The Money Duplication Bug
“Young Master, it’s a success!”
Emilia, my devoted maid, stared at me with sparkling eyes. The way she looked at me with those wide, round eyes made her seem like an eager puppy waiting for praise. If she had been a beastkin, I’m sure her tail would have been wagging furiously from side to side.
“Mhm…!”
I never imagined this would actually work. To be honest, I hadn’t held out much hope. But once Emilia promised to cooperate, everything moved like lightning.
She brought one of her own uniforms to disguise me and helped me put it on.
“Wow, it looks amazing on you!”
Posing as her attendant, I slipped out of the mansion alongside her.
“Young Master, just trust me. This route is completely clear!”
The security outside the estate wasn’t nearly as tight as inside. Everyone was too busy preparing within the mansion itself. Having successfully escaped, we made our way to a village far from the territory. That was when Emilia stopped in her tracks.
“Young Master, this is as far as I can go, unfortunately.”
Her shoulders drooped despite the brave tone of her words. Seeing her like that, I offered to let her come with me. She had shown such courage to help me; she would surely be an enormous help going forward.
“I wish I could, but if I disappear too, they’ll notice you’re gone right away. I’ll head back and buy you as much time as possible.”
Emilia refused. She said she would return to create confusion, making it safer for me to get away. Viscount Brook ruled this entire region. If he put his mind to it, sending out his private troops to catch one person would be child’s play. So even if it was dangerous, she would try to stall for time.
She’s really going this far?
I was genuinely impressed. What incredible loyalty. In my memories, Emilia had always been cold and terrifying. The old Sieg would shrink back whenever he saw her, finding it hard to approach. Who could have guessed she possessed such a warm heart? As expected, you really can’t judge people by appearances alone.
I spoke from the bottom of my heart.
“I was only able to escape safely because of you. Thank you, Emilia.”
“I’m glad I could help. Hehe.”
Emilia smiled. It was the first time I had ever seen her bright, radiant smile.
“Even though we must part like this for now… I hope we meet again someday. When that day comes, I’ll return as a Sword Master so I can be even more useful to you!”
“Ohh…”
I nodded as if I had no choice, but inside I was shaking my head. I felt bad for her, but becoming a Sword Master wasn’t nearly as simple as she made it sound. Most people couldn’t even manifest basic sword qi. The title of Sword Master was a realm permitted only to the rare few who had glimpsed the absolute peak of the sword. They were revered as gods of the battlefield. Even in the original story, Sword Masters were few and far between. And no matter how I searched my memories, there had never been a Sword Master named Emilia. She hadn’t even manifested sword qi yet. This year marked her fourth year walking the path of the sword. The fact that she hadn’t manifested it within three years—something that should happen with even a shred of talent—meant she simply didn’t have any.
Still, I didn’t want to crush her dream. If anything, I should cheer her on. After all, she had thrown herself into danger without hesitation to help me.
I took her hand and encouraged her warmly.
“That’s right! Emilia, you can definitely become a Sword Master.”
“Yes! For the sake of seeing your face again, Young Master, I absolutely, absolutely won’t give up…”
Her eyes grew misty with emotion as we parted ways. I didn’t know when it would happen, but if the day ever came that she became a Sword Master—or even if it didn’t—I hoped we would meet again.
Emilia kept watching until Sieg’s back disappeared completely from sight.
“Young Master…”
Once he was gone, anxiety flooded the space his comforting presence had left behind.
Should I follow him even now?
The impulsive thought flickered through her mind. But she shook it off.
“No. I need to return to Barvar. For Young Master’s sake.”
To Emilia, Sieg’s safety and happiness were the most important things in the world. That was a maid’s duty. Her own feelings had to come second. Those thoughts filled her completely. Still, someday, without fail, she would become a Sword Master and stand before him again. Only then would she have the right to face him. Besides, Sieg had told her she could do it. Therefore, it was possible. That conviction took root inside her.
And that conviction changed everything.
One day—
Kugugugung—!
Emilia reached the realm where she could cleave boulders with her sword. She had finally manifested the bare minimum of sword qi. It had only been one week since she parted from Sieg. After that, she grew stronger at a frightening pace. Her eyes never left the thought of him.
*
After parting ways with Emilia and escaping Brook’s territory, a new problem surfaced.
It was simple.
I’m out of money…!
