Chapter 101

Episode 101

“A gold nugget? You’re kidding, right?”

Jericho was astonished. Selendis, on the other hand, remained calm.

“Yes. I found a massive gold nugget.”

“How massive are we talking about? Wait, you said a gold nugget, not a gold bar? That’s strange. Are you sure you’re not talking about gold ore?”

“I’m not ignorant enough to confuse gold ore with refined gold. It was definitely refined gold. A massive chunk of gold, artificially molded.”

I explained the details of my discovery. Jericho still seemed skeptical.

“Isn’t that too lucky? You didn’t sense any demonic energy?”

“There was nothing. It was clean.”

“Finding it while the goblins were mining doesn’t seem like a coincidence… What do you think, Inspector?”

“Well, it was the Lady who suggested that location. Shouldn’t we ask her?”

“Come on, there’s no way the Lady would hide such a treasure. Was it really a coincidence? I can’t believe it.”

But Selendis’s expression was serious. Jericho might not know, but Selendis was aware of my suspicions regarding Lady Lucia.

Of course, it wasn’t a negative suspicion but rather a curiosity about her goals.

“Anyway, someone definitely hid it there. We might not be able to pinpoint the exact time, but if we excavate the surrounding area, we might find some clues.”

“Could it be an ancient king’s tomb?”

“I don’t think so. There were no other artifacts.”

“Sigh, this is frustrating. It’s not like we can go and check…”

“Why not? We can just go and check.”

Jericho’s expression turned meaningful.

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. If I go, you’ll make me dig with a pickaxe. Hassale is more ruthless than he looks. He’s all about the money.”

“Hahaha. You’ve met your match.”

We decided to set aside our doubts for now and focus on a more productive conversation.

“Jericho, find a trade route where we can sell the gold. I’m planning to sell it in small quantities to multiple regions.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll get right on it.”

“And Knight Selendis, about the knight order test… Since things have turned out this way, there’s no need to limit the number of recruits. I want to recruit all the applicants I like. What do you think?”

“I agree, as long as there are no budget issues. We need more knights since our standing army is small.”

Selendis reported the results of the final test. Jericho added his opinion, and we decided to recruit almost all the applicants, with a few exceptions.

The Walker Knight Order now had thirty members.

“Alright. I approve it as the lord. We’ll recruit them immediately. Selendis, you’re in charge of the paperwork.”

“Yes, my lord.”

They left the room to attend to their duties, and I went to see the Lady. I had to report the discovery of the gold nugget.

As expected, she was both surprised and delighted.

“This is a good omen. To receive such fortune when establishing a family is a blessing from the Goddess.”

A blessing from the Goddess?

Could it be… that the mastermind was a Goddess?

“It was you who suggested that plain as the testing ground, my Lady. The gold nugget we found, and any future discoveries, belong to our family, but I’ll offer a portion to you.”

“No, it’s alright. Use it to grow the Lucius Trading Company.”

Once again, the Lady acted as I had predicted. I thought she would refuse and tell me to use it for the trading company or the Inspection Unit.

My conviction that this gold was her secret war chest grew stronger.

“And I think I’ll be staying here for a while. I really like the scenery here.”

“How long are we talking about?”

“Shouldn’t I experience all four seasons here?”

I couldn’t believe my ears. This place also had four seasons. In other words, she was planning to stay here for at least a year.

The Lady looked at me and smiled sweetly.

“Is it inconvenient for you if I stay too long?”

That was unfair. No one could refuse her when she made such a lovely expression.

“Not at all. But I’m worried that the Duke might be concerned if you stay away for too long.”

“I’m sending him letters frequently, so don’t worry. And he trusts you, so he’ll understand.”

Her words about the Duke understanding lingered in my mind. It seemed like there was a hidden meaning behind them.

That night, Hassale rushed back to the castle.

I summoned Jericho and Selendis as well.

“We found four more gold nuggets. They’re all about the same size.”

A life-changing fortune wasn’t so far-fetched after all.

“Have you finished excavating the first gold nugget?”

“Not yet. It’s quite large, so it’ll take another two days. But we have a rough estimate of its value.”

“How much?”

“It varies depending on the market price, but we should be able to get at least ten million gold per nugget.”

“Ten… ten what?”

“Ten million gold, sir.”

Converted to the currency of my previous life, it was about $10 billion. If we worked hard, we could create a trillion-dollar empire!

Even Selendis couldn’t hide her surprise at the unimaginable figure.

“Oh my! Ten million gold is more than the Imperial Family’s annual budget! It must be enormous!”

