Chapter 320
Chapter 320
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 320
>Chapter Title: Why Are Your Shoulders Drooping?
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That day onward, I stayed in the Second Black-White Slums, spending my time in a reasonably busy manner.
Was it a thirst for knowledge?
Lucifer's questions never ended, and by the time I'd earnestly answered them, I'd often miss meals.
But aside from skipping meals, it was a fairly productive time, thanks to Lucifer's diligent attitude toward learning.
"Tower Lord, I mulled over what you told me yesterday, but this part..."
Lucifer wasn't the genius who could learn one thing and grasp ten.
Still, when taught one thing, he'd put in the effort to digest it fully. Unlike those who intuitively figured things out on their own, he could be frustratingly slow at times, but he absorbed and understood exactly what was taught, which made teaching him rewarding in its own way.
I wanted to stay in the Black-White Slums indefinitely, imparting knowledge, but unfortunately, the situation didn't allow it.
"Whew, so in the end, we have to pull out of the Second Black-White Slums?"
"That's right."
"We've invested so much... What a shame. Can't we stick around? Or maybe ban just you from coming and going, Aster, and let me handle things..."
Evelyn, who had rushed to the Second Black-White Slums upon receiving word, let out heavy sighs, wearing her regret plainly. All I could offer her was shallow comfort.
In the end, Evelyn had no choice but to accept reality, and that was why I was so busy.
"Can't be helped. Then, Aster, give me a hand."
"A hand? With what?"
"What else? We need to recover the funds we've spread around the Black-White Slums. It's not just Svetlana— we're tangled up with various cartels, so we can't just talk our way through it."
"Talk our way through?"
Were there idiots gutsy enough to push back? I clenched and unclenched my fist at the thought, but Evelyn shook her head.
"It's not that serious. But once they realize we're in a hurry, some will drag their feet to squeeze us as much as possible. We'll have to eat some losses from pulling the funds suddenly, but I draw the line at getting fleeced in broad daylight."
In other words, she'd yield where it made sense out of consideration, but she wasn't about to get played for a fool.
It wasn't the thrilling—or dire—situation I'd imagined, but I was more than happy to roll up my sleeves and help Evelyn.
I had no intention of letting anyone take us for suckers either...
"Aigoo, not only are you suddenly pulling your funds, but you can't even yield this much! We'll die at this rate, Duke! Huh?! What kind of nonsense is this?!"
"Die? For real?"
"Night, we're really dying here! Just when we caught a breather, you pull this?! Huh?!"
Their reactions were fiercer than expected, leaving me blinking in surprise.
This... even with me stepping in, if they're ready to go all out, maybe the situation really is that bad?
I was the one startled by their fierce momentum, but that's when I got to see Evelyn's true colors.
And what were those true colors?
Exactly this.
"Boss, cut the dramatics. Who's dying? And... I took a look at the relief grain you prepped for this winter. The wheat was priced at 0.1 silver per sack higher than it should be. Isn't that plenty to live comfortably on?"
"What...? 0.1 silver? What the hell are you talking about?! Are you saying I gouged you or something?! Is being an idiot a crime now?! Huh? And what can you even do with a measly 0.1 silver skimmed per sack!"
"0.1 silver per sack. And let's see, how many sacks of wheat did the Pauksen Cartel import for relief...?"
"Smart as a whip, aren't you? Yeah, that's right. I overcharged. Got scammed 'cause I'm dumb! But what's that got to do with you? Why are you hounding me like this?!"
Truth be told, more shocking than Evelyn's pitiless pressure was the cartel boss who seemed ready to stake his life on it... and that wasn't hyperbole. If he tried any tricks, he was fully prepared to smash his skull in.
Anyway, more astonishing than Evelyn was the cartel boss rolling his eyes and bulging his veins.
But.
"You bought those wheat sacks for relief and got funding from Svetlana, right?"
"..."
"And anyone who needs to know is well aware that the funding came straight from Grand Duke Musphelron's pocket. So, how should we report this to the Grand Duke?"
"Wh-what...? The funding came from Grand Duke Musphelron's pocket?! What do you— No, Duke! Why are you doing this?! After all we've been through..."
The nameless boss turned tearful in an instant. But Evelyn didn't even snort.
"What have we been through? Oh, right, nothing. I thought we were at least business partners..."
"Ehehe, Lady Duke. Why the harshness, huh? Let's sit and talk this out a bit more."
Was this really the same guy who'd been acting like he was ready to slit bellies moments ago?
The cartel boss turned into a meek lamb in a heartbeat, practically begging Evelyn to stay.
