READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 1 - Jealousy
…320 million, 330 million.
Even at this very moment, the price of Codanas was skyrocketing.
The hero defeated a Demon Lord, so of course the prices would rise. Some needlessly overthinking people were even doing analysis on it.
“It seems a big whale has stepped in.”
Bingo, an administrative clerk in the lowly ranks of the Imperial Knights, had a likable appearance but a stunted height and glaringly thin hair.
As his makeshift name suggests, he was a commoner. I too was one of the few commoners in the knightly order.
We didn’t become friends through commiserating as fellow commoners, but actually bonded over being among the initial Codana investors.
Bingo currently holds 9 Codanas.
He said he spent every penny he had during the initial issuance to acquire them. Compared to my 108 Codanas, his holdings were puny, but still more than most nobles.
‘At least I have someone to discuss Codanas with…’
The problem was that he had developed a taste for trend analysis.
“Who do you mean by a big whale?”
“In my view, there’s a high chance it’s a member of the imperial family. The second prince has been aggressively buying since two months ago.”
“Isn’t it a bit late to be purchasing more at this point?”
The Codana price had already reached 330 million. By tomorrow morning, it could soar to 340 or even 350 million. No matter how wealthy the imperial household was, entering this market so belatedly seemed overly risky.
“Late? Do you really think so?”
“Well, I suppose so.”
I only said that out of concern for the second prince’s purse, but Bingo looked at me with pity instead.
“You fool. That’s easy for you to say since you got yours for free, but Codanas are still far from their peak. They’ve barely made it up to the chest area at most?”
“The chest area?”
“They’ve got a long way to go before reaching the crown of the head.”
Bingo insisted adamantly that Codanas still had room for further price appreciation.
He seemed to have his own rationale too. Depending on the hero Kwon Hee-jin’s exploits, he said prices could easily soar to 500 or 600 million. One of the Demon Lords was still alive, and above all, the Demon King himself remained at the apex.
“Those holding Codanas now are probably just dreaming of the moment when the Demon King is defeated and the hero distributes the spoils of victory. Just imagine the sheer wealth hoarded in the Demon King’s castle – all sorts of rare artifacts and priceless treasures must be piled up there.”
“Distributing spoils? There’s no basis for that.”
“The hero has never explicitly denied it, so he’s implicitly acknowledged it. He’s just kept quiet because the Demon King’s castle could turn out to be surprisingly impoverished. He doesn’t want to fuel rumors unnecessarily only for the result to be disappointing and face a backlash.”
“So when should I sell my Codanas?”
“The best time is to quickly sell when the anticipation of Codana investors peaks just before the hero’s climactic battle with the Demon King.”
“Not right after the subjugation is complete?”
When I raised my objection, Bingo openly frowned.
“That wouldn’t be wise. Once the Demon King is eliminated, all the positive catalysts will be exhausted. The hero will receive a noble title from the Emperor and live luxuriously.”
“Meaning there would no longer be any room for further price increases. …Well, once the peak is reached, there’s no need for people to struggle to acquire Codanas.”
“Exactly. Right.”
After arrogantly chattering for a while, Bingo suddenly took on a grave expression for some reason. Glancing around cautiously, he spoke seriously.
“Eric, listen up.”
“Hmm?”
“The big score is right around the corner. Not far at all. But to safely secure that money, you need to start being more discreet from now on.”
“…?”
“Everyone knows we’re holding multiple Codanas, right? At the very least, it’s common knowledge within the knightly order.”
Well, of course they would know.
In fact, lately there have been quite a few members cautiously asking me about Codanas.
From the moment Codana prices exceeded 5 million, rumors had circulated among the rank-and-file that “Eric demanded the coins in exchange for foreseeing the Codana price surge and giving up joining the hero’s party.” Nowadays, even the formal members bring up Codanas in front of me.
“Yeah, I’m sure they’re aware. But what of it?”
“You can’t underestimate human greed. If you just sold the Codanas you’re holding now, you’d have enough to purchase a decent-sized estate. Of course, that’s not your intention, but the members subsisting on meager salaries – can you imagine what they might be thinking when they look at you?”
“They’re probably just envious. Though I’m sure they wish they also had Codanas, what can they do about it now?”
“Tsk. That’s not it. It’s only going to get harder from here on out.”
Bingo himself said he was already being ostracized at work.
After rejecting requests to ‘share a round’ of drinks a few times, he started getting glared at by the administrative director. Since refusing a proposal to sell just one Codana to contribute to the club fund, even his colleagues have been shunning him.
