Chapter 19
Chapter 19
We Need to Save Money
“Haah….”
After pacing around the narrow living room several times, I finally let out a deep sigh.
My gaze remained fixed on the tightly shut front door.
‘She should’ve been back by now…’
My precious top-tier asset, Camellia, had gone out alone, and it had already been more than half a day.
Her destination was a church located on the outskirts, beyond the slums.
The reason was simple.
Recently, our uncontrollable dragon had knocked Camellia unconscious by striking the back of her neck when she tried to stop her from going outside.
With the medical technology of this world, there was no way to precisely determine whether that physical blow had caused any damage to her brain or nervous system.
The potions I had been buying weren’t enough for proper treatment anyway,
So I sent her to the church to receive healing from a priest with divine power, and to get a proper checkup.
Originally, I planned to send Erika along as a bodyguard.
With her overwhelming strength, even a group of street thugs wouldn’t be able to touch a single hair on Camellia.
But after some thought, I had to scrap that plan.
No matter how perfectly Erika disguised herself as a human with polymorph magic, there was a high risk that high-ranking priests would sense the immense dragon mana hidden within her.
‘Considering how priests in this world treat magical beasts and dragons… that’s not an option.’
While I was hesitating, Camellia smiled calmly and spoke first.
“Don’t worry too much, Narsus. I can quietly go to the church and return on my own.”
“But it’s dangerous outside…”
“It’s okay. And… I also want to quietly pray to God by myself for the first time in a while.”
Looking into her calm, clear eyes, I couldn’t insist any further.
In the end, I swallowed my worries and let her go alone.
Of course, before sending her off, I made sure to give her a ‘short and concise’ list of precautions.
“Pull your hood down low, never go into back alleys, if you see a drunk person run the opposite way, never answer if someone asks for directions, don’t make eye contact with street vendors, and if anything happens don’t look back, just shout for help and gather people around—”
I thought I’d summarized only the essentials, but Erika, who was listening nearby, yawned and mocked me, saying my nagging was longer and more boring than boiling meat.
…
“Sigh… nothing happened, right? Should I go pick her up now?”
Just as I grabbed the doorknob, unable to suppress my anxiety—
Creak.
“Oh my, Narsus. Were you about to head out?”
The old door opened, and Camellia stepped inside, bathed in the warm glow of the evening sunset.
Perhaps because she had been praying at the church, her platinum hair and milky skin seemed to radiate a soft, sacred aura.
“C-Camellia! You’re back! How’s your body? What did they say? Are you okay?”
I fired off questions rapidly, grabbing her shoulders and checking her over.
Camellia smiled awkwardly and gently patted my hands.
“Hehe, calm down. The priest said there’s nothing wrong. In fact, they were surprised that the wounds and scars on my body have improved a lot compared to when I first visited the church.”
“Haah… that’s a relief. That’s really good.”
Even if gradual, my top-tier investment was still trending upward.
The weight pressing on my chest finally lifted.
Camellia smiled faintly and turned her gaze toward the living room.
There, Erika was slumped over the table, napping, before lazily lifting her head.
“Oh, you’re back.”
As Erika rubbed her eyes and spoke casually, Camellia approached and sat across from her.
Then, in a gentle yet firm voice like a kindergarten teacher, she asked,
“Erika. Did you listen to Narsus while I was gone? You kept the ‘promise’ we made, right?”
At that question, Erika’s red eyes flashed.
“Hmph! Of course! What do you take me for!”
She puffed out her chest proudly.
Although there had been a small ‘incident’ at the market, it was self-defense to protect our property, so technically, she hadn’t broken the promise.
“I behaved very well and protected the house and the meat. Nothing happened!”
She looked like a large dog wagging its tail, asking for praise.
“You did very well, Erika.”
“Heh, praise me more intensely!”
Camellia laughed softly.
“Wow! That’s amazing, Erika! You’ll keep doing well, right?”
“Hmph, of course.”
