Money Isn't Everything, But There's Nothing Quite Like It
"It looks like you'll have to take care of this girl for a bit, Si-hyun."
"Huh?"
After finally calming Leah, who had been sobbing in my arms, Elissa came straight back from the emergency meeting a few hours later and bluntly asked me to be Leah's guardian.
"No, what the hell happened in that emergency meeting to make this the conclusion?"
"Well, you see—"
The emergency meeting covered a lot, but to sum it up:
We entrust the safety of the girl who calls herself the mengmang-grade ghost story 'Leah' to the office worker 'Yoon Si-hyeon.'
'They completely ignored the person's own opinion. What a shitty guild—maybe I should just quit on the spot.'
If it weren't for the rent and loan...!
I'd have thrown in my resignation right then!
'No, more than that—handing a girl suspected of being a mengmang-grade ghost story to an ordinary person?'
What is this, some hidden camera prank for ultimate laughs?
"Elissa, I hate to say it myself, but... I'm just a total normie with no powers whatsoever. You really think it makes sense to leave a ghost story with someone like me?"
"As I mentioned, Noblesse—no, Leah now. She's no different from a normal girl. She just goes around calling herself a ghost story."
"That's already a hard no from the start. And it's not just any ghost story—it's mengmang-grade!"
"Our investigation confirmed she's safe for now, so no need to worry too much."
"Sigh, if she's that safe, just keep her in the UK or the guild isolation room. Why dump her on me?"
"If we could, we would have already. The problem is..."
Elissa narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced behind me.
There, a girl with purple eyes clung tightly to the hem of my shirt, pressing right up against my back.
Like a kid desperately guarding a favorite toy from being taken away.
—Whoosh! Whoosh!
"N-No! This body won't go anywhere! This body doesn't wanna leave here!"
The girl flailed her arms wildly to keep anyone from approaching.
"...As you know best, Si-hyun, the biggest issue is that Leah refuses to leave your side."
"Isn't it just a tantrum?"
"I've been monitoring her emotional state since entering Isolation Room 3. For some reason... she feels the most at ease with you nearby. When we tested separating you briefly, it was a total festival of negative emotions."
I turned my head slightly to look at Leah plastered to my back.
Her purple eyes glistened with unshed tears.
With puffed cheeks and a quivering lip, the girl was expressing 'I don't wanna be separated' with her whole body.
'Ah, could giving her a name have caused this?'
If so, it was almost identical to Luna's case.
"Leah, you gonna stay like that forever?"
"Y-You tried to abandon this body...! You took my first and now you're trying to run off without taking responsibility, so this body is holding on!"
"First off, can you pick better words?"
"This body doesn't know about that!"
—Squeeze.
Leah poured all her strength into her fingertips, hugging me tight.
The girl was anxious I might leave her behind.
We'd only met a few hours ago, so why was Leah clinging to me like this?
'If I knew, would I be dealing with this? Sigh.'
"Anyway... I get the reason, but isn't this way too irresponsible?"
"After thorough examination, Eden Guild concludes Leah has no powers and is no different from a normal girl. She might just be a poor amnesiac."
Elissa looked at Leah with a hint of pity, but I just found it amusing.
Because Leah was a 'real' mengmang-grade ghost story.
Mengmang-grade ghost story 'Leah's emotional state is within normal range.
The system's undeniable declaration.
No trace of the ominous black knight Noblesse from the novel, but the system insisted Leah was mengmang-grade.
'Since the system says so, I should keep her close. But... I can't just bite on Elissa's offer right away.'
An ordinary guy accepting guardianship of a girl suspected as a ghost story? It'd look fishy.
The guild might investigate if they found it suspicious.
So I'd been pretending reluctance, waiting for Elissa's additional 'condition.'
"We'll monitor and examine Leah periodically at the guild. If you can't handle it, we'll take her back immediately."
"...Even so, it's a burden."
"Of course, you have the right to refuse."
"Really? That's a relief then."
As I smiled and sighed in relief, Elissa placed a single sheet of paper on the table.
—Thud.
"Si-hyun, before refusing, care to take a look at this?"
"What's that?"
"Hehe, you'll know when you read it."
I picked up the document with my right hand and slowly read from the top.
[Detailed cost breakdown and monthly compensation figures]
'SSR gacha pull!!! This is exactly what I've been waiting for!!'
The additional offer I'd been waiting for: material compensation.
Being seen as a greedy guardian who reluctantly takes Leah for the money.
That was the ideal image.
'That way, they'll think I have no ulterior motives.'
Someone moved by money is the easiest to understand.
If the guild sees me as easy to handle, I can resolve Leah's story without suspicion.
Plus, I get cash as a bonus—one stone, two birds!
'No downside for me at all.'
But no matter the amount, I planned to refuse once.
To position myself as even greedier, pushing for more pay.
"The amount... one, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, million, ten million... Wait, ten million?!"
"Hehe, what's wrong, Si-hyun?"
"No, this is way too much, isn't it?"
"Self-proclaimed or not, it's mengmang-grade protection fee. It's only natural."
The sum was far higher than expected; I was speechless for a moment.
I'd figured maybe a few hundred thousand a month at best.
