Chapter 62
17. The Deal
“Are we he—huh?!”
“We were just going to order two stews, but—ha… hahaha! Something urgent came up!”
“Me too! I’ll come back later!”
The two mercenaries who had just stepped into the shop turned on their heels and bolted out the door the moment they spotted someone inside.
“That makes thirty people already.”
“……”
Hearing Jay’s small murmur, Seres quietly narrowed her eyes toward one spot.
“You don’t have to whisper.”
“Huh?”
It’s not like it matters—he can hear everything anyway.
And yet he still sits there, pretending not to notice a thing.
Right in the middle of the shop, sitting perfectly at ease and reading a book, was a man.
‘Does he think this is a library?!’
A library!
‘Kai, that bastard…’
Should she just snatch those glasses off his face and crush them?
Kainel, sitting alone so calmly, had never looked more irritating.
“Hey, you.”
“……”
At Seres’ call, Kainel finally looked up at her.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Can you not talk like that?”
“What’s wrong with how I talk?”
“Pick one—either be polite or drop the honorifics. Not both.”
“Alright then.”
“……”
Just like that, he dropped all formality, as if he’d been waiting for the chance.
Kainel set his glasses down on the table, holding back the laugh that almost slipped out.
“So? What do you want?”
“Pay me back.”
“I told you—”
Bang!
“Didn’t that hurt your hand?”
“Shi—…”
Why is that what you’re worried about?!
Watching him calmly stare at the hand that had just slammed the table, Seres almost cursed out loud.
“Do you really have to sit here to pay me back?”
“Then sign.”
“……”
…Should I just kill him?
Seres pressed her fingers into the back of her neck and let out a long sigh.
She’d lost count of how many times they’d had this same conversation.
‘Was he always this dense?’
Why was he so impossible to reason with?
“I told you I’ll pay you back—every bit, on time, every due date.”
“Great. I’ll be here until you do.”
…No, really. Should I kill him?
At this point, not even pulling out her sword from subspace and taking a few swings would cool her off.
“This is obstruction of business! I’ll sue you for damages!”
“Go ahead. As much as you want.”
Damn rich people—so smug and untouchable!
She glared at Kainel’s composed smile. He clearly didn’t care in the slightest.
‘Bastard.’
Ever since that day when he’d shown up with a stack of debt documents, it had been like this.
He said he’d pay everything back, including interest, yet still sat in her shop every single day, driving her insane.
Customers who came in saw Kainel sitting there first thing in the morning, and immediately fled without a second glance.
Some stubborn mercenaries insisted on having stew to cure their hangovers and took a seat anyway—
Tap.
‘…….’
‘A–ahem! Cough! Uh, the check please!’
One cold stare from Kainel over the top of his book, and even they ran out before finishing half their stew.
“Do you want me to get my money back or not? Because thanks to you, all my customers are terrified!”
I can’t make money to pay you back if you scare them all away, idiot!
“And another thing—how the hell did you even get all the debt documents?”
Loan sharks aren’t stupid. No one just gives up a source of steady high interest every month.
But every single one of them handed over her contracts to him?
How does that even make sense?!
“There’s nothing more precious than one’s life.”
“…Their life?”
…Wait. Did he threaten them?
Seres gave him a disbelieving look.
You really have way too much free time these days, huh?
“Well, some of them gave it up willingly.”
He hadn’t even threatened most of them—one place had even thanked him for taking it. Kainel himself had found that strange.
He didn’t know that that same place had been the one Seres stormed into, demanding to know why they’d hit her employee.
Ding!
“What, that guy’s here again?”
The shop door opened, and a woman entered, frowning deeply.
It was none other than Chaean, the Master of the Magic Tower.
“Hey! I told you I’d pay that debt for her!”
“And why would you do that?”
“I should be the one asking you that!”
A few days ago, when Chaean found out Kainel was haunting Seres’ shop because of her debt, she’d made an offer.
‘I’ll pay off all of Seres’s debt myself.’
‘No.’
‘What? Why not? You just need to get your money, don’t you?!’
‘That depends on whether I feel like taking it.’
‘Ha! Then I’ll just give Seres the money! Seres, I’ll pay it, so you pay him!’
‘No.’
‘What? You too?!’
‘That would just make me owe you. I don’t want to owe anyone else money.’
‘You don’t have to pay me back!’
‘Still no. A debt of gratitude is still a debt. It’s my problem, I’ll handle it myself.’
Seres’s voice had been so firm that it almost sounded sad.
Remembering that, Chaean now puffed her cheeks and tried again.
“Seres, think about it again. I’ll pay a fair price for that defensive stone—you could clear all your debts with it!”
She was referring to the stone she’d gotten as payment when she placed a protective barrier around the shop during the Black Forest incident, a gift from the baron’s butler.
“It’s a fair trade; there’s nothing for you to feel guilty—”
“I’m counting that as part of the 5,000 gold you paid me as your temporary secretary.”
“T–that was salary…!”
“Don’t act like you don’t know. That salary wasn’t even worth 500 gold, and you paid it out of your own pocket.”
“Luka, you awful little—!”
Chaean slammed her forehead on the table, cursing her secretary Luka, who had clearly spilled the truth.
Seres just clicked her tongue and handed her a glass of cold water.
“Why keep bringing up what’s already settled?”
“Because that means you basically worked for free!”
“So what? Between us, I can do that much for free.”
“……”
Between us…
Between us?
Chaean’s lips clamped shut, her brain short-circuiting.
As she sat there blushing, her eyes suddenly snapped toward the true target of her frustration—Kainel.
If she couldn’t fix things, she could at least pick a fight.
“Why did you even take over all of Seres’s debt papers anyway?”
Who just buys out someone’s debt and cancels all the loan interest?
“Are you bored? Is this your idea of a prank? Wow, way to ruin your Grand Duke image!”
“Curious?”
“Yes!”
Seres sighed at how quickly she took the bait.
How could someone who runs a Magic Tower be so naïve?
Chaean, Kainel’s just toying with you…
“Do I look like someone who’d tell you that?”
“…Wow.”
And right on cue, that smug answer came.
Chaean’s jaw dropped.
Was this guy always such a jerk?
Kainel smiled faintly, the kind of smile that made you want to punch him.
“I told you before, this isn’t your business. You don’t listen well, do you?”
“Would it kill you to just take the money?”
“Nope.”
“Unbelievable!”
Chaean groaned, ruffling her hair in frustration.
She didn’t understand either of them—why did they have to make everything so complicated?
If she’d just pay him, and he’d just accept it, it’d be over!
“Want some tea?”
“No! I don’t want any!”
“Suit yourself.”
“W–wait! No, I’ll have some!”
Her tone was sharp and sulky, but the moment Seres turned to leave, she immediately backpedaled.
Watching her, Kainel couldn’t help but look at Chaean like she was hopeless.
All this… over tea?
“Drink up.”
“Thanks!”
But when only Chaean got a cup, Kainel’s eyebrow twitched.
“What about me?”
“What about you?”
“No tea for me?”
“Nope. Who said you’re cute enough to deserve tea?”
“So you’re saying she gets tea because she’s cute?”
“Exactly.”
Chaean’s face bloomed into a proud smile, while Kainel’s curved into a cold one.
It was that kind of smile—the one that meant trouble.
He watched her sip her tea, his eyes narrowing.
‘She keeps reminding me of someone…’
Now that he thought about it, that Tower Master acted just like Artea—constantly doing little things that got under his skin.
…Must be a Tower Master thing.
