The Escape
Hero Kwon Hee-jin sat me down across from him and put on a rather solemn air.
With his chin tilted up at a haughty angle and a smirk playing on his lips, he looked just as insufferable as I remembered. The only slightly grating detail was the pair of gaudy gloves he wore that didn't suit him in the slightest.
"Eric, as you probably know, the Demon King subjugation isn't far off."
"I was under the impression one of the Four Heavenly Kings still remains."
"Tsk. It's not like this is a video game where you have to clear every single boss minion before you're allowed to face the final boss. Besides, the last one left is basically their chief of staff, holed up deep in the Demonic Realm. ...Isn't it about time we wrapped up this tedious war, don't you think?"
"Yes. If you say so, Sir Hero."
I humored him with perfunctory agreement. I didn't kick up a fuss, nor did I offer any unnecessary opinions.
This was the exact method I had developed for handling the Hero back when I was designated to be a member of his party.
"Was it my freshman year of high school? My dad stumbled during a major investigation and got shunted off to the High Prosecutors' Office. He told me the junior prosecutors barely even bowed to him in the hallways back then. Morons. As if anyone can predict how a prosecutorial career is going to pan out."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Now he's doing so well it's almost a problem. Some older guy I knew tried to talk me into investing in a crypto mining operation back then, but my dad stepped in and stopped me cold. Said he still had one shot left to make Prosecutor General. ...Thinking back on it now, though, thank god I didn't touch it."
"A mining... operation, you say?"
"Mining doesn't mean swinging a pickaxe down in a tunnel shaft. Not that a native like you would have a clue."
"Yes. What would someone like me know?"
Letting the Hero's rambling drift in one ear and out the other had always been the best approach. After all, he was never spouting off because he expected his listener to actually comprehend him.
Just nod along at the right intervals, and he'll blabber on until he reveals what he actually wants.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the Hero to drop his voice to a confidential murmur.
"Still... Eric. Doesn't it feel a little strange having me suddenly look out for you like this?"
"Honestly, I can't deny that it feels odd. Why are you doing this for me?"
"Ha, I appreciate the honesty. ...The truth is, with the Demon King subjugation right around the corner, my head's been in a complicated place. At first, all I wanted was to slay the bastard as fast as possible, grab a noble title, and live the easy life. But after spending so much time here... how should I put it? It might sound strange, but I realized you locals are human too."
How extraordinarily generous of him to grant us humanity.
"If you remembered me in the midst of all that, does that mean having me expelled from the party still weighs on your conscience?"
"Mm. Yeah. Pretty much."
Kwon Hee-jin smirked, wearing an expression that practically screamed, Oh, sharper than you look, aren't you?
It was true that I had been robbed of my rightful place in the Hero's party. Not that I had ever actually lost sleep over the snub.
Yet there was zero chance the Hero felt any genuine remorse over it. If he possessed that kind of conscience in the first place, he wouldn't have replaced me with a female knight whose aura barely grazed the Intermediate Expert rank just because her face was exceptionally gorgeous.
If anything, he was probably kicking himself for handing over too much Kodana as hush-money compensation back then. He was the last creature on earth to ever waste pity on me.
It was a moment that made it abundantly clear just how much of an idiot he took me for.
There was, however, something the Hero didn't know.
While he had been marching Holy Knights across the frontlines to butcher the Demon King's forces, I had transformed into a battle-hardened, cynical Kodana speculator in the Imperial Capital.
Practically every single day, Bingo and I had put our heads together to track the movements of the market whales. Most recently, I had successfully broken free from the suffocating pressure of the Imperial Guard on my own terms. Lately, I was even diversifying my holdings to insulate myself against market volatility.
Naturally, I knew how to maintain an impassive poker face in front of an amateur trying to pull an obvious hustle.
In truth, that was a survival tactic I had mastered long before Kodana was ever minted. To attend the Imperial Academy as a commoner, graduate at the top of the ranks, and secure a commission in the Imperial Guard, that level of calculated diplomacy was baseline standard.
"You know the Second Prince, right?"
"Of course. But why mention His Highness...?"
The Hero paused to catch his breath, practically moistening his lips in anticipation.
"Phew. Turns out that royal gentleman dipped his fingers into the imperial treasury without His Majesty's approval just to buy up Kodana. Of course, even if he gets caught, he won't be executed or anything, but falling out of the Emperor's favor is practically guaranteed. ...Lately, he must have caught wind of something foul, because he's desperate to dump his Kodana off-market."
"Ah, is that so."
"Because he's backed into a corner, he's willing to take a hit and sell below the market rate. ...And as I sat there listening to the prince whine, you came to mind, Eric."
"..."
"Buy just seventy coins at 320 million apiece, Eric."
"Seventy coins, you say?"
"Yeah. The prince gets to pull his capital out without crashing the market, and you get a golden investment opportunity. Win-win, wouldn't you say? I heard you've been buying up estates lately, but surely you've still got around 22 billion lira lying around, right?"
On the surface, it sounded like a remarkably sweet deal.
For several days now, the market price of Kodana had hovered stubbornly at 380 million liras. To be frank, trading volume had dried up to a trickle. Everyone was holding their breath, waiting for the Hero's temporary return to the Imperial Capital—and the bullish or bearish announcements he would inevitably drop upon arrival.
