If There's No Money, Pay with Your Body
"If you have no money, pay with your body."
[Are you sure it's okay to leave this to her?] "It's fine."
[But he's a cunning mage. And he's dealt with plenty of nobles before.] [Lady Elena…….] "Enough."
Albert knew exactly what the System was worried about. That was why he drew the line. "This is Elena's business. Don't interfere any further."
[Tch…… Understood.] [( •︠ˍ•︡ )]
The emoticon looked sulky, but when it came to family, some lines had to be drawn clearly. Even with the System, there were boundaries that could not be crossed. Otherwise, the terrible incident from before might repeat itself.
"And there's no need to worry. Elena's my little sister. She'll squeeze him dry just fine on her own."
[Well…… That's true.] [If the same blood as yours flows through her veins, then yes, she definitely will.] [That personality of yours didn't go anywhere.]
"Is there a thorn in your words? What's wrong with my personality?"
[Oh my, are you really asking because you don't know?] [What happened to your conscience?] [You're quite good at squeezing people dry.] [Shall I list everything recorded about you?]
"……No, that won't be necessary."
[You squeezed China dry, and even went as far as taking the Great Wall…….] "Stop…… I get it."
Albert acknowledged his personality. But this was an innate merchant's instinct inherited from his mother. Having watched her fleece nobles since childhood, he couldn't help but resemble her. And Elena was the same.
'Even if she doesn't remember because she was so young.'
The temperament flowing through their blood wouldn't have gone anywhere. After he disappeared and their parents passed away, Elena had protected the territory as its lord for several years. Though the family ultimately fell because she couldn't hold out to the end, that was only due to the territory's geographical disadvantages.
"I'm certain. If the Legrian Territory hadn't been adjacent to Monster Land," Albert said with conviction, his tone firm, "the family never would have ended up like this."
"……Compensation for mental damages, compensation for destroying the training ground…… What in the world……"
Grandel barely managed to lift his head. He'd been patched up with potions, but the beating had been too severe. His teeth were missing, making his pronunciation slightly off, and his broken arms had only been roughly set. He needed to visit a temple in a major territory for proper treatment.
Elena looked at him and let out a small gasp of admiration.
'He really beat him up thoroughly.'
How did one have to hit someone to damage every single spot so evenly without missing anything? That, too, was a skill. One no one else could imitate. When she asked where he'd learned such a technique—
'Nothing beats experience.'
—he had replied. It meant he'd beaten people so often in that other world that he'd elevated it to an art form. Elena had roughly guessed the truth. That Albert hadn't told her everything. But she wasn't particularly upset. Everyone had their privacy, and secrets they didn't want to share. She had no intention of prying into what Albert was hiding just because she was his sister.
"……What is this……"
"It's obviously an official claim submitted to the Mage Guild."
"I won't acknowledge the fifty thousand gold in mental damages…… But eight hundred thousand gold for repairing the training ground? The training ground was……"
This was unfair. He'd confirmed it with magic. Even after using Explosion, the training ground had remained intact. The destruction had all been Albert's doing.
"I didn't destroy the training ground."
"Oh? That's not what I heard. My brother said the training ground was already cracked from Grandel-nim's magic. You used explosive magic, didn't you? Honestly, after casting 6th Circle magic, there's no way the training ground would still be fine."
"……"
"And the training dummies nearby were also destroyed by the aftershock, along with the swords and armor that were placed there……"
Grandel trembled. He understood Elena's intention perfectly.
'These people are trying to make a killing off this opportunity!'
While he'd been unconscious, they'd already laid the groundwork. When he checked earlier, there were smashed dummies, swords, and armor nearby that hadn't been there before the duel. Anyone could tell they'd been placed there after the fight.
"That is my responsibility to compensate for……"
"You're not trying to avoid responsibility, are you? Then we have no choice."
Elena pretended to call someone.
"W-Wait!!"