“I’ve been eating meals alone for months now, and getting unfairly burdened with work. If I protest, they just mock me saying I should resign and live off selling my Codanas.”
“Geez, it’s that bad?”
“The knightly order is almost entirely comprised of nobles apart from you, so they won’t openly begrudge you. But inwardly, they’re probably stewing with resentment.”
With those words of caution, Bingo took his leave.
‘No way.’
I didn’t entirely disregard his warning, but as an administrative clerk, his position differed somewhat from mine as a knight.
All members of the Imperial Knights were exceptional knights possessing at least intermediate expert-level skills, taking pride in being part of the order that safeguarded the Empire. They were individuals who had been called prodigies from a young age, so their pride also tended to be strong.
Would such people really feel envious over mere money?
…Well, they are only human, so envy is possible.
But for that to lead them to harass me or pick fights seemed hard to imagine. If that were the case, they would have already made a move long ago.
Shaking my head, I returned to the training grounds.
Unusually deserted training grounds. Even the few members swinging blades were just going through the motions half-heartedly.
“Eric, I heard the hero’s party will be visiting the Imperial City soon? Not going to greet them?”
The hero’s party is coming to the palace? I didn’t know that.
“Oh, and Eric. I heard you’re supposed to be holding quite a few Codanas? My bro was saying you have over 200.”
I was about to casually respond when I tightly sealed my lips instead. For some reason, answering “Not as many as 200” with a chuckle didn’t seem appropriate.
The member who asked stared at me intently before twisting his face into an awkward smile.
“Ah, my bad. I shouldn’t have asked about something like that.”
“…”
“Don’t worry about it. Relax that face, Eric.”
As he waved his hand dismissively and walked away, his expression struck me as unnaturally stiff.
I had no intention of consoling myself as an imbecile thinking “It must be my imagination.” The attitudes of the few members who had surrounded me, each tossing out a remark, were clearly not normal.
‘Why the sudden change?’
Surely they weren’t acting this way just because Codana prices breached 300 million?
Whether 250 million or 300 million, it was still a massive sum of money, so that specific number didn’t seem likely to rub them the wrong way. It’s not like I had been flaunting my wealth either. To be honest, I had never even brought it up first.
What was with their sudden behavior?
This has truly reached the limit.
Those were the muttered words of Rufus Weinwright, commander of the Imperial Knights.
Signs of discord had begun sprouting among the members ever since Codanas first started being traded.
It was widely known back then that Eric, one of the knights, had chosen to acquire Codanas instead of the honor of joining the hero’s party, and had become fabulously wealthy as a result.
Eric hadn’t been resented from the very start.
There were simply quite a few who found it perplexing that he never mentioned sharing any of the profits with the knightly order, not even giving the slightest such indication.
In the first place, the only reason Eric could receive Codanas was because of his status as a member of the Imperial Knights. If not for that, he would never have been considered as a potential hero’s party candidate nor voluntarily declined that opportunity.
It was only proper that he should have shared a portion of those gains with his comrades.
Yet for some reason, Eric kept his mouth tightly sealed and acted suspiciously.
First there were rumors that he had purchased a safe, then at some point he even started carrying Codanas on his person, with recent rumors even claiming he was sewing them into his inner clothes.
Commander, what should we do about this brat Eric?
His overly defensive attitude is only making him more suspicious. You don’t think he’ll just up and sell everything before quitting the order, do you?
Weinwright forcibly suppressed the members’ resentment towards Eric. In truth, Weinwright himself had no particular interest in Codanas, but he could not ignore the discord among his subordinates.
If Eric had any sense, he would broach the subject himself soon enough. He wasn’t some fresh recruit, but a veteran well-versed in the ways of the knightly order, so surely he wouldn’t keep feigning ignorance. Weinwright felt indignant at the prospect of one of their finest members alienating himself from the organization.
However, even his efforts had now reached their limit, to the point where even the commander at the apex of status and ability in the order could no longer keep things under control.
“Ugh. This is maddening.”
Clutching his throbbing head, Weinwright let out a sigh.
Come to think of it, Eric voluntarily relinquishing the honor of joining the hero’s party was strange in itself.
Was the chance to build martial achievements alongside the hero not an invaluable glory that could not be measured in money? Yet Eric had forsaken it all too readily.
“…Just what are you thinking, Eric?”
The furrows etched on Weinwright’s face only deepened over time. If Eric just handed out a few dozen Codanas, he could have earned his comrades’ respect and admiration. Weinwright could not fathom why Eric insisted on sowing discord over mere money.