About the Value of Money -3-
-Viewing begins.
Olivia closed her eyes gently, listening to the voice of the blue window. The emotionless, mechanical tone of the blue window, as always, spoke of stories she had never seen or experienced before. It was something she could ignore, but strangely, the blue window's voice tugged at her heart.
You will view 5% of 66th Side Story'About the Weight of an Unpayable Debt.'
┗ Information will be restricted.
┗ You will view the final part of the story.
Her eyelids slowly grew heavy. As the viewing began with the alert, various voices started echoing in her ears.
The voices were soaked in panic and curses. There were shouts rising from deep in the dantian, screams, and voices dripping with malice hurling accusations.
What is this...?
Was it because it was the final part without a full narrative? Or because only voices were audible? Olivia couldn't understand how this story flowed. She just hoped those accusations weren't directed at her, as she listened to the blue window's voice writing in blue letters.
[Ricardo had many worries about the enormous debt. It was too much money for him to handle alone, especially with you as his patient.]
['Burden' might be the right word. Though Ricardo never thought of you that way.]
[Ricardo tried. He tried to pay off the debt and stay by your side.]
[Sometimes working at construction sites, getting injured as an adventurer, trying every job imaginable.]
[But earning 1 million gold in just one year was impossible, and Ricardo's worries grew day by day.]
[Ricardo grew impatient and desperate. So he broke his own iron rule and started moving.]
[One day, strange rumors spread in the empire. You, lying in bed, couldn't hear them, but the world buzzed about a murderer called the 'Red-Haired Devil.']
[Where the Red-Haired Devil passed, unidentified priests lay dead, and altars were left empty.]
[The public loved sensational stories.]
[They ignored any sinners deserving death in the devil's path and filled articles with malicious tales about the devil.]
[Around then, Ricardo started leaving more often, and you misunderstood, thinking he would abandon you.]
[5 years pass.]
[The weight of the unpayable debt lightens, and Ricardo's absences grow longer.]
[By the time you see the faces of the maids he hired more than his own.]
[Ricardo leaves you. Leaving behind one potion and a massive sum of money.]
[You come to hate Ricardo for leaving without a word, and eventually, you meet him again.]
[At that place.]
[Unaware it would be Ricardo's final stand.]
As the blue window finished speaking, Olivia's eyes slowly opened. She was bewildered. It was nonsense she couldn't comprehend, and hating Ricardo was unimaginable.
Why did Ricardo abandon her? What did 'his end' mean? Olivia couldn't make sense of any of it and let out a trembling breath.
Then, as her vision cleared, she screamed.
What the...!
Turning her head with a quivering voice, Olivia was shocked by the scene before her.
It was a cathedral. A cathedral filled with the warmth of the gods.
Ricardo, shaking blood from his sword, looked lazily at the pile of corpses and spoke in a languid voice.
"Ah... you've come?"
Ricardo's voice was directed at the cathedral entrance. Toward the countless people who had arrived armed.
Olivia couldn't recognize the expressionless Ricardo staring at the stacked bodies. Nor the many people who had come to capture him, weapons drawn.
Mikhail. Yuria. Ruin. The Imperial Knights.
Many familiar faces surrounded Ricardo, who scratched his head with an awkward expression.
"It's a problem if so many of you show up."
Ricardo looked exhausted. His once-kind eyes now held thick killing intent, and his weary face showed only fatigue.
With hair grown to his shoulders tied back, Ricardo resembled a war god at a high realm, and the aura emanating from him sent deep shivers even to Olivia watching from beyond the illusion. It was bottomless. Immeasurably deep.
Ricardo, radiating killing intent that could stop breaths with a twitch, wore a cold smile, then shifted to an awkward one upon seeing a woman slowly walking forward.
"You... that voice is familiar."
A voice she'd heard her whole life.
"Is this what you've done?"
Ricardo gave an awkward smile to the woman emerging through the soldiers surrounding him. Showing bewilderment.
He bowed his head like a criminal and said,
"Miss."
The one who stepped out was Olivia. Walking perfectly, her hair floating with mana, she lightly ignored Ricardo's bitter smile and said,
"Trash."
"..."
"You fucking trash."
Ricardo looked at her sadly. Without excuses, just quietly smiling at her, he murmured softly,
"I'm glad you can walk."
"Shut up."
"You look well. That's a relief."
"Well? Suffering because of the shit you left behind, and you call it well?"
"...Right? Yeah, it must be."
The Olivia in the illusion said to Ricardo,
"Why did you do it?"
"..."
"Abandon me. Kill people like a madman... Why? Do you know how hard it's been for me because of you?"
Ricardo looked up at the cathedral ceiling and murmured lowly,
"The sky's clear, huh?"
"What?"
"Disgustingly clear."
"...What are you saying?"
"You won't believe me no matter what I say, but I became a target for some dangerous people."
"Hey... speak straight."
Ricardo gave a wry smile. Then he lightly stomped the ground and approached everyone.
As he swung his sword casually to loosen his wrists, all stepped back, raising weapons. Ricardo smiled.
"Blame me."
And murmured softly,
"I had no choice to protect you."
Black energy began flowing from Ricardo's body. Familiar mana. Sticky, deep malice-filled magic. Black Magic.
The moment Ricardo's sword scattered like a storm, a familiar 'ding' rang in the illusion Olivia's ear.
"Shall we stop...?"
Ricardo's sword, unleashing sword energy madly, halted before his own throat and didn't move. The explosive sword energy. The sword-dark aura. The thick black magic. All stopped.
"...What."
Olivia's eyes widened.
"What is... this."
In the midst of battle, everything suddenly froze. Like waking from a dream, Olivia blankly stared at Ricardo and spoke with trembling eyes.
"It wasn't you?"
What wasn't? As she realized what was wrong, Olivia's eyes fixed on Ricardo's sword.
Ricardo hadn't killed anyone. Not Mikhail, not Yuria, not even those hurling malicious words at him. They all stood unharmed.
Ricardo, covered in blood, stood with a hardened expression toward her, as if prepared to fall only for one person.
"Miss."
"...It wasn't you. You didn't do it."
For some reason, the Olivia in the illusion looked at Ricardo with trembling eyes. As if realizing something unknown, she screamed at him, and Ricardo shook his head with a wry smile.
"Shh. I don't know how you know, but you realized too late."
To Olivia staring with trembling eyes, Ricardo smiled faintly and said,
"Become the hero."
"No..."
"It's my turn to exit."
Three days after the viewing ended.
"What are you doing."
Ricardo said to Olivia, who was sitting on the bed attaching eyes to bear dolls.
"Huh?"
Olivia said with a serious face.
"Earn money."
"Stop it."
"Whyyyyy!"
Ricardo sighed deeply, picked up a bear doll, and said,
"Who puts eyes on the forehead? And why on the chest!"
"Female bear."
"...Fair enough."
Ricardo nodded, sat beside Olivia to help, and only stopped after getting scolded by the people who came to retrieve the bear dolls.
"Ricardo, I got fired again."
Olivia had lost her job again today.