Chapter 182: Good or Evil?

The golden door has opened.

But what was inside was nothing special.

All that was there was a few old, worn-out pieces of research equipment and a small, dried-up fountain.

Even the books crumbled to dust at the slightest touch.

“Well… it seems there’s nothing of value here except the door itself,” Nathan lamented in his characteristic voice.

“I thought it was an artifact dungeon or a workshop-type dungeon. I guess it was a dud after all.”

There had been some hope, however faint.

An artifact dungeon filled with ancient relics and treasures.

Or perhaps a workshop dungeon where expensive items could be crafted.

Such dungeons promised immense riches upon discovery.

Sadly, this discovery fell short of those expectations, leaving Ian disappointed.

“At this rate, even the Third Prince might lose interest,” Nathan muttered, lamenting to the long-gone ancient people about the needless gilding of a door.

“Is it truly gilded?” he wondered, realizing this would leave Ian in a predicament.

But just then, in the depths of the dungeon, a pair of gleaming eyes suddenly flickered to life.

Kieeeek!

A golden monster emerged from the shadows, catching everyone off guard.

The creature had been lying in wait, its menacing teeth now aimed directly at Ian.

‘No.’

Nathan was startled, but quickly activated [Swift] and leaped forward.

However, it was too late.

Even with [Swift], he couldn’t catch up to the sudden attack.

It was a mistake to have gotten separated from Ian while looking around.

Ian was going to be attacked if this continued.

‘To think it’s a mere goblin.’

Of course, calling it a mere goblin was an understatement.

The monster’s golden skin possessed a hardness that even swords or oaths could not penetrate.

Nathan felt a wave of self-doubt wash over him as he took in the scene, but he quickly made a decision.

‘I must protect the prince at all costs.’

He grabbed Ian’s body, turned his back, and prepared to take the hit instead.

But right at that moment.

“Here you go!”

Ian tossed something from his pocket.

The golden goblin, charging towards Ian, abruptly halted in its tracks, showing a flicker of hesitation.

The thrown object provoked a reaction from the goblin—it twitched as it caught a scent.

Instead of Ian, the creature redirected its charge towards the pouch. And then,

Bang!

It exploded. Nathan, ready to intercept the attack aimed at Ian, could only widen his eyes in astonishment.

Urgently, he turned to Ian.

“Your Highness, what exactly have you been throwing? What did you toss to cause that explosion?”

“You’re asking now?”

“I…I was too stunned to ask earlier.”

“It’s nothing much. Just copper.”

“Copper? You mean small change?”

Gold, silver, and copper served as the currency units not only in Kaistein but across the continent.

Copper held the lowest denomination, barely sufficient to purchase a few items like straw or twine.

“But you’re telling me you can cause an explosion with that?”

It seemed implausible.

How could a monster be defeated by mere copper? Was that even possible?

“You didn’t cast a spell with the copper coin, right? You just tossed it?”

No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t believe it.

But Ian calmly rummaged through the fallen monster and said, “It’s just this guy. He’s kind of famous.”

“Are you knowledgeable about monsters?”

“It’s hard not to know this particular one.”

Golden Goblin.

This creature was one of the ancient gatekeepers.

The unique thing was that even in the form of a goblin, it had enough strength to rival any high-level monster.

Its skin was said to be harder than steel and faster than most monsters in terms of agility.

But it had one weakness.

“Oddly enough, it has an obsession with money. Offer it more than a certain amount, and it detonates.”

“Pardon?”

“Ordinarily, coppers wouldn’t trigger such a reaction, but it seems hunger from its lengthy stay in the dungeon made it explode even with just one copper.”

“?!”

Nathan stood dumbfounded.

Who truly was this prince?

It made sense why he was so shocked.

‘The golden goblin? A monster that craved money and would explode if given too much?’

As a knight, this was information he had never heard before.

Despite his experience in dungeon exploration as the second son of a marquis and a promising knight, he had never encountered such a goblin.

