Chapter 5

Entering the Training Camp (2)

After hearing Walter’s account of the commotion Ethan had caused, the instructor rubbed his forehead.

This had happened countless times before, yet somehow, he always managed to leave out one crucial detail.

At this point, I suppose I can blame my forgetfulness, too.

Walter felt bad for Rex, who was still sprawled on the floor, but he decided to give Ethan the benefit of the doubt this time.

“I did inform you late, after all. I’ll make an exception just this once.”

“Phew.”

Ethan rubbed his chest and finally let out a sigh of relief.

“But this is a warning.”

“Thank you.”

And with that, the matter was settled.

However, the atmosphere hadn’t completely recovered.

Now, what am I supposed to do about this icy atmosphere?

The room had fallen deathly silent, and every trainee was looking at him the same way.

Psycho.

It didn’t take long for Ethan to be branded as a dangerous element at the training camp.

A little while later.

Putting Ethan’s situation aside for the moment, the trainees found themselves sharply divided over what to do.

Of the twenty-three trainees, three people took the lead in voicing their opinions.

They were the same people Ethan had been keeping an eye on earlier:

Nicholas, Rebecca, and Koren.

Nicholas spoke first.

“How about we decide an order and let everyone take one item each? That would be fair.”

Rebecca immediately objected.

“Why bother deciding an order? Whoever claims something first should get it.”

She rested her chin on her hand and added mockingly,

“I’m going to do things my way. The person who grabs something first without worrying about anyone else wins.”

Koren agreed.

“Right. But what if some psycho starts causing a scene and tries to snatch things by force?”

His eyes were fixed on Ethan.

Nicholas, still with his arms crossed, muttered in response,

“Then we should all punish him together.”

At that moment, every trainee in the room nodded in agreement.

Ethan had already been classified as a threat.

You guys don’t die if you fail to find anything. I do.

Unable to reveal what was really going through his mind, Ethan shamelessly changed his attitude.

“I completely agree with all of you.”

“…”

The trainees stared at Ethan with utterly dumbfounded expressions.

But Ethan played innocent and began seriously searching for an item.

The room was filled with all sorts of objects.

A dagger decorated with gold, a ring set with exquisite gemstones, an old-looking book that seemed far from ordinary…

But Ethan had to be careful.

If I fail this quest, I’m definitely going to die.

On top of that, everyone was watching him like a hawk, making him even more anxious than usual.

Stay calm. I’m Ethan Fritz. Think of every skill I have.

Ethan Fritz possessed exceptional aptitude when it came to business and gathering information.

However, the Ethan of the past had been unable to make use of those talents.

He had plenty of information stored in his head, but he couldn’t bring it out when he needed it.

But the Ethan of today was different.

With a new consciousness residing within him, he could organize the information he possessed and apply it quickly.

His knowledge was no longer something that merely wandered around inside his head.

He had gained the ability to read situations, make use of his memories, and make immediate judgments.

And at this very moment, Ethan decided to make full use of that ability.

Countless objects he had seen in the Thieves’ Guild flashed through his mind.

The differences between genuine and counterfeit items, which the Ethan of the past would have simply overlooked, now appeared as clear as if he could grasp them in his hands.

He immediately turned his attention to the objects in front of him.

One by one, Ethan began examining the items his competitors were scrutinizing, reaching out to touch them himself or holding them up to the light.

First, the steel dagger.

The name of a famous blacksmith, Ferguson, was engraved on its blade.

Ethan scratched the spine of the dagger with his fingernail.

Click.

An almost imperceptible amount of metallic powder fell from the blade.

Cheap steel. If this were a genuine legendary sword, it wouldn’t flake off like this.

The material was low-grade steel, and it was probably worth around three silver.

Next, the golden ring.

Ethan slipped it between his fingers and gently twisted it.

Screech.

If it were gold, it should have bent easily, but it resisted more strongly than expected.

Seeing the faint reddish residue left on his fingertips, Ethan smirked.