As Evelyn reluctantly sat back down, he asked with a face full of anxiety.
"Th-then... is it true that the funding I pocketed really came from Grand Duke Musphelron?"
"Getting the picture now? Mess this up, and you could be charged with embezzling imperial funds."
"Wh-what am I to do..."
"I've got a good solution. Want to hear it?"
From there, the conversation flowed smoothly.
Evelyn recovered the funds as planned while showing him a way to pay for his skimming—and it was so seamless, I wondered if they'd scripted it beforehand.
But one thing nagged at me.
"That true? The relief funds came from Senior Musphelron's pocket? I never heard that."
"Yeah. Me neither. Think it's real?"
"..."
"..."
"Bullshit?"
"Let's gloss over uncomfortable truths. Plenty of things in this world are better left unknown."
...Using the imperial name like that?
"Don't worry. The Grand Duke will probably let it slide with a smile."
"This is... cute?"
"Of course. A fuller purse softens the heart. And right now, I'm filling the Grand Duke's purse."
"...So you told him to donate it as atonement..."
"Ahem. Anyway, let's hurry. We've got a lot of places to hit today."
Now I saw it: the "atonement donation" was paying for her own sins, not the boss's.
And so Evelyn went around the Second Black-White Slums, handling the cartel bosses tied to our funds one by one.
Her methods were ruthlessly efficient.
"I get that times are tough. And this is because of our situation, so I'll give you an extension. Let's see... this should be enough, right?"
Sometimes coaxing.
"Of course, of course. I get it. Pulling this funding now must hurt. But think about us—we have to relocate entirely. How about this instead?"
Sometimes soothing.
When soothing, she'd propose solutions satisfying both the Magic Tower and the cartels, like a master butcher trimming fat. In other words... clean.
Of course, not always.
"Night. You saying I lose? You lose?"
"We both lose."
"Good."
Sometimes unavoidable circumstances called for a physical conversation, and our faces would bloom with smiles.
"Money just from a beating..."
"What, surprised by this?"
It might be routine for a scoundrel like you, but nothing about it felt normal to me.
"And it was our money anyway."
Well, true.
In any case, I tagged along with Evelyn, zipping around the Black-White Slums collecting funds.
And I learned something in the process: the Magic Tower had accumulated more money than I'd thought.
"We had... this much money?"
"This is a lot?"
"I thought we'd poured everything into food shortages and such, leaving us broke. Weren't we on the verge of starving?"
"We nearly did. Things improved once we were designated as Grand Duke Musphelron's domain."
"Improved?"
"Yeah, can't you see?"
Evelyn casually gestured at the street, and I instantly grasped her point.
In short... the Second Black-White Slums had changed a lot.
This "change" differed greatly from the mild improvements I'd sensed before.
No, the direction was the same, but the scale...
"When... did it change like this?"
"Quite a bit, huh?"
Evelyn answered my entranced question with one of her own, and I could only nod.
The Second Black-White Slums had started regaining vitality bit by bit when the Magic Tower built the orphanage.
But deep-rooted poverty lingered, impossible to erase. Now, the scene before me was prosperous enough that even the "p" in "poverty" didn't come to mind.
Streets once lucky to see only locals now teemed with merchants, and young people flocking for jobs from the ongoing redevelopment projects added buzz to the air.
In other words, fresh blood was pumping into a dead city.
Hot blood, at that.
"Where people gather, money flows. And flowing money is easy to multiply. We covered some losses that way. Probably the same for the Second Black-White Slums residents. Know what that means?"
I did.
In other words...
"You've broken the cycle."
"Cycle?"
"Yeah, that kind of thing."
It was hard to pinpoint exactly what cycle.
But one thing was clear: the people of the Black-White Slums were trapped in some vicious cycle, passed down generations.
Yet seeing this, I could sense it intuitively.
At least the Second Black-White Slums was free of it now.
Of course, the slums wouldn't vanish entirely. Those wasting their lives on booze would remain drunks forever.
Even so, what moved me wasn't that.
This was... the vague vision I'd dreamed of for the Second Black-White Slums.
"Faster than I expected."
"Not disappointing?"
"What?"
"That someone else easily achieved what you busted your ass for."
I shrugged at the question.
"Nah."
Good was good.
Still, one thought crossed my mind.
"If I'd known... I should've bought some land."
Prices must've skyrocketed—
"Huh? What're you doing."
"Wh-why?"
"Why are your shoulders drooping?"
"Me?"
I just stared at Evelyn.
Then said.
"Let's go."
"Wh-where..."
"To the Chamber of Truth."
Truly, truly fulfilling days.
...At least for me.