Heritage, Is It Truly Heritage

Honestly, Rebecca wasn't good at these kinds of things. Even after Gawain explained it once, she only half-understood—but she did grasp one point: her ancestor didn't seem to have a very favorable opinion of the current King Francis II.

"It's not quite animosity, but caution is absolutely necessary," Gawain replied casually when Rebecca asked. He glanced at Amber standing beside him but spoke openly, "The Second Dynasty, don't forget it's the 'Second Dynasty.' For royalty that isn't entirely legitimate to begin with, the Cecil Family can be seen as descendants of founding heroes, or... as people from the previous era. Even if we have no such intentions, Francis II, as king, has to harbor concerns of this nature, and his concerns dictate my caution."

"So, you're going to cause trouble for His Majesty the King?" Rebecca asked, blinking.

"No, I don't actually want to cause trouble for him," Gawain shrugged. "I'm just stirring things up."

Rebecca: "Huh?!"

Gawain found it difficult to explain the issue to Rebecca, so he changed the subject directly: "Never mind, these aren't important. Let's get back to our previous topic. Amber..."

Before being instructed, Amber raised her hands to show she understood: "I know, I know. I'm supposed to guard outside, right? Oh, a life of constant toil..."

"No," Gawain raised an eyebrow. "I meant you can stay nearby—though if you feel bored, you can go back to your room and rest. You must be tired after all the commotion today?"

Amber looked at Gawain incredulously: "Whoa, are you suddenly feeling generous?"

Then, she shook her head and scurried to the desk. "I'm not going back. I want to see what you two are up to... By the way, are you really dividing an inheritance?"

Gawain shook his head, ignoring the half-elf, and placed the Platinum Disc back on the table.

"You said just now that this is a key," Rebecca remembered what Gawain hadn't finished saying. "Could it be our family's secret treasure?"

Amber immediately perked up her ears, but deliberately acted like she was looking around, as fake as could be.

Gawain smiled. "It is indeed a treasure. It's a hidden vault located in a secret location on the southern border, but it was originally prepared for the Ansu Kingdom. Of course, for the current kingdom, it might not be considered immense wealth anymore—but for the pioneering team that had just escaped to this land back then, it was half the expedition's assets."

Rebecca's eyes widened.

"It was originally a safeguard for the Ansu Kingdom. After all, in those times, no one knew what would happen the next day," Gawain said with a smile, revealing the true purpose of their trip to the capital. "The pioneering team fled north from the Gondor Wasteland. As we moved, we absorbed and gathered the survivors from the wasteland, collecting various resources. Thus, the team grew larger, bulkier, and more conspicuous. As a result, while crossing the Dark Mountains, a monster army wandering out from the wasteland discovered our tracks. The army was covering the civilians moving through the mountainous terrain, so their speed naturally couldn't match those tireless monsters. Consequently, a fierce battle ensued. The losses were significant. After the battle, while tallying the losses, Charles and I realized something: those monsters wouldn't give up easily. If we continued to carry all the supplies across the mountains and forests, the entire team would likely perish on the way. So, we both made a decision..."

"We left behind a portion of the supplies that would severely slow down the team's progress, hiding them deep within an abandoned border fortress, and simultaneously placed powerful seals on the treasure vault. Afterward, the team traveled light and continued heading north.

"You already know the subsequent history—the pioneering team established a foothold in the north and built a new kingdom center between the Holy Spirit Plain and the northern mountain ranges. Charles I built cities and fortifications in the Sunir region, but that batch of supplies in the south... still lies there quietly."

Rebecca asked curiously, "Why didn't you retrieve them?"

"Initially, it was due to unstable circumstances and excessive cost," Gawain explained. "Back then, the corruption was still spreading, and monsters even managed to extend their corrupted zones to the northern side of the Dark Mountains. The place where we left the supplies then became a contaminated zone, and sending a team to retrieve goods from such a place was unwise. More importantly, we found abundant resources in the northern mountain ranges of the kingdom, and the Holy Spirit Plain began to produce wealth continuously. These new riches would soon surpass the remaining supplies in the south. With these two factors, the vault in the southern mountains was gradually forgotten."

Rebecca looked at the Platinum Disc in Gawain's hand. "But it seems it wasn't completely forgotten..."