But the guild offered an amount equivalent to a working adult's annual salary—every month—for being Leah's guardian.
'Huhu, no way, can't... I was surprised, but nope! I decided to refuse once no matter what!'
Trying to buy me with money? Insulting me!
—Bang!
I slammed the paper on the table, glaring fiercely.
"Elissa..."
"Yes, Si-hyun? Decided?"
"I'll devote body and soul to protecting Leah diligently."
"Hehe, wise choice, Si-hyun."
Honestly, it was too much money to refuse.
* * *
"No matter how I think about it, I was such a pathetic loser... Falling for money hook, line, and sinker!"
I signed the contract and sank into post-nut clarity.
My plan to refuse once? Bullshit.
I was a bit disappointed in myself for accepting instantly.
"Huhu... Yeah, I'm trash after all... Food waste trash..."
"Human, what's food waste?"
"Well, if you leave the pudding you're eating now instead of finishing it, that's food waste."
"Leaving pudding is absurd!"
Leah, sitting quietly on my lap, shoveled pudding into her mouth with a satisfied look.
—Nom nom.
Watching Leah munch on the pudding with her tiny lips somehow reminded me of the silver-haired princess silently eating salt bread.
'Luna too, and now Leah—ghost stories eating stuff is unusual from the start.'
—Stroke.
Unconsciously, I petted Leah's head on my lap.
Startle!
Leah jolted like she'd been shocked, her purple eyes widening as she stared at me.
"H-Human...! What are you doing...?"
"Ah, sorry. I did it without thinking. Hate it?"
"P-Petting a knight's head casually is not allowed...! It's rude...!"
"So Leah's a knight? Got it. Won't do it again."
"Hmph...! B-But human, you're this body's guardian, so this body will allow it specially."
"Hahaha! Really? Thanks, Leah."
Leah closed her eyes slightly, quietly feeling my stroking hand.
'Honestly, I was too frazzled earlier to notice... but Leah's ridiculously pretty.'
Her red hair sparkled like roaring flames, and her eyes were mesmerizing purple jewels.
She seemed delicately raised, but her mannerisms and speech were bold and spirited.
'A bit girly... but curvy where it counts, slim where it should be.'
Were all mengmang-grade ghost stories like this?
Like Luna, the first one I met, with her transcendent beauty—maybe girls bearing tales of doom were all like this.
As I pondered, Elissa approached.
"Si-hyun, contract's processed. You can start living with Leah from tomorrow."
"And today?"
"Precise exams and tests aren't done, so she can't leave Isolation Room 3 yet. They'll wrap up today, so take her when you leave work tomorrow."
"Ah... got it. Understood."
I gently lifted Leah from my lap and set her down.
"Leah, I'm heading out now."
"Human...? W-Where are you going?"
"Just separating for a bit. We'll meet again tomorrow, so be good and stay here?"
"Th-This body hates that! Human must stay by this body's side!"
—Squeeze!
Leah grabbed my hand with her tiny one as I tried to leave, shaking her head furiously.
The peculiar human who gave her a name.
She didn't know why, but she felt anxious without him.
'Hmm, as her guardian, I should soothe her properly? And educate her a bit.'
I crouched down to meet the teary Leah's eyes.
"Human...?"
"Leah, as your guardian, first thing I'm teaching you: four key greetings."
"Greetings...?"
I taught her 'Hello,' 'Thank you,' 'Goodbye,' and 'See you later' one by one.
"Leah, when parting, you say 'See you later' like this."
"This body doesn't quite get what that means..."
"Hmm, when parting from me, always say it that way. Then, no matter what, I'll come back to you."
"No matter what...?"
"Yeah, no matter what. Wanna practice?"
"Ugh...!"
Leah lifted her head slightly, waving at me and mumbling with her little mouth.
"H-Human...! See you later...!"
"Haha! Leah learns fast, huh?"
"O-Of course! This body is a great knight, so this is nothing!"
Leah perked up instantly, beaming and striking a proud pose.
I gently petted her and taught one last thing.
"Leah, just as I gave you a name and call you by it, call me by name from now on too."
"What's human's name?"
"Yoon Si-hyun. Just Si-hyun casually."
"Si-hyun... Sounds like Lucifer! Good name!"
"Hahaha, glad you think so. Alright, Leah, time to part, so last greeting?"
I stepped back a few paces and waved.
"Leah, I'm going now. See you tomorrow."
"U... Uuuhm... In this case... Ah!"
Leah suddenly remembered, hopping up and waving back at me.
"Si-hyun! Definitely see you later!"
"Yeah. I'll come tomorrow. Wait nicely, Leah."
"Yeah...! Bring pudding too!"
The moment she started using my name.
Si-hyun and Leah became a little more special to each other.
* * *
Time passed, and two weeks after I started caring for Leah.
"S-Si-hyun is neglecting this body...! You took a knight's first and now you're going too far...!"
"Leah, I've told you a few times to watch your wording?"
"Si-hyun did take my first! Take responsibility!"
"Hahaha, no way. Pudding ban for the time being."
"Eeeek...! You're too much...! Si-hyun!"
Taking care of the tomboy knight girl was easier said than done.