A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

80 – Festival of Silver and Iron Blood (3)

Afternoon.

While I was wandering the streets in earnest, no one noticed me.

Even if they noticed, they avoided eye contact on their own.

The problem is that I couldn’t find anything that was particularly appealing.

‘This is a bit weird.’

Spreading seasoning on rotten meat and selling it?

In the Empire, you could be arrested right away under the Food Sanitation Act, but here, fights just break out over ‘Are you trying to get money for selling this kind of food?’

Having your gold coins or Somnus gold stolen in a flash?

At festivals, there is a widespread belief that it is foolish to get robbed, and even that does not happen much due to the Gibraltar guards roaming the streets.

In the end, the most active crime is-

“Master. This is Robert.”

“…”

“Master. “I have something urgent to tell you right now.”

“Well, you got the wrong person!”

A strong man suddenly came up from behind and whispered in his ear, giving me goosebumps.

“Who are you?!”

“…Oh, come into the alley?”

As I entered the alley where no one was paying attention, the man followed me in.

“At this point… “

“Okay. What is it?”

“…Do you have to act like that? It’s really creepy.”

“I’ll just do it.”

There were only two women whispering in my ear, but suddenly I heard a man whispering in my ear.

“What do you want to report urgently?”

“Yes, that’s-“

“Merchants are counterfeiting Somnus Gold? Well, it’s a common occurrence.”

“…There are too many of them.”

Robert pointed down the street with concerned eyes.

“Isn’t it too easy to make? Counterfeit money.”

“I just laid a board, but what?”

“In some places, this flower with only four petals is called Somnus Gold.”

“I guess everyone can’t even think of attaching a flower other than somnus to a piece of wood?”

“Master.”

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

I took out two pieces of Somnus Gold that I had.

“Kyung, look at this.”

Tuk.

Robert’s eyes widened as he tightened his hands and flipped the piece of wood to split it.

“That…!”

“One has nothing inside, and the other has a somnus stem inside.”

“Are the wooden boards overlapping?”

“On the outside, it looks like a piece of wood, but if it had something like this on the inside, it wouldn’t be a different story.”

“Oh my god.”

Robert held the swaying stem of Somnus with his hand.

“You even tied a knot on the stem.”

“It is basic to have double and triple safety measures in place.”

“So you didn’t really care about counterfeiting?”‘

“Okay. Keep it a secret. If it’s already revealed now, the excitement of the festival will be diminished.”

Officially, merchants come to collect payment the day after the festival ends – tomorrow.

“Today, get very drunk thinking about tricking the Earl of Gibraltar.”

“Is there anyone who can do that…?”

“If he is someone with a strong will who is thinking of committing fraud against my father, we should recruit him instead.”

A person who has tried to betray a country once he is good at it.

An experienced person who has experienced fraud can see clearly when someone else is scamming him.

In imperial slang, it is said that a thief recognizes a thief.

“I want to avoid being scammed by the empire later.”

“…Are you trying to gather fraudsters and put them to work?”

“Okay.”

The Kingdom of Nostrum has so far overcome crises by recruiting heroes.

“A loyal knight like Sir Robert is not easily broken.”

However, I will not be such a hero, but will achieve my goal by gathering the evildoers who stand on the other side, mocking and persecuting them.

“Scammers and merchants are easier to take advantage of because they are on the side of the strong.”

“Then you might betray me?”

“Because the possibility of betrayal is also open, even if you don’t entrust him with an executive role, wouldn’t you be able to entrust him with at least minor errands? Like acting as a spy in the middle of enemy lines.”

I lightly shook the broken Somnus Gold.

“Anyway, just leave it alone. Rather, I would have entrusted the guard to guard the two people, right?”

“That is.”

Robert cleared his throat as if he was frustrated, then pointed to the other side of the alley.

“Young Master. From talking with you, I know something about the empire, don’t I?”

“That’s right.”

“As… Miss Ellie knows more about the empire than I do, but she told me to just look at what people do at the festival.”

“Of course.”

“…I’m going crazy because it’s frustrating.”

Robert let out a long sigh and took out a small fruit from his arms.

