Chapter 280
The employee froze for a moment, mouth ajar.
"Ah... So you’re saying you want to withdraw the full amount?"
He quickly regained his composure, smiling again as he continued speaking, "As you’re probably aware, if you withdraw the full amount, you’ll have to return the key."
He cautiously met Ian’s gaze. "So, if possible, wouldn’t it be wise to leave at least the minimum amount, say, fifty gold coins? If you return the key, it might be difficult to be assigned another vault in the future."
Here we go.
Ian muttered inwardly, his lips curling up slightly.
"It’s fine. Give me everything."
"... Very well. In that case, would you mind waiting for a moment? The amount exceeds my authority." The employee, who had hesitated briefly, added respectfully.
Ian gave a slight nod, signaling him to proceed.
"Thank you for your understanding." The employee bowed once more before turning away.As he did so, one of the orc guards made his way toward a small side table, while the employee exited through the door behind him.
Since it’s over a thousand gold coins, I guess the branch manager will come.
Leaning back in the plush chair, Ian recalled his memories from the game.
Back then, too, he had gone through similar procedures when accessing a vault with someone else’s key. The withdrawal process had been a mini-event, where one had to avoid traps or wrong choices.
The question from the employee earlier was one such trap. Leaving some of the money in the vault would have required a full identity check. Although the remaining procedures would be completed without issue, returning to the Steel Vault later would result in a sealed vault and the key being confiscated before being kicked out.
Just then, a large shadow fell over him. The orc guard had approached the desk and placed a tray in front of Ian, setting it on top of the metal box. On the tray were a slice of pie and a cup of tea, from which a pleasant aroma had begun to rise.
The orc bowed silently before turning around and resuming his position by the door, standing still like a statue.
Ian picked up the fork and took in the orc’s appearance. Despite their menacing look, they held discipline, restraint, and patience as their highest values.
That’s probably why the Steel Vault partners with them.
Still, they were a race capable of tearing humans apart with their bare hands if they wanted to.
In the game, refusing to leave the vault meant fighting them. Armed with magical weapons, they were more than capable of leading players to a game over screen. Even if one killed them all and escaped, they would become a wanted criminal, constantly hunted by guards.
Choosing the wrong options could cause either leaving empty-handed or dying. If the player paid attention to minor details, they could navigate through everything without trouble. However, for Ian back then, it was just a matter of stubbornly trying again until he succeeded. At least, if he didn’t immediately re-enter the vault after deciding to leave, he wouldn’t be able to revert to a previous save point.
It was a brutally unforgiving game when it came to the smallest details...
Ian thought to himself as he casually took a bite of the pie. Regardless, the fig pie was delicious.
Footsteps approached from beyond the door just as he was finishing the pie on his plate.
Click–
The door opened, and the employee re-entered, this time accompanied by a middle-aged imperial man dressed in a gray uniform. As Ian washed down the last bite of pie with tea, the man approached the desk, smiling.
"I apologize for the wait. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Nelson, the branch manager." Nelson greeted him courteously.
Even then, Ian didn’t miss the way his eyes flicked over the pie plate.
What, did you think I’d be too nervous to eat?
Ian thought to himself as he replied, "Pleasure to meet you."
Nelson made eye contact, waiting silently. It was clear he expected Ian to introduce himself, but Ian had no intention of doing so. After a few moments of silence, Nelson plastered a polite smile back onto his face.
"I’ve already heard the basic details from our employee. However, just to confirm, are you sure you’d like to return the key and withdraw the full amount stored in the vault?"
"Yes," Ian answered without hesitation.
There was no need to drag out the conversation. Even though the reality was different from the game, and he might reverse his decision, there was no point in taking that risk. There might be some rule he wasn’t aware of, and it was best not to leave any room for them to interfere.
"Very well. In that case, we’ll proceed. Could you please provide your identification?" Nelson continued.
Ian smiled slightly. "I understand this is an anonymous private vault. I’d like to keep it that way."
"Of course, but..." Nelson continued speaking, feigning concern, "If you withdraw the funds without providing identification, not only will you lose the interest accrued, but you’ll also need to pay a significant storage fee. Are you sure you still wish to proceed this way?"
It’s exactly the same, word for word. Do they have a script for this?
Ian’s smile deepened.
Ian’s smile deepened. The term anonymous was a bit of a play on words. The vault recorded the initials of the owner’s name, so it wasn’t truly anonymous. By submitting identification to avoid paying the fee, he would trigger the immediate start of the expulsion process, resulting in a permanent ban from accessing the vault.
Of course, if their initials matched, the situation might be different—but that hadn’t been the case in the game, and it wasn’t the case now.
"The fee is thirty percent of the total, correct?"
"Precisely, thirty-three percent."
"I’ll pay it."
Nelson, who had been watching Ian carefully, returned his gaze to the metal box with a smile.
"One thousand one hundred thirty gold coins. After deducting the fee, you’ll receive seven hundred fifty gold coins, and the rest will be paid in silver. Would you prefer to receive a voucher?"
"I’ll take it in coins."
As if expecting that response, Nelson quickly followed up with another question.
"Do you have a vault or safe to transport the coins?"
"I didn’t bring one."
"If you’d like a small vault, there’s an additional fee of five gold coins, and a wooden storage box will cost ten silver coins."
"I’ll take the wooden box."
"Understood. Please wait a moment." Nelson nodded, finally turning to give a signal to the orc guard, who followed him out of the room.
The transaction was progressing smoothly. Ian raised the almost-cold cup of tea to his lips, hiding a satisfied smile.
Seven hundred fifty gold coins. That was enough to live comfortably for years, even while spending generously in every city he visited. Or it could buy five top-tier magical artifacts.