‘And to take it down so easily…’

Ian’s knowledge surpassed what one would typically expect from someone his age.

In fact, even the scholars in the royal palace might not possess such information.

Nathan couldn’t help but narrow his eyes in disbelief.

‘Could he possibly… foresee the future or something?’

Given Ian’s recent behavior, that was a possibility that Nathan couldn’t completely dismiss.

While others might not notice, Nathan, who had been by Ian’s side and witnessed everything, felt certain.

Thus, he had no choice but to ask.

“Um… Your Highness?”

“What is it?”

Ian was taken aback by Nathan’s serious gaze.

The seriousness in his eyes, which he had never seen before, created a slightly different atmosphere than usual.

It felt almost like a matter of life and death.

‘Has he realized that I’ve returned to the past? Could there be an issue with my performance? I thought I played my part well.’

Without realizing it, Ian put his hand on the hilt of his sword.

If Nathan was thinking foolishly, he was going to cut him down right away.

Just then,

“Could it be…”

“What is it?”

“I’m not actually going to marry the First Princess, am I?”

“What?”

Nathan’s expression suddenly turned mournful as he clung to Ian.

“Please say it isn’t so. I value my freedom, you know!”

“Let go. You’re stretching it.”

“I won’t let go until you tell me! Please, just tell me!”

At that moment, he clung to Ian’s leg, his plea almost desperate.

It appeared as though he truly believed Ian could foresee the future.

Ian shook his head, adjusting his pants.

“How would I possibly know that? I’m no prophet.”

“Ugh… But with that monster and this dungeon—you can’t tell me it’s all coincidence! Since you’re the brother of the Saintess, surely you must have some foresight! So please, you have to tell me!”

Ian was truly dumbfounded.

‘He instinctively seems to have figured out that I’ve returned to the past…’

Why does he always think like that?

In fact, Ian didn’t know anything about Nathan’s future with the First Princess.

‘Unlike my previous life, the future has changed. Nathan, who should have died long ago, is alive and by my side. And my older sister who was meant to die because of him is also alive and aiming for Cantum.’

The two of them were living lives different from their past lives.

Unlike the tragic death of the previous life, they could actually get married in this life.

The most certain thing would be for his saintly younger sister to read their fate.

‘But that probably isn’t necessary.’

If they were not meant to be, fate wouldn’t matter at all.

Just like Ian himself, they could overcome destiny.

“Enough. Let’s take those items and get out of here.”

“What do you mean by ‘items?’ Those things over there?”

Nathan looked bewildered as he picked up the items Ian pointed to.

“You may have your reasons, Your Highness. But these are nothing but a few worn-out tools. They aren’t even worth anything as antiques…”

Nathan was right.

It was evident that the facility had been abandoned for a long time; there were cobwebs and broken items with cracked glass scattered around.

Being a member of a marquis family, Nathan was more aware of the value of items.

Nothing would even fetch a decent price as antiques.

There was literally no artistic value to be found.

“Wouldn’t it be wise to notify Prince Louis and relinquish the dungeon now? The golden door alone should fetch a decent sum.”

It wasn’t that Nathan lacked faith in Ian.

In fact, Nathan was subtly proposing a way for Ian to potentially betray the Third Prince, reaping double benefits since he hadn’t anticipated the dungeon’s condition.

“Instead, why don’t we join forces and overthrow the First Prince and Garcia instead of relying on the promised funds?”

He meant that if he couldn’t give the promised money, he could become an enemy of the Third Prince, Louis.

But Ian burst out laughing.

“These are things that can’t be bought with money.”

“Pardon?”

No, money wasn’t the issue.

It was a thing that could potentially change the entire balance of the continent.

Ian approached the fountain in the center of the room and touched it gently.

Splash!

In that instant, water began to spurt out.

Gush, gush.

The water was transparent yet held an unusual shade of blue.

Soon, the small fountain was filled to the brim.

Dust was washed away, and it revealed a lush green moss covering the stone surface.