The quick-witted Grandel knew exactly who she was trying to summon. That monster. The one who'd half-killed a person just because he'd bothered his sister. His body shook. The wounds that potions hadn't fully healed still ached, and his bones throbbed.
'He's a monster, that guy……'
The moment he thought of him, fear washed over him. The man possessed such overwhelming power that it was hard to believe he was human. After becoming a 6th Circle mage, Grandel had believed he could stand against anyone. 'I was confident. No matter how strong the opponent, if I prepared thoroughly, I could win.'
If the opponent was strong, you just needed to prepare enough to beat them. But not with that man. Having faced him, his strength had been carved deep into Grandel's soul. A mage's pride? The honor of being Hades's disciple? None of it meant anything before Albert. Even if he fought a thousand times and prepared a thousand countermeasures, he knew he couldn't win. That man was a monster.
'Even my master wouldn't stand a chance. I can't even reach the soles of his feet.'
On top of that, he was a ruthless scoundrel who attacked the elderly instead of respecting them. And she was going to call that guy?
'He could have killed me, but he didn't. Not because he feared the Mage Guild. Not because he was afraid of retaliation after killing Hades's disciple. He kept me alive to squeeze me dry. Because if I died, there'd be nothing left to take.'
"……I'll pay…… But I can't pay everything."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't have that kind of money right now……"
"Aren't mages wealthy? Since Grandel-nim is Hades-nim's disciple……"
"Mages are rich…… Well, I suppose it might look that way. Plenty of money comes in. But plenty goes out, too."
The mage profession was an extremely expensive one. Most of their income was squandered on research, and there were quite a few mages drowning in debt. The bank accounts where they received their salaries were literally empty. 'Money just passes through.'
"Right now, the most I can pay out of pocket is a hundred thousand gold……"
"That's far from enough."
"……"
"Then we have no choice. I'll take the hundred thousand gold first……"
Elena pulled out a document she'd prepared as if she'd expected this and slid it toward him. His eyes widened when he saw it.
"This is……?"
"An employment contract."
"An employment…… contract?"
"Yes."
"W-What is this……"
Grandel stammered, his head trembling as he looked at Elena in bewilderment. Elena wore a bright smile, but one corner of her mouth was subtly raised.
"If you have no money, you can pay with your body, can't you?"
"……"
Elena was definitely Albert's sister. Grandel had no choice but to sign the employment (slave) contract.
Albert returned to Monster Land. There, Richel and Abel were staring blankly at the sky, completely dazed. Abel had sheathed his sword and was gazing into the air with half-lidded eyes. It was unexpected. Ever since entering Monster Land, he hadn't let his guard down for a moment. Even while Albert was killing monsters ahead of them, he'd stayed ready to protect Richel no matter where or when a monster appeared. But now he was completely vacant. It was hard to believe this was Monster Land—he was utterly defenseless.
[At least they've finished the dismantling.]
The antennae and shells had been neatly sorted and stacked to one side.
"Ah, you're here?"
Sensing his presence, Richel turned her head, spotted Albert, and stood up with a bright smile.
"Yes. You're finished?"
"Yes. I've sorted everything neatly."
"It looks that way. But……"
Albert gave Abel a questioning look. Noticing it, Richel let out an awkward laugh.
"There was a bit of an incident."
[The slime…… That's a monster……] [Crazy…… Am I weaker than a slime, or is that slime just strong……] [The slime…… That thing must be the strongest in the world……] [He's muttering that to himself, you know?]
It seemed something had happened with Gluttony, but Albert wasn't particularly interested.
"Come to think of it, where's Gluttony?"
When Albert called, Gluttony bounced over with a ppoyong-ppoyong and climbed onto his shoulder.
"By the way, you ate the remaining corpses after dismantling, didn't you?"
"Ah, I fed them to it. The Iron Ants' innards weren't needed, and they smelled, so…… Was that not allowed? Did it get an upset stomach……"
"No, it's fine. It can eat anything."
Gluttony could consume and digest almost anything. An upset stomach was out of the question.
"But how did you manage to find your way back? The path must have been complicated."
