Chapter 4
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 4
“…No, thank you.”
The employee carefully lifted the velvet tray with both hands and politely excused himself.
“I will go and verify the key. Please wait a moment. Would you care for some coffee or tea while you wait?”
“Oh… No, that’s all right.”
The employee gave a slight bow and exited through a private door. He strode quickly down a staff-only corridor, reaching the Key Verification Center in moments. Wasting no time, he immediately entered a repository set up on one side of the center. The repository door alone required four separate keys to open.
A moment later, he emerged holding an old document and a small box. With practiced ease, he laid out the key, the document, and the box in a neat row before pulling a thick magnifying glass from a drawer. He began to examine the letters engraved on the key through the magnifying glass, cross-referencing them with the information on the document.
Opened April 25, 878. Seal of then-director Matis von Vitte… present.
After confirming the information on the face of the key, the employee focused the magnifying glass on the small letters engraved on its side. He then checked them one by one against the unique serial number listed on the document.
“AD…5608… 87…BX.”
To his surprise, even the complex serial number was a perfect match. He calmly double-checked the information. There were no errors.
Certain there were no mistakes, he set the document aside and brought over the box. His hand trembled slightly as he placed it on the counter.
The palm-sized black box was engraved with the number ‘5555’ and had a small hole that was, unmistakably, a keyhole. The box had been specially crafted for this exact purpose: key verification.
While rare, it wasn't unheard of for Pelfe Bank vault keys to be duplicated. Most forgeries were caught during the inspection of the key's engravings, but a few had been known to pass this stage. In every one of those cases, however, the forgery was exposed when the key failed to turn the lock.
Pelfe had long been famous for its masterfully crafted vaults, and to this day, its locksmiths were treated with the utmost respect.
A genuine key could open only two things: the vault in the Pelfe Bank’s basement, and this verification box. If the key opened this box, it would also open the underground vault, thereby proving its authenticity.
The employee pushed the key into the hole. With a soft metallic scrape, it slid smoothly inside. Click. He felt the key’s grooves engage the pins within the lock.
Holding his breath as if threading a needle, he stared at the end of the key. Then, calmly, he turned it.
Clack.
“……!”
Moments like this always came without warning.
But he had never imagined, not in his wildest dreams, that it would happen tonight.
The box, which had not been opened once in nearly twenty-five years, slowly creaked open. A musty, wooden smell, thick enough to make one sneeze, wafted from the narrow gap.
Just then, the manager of the Key Verification Center approached.
“Which key is it?”
Without waiting for an answer, he glanced over the employee’s shoulder, noted the number on the box, and nodded before starting back toward his desk. But after only a few steps, he spun around. “Who brought this in?” he asked bluntly.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t checked her identification yet.”
“A man?”
“No, a woman.”
“A woman? What did she look like?”
The employee's eyes darted around for a moment before he muttered, “A coat…”
“A coat?”
He nodded.
“Yes. She was wearing a coat.”
“A coat? In this season?”
“Yes.”
“……”
“……”
For a moment, their eyes met.
Just then, a low rumble, like the approach of heavy storm clouds, drifted in from outside. As if by silent agreement, both men looked toward the window.
* * *
When the door closed behind the employee, Seo-ah was finally alone. The tension in her shoulders and back, held rigid under his constant gaze, eased for the first time.
She leaned back against the sofa. Her face, where the employee’s gaze had been fixed, began to feel itchy. She rubbed it, trying to scratch away the feeling.
“Did you see the Youngest Miss? She’s so strange.”
A gaze made no sound, but that was what Seo-ah always heard. It was no different here. To everyone, she was just an unfamiliar, different, and strange being.
If only some other part of her were strange, not her face. Then it wouldn't be so uncomfortable.
Seo-ah rubbed her face until it grew red and warm, then frowned at the stifling heat trapped by the collar of her coat.
Should I take it off, just for a moment?
She glanced at the door the employee had disappeared through, straining to listen for any sound from the other side. There was no sign of anyone approaching.
Seo-ah unbuttoned her coat and quickly slipped her arms out of the sleeves. But the dress underneath was just as thick, offering no relief. Her whole body felt slick with sweat. The oppressive heat, however, was just one of her many problems.