“Is there someone in the world who sells grapefruit for 20,000 gold?”

“What? I bought it for 10,000?”

“… Was it a man with a beard on his face?”

“Uh.”

“Damn. When did you buy it?”

“Well, an hour or two ago?”

“Ha, damn it. Did they raise the price in the meantime?”

Here is the second hukou.

Wouldn’t 80% of those who were loyal to the kingdom in the past be the victims of merchants’ exorbitant prices?

If you weren’t such a bigot, there’s no way you would be so loyal to the kingdom.

“But, young master. I don’t know anything else… “

“Whatever. I’m busy. I’m currently looking into things from the empire-“

“It seems that there is someone who gave counterfeit money to Lady Ellie.”

“…”

Wow.

“Aren’t you talking about Somnus?”

“Yes. Viscount Hex, who overheard Lady Ellie whispering to Lady Jabeth, told me the story…”

“I’m done assessing the situation.”

It seems that Viscount Hex dispatched Sir Robert to call me.

“Gyeong. Still, the acting must continue.”

I lightly raised my hand next to my face.

Tadaaah!

“Do you idiot… !”

“Uh huh.”

I shook my pocket lightly towards Robert.

“The acting must continue.”

* * *

In a moment.

“aaah?! What’s going on?!”

“I caught a pickpocket.”

Puffy cheeks.

Blood flowing under the lip.

And the clothes were in dirt, as if they had covered rolled on the floor once.

“Uh, cow, pickpocket…?”

“Yes. I think I stole the lady’s bag of gold coins.”

From noble mtl dot come

“Uh, a bag of gold coins? Um, something like that… “

“Here it is.”

When Robert held out a bag of gold coins, Astasia looked at me for a moment and nodded heavily.

“…Well done, Sir Robert.”

“So, I’d like to talk about disposition…”

“The thief must cut off his hand.”

Viscount Hex, who was behind him, flicked the sword on his waist with his hand and smiled slyly.

“How dare you steal money from a young lady? You should just cut her off so she can never play with her hands her her again.”

“…”

“What? Can’t you speak? Or did you cut your tongue when you used your mouth wrong once? Well, looking at the way you glare at a nobleman, I don’t think it would be strange if you cut it off right away… Ugh?! “

Viscount Hex ignores me for a long time and then frowns.

“I heard that according to the laws of the kingdom, thieves are judged by the knights of the lord’s castle.”

Naria continued as she gently moved her shoes in front of Viscount Hex’s feet.

“What will you do, Sir Robert?”

“Uh, um, I’m trying to follow the lady’s instructions… “

“Ellie. What do you want to do Ellie?”

“Uh, well, that is…”

For now, I am maintaining silence.

If I had to, I would come forward, but since people passing by are looking at this place and whispering.

‘I don’t want my voice to be heard.’

There is no smell yet, but the scent of the empire passing by is creeping in.

I am not from the empire.

However, being born in a kingdom does not mean that only those who work for the kingdom.

“Uhm…”

“Then I can’t help it. I have a better way.”

“A good way?”

“Yes. For a moment.”

Naria bought some of her jewelry at a nearby store, then brought them to me and held her hand.

Clap, clap.

They wrapped her wrists with something like rope and restrained her.

A necklace with a ring was placed around her neck.

“Let’s take him like this.”

He hung a long rope from her ring and tied a large knot at the end to make it like a handle for her, so that he was no different from a dog on a leash.

‘It’s perfect to look like a prisoner.’

“Sir Robert asked me to judge Elie, so I think it would be right to take him to Elie’s estate and judge him.”

“Well, is that okay…?”

“Yes, Ellie. Hold it carefully. Don’t miss it.”

“…Thank you, Jabes.”

Naria handed Astacia the handle of her leash, and Astacia held her leash and bowed her head lightly.

“You, you!”

Then she pointed at me and shouted.

“You stealing is a deadly sin, but seeing what you do now, I will decide whether to kill you or save you!”

“…”

Keep doing it.

“Yes, if you run away, I will not let you go! I will break your legs, imprison you, and make you live in a room for the rest of your life!”