Judging purely by the numbers, absorbing this block of coins and trickling them back into the order books would yield an astronomical profit. But I had absolutely no intention of taking the bait.
"Oh, but Eric? The purchase has to go through before the day ends."
That was the catch.
It looks like whatever disaster they're planning is about to kick off. Even if I don't know the exact details yet.
When I hesitated for a beat, the Hero let out a dry chuckle and pressed harder.
"Eric, fine, I'll admit it. ...To be frank, I'm worried about the fallout down the line. Once the Demon King is dead and buried, if you start flapping your gums about how you were forcibly purged from the Hero's party, it puts me in an awkward spot."
"...Sir Hero."
"Pretty petty of me, isn't it? My bad. But you have to see where I'm coming from. After busting my ass to save the world from the Demon King, the last thing I need is to deal with some pathetic scandal, right?"
So take the money and keep your mouth shut, his smirking face implied.
I offered an ambiguous nod, acting as though I were completely overwhelmed and paralyzed by such profound generosity.
How do I slip away from this?
The simplest answer was to just say, "No, thank you."
But the Hero had no intention of letting me walk out the door empty-handed. As if trying to rush my decision, he clasped my shoulder with one hand and began to apply crushing grip strength. It wasn't enough to shatter bone, but it was more than enough to make his physical menace felt.
Too bad for him: I was a knight knocking on the door of the Peak Expert rank.
Even after leaving the Imperial Guard, my body hadn't degraded in the slightest. I hadn't merely maintained my relentless daily regimen; I had been downing expensive elixirs like water. I knew better than anyone that my physical vessel was my primary capital in this world.
If anything, his crude intimidation only laid bare just how anxious he truly was. And it bought me precious seconds to formulate an unassailable excuse.
"Eric, I'd love to give you time to think it over, but the prince is on pins and needles. I need your answer right here, right now."
"..."
"What's there to hesitate about? Just withdraw the 21.4 billion from the Imperial Bank and swap it for the Kodana. All we have to do later is report the over-the-counter transaction to the exchange."
He tilted his head with a mock shrug, projecting the attitude that if I was stupid enough to pass up a windfall like this and play the sucker, he wouldn't stop me.
I held his gaze for a second, then deliberately cast my eyes down and let out a heavy, defeated sigh.
Then, I spoke.
"...Sir Hero, do you truly distrust me that much?"
"What?"
"If your concern runs that deep, why not send word to the Magic Tower and summon a wizard? I will gladly swear upon a Geas Scroll. I will stake my very life that I will never raise doubts regarding the selection process of the Hero's party."
"Hey, Eric. Come on, anyone listening would think I was threatening you or something."
Kwon Hee-jin's expression twisted into an awkward grimace. He was caught in an uncomfortable bind—unable to explode in rage, yet equally unable to coax me smoothly.
After all, he was the one who had explicitly framed this deal as hush money to buy my silence. He had probably thought it made his narrative more believable, but to me, it was the perfect pretext for an escape.
"If I have offended you, I apologize, Sir Hero. With a string of misfortunes piling up lately, I seem to have grown overly touchy. I don't know if you've heard, but I was recently discharged from the Imperial Guard. Being cast out of the order took a heavier psychological toll than I realized."
"I heard about that. But wouldn't you want cold hard cash in your hands all the more at a time like this?"
"No. That would only make a mockery of my dignity. If someone who already struck it rich off Kodana comes crawling to you and walks away with another fortune, what would people say? They would call me a parasite clinging to the Hero for the rest of my days."
"..."
"Sir Hero, I have no desire to become a parasite. I may have abandoned my commission as a knight, but I haven't abandoned every shred of my pride."
Having delivered my quiet declaration, I rose slowly to my feet. I didn't even offer a customary bow. It was crucial to convey that my wounded pride had left me cold and resentful.
"...I wish you continued triumph, Sir Hero."
Until I had completely cleared the gates of the Imperial Palace, I maintained a slumped, dejected posture. I took care to wear an utterly crestfallen expression on my face.
Someone could easily report back to the Hero or the Second Prince, so I can't afford to drop my guard.
The moment I stepped off the palace grounds, however, I picked up the pace. I had to signal Bingo to get out immediately.
These days, Bingo was keeping busy running errands for me.
To efficiently manage the villa I had recently acquired, he was hiring domestic servants and scouting security personnel completely removed from the Imperial Guard's sphere of influence. With both of us having severed ties with the knight order, he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying throwing money around on my behalf, relishing the taste of the good life.
I couldn't stand by and let such a loyal friend end up a ruined beggar. The instant our paths crossed, I barked the command without preamble.
"Bingo. Drop whatever you're doing and sprint to the exchange. Right this second."
"Huh? What's going on all of a sudden?"
Bingo stared at me in confusion. He looked like he was about to argue that we were still a long way from the bridge of the nose. I cut him off before he could speak.
"I just met the Hero. Turns out the Second Prince is trying to dump his bag onto me."
"The Second Pr—wait, hold on. The Hero is in the Imperial Capital right now?!"
"You said current prices were at the solar plexus, right? Dump it right at the solar plexus."
Otherwise, before long, he would be staring down the knees—no, the heels.
"...For the Hero to slip back into the capital without a triumphal parade... that means..."
"Go, Bingo."
Bingo's eyes went wide. He spun on his heel in an instant and began pumping his short legs with frantic urgency toward the exchange.
A desperate sprint to escape the trap.