The Golden Sun Receives Treatment
Why on earth had I tried to extort money from this marquis family's young lady? A wave of belated regret, tangled with a sense of crisis, rose up inside my head.
"Please take this money. I'll cover my friend with my own—"
"I absolutely won't accept it. Just focus on thinking about where we're going next."
Seeing Lucia whistling with such a delighted expression, it seemed she was in an exceptionally good mood after successfully swindling me.
…This wasn't the reaction I'd expected when I first stepped into this place.
'She's not as surprised as I thought she'd be.'
The place Lucia and I had entered was basically known to people as the black market. But it also doubled as a kind of gambling den. If it only offered relatively wholesome games like roulette, blackjack, baccarat, poker, or slot machines, that would be one thing…
"Hey! Put some strength into it!"
"That's how much I bet on you! Don't you dare fall!"
There were also plenty of violently charged games where workers or slaves were pitted against each other and bets were placed on the outcome. It wasn't simple bare-knuckle fighting either—it felt more like gladiatorial matches where they wielded weapons and tried to kill one another.
Every time something like that came into view, I'd steered Lucia toward the opposite direction. But this person showed absolutely no aversion to it. I'd thought she'd at least try to run away the moment she saw it, yet here she was, grinning from ear to ear at the thought of teasing me, completely uninterested in the violence.
"Doesn't that seem rather cruel to you?" I asked Lucia.
She tilted her head, then pointed at the arena where people were slaughtering each other and replied, "This? I'm fine with it."
Most people seeing something like this for the first time usually felt intense revulsion. Did she not have any of that? Moreover, as the daughter of a marquis family, she must have lived an extremely sheltered life. How could she show no reaction at all…?
"My father runs something similar. I've sneaked in to watch a few times."
…What?
When I looked at her in shock, Lucia lightly tapped the pouch containing the money and said, "Then where did you think money like this came from?"
No, that wasn't the issue. It wasn't exactly a secret that certain high-ranking nobles secretly operated places like this. But for a direct descendant of one of those families to openly talk about exactly which field their house handled carried far more weight.
In other words, saying something like this in front of others made it highly likely she'd be caught out.
"Ah, so that's why you kept leading me in the opposite direction whenever we passed the arena? I thought you just hated it."
Yet she didn't seem to care that she knew. She patted my arm and continued, "How cute. You said you hated it, but you're still looking out for me?"
No, that wasn't me looking out for you. I just didn't want the hassle of you getting scared by the arena and running off, so I deliberately took routes where it was hard to see.
Somehow I felt like leaving it at that would only make Lucia misunderstand even more, so I changed the subject.
"Anyway, you really shouldn't tell other people that your family is involved in something like this…"
At that, Lucia smiled as if she'd been waiting for those words and yanked on my tie again. Damn woman, treating it like a dog leash and pulling whenever she felt like it.
In the end, she dragged my ear all the way to her face and whispered into it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"I wouldn't say it to just anyone. I'm telling you because it's you."
This crazy woman, trying to seduce people at every opportunity.
When I looked at her in horror, Lucia acted like she hadn't said a word. She quietly unwrapped a candy and popped one straight into my mouth. Of course, it was lemon flavor again.
"And even though you say you hate me, you're still worrying about me like this? Hehe…?"
She smirked at me with a meaningful look. I didn't even know why I'd done it myself.
"I have a habit of trying to help people when I see them doing stupid things."
Probably because watching Lucia do stupid things was so frustrating that I'd acted without thinking.
"No, from what I can see, you've already fallen for me."
Yes, everything Lucia was saying right now was just meaningless nonsense meant to shake my heart.
"So stop doing useless things and quietly lie beneath me while accepting your own feelings."
What a crazy bitch. Did she not realize that talking like that would make any feelings that existed disappear?
She must have noticed my expression souring, because Lucia pressed closer and said, "Honestly, isn't someone like me pretty good? I'm rich, I'm pretty, and…"
"I already told you. I dislike women who steal other people's men."
I might have wavered a little, but in most situations I remained consistent. I absolutely despised women who stole someone else's lover, whether they'd laid hands on that lover or not.
"Now, let's get ready. We'll be meeting the worker merchant soon."
I led a somewhat dejected-looking Lucia into what appeared to be an ordinary shop entrance. The shop owner, who had been fanning himself to cool off from the heat, spoke up. This place that looked like it only sold ordinary groceries was actually where they bought and sold the "workers" that Grayson currently resided in.
"Oh my, we have customers. What kind of product are you looking for?"
"Not a rental—a purchase. A fifteen-thousand-gold worker. Would it be all right if we take a look?"
A fifteen-thousand-gold worker basically meant one with such severe flaws that the price had dropped dramatically.
'In other words, paying that much for a worker either meant you were an idiot, or you had someone specific you absolutely needed to find.'
Workers were supposed to increase efficiency the stronger their physical abilities were. But Grayson, whose "conditions" weren't sufficiently met, displayed power even weaker than an ordinary person. There was no way such a worker could be sold at full price.
"Oh my! An excellent choice!"
Of course, this man was a merchant. He wasn't about to volunteer that kind of information to the person who was supposed to buy his goods.
"This way, please."
