Customer, It's Time to Pay Up

4. Customer, it's time to repay your debt.

The old man's hands moved with bizarre frenzy.

'Put this in too, ah! And this one as well.'

His movements were so swift that afterimages lingered behind his hunched back.

As the old man feverishly prepared something in his madness, Syr's eyes fluttered open.

'Where... am I?'

If she'd seen a white ceiling, she might have casually murmured, "What a unfamiliar ceiling," but unfortunately, the first thing that met her gaze was a massive cauldron of unknown origin.

At the sight of the bubbling green liquid emitting ominous smoke, Syr reflexively kicked off her seat and tried to flee.

"Aaack!!"

But the magic binding her to the chair activated, sending a tearing pain through her entire body, and she could only tumble to the floor.

Hearing her scream, the old man slowly turned his head and approached her.

"Oho! You're already awake? The preparations are still in full swing."

The old man levitated her into the air with magic. Then, wiping the feigned benevolence from his face, he slapped her cheeks repeatedly.

Slap!! Slap!!

A savage smile curled at the corners of the old man's mouth.

"What if you suddenly break free from the magic circle? I nearly ruined years of hard work. This precious magic circle to resurrect my dead daughter."

His madness-filled hands struck her cheeks, but suddenly, as if worried about the damage he'd inflicted, he began to gently caress them.

"Is this okay?" "Can't damage the vital material for my daughter's flesh and soul." "Sorry about that."

After offering his apology, just as he turned back to his preparations—

Bang—!

With a thunderous crash, the entire door flew inward and smashed into the giant cauldron.

*

Following the fluorescent trail, I smashed through the door, and the first thing that hit me was the acrid stench.

The nose-stinging odor was followed by the scene inside the building.

An old man with a startled expression, ominous liquid spilling from the overturned cauldron, the floor covered in grotesque magic circles, and a little girl with busted lips and one swollen cheek.

"Who the hell are you all of a sudden!!"

The old man's initial shock turned to rage as veins bulged on his neck. It was so absurd I let out a hollow laugh.

Who was the one who touched my money source first, and now he's yelling at me?

"Who gave you permission to lay hands on my customer?"

This was cheekiness on a whole other level. Gripping my bat tighter, I continued.

"Do you even know how much debt that kid owes? It's a problem if you drag her off and ruin her like this."

At that moment, the mana inside the building space began to surge. The liquid from the overturned cauldron was touching the magic circle, damaging it.

"The... magic circle?!"

The old man gasped in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠horror, flung Syr to the floor, and rushed to the circle. He scrambled on all fours, inspecting it frantically.

The instant he discarded Syr, I moved to catch her as she fell.

"Hey, snap out of it. You okay?"

"……"

The kid in my arms stared blankly, unresponsive.

"Did someone sew your mouth shut with a needle? When someone talks to you, you answer."

"Or should I drill an extra hole somewhere so you can use that instead of a mouth?"

"…Why'd you come?"

Is that what you say to your rescuer? And why? Isn't it obvious?

"You still have debt to pay, kid."

"You can't die even if you want to until you settle it. Got it?"

"…Yes."

Now that I'd rescued the kid, all that was left was to escape safely…

But no matter how I looked at it, this wasn't going to be easy.

I swung my bat to swat away the fireball hurtling toward us.

Hot heat rode the wind.

While we talked, the old man had been desperately crawling around the floor examining the circle, but realizing it was hopeless, he now had magic circles floating in both hands.

"How dare you…! How dare!"

The old man summoned multiple circles in an instant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and bombarded us with them.

I deflected the magic with my bat before hoisting the kid on my back and dodging around.

'This is dangerous.'

I had no idea where this old man was getting all this power. Should I just keep defending until he tires out?

"Um…"

Then a small voice came from the kid on my back. First time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she'd initiated conversation. I wanted to hear her out, but the situation was dire.

"Sorry, but I'm kinda busy right now. Can't you see how dangerous this is?"

As I spoke, I smacked away an ice spear aimed at my face.

"Over there… that spot looks suspicious."

But Syr yanked my hair hard and insisted. Ow, that hurts!

"What's suspicious about it? It's just a normal picture frame."

"Yeah, but it feels off. I don't know why, but it seems like black smoke is coming out."

Black smoke, she said. But I sensed nothing.

In this frantic evasion, should I trust the kid and smash that frame?

'If we keep this up, I'll collapse from exhaustion first.'

In fact, if my stats hadn't risen from Syr's debt, I'd have fallen already.

Which meant I had no choice but to trust her. I kept moving, biding my time.

'Now!!'

Seizing a gap in the magic barrage, I hurled my bat at the frame.

"Gaaargh!!"

The bat hit true, shattering the frame. Black smoke billowed out, and the old man's scream echoed as the frame broke.

Part of the old man's face melted away, revealing a skull.

That's when I realized. This bastard's a lich!

This guy? Should've triggered sooner. Can I really trust these skills?

Anyway, with the skill active, I could now see black smoke rising from spots all over the building.

Thankfully, the old man wasn't a complete lich. Makes sense—if he were, I'd already be dead with my current abilities.

Of course, back when I was an adventurer, I could've taken a full lich without lifting a finger. My comrades would've handled it.

But incomplete or not, a lich is a lich. Unless I hit it with holy power, physical attacks would just regenerate.

Ultimately, I had to destroy all the life vessels…

I'd dodged well so far, but could I keep evading his magic and smash every vessel?

Plus, with the kid on my back, movement was restricted.

'Tch, isn't there some way?'

Then, a brilliant idea suddenly flashed in my mind.

I asked the kid on my back in a deliberately serious tone.

"Hey, kid. Do you know the due date for repaying your debt?"

"…What're you talking about all of a sudden?"

She blinked in confusion at the random question.

"I know it's out of left field, but it's important."

"Heck, that's why I came all the way here to save you, right?"

"Is it? So, when's the deadline?"

I chuckled at her question. I'd meant to say "one year," but my speech corrected itself, so I'd only said "due date" instead…

Which meant this kid didn't know the exact due date.

"Unfortunately, it's right now."

"…?"

"Now then, customer. It's the due date."

It was time to repay the borrowed money, but Syr couldn't pay it back…

I felt power surging through my body. Not just raw strength—mana, dynamic vision, all stats rose a rank, bringing new sensations I'd never felt before.

The status window and skills are GOAT. Sorry for doubting you earlier.

I'd love to pray in thanks, but solving this situation comes first.

Lich, huh… Choke on this. The weight of all that accumulated debt is gonna be heavy.