Copper plated with gold. It’s a replica of a noble family’s ring. Five silver.

The third item was the old book.

Ethan opened it and rubbed the edge of the cover with his fingernail.

The scratched portion was a lighter color than the rest of the surface.

They artificially made the exterior look old. Maybe seven silver.

He also blew on one of the pages and confirmed that it was ordinary paper rather than parchment.

Finally, there was a crystal necklace.

Ethan held it up to the light.

If it were a genuine mana crystal, a soft glow should have spread from within.

But this was merely reflected light.

When he pressed down on it slightly, he saw tiny air bubbles trapped inside.

It’s not a real mana crystal. Just a lump of glass. It’s not even worth one silver.

A smile appeared at the corner of Ethan’s lips.

The experience he had gained from countless encounters with valuables in the Thieves’ Guild—the ability to distinguish the genuine from the fake—had not been wasted.

Ethan couldn’t help but let out a quiet chuckle.

Nicholas and Rebecca, who apparently considered themselves rather clever, were handling counterfeits with serious expressions, clearly at a loss.

Koren, the only one suspected of being from a noble family, had noticed that several items were fake.

But he couldn’t find the genuine one, and he was biting his lower lip in frustration.

From all this, Ethan could draw only one conclusion.

Every item in this room is fake.

If that was the case, then where was the real one?

Ethan looked around the room, examining the walls.

Then he noticed something strange.

The wallpaper on one section of the wall had been pasted awkwardly.

He carefully reached out and peeled back a small section.

Hidden behind it was a sealed envelope.

Ethan opened the envelope and inspected its contents.

The corner of his mouth curled upward.

Bingo!

A short while later.

Time was up.

Walter walked slowly among the trainees, checking each of their items one by one.

“Fail.”

“Fail.”

“This is fake. Fail.”

His voice echoed throughout the room.

Disappointment was written all over the trainees’ faces.

Each of them clutched the item they had chosen, but Walter’s merciless evaluations quickly turned their expectations into despair.

Then Walter’s gaze fell upon the envelope in Ethan’s hand.

“What is that?”

The other trainees also looked at the old envelope Ethan was holding.

Nicholas snorted.

“Hah. What could a piece of paper like that possibly be worth? Don’t tell me you actually chose that.”

Rebecca didn’t bother hiding her ridicule either.

“You’re really leaving it all up to luck. I thought you’d found some amazing treasure.”

But Ethan smiled and opened the envelope.

Inside was an old check.

The following information was written on the back:

• Issuing Bank: Rubinus Commercial Bank
• Amount: 120 gold
• Signature: Duke Valenstein

“This is a check issued by Rubinus Commercial Bank. The signature on the check belongs to Duke Valenstein.”

Ethan confidently waved the check.

“If I take this to the bank, I can receive 120 gold.”

The trainees began murmuring among themselves.

Who would have thought that a single piece of paper could be exchanged for 120 gold?

Ethan smiled as though he had already won.

But Walter crossed his arms and let out a deep sigh.

“True, it certainly has monetary value. But is that all?”

Ethan hesitated.

Walter slowly turned toward another trainee, Varuk, and looked at the object he was holding.

“Varuk, what did you choose?”

“T-This.”

Varuk slowly presented his choice, looking uncertain.

To anyone else, it looked like nothing more than a failed stone sculpture.

Part of it was broken, and its shape wasn’t even clearly recognizable.

Nicholas laughed incredulously.

“This guy really got the worst one. Isn’t that just a rock?”

But Walter spoke calmly.

“If you look at it from a certain angle… you’ll see it.”

Varuk rotated the sculpture and tilted it slightly.

In an instant, the curves and shadows of the sculpture shifted, revealing a familiar shape.

Koren’s eyes widened in shock.

“This… could it be part of the statue of the Golden Prophet?!”

The Golden Prophet was a legendary statue modeled after the likeness of a famous prophet.

It was a treasure even the royal family coveted, and its value was virtually impossible to measure in simple monetary terms.