"Ah, I'd already memorized the route."
"Eh? You memorized the way from the territory to here? My goodness…… How?"
"I'm quite smart."
[I was the one who guided you.] [It's not that Albert-nim is smart, it's that I'm smart.]
The System grumbled, but Albert ignored it and stored the Iron Ant shells and antennae in his extradimensional space. Then he collected the dazed Abel and returned to the territory.
"I never thought I'd get to wander around Monster Land like this. It was quite an experience."
Richel murmured in admiration, unable to hide her excitement. To wander Monster Land this way and return safely was one thing. But on top of that, they'd brought back a huge haul of Iron Ant shells and antennae, which had once been their main target product.
'This is an opportunity.'
A fierce glint flashed in Richel's eyes.
'An opportunity that might never come again! I have to seize this!'
There was enormous demand for Iron Ant shells and antennae. Their purity was far higher than iron mined from quarries, so equipment made from them would be vastly superior. Furthermore—
'Equipment made from Iron Ant shells and antennae can also be turned into magical items by inscribing spells.'
The antennae were also used as magical materials. It was a highly sought-after item, but supply had always been short. Numerous merchant groups had spared no effort trying to obtain Iron Ants, but all had failed.
'If we make this the Flower Merchant Group's flagship product…… No matter how much the Merchant Guild pressures us……'
They could overcome it and grow.
[I can hear the abacus clicking from here.] [She was born with a merchant's talent.] [Look at those eyes. They're so full of greed, just like Albert-nim?]
'What are you talking about?'
[You're not seriously pretending you don't know, are you?]
Albert fell silent. There were too many things that struck a nerve for him to deny it. The karma he'd accumulated over time sealed his mouth.
'It's because I take after Mother.'
[Blaming your genes is a bit……] [ε=o(´ﾛ｀||)]
'Shut up. And stop sighing.'
"Albert-nim! Let's sign an exclusive contract!"
"An exclusive contract?"
"Yes! Our group may be small and unimpressive right now, but if we secure a proper flagship product, we can grow even larger than we are now."
"By flagship product, you mean the Iron Ants, I assume?"
"That's right! You might not know this, Albert-nim, but Iron Ants……"
"Ah, we can skip that explanation."
"Eh?"
"If it's that kind of discussion, it should be with the lord, not me."
"Ah……"
Richel's face flushed. In her excitement, she'd made a mistake she normally wouldn't have. The head of the Legrian family and its lord was Elena.
'Is he drawing a clear line?'
Albert had drawn a firm boundary and was upholding it. He knew his role. 'This is as far as I go. Anything beyond that is the lord's domain.'
With his abilities, even if he crossed that line, no one would complain. His power was that overwhelming. Yet he respected the boundary and had no intention of overstepping it. A resolute attitude that showed he was firmly beneath her. To protect his sister's dignity as lord and not encroach on her authority.
"You care for the lord very deeply, Albert-nim."
Richel smiled softly and gazed at Albert with fond eyes. To cherish his sister so much—his heart was as warm as spring sunlight, and she felt herself falling for him all over again.
'Good personality, good abilities, incredibly handsome face, and his body…… It's perfect.'
He was the ideal husband.
[I think you're misunderstanding something?] [Albert-nim is just dumping the cleanup on Elena-nim because it's a hassle.]
"……"
Albert didn't respond. Afterward, Richel went to find Elena and successfully signed the exclusive contract.
"What our group needs to grow is a stable supply of Iron Ant shells and antennae. Only then can we expand."
Currently, only Albert could hunt Iron Ants. It was quite a troublesome task, but if he wanted to make money, it was unavoidable. After all, iron was needed to form the guard unit.
"Understood. I'll handle the supply."
He could just train a few skilled subordinates later to handle it in his place. It was only a matter of enduring a little hardship at the beginning.
'I'll need to form a knight order.'
He'd have to hurry and create a knight order to exploit. He wanted to dump the work and rest as soon as possible.