The carriage carrying Leonora sped along so fast that dust trailed behind it. As she watched the passing scenery, her thoughts lingered on the Holy Grail Knight she had just t.
‘I’ve never encountered soone like that in my life.’
When she thought of Isaac’s face, Leonora felt a renewed sense of awe. He was as handso as the rumors had said, but what captivated Leonora wasn’t his superficial good looks.
Handso n could be lined up with a bit of gold. But unless she intended to sell them as consorts, she had no interest in handso n.
What she valued was ‘worth.’
The value of treasures, the value of real estate, the value of a business…
Leonora had a natural talent for assigning a price to everything she saw.
Things that others considered trash often appeared to her as sothing valuable, and ordinary haunted houses looked like pri real estate to her.
Her instinct was almost always spot on.
Whether it was a miracle granted by the Golden Idol, innate intuition, or rely a lucky illusion, the Golden Idol’s blessings were the most unclear and ambiguous compared to other faiths.
Thus, Leonora believed that this talent was a miracle granted to her.
Thanks to this, she held overwhelming influence among her three sisters. Many rchants believed that the future of the guild belonged to Leonora, not her straightforward older sister or her bratty younger sister who thought pouting and begging would get her everything.
Leonora also believed this. But today, her belief wavered.
‘I don’t even know what to call it…’
The mont she saw Isaac, Leonora felt as though she was watching gold in motion.
It wasn’t just a statue of gold coming to life.
Wherever Isaac touched, wherever he stepped, even in his sighs, the world turned to gold, treasures rippled like waves, and rare dyes and spices appeared as if on display.
‘If that Holy Grail Knight had been born an orc, he would have beco a Khan. If he were undead, he would have vied for regency within the Immortal Order. If he had been born a rchant… he would have beco the grand rchant controlling all the world’s goods.’
Leonora couldn’t help but think this, and then she was startled by her own thoughts.
Isaac was already a grand warrior of Elil in the Elil Kingdom, and had received the status of a saint within the Codex of Light. Rumor had it that he even held sway over the Red Chalice and the Salt Council.
Leonora had believed she could beco the grand rchant leading the Golden Idol Guild. But now, that belief was shaken.
Before such an overwhelming existence, talent, effort, and cunning did not matter.
Whoever could hold on to Isaac would beco the grand rchant.
So Leonora couldn’t bring herself to face Isaac for long. If she stayed any longer, she felt she might be drawn into his allure. If she stayed close, she might end up becoming part of his golden procession, turning into the Holy Grail Knight’s ‘asset’ in an instant.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
Fortunately, Leonora was aware of Isaac’s value and managed to keep her distance.
Leonora didn’t want to beco anyone’s asset. She was soone who moved gold, not gold itself.
Isaac was a treasure she had to acquire.
The fact that he was married didn’t matter. A married man, in so ways, was already a proven asset. And if the one who had validated him was the daughter of the Brant duchy, all the better.
Those who only saw his looks would never realize Isaac’s true worth. Only she could see what Isaac truly was…
Kurururu… The carriage suddenly slowed down, interrupting her thoughts. Leonora opened the window toward the driver’s seat. The carriage had stopped at a fork in the road.
“Why did we stop?”
“Miss, it would be best to detour toward the Norden Port instead of going through Lenheim.”
The coachman spoke calmly.
Leonora needed to head urgently to southern Audry, so taking a major detour north was absurd. But she didn’t ignore the coachman’s advice.
“Is it a major threat?”
“We could die.”
The coachman replied firmly.
The coachman was another valuable person Leonora had discovered. He was one of the few people she trusted with her life.
He had a similar gift to Leonora’s—a talent for sensing ‘threats.’
The coachman’s answer made Leonora’s expression grow serious.
The coachman and the rcenaries guarding her were more than capable of dealing with a gang of bandits. If he was speaking like this, it ant sothing truly dangerous was approaching.