I’d fled in such a hurry that I hadn’t been able to bring much. All I had was ten gold—roughly 100,000 won in Korean currency. Trying to cover food, lodging, and travel with that was nearly impossible. I didn’t even have money for tomorrow’s meals. Escaping the territory was great, but at this rate I would literally starve to death.
So I made up my mind.
“Heal—!”
“Whoa!! Thank you so much, Healer! Thanks to you I can head back into the dungeon! Here’s the money I promised. I was worried I’d have to retire, but… huuuek… thank you, truly!”
I decided to earn money using my unique magic. Every time I cast it, my heart still raced with excitement, so it felt like the perfect job. But it wasn’t nearly as easy as it sounded. Having left my family, I had nothing—no official healer license, and worst of all, I was a man. The deeply rooted belief that men couldn’t use magic was everywhere. No one wanted anything to do with an unlicensed male healer.
“You want to join our party as a healer? Pfft. A man daring to call himself a precious healer? You’ve lost your mind. Hahahaha! The nerve of a guy!”
Instead of help, I received mockery and sleazy comments.
“Why don’t you come do something fun with noona instead? I’ll give you the money you need. It’s easy—just lie on your back looking at the ceiling and you’ll feel better in no time. Hehehe.”
Sexual harassment was basically the only thing I got. So I decided to prove myself with my own two feet.
“Ugh, please, just one coin for this poor old man. I have a child like a little rabbit waiting at home, but this leg keeps me from doing anything!”
“Heal—!”
“Uwaaaaack!! My leg! My leg! It… doesn’t hurt anymore?!”
I wandered the village spamming healing magic on anyone I saw. I started with people suffering from leg pain, then moved on to a child who had fallen.
“Waaah! I fell and my elbow’s bleeding!”
“Aigoo. That’s why I told you to walk carefully instead of running.”
“Heal—!”
“Ueeeng? Huh… the blood stopped?”
Even a chuunibyou kid who claimed his right arm was cursed and thirsting for blood.
“Ugh, the curse on my right arm craves slaughter. Huhuhu, I need blood right this instant!”
“Heal—!”
“Ugh, my right arm is… quiet now? Huh?”
I healed them all on sight.
“This is thrilling!”
Using magic never got old. It was fascinating and fun how injuries vanished like lies the moment I cast the spell. I was getting addicted.
I want to keep using it…
If I didn’t get exhausted afterward, I would have kept going without limit. Still, at least one cast per day was mandatory. After the first time I used it on Emilia, I hadn’t had many chances, so this felt incredibly satisfying.
And the benefits of spamming magic weren’t limited to money. It was the best possible advertisement. There’s a saying: to become rich, give first. Share something, and people who feel its value will gladly repay you. Sure enough, grateful people came looking for me and showed their appreciation. They even introduced their friends. Thanks to that, I gained more opportunities to earn money than I could count. I had simply given what I could, yet—
“Five hundred gold…?”
Was this a money duplication bug? I had earned more than two months of an average person’s income in just one week. If I kept living like this, I would never have to worry about starving again.
But.
I can’t keep doing this.
Without official healer credentials, it would cause problems eventually. Every healer in this world was managed by the Holy Church. I might face sanctions—maybe even have my ability to use magic sealed away. That was unacceptable. So I made my decision.
I would become a certified healer.
“Welcome to the Holy Land of Marleryung.”
After a week of travel, I arrived at the healers’ sacred ground—Marleryung. Regular examinations to select new healers were held here. The timing was perfect; the next test would begin soon. I headed straight to register.
On the way, hurrying through the streets—
“Please… save me…”
In the shadow of a dark alley, a girl with fox ears bowed her head, begging. Scabs covered her entire body, and parts of her skin were rotting and festering. Because of her appearance, no one spared her a glance. People even wrinkled their noses in disgust and avoided her as if she were filth.
“Please…”
Her voice trembled with raw desperation. I stared at the beastkin girl for a moment. Our eyes met. My gaze naturally drifted to her neck, where a strange tattoo stood out. A thorn-like pattern stretched down to her collarbone.
Holy crap. A future executive of the Demon Army?
That mark belonged to someone who would later rise as a corps commander in the Demon Army. She harbored extreme hatred toward humans and healers. The moment she saw a healer, she would supposedly charge like a rabid dog.
“P-please… save me.”
After a brief moment of deep thought, her trembling voice reached me again. The fox-eared girl begged once more, her eyes filled with utter despair.