Of course, knowing his situation, he might spend it faster than expected—he’d already spent hundreds of gold coins this year alone. Still, having money was always better than being without it. Either way, it was always better to have money than not.
Ian set the cup down, gazing ahead calmly.
The employee standing near the desk discreetly glanced to the side, clearly uneasy, his breath barely audible. It was only natural. Ian had just chosen to forego revealing his identity in favor of losing a few hundred gold coins. The employee looked convinced that Ian wasn’t the rightful owner of the vault. In his mind, Ian had probably killed the original owner or obtained the key through illegal means.
It wasn’t far from the truth, so Ian didn’t mind. He had followed every protocol. They had no way of proving he wasn’t the legitimate owner of the vault. Besides, the bank had already taken its hefty fee. What he had paid was essentially hush money. That’s how the system of the Steel Vault had been designed, after all.
Of course, they might still try to stab me in the back later…
How he would respond to that was something to consider if it happened.
Click–
The door opened again. The orc guard entered, carrying a hefty wooden storage box, followed by Nelson.
The employee quickly stepped forward to clear Ian’s plate, replacing it with the wooden box.
"Would you like to verify the amount?" Nelson asked as the orc stepped back.
Ian, removing the ring from his left hand, shook his head. "No need. I trust it’s correct."
Standing up, he placed the ring on the desk.
Nelson, not missing a single movement, added, "If you’d like, we can provide a guard to escort you to your destination for just one gold coin per guard."
"No need. I can handle myself."
Persistent until the end.
Ian muttered inwardly, gripping the handles of the storage box. It was a satisfying weight.
"Well then, take care."
Ian flashed a brief smile at Nelson before turning away. He didn’t stop or look back once as he exited the bank.
***
"It’s a rare occurrence…"
Once Ian’s footsteps faded, Nelson finally allowed a faint smile to form on his lips.
It wasn’t entirely unheard of for someone to access a vault without being the rightful owner. But most of those individuals ended up beaten and thrown out without ever receiving a single coin. They usually failed to understand how the transaction between bank and client worked, driven by greed. The Steel Vault’s regulations were designed to exploit those very weaknesses.
"Without a doubt, he’s a criminal," whispered Korvo, the employee.
Nelson understood why he was so frightened. The man who had just left had eyes that didn’t reflect light—they swallowed it. The eyes of a killer.
"Shouldn’t we report this to headquarters and check the records?"
"Why bother?" Nelson replied with a low chuckle, bending down to retrieve something from the desk.
"He didn’t give us any excuse to act. He followed the procedures and paid the fee. Besides, it’s best not to provoke customers like him."
As he spoke, Nelson picked up the ring Ian had left behind, glancing at the surface of the key reader on the desk.
The mechanical letters formed by metal gears displayed the initials of the vault’s owner, along with the remaining balance.
Nelson slid the ring into a small slot next to the box without hesitation. Soon, the familiar sound of gears turning filled the air as the letters and numbers displayed on the side of the box disappeared one by one. The reset process had begun.
"Once it’s all cleared, prepare the transaction records and bring them to me. We’ll split the fee proceeds between us, half each."
Nelson added this as he turned away, erasing the memory of the man who had just left. Unaware that his decision may have saved several lives.
***
Philip finally spoke as they turned onto a quieter street, "I held back my words earlier because there were too many ears around, but the bank really is no better than a bunch of robbers."
They were on their way back to their lodging after an early dinner.
Glancing around at the dimly lit road, he lowered his voice. "No matter how you spin it, charging over thirty percent in fees is outrageous. If it were me, I would’ve made a scene."
"That doesn’t sound like something a paladin should be saying." Ian scoffed, muttering as he brought the bottle in his hand to his lips.
As Fael had mentioned, the southern wine had this amazing aroma. There were so many kinds to choose from, which only made the whole thing more fun. Drawn in by the variety, Philip and Fael each had a different bottle in hand, and even Elia was carrying one, cradling it in her arms like it was something precious.
All of them were southern wines, set aside for that evening.
"Get too greedy, and you’ll end up losing it all."
"Wise words, though…" Philip muttered, clicking his tongue, "Well, either way, you’re rich again now."
"In that case, perhaps you’d consider entrusting me with a job?" Fael, walking behind them, chimed in with a sly tone.
"I couldn’t find any decent magical equipment here, but if you leave it to me, I’ll search every corner of the capital to find something that satisfies you."
Here comes the sales pitch again. Ian chuckled under his breath.
"There’s not much profit in selling things to me, you know."
"What matters is the items we handle. Selling high-quality goods elevates the standing of our trading company."
"Well, I’ll think about it."
"Take your time. You know, we can deliver the goods directly to you if necessary. Even if I don’t have the best gut instinct, I have an eye for good stuff, don’t I?" Fael glanced at Elia and Philip as if seeking their agreement, then hurried ahead.
They were almost at the mansion, and he seemed eager to get there first and open the gate. As Fael dashed toward the guards, Philip shrugged and looked at Ian.
"It’s true that he has a good eye. He ordered Elie’s custom gear from the most skilled place, and he also found a sword for me that fits perfectly, almost as if he can read my thoughts."
Philip cast a glance down at the sword on his waist, adding, "If you tell him exactly what you’re looking for, he’ll find it somehow."
"And that’s how people end up never saving, no matter how much they make," Ian chuckled softly, then turned his gaze ahead again.
Fael, whom they expected to wait by the gate, was returning toward them with a slight frown on his face. The guard was slowly opening the gate in the distance.
"Is there a problem?" Philip, noticing Fael’s expression, tilted his helmet in question.
Fael, with a frown creasing his forehead, responded as he approached.
"A visitor is waiting for you."
"A visitor?"
"Yes, but they’re not here for the caravan…"
Fael’s gaze shifted toward Ian.
"They say they’ve come looking for you, Sir."