俺が冒険者ギルドに辿り着き、預けている金を「すぐ持っていきたい」とギルドマスターのおじさんに伝えると、「今すぐには用意できないから明日の昼頃に来てくれ」と言われた.

　それで結局、リーンには早朝の出発は待ってもらうことになり、俺は翌日になってから言われた通り昼にギルドを訪ねて行ったのだが.

　いつになく暗い表情のギルドのおじさんに、今まで一度も登ったことのない冒険者ギルドの階段の上から手招きされた.

「ノール. 今日はこっちだ」

　そうして俺は言われるまま冒険者ギルドの階段を登り、その奥の部屋に通された.
　途中、俺たちの他に武器を持った男が三人ついてきて、彼らのうちの二人は廊下に残り、一人は俺たちと一緒に部屋の中に入り、ドアの前に立った.
　なんだか物々しい雰囲気だ.

「彼らは？」
「うちの警備員だ. 気にしないでくれ」
「そうか. でも、この部屋、随分暗いな……？」

　俺が通された部屋は真昼だというのにほぼ真っ暗だった.
　一切窓がなく、ロウソクの火だけで明かりを取っているからだろう.
　部屋の中心に小さなテーブルと、その両脇に革張りのフカフカした椅子が二つある.

「まあ、まずは座ってくれ」

　ギルドのおじさんはそう言って白髪混じりの頭を掻き、片方の椅子に座りながら俺にも椅子を勧めた.
　いつものように金の入った袋をカウンター越しに受け取るだけだと思っていた俺は、少し面食らいつつ、その革張りの椅子に腰掛けた.

「これがお前さんに頼まれてた金だ」

　おじさんは背後にあった金属製の大きな箱から、大きめの革袋を取り出し、テーブルの上にそっと置いた.
　袋自体は俺が「これに入れてくれ」と渡しておいたものだが、こんなに膨らんだ姿は初めて見る. 袋の重みで木製のテーブルが軋む音が聞こえる.

「昨日言われた通り、お前さんが今までに稼いだほぼ全額(・・)をここに用意してある……当面の生活費を除いてな. まあ、実質ここにあるのがお前さんの全財産ってことになるんだろうな」
「そうか、これで全部か」

　これまでの全部の稼ぎが一つの袋に収まるというのは多いような、少ないような. 少し不思議な感じだった.
　とはいえ、袋の中身の重さは相当なものらしく、小さな木製のテーブルは今にも崩れてしまいそうだ. 今、この状況で横から軽くつついたら、簡単に足が折れてしまうかもしれない.
　そんなことを心配している俺を前に、ギルドのおじさんはゆっくりと口を開いた.

「……なあ、ノール. こんなことは俺の立場上、言っちゃいけねえんだけどよ. でも、本当にいいんだな？　これ全部、あっち(・・・)に持ってくってことで. 絶対に後悔……しねえんだな？」
「ああ、大丈夫だ」

　昨日から、おじさんは同じことを何度も念を押して確認してくる.
　今回のリーンからの依頼は冒険者ギルドを通しての『指名依頼』なので、ギルドのおじさんにも俺がこれからサレンツァに行くことは伝わっている.
　前の話もあり、不安に思っているというのは俺にもわかるが.

「……まあ、お前さんとしちゃあ、いちいち何度も同じことを聞く俺を、うるさく思うだろうがな. そもそも、これはお前さんの金だ. 自力で稼いだ金だし、お前さんがどう使おうと誰にも口を挟む権限はねえ. 冒険者ギルド(うちの組織)としても、使途に一切口を出さねえのは絶対の原則(ルール)だしな. 俺だってそれぐらいわかってるし、そういうルールを曲げる気はねぇ……でもな？」

　The uncle took a small breath, looked me straight in the face and said.