He led us into a prison-like area where people were locked behind iron bars. It wasn't as dark and gloomy as I'd expected—just the exact feeling of a jail where prisoners were held.
The shop owner passed several cells before stopping in front of one. He unlocked the iron door with a key.
"This is the only fifteen-thousand-gold worker our shop currently handles."
At the shop owner's words, Grayson slowly lifted his bowed head and looked at me. Gray hair, gray eyes. His shabby appearance reminded one of a patient. His eyes, too, held none of the various things a person's eyes should contain. It was as if he lacked memories, the experiences a person should accumulate, and some fundamental element.
"…Do you remember me?"
I glanced at Lucia before speaking to him as if we were originally acquainted.
"I'm sorry. I have dissociative amnesia, so I don't remember the past after a certain period of time."
And just as I'd said earlier, the Grayson speaking to me now had neither his own memories nor experiences. Truly, none of the memories that "should exist" remained properly in his head. But if there was a problem with what he was saying now—
"That's not true."
"…Pardon?"
"You don't have anything like dissociative amnesia."
His previously hazy eyes widened instantly, as if he'd heard something he shouldn't have.
Yes. The memory-related disorder Grayson usually used as an excuse didn't actually exist.
"I've come to take you, Grayson."
The reason he couldn't remember anything right now wasn't because of some disorder. It was because using his power required him to expend an equal amount of his own memories.
"Someone who knows me…"
"I won't accept any excuses, so just follow me for now."
With that, I tossed fifteen thousand gold to the shop owner. He glanced at it briefly before nodding at me as if to confirm the transaction. Now Grayson was legally mine.
Of course, he had to be bound to Heidi, not me. But that point was still far in the future, and I needed him right away for the upcoming episode. So naturally, I had to act as the broker connecting Grayson and Heidi, didn't I?
"…Jack, is this guy really your friend? He doesn't seem to know you at all?"
Lucia spoke from behind as she watched Grayson trailing after me like a lost puppy, sounding utterly bewildered.
"This guy says he has dissociative amnesia or something and can't remember me."
In times like this, it was best to just reuse the all-purpose excuse Grayson often used. In the novel, people usually accepted it when he said that.
"But then where are you planning to have him stay and eat?"
Yes, that was indeed a problem. Even if I lived in the dormitory, this guy didn't really have anywhere to stay.
I smiled at Lucia, who had raised a reasonable question, and said, "I have plans for that."
Of course I had a method, but I couldn't exactly tell her about it. At the academy, students who made significant contributions received "transfer student" qualifications for just about anything. I was going to have Grayson play an active role during the attack at the entrance ceremony and shove him straight into A-class as a transfer student.
'But how am I supposed to explain that…'
It wasn't like I could advertise that I knew the future. That would cause huge problems. If I had to make an excuse later, I could just say I'd arrange for him to stay at another lodging facility.
"Wait a second."
Then Lucia spread her hand wide to stop me and poked my side as she spoke. I'd thought she wanted to hear more because I hadn't explained properly, but—
"Smile for me one more time like you did earlier. I couldn't see it properly because I was thinking about something else."
It seemed this person was more interested in me smiling than in hearing the explanation.
…I really didn't understand why she kept acting in ways that confused me. There was no way this woman actually liked me. Was she just trying to shake me up?
"I refuse."
Thinking that, I shook my head and rejected her request. Lucia clicked her tongue in disappointment, then suddenly dashed toward the wall and slammed her head straight into it with a loud thud.
"…What are you doing?"
"Ow ow ow… wasn't the entrance here…?"
Lucia clutched her head and groaned.
"The entrance is over there…?"
It seemed she'd mistaken the direction we'd come from, thought the wall was the entrance, and run straight into it.
"Ughhh… it's bleeding…"
She must have run into it pretty hard. A small wound on her head was actually bleeding.
"I'm so embarrassed I could die. Let's go quickly… ugh?"
Was this person crazy? She was bleeding—where did she think she was going?
I dragged her over to a large rock nearby, sat her down, and began applying disinfectant to her head.
"It might sting a bit, so bear with it."
Why did I carry disinfectant? Not only disinfectant, but several first-aid items—I always carried them in case I ever got attacked by the crazy male leads. Even in a world full of magic and superhuman strength, these supplies were still useful, so I carried them despite the inconvenience. In emergencies, I could even infuse them with mana and trigger an Explosion.
No matter how I thought about it, life in a viscount family should be a bit more comfortable, but what could I do? This was my fate.
"Ow! It stings!"
Besides, if a man and woman were walking together and the woman had blood dripping down her head, what would people think of me?
I liked that she was carefree, but I wished she'd consider the person next to her a little. I carefully checked to see if she had any other injuries, but fortunately the only wound was on her forehead.
"Whew… all done."
After sticking a large bandage on her forehead, I felt quite satisfied. Now I wouldn't have to worry about any misunderstandings wherever we went.
"…Hm?"
But for some reason, Lucia's face had turned quite red.
"Are you feeling sick somewhere?"
Wondering if she had a fever, I placed my hand on her forehead. Her face grew even redder. I briefly wondered if it was because of the contact I'd just made, but I soon chuckled and dismissed the thought from my mind.
The Geumtaeyang getting flushed because of a man? That was ridiculous.