Volume 7 Chapter 45 The Bloodline Curse Meeting
Me, Lord Birk, and Roman were discussing the information that Ridge had secured.
It was in the room we used as our conference room. We chose this time because it was before noon and everyone's heads were clear.
"That's all the information Ridge has obtained. Next, about Alkei's interrogation..."
I read aloud from the paper that summarized the information I had prepared.
"It seems that Alkei is sleeping under the influence of a powerful magic potion she had prepared, and no matter how hard I hit her, she doesn't show any signs of waking up."
"Hmm, as expected of an alchemist, I see."
Lord Birk said with a troubled look on his face.
"So, I used my Ajna Chakra, a magic of analysis, to peek into her mind. It's only a silhouette-level information, but I found some important-looking information."
"...Wade-san, aren't you saying something amazing casually?"
"Lord Birk, Wade-kun is always like this. There are rumors going around that he became a noble by brute force alone, but Wade-kun's talents don't stop there."
"I see..."
"I'm a little embarrassed, so let's move on without mentioning it."
Ignoring the conversation between the 2 of them, I continued.
"I found an image of a mountain of gold coins in Alkei's mind. I thought it was treasure for a moment, but considering our current situation, it's hard to interpret it that way."
Also, I added another argument.
"Considering Ridge's 'immovable' attack on us, it's likely that... the 'Oath' camp's next target will be the 'Bloodline Curse' itself, led by Lord Birk."
"―――Is it Counterfeit money?"
"Probably."
I agreed with Lord Birk's deduction.
The scenario I envisioned was this.
The 'Oath' camp somehow heard about our 'new currency issuance' policy. They also figured out that our purpose was to 'build a track record to secure trust in Alex.'
So, if we mess with Birk, he won't be able to show off his skills and abilities. And that's one of the conditions for him to betray Alexander. It's natural to think that we should attack him here."
But there are still some things we don't understand about this scenario.
"Ridge said something about 'can't move' ―― I think it's just a simple matter of having a lot of gold coins. It's a real hassle to move around with a mountain of gold coins."
"Yeah, that's true. But we still don't know where he got all that gold from."
Lord Birk looks puzzled, and I nod in agreement. "And," he continues,
"who told the 'Oath' camp about this information? If Ridge didn't leak it, then there must be a traitor among us."
Lord Birk's face is serious, while Roman and I are thinking, "Ah, that guy is really suspicious."
Roman looks like he's remembering something and says, "Actually, I have an idea."
"Really? What is it?"
"Yeah. She often betrays us. She's been playing both sides from the start, so it's no surprise that she's close to the top people in Alexander's faction."
Roman's explanation makes Lord Birk go, "Hmm, I see..."
"And besides, she really hates the king. But if the king calls her, she'll come because she thinks it's worth the risk. And..."
Roman looks frustrated and says,
"The king said, 'If there's another traitor, I'll make them join me and it'll be easy to figure out.'"
"...Is it ancient dragon Echidna?"
"Yes. Let's catch her and make her talk. If we let her escape, the traitor'll just go back to Echidna anyway."
"But can't we think that there might be other traitors hiding, besides her?"
"Echidna isn't that smart."
"I see..."
It felt like I was being treated like a bug inside a lion's body, raised only to be killed. The anger I felt from being betrayed was mixed with a strange sense of sadness in my evaluation.
I open my mouth to speak.
"What's going on? I heard rumors before, but it's really true that she's going to betray us."
"Yeah, she will. But it's like we're in a situation where we can't win, no matter what we do."
"So, it's like, 'Let's just go for it and see what happens.'"
We're talking about how to destroy the enemy's base, but it's not very efficient. If we can catch Echidna, it'll be a one-shot deal.
"So, the king will give Echidna false information and manipulate the situation. It's like a high-level game of politics. That's why the king likes Echidna. Echidna hates the king, but..."
"Ugh, it's so annoying..."
I narrow my eyes, thinking about the ancient dragon who's being played. Well, Hydra and Typhon weren't that smart either. If we work together, we can take them down.
"So, what do we do now? She's supposed to be training with Moruru, but... Is Moruru in danger? Is it okay?"
"It's okay, don't worry. There's a clear indication inside Echidna. The betrayal is like a prank, or maybe just a coincidence... It's not like she would do something like that to her kinsman."
"Alright, let's settle this when they get back."
"Yes."
The issue of the traitor is settled for now. What's going on here? Is this okay?
"Next, let's talk about how they're mass-producing gold coins."
Just then, a rude person burst in, saying "Excuse me!"
It's Coin, the guy who's been causing trouble, now working under Birk. He's a real troublemaker. When he sees me, he gets nervous and looks away. He's totally scared of me.
"What's wrong, Coin-san?"
"Ah, nothing, nothing. Just talking about minting coins... We're doing okay for now, just a mid-term report."
That's it, I guess. Then Coin tries to leave, but Lord Birk stops him.
"Wait, Coin-san. I want to hear your opinion too."
"Huh? What do you want to hear from me?"
Coin's way of talking has changed from "Ore" to "Ashi". Lord Birk explains.
"...So, we're wondering how the enemy is mass-producing fake gold coins. Do you have any ideas?"
"This doesn't have anything to do with our job, but... mass production? I've heard 'Oath' is a small group, so maybe it's some kind of magic."
Magic. The magic we know about from the 'Oath' group...
"The alchemy of Alkei, Geas, the Great Rune, and Echidna's ancient dragon seal, Coin-san?"
"I've heard about Echidna's movements from Moruru-chan, so I think she really did betray us in a short amount of time. I don't think she can mass-produce coins."
"If Roman says so, then that's it. So, it's either alchemy, Geas, or the Great Rune."
"Alchemy sounds suspicious, but it's not like they can just make gold appear out of thin air."
"I understand what Lord Birk is saying, but Alkei's alchemy feels more like medicine. This time it's different, I think."
"Then it's the Great Rune, no question."
Coin says this in a serious tone that doesn't match his appearance.
"The Great Rune magic has a smaller range of ambiguity compared to other magic. So, it's easy to shape metal into a precise form. Alexander's master craftsmen did it."
"Then it's Terin who's in charge of mass production."
The flow of events is becoming clear. Echidna betrayed us, and then they planned a fake gold coin operation using that information. Terin is using the Great Rune to mass-produce gold coins, just like ours.
So, we've got a clear plan.
"Lord Birk, can we stop the distribution until we take care of our side of things?"
"Yeah, that's a good idea. It'll be safer that way. Coin-san, don't worry about it and just keep producing. We'll use the warehouse to adjust the inventory."
"Got it."
"Roman, let's start by taking care of Echidna first. We'll secure the area and track her down even if she tries to escape, so we can figure out the 'Oath' base."
"Yeah, that sounds good. Let's do it."
The plan was set. All we had to do was put it into action.
Thinking that, I said, "Well, that's it for this meeting," and wrapped it up. As everyone stood up and said, "Alright, we'll keep it up," Coin came over to me.
"Uh, Wade-san, I have a report..."
"Yeah, what is it?"
"It's not a big deal. I just told Gold and Sylvia to train with the skilled warriors since they have potential. And they told you they want to strengthen Durandal again... that's all."
Coin said that and quickly walked away, looking unhappy. I called out to him as he was leaving.
"...Is there something else?"
I said with a smile.
"Thanks for taking care of those two. That's all. Keep up the good work from now on."
"...!"
Coin looked at me with wide eyes and then said, "I wish I had known from the start that I couldn't beat you," and bowed before leaving.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)