Proof (2)
He slammed his massive fist down on the table, eyes bulging. The loud crack echoed through the room.
“Counterfeit money? What ballsy bastard would dare pass us that kind of trash?”
When Marcus answered that it was Crachio, Bernhardt’s face twisted and he ground his teeth. “That son of a bitch! I knew he’d plant a knife in our backs eventually! We had reports he’d been meeting with Chen’s crew lately, and now this!”
Chen? Come to think of it, I did remember that name slipping out during Crachio’s rant. Something about how Chen had demanded they pull this stunt.
I quietly asked Marcus, “Who’s Chen?”
“He’s the leader of a rival bandit group. Looks like he must have gotten in touch with Crachio.”
It was a relief that Bernhardt already had information on both Crachio and Chen. At least it didn’t look like I’d blurted out some wild nonsense. The claim that the money we received was counterfeit suddenly carried real weight.
“This is no time to sit around!” Bernhardt shot to his feet and buckled the belt he’d loosened during the meal. “We need to see the boss right now. First thing is confirming whether that money is fake!”
We followed him out. The moment we reached Olivia’s tent, Bernhardt barged straight inside. The rest of us waited outside, nerves stretched tight. What would come of this? Would Olivia actually believe me?
Each minute dragged like a year. Then Marcus suddenly spoke up. “Can you hear what they’re saying in there?”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t you say your kind has sharp ears? You should be able to pick up the conversation inside the tent, right?”
I felt a jolt of panic. This was exactly why you shouldn’t tell lies. One lie always led to another. Damn it.
“I’ve been awake for almost thirty-two hours straight, so my head’s a little fuzzy. Truth is, I’m exhausted right now. I can’t focus, so I’m not catching much.”
It wasn’t a complete lie. I really was dead on my feet after waking up before dawn yesterday and staying awake well past noon today. If I stared at the ground too long, my vision would swim like I was in an earthquake. Just staying upright on two legs felt like an accomplishment.
“So it’s not a developed organ but some special racial ability? Meaning it depends on how clear your mind is—sometimes you can hear distant conversations, sometimes you can’t?”
Bless Marcus for handing me a ready-made excuse. I seized the opening and nodded quickly. “Yes, exactly. My body structure is basically the same as a human’s. Nothing different at all. We’re completely identical. I just happen to have a couple of unusual abilities, but I’m human through and through. Human.”
“Too bad. It would be useful in a lot of situations if you could keep hearing things clearly.”
The moment Marcus finished speaking, the leather flap over the tent entrance lifted. Ision stepped out, face blank. His icy gaze landed on me. The look said he still didn’t trust me. Not surprising—he’d threatened me just the day before yesterday, saying he couldn’t believe a word I said.
“Marcus. You too. Both of you, come inside.”
I swallowed hard. As I walked into the tent, a hundred different thoughts swirled through my head. The idea of facing that commanding woman again had me wound tight. It felt like approaching a deity.
Inside, Olivia sat on a chair like a queen, radiating presence, while Bernhardt stood to her right. Both of them turned their eyes on me. On the red carpet covering the floor, the box of money we’d received from Crachio lay open.
My stomach dropped. I suddenly felt like I’d escalated things far beyond what I could handle. What if the money inside wasn’t counterfeit at all? It was ridiculous to have taken Crachio’s words at face value. What if he’d been lying and I’d simply swallowed it whole because the golden orb had warned me?
My mind was a mess. Still, I couldn’t show weakness now. I’d already started down this road; the only choice was to push forward with confidence. So what if I was wrong? My life in this world had been a disaster from the very beginning anyway.
Marcus and I stood on either side of the money box and looked up at Olivia. Setting aside how beautiful and strong she appeared, that long, ink-black hair of hers carried the same majestic weight as a lion’s mane no matter how many times I saw it.
“Marcus and squad member Hyunwoo greet you, Boss,” Marcus said.
Olivia’s unreadable gaze settled on me. “Hyunwoo.”
I flinched in surprise. Everyone struggled with my name, yet this was the first time since arriving in this world that I’d heard it pronounced perfectly. The sound of my name in her voice nearly made my heart skip. A line of poetry suddenly floated through my mind—When I called his name, he came to me and became a flower… Maybe not quite the same situation. Still, what was Olivia’s real name, anyway?
“Yes…?”
“You claim you heard Crachio himself say the money was counterfeit?”
“That’s correct.” I answered as calmly as I could. “I clearly heard him tell his subordinate that the money was fake while laughing about it.”
“Is that so?”
Olivia paused, then continued. “However, after we examined the coins in that box, none of us could find anything unusual. Why are you so certain the money is counterfeit?”
They couldn’t tell? These were professional bandits who dealt with money every day. They should have had at least some ability to spot fakes. If they’d already decided the coins were genuine, my position was about to get very uncomfortable.