“The problem is that we don’t know how many more are buried there. And if this information leaks, it’ll be a headache.”

Hassale voiced my concerns. I continued.

“I’m planning to announce this discovery.”

“Wait, wouldn’t that be stirring up trouble? We need to think this through carefully.”

“I agree with Jericho. There’s no need to do that.”

“What’s gotten into you? You’re actually agreeing with me.”

The important thing now was to make a decision. I had to drag Roman into this.

“There are no eternal secrets. The larger the excavation, the more manpower we’ll need, and the more likely it is for the secret to leak.”

“Do you have another plan in mind?”

Selendis asked, and I nodded.

“To put it bluntly, I’m going to use this opportunity to erase Roman and his family from the map.”

“Huh? Roman?”

Jericho might have asked in surprise, but he immediately proved his worth as a top graduate of the Kalisto Academy.

“Ah! I see what you’re doing…! You’re going to announce the discovery of the buried treasure and then provoke Roman into attacking us! This was his land, after all.”

“Exactly.”

“That’s definitely possible! Roman is notoriously greedy. He won’t waste time with a lawsuit.”

After confirming that everyone was on board, I explained my plan.

“The key is how we announce it. Here’s what I have in mind. First, I’ll offer a portion of the gold to Duke Kalisto at the regular vassal meeting. And I’ll declare that I’ll continue to offer a portion of any future discoveries.”

“That’s brilliant! You’ll win over the Duke’s favor as well. It’s a plan that combines both justification and practicality! Hahaha!”

“Jericho, that doesn’t mean you’ll get a share of the gold. Don’t get your hopes up.”

“Ahem… How can you say that? Your success is my success. Of course!”

We all laughed. The Inspection Unit would have been a dull place without Jericho.

“The question is whether we have the strength to fight the Gerard Knights. Knight Selendis, what are your thoughts?”

“If we fight them head-on, we’re likely to lose. The Gerard Knights might have reduced their numbers due to financial problems, but they still have high-ranking knights and quite a few intermediate-level knights.”

“I agree. Hylix has been secretly supporting them, so they must have strengthened their forces by now. There’s only one conclusion. We can’t defeat them with conventional methods.”

Jericho tilted his head and said, “But are the Gerards the only problem? Think about it. If there are multiple gold nuggets worth ten million gold buried here, other lords will be drooling as well. What if they fabricate a reason to declare a territorial war?”

That was one of my concerns…

Wait a minute.

I suddenly remembered what the Lady had said. She wanted to experience all four seasons here.

‘The mastermind is a mastermind for a reason.’

I finally understood the true meaning of her words.

She wasn’t staying here because she liked the scenery.

She was offering herself as a hostage, ensuring our safety until all the gold nuggets were excavated from the location she had chosen.

“I don’t think we need to worry about that. I just met with the Lady, and she said she’ll be staying here for at least a year.”

“Then… we have an impenetrable shield? No one in their right mind would attack a place where the Lady is staying!”

Other lords might hesitate, but not Roman.

He was a man who treated women like objects. He wouldn’t have any respect for the Lady. He might even try to take advantage of the situation.

“It seems like the plan is coming together. Hassale, go back and prepare a gold nugget. One that’s about the size of Jericho’s head.”

Jericho couldn’t tell if I was joking or not. He looked at Selendis for an answer, but she wisely avoided his gaze.

Hassale cautiously suggested, “My lord, wouldn’t it be better to prepare gold bars instead of a nugget?”

“No, it’s better to show them the raw material. It’ll be more impressive and memorable.”

“As you wish.”

Hassale immediately returned to the excavation site.

Selendis and Jericho also followed the plan.

Jericho immediately dispatched his men to secure a gold trading network, and Selendis began intensive training in preparation for a territorial war.

Time passed, and I headed for the capital with Deneve to attend the upcoming regular vassal meeting.

I had chosen a trainee knight to escort me this time instead of Selendis.

“How do you feel about being assigned your first mission?”

“I’m nervous.”

Deneve, the eldest son of Baron Regulus, was in charge of my escort.

Ionia needed more training, but Deneve was ready for combat.

I planned to keep him close until the territorial war broke out.

“Don’t worry too much. I can protect myself.”

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m kidding. Relax.”

I could see the spire of the Kalisto main castle in the distance. I wondered how people would react to the gold nugget.

On the first day of May, when the spring breeze was blowing gently, the vassal meeting was held under the Duke’s leadership. Scribe Maxim, Grand Duke Hylix, Sir Romero, and the lords from each region were all present.

“We’ll now begin the regular vassal meeting.”

Duke Kalisto declared the opening of the meeting with a solemn voice.