"...... As your acquaintance, let me tell you this. You know exactly how much money this is, and you're really trying to get it to ...... Salenza, don't you?
Well, I'm planning on it.
...... Really?　You don't think it's a small fortune, do you?
Yeah. Of course, I know it's a lot of money. But I can't think of a better use for it in King's Landing. I thought it would be better to spend it all on this trip instead of letting it sleep at my place.

　I tried to be honest with him, but when he heard me, he slowly shook his head and let out a small sigh.

I thought I was being honest, but when he heard what I had to say, he slowly shook his head and gave a small sigh. I've been in King's Landing for a while now, so I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. ...... Can I go over this one more time to give you a refresher?　The value of ...... currency(kore).

　Then the uncle pointed to the leather bag on the table with a serious expression.

That's right.

　I think I'm getting used to using money for small amounts, but there are some currencies I've never seen before that are only used for high value transactions.
　I'd be very grateful if you could tell me about them here.

Please.
Let's go. Let's start with the cheapest first.

　The uncle then slowly took out the contents of the leather bag and placed them on the table, one by one, so that they could be easily counted.

　First, there were about 100 copper coins, which are commonly used.
　Then, there are 100 square silver coins that you sometimes see.
　There are 50 larger silver coins.
　There are 100 small round gold coins and 10 large gold coins.
　Seven shiny white coins that I have never seen before.
　Five slightly smaller coins in weird rainbow colors.

　As the table was lined with coins of all sizes, I heard the armed guard at the door behind me swallowing his spit.

　When he finished laying out the coins, he picked up a copper coin and showed it to me.

This is a 'copper coin'. This is a 'copper coin'. It's used for eating and drinking.
"I can see that. That's the one you use most often.
That's right. One coin will buy you a loaf of fresh bread, and several will give you a good meal. And the small, square coin next to the copper coin is the 'small silver coin. They are worth a hundred times as much as copper coins. You've seen these before, right?
Yeah, I've seen and used 'small silver coins' from time to time.
Yes, I have. So, ......, I think these are the coins that are not usually used.



　The uncle put the copper and small silver coins back on the table and pointed to an unfamiliar silver coin beside them.

This big round coin is a 'big silver coin' worth ten times as much as a small silver coin. With a few of them, you can buy a good weapon for life. That's a lot of money. The small gold coin next to it is a 'small gold coin' worth ten times as much. With one of these, most adventurers will have all the equipment they need for their entire body.
Is that so?
Yeah, it's a lot of money.

　There are 100 small gold coins on the table.
　There are 100 small gold coins on the table, and it seems like a fortune.

"And much bigger than these 'small gold coins' are 'big gold coins' worth ten times as much. One of these coins is enough to build a small house. Well, it might be too small for a large family, but it's enough to build a nice house for one family. Here are ten of them.
"A house. That's ──── amazing.

　When I think of ten houses on this small table, ...... I feel more and more like the rickety table is about to break. In fact, it's heavy to hold in your hands.

...... So far, well, that's just about the limit of what you can show in public. It would be better not to show a large gold coin, though. However, the currency from here on is different. If a stranger sees it, it's really bad.
Is there more to it?
There's ......, right here.

　The old man looked a little dumbfounded and pointed to the shiny white and rainbow-colored coins on the table. This is really a currency I've never seen before.

"Look, Noor. From here on out, you should never (・・・・・・) show (・・・・・) these (・・・・) to anyone. If you show these to someone you don't trust, you're ──── dead for the moment.
It's a mess.
That's the way it is. Then I'll explain.
Oh.

　I listened attentively to my uncle's serious explanation.

"This white one is the 'white gold coin. A single piece of it can buy a small castle (・・・・・), and that's a hell of a lot of money. It's not enough to build a new castle, but it's enough to build a mansion. It's worth ten times more than a 'big gold coin'.
"...... Ten times more.

　...... I'm starting to lose my edge.
　In the event you're not sure what you're looking for, you'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.



"Oh. You'll never see one of these in your normal life. I wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of bandits attacked you for one of these. There are seven of them here at .......
That's ...... amazing.
"To be honest, I'm not crazy about it right now. But there is a currency that is worth more than even that. That's the little 'King's Gold Coin'.

