Chapter 61

“What are you doing? Get lost.”

“Me? Why should I do that as a customer?”

When I retorted sharply, she looked at me as if she were seeing something strange.

“…Look at this? Talking to a senior like that?”

“Your attitude towards an investor is quite flawed.”

“Hah, seriously. Now even freshmen are trying to deceive.”

As she stepped inside the store, she appeared holding a large club.

At that moment, a man grabbed the club, his eyes wide with surprise, as if to take it away from her.

He must be the representative of the [Nille Workshop] alchemy club.

“Hey, wait a minute, what are you doing?”

“Oh, let go, senior. These beggar bastards need to be taught a lesson so they don’t come back.”

“You punk. Still, you can’t treat a customer like that!”

“Move aside? This guy, he’s a first-year from Schlaphe Hall! Do you want to get ripped off like last year?”

She seems to have some grudge against the Schlaphe Hall guys.

Well, considering the notorious behavior of our proud Schlaphe Hall seniors, it’s understandable. They often don’t pay their debts, scam others frequently, and probably thought I wouldn’t have money as a freshman. To her, I must have appeared like a new parasite.

There’s always a reason for being disliked.

“Even so… he’s still a freshman and has a chance. He might move to Buerger Hall soon. He could become a potential customer then.”

Despite that, the club representative spoke optimistically.

It’s rare for one in ten to make it, so why risk losing nine times? Normally, I would have laughed it off, but since I was the subject, I nodded.

This only made her glare at me more angrily.

“Oh, you annoying bastard… picking up bad habits from beggars, ah, senior, move aside. This all happened because you’re known as a pushover!”

Ignoring the commotion, I asked the representative something I was curious about.

“By the way, was the ice cowhide sold by that small maid?”

“Huh? Oh, yes. We bought all the innards and everything from her. The person she serves bought a lot of stuff from us too.”

He proudly pointed to the hide.

“Do you like this hide? I actually promised to pass it to the embroidery club, but it looked so good as a decoration that I didn’t want to sell it.”

This place must have been where they sold to me at a fair price the day before the defense battle, without trying to scam me.

“Actually, I didn’t come to buy anything. I was thinking of investing. Can we talk inside?”

“Invest?”

The representative scratched his head.

“I haven’t seen you before. Do you really have that much coin?”

He wasn’t so naive as to be completely trusting.

Instead of words, I answered with the contents of my wallet.

I placed five black, glossy metal coins in my palm. Each was worth 1,000 coins.

When I showed them, the woman who had been glaring at me as if to kill me suddenly smiled.

“Oh, my goodness. I’ll bring out our best tea. Please come in and have a seat.”

Her attitude changed in an instant, like flipping a hand. Having money certainly makes things easier.

However, the representative, being too kind-hearted, gave me some foolish advice.

“I see you have a lot of coins, but are you sure about this? Wouldn’t it be safer to invest a bit more cautiously? Think it over before you decide.”

Hearing this, the woman rushed at the representative with an angry face.

“Senior! After the third-years graduated, all our investment funds dried up! We can’t just miss this chance to get such a large sum at the start of the new term!” ř

Her reaction was normal. For clubs, this time of year is like a tough march.

Graduating students can exchange their coins for currency used in the Empire, so they would have withdrawn all their investments. Freshmen wouldn’t have enough to invest.

“But still…”

“Oh, you frustrating man. 5,000 coins is enough for 16 months’ worth of allowances for the guys in Adelle Hall. We need to gather capital now to get ahead of other alchemy clubs!”

I couldn’t help but smile. Their combination was reassuring for an investor.

One had a gentle nature but exceptional skills in crafting. There wasn’t a single defective product in the last defense battle. The other, though ill-tempered, prevented the representative from being too naive, thus ensuring solid profits.

Regarding money, she was practical.

The representative sighed, as if he had given up, and nodded.

“Alright, alright. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Hersel Ben Tenest.”

“Wait a moment. The contract… hold on, Hersel?”

…Why is he acting like this suddenly?

“If you’re Hersel, are you the one that little maid serves?”

“Did she mention my name?”

“No, I was just curious. You spent a whole 600 coins here at once.”

The man kept rambling excitedly, like he had found something interesting.

After hearing stories about capturing the ice cow leader and defeating the Bidon, he finally brought out the contract, and I could sign it.

After setting a cup of tea before me, he ran towards a bubbling pot.

“Oh, almost burned it.”

I sipped the tea and looked around the store. The display cases were full of various kinds of potions.

There were potions for dyeing hair or pills to change your voice, suitable for a bit of fun.

Another shelf displayed the potions I had bought, mainly used during the magical training courses and selling like hotcakes during practice periods.

Though the variety was limited now, during practice periods, they sold out quickly, making for substantial dividends.

The best part of investing here was this:

“If I bring materials, could you make something custom?”

“Of course. If you invest that much, I’ll even use my personal time to make it.”

Normally, only near-mass-produced items are made, but not here.

Rare items not made due to low demand can also be custom-made.

It will be greatly helpful later on.

***

Leana stroked her armor. The surface was rough, with deep dents and scratches from blade impacts.

It looked too worn to be usable. But she didn’t throw it away.

It wasn’t anything special, just an ordinary piece of armor easily obtainable.

However, it was something she had kept since being told to lay down her sword by her family.

It was precious because of that.

With no support from her family, the armor had become imbued with her own convictions.

