After hearing Knight Solin question Mills, Xia Mingyu quietly let out a sigh of relief. At the same time, he gave Berg a look, signaling him to quickly hide among the crowd so that the Hunter label above his head would not be seen.
He could tell that although Knight Solin looked cold and stern on the surface, deep down, he was still inclined to side with the villagers of Fruit Basket Village.
Or, more precisely, he simply did not want to hand over the coins that had already been collected as taxes.
The one making the accusation must provide the evidence.
This was a principle that had applied since ancient times.
As long as Mills could not prove that the taxes were the same coins that had been stolen from him, then this matter would most likely be brushed aside.
"This..."
A troubled expression appeared on Mills's face.
"Sir Knight, what happens if I can't prove it?"
"Then leave my lord's territory immediately. Out of consideration for your profession, I won't hold you responsible for delaying the collection of taxes," Knight Solin replied coldly.
Mills immediately clutched his chest and stamped his feet in grief.
"O Supreme Creator! Please open Your eyes and look! See just how cruel this world is to Your faithful children!"
Yet while he acted heartbroken, a sly gleam flashed through his eyes.
"Sir Knight, please examine the taxes you've collected. Check whether those coins have the same tiny scratch on the back as this copper Sol of mine!"
After satisfying his desire to put on a dramatic performance, Mills pulled a copper Sol from his clothes and handed it to Knight Solin with complete confidence.
Every truly outstanding Klei merchant left a unique mark on his own coins, even if it was nothing more than a single copper Sol.
This practice came from the legendary experience recorded in Franken's Traveling Merchant Diary, the timeless classic written by Franken, one of the great sages of the Klei people.
That great merchant's coins had once been stolen by despicable thieves.
Yet both the local lord and the knights had sided with the thieves.
In the end, Franken proved that he was the true owner of the coins through the unique markings he had left on them. He successfully recovered his money and ensured that the vile thieves were punished.
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Coins may not recognize their owner, but a Klei man's coins do.
—Franken
Knight Solin accepted the copper Sol and examined it carefully.
Sure enough, on the back of the coin, he found an extremely faint scratch that was almost impossible to notice.
His brows immediately furrowed.
"You lot, bring me the money bag."
At Knight Solin's order, his attendants quickly carried the bag of taxes down from the carriage and placed it before him.
Solin reached inside and grabbed a handful of coins.
He examined them carefully.
This one had the scratch.
This one had it too.
This one didn't...
A short while later, Knight Solin fell silent.
From what he could see, more than half of the coins inside the bag had exactly the same scratch as the copper Sol Mills had shown him.
That meant there was a very high chance that these tax payments really were the coins the villagers had taken from Mills.
Personally, Solin did not want unnecessary trouble within the territory.
Nor did he like this Klei traveling merchant named Mills.
Especially since Mills's profession was Liar Merchant, an occupation notorious for its terrible reputation.
However...
Lying was a merchant's privilege.
It was not a knight's privilege.
After a moment of silence, Knight Solin finally spoke.
"Most of these tax coins really are the coins that were stolen from you."
The moment those words left his mouth, the surrounding villagers immediately became frightened and uneasy.
One villager almost stepped forward to explain that the coins had actually been bestowed upon them by a noble prince.
But the villagers beside him immediately covered his mouth.
Before this, Village Chief Robert had already given a strict order.
His Highness did not wish for his identity to be revealed.
Therefore, if anyone dared to reveal any information about His Highness, that person and their entire family would be driven out of the village and forced to wander the land!
Meanwhile, Xia Mingyu, who had been quietly watching everything from within the crowd, was so shocked that he nearly jumped to his feet.
Even if someone beat him to death, he never would have expected that there was actually a person idle enough to leave a mark on every single copper coin he owned.
Then again...
From the perspective of a crooked merchant, this fellow was certainly quite qualified.
The heroes beneath the heavens are as numerous as carp crossing a river. There really are far too many extraordinary people in this world!
