Ian turned his gaze away from Bernaba, who was waving his hands, and left the inn with Edelmar.
The temple was located at the edge of a cliff outside the territory.
As they climbed the hill sparsely covered with weeds, Edelmar spoke up.
“How’s the bank coming along?”
“It’s doing well.”
“I’ve started to notice the silver and gold coins you minted appearing in other territories.”
“Is that so?”
“What made you decide to take control of currency?”
Ian replied while listening to the sound of the crashing waves.
“Because the Empire hasn’t clearly defined the form of its currency, it was possible.”
In this world, gold and silver coins served as currency, but there were no standardized designs or forms for them.
Whether round or square, as long as the weight matched, gold and silver coins could serve as currency.
The lack of designated forms had its advantages, such as eliminating the need for currency exchange between countries.
However, the downside was that if a particular currency became too widespread, those holding that currency could seize power.
“What will you do with the bank after gaining independence?”
“I plan to make it a state-run enterprise shared between the duchy and the Empire.”
“A state-run enterprise?”
“Yes,”
Edelmar raised an eyebrow, finding this surprising.
“So, even after independence, you don’t intend to sever ties with the Empire?”
“That’s right. Even with independence, the duchy is physically connected to the Empire. There’s no benefit in worsening relations, so it’s better to maintain a good relationship.”
“A state-run enterprise…”
Ian explained further.
“Managing the circulating currency is troublesome, but the benefits far outweigh the costs.”
“And what benefits are those?”
“On a small scale, it prevents petty manipulators from causing trouble. On a larger scale, it allows us to profit through a currency exchange system when trading with other kingdoms,”
He then slowly elaborated on the concept of an exchange rate system.
Edelmar, quick-witted as ever, was impressed.
“It could enhance the Empire’s grandeur even further. Do you understand now?”
Edelmar nodded but then asked,
“Wouldn’t the duchy suffer losses from this?”
“Not at all. I’m the one minting the currency.”
As the Empire’s prestige grew, the bank minting the currency—located in the duchy—would remain untouchable.
Additionally, while the Empire implemented the exchange rate system, the duchy, using the same currency, would reap the same benefits without additional effort.
What difference is this from getting something done without lifting a finger?
“I see.”
“Yes. The relationship between the duchy and the Empire is such that it can’t be completely severed, so you need not worry.”
Ian stopped walking and examined the temple ahead.
The small temple reminded him of a tiny chapel on Earth.
It was so small that there seemed to be no concern about theft; the temple remained open for anyone to come and pray.
Upon entering, they were greeted by an elderly priest with clasped hands and a bowed head.
“Welcome.”
“Hello.”
After exchanging greetings, Ian continued.
“I am Ian Loenbaum. The High Priest instructed me to meet Priest Dazio. May I meet him?”
The elderly priest chuckled and stroked his beard.
“I am Dazio. I received a letter in advance. Please, come with me.”
Following the priest, Ian passed through the sanctuary and arrived at a wooden house perched at the edge of the cliff.
The house was weathered by the sea breeze but fit well with the atmosphere of the nighttime ocean.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
When the elderly priest returned from inside the house, he was carrying a wooden box.
“There is something in here that may assist you. Open it when you go in search of the sacred artifact.”
“Understood. Thank you,”
Ian said as he accepted the wooden box and bowed.
“I will pray for the deity’s blessings to be with you,”
“Thank you,”
On their way back to the inn, Ian and Edelmar walked in silence.
Both were trying to deduce what could be inside the wooden box.
“What do you think it is?”
“I have no idea,”
Once back at the inn, Bernaba’s curiosity was piqued upon seeing the wooden box.
“Hmm,”
Bernaba murmured as he examined the box from different angles.
The moment Ian turned away to check on Rose, Bernaba opened the box.
“Lord Bernaba!”
Ian shouted in shock, but Bernaba merely looked at the contents inside.
“So this still exists,”
Inside the box were two palm-sized scales.
The scales shimmered with an iridescent hue, appearing blue at one moment and green at another.
Ian hurriedly closed the box and said,
“The priest instructed me to open it only when searching for the sacred relic.”
“That’s because he didn’t want me to see it,”
Bernaba replied, his tone filled with displeasure.
Ian, puzzled, asked,
“Do you know what this is?”
“Yes.”
“Can you tell me?”
Taking a seat on the chair next to Rose, Bernaba replied,
“Those are dragon scales.”
“…Dragon scales?”
“Yes. They belonged to a dear friend of mine who passed away years ago. If I had known these remained, I would have come to the temple earlier.”
His tone suggested that these scales shouldn’t have been left behind.
Seeing Ian’s confused expression, Bernaba offered further explanation.
“When a dragon dies, their lair is inherited by their offspring, and the dragon’s corpse turns to dust. Dragons leave no trace of their existence in this world; that is our funeral tradition. However, the fact that something like this remains means someone tampered with my friend’s corpse.”
“…Could it be something that your friend left behind?”
Bernaba firmly shook his head.