"Precisely. The pioneers naturally remembered where they hid their treasures. Although that wealth would seem increasingly insignificant in the foreseeable future, it was, after all, a 'commemoration' of that epic pioneering journey. And we thought back then that the Magic Tide would eventually recede naturally, and future generations would one day be able to retrieve those things safely. So, Charles and I made a pact: our two families would each keep this secret. We would pass down the story of the southern treasures from generation to generation. The heirs of the Cecil Family and the Moen Family would all know about this. If the Magic Tide receded one day, and the kingdom needed those assets, we would retrieve them. Think about it—an ancient secret passed down for hundreds of years, treasures of the royal family and founding nobles passed down through generations, an inheritance hidden in the mountains, requiring a token to open—Charles, that old chuunibyou, thought it would be very cool."

Amber sized Gawain up. "This was another decision you two made after getting drunk, wasn't it?"

Gawain: "...You could probably think of it that way."

Rebecca stared blankly at her ancestor, and after a long while, said, "But I, as the heir of the Cecil family, have never heard this story..."

"This kind of inheritance always has problems," Gawain sighed. "He passed away rather suddenly back then and didn't have time to brief his descendants..."

Rebecca: "..."

"However, it seems Charles managed to pass the secret on to his descendants quite well," Gawain coughed to break the awkwardness, raising the Platinum Disc in his hand. "I came here to confirm if this key was still here—since it is, it means that over the past seven hundred years, the Ansu Royal Family has not used those assets. Charles knew this secret, and so do his descendants who inherited it normally. But—the illegitimate children did not."

In the years 635-636 of Ansu, a civil war destroyed the royal lineage. The king did not have time to leave any heirs, and his siblings all perished in the civil war. In the end, only the Grand Duke of the Northern Territory supported an illegitimate child found from the common folk, whose authenticity was unknown, to ascend the throne...

Even if that illegitimate child was real, he wouldn't know the secret of the southern treasure vault.

"Those things..." Rebecca's eyes shone as she looked at the "key," but then she frowned. "But can we really use them as we please? That's..."

Gawain glanced at his N+1 generation great-granddaughter. "Of course, you can. You are a descendant of the Cecil Family, have some confidence. Charles and I buried those things together. Besides Charles himself, is there anyone in this world more qualified to inherit those assets than me? I don't believe Charles can jump out of his coffin like I can..."

Rebecca thought for a moment, then suddenly turned and grabbed Amber's arm forcefully. "You absolutely must not go digging up imperial tombs!"

Amber: "...What?"

Immediately after, the half-elf lady shivered, staring at Gawain with a tense expression. "Wait! I... I've heard such confidential matters... You're not actually planning to kill me to silence me, are you?"

At this moment, Gawain really wanted to smash her against the wall with his sword. "If I wanted to silence you, would I wait until now?"

Amber's tension didn't lessen at all. "Then if I, an outsider, hear all these things you two are talking about..."

"First, I trust you quite a bit right now. Second, I know you're actually a smart person," Gawain said, raising the disc in his hand. "The only bold idea you might have is to steal this disc, but this disc can only be activated by the blood of the Moen Family or the Cecil Family. And whether the bloodline of the Moen Family truly exists in this world is hard to say even now. So, it's obvious that if you want to gain some advantage, you only have..."

Amber stepped forward, chest puffed out, and declared righteously: "Serving the founding heroes is a great honor! I, Amber, will surely do my best and fulfill my duties with utmost loyalty—in matters this epic, what's there to talk about money?"

"Then I really won't talk about money with you..."

"Of course, if you insist on talking about money, I can't help it."

This was the first time Gawain had seen someone be so shamelessly righteous.

In the latter half of that night, there were finally no more visitors disturbing them.

The rows of mousetraps and nails Gawain had placed on the study windowsill were not used.

Although those things wouldn't be of much use against those unscientific shadow stalkers anyway...

The next day, after resting and recuperating, Gawain and his party arrived at Silver Castle.

The same court official from yesterday was responsible for the reception, and Francis II even replicated the grand welcoming scene from yesterday—the formalities were certainly handled with utmost care.

Moreover, this time, two teams of messengers galloped out from within Silver Castle, respectively patrolling the two main roads outside the royal district and using amplification magic to loudly announce the news: "The Founding Grand Duke of Ansu, Gawain Cecil, is about to enter Silver Castle."

It seemed Prince Edmund had effectively conveyed Gawain's wishes to his father. Francis II put on a good show for the public.

It remained to be seen how the Shadow Guard reported back upon their return. This should be easily judged by looking at Francis II's expression.

After tidying his appearance and ensuring the Pioneer's Sword at his waist was in the most prominent position, Gawain strode confidently into Silver Castle.