Chapter 211
Chapter 211
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 211
>Chapter Title: I Really Wasn't, Okay?
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My conversation with Evelyn wrapped up neither great nor terribly.
"Hmm, alright. I hope it works out for you. As a friend, I'm genuinely rooting for you."
"If I sell the brooch and get some funds, I'll pay back the tuition right away. Your kindness... I appreciate it."
"Yeah, no need. You don't have to pay it back. As your friend, I just want you to succeed. This is sincere, really."
"Friend... Yeah, friend."
Evelyn still hadn't opened up, but that was fine.
A young lamb with hills to lean on still doesn't know the value of friends.
And as a true friend, I was the type who could wait patiently for her to open her heart. A fisherman who hooks time itself.
Anyway.
"If anything comes up, contact me anytime."
"Yes, I'll gratefully accept the sentiment."
I saw off the departing Evelyn and headed back to the reception desk.
That was when Reilly approached with a sly grin.
"But it's true, right?"
"What's true."
"That thing, you know. Nose-ring stuff, right? Like with me and Shine..."
"Anyone overhearing would think I scammed you two."
"Your conscience, that..."
"That? That what."
"The honorable Yang Sim-ja is my master. But you just call him 'Conscience'."
"Yeah, that's how it is."
Reilly pouted and grumbled.
Normally, I'd give him a taste of justice, but today I decided to hold back.
Because Reilly's words had taught me the beauty of waiting today.
"But you're sure?"
"Yes, I'm certain. I looked into it all."
"Hmm, is that so."
I nodded at the confident Reilly.
Oh, and for reference, what Reilly had tipped me off about was Hazen's real estate laws.
Hazen City was imperial territory.
By default, all land belonged to the empire, but individuals could buy and sell land and buildings.
In other words...
'You pay the empire for the land price and get semi-permanent ownership rights.'
Of course, if the empire says 'hand it over,' you have to, but anyway.
This structure allowed for these quasi-sales, and Reilly had studied Hazen's real estate laws for one reason.
"Real estate investing is all the rage. Buy a house, rent it out, yeah. Stuff like that."
"You got the money?"
"Who buys real estate with their own cash these days? You take out a bank loan."
Fair enough.
I wouldn't buy with my own money either. Yours, maybe.
"Anyway, go on."
"When I looked into it, there are all these minor conditions in the lease and sale laws, right? And one of them..."
"Tch, dragging out what you already said."
Do I not know?
I'm just trying to calmly sort my thoughts.
When I glared, Reilly finally cut to the chase.
"Ahem, one condition is this: 'If the lessee is not of legal age, a legal guardian is required. However, nobles with titles are exempt.'"
"So in other words..."
"That Evelyn from earlier? The kid's not a noble, right?"
"True."
Evelyn had the surname 'Flanche,' but she wasn't nobility.
Some ancestor was probably a noble, and descendants keeping the name wasn't rare.
In short, it boiled down to this.
1. Evelyn leased an office in Hazen.
2. But under Hazen real estate law, minors can't lease.
3. Nobles with titles can, but Evelyn isn't one.
So...
"In my humble opinion..."
"What?"
"The kid might've been scammed."
"Hmm, that makes sense."
Yeah, it did. Reilly saying something sensible. Anyway.
Evelyn wasn't of age, nor a titled noble. And no way the Goldrin Trading Company head stood in as her legal guardian now.
Thus, Reilly's verdict: Evelyn got scammed.
That's why I'd sent her off leisurely.
'If she got scammed... now's the time to retreat.'
Fortunate indeed.
Had I not known, I'd have grown impatient, alerting this cautious fish and heightening her guard.
But there were variables.
"What if she had a legal guardian?"
"Would that matter? Heard she has no business funds. And don't you know? Proper business needs a legal guardian."
"Really?"
"Yes."
This I didn't know.
"But how do you know all this?"
"Try being a salaried worker sometime. Can't dream of owning a home on a paycheck, so you get into this stuff. Everyone talks about it."
"......"
"......Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nah, nothing. You sound like you've slaved away as a wage slave for years."
"Not just that, is it?"
"Let it slide."
I looked at Reilly pitifully for a moment, then shook my head.
What I pitied was... yeah. Reilly's complacency, assuming this life lasts forever.
But hold on.
The question 'What if she had a legal guardian?' lingered, stirring unease.
"Would Evelyn not know this?"
"Probably not."
"Why?"
"Would she need to? Daughter of a big trading firm like Goldrin—underlings handle all the minutiae."
"...Maybe."
Plausible.
She had goods, but no way Goldrin's daughter did clerical work herself.
Even if she knew, it might've been handled so routinely she overlooked it.
Above all...
