‘No, this wasn’t the outcome I wanted. I broke the death flag for you, Rose, so you should live your life freely!’

“Just trust me. I know the castle inside out, second only to Lady Egret!”

“Rose…….”

Darius pressed his forehead in disbelief.

“Who gave you permission to say such things?”

“Lady, when can I visit the castle again? Ah, I can stay with you today, right? Since I’m already here!”

Ignoring Darius’s words, Rose laughed heartily. It was a bright, pain-free smile.

“How can I possibly thank you enough, my lady, and how should I apologize…”

Sir Lucion couldn’t meet my eyes and kept bowing his head.

He almost killed his sister with his decision, mistakenly believing bloodletting was the best solution.

“Forget it. I’m relieved that Rose is healthy. But I’m curious about what happened in the willow forest after Rose and I collapsed.”

The limits of medical technology are what they are.

But gold! The gold of the Duke of Inkheart that Rose and I risked our lives to find!

Now that we’ve saved a life, perhaps it’s okay to talk about material matters.

“Ah, about that night… my lady, I never dared to ask, but what exactly happened?”

Lucion asked as if he was just as curious.

I told Lucion the same story I had told Darius.

I was trying to improve the dire situation in the North by finding treasures from legends. The gold jar I found last time was actually stumbled upon while researching legends.

I was narrowing down the search from vast amounts of data, but Rose entered my room, saw my research, and ran to the willow forest alone after an epiphany.

“When I followed Rose, the legendary conditions were all met. As soon as we entered the barrier, we could enter the treasure storehouse of our ancestor Inkheart as if by magic. A wind elemental king named Silphid was guarding the treasure as per the contract.”

I paused for a moment.

“Hard to believe, right? A sudden appearance of an elemental king.”

“Not at all. You are capable of such great feats, my lady.”

How else to explain the sudden appearance of countless gold coins and precious treasures in the once-empty forest?
As the amount was so enormous that it couldn’t be moved in a day or two, rumors circulated that the area was under tight surveillance.

‘There’s so much gold that they can’t move it all at once, so, Duke of Inkheart, please share some with us poor villagers.’

Tom chuckled, scheming to find a way through the vigilant watch.

He observed for a while and noticed the guards seemed to be leaving for lunch or changing shifts.

‘Now’s my chance!’

Tom quickly slipped into the forest, avoiding the guards.

“Good heavens!”

Rustle, rustle.

Tom’s mouth dropped open in awe. After getting past a guard or two, he saw the forest floor scattered with gold coins. The guards had left the immense treasure unattended, focusing only on perimeter security.

The gold coins rolled around like stones.

‘If I just take a bit, how much would all this be worth? Ah, my precious beauty. Don’t stay cold here; come warm up in my pocket.’

Tom gleefully reached out to grab the gold coins.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Aaagh!”

“Phew, looks like another fool tried to touch the Duke of Inkheart’s gold coins.”

“How many people have been fooled already, and still, someone tries such a foolish act. Sigh.”

Bang! Bang! The sound of the magic gold coins multiplying followed, as a guard guarding the willow forest heaved a big sigh.

It was not the first time something like this had happened.

When the guard captain was first told he was undertaking a top-secret mission for the Duke, his heart pounded with the weight of responsibility.

Arriving at the forest and seeing the glittering gold coins scattered everywhere, even he was momentarily dazzled.

But it didn’t take long to realize that the gold coins were untouchable. Attempts to carry the gold coins found in the forest to the Duke’s estate were futile. No one could lift them.

The beautiful, shiny gold coins became incredibly heavy the moment they were touched, making them impossible to lift, or they suddenly expanded in size, crushing the person underneath. They were truly magical gold coins.

“Save me, someone help me, ugh!”

“See, I told you to leave. Why didn’t you listen and had to harbor bad intentions?”

“Being crushed to death by money isn’t common, so enjoy a dream or two in your last moments. Ha ha ha.”

Despite the discovery of a vast amount of gold, it was impossible to touch it.

Lady Annette, who discovered the gold, couldn’t return to the scene immediately due to exhaustion and caring for Rose. For now, the best course of action was to station security personnel around the forest.

And with the rumor of the gold’s discovery spreading, three fools a day found their way to the forest, each falling into the trap on their own accord.