The First Boss (1)

Right now, the assets I had—no, the assets of the family—totaled just four gold coins. What, weren't there originally five? Yeah, well, I actually went to the casino to try for a big score. How could I resist when the money doubles every time you win? In the end, I sadly lost one gold coin, but at least I got a solid lesson out of it.

The bastards at the casino are all straight-up con artists. It's all rigged. There's no other explanation for me losing hand after hand. Anyway. The important thing isn't that I lost the money—it's why I went to the casino in the first place.

'Four gold coins is nowhere near enough.'

The Laderu Auction House lives up to its name—it's a place where all sorts of goods change hands. Mixed in among them are things you couldn't buy no matter how much money you threw at them, which is why the main customers are nobles overflowing with cash. And Jenia fell into that category too. Not the overflowing-with-cash nobles, but the side of things you couldn't buy no matter how much money you offered.

In a world full of blondes, silver-haired folks, black-haired people, and every hair color under the sun, red hair like hers was truly, truly rare. Especially to crazy black mages—they'd be drooling over a specimen like that.

"Young Master, I've brought your tea."

"Luton, how much do you think we'd get if we sold this house?"

Clink. Luton's eyes went wide. Tea spilled over the rim of the cup, of course.

"Surely you're not thinking of selling this house, filled with the memories of the lord and lady...?"

I got where he was coming from. For someone who'd spent his whole life serving his father here, this must've hit like a bolt from the blue. But did I want to do this? I was kicking away my own dream of homeownership with my own two feet.

Memories only matter if there's someone left to remember them. In five years, when everything's wiped out, memories are meaningless. And come to think of it...

These aren't even my real parents, are they?

"...We're selling."

"Young Master...! Please, please think it over one more time...!"

Sorry, but there's nothing to think about. If we don't, we're really dead.

Jingle jingle. A cheerful sound rang out from the heavy pouch. Was this the sound of gold coins? I could listen to it all day and never get tired.

Naturally, it was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the money from selling the estate. The process wasn't easy, of course. Convincing Luton was the first hurdle.

"Luton, I promise you this. Within three years, I'll definitely buy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this house back."

"Didn't you say you'd never gamble again... and then you went yesterday?"

How the hell did you know that? Were you spying on me, you bastard? I was itching to chew him out for his nosy behavior, but I held my tongue. For all his nagging, Luton had served the family his whole life—he was like a veteran ambassador.

It's like not giving a retiring sergeant his due respect; it'd tank morale among the troops. As the young head of the family, I needed to honor his experience. Plus, I was the one doing the convincing here.

"I'm dead serious. I'll stake everything on it. Just give me three years."

"...And what exactly are you staking?"

Damn, straight to the point. Truth is, I had nothing to stake. All I had left was this estate and four gold coins—and those were for bringing home Jenia.

"This is the absolute last time. Trust me just once more. If I fail, I'll hand over the family head position to you."

"If you're saying that much, then I understand."

He caved just like that at the mention of the family head spot...? Something felt off. Really off. But I don't hate ambition in a person. People need big dreams, after all.

Of course, I had zero intention of actually handing over the family head position to Luton. I'd buy it back within three years, no matter what. And with the family head spot as collateral, I successfully convinced Luton. All that was left ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was selling the estate.

But that wasn't easy either. The Blanc Barony Estate wasn't like those fake noble families with just a title and peasant lifestyles. We were well-off among baronies, and the manor was huge accordingly.

Where'd all that money from a prosperous barony go? I got curious and asked Luton—only to get a look of contempt. Even though it wasn't my doing, it still stung. Felt like sitting on a bed of nails.

Back to the point: It took a full five days to find a buyer for that massive estate. And so, nine days after arriving in this world.

My pouch was fat with gold coins, but I wasn't exactly thrilled. Most of it would go toward bringing home Jenia anyway. On top of that, my home had downgraded from a grand manor to a shabby two-room rental. Not even owned—straight-up monthly rent.

"Luton, you okay with this? I can't even pay you for your work."

"I served in this manor to repay my debt to the previous lord. I turned down offers multiple times."

"Then that's already settled, right?"

The previous lord—Ryd Blanc's father. No matter the debt he owed, there was no reason to repay it to me.

Clink. Even so, he set the teacup on the table as usual.

"If you run away, Young Master, you won't get the Blanc Barony head position."

"Fair point."

I sipped my tea nonchalantly. Not like I'd ever actually hand over the family head spot to him... and besides, it didn't feel like he meant it sincerely. Best to play along.

Let's let our butler have his moment of glory.

A bit more time passed, and it was late at night.

'Ugh, freezing my ass off.' Even under the blanket, chills ran through me. When I opened my eyes, there was a woman in white staring down at me.

No wonder the rent was so cheap—ghost included, I guess. But hey, her face was pretty cute up close.

"...Wanna come in?"

I lifted the blanket invitingly, but the ghost gave a disdainful look and vanished. Haven't seen her since.

Tch. Kinda disappointing.

Rumble rumble. The carriage rattled along noisily. Looking out the window, I took in the cityscape. No towering skyscrapers like my old world, but the medieval buildings had their own charm.

For reference, this was Laderu, where the auction was happening. True to its reputation as the continent's gold coin hotspot, it was dazzlingly lavish.

As I admired the view, thud! First came the carriage jolting hard, then thunk!—my head kissing the ceiling.

No joke, felt like I grew half a centimeter taller. "You okay?"

"...No."

"I'll drive more carefully."

Luton vanished through the small window to the driver's seat. Probably an accident. ...Yeah, probably.

How much time passed after that? The carriage slowed. The view shifted from city outskirts to bustling streets inside.

'...A ton of nobles here.' Nobles make up less than ten percent of the empire's population—the rest are commoners. Yet over half the people in sight wore flashy clothes. Ironic.

If I had to guess why... 'Auction day's drawing crowds.'

The underground auction, whispered about in shadows. A dopamine hit for bored nobles' dull lives. And my goal wasn't so different. Not for thrills, but participating was the same.

"Jenia."

Murmuring her name softly summoned a translucent display before my eyes.

Good—Jenia had arrived safely in Laderu too. Her emotions and details weren't great, but that was unavoidable. Who'd stay chipper waking up a slave? And mercenaries wouldn't touch the merchandise, so no worries there.

All that remained was joining the midnight auction and bringing her home.

'No way we've come this far and the money's still short...?'

If so, it'd be all or nothing. I'd stop at nothing to keep her out of those guys' hands. But what were the odds? Black magic hermits holed up in forests don't have cash to burn.

Time flowed on until the moon rose high. Masked to hide my face, I made my way down the alley.

'One more block to the entrance...'

Found it. Two men guarded the stairwell leading underground. In the game, dot graphics made them tolerable, but face-to-face in reality? Intimidating as hell. The kind that'd make your pants a little damp in a dark street.

...No wonder everything felt damp.

Brushing past them, I stepped onto the stairs. A chill blast of air hit me, goosebumps racing down my spine. My feet hesitated.

A stark reminder this world was reality, not a game.

Trial 1001. 1002 would never come. I had to clear this one for good.

With renewed resolve, I stepped forward to buy—no, save—Jenia.