“Absolutely not. Even if they handed it over while alive, it would have been retrieved before their death—that is the dragons’ rule. To ensure that nothing remains, the dragon lord casts a tracking spell before the funeral to locate any lingering traces of the deceased dragon. The fact that it still exists means the temple hid it to avoid detection by the spell.”
“……..”
“I’ll leave it because it may be useful to you, but seeing remnants of my friend’s existence makes me feel uneasy,”
Bernaba said, his tone filled with displeasure.
With a sullen face, Bernaba sat on a chair for a moment before abruptly standing up.
“I’m going out for a while,”
Without waiting for a reply from Ian, Bernaba left the room.
His angry strides made it clear he was struggling to contain his frustration. Ian glanced out the window.
‘He’s not heading to the temple, is he?’
Fortunately, Bernaba was walking in the opposite direction. It seemed like he was taking a walk to cool off.
Ian let out a sigh of relief and took a quick shower.
Since Rose had already eaten dinner in the carriage, there was no need to wake her.
Ian lay down beside the softly breathing Rose and began to think about the schedule ahead.
By tomorrow, they would reach the Fend territory. That would leave three more relics to retrieve.
Ian sighed deeply and closed his eyes.
With the tasks ahead, he needed to sleep early.
***
The Fend territory was a coastal region.
As soon as they got out of the carriage, the sound of waves greeted them, and Rose started jumping up and down excitedly.
“Uncle, I can hear the sea talking!”
“It’s making that whoosh-whoosh sound I mentioned, isn’t it?”
“Yes, yes!”
Ian patted the excited Rose on the head and said,
“Once I finish my work, shall we play at the sea?”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Rose nodded eagerly.
“Yes, yes! I want to play!”
“Alright,”
“But before that, little one, we need to go to my house,”
“Oh, right! We need to go to Bernaba’s house!”
Bernaba smiled warmly and then turned to Ian.
“Do you really need to rest now? Let’s head over immediately.”
“Are you planning to take Rose to your lair now?”
“Yes. It’s been left unattended for too long, so I need to clean it up.”
After a brief moment of thought, Ian nodded.
“Understood. Let’s leave right away.”
Hearing Ian’s answer, Bernaba picked Rose up.
“Rose, let’s go to my house.”
“Okay! Uncle! I’m going to Bernaba’s house now!”
Ian gently stroked Rose’s cheek and said,
“Have a good time, Rose.”
“Alright!”
“Oh, Ian.”
“Yes?”
Bernaba pointed to the wooden box Ian was holding.
“That will suffice if you bite it.”
“Pardon?”
Before Ian could question further, Rose and Bernaba suddenly disappeared.
“Bite it?”
Ian murmured, staring at the box, confused by Bernaba’s vague instructions.
At that moment, Edelmar returned, having stepped out to deal with some luggage.
“Is Rose in the carriage?”
“She went to Bernaba’s lair,”
“Then are you heading out to find the sacred relic now?”
“Yes.”
Ian nodded and gave instructions to the knights.
“Stay and rest at the inn.”
“Understood!”
The knights responded and headed to the inn.
Ian, visualizing the path in his mind, began walking. Edelmar followed quietly, clearly deciding not to interfere.
After leaving the territory and walking along a sandy beach for a while, Ian stopped on a rock that met the edge of the sea.
“What are you doing here?”
Ian pointed toward the ocean.
“I need to go inside.”
“Into the sea?”
Ian nodded and opened the wooden box.
‘He said to bite it, right?’
Ian picked up one of the two scales in the box and handed the other to Edelmar.
“Bite this,”
Edelmar took the scale without a word, watching as Ian bit down on the other scale.
What Ian expected to be cold instead felt warm as it touched his mouth.
Stretching briefly, Ian dove into the sea.
Edelmar followed, plunging into the water right after him.
Underwater, the two exchanged glances, holding their breaths. When Ian signaled downward with his hand, Edelmar responded with an ‘OK’ sign, forming a circle with his thumb and forefinger.
Ian, still holding the scale in his mouth, swam deeper and deeper into the ocean.
The area around them was eerily empty. Perhaps it was due to the presence of the sacred relic or because it was a no-go zone for fish; only water surrounded them.
As Ian continued descending, he noticed something unusual.
No matter how good one’s lung capacity might be, by this point, they should have been struggling for air. Yet neither he nor Edelmar showed signs of distress.
Edelmar, swimming alongside him, appeared as calm as if they were on land.
‘Is it because of the scales?’
Since he couldn’t ask Edelmar while holding the scale in his mouth, Ian focused on finding the sacred artifact instead.
After swimming downward for a while, Ian spotted a hole carved into a rock.
He entered the hole and discovered a narrow passage, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
Ian gestured toward the passage, signaling to Edelmar. Edelmar gave another ‘OK’ sign, and Ian swam into the passage.
Though the passage twisted and turned, navigating through it wasn’t too challenging.
When Ian saw the water rippling above him, he swam upward.
