Chapter 11: Travel Preparations
Although I had said we would go collect the gold coins, I did not directly go out into the streets myself.
It was only natural. If I went outside the castle walls, when I was yubas’ top assassination target, it would be truly disastrous. I could not make the foolish assumption that this era was like the average human world I lived in.
This wasn’t a safe country like modern-day South Korea where you could go to a convenience store in the middle of the night unharmed. This was a place where if you walked along a secluded path in broad daylight, unlicensed toll workers would point rusty knives at you.
Therefore, Duke Aselton, who knew all the circumstances, as well as I and the intelligence officer Overth, all came to the same conclusion: my outside activities should be minimized as much as possible. That’s why Captain Overth took full charge of tracking down the gold coins.
Of course, being confined indoors didn’t mean I became deaf and blind. After being placed under nominal house arrest, Edwina continued to go out and relay news to me.
Long gone was the Edwina who had trembled like a frightened hamster when she visited the prison. After a day, she regained her composure, and from the second day onwards, she returned to her usual indifferent expression.
And on the fourth day today, Edwina was proudly showing off her braided hair flowing down her collarbone, with a confident smile.
“Captain Overth’s assigned task is progressing smoothly. He has already interrogated several money changers and recovered illegally obtained profits to the national treasury.”
I could not help but be amazed by Captain Overth’s remarkable efficiency. Although Captain Overth wasn’t present, I even applauded to convey the admiration I felt, even if just a little.
“As expected of Captain Overth. I believed he would take care of everything once the stage was set.”
Duke Aselton did not entrust the position of intelligence officer to Overth for no reason. While Captain Overth sometimes had his attention divided by worrying about this and that, he was a man with a burning passion and a meticulous perfectionist nature.
It meant that if he was clearly told what to do, he could accomplish more than his assigned role. The fact that he had subjugated the money changers, the core of this scheme, in just a few days was proof of that.
At such a joyous moment, it would be fitting to raise a toast… but as I looked at the wooden cup placed on the desk, I could not help but feel a tinge of regret. Having used crude glass cups until recently, the gap felt even greater.
“Edwina. But why has my cup changed to wood?”
“As the Young Master knows.”
Edwina gently closed her eyes and spoke in a calm voice, containing a cruel truth.
“The glass cup the Young Master used was shattered during the previous commotion. Thus, the Duke has ordered that the Young Master use a wooden cup for the time being.”
“…”
“…However, the lord I serve is not the Duke, but the young master. If the young master tells me the story I am curious about, I plan to act a bit boldly as a maid.”
I pondered Edwina’s words and could not help but laugh. She was certainly different from ordinary maids. Instead of feigning ignorance and turning away, Edwina was the type to open her eyes and take a peek even if her heart raced.
For this inquisitive maid, I willingly opened my mouth. After all, Edwina was my person. While sharing secrets with fewer people is better, being too obsessed with mysticism meant I couldn’t make allies either.
“What’s the big deal? Alright. This scheme was solely to cut off the money changers’ funds, or more precisely, the enemies’ financial lifelines.”
“You mean framing the servants and secretly planting gold coins in their quarters?”
“Saying it like that makes it sound like we’re making excuses.”
If anyone heard that, they would think a scoundrel was making up any excuse for his mischief. Oh, how different the nuances can be – nuance is an important factor for no reason. I gently explained to Edwina to correct her minor misunderstanding and bias.
“Edwina. Why do you think it had to be gold coins?”
“There must be a reason people like gold. If I have to say… I think it’s because it is very precious.”
“Right. Gold coins are very precious. That’s why they are highly valuable precious metals. To the point where they are difficult to use in everyday life.”
“Pardon?”
Certainly, if you don’t think about it, this part can make you tilt your head. Edwina’s response wasn’t because she was stupid or uneducated, but simply because she hadn’t really thought about it before.
But if you do think about it, it’s no big deal. Consider the fantasy currencies copper, silver, and gold. Copper and silver are small denominations, while gold is a high-value currency with a rule that it’s equivalent to a month’s living expenses for a family of four.
Roughly translating that to modern terms, copper is a coin, silver is roughly between 1,000 and 10,000 won, and gold has a value greater than that. Think of it as a 50,000 won bill.
That’s exactly why the money changers were subjugated.
“The value of most items is not as precious as a single gold coin. Rather, the one receiving the gold coin would have nothing to give in return. Even silver has a high value, so they deliberately make it smaller or mix it with copper, so what would happen if you gave gold coins?”
“Ah…!”
With this explanation, Edwina quickly caught on to what I was saying. Gold coins are a currency that is more separated from everyday life than one might think.