Leonora’s gaze shifted to the girl sitting across from her in the carriage, Angela. Leonora no longer saw the warmth from Isaacrea Manor in her eyes but rather the cold calculation of a rchant’s gaze assessing value.
“It seems we’ve picked up so troublemakers. Let’s do as you suggested.”
“Yes. We’ll keep moving even after dark, just in case.”
The coachman turned the carriage in the direction Leonora had instructed.
***
But the carriage didn’t get far before it had to stop again.
When Leonora opened the window to the driver’s seat, she saw the coachman standing with his sword already drawn. It ant escaping by pushing the carriage onward was no longer an option.
“It’s the Holy Grail Knight, Miss.”
“Isaac of Isaacrea?”
Leonora couldn’t understand how Isaac, who should still be at the castle, had arrived ahead of her. Was there so secret route?
Leonora was about to step out of the carriage, but the coachman gestured for her to stay. Only then did she realize the significance of the drawn sword.
‘The Holy Grail Knight is the threat?’
Leonora found herself in a troubling situation, but instead of panicking, she calmly began to prepare for what was to co.
anwhile, Isaac, who had quickly flown in on Nel, approached the carriage with a weary expression. He had expected them to head toward Lenheim, but when they suddenly veered north, the situation beca even more exhausting.
The coachman had drawn his sword, but the sheer presence of ‘threat’ radiating from Isaac made him sigh deeply.
No matter what, this was an opponent he could never hope to defeat.
Oblivious rcenaries had encircled the carriage with their horses, but Isaac showed no sign of tension.
“What brings the renowned Holy Grail Knight here in the dead of night, sneaking around like a thief?”
The coachman’s words were laced with hope that Isaac would act as the honorable knight he was reputed to be, but Isaac’s focus was more on the latter half of the statent than the forr.
“Is Angela inside?”
“She’s with Lady Leonora. The conversation went well, and we agreed to return her to her relatives. What changed your mind? Even so, sneaking around like this… it’s not right…”
Isaac smirked at the ntion of her ‘relatives.’
“Relatives, you say? Angela isn’t even her real na. The only thing we know is that she’s a Selmon rchant’s child. How did you co across a lead that would lead you to her relatives?”
“That’s enough. I’ll explain.”
Leonora, who had completed her preparations, stepped out of the carriage. The coachman positioned himself where he could jump into action if necessary.
Once more, Leonora was struck by the sensation of awe as she faced Isaac under the moonlight.
How could this man manage to drag treasure along even in this desolate land? But the unfortunate truth was that this ti, the treasure he sought was already in Leonora’s possession.
“You’ve grown suspicious, Holy Grail Knight. You must have grown quite attached to the child.”
“Tell quickly. Why are you trying to take Angela?”
“As I said, Angela’s true identity is still unclear. But Selmon rchants are not nurous, and they tend to live together in family units, so investigations are swift. A 10-year-old girl who recently lost her parents, based in Syracusa, and who has traveled through the Black Empire. With these clues, we can narrow it down quite precisely.”
Leonora answered without hesitation. Even Isaac, who had charged in confident that sothing was amiss, found himself at a loss.
“The investigation showed her father’s na was Tamil, and her mother’s was Osha. Tamil’s older sister rembered she had a niece, though she didn’t know her na. Even if it’s not exact, Selmon rchants are a small enough bloodline that we can trace her relatives eventually.”
Isaac was montarily speechless.
Leonora responded as if she had anticipated Isaac’s doubts. Now, the only reason Isaac had left to suspect her was rooted in ga lore: “You’re a sociopath molded by capitalism.”
Taking an orphaned girl to safety with her relatives in the rear lines.
Leonora’s explanation had all the justification and rationale needed.
All Isaac could do was object.
“I’ll take her myself.”
Leonora’s lips twitched.
“That would be… problematic, Sir Knight.”
“Is that so?”
The mont Leonora answered, Isaac drew Kaldwin. If she had simply said, “Go ahead,” he would have apologized and let her leave.