However, this particular piece had broken off from the original, so it was far from complete.

That existed?

Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise.

Varuk looked genuinely shocked by the unexpected praise.

“Y-You mean it’s really worth that much?!”

Walter spoke slowly.

“If we’re looking only at monetary value, Ethan and Varuk are tied. But…”

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“This sculpture has undeniable collector’s value, and it’s something nobles would covet. It can’t be compared to a simple check. Rather than receiving 120 gold immediately, he could potentially sell this for a much higher price to the right person.”

The trainees began whispering among themselves.

Looking at things realistically, it certainly seemed as though Varuk had the better chance of becoming class representative.

Ethan’s confidence in his victory began to waver.

Of all things, I had to run into something like that. How am I supposed to win? How can I argue that this check is worth more than 120 gold?

Then something flashed through Ethan’s mind.

He suddenly raised his head and spoke.

“We’re not finished yet.”

Every eye in the room turned toward Ethan.

Walter’s eyes gleamed with interest.

“What do you mean, we’re not finished?”

“This check is worth more than 120 gold.”

All the trainees reacted as though Ethan had said something ridiculous.

Nicholas frowned.

“The bank will simply exchange it for 120 gold. How could it possibly be worth more than that?”

“If you consider the check itself, you’re absolutely right. But you can’t ignore the value of the name attached to this signature.”

Ethan pointed at the signature with his finger.

[Duke Valenstein]

In an instant, a strange tension filled the room.

Several trainees exchanged startled glances.

Ethan continued slowly.

“Duke Valenstein isn’t merely a noble. He’s a hero who made enormous contributions to the founding of the Unified Astar Empire. The citizens revere him almost like a god, and among the nobility, there’s even a belief that his personal belongings offer protection.”

Several people scoffed at his words.

“So how does that make it worth more than 120 gold?”

Rebecca crossed her arms and asked sarcastically.

Ethan smiled and shook his head.

“I suppose you don’t know that his belongings sell for enormous prices at auction. Not long ago, even one of his brooches sold for 500 gold. A tiny brooch. Do you know why? Because it belonged to Duke Valenstein.”

“…”

Silence descended over the room.

“That makes no sense.”

Rebecca firmly rejected his argument.

Varuk also looked troubled as he stared down at the check.

Then Walter, who had been silent for some time, spoke quietly.

“An item bearing Duke Valenstein’s name… If you look at it from that perspective, he does have a point.”

Everyone’s attention turned toward him.

Walter stared intently at the check before speaking.

“Duke Valenstein wasn’t simply born into a prestigious family. He accomplished countless feats on the battlefield and helped build the empire. His possessions carry a symbolic value far beyond that of ordinary antiques. Nobles regard his personal belongings almost like good-luck charms. Even a small piece of jewelry can sell for hundreds of gold. A check personally signed by him…”

He paused.

“…could easily fetch at least 300 gold.”

Varuk’s expression wavered.

Ethan didn’t miss his chance.

“It’ll just take some time. But if this is put up for auction, I’m confident it can sell for more than 300 gold.”

After thinking deeply for a moment, Walter gave a small chuckle.

“Good, Ethan. You’ve understood the purpose of this test perfectly.”

“Tax delinquents are more cunning and reckless than you imagine. Sometimes they even go to extraordinary lengths that can shake your moral principles. To collect taxes from people like that, you need an eye that can’t be easily deceived and the ability to recognize value.”

He nodded.

“What you demonstrated wasn’t simply an ability to understand numbers. It was the ability to see the value hidden within those numbers.”

Instructor Walter nodded and announced,

“Congratulations. Ethan, you have been selected as the class representative.”

“Thank you.”

Ethan smiled and gave a slight bow.

[Quest: Become the Class Representative.]

Reward: Benefits granted to the class representative.

Penalty: Death upon failure.

—Congratulations. You have completed the quest.

It was the moment Ethan had finally managed to survive a crisis in which he had been surrounded on all sides.