'...She seemed out of it earlier.'
Her flustered state at admissions showed she was mentally cornered.
"Tch, what if they fiddled with that part?"
Sure, I'd reformed, but villains like Evelyn don't share common sense with normals.
Laws? Bypass them. If you don't get caught, illegal is legal—that's them!
Plenty ways around it.
'Fake ID or... whatever.'
But such thoughts passed.
I nodded to Reilly's voice.
"Just wait calmly. No solution from fretting."
"Yeah, no solution."
"But I guarantee, that Evelyn kid got scammed for sure."
"If so, quite tragic."
"Lower that smirk... you're not smiling?"
"...Who do you take me for, trash?"
"Weren't you?"
"Tch."
I glared at Reilly.
Honestly...
Isn't there that saying?
'I hope you're happy, but not THIS happy.'
That ambiguous feeling was my mood now.
Evelyn's misfortune wasn't bad for me, but I didn't wish outright scam and downfall.
Well, only if it's a real scam.
"But why'd you bring that kid here?"
"...Ah, that."
Originally planned to assign her to Reilly as an errand runner... Can't say that now.
Yeah, keep quiet.
"No big reason. Keep grinning."
"Feels good. Shared misfortune, huh?"
"......"
Seriously, this guy...
* * *
The day back at the academy passed like that.
From the next day, I spent anxious times.
Evelyn wait, day one.
"Hmm, I told you to memorize the summary, but you haven't even done half."
"I got the Fragment of Reverse Heaven instead."
"Fragment of Reverse Heaven...?"
I got checked on my studies by Head Librarian Teheman senior, and to avoid scolding, shifted to Reverse Heaven.
......No contact from Evelyn.
Evelyn wait, day two.
"I can't figure it out at all. You definitely got the fragment... what ability does it have?"
"How about we research this together for a while."
Hating study, I steered our meeting from space to the Reverse Heaven fragment.
......No contact from Evelyn.
Evelyn wait, day three.
"Friend, waiting for someone? Doing what?"
"Fishing."
"In the cafeteria?"
"Damian, it's not one or two days. Don't try understanding."
"Fair point."
I sat in the cafeteria all day waiting for Evelyn.
Damian and Chenbi studied in front, but even that odd sight didn't register.
......No contact.
Evelyn wait, day four.
Three days till term start.
[Friend, Moonlight Stone.]
"Don't have it."
[Promised. Two morning, one evening.]
"Didn't say when. Funds are tight."
[Saw you. Friend, rich.]
"Tch, brat's already money-grubbing."
[......Trash.]
Was the wyvern's gaze getting sharper by the day my imagination? Probably.
Originally like that... I think.
Lazing, waiting for Evelyn, I finally surrendered to the wyvern's nagging.
[Moonlight Stone. Moonlight Stone. Moonlight...]
"Tch, fine, here, take it."
Spirits speak fast on another level from humans.
Voice has vocal limits, but spirit will overlaps and resonates.
In the end, I geared up and headed to Hazen City for moonlight stones.
Of course, scanning for Shine was par for course.
'Still break, no need for outing pass.'
Passing academy gates, someone called me then.
"Aster... student?"
"......?"
Reilly.
Changed address for other students' eyes, probably.
"Why...?"
"Ahem, got something urgent. Come here a sec."
Awkward fake cough, then smooth informal. Reilly mustering courage.
I wasn't that petty.
Logged one for later.
Entering reception, Reilly lowered his stance and whispered.
"Seems... the fish bit the bait."
"The fish... bit?"
"Yeah, been in and out of academy non-stop lately..."
"In and out?"
"Ever seen someone pale as a ghost?"
"Yeah."
Anyone seeing Reilly in Great Forest nods.
But anyway.
"Hmm, Evelyn's in bad shape?"
"'Bad' is understatement. Morning exit, I thought... walking corpse."
"Like Shine?"
"Yeah... similar."
Hmm, yeah.
"Probably soon. Prep up? Celebrate a bit?"
I couldn't hold back a roar at grinning Reilly.
"Pah! Where?!"
"......?"
Reilly tilted head, clueless. I couldn't help blasting him.
"Where, you hear? Toasting another's misfortune? You call that human?! Only beast would!"
Humans don't.
If human.
Tsk tsk. When will he become one.
"Let's go, wyvern. Old saying: don't even associate with beasts."
Worried bad influence on wyvern, I hurried out.
Wyvern incorporeal, invisible to Reilly, but she saw him.
"Wait, what..."
Leaving beast's baffled mutter, out of reception.
Wyvern's voice rang in my ear then.
[Friend, weird]
What's weird?
[Why no laugh?]
No, what... I didn't wish for THIS much, okay?
Really?