Nathan moved closer, intrigued.

“It still works? If it works, we can sell it as an antique.”

Typically, the ancient artifacts that were excavated held immense artistic value. 

However, this fountain appeared quite ordinary, made of stone.

No matter how well it functioned as a fountain, it wouldn’t fetch a high price.

As the second son of a marquis, Nathan was sensitive to artistic values, leading to his judgment.

But Ian merely scoffed and said,

“Just try drinking it.”

“What… this?”

Nathan’s eyes widened in alarm.

While the water flowing out seemed good, the fountain itself was cracked and broken.

Even the moss made the whole scene look unappealing.

“I feel like drinking this might just make me sick…”

“Trust me and give it a try.”

“Are you seriously suggesting I take my own life in such a roundabout way?”

Nathan hesitated to drink the water.

In that moment, Ian’s voice, tinged with amusement, broke the silence.

“Who knows? Drinking this might help you find the freedom you desire, Sir Nathan? Or perhaps change your fate?”

“!”

At those words, Nathan hastily drank from the fountain. He swallowed the water eagerly.

But then—

“Uh?”

Nathan was genuinely astonished.

A surge of vitality coursed through his body, accompanied by a feeling of rejuvenation.

Yet, that wasn’t all.

“My wounds… they’re healing?”

The small cuts he’d gotten from the fight with the monster a moment ago, and even from past battles with the First Prince’s troops, were beginning to disappear.

‘No. Even the lingering injuries from my school days are disappearing.’

The scar on his chest from a sparring match, a wound he had never told anyone about, was being healed.

It seemed as though the shackles binding his body were being lifted.

As far as he knew, there was only one thing in the world that could have such an effect.

He looked at Ian in surprise.

“Could it be… is this a supreme-grade potion?”

But even as he said it, he couldn’t believe it himself.

‘A supreme-grade potion pouring out like water? And without any limits?’

How much could this possibly be worth? No, could it really be bought with money?

In the Kingdom of Swordsmen, supreme-grade potions were possessions of only a select few kings in a nation.

In countries like Bahara, such potions had nearly vanished.

If this appeared at an auction house, it would fetch an unimaginable sum.

Seeing Nathan’s bewildered expression,

Nod.

Ian nodded his head and smiled.

***

“Be careful. Don’t get hurt.”

“I’ve certainly climbed the social ladder. A prince is actually worried about me.”

“Not for you, Sir Nathan, but for that fountain. It holds great value.”

“Uh… yeah… yeah…”

Nathan lifted the heavy fountain all by himself.

It seemed to be quite heavy; his feet sank into the ground, but his excellent physical abilities as a knight allowed him to move the fountain.

“I have a secure spot prepared in the territory. Please relocate it there.”

“And what about you, Your Highness?”

“I’ll take a brief look around.”

“But…”

“Fear not. No more monsters linger here. I’ll remain undisturbed.”

“Understood. I’ll return shortly.”

Nathan left, drenched in sweat.

He wanted to call for mercenaries, but he decided to act on his own to maintain safety and secrecy.

In the meantime,

‘Now, shall I see if I can obtain the most important thing?’

Having organized the workshop’s key items, including the fountain capable of producing supreme-grade potions and magical tools camouflaged as ordinary objects, Ian’s focus turned to the dungeon’s significant artifact.

‘With this, the balance of the continent will change.’

Ian’s hand brushed against the dusty wall. Then he found something.

Click.

He pressed a section between the rock-carved walls. Dust and dirt were cleared away, revealing two emblems.

One was of a fierce bird battling a dragon, claws drawn.

As soon as Ian saw it, he recognized what it was.

‘One of the Seven Virtues and one of the Seven Sins, huh.’

However, it was the inscription above them that posed a dilemma.

[What can be obtained here is only one thing.]

[Choose.]

[Good or Evil.]

[If you choose one, the other will vanish.]

After contemplating for a moment, Ian moved his hand without hesitation.