But her response confird what he had suspected all along.
The very suspicion he had been unable to fully verify.
“Does Angela know the location of the ‘Midas’ Hand?”
For the first ti, Leonora’s calm deanor cracked.
***
Isaac had always suspected it.
Why would Angela’s parents, affiliated with the Golden Idol Guild, risk their lives to reach Holy Land Lua?
What were they seeking there?
Most people wouldn’t easily answer that question, but Isaac could make an educated guess—he had seen the ending of the Golden Idol Guild route.
Sowhere within that place lay the greatest relic of the Golden Idol: the Midas’ Hand.
The victory condition for the Golden Idol Guild—‘The Midas’ Hand.’
It was the final ending Isaac had seen in Naless Chaos, and also the most difficult and convoluted. Winning with the Midas’ Hand was challenging not because of its inherent significance, but because the Golden Idol Guild lacked power and could not expect significant divine buffs.
It was a completion task for those deliberately playing ‘weak characters,’ nothing more and nothing less.
Moreover, the ultimate conclusion of this route was to turn the entire world into gold—a tasteless pursuit if there ever was one. There might be deeper aning behind it, but Isaac didn’t care about that right now.
What mattered was that the Midas’ Hand was located in Holy Land Lua.
However, the Midas’ Hand wasn’t a tangible relic; it existed as a nebulous concept. It was a kind of anomaly that had erged when the Immortal Emperor Beshek broke the boundaries between heaven and earth.
To manifest it in reality required a specific ritual.
Isaac suspected that Angela and her family might have discovered how to locate the Midas’ Hand.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. The Midas’ Hand?”
Leonora forced herself to keep her voice calm. It was natural for her to deny it, as hardly anyone knew about the Midas’ Hand. Even the coachman and the rcenaries exchanged puzzled glances.
“Pretend all you like, but I know the truth. The Midas’ Hand is…”
He was about to reveal that it was the only way for the Golden Idol Guild to overturn the entire ga, when Leonora hurriedly raised her hand.
“Wait, wait. I get it, so please stop talking. If you blurt that out, I’ll have to kill everyone here.”
The rcenaries’ shocked gazes flickered as she spoke, and only the coachman, who would likely be the executioner, readied his sword.
Leonora glanced briefly at the rcenaries and said, “Your escort duties are complete. Go wait for in Lenheim.”
Without a word of protest, the rcenaries turned their horses and left. Seeing Leonora reduce her guards, Isaac couldn’t help but admire her boldness, but it was a prudent move; a few rcenaries wouldn’t change the outco of what was to co. Once the rcenaries had gone far enough, Leonora turned back to Isaac.
“…Yes, the Midas’ Hand is in Holy Land Lua. And the Golden Idol Guild, especially the Selmon rchants, have spent considerable ti and effort to pinpoint its exact location.”
“And Angela was the first to co back with sothing close to a lead.”
“A remarkable result indeed. Though why they returned to Syracusa instead of Audry, I cannot say.”
“Why do you think?”
Isaac spoke coldly, fixing Leonora with a piercing gaze.
“Because they knew you’d rip that girl’s head open if you thought it would get you what you wanted.”
Even the monastery’s priest had suggested using a relic that could risk Angela becoming catatonic to break the protective miracle. Leonora could have taken even more drastic asures in her pursuit of precise information.
Isaac’s words elicited no denial or outrage from Leonora. She only offered a sad yet chilling smile.
Isaac felt a surge of anger as he looked at that smile.
“Is gold really that important to you? You’d rip open a kid’s mind just to get a hand that makes gold?”
“…Making gold? Why would I need sothing like that?”
Leonora’s expression turned genuinely perplexed. Isaac wondered if this was yet another one of her deceitful acts, but Leonora stared back at him with a strange, unreadable look.
Then she broke into a bright smile, as if she had realized sothing.
“Aha, so the Holy Grail Knight doesn’t actually know what the Midas’ Hnad is!”
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