It wasn’t usable in its current state, but…

‘I need new equipment.’

Leana gently set the armor aside and picked up her wallet from the desk.

She paused in front of a full-length mirror.

The reflection showed a figure completely stripped of any remaining girlishness.

“…It was getting tight anyway.”

She needed slightly larger armor.

After finishing her tea, she was on her way back, looking for a new investment opportunity, when she made eye contact with a woman with long red hair.

***

“Hersel…”

Leana looked at me with a nonchalant expression.

It was clear this was a coincidental encounter, and it would be best not to get involved.

I tried to pass by indifferently.

While others might approach cautiously to avoid ruining the narrative, Leana was different.

As a swordswoman, her biggest obstacle was me.

Keeping our relationship distant was the right thing to do, and she probably wanted that too.

However, she blocked my way.

“Do you have any business?”

When I asked calmly, Leana nodded.

“I want to talk for a moment.”

Her usually indifferent eyes seemed somewhat softened.

Well, she might only be trying not to show it.

She had a soft side despite her exterior, so expressing emotions wasn’t strange.

But if her target was Hersel, shouldn’t she be showing some hostility?

It was odd indeed.

“I’m busy, so keep it short.”

Leana’s gaze turned calm.

“You said you don’t remember. Is it the same now?”

It seemed to be about her previous question.

– Why did you arrange our engagement without my consent? Why?

I had answered that I didn’t know.

Well, if it were Hersel, it would be roughly guessable.

As someone obsessed with women, he enjoyed messing with lives, so it seemed he had picked Leana as his victim. That was my conclusion.

“I don’t remember.”

When I repeated the same answer, Leana gave me a look that reminded me of Selly’s peculiar gaze.

It felt like being treated as a madman.

“I see.”

This was the second time for the same question.

Naturally, curiosity arose.

Why was she so obsessed with Hersel’s motive?

Since she had cut ties with her family, there was no obligation to marry.

With her entry into Frostheart, she was guaranteed the means for self-reliance.

‘Then why?’

“Why are you so fixated on this? You and I are practically strangers now.”

When I hinted at my question, Leana coldly replied and turned away.

“My father didn’t tell me anything. So I asked.”

The cause seemed to be her father, the head of the Derevian family.

Maybe Leana was holding onto hope.

She probably wished her father wasn’t the kind of man who would sell his daughter for the benefits of the Tenest family.

In her memory, her father was a loving man who cherished her before Hersel appeared.

“Hmm.”

Understanding this, Leana’s obsession with the same question made sense.

When someone involved in arranging her engagement appeared, she naturally wanted to ask about it in detail.

Knowing the background made Leana’s seemingly light question feel heavier.

– Why did you arrange our engagement without my consent? Why?

But wasn’t her question slightly off?

She probably wanted to know the conversation that led to this, trying to steer it towards her father’s reasoning after hearing Hersel’s motive.

Instead of going in circles, if she had directly asked, ‘Do you know why my father did that?’ she might have gotten a higher chance of a helpful answer.

Of course, even then, I wouldn’t have answered.

After the encounter with Leana, I reunited with the two guys.

Since they only came for the request, they were dressed the same.

My main purpose here was investment, so I took them around various places.

Currently, we were at a skewer club, chewing on meat.

There was no special sauce, just the taste of smoked meat and some salt.

I asked them.

“What do you think?”

Limberton, a gourmet, closed his eyes to savor the taste, while Aslay, satisfied with everything, devoured whatever was in his hand.

“Hmm, 80 points.”

“Delicious.”

There seemed to be many regulars; should I invest 1,000 coins here?

I invested the entire 10,000 coins I extorted from the guy in various clubs.

Word must have spread because people offered free samples or explained the benefits of their products everywhere we went.

Even a Schlaphe Hall student gets respect if he has money.

As we made our way out of the crowd and left the citadel, Limberton muttered.

“But, where do they get these materials from? Like clothes or food supplies?”

“Well, you order, and the logistics wagon delivers.”

Despite being a closed-off place, you could still order basic necessities and various tools.

Of course, it had to pass strict inspection by the faculty.

I think the merchant group contracted here was from Orbella…

“Why? Are you thinking of starting a business?”

I asked, just in case, and Limberton’s eyes gleamed.

His words revealed his sticky desires.

“Right. How about opening a women’s lingerie shop or an adult store?”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Main items would be garter belts! We could hang sensual drawings on the stands. For that, we’ll need the right tools.”

His expression was serious as he envisioned the business.

At that moment, the clouds parted, and the intense red sunset made me squint.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Not for any significant reason.

Just because, after a hearty meal, chatting about random things while heading home under the evening glow felt nostalgic, like being back in school days.

For now, enjoying this peaceful daily life seemed fine.

Just as I was about to say something to Limberton walking ahead, laughter stopped us in our tracks.

“Give it up. If you don’t want to be arrested for public indecency.”

Hearing the commotion from passersby, my laughter vanished.

“Another second-year from Buerger Hall has gone missing.”

“Again? Ugh, will we even survive until graduation?”

Seeing them shiver, Limberton asked curiously.

“Huh? Did they break the rules or something?”

“No way.”

I acted nonchalantly and walked on.

“It’s late. Let’s head back.”

Yeah, peace isn’t in my cards.

I should stay sharp.

Someone must have untied the golden thread; I can’t let my guard down.

Restless spirits are still wandering the academy, gnawing at the cracks in one’s sanity.