Not bad.

“If you don’t want to die, stay calm. Understand?!”

Nod.

“Joe, okay. Then follow me quietly.”

Astasia pulled her leash with her raised voice, and I moved her body in time with her movements.

Her leash is almost 3 meters long.

Even if the line hangs loosely, it is not a completely short distance.

“Grey.”

“Oh sir.”

Viscount Hex called me.

I heard whispering in my ear again, and I got really annoyed.

“…Keuhum. “I called you just in case you recognized me.”

Zech.

I twisted her tied hands to the side of her, and Viscount Hex handed me the gold coin she had in her inner pocket.

“This doesn’t seem real, does it?”

Viscount Hex is already 99% sure.

“Even Sir Robert says no…”

The words ‘certainty’ and ‘99%’ may not be on the same level, but I came to myself to not rule out even that 1% possibility.

‘It’s fake.’

Just 5cm in diameter.

The shape of the circle is literally perfect.

The engraving ‘10,000’ is also flawlessly accurate.

And above all, when you put mana at the tip of your finger and gently look inside, you can immediately feel that unique sensation.

‘I’m out of mana. If it’s gold, mana won’t see in like this.’

This is not gold.

It’s something that looks like gold.

It looks like a 10,000 gold coin on the outside, but it is not a Nostrum gold coin.

‘It’s a Kingdom gold coin minted at the Imperial Mint.’

What should I hide?

This is counterfeit currency.

It was also a gilded currency printed and distributed by the empire.

‘Does the Empire know? Even the currency they printed indiscriminately through forgery is being used carelessly.’

Perhaps some of the imperial gold coins that came through the port of Sirene somehow made their way here through the hands of merchants who participated in the festival.

“How is it?”

“Viscount Hex. Just a moment.”

When I gestured, Viscount Hex lowered his head.

“The kingdom doesn’t have the skills to make such elaborate engravings.”

“…”

Viscount Hex laughs bitterly.

“The person who made this plan in the Empire is probably regretting it after hitting the ground.”

Somewhere in the Empire, there is an illusion that is not an illusion about Nostrum.

“They sprayed a lot of fakes with plating, but they were so well made that they were being used as is.”

This is something I heard directly from myself, so it is definitely not wrong.

“How did Ellie find out?”

“…I heard the gold coins have different weights?”

“Yes?”

“I received several gold coins, and some of them had different weights-“

“Viscount Hex?”

Sararak.

“What are you talking about now?”

Before we knew it, Ellie came towards us, holding her leash briefly.

“Rather, what are you talking about so much?”

“Hmm. Nothing.”

“Please be careful. Really.”

I lightly grabbed the plated gold coin.

Can you distinguish gold coins with just your senses without draining mana?

‘I think it’s less than 0.1g difference.’

I can’t do it now either.

You have to be at least an intermediate engineer to be able to recognize the slight difference in weight –

Perfect!

“What are you thinking like that? Hmph!”

“…”

“Just follow along quietly!”

I got hit by Astasia, and I silently followed Astasia’s lead.

* * *

“…”

Click, click.

“Oh my god.”

An object rarely seen in the kingdom – a white-haired woman holding a camera, clicking her buttons and sticking out her tongue.

“What will happen if I show this to the crown prince?”

Click, click.

“Really, I’m a person whose reaction is not easily predictable… Sigh.”

The woman could not easily make a decision.

“Seeing you follow along so obediently, um…”

Click, click.

“Okay.”

Click.

“If a man loves a woman, he is willing to hand over his leash to the woman he loves.”

Click click click click click.

“Ha. Why wasn’t a child like that born in the empire when I was young?”

The woman lamented sincerely and just kept taking pictures.

“Oh my. Just coming to have fun for a while.”

No one noticed that the woman was at her festival.

“Hmm… “

“Why are you doing this, Count?”

“No. Nothing. Just…”

Until the Count and Duchess of Gibraltar came out of the Earl’s Castle and appeared in the square.

“It looks like an unexpected guest has come and gone. It doesn’t matter that he came, but…”

No one.

“…Where did it come from?”