“I should have gone to an inn first.”
Her plan had been to find an inn, organize her belongings, wash up, and rest before coming to the bank the next morning. But the people watching her on the train to Pelfe had followed her even after she disembarked. In her attempt to shake them, she'd plunged into a dense crowd and, in the ensuing confusion, scrambled onto a waiting carriage.
“Where to, miss?”
In Pelfe—no, on the entire Norfolk Continent—there was only one place she could call a destination. So, without a moment’s hesitation, Seo-ah gave the coachman the only address she knew.
“The Pelfe Bank.”
The coachman looked her over in silence for a moment, then simply shrugged and shut the carriage door with a thud.
Being swept onto the carriage had worked; the suspicious people following her were gone. The solo ride had even given her a brief, comfortable respite.
What she hadn't realized was just how expensive a carriage ride would be.
To think a carriage would cost more than the train, she thought.
Ever since leaving her hometown, money had become a finite resource, forcing her to track every expense. Retracing her journey to the Pelfe Bank, Seo-ah habitually did the math in her head.
“How much is left?”
The inside of her coat was a jumble of hidden pockets. She found her money pouch in one of them. As she counted her remaining funds, her face went pale.
Even after counting every last coin, she had only 120,000 Kerte.
Though she had yet to acclimate to the unfamiliar ways of the Norfolk Continent, she knew one thing for certain: with so little money, she would be lucky to last a few days, let alone a week.
What had gone wrong?
Had she been scammed during the currency exchange? Did she mispay the carriage fare? Or the train… or the boat?
The problem was, she had no way of knowing where the mistake had been made.
Her only comfort was that she had, at least, arrived safely at her first destination: the Pelfe Bank.
Just then, she sensed a presence outside the door. Seo-ah quickly pulled her coat shut and straightened her posture. She was still hastily fastening the buttons when the door opened and the employee walked in. Her heart, which had finally calmed, began to pound again. Her gaze fell to the floor, as if pulled downward by an invisible force.
“Thank you for waiting.”
The employee spoke in a cheerful, friendly tone as he sat down across from her. In her limited field of vision, she could see his lips curve into a smile.
“The verification has confirmed that the key is authentic. I apologize if any part of my service was lacking. Thank you for your patience.”
Relieved, Seo-ah replied, “Yes, I understand.”
“……”
“……?”
The employee’s reaction was lukewarm, but with no way of knowing what was amiss, Seo-ah could only remain silent. Silence, after all, was usually a safe bet.
As expected, the employee quickly moved on.
“We will now proceed with a few verification steps. Are you the individual who originally opened this vault?”
Staring at the corner of the document on the table, Seo-ah tried her best to maintain a composed expression as she answered, “No.”
The corners of the employee's mouth dipped for a fraction of a second before rising back into a professional smile.
“I see. As a rule, the right to open a vault belongs only to the original holder. However, as this vault’s owner has not appeared in over twenty years, ownership rights can be granted to a person who has possessed the key for at least 210 days. Please be aware, however, that the process is more complex and time-consuming for anyone other than the original holder.”
“I understand.”
The employee tilted his head slightly, then shrugged. “Mm… Yes, thank you.”
“Ah, then… will I be able to receive the Certificate of Key Acquisition Rights today?”
The employee paused, studying Seo-ah for a moment before asking in a probing tone, “You seem quite knowledgeable about our vault access procedures, don't you?”
“…Is it a secret?”
“Of course not.”
The employee pushed the familiar velvet tray toward Seo-ah.
“I will need an official document to verify your identity. Did you bring one?”
As if she had been waiting for this, Seo-ah immediately began to rummage inside her coat. The longer she searched, the more the employee’s professional smile began to fade.
He was astounded by how frantically she searched, her face beaded with sweat, and by the sheer number of pockets he glimpsed in the process. He would have bet his entire fortune that the woman before him was using that shabby old coat as a giant wallet.
Just then, her face brightened as she finally pulled something from within her coat. The object, which at first glance looked like a handkerchief, was surprisingly luxurious. It had a lustrous sheen that seemed impossible, coming from inside such a worn-out garment.