Reincarnated as the third son of the Duke-Chapter 60 - The Silver Gambit

60 The Silver Gambit

However, the other side of the equation was just as effective—while the rebels scrambled to evade detection, their movements would be severely restricted.

Minimal cost. Maximum disruption.

It was the perfect strategy.

’The only flaw in this plan…’

"Master William, your handling of the situation was truly masterful," Hugo said, his admiration barely veiling his lingering concern. "However, wasn’t the amount of platinum you threw down at the start a bit excessive? What if someone had actually killed that mercenary on the first try?"

Raymond, who had been silently contemplating the events, nodded unconsciously.

Everything had gone smoothly, but Hugo’s concern wasn’t unfounded. Had a mercenary actually slain Sven at the first vow, the cost would have been outrageous.

’Confidence in one’s plan is important, but at his age, excessive confidence can easily turn into arrogance,’ Raymond thought. He had been planning to give William a stern warning, to remind him of the dangers of overestimating oneself.

However, before he could say anything, William smirked and casually tossed a coin pouch toward Hugo.

"Check for yourself," he said.

Hugo’s eyes widened as the heavy pouch flew toward him. He barely caught it with both hands, his breath hitching.

"D-Damn it, my lord! What if I dropped it!?" he hissed, frantically clutching the pouch. "Do you know what kind of disaster it’d be if even one of these fell into the gutter!?"

William shrugged. "It wouldn’t matter. That pouch doesn’t have a single platinum coin in it."

"…What?"

"I transferred the real ones elsewhere beforehand." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a much smaller pouch. "This is the real deal."

The soft jingle of coins came from the small bag.

Hugo stared in disbelief before hastily untying the large pouch in his hands. His face twisted in shock.

"Silver coins!?"

Raymond and the Black Lions, who had been watching the exchange, stiffened in realization.

William chuckled. "Think about it. Do you really believe my father would hand me that many platinum coins? Even if he agreed to support me, there are limits."

"Then… the pouch you threw earlier…"

"Was mostly silver," William said nonchalantly. "I placed a few platinum coins on top to make it convincing. The engravings on the coins are the only real difference between silver and platinum—cover those up, and no one would notice the switch. The only time I actually gave away pure platinum was in the final vow."

A stunned silence followed his explanation.

Even Hugo, who had fought alongside William for some time, was at a loss for words.

"…So the whole thing was a bluff?"

William raised an eyebrow. "Did I ever say I was giving them platinum?"

Raymond and the others exchanged glances.

Vincent, the most sharp-eyed of the group, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, the exact words used in the vow were to hand over everything in the pouch, not that it was full of platinum."

Hugo’s mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for air. "So… you deliberately made a different statement in the vow?"

William smirked. "Technically, I never lied. I held up the pouch when I made my initial offer, but I never explicitly said its contents were only platinum."

"…"

It was a loophole. A brilliantly executed one.

Contracts, after all, were often riddled with deception, and mercenaries were no strangers to exploiting technicalities themselves.

More importantly, while the initial offer was deliberately misleading, the actual vow had been airtight.

William had never specified what was inside—only that he would give up whatever was in the pouch.

"And what if someone had immediately taken the offer and killed Sven?" Hugo pressed. "What if they checked the pouch right there?"

William shrugged. "They wouldn’t have. Not in front of a room full of hungry eyes."

Raymond narrowed his gaze. "You assumed they’d take it and run?"

"Not just assumed—counted on it," William corrected. "Any sane person, knowing that kind of money would paint a target on their back, would tuck it away first. No one would be stupid enough to dump it all out and count it on the spot."

Hugo clenched his jaw. "…Even so, once they found out it was mostly silver—"

"They’d already be too late," William interrupted smoothly. "By the time they realized the truth, they’d have more pressing concerns—like surviving."

Raymond inhaled sharply.

He hadn’t considered that.

Even the mercenary who had actually taken a few platinum coins would be in trouble.

’Will that man even make it to his hometown alive?’ Raymond thought grimly.

William’s warning had kept most of the mercenaries in check, but desperation and greed were unpredictable forces.

In his past life, Raymond had seen people hunt each other down for far less than a handful of platinum coins.

’If he’s lucky, he’ll shake off any pursuers and live the rest of his life in hiding. If not…’

Then his fate had already been sealed.

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William, meanwhile, remained completely unfazed.

"And if the rightful owner of the pouch dies," he added, stretching slightly, "then I see no reason to waste the effort retrieving it. Knights take down bandits and thieves all the time. If a few more ’opportunists’ happen to meet their end, who’s going to question it?"

The cold finality of his words made the Black Lions shudder.

Raymond exhaled, rubbing his temples. "…I take it back."

William tilted his head. "Take what back?"

"I was going to warn you about overconfidence," Raymond admitted, shaking his head. "But I see now—it wasn’t confidence. You knew exactly what you were doing from the start."

William simply smiled.

Hugo exhaled deeply. "Damn it, my lord. You really planned this down to the last coin."

William’s smirk widened.

"Of course."

Raymond stared at William, his mind struggling to process what he had just witnessed. A dry laugh escaped his lips.

He had planned to reprimand the young noble if he ever let overconfidence cloud his judgment.

’What a ridiculous thought.’

William hadn’t been blinded by arrogance. On the contrary, he had accounted for every possible variable, preparing countermeasures even for the worst-case scenario.

And all of this—every intricate calculation—had been devised in mere seconds after Sven revealed himself.

Raymond felt like a fool. He had assumed himself capable of advising William, yet the gap between them was beyond comprehension.

He’s already operating at a level I can’t even reach.

His lips twitched as he suppressed a chuckle.