Lavender Merchant Guild
'Grab this too…… and that as well.'
Truthfully, since this was a dungeon you could tackle in the early stages, it didn't hold any particularly valuable items.
Still, for someone as short on cash as I was right now, even these scraps mattered.
Well…… I was planning to invest soon anyway.
After collecting everything from the boss room's reward chamber, I turned to Aspilia, who was watching me with her usual blank expression.
"Good work. Thanks for the help."
I had no reward to give Aspilia.
She hadn't used a sword, after all.
Besides, someone from a house like hers wouldn't need things like this.
To her, these were nothing more than useless byproducts.
As if to prove it, Aspilia simply stared at me while I gathered the loot.
……It wasn't because I'd smashed all the eyes of my red giant spider that I was giving her nothing.
Definitely not.
That said, maintaining a good relationship with Aspilia was still necessary.
To clear this game, Aspilia was an essential piece.
Of course, that only applied to the Aspilia who wielded a greatsword, not the one swinging a double-edged axe.
Either way, I needed to stay on good terms with her.
The Aspilia of Class A would serve as a useful stepping stone to connect with the other main characters.
So I smiled at her and said,
"If you ever need my help, just say the word."
In reality, Aspilia had only tagged along to satisfy her own curiosity, but from my perspective she'd basically worked for free.
Since I hadn't even fully resolved that curiosity, she could fairly call this a scam.
'Can't let that happen.'
If I wanted to keep building a positive relationship, I couldn't leave her feeling used.
"Sure. I'll do that."
Aspilia herself didn't seem to mind at all.
I suddenly felt awkward, wondering if I'd just put on a one-man show, but I told myself it was still better than doing nothing and headed out of the dungeon.
'……First things first. Let's take care of what needs doing.'
As I started walking, a hand tugged at my sleeve.
I turned to find Aspilia staring at me with her usual expressionless face, fingers still clutching the fabric.
"……What?"
"Name."
"Huh……?"
"Your name."
It took me a second to understand what she meant.
Aspilia had a habit of cutting straight to the point without context, which made her hard to follow sometimes.
"My name?"
"Yeah."
"Ah……"
Come to think of it, I'd learned her name but never given mine.
'Seriously, she's like a kid left by the riverside.'
The thought made me swallow a sigh.
Should I be impressed that she'd followed a stranger into a dungeon just because he asked, or that she trusted her own strength so completely?
I couldn't decide.
A wave of helplessness hit me—I had no idea where to even begin fixing this—but I pushed it down.
Still, the fact that Aspilia wanted to know my name was a good sign.
'If she wasn't interested, she wouldn't ask.'
That was just how she was.
My help? She didn't really need it.
If she ever reached the point where she did, it would be like borrowing a cat's paw from her perspective.
What Aspilia possessed far exceeded anything I had.
Yet she'd still asked for my name.
That meant—
'This relationship is going to continue.'
Of course, it wasn't romantic interest.
Obviously not.
Falling for someone at first sight was the kind of thing only alpha males pulled off.
It didn't suit an ordinary-looking guy like me.
But that wasn't what I wanted anyway, so I grinned and held out my hand.
"Allen."
"……"
"Allen di Boerger. That's my name."
Let's get along, you little troublemaker.
Until we see the ending of this world.
Aspilia stared at my outstretched hand for a moment, then took it and murmured quietly.
"……Allen. Okay."
"……"
"I'll remember it."
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
Because Aspilia—the so-called Ice Princess, known for her emotionless, expressionless face—had smiled.
It was the kind of small, pure smile a child might wear after finally receiving something they'd always wanted.
@
After parting with Aspilia, I returned to the academy dorm and sat at my desk, checking how much money I could use right now.
Food, clothing, and shelter were all covered by the academy.
The only things I'd need cash for were consumables.
Luckily, no major events had triggered since enrollment, so I wasn't in a rush for supplies either.
So what should I do next?
'Invest.'
I had to invest.
As I'd said before, saving the world required a lot of money.
I couldn't do it alone, after all.
Getting funding from high-ranking officials in each country—like the Empire—was an option, but it was impossible at the moment.
Obviously, no one would invest in someone with no foundation and nothing to show.
Only after I stood out more and everyone realized the cult truly threatened the world would sponsorships become possible.
Which meant, for now, I had to grow my own money.
'It'll take some time……'
That was fine.
There were still ways to earn during that period.
Currently, I had twenty gold on hand.
That matched the starting amount in the game.
I'd failed to obtain any byproducts from the red giant spider, but the magic stone more than made up for it.
I couldn't put an exact value on the stone, but if I didn't sell it in a hurry……
'Roughly a hundred gold or so in total assets.'
Not a bad start.
With my specs improved, money worries had eased considerably.
If I'd still had my original starting specs, I'd have been torn between growing the money or using it to boost my abilities immediately.
'Plus, if I sell the extra stuff…… I could have a bit more breathing room.'
Nothing rare enough to sell right away, so I'd set that aside for now.
Calmly dividing up the funds, I began listing places worth investing in.
'Blue Mane Mercenary Corps. Platinum Knight Order.'
Those two were non-negotiable.
Not only would their value skyrocket later, but they'd also stand on the front lines against the cult.
Investing in them couldn't hurt.
Of course, I couldn't expect to get the money back.
The point was simply increasing overall fighting strength.
And the more their power grew, the less work I'd have to do myself—so it was a net positive.
Both groups were tiny right now and struggling financially, so a single investment would leave a strong impression.
Later, once they learned I was the investor, I'd gain subtle influence over them……
'I shouldn't rule out the possibility they'll become my own limbs someday.'
Thinking that way, the loss wasn't really a loss.
Still, the ultimate goal of investing was to multiply my funds and recover more than the principal.
So those two weren't my ideal targets.
I couldn't even invest in them right this second.
To grow money, I needed places that required capital.
'There's a perfect fit for that.'
Merchant guilds.
If I invested early in a guild that would explode in size later, recovering more than the principal wouldn't be difficult.
Among the names I'd written down, I stared at one in particular and felt the corner of my mouth curl upward.
Golden Road Merchant Guild.
Or rather, the place currently called the Lavender Merchant Guild.
That one was guaranteed.
A coin that would multiply a hundredfold—maybe even a thousandfold.
And on top of that—
"It's also one of the places connected to an academy protagonist."
Tap. Tap.
It was sudden, but every run…… every time the branching points split, different variables appeared.
Some were ones I'd created; others weren't.
The current Lavender Merchant Guild I planned to invest in was one of the spots most easily swept up by those variables.
In other words, contrary to what I'd just said, it was a dangerous guild that could either skyrocket or crash depending on the variable.
But—
'If I can control just one variable.'
This guild would become a golden goose.
And I was confident I could control that variable completely.