“First of all, the idea that you heard any of that from outside the door doesn’t make sense,” Ision cut in sharply. “Hearing a conversation through a closed door? That’s impossible without magic. Besides, no record exists of any race with ears sharper than elves, nor have I ever heard of one.”
He was looking at me like I was an insect. Of course he would. The man clearly valued logic and evidence above all else. Without solid proof or a rational explanation, he wasn’t about to swallow my flimsy story about overhearing distant conversations.
Then Marcus stepped forward like a relief pitcher. “Boss. After spending an entire day with this lad, I don’t believe he’s the type to run around lying. Whether the money is counterfeit or not should be verified by an expert. I recommend we do exactly that.”
Old man, you only chewed me out all day, but you come through when it counts.
“Squad Leader Marcus, have you learned nothing from the Volkins escape incident?” Ision’s voice was cold. “I understand your fondness for these new recruits who seem like cute grandsons to you, but you must still exercise proper judgment. Doesn’t it strike you as absurd that our entire bandit group is in turmoil over the words of a rookie? The money is obviously genuine. Even Olivia, whose eye is sharper than ours, examined it herself.”
Ision’s attack continued without mercy. “If we drag more people in to ‘verify’ whether it’s counterfeit and word gets out that we suspected Crachio, the trust we’ve built with him could shatter. We might lose a vital business partner. All because of you and that greenhorn. We’re wasting everyone’s time.”
You miserable bastard, Ision. Bringing up Marcus’s painful past just to score points. I glanced at Marcus, but thankfully his expression remained unchanged. Years of experience had made him hard to rattle. He stood firm.
Olivia, meanwhile, watched the entire exchange with an intrigued expression, fingers lightly stroking her chin. Bernhardt jumped in.
“You never know, so let’s do what Marcus suggests! We’ve got guys in the band who used to forge money themselves. Call them in and let’s check!”
His real goal was obvious. “And if it really is counterfeit, we’ll pay that Crachio bastard back in blood! Hehehe! We can have ourselves a proper war with Chen’s crew while we’re at it!”
Once everyone had spoken their piece, the tent fell silent. Only Olivia’s decision remained.
After a long pause, she finally spoke. “Summon the men from Squad Two.”
“Boss! If we involve any more people, the rumor that we suspected Crachio will spread everywhere!”
Olivia’s gaze turned to me. Our eyes met.
“What will you stake on the claim that the money is fake?”
Staring into those mesmerizing eyes, I felt my breath catch. I took a deep breath and answered clearly.
“My life.”
I had to push all-in. No half-measures.
Olivia gave the order again. “If the money proves genuine and rumors spread that we suspected Crachio, we will simply execute Hyunwoo as the one responsible. Gather Squad Two immediately.”
The casual way she spoke of discarding me sent a chill down my spine. Then again, even back on Earth, when something went wrong the higher-ups always survived while some underling took all the blame. Ision must have found her reasoning sound, because he stopped arguing.
Marcus leaned over and whispered, “Squad Two handles our finances and distributes weekly pay. They’re made up entirely of experts when it comes to money—second to none.”
“I see.”
That was when Crachio’s earlier words flashed through my mind. The part about how smearing the coins with goat blood would break the illusion magic. So that was why Olivia couldn’t detect the counterfeit—magic was involved! A small-time bandit group wouldn’t have any skilled mages on hand. I’d completely forgotten about it after Olivia pronounced my name perfectly and left me stunned.
I thrust my hand into the air without thinking. Wait—this wasn’t Earth. There was no need to raise my hand for permission to speak. They wouldn’t even understand the gesture. Embarrassed, I slowly lowered it. Still, the motion had drawn everyone’s attention. I spoke clearly and confidently.
“There’s no need to bother calling in experts. Just bring me some goat blood. I’ll prove right here and now that the money is counterfeit.”
“Goat blood?” Olivia narrowed her eyes, tilting her head.
“There is illusion magic cast on these coins,” I said, voice steady. “Goat blood is required to dispel it.”
Marcus jabbed me hard in the ribs.
“What?” I whispered.
“Have you lost your mind? How would someone who knows nothing about magic suddenly know there’s a spell on the money? You don’t have any actual proof, so you’re just throwing out whatever sounds good?”
Ah. I hadn’t explained enough. I turned back to Olivia.
“I overheard Crachio say this as well. He clearly stated that unless the coins were smeared with goat blood or the magic wore off naturally, no one would be able to tell they were counterfeit. If we test it on a single coin, we’ll know immediately. We won’t lose much by trying.”
“Goats aren’t exactly cheap these days. ‘Won’t lose much,’ he says,” Marcus grumbled under his breath. The helpful version of him had vanished; the usual grumpy Marcus was back.
“Boss! Let’s do it right away! It’s not difficult, and we’ll know once we try!” Bernhardt urged impatiently. Even Ision remained silent this time, apparently finding no fault with the suggestion.
Olivia turned to Ision. “Do we have any goats in camp?”
“We caught two a week ago. They’re still young, though.”
“Bring one.”