Chapter 25

A large sum of money was delivered to our home as a reward for the discovery of the gold vein.

The wooden chest, painted a deep black, was adorned with luxurious metal studs, and inside, red velvet lined the box. It was filled to the brim with shiny gold coins.

"Wow, there are so many, Dad."

"Isn't it a bit risky to have the full amount at once? I think it would be better to receive it in installments."

"…Anna, is that your first reaction?"

Jeffrey asked with a face that seemed to be trying not to laugh.

"Huh? Did I say something strange?"

When she asked in return, he said, "No, not really," but it seemed he couldn't hold back anymore, and he turned his face away, lightly biting his lips and laughing.

If we had this many gold coins at home, it would be risky, wouldn't it? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?

On the same night, Lord Bernard visited our home.

"I am not the one who made the discovery, so I will give everything to Jeffrey," he said, handing over the box.

As a result, we had another box with the same metal studs. Jeffrey explained the situation with a troubled look on his face.

"I refused it, saying that I have income from the Shen country's chamber of commerce."

"I don't have much time left, and I have no use for a large sum of money. Besides, the chamber of commerce that Jeffrey established belongs to the country. The income from the chamber of commerce to you would not be a significant amount. Keep this for Nonna."

"For Nonna, Lord Bernard?"

"It's hard to refuse when you put it that way, Uncle."

"Nonna is like my granddaughter."

Neither Jeffrey nor I are the type to enjoy luxury, so we were silent in front of the two boxes of gold coins.

"By the way, I had the cipher document delivered to the prime minister through a civil servant, asking the Third Knight Regiment to decipher it. It was something that even historians couldn't handle."

"Is that so? It did seem difficult."

"I'm looking forward to the day the Third Knight Regiment deciphers it. Besides, I have the job of publishing Elmar's unpublished works. Thanks to you, I'm having a great time every day."

As Lord Bernard was leaving, Jeffrey gently put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer.

"Given your personality, it must have been hard to see your uncle struggling with the deciphering, right?"

"Yes, it was. But now I feel relieved. The cipher is Hagl's, but the formula used is old. I'm sure the Third Knight Regiment can decipher it."

And so, our home ended up with a large sum of money.

We put the box of gold coins in the back of Jeffrey's wardrobe and hid it under a pile of his old knight's equipment.

After hiding the box of gold coins and Nonna went to her room, I said, "I have something to talk to you about."

"Sure," Jeffrey replied casually.

We sat on the long sofa in Jeffrey's room and I explained my concerns one by one. It was about the story I heard at the monastery.

"It's an incredibly old contract, but not so old that it's impossible. The child of the signatory has a decent amount of wealth, and the signature looks genuine. This is a common method of document forgery and fraud. There were also expensive fake books with aging treatment in the antique shop. I think a group of such people is in the capital."

"There are experts in document forgery, huh. What do you want to do?"

"It's a cruel method to take the home of an elderly person who has lived there for a long time. I want to help them get their home back."

Jeffrey said, "Hmm," and touched his chin with his right hand, thinking.

"I also want to give the Second Knight Regiment a chance to earn some credit."

"Can I be involved in exposing the crime?"

"You can act without revealing your identity, right? As I said before, I don't want to hold you back."

"Jeffrey..."

I couldn't help but hug Jeffrey.

"I'm truly grateful. I'll make sure not to cause you any trouble."

"Then, if you have a plan, I'd like to hear it. After that, I'll pass the information to the Second Knight Regiment."

"That's perfect."

That night, we worked on our plan together.

◇◇◇

"Welcome, Viscount Asher. Your wife has been very helpful with the ointment."

"Dean, thank you for handling the sale of my wife's medicine."

"Then, what brings you here today?"

Jeffrey and I are at the monastery now.

The Dean must be thinking, "You just came the other day, and you're back already?" But we had this planned.

"My wife told me that one of the believers who come here is being pressured to repay their parents' debts."

"Yes, in the past six months, four people have had to give up their homes. It pains me. Fortunately, they were able to move in with their children, but if this continues, some may end up homeless."

Jeffrey nodded slightly, listening.

"I recently set up a chamber of commerce in Shen. I've signed many contracts and am familiar with handling them. Could I see the contract to check for any irregularities? If there are any, it might prevent them from losing their home."

"That would be a great help. Please wait a moment, I'll send someone to get the contract from the person involved."

"No, it would be faster if we go. Dean, would you come with us?"

"Of course, I will."

We quickly got into a carriage and headed for the old woman's house we had passed before.

The old woman was surprised to see a coat-of-arms carriage in front of her house, but her face brightened when the Dean explained the situation.

"Please come in. It's a bit cramped, but we have enough chairs for everyone."

"I'll take a look."

The four of us sat in the small living room, and Jeffrey took the contract from the old woman's box. The contract was on old, sun-weathered paper.

Jeffrey checked the wording for any irregularities and then passed the contract to me.

I read the text carefully. There were no irregularities in the language or the writing.

Next, I leaned in and sniffed the contract.

"Excuse me, Lady Asher? What are you doing?"

"Please wait a moment, Dean."

It was unmistakable. There was a faint smell of cedar sawdust and a hint of tea.

I didn't want to give the old woman false hope, so I chose my words carefully.

"I once made a parchment book as a hobby. My teacher taught me a method to make new parchment look old by soaking it in tea or cedar sawdust. This contract smells the same as the parchment I treated to look old."

"Huh?"

The Dean and the old woman both had confused looks. Jeffrey asked the old woman a question.

"What about the Goodwill Loan Chamber mentioned in this contract?"

"It's an old chamber in the South District. My father did borrow money from there a few times, but he repaid it all within a short period. So, I protested that it was strange for this to come up after forty years of no contact, but they said the management had changed and they didn't know the details. They insisted that a debt is a debt and must be repaid."

"I see."

"I regret not checking the documents more carefully when my father passed away."

"My husband and I will investigate this chamber. We might be able to help, even a little."

We took the parchment from the old woman, who was filled with hope and anxiety, and got into the carriage. Our destination was the castle. I stayed in the carriage while Jeffrey went inside. After a while, an unfamiliar man got into the carriage with Jeffrey.

"Anna, this is Dale, who specializes in identifying forged documents in the castle's records management department. I asked my brother to bring him here."

"I'm Dale. The contract you showed me has definitely been treated to look old. I want to be guided to the chamber immediately. The head of the Second Knight Regiment has arranged for them to accompany us."

Dale was a middle-aged, medium-built man with glasses and a serious demeanor. I noticed that knights in uniform were riding up and gathering outside the window.

"It's unacceptable to take homes from law-abiding citizens with forged contracts."

"Then, Dale, since the knights are ready, let's head there now."

The carriage started moving at Jeffrey's command.

I thought our carriage would be in the lead, but the Second Knight Regiment, who knew the destination, quickly overtook us.

I realized it was odd for Jeffrey and me to be so eager to lead the charge and chuckled.