　He took the small rainbow-colored coin and showed it to me, but his hands were sweaty and shaking.

"Are you nervous?
"......, of course. I've seen these before, but I've never held one in my ...... hands.
Is it that rare?
Yeah. This gold coin is worth ten times as much as the platinum coin, and is the most valuable coin in the world. I don't know much about how it works, but it is said to be absolutely impossible to counterfeit using the technology derived from the labyrinth, and even if you try to damage it, it will not be damaged unless you do something serious. I'm not sure how it works, but it's said to be absolutely impossible to counterfeit using labyrinth-derived technology, and if you try to damage it, it won't hurt you unless you do something wrong.
"...... I see.
With one of these, you can build a magnificent castle. With a few of these, you could build a nice castle with a nice garden.
I see.

　The King of Currency.
　Sure, it's small, but it shines like a jewel and seems to be worth something.
　But even though he explained it in detail, it didn't make sense to me. In the end, they just look like coins to me.
　Well, it turns out that they are all the same money.

...... Hey, Noor. You look like you don't quite understand what I'm talking about.
No. I've got a pretty good idea of what you're talking about.
...... Are you sure about that?　In case you're wondering, you're going to be carrying around 10 large gold coins. There are 7 white gold coins. And 5 king's gold coins. In other words, there are 10 brand-new beautiful houses, 7 mansions, and 5 small castles in this ...... filthy leather bag. Do you understand what I'm saying?
"Yeah. Yeah, I think I get it.

　When you say that, ...... I feel more and more like I don't need it.

...... I'm worried. It's really a lot of money.　I've prepared it for you because you told me to. ...... This is a horrible amount of money to spread out in a room like this. I've never seen anything like it.



Well, worst case ...... scenario, if you feel your life is in danger, just give it to them, right?

　The uncle covered his face with one hand, shook his head, and sighed deeply.

If that's the case, you'll be able to go to ......, but you don't know if you'll still have a life.　You can even be killed to keep your mouth shut. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for. It's a lot of money that you wouldn't normally see in your lifetime. Take good care of it, okay?

　As he said this, he put the coins back into the leather bag he had spread out on the table.

...... I've never heard of this guy. I've never heard of carrying around such a large sum of money in such a worn out leather bag.
"So you'd rather carry it in something else?

　I'm sure you've heard of it.

He paused for a moment to consider my question. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it. In the event that you have any kind of questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at our own web site. It's like declaring that you have a valuable item if it's found. ...... I mean, I don't know if you can use it. ...... I don't know.

　I'm sure you'll be able to figure out what's going on.

It's not our job to tell you what to do,....... After all, this is your money. You'll have to figure out the rest on your own. As for me, once I give it to you, I can only tell you to do what you want with it.
"Oh, thank you for telling me all this.
Also, just speaking for myself, ...... whatever you plan to use it for, don't ever tell anyone that you have more than a 'white gold coin', ...... ever.
I'm going to be careful. Don't worry about it.
Then take it. That's all you got.
Yeah, ......, that's a lot of weight.

　Then I received a large leather bag from the guild uncle.
　He was still trying to tell me something, but whatever it was, I got a bag full of money for the trip.

　The contents of this leather bag were explained to me, and I realized once again that it was a lot of money, but it was still money that I had no use for.
　I was told that if I carried it around with me, there would be a risk of it being stolen or targeted by bad people, but I was told that it would be fine as long as they didn't know about it, and in short, I should just spend it before that happened.

　The point is that you should spend it all before that happens. Just go over there, find what you want and buy it, and you will be lighter.
　That's all you have to be careful about.
　That's all I have to be careful about. That makes me feel a little better.

I'm off then.
"......, be really careful.

　I left the adventurer's guild with a heavy leather bag full of coins on my shoulders and headed for the place where I was to meet Lean and the others.