“Okay then, I just got back, so I’ll wash my hands and change first.”
With a smile, Camellia went inside.
A moment later.
The sound of water stopped, and footsteps returned to the living room.
Seeing her now in comfortable clothes, I tapped the table lightly.
“Wait. I have something to say to both of you.”
I cleared my throat.
“Our household needs a bit of… frugality.”
“Frugality?”
Camellia tilted her head, while Erika blinked.
“In short, we need to save money.”
I explained what happened at the butcher shop, leaving out the part where Erika beat up the thugs.
…
“So yeah… for a while, we need to cut back.”
In the long run, it was a good decision.
I now owned the building, securing cheap meat and exclusive rights to by-products.
But the issue was liquidity.
I had tied up a large sum at once, leaving me short on cash.
“So from today, we’ll gradually reduce our expenses.”
Bang!!
Before I even finished, Erika slammed the table and stood up.
Her red eyes burned with killing intent.
“Y-You…! What do you mean by that…!”
Her voice trembled.
“Are you saying… you will reduce my meat?! Didn’t you say you bought that butcher shop to feed me?!”
She looked ready to grab my collar.
But I calmly raised my hand.
“Who said anything about reducing your meat? Listen to the end.”
“…Huh? N-Not that?”
Erika froze awkwardly.
I looked at both of them.
“Erika, your meat supply won’t be reduced unless absolutely necessary. That’s the whole reason I bought the place. And Camellia, your recovery potions and supplements will never be cut. In fact, I’ll upgrade them when I have money.”
Camellia’s eyes trembled.
“But… Narsus. You said money is tight. My medicine is expensive… maybe you should reduce it… or even stop giving it to me…”
“Denied. Don’t say nonsense.”
I cut her off firmly.
“Then where will you save money?”
Erika asked, confused.
“Simple. We cut unnecessary daily expenses.”
I folded my fingers one by one.
“Cancel buying a new winter coat. The old one still works. And I’ll stop drinking cheap beer after work. That alone will save quite a bit.”
Isn’t surviving on instant noodles while waiting for stocks to rise the basic survival skill of small investors?
But the atmosphere turned strange.
“….”
“….”
Silence fell.
“Y-You…”
“N-Narsus… why would you go this far…”
Something felt off.
“Wait, stop.”
I waved my hand.
“That’s not it.”
I shook my head.
“I’m not saying I’ll sacrifice myself.”
I paused, then continued.
“We’ll all cut back a little together.”
I looked at both of them.
“I don’t want to reduce what truly matters to you, so just bear with it a little.”
Camellia’s eyes wavered.
Erika silently watched me.
“We’ll also save firewood. Use two blankets when sleeping. If it’s still cold… I’ll get more blankets.”
At my firm tone, both nodded.
“Understood.”
“Okay.”
“And… bathing. Hygiene is important, so I won’t restrict that. But heating water costs money, so…”
I presented a logical solution.
“From now on, don’t heat water separately. Use one batch and bathe together.”
“W-What?!”
Camellia’s face instantly turned red.
“Together…? B-But that’s too…”
“What, you don’t like it?”
“I-It’s not that… I mean… o-okay…”
She lowered her head, trembling.
‘Maybe she’s embarrassed… or because of the scars from torture…’
Either way, they’d get used to it eventually.
‘Sorry, Camellia… I’ll buy you better potions with the money saved.’
Later that evening.
Creak.
The bathroom door opened slightly.
Steam drifted out, and Camellia peeked out.
“Um… Narsus…”
“Hm? Something wrong?”
I turned—
And nearly dropped what I was holding.
Camellia stood there, barely covered by a thin towel, her entire body flushed red.
Her eyes couldn’t meet mine.
“Th-the water… is ready. L-let’s… go in together…”
“…?”
Silence fell.
…Wait.
What?
No, hold on.
I meant for her to bathe with Erika—
Why does she think she’s bathing with me?!
Through the steam, Camellia’s eyes wavered, clearly having misunderstood something terribly.