If you’re curious, go to any convenience store or Korean soup restaurant, order something, and try paying with a 50,000 won bill. Rarely will someone thank you for this precious currency. On the contrary, more places will refuse, not wanting to give change for such a large bill.
In the end, if you want to widely use 50,000 won bills, it is much more advantageous to exchange them for smaller denominations. Medieval fantasy currencies were no different. If you don’t want to hoard gold coins like precious treasures, you have no choice but to visit a money changer.
This point was most important. Gold coins are a currency that maintains some distance from everyday life while still being highly valuable, making them convenient to conceal and carry. By using gold coins as bait, the seducer could reduce the risk of being caught midway and, without properly giving real economic power, make the seduced continue to depend on them.
Silver pouches are heavy, and if they circulate, they are very noticeable, not to mention needing to be used in one’s own territory, so seduction is done with gold coins. The money changers, not caring whether our lord goes bankrupt or not, would suck the seduced spies dry.
The way to break this peculiar symbiotic economy was to build a strong justification for subjugating the money changers.
Framing the servants almost simultaneously with Miriam’s childbirth was a build-up to imply that something tremendous had occurred within the castle walls, making people curious on their own.
“The key is to make gold coins useless even if received. Captain Overth’s somewhat excessive hard-line stance against the money changers is a warning for them to refrain from illegal money changing activities in the future. It’s to instill the perception that if they get caught hiding things like double bookkeeping, they won’t get off easy.”
“…”
“The clues to create chaos have already been dropped countless times. yubas will be busy trying to grasp the meaning of the insult I committed against their daughter. On top of that, the gold coins of unknown origin being discovered, followed by the hastily concluded interrogation and the sudden attack on the money changers.”
After saying this much, I paused briefly and glanced at Edwina. Edwina had already clasped her hands, covering her mouth, her eyes twinkling brightly. Having accompanied me and heard a lot, she seemed to quickly understand.
I smiled at Edwina and picked up the wooden cup.
“Provoking yubas into taking drastic actions while simultaneously intimidating the forces that may have taken root here. There is some risk involved, but isn’t this a way for us to firmly seize the initiative, if only for a short time?”
“…”
“Edwina, if you found the story satisfactory, bring me a glass cup instead.”
Without a word, Edwina nodded and accepted the wooden cup I handed her. She seemed touched to learn that I was not truly a scoundrel. I barely let out a sigh of relief.
It was enough that she understood I did not do this because I enjoyed tormenting people. With a slightly dazed look and mouth slightly open, I watched Edwina retreat and made one more request.
“And on your way out, tell John of Riverside to prepare for the journey to the monastery.”
***
While the loyal maid Edwina supported my overall lifestyle, the new acquaintance John of Riverside carried out his duties with outstanding passion.
On the day house arrest was imposed, he came directly and rapidly listed the items he had prepared. His dedication was so intense that he tried to cram items I hadn’t even mentioned into the carriage.
“I have prepared two casks of grape wine brewed in the monastery of Illenifut, transparent glass cups to drink it from, one jar of honey hardened for easy eating, three pieces of dried meat salted then rinsed to remove the salt, and fresh vegetables to add flavor to soups.”
“No, there’s no need to pack that much.”
“And in case you feel bored on the journey, I have been fervently practicing with a simple instrument!!!”
His desperate demeanor left me more flustered than him. The timid John of Riverside I saw in the torture chamber was gone, transformed into a diligent worker bee. Though a bit taken aback, who could dislike someone so hardworking?
I gave John of Riverside a generous smile, acknowledging that he had made sufficient efforts.
“Hahaha, it seems you sincerely took to heart what I told the servants.”
“…”
“I deliberately acted mischievously in hopes that you would hold onto me. But now that I know your sincerity, I no longer need it. You can share the things you prepared with the other servants who went through hardship. If you’re still worried, consider them gifts given in my name.”
Only then did an expression finally appear on John’s face, which had been as hard as a metal ingot. I expected him to be full of joy and delight, smiling, but unexpectedly John’s eyes were wide with shock.
“R-Really, Young Master?”
“Yes. But you forgot to prepare the most essential item.”
“Tell me, and I will immediately prepare it!”
He seemed relieved after hearing my words. John regained his composure and nodded repeatedly with an air of resignation. One cannot hold onto a hardworking person for too long.
I cut to the chase and got straight to the point.
“Prepare a nice stockpile of a slingshot and arrows. Practice loading the slingshot instead of instruments.”
“Pardon?”
“We’ll go hunting along the way to pass the time, won’t we?”
“Th-Then I’ll shoot?”
It’s good that he clarifies uncertainties. I immediately resolved John’s doubts.
“I’ll do the shooting. You’ll do the loading. There needs to be a division of labor for hunting too, right?”
“…”
