too early to jump to conclusions based on this single piece of evidence.

But if we gathered enough evidence, the truth would eventually reveal itself. That’s why I couldn’t overlook anything.

‘We need to form an excavation team and search this area thoroughly. Let’s go back.’

I returned to the campsite. Some of the knights were resting, and Deneve, who was on guard duty, rushed towards me.

“Is everything alright, my lord?”

“It seems like the monsters have all fled. But I have a task for you.”

“Yes, sir! What are your orders?”

“Go back to the castle and tell Head Butler Balzac what I told you. Send Manager Hassale from the trading company and some troops here. And tell them to bring excavation equipment.”

Deneve’s face was filled with questions. It must have seemed strange to him that I wanted the trading company manager, troops, and excavation equipment.

But he was a loyal subordinate. He immediately mounted his horse and rode off into the night.

***

Deneve returned at daybreak.

He had left alone, but he returned with a group of people. Hassale from the Lucius Trading Company and about twenty soldiers from the Walker Knight Order were with him.

“You summoned me, my lord?”

“Yes. Welcome. You brought the excavation equipment, right?”

Hassale gestured towards the soldiers. They were armed with pickaxes and shovels, looking ready for action.

I pointed towards a hill and gave Deneve an order.

“See that hill over there? The one beyond the forest.”

“Yes, sir. I see it.”

“Patrol the area and hunt down any monsters. The one who slays the most monsters will be rewarded.”

I activated “Mind’s Eye” and continued.

“The area around the hill is now a restricted zone. Only members of the Lucius Trading Company and the Knight Order are allowed to enter. You are forbidden from approaching it. Understood?”

“Yes, my lord!”

His eyes were clear. I didn’t have to worry about him keeping secrets.

Deneve led the applicants towards the forest, and I called Hassale over.

“Are the soldiers you brought trustworthy?”

“Yes. Head Butler Balzac assigned me reliable men. He said something might happen.”

“Everything you see and hear from now on is top secret. Do not breathe a word of it to anyone. If you break this rule, you will be severely punished. Only those who can swear to secrecy may follow me.”

No one backed down.

A while later, we arrived at the hill. Hassale examined the small entrance and spoke.

“You found something, didn’t you?”

“What was the most surprising thing you’ve ever experienced? Something positive.”

“I once found a stone tablet in an ancient ruin. It allowed us to decipher an ancient language that had been a mystery until then.”

“That discovery will pale in comparison to what you’re about to see.”

I left the soldiers outside and entered the cave with Hassale.

His face turned pale when he saw the massive gold deposit.

He was speechless for a while.

“…Is that… gold?”

“Wouldn’t it be more accurate to confirm it yourself?”

Hassale held his dagger in a reverse grip and chipped off a piece of the gold. He examined it with his fingers.

“It’s definitely gold. How did you find this?”

“Why are you acting like an amateur? As the manager of the trading company, you should be asking more productive questions.”

“Ah, my apologies. I’ll immediately excavate this and transport it to the castle.”

“I don’t think this is the only gold deposit here. I’ll assign more troops to this area. Search thoroughly.”

Hassale understood and immediately started the excavation.

He would handle it well. And he would also figure out how to convert this into liquid assets.

I left the cave and took a deep breath of fresh morning air.

‘This truly is the land of opportunity. Although the meaning is a bit different.’

We could earn an astronomical amount of money by selling the gold gradually, controlling the supply. We could use the funds to build up our family and become a force to be reckoned with.

The best part was that it was pure gold, so there was no need for refining. Less work meant less risk of exposure.

‘No, the secret won’t last forever. The more people involved, the more likely it is to be leaked.’

A mischievous plan came to mind.

‘What if I just announce the discovery of the gold?’

This gold deposit had clearly been buried for a very long time. It could be an ancient treasure or someone’s legacy.

My smile widened as the plan took shape.

‘The important thing is that this was House Gerard’s territory until a few days ago.’

What would happen if rumors spread that we had found not one but dozens of massive gold deposits here?

Baron Roman, the king of greed, would immediately claim ownership.

‘I would win in court, but that wouldn’t be fun.’

All rights to the territory had already been transferred to me. If Baron Roman couldn’t obtain it legally, he would likely declare a territorial war.

I wasn’t sure if Duke Kalisto would approve it, but if he did, Baron Roman would attack this place.

‘Then, I could legally eliminate him. And I could take his territory as well. Two birds with one stone.’

If I played my cards right, I could solve all my problems at once.

‘First, I need to finish the knight order recruitment and then make my move. Let’s go back.’

I mounted my horse and returned to the Walker family castle. Head Butler Balzac was waiting for me.

“Are Selendis and Jericho back yet?”

“They’re both on their way back, according to the messenger. They should arrive by today.”

“Tell them to come see me as soon as they return.”

The discovery of the gold deposit had exponentially increased the territory’s wealth. There was no need to limit the recruitment to fifteen knights.

I planned to recruit all the applicants who had accompanied me, including Deneve. They were all aura users, albeit weak ones, so there was no problem in principle.

Besides, my family wasn’t prestigious enough to reject applicants from noble families.

That afternoon, Selendis and Jericho returned from their missions and came to see me.

“Did something good happen?”

“Do I look that happy?”

“Yes. You’re smiling. And quite brightly, too.”

Jericho knew me well.

“I have something important to discuss with you. It concerns the future of our family and the Inspection Unit.”

“Something did happen.”

“Yes. Something incredible.”

I took a sip